"SDRR" - Chapter 12
Chapter: 12 ~ “Uneasy”
Author’s Notes: Okay, so SDRR has been on a slight break after I received angry IMs and unhappy reviews… I do try to keep Calleigh and the other characters IC (In Character) as I see them or think they would be… I also do a lot of research for all of my stories, including this one to ensure that it is realistic.
*~*~*
Calleigh’s coming home was a big thing, Eric and Horatio waited outside of the hospital room while Alexx was inside with the bag of clothes she had picked up for Calleigh from her apartment. Calleigh had insisted that they were making too big of a deal of her going home, but Alexx just reminded her that they were all her friends and just wanted to make sure that she was okay. “I’m fine, really…” Calleigh told Alexx as she went to zip up and snap her jeans and saw just how loosely they now sat on her hips. “I guess this means that next to nothing is gonna fit me properly…”
“I checked the sizes, too. That was the smallest pair I could find,” Alexx told her with a frown. “Honey, you’re gonna be back into them fitting just fine soon enough.”
“More like buy bigger pants,” Calleigh said finally leaving the jeans resting low on her hips.
Alexx watched her friend, she still wasn’t sure if Calleigh really was ‘fine’, in any definition of the word. It was a word Calleigh used a lot, but she still worried. Some precautions like changing the locks to Calleigh’s apartment made her feel a bit better about Calleigh’s safety. “Doctors say everything’s okay?” Alexx asked knowing that it had to be okay for them to release her.
“Yeah…I just need to make sure I’m eatin’,” Calleigh told her. “And stay hydrated… They said I can’t work for two weeks… They obviously don’t realize how painful that in of itself will be…”
“I’m glad you and the baby are going to be fine, Honey,” Alexx said sincerely.
Calleigh just nodded, she still wasn’t sure how she felt about it all… It had been hard coming to grips with what had happened to her, and what would be happening over the next several months.
“I’m sure normal clothes feel a lot better than hospital clothes,” Alexx told her as she handed Calleigh a pair of flat shoes.
“I’m not sure… Hospital pants would probably fit better,” Calleigh mumbled.
Frowning, Alexx offered, “You want a pair, I have some in my car.”
“No, no…it’s alright…”
“You sure?”
Calleigh nodded and opened the curtain since she didn’t need the extra guard to her privacy anymore and opened the door as a signal to Horatio and Eric that she was finished changing. She went over to the bag and put the few things that had been brought over the last several days into the bag that needed to go home with her. She nervously double checked thing several times before zipping it up.
“We have everything?” Horatio asked.
Alexx nodded and then took the bag from Calleigh and put her arm around her back and guided her towards the door. “Time to go, Honey…”
*~*~*
Home. It was something that was supposed to be a safe place. A sanctuary… A place that was created to be perfect for the person that lived in it, reflecting their interests and things that were important in their life. It felt foreign to Calleigh as she entered. It didn’t feel safe. She knew that Eric had changed the lock, but she still didn’t feel safe. She stopped behind her couch and turned her head to Horatio and Eric, who seemed to be hanging back and giving her space. “Come in,” she whispered a bit shakily.
Horatio closed the door behind them and he watched as Eric approached Calleigh. None of them were sure of how Calleigh really was. She was never one to admit true feelings…rarely to him, but he understood why…but he also knew how hard it was to keep those feelings inside. He wasn’t sure how well Eric knew Calleigh when it came to the real thing…not the closed off professional one.
“You hungry, Cal?” Eric asked walking up next to her and running his hand down her arm, but frowned a bit when she pulled away quickly. He saw apology in her eyes, but knew that she needed her time to heal, and that they needed to learn what lines not to cross.
“No,” she whispered finally and then looked around a bit hesitantly, she looked back to make sure Horatio was still there. He was quiet, and she knew he was waiting for her… They were walking on eggshells around her, but in a way, she figured that perhaps it was for the best. “Can you check the bedroom?” she requested quietly.
“Of course I can,” Horatio told her with a small smile. “Eric, why don’t you check the closets…just to be cautious… Make sure windows are locked,” Horatio said before disappearing into the next room.
