Eric's cell phone rang from his belt as he sped the Hummer along through the sunlit streets of downtown Miami.

"Who's that?" Ryan Wolfe asked from the passenger seat.

Eric shot an annoyed look at his colleague. "I don't know, Wolfe. Why don't you let me answer it?" He pulled the phone off his belt and glanced at the Caller ID. Shauna. He brightened a little when he answered. "Hey."

"Hey back," she smiled on the other end of the line. "You busy?"

"Actually, yeah," he replied regretfully. "I'm on my way to a scene. Can I call you back later?"

"Promise?"

His lips curved upward slightly at the hopefulness in her voice. "Yeah, I promise."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later then."

"Bye." He hung up and dropped the phone into the cup holder, returning to the silence that had pervaded the SUV before the call.

Ryan waited several minutes to see if his partner for the day would speak. When he didn't, the younger CSI figured he'd try to break the ice. "So who was that?"

"None of your business," Eric snapped.

"So, not related to the case then?" Ryan tried again.

Eric glared at him for along moment before training his eyes back on the road. "You were sitting right there listening. Did you hear anything about the case?"

Ryan replied carefully. "No."

"Then why are you asking me?"

Eric's tone was harsh, as it usually was with Ryan, and the junior CSI sighed. "I was just trying to make conversation," he said his voice carrying a defensive note. Shifting in his seat, he frowned and sighed again. "You know, I've been in the lab for seven months now, and you still treat me like I'm a total amateur."

Pulling up to the scene and turning off the Hummer, Eric rolled his eyes. "Maybe that's because you act like one."

The rest of the day played out along similar lines, with Ryan taking hit after hit of Eric's resentment and irritation. When they parted company at the end of the day, Ryan managed to get in a dig of his own.

"I bet whoever it is that called this afternoon has a lot of patience," he growled. "Because I don't know how else anyone would put up with you."

Eric glared at Ryan's back as he stalked out of the locker room and down to the parking lot. Once securely locked in his truck, he pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial number he'd reserved for Shauna, relaxing a bit when she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey beautiful," he smiled.

"Eric." Sitting in her living room with her dog sprawled out at her feet, Shauna smiled in return. "How was your day?"

He paused before answering. "Long," he replied slowly.

"Bad case?"

He could hear the sympathy in her words and a smaller version of his smile returned. "No worse than usual," he told her. "I just got stuck with Wolfe all day, that's all."

She nodded understandingly. "And I know what you think of him."

Eric went on to explain how annoying Ryan had been, how he acted like a know-it-all one minute, then a green rookie the next. The aggravation built in his voice as he rambled on about Ryan taking credit for work he hadn't done, about his relationship with that smarmy reporter and his lust for air time. He ended his little rant with a large sigh, proclaiming, "I just don't like the guy."

Shauna let him vent, adding a thought here or there, lending her commiseration which he so clearly needed. But by the time he finished, an idea popped into her mind. "Are you sure it's actually Ryan that you have a problem with?"

"Of course it's him," Eric returned. "Who else has been making my life miserable for the last seven months?"

"But are you sure it's Ryan?" she repeated. "Or would you feel the same way about anyone else in his position?"

He was quiet for several moments, mulling that over, following her train of thought. "You think I have a problem with him because he took Speedle's spot," he concluded.

"I think it's a possibility," she responded gently. "I don't doubt that the guy is obnoxious. But I wonder if he might seem more obnoxious—"

"—because he's not Tim," he finished softly. He paused again before continuing. "I miss him, y'know? I just…I just keep waiting for him to walk into the lab and give me a hard time about, well, about anything. He'd have had a field day with you."

She heard him chuckle a little and found herself smiling along with him. "Yeah?"

"Yeah—the fact that we've known each other for a month now and we're still speaking? Or, better, that we talk to each other all the time. He would have never let me hear the end of it. Like this one time…"

ooo

A couple of weeks later, Shauna was on her way to work when her cell phone rang. Checking the Caller ID, she noted that there was no name, but that the number was an MDPD extension.

Flipping it open, she expected Eric's voice. "Hey babe."

