The ride back to his apartment was silent, as was dinner. Nick noticed the tension, and tried to buffer, but he couldn't seem to break through. Once the kitchen was cleared, Lexi told Nick good night, and went to get ready for bed. Nash stopped her as she reemerged from his bathroom on the way back to her room. "What's on the agenda for tomorrow?" he asked.
"I have a press conference at ten a.m. and rehearsal at two. I can have Robert or Nikko take me for the day," she said in a voice as flat and colorless as earlier.
"If you prefer," Nash tried to match her tone. "But have them meet you at the SIU though, don't let anyone know that you are here or where here is."
Lexi looked at him, displeased with his last comment, "Excuse me? And why not."
"I have a bad feeling that someone is leaking information to your psycho," Nash forced a smile, "And I'd like my apartment to remain bomb free."
"Fine," she replied and walked away.
Nash sat down on the couch and picked up a book. "Things aren't as cozy as they were last night?" Nick half-asked.
"No," Nash sat the book back down and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "And I think I'm going to go to bed. Good night, Nick."
"Good night, son," Nick remained focused on the television.
Lying in bed, Nash tried to get out of his head all the thoughts of what he'd heard today. Lexi's recitation of drugs and abuse and using her money and her body to get what she wanted were things he couldn't place with her. But she'd almost all but admitted that that was what had occurred the night before. She'd confessed to having security checks done on his team and alluded to her ability to use the information she possessed against them, if need be. But the story of what Simon Russell did to her, and the photos to prove it, that took the cake. He knew that if he'd known the truth when he'd met Russell, he probably would've gone crazy on him. It had made him physically ill to hear her hollow voice recite the lacerations and stab wounds, the initials he's carved into her back, and how he had kept telling her it was all for the best. No wonder Lexi hadn't wanted to relieve it, she had paid dearly to keep it under wraps the first time. All that had hit the press was that Lexi Lee had been attacked by a stalker in her home, and that he was convicted. Nash wasn't able to get the images out of his head, and he couldn't sleep, so he got up and walked into the other room.
He headed for Lexi's door, not sure why, but something told him to go. As he stood outside of the door, he heard the noises. Was she talking in her sleep? No, she was crying. As he opened the door slowly, he saw her tossing and turning. She must have been having one hell of a nightmare. Closing the door behind him, he crossed towards her and reached out to try to wake her. Bolting upright, she screamed "NO!" Grabbing his outstretched arm, she tossed him across the bed, and he landed on the floor on the opposite side. Lexi was scrambling towards the wall, "Stay away from me," she warned him.
Nash looked over at her; she was looking in his general direction, but she wasn't focused on him. She was seeing someone, but not Nash. Nash started towards her, "Lexi, it's just me."
Her hands brushed the dresser next to her and closed around her hairbrush, which she launched at him. It hit him above his left eye. "Ow!" he cried out, "Damn it, Lexi, it's me, Nash!"
She kept whispering no over and over again, as he cautiously inched towards her to try to snap her out of it, and convince her he was Nash. She reached the door, fumbling for the knob and trying to push the door open when she needed to pull. Taking the opportunity, Nash reached towards her, trying to break through her nightmare. Just as he reached her she threw the door open and they tumbled out into the hall. Nash tried to roll enough to take the blunt of the force, but Lexi was crying, "Please don't, please no... just let me go."
Nash tried to hold onto her, but she clawed at him, scratching his neck. She broke loose and started to run, but ran right into Nick. "Lexi?" he asked. Looking at Nash on the floor in his nightclothes and Lexi sobbing in his arms, he demanded of his son, "Nash, what is going on?"
"Nick," Nash stood slowly and spoke calmly, "She's sleepwalking. She thinks I'm someone else. I need you to talk to her, calm her down."
"Lexi," Nick tried to sound soothing, "Lexi, are you all right?"
"Help me," she whispered, her voice sounding like a child's. "Please, help me."
"Lexi, it's me, Nick. I'll help you. But it's just a dream. It's just a dream."
