5: Listen to What I Say
Two weeks later, Gus was crammed on a plane headed back "home."
She didn't care that the world's largest man who hadn't taken a shower this century was her seat mate, nor did she care that there was a baby crying directly behind her because she was headed back to New York, with a job.
Mind you that job involved a pay cut and was working with the movie unit on a probationary period, but she was getting her badge back. Gus could only hope she could get some semblance of her life back.
Touching down at JFK, Gus sped off the plane and waited impatiently for her bag, catching sight of a familiar face in the crowd. Brown eyes met hers and a smile spread across both there faces, "Shel!don," she called rushing over to him.
"Lindsay was going to come, but she got called out," he said after giving Gus a quick hug, "That's all you got?" he said pointing at her one medium suitcase.
"I travel light," Gus volleyed back.
"So how are things?" Sheldon asked carefully once they were in the department SUV.
"Er, um, I'm not sure," Gus finally stumbled out, "I feel like I had the worst and costliest summer vacation ever."
Sheldon laughed, "Well, we are glad you are back, even if you are being shipped off to Siberia."
"Supposedly it is temporary, I hope so" Gus responded with an eye roll as they pulled up to her building.
Sheldon saw Gus' face change, storm clouds passing across her eyes, "You want me to come up?"
"I'm a big girl, I'll be good. I'll see you tomorrow" Gus called slipping out of the car.
Gus let herself into her apartment. It smelled stale and closed up. The air seemed heavy and matched her mood as she looked around. Mail was piled high on the table, Mrs. Potter more than happy to have brought it in.
The living room seemed huge with no couch in it and her book cases looked liked a mouth with missing teeth with Flack's items removed. Sighing she decided to just change into pajamas and head to bed early.
Stopping in her doorway, sobs once again racked her body as she realized she didn't have a bed or a bed partner anymore.
Gus stared up at 1PP feeling about as lost as she had two years ago, but at least having some clue as to where she was going this time. Of course she wasn't going to get the same warm welcome she did back then, but at least she was back.
Gus checked in with her new lieutenant, who gave Gus her gun and credentials back with little fanfare as he handed out her assignment. "No uniform?" Gus asked with great relief.
"Nope, have you listed as on leave, you didn't loose rank or time. Plus you were working with the NOPD, weren't you?" the lieutenant asked.
Gus nodded, happy to still be on an upward career track, but also confused by the news. As far as she had heard from Stella and Daddino, Gus had quit and was listed as a re-hire. Had someone pulled strings? It couldn't have been Mac, he had been in London and still was.
"Did you get swamp water in your ears or something, Broussard?" her lieutenant snapped.
"Sorry, sir," Gus said, bringing herself back into the real world.
"Whatever. Just so you know, you don't get the perks of a partner over here in the Unit," he smirked.
Gus felt her blood boil, but she should have known there would be more than a few comments made. Hell, considering there had been such a wide pool on her and Flack, Gus could only assume that news of her bolting and Flack moving out had reached just as wide.
"Probably put it in a damn news bulletin," Gus muttered as she stormed out of the office.
Gus was signing the cruiser back in at the end of her shift when she ran into one of her least favorite homicide detectives. "You leave homicide just to be able to drive?" Thatcher joked.
"Thatcher, Lafferty," Gus nodded at each of the detectives with her head high and her shoulders squared.
"See, this is what happens when a woman always has to wear the pants. Especially when she should be in a skirt," Lafferty leered at her and added, "on her back."
"I see you didn't get a personality transplant over the summer, Laff," Gus said, attempting to remain calm.
"Yeah, well I am shocked you managed to get a tan down there in the swamp, but you still look a little yellow to me," Lafferty snapped getting up in Gus' face.
Gus yelled right back, "screw you, Lafferty."
"Well what do you expect Broussard, you turned tail and ran. No better than the coward cops in your precious New Orleans," Lafferty hissed at her.
Gus was about to come out swinging, but Thatcher held her back, "Let it go Broussard. Tommy, knock it the hell off," he said stepping between them.
"Sure, stick up for her, ain't like I am your partner or anything," Lafferty spat out, stressing on the word partner. Gus bristled, but held herself back. "Have fun not being a real cop with the movie stars," Lafferty dug in again.
