A/N: Thank you for all your well-wishing regarding our move. I hate moving! We are currently in search of housing, but since I have access to the Internet here, I decided y'all have waited long enough for this last chapter. Thank you for the feedback, and I am very pleased that you have enjoyed it
She rolled over in the bed, but instead of rolling into a warm body, she simply rolled into an empty space. He wasn't there. She got up and pulled on her robe, walking from the bedroom down the hall to the living room and into the kitchen. He wasn't in the apartment. She found a note on the table. Had a funeral to go to. Be home later. He'd signed it with a simple 'x,' the symbol for a kiss. She smiled. A funeral? Oh, man…It was Saturday. Father Sean was being buried today. She hurried back to the bedroom and got dressed, grabbed her keys and rushed out the door.
He was sitting in the back pew at St. Cecelia's. The church was crowded and he didn't particularly want to be noticed. She slid into the pew beside him. He smiled at her and she slid her hand into his. She leaned toward him and whispered, "You should have woken me."
"Sorry. I didn't want to bother you."
"This is not a bother, Bobby. Were you afraid I'd talk you out of coming?"
"A little."
She smiled. "I wouldn't do that. You need this closure. How'd you get here?"
"Cab."
"Idiot," she scolded.
He just smiled and turned his attention back to the funeral Mass. He was still deeply fatigued and had spent a good deal of the last two days sleeping, resting his overworked and abused body while she was at work. He appreciated his partner's presence and, although he verbally objected to her doting care, he was glad she was there to offer it.
When the Mass was over, he remained seated, debating whether or not to go to the cemetery. Eames made the decision for him. "It's cold and raining," she said softly. "You don't need to be standing around in the weather. We'll go to visit his grave later."
When he still hesitated, she said, "Come on, Bobby. We'll get lunch and maybe play some Scrabble, ok?"
He finally nodded. She was right. Pneumonia would certainly delay his recovery, and his weakened condition made him susceptible right now. They grabbed a bite to eat and went home.
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Sitting across from him, Eames studied the Scrabble board. "You didn't leave me much here, Goren."
He smiled. So far she had never been able to beat him at Scrabble, but she wasn't surprised by that. When his phone rang, he got up and grabbed it from the counter. "Goren."
"How are you feeling?" Deakins asked.
"I'm all right."
"I decided not to wait any longer for you to call."
"Sorry. I haven't felt up to it."
"Is it all right if I stop by in about an hour? I want to talk to you."
"That's fine."
"Is your partner there?"
"Yes."
"Tell her not to go anywhere. I want to talk to both of you."
"I'll tell her." He snapped the phone closed. "Don't leave. Deakins is on his way over to talk to us."
She smiled at him as he sat back down at the table. "Were you expecting me to leave?"
"No. Just delivering a message."
She laughed softly, adding four tiles to the board to spell out 'bronco.'
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She answered the door when the bell rang. Deakins came in, dressed casually. Goren got up from the table and came into the living room. Deakins studied him. "You look better."
He just nodded and sat on the couch. Eames sat beside him and Deakins sat in the easy chair. He looked at his two favorite detectives and smiled. What a team they were. Addressing Goren, he said, "First, I told Alex the other day that Internal Affairs cleared you in the shooting. All you have to do is clear psych and you can have your gun back." Goren nodded. "Second, your car is at my place. I had them come out and repair that rear window before the storms started. Whenever you're ready you can come and get it. Angie and the girls would be happy to see you again anyway."
Goren smiled at that. He liked Deakins' family. "What do I owe you for that?"
"Nothing. Accept it as my apology for what happened Tuesday." That was really what he had come by to discuss. He looked from one detective to the other. "I wanted to apologize to both of you for interfering in your partnership. I should have known you would know what was best, Alex, and in forbidding you to deal with it, I caused a major problem that could have been avoided."
Eames said quietly, "That was just part of it, but thank you, Captain."
Goren nodded in agreement. "Either way, it was a hard thing to deal with. But thanks."
Deakins said quietly, "Everything is ok here, then?"
His eyes rested on Goren in particular, so the big cop was the one who answered, "Yes. It wasn't ever about Eames, really. It was something inside me that…snapped. But it's been dealt with, and no one got hurt."
The captain looked at the bandage wrapped around Goren's left hand, but he didn't comment about it. "How are you feeling otherwise?"
"Still sore, and still very tired."
Eames added, "This case took a lot out of both of us."
The captain nodded. He had been watching them. He'd seen the toll it was taking on Goren, and the struggle Eames had been having trying to keep him grounded. He'd known Goren for enough years to recognize when he was turning into himself, and he had always relied on Eames to keep him from turning in too far. She knew just how to deal with her partner, and that was something Deakins counted on. He should have known better when he ordered her not to tell him about the priest's murder; he should have trusted Eames. He wouldn't make that same mistake twice. He would never underestimate their connection again. "I just wanted to let you both know that I am sorry I didn't trust you enough to know you'd deal with it the right way. And I wanted to see how you were doing, Bobby."
"Thanks for coming by," Goren answered. "And thanks for taking care of my car."
"It's not a problem. I'll see you on Monday, Alex." He looked at Goren. "I want you to get an ok from the department docs before you come back on duty, just so I know you're physically ok."
Goren frowned but nodded. He knew he wasn't quite ready to go back to work yet, but as he began feeling better he'd get bored and restless. Deakins knew he'd try to come back to work too soon, whether Eames liked it or not. The captain left and Eames looked at her partner. "You up to finishing the game?"
"Sure. What do you want for dinner?"
"How does pizza sound?"
He smiled. "Whatever you want, Eames."
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Two weeks later, cleared for duty by both psych and the department docs, Goren was back at work. He and Eames had gone out to visit Father Sean's grave, so he could say his personal good-bye to the kind and gentle man. More than anything else this case had done, he regretted most the murder of the priest. He and Eames had a solid relationship, he realized, and he felt deeply sorry for any pain he caused her, but that was fixable, and this was not. There had been no way to predict or prevent what had happened and that alone had kept him from owning this crime. But it still touched his heart and caused him pain. For the first time, however, he had a remedy for most of the pain in his life. All he had to do was turn to his partner and she could make him feel better about almost anything. His most sincere hope was that he did the same for her. She, too, had her demons, he had come to understand…things that troubled her and haunted her sleep at night. When she tossed and turned, he pulled her close and held her. And she always settled into his embrace and slept quietly after that…just like he did in her arms. They needed one another more than they had ever realized, and the one good thing that had come from this case was that they had found out just how much comfort love could offer.
Fin.