Hey guys! I know I have been MIA for quite some time (much like Eric when he went to Puerto Rico)… but I just have had no time for my stories. As for Second Chances, it's pretty much finished. As you know it was my first fic and I honesty didn't think it was all that good so, I'm just going to post the occasionally one-shot. I do have an idea for a longer, multi-chapter story, so I may work on that.

I do not own anything, sadly.

Hope you guys like this!

This is based off of the spoilers for 'Backfire.'

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After the team had gone home, Eric remained behind with Calleigh in the hospital. She stood behind him and spoke to him, but he couldn't hear her; no one could. She watched as he cried and kissed her hand, begging her to wake up. Calleigh, herself, found it hard to believe that she was going to wake up.

The time was 11:11pm. Eric and Calleigh had the same wish; that she would wake up. He grasped her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. She wanted to be conscious, in his arms, and tell him that everything was going to be fine. But, she couldn't lie to him. Calleigh had no idea if she was going to wake up, nor the doctors, or Eric. This time, it was truly life or death.

The hours passed, yet Eric remained by her side. He continuously squeezed her hand thinking it would somehow it would pull her out of a coma.

He sighed, and then spoke, "I was thinking about coming back to CSI… not as a CSI, ya know, still working for the DA…"

Calleigh sat on the edge of her bed, facing Eric. "That's great, Eric. Why?"

He couldn't hear her, but she kept her sanity by talking to those around her, when Patrick was gone. He was dead, and the only one who could see her… not a very good sign.

Eric continued, "I know it may be hard to believe, but I think I needed this time off to make me realize what's important in my life…" He gave a sad smile, "And someone's gotta watch out for you, Cal. Fires are just not your thing…"

She chuckled, "Don't I know that."

"But I need you here with me, Calleigh. You mean the world to me…" he trailed off, voice starting to shake.

A few tears fell from his cheeks and he sadly shook his head. "I love you so much…"

Eric placed her hand back at her side and buried his face in his hands. "You can't leave me, Cal. I, I don't know what I'm going to do…"

His shoulders shook with every cry that escaped his lips. Calleigh had never seen him like this. It scared her. It made her really believe that she wasn't going to make it.

Soon, Calleigh was crying, sobbing actually. She stood up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. Her chin was resting in the crook of his neck.

"Eric, please, I can't see you like this…" she begged him.

It was deeply frustrating, she was so close to him, yet he couldn't see or feel her. She walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down where Horatio and Alexx had sat hours before.

She watched him carefully take hold of her hand and kiss the back of it.

"I was gonna ask you to marry me," he whispered.

Calleigh gasped and cupped her hands around her mouth. More tears began to fall from her cheeks.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, "Eric, I don't think…."

"You have to wake up, Cal," he whispered.

She bit her lip as more tears fell, "I don't think I can."

"What a way to propose!"

Calleigh turned around in her chair and found Patrick standing there.

She sighed, "Patrick, please tell me what's going to happen."

"I'm sorry Calleigh, I honestly don't know," he told her.

She stood up and walked over to him. "Listen, we solved the case, we proved you didn't start the fire. Now, you have to help me."

He sighed, "Alright, alright. Follow me."

Calleigh glanced back at Eric before following Patrick out of the room and down the hall.

She found herself in a dimly lit hallway with floors so shiny; you could see your own reflection in them. Calleigh rolled her eyes at her reflection; she looked a mess. Then, she found Patrick was no longer with her.

Calleigh called out his name, "Patrick? Hello?"

A few voices could be heard at the end of the hall and Calleigh walked towards them. The click clacking of her heels echoed off the walls and caused the voices to stop.

"Is anyone there? Patrick?" She asked.

As she walked closer, she could make out two people; a man and a woman. The walked towards Calleigh and she gasped when they came into the light.

"Speed?"

He nodded and smiled, "Hey, Calleigh."

"Marisol?"

She too smiled, "Hi Calleigh."

Calleigh hugged Speed, then Marisol. She studied their faces, "You haven't changed at all."

Speed shrugged, "Well, aside from your body decomposing, there's not much changing you do after ya die."

Marisol sighed, "Tim, come on, take it easy."

