Please R+R!
Eric pushed open the door of the lab, whistling. He didn't usually whistle, but today was a special occasion and he could probably get away with it. It was his birthday.
Ryan was already there, leaning over a microscope. He hadn't noticed Eric come in, so Eric leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped about a foot in the air and whirled round.
"What the hell?"
"Hey Ryan,"
"Oh, it's you," Ryan glared at him. "Would you mind not doing that again? This is a really sensitive experiment!"
"Ok man, sorry,"
It had just been a joke, but then Ryan did get a little obsessive over his experiments. And it would be a bit selfish really for Eric to expect Ryan to know his birthday when he'd only been here a month or two.
When the others get here I'll have a real party.
It wasn't really a party, more of an unofficial present-giving in the staff room. Alexx had been hinting she'd got him some new scuba gear, but he had no idea what he was going to get from Calleigh or Horatio. With H that wasn't too strange as he never gave it away, but Calleigh usually blurted it out at least a week before.
The door swung open again, and Alexx walked in. Eric expected her to at least say happy birthday, but instead she went straight over to Ryan to ask for some results.
"Hi Alexx," he said in case she hadn't realised he was there, but she just muttered a distracted hello back, leaving him more confused than ever. Alexx never forgot birthdays, probably from having two kids.
She was gone without another word to either of them. Ryan finally got his head out of the microscope to make at least a little conversation, but Eric wasn't really paying attention, still wondering how Alexx could have possibly forgotten.
She must have a really important case going.
But if it was that important, surely he'd have heard about it?
Right?
His pager beeped. That must be where Calleigh and Horatio were. Someone must have remembered.
It was getting weird.
He'd arrived at the crime scene (male d.b., gunshot to the head). Calleigh and Horatio had been there. H had explained what they knew already without once mentioning his birthday, and Calleigh had been too absorbed in finding the bullet to say much more than hello.
They couldn't all have forgotten at once. That never happened. Maybe one person would, once or twice, but this… This just wasn't right.
Eric collected evidence in a slight daze, processed it back at the lab and gave the results to H, and not one person had even said happy birthday in the whole lab. He'd even asked Calleigh the date as a last resort, but she'd just checked her watch and told him.
He leaned against the wall outside the morgue, waiting for Alexx to finish the autopsy so he could get the results. Something glittery flashed at the corner of his eye, and he turned to look at it. It was a piece of wrapping paper.
He ran over and picked it up, staring at it. It wasn't fancy, just plain metallic blue, but unmistakably off a present. There was a strange smell lingering on it, which Eric recognised but couldn't quite place. There were also some small white grains stuck to the shiny side.
He grinned. If this was what he though it was… He headed off to the lab, brushing past Calleigh on the way.
Carpet cleaning powder. And the liquid that the paper had been soaked in was plain old industrial strength bleach. A cleaning trolley or closet. The only problem was, there were at least a dozen closets and twice that many trolleys around the building. He'd have to ask someone.
The nearest cleaner was an old woman who was mopping a floor nearby.
"Excuse me ma'am… I know this sounds strange, but are there any closets containing bleach and that stuff they put on carpets round here?"
The lady smiled at him. "Why, in the big one on the third floor,"
She stopped him as he headed for the lift. "That one's out of order. You'll have to take the stairs,"
Only slightly out of breath after rushing up two flights of stairs, Eric opened the plain door that would hopefully solve this mystery for him.
Bleach, packets of stuff… The smell that had been on the wrapping paper flooded his nose, making him sneeze. It seemed to be empty, but he went right to the back to check all the half-empty boxes. Maybe they'd hidden his presents in one…
The door clicked shut behind him. He turned, and saw Calleigh standing there with her back against the door.
"Happy Birthday, Eric,"
"I knew you didn't forget!"
Eric grinned happily. Of course they hadn't forgotten.
"Course not! Alexx got you that thing she was hinting she would and Horatio… Well, I think it's a book, but it might be a well-concealed shirt or something, you can never tell… Even Ryan got you something,"
He stepped towards the door and reached for the handle, but Calleigh's hand on his stopped him.
"Don't you want to know what I got you?" she asked quietly.
"I'll find out, won't I?"
"Not if you go out there. Look up,"
He did. There was a small sprig of something green hanging from the ceiling, with small white berries on it. Mistletoe.
He changed his mind about opening the closet door just yet. This birthday was just getting better.