Chapter 2:
It was almost noon when Eric waltzed back into the hospital room to find Calleigh sitting on the edge of the bed, all dressed up again. He had just given the medical staff her signed released papers and he was given instructions that she needed to rest. Her immune system was weak, and knowing what her job entailed, God forbid a bullet wouldn't do well hitting her body at this moment.
'Oh I see you found the bag of clothes I brought for you' Eric told her as he made his way into the hospital room.
'Yeah, but these clothes are not mine' she replied.
'No they are Natalia's. She brought you some clothes so you won't have to wear the ones of last night' he told her.
'That's very kind of her' Calleigh replied with a smile, before it faded into a frown.
'Hey what's wrong?' Eric asked her putting a hand on her back.
'I'm released from hospital, but where am I gonna go?' she asked him.
'You're staying with me' he told her.
'Oh I can't impose Eric' she told him shaking her head.
'Cal, you're not. You know I don't mind having you stay with me' he told her 'And don't worry. The bed is all yours. I'll sleep on the couch' he told her, thinking that she was worried about that bit.
'Oh no I can't let you do that' Calleigh told him.
'Cal, it's fine really. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable' he told her.
'Look, we can discuss this later' she told him 'Right now I really want to get out of here' she continued.
She was about to grab the bag when Eric took it from her. Calleigh was about to protest that she can do such a simple task but the look Eric gave her told her that it is a lost cause. He wrapped one arm around her, and made their way to his car.
It wasn't too long after Eric was driving his car out of the parking lot when Calleigh broke the silence.
'Can we go over to my apartment?' she asked him cautiously.
'What for?' he asked with a frown, not really thinking it was a good idea.
'I want to go and see what happened' she told him. It was true...just not all of it. There was something else she wanted to do. Another reason she wanted to go there.
'Cal, I don't think it is a good idea' Eric replied 'There are still a lot of toxins and it won't do you good inhaling them' Eric replied.
He really didn't want to take her there, but he also knew that when Calleigh wanted something, she wouldn't stop before she got it.
'Fine' he replied with a regretful sigh.
The rest of the drive was a quiet one, as Eric thought about last night's events and how he had almost lost her for good. He thought about the state he found her in, all tied up and ready to blow up with the rest of her apartment. Calleigh on the other hand was pretty much thinking the same thing. She wanted to see though the state of her apartment, what was left of it that is. She only hoped that the one thing that she held dear the most was not lost in the fire.
As Eric, pulled the car to a stop, he got out of the vehicle and walked to the other side to help her out. He felt her slip her hand into his, and Eric couldn't help but squeeze it a bit.
There were still people running around the building, as the yellow tape guarded the area to protect civilians from entering the crime scene. One officer stopped them as they tried to cross the tape, but Eric quickly showed him his badge, so the officer let them continue one their way.
Her eyes were scanning every inch of the area, and Eric could sense how tense she suddenly was. He squeezed her hand a bit, letting her know she was not alone, and Calleigh looked up giving him half a smile.
They carefully made their way up to her apartment, and Calleigh realized that there were people running through her things. She could see Ryan and Natalia there and Calleigh hesitated a bit.
'Cal' Eric whispered.
'I'm fine' she told him 'Just not in the mood to talk a lot' she continued.
'We'll be quick' he assured her.
They made their way inside, and as Ryan and Natalia spotted them, they immediately stopped from what they doing and went to greet them.
'How are you feeling?' they asked her.
'OK' she replied with a nod.
Ryan looked at Eric but didn't say anything while Calleigh thanked Natalia for the clothes. They watched her step a side and while Eric remained next to their colleagues his eyes were on her. He watched her make her way into her bedroom and Eric frowned. It was like she was looking for something since she went straight into that room not even bothering to look at the primary scene, so Eric excused himself, cutting the argument short with Ryan, not really interested in hearing that he shouldn't have brought her here, and went to look for her. He found her sitting on the edge of the bed holding something in her hand. It was the only room that wasn't completely ruined as the door had been closed the whole time.
'Cal' he whispered as he approached from behind her.
She turned around and smiled at him, showing the shiny object in her hand.
'That's the bracelet I gave you on your birthday' he whispered in awe.
'Yeah. I was scared I lost it in the fire' she admitted to him.
'Does it really mean that much to you?' he asked her surprised 'Is this why you insisted on coming here?' he asked her.
'It does and yes it is the main reason I wanted to come here' she replied with a smile. Her eyes were turning a bit red, relieved that she hadn't lost such a precious object.
'I would have given you another one you know' he told her.
Calleigh smiled but didn't say anything. Instead she just let her head rest against his shoulders, as she felt him wrap one arm around her and then kiss the top of her head, completely oblivious of Ryan watching the whole thing.
'Shall we get out of here?' Eric asked her, knowing now that the bracelet was the only reason she wanted to come here in the first place.
