A/N If you haven't already figured it out, we're at Untethered, now.

Chapter 56

Bobby researched Donny's case, and found out he got the raw end of the deal. The other boy, despite prior drug offenses, got off with time served while Donny was sent to Tates for a year and a day. Neither he nor Alex, or even Frank, for that matter, wanted to get Donny out of his sentence, but knowing what went on with the other boy really left a sour taste behind. More concerning to Bobby, and to Alex, was that Donny had been sent to the mental observation unit twice last month.

They went to the Captain for help. Ross reminded them that Tates was 300 miles outside their jurisdiction.

They'd been talking about the judge. "Well, if he's dirty, he's dirty," Bobby said. "I just feel the arrest is sketchy and..." He looked over at Eames for support, which she silently gave. "He's my nephew and I wanna help him."

"No. He's your nephew, we'll keep your fingerprints off of this starting now." Captain Ross glanced over at Eames. "I need a word with your partner."

Bobby sat still. "Shouldn't I stay in here for this?"

Ross didn't answer, just looked away. Aggravated, Bobby got up and carefully closed the door as he left.

"I understand... you're worried about Bobby upstate, dealing with Tates...I can be the face person on this," Eames offered.

"No. Not you either. There's a crystal meth task force."

"A friend from Vice is on it," she said.

"Good. Have him talk to the ADA, and request that Donny be transferred to Rikers as a witness. And make sure the trail doesn't lead back here."

She gave the Captain a grateful smile. Bobby was stunned when she told him.

Bobby sat across from Frank at the restaurant, the menu folded on the table between them. He'd just filled him in on what would happen with Donny, and Frank was grateful. Quietly, he passed a folded handkerchief over to his little brother. Bobby unwrapped it and found his mother's engagement ring. He chewed his cheek and looked over at his brother, torn.

Frank leaned forward, tucked the ring against his brother's palm, and folded his fingers over it. "It's yours," Frank told him.

Everything about this was painful to Bobby. Losing his mother had been painful, being angry with Frank had been painful, and now, accepting Frank back into his life was painful. He didn't say a word, just tucked the ring into his pocket for safe keeping.

"They told me I was bipolar," Donny said, "so they moved me out of Genpop to MO. Started putting me on these meds which I stopped taking, 'cause they make me go to the bathroom too much."

"Don't say 'Genpop,'" Bobby told him. He was just a kid! "It makes you sound like you been in too long." Donny nodded quietly, and Bobby continued. "So you went off your meds, what happened?"

"I mouthed off to a couple COs." He shook his head and looked down. "Mom says I have authority issues."

"Well...my mom... said that to me, too," Bobby told him. "Doesn't mean you're crazy."

"If you ask me, the people who are really crazy are the people who watch reality television," Donny said. "Hook up with strangers on the internet. That's everyone, though."

"Yeah." Bobby paused, and looked at the boy. "Uh... I don't know you. You seem like a smart kid. What are you doing, selling drugs?"

"I-I-I wasn't!" He explained how Huffiger invited him to go with him on a drive upstate. He admitted he was a fall guy. Donny said he'd rather be at Rikers than back at Tates.

"You know that this transfer is temporary, right?" Bobby told him. "You gotta go back there."

The boy started to plead with him. "Please don't send me back there! Please!"

"Jail is jail," Goren said.

"Jail, I can take, okay? Up at Tates they're killing people and they know I know!"

This was news to Bobby. He stiffened in the chair, and regarded the boy again. The fear was real, and he seemed lucid.

A little research proved there had been a recent death at Tates, in the mental observation unit. The circumstances around the death seemed fishy.

Ross approached and snapped. "I've just been informed Donny Carlson is in holding."

Bobby sat and tried not to mumble as he explained. "I couldn't evaluate him at Rikers. It was noisy, and I don't have a lot of time."

Ross handed Goren a cup. "He asked for tea- here." The man didn't smile, but there was kindness in his face, just the same.

"Thanks, Captain," Bobby muttered. He took the tea to his nephew and showed him the picture of the dead inmate.

Donny became very excited. "They took him to heaven!"

"Okay," Bobby said calmly, wondering if this was some mania coming to the surface. "Slow yourself down, you're talking fast, do you know that?"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Okay."

"Now, they took him to Heaven, all right?"

