The Antics of Lindsey Willows

Chapter 8

"Well I think our present situations have merited it, don't you?" Tina said placing her hands on her hips.

"I didn't think you wanted me here. I spent the last two nights on a couch," Warrick shot back.

"Yeah, and the first time that was what should have happened. I thought we were going to talk yesterday, but obviously you had other plans."

"No, not really, but something came up. I had to go over to Catherine's and play doctor." He dropped the jeans and clenched his jaw, aware of how bad that sounded.

Tina's hands flew to her mouth and she began to shake with rage. "You—and Catherine? I always suspected, but didn't really think you were that stupid."

"Tina, baby, that came out wrong. Catherine's daughter Lindsey called and said that she was hurt. I went over there to take care of her hand while Catherine worked. By the time she got home, Lindsey was asleep on my lap and I didn't want to move her. I slept on the couch, made sure everyone was okay, and came home."

"That's an impressive story," she said moving her hands back to her hips. "I'm almost inclined to believe it, but it doesn't take an overnight stay to cure a hand injury. I'm a nurse and not stupid. Well, obviously I was to get involved with you."

"Tina, don't say that. I've been taking care of Lindsey for as long as I've worked at the lab. She looks up to me and needed me last night. I went for Lindsey, not Catherine."

"Are you sure?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," he responded and pulled her into a hug.

After the embrace ended, he grabbed the jeans from the floor and walked to the bathroom to change. Tina headed to the kitchen and began cooking. She was mixing ingredients in a ceramic bowl when a disgusted looking Warrick traipsed in, jeans sagging at his ankles. She looked up and suppressed a giggle.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

He bent over to pull the pants up and a bolt of fear lit her eyes.

"Why don't you tell me?" he answered, struggling to put the button through the hole. "These aren't my jeans."

A spoon fell and clattered in the bowl. Tina held her stance behind the counter, afraid to go any closer. She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her elbows. "Sure they are, honey," she said and kept her gaze at the picture of flowers behind his head. "You've just gained a little weight."

"See, that's what I thought too, at first, but the investigator in me reared its head, so I stepped onto that scale you have hidden in the closet. And wouldn't you know, I'm the same weight I've been for awhile now. There's no reason my pants shouldn't fit. Then, knowing how scales are usually worthless, I went to my drawer and picked out another pair which fit great. These aren't my pants." His voice rose and his balled fists showed signs of extreme tension.

Beads of sweat graced her forehead and her hands rose slightly. "Warrick, I can explain," she said choking on her words.

"Oh, can you? I'd really like to hear the story with this one."

Catherine sat her purse down at the base of her locker. Her conversation with Gil hadn't gone smoothly, but she believed she had worked things out in the end. She had just finished fixing her hair when she heard the familiar laugh of her female co-worker.

Sara entered the locker room shortly followed by Nick.

"I just wish I could have seen my father's face when he realized they were being spied on," he said and Sara laughed again.

Catherine smiled at her friends. "You two have a good time?" she asked.

Sara looked up at Nick. "Yeah, I think we did. The good news is I've been accepted. The bad, we'll never know if that changes because the Stokes Family has to change its meeting system."

"Oh, Cath," Nick started, "we heard you had a good time while we were away."

Catherine chuckled and looked at Sara, puzzled. The brunette shrugged her shoulders and Nick stepped forward.

He poked Catherine in the shoulder as he said, "Word on the street is Warrick stayed the night at your house all day, even while he slept." He grinned as she dropped her jacket onto the linoleum.

"Where did you hear that?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

He moved to his own locker and spun the metal dial. "Our kids are friends and friends talk."

Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. "Lexi didn't happen to tell you why he was there did she?"

"She gave us her idea, but we don't really believe her," Sara stated. "Why don't you fill us in?"

The strawberry-blonde sighed again, sat down, and began telling them the story of Lindsey getting her hand shut in a door and of her rescuer. Sara and Nick said nothing, but glanced at each other during several intervals of the story.

The three got ready for work and exited the room together. They were halfway down the hall when Nick held up his hands to stop them.

"Hmm," he said rubbing his chin, "I guess Lexi was right."

Sara laughed and slugged him in the arm. The pair walked off leaving Catherine with yet another confounded look.

Warrick arrived shortly before Grissom handed out assignments looking extremely ticked off. He made only grunts of acknowledgement and his first statement to Catherine after finding that they were paired together was "I'll drive."

Sensing his bitterness she tossed him the keys and climbed into the passenger seat. He had driven a third of the way to their destination before she spoke up.

"Hey, Rick, what's bugging you?" she asked gingerly.

"They're not my jeans," he said.

She opened her mouth to respond, but had no clue what to say.

"In the back. They're not mine, but they were in my drawer. I figured, hey, maybe she just made a mistake with the sizes, but I was wrong."

"What are you going to do with them?"

"Return them to their rightful owner. As for my marriage, it's over. I don't want to be you, Cath."

"Me?" she said wrinkling a brow.

"You put up with a cheating spouse for so long. I know a lot of it was because of Lindsey, and I'm just glad we don't have a kid to fight over."

Catherine remained silent, but nodded slightly.

"You know," he said, "she had the gall to accuse me of cheating on her about five minutes before I found out."

She laughed softly. "You a cheater? With whom?"

"You."

Her laughing ceased and she focused her mind on the road before her. She knew what it led to—death and destruction. But here she sat, in the midst of a man from a destroyed marriage, a marriage which she may have inadvertently helped to end.

A/N: Sorry for the delay on this. I just wasn't able to write anything worthwhile. I hope this is okay.