Coming Home
Terry was jolted awake by a jerking around her legs. She was up like a shot, pulling her legs towards her until she could coherently identify what had tugged on them. What she found was a sleeping Don, thrashing about, regardless of his sitting position. She winced as she took in his position before focusing on the reason for his movement.
"No! Charlie!"
Immediately she was on her knees beside him, shaking his shoulders forcefully to wake him up. Quite obviously they'd both managed to fall asleep before changing or, for Don, making it to bed.
"Wake up Don!" she called. Finally, his eyes fluttered open, shining in fear and trepidation.
"He'd dead."
It was an outright statement that chilled Terry's blood. He'd said it with so much conviction she was almost ready to believe him. Her own personal opinions stated otherwise. Instead of questioning him, however – her brain was just as out of it as his most likely was – she stood up and held out a hand.
"Come on. You're going to hurt in the morning if you keep sleeping like that."
He took her hand and allowed her to guide him to his bedroom. There, she turned her back momentarily and ordered him into his pyjamas. His hands on her shoulders notified her of his completion and she turned under them. He was looking at her with an unidentifiable emotion in his eyes that made Terry's heart flutter pleasantly. Resolutely, she stomped on the emotion, willing it to still.
"Bed for you," she instructed softly, not letting his gaze go. When he didn't move, she sighed and pulled away from the warmth of his hands, turning down the bed linens and waiting stubbornly, hands on hips. He made his way slowly towards her and to the bed. He grasped her wrist when she tried to leave and she gave him a reassuring smile.
"I'll be back in a minute. I want you to tell me about your nightmare." Reluctantly, he let her go. Terry took her time changing into her own pyjamas and made her way back to his bedroom. Don had already fallen asleep by the time she returned to the room and Terry couldn't help letting her eyes wander his sleeping face.
He looked younger asleep, she noticed, much less stressed. It was too bad he couldn't be like that more often. She sat on his bed, the side he wasn't currently occupying, and leaned back against the headboard, watching him. The number of great moments they'd had together bombarded her exhausted brain and shocked it back to life. Instead of feeling as drowsy as moments before, she was suddenly awake, looking over the man that had been her partner.
Her brain rushed through a million different scenarios in the span of five minutes. Their Laundromat date, their 'study sessions' in the library – disregarding the rules and getting more study of anatomy than they should have – the moment she saw him walk into the LA office to be the leader of the team she'd been assigned to….
Then her mind settled on a memory much more recent. Two months ago she'd woken in the same bed, but wearing substantially less clothing than she was now. She actually hadn't regretted the night, only the timing. Knowing she wouldn't be able to face him in the morning, she'd left, leaving no note and no physical outward appearance she'd been there except for the fresh coffee in the maker.
It didn't mean she hadn't thought of him upon her move to Washington. Almost every time the phone rang without an identifiable number, her heart jumped into her throat hoping it wasn't a hospital calling to notify her Don was there and in bad condition. She didn't want to think about the possibility of, much like the Eppes family was in the process of, losing someone she loved.
It was an easy admission for her since she'd had the time away to think about it. Originally, it had been the driving force behind her call to him that had sparked their weekly contact and sporadic e-mails. Slowly the admission had become easier to live with, especially with him miles away in California. In a twisted way, it was a comfort to not see him every day.
Things like this made her change her mind.
Don awoke the next morning to Terry's sleeping face, and her body cuddled closer to his. However, he wasn't a passive participant in this. He'd managed to wrap his arms around her body, pulling her into his limbs as much as she pushed. He couldn't bring himself to move yet and contented himself with looking down at her.
When she'd shown up at the office, he'd been rather surprised. Why she'd come back to LA for a temporary assignment originally baffled him. He had faith that she wouldn't turn down the chance of coming back, but it seemed too soon to really trust her back. Yet, here she was, his pillar of strength come all the way from Washington to save his sorry hide… again.
Not that she'd travelled long distances to save him, but she'd saved him nonetheless. The number of times she'd caught him being less than impartial or making the evidence what he wanted it to be were numerous. That wasn't even beginning to go through their school days at the Academy where she'd studied with him until all hours of the morning until he understood exactly what every concept was.
If he was honest with himself, he loved her. Something in his heart had torn when she'd left. Remarkably enough, however, she'd managed to stitch the wound closed slowly and steadily with their calls and now her temporary transfer. Nonetheless, he was fairly positive she would never be able to heal it completely unless she moved back to LA and into his life for good.
Slowly, he pushed himself up on his elbow, glancing down to make sure she wasn't waking up. If there was a woman in this world that needed her sleep, Terry was it. He was almost out of the room before he turned back and rushed to the bedside before he could tell himself otherwise, kissing her forehead lightly. She shifted, but didn't wake. Instead, she turned over into his pillow, nestling her nose in the green of the cover. He smiled as he left to shower and get ready for the day.
It took Terry a few moments to remember the events of the previous night when she woke to find herself snuggled into something that smelled suspiciously like Don. However, when her awareness fully returned, she noticed he was nowhere in sight. Listening closely, she heard the shower and allowed herself a mental sigh. Before she could do much else, her phone rang.
"Lake," she answered, slightly out of breath from racing to the living room to dig up the device.
"Did I interrupt something?" Caleb's teasing voice spoke. Terry rolled her eyes, almost growling over the line.
"No, but you woke me up." Okay, that wasn't completely true, but he had dragged her out of the warmth of bed.
"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, "but this couldn't wait."
"Shoot."
"We looked at purchases and names and found a match. Our friend Adam's been busy."
"Busy, how?"
"Computer after computer – parts and full – shipped to an address and charged to his credit card. This includes everything thought possible to keep these computers running for an extended period of time."
"You got an address?"
"You better believe it. Should I swing by and pick you up?"
Terry was already half way back into the bedroom, picking out her clothes for the day and, for the moment, disregarding a shower. She could just pull her hair back anyway.
"Yeah. You going to be long?"
"Ten minutes."
She'd let him know where she was staying in case of an emergency.
"Buy me breakfast?" she asked, hope lacing her voice. She wouldn't have time to throw something together to take with her. Heck, she wasn't going to have enough time to make the life-giving brew of coffee.
"And a coffee, I promise."
"You're a saint."
"Not yet. Maybe you could recommend it." Then there was silence.
"Listen, I know how much this case means to you, Terry. Promise me this doesn't mean you'll be rushing into things?"
She rolled her eyes as she attempted to pull her pants on without dislodging the phone from her shoulder.
"I promise. I just want this over with. The family doesn't deserve things running for this long." She could almost see him nodded on the other end of the phone.
"Be there soon."
"I'll be downstairs."
"Kay. See you soon."