Chapter 52
"How's Bobby?" Liz was folding laundry, stacking the clothes on the cushions of the couch.
Alex folded one of Nate's shirts and shrugged. "I don't know, fine, I guess."
"Uh-oh."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Did something happen?"
"No, nothing happened. Well, except for a stupid decision he made."
"So you're upset with him."
Alex folded three more things before she answered. "Yes. I guess so."
"Something on or off the clock?" asked Liz.
"On."
"How bad was it?"
Alex shrugged.
"Bad enough to request a new partner?"
"Of course not."
"Bad enough to end the romance?"
Alex shrugged again.
"Okay, let me see if I've got this straight. Bobby did something at work that you didn't approve of, and it's not going to affect your relationship at work but it might end your relationship outside of work." Liz picked up a pile of folded clothes and stared at Alex until she gave her that look, the one that told her she could see common sense. Liz smiled when she saw it, and went down the hall to put the clothes away. When she came back out for another armful, she asked her sister, "So what will you do about it?"
"I guess I'll call him."
"When?"
"I don't know when! When I'm not mad about it anymore."
"So… Bobby did something at work…"
"All right, I get it already. Change the subject, will you?" Alex handed Liz another pair of little boy pants and flopped on the empty couch as she watched her sister carry them to Nate's room.
Bobby's hands worked non-stop, making a coin appear and reappear in his fingers, up his sleeve, or behind the cup on the table. Lewis noticed tonight's obsession with magic. He knew there was something troubling his friend.
"So she's mad at you. Big deal? You guys are always arguing about something."
The coin vanished again, and Bobby's hands stopped momentarily. "Always?" Bobby asked, and then made the coin reappear.
Lewis shrugged. "More or less. Look, Bobby, we're not kids any more. You're in this relationship with her, and it's not going anywhere. I mean, be honest. Do you really dream of marriage with her?"
Goren shook his head.
"Right, of course you don't. Neither does she. But you love each other. It just is. It's not going anywhere, but it's not going away, either."
"What made you a clairvoyant? I don't know if it's going anywhere. How the hell could you?"
Lewis shrugged. "Has she said anything, Bobby? Anything about the future? Dropped any hints?"
"No, of course not. She was married once, she lost her husband. Why would she want to go there again?"
"Or even living together? Have you ever discussed it?"
"No, but the job… you know, we have to keep it under wraps."
Lewis' smile said everything he needed to say. "Look, Bobby, I'm trying to tell you not to worry. She loves you. There's nothing you could do that would change that."
"Who says I'm worried?" he challenged. If Eames didn't need the relationship, neither did he. It was as simple as that.
"All right, all right. I'm hungry. Are you gonna eat or what?"
Finally, Bobby put the coin away for good. He followed his friend out the door and down the street to the Italian place on the corner. They'd barely gotten through the appetizers when the detective's phone rang. "Goren," he said, and turned his eyes up to a cobweb in the corner of the ceiling. "Yeah, yeah, okay. I'll check flights, I'll get there sometime tomorrow. All right, Captain. Sooner is better. All right. Yeah." He ended the call and stared at the cell for a minute.
"Going somewhere?" Lewis asked.
"Tennessee on a consult."
"Sounds kinda fun."
"It does?"
"Country music, comfort food, you know."
Bobby sighed and checked his phone. Eames still hadn't called. He wondered if she would. "I'd rather stay here," he admitted.
"Go. Go, and have fun. You and she, you don't have any rules between you. Maybe that's why you're so bugged about this. Go to Tennessee. Maybe the change of scenery will do you good."
"It would give me time to think…"
"There ya go. Only do me a favor while you're there. Don't spend the whole time working. Do something fun for once."
It was almost midnight when he finally had his travel arrangements worked out. Bobby thought it over and called Alex.
"Eames," she said, and he knew he'd woken her.
"Sorry, Alex. I didn't mean to wake you."
"Bobby, God, what time is it?" She got up and checked the clock.
"It's uh, midnight. Alex, I'm going out of town."
"What?"
"Ross called me. He's sending me to Nashville on a consult. I leave first thing in the morning. I, uh… I just wanted you to know, you know."
"Okay, uh, when will you be back?"
"I don't know. I guess maybe after I find out about the case, you know, maybe I'll know how long." He rubbed his neck. "Look, I, uh… I should let you sleep."
"Okay, Bobby. Thanks for calling."
"Okay, good night, Eames."
"Bobby?"
"Yeah?"
"Safe trip, okay?"
"Sure, okay."
"Bye." They both hung up reluctantly, each one feeling like they hadn't said enough. It took a good long time for sleep to come.
