PHOTOS:
Jesse wasn't on the scene, He was working his own a ten minute drive away. But he heard the squawk of the radios, he saw the grave looks that came over the officers faces. He turned to Tripp, looking for an explanation.
At that moment another message came through the radio, he was closer this time but still couldn't make out what was being said. His voice was drowned out by the most chilling sound Jesse had ever heard in his life.
A scream.
He had heard screams before, he could tell the difference between a heart broken scream and a scream of anger. He knew a scream of passion sounded nothing like either of them. A scream of rage and a scream of frustration might sound the same to some, but to Jesse Cardosa they were worlds apart.
But this scream beat them all, it chilled him to the bone. It was a scream of anguish. It made his blood curdle. It froze his heart. That scream would have done both of those regardless, but what was worse - he knew who that scream belonged to.
Calleigh Duquesne.
Without a second thought Jesse had left his scene in Ryan's capable hands, and he drove frantically towards where he knew Calleigh was working that night.
By the time he got there, things were chaotic. There were police officers everywhere. It didn't take him long to find Calleigh, she was kneeling in the middle of the front yard, hysterical.
Tears were streaming down her face and she was still screaming softly, as though she wanted to scream but couldn't quite make it out her mouth. Intermittently, in between the screams, she kept on repeating one word.
"No."
Natalia was beside her, her arms wrapped around Calleigh's shoulders with their fingers linked together. Natalia looked up as he came over, and he could see the tears trailing down her face as well.
"What happened?" He asked her, squatting down to her level.
"Eric...He umm...He came out of nowhere, and he had a gun...and... and Eric stepped in front of him as he pulled the trigger. He's dead." Natalia whispered, still seemingly in shock.
It was then Jesse noticed the blood splatter across Calleigh's face. Blowback. The guy had been aiming at her. Jesse felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. His mind was spinning. Eric was one of his best friends, they may have had their differences but they soon put them aside and built a solid relationship.
Jesse bit his lip, Not now he thought. Not now. He could grieve for Eric later. Right now he was needed. Focusing on someone else helped him push aside his grief, for the time being.
"Calleigh" He tried to get his friends attention but she was unresponsive. Her mantra had changed, he noticed. Instead of 'no' over and over again, it was now 'Eric'. "Calleigh, Look at me." He reached forwards, cupping her cheek with his hand and turning her head to face him.
Hey eyes were overflowing with tears, even as they ran down her face new ones formed to replace those lost. Her stare was vacant, but he had a feeling, even if it wasn't, she wouldn't be able to see him. Not through her tears.
"When...after he...Calleigh just lost it" Natalia murmured, starting her explanation again. "She was hysterical. I had to drag her out of there."
Jesse frowned, confusion etched his face. He had never seen calleigh like this before. Never. She lost a bit of her spark after speed died, but she held it together enough to reprimand people for any mistakes that were made and smile like she was perfectly fine. But here? Here she was a mess. As far as he was aware her and Eric were never close enough that she was completely hysterical and lost it in front of everyone she works with.
She just saw her best friend shot in front of her he reminded himself. Someone took a bullet that was meant for her. Of course she's going to be on edge. "Natalia, Calleigh's in no state to talk now. I'll take her home, OK?"
Natalia nodded. A minute later she realised she was actually going to have to let go of Calleigh for that to be possible. Her mind was in a daze, and Calleigh's warmth had helped her stay anchored in the real world for the time being. But there was a job to be done. Her mother wouldn't just sit there; she would be doing all she could to make sure the man responsible was punished.
Natalia unlaced her fingers, slowly standing up on her shaking legs. She ordered them to hold her up. It was then that the front door to the house opened. Jesse and Natalia stared blankly as the stretcher, sporting a black body bag, was wheeled out.
It seemed that Calleigh wasn't completely unaware of the situation as she stood up, her body was shaking but somehow staying upright. She moved purposefully towards the gurney, "Move" She demanded, only stopping when strong arms physically pulled her back.
"Cal, what are you doing?" Jesse asked softly, his voice low.
"I...I need to see him" Calleigh whispered, new tears forming in her eyes once again.
"I don't think that's a good idea" Jesse shook his head, trying to lead her away - towards his car.
"No, no - I need to see him!" Calleigh was adamant, pulling away from him.
"No...oh god, please, no. Eric..." Calleigh was sobbing again, bent over the gurney as she looked onto the cuban's unusually pale face, devoid of colour.
"Cal, C'mon. I'm going to take you home" Jesse stated softly.
Eventually he managed to get her into the car, but she had now become unresponsive again. Her eyes were glazed, though that didn't stop the tears. Her hands were shaking, her face was pale and her body tense.
When Jesse cut the engine, after pulling up in Calleigh's driveway, he found that the silence seemed to stretch around them, pervading everything. Looming like a dark shadow, echoing their grief. Sighing, he got out of the car, moving around to the passengers side to get Calleigh. He found her keys in her pocket and left to open the door first, before coming back for her.
Jesse help Calleigh walk to the door, as she was a little more lucid. As soon as they were inside she pushed him away, a sob shuddering through her body as she surveyed the room.
Concerned, Jesse watched as Calleigh backed herself up against the wall and slowly slid down it, resuming her sobbing, her body shaking violently. He went over to her, kneeling down beside her, but she flinched away from him.
Stepping back as though he had been burned Jesse hesitated before he moved to the kitchen to make tea. How British he though to himself as the kettle boiled. He had always thought, when reading an English book or watching some English cop show, that their habit of making tea everytime something went wrong was odd. Now here he was doing the same thing. Well, who knows, maybe it will help.
