CSI:NY How Does Your Garden Grow

Our Last Night

Chapter 40: Our Last Night

"How could you not tell me he was leaving, Gus?" Lindsay admonished as she poured more wine into her friend's glass.

Less than a week away from Gus and Don's wedding, Lindsay invited Gus and Jo over for as close to a bachelorette party as she was going to get. Despite her best intentions, she was drowning at work; two of her fellow SVD detective's wounded in a case gone wrong.

They had managed a nice FaceTime catch-up with Stella, before the other woman had to leave for a date with the coroner. This had led to much teasing about Sid, but it was all friendly. Stella seemed genuinely happy; something that brought a great about of relief to both Lindsay and Gus, as did her impending arrival in two days. The rest of the evening was spent eating, drinking wine and trying to convince Lucy to stay in her own bed and fall asleep.

"Because I didn't really know!" Gus shot back, "I knew something was up with him, we talked about him solving his last outstanding; I didn't know he was going to come in the next day and turn in his notice. I definitely didn't know he was going to keep it a secret almost another week."

She turned to look at Jo, "though me thinks someone else may have had some insider information as well?"

Jo just gave one of her tinkling laughs, saying, "little ol' me, I have no idea what you are talking about, Augusta!"

Lindsay turned her mock glare from her first New York friend to her newest. "I hope you aren't planning on keeping too many secrets when you are the boss."

"I am not going to be the boss, y'all. I will be interim director until Mac gets this whole silly civilian thing out of his system. Mark my words, date it on your calendar, he will be back in the lab before Christmas," Jo retorted, slapping the table for emphasis.

Both women looked at her incredulous and amused. "Maybe so, but this is definitely stuck in his craw for now," Gus said, with a sigh. She gave a small smile, "at least he still fits in his Marine Corps uniform, I can't even think about adding another to-do this late in the game."

"Aren't you excited?" Lindsay asked, searching her friend's face for any sign of doubt.

Gus nodded, emphatically, "yes, about being married to Don, jury is still out on the wedding. It is costing a fortune, even with us being cheap and Billy and Mac being overly generous. Good thing my mortgage is low and Don sublet his old apartment. I am so grateful for all your help though, planning a wedding in eight weeks is pure insanity."

Lindsay rolled her eyes, "so is it not happening for like six years!"

"It isn't like we were together the entire time, Linds," Gus protested.

"You two have been in love since well before Danny and I hooked up, face it, Gus, this has been a long time coming."

Jo just sat back, sipping and smirking at the two younger women; reminiscing about her own wedding day, wondering if she would ever find someone to spend the rest of her life with again, pondering if Tyler and Ellie would ever find people they wanted to marry.

"Alright, Jo, you are being entirely too quiet," Lindsay said, giving her a look. "Any sage wisdom for Gus?"

"From someone old and divorced?" Jo quipped, surprisingly self-deprecating. Gus and Lindsay exchanged a look, which Jo missed, reaching for more wine.

"You are nowhere near old, and I am pretty sure it takes two to get divorced," Gus remarked, "plus, I feel like I need all the advice I can get. Please, both of you, let 'er rip."

"Don't let him grocery shop without a very specific list," Lindsay said, thinking of the sad attempt Danny had made earlier that evening before heading over to Sheldon's for a poker game with Don and Adam. "Or any kind of shopping, actually."