Eric was sleeping on the chair right next to calleigh bed ,even though it was way pass visiting hours the hospital staff and alittle bit of help from alexx had agree to let stay over becuase they didnt bother anyone and were quiet,Calleigh was watching sleep with a smile on her face ,she couldnt sleep she had after all slept a good part of the daywith eric watching over her ,even though he ahd stay with her all day they both avoided talking about what eric had say while she was fighting for her life ,even unconcious she could clearly hear him talking to her and those word still echo in her head and when she finnaly open her eyes and saw eric watch on her wrist she knew at that moment it wasnt a dream and when eric said ''it was all real '' the little bit of doubt she had inside her quickly faded away .

When she asked him to stay with her for a litte bit she didnt expect them to talk all day about nothing and everythingexcept of course what eric had say to her she knew that right know the ball was in her camp ,she couldnt stop watching him sleep right next to her a few inches from her it was the first time her and eric would spend a full night together next to each other ,their had been many late night at the lab and many sleep over at each other house after a night of too much drinking but they never crossed the line of sharing a bed it would always be him on the couch and her on the bed even when it was at his house he would always insist that she slept on his bed even though she did protest a few times she never minded sleeping in eric bed if it meant falling asleep with the scent of his cologne on his pillow and in the morning he would always take her to breakfast because he hated to cook breakfast ,they had been occasionnal moment where they had fallen asleep on the couch watching a really bad movie ,but she would always wake up in his bed ,eric would cary her to his bed and take her shoes off but thats it he would never crossed the line of undressing her ,movie night was their thing they would usually do once a week often on sunday night it had started shortly aftet speed death they both missed him and it was their way of coping because they remenber that speedle loved movie and they would always say after watching one ''speed would have love this one'' or '' speed would have hated that one'' when calleigh strated dating Jake 'to much of eric dismay and she knew it,she never missed a night ,she knew jake didnt like her spending time with eric and it would always end up with her and jake fighting,and jake would always say the same thing ''hes in love with you ,you know that '' and he would always say it in a way that would get under Calleigh skin was when jake would say ''how could you so blind or maybe you just dont want to admit it to yourself '' for her that was the last straw which at that moment usually she would kick him out of her house ,deep down she knew jake was right she just didnt want to face it she wasnt ready but now she was , when she would kick him out she wouldnt hear from jake for a few days and she didnt mind either she knew that sooner or later he would show up at her door with his best puppy eyes saying his usual sorry officer pretty she would always take him back,why she didnt know she wasnt in love with jake he was just the in between guy the kind of guy you dont bring home to your family ,but for her it was better then being alone .

Deep down calleigh knew she wouldnt have been alone eric was there with arms wide open waiting for her to realised jake was a jerk something once again she didnt want to face back then but when jake asked her to wait for him and she said '' Jake i cant do that '' she felt like a huge weight had gone off her shoulder it was the beginning of her facing her feeling for Eric she felt relief and free and it didnt surprised her either after all she had gotten her heart broken many times before ,first john hagen had kill himself right in front of her in her own lab and Peter Elliot didnt even have the decency to let her know he was engage Monica West to all people the DA who was trying to bring the lab down so it wasnt much surprised that when she started dating jake she ddint fell in love with him she did care for him but she was never in love with him and neither was she even close to it and she knew he would eventually broke he heart so she never open her heart to him she had closed it completly and now she was about to open it and to who of all people her best friend who had been there for her over the years of all the relationship she had over the years she could always rely on eric no mather what and now she was in a hospital bed after almost dying from smoke inhalation with her best friend watching over her .

has she look at eric sleeping in the chair uncomfortable Calleigh coulndt help but ponder at the memory of her watching over him after he had gotten shot only 2 years ago it seem so far but yet so close it was a day she would never forget when Horatio had call her to let her know she remenber feeling a sharp pain inside of her like somehow she would feel what eric was feeling right at the same moment she never though she would feel something like this for anybody else let alone eric ,and after this painfull part of his life eric she could see eric struggling to get his memory back to remenber the little thing that made him question himsefl over and over one of the worst time she remneber was when during one of their movie night eric had brought a movie they already seen but he ddint seem to remenber seeing it so calleigh ddint say anything but half way through the movie nhe remanber and felt embarrassed and ashame he didnt remenber even when she said ''its ok '' it didnt help much either it only made him feel worst so that night for the first time since they had started movie night eric left early,she did try to convince him to stay that she didnt mind watching the movie again but eric was so mad at himself for not remenbering that he just wanted to be alone .

