Title: Rescue Me
Author: innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)
Summary: Based on the original Season 5 Finale where Horatio was supposed to be on a plane with a convict. When the plane crashes in the Everglades, there are memories of an old case ("Golden Parachute") along with a need to get to the plane and Horatio. Will Calleigh and the team be able to make it out to him in time and catch the convict?
Category: Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio
Genres: Angst, Drama, Episode Related, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Suspense
Characters: Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne
Rating: PG-13
Chapter: 3 "Full Circle"
Author's Notes: The lappy has been returned! And hopefully fully fixed…we shall see… Anyways! I have finished "Vendetta" and am currently working on "Promises, Promises" and trying to work my way through that story…but I have all the chapters for all the other Miami stories outlined and just ready to be written!
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"How long has she been in there?" Frank asked anyone who would answer.
"Too long," Natalia told him.
Calleigh was sitting away from the others on the ground. Eric, Natalia, and Frank were back on the back end of one of the Hummers. She looked down at the ground and realized that she was wearing white pants. She was already covered in it. Sand mixed into dirt, and Calleigh looked back down towards the crash. They could see pieces of the plane sticking up from the ocean from where they were. "Eric," she spoke up. "Do you remember the plane crash we worked in the Everglades years back?" She didn't bother to turn her head and look over her shoulder at him; she merely waited for his response.
"Yeah," Eric responded. "We thought we were looking for bullets."
"But it wasn't bullets that brought that plane down…"
He could tell that her voice was odd. Something was off. It wasn't the Calleigh they were used to. "But there was also a survivor, Calleigh."
"He didn't survive for long…"
"Suicide really doesn't count in this situation," Eric told her. "They just need to act fast."
"We could help."
Frank knew Calleigh just wanted to help, but it looked to him that they had the situation under control. There were tents erected with workstations underneath and they seemed to have divers out and about in the ocean. "They're doing pretty good out there, Calleigh," Frank spoke up hoping his words would show her that things would be okay.
"We could still help them." Calleigh felt so helpless as she sat there. All she could do was watch. She needed to help, to be apart of the investigation. Calleigh couldn't just sit around while people they cared about were out there possibly hanging on for their lives. It was tearing her apart now, even though Alexx was in there on their behalf.
As soon as Alexx appeared, Calleigh pushed herself up to her feet and started off towards her friend. Alexx's expression from where Calleigh was, was already enough to scare her. She stopped a few feet in front of her friend and wasn't even aware that the others had gotten up and were behind her. "How does it look, Alexx?" Calleigh asked.
Pulling in breath, Alexx started to try to formulate what she was going to tell Calleigh or any of the others about what she'd seen. She was tolerant of death…but seeing people she knew lain out on a cold metal table or lain out on a sheet on the ground was not something that she was used to seeing. She had taken time to pull herself together before she had left the line. "I'm afraid the news I have isn't good," Alexx finally spoke up.
"What is it, Alexx?" Eric asked.
"Someone we know," Alexx started, "Is among the dead they have recovered."
"Who is it?" Eric bravely asked putting his arm around Calleigh's shoulders for support.
Her mind shouted who she knew it would be. Alexx would say Jake Berkeley. Horatio was still out there. She held her breath and felt as if her heart had stopped and everything was going on around her in slow motion. She watched as Alexx was going to respond, but Calleigh beat her to it. "It's Jake, isn't it?" she asked flatly.
Alexx stared at Calleigh for a long moment before