He kept repeating those words as she sobbed. Finally the sobs diminished and she looked up, confused. "Nick?" she asked, and turned to see Nash. He had blood on his face and his neck. "Nash?" she was stunned, what had happened? "What? Did something happen? What am I doing out here?"
"You were having a nightmare," Nick soothed her. "Nash was trying to help, but you mistook him for part of it."
Lexi looked horrified at the notion. She stepped towards Nash and started to reach out to him, but quickly clasped her hands to her chest. "Oh, Nash," she shook her head, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I felt so scared. I thought you were...."
Nash was amazed by the transformation, a moment ago she had appeared so young and frightened, now she appeared older and tired. "It's okay," he told her. "It was just a bad dream. I probably deserved it anyways."
Nick, who had gone into the kitchen for a towel, came back out. Lexi looked at him, "I'm so sorry, Nick. I didn't mean to wake you. Or you Nash."
Nick handed her the towel. "S'all right, you clean him up then. I'm gonna go back to bed. You two try to settle down now, okay?"
Nash was leaning against the back of the couch when she crossed to him. She held the towel out and he tried to wipe the blood off his face. "I'm really sorry," she said again, her brow furrowed with concern.
Nash shook his head. "What I don't get is if you can toss me like that, how anyone could've done to you..." he trailed off.
"You didn't have a knife," she replied softly. "And I caught you by surprise. If you had really been coming after me, I wouldn't have....."
He knew what she meant. "I'm sorry I scared you like that." He paused. "And that I made you rehash everything today. Those weren't pleasant occurrences. No wonder you're having nightmares."
She took the towel from him and dabbed at his neck. "That's just a scratch, but we'd better get some ice on your forehead." She eyed the lump already starting to form, "You're going to have a bruise tomorrow."
He followed her into the kitchen, and when she turned around he was right behind her. She was startled. "Don't do that," she commented as she placed an ice pack into the towel. As she placed it to his brow, he winced slightly. "Sorry," she whispered. "It's not that bad. The cut wasn't too bad. I think if we just ice it, you'll be fine."
"You certainly know a lot about...." he realized what he was about to say.
She stopped and looked at him. "You'd be surprised at what you pick up. What did I hit you with anyways?"
"Your hairbrush," he tried to scowl.
She looked into his eyes. She saw the affection and concern and ...something else...in them. It was mainly the something else that made her quickly look away. "I hope I didn't break my brush."
Nash smiled, suddenly aware of how little space was between them. He lowered his head towards her and she stepped back. She knew he wanted to kiss her, but she knew she couldn't let him. He'd hurt her today and she'd wounded him. Instead she took his hand and placed it on the ice pack. "Hold that there for 15 minutes. You may want to take some aspirin, too. But you should be okay." she told him and headed back to bed.
"But will you?" he asked the darkness behind her. She froze. "If not...well, I wouldn't check on me, if I were you," she warned.
Robert was waiting in the SIU parking lot when Nash and Lexi arrived the next morning. Nash traded him Lexi for some paperwork containing security outlines for the upcoming week and Lexi's schedule. When Nash walked onto the barge, he noticed the strange looks he was getting, but no one said anything. They just looked and quickly looked away. He stopped and looked around, but no one would make eye contact. "What?!?" he demanded.
"Nothing," they all mumbled and hastily returned to their work. Joe met his eye and pointed to his head and then to the coffee table. Nash rolled his eyes and followed Joe. "So," Joe asked, pouring a cup of coffee. "Things get a little rough last night at Casa Bridges?"
Nash appeared confused, "What are you talking about, bubba?"
Joe pointed to his left eye, "You didn't have that when you left yesterday."
"Oh," Nash remembered the bruise, reaching up to lightly touch it. "Yeah, little bit of confusion last night."
"I see," Joe said, scratching his neck.
"Whoa there, now what are you getting at?" Nash asked.
"Just wondering if you kissed and made up, or if she took it out on you when you got home." Joe grinned, "So, was it rough love or tough love?"
"Try a case of mistaken identity. I thought she was having a bad dream and she thought I was the bad dream. She tossed me her hairbrush; I caught it with my face. Any thing else you'd like to know, Inspector?"