When exactly she had fallen for eric she didnt know but all she knew is that it had snuck up on her suddenly she was thinking about him over and over at night when she was going to bed or in the morning he was the first thing she would think even when she was intimate with jake she would think of eric many times she ahd to bite down her lips not to scream eric name but still she didnt want to face it she wasnt ready she was afraid all her issue would resurface each time she would think about getting with him ,after all eric was known to be quite the ladies name and she didnt want to get her heart broken again by of all people eric .she knew he had feeling for her but and that he was jealous of jake but she that they would go away once eric would meet a girl but then the dreaded day came the day she sometimes wish to forget ,she read eric files and there it was the lines she had reread in her head so many times ''it made me think about settling down ..would be nice if it were calleigh '' calleigh doesnt remenber what she thought at the moment all she knew is that she was in shock and that all she could say to herself was '' my god he really love me eric delko his in love with me '' she couldnt deny it anymore it was right there in front of her black on white now that she knew what eric felt she had to face her own feeling .she couldnty deny them anymore ,couldnt push them aside couldnt ignore the way he made her feel each time he would smile at her with his brown chocolate eyes that made her feel like she was the only one in the world ,or how the little thing he would do for her would made her blush just him bringning her coffee a during a long shift would now made her gigle ,her calleigh duquesne gigling for a guy it never happen and she thought it never would ,only her father could make her gigle like that and now her best friend who she knew and trusted for 7 years was that man.

When calleigh indeed realised she was in love with eric and worst of all she was deeply in love she was in the firing range and natalia found her in the ladies bathroom having a slight panic attack and when she had nochoice but to admit to natalia what was going ,after many and many question , natalia laughed at her and all she could say ''its about time '' calleigh look at her with big eyes and a shock look she knew showed how scared she was right now '' you know'' was all she could so to natalia and natalia response made her even more embarrassed '' calleigh even ryan knows '' calleigh remenber burrying her head in her hands the fact the even ryan knew made it clear that she couldnt hide her feeling anymore .

So there she was her heart wide open for him ,she waited and waited for him to say something and he did give her clues but nver did he say something that would made her grab him and drag him in the supply closet and kissed him all over even if she had day dream about it many times eric never said anything so finnaly she got impatient and told him that she needed to hear the words basicly she was telling him to stop confusing her ,she had basicly giving him the green light .she remenber exactly the look he had on his face right then he look hurt and confused like a kid who had been cought with his hand in cookie jar ,when she ahd turned around she could feel his eyes on her and she said to herself '' stupid calleigh jsut tell him your self it would be easier for both you ,but no your to stubborn and proud to say it ''.

And now today of all day he had finnaly said it he ddint exactly say calleigh i love you but he did say '' i can imagine my life without you '' said it all it could praticly say i want to spend the rest of my life with you .To bad she was unconcious to say anything back to him but inside she was screaming to him thats she loved him to and that she couldnt imagine her life without him too and then when she woke up the first thing she saw was his watch which she still had given him back she ddint thought it would be like this with her fighting for her life when she first saw him when she woke up she wanted to tell him how she felt but now the word wouldnt come out she was once more freezing .shuting her emotion inside .

Calleigh notice a smile on the corner of eric lips,he must be dreaming she thought , she wonder for a second if he was dreaming about her she recieved confirmation of it when his smile widen it was the same one he had when ever she walk into a room his sleep suddenly became more agitated he was wiggling around on his chair and it wasnt a pleasant dream tried to reah for his handbut before she could do it eric had fallen backward head over feet calleigh didnt want to laugh but the look on his face when he stood has quickly has he had fallen down was priceless the way he was blushing when he saw her looking at him made it even more funnier she tried to contain herself by covering her mouth with her hand but eric finnaly said '' i meant to do that '' she bursted into a laugh so uncontrolably thats he quickly choke on her still sore lungs hich ended up with her leaning forward coughing her hand covering her mouth eric pated her back the best he could to regain her breath for a second there he was reliving this morning when she had fallen in his arm struggling to breath he never though he could have been more scare to loose somebody in his life th ways he was helpless broke his heart it was the first time in 7 years he had seen calleigh this helpless.

