Hallucinations (A CSI Miami fanfic)

HALLUCINATIONS: By Cindy Miller (a hiphuggers story) 

CHAPTER 1- Don’t Tell

She looked at her old friend.  The man she trusted with every fiber of her being.  And with her life.  Something was definitely bothering him.  He had seen something disturbing at the crime scene, and it had shaken him up.  He had said it was nothing when she asked him what was wrong.  But Calleigh was smart enough to figure out there was something wrong.  He was hiding something.  She just didn’t know what. 

          “You don’t have to be embarrassed.  The doctor said after your injury that you might be up and down, possibly for years.”

          “Well, I guess I’m right on target.”

          “Come on, Eric.  It’s me.  What’d you see out there?”

At first she thought he was going to avoid the situation, like he always did when he didn’t want to admit that something was wrong.  But then, he took a deep breath and his expression changed.  He looked into her eyes and she saw something.  His eyes were pleading.  “What is it?” She asked. 

          “Calleigh, you have to promise you won’t tell anyone… they’ll think I’m insane or something.”

          “I promise.” At first, it looked to her like he didn’t think that was enough.  She smiled.  “If we were kids, I’d pinkie swear.” It lightened the mood and he smiled.  “Ok, Cal, I trust you.  Alright.  When we were at the scene- I saw Speed… Clear as can be.  I mean, I know he’s dead… But I saw him there like he never left.”

          “Did he look well?” Calleigh asked, with a look that let him know that even if what he saw wasn’t real, it was comforting. 

          “Yeah. He looked good. It’s just- I know he’s dead, and since I’m seeing him, I must be crazy or something.”

          “Eric, it’s not your fault.  You’re just recovering from a horrible brain injury.  These visions are coming from the mixed up chemistry in your brain.  The brain is building new pathways around the bullet fragment that’s there.  I know you feel crazy, but it’ll all be ok.  You’re just having some set-backs.  It’ll get better in time.  You don’t have to be afraid to come to us for help.  And even if you feel you can’t tell the others, you can always come and talk to me.  I’m always here for you, and I understand.  You can call me if you ever need anything-night or day.”

          “Even when you’re out with Jake?” The bitterness in his voice, and the look in his eyes told her that he was still upset.  He wasn’t going to get over her being with Jake anytime soon.   And even though she wanted to hold it against him, she really couldn’t.  She had led him on a little… Actually a lot.  He still had the probing look.  She took a deep breath.  “Even when I’m out with Jake.” 

He looked surprised at her answer. 

          “Boyfriends come and go, Eric. Your friendship means more to me than any other guy ever could.  Always remember that.  You know more about me than anyone else.  I don’t have to wonder if you’re listening or if you care.  I can share things with you that I’d never tell anyone else.  You’ve got to know you mean something to me.” Now it was her eyes that were pleading.  He looked into her green eyes and he said, with a soft, yet firm voice: “They don’t have to come and go, Cal.  Some stick around, if you let them.  And some-are always here.”  And with that, he left the room.  Now, she could lie and say that what he said didn’t cut her to the core.  She could say that he was wrong, crazy, assuming… But she wasn’t going to.  What he said was true.  Whenever he said things like that, she felt a pang of guilt and sadness.  She would be better off with him, her heart told her.  But her head told her heart to shut up.  But, it was her heart that kept winning the fight.  Better off with Eric. Better off with Eric. Better off with Eric. It was annoying how it kept playing in her head.  She pushed the thought aside.  But it came back.  Eric had always cared about her.  They had something real.  Nothing superficial.  That was something she couldn’t say about her relationship with Jake.   He was totally sex-obsessed and all about himself and what he wanted.  Lately, he’d been a little better, because she put her foot down and told him to stop being such an idiot.  But that could only go so far.  And deep down she knew that there wasn’t much of a real relationship there.   Man, this feeling sucked.

 

CHAPTER 2: BETWEEN YOU AND ME

Her phone rang and she picked it up.  “Duquesne.”

          “Hey there, sexy.” She knew it was Jake.  No one else would be so bold. 