Gus closed her eyes and mumbled, "I gotta go." Turning back briefly, Gus called, "Nice see you Thatcher. Go to hell Lafferty."
Gus walked away from the precinct, trying to keep her face blank and her emotions on lock down. Gus wondered if she had made yet another mistake in even coming back.
Gus had only taken a handful of steps away from the building when she heard someone calling after her, "Hey Broussard, ya think ya can sneak out ya first day back without comin' by the lab?"
Gus turned with a fake smile plastered on her face and sadness gripping her heart. "Hi Danny," she chipped, not moving any closer, "you're looking well."
"Well, I'm looking well?" Danny exclaimed mockingly, "You actin' all fancy since you got put on the Unit?"
"Hardly," Gus snorted, "though it is better than getting stuck on crossing guard duty with SSTU."
Gus relaxed slightly with her remark, but stiffened again when Danny's expression turned serious, "really Gus, how are ya doing?" he asked, surveying her, she did not look well.
Gus made a slight face, "It's been a rough couple of months."
"Tell me about it," Danny laughed.
"How are you doing, Danny?" Gus asked, her face full of concern.
"Surviving, can't wait to get back in the field. Being stuck in the lab is killin' me, but whatcha gonna do?" Danny shrugged it off.
"The PT's giving you a hard time?"
"PT's, OT's, Every t's. I don't know how Flack managed it," Danny quipped and then seeing the look on Gus' face had the urge to reel the words back in.
They stood in awkward silence for a long beat when Gus saw the exact reason for their silence step out of the precinct looking for his friend. Danny's back was turned away from the tall approaching figure.
Gus made her face blank and turned to hail a passing cab. "I gotta go, Messer. See you around" she called hurriedly, sliding into the cab.
Danny shook his head, wondering why the sudden departure, "Good talking to you, Broussard," he joked and held up a palm to the cab. In doing so he caught sight of Flack. "Oh," Danny said knowingly.
"So she is back," Flack said following the cab with his eyes but not his head, his jaw tight.
Danny nodded, but didn't say anything. Flack gave a slight tilt to his head and squared his shoulders.
"I take it you haven't talked to her?" Danny remarked.
"Not since she told me it was over," he said though a clenched jaw.
"Is it?" Danny asked, still not believing it.
Flack sighed, "I'm too old for games, Dan-o."
"Sure she was playing them, Don? I mean, Gus has had more than a little to deal with the past coupla years."
"Whose side are ya on?" he said, anger creeping into his voice, even though it was as much at himself as it was his friend.
"Didn't know we were having to pick" Danny snapped.
Flack felt beat down, a feeling that he had felt many times the past couple of months, "This is what she wanted. I'm done" Flack replied with finality.
Danny look at him for a long beat. "If ya sure."
"I'm sure," Flack replied, feeling anything but.
"Okay then, let's go get a beer," Danny said walking off, wishing it wasn't the case.
Gus was attempting to relax through yoga and failing miserably in her seemingly half empty apartment later that evening when a knock sounded at her door. Annoyed at how whoever it was got in to the building, Gus unfolded her self and answered the door to a stern looking Stella.
"Stella, uh, hi," Gus said leaning against the door frame and wiping sweat from her face.
"Uh, hi?! I manage to not only not get you fired but placed out on leave and you don't even come by the lab on your first day back? A lab which, I might add, I had to put back together without the assistance of your globe trotting uncle," Stella remarked pushing her way into Gus' apartment.
Gus took a deep breath, "it was you?"
Stella all but rolled her eyes at the younger woman, "Yes it was me. I wasn't about to let you throw your career away because you had to go blow off some steam or whatever it was you had to do. Are you done with that by the way?"
Gus could do little more than nod, her eyes following Stella who made her way to the living room like she was about to sit down on a couch that wasn't there.
Stella shot Gus a curious look as Gus chewed on her lip, "Flack's" she said softly.
"Well you managed to make him into even more of a rough around the edges cop than usual and get him into his own apartment where he was to pay actual rent," Stella said with a smile, trying to discern what was going on in her friend's head.
"Kudos to me, not what I was really trying for though" Gus articulated.
"What were you trying to do?" Stella questioned.
"You got me," Gus shrugged, "trying to figure out where I belong, I guess."
