NYPD CSI Head Investigator Detective 1st Grade Mac Taylor, played by Gary Sinise, is the leader of the CSI team. The death of his wife, Claire Conrad Taylor, in the 9/11 attacks troubles him to this day, causing chronic insomnia. He served in the USMC, once saying that he had wanted to serve the country more than anything else in the world. He served in Beirut in 1983, from which he still bears a scar over his heart. Mac will protect three things at any cost: the honor of his country, the safety of his city, and the integrity of his lab. This is why he chose to fire Aiden Burn (see below) after she tampered with evidence. Mac has a close friendship with Stella Bonasera and plays bass guitar at jazz clubs during his off time. This talent was discovered by Lindsay Monroe when she observed, during an investigation, that he knew how to hold the instrument. In season three, he is revealed to have been dating Dr. Peyton Driscoll, played by Claire Forlani. He also met the son that Claire had given birth to years before they met, only after the boy, now a teenager named Reed Garrett, was found to be shadowing Stella, thinking that she was Claire. Bonding with his "step-son" has been hard but Reed always knows he can rely on Mac.