Danger
“What happened?” A voice
said out of the pandemonium. She was so
upset that she had to look up to see who the voice was. It was Horatio. She took a deep breath. “In all honesty, I don’t know. He came out of nowhere, the first time. He just attacked me and put a gun to my
head. I kicked him and got away, but he
caught up to me and put a cloth over my mouth.
I thought he was going to gag me, but he let me go. I got away and drove about a mile and then I
got really dizzy and disoriented so I pulled over. Then they came back and before I knew it, the
gun was pointed to my head again. I
pulled out my gun and shot him.”
“What kind of
gun was it?”
“Smith and
Wesson.”
“Did you see
the guy?”
“White guy,
about 30. Medium height and build. Brown hair… I think he had grey eyes and a
scar over his right eye. He had on
jeans and a grey hoodie.”
Horatio looked over at the corpse on the ground, with a sad
look. “Calleigh, that isn’t the man you
shot.” He frowned.
8 HOURS EARLIER
“Why do you
always say that, Calleigh?!”
“Because,
damnit, Jake; you annoy me! It’s true!”
“What’s this
really about, Calleigh? You’ve been all moody for months. I don’t know what about and it’s driving me
nuts. I can’t have a normal conversation
with you.”
“Like you
should talk.”
“What’s that
supposed to mean?”
“You only talk
about sex, or what YOU want to do. How
is that normal?”
“We’re not
talking about me.”
“Of course we
aren’t.” She rolled her eyes. “Because
you never do anything wrong.”
“What the hell
is your problem?”
“You.”
“Is this about
last night?”
“You telling me
you never want to get married is not what I’m upset about. For your information, I don’t WANT to marry
YOU. You couldn’t commit to anything if
your life depended on it. And, for
another thing, I don’t LOVE YOU. I
feel trapped in this relationship, and it isn’t going anywhere but
downhill. I can’t do it anymore. I just can’t.”
“You’re ending
it?” he looked shocked.
“Yeah. Please, just, pack your stuff up.”
She left her apartment and went straight to work even though she
still had an hour before she needed to be there. She was just so tired. She couldn’t deal with Jake right now. She had been there no more than 45 minutes
when she saw Eric walk in off the elevator.
He didn’t see her. But then he
checked his messages. Paula must have
told him that Calleigh was there because he came right in to see her.
“You’re here
early.”
“Yeah. I needed to get out of the house.”
Eric, she knew, could have added a smart remark to that, but he
didn’t. He was too good for that. He knew it was because of Jake. He wasn’t stupid. There was a look in his eyes that told her, I’d take care of you. She couldn’t deal with that right now
either. Eric was a great guy, and one of her very good
friends, but as much as she liked him… Actually, scratch that… (loved him),
Calleigh just couldn’t seem to let him in.
Something inside always told her that Eric was the guy, but she always
pushed the thought to the back of her head.
She didn’t want to admit her feelings for him. He was a good man. He loved her.
He was committed to her-even though he knew that she wouldn’t go out
with him. He respected her. But she couldn’t think about that now.
She got to the scene with Ryan and they were almost done. Ryan saw Jake get out of the car and head
towards them, looking angry. “You didn’t
tell me where you were going.”
“I was going to
work. You know: that place I go everyday
to earn money.” She said, almost with a roll of the eye in sarcasm. He got an angry look on his face. “Don’t talk to me like that, bitch!”
“I’ll say
whatever I damn well please.”
He smacked her. She knew
her lip was busted because it bled as she fell back against the wall. Ryan got a defensive look on his face and
looked at Jake. “You had no right to do
that.”
“Yes I
did. She’s been acting like the boss all
these years in the relationship, and I’m sick of it. I’m the man and I should keep her in line.”
“Are we like-
in the 19th century with the Cult of Domesticity? A woman should be pure, pious and submissive
and a man can keep her in line with a stick no bigger than his thumb?”
“You are really
testing my patience, chemical boy.”
