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"What the fuck was that all about?"
Dropping down onto the couch without regard for angle or weight, Eric barely noticed when the springs protested at the misuse. Great, just great. The one thing he didn't need tonight was a pissed off Tim Speedle. Maybe playing dumb was an option.
"What all about?"
A dark snort told him how futile that tactic would be. "You know what, Eric," Speed threw back at him. Definitely pissed. "Forgetting to restock your kit? Forgetting Alexx for the post?"
"Tim..."
"Squabbling with Calleigh." Though still a lecture, he could hear the humor now. "You must have a death wish, taking your life in your hands to cross Calleigh, " Speed told him. "Even if she's not Firearms anymore."
Without opening his eyes, Eric opined, "She needs to be."
"Yeah." Speed agreed. "She'll be back. It's only a matter of time before she realizes her baby's being mistreated and transfer back to what she's good at."
He saw Speed shrug even with his eyes closed and admitted he was right. He knew his partner's mannerisms by heart. And that was the whole point really. Calleigh was as lost in her own way as he was. Without Speed there to balance everyone, the team was being torn apart from the inside.
He heard Speed walk away and fought the blankness and depression that thought dredged up. He was tired of the bickering and petting squabbles. Tired of the holes in what once had been the very tight weave that had been their team. They needed Speed back. He needed Speed back, if only to keep him from throttling Wolfe. Or maybe he could still kill him and Speed would help him hide the body...
He heard Speed come back from the kitchen and sighed. Eric tried but he really was too tired to deal with any of this right now. Speed didn't see the dark circles under his eyes or the exhaustion etched in the very set of his shoulders.
Or maybe he did after all. Apparently Speedle was still going to harangue him, but at least there was to be beer involved.
Taking the ice cold bottle hovering over his shoulder, Eric sighed and twisted off the cap. "Thanks."
"So...where were we? Oh yeah, squabbling with Calleigh." Taking a sip, he finally got a look at the other man when Speed circled around the couch to sit on the low table in front of it. Looking Eric in the eye with that open eyed, furrowed brow look of pointed confusion, he winced. "What were you thinking?"
Eric sighed. "I wasn't I guess."
"Fighting with Ryan?" Speed pressed.
Shaking his head, Eric barked out a short laugh. "Hell I don't know." Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, bottle dangling from lax fingers, he admitted, "I don't like him, Speed. He's a know it all jerk who likes stealing cases and talking to the press. He doesn't follow procedures and doesn't wait for the rest of us to process the evidence. He's sloppy and...and..."
"Not me?" Speed guessed.
Which of course was the whole point Eric had been trying to avoid talking about. Speed was right and that just drained what little animation the renewed anger had managed to spark in Eric. Slumping back on the sofa, Delko admitted, "Yeah." He was doing a lot of admitting tonight.
"Have you tried training him?" Speed asked reasonably. Eric just glared at him, which of course just screamed 'guilty' because of course Eric hadn't tried to train the new guy. He wasn't Speed. And Eric wasn't going to do anything that would in any way jeopardize or allow the new guy to take Speedle's place in the lab.
"I'm coming back, Eric," Speed assured him. One hand on his knee somehow conveyed the need for Eric to believe him. "I won't be on disability forever."
Rubbing his hands over his tired eyes more to banish the replay of Speed being shot than anything else, the mumble was vague, barely audible. "I know."
Not good enough. Taking his hand away, Speed ran it through his hair making the short dark curls stand up on end. Looking at Eric, he asked him honestly, "Do you?"
"Yeah, I do. Speed, it's just..." Eric sat up again, once more bringing himself closer to the other man. Needing him to understand something Eric wasn't completely sure he understood. "I look around, starting to say something and you're not there to get the joke. Or I move through the case, expecting you to fill in where I leave off like we used to and Ryan is three moves out in left field. I feel...I..."
Taking Eric's hands in his, Speed favored him with a knowing look. "Off balance?"
"Lost," Eric told him honestly, meeting his gaze fully for the first time since coming home tonight. "Calliegh's feeling it too. She needs to be in Firearms, and Horatio is nowhere to be found. He got a call from the Chief just after we arrived on scene and just took off."
