Chapter 4

"Are you real?"

What kinda question is that, Bobby? Of course I'm real.

"But you—you're dead, Frank."

That's crazy. I'm not dead. Look at me.

"No, Frank! I saw you—your body! On the pavement and I saw you in the morgue and—"

Bobby, his voice was soft as he spoke. Look at me. I'm right here. I never left you.

He jerked awake with a start, and Eames stirred beneath him. Bobby raised a hand and scrubbed his face with it. Then he looked down at his partner. He could see the edge of the bruise on her face. Most of it was hidden by her hair, but there was some bruising near her temple, just at the top of her ear.

The dream had him worked up, and he tried to get his breathing to slow. He looked down at Eames again. She'd told him what had happened, how he'd left the door ajar and made the place look suspiciously like someone had left in a hurry. He'd come out of nowhere and pistol-whipped her, and she didn't remember a thing until she came to in the ER. Alex said she wasn't sure why he didn't just take her and run instead of waiting for Bobby.

Bobby started to think about that. Why did MacKearn wait for him? What was it he had planned? His head started to ache again, but he couldn't stop thinking. MacKearn had taken his ID and his badge. There had to have been some kind of motive for that. Bobby's badge was still missing.

She sighed and turned slightly, and he winced when her head put pressure on a bruise on his thigh. Bobby looked down on her again. He wasn't sure why she was here, but he was glad for it. Sometimes it seemed like Alex was his only friend.

Nature called, and he had to wake her. "Alex?"

She stirred and opened her eyes. When she saw his face, she sat up.

"Sorry," he whispered. "I gotta, uh…"

Alex moved out of his way and Bobby carefully got to his feet. She stood up with him, supporting him by the arm.

"Sorry," he said again.

Alex shrugged off his apology. She had felt him leaning on her as he stood, and she was glad to be there to help him. She picked up the dirty dishes from their breakfast and took them to the kitchen.

The headache was still there, but it was less pronounced than before. Alex wasn't sure how long she had napped on the couch with Bobby, but it had certainly helped. She tucked the dishes in the dishwasher and poured herself a fresh cup of coffee.

He didn't return for quite a while, and Alex grew worried. She walked down the hall and knocked on his bedroom door. A soft groan invited her in. She opened the door to find the room dark and Bobby lying on his back with his right arm thrown over his eyes.

"You okay?" she asked him.

"My head is killing me," he said.

"Medicine?" she asked him.

"I think it's too soon," he answered with a sigh. She walked in and sat at the edge of his mattress. "Alex? What was he- MacKearn- planning?"

Alex shook her head. Now she understood why he had a headache. "I don't know, Bobby, and you really need to let that go. You're supposed to be resting your brain."

He moved his arm far enough from his eyes for her to see his look of disdain. Alex gave him a grin. She knew better than anyone that there was no way in hell Bobby Goren could keep from thinking. He couldn't even limit his thinking.

Bobby replaced his arm over his eyes and took as deep a breath as he could manage. "He was tall like me," Bobby postulated, "Do you think he was planning to impersonate me?"

Alex shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe. But why?"

"Maybe we should… do some digging."

"You really think you're up for that?"

Bobby sighed and his mouth turned into a frown. "No, I guess not," he admitted sadly. "I feel terrible."

She climbed up on the mattress and sat beside him with her back against the headboard. Alex let her fingers slip gently into his curly hair, thinking again how lucky he was to be alive, and how lucky she was to have him beside her. "Give it time," she said quietly.

He lifted his arm away from his eyes and held it up to catch her hand. Bobby carefully took another deep breath. He was grateful for her company.

Alex sat in the dark with him, holding his hand, and she could tell he was asleep when he relaxed his fingers and his breathing slowed. . Eames closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wood behind her, trying to work out what MacKearn had been up to.

"Frank," Bobby whispered. "You shouldn't be here."

Alex opened her eyes and glanced down at him. He was muttering in his sleep. She couldn't make out all the words, but she very clearly heard him say his brother's name.