CSI:NY The Saints Aren't Coming

Drown

Chapter 48: Drown

She spent the weekend wallowing in her apartment. Happy to be out of the hospital, thankful she was alive, perhaps even relieved that Navid Shirazi was dead so he couldn't harm anyone else.

That didn't stop her feelings of loneliness however, or keep her heart from aching. While she didn't know anything for sure, she knew from intimate knowledge what that look in Don's eyes meant when they set on Jessica course they were screwing, why wouldn't they be? Two attractive, hot blooded people with a lot in common, it made complete sense.

Gus attempted to sort out what part of the coupling was bothering her the most. She had left Flack, not the other way around. She had called off their brief engagement and had left New York. It didn't matter that she had come back from that awful summer in New Orleans knowing that New York was truly her home. Nor did it matter that she still loved Flack.

She was the one who had been working so hard to keep her feelings concealed, to ignore them, to put all her effort into them being just friends, rebuking his hesitant advances, transferring over to Special Vics to create distance between them.

After much introspection and more than a couple double neat bourbons, Gus finally was able to put her thumb on her biggest issues with the whole situation. Her first concern was Flack and Angell may not just be a temporary friends with benefits situation, though she was fervently hoping for that. Her second issue was that Flack had, for the second time, hooked up with his partner.

Gus feared this meant that people would figure this was just his thing, something pathological. Such a conclusion would belittle what she had with him, making it nothing more than habit. And that was something she just couldn't handle.

Gus had all crying out of her system by Sunday night, determined to not let her own stupid relationship mistakes ruin her career.

Monday morning, she put on her big girl panties and returned to the homicide pit with her head held high and her shoulders squared, or as much as she could in her still healing state.

She was there early enough that she was able to walk into Daddino's office without too many people there to give her grief or inquire about her health and well being.

"Detective Broussard, you've been missed," Daddino said, setting down the paper he was reading as she walked in.

Gus gave the man a small smile, "that's good to hear."

"Your medical report says you are clear for modified duty," he studied her carefully, "do you think you are?"

"I think I will be fine going through a bunch of boxes in the file room, Tony, if that's what you mean."

He looked unsure and also like he wanted to pry, but chose against it. Tony Daddino tried to stay as much out of the personal lives of his squad as he could, office rumors and gossip had no place in good detective work, and he wasn't about to feed it.

"We did move some things around while you were gone over to Special Vics and, ya know, recuperating. Your desk is by Parker's now, he also is on modified duty, messed his back up chasing after someone and slipping on some ice, so he'll be helping you out with the cold cases. I don't know who the hell is going to carry the files, but not my problem."

Gus couldn't help but laugh at the mental image of the rotund Parker chasing after anything that wasn't deep fried. "Should be interesting, but we'll make due, Loo."

"Good to have you back, Broussard, now if you could try to not get injured for a couple of months." With little fanfare, he reached into his top drawer and slid her badge and gun across the desk.