"Really? He said that?" Keats bit her lip. She was standing inside a phonebooth and periodically glancing at her watch so she wouldn't let her break time slip over.
"Stop doing that, Keats." Ryan said. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was biting her lip again.
"How the heck did you know?" She replied, dumbfounded.
"I know you, Keats. You think I'd marry a stranger?" Ryan retorted. He was angry with himself and Jake Berkeley, but he was taking it out on Keats.
"Ryan…you should stay with the team. I can find another job someplace else. You've been there longer." Keats said at length. It had been one of the hardest things she'd ever had to say. But Ryan was worth it.
"I can't let you do that, Keats…Anyway, I think H might be testing us."
"What? How do you know?" Keats wondered.
"I don't know how I know. But we have to find some way to prove that the two of us can work together at M.D.P.D. and still have a relationship." He leaned back in his chair, staring at the eyeglasses in his hand.
Keats wanted so much to hug him and kiss him. She would even have been satisfied to see his face for a few moments. It was her fourth day and she was homesick as all get-out.
She missed her job. Investigating crime scenes and putting together evidence. She missed the people at her job. Delko, Natalia, Valera, Calleigh, Alexx, Cooper…She missed her boss, who was at times more of a father figure than a real boss.
And last but not least, she truly missed her Ryan.
She felt a tear escape the corner of her eye and she wondered how to end the conversation without letting Ryan know she was crying.
"Keats, what's wrong? You're really quiet." He said.
"Just tired." She said with a sigh. She hoped he hadn't heard her voice tremble.
"Are they roughing you up?" Ryan asked, half-serious.
"Depends on what you call rough…Um, I really have to go. I have to complete this obstacle course thing before I go to bed…"
"All right. I'll call you tomorrow, then. Same time?" He asked. He figured something was up, but if it was serious, he knew she'd cave in and tell him soon enough.
"Yeah…Love you." She said softly. The words sounded really rice to her.
"I love you, too." He murmured. Although Keats had to admit that they sounded better coming from Ryan. They ended the conversation and Keats ran to the grassy field behind the Training building, ready to complete one phase of her training.
Ryan held the phone for a long time, wishing he could backtrack everything. It was his fault that Keats had run away in the first place, making her a noticeable target by IAB. Whatever happened in the future, he didn't want Keats to pay for his mistakes.
"How do we prove that we can be together?" He mumbled to himself.
Rain was a rare occurrence, only it didn't feel so rare when it was pouring down on you as though the clouds were melting from the heat.
Keats' first task was to climb across a narrow pole without falling, in case she should ever have to climb out on a window ledge to prevent someone from jumping to his death.
"Shouldn't I do this when it isn't raining?" She asked above the roar of the downpour. Bitterman gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
Keats took a deep breath, climbing onto the ladder and willing herself not to look down too much. She finally stood at the top, looking across the pole to the other end.
It's frigging slippery out here. How am I supposed to do this without breaking my neck?
Keats turned to look at Bitterman and wondered if that wasn't the original idea.
Erickson slowly regained consciousness. He was lying very still in his hospital bed, recovering from his surgery. He blinked a few times before noticing that Jake was sitting in the chair beside him reading a magazine.
"Berkeley…come here." He said, beckoning him with a weak finger. Jake stood up with a smile and tossed the magazine aside.
"Erickson…glad you're awake, man." He said, approaching the bed. Erickson's hand shot out from under the covers and grabbed Berkeley by the neck.
"This was not in the fine print, Rat Boy." He seethed. Berkeley began to struggle, but to no avail as Erickson was terribly strong.
"It's…th…the girl." He gurgled.
"You knew she was feisty, didn't you? And you let me make a fool of myself. Now, thanks to you, I've only got one nut…The deal is off, Berkeley. I'm writing you up. There is no way in Hell you can talk yourself out of this one." He said, suddenly releasing his grip.
Berkeley fell to the floor and gasped for breath.
"Oh!" Keats steadied herself carefully, trying not to think about Bitterman anticipating her to fall. She had gone halfway and was doing just fine.
She was just about to close her eyes and slide across in order to get out of the rain when she noticed Bitterman cutting off a few ropes below her. She watched in terror as her safety net fluttered to the ground.
She dared a peek downward and gasped when she realized that she could be seriously injured if she fell. Maybe even fatally wounded.
"Do you wanna pass or not? Get moving."
Keats inched her way along twice as slow as she had done before. She had known all along that Berkeley was behind everything and that indeed everyone had been against her from the start, but having it confirmed was rather painful.
Keats felt her foot slide out from under her and she grabbed the pole for support. She was kneeling on it, clutching it with all her strength. I'm going to be fine. He's just trying to scare me.
She made herself do a few breathing exercises in an effort to calm down, barely noticing when Bitterman took an enormous branch from a nearby tree and began striking the foundation under the pole, causing her to shake.
Jake Berkeley stood and was ready to bolt out the door when Ryan Wolfe suddenly breezed through it, giving him a tight smile.
"CSI Wolfe, I am more than ready to sign that agreement." Erickson said. Jake looked back and forth between the two men, completely mystified.
"Agreement? We had an agreement, Seville. What agreement could you possibly have with him?" Berkeley yelled.
"It's every man for himself, Jake. If I turn you in, as well as a few others in the barrel, I get a reduced sentence…but wait, it gets better. I agree to let Keats off the hook in exchange for my complete exoneration. It's all here in black and white, Detective."
"You mean I'm taking the fall for everything? You're insane, old man!" Berkeley began to panic, fear rising in his throat.
"It certainly looks like you'll be paying for everything, now doesn't it?" Erickson said, signing a few documents near his bedside and handing them to Ryan.
Ryan folded the papers and put them in his jacket pocket. He thanked Erickson profusely, excusing himself from their company.
It was late. It was raining. And it was also a good night to rescue a damsel from Officer Training Camp.
