For some reason, I've been writing a lot of poetry lately. This was one that I thought was halfway decent and I was going to turn it into a oneshot…I wrote it but it sucked, and that's putting it mildly. So, it's in poem form.
This is something that could have taken place in season eight after Eric and Calleigh get back together and before he came back on the team (so glad he's back! Fingers crossed for good things in season 9). I can't wait until next season, but if Calleigh doesn't wake up when the season premiere airs, CBS is going to have one very angry mob on their hands (which I shall be apart of).
Sorry, I'm shutting up now.
The Burden of Distance
She missed many things about him not being at CSI
True, they had their mornings
They had their nights and lunch breaks
But it wasn't the same
He would sometimes be in the lab
But it wasn't everyday like they were used to
And, yes, he seemed to be at MDPD more and more
But he was there without the title of 'CSI: Delko'
But the thing she despised one thing the most
Not seeing him as frequently throughout the day she could live with
It was the fact that this new job made him leave
Something that she would have to get used to
Whether it was going to LA with Horatio
Or whether he had to go to Tampa
Travel for him was coming more often
Meaning more time she spent alone
Maybe she was being irrational
She knew he had left Tampa for her
And she knew he would do it anytime for her
So why did she feel so alone?
Why did seeing the half-empty side of the bed make her heart sink?
Why did the absence of his arms around her make her so despondent?
How could this hurt her so much?
How was it possible to feel so low about something so trivial?
He would be back in a few days
It wasn't like he had been ripped from her forever
His arms would soon be around her
Within his embrace her gleefulness shall return
But a few days could feel like an eternity in some situations
His lack of presence took her back to old memories
She supposed that was the reason for her ache
The memories of the time she thought he had been ripped away
The time he didn't know what to do
It was when he was going through a hard time
When his heart and mind had been jumbled
When the trauma of the passed few months had blinded him
It had blinded his love
His love for the job and his friends
Even his love for her
Thankfully, only for a limited time
But while he was sorting things out
Her whole world had crumpled down
She was no stranger to heartbreak
She had known its bitter taste for years
But this was not just heartbreak
It was more like heart shredding
As though her strong heart was slowly being torn
Torn slowly to prolong the pain
The nights seemed to grow darker
And they also seemed to grow longer
A Duquesne smile became an endangered species
And silent tears became more common as the sun began to set
But they had both underestimated their need for each other
It was mightier than the attraction of magnets
It's pull stronger than gravity
It was only a matter of time before they were drawn back into the others arms
The times he went away brought back these moments of loneliness
She knew it was utterly ridiculous
And she knew this could almost be considered unhealthy
But she couldn't help missing him
Missing him came natural
Just as natural as loving him
More natural than guns
More natural than anything she had ever known
She looked at the clock next to the bed
The red numbers illuminated the dark room
They glowed the time of two thirty in the morning
She had heard his voice almost five hours ago
Well, technically, she did
She had heard his voice on his voicemail when she had called him
She had called to say goodnight and to say she loved him
After five rings, his voice came on the line
The voice of Eric asked for the caller to leave their name and number
The classic line of an absence greeting
He also left his promise to return their call
Yet another classic
She wasn't sure why he didn't answer
Maybe he was still on the plane
Maybe he was looking over evidence
Maybe his battery had died
The reason didn't matter
The fact was that he didn't answer
Accepting the fact she wouldn't speak to him that night
She left her message
She sent him her love
She sent him her wishes for him to have a goodnight
Her promise of seeing him soon
And her request for him to call her back when he could
She now looked at the numbers on the clock
Reminding herself that the numbers would change
And that every time they did she was another minute closer to him
But did the numbers really have to change so slowly?
She heard the sound of her phone vibrating against the table
She reached over to pick it up to see she had a new text message
Who would text her this late?
Why would anyone text her this late?
She opened the message
A smile graced her lips as she read who sent it
It was from the man who she couldn't stop thinking about
It was from the man she needed to hear from most…Eric
His message read:
"Only just landed
I had my phone off on the plane
Otherwise I would have answered
I would have called you back
But I didn't want to wake you
I'll see you in a few days
Until then, sweet dreams and I love you"
She smiled at the message
Suddenly, she didn't feel so lonely
It was as though he knew she needed to hear this
He knew she needed some reassurance
She may have been good at reading him
But he wasn't that bad at reading her
He could still read her from the distance between them
It was one of the many great things about him
She put down her phone
Then she laid her head in her pillow
Her troubles and heaviness seemed more ludicrous than ever
She should have known he would never leave her alone
She closed her eyes
She hadn't realized how heavy they had become
And was sucked into her subconscious
And within that realm she had, as Eric had wished, sweet dreams