Chapter 31

He'd been at work for two hours when he decided to take a break and check in. Bobby got his cell out of his pocket and dialed.

"Hi, Bobby."

She sounded down. "What's wrong?"

Alex sighed. "Why did you have to go and tell my sister?"

"She didn't know. I thought she could, you know… help you if you needed something while I'm at work."

"I don't need any help, Bobby. I'm fine." Now there was a definite trace of irritation in her voice.

That horrible feeling of failure crept up inside him. He'd screwed up again. "I'm sorry. I thought. I thought family needed to know."

"It wasn't your place to decide that, it was mine."

"You're- you're angry."

"Well, at least you haven't lost your masterful powers of observation."

"Well, what do you want me to do, Alex?! I'm sorry, okay?"

"No, Bobby, saying you're sorry doesn't make it okay. But what's done is done. Oh, great, she's here now."

"Just tell her you're tired or something, send her home."

"You don't know my sister very well, do you? I have to go."

"I'm sorry, Alex."

"Yeah. I know."

She hung up the phone then, and Bobby sat still while the guilt and the anger bubbled up inside of him. Suddenly, he was desperate for a smoke.

Palmer Manschweitz walked by, and, driven by all of his negative feelings, Bobby got up and followed him.

"C-can I help you, Detective Goren?" The younger man stammered, finally turning around and stopping.

Bobby stopped, and inch too far in the man's personal space. "I wanted to know what happened yesterday," he said.

Palmer's face reddened and he took a step backwards. "Eames-Eames didn't tell you?"

Bobby stepped forward again, knocking the man off-kilter. "No, she was too busy following doctor's orders."

Palmer stepped back again and swallowed hard. He told Bobby the whole story, taking on more than his share of responsibility for her getting hurt.

Bobby moved forward one last time, and leaned in to whisper in Palmer's ear. "You're supposed to watch her back," was all he said. Then he spun around and went for a long walk in the rain.

The walk ate into his work time, and he found he still had a lot to do by the time five o'clock rolled around. The anger bubbled up again, and he knew he couldn't keep his promise to Alex. He snatched up the phone and called her.

"Hello, Alex Eames' phone," Liz sang out.

"Oh, uh, Liz?"

"Bobby! Alex went in her room for a nap. I really don't think I should disturb her."

"Oh. Uh… I called to tell her I'd be working late."

"No worries, Bobby. I can stay with her until you can come."

He closed his eyes and sighed. That would piss Alex off even more.

"No, you know, look, Liz… You can leave her for an hour or two. The doctors at the hospital said she's okay."

"No, Bobby, I don't mind. I'll stay. Good luck with your work!" And she hung up before he could protest again. Bobby held the phone in one hand and smeared the other hand across his face. When would he ever stop screwing up?!

He finished his work, in spite of the barrage of emotions. He'd managed to avoid the cigarettes all afternoon, but now, as he imagined what he was going to walk into at Alex's place, he gave in to another temptation. Bobby drove to the corner bar for a drink.

He was on his second when she called. "Hi," he said, with shame and gravel in his voice.

"Bobby, where the hell are you?!"

"I worked late. I told your sister!"

"You're in a bar, aren't you?!"

"I just stopped by for one—"

"Bobby, just because I'm mad at you doesn't mean I don't want you."

He was speechless. The sounds of the crowd filled the room and trickled through the phone.

"Bobby?"

"Y-yeah."

"Come home to me. Please?"

"Yeah. Okay. I'm leaving right now." He grabbed his suit coat and left money and his half-finished drink on the bar.

He was nervous as hell. Bobby knew what she'd said, but he couldn't truly believe it. She must want him here in person just so she can give it to him, straight up, and see his reaction, see if she scored any hits.

Bobby stood on the porch, trying to refute the thoughts he'd just had. That was his broken self talking. Alex wasn't hateful like that. Alex loved him. Alex wouldn't do that to him. If she was angry, she would only be trying to communicate why.

Even as he told himself these things, his fears resurfaced again. It started to rain, and suddenly the door opened.

"Were you going to come in?" Liz asked.

"Oh, uh… yeah," he said. He stepped in the door, and she shut it behind him. Alex was walking down the hall to the kitchen to refill a glass of water. "Okay, sis, Bobby's here. Thanks for all your help." Alex said.

"Oh. Okay. Nate will be looking for me, anyway," she said. She hugged Alex hard and then threw her coat on. "Goodbye, Bobby. Thanks again for calling me today."

He nodded, but had no idea what to say. Bobby held the door for her and closed it softly after she was out. He kept his body pressed against the back of the door, looking sheepish.

They stared at each other.

"Uh, sorry," he finally said.

"Look, I'm still pretty angry," she said. "But I don't want you to leave, okay?"

"Uh… well, okay."

"There are leftovers in the kitchen."

"Thanks." Bobby found the food and as he prepared a plate for himself, he kept looking back at Alex. He didn't really understand this. She sat down on the couch with a novel she'd been reading, and simply sat, reading.

This is what angry looks like?

He ate his dinner and washed the dishes. Afterward, Bobby went to the bedroom and stripped down to his shorts and a t-shirt. Timidly, he came back out and hovered near the couch, not sure what he should do next.

"Just sit down, Bobby, I'm not going to bite." Alex didn't even lift her eyes from the page.

He dropped onto the couch next to her. He fidgeted nervously, and his eyes darted all around the room. He was terribly uncomfortable. Finally, he spoke. "You survived it, the time with your sister."

"Yeah, I did. Johnny called, too."

"I told… I told his wife."

"Yeah."

"Look, I thought that families… I thought you were supposed to communicate these kinds of things."

She was becoming irritated again. "You are and you do, but… Bobby, I think I should be the one to deal with my family."

"Oh... So when were you planning to tell them?"

"Maybe next Christmas," she smarted off. "Just drop it."

"Well, maybe I don't want to drop it. I mean, you're telling me I did something wrong. I thought communication was the cure for all our ills."

"Yeah, communication with me, Bobby, not my family!"

"So… when I screw up, I'm supposed to come home and walk on eggshells until you decide you're not mad any more? That's how this is supposed to work?!"

"You're just supposed to come home, and not make excuses to stay at work or drink yourself silly in a bar first. You're supposed to face it, whatever the hell is going on!"

"Face it, huh? That's what I'm supposed to do."

"Yes."

"All right, then. Alex, you're wrong."

"Excuse me?"

"I told your family, who loves you, that you spent the night in the hospital. You've got no business making me feel like crap for that."

"You should have discussed it with me first!"

"You would have said no, kept them in the dark."

"It's not important anyway! I'm fine!"

"You've got stitches in your arm!"

"So what?"

"What if you had to pick up something heavy? Move something?"

"I'd use the other arm. I can take care of myself, Bobby. I'm not a baby!"

"You're not indestructible, either!"

"Next thing you'll have me sitting at home on bedrest!"

"What's wrong with that?! What if the baby had gotten hurt, Alex?! Did you even think of that?!"

"Of course I thought of that! I'm with this baby 24/7! You have no idea what that's like!"

"So why can't you back off a little, be more careful?! You don't have to be… Superwoman all the time, Alex! You've already proved yourself!"

She was quiet. Alex folded her arms and glared at him.

"Oh, good. That's much better. And you wonder why I stopped at the bar…"

"Just leave me alone, Bobby!"

"That's what I was doing in the first place!" He stomped to the bedroom, grabbed his pants, and put them on. He grabbed his suit coat and put it on over his t-shirt. He snatched up his wallet and keys, and his phone, and he stormed out of the house.

"Damn it!" Alex cried.