"And that is here?"
"Couch less and bed less and stuck with prima donnas on the movie unit, but yeah, here" Gus rushed out.
"Have you talked to Mac lately?" Stella asked with caution.
Gus shook her head, "Can't say I really wanted that lecture."
"You deserve it, and then some kiddo," Stella's reply was firm but caring.
Gus felt her eyes swimming with tears, "Believe me, I know I do."
Stella felt some of her resolve crumble, no matter what she had planned to tell Gus this evening, she was now certain Gus had said it to herself with much more venom than Stella could ever muster. The girl looked like she had been to hell, and judging by the open bottle on the coffee table, still wasn't quite back yet.
"You should call him, I am certain he is worried about you. He does care about you, Gus, we all do," Stella moved in and patted Gus on the arm.
"Almost all," Gus whispered so low that Stella did not catch the words, though she did catch the meaning.
"Maybe you just needed some time," Stella intoned.
"And space. Got that now, didn't I?" Gus' voice wavered.
"Why don't you stop by the lab tomorrow, I know a lot of people want to see you," Stella said, heading back toward the door.
Gus nodded, "If I don't get stuck out bringing coffee to some overpaid actor," she said opening the door.
"Take care of yourself, Gus" Stella replied before she stepped out into the hallway.
"What for?" Gus asked to her empty apartment as she headed back to her glass.
Chapter 6: Wearing Bones
Unable to even think about sleep with sad thoughts haunting her heart and soul, Gus punched in a long stream of numbers into the phone on her desk, the covers on the daybed not yet disturbed.
"Who is this?" she heard a gruff but alert voice snap.
Gus took a long intake of breath, "Damn, Uncle Mac, I'm sorry, I forgot about the time change."
"Gussie?" Mac questioned, wiping his face, happy that his second middle of the night call was from someone he knew. "Where are you?"
"Back in New York" Gus replied, suddenly feeling unsure of her call and calculating it was nearing 6am in London.
"Heard you did a runner," Mac replied, sitting on the edge of the bed in the hotel room.
"So did you," Gus quipped back, pain creeping into her voice.
"I took official leave, Gus, a little different. From what Stella told me, you are lucky the NYPD even took you back" Mac chastised.
"Took me back right into the movie and tv unit," Gus sighed.
Mac had to suppress a chuckle, served her right, "and how is that going?"
"Better than New Orleans," Gus remarked, her voice heavy with despair.
Mac recognized the tone, knowing that Gus was slipping back into the hole he thought she had climbed out of. "How are you holding up, Gussie?" Mac asked finally.
"I've been better, no shock there. I really screwed up this time, didn't I?"
"You certainly aren't winning many brownie points, but you got your badge back, didn't you? And things will get better, just give it time," Mac remarked, unsure of whether he should lecture or comfort his niece, "and lay off the liquor" he added.
Gus stared at the glass beside her, how did he always know. "How is London treating you?" she asked, changing the subject.
"London is interesting to say the least," Mac answered without revealing much information.
"When you coming back?" Gus questioned, suddenly missing her uncle more than she had all summer.
"I see, you don't call all summer and now you want to know when I am coming back?" Mac teased but his voice seemed strained. "Soon probably, I am running out of leave time."
"You sound tired Mac, I'll let you go," Gus said, not knowing what to say next.
"Get some sleep yourself, kid," Mac said hanging up with a shake of his head.
Gus did not heed Mac's advice and stumbled into the precinct the next morning sucking down the largest black coffee known to mankind. Her phone rang immediately as she entered on the way to check out that day's celeb-stalker assignment. "Broussard."
"Broussard, get your ass to my office now" Daddino yelled.
"Loo, you ain't even my loo now, what could I have possibly done to piss you off?" Gus winced back.
"Just get in my damn office, I know you are in the building!" Daddino yelled again.
"Can't wait!" Gus dripped and turned toward homicide.
Daddino was waiting against his door frame giving death stares to the few detectives in the pit.
"Sit down and shut up!" he roared as Gus approached the doorway with eyes straight ahead and praying Flack was not in the pit. She complied as Daddino slammed the door shut and turned the blinds closed.
"Time for my departmental beat down?" Gus joked with her voice flat.
