Word count: 1509
Disclaimer: I don't own The Big Bang Theory. Only own Michelle and detective Jacob Hoyt.


He paced that floor so much that he could almost open on the floor. And that's exactly what he was hoping to, especially when the agent that was working on Michelle's case arrived. Just for a hole to open on the floor and suck him into the inside of the earth. As a scientist, he knew he would be impossible to survive such high temperatures and the fact the debris from the hole-opening would probably bury him alive. As a human being in the position he was in, he just didn't care.

The detective sits on a chair and waits for Leonard to sit next to him. Leonard keeps pacing.

"Dr. Hofstadter." He calls, making Leonard finally look to him. "Sit." He watched as the distraught person sat in a nearby chair and looked at him. He felt pity for that guy, to be honest. He had seen this guy's wife show up every day for the last week, the way they were together, happy. But as soon as she left, a somber look would appear on his before smiling face. He would then pace the halls until someone appeared with someone clue as to why this happened. Like he was about to do.

"Detective Hoyt?" Leonard says, making the detective look at his notes just to pretend like he doesn't know what to say. He knew what he was supposed to say, just didn't know how.

"Haven't I told you to call me Jake?" He says, adding a smile to his face. Coming from a family of cops and being the fourth in the lineage of his family to become a police officer, he knew that try to make a person comfortable was the best in situations like this. He had seen his father do it for years when he was younger before he left the police and they moved away from where they used to live after his grandfather died. His family took it hard.

"What do you got Jake?" Leonard starts. Jake immediately puts his detective face on.

"She's admitting to having killed those people. She admits she was upset at the time, got wasted and drove. There's not going to be any trial." Leonard lets out a breath when he hears that. That was the last thing he wanted, to be a trial. He knew he would have to testify, being her ex-husband.

"Good. I mean, I wished this thing didn't happen, but still... at least she's admitting to it."

Jake nods. Closing his notepad, he lets out a yawn. For the last two weeks, he hadn't slept very well, being around the precinct working the case, talking to the families and coming to the hospital to interview the suspect. She never remembered something, or would be sleeping. She took a hit on the head during the accident, but she was finally recovered from it.

"When is she going to be released?" The detective asks.

"You would have to talk to the nurse, I don't really know. What I do know is that I'm going home to sleep since the case is over." Leonard says, letting out a sigh.

"It's not your fault that this happened, Leonard," Hoyt says, putting his hand on the man's shoulder, to comfort him.

"Yes, it is. I called her. I brought her here. If I didn't do that, then those people would be home with their families, families that wouldn't bury them." He starts to cry, the guilt and the lack of sleep taking its toll on him.

"She was the one that drove while intoxicated. If this wasn't now or here, it could've been anywhere. It is not your fault." The detective said, making sure Leonard understood.

"I abandoned her. She needed me there, and I felt. I was selfish, I was stupid. I just left." He said, painfully looking at Jake, remembering the day he had last seen her. He doesn't remember everything, maybe because for so long he only tried to forget about it.

"What are you talking about?" Jake asks, interested.

"When our son died, when she had her miscarriage, I was a supportive husband you know. Held her hand through it all, helped her. Then one day, I went to a bar with a friend and we started to drink. For the first time since it had happened, it wasn't about her. I talked about it. It was about me. I felt selfish but the booze helped. I drank too much in the next few weeks. I stopped being home, I just worked and went to the bar. I wasn't with her." Leonard says, looking up to the blue-eyed detective that was looking at him with concern and understanding. He had seen it plenty on his line of work, that emotion that is. Regret.

"What happened next?" Hoyt asked, softly.

"I became distant. She tried to help. Every time she helped, instead of feeling better I drank more. Eventually, the alcohol didn't help anymore, you know? It didn't make me stop feeling the pain in my heart. I needed a fresh start. So I walked away. I ran away. I came here, started a new life. At first, I went to another apartment building, for a year, maybe. But once I started to need money, I went to work at Caltech and started living where I currently am. I never forgot her, but it was hard to see her. I called because I needed to remember why I was here. I needed to somehow feel grounded, and I went to the one person that I shouldn't have gone to for help."

"You needed grounding and you went to her?" Jake asked, confused.

"Yes. She reminds me of that part of my life where I didn't really know what to do. By remembering that moment, I thought I would know what to do now. It's stupid, I know." He looks away, to the ground.

"I don't think it's stupid. Look, when I was thirteen, my grandfather died. My parents were constantly working late nights and stuff so Grandpa took care of me and my sister. Once he died, my parents didn't know what to do with us. So, my dad retired and took care of us. My mom kept working like it hadn't been anything. One night I was sleeping and I wake up with yelling. It was my dad yelling for me. Apparently, my mom had past out. Know why?"

"No. Why?" Leonard answered, curious. That detective always seemed so upbeat, like his life had been perfect. To know that story, made Leonard feel like not everything is what it seems.

"She worked herself to exhaustion. You know, trying to forget about her dad's death." He said as the thought of his mother lying on the cold, carpeted floor came to his mind. "So, we moved, and my dad tried to make my mom work less and talk more to him about how she felt. It was good for all of us."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Easy. You left because Michelle didn't push you back. My mom, even if she just escaped her own mind and not to another state, she was pulled out by my dad. Something tragic and traumatic happened to her and she worked herself to the point of break. You drank to forget, she worked. Sorry, it made sense in my head." He said, waving his head as in forget about it.

Leonard smiled. "No, actually, even though it was a mess by the end of the explanation, it actually makes sense. Are your parents okay now?"

"Yes. Ever since my mom retired they both spend their days together and talk. They're okay now. It took a while, but they are in a good place now." Jake said, with a smile.

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a bath and sleep. And to be with my wife." Leonard smiled back at Jake after his talk. Shanking the detective's hand, he walked to Michelle's room.

He stood at the door, looking at her. If this wasn't a hospital room and she wasn't in handcuffs, it would make Leonard remember finding her asleep on the couch during a movie. She seemed peaceful. Leonard shock that memory away. Maybe there was a silver lining to all of this. He moved on. Not from his son's death, but from his ex-wife. He loved his current wife Penny. And he was ready to start a life with her.


Once he got home, Leonard went to the bathroom to take a relaxing bath. He stood there until the water turned cold and he felt himself dozing off. Drying himself, he put on his pajamas and headed to bed.

He woke up hearing noises in the living room and decided to check them out. He got up and walked the distance to get there. Once he arrived, he found a small child running around and a man standing there. Out of nowhere, a woman opens the door. It was Michelle.


End of Chapter 9

Okay, so Detective Jacob Hoyt is from another one of my stories from Crossing Jordan (he's still a child there, his dad is a detective from Boston and his mom is an ME) Anyway, took the liberty to cross the shows with this character that is my OC and never appeared on any of the six seasons of Crossing Jordan - Great show, everyone should watch it, btw :)

Anyway, this chapter was a little weird, maybe, but it was an insight into Leonard's actions.

What do you think about Michelle's doing there? How is she even there?