“Tell her
you’re sorry.”
“I will not. She deserved that.”
“No she
didn’t.”
Just then, Jake took a swing at Ryan who hit the floor with the
strength of the swing. Jake just left after that, and Calleigh got up to tend
to her bleeding friend who had a black eye.
“I’m sorry,
Ryan. I’m so sorry.” She was obviously
really upset.
“Calleigh, it’s
ok.” He saw a tear fall from her eye.
“Hey, it’s ok. Please don’t
cry. He had no right to do that to you.
I was just doing what any man should be doing if they saw that happen to
you. Look, I don’t know anything about
you guys and your relationship, but if he’s like this normally, you need to get
out of it.”
“I got out of
it this morning, I told him to pack his things and leave. But apparently, he hasn’t gotten the hint. I don’t know how you can miss please leave, it’s over. Pack your things.”
‘Well, some
people are dense.”
“Yes.”
They got back to the lab, and as soon as they got off the
elevator, they saw Eric who was walking past.
Chapter 2
She couldn’t do this now.
She didn’t want Eric to know. She
avoided him. Ryan saw what was going
on, and he didn’t quite understand it, but from what he
gathered, he knew while he was going, something had to have happened between
Calleigh and Eric that he didn’t know about.
And he saw the hurt look on Delko’s face when Calleigh pushed past
him. Eric saw Ryan’s fat lip. “Where the hell did you get that, Wolfe?”
“Courtesy
of Detective Berkeley.”
“Jake? He hit you?
Why?”
“It’s
not really my place to tell. Sure, he
hit me, but it’s between him and Calleigh.
I just- had to do the right thing and defend her. It got me a fat lip. But I’ll take one for the team. And if anyone’s worth it, it’s
Calleigh.” He tried to walk away but
Eric grabbed his arm. “Hold it right
there. What are you saying? Something happened between them and you got
involved-he hit you?”
“That’s
the gist of it. But, man, I really
shouldn’t say anything else.”
He didn’t need to.
Eric knew from the look in his eye that whatever it was was bad. He went over to her office and watched her
through the glass. Her sleeves were
rolled up and she was looking at some papers.
And it was then that he knew fully what was going on. She had bruises all over her arms, as if
someone had yanked her and grabbed her hard.
Her cheek was swollen. Ryan must
have known he’d go over there because he wasn’t far behind.
“So he’s
abusing her.” It wasn’t a question.
“I’m
afraid so. She told me that he started
drinking and about a month ago, he started hitting her. She told him to move out, and he
wouldn’t. That’s what the fight was
about.”
“And he
hit her, you stepped in and got decked.”
“yeah. Listen, Delko, I’ve been away for a while,
but I’m not retarded. I know you like
her. And I think, she likes you too, she
just can’t admit it, because she’s so damn professional and she doesn’t want to
jeopardize what she’s worked so hard for.”
“I
know. That’s how she explained it to
me.”
Ryan looked a little more than shocked, “Wait a damn
minute! You guys actually talked about it? Having a relationship?”
“Yeah. The ball was in her court. She started it. Now, she won’t admit that, but it’s true.”
“What
the hell?! What are you basing this on?
It doesn’t sound like the Calleigh I know.”
“It was
Calleigh alright. I’m basing the
assumption on the fact that she kissed me on the cheek one day and gave me a
sweet smile. And then she was flirting,
so I flirted back. This went on for like
three weeks, and then she got back together with Jake.”
“That’s
rough, dude.”
“Tell me
about it. But somehow, I’m not really
mad.”
“Well,
if that’s the case, I’d say that you need to go in there comfort her. You’re her best friend, and I know that
because she told me once. So if you just
be your normal, caring self, I think she’ll change her mind about everything…
Especially after what happened with Jake.
Look after her. All us guys, we
like her, but you-you deserve her.”
“She
doesn’t seem to think so.”
“I think
she’ll change her mind.”
