A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out and be posted. I had already written a response to Alexx's departure called "Requiem for an M.E." and I didn't want this to just repeat it and I didn't want to copy and paste it into the chapter. So I had to deal with it differently.
Parting Ways
Eric jogged down the corridor toward Firearms. Nearing the doorway, he could hear the sound of gunfire as Calleigh test fired an Uzi that was confiscated after a drive by in Liberty City. A four-year-old had been killed by a stray bullet and Calleigh was hopping mad over the case.
He stopped in the doorway until he saw Calleigh place the gun on the counter and remove her ear protectors. "Hey."
She half turned, her anger over the drive by still sparking in her eyes. "Hey. What do you need?"
Suddenly, he didn't want to tell her; didn't want her to know. Eric wanted to protect her from the painful knowledge. She and Alexx were so close and he knew, firsthand, how protective Calleigh could be over those she loved. "I, uhm...."
Calleigh removed her glasses and set them on the counter and approached him. Eric was clearly distressed and she wanted to know why. "What's going on? Did you find out who dropped the tile on that guy yet? Eric tell me what's bothering you."
He looked away for a moment. It was better she heard the news from him rather than from someone else. "Calleigh, Brian Woods is mixed up in it. The flagstone came from Alexx's backyard. He ran from the scene of a stabbing and we can't find him. Alexx swears that he didn't do it."
"He didn't. Brian is a good kid, Eric; you know that. Alexx and Henry are raising him and Jamie right. I'm sure there'll be a good explanation for all of this," Calleigh said fiercely.
"I hope so because it's tearing Alexx apart," he said softly, a complete contrast to Calleigh's harsh voice a moment ago. "I just wish I wasn't the one that has to investigate him. I feel like I'm betraying Alexx."
Calleigh rubbed his arm, trying to impart comfort. "Better you than a stranger; did you ever think of that? With you, Brian isn't some obviously guilty kid making up excuses, he is innocent until proven guilty as he should rightfully be."
"I really hope that he just got scared and ran. I can understand that. But we've got to find him and bring him in for his own protection. Alexx says that he told her that he didn't stab the kid and she believes him and so do I. But Brian ran, Calleigh. That makes him look guilty. All this science around us and we can't help him," Eric said. He was miserable because Alexx was so miserable in all of this.
"We'll find him. I'm going over to autopsy and see Alexx," Calleigh said, shrugging out of her lab coat.
Eric put a hand on her arm, stopping her. "She'll know that I told you."
"Somebody would have, anyway. Besides, she has a few more projectiles from the drive by for me. I have to go over there to collect them," Calleigh said. "Eric, don't worry; you know how much I love Alexx. I'll do what I can for her."
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"Henry, I know but now they can't find him. He looks so guilty but I know in my heart he isn't......Well it's not like either one of us has been around as much as we would like........I know you did and I ended up missing Janie's gymnastics meet just last week.......When is your flight back?.......Good because I need you right now. Brian needs you, too.....I love you, too," Alexx said, closing her cell. She leaned heavily against the operating table and hung her head. She felt like she'd aged since first finding out about her flagstone being used as the murder weapon. She was just grateful that Horatio and Eric were being so discrete, but now there was a BOLO out on Brian.
The doors opened and Calleigh entered quietly. She had accidentally heard the last half of the conversation and hung back to give Alexx her privacy. Now she walked over to her friend and rubbed her back. "It'll be fine, you'll see. I'm sure Brian didn't do anything wrong."
Alexx's laugh was short and harsh. "Calleigh Duquesne: The Eternal Optimist. Baby, I'm so worried that I'm sick to my stomach right now."
"I know you are," Calleigh said softly, pulling the older woman into an embrace.
Alexx began to take a measure of comfort from her friend's touch and laid her head on her shoulder. "What if Horatio has to charge him with something? I mean, the flagstone came from our yard. He had to know the kid that took it. Brian ran from a stabbing, even though he says he didn't do it and didn't know who did, he still pulled the knife out of the kid's back and now his fingerprints tell another story. What if my boy has to serve time?"
"Sh-h-h, no, it's not going to happen. We're not going to let it happen. Alexx, he's innocent; I can feel it. I'm sure that as soon as we find him we'll get the answers we need. He's probably just scared. Please try to calm down," Calleigh said soothingly, doing her level best to give Alexx the support she needed. Her heart hurt to see Alexx that way and it made just want to start a grid search of Miami, herself, to find Brian and bring him to his mother.
Alexx sniffed once, twice and then pulled away. "Thank you, Calleigh. I needed that. I've been trying to hold it together this whole time and it's getting too hard."
Calleigh gave her a reassuring smile. "You'd do the same for me."
Alexx returned her smile a little. "Yeah. Now, I've got to get down to work. Dead people don't just autopsy themselves."
"Are you sure you don't want to go up and get some coffee and talk?"
"No, baby, I've got work to do. I managed to get all 37 bullets out of the drive by victims for you. What a mess. They're in that box," Alexx said, the mask of professionalism falling over her once again.
"Okay. Thanks, Alexx," Calleigh said, catching the M.E.'s sad eye.
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Eric sat down heavily, the case against Alexx's son weighing on him. He knew in his heart that Brian Woods was innocent and just constantly in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had known that kid since he was nine and never known him to get in a fight, let alone stab someone or be caught with a bag full of drugs. He sighed and put his head in his hands.