          “Oh, please!” She said, annoyed.  And she hung up on him.  She couldn’t take this right now.  Unfortunately for her, he called right back.  “Why the hell did you hang up on me?”

          “I’ve told you I don’t know how many times, not to call me that.  You never listen.  It’s so damn patronizing!  I’m at work.  Leave me alone.”

          “Someone’s a little bitchy today.”

          “You try being a woman with a guy like you.”

          “that was harsh.”

          “You called me bitchy.”

          “Alright.  We’re even.  So, is it my place or yours tonight?”

          “Neither, Jake.  I’m not having sex with you.   You’re not coming over.  You’re not going to call me when I’m at work unless it’s work related.  I’m not going on any more dates with you.  I’m done.”

          “You’re breaking up with me?”

          “Yep.  That’s pretty much it.”

          “But why?”

          “In case you haven’t noticed, you are always calling me.  Smothering.  And you don’t really care about me.  All you want is someone to make love with.  Well, it can’t-it won’t be me.  The longer I am with you, the worse I feel.  I’d be lying to myself and to you if I let this continue.  That’s why.”

          “Are you like, in love with someone else?”

          “I was never in love with you, Jake, so it’s not someone else that I’m in love with.  But yes, I am in love with someone.  He treats me well, loves me-ME.   We’ve known each other, and been friends for a long time.  We’re tight.  And I always knew I was missing something… And then-one day-I found it.  He was right there in front of me the whole time.  I just never cared enough to notice.  I was too scared to admit it.  But in a lot of ways, I’ve loved him for a long time.”

          “Ok then.  That’s cool.  See ya around, Calleigh.”

          “See ya.” They hung up and she took a deep breath.  She was finally free.  It felt good.

 

Chapter 3: Seeing things

They went back to the scene.  Eric saw him, but didn’t say anything because he knew he was hallucinating.  He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and heard Calleigh’s familiar, Southern accent.  ‘Is there something wrong, Eric?  Are you seeing something?”

               “Speed.” He told her.  And he pointed to where he had seen him.  “He’s talking to me.”

               “What’s he saying?”

               “That we look good.  Especially you.”

She laughed, and he smiled.  “He says he misses your laugh.  You were always so cheerful.”

               “Hmm.” She said.

               “I’d miss your laugh too…” He trailed.  And she had to smile.  He looked back over in the direction where he saw Speed and got a weird look on his face.  “What?” She asked him.

               “He asked if the two of us ever hooked up.  Believe me, I didn’t make that up.”

               “I believe you.”

               “If you haven’t, you should.  He says.  You were always so perfect for each other.”

She looked in Eric’s eyes.  She saw so much longing.  He believed it was true, and he wanted her to believe it too.  “I think he’s right, you know.  You’re right.  We are a bit perfect for each other.”

He looked shocked.  “really?”

               “Yeah.   I’m not even going to deny it anymore.  It takes too much energy lying.”

               “What about Jake?”

               “I broke up with him this morning.  He called and I just couldn’t take him anymore… He’s so neurotic and sex-crazed.”

His face turned red.  “I’m sorry.”  She said.  “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

               “It’s ok.  I just- I see disturbing images when you say things like that.”

               “Oh?  Like what?” She was teasing him.  He wasn’t going to fall for it. 

               “I’m not going to explain them to you.  It’s not appropriate to subject you to that kind of torture.”

               “You’re a good man.  You know- Jake would have started describing porn or something.  Not anything I want to know about.”

He blushed again.  Then they both smiled, getting a chuckle out of it.  They continued looking at evidence and Calleigh noticed Eric’s eyes darting to her about every 10 seconds.  It was no ordinary stare either.  It was a look of affection.  He was admiring her.  It felt good.  And for the first time, she didn’t mind.  When she saw his eyes dart, she looked at him, and put a hand to his cheek.  The look in his eyes told her something, but she didn’t know what.   She knew there was something he wanted to say.   And she couldn’t believe it, but she said, “Speak.” Softly and quietly.  It was all she could get out at the moment. 