Chapter 3
Eric saw Calleigh sitting there working at her desk, but he
knew that she was crying. Tissues were
on the desk. He came in. She tried to hide the tissues, but he said,
“It’s ok.”
“You
know?” She looked sad and frightened.
“Yeah, I
know.” He told her.
“Well,
aren’t you going to say ‘I told you so’?”
“No,
Calleigh. I wouldn’t do that.”
“I
deserve it though. I was so stupid.”
“You
didn’t deserve it, Calleigh. What you
deserve, is to be loved and cherished, bot beaten and demeaned. Now, I’m not the kind of guy that stands on a table and shouts, pick me! Pick me! But I want you to know
that you’re a wonderful, talented, smart, strong woman, and I don’t want you to
ever forget it. You’re the rock of the
team. But, you should know that what
you’re doing now is fine. You have every
right to be upset, and you don’t have to be afraid to let it out. If you ever need anything, I’m always here
for you. I’ve got your back.”
She looked at him, expecting to see a begrudging look,
although when she thought about it later, she would wonder why she thought
that. This was Eric she was talking
to. He was a kind man, a
sweetheart. He cared about her, and this
was genuine. “Why?” She couldn’t stop herself from asking him.
“Because,
Calleigh, I care about you. And I know
you probably don’t want to hear this now, or ever, but I love you. I know you think it’s too complicated. Maybe it is. I don’t know. I can’t keep pretending that you’re just a
girl I work with. You’re so much more
than that. And you will never know how
I felt when I saw the bruises on your arm.
I was angry, and hurt that someone would do that to you. You have to know that, Calleigh.”
She couldn’t help but start to cry again. She looked into his beautiful brown eyes and
laid her hand over his. “No one’s ever
said anything so beautiful to me before.”
“Well,
people should have been telling you what I’m telling you now, all your life
because it’s true. Every word of it is
from my heart. That’s really how I feel
about you. Please, don’t be angry.”
“I’m not
angry. Really. I’m not weirded out or embarrassed. Eric, I know that you love me. I’ve known that for a while now. I just- never let myself act on it because I
was afraid. I wanted to pretend that
you didn’t love me. And that I didn’t
love you…” That was the clincher. “I
can accept all of that.”
He wasn’t sure what exactly that all meant, but he’d take
the small victory. It was a start. He looked away. She must have thought that he was upset,
taken what she said the wrong way. So
she started apologizing. “I didn’t mean
what you must have thought I meant… I
didn’t mean that I don’t love you. “ She was getting upset, too much drama for
one day. A tear fell from her eye. Things were such a mess. But he smiled a little and wiped the tears
from her eyes. “That’s not really what I
thought, Cal. I just didn’t know how to
take what you said to me. “
“I
didn’t mean for it to sound the way it did.
I really do-“
“What?”
He didn’t know what she was talking about.
“I
really do love you.”He had to say, he was shocked, but pleasantly though. A smile crossed his face.
“Yeah.”
She grinned. “I just didn’t want to admit it.
It’s amazing that when I finally got a shot at something, real, I was
too afraid to go through with it. Things with Jake were bad… But, for some
reason, I kept going out with him. I
pretended like there was nothing wrong.” Tears had started to fall again. She was working herself up. He put an arm around her, wiping away the
tears. “Shh-shh. Everything’s gonna be ok, Calleigh. It’s going to be alright.” Then, he hugged
her, holding her in his arms. She held
him tighter, sobbing into his shoulder.
CHAPTER 4
Ryan watched through the window and sighed relief. He was glad that everything was working
alright. He heard someone come behind
him. It was Alexx. “What are you looking
at, baby?” She asked him, not looking in the window. He turned to address her
and she gasped. “Baby boy! What have you done to your face?”
“I didn’t do anything to it, Alexx. It was Detective Berkeley who decided to use
me as a punching bag.”
“Calleigh’s
boyfriend beat you up? In heaven’s name,
why?!”
