Disclaimer : Blah.
Author's Note : We're beginning to wind down to the end....Some of the dialogue in here was taken from "Question Everything". Sorry, this chapter's somewhat of a mess, but I've been working on the last chapter more (which by the way, is coming soon. I promise.), but feedback would still be great.
Penny For Your Thoughts (Part V)
WARRICK
"Uncle Warrick! Uncle Warrick!"
I whirled around to find Lindsey sprinting down the hall of CSI toward me. She flew into my arms, and I swung her around in a circle.
"Hey, Linds. What are you doing here?"
"To see you, Silly." She giggled. "Uncle Warrick?"
"Hmmm?"
"I'm gonna go say hi to Uncle Grissom."
"All right." I set her down on the floor and she disappeared into the lab. "So, what's going on?" I said to Catherine who had just caught up with her daughter.
"Eddie didn't come to pick her up like he said he would. So I had to bring her with me. But it's not for the whole night. He said he'd come soon."
"Well, it's no trouble, Cath. I can watch her."
"I know you can, Warrick. But it's Eddie's responsibility. He should be here, not you." She replied sharply.
"Ouch."
She looked at me. "Sorry, Warrick. That's not what I - "
"Hey, it's all right. I know, I know."
"I'm not mad at you. It's Eddie."
"This isn't the first time, Cath."
"It's one too many."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Don't lie. I can tell there's more than just tonight."
She opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly:
"Catherine," Grissom was calling her.
"Coming." She flashed her smile at me, "I'll talk to you later, Warrick. Don't let Lindsey push you around."
"Aren't you sleepy, Linds? It's almost one thirty."
"No," She replied, "I want to wait for Daddy. He said he would come. He promised."
"Sorry, Linds." I brushed her blond hair away from her eyes.
"Uncle Warrick?"
"I wish you didn't call me that." I mumbled, smirking. "It makes me feel so old."
"You ARE old." She laughed. "How old are you anyway?"
"Ten."
"Uncle Warrick..."
"Okay, okay. Thirty-two."
"See? You are very old."
"Thanks a lot."
"At least you're younger than Uncle Grissom. Now he's very, very old. He's the oldest person I know."
"You know what?"
"What?"
"I think so too." She laughed even harder. "Don't tell him I said that."
"I'm going to."
"You better not. I'm going to get in trouble if you do."
"Good!"
"You know, Linds, you're exactly like your mom. She wouldn't miss an opportunity to rat me out and get me in trouble either."
At that moment, someone knocked on the door of the lounge. We both looked at the same time. It was Eddie.
"Daddy! Hi!" She ran into his arms.
I got up and walked up behind her.
"Hey, Kiddo. How's my little girl?"
"You're late, Daddy."
"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Baby."
"You didn't forget me, did you?"
" 'Course not." Eddie replied, "Hey, Linds, I gotta go talk to Mommy for a few minutes. Can you stay here and wait for me?"
"Okay."
"Okay. Good. I'll be right back, Kid." He let her down on the ground. He looked at me for a moment, giving me a short nod, "Mr. Brown."
"Mr. Willows." I countered.
And within a few minutes, I could hear Catherine and him yelling. I closed the lounge door, but they were loud. Angry. Lindsey didn't say anything for a long time, then:
"Uncle Warrick?"
"Yeah?"
"Why are they fighting?"
"It's just a disagreement. Don't worry."
"Is it about me?"
"No! No, your mom and dad just have some things to discuss."
"What's discuss?"
"Uh, talk about things."
"Talk about what?"
"Things. It's hard to explain."
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No, it's not your fault. You did nothing wrong."
And Lindsey proceeded on telling me everything. She told me how her parents were fighting. How Catherine had an accident the day before yesterday. And I knew.
I guess I always knew. I just never wanted to admit it. It was too hard to believe that Catherine came in night after night without saying anything. Without doing anything. She came in every single night, smiling. Acting as if nothing were wrong. Doing her job without complaints. She was so strong for no reason.