After a few more cough calleigh lay back on the bed with eric giving her a worrying look has he sat back down onthe chair stil holding her hand with both his hand when she whisper the words ''im ok'' it didnt give eric much reasurance but he gave her light smile in return ,then she saw him rub the back of his neck .he must be sore she though after all he ahd spend all watching over her in a small and uncomfortable hospital chair and she didnt even gave him the consideration of asking if he was comfortable and when she did ask him if he was comfoortable and he said he was she knew he was lying she knew him to well he never could lie to her he always had a tell and somehow she was the only one who had catch on ,the way he chuckle when he lied was adorable she though ,calleigh asked him if he rather leave and go home resting in a comforatable bed all he had to say '' im ok i've never been better '' he said with a huge smile on his face but his smile faded when he said ''unless you want me to leave '' ,calleigh detected a slight hint of doubt in his voice when shelook at him straight in the eyes she could see that all the doubt he hd over her feeling for him had come back in a instant .all calleigh could do was scoop over the bed she then took eric hand and was about tot tell him to get in next to her when they both heard somebody coming into the room.

it was Alexx doing her rounds checking in on calleigh ''hey babies '' she said cheerfully raising an eyebrows at them Alexx knew to well she had interrupted a moment between eric and calleigh on of the many she had interrupted over the years of working with them butthis time it was different and she could see it ,hell a blind person could see it she though has she check on calleigh vitals ,Alex had been a closed witness to them falling slowly falling for each other she watchthem get closer after speed death they had rely on each other to cope for their grief everybody did but calleigh and eric always had a connection that was hard for anybody to break she had doubt of eric feeling for her over the years after all he was quite the ladies man,butt he way he was looking at her right now like she was the only girl in the world and the way he reacted when she was kidnap and just this morning when he came with her to the hospital she wasnt surprised that eric was feeling the same pain she was in some way .

Alexx was asking question to calleigh was answering them but kept looking at eric who was making google eyes at her .Alexx had to ask her a few times the same question becuase calleigh wasnt answering them she was watching her and eric playing with each other finger which made Alexx a bit im patient but smilling .When Alexx met Eric she knew instantly he was a sweet good ,gererous and kinded man but that he was also ladies man and that he would never settle down and have kids even though she knew he love children ,but all that changeone day the day that nodody at the lab will ever forget the day they receicve the call that eric had been gravely injured in the line of duty ,Alexx was with calleigh when they receive the news and she remenber clearly the look in calleigh face . the blank look, the eyes filed with tears but not allowing herself to cry ,and the silence when she hung up and that alexx waited for some news ,alex remenber clearly what calleigh had said her eyes closed and her head down '' eric been shot ''she said in all the year she had known calleigh she had never seen her like that almost crumbling down and fighting for the tears not cot come down,alexx had immediatly rushed tot he hospital and whn calleigh had come to see him later Alexx had wishes she would have seen her before she did to tell her that eric might not be the same but unfortunalty she didnt and when calleigh came out her face had changed she wa confused and shock in a instant eric had change and even thought they had only exchange afew words she knew him to well to know he wasnt the same .

Alexx stay for alittle bit longer ,she knew that they wanted to be alone even thought they did their best to hide it but she enjoy teasing them and took her sweet time and has she walk away she turned around and said to them ''dont do anything i would do ''she said raisng her eyebrow and lighting up that so distinctive smile of her ,calleigh and eric look at each other a bit shock and alexx walk away laughing .before she left Alexx closed back the curtain to give them more privacy even though it was see through it was the best she could do for them at this moment and it was greatly appreciated from calleigh and eric .

Calleigh lifted her head up to watch alexx leave and has soon has she heard the door click she moved on the bed to make space for eric and once again eric was hesitant so she interlock her finger with his and pulled him toward her ''common scuba boy get over here '' she said laughing ,eric chuckle nervously and climb on the bed laying on his side next to calleigh who was laying on her back ,eric didnt exactly know where to put his hand ,calleigh watch him has he nervoulsy put them on his thigh then between them then again on his thigh ,she laughed and then took his hand and gently lay it on her stomach her hands on top of his ,she nested her head on the crook of his neck she could feel his rugged day old beard on her cheek and she loved it something she always though to be sexy in a man and eric always knew how to pull it off .

They watch has their finger intertwnined with each other ,eric squeeze tightly showing with this little gesture how scared he had been of loosing her he whisper somethign in russian ,she had no idea what it meant but she smiled at the sweet tone of his voice ,she squeezed back his hand showing him she was going to be ok that she was ok beeing so close to him in his arm ,she felt safe and loved althought they still had to defined their new found relationship it could wait she wanted to enjoy this moment for now the rest could wait .