“Well,
hopefully, he’s not her boyfriend anymore.
He hit her. That’s why I stepped
in and stood up for her. That’s how I
got this.” He pointed to his wound.
“Jake
was beating her?”
“I’m
afraid so.”
“Poor
baby…Is she ok?”
“I think
she’ll be ok. She’s a bit shaken up, but
I think she knows that she didn’t do anything wrong.”
“She’ll
feel afraid. Hopefully she doesn’t feel
that she can’t trust men—at least, any more than she does already.”
“Yeah. Calleigh hasn’t exactly had the best luck
with men. Daddy issues, bad boyfriends…”
“I see
it so much in my line of work. Some
commit suicide, and some let men beat up on them, but I don’t think Calleigh is
that girl. If anyone can get over it, I
think it’s her.”
“Yeah. She’s a tough girl… but I also think that
she’ll have help. Look in there.” He
pointed to the window. Alexx peered in. She saw what he was talking about. “Calleigh and Delko? Are you serious, baby?”
“Uh-huh. He’s had a crush on her for a while. But I think he loves her. Actually, I know he
does. They’ve always been chummy, and I
know he’s always watched out for her.
She trusts him and he’s always been there.”
“I’m
glad. They’re so adorable, the two of
them. They always looked like a
couple. I’m happy for them. I’m proud of Calleigh. Baby girl finally found a good one. Honestly, although he was a good man, I never
liked Hagen as her boyfriend. And I
didn’t like Jake period. But Eric, I
like him, bother personally and as her significant other.”
“Me
too. He’ll treat her right.”
“Yeah. And Eric’s grown up a lot since he came
here. He’s become a better man,
especially since the accident.”
“Death
has a way of changing the way we look at things.”
“You’ve
got that right!” Alexx said. And Ryan had to think to himself that Alexx
would know. She was in the business.
And he looked in, so did Alexx, at the two. Calleigh and Eric were talking and Calleigh
was smiling. Eric made her happy. Ryan and Alexx kept watching the two, and saw
them share a hug. She kissed his cheek softly.
“Normally
I’d cringe.” Ryan grinned. “But this is
a welcome sight.”
“Yes, it
is.”
Chapter 5
Horatio Caine always hated it when it was necessary to go
back to the crimes scene. It almost made
him feel like they weren’t doing a good job or something. Ryan and Calleigh had worked the crime scene
in the morning, and they had said there really wasn’t anything to find. But, they had bagged and tagged everything
that they DID find and brought it into the lab.
Valera was working on DNA and Ryan had worked on Trace. Other than that, there was nothing. But now, some outside evidence had made him
decide that they needed to go back. He
decided to just send Calleigh. She would
be fine on her own. He called her and
told her what he’d found. And it was
then that he saw the swollen lip and knew something was terribly wrong. He put a hand on her shoulder. “What happened?”
“Oh,
just an altercation with a jerk.”
“Who did
this?”
“Jake. I broke up with him and he didn’t want to
move out. He gave me a hard time, and
then he got mad and hit me. I’m SO done
with him.”
“Good. You don’t deserve to be treated like that.”
“I
know.”
“Are you
holding up ok?”
“Yeah. Ryan stood up for me when it happened, and
Eric’s been a doll about the whole thing, as he is with everything else related
to me. You know, he’s the first guy I’ve ever met who
wasn’t trying to get in my pants, or beat me out of something. He’s a special breed.”
“Eric is
a fine man. He’s honest as the day is
long, and he really cares about the victims, and the cases and evidence. And I know—he cares for you. “
“Yeah.”
She grinned, blushing a little. She knew
that Horatio knew she liked Eric now. He
knew she had realized that, and chuckled, “I’ve known that for a long
time. It doesn’t bother me. If you guys want to get together, I have no
problem with it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.
It’s fine.”
And that was the most surprising thing. He didn’t mind at all. She shrugged and went to the Hummer outside,
getting ready to go to the scene. She
had no idea what she would find.