"I told ya to shut it!" Daddino said, sitting on the front of his desk and looming over Gus. She gulped and remained quiet. "How many hours did you clock in New Orleans?" Daddino asked, leaning back slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Gus shrugged and stared at her lap, "I dunno, a lot."
"Over 1,300 in 12 weeks" Daddino replied, grabbing a file on his desk, "you are listed on the records of 23 homicides, 7 rapes and 44 assaults."
"I got yanked from the 2nd to the 6th, what do you want me to say? And more importantly why are you telling me this?" Gus was beyond confused.
"Because you didn't even flinch when a guy cooked his girlfriend's head in a pot or when a 26 year old got her throat slit in a bar by a stranger or when you took down a known drug dealing murder without backup! Because there is something not right with you, Broussard!" Daddino leaned down toward her, as Gus slowly moved her eyes up to meet his.
"How do you even know this?" Gus asked quietly, remaining impassive.
"Because I requested your file and talked to your Loo there and your partner. They were both impressed and scared by you," Daddino moved to the seat beside Gus.
"I compartmentalized. What do you want me to say, Tony? It was a shit job and someone had to do it, god knows no one was clamoring for the job," Gus' voice was steel.
"Except you. You left here for there," Daddino pointed out, poking a finger toward her badge.
"Yes, I did, and I think you have just verified I got my punishment there and now I am getting it here," Gus went to stand, "now if you are done reviewing my gruesome summer that I would like to forget, I am certain some spoiled starlet is waiting on my to escort her from her trailer."
Daddino stood with her and pushed Gus back into the chair, "you ain't going anywhere Broussard. I am not going to loose you to the frigging' unit. I need you here in homicide," Daddino said with more than a bit of authority.
Gus curled her lip, "I am assigned to the unit."
"No, you aren't. First off, it was a test to see if you were really willing to come back to the department no matter what. Secondly, you don't play well with celebrities. Thirdly, you are are damn good detective and I ain't gonna see you throw that away while you have your little identity crisis or whatever the hell it is that you are having," Daddino ticked the points off on one hand while still pinning Gus down in her chair.
Gus looked at at Daddino, her eyes cold, "Have you talked to any of the guys about this, I am not sure they really want me back in the pit. Lafferty made that more than a little clear yesterday."
"Screw Lafferty, he can barely close a case with a full confession these days," Daddino sneered.
Gus closed her eyes for a second and opened them saying, "I am sure you have heard the rumors, well, truth actually."
Daddino smirked, "About you and junior? Wouldn't need to hear anything, he has been a royal jackass the past couple of months, great for interrogation though. Besides, since when do you let a few rumors hold you back?"
"Well just who the hell am I supposed to partner with then?" Gus snapped.
"No one for now, you need to get your head straight but Brass is whining about our unsolved rate, so I am sticking you on cold case duty for a while. And you need to go through a full eval and workup," Daddino threw the last sentence out there and waited for the explosion.
"You are sending me to the shrinks?" Gus seethed.
"Hey now, I thought they were psychologists" Daddino joked.
"How is that supposed to help anybody, like I don't know how to play the game, I have the same degree as them for god's sake," Gus snarled.
"Which is why I am sending you to a contract shrink, works with the feds, off site, figured it would be best for everyone that way," Daddino tapped Gus on the head with the file he had sent up from New Orleans.
"I'm not crazy, Tony," Gus protested.
"I know, but you ever think that maybe you got a lot of shit to sort though instead of 'compartmentalizing'?" Daddino pointed out as he walked to the door.
"Don't condescend me, Loo," Gus snipped.
"I ain't, now get your ass over to the lab, there are some cases Stella pulled for you," Daddino said opening the door.
"Thanks, Loo, great chatting with you" Gus remarked as she stepped out into the pit without looking.
"1300 hours, Broussard, Jesus!" Daddino called after her.
"What do you think that was about?" Montgomery asked Parker from his desk.
"She clocked 1300 hours in 12 weeks down in New Orleans" Parker replied, slightly in awe.
"That must be some nice overtime," Montgomery whistled.
"I don't think it was about the money" Parker said, chewing on his cheek and looking over at Flack who was deep in his paperwork.
