Chapter 10

They had stepped into their room and shut the door for privacy. "It was a mistake, Battista left the picture on the table when he went to the bathroom. Katie was asleep, he didn't expect that she would-."

"And where were you?!"

Bobby bristled at her accusatory tone. "I was on the phone with Logan. He called to ask about Katie."

Thinking about the awful crimes she'd seen in her career, Alex was horrified for her daughter.

"Look, if it helps any, it wasn't… the worst… of the bunch."

"Oh, yes." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "That helps a lot."

He struggled to keep from shouting at her. "What's done is done, Alex! It was an accident, but it happened, and there's no way to undo it now. You can't take that picture back out of her head!"

"I would have kept it from getting there in the first place!" The words were out, and she couldn't take them back.

In an angry flurry, Bobby left the room. He slowed down long enough to give Katie a kiss goodbye, and he left.

Tonight, he couldn't tone the anger down. This had been brewing for a long time, and he stood in the subway with his hand through the loop, grateful for the motion and the distraction of keeping himself balanced. His mind was in a rage against Alex, and all the way to 1PP he was cussing her out in his head.

She'd already called him once, but he waited to call her back. He wasn't going to give the others on the train a free show as they witnessed his side of the argument. Bobby hopped off the train and walked down the street, and into the squad room.

His desk was still front and center, right where the Captain could see him, though it was now a place of honor for him. All of the other Detectives had to pass Bobby's desk several times a day en route to somewhere else. It opened up plenty of opportunity for them to tap into his expertise.

He saw the envelope on his desk, along with a note from his partner. "I'm through with these, but I thought you still might want to look them over. Again, Goren, I'm really sorry about your little girl."

Bobby snatched up the envelope and carried it back to an interview room. He closed the door and dialed his phone.

"You can't keep walking out on me like this," Alex said.

"I… I just need some space, Alex."

"And I need my husband!"

"You need me? You just made it very clear that you can take better care of Katie than I-"

"I'm sorry, Bobby." She said it, and she meant it, but she still sounded angry. Alex's voice was full of regret. "I never wanted her to know—"

"And you think I did?!"

"No, of course not." She paused a moment to regain her composure. "So you know how I feel, then."

"Of course I do. I was so mad at Battista, I could have… but it wouldn't have done any good. The damage is done." She was very quiet then, and he hoped she wasn't crying. "How is she?" Bobby asked.

Alex cleared her throat and tried to keep the tears at bay. "She seems okay… more like herself. She hasn't thrown up again."

"Good," Bobby said.

"And she only mentioned the picture a couple of times. Maybe it's not as bad as we think."

Bobby forced himself to grunt in agreement, but he knew from experience how those images could haunt a person.

"Bobby… come home. Please?"

He was truly torn. He hated that Alex was hurting, and he wanted to make up with her, but he knew he couldn't get all of that anger out of his head without a full-on distraction for a while. If he was still angry, he would only hurt her more. "In a while," Bobby said. "I'm gonna put in some time at the office, first."

She was crushed, and he could hear it in her tone. "I love you, Bobby," she said before hanging up.

"Love you, too," he mumbled, but the line was already dead.

Bobby arrived home, and found Katie sleeping peacefully in her room. Alex had been doing paperwork; her stuff was still scattered across her desk. She was now stretched out in bed, and he could see the empty tumbler on the nightstand. The scent of bourbon was heavy on her breath.

A pang of guilt went through him. Alex rarely drank alone. He undressed and climbed into the bed with her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her fiercely. "I love you, Alex."

She didn't wake, but moaned and molded her body against his.

Bobby sighed. In a few days, Katie would be back to normal, he'd be back at work, and Alex would be settling in again at hers. Things had to get better from here. They had nowhere to go but up.

A/N I sure would like to hear what y'all are thinking about now... Review, please?