CHAPTER 6
Calleigh finished processing the scene and got back into the
Hummer. She turned the key and the
engine started. She was about to drive
off when the door opened and a gun pointed at her head. Whoever it was, he was holding a Colt .45,
and he was yanking her out of the car.
She, being the good cop that she was, kicked the gun out of his hand and
across the parking lot, then punching him in the stomach. She tried to yank her cuffs out, but he hit
her and she fell to the ground. And he put
a cloth over her mouth and nose. She felt a little woozy, but she managed to
get away. She even started the car
again after kicking him where it hurts.
She had gotten no more than a mile away, however, when she became too
dizzy to drive. She pushed a button on
her cell phone, which she was hoping was speed dial for Eric, she wasn’t sure
because her head was in a fog. She left
a voice mail because that’s where the call went. “Hey, I hope this is Eric’s
phone, I just speed dialed… I need help… At a crime scene…cloth over face… I’m
really disoriented, and… they may come back… catch up… I’m only a mile away
from the scene… If you get this, please try to find me…” She said, hardly able
to remain cohesive. It was
really hard. She had no sooner put the
phone back in her pocket when the door opened and she was thrown onto the ground. She saw the guy. He was about 6’3…white… medium build…grey
hoodie…jeans…boots. That was about all she could piece together before he
kicked her. She cried and clutched her
side in pain. She fought him off as best
she could, but she was too out of it.
When she had a moment, after kicking him, she drew her gun, and
shot. She knew she got someone because
they groaned, but the sun was in her eyes, and she could feel her eyes
clouding. He was dead, she saw him now,
but she turned a little, as much as she could, and she took out her phone,
calling dispatch. “Dispatch, this is CSI
Calleigh Duquesne… Requesting an ambulance and crime scene unit at the
abandoned Payless on Flagler…” She squinted her eyes in pain and took a breath,
already tired. “Someone attacked me and
for an unclear reason, beat me up. The
suspect was shot, dead on scene.” And then, she went unconscious.
CHAPTER 7
20 MINUTES LATER:
Calleigh
looked at the body and gasped in horror at what she had done. She killed someone other than her
attacker. But he was right here? How did I
shoot this guy and not him? She knew it was probably because she was
drugged. He could have been anyone. She had never felt so bad about anything
before in her life. She was ashamed and
began to cry, partly because of the shame, but also because every bone and
muscle in her body ached. Horatio put a
hand on her back and told her, “Calleigh, I know you didn’t do this on
purpose. Under the circumstances, things
turned out well. This isn’t your fault. Whoever this man was, he wasn’t
innocent. With what you told me, there
isn’t any way that he wasn’t involved.
He had a gun, and he has marks on his knuckles, from hitting someone,
and I’m guessing, from that bruise on your shoulder, it was you.”
“Who did
I call?”
“Your
call reached it’s proper destination.” He smiled. “Eric got the call. He came as soon as he got the message. He just called the hospital and is getting a
room for you so they can check you out.
He’s giving them your information as we speak.”
“Like
what?”
“Your
age and gender, position on the force, the incident, and your injuries… He
could give your whole description, but they wouldn’t need it.”
“Oh.”
She smiled.
And then, Eric came over, putting his phone back in his
pocket, and going right to her side.
Horatio knew, from the look on Eric’s face and the look on Calleigh’s
face, that he should give them a moment.
So, he got up and went to talk to Alexx. Eric sat down on the ground next to
her. “Are you ok, babe?”
He didn’t mean any harm by it, and she was glad he had said
it. She smiled. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for coming. I wasn’t sure if I called the right number, I
was so out of it.”
“I was
worried when you didn’t come back. I
checked my messages and heard that one. I got out here as soon as I could. I was just hoping you were ok. You look pretty banged up.”
“Yeah. I am.
Hopefully I don’t look too bad though.” She got a sly smile, directed at
him.
“No. You still look gorgeous. “
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