"That's not the Heaven... that I'm talking about, okay?" He explained it wass the name for an isolation unit at the prison. He told Bobby they use restraints in that room.

"And you're sure that they killed him, because the report says that he died of natural causes."

Donny became even more agitated. He was in fear for his life.

"We didn't call the warden," Bobby said. "And you're sounding a little paranoid."

"I think I got a little right to be paranoid, okay?!"

Bobby got him to sit down and asked him to calm himself down. Donny rocked slowly, forward and back, on the bunk. "Dad tells me that your mom just died. Nut job," he said suddenly.

Bobby nodded patiently.

"You think I have what she had."

"No. I don't think that," Bobby said. He watched the boy shaking as he rocked himself, and wondered exactly what he did think.

Ross reminded Goren again that Tates was out of their jurisdiction. Goren was relieved when Alex accompanied him to Truby to interview the family of the dead inmate. Technically, it was insubordination. For Goren and Eames, it was validation of a friendship.

After some discussion, the family gave consent for an autopsy.

Rodgers found that Lowery died as a result of severe dehydration. There were bruises where he had been restrained.

"Donny was right," Alex said. "Jay Lowery was tortured to death."

"What are you thinking?" Alex asked him in the elevator.

"We've gotta... do something, keep him outta there," Bobby mumbled. "I'm gonna... I need some air," he said, stepping out at the lobby level.

She nodded as the doors closed again.

When Goren went back up to Major Case, he headed straight to holding. He wanted to talk to Donny one more time. The cell was empty. He turned and walked back to his desk, where Ross was laying into Eames for their recent trip Upstate. "Where's Donny?" Bobby asked quietly.

Alex turned and stepped toward him quickly. She started to explain, "Bobby, I was-"

Ross did it for her. "The ADA couldn't extend his transfer. He went back to Tates this morning."

"You can't send him back there," Bobby said. "He's at risk." He looked at Eames.

"We did everything we could, Detective."

"Because of what he knows," Bobby continued.

"Then we shouldn't draw attention to him," Ross said. "When this dies down-"

Maybe it was the choice of words, but something snapped inside Goren. "When it dies down?" He grinned at how ridiculous that sounded. He spoke over the Captain's voice. "When this dies down... when it dies down?!"

"Bobby," Alex cut in.

"We'll put Donny in protective custody," Ross suggested.

Bobby was yelling now. "That's not good enough! Are you crazy?!"

They went from three voices chattering at once to dead silence. The other officers in the room stared at them.

"Detective, in my office, now," Ross commanded.

He looked up at Alex, who wore that frown again. He looked at her again before following the Captain. "Captain... listen," Bobby said, in a much calmer voice, "The... warden...Donny says that everything that happens there is under her orders. You send him back there, she'll make sure that Donny never talks to anyone again."

"Sounds a little paranoid, Detective."

Instantly, the conversation became a pissing match. "It does?" Bobby said, attitude in his voice.

Ross' cheeks were colored with anger. He tried to stay professional. "I know you're worried about your nephew's safety and mental health." He paused. "I'm worried about yours."

Just as quickly, Bobby's response changed again. His voice was completely calm. "I'm fine." He leaned in a little. "How are you?"

Ross took his sarcasm and brushed it off. He nodded. "You've been under a lot of stress. I can tell you're not sleeping. I need you to take a week's sick leave."

Bobby only just managed not to roll his eyes. He quietly cleared his throat. "Uh... there's nothing wrong with me."

"One week," Ross said. "Don't come back until you've been to psych services."

He looked up at the Captain as the man got the door for him. For a moment, Bobby wondered if Eames had mentioned something to the Captain. She had been trying to get him to see a shrink for months, now. He held his palms up as he walked out of the Captain's office with a shake of the head and a sigh. "There's nothing wrong with me," Bobby said again.

Alex stood waiting for him. She already knew from the body language of both men that nothing good had happened in there.

"I'm on... sick leave," Bobby told her. He stopped at his locker and stuck his cuffs inside beside his glock. "He gives me... a... rubber gun," Bobby explained.

Alex listened, and a cold chill went up her spine. It was the day she'd been dreading, all this time.

Bobby took a shaky step forward, still stunned by what had transpired. He paused, thinking, turned back, and left his cell phone in the dead center of Eames' desk.

She watched him walk away, and wondered what the hell he meant leaving the phone behind. Somehow, she knew it couldn't be good.