Chapter 2

I'm counting on
a heart I know by heart
to walk me through this war
Memories distort

Phone my family, tell them I'm lost
on the sidewalk
and, no, it's not OK

"Kamera", Wilco

Two days later, Tim was sitting in the lab, trying to ignore a headache in favor of a lab report, when Jack came into the room. "Hey."

"Hey," he said, raising his aching head. "What's up?"

"There's a motorcycle down in the garage that Horatio says I should take apart and process because it may have been used in a homicide. I'm told you're the resident expert with such things, so I wondered if you could give me a hand," Jack said.

"Sure," Tim said, pushing away from the table. "What kind of bike is it?"

"See, I don't know from motorcycles, which is why I came to you," Jack explained.

"Ah. Gotcha. Well, let's take a look," he said, following Jack out of the lab.

He yawned as he leaned against the back of the elevator. He really was tired, but his brain just wouldn't shut up long enough for him to actually fall asleep, even after two days. Calleigh was worried, he knew. He was just irritated.

"You ok?" Jack asked.

"Sure," he said. "Just kinda tired." He liked Jack the best of all the new people. Not that Scott and Kiara weren't perfectly fine people- they were, and he liked them well enough. But Jack had a certain steadiness about him that made him feel more comfortable with him. He reminded Tim a little bit of Sean sometimes; he had a bit of that same calm, "I'm not going to take your nonsense, so you might as well settle down and fly right" air about him. It was an attitude that Tim had sorely needed when he was about 22. It was still a little bit comforting now.

"Ok," Jack said, nodding. They walked down the hall to the garage. "There it is."

"Mmm," Tim said, looking at the bike critically. "Mid-range Harley."

"Yeah?" Jack said.

"Yeah. Not a piece of crap, but not top of the line either," he said, walking around it. "Damn, I miss my bike."

"You had one?" Jack said.

"Have. A Ducati," he sighed.

"Is that a good bike?" Jack asked.

Tim nodded. "Yup. Built for racing, not cruising like this one is," he said, wistfully, nodding towards the bike. "Oh, well, maybe in the fall." Andy refused to let him ride until they had his meds completely stabilized. He had to agree it was a good idea, since the meds made him slightly unsteady on his feet sometimes yet. Balance was a pretty crucial thing when it came to riding. "Horatio and Alexx are just as happy I can't ride anyway."

"Bet Calleigh is, too," Jack grinned.

"Nah, Cal doesn't care. She's fine so long as I wear my helmet and don't do stupid stuff like ride in the middle of a thunderstorm," Or ride in the middle of the night, he thought. "She can't really talk, given that her idea of unwinding involves the gun range and high caliber weaponry." He bent down to look at the engine. "What's H want us to look for?"

"I'm not really sure. It's the victim's bike, and it was at the scene, but I don't know if it was involved," Jack explained.

"Hmm," Tim said. He glanced at his watch. "Well, I'm only here until 12 today. How's this, I'll get it taken apart for you and mark anything that looks suspect, and then you can process?"

"Sounds good," Jack said. "Page me if you get something?"

"Sure," Tim said, straightening to go find a pair of coveralls.

He had everything taken apart and spread out on a tarp when Calleigh came into the room some time later. "Hey, you're still here," she said. "Weren't you leaving at noon today?"

He blinked up at her. "Yeah, I have an orthodontist appointment. Why?"

"Well, because it's 1:30," she said, crouching down next to him.

"Don't touch, I'm all over grease," he warned. He looked at his watch. "Damnit."

"Lost track of time?" she asked.

"Yeah," he sighed. He started to run his hand through his hair, but stopped.

"Sweetie, it's ok. You can reschedule the appointment," she said.

"I know," he said. "It's just…"

"I know," she said, gently. "You're tired."

"I am," he admitted.

"Have you called Andy? Told him what's happening?" she asked.

"Not yet," he said.

"Maybe you should," she said.

"Probably," he said. "I just want…I don't know, I'm tired, I'm frustrated, and I hate all of this."

"I know you do," she said. "I hate it all too."

"And you're tired and frustrated too," he said, nodding.

She laughed. "A little. Not as much as you are."

"Right," he said. He closed his eyes for a moment before pushing up to his feet.

"You got the bike all taken apart, why don't you leave the rest for Jack?" she suggested. "Go on home, since you're already scheduled off."

"There's still stuff upstairs that I was going to come back and do after the appointment," he sighed.

"You'll be here tomorrow. Is there really anything that can't wait until then?" she asked.

He thought a moment. "Probably not."

"All right then. Go home. See if you can lay down awhile. Everything will look better once you've had some sleep," she said. "I'll even take a look through the stuff on your desk and see if any of it is something I can take care of for you, ok?"

"Ok," he sighed. "I'm going to get cleaned up and then I'll go, ok?"

"Good," she said. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Right," he said. "I'd give you a kiss, but…"

"But you're all over grease. And since I'd like not to be, I'll take the intention," she laughed. "See you later."

"Bye," he said, as she walked out of the garage. He sighed. I don't think this is working out quite the way Andy planned, he thought as he went to wash up in the sink. I'm pretty sure he thought it wouldn't be this bad. I don't know what's going to happen if I don't get some sleep, but I just can't keep my eyes shut. The not knowing was the part that scared him the most. He'd been known to do some pretty stupid things when he was tired. And Calleigh didn't need the extra worry. He sighed again as he went to change out of the coverall and head home. Maybe if he tried again, this time it would work.