               “This is going to sound totally weird and a bit forward, but; Calleigh, if I don’t ask you this now, I’m going to really go crazy.”

               “What do you want?” She smiled, stroking his cheek.  He covered her hand with his, and took a deep breath.  “Please, may I have a kiss?”

She would have been surprised, but she was too happy to care.  “That you may.” She smiled.

               “Really?”

               “Yeah. Go ahead.” She smiled.  And they looked into each other’s eyes and then softly, he kissed her.  She had his face in her hands. They kissed until they didn’t have any breath left.  And she knew, she had done the right thing.

 

Chapter 4: Drowning Pain in Lemonade

 

       “Buckle up.” Eric told her as they got into the Hummer at the hospital, ready to go back to the lab. 

       “I’m trying.” She said, laughing.  It looked to him like something was blocking the latch and she was digging to find the object that was impeding her progress. 

       “What?  Are you digging for change?” He chuckled.

       “Ooh!” Her face got the excited look he loved.  “I think I found something even better.” She said, taking a card out.  Then her expression changed from a smile to a shocked frown.  She looked like she’d seen a ghost.  “Oh my god.”

       “What is it, Cal?”

       “This is Speedle’s credit card.”

He couldn’t hide his shock.  “But he’s been dead for three years.  He couldn’t have taken it and left it in here.”

       “I know.  But how did it get here?”

       “I don’t know.  But maybe we can find out.  Is there a number on the card?”

       “Yeah.” He got out his phone and she told him the number, which he dialed. 

       “Hi, this is Tim Speedle.  I’m calling to check the status of my account… Card number?  Yeah.” He told the lady and then he said, “Active?  For how long?” Calleigh’s eyes widened.  “Two weeks?!  Are you sure?” She must have been.  “Alright.  Well, I don’t remember my password at the moment.  I’m gonna have to call you back… No, I don`t want to make a payment over the phone.  Ok.  Bye.” And he hung up the phone with a deep sigh. 

       “So who’s been using Speed’s card?  I know it wasn’t him.” Calleigh said. 

       “I have no idea.  Maybe if we check his wallet, we might find if someone took it… It’s a start at least.”

       “Ok.  I’m with you.” She smiled a little and gave his hand a little pat.  He grinned, a little bit bashfully, not used to this.  And he drove back to the lab. They went into the locker room, opening Speed’s locker, and sure enough, just as they had thought, the card was gone.  “Someone took it.” Calleigh said, shaking her head.

       “Took what?” Horatio’s voice asked.  He came around to where they were standing.  “You guys are looking in Speed’s locker.”

       “His credit card is missing.  We thought someone must have taken it because we found it in the Hummer on the way back to the lab.” Calleigh told him.

       “I called the card company and they said that it’s been active for two weeks.” Eric said.

       “Well, I’ll go to the place with a warrant and find out who’s using our deceased friend’s credit card.  Are you guys ok?”

       “Yeah.  We’ll be fine, H.” Eric said.

       “You too, ma’am?” He looked at Calleigh. 

       “Yes.  I’m alright.” She smiled a little. 

      

It didn’t take Horatio Caine a long time to obtain a warrant to look at Speed’s account information, since it was obvious that someone was unlawfully using it.  Fraud was a serious offense, and there were so many people that could be hurt because of it.  The team was hurt by this.  Horatio, along with Alexx, Calleigh and Eric, they had all gotten over the death of their teammate.  It still hurt, but they were able to move on.  Now, it was like, for a moment, he was back-only to be taken away again.  And worse, someone was basically stealing money from a dead man, their friend.  And that was a pain that wouldn’t go away quickly.  He showed the woman at the desk the credit card, and gave her all the information she needed.  He showed her the warrant, and she said, “This account’s been dormant for 3 years…” Then, she stopped. “Until 2 weeks ago.  A duplicate was requested.  Used the name Timothy Speedle.”

       “Well, it couldn’t have been Tim.  He’s been dead for three years.  That’s why his account was dormant.”

       “I take it you are acquainted with him?”

