Hey guys! I actually completely forgot that I wrote this story- I was just browsing through my profile, checking for reviews I hadn't read yet, when I stumbled across this and sparked my memory. I had to redownload the song and listen to it a few times- but good news! I now have newfound inspiration for this dusty, ancient, neglected story. So, for anyone who may remember this story, without further ado, here's the long overdue second chapter of Me and Emily.
Disclaimer: Are Calleigh and Delko canon yet? No, they're still dancing around each other. Therefore, it's painfully obvious that I don't own CSI: Miami. It belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS, though I would love to take it off you hands, Jerry. ; P
Chapter 2
On the Road
Floorboard's filled with baby toys,
An' empty coke bottles an' coffee cups.
Drivin' through the rain with no radio,
Tryin' not to wake her up.
Cell phone says "low battery",
God, what if I break down?
I'm just lookin' for an exit with a lotta lights,
A safe little interstate town.
Just a cheap hotel,
With a single bed,
And cable TV
Is good enough for me an' Emily.
Calleigh stared through her windshield, trying to focus on the road through the driving rain. The wipers were going at top speed- they looked like they were going to fly right off the car- yet they hardly seemed to make a dent in the rain pummeling the car. She'd already been on the road for a few hours- although not yet out of Louisiana, she already felt freer than she had in years. The future seemed bright for both her and Emily. Calleigh's gaze flicked to the rearview mirror to check on Emily, who was sound asleep in her carseat in the backseat of the compact. As a result, the car was dead silent. Calleigh itched to turn on the radio for some sort of distraction, but she didn't want to wake Emily. She would be a cranky baby if she didn't get her full two hour nap. Sighing, Calleigh brought her attention back to the rain drenched road.
As she drove, Calleigh mind wandered to the Miami Crime Lab and the handsome lieutenant who ran it. Would the lab be anything like the one in Louisiana? What were her coworkers going to be like? She hoped they would be friendly. The last thing she needed was another Bradley. Calleigh shuddered remembering how Bradley had assumed she would be easy based solely on the fact that she was blonde- he hit on her on ever occasion he got, even after she threatened to shoot a very important part of his anatomy. It had taken a threat from Steph to fire him and file sexual harassment charges to get him to back off. But that was over now, Calleigh told herself. She'd finally left Richard, and Bradley wouldn't bother her ever again.
Horatio. Now there was an honorable man. He struck her as the type to be chivalrous and every inch the gentleman. He'd been nothing but polite to her they day he visited the lab, complimenting her until she'd blushed scarlet, and even holding open doors for her, something she hadn't had the luxury of in so long. Calleigh sighed dreamily. Yep. This was going to be great. As long as she was dreaming, Calleigh allowed herself to dream of a fully equipped ballistics lab with every gun imaginable and every tool she'd ever need.
A beep startled her out of her thoughts. A glance at the center console confirmed the source: her cell phone's battery was almost dead.
"Oh, great. Next thing I know, I'll break down and be stranded for God knows how long. I better find a place to stay for the night anyway." Calleigh muttered to herself.
She focused on the road signs as her headlight lit them up, looking for a town that sounded safe. Calleigh pulled off into a town that seemed well lit and stopped at the nearest motel. The room was simple, a single bed, nightstand, tv and closet, but it was good enough for her. Emily, who'd long since woken up, looked around with wide eyes.
"What do you think Em? Does it pass inspection?" Calleigh lightly tapped her nose. Emily gurgled back at her in her incomprehensible baby talk. "I'll take that as a yes. You ready for a bath, princess?" Emily waved her hands, as if already splashing in the tub. Calleigh laughed. "Well, come on then."
Both showered and fed, Calleigh placed Emily into the travel crib, humming a lullaby. "Hush little baby don't say a word, Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird….." When Emily finally fell asleep, Calleigh collapsed onto the bed drifting off into her dreams, where she processed crime scenes alongside Horatio and his team and Richard didn't exist.
TBC...