"She must be out of her frigging' mind then. You always like 'em crazy, Flack?" Montgomery asked. Flack gave a low growl and shot Montgomery an icy stare.
"I would shut up now, kid" Parker suggested.
"Fine, I just sure as hell hope I don't get partnered with her," Montgomery quipped.
Chapter 7: I Know It Shows
Gus made her way to the crime lab with a sense of dread, not knowing what kind of reception she would receive.
Luckily, the first face she saw was that of Lindsay's and her friend gave her a wide smile and pulled her into a hug, "Sorry I couldn't meet you at the airport, things have been crazy with Mac gone and Danny stuck in the lab."
"Its okay," Gus said pulling away from her friend, "I like the haircut" she said motioning to Lindsay's new bob.
"Yeah, well I felt like I needed a change" Lindsay ran her hands through it.
"So you are telling me all I had to do was get my hair cut?" Gus exclaimed with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Lindsay studied her friend carefully, noticing she looked exhausted and haunted. "How are you doing, Gus?" Lindsay asked with great concern.
"I'll be fine, always-" Gus was cut off by a high pitch scream and a flying tackle hug. "Gagh" Gus said into the figure that had enveloped her, "Adam, what the hell?" she said extracting herself.
"Sorry, I just didn't realize how much I missed you around here until just now and I really could have used you instead of those other departmental guys when I had to go for my eval and-" Adam babbled until Lindsay shot him a look. "Sorry, I just, wow it's great to see you, Gus" he said a little more reserved, "you look..." he trailed off not knowing what to say.
"Worn out, beat down, haunted?" Gus supplied with a hint of an amused smile.
"We could go with that" Adam retorted.
"I need a coffee" Gus said with a shake of her head and going into the canteen. Adam followed behind looking like a puppy. "Can I help you, Adam? And please not another tackle hug, I think you bruised my clavicle," Gus punched the button for a fake cappuccino on the machine.
"I just wanted to thank you for taking all my phone calls. I know you were dealing with a lot of stuff down in New Orleans but I didn't really know who else to call. Lindsay was like Danny's warden and I didn't want Stella to think less of me and no one else really got what I was going through, I mean maybe Don would have but I just..." Adam trailed off, "I am babbling again" he said slouching at a table.
Gus sat down across from him and slid a second coffee in his direction, "Adam, listen to me, I am glad you called. I wasn't so sure anyone back here would even still speak to me and I know I was supposed to be helping you, but you were as much as a lifeline to me, alright? And you went through one hell of an ordeal, there was nothing wrong with your reaction, your nightmares, or any of that. You hear me? And just because I am back and you have been cleared doesn't mean you can't call me day or night," Gus said, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand.
Adam nodded, feeling slightly uncomfortable, it had been hard to call on Gus knowing she was dealing with her own things, but the nightmares and day terrors and jumping at every loud noise had caused him to think he was loosing his mind and Gus got that and talked to him like he wasn't crazy.
"Um, Adam, who is the high class blond currently looking at me like she hopes I choke on my own tongue?" Gus asked pointing to the gorgeous and trim young woman staring into the canteen.
Adam turned his head, blushed and gave the woman a small wave, "that's, um, Kendall."
"Intern?" Gus asked with raised eyebrows.
"New lab tech" Adam said sheepishly.
"Adam, way to go and move on up in the world" Gus teased with a laugh.
"Oh no, we aren't..." Adam turned nearly purple.
"Judging by the look she gave me, I would say not yet," Gus snickered, "now get out there." Gus waved Adam off and watched him go out to talk to the new lab tech.
As she watched the flirting that ensued, Gus felt her heart clench for what seemed like the millionth time.
"Did you notice the new vending machines?" came the question to snap Gus back to reality.
"Oh hey, Shel. Yeah, for once machines not full of junk" Gus pointed at the new sandwich machine.
"Yeah, Stella went on a rampage with the rebuilding allocation" Sheldon smiled at Gus, but his eyes held questions.
"I'm fine, Sheldon, really. Or I will be" Gus said, picking up on his worry.
Sheldon nodded hesitantly, "Well you know I am here if you need me. Now I think Stella was looking for you," he said gesturing out to the hallway.
"Thanks. Hey, maybe we can do lunch or something soon?"