"That's Lieutenant," Joe smirked. "And did she as least kiss it and make it feel better?"
Tossing him a look of dismissal over his shoulder, Nash went to his desk. "Joe, why don't you do something useful and gather up the troops?" he replied.
The SIU team gathered at the interrogation table, and Nash put the folder from Robert in the middle. "There's the line-up for the next week. Full schedule, access issues, and publicity percentage."
"So, we should look at the most publicized events. That's where this guy would most likely strike, right?" Antwon asked taking a copy.
"I don't know. The letters talk about the concert next Friday, but so far they have struck in not so publicized areas. The video shoot was closed and unpublicized. The dinner was to be your average social charity dinner, but after the bombing, it was covered more intensely. They didn't try anything, just the tape. They didn't kill her, so they tried to ruin her." Nash was thinking out loud. "We haven't gotten anything else?"
"Except your letter," Harvey added.
"Except my letter," Nash nodded. "Otherwise, nothing, and the show is in one week. Either they're reorganizing, we're stalling them, or they're working on something really big. I want copies on the background checks on Lexi's staff. This person is definitely getting inside information. And look over the lists of authorized access from the video shoot, including the guest list again. Anything that even resembles fishiness, let me know."
"So that's the plan?" Joe wanted to know.
"The plan for the moment is to concentrate on finding out how they're getting the inside info, while keeping one eye on the bigger picture," Nash answered. "Maybe that way, we will actually find something."
Everyone nodded, understanding the urgency, both in general and to Nash. They left in silence to go about their jobs, except for Joe.
Nash looked at Joe, "Why do I feel like we're not making any progress on this case? I don't remember the last time I felt this frustrated."
"Working with Caitlin?" Joe feigned innocence at mentioning Nash's ex-girlfriend.
"You aren't going to drop that notion of yours are you, bubba?" Nash stated. "So why don't you just go ahead and get it out."
"I just see a little more than professional courtesy happening," Joe was honest. "And considering what we do know about Miss Lee......I have to admit, I'm concerned."
"Don't be," Nash tried to assure him, "I have it under control."
"Okay..." Joe was uncertain, "It's just I've known you for quite awhile and..."
"It's under control," Nash lied, cutting him off.
Joe started to speak again, and thought better of it. He nodded and walked away. "under control," Nash replied to himself, gathering up his files.
The day passed uneventfully, with Nash avoiding Lexi's press conference and rehearsal. He tried to concentrate on some of the other cases the SIU had open at that moment, anything to get his mind elsewhere. Maybe Joe was right, maybe he was being distracted by his personal feelings. Maybe he should put Lexi in a safe house, and let Harvey, Joe, and Antwon work the case. He had resorted to doing paperwork to keep himself occupied when his phone rang. "Captain Bridges, SIU," he answered it.
"Nash?" it was Lexi's voice.
"Hi," Nash tried to cover his emotions. When she didn't answer he got worried, "Is something wrong?"
"Not yet," the voice changed, "but you'll be too late anyways."
The phone clicked as the caller hung up. "Hello? Hello?" Nash asked the dead line. The call had come through the main switchboard, so he couldn't call return it. He quickly hit a new line and dialed Robert's cell phone. After a few rings Nikko answered it. "Nikko, this is Nash Bridges. I need to know where Lexi is."
"Bridges," Nikko was surprised. "She went back to Michael's office with Robert. They were going to go over some updates and get some dinner. Lexi said she'd call you when she was through."
"Why do you have Robert's phone?" Nash was curious.
"He left it at the theater. I was just leaving to drop it off at Michael's." Nikko explained. "Why? Is there something going on?"
"I'm not sure," Nash said, "Meet me at Glicker's office." Hanging up the phone he called out to his team, "Harv, Twon, Joe. It's advanced to phone calls. Lexi is at Glicker's office, and our caller said we'd be too late to do anything. Joe, grab the number for his office. Harv and Twon, back us up. Ronnie, get a black and white to Michael Glicker Management pronto."
As they left the SIU lot Joe was trying to reach Lexi or Michael. "No answer, man," Joe flipped his phone shut. "Not at Michael's cell or his office. Are you sure you don't want me to dial Lexi's cell? I got the number here."
