Thankyou for all your lovely reviews! They are always appreciated. So here's chapter 3 I hope you enjoy.
It was Christmas eve and the office was buzzing. We would have a week off starting tomorrow. I hade made Lisbon enter the teams secret Santa, although we knew it wouldn't be very effective with only 4 of us. I had drawn Cho and I had had found him a pair of pyjamas and had CBI printed on the back. I thought they looked pretty good and I knew he would like them. We all sat round a table ready to give each other the gifts.
"Cho, this is for you!" I stated. He unwrapped the package in amazement and gazed in wonder why I had bought him black pyjamas.
"turn them over" I told him. He laughed when he saw the CBI.
"Thanks Grace". He said smiling, a rare little treat.
"I'll go next then" he said. "Rigsby, I hope you like it". He said sliding a perfectly wrapped package across the table. Rigsby took it to his ear and shook it gently. He opened it carefully and marvelled at the hamburger cuff links Cho had found him.
"Thanks bro!' he said trying to high five Cho who just sat there not moving. Rigsby lowered his head, embarrassed and I couldn't help but laugh.
"That means, that this is for you boss" Rigsby giggled handing over a very large red, green and gold box.
"we may have cheated a bit with yours, it's more of a gift from the team to you". I cut in. I could see the excitement plastered all over her face.
"Thank you guys you shouldn't have" she said trying to contain the excitement that was bubbling inside her. It was the first time I had seen boss smile since Jane left, I had forgotten how much it lit up her face. She opened the box in anticipation and saw 3 smaller gifts inside. Choosing the smallest first she pulled off the green tissue paper and saw a jewellery box made from dark wood with fine etchings.
"This is so beautiful... You shouldn't have been so generous" she told us tears welling up in her eyes.
"Look, boss you have been there when we needed you, and when things got complicated" I said shooting a glance at Rigsby, "you didn't say anything to anyone else". I said gently. The boss laughed,
"complicated is not the word I would use but I guess because of your generosity you will be forgiven". She told us. She looked genuinely happy and she hadn't opened the other two presents. I loved Christmas and it was a truly magical time of year.
"I can't wait to see what's in this one!" she said. She had chosen the largest present, which was about the size of a shoe box. Marvelling at its contents she picked up the gun we had found her to examine it more closely. It was a black metal that was as cold as ice, it was well made and had intricate patterns up one side.
"Guys, I don't know what to say" she whispered. Her fingers tracing along the trigger. For a moment she closed her eyes. I wondered if this was to prevent tears, but when she didn't snap out of her trance immediately I began to panic. I checked her pulse, it was very faint but it was there.
"Cho call an ambulance!" I instructed feeling dizzy at this unseasonal turn of events.
"2 minutes" he told me. I had never seen him so flustered, and I could see the panic rising behind his eyes.
"here" Rigsby said pushing me aside. He picked Lisbon up and held her like a baby in his arms and began to walk quickly to the lift, seeming unaffected by her weight. He had done this to me once. We had a little too much to drink one evening and things had escalated. But that wasn't important now, what would boss do in this situation? She would be barking commands, not screaming but assertive. People would be moving around her quickly and organised. But I felt helpless. 4 years working here and I didn't have a clue what do in an actual emergency.
By the time we had left the building the ambulance was waiting outside HQ. All 3 of us squished in although the paramedic had explicitly told us only two were allowed. They wired Lisbon up to all these machines and I took her frozen hand in mine. Rigsby kept whispering in my ear 'it's going to be ok', and I just prayed to God he was right. No one felt like talking and the paramedics were so focused on Lisbon's well being they didn't strike up a conversation. After what seemed like an eternity we arrived at the hospital and followed the doctors through to Lisbon's room. We were advised by the doctor to stay outside and we obliged. Cho got us all coffee and we drank it quickly. By this time it was 11:30pm and we were all shaken with fatigue. Rigsby was the first to fall asleep with his head against the vending machine. Cho sat as silent as ever reading through a car magazine they had placed on the waiting room table, but before long he had been engulfed by sleep too.
"Are you Grace?" a middle aged doctor asked poking his head around the door.
"Yes! Yes I am is Lisbon awake?" I asked eagerly. He nodded in response.
"you're welcome to stay the night here". The doctor said.
"Thankyou that would be great" I told him.
Lisbon looked tiny on the hospital bed. Her black hair sprayed out in a delta on the pillow.
"Hey boss" I said trying to smile.
"grace?" she choked out.
"yes boss?" I asked.
"sorry" she whispered.
"don't be sorry, nothing was your fault". I told her.
"it was". She said beginning to cry. I looked at the doctor confused. He lead me by the hand out of the room and into the waiting area.
"your boss hasn't been consuming enough food to keep her energy levels up. She has also not been sleeping, and this has wreaked havoc on her body. Do you know if she has a history of anorexia nervosa or any other eating disorders?" he asked.
"No she doesn't. Or hasn't, she is just going through some issues with her..." I stopped, I had already said to much.
"yes? This could be important for her safety" he said.
"her long term partner jus left her and won't speak to her. Ultimately she's taken it hard". I had just described Jane as a long term partner, if Lisbon could hear this I was dead. He nodded on response.
I was furious with Jane for doing this to her. He had left her inconsolable, drawn her away from society. She was hurting herself because she missed him so much. The worry of not knowing whether he was dead or alive was destroying her day by day, piece by peace. That son of a bitch was half the person that Lisbon was.