       “Yes.  He was a member of my team.  Great CSI.  Great friend.  It was a terrible loss to us.  And today, the original remaining two found this card in our Hummer, and there was no way Tim put it there.  They found that the card was missing from his wallet, and they called to check the status- it was active… I’m just trying to piece it all together and catch whoever is responsible.”

       “Lieutenant, are you sure he’s dead?”

Another voice came from behind Horatio.  “Honey, there is no way that boy is alive today.” Horatio smiled.  It was Alexx.  “I’m the medical examiner.  Baby boy had a shot to the chest, bled out.  I examined him, wrote the report, cleaned up his body, watched him be put in the casket and buried in the ground.  I have no doubt that he’s dead.” She saw Horatio looking at her with a slight grin.  “How did you know I was here?”

       “Baby girl, Calleigh, she came to talk to me about some evidence and then I asked her why she looked so upset.  She said that her and Eric found Speed’s card and someone was using it.  Horrible.  Rotten shame.  Calleigh said you were going to check it out.  I felt I had to be here, for Tim, and for the others.  I finished all my autopsies for the day.”

       “You and Speed always were close.” Horatio smiled. 

       “Well I guess you’re right… but for a dead man, he gets around.” The credit card lady, Maya told them.

       “What do you mean?” Horatio asked, a little bit confused. 

       “I mean, there are purchases.  Zorba Café, Club Fate, a BP on Flagger, a coffee house on palm…  And there’s some activity now, I believe.”

       “Where?  Do you have a location?”

       “Yes.  Mckenna’s on the bay.”

Horatio got out his cell, hit MEMORY 2 which was Eric’s phone. 

       “Yeah, H.  What’s up?”

       “Go to McKenna’s on the bay.  Someone is using Speed’s card.  Take Calleigh with you.”

       “Ok.  Thanks, H.”

Chapter 5: Can We Pick The Pieces Up?

Calleigh and Eric got to the restaurant and took deep breaths.  This was painful.  “I’m gonna check and see if they have any receipts.”

            “Ok.” He said, watching her walk the other way.  He went up to the bar and saw someone who looked like Speed, but wasn’t him.  Then, Calleigh tapped him on the shoulder and said softly, pointing; “Over there, hon.” Which elicited a bit of excitement from him.  He was going to like this new thing they had going on.  But-back to business.  They went over to where Calleigh had pointed, and saw Dan Cooper, their lab tech, who, of late, wanted to be a CSI.  That idea might not work out.  “Hey, Coop.” Calleigh said.  He turned around and saw them.  “What are you guys doing here?”

            “I think we’d like to ask you the same question.”

            “Show me your wallet.” Eric said. 

            “What?  What’s going on?”

            “Show him your wallet, Dan.” Calleigh said.  He took it out and Eric took it from him.  He looked inside.  Found the card and read it.  “Your name is not Tim Speedle.”

            “Look, Eric, it’s not what you think.” That’s as far as he got before Eric got the angry look on his face that told Cooper to shut up. 

            “Your name is not Tim Speedle!” He threw the wallet at Dan and walked away, unable to take it. 

            “You know, I’d ask you for an explanation, but I just don’t think I’d get one.” Calleigh said.

            “Look, Calleigh, you know I want to be a CSI.  And you guys, you speak so highly of the guy.  So I thought I’d take a look in his locker and see what the guy was about-saw the credit card, and it’s just- it’s not like he’d miss it.”

            “Why’d you use it?”

            “There was $200 credit on there-“

            “Dan!”

            “It’s free money.”

“Dan! You’ve charged over $2500!”

“I know!  It got out of hand.”

“It’s fraud.”

“It was a mistake, Calleigh.  A big miustake.  It won’t happen again.”

“You’re right.  It’s over.”

“Calleigh, what are you saying? The lab, they gave Ryan another chance.”

”Ryan broke protocol.  YOU have broken THE LAW!”

“Calleigh, Speedle’s dead.  I mean, no one got hurt.”

“you don’t think Eric got hurt?  You don’t think I’m hurt?” Her voice  was raised, and she was obviously upset.  “What about the people that Speedle gave his life for?”

            “He’s dead, ok.  What does it matter?”