Speed frowned. "Well that can't be good."
Eric snorted, tired but at least some of his good humor seemed to be returning. "You think?"
"I'll talk to him, " Speed promised. At Eric's surprised look, he pointed out, "Who do you think called me about you guys all acting like little kids who hadn't had a nap in today?"
"Horatio?"
"After Alexx told me today at lunch. That's a woman who does not like to be kept waiting. Something was off with her kids and I needed to fix it before she had to smack someone. Up to and including Horatio."
There was new respect in his low whistle. "Damn. I would pay money to see that."
An evil chuckle was Speed's answer. "So would I."
Eying his lover with knowing eyes, Speed stood, pulling Eric up with him. "Right now you need to sleep. You look about ready to fall over."
Rolling his eyes, Eric pouted. "You couldn't notice this before the third degree?"
"Oh I noticed. But you needed to be yelled out before I let you go to bed and mull it all over." Speed told him with a smirk.
"Bastard." But it held more admiration than heat. "Thanks."
"No problem. Go on," Speed urged "I'll be there to tuck you in in a sec. I just need make a call."
"Or two?" Eric grinned.
"Or two." Speed shared it, watching Eric turn and pad down the hallway to their bedroom.
Shaking his head at the mule-headedness of certain CSIs Speed reached for the phone, taking a sip off of Eric's forgotten beer. He knew Alexx would be calling Calleigh, Ryan would have to wait until they got a hold of Horatio and straightened him out. From all reports, misunderstood or not, Ryan wouldn't be handled by anyone other than the Boss. So Horatio first and let the redhead deal with their last problem child.
His calls made, Speed assured both Alexx and Horatio that he would be in tomorrow, if only to observe. Having been out a couple of months on leave since the shooting, he really should get back into the flow of things at the lab before actually clocking in to log time. He rubbed his shoulder absently, tossing the bottle in the trash and locking up the loft.
Maybe he could talk Horatio into letting him train the newbie. It would get him out in the field and if he let Wolfe do the work while he only observed then he wouldn't be breaking any rehabilitation rules. He snorted. And this way he wouldn't have to hide the body when Eric finally killed him.
Turning the light out in the bathroom, Speed made his way to the bed, only to see Eric was still awake. "Hey, " he said softly. "You're supposed to be sleeping."
"I can't," Eric sighed wryly. "You gave me too much to think about."
"Can't say that's not a good thing."
"Shut up," Eric grumbled in a petulant tone.
Speed grinned. "Well I see the whole acting your age thing hasn't improved."
Setting a glass of water on the dresser, Speed pulled open the drawer and brought out a prescription bottle. He hadn't needed to take all of his meds for pain and had more than enough left. One pill should be mild enough to let Eric sleep without any ill effects tomorrow. "Think you could take one of these without too much fallout. You'll get the sleep you need at least."
"Yeah, maybe you're right," Eric agreed, taking the pill and the glass. He hadn't really slept in a couple of weeks. Not wanting to start up talk if he was seen leaving Speed's loft too often, Eric had been sleeping at home. Coming over tonight may have been a risk, but he was just too damned lonely, and tired of sleeping alone.
Swallowing a couple of gulps, he set the glass aside and settled back into the pillows.
Drawing the blankets around him, Speed was good to his word, tucking him in and brushing a hand over the dark hair. Thinking of something they had missed, he announced, "I'll be back in a bit."
"Where you going?"
"To repack your kit." Speed said with dry humor. "As many times as I've borrowed from you and Calleigh in the past, least I can do is restock yours so we don't forget it in the morning."
Eric just grinned. "Thanks. You coming to bed...you know, after?"
Speed smiled; a soft, loving assurance that few ever saw from him. "Should be back to snuggle you to sleep just about time for the pill to kick in."
"Ok."
He must have sounded as lost as he felt because Speed leaned over and kissed him tenderly. "Ok. Don't worry, Eric," Speed assured him confidently. "Everything's going to be all right, you'll see.
end