"Hey, I feel bad about this, too," Ryan said entering and pouring himself a cup of coffee. He sat across from Eric. "I know he didn't do it and is covering up for the person or people that did. He just won't talk."
Eric looked up at Ryan, realizing that he and Horatio were the ones to bring Brian in. Ryan was close to Alexx. It had to be eating at him, too. "Yeah. I feel like I'm betraying Alexx every time I find something else that points at Brian."
Ryan nodded, understanding. "The kid has to talk or he's going to do time and that is going to kill Alexx."
"I'm running the prints I found on the plastic bag through AFIS now. I just had to get out of my lab and take a break," Eric said.
"Natalia is till processing the DNA from the knife the last time I saw her. Maybe she found something good that points away from Brian," Ryan replied. "You know, this is actually worse than when Calleigh was abducted a few weeks back."
Eric gave him a sharp look. "What do you mean?"
Ryan swallowed hard, realizing how callous he sounded. "Just that, even though we were all worried sick over Calleigh, we all knew that she could take care of herself and would do whatever she could to get herself out of the situation. She's tough, clever and resourceful. She proved it. C'mon, Eric, she fed us unorthodox clues and saved herself. We were just there to pick up the criminal that she handed us."
"Yeah, but didn't get away without a scratch, you know. She's still healing," Eric defended. Wolfe didn't hold Calleigh as she cried in both physical and emotional pain. He didn't know.
"You're right. Calleigh got hurt, but she's going to heal up. If Brian goes down for this, I don't think Alexx will ever heal from it. Calleigh took charge of her situation and did something about it. Alexx is helpless because she can't do anything about it. She can't leave clues and she can't save Brian if the evidence says otherwise. That's why this is worse," Ryan said, defending his position. He wasn't angry at Eric for calling him on it and he knew Eric had a point. He had caught Calleigh wincing in pain a few times and knew she wasn't 100 percent emotionally yet. She'd never admit to it so he never said anything to her. He just made sure that she didn't carry the evidence boxes and really watched her back at crime scenes. It was the least he could do.
Eric nodded, mulling over Ryan's words. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He stood and emptied the remainder of his coffee into the sink. "I'm going to see if AFIS kicked anything out yet."
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Horatio had told her and it upset her to no end, but she understood Alexx's decision. Calleigh walked the last few paces to the autopsy theater's doors and pushed them open. Her eyes watered and she blinked back the moisture.
"Alexx?"
"In my office, Baby," Alexx's voice said.
Calleigh crossed the silent theater, her heels clicking loudly. She stopped in the office doorway. "Hey."
Alexx looked over at her. "You've heard."
The blonde nodded. "Horatio told me."
"Do you understand my reason for leaving?"
Calleigh bit her lip, a sure sign that her emotions were getting the better of her. "Yeah, family has to come first. I understand; I do.....it's just...."
Alexx put her books down and embraced the younger woman. Calleigh was family, too, just not of the biological variety. "I know, baby girl. This is hard for me, too. I don't want to leave, but I have to."
Calleigh buried herself in the embrace. "We need you, but Brian and Jamie need you more. It's not like you can be a part time M.E. around here."
Alexx kissed her cheek and pulled back. She could see the tears standing in Calleigh's eyes and knew there were tears in her own. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Hey, now, I'm only a phone call away and you're still coming over to our Memorial Day barbecue, right?"
Calleigh forced a watery smile. "Wouldn't miss it."
"Good because Henry got the kids a Wii system for Christmas and they're both dying to take you on," Alexx said.
Calleigh let out a little laugh. "They're going to whip my backside, then. I'm not good at video games."
Alexx hated to do it, but she picked up another stack of medical books and put them in a box. She regarded Calleigh for a moment. "If you don't have anything to do right now, I could use a hand. I didn't realize all the stuff that found it's way here."
Not uttering a word, Calleigh picked up several file folders and began helping Alexx pack.
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Eric was bone tired but couldn't bring himself to go home. He sat in the locker room staring at his open locker. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the door open and he didn't hear the footfalls approaching his aisle.
Calleigh turned the corner and stopped, her heart seizing in her chest. Eric was just sitting there like a lost little boy. The last time she had seen a look like that on him had been after Speed had been killed. Like then, she understood his feelings. She walked quietly up to him and laid her hands on his shoulder. "Hey, I miss her already, too."
Eric turned around on the bench until he was facing her and embraced her, laying his head on her abdomen. "You have to be feeling just as bad."
She rubbed her hand over his short stubble of hair as she cradled his head to her. "Yeah. I just can't imagine what Alexx must have been going through today and I don't blame her for making the decision she did. I just wish it didn't hurt so much."
Eric let go of her and stood up. "I'm really not in the mood to go home but I don't want to stay here. How about you?"
Calleigh opened her locker and grabbed her purse, placing her firearm inside. "Same here. I'm just not coming up with any options."
"We could maybe figure out something to do together, that is, if you feel like having company," he said hesitantly.
Calleigh regarded him for a long moment before speaking. "Company would be very welcome right now. I think the Panthers are playing the Sharks up in Ft. Lauderdale tonight. You can always get tickets to the game. Feel like a little post-season hockey?"
Eric let a small smile ghost across his lips. He liked going to the games with Calleigh and some vicariously lived violence just might be what he needed. Fights always broke out at the hockey game. "Yeah, that sounds good."
She gave him a very rare saucy smile. "Then let's call it a date."