"Oh, um, Shauna Reece?" a female voice replied.

She cleared her throat in embarrassment. "Uh, yes, this is Shauna Reece. Who is this?"

"My name is Calleigh Duquense," the woman responded. "I work with Eric Delko at the Crime Lab."

Recognition hit Shauna's brain. "Oh, yeah, the bullet girl. Eric's told me a lot about you."

"Must be all work related if you're calling me 'bullet girl'," she returned.

Mortified a second time, Shauna quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any disrespect. It's just…you know how Eric is, how he talks about people. Heaven knows what he calls me when I'm not around…"

"It's okay," Calleigh told her, her smile showing through in her voice. "There's nothing wrong with being known for being good at your job, right…trainer girl?"

Shauna laughed. "Absolutely. So what can I do for you?"

Calleigh became serious again. "Actually, it's what you might be able to do for Eric. He stayed late last night and worked a full shift after his regular one, and he's still here in the middle of his third in a row. He's refusing to go home and I'm worried about him."

"Why won't he go home?" Shauna asked, concerned.

Calleigh shook her head on the other end of the line. "I don't know, he won't tell me. I managed to talk him into taking a break—walked him into the break room and got him something to eat. He's sitting on the couch there now, watching a little TV."

Shauna was all business now. "What can I do?"

"I was hoping maybe you could talk him into going home," Calleigh explained. "The way he talks about you, I get the feeling you two are pretty close, and maybe he'll listen to you."

"Maybe," Shauna conceded. "But I don't know. I don't have to tell you how stubborn he can be—kudos to you for getting him to take a break." She glanced at the clock on the console of her car, practically hearing the anger in her supervisor's voice when she called to tell him she wasn't coming in. "I'll definitely try, though. I can be there in twenty minutes…can you keep an eye on him 'til then?"

"Yeah," Calleigh replied softly. "I'll sit with him."

When Shauna arrived at the lab, a uniformed police officer escorted her to the break room where Calleigh spotted her and met her at the door.

"How is he?"

"He's calm, but he's still refusing to go home," Calleigh reported. "And he's too exhausted to work."

Shauna nodded. "Okay." Moving into the room, she seated herself next to Eric on the couch and clasped his hand. "Hey."

"Hey beautiful," he smiled weakly. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," she smiled.

"To see me?"

She noted the surprise in his words. "Yeah," she affirmed. "I hear you've had a long day, and I thought you might need a ride home."

He shook his head. "I'm not going home."

"How come?" He shook his head again, refusing to answer, but she persisted. "Hey," she tried again, a soothing quality in her voice, "I'm worried about you, and so's Calleigh. You're a hard worker and all, but three shifts in a row? It's too much." She scooted closer to him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Will you tell me why you won't go home?"

He inspected the break room searching for anyone within earshot, but Calleigh was guarding the door allowing no one else inside. Satisfied that he and Shauna were alone, he bowed his head. "My friends are here," he practically whispered. "If I go home, I'm all by myself."

"You don't have to be," she whispered back. "I'll keep you company."

"Don't you have to go to work?"

It was her turn to shake her head gently. "I called in."

"For me?" The surprise was back in his voice.

"Yep. You've got me as long as you want me," she smiled.

He bent his head toward her, nuzzling her cheek tenderly. "My twelve-step program," he murmured with appreciation. "Always there when I need you."

ooo

Later that month, Shauna's phone rang again as she lay in bed watching television through her half-closed eyes. When she saw Eric's name on the Caller ID, she immediately became concerned.

"Hey babe," she answered the phone, propping herself up on one elbow.

On the other end of the line, he smiled. "I didn't wake you up did I?"

"Nah, I'm awake," she assured him. "What's up?"

"I, uh, I had a good day today," he told her. "Not great, but good. And I just…wanted to talk to you."

She rolled onto her back, relieved and so happy for him. "You know you always can."

Eric's smile softened, hearing her unspoken thought in her voice. I'm so lucky to have found you.

After a moment, Shauna broke the sentimental silence, her smile growing in the darkness. "So tell me about this good day…"