As he pulled onto her street he could see the blazing fire. Searching the crowd, he found Alex. He got out of the SUV and walked up. Her eyes were cold and sad, even if they reflected the flames in front of her. She saw him coming and turned to face him when he got close. Her brown eyes were glassy. Reaching out an arm he hugged her. She fell to the silent tears flowing down her face. Bobby held Alex as she sobbed. He stared into the heartless fire as his partner cried.
As they drove toward Bobby's apartment she stared out the window. It nearly killed him to see her this way. He had never missed her sarcasm as much as he did now. For one thing, he was driving the car. Bobby, ever observant, noticed her breathing slowly steadying. "Alex, are you hungry?" he asked. She gave no response at first. Then, a full minute later, she shook her head. If possible that made him even more worried for her. He would do anything for Alex.
Thanks to Bobby she finally calmed down. "I have some extra clothes for you." he said, pointing at a stack of neatly folded clothes. She smiled weakly. As she changed in the bathroom she couldn't help but notice how much the clothes smelled like him. The sweatpants were big and baggy and the shirt had had a hole in one side. She guessed he had tried to pick her comfortable clothes. The smell of his cologne made her feel safe and protected. She was glad she had him.
"You can stay in the bed," saying it as if it wasn't a question. "I'm sleeping on the couch." he said gesturing toward the blue pillow and sheets he had set up on the sofa. "Can we watch T.V. for a little while? I need to get my mind on something else." she asked almost in a whisper. He nodded and sat down. She followed suit and sat down beside him. They ended up watching a special on Mount Everest but it didn't matter to her, she had realized something. She was here, in his secret place, his sanctum. She had been invited in. She laid her head on his shoulder. Alex never cried. She never could. With him it was different. He was her special medicine, the person who made everything better. She fell asleep in his arms.