Goren opened his eyes slowly. God, he hurt. Slowly he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He took a drink of the water that was still sitting on the bedside table. Getting to his feet he headed out of the bedroom. He saw the pill bottle on the table and picked it up. A movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention and he turned his head toward it. Eames was watching him from the entry to the kitchen. "You look…" she hesitated, not quite certain how to describe him.
"Like hell?"
"I guess that's one way to put it." She got him a glass of water to take the medicine with. "How are you?"
He sat down at the table and took the medicine. "My head is throbbing and my chest is on fire."
"Maybe you overdid it last night," she suggested as she sat down beside him.
"Maybe." He studied her. "I…I hope I didn't…hurt you."
"You are not apologizing, are you?"
He thought about it for a moment before he shook his head. "No."
"Good. So what's wrong?"
He looked at his hands. "I…um, that's not how it was…supposed to happen."
She looked amused. "You've thought about it before?"
He'd done it now. Why the hell did he open that can of worms? When he didn't answer her, she said, "After watching you interact with women for five years, I'm surprised at how uncertain you are right now. Are you always like this?"
He shook his head. He'd inherited his father's charm, if not his playboy manner. "No. Just with you."
"Why?"
"Because…because you're you. I…I want to…make sure everything is…just right for you."
"And what makes me so special?"
He tipped his head to the side as he looked at her. She was very special…to him. And what made her that way? His heart did. "I…" He trailed off. Reaching toward her, he pushed her hair out of her face, slipping his hand behind her head. Gently he pulled her toward him and kissed her. When his hand fell away and he sat back, he finished his sentence, opening himself fully to her in a way he never had before with another. "I love you."
She studied her partner for a long time. As usual, that was not the answer she'd been expecting and again, he took her fully by surprise. But she had to admit, this was a step she had hoped their relationship would eventually take. Finally she answered him, "I love you, too." She hesitated for a moment before going on. "Bobby, is this going to change anything between us? Can we do this and make it work?"
"Make what work?"
"Us. Our partnership."
"What's changed? Alex, I…I've felt like this for awhile, and nothing changed. Look…work is work. We're partners and we have a job to do. Home is…home. We're partners in a different way. One has nothing to do with the other."
Leave it to him to explain everything so rationally. "What will Deakins have to say about it?"
"Nothing, because we are not going to tell him. I won't lose you as a partner."
"So we have to hide us from the world?"
He leaned closer to her, intense eyes capturing hers. "No. We just go on as we always have. On the job nothing has changed. We walk through that door," he pointed across the room. "And everything changes."
She smiled, closed the distance between them, and kissed him. "Ok, Goren. We'll do it your way. What do you want to eat?"
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He was sleeping when the doorbell rang. She opened the door to find Deakins on the other side. "Hi, Captain."
She stepped back to let him in. "How's he doing?"
"He's moving gingerly," she said with a smile. "But he's ok."
The captain sat in the easy chair as she sat on the couch. "What about the shooting?"
She was quiet for a moment. "He's working through that. He knows he did what he had to do. But it hurts him that he had to do it."
Deakins nodded. He expected no less. "I talked with Internal Affairs. They cleared him on the shooting."
"What about those two patrolmen?"
"Well, the veteran did everything right. Whether he had to do anything at all is irrelevant. Those were his shots that hit Morrison. He was doing his job and backing you guys up. When the kid opened up on Bobby, he fired. I imagine all four shots hit him within seconds of one another."
"But the killing shot?"
Deakins nodded at her. "That one was Bobby's."
"And the other cop?"
"A rookie. His first shooting."
"What a legacy. His first shooting and he shoots another cop."
"He panicked and lost control of his weapon, so his shots were wild. I see evidence clerk or desk sergeant in his future. I doubt his captain will put him back out on the street."
"I hope not."
He studied her. "How are you doing, Alex?"
"I'm fine."
"You're ok, staying here with him?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
He nodded. "Ok. I'll give you another two days, then I want you back in the squadroom. Your partner has two weeks. As soon as psych clears him, he can have his gun back. When the department docs say he's ok, you'll both return to full duty. In the meantime, you'll do paperwork and backup."
She nodded. "Thanks, Captain."
He smiled at her and headed to the door. Turning, he said, "Tell him I came by, and I'm glad he's ok."
She nodded. "I will." Deakins left, closing the door behind him. "Great. Paperwork," she muttered.