SOS (Rescue You... Rescue Me)

Bobby and Cheryl stood looking at each other for a minute, before Cheryl said, "Ah, my car is just down at the corner."

Bobby nodded and fell in step with her, 'Great, my car's down that way, too."

Cheryl snuck a sidelong glance at him before saying, "I meant what I said earlier. About rescuing me."

"Which part? About me rescuing you? Or you returning the favor sometime?" Bobby was tired. Tired of playing along with things, he'd done that all night long. Now it was time for him to get some answers of his own.

"Um, I don't…"

"Don't… What?" Bobby had stopped, tilted his head to look down and over at her. "Since you seem to be unable to ask what you've obviously wanted to ask all night, let me ask you something. What's going on here? What's your deal? You've been staring at me - clinically - all night. You got something you want to ask me, go for it..." He flung his arms out, leaving himself wide open, vulnerable and ready to take the hit. Bobby's frustration and anger had been building ever since he'd heard the derision in Mark's voice when he asked Lewis, "And … and what? Him? You've gotta be kiddin' me."

She looked away and exhaled as she pressed her lips together before turning to look back at him.

"Go ahead. It's okay. Ask. ASK ME!" He didn't shout, but he saw her flinch at the harshness of his tone. He backed away and raised his hands in surrender.

She shook her head and said, "I think you already know what I want to ask you. I'm... I'm sure you're very formidible with a suspect, when... you bring your A-game."

He shook his head, hands balled up in his front pockets. "Ask me..." It sounded like a dare.

Seeing no other way out, she blurted out her question,. "Are you seeing anyone?"

Bobby stared at her, nonplused. That's not what I thought she was going to ask.

Seeing the look of surprise flicker across his face, she realized what she'd just said, how it sounded. Nervously, she added, "I meant professionally. A counselor? A therapist?"

Bobby looked off up and down the empty street. After more than a minute of silence, when she gave up hope he was going to answer, finally he said, "Yeah, I have some mandatory sessions with a department shrink. To determine my fitness for duty."

"Hmm... hmm." She nodded. "How many of those sessions have you missed? My bet is, quite a few. Keep that up and they'll never find you fit for duty'.

"What is this, some sad, pathetic bargain basement intervention? For the poor guy who has no family, has no friends, a stranger to point out the error of my ways?"

She stared back at him before quietly asking, "Do you need an intervention?

When he didn't answer, she added, "From what I saw tonight. You have friends. I don't know about family, but friends, well they're the 'family' we choose. They can be more much... more important than the family we were born into."

"Why? Why are you doing this? You don't know me?"

She looked down at the handbag she was bouncing off her thigh.

"Why?" Bobby demanded.

Shit, I blew it, I'm going to have to tell him everything. She closed her eyes, muttered, "dammit" as she rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Want one?" They had reached her car, she stopped walking and tossed the bag onto the roof of her car.

When he just stared at her mutely, she said, "I know, it's a vile, disgusting habit. I gave it up years ago. But every once in a while…" Hoping to dispel some of the tension, she asked, "How do you think Hanrattie's gets away with letting people smoke in there?"

"No one's turned them in yet. Some day soon, someone will." As she offered him the pack, he shook his head, but he took one anyway. She handed him her lighter as she took her first deep drag from the cigarette.

She slumped against the side of her car and waited. He did the same. They smoked and waited. Each waiting for the other to speak first.

Finally, taking the lead again, Bobby said, "All right, now tell me why."

"I ... I knew about you before tonight. About Tates. About what happened there." She turned to see him staring down at his shoes, and he was nodding his head.

"I knew someone who was in Tates. Almost four years ago, he was sentenced to eighteen months. He did twenty-two days. Twen-ty two days before..." Her voice broke and she fiercely shook her head.

She turned to look at Bobby. "I didn't help him. I couldn't help him. I didn't know, how... how could I?"

"So this is all about your guilt?"

She again attempted to diffuse the high emotions, "It can't always be about you can it?" She shook her head, "Sorry... All about my guilt? No, no I think there's plenty of that to go around, but it's not mine. Everything that happened is so wrong, I just want to see it made right."

Bobby took a deep drag on the cigarette and inhaled the smoke deep into his lungs. God, I miss this.

"I work at the VA Med Center downtown and I … I know a lot of good people. You... you wouldn't have to be a vet to see someone, several of them take on private clients... It might be easier to get through this without worrying that something you say is going to make it back to the department… to be part of your permanent record or what... ever..." She faltered as she saw his angry stare.

"But this isn't an intervention, right?"

"NO, it isn't, it's an offer of help. There's nothing wrong with it and nothing shameful. It's not a sign of weakness or... or whatever you're thinking it might be. I don't think you're in denial. I think you are very well aware of what's going on with you and where you are, and, and…" She brushed a tear away and stared at him defiantly.

She looked away and said, "I would have helped him if I'd known. I would have…"

For the second time tonight, he looked up and let everything fall away from him. The lights of the city were so bright he could barely see the stars, but he knew they were up there.

Bobby's voice was quiet, subdued as he asked, "Who was he?"