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It is early. Too damn early, Albert thinks as he runs the hand not carrying his briefcase down his face. He was suppose to have off today. But there was always some emergency wasn't there. Someone dead and just important enough to warrant calling in the best. It was the price of being the FBI's top forensic pathologist he mused as he flipped the light on in his office.
It would be another hour before most people got in for the day.
He yawns as he throws his briefcase on his desk. Maybe he'd go get a cup of coffee. He'd smelled it in the hallway. Someone had just made a fresh pot.
The coffee in the office tended to be strong and the agency had sprung for a maker that kept it good and hot. It paid to have well caffeinated agents.
Albert shrugs off his coat and he's about to toss it onto his chair, before he can there is a sudden crash and shout from down the hall. It cuts through the early morning quiet like a box cutter through the external layers of a victim's epidermis.
Albert drops his coat and moves briskly into the hall.
He sees nothing out of the ordinary. He doesn't see anyone around. Albert turns in the direction he thinks the noise came from and he has to quickly move to the side or get run over. A freight train named Windom Earle is barreling down the hall.
“What the hell Earle? What was that commotion?” Albert asks to Earle's back. The other man doesn't stop, he certainly doesn't apologize and doesn't answer Albert's question.
He's not paying any attention to Albert. He is muttering as he stomps down the hallway “Damned Imbecile... can't see the forrest for the trees... Just a disappointment... No better than the other peons in this place.”
Albert roles his eyes “And a good morning to you too.” he says under his breath.
Albert has an idea which room Earle had come from, the office he and Dale Cooper his protégé shared.
Sure enough Albert crosses the threshold and finds the source of the commotion he'd heard.
Dale Cooper is down on his hands and knees trying to rescue the scattered pages of a file from coffee that's been spilled across the floor. A broken mug lays in pieces in the mess.
Albert jumps in to help but some of the pages are already totally saturated and aren't going to be salvageable.
After grabbing as much as he can, Albert stands with a hand full of pages and takes the ones Cooper has collected from him.
Dale still on his knees looks up at Albert. His eyes are red rimmed. He's pulled an all nighter, Albert is sympathetic, they've all been there. His voice sounds thin when he asks “Could you grab me some paper towels...”
Albert can see the ink on the pages running and fading from where he's standing. He has the feeling anything they do will be futile.
“Coop... don't worry. Diane probably has a copy.” Albert doesn't know that. They look like hand written notes, maybe Windom's. It's possible though, Cooper is by the book and Diane is thorough.
Cooper's face falls “I... I don't know if she does... if Windom filed it... it's my fault I need to fix it, we need these papers, we need to catch this guy.”
Albert figures he better help. He looks around to see if there is anything they can use in the room to dry it up, he doesn't see anything. He turns back to Cooper to say he'll be right back when he notices something. “Coop...Cooper what's happened to your hand?”
Albert can see he's holding his left hand close to his chest.
Cooper opens his mouth but doesn't say anything. Albert can see him thinking, debating what he should say.
“Oh... hum, it was the coffee.”
Albert can imagine the hot coffee spilling across Cooper's hand, he forgets about the papers and the spill and the towels. “Are you burnt? How bad is it?”
Cooper shakes his head as Albert kneels down to get a closer look. “It's fine, not a problem. Just a little discomfort.” He shrinks back a bit and looks back down to the spill. “I think I could save these pages, at least dry them enough to read, so I can rewrite them.”
“Alright look,” Albert says frankly. His eyes catch Dale's. He holds Cooper's glassy gaze to make sure he's hearing him. “I know you've had a rough night. In all honesty, I'm not and you shouldn't be, worried about a couple pages right now. Earle's probably got them locked up in his methodical spring-trap of a memory. What I'm concerned about right know is that burn I can see across the back of your hand.”
Cooper looks down as if he's looking at his hand for the first time. There is a large red splotch. It's an angry red. It hasn't blistered, yet.
“Come on, lets go.” Albert gets up, Cooper doesn't fight when Albert pulls him up by his elbow.
“Where are we going?” Cooper blinks at him as he steps around the coffee on the floor.
“To the bathroom, first thing to do is get that burn under cool water.”