"No," Nash was worried if this stalker had her, what he'd do if someone called her. "No."
"I have a press conference at ten a.m. and rehearsal at two. I can have Robert or Nikko take me for the day," she said in a voice as flat and colorless as earlier.
"If you prefer," Nash tried to match her tone. "But have them meet you at the SIU though, don't let anyone know that you are here or where here is."
Lexi looked at him, displeased with his last comment, "Excuse me? And why not."
"I have a bad feeling that someone is leaking information to your psycho," Nash forced a smile, "And I'd like my apartment to remain bomb free."
"Fine," she replied and walked away.
Nash sat down on the couch and picked up a book. "Things aren't as cozy as they were last night?" Nick half-asked.
"No," Nash sat the book back down and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "And I think I'm going to go to bed. Good night, Nick."
"Good night, son," Nick remained focused on the television.
Lying in bed, Nash tried to get out of his head all the thoughts of what he'd heard today. Lexi's recitation of drugs and abuse and using her money and her body to get what she wanted were things he couldn't place with her. But she'd almost all but admitted that that was what had occurred the night before. She'd confessed to having security checks done on his team and alluded to her ability to use the information she possessed against them, if need be. But the story of what Simon Russell did to her, and the photos to prove it, that took the cake. He knew that if he'd known the truth when he'd met Russell, he probably would've gone crazy on him. It had made him physically ill to hear her hollow voice recite the lacerations and stab wounds, the initials he's carved into her back, and how he had kept telling her it was all for the best. No wonder Lexi hadn't wanted to relieve it, she had paid dearly to keep it under wraps the first time. All that had hit the press was that Lexi Lee had been attacked by a stalker in her home, and that he was convicted. Nash wasn't able to get the images out of his head, and he couldn't sleep, so he got up and walked into the other room.
He headed for Lexi's door, not sure why, but something told him to go. As he stood outside of the door, he heard the noises. Was she talking in her sleep? No, she was crying. As he opened the door slowly, he saw her tossing and turning. She must have been having one hell of a nightmare. Closing the door behind him, he crossed towards her and reached out to try to wake her. Bolting upright, she screamed "NO!" Grabbing his outstretched arm, she tossed him across the bed, and he landed on the floor on the opposite side. Lexi was scrambling towards the wall, "Stay away from me," she warned him.
Nash looked over at her; she was looking in his general direction, but she wasn't focused on him. She was seeing someone, but not Nash. Nash started towards her, "Lexi, it's just me."
Her hands brushed the dresser next to her and closed around her hairbrush, which she launched at him. It hit him above his left eye. "Ow!" he cried out, "Damn it, Lexi, it's me, Nash!"
She kept whispering no over and over again, as he cautiously inched towards her to try to snap her out of it, and convince her he was Nash. She reached the door, fumbling for the knob and trying to push the door open when she needed to pull. Taking the opportunity, Nash reached towards her, trying to break through her nightmare. Just as he reached her she threw the door open and they tumbled out into the hall. Nash tried to roll enough to take the blunt of the force, but Lexi was crying, "Please don't, please no... just let me go."
Nash tried to hold onto her, but she clawed at him, scratching his neck. She broke loose and started to run, but ran right into Nick. "Lexi?" he asked. Looking at Nash on the floor in his nightclothes and Lexi sobbing in his arms, he demanded of his son, "Nash, what is going on?"
"Nick," Nash stood slowly and spoke calmly, "She's sleepwalking. She thinks I'm someone else. I need you to talk to her, calm her down."
"Lexi," Nick tried to sound soothing, "Lexi, are you all right?"
"Help me," she whispered, her voice sounding like a child's. "Please, help me."
"Lexi, it's me, Nick. I'll help you. But it's just a dream. It's just a dream."
He kept repeating those words as she sobbed. Finally the sobs diminished and she looked up, confused. "Nick?" she asked, and turned to see Nash. He had blood on his face and his neck. "Nash?" she was stunned, what had happened? "What? Did something happen? What am I doing out here?"