Well, that's not what I meant. Her reason was Lindsey. But she didn't have to go through all of this on her own. But she's got a way of carrying the world on her shoulders, and that is, she carries it on her own. Without any help. Without anyone. Without anyone even knowing.
And it amazes me every time to see how many men have taken her for granted, mistreated her, or underestimated her matchless audacity.
"Uncle Grissom says Mommy had an ax-dent."
"Yeah?"
She nodded. Then, after some time, she asked, "Uncle Warrick? What's an ax-dent?"
"Your mom got a hurt...doing something."
"Oh." Then, "Uncle Warrick? You won't tell them, right? About how I heard them fighting? You won't, will you?"
I met her crystal blue eyes and saw fear. God, Kid, of course not. I wouldn't tell them you heard them arguing.
"No. I won't tell them, Lindsey. If you don't want me to say anything, I won't."
"Uncle Warrick? I'm scared." Tears glazed her eyes.
"I know you are. I know." I drew her into my lap, and held her as tight as she clung on to me, her head against my chest.
"I'm scared." She repeated. "They're always fighting. And yelling. And saying bad words." She was sobbing in my shirt. Her little arms encircled my neck, and she wept bitterly, "Don't leave me, Uncle Warrick. Don't leave me."
"I'm not going anywhere, Lindsey. I'm gonna stay right here with you."
And she cried herself into a deep sleep. I held her. I held her until Eddie returned, and he carried her away.
It tore at me. This girl was five years old, and here she already had so much to carry around with her. This is supposed to be the time when she runs in the park playing tag with her friends and drawing pictures of houses and rainbows. Instead, she has to deal with the abuse in her parents' marriage.
And don't get me wrong. I'm not saying either Catherine or Eddie is a bad parent, no. They're wonderful parents when they're with Lindsey. And I'll admit, Eddie has a way with his daughter that can really make me smile inside. It's just when they're not with Lindsey that's the problem.
Well, it's not my place to say anything. But how the hell is someone supposed to face this sort of situation?
[End Part Five of Six]
Author's Note : We're beginning to wind down to the end....Some of the dialogue in here was taken from "Question Everything". Sorry, this chapter's somewhat of a mess, but I've been working on the last chapter more (which by the way, is coming soon. I promise.), but feedback would still be great.
Penny For Your Thoughts (Part V)
WARRICK
"Uncle Warrick! Uncle Warrick!"
I whirled around to find Lindsey sprinting down the hall of CSI toward me. She flew into my arms, and I swung her around in a circle.
"Hey, Linds. What are you doing here?"
"To see you, Silly." She giggled. "Uncle Warrick?"
"Hmmm?"
"I'm gonna go say hi to Uncle Grissom."
"All right." I set her down on the floor and she disappeared into the lab. "So, what's going on?" I said to Catherine who had just caught up with her daughter.
"Eddie didn't come to pick her up like he said he would. So I had to bring her with me. But it's not for the whole night. He said he'd come soon."
"Well, it's no trouble, Cath. I can watch her."
"I know you can, Warrick. But it's Eddie's responsibility. He should be here, not you." She replied sharply.
"Ouch."
She looked at me. "Sorry, Warrick. That's not what I - "
"Hey, it's all right. I know, I know."
"I'm not mad at you. It's Eddie."
"This isn't the first time, Cath."
"It's one too many."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Don't lie. I can tell there's more than just tonight."
She opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly:
"Catherine," Grissom was calling her.
"Coming." She flashed her smile at me, "I'll talk to you later, Warrick. Don't let Lindsey push you around."
"Aren't you sleepy, Linds? It's almost one thirty."
"No," She replied, "I want to wait for Daddy. He said he would come. He promised."
"Sorry, Linds." I brushed her blond hair away from her eyes.
"Uncle Warrick?"
"I wish you didn't call me that." I mumbled, smirking. "It makes me feel so old."
"You ARE old." She laughed. "How old are you anyway?"
"Ten."
"Uncle Warrick..."
"Okay, okay. Thirty-two."