Calleigh watched as Eric checked and then sat down on the couch. Horatio had brought up her telling her father, and having him come over during the days to stay with her, but she was far too ashamed to tell him. She knew that Horatio was worried about her being there alone, and had offered to re-arrange schedules more so that Eric could work the night shift for two weeks until she could return to work, but she knew that it would mess up the day shift… He didn’t need to be short anymore CSIs. She really just wanted to go back to work, but Horatio had made it clear that it wasn’t an option until the doctors had released her.
“A bit dusty, but we’re okay,” Eric said plopping down on the couch next to Calleigh, but keeping in mind to let her have space. But he found her head on his shoulder, and smiled a bit. “You know I have no problem working nights and hanging out with you during the day…”
“I already told you no…” she whispered knowing that he was trying to be there for her, but she also knew that they needed to take care of themselves and from what Horatio looked like that would only happen with sleep. “I’ll be fine…”
“You always say that.”
“Cuz it’s true,” Calleigh insisted and then noticed Horatio had joined them. “You need sleep, Horatio…” Calleigh said quietly.
“I…will sleep once you’re all settled,” Horatio told her. She had brought up how badly he looked before, but he still wasn’t ready to sleep. He wanted to make sure things with Calleigh were okay first.
Calleigh nodded against Eric’s shoulder, “Eric can stay tonight with me,” Calleigh volunteered.
“Actually…I need to get back to the lab… Kayle’s out sick and they need me to extract a fingerprint…” Eric explained.
Lifting her head from his shoulder, she nodded, “Kay…I’ll see you tomorrow then…” she told him as she got up from the couch and headed for her bedroom, taking the bag along with her.
Eric looked worried to Horatio, who just gave him a small smile. He was worried about Calleigh, but wasn’t sure what to do. He had sisters, but none of them had been through what Calleigh had and it made it harder for him to figure out how to be there for her. “I should go, H. The new keys,” Eric said pulling the set out of his pocket as he got up and handed them over. “Maybe I should stay…”
“We’ll be fine, Eric…” Horatio assured. “She needs rest, and it doesn’t matter who’s here when she’s doing that…”
Eric nodded, but still felt bad about leaving. “Alright… Call me though if you guys need anything.”
“I will.”
*~*~*
Horatio had given Calleigh her space by just hanging out on the couch and leaving her to her time in her room. He started to put water on the stove to boil for dinner before he walked over to Calleigh’s bedroom door and knocking. He heard a soft mumble and took that as Calleigh signaling him to enter. He poked his head in and saw that she was curled up on the bed with blankets pulled up around her. Slowly, he stepped into the room and then approached her bed. “I’ve made some pasta… I figure we can have some sauce…there’s a couple different kinds I can make…” he said as he kneeled down next to the bed looking her over. She had been crying. Her eyes were bloodshot and looked extremely irritated. He wanted to ask her how she was feeling, but thought that she might snap at him or ask him to stop asking her if he did.
“In a minute,” she whispered a bit weakly.
“Are you thinking about the baby?” Horatio asked wanting her to know that he was there for her and that she could talk to him about it.
Calleigh pulled a small picture from under the blanket. It was an ultrasound. She pointed to the small white speck, “It’s so small,” she whispered. “It’s weird…thinkin’ it’s inside of me…” She let out a shaky breath, “I don’t think I can do it, Horatio…”
Putting his hand over hers, he gave her a small reassuring smile, “I know you can… You just have to remember that we’re all here for you…”
“Everyone’s gonna know…” she whispered as a new set of tears started to rush down her cheeks. “About the baby…about Jake…what he did…” She didn’t want it to be any harder at work. It was already hard being a woman at CSI, let alone one that worked ballistics. Just being a cop, she had to work twice as hard as any man on the job. She didn’t want anyone thinking that she was weak or incompetent.
“Calleigh…everyone is going to support you,” Horatio assured. “Not everyone knows… Just…a handful. I don’t want you to worry about that… But,” he said stopping and looking at her as he reached forward and wiped her tears away, “I do think it’s important that you tell your father…”
Calleigh remained quiet for a few minutes before speaking, “I’m ready to go eat now,” she whispered.