            “We laid him to rest!  He was our buddy.  Our team member.  Our friend.  Someone killed him.  Then, three years later, we find evidence that he might be alive-even though we all know he’s dead.  And for a moment, we hoped.  We wanted him to be alive.  And he wasn’t.  But you were using him-a dead man.  You stole from him-our friend.  And you’re going to pay for that.  I’m giving you till tomorrow morning to turn yourself in.  After that, I’m putting out a warrant for your arrest.”

And she left the room.  She went out to the Hummer where Eric was waiting for her.

            “Did he really use it?”

            “Yeah.  And he doesn’t even seem to see how wrong it is.”

He shook his head.   Some people woke up and they were already wrong.  He didn’t know about Cooper.   Then he saw Calleigh cry-for the first time-ever.  He had to admit, it was a little unsettling.   “Hey, what’s wrong?”

            “It’s just that after Tim died, I didn’t let myself cry… And so much has happened since then.  Now, with everything that’s gone on, and what Cooper did, it just, it got to me.  It makes me angry that someone would defame the dead that way… I don’t know… It just bothered me.”

            “I understand.  Holding onto things really can make you feel bad.   I know that you tend to hold onto things because you feel you have to be strong-tough.  And it hurts you.  I hope I’m not being jerky.”

            “I can take your honesty.” She smiled.

            “Ok.  Good.  I didn’t want to get you mad at me.”

            “You didn’t.  You can be blunter if you want to be.  I’m tough- remember?” She laughed.

He smiled.  She acted like she wanted a hug, so he took her in his arms and held her close.  She smelled good.  And he knew that this is how he always wanted their relationship to be.  They were close.  And then, she said it,

            “I love you.”  He was shocked.  He was going to say it back, but she had him in a liplock.   In a way, he was glad because he really wanted to say it by himself and not have to add ‘too’ at the end.  It didn’t seem to mean as much that way.  Not that he didn’t mean it right now.  He did…  he just thought that he should only say it when he could say it first.

 

Chapter 6 PAIN

That night, the sun went down, and they both got off of work.  They went to his place.  Calleigh was a little out of it- the two had stopped by a bar on the way home and she probably had one too many.   He wasn’t going to send her home like that.  He was showing her pictures.  There was one that he had, from an old office picnic, the year before Speed died.  They were all standing together, happy.  They were tight.  “He was a good man.” Calleigh smiled. 

            “He was.  A very good man.”

            “Who gave you this picture?”

            “Alexx.”

            “Oh, she gave me an old one…” She got her wallet out of her purse and there were picture holders.  “It’s from orientation- when Speed joined the team.  I thought he looked like a punk.” She laughed.  “But then again, I thought the same thing about you.”

            “I was a punk.” He grinned.  She showed him the picture and he smiled. “You guys look so young.”

            “Yeah.  My skin looks so much less wrinkled.”

He shook his head, chuckling softly.  “Calleigh, please!  You’re not that old.  And you don’t have wrinkles.”

            “Wanna bet, hot shot?” She dared him.

            “Not really.  I’m just biased.  Can’t give a fair assessment.”

            “Yeah, really.” She stumbled a little and he caught her. 

            “Sorry.” Her words were a little slurred.

            “It’s alright.” He said. The doorbell rang then and Eric told Calleigh to sit down for a moment.  He didn’t want her to fall over and hurt herself.  When he opened the door, He was surprised to see Ryan.  The dude looked like he came for a reason, like something was bothering him.  “What’s up, Wolfe?”

            “I heard about Cooper… The thing with Speedle’s credit card.  That’s horrible.  He just turned himself in.”

            “How did you know?”

            “It was on the news.”

            “Oh.  Yeah…”

            “I wanted to come by and make sure you were ok.  I know you guys were tight.”

            “I’m alright.  It was weird, and awful, but I’m ok.”

            “Well, that’s good.”

            “Say, Wolfe, we were just looking at some old pictures.  Do you want to join in?”