“What about..?” Cooper looks back at the spilled coffee on the floor, it's still a mess.
“Leave it, come on.” Albert keeps hold of Cooper's arm as they go. Albert isn't used to seeing Cooper out of sorts like this, that alone is reason why Albert needs to do something. He doesn't like seeing his friend like this. He make a short stop to grab the first aid kit from his office and then they head down the hall.
Once they get in the bathroom, Albert locks the door behind them. Cooper gives him a concerned look. Albert knows it's not concern for himself. “If anyone needs to go to they can suck it up and go downstair.”
“Albert...” Cooper says disapprovingly.
Albert ignores the tone. “Off with the jacket.”
Cooper shrugs out of the right side of his suit jacket. Albert holds onto his left sleeve so Cooper can slip his injured hand out carefully. He sucks in a breath and winces as he does.
Albert drapes the jacket over a stall door and Cooper rolls up his sleeve.
Albert stands by until Cooper is done. “Let me see.”
Cooper holds his hand up and Albert takes it gently. He turns it one way and then the other in the light. It is red, and the burn has raised, swollen and in one spot, likely where the coffee first hit, it is more raw looking. It's possible it'll blister. So it's a second degree burn. Albert doesn't doubt the coffee was hot. It was probably just brewed and practically boiling. Cooper was always over eager when it came to coffee.
Albert turns on the faucet and adjust the temperature so it's cold but not freezing cold and he guides Coopers hand under the water.
Cooper bites his lip. “How long do I have to keep it under the water?”
Albert leans back against a sink and looks at his watch. “Get comfy.”
Cooper sighs, he sounds tired.
“So the kidnapping...” Albert knew that Windom and Cooper were working one. He also knows how those cases often go. He's not surprised to see Cooper's facial expression fall further.
“It's a murder now.”
“Right.” Albert nods in understanding. It was the sad fact of the job, they can't save everyone.
“We tried... Albert, it was like fate was against us. Every lead we ran down was a dead end.”
“It happens,” Albert shakes his head. “It's frustrating.”
“disappointing” Cooper takes a deep breath. “Windom... is angry.”
“Right...” Albert is not surprised. Emotions run high when cases go awry. But Windom has had a short fuse recently when it came to 'losing.'
Cooper looks very young and at a loss. “We went back over the files, he insisted that something had been missed.”
“Windom Earle missed something... how could that be?” Albert lets the sarcasm roll off his tongue. Earle was pretentious to the extreme.
Cooper looks at Albert bleakly. “I missed it.”
The pathologist narrows his eyes at the statement. “and you know this for a fact?”
“it had to have been me. Windom let me take lead on some of the interviews. I must have missed something.” Cooper confesses as the water runs and he holds his hand steady under the stream.
Albert breaths out of his nose, taking in what Cooper is saying. And it makes him fume. Albert could hear it, hear it in the uncertainty in Cooper's voice, this wasn't an idea that Cooper had come up with. This was doubt that Windom put in his head. It was just like Windom to put the blame on Cooper to preserve his own self aggrandizing image of disproportioned perfection. Windom is an ass.
“You know it doesn't work that way.” Albert turns to face Cooper. “He was working the case same as you, there are multiple eyes on everything. If something was missed it was by both of you.”
“Windom said...” Cooper counters.
“Windom can stick it where the sun don't shine.”
“Albert I know you don't...”
“Like Windom Earle... yeah there's no secret there. He rubs me the wrong way Coop.”
“Most people rub you the wrong way Albert.”
Albert can't deny it, he's not the biggest fan of people. “Yeah well, Windom's high up on the list.”
Windom walked out of the office and left Cooper, left him burned and on his hands and knees in the middle of a mess of coffee and destroyed paper.
“You know you don't have to work with Windom.” It was something he'd put out there before and Cooper never really seemed to get.
“He's an excellent agent. He's taught me everything.”
The naivety of the statement and the damn hopeful look on Cooper's face kill Albert. He tries really hard not to roll his eyes at Cooper's automatic defense, he doesn't want to hurt Cooper. Windom's got that locked up. He turns away and grabs some paper towels.