"You were having a nightmare," Nick soothed her. "Nash was trying to help, but you mistook him for part of it."
Lexi looked horrified at the notion. She stepped towards Nash and started to reach out to him, but quickly clasped her hands to her chest. "Oh, Nash," she shook her head, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I felt so scared. I thought you were...."
Nash was amazed by the transformation, a moment ago she had appeared so young and frightened, now she appeared older and tired. "It's okay," he told her. "It was just a bad dream. I probably deserved it anyways."
Nick, who had gone into the kitchen for a towel, came back out. Lexi looked at him, "I'm so sorry, Nick. I didn't mean to wake you. Or you Nash."
Nick handed her the towel. "S'all right, you clean him up then. I'm gonna go back to bed. You two try to settle down now, okay?"
Nash was leaning against the back of the couch when she crossed to him. She held the towel out and he tried to wipe the blood off his face. "I'm really sorry," she said again, her brow furrowed with concern.
Nash shook his head. "What I don't get is if you can toss me like that, how anyone could've done to you..." he trailed off.
"You didn't have a knife," she replied softly. "And I caught you by surprise. If you had really been coming after me, I wouldn't have....."
He knew what she meant. "I'm sorry I scared you like that." He paused. "And that I made you rehash everything today. Those weren't pleasant occurrences. No wonder you're having nightmares."
She took the towel from him and dabbed at his neck. "That's just a scratch, but we'd better get some ice on your forehead." She eyed the lump already starting to form, "You're going to have a bruise tomorrow."
He followed her into the kitchen, and when she turned around he was right behind her. She was startled. "Don't do that," she commented as she placed an ice pack into the towel. As she placed it to his brow, he winced slightly. "Sorry," she whispered. "It's not that bad. The cut wasn't too bad. I think if we just ice it, you'll be fine."
"You certainly know a lot about...." he realized what he was about to say.
She stopped and looked at him. "You'd be surprised at what you pick up. What did I hit you with anyways?"
"Your hairbrush," he tried to scowl.
She looked into his eyes. She saw the affection and concern and ...something else...in them. It was mainly the something else that made her quickly look away. "I hope I didn't break my brush."
Nash smiled, suddenly aware of how little space was between them. He lowered his head towards her and she stepped back. She knew he wanted to kiss her, but she knew she couldn't let him. He'd hurt her today and she'd wounded him. Instead she took his hand and placed it on the ice pack. "Hold that there for 15 minutes. You may want to take some aspirin, too. But you should be okay." she told him and headed back to bed.
"But will you?" he asked the darkness behind her. She froze. "If not...well, I wouldn't check on me, if I were you," she warned.
Robert was waiting in the SIU parking lot when Nash and Lexi arrived the next morning. Nash traded him Lexi for some paperwork containing security outlines for the upcoming week and Lexi's schedule. When Nash walked onto the barge, he noticed the strange looks he was getting, but no one said anything. They just looked and quickly looked away. He stopped and looked around, but no one would make eye contact. "What?!?" he demanded.
"Nothing," they all mumbled and hastily returned to their work. Joe met his eye and pointed to his head and then to the coffee table. Nash rolled his eyes and followed Joe. "So," Joe asked, pouring a cup of coffee. "Things get a little rough last night at Casa Bridges?"
Nash appeared confused, "What are you talking about, bubba?"
Joe pointed to his left eye, "You didn't have that when you left yesterday."
"Oh," Nash remembered the bruise, reaching up to lightly touch it. "Yeah, little bit of confusion last night."
"I see," Joe said, scratching his neck.
"Whoa there, now what are you getting at?" Nash asked.
"Just wondering if you kissed and made up, or if she took it out on you when you got home." Joe grinned, "So, was it rough love or tough love?"
"Try a case of mistaken identity. I thought she was having a bad dream and she thought I was the bad dream. She tossed me her hairbrush; I caught it with my face. Any thing else you'd like to know, Inspector?"
"That's Lieutenant," Joe smirked. "And did she as least kiss it and make it feel better?"
Tossing him a look of dismissal over his shoulder, Nash went to his desk. "Joe, why don't you do something useful and gather up the troops?" he replied.