            “We?” He asked, not seeing anyone immediately in his line of sight.  But then, Calleigh got up and walked over, smiling at him.  “He means me.” She stumbled a little and Eric put a hand on her back.  “Him and me=we and us.” She started to laugh uncontrollably and walked back over to the couch.

            “What’s with her?  Has she been drinking?”

            “A bit, I think… I mean, we just went to a bar, each had a glass of beer at first.  We each ordered another.  She still seemed fine… But then I left to go to the restroom and by the time we got out to the car, I have a feeling she got another…”

            “Why’s she here?” Ryan gave him a look. 

            “There was no way I was going to let her drive home like that.  Inebriated.  I was gonna take her home, but she didn’t want to go home, she said she’d rather come here, so I drove her here.”

            “Delko— I don’t think this is a good idea…  I don’t know what she was thinking, but I’m sure it wasn’t clearly.”

            “What’re you talking about?”

            “Calleigh staying here… Like that… She can hardly stand up straight.  I can’t even imagine what a man who hasn’t been drinking could do to a woman who has.” It was a suggestive tone.  Eric gave him a look.  “I have no idea what you’re thinking in that OCD mind of yours, but I’m sure it’s wrong, whatever it is.”

            “Oh, come on, Delko!  Haven’t you learned anything while being in law enforcement?! PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE.  And people who’ve been drinking are apt to be hurt or hurt someone else.  If you drink, there is a better chance of embarrassment, rape, murder…”

            “I don’t think Calleigh is going to be murdering anyone tonight.” Eric couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. 

            “I didn’t mean HER, and I didn’t mean MURDER.”

            “I know you’re trying to tell me something, but I don’t know what.  Come out with it.”

            “Ok.  Ok… I just- I don’t want you to take advantage of her when she’s weak.”

Eric looked a little hurt, but mostly surprised.  “You think I would hurt Calleigh?”

Ryan didn’t answer, which was his answer. 

            “I- I would never…” His breath caught.  “I couldn’t.  She’s so- She’s Calleigh.  Beautiful and vibrant… Smart, funny, sensitive… Special.  She’s my friend… I would never hurt her.   I didn’t bring her here to take advantage of her… I just, wanted to make sure she was alright.  You can ask her, she wanted to come here. I had nothing to do with it.”

            “Ok, man.  Ok… Sorry.  I just didn’t want anything to happen to her.”

“Neither do I.”

Chapter 7: Wrapped Around My Finger

A month had passed and finally Ryan was back on the team after being reinstated.  He still thought Eric was going too fast with Calleigh, but he knew Eric didn’t care what he thought.  And Calleigh-she seemed to enjoy his company.   One day, Ryan asked Calleigh why she had chosen Eric.

               “What do you mean by that?”

               “I mean, when I first came on, you and me, we worked so closely together, but you never wanted to be anything more.  You said that you didn’t want to date anyone you worked with.”

               “It’s nothing personal, Ryan.  Don’t get me wrong, I like you.  But-you’re like a friend.  I think of you like a little brother.  With Eric-I don’t know, we’ve always been so close.  We came on the force about the same time, we both worked with Speedle before he died… We’ve always been there for each other.   And, I think I should have realized earlier that we were a good pair.”

               “But what inspired you to make the choice?  I mean, one day, you and him are friends and the next, you’re a couple.”

               “I can’t tell you that.  It’s not my place.”

               “So it’s something with Eric-personally?” He looked confused.

               “Yes. If you want to know, ask him.  All I can tell you is that it’s because of him getting shot, and the fragments stuck in his head.”

“Oh.  Well, if that’s the case… It’s ok.  I’ll ask him.”

               “Ok.”

Calleigh hated these kind of conversations.  She understood why Ryan was curious.  Sometimes, she liked him more than she let on, but she thought of Ryan as a kid.  He had come in several years after Eric, and so her and Eric just jived better.  She hoped he wouldn’t take it personally. Well, as if the weird conversation with Ryan wasn’t odd enough, she saw Jake getting off the elevator.  She tried to avoid him.  But, it was in vain.  He saw her.  She pretended like she hadn’t seen him.  He came over to her, actually looking happy.  Then he took her hand and pulled her into the supply closet, kissing her with passion.  At first, she was too shocked to do anything, but then she pushed him away, catching her breath.  “Jake!”