"See? You are very old."
"Thanks a lot."
"At least you're younger than Uncle Grissom. Now he's very, very old. He's the oldest person I know."
"You know what?"
"What?"
"I think so too." She laughed even harder. "Don't tell him I said that."
"I'm going to."
"You better not. I'm going to get in trouble if you do."
"Good!"
"You know, Linds, you're exactly like your mom. She wouldn't miss an opportunity to rat me out and get me in trouble either."
At that moment, someone knocked on the door of the lounge. We both looked at the same time. It was Eddie.
"Daddy! Hi!" She ran into his arms.
I got up and walked up behind her.
"Hey, Kiddo. How's my little girl?"
"You're late, Daddy."
"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Baby."
"You didn't forget me, did you?"
" 'Course not." Eddie replied, "Hey, Linds, I gotta go talk to Mommy for a few minutes. Can you stay here and wait for me?"
"Okay."
"Okay. Good. I'll be right back, Kid." He let her down on the ground. He looked at me for a moment, giving me a short nod, "Mr. Brown."
"Mr. Willows." I countered.
And within a few minutes, I could hear Catherine and him yelling. I closed the lounge door, but they were loud. Angry. Lindsey didn't say anything for a long time, then:
"Uncle Warrick?"
"Yeah?"
"Why are they fighting?"
"It's just a disagreement. Don't worry."
"Is it about me?"
"No! No, your mom and dad just have some things to discuss."
"What's discuss?"
"Uh, talk about things."
"Talk about what?"
"Things. It's hard to explain."
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No, it's not your fault. You did nothing wrong."
And Lindsey proceeded on telling me everything. She told me how her parents were fighting. How Catherine had an accident the day before yesterday. And I knew.
I guess I always knew. I just never wanted to admit it. It was too hard to believe that Catherine came in night after night without saying anything. Without doing anything. She came in every single night, smiling. Acting as if nothing were wrong. Doing her job without complaints. She was so strong for no reason.
Well, that's not what I meant. Her reason was Lindsey. But she didn't have to go through all of this on her own. But she's got a way of carrying the world on her shoulders, and that is, she carries it on her own. Without any help. Without anyone. Without anyone even knowing.
And it amazes me every time to see how many men have taken her for granted, mistreated her, or underestimated her matchless audacity.
"Uncle Grissom says Mommy had an ax-dent."
"Yeah?"
She nodded. Then, after some time, she asked, "Uncle Warrick? What's an ax-dent?"
"Your mom got a hurt...doing something."
"Oh." Then, "Uncle Warrick? You won't tell them, right? About how I heard them fighting? You won't, will you?"
I met her crystal blue eyes and saw fear. God, Kid, of course not. I wouldn't tell them you heard them arguing.
"No. I won't tell them, Lindsey. If you don't want me to say anything, I won't."
"Uncle Warrick? I'm scared." Tears glazed her eyes.
"I know you are. I know." I drew her into my lap, and held her as tight as she clung on to me, her head against my chest.
"I'm scared." She repeated. "They're always fighting. And yelling. And saying bad words." She was sobbing in my shirt. Her little arms encircled my neck, and she wept bitterly, "Don't leave me, Uncle Warrick. Don't leave me."
"I'm not going anywhere, Lindsey. I'm gonna stay right here with you."
And she cried herself into a deep sleep. I held her. I held her until Eddie returned, and he carried her away.
It tore at me. This girl was five years old, and here she already had so much to carry around with her. This is supposed to be the time when she runs in the park playing tag with her friends and drawing pictures of houses and rainbows. Instead, she has to deal with the abuse in her parents' marriage.
And don't get me wrong. I'm not saying either Catherine or Eddie is a bad parent, no. They're wonderful parents when they're with Lindsey. And I'll admit, Eddie has a way with his daughter that can really make me smile inside. It's just when they're not with Lindsey that's the problem.
Well, it's not my place to say anything. But how the hell is someone supposed to face this sort of situation?
[End Part Five of Six]