I totally forgot the put the lines in the other chapters. Any mistakes are still mine, so sorry for any horrible things I've managed to f-up.

There was no love for the last chapter which is alright cause I didn't love it either. Alright on to 26.

They had managed to finish the interview a few days later, MacIntyre always quietly lurking in the background. And two days after that, Cal finally placed his voice, it practically smacked him in the face. He was the man through the phone, Mac something or other. And knowing who he was now, Cal assumed that name had mistakenly slipped out.

Aware Reynolds would be passing by his door any moment, Cal swung his legs off his desk and hopped up. Seeing he was right on time, Cal reached out and pulled Reynolds into his office, shutting the door behind them.

"What the hell, Lightman?"

"MacIntyre, whataya know 'bout him?" Cal grilled.

Reynolds straightened his jacket, dusting off his already clean sleeves. "Not much. Transferred in about two years ago."

Cal put his hands in his pockets, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "He's involved in this."

"You can't just go around thrown out accusations like that. Do you have any proof?" Reynolds crossed his arms, widening his stance.

"Besides he's the only person I had contact with outside of Wolfer's gang?"

"Actually solid evidence?"

Opening the door, Cal directed Reynolds out of his office. "I thought that was what the FBI was for."

As Cal moved through the house, he found Gillian sitting at the dining room table a cup in hand, staring at the wall. It had been quiet since Emily left, Zoe requesting a couple of days with her.

He knew now would be the best time to bring up their dispute on the day of the accident. No one would interrupt them and there was plenty of time to sort through everything. Knowing it might help ease to strain between them didn't make the task seem any easier to him though. He didn't even know if he could get her to speak with him. She hadn't really done so since the night he'd confronted her about her health.

She looked better, moved with more ease. The swelling had receded, the bruises fading little by little. But as his worry began to lessen for one thing it grew for others. Her stumbles were more frequent, often times it forced her to reach out for anything close enough to keep her upright. She'd dropped two mugs (one full of scalding hot chocolate right onto Cal), a plate, three forks, a rather sharp knife, and a bowl of oatmeal. Her momentary bouts of weakness had him on edge.

She wouldn't sleep or couldn't, he didn't know which, but refused to talk about the nightmares. And wouldn't take her pain medication, saying she preferred the irritation of the aches to being in a fuzzy haze. Some nights, Cal found himself sitting outside her door, just in case she needed something.

Taking a seat, Cal waited for her to acknowledge him. Her eyes swiftly batted to him then away again. She may not have wanted to look at him, but he knew he had her attention. "I'm sorry."

Her eyelids shut, eyes in a half-hearted roll. "Cal…"

"No, just let me finish. I'm sorry that I didn't check, I should have. I'm sorry for the phone calls, for putting our business at risk, and for saying the things I did. Marrying you was and will never be a mistake. I shouldn't have taken any of this out on you, none of it is your fault."

She only stared at him when he finished, unblinking, eyes glossy. Seizing the ring from his pocket, Cal set it on the table between them, and watched as Gillian physically back away in her chair. "Where'd you get it, Gill?" He wanted her to say it, just wanted to hear the words come from her.

"You… you gave it to me before you died." Gillian cleared her throat with a cough, wincing at the pinch in her side.

Hearing it from her didn't make him feeling any better than when Zoe had said it. The words sank to his gut and settled there making him feel full and sick. "I shouldn't have said – I never would have said that. I didn't remember."

Gillian scraped her thumb on the handle of her mug. "You would have just said something else. You make it a point to hurt people when you're angry, Cal. Especially me."

He didn't like the tone in her voice, the weariness of it. It didn't sit right in his ears. He didn't know how to fix this, any of it. He could find the man who had ripped his life away, but that wouldn't fix what had been stolen from him and Gillian, couldn't stabilize a rocking boat. And for once, he had no clear plan of action.

Cal slid the ring closer to her. "It's yours, take it."

She moved further back in her seat. "I don't want it."

"It was a gift, keep it."

"I don't… Cal, I don't…"

"Gill…"

"I don't want it!" she protested loudly, her voice dropping suddenly afterwards. "Please, don't give it to me."

Her eyes glazed over with tears, and Cal couldn't stand sitting there any longer. Burying the ring back in his pocket, he got up and left the room. Retreating, he could hear Gillian weep, and again he was struck by how out of control everything felt. He was back at square one.

Sad day. I lost all the views on my story when I swapped out the chapters.