               “What, baby?”

               “Why did you do that?  We’re not together anymore.”

               “I know, I just knew you weren’t with anyone…”

               “that’s where you’re wrong.  Remember, I told you I was in love with someone?”

He shrugged.  “Whatever.” And tried to kiss her again.  She slapped him.  “Get off me.  And don’t ever do that again.”

               “I can if I want.  You were mine first.”

               “I was not.”

               “It doesn’t matter.” And he kissed her again, this time, more forceful.  She couldn’t get away, he was holding her hands so they couldn’t move.  She was using every bit of strength to get as far away as she could.  The closet door opened, and as if things weren’t bad enough, it was Eric who had opened it.  He saw her, and Jake, and he looked really hurt. “What’s going on in here?”

“Oh, nothin’, dude.  Just having a bit of fun.” Jake said.  He squeezed out of the closet, past Eric, and down the hall.  He always left a mess.  Calleigh took a deep breath.  This was bad.  She tried to stop it, but a tear fell from her eye.  And all she could do was start apologizing, even though she didn’t do anything wrong.  “I’m sorry-he just-he came off the elevator and he pulled me in here… I tried to get away, he kissed me, and I told him to stop, that I was with someone and he didn’t listen.  He didn’t care.  He had my hands… I’m sorry.  You shouldn’t have had to see that.”

He took a deep breath.  He knew it wasn’t her fault.  He felt bad that she felt bad. And he took her in his arms.  “It’s ok.  You didn’t do anything wrong.  I believe you.  I was just-shocked, and for a moment I thought- but then, I saw how upset you were…”

“I am so in love with you, you know that?  Right?” She almost sounded like she was breaking. She didn’t want to lose him.

“I know that, Calleigh.  And every day I fall more in love with you.  And I can’t tell you how happy I am that we get to be together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

And that was all she needed.  And for a moment, she thought about everything that had gone on that day.  And she realized, she had all those men wrapped around her finger, but the only one that mattered was Eric.  He was the only one she wanted.  Everything else was just- nothing at all.

 

Chapter 9: The Reason

Eric was on his way out the door when he got a phone call.  It was his mother, so he figured he better answer.  “Hey, Mamã.  What’s up?”

               “I hadn’t heard from you in a long time, hihò.  What?  You can’t call your own mother?”

               “It’s not that, I just haven’t thought about it.  But, I should have.  I have news.”

               “What kind of news?”

               “You’ll be very proud, I hope.  I’ve found the woman I want to marry.”

               “Hihò! Are you serious?!”

               “Yeah.  Her name is Calleigh, you’ll love her.”

               “I’m sure I will.  I cannot believe my little son is thinking about marriage.”

               “I’m not so little anymore.”

               “No matter.  You’ll always be my baby.”

               “Awh! Mom!” He couldn’t believe her talking to him that way still made him feel uncomfortable.  The woman just laughed.  “You bring your little lady over for dinner, tomorrow night.”

               “I will.  We’re both off tomorrow.”

               “I can’t wait.  If my son is settling down, Jesus, Mary and Joseph!  That’s something.  She must be a really special girl.”

               “She is.”

 

Calleigh met him at the movies where she said she would.  The cinema was showing Titanic again, and she loved that movie, so he went with her.  Of course, it didn’t matter much what the movie was because they just made out most of the time.  But, whatever.  She said she’d go with him to his parent’s place the next night.  He thought she might be a little uncomfortable, or not want to go because it was too much pressure or something.  She had chuckled a little and told him that she couldn’t wait to meet his parents.  She just asked why his mom wanted to meet her so badly.  “Well, because I told her that I found the woman I want to marry.”

“Sounds like a good reason.”She smiled, kissing him.

“You don’t mind that I told her that?”

“No.  Not at all.  I like that.  I want to marry you too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.  I used to be closed off to the idea, but I’m open to it now.   And even if I still was leery on getting married, I love you so much, that if you asked me to, I would do it… But of course, I don’t feel that way.  I’d really like to marry you.  Honest.”