"Sounds great," Sheldon said, still worried about his friend and her return from whatever horrors she had been through.
Gus found Stella in her office, seated behind the desk with a mound of files. "Gus, heard you talked to Daddino," Stella said as Gus stood hesitantly in front of the desk.
"Talked could be a word for it" Gus laughed nervously.
"So he told you the deal?" Stella asked, motioning for Gus to sit down.
"The deal about people thinking I am crazy or the deal about torturing me by putting me back in homicide?" Gus quipped.
Stella stared at her for a long moment. "No one thinks you are crazy. Rash, confused, headstrong and thoughtless, but not crazy."
"Lay it all out there for me, why don't you Stel?" Gus tittered.
"Anyway," Stella said, pushing a stack of files toward Gus, "I figured sticking with the unit would be more torturous for you and seeing as Mac keeps extending his little vacation, I could use the help. If you are up for it?" Stella drummed her fingers on the desk.
"I think I could be up for it. What is up with Mac anyway? I thought he was only supposed to be gone for a couple of weeks" Gus pondered.
Stella sighed and blew curls out of her face, "he had a lot of leave time. And he got more granted because of the condemnation."
"Because of the raid?" Gus started flipping through the stack of files Stella had shoved her way.
"Yep, we all did. Part of how I convinced them to not fire you," Stella shot Gus a knowing look.
Gus returned the look with one of gratitude and pain, "Stella, I don't know what to say. I know I should have been fired and I know I have screwed up and I don't know how to make anything right," Gus voice cracked and her eyes welled up.
"Just do your job and do it well and don't try to force anything else right now. For the most part, I think everyone is glad you are back," Stella shrugged.
"Except Flack," Gus sniffed.
"You can't really expect him to just ignore what happened, can you kid?" Stella said, trying to keep the edge for her voice, "but I know he is glad you are safe."
Gus nodded, wiped her face and then gestured to the stack, "evidence for these around here or in the locker?"
Stella knew she was being shut out, "depends on the case. Less than a year old, up here. If you need anything, you know where to find me."
Gus nodded and turned before walking out, "Thanks for everything, Stella."
Stella continued to try to plow through some of the paperwork and cursed Mac yet again for being gone so long. Even with hiring a couple of new techs, with Danny and Adam on half capacity and Lindsay acting preoccupied, Stella had felt more than a little shorthanded.
And now she was trying to figure out what was going on with Gus on top of everything else. "Vacation or not, I need to talk with you, Boss Man," she lamented while dialing Mac's hotel. "Mac Taylor please, I believe it is room 416."
"I'm sorry madam, but Mr. Taylor checked out this morning" a clipped voice informed a confused Stella.
"Are you sure about that? Detective Mac Taylor from New York?" Stella questioned, her voice on edge.
"Yes, our records indicate he checked out at 10:23 and did not leave any forwarding information. Sorry to not be of more assistance" the voice said before hanging up.
Stella looked at the receiver in disbelief. Hopefully Mac was either on his way home or would call to check in.
Gus wiled away the next few days sorting through the cold cases that had been assigned to her. She took comfort in the fact that she could thus spend a lot of time hiding either in the crime lab or in the evidence locker and had successfully avoiding anything more than the occasional sighting of a certain tall blue-eyed detective.
Gus was also forced into meeting with the contract psychiatrist despite trying to avoid making an appointment with all her might.
"Your resistance to meeting with me tells me a lot about your personality," Dr. Lyons remarked when Gus called to cancel yet again.
"Put your ink blots away, Doc" Gus responded with a roll of her eyes, "I'll see you this afternoon."
Gus attended her appointment with more than a small chip on her shoulder. "Do you think you need to be here, Detective?" Christopher Lyons asked, leaning forward on his knees and forming his finger into a steeple.
Gus snorted, "Oh don't give me that 'I am pretending to be intrigued' posture, Doc. I have to be here because the brass says so. Yeah, I probably should be here and no I don't want to be here. But I am aware that even a synopsis of my file could make anyone in the mental health profession start readying their prescription pad."
"I want you to think of this not as a mandatory sentence, but rather as your time. I cannot force you to talk or work on your issues. However it might be beneficial for you to view this as an opportunity to use my expertise", Dr. Lyons volleyed back.