'Yeah. I would love to take some clothes with me, but I know I can't' she continued 'Do you have any idea if they have any clues on who could have done this?' she asked him.
'No clues yet it seems as the fire destroyed a lot of evidence. Do you have any idea who could have done such a thing?' Eric asked her.
Calleigh tried to think, when it suddenly dawned on her.
'Eric...do you still have the tape and the cloth I was tied up with?' she asked him.
'No damn it. I left them on the pavement' he replied regretfully. How could he have been so careless with such possible evidence.
Calleigh got up from the bed and slowly approached the window area as she exited her bedroom, or what used to be a bedroom actually.
'They are still there' she said as she pointed ahead.
'Good. I'll tell Natalia so they can pick them up and analyse them' Eric told her.
She watched him approach her colleague while she tried to think. There was something familiar about the whole situation. It was like deja vu. A woman knocked unconscious...tied up...gas leak...
Eric was about to place his hand on her shoulders when she suddenly turned around to call him.
'What is it?' he asked her catching the look on her face.
'Fredrick Stanmore' she told him.
'What?' he asked her.
'Fredrick Stanmore. He was the first I arrested and I remember him clearly threatening me that I was going to regret it one day. He was sent to jail on a similar case. There were three cases actually but we only had enough evidence for one. The victim had survived the explosion as well' she told him.
Eric was about to go and inform Ryan on this possible lead when Calleigh stopped him 'Let's go to the lab' she told him.
'Calleigh you're supposed to be resting' he told her.
'I can rest afterwards' she told him.
'No Cal. The doctor released you on the precise instructions that you rest. You need to let your body heal' he told her.
'You think I can rest when there is someone out there who is trying to kill me? And what if he blows up your place as well? Then what? I can't Eric. We have to catch this bastard before he strikes again' she told him.
She had a point. If she was right about the possible attacker, then he was sure planning on striking again. If he figured out that Eric had saved her, then that would make him angrier and that means she is right. He would plan on attacking them both now.
'OK fine. Let's go' he told her.
They said their goodbyes quickly and as they made their way down the stairs to get to the car, they heard another explosion and instinctively, Eric shielded Calleigh as she buried her face in his chest. When it seemed that it was safe to exit the building, they came to a quick stop as a loud gasp escaped Calleigh's mouth as their eyes settled on what used to be Eric's hummer. Someone had managed to blow the hummer up.
They looked at each other and then scanned the area around them trying to spot something unusual when Calleigh's eyes met Stanmore's.
'It's him' she called out.
'Who Cal?' Eric asked as he tried to follow her eyes.
'Stanmore. He's here' she told him.
'Follow that car' Eric called out to the officers as they watched Stanmore drive away. They were stuck there as Eric called Horatio to let him know on the latest development and the state of his hummer. By now, Natalia and Ryan had made their way down, and Eric asked them to follow. They needed to catch him before he disappears again.
In the meantime, the sirens for the fire engine could already be heard, and Eric wrapped one arm around Calleigh. He could feel her muscles tense, almost as if his hand was not wanted on her.
'What is it?' he asked her.
'What do you mean?' she asked, pretending not to understand.
'You're tense' he told her.
'Of course I'm tense. That bastard tried to blow you up' she told him. Her eyes were wide in fear and frustration, and the fact that she was stuck here with no car, not healthy enough to chase him, made it even worse.
'But he didn't succeed and I'm fine. I'm here with you' he told her.
'And what if you hadn't been? I dragged you into this, and I just can't do that anymore' she told him.
'Cal what on earth are you talking about?' he asked her 'I'm pretty sure you didn't drag me into anything. You didn't call me to come and save you. I did that on my own because I sensed that you were in trouble. You didn't ask to stay with me or to give you a ride. I was the one who offered. It's me Cal. Just me. Don't blame yourself for something you have no control of. The bastard is sick in the head' he told her.
'I don't care Eric. All I care about is that your life is now in danger and it is all because of me' she told him. That was when Calleigh suddenly went pale and started hyperventilating. She was getting a panic attack. The thought that Eric could have been killed because of her...
'Calleigh...Calleigh breathe...calm down. Please Cal' Eric pleaded his eyes wide in panic as he held her in his arms for support. He was about to start panicking himself knowing that he couldn't get the car and rush her to the hospital. Luckily a paramedic was in the street, on the way to visit a patient, and came rushing to her aid. Opening his bag, he took out a small bottle and an injection and immediately injected her and that seemed to start calming her down as Eric informed him about the recent events.
'She needs to rest. This should help her and keep her down for a couple of hours. You need to get her home. If this happens again, it will be best to take her to hospital again' he told him before he left, making sure Calleigh was alright.
Calleigh was already passed out as Eric held her in his arms supporting himself on his knees. 'OK...we need to get a cab and take you home. The rest of the team can take care of Stanmore' he told her, and with that he picked her up in his arms and signaled a cab to take them home.