Something About Vegas

Frustration

Giving the room a cursory glance, his eyes lingered on the still made bed, the one he didn't sleep in last night and he cursed himself for the tenth time in as many minutes. Certain he had left nothing behind, since he hadn't packed much to begin with for this 48 hour trip, he picked up his carry on luggage and exited the room, closing the door behind him with a force born of the frustration that was coming off him like a scent.

He was dying for a cup of coffee, but checking his watch, he realized there was no time, which only added to the frustration he'd been feeling since leaving her room. It was just as well, he thought, the sooner they were out of Vegas, the better. There was no mistaking, this was going to be one very long day. Checking his watch again, losing patience quickly, he hoped Calleigh would hurry so they wouldn't miss their flight out of Vegas, if they missed that, they'd miss their connection in Denver, then there was no telling when they'd get home. At least they wouldn't have trouble getting a taxi to the airport this time of day, considering how little time they had to spare, that was the lone bright spot on the horizon.

Even the short walk to the elevator was frustrating, every little thing added to his irritation and conflicted state of mind. He stood out side his room for several long moments, just thinking, before resolving not to go back to her room to get her and help with her bags, deciding he couldn't handle any additional contact with Calleigh, who for the time being, could legally be referred to as 'his wife', but it was best not to think about that.

In fact, since leaving her bed and her room, he'd gone out of his way to avoid thinking about her or last night and it was proving to be quite a challenge, because despite imbibing his fair share of alcohol, he did not have amnesia about what occurred. He may have behaved out of character, unpredictably, as well as much too impulsively, an understatement if he ever heard one, but he wasn't out of his mind, well, at least not from the alcohol. Why he made the decision he made last night, he honestly couldn't answer and he knew he'd be wondering about it for a long, long time.

Calleigh, however, who knew? While she obviously drank far more than she usually did, he didn't think she was completely wasted. She couldn't have been, could she? he wondered as he stood alone in the hallway. It was a moot point now, they'd gone and done it, they would just have to undo it and he prayed they'd be able to eventually repair their work relationship He just didn't think he'd ever be able to get last night out of his head, no matter what he did. He sighed heavily, shaking his head and pushed the elevator button. His headache was getting worse.

The vending machines in the room next to the elevator caught his eye and he decided there would at least be time to grab a can of cola. Caffeine came in many forms and right now, any form would do. He put his bag down and emptied the change from his pocket into his hand, his left hand, where his eyes were riveted to the still gleaming band on his ring finger. 'I really should take this off,' he thought. The image of Calleigh struggling to remove hers was still fresh in his head, but he changed his mind, while she was stuck wearing hers, he'd wear his as well, after all, they were in this mess together.

He got his soda and mentally debated whether he should get her something or not. After a ridiculous amount of time spent trying to make a simple decision, he bought her a bottle of water and entered the elevator. Being in the small space reminded him they would be cooped up together in a confined area all day and he groaned, after last night and this morning, being physically close to Calleigh was not such a good idea.

The front desk wasn't busy and he was able to check out quickly. He inquired after his colleague and learned she had not yet checked out, which he had already suspected, since she packed far more than he did. The manager then politely asked if he had enjoyed his stay in Las Vegas. Tim merely glared at him with red, bleary eyes and walked off, knowing he could never honestly answer that question. The doorman hailed him a cab, he stuck his bag in the trunk and waited impatiently, wondering just what her mood would be when she arrived.

Since waking, it had been almost impossible to keep up with her ever changing moods. There was the eager mood she was in when they awoke, unable to get enough of him and just thinking about that heated him up, best not to dwell he supposed, to the unpleasant, agitated mood she was in when he left her room and everything in-between.

Of course, he couldn't really blame her, she didn't come to this forensics conference in Las Vegas expecting to leave as 'Mrs. Timothy Speedle,' she'd made that abundantly clear this morning, but then, neither did he. He snapped out of his reverie when he saw her approach, loaded down with her bags and he could tell, even from a distance that she was still flustered. 'Just great,' he thought sarcastically, rolling his eyes. She was agitated, he was irritable, and to add to that mix, they were both uncomfortable in each other's presence, which was a far cry from earlier. 'Ought to be a real fun trip,' he envisioned.

"You ready? Got everything?" he asked her quietly, purposely avoiding eye contact. She just nodded, tossed her bags in the trunk, avoiding his gaze as well and got in the car.

"Here, I got this for you," he proffered, and handed her the water bottle once they were on their way. She first stared at him, as if trying to read his intention, then shook her head, adding a soft, 'no thanks.'

"Fine. Suit yourself, it's just a bottle of water," he responded to her refusal. He tossed the bottle on the seat and looked away. 'I guess this is how it's going to be.'

He continued gazing out the window, but couldn't help stealing glances at her and he noticed she was still struggling to remove the wedding band from her finger. He sighed heavily.

"What's wrong?" he asked curtly, after deciding he had seen enough.

"The ring is stuck, my finger's swollen," she told him irritably, still tugging on the ring.

"Do you want me to try to get it off?" he offered and started to take her hand, but she recoiled, pulling away from him. She caught his eyes and her cheeks reddened, he wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was at that moment, that he had been the one to put it on her finger just last night.

"No," she said quickly, "pulling on it will make it worse, I'll just wait till the swelling goes down," she snapped at him with her eyes downcast, avoiding his intense gaze.

"Then just leave it alone," he barked and went back to looking out the window, thinking about the unfamiliar sensation of his own ring on his usually naked finger.

The tension circulated between them for the duration of the drive as they sat in silence. The driver didn't have the radio on and Tim was fairly certain he spoke very little English, so there was no music or conversation, just complete, head splitting silence. He checked his watch every few minutes, which seemed to annoy her, based on the looks she was surreptitiously giving him, but he didn't care. He wondered if maybe they should ask for new seat assignments on the plane, that way they wouldn't have to be around each other, then remembered they would be together at work tomorrow and he exhaled heavily. She looked at him with confusion, but didn't say anything.

They reached the airport, with minutes to spare, he paid the driver and met Calleigh at the trunk as she was lifting her bags out. He resolved to be pleasant even if it killed him or she did, whichever came first.

"I can help you with that," he attempted.

"I'm capable of carrying my own bags Tim," she answered bluntly.

He sighed heavily once more, not masking his frustration, shifted his feet and stared, his eyes scrutinizing her, before speaking.

"I wasn't suggesting that you couldn't, I just offered assistance," he replied exasperated and walked away in search of their gate while she stood rooted to the spot.

She hurried to catch up to him, despite being burdened with her bags and met him at the gate, just as their flight was boarding. She dropped her bags and gently put her hand on his arm to get his attention.

"Tim I'm sorry. I know I haven't been very pleasant. I'm just so tired, I feel like I didn't sleep at all last night," she explained, her voice softer than it was before. He turned to face her just as the last bit came out of her mouth and he saw her cheeks color as she obviously remembered exactly why she had gotten no sleep. He shrugged and looked away, he had no clue what to say to her anymore. He knew she was going to be his undoing and there was nothing he could do about it.

tbc