"Ah the standard mandated client flip. Been there done, that," Gus yawned, she then peered over at the notes Dr. Lyons was taking, "What's wrong, doc? Memory too short to last fifty minutes?" she closed her eyes and put her fingers to her temples, "Let me guess...client resistant to process, hostile towards clinician, uses humor to distract from feelings, shows tendencies toward aggressive behaviors and poor judgment skills." Gus opened her eyes and stared Lyons down.
"What I am hearing is that you feel a lack of control over what may be said about you in my note taking and-"
Gus cut Lyons off with a screech, "cut the bullshit, please, and the shop talk. I know I went off the deep end, I know I made crap choices and I know I have a long road ahead of me, but I have been through this before and I would like to focus on my current problems instead of walking down a particularly crappy memory lane with you," Gus heaved a sigh, slumped back in her chair and closed her eyes.
"Tell me more about these current problems" Lyons urged Gus on.
She suppressed another shriek and chewed on her lip, "The cop in me says I should probably talk about the shit going down in New Orleans. The girl in me wants to talk about running the only person I have ever loved off," Gus grabbed a pillow from the chair next to her and hugged it to her chest. The small growl that emitted from her as Lyons went to make another annotation was enough to make Lyons cap his pen for the rest of the session.
"Margarita night is much better therapy" Gus moaned to Lindsay later that week.
"If only you could convince brass to mandate that instead" Lindsay laughed into the phone.
"You up for one? Maybe tomorrow night?" Gus inquired.
Lindsay stammered, "I would love to Gus, really I would but I sort of already made plans and-"
Gus cut her off, "Danny, huh? Linds, it is fine, I'm a big girl, I can find something else to do."
"Are you sure? We should get together soon, have a girl's night. I could come over" Lindsay suggested.
"I'll get back to you after a buy a new couch" Gus mumbled.
"Look, I hate to hang up on you so quick, but I just got some results back I need to look over" Lindsay said, not meaning to rush Gus off the phone, but also not able to ignore Danny standing over the desk with a piece of paper and a wicked grin.
"Talk to you later" Gus sighed hanging up and then dialing Stella. "Hey Stel."
"Gus, how are the cold cases coming?" Stella asked, all business due to the constant calls from higher ups.
"They are coming, I've got a couple of leads on a few of them, but it really isn't a one person job you know," Gus pointed out.
Stella sighed, "I know, but we are short handed as it is. If you can get anyone from homicide to volunteer, have at it, but I am stretched."
Gus agreed, but knew that would require leaving the safety of her hiding place in one of the old storage rooms in the lab and actually heading in to the pit, "Don't suppose you are up for margarita night tomorrow? I asked Lindsay but she had plans."
Stella's tone was defeated, "I wish I could, I really wish I could, but I am swamped. I have four cases going to trial and more paperwork than I ever thought possible and trying to figure out when Mac is coming back. You don't know anything about that, do you?"
Gus wrinkled her nose, "Can't say I do, but if I hear anything, I will let you know."
"Do that, would you. Listen I gotta go I got-"
Gus cut her off, "Things, yeah, I know. Bye Stella." Gus dropped her head to the table top she had been using as a desk with a louder crack than she had expected, "Dammit!" she yowled, rubbing her forehead.
"Gus?" a hesitant voice asked from the doorway, "what are you doing in here?"
"Getting a goose-egg it would appear" Gus replied rubbing her head, "and hiding."
"Hiding?" Sheldon questioned stepping into the closet size room. Gus shot him a look. "Oh" Sheldon looked away, "you need some ice?"
Gus tentatively felt the welt, "Nah, I'll be fine. Could use a drink though. And some friends who don't suddenly have lives."
Sheldon broke out in a smile, "I know what you mean, I was trying to get a poker game together and everyone bailed."
"Aren't we the paragons of popularity?" Gus quipped.
"Speak for yourself," Sheldon chided.
"Oh I am, don't worry," Gus glowered.
Sheldon hated seeing his friend so depressed and stepped in with, "Why don't we check out Sully's tomorrow after shift?"
"If you don't mind hanging out with the precinct nut job," Gus replied sullenly.
Sheldon shook his head as he walked out, "I'll see you there after shift tomorrow. And get some ice on that head."