*~*~*
TBC…
Author’s Notes: Okay, so SDRR has been on a slight break after I received angry IMs and unhappy reviews… I do try to keep Calleigh and the other characters IC (In Character) as I see them or think they would be… I also do a lot of research for all of my stories, including this one to ensure that it is realistic.
*~*~*
Calleigh’s coming home was a big thing, Eric and Horatio waited outside of the hospital room while Alexx was inside with the bag of clothes she had picked up for Calleigh from her apartment. Calleigh had insisted that they were making too big of a deal of her going home, but Alexx just reminded her that they were all her friends and just wanted to make sure that she was okay. “I’m fine, really…” Calleigh told Alexx as she went to zip up and snap her jeans and saw just how loosely they now sat on her hips. “I guess this means that next to nothing is gonna fit me properly…”
“I checked the sizes, too. That was the smallest pair I could find,” Alexx told her with a frown. “Honey, you’re gonna be back into them fitting just fine soon enough.”
“More like buy bigger pants,” Calleigh said finally leaving the jeans resting low on her hips.
Alexx watched her friend, she still wasn’t sure if Calleigh really was ‘fine’, in any definition of the word. It was a word Calleigh used a lot, but she still worried. Some precautions like changing the locks to Calleigh’s apartment made her feel a bit better about Calleigh’s safety. “Doctors say everything’s okay?” Alexx asked knowing that it had to be okay for them to release her.
“Yeah…I just need to make sure I’m eatin’,” Calleigh told her. “And stay hydrated… They said I can’t work for two weeks… They obviously don’t realize how painful that in of itself will be…”
“I’m glad you and the baby are going to be fine, Honey,” Alexx said sincerely.
Calleigh just nodded, she still wasn’t sure how she felt about it all… It had been hard coming to grips with what had happened to her, and what would be happening over the next several months.
“I’m sure normal clothes feel a lot better than hospital clothes,” Alexx told her as she handed Calleigh a pair of flat shoes.
“I’m not sure… Hospital pants would probably fit better,” Calleigh mumbled.
Frowning, Alexx offered, “You want a pair, I have some in my car.”
“No, no…it’s alright…”
“You sure?”
Calleigh nodded and opened the curtain since she didn’t need the extra guard to her privacy anymore and opened the door as a signal to Horatio and Eric that she was finished changing. She went over to the bag and put the few things that had been brought over the last several days into the bag that needed to go home with her. She nervously double checked thing several times before zipping it up.
“We have everything?” Horatio asked.
Alexx nodded and then took the bag from Calleigh and put her arm around her back and guided her towards the door. “Time to go, Honey…”
*~*~*
Home. It was something that was supposed to be a safe place. A sanctuary… A place that was created to be perfect for the person that lived in it, reflecting their interests and things that were important in their life. It felt foreign to Calleigh as she entered. It didn’t feel safe. She knew that Eric had changed the lock, but she still didn’t feel safe. She stopped behind her couch and turned her head to Horatio and Eric, who seemed to be hanging back and giving her space. “Come in,” she whispered a bit shakily.
Horatio closed the door behind them and he watched as Eric approached Calleigh. None of them were sure of how Calleigh really was. She was never one to admit true feelings…rarely to him, but he understood why…but he also knew how hard it was to keep those feelings inside. He wasn’t sure how well Eric knew Calleigh when it came to the real thing…not the closed off professional one.
“You hungry, Cal?” Eric asked walking up next to her and running his hand down her arm, but frowned a bit when she pulled away quickly. He saw apology in her eyes, but knew that she needed her time to heal, and that they needed to learn what lines not to cross.
“No,” she whispered finally and then looked around a bit hesitantly, she looked back to make sure Horatio was still there. He was quiet, and she knew he was waiting for her… They were walking on eggshells around her, but in a way, she figured that perhaps it was for the best. “Can you check the bedroom?” she requested quietly.
“Of course I can,” Horatio told her with a small smile. “Eric, why don’t you check the closets…just to be cautious… Make sure windows are locked,” Horatio said before disappearing into the next room.