"I'm dead?" Calleigh asked. "Oh no, Eric… he was sitting next to me, he-"

"Oh Calleigh, you're not dead," Marisol told her. "You're still in a coma."

She studied her reflection on the floor and looked back at Speed and Marisol. "Will I wake up?"

Speed sighed, "Calleigh, tell me this, do you think it's your time to go?"

She shook her head, "No, no, far from it. I mean, Eric, he just proposed. He couldn't live with himself if I died."

Marisol smiled wide, "Eric proposed? Oh, I'm going to be an aunt!"

Calleigh's heart stopped. "I'm pregnant?"

"No, not yet. It's a miracle you're not at the rate you two are going…" Speed said.

Calleigh and Marisol both glared at him.

He shrugged, "I'm just saying. If you guys weren't interrupted by the DA that one time, and all those other times…"

Calleigh turned a few shades of red and Marisol smacked his arm.

"Tim! That is their business, leave Calleigh alone," she told him.

"Oh God… but, it's not like you get to choose when you die. Look at you guys, you had your whole lives ahead of you," Calleigh said.

"That's true," Marisol began. "But it was our time. Believe me, we both wanted to live, but there's no changing your fate. Am I making any sense, Calleigh?"

She sighed, "I just want to know if I'm going to die."

Speed and Marisol exchanged a look that made Calleigh not want an answer.

"You're not," they said in unison.

Calleigh let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.

"So, Calleigh, how's everyone doing?" Speed asked.

She opened her eyes and gave a small smile, "Everyone's doing alright. We really miss you two."

"How's Horatio?" Marisol asked.

"He's okay… you know he still visits you everyday," Calleigh told her.

She smiled and ran her fingers over her wedding ring. "I know... God, I miss him. How's Eric doing?"

"When he's not fooling around with you," Speed added in the form of cough.

Marisol glared at him.

Calleigh couldn't help but grin, "He's good, um, he got a job with the DA."

"Yeah, what's up with that? I never thought he'd leave CSI," Speed said.

"I never thought he would either. Then he left for Puerto Rico after having a run in with immigrations. You think he'd stay in the US for a while," Calleigh said.

"Then he comes back and goes to the 'dark side' as Frank put it," Speed told her.

Calleigh nodded, "Yeah, but no matter what side, it was good to see him after being MIA for a while."

Speed began to talk, "I missed Miami." Marisol finished, "Miami missed you."

They burst into laughter and high fived.

Calleigh raised an eyebrow, "Are you making fun of us?"

"Well, yeah," he began. "You guys see each other after, what, like 2 months? And all you can say is Miami missed you?"

She opened her mouth to talk, but Marisol cut in. "It should, and could have gone a million different ways."

"How else could it have gone?" Calleigh asked, slightly annoyed.

"Alright, alright," Speed began. "Next topic."

"Calleigh, sweetie, can you hear me?"

She looked at Speed and Marisol, "Did you guys say something?"

"No," Speed said. "Did you?"

"I didn't," Marisol answered.

"Calleigh!"

She gasped, "Eric?"

Calleigh turned around to look for him. Marisol sighed, "Calleigh, Eric's not here. You're waking up."

She faced Speed and Marisol and shook her head. "I am? How?"

Marisol ran over and hugged Calleigh. "Bye future sister-in-law. Tell Eric and Horatio I love them, ok?"

Calleigh confusingly nodded and Speed came to hug her. He wrapped his arms around her and tears stung in her eyes.

"Tell everybody I say hi, alright?"

She nodded, "Speed, but-"

Calleigh closed her eyes to try and keep tears from falling, but when she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the dimly lit hallway with shiny floors. She was in her hospital bed.

There were a few nurses adjusting the machines she was hooked up to. She violently coughed and a nurse came running over.

"Calleigh, sweetie, try not to talk, alright? You're going to be okay," the nurse told her.

She looked to her right and saw Eric. They smiled at one another. No words were needed. Calleigh was fine. Eric was fine. As a couple, they were perfect.

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So, whatcha think? Good? Bad? So horrible that you don't even want to write a review? (let's hope not!) OH, BTW, what did you guys think of In the Wind? Way to go CBS! So, at least we know that Calleigh and Eric are still together… Please review!!!

-K