The SIU team gathered at the interrogation table, and Nash put the folder from Robert in the middle. "There's the line-up for the next week. Full schedule, access issues, and publicity percentage."
"So, we should look at the most publicized events. That's where this guy would most likely strike, right?" Antwon asked taking a copy.
"I don't know. The letters talk about the concert next Friday, but so far they have struck in not so publicized areas. The video shoot was closed and unpublicized. The dinner was to be your average social charity dinner, but after the bombing, it was covered more intensely. They didn't try anything, just the tape. They didn't kill her, so they tried to ruin her." Nash was thinking out loud. "We haven't gotten anything else?"
"Except your letter," Harvey added.
"Except my letter," Nash nodded. "Otherwise, nothing, and the show is in one week. Either they're reorganizing, we're stalling them, or they're working on something really big. I want copies on the background checks on Lexi's staff. This person is definitely getting inside information. And look over the lists of authorized access from the video shoot, including the guest list again. Anything that even resembles fishiness, let me know."
"So that's the plan?" Joe wanted to know.
"The plan for the moment is to concentrate on finding out how they're getting the inside info, while keeping one eye on the bigger picture," Nash answered. "Maybe that way, we will actually find something."
Everyone nodded, understanding the urgency, both in general and to Nash. They left in silence to go about their jobs, except for Joe.
Nash looked at Joe, "Why do I feel like we're not making any progress on this case? I don't remember the last time I felt this frustrated."
"Working with Caitlin?" Joe feigned innocence at mentioning Nash's ex-girlfriend.
"You aren't going to drop that notion of yours are you, bubba?" Nash stated. "So why don't you just go ahead and get it out."
"I just see a little more than professional courtesy happening," Joe was honest. "And considering what we do know about Miss Lee......I have to admit, I'm concerned."
"Don't be," Nash tried to assure him, "I have it under control."
"Okay..." Joe was uncertain, "It's just I've known you for quite awhile and..."
"It's under control," Nash lied, cutting him off.
Joe started to speak again, and thought better of it. He nodded and walked away. "under control," Nash replied to himself, gathering up his files.
The day passed uneventfully, with Nash avoiding Lexi's press conference and rehearsal. He tried to concentrate on some of the other cases the SIU had open at that moment, anything to get his mind elsewhere. Maybe Joe was right, maybe he was being distracted by his personal feelings. Maybe he should put Lexi in a safe house, and let Harvey, Joe, and Antwon work the case. He had resorted to doing paperwork to keep himself occupied when his phone rang. "Captain Bridges, SIU," he answered it.
"Nash?" it was Lexi's voice.
"Hi," Nash tried to cover his emotions. When she didn't answer he got worried, "Is something wrong?"
"Not yet," the voice changed, "but you'll be too late anyways."
The phone clicked as the caller hung up. "Hello? Hello?" Nash asked the dead line. The call had come through the main switchboard, so he couldn't call return it. He quickly hit a new line and dialed Robert's cell phone. After a few rings Nikko answered it. "Nikko, this is Nash Bridges. I need to know where Lexi is."
"Bridges," Nikko was surprised. "She went back to Michael's office with Robert. They were going to go over some updates and get some dinner. Lexi said she'd call you when she was through."
"Why do you have Robert's phone?" Nash was curious.
"He left it at the theater. I was just leaving to drop it off at Michael's." Nikko explained. "Why? Is there something going on?"
"I'm not sure," Nash said, "Meet me at Glicker's office." Hanging up the phone he called out to his team, "Harv, Twon, Joe. It's advanced to phone calls. Lexi is at Glicker's office, and our caller said we'd be too late to do anything. Joe, grab the number for his office. Harv and Twon, back us up. Ronnie, get a black and white to Michael Glicker Management pronto."
As they left the SIU lot Joe was trying to reach Lexi or Michael. "No answer, man," Joe flipped his phone shut. "Not at Michael's cell or his office. Are you sure you don't want me to dial Lexi's cell? I got the number here."
"No," Nash was worried if this stalker had her, what he'd do if someone called her. "No."