So…

I haven't updated in a REALLY long time.. like a year… I don't know if there is even a point to writing this story anymore (since so much has changed in the show since I started this story)…I've had writer's block for a really long time and I just got back to writing and this chapter was kind of sitting in my hard drive, half finished… So I figured I'd at least finish this chapter and see how it goes.

Anyway, tell me if you think I should keep going or just leave it in-complete…

Part 12

It's been three weeks Speed thought to himself tiredly three weeks of coming to work and then going over to the hospital to see Calleigh, three weeks of Erik being unusually quiet and somber, three week of IA officers questioning them over and over again about what happened, three weeks of John's empty desk making everyone feeling uncomfortable and twitchy…

He walked down the hall to his lab and glanced up to look at Horatio's office and saw that the door and the blinds were closed. Closed blinds could only mean one thing - The IA people were up there again, which meant Horatio would be in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

He placed his last report of the day in his "out - going" tray and grabbed his jacket, thinking that an early lunch was just what the doctor ordered. As he walked out he suddenly bumped into someone.

"Gee Speed, I just got out of the hospital, you really want to send me back there after a hit and run?"

"Calleigh!" without thinking he immediately engulfed her in a big hug, then let go of her in a hurry and gave her a worried look "I'm sorry, did I hurt you? I didn't mean…"

"It's fine! I'm fine Tim!" She laughed at him "I'm not about to brake!"

He smiled broadly and gave her a quick look. It was so good to see her like this - up on her feet and in her natural surroundings - she even had that smile on her face, the smile that seemed to change the entire environment of the room.

"I didn't know they were letting you out today? Why didn't you tell me?"

"They weren't sure until this morning, I didn't want to say anything until they were sure" She shrugged as they walked out of the lab together.

"And you came straight to work? Don't you want to go home and rest or something?"

"I think I've had enough rest to last me a life time!" she laughed at him, and it was so good to hear that laughter he felt like hugging her all over again.

"Speed!" some technician called for him from the other end of the hall waving a sheet of paper in the air frantically to indicate the arrival some test results.

"I should go see what's that about…" he apologized and started heading down the hall when her voice stopped him dead in his tracks

"Hey Tim, Do you know where John is? I went by his desk, but he wasn't there? You know if he's been called out on a case?"

John was sprawled across his living room couch in a pair of jeans and a faded T shirt, there was a beer in his hand, a sandwich on the coffee table beside him, and a football game on TV.

For a minute he thought to himself that he was turning into the poster boy for unemployed- lazy-white-trash, but he didn't really care anymore.

He knew sooner or later he'd have to go out there and find a new job, something to do with his life, but for now he figured he was entitled for a few weeks of self pity. Besides, he didn't relish the thought of going out there looking for a job, knowing that with an "unlawful killing of a suspect" on his record - there aren't going to be a lot of employers jumping through hoops for the privilege of hiring him.

Instead, he figured he'd do his best to delay that bitter rejection process, by spending most of his days sitting in his house in his PJ's and doing absolutely nothing. In fact, the only times he actually got dressed anymore was when he went to visit Calleigh at the hospital.

He got up from his couch to get another beer when he heard the door bell ring. He opened the door with his eyes still on the TV screen, trying not to miss the game.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The voice from the doorway made his head snap to that direction immediately.

"Calleigh? What? What …" he started stammering but she simply walked passed him, entering the apartment and looking around her with a disapproving look on her face

"3 Weeks John, for 3 weeks you've been coming to see me everyday, acting like nothing happened, telling me everything was ok!"

"Everything is ok Calleigh.." he tried to cut in but she just went on as if his attempt to protest didn't even register.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out? Did you really think no one would eventually tell me that you got fired for shooting Kerner? And what the hell do you think you were doing storming out of an IA investigation like that? Did you wake up that morning and figured - hey let's perform career suicide today or something? I can't believe you! And I can't believe you've been lying to me for 3 whole weeks…"

She finally stopped her rant when she noticed he was smiling at her sheepishly

"What are you smiling about?"

"It's good to see you Call', you can go back to yelling at me in a moment but I just wanted to say it - it's good having you back Calliegh"

The confession and the look on his face finally broke through her anger and she let out a small sigh, allowing herself a tiny smile "It's good to be back John" she admitted going over to him and hugging him tightly "It's really good to be back".

An hour later they were sitting on his porch drinking a beer, letting the warm Miami evening breeze wash over them as the day light began to fade away and dim.

"So really Hagen, what's with the whole getting yourself fired thing?" Calliegh brought up the subject again after they managed to dance around it for the past hour.

"It was a little too much" he shrugged, not really giving an explanation "Maybe I'm done being cop… maybe it was time to quit anyway…"

"What are you talking about?" she turned to him "You love being a cop! It's who you are!"

"Is it?" he said sadly "I'm 37 years old Call', I've been a cop almost half my life, and what have I got to show for it? The best friend I ever had is dead, I haven't had a friend outside the department for years and the ones I had I haven't seen in years. Every women I meet thinks it's cool to date a cop for the first two weeks until she notices I'm never around and thinks the whole thing over again. I have a small apartment an old car, I don't even own a dog… I don't know… maybe being a cop just isn't enough anymore…"

There was a long silence as she took in what he had just told her "So this is it? You're really just going to give it all up?"

"I don't know yet… maybe… I guess I just need some time, you know?"