Calleigh watched as Eric checked and then sat down on the couch. Horatio had brought up her telling her father, and having him come over during the days to stay with her, but she was far too ashamed to tell him. She knew that Horatio was worried about her being there alone, and had offered to re-arrange schedules more so that Eric could work the night shift for two weeks until she could return to work, but she knew that it would mess up the day shift… He didn’t need to be short anymore CSIs. She really just wanted to go back to work, but Horatio had made it clear that it wasn’t an option until the doctors had released her.
“A bit dusty, but we’re okay,” Eric said plopping down on the couch next to Calleigh, but keeping in mind to let her have space. But he found her head on his shoulder, and smiled a bit. “You know I have no problem working nights and hanging out with you during the day…”
“I already told you no…” she whispered knowing that he was trying to be there for her, but she also knew that they needed to take care of themselves and from what Horatio looked like that would only happen with sleep. “I’ll be fine…”
“You always say that.”
“Cuz it’s true,” Calleigh insisted and then noticed Horatio had joined them. “You need sleep, Horatio…” Calleigh said quietly.
“I…will sleep once you’re all settled,” Horatio told her. She had brought up how badly he looked before, but he still wasn’t ready to sleep. He wanted to make sure things with Calleigh were okay first.
Calleigh nodded against Eric’s shoulder, “Eric can stay tonight with me,” Calleigh volunteered.
“Actually…I need to get back to the lab… Kayle’s out sick and they need me to extract a fingerprint…” Eric explained.
Lifting her head from his shoulder, she nodded, “Kay…I’ll see you tomorrow then…” she told him as she got up from the couch and headed for her bedroom, taking the bag along with her.
Eric looked worried to Horatio, who just gave him a small smile. He was worried about Calleigh, but wasn’t sure what to do. He had sisters, but none of them had been through what Calleigh had and it made it harder for him to figure out how to be there for her. “I should go, H. The new keys,” Eric said pulling the set out of his pocket as he got up and handed them over. “Maybe I should stay…”
“We’ll be fine, Eric…” Horatio assured. “She needs rest, and it doesn’t matter who’s here when she’s doing that…”
Eric nodded, but still felt bad about leaving. “Alright… Call me though if you guys need anything.”
“I will.”
*~*~*
Horatio had given Calleigh her space by just hanging out on the couch and leaving her to her time in her room. He started to put water on the stove to boil for dinner before he walked over to Calleigh’s bedroom door and knocking. He heard a soft mumble and took that as Calleigh signaling him to enter. He poked his head in and saw that she was curled up on the bed with blankets pulled up around her. Slowly, he stepped into the room and then approached her bed. “I’ve made some pasta… I figure we can have some sauce…there’s a couple different kinds I can make…” he said as he kneeled down next to the bed looking her over. She had been crying. Her eyes were bloodshot and looked extremely irritated. He wanted to ask her how she was feeling, but thought that she might snap at him or ask him to stop asking her if he did.
“In a minute,” she whispered a bit weakly.
“Are you thinking about the baby?” Horatio asked wanting her to know that he was there for her and that she could talk to him about it.
Calleigh pulled a small picture from under the blanket. It was an ultrasound. She pointed to the small white speck, “It’s so small,” she whispered. “It’s weird…thinkin’ it’s inside of me…” She let out a shaky breath, “I don’t think I can do it, Horatio…”
Putting his hand over hers, he gave her a small reassuring smile, “I know you can… You just have to remember that we’re all here for you…”
“Everyone’s gonna know…” she whispered as a new set of tears started to rush down her cheeks. “About the baby…about Jake…what he did…” She didn’t want it to be any harder at work. It was already hard being a woman at CSI, let alone one that worked ballistics. Just being a cop, she had to work twice as hard as any man on the job. She didn’t want anyone thinking that she was weak or incompetent.
“Calleigh…everyone is going to support you,” Horatio assured. “Not everyone knows… Just…a handful. I don’t want you to worry about that… But,” he said stopping and looking at her as he reached forward and wiped her tears away, “I do think it’s important that you tell your father…”
Calleigh remained quiet for a few minutes before speaking, “I’m ready to go eat now,” she whispered.
*~*~*
TBC…