3am

Chapter 19

I awake the next morning with a slightly stiff leg and neck. Elaine and I are no longer the only ones in the room. Now the Jameson's adult children are huddled in a corner. Elaine sleeps peacefully, oblivious to everything. I go over and chat with Riley, Roxy, Andy, and Lisa for a few minutes before silently gathering my things and slipping out of the ICU waiting room. I find my way to the parking lot and to my car. It's a long drive home, with my mind wandering in circles around the details of the case.

Finally, back at my apartment, I unload everything from the car and tote it all inside. I chuck the towel into a biohazard bag that I had and set it down beside the front door. Then I head to the shower. I turn on the water and let it heat up as strip down. Once inside the shower, I increase the hot water until I can barely stand it. I let the water beat down on my back, shoulders, and neck, and sigh as I feel some of the tension from the last twenty-four hours slowly evaporate. I stand under the cascade until the water turns cold, then I reluctantly turn off the shower and towel off. I wrap my towel around me and head to my bedroom to get dressed.

As I enter the room, I'm surprised to find Liam asleep in the bed. I quietly dress and slip back out of the room and into the kitchen. I set about making coffee, along with some breakfast, and it isn't long before Liam stumbles out in a sleepy daze. "Dude... what time is it?"

"Almost 8am," I reply. Liam sinks down into a chair at the table with a cup of coffee as I slide a plate of eggs and toast in front of him. "And I got to admit, it was a surprise finding you here..."

"Ah, yeah..." Liam mumbles around a bite of eggs. "Sorry about that. It's just Maura's parents' place is super small... and well..." he trails off.

"They still don't like you?" I supply with a grin worthy of the Cheshire cat. Liam looks for something to chuck at me, but luckily there's nothing for him to grab. It's no secret Maura's parents never took a shine to Liam, despite anything he does.

I grab my own plate and a cup of coffee and sit down across from him. I dig in, but just then the phone rings. I push back with a mutter. "It's fuckin' Saturday..." I answer the phone on the third ring, a little gruff, but quickly change my tone when I realize it's Elaine. "Hey Elaine, how's Graham?"

"He's hanging in there," Elaine says. "The doctor thinks they might be able to extubate him this afternoon or sometime tomorrow. It just depends on the wound to his lung."

"That's good to hear," I tell her. "Any word on when he'll be back at work?" I add with a chuckle.

"Probably the day after the tube comes out," Elaine replies with a laugh. "Knowing Graham that is..." There's a pause and then, "Thank you," Elaine says quietly. "I... I don't know how I would have survived last night without you and Liam."

"You're welcome. Keep us in the loop about Graham. And tell him he's missed at the ME's office. But for the love of God, don't tell him who his replacement is!" I add with a laugh.

We chat a while more before hanging up. Afterwards, I return to my breakfast while Liam heads off to get dressed. It's a rare day off for us. I plan to drop Liam off to see if his vehicle is ready to be released from the impound lot, swing by the office to check on some leads, and then... who knows?

Liam and I pack up his stuff and head out to the car. I grab the biohazard bag as we leave. It takes only a few minutes to reach the impound lot, where, by the grace of God, Liam's car is released. He heads off to the local carwash to have it thoroughly cleaned, while I head over to the office. There, I chuck the biohazard bag into the biohazard garbage bin by the CSIs' door, before heading inside.

My first stop is to see if the DNA results for Richard have come back yet. I know Graham being attacked threw a monkey wrench in everything, but the county has more than one ME on its payroll. Unfortunately, Sharon informs me that they're still waiting on the ME to send over the victim's DNA. I promise to light a fire under the new ME to get the DNA to her. I contemplate heading up to the detective's den, but decide the risk of being trapped by Easmon or Daniels is too great. So I sneak back out and take my car over to the car wash over near the ME's office. I pay extra for their premium package, which includes a thorough cleaning both inside and out. I don't think Graham bled through the towel I had laid down, but it never hurts to be sure.