And those were the most beautiful words she could have ever said.  He kissed the top of her head and again, wrapped his arms around her.

 

 

Chapter  10: All The Way

            “Hey, Wolfe, I need your help.  Can you drop by Roger’s Jewlerey store?”

            “Sure, but why?  Has it been robbed?” Ryan sounded ready for action.  Being cooped up in the lab all day can make you antsy.

            “No, Wolfe.  It’s a personal matter.”

            “At a jewelry store?!”

            “Just come down.  I’ll tell you then.”

            “Alright.  You just have to know that I hate surprises.”

 

Eric rolled his eyes as he hung up.  A few minutes went by and Ryan walked in the door.  He walked over to where Eric was standing.  “What’s going on?”

            “I’m trying to decide on a ring for Calleigh.”

            “Wait a minute!  You called me down here to ask me about a ring?!”

            “Yeah.  We may have had our differences in the past, but I consider you a friend.  So will you help me out?”

            “Yeah.” Ryan looked uncomfortable.  “Why didn’t you ask Natalia or Valera?  They’re women.”

            “Because I don’t trust them to keep secrets.  Women tell women about these kind of things.  The only person I can trust with this kind of stuff, besides you and H, is Calleigh, and I can’t tell her because she’s who it’s for.”

            “Ok. Fine.  Which ones are you thinking?”

            “Well…” Eric walked over to a counter and showed him a section.  “I like this one.  See how beautiful it is?”

            “That is nice.  The only thing I see with it is that it’s a little to delicate for her… I mean, we all know Calleigh is a sweet, beautiful woman, and she looks too pretty to work so hard, but she works hard.  She doesn’t let people push her around, and she can take care of herself.  She also makes you earn her trust, which you’ve done.  Until then, forget it.  I think this one over here is a little more ‘Calleigh’.”

            “Me too.  That’s the one I was thinking of.  I thought of this one-“ He pointed to a bigger ring.

            “It looked a little too gaudy.”

            “Yeah, I agree.  I’d go with that one.  The second one.”

            “That’s what I thought you’d say… And that’s the one I think she’ll like the best.”

Ryan smiled a little.  “This is actually pretty cool.  You and Calleigh getting hitched.”

            “Well, hold your horses, she hasn’t said yes yet. I haven’t asked her.  You know, you usually have to buy the ring before you ask.”

            “I guess.  But I know she’ll say yes.  It’s a no-brainer.”

            “Boy, do I hope you’re right.”

The clerk came up to them.  He looked at them, at first thinking that they were the couple.  They looked at each other, “Ew, no.” They both shrugged off the feeling like it was mud or some gross chemical compound.   “Sorry about the confusion.  I just saw the both of you standing together… And nowadays anything can happen.”

            “No harm, no foul.” Ryan laughed, nervously.  This was awkward.

            “I’m the one shopping-for a girl.  Wolfe here, he’s my friend, and my partner, we’re cops.  I asked him down here because he knows Calleigh, my girlfriend, pretty well, we’re all friends… I wanted to see which one he thought she would like the best.  I pretty much already knew which one I wanted to get, just wanted a second opinion.”

            “Well, have you decided?”

            “Yes.  I think so.  I think she’ll like this one.  It’s her.”

The clerk looked at it and smiled.  “So, you’ve got a beautiful pistol on your hands.”

Eric laughed because he’d gotten it completely right. “Bingo.  You got it.  That’s my Calleigh.  She seems all pretty and delicate when you don’t know her that well, but if you rub her the wrong way, watch out.”

            “She’s a ballistics expert.” Ryan explained.

            “Yep.  This is perfect for her.” The clerk agreed with a smile. 

 

Eric left the store with a smile on his face.  Ryan looked over at him.  “It’s good to see you so happy.  I know it sounds a little weird, but, you looked a little down before you and Calleigh got together.  And then, once you and her became a thing, it was like everything changed.  It’s nice.  I’m glad both of you are happy.”

            “yeah, Wolfe.  Me too.”