This should have taken a lot less time to publish because I've been off school (whoot!) but it took this long because I gave myself writer's block by writing the chapter for the eppy 10-7. Note to self: don't write the last chapter UNTIL you get there! It gives you writer's block!
It's hard being the newbie.
When I first came to CSI, I was taken in under the wing of my supervisor, just as Ryan has been by Horatio.
My supervisor, Megan, taught me everything I needed to know about being a CSI. She was a great teacher and I'm sure that Horatio will be just as good a teacher, if not better.
So far, Ryan is doing well. He's not exactly got any friends in the team yet, but there's time. He will make friends.
Calleigh and Eric, especially Eric, feel as though they are being disloyal to me by becoming friends with Ryan, so they are both reluctant to do so.
They're wrong. I don't mind. I used to feel left out when they were talking to him, but now, I know it can't be helped and have to deal with it.
Eric is only just polite enough for them to be able to work together, but Calleigh is slightly more kind and accepting.
And Ryan clearly likes her too.
In the way that the school geek has to fancy the most popular girl.
I saw the crush form the first time he met her. The way he looked at her and spoke to her gave away his feelings.
And it isn't as if Calleigh hasn't noticed. She isn't blind!
I actually think she's flattered, because it is quite sweet.
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"My name is Alexx Woods, and you are here because you want a reason to give up drinking. Well, here, is a reason. This is Chris. He was killed when a drunk driver ran into him, crashed into a tree fifty yards away and walked away. If you need a reason to stop drinking, remember Chris."
Well put I think.
Alexx was running rehab sessions for drinkers. She's showing them a corpse that died because of a drink related accident.
It's a pretty hard-hitting way to get the message across, but it works.
As the rehab people left, Alexx turned to me and breathed a sigh of relief. She obviously didn't like to have to terrify people into not drinking, despite the fact that she had volunteered to be involved in the rehab program.
Anything is better than more people ending up on Alexx's table.
Alexx was about to speak to me, when I quickly put a finger to my lips.
One of the guys from the rehab was still in the morgue, standing in shadows by the door.
Alexx turned to talk to him.
It turns out that he wants a job in the ME's office.
Alexx always used to offer me jobs in her office, while I was attending autopsies.
I never took it though. I loved being a CSI too much.
But as I think about it now, if I had become an ME, I would never have ended up in that jewellery store.
But I can't change what has happened.
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Alexx's new recruit is doing well.
His name is Derek Rodderson.
He does know what he's doing.
I'll give him that.
"One week, then we review, ok?" Alexx told him.
He'll be fine.
Alexx will teach him well, I'm sure.
I sat in the morgue for a while, simply because I didn't have anywhere else particularly to go.
There was only one body in there at that point, and no living people.
Just me and that body.
I walked around him.
He didn't have many personal effects; just a wallet and a hip-flask, as well as his clothes.
His expression was one of peace.
It looked as if he had just fallen asleep.
A sudden noise behind me made me jump.
I expected to see Alexx, or perhaps Derek, but no.
It was another of her colleagues, Dr Glen Monroe.
He carefully closed the door behind him and, looking over his shoulder, headed toward the body.
He headed for the body's personal effects immediately and found the hip-flask.
A look of triumph on his face, he opened the hip-flask and put it to his lips.
After taking a huge gulp of what ever was in the flask, he put it down again with the other personal effects and headed to leave.
He was almost out of the door before he realised what he had done. He knew that Alexx would find out, somehow.
She knew that there was some drink left in the flask before Glen had drunk it.
She would know…
He picked up the flask and pocketed it. Obviously so he could dispose of it later.
He is in so much trouble.
I followed him out of the morgue to the locker room. Once there, he opened the flask again and put it to his lips, sucking the last few drops of liquid out of it. When he was sure it was totally empty, he shoved it behind the lockers and walked out of the break room confidently.
He met Alexx in the corridor and talked to her as if nothing had happened.
How does he have the nerve to speak to her after what he has just done?
I may be dead, but I do have morals!
I will tell Alexx what has happened, when I see her alone.
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She found out before I could tell her.
She has assigned Calleigh to work the internal investigation.
She's working on it now.
The flask has been found and Calleigh is running the prints.
Now is my chance to tell Alexx.
"Hey, Alexx? Can I have a word?"
Her tone was tinged with annoyance.
"Not now sugar. I'm busy on this case with the internal investigation. I think that my new recruit has stolen property from him…"
She indicated the body, which was now totally covered by a sheet.
"It's about that."
She stopped making notes on her clipboard and turned to me.
"What did you see?"
"I saw everything! It was one of the doctors, Dr Monroe."
"Glen Monroe?"
I nodded.
"I've got to tell Calleigh…"
She practically ran out of the morgue, with me following closely behind her.
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We found Calleigh in a lab. She had just stood up from a computer.
She saw Alexx running towards her.
"Alexx! I was just coming to see you. I found out who stole the flask, his name is…"
"Glen Monroe?"
"Yeah! How did you know?"
"Er…" she had to think quickly for an answer. "…Gut feeling. Thanks for doing this honey."
She took Calleigh's report and left.
Calleigh watched her leave, standing with her arms folded across her chest, a slightly confused look on her face.
I stood beside her, in exactly the same position.
It was only later, much later, that day that I realised why we were mirroring each other.
We had solved a case together.
I was the witness, she was the CSI.
We had solved a case together again.
The buzz I got from nearly going back to work again was indescribable.