Cooper must sense Albert isn't buying his reasoning, so be continues. “He's the one that brought me into the FBI, Albert.”
Albert snatches the towels out of the holder. “That doesn't mean anything Coop, you could have been brought in by J. Edgar himself you wouldn't have to follow him blindly just because he 'brought you in.'”
“I wouldn't say blindly...” Cooper looks wounded.
Albert wants to correct him, to point out all the ways he follows Windom Earle like a moth follows a flame. Puppy with big eyes follows it's master for scraps he might throw. But he doesn't want to start that argument. That's something to discuss over a couple beers, on a day when a kidnapping victim hadn't just been murdered.
“Ok, lets see.” Albert turns off the water. Cooper hisses as the air hits the burn. His hand's still red, the swelling is down, the one area that looks raw is still concerning. Albert dries the hand off carefully, trying to be as gentle as he can.
“Et tu Coffee.” Cooper says softly.
Albert snorts. “yeah, the ultimate betrayal. What happened?”
“I got coffee for Windom and myself and as I brought Windom's cup over to where we were working at my desk, he turned unexpectedly and knocked into my arm. The coffee spilled on me and I dropped the mug. It was stupid, I think I was overtired and surprised. It upset Windom.” Well that explained the coffee and the shout.
“And the file?” All those papers on the floor, some still on the floor.
“I'm not sure. It must have been knocked off the desk in the commotion.”
“uh hu, I highly doubt that.” The way the papers were scattered looked much more like Windom threw them in a fit, than he accidentally knocked them off of Cooper's desk.
Windom was just volatile enough to do something like that because things weren't going his way. Consequences and fall out be damned.
“I messed up.”
“Your only mistake is treating Windom Earle like he's not a loose, god damn, cannon.”
“He's a genius, Albert. The smartest agent I've even seen.”
“Yeah and, that doesn't give him special permission to be a belligerent asshole.”
Cooper raises his eyebrows at Albert calling someone else an asshole.
“Yeah well, I'm not belligerent and I don't go around shoving my IQ down people's throats.”
Cooper's look doesn't change.
“Screw you Cooper.” Albert ribs. Cooper snorts.
Albert opens up the first aid kit. It's well stocked, he finds what he's looking for.
“I'm going to put some burn cream on. There's one spot that looks like it might still blister. Keep an eye on it. Make sure it's dry and clean.”
Albert dabs some of the antibacterial cream on. He feels bad when Cooper winces, but there's no real easier way to do it.
“I'm going to wrap it.” Albert holds up the white sterile gauze.
“Is that necessary?” Cooper looks embarrassed.
It's Albert's turn to give Cooper a look. “What are you going to do next? Let me guess, not go home and take it easy. SO yes it's necessary. As much to keep it clean as to remind you that you're hurt.” And let everyone else know, Albert thinks. “You can tell everyone a belligerent crackpot made you spill coffee on yourself.”
“Albert, I can't...” Cooper's still loyal, to a fault. Albert sighs.
“Or whatever you want, it doesn't matter to me.” He starts by wrapping the gauze around Cooper's wrist. Then he wraps it over the palm and around in a figure eight leaving his thumb free, and making sure to cover the whole burn. He tapes it in place when he's done.
Cooper examines his work. “Thanks.”
“Here take this...” Albert hands Cooper a couple of Ibuprofens, “for the pain and swelling.”
“Right, Thank you Albert.” Cooper's sincerity in on full display.
“Don't mention it. Just promise me you'll remember something.”
“Remember what?” Cooper looks curious, as if Albert hadn't been trying to give him life advice this whole time.
“You've got good instincts, follow them. You're a good agent. No matter what Windom Earle says or does. The crack in his pot's got nothing to do with you.”
“I would very much like to believe that.”
“Yeah, well believe it pal.”
“Ok Albert.” It was an 'ahh shucks' kind of answer, but he looks up at Albert and Albert can see the confidence in his eyes. He can also see the circles under them.
“You look like you need some caffeine...” Albert's got some change in his pocket. There's a vending machine on the first floor. “Come on, I'll buy you a coke.”
That gets a laugh out of Cooper. “Have I ever told you you're the best Albert.”
“I never get tired of hearing it.”