In the Blink of an Eye

Chapter 1

Caitlin was sitting behind the desk at Santini Air trying to sort out some paperwork for Dom. String was doing some repairs and every once in awhile Caitlin and Dom could hear him swearing under his breath.

"What's the matter with him today?" asked Dom.

"I don't know,' replied Cait. "He's been that way all day. Actually he woke up in a bad mood and he's barely spoken to me."

"You do something to make him mad?" Dom asked.

Caitlin frowned. "If I did, I certainly don't know what it is. I thought things were fine last night."

"Well, I'm sure whatever it is, he'll get over it shortly," said Dom.

"Yeah, well if he doesn't snap out of it soon," Caitlin said as loud as she could so that Hawke could hear. "I'm going to have to drop him on his ass."

About an hour later String threw down his tools and yelled to Dom that he needed to get out of there for awhile. He jumped into the jeep and took off.

"Maybe I should have a talk with him when he gets back," said Dom.

Caitlin couldn't help but worry. "I guess it couldn't hurt," she said. "I haven't seen him like this in a long time."

The two continued to work and about two hours later String returned. He had a cup of coffee in his hand and went straight back to work without talking to Dom or Caitlin.

"Dom, I'm going to go and run some errands," said Caitlin. "Maybe he'll talk to you if I'm not around."

"Okay," said Dom. "Don't you worry, I'm sure it's nothing."

Caitlin gave Dom a half smile as she headed out to her car and drove off. "What has gotten in to him?" she thought. "Things were fine when I left him and went to bed last night."

Caitlin thought about the previous evening. She was tired so she went to bed before String. When she left him, he was looking through some old books he had taken down from the shelf. He had kissed her and told her goodnight. She went to bed only to wake up and find him acting like a completely different person.

After Caitlin left Santini Air, Dom walked over to String and quietly stood beside him.

"What do you want Dom?" he asked.

"I want to know what's gotten into you today" Dom replied. "That girl loves you and you are suddenly acting like she doesn't exist."

String sighed. "I love her too. I just needed some space from her today," he said.

Dom shook his head. "Listen String, you need to learn a lot about relationships and women," he said. "They don't like it when you keep things all bottled up. It drives them crazy."

Hawke tried not to laugh at his friend. "I know," he replied.

"So what's bugging you?" asked Dom.

String took a sip of his coffee before answering. "Last night I was going through some old books. I was looking for an old family recipe that I thought I put in one of them," he said. "Instead I found a letter that Gabrielle had written when she was staying with me."

"I see," said Dom. "So what does this have to do with how you're treating Caitlin?"

"It's hard to explain," replied String. "I waited for her to go to bed before I read it. The more I read, the guiltier I felt."

"Because you still love Gabrielle?" Dom asked.

"No, that's just it Dom," he replied. "I realized that she would have never stayed with me. As much as I thought I loved her, it would have never worked out."

"Then why do you feel guilty?"

"Because Gabrielle is gone and I have Caitlin," he replied. "If Gabrielle had lived, I probably would have never met Caitlin. I can't imagine what my life would be like now without Cait."

"String, I think Gabrielle would have wanted you to find love again," said Dom. "I believe in fate and Cait is one of a few people who know how to handle you."

"Yeah, and I think she really could drop me on my ass if she wanted to," said String.

Dom and Hawke began to laugh.

An hour went by and Dom was starting to wonder why Caitlin hadn't returned from her errands yet. He was just about to comment to String when the phone rang.

"Santini Air," Dom said as he answered it.

Hawke walked up to Dom as he watched his friend listen intensely to the speaker on the other end of the phone.

"What?" asked Dom. "What happened? We'll be right there."

"What's going on Dom?" asked Hawke.

Dom put his hand on String's shoulder before answering. "It's Caitlin. She's been in a car accident," he replied. "Michael says they've taken her to the Firm's hospital."

Too shaken to drive, String let Dom get behind the wheel of the jeep. He felt his heart racing.

"I can't lose her Dom," he said repeatedly. "I can't lose her. She can't leave me too."

"She's a fighter String," said Dom. "Don't you dare give up on her."