While the tea was brewing he moved around the house, just trying to occupy his mind. It had been a while since he had been to Calleigh's house. The photos on the fridge were the first thing that made him stop. The first thing he had noticed - was that there were more of them. He allowed his eyes to flick from one to another, on the third they paused.
The first two had been of her and her dad, the first when she was little and she was laughing whilst he was tickling her sides. Jesse had smiled at the thought of a young enthusiastic Calleigh Duquesne. The second was obviously when Calleigh had graduated from college, she was standing next to her dad with her certificate in her hand. But he would never have guessed, with the third photo.
He could clearly see Eric, beaming at the camera, Calleigh's chin resting on his shoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around Eric. When had that been taken? The next was of Eric and and young girl, Jesse didn't recognise, both were swinging along the monkey bars, a grin on both of their faces. When had that one been taken? the fifth photo seemed to have been taken on the same day, Eric was with same young girl and they were sitting in two dodgem cars. Eric's wide lopsided grin and the girl was smirking. It looked like she had just rammed Eric's car.
Jesse was confused, did this mean Eric and Calleigh had been more than friends? If so, then why didn't they share this with their friends. They would have been supportive and happy for them. These photos obviously weren't that new as there were others pinned lower. They looked like they were taken not long after Eric was released from the hospital after being shot in the head.
Another one showed Eric and calleigh together, sitting on a picnic blanket, Calleigh's head resting on Eric's shoulder, a wide smile across her face. A wide lopsided smile on Eric's as he rested his cheek against the top of Calleigh's head.
Jesse Blinked, taking in another photo, the scene captured on a happier day. Calleigh was beaming at the camera, her smile so radiant it almost took his breath away. Eric was sitting behind her and she was leaning against him and he was leaning back on his arms with his face splitting smile.
The beeping of the timer shook Jesse out of his reverie. He returned to the two teas, puzzling over the photos.
When Jesse set the tea down on the coffee table he noticed some more photos, on the mantle piece and on the walls. His eyes widened as he took in Calleigh's blissful smile, Eric's lips pressed to her cheek.
The next photo left absolutely no doubt that they were a couple. It had obviously been taken as a candid, Calleigh's lips were locked with Eric's - with his hands on her hips and one of hers resting on his chest while the other cupped his cheek.
"Best four months of my life, I've never been happier" Calleigh's voice cause him to turn around. "We were going to tell you guys...We just... we wanted to enjoy it as just us for a while... He agreed to move in with me last night..." Jesse saw her lip wobble as new tears welled up.
"We were gonna do it this weekend" Calleigh whispered before she broke down again into sobs.
Calleigh's crying subsided some time later. Jesse had thought she was asleep until he heard her murmur, "I loved him Jesse. I really... really loved him"
That morning Jesse was awoken by the doorbell. He had fallen asleep on the sofa. He answered the door to find Walter and Natalia on the doorstep, armed with breakfast foods. Not long after Horatio, Tripp and Ryan showed up bearing caffeinated beverages.
They gathered at the table in silence. Calleigh came down not long after. Her face was bare of make-up, her arms were wrapped tightly around herself. Her hair was lank, her skin very pale. The deep bags under her eyes showed she hadn't slept. The red rims clearly showed she had been crying.
"Cal?" Horatio whispered, scared to see his friend so strong and composed, so lifeless and torn apart.
A minute later Calleigh looked at him, as though she had just heard him.
"Are you OK?" Ryan asked tentatively, worried about her as well, having never seen her break down or even cry.
"No" Calleigh whispered, her voice hoarse and strained. She glanced down at the floor again. Silently she took a seat next to Natalia. "Did they get him?" she asked calmly. Her hands were trembling but there was nothing she could do to stop that. This was a nightmare she was going to have to live through, one she would never wake up from. Her Eric was gone, and she was alone. Alone in a crowded room. If she could have, she would've smile at the expression.
"Yeah" Walter replied quietly, taking a seat too. "A few streets away. He's dead. Suicide by cop. They couldn't save him."
Calleigh simply nodded at the outcome.
"There is something you should all know" Jesse stated softly, his eyes locking with Calleigh's, silently telling her to tell them.
"Yes" She conceded softly. "I... uhh... Eric..." She choked on his name, not being able to bare the thought of life without him. Suddenly she found her throat was blocked, she couldn't say a word.
Silently she stood up, moving to the lounge to retrieve her favorite photo. One of her and Eric, his lips pressed to her cheek. On the outside - at least at work - Eric might seem so serious. But in reality he was so much more vibrant, playful and childlike. He always expressed his love each and everyday, always surprising Calleigh to the point, she never knew what to expect and she loved it. The spontaneity.
She decided to take the other one too, the photo in which she and Eric were sharing a kiss. That had been taken just moments after Eric had told her he loved her, and Calleigh had repeated the sentiment back to Eric.
Swallowing, Calleigh moved back into the dining room. All eyes were trained on her, waiting for an explanation. For her to tell them what they 'needed to know'.
Calleigh hugging the photo frames to her chest whispered three words. "I loved him" before the tear began to fall again. She had though she was all out of tears, but apparently not.
The tears trace her cheeks, but she held off sobbing for just long enough to extend a shaking hand to Walter, who was closest. He took the first photo from her, his eyes widening as he took in the still of what had been the happiest day of her life in recent years.
A moment later her knees buckled as the sobs hit her, and she fell to the floor, her arms wrapped around the last photo. The next minute Horatio was beside her, wanting to keep his friend from falling apart. Violently she pushed the photo towards him, again whispering those three words. "I loved him." And adding another four, "And he loved me."