A/N: This is still from the point of view of Laura (Lucy's sister).
"Bobby." His partner said his name, her voice quiet. I watched him turn, very briefly to look at the petite brunette. I found her expression to be unreadable. Whatever unspoken thing they exchanged seemed to work. When he turned back to me, he seemed a bit more focused, and bit more steady.
"I'm Laura, Lucy's sister." I repeated the words, as if to start again on a more reasonable note.
"Lucy should be fine. She had a seizure, she hit her head on her desk." I tried my best to keep my voice even, but I couldn't help myself from taking a small step backward, away from the large detective.
"She's had seizures before, not many. It's been a long time since she had one." I offered, wanting to take another step backward. I really couldn't believe this was Detective Goren. I had imagined him to be a tall, athletically built, superman looking kind of guy. I couldn't really understand how this man in front of me could possibly be the same man that went into someone's home the other night and calmed down a suicidal teenager on drugs who was waving around a loaded weapon.
"She has a concussion. They've taken her for a head CT. When I just left her a few minutes ago, she was asleep." I kept talking; he still was not saying a word. It was almost as if all of his physical energy was going into keeping himself standing still.
"She's going to be groggy for a while, a bit disoriented. That is kind of typical after the type of seizure she had." I continued.
"And for a concussion." Bobby Goren offered, kind of rubbing his forehead with the back of his wrist. I wasn't quite sure if he was talking to me, or merely commenting to himself.
"They're admitting her, at least for tonight." I looked toward the petite brunette for a bit of support, I was not feeling terribly certain about Detective Goren's frame of mind. Again, I was reminded that Helen kept calling him agitated. That was definitely the word for him right now, agitated.
His partner took a step toward us and spoke to him so quietly I could not hear her, even though I was just standing a few feet away. Then, to my surprise, and maybe my horror, she turned and left. She left him there, with me.
Thankfully, as the partner was walking out, I could see my husband Bruce walking in. I figured he set like some kind of land speed record making it through the city in that short amount of time. I thanked god that I wasn't left standing there alone with Detective Goren.
"How is Lucy?" Bruce asked, handing me my pocket book.
"She's getting some tests, a head CT. They're admitting her for tonight, mainly related to the concussion." I said to my husband, who was looking at Detective Goren. At least Bruce was tall enough to look him in the eye. Though, the detective probably had about 50 pounds on my husband.
"Bruce Carlson." My husband introduced himself.
"Bobby Goren." The detective replied.
"Good to meet you." Bruce said, shaking the detective's hand.
"You've done a lot for our family lately." Bruce offered. Bobby simply nodded, or maybe he kind of shrugged. Bruce seemed unaffected by Bobby Goren's awkward behavior. I was astounded.
"Have you called Annie?" Bruce asked me.
"Should I?" I asked, it had not occurred to me. I didn't think Annie would be upset with me if I waited an hour or so to phone her. But it occurred to me as I stood there looking at Bobby Goren, that there was someone that would be upset if I did not call him. Emil Skoda would be upset with me.
"Whatever you think." Bruce said to me, kissing me on my cheek. Then I watched him turn back to Bobby Goren and start chatting with Bobby like he was some perfectly normally behaved guy. Sometimes men struck me as so utterly clueless.
I thought about calling Emil. I couldn't see how that would go with this Bobby guy here in the ER, clearly waiting to see Lucy. Emil had been at Lucy's the other morning. But, Lucy had said Emil hadn't stayed the night. In fact, she had mentioned that he had driven back from Connecticut and had only arrived at her place a little while before Bruce and I had arrived.
I thought about Lucy's relationship with Emil. She really did love him, deeply. And, time after time across the years, he had hurt her, deeply. I knew that Emil being in Connecticut was significant. It was clear to me that Emil was with someone else when Lucy had phoned him. So, I felt a bit better about letting the bastard wait a while before I phoned him to let him know Lucy was in the hospital.
I looked back over to where Bruce was talking with Bobby Goren. I remembered thinking that maybe this was something new for Lucy. When Jake had said he had run into Lucy at that sneaker store, and she was with some guy who had talked basketball for a while, I thought maybe, maybe Lucy would finally open her heart to another guy. I felt like Lucy had been in love with Emil for so long, that maybe she had forgotten that she could love someone else. That was when I started imagining Bobby Goren to be something that he was not.
It occurred to me, as I looked at Bobby Goren, that in as much as he was not the superman type that I had imagined him to be, he was kind of the type that Lucy seemed to go for. He was tall, like our dad had been; smart, like Lucy; and probably a quirky kind of smart, which Lucy seemed to like. At least, that's what all of her friends were like.
I just kind of wished that Bobby came off a bit more centered. Or maybe, I just kind of wished that he shaved, or something. I looked at him, his suit was nice, his shoes were nice, but he hadn't shaved, and if short bristly hair could look like it was standing up, then his definitely looked like it was standing up.
As her sister, I felt that Lucy needed someone in her life that would love her without reason. Emil Skoda reasoned over everything. I wondered how much Bobby Goren reasoned over everything; he had certainly seemed completely without reason a few moments ago.
A/N: As always, reviews welcome! Last night, I dreamed of an ending. Now, I simply need to write it down.