Risk It All

III

Alissa wanted nothing more than to go home after she was released from the hospital, but her house was still being processed by the Crime Scene Unit. Alissa also wasn't sure if she ever wanted to go back there, to the place where her lover died, where a violent crime occurred. She wasn't sure if she had anywhere else to go, until the blonde Brooklyn detective offered her a stay at his house. His words were, as long as Shane's breaking protocol for witnesses, you can sleep at my house. They also weren't sure if Alissa would be safe, if Alex's killer would come after her, too.

    At Matt's house, he opened the spare bedroom to Alissa, who was emotionally and physically exhausted. Though, as hard as she tried, she couldn't sleep, she was kept awake with thoughts of how she could be in bed with her fiancée right now, sleeping soundly, safe next to Alex. Just like the sudden impact of a crystal glass being thrown onto a concrete floor, Alissa realized that her whole life was shattered, all her hopes and dreams. She was daunted with the task of rebuilding everything, and the thought of how big a project that would be overwhelmed her. Especially because there was a strong possibility she didn't know Alex at all.

She laid awake the whole night, tossing and turning, staring up at the ceiling. Her mind was running a million miles an hour. Little did she know, the blonde cop struggled with constant insomnia and was in the living room watching late night infomercials. Alissa walked out of the bedroom and sat down on the couch next to Matt, letting him be the one to steer the conversation.

"Can't sleep, huh?" He asked.

"Nah. It seems impossible these days." Alissa answered. Matt understood.

Alissa knew she would need time to heal her wounds, but for now, she didn't feel bad. She also didn't feel good, she was stuck in that gray area, somewhere in the middle where nothing and everything felt real all at the same time.

The detective was able to get a little bit of sleep, but Alissa got none. Matt woke up on the couch to see Alissa still sitting there, her knees pulled close to her as she had draped a blanket over her shoulders. He could tell she had been doing a lot of thinking. He groaned and got up off the couch, going towards the kitchen.

"How's breakfast sound?" Matt asked Alissa, who had nearly fallen back into her state of shock. Being alone with her thoughts all night wasn't helping her. Alissa heard his question and nodded, not sure if she could muster up enough strength to use words.

Matt and Alissa had eaten breakfast in the kitchen, and it wasn't long before Matt's phone was ringing, and they both knew it was Shane. Matt put down his fork and picked up the phone, pressing it against his ear, supporting it with his shoulder as he continued to eat breakfast.

"Wait, what?! Why do we need more coffee? I just bought a new package for the office a few days ago!"

"Vicki drank it all." Shane responded.

"Did you guys go home last night?"

"No. Vicki said that there were just a few firewalls she could get through in no time, but once she got in, she had to stop the computer from self-destructing and doing all this crazy shit, so she was working at it for a while, accessing her files, which were all encrypted. It was an entire process, I have no idea what she did, but she does. Just get here, we've got the autopsy report, and she's almost got it all unlocked."

"I'll be right there." He said, hanging up the phone. They were out the door and driving towards Headquarters in less than two minutes.

When Matt arrived with more K-cups for their brewer, Shane started a new pot of coffee and walked over to Vicki who finished typing away. The computer made a final beep, allowing them access to Alex's files. She then got up off her chair, stumbled into Shane's office and laid down on his couch, getting some well-deserved rest. Shane had his tie loosened, the top buttons undone, one shoe off, hair a mess, head on the table, his mouth surrounded by an ever-growing puddle of drool. Every so often, he would doze off and snore softly, waking himself up every few moments.