CSI Carter (under major editing)

Saying goodbye is always hard

As I am sitting in the break room when my phone goes off. I will answer it. It's Allison. She sounds like she's been crying. I can barely understand what she's trying to say. I ask her to " calm down, take a couple of deep breaths." I ask her one more time, " what's wrong," she tells me, " mom is drinking and using again, and she's getting rough again. I need you to come home; I know you don't want to, but please."

Then the line goes dead. The panic shoots through me like my body on fire call a couple more times. It's about 20 minutes later until I get a hold of Allison again. She's crying. Allison says through the sobs, " I think she broke my wrist," I ask her which one it was. Allison answers, " left," next, I question, "where's mom?" Allison answers with her breathing starting to even out a bit. "she went out," I tell "Allison to go to the first aid kit under the kitchen sink, and there should be an old splint in there from when I fractured my wrist when I was around her age" Allison puts the phone down to go get the splint.

Then Mac walks in and says, " Carter, we got a 4-19 on 9th and Lincoln; you're up." I ask Mac " to send someone else?" He gives me a look then calls someone else to take the case after I get off the phone with Allison.

I walk into mac's office while he's on the phone. I take a seat in the chair he looks at, but his face instantly softens. I assume he can. That's something wrong based on his face. " I got to talk to you." he hangs up and moves around him, so he's sitting beside me. He asks, " what's wrong." I look down at the floor, trying to regulate my breath " Mac, you have taught me so much and will never forget what I have learned working with you, but I have to quit." by the shock on his face, I could tell she was blindsided " why." knowing full well I don't know Mac that my mom and abusive addict I go the simple version " my mom, she's not doing well. My sister, she's 14 she needs me."

Mac nods, understanding why I have to leave " well, that's too bad. When are you flying back to Vegas?" I smile " tomorrow morning, can I ask you a favour." Mac was the first man I considered a father figure after I lost my dad. He half-smiles,'' sure." finally fully regaining my composure, I ask, " I know that you have a friend in the Las Vegas crime lab. Do you think you could maybe see if they have any open positions?" mac stands up and turns towards the door " no problem. I will see what I can do. Now, if you are taking off tomorrow, you have to sign off on all your open cases."

I stand up to walk out of his office when Mac steps towards me and hugs me. he says, " I am going to miss you, and I will call you and let you know about the job." After half an hour of signing off on open cases, I go to clean out my locker on the way there past Stella in the hallway, can tell something wrong, I break the news that I am leaving she starts to cry and hugs me, I ask her to say goodbye to Sheldon, Don, Danny and Lindsay for me. We part ways and turn into the locker room when I think, " it's like looking through a time capsule," as I pull pictures of the team off the door of my locker.

Once I am done at the lab, I head back to my apartment and pull out my suitcase to pack what I don't take with me. I put it in a box to try to get rid of at the pawnshop. After the picking is done, my next stop in the pawnshop, the better part about working on pawn detail for six months is getting to know every pawnshop in New York. I step into the shop. He offers me 3000 for my stuff. I negotiate and get him up to 4500$.

When I get to my shoe book, an apartment, I grab all my stuff and drop the key off with my landlord. I called a cab to JFK, taking in all the new york sites one last time.

I sleep for most of the flight once I get off the plane as I wait for the cab. Mac calls to tell me that they need another CSI on grave shift, and I got the job" just before I hang up, he said, " oh yeah, the supervisor's name is DB Russell, you will like him " once I hang up the phone my cab comes.

After about a 30-minute ride, I arrived at the house I so badly wanted to get away from when I was a kid. I knock on the door. I hear the door handle be twisted. I have to fight every instinct in my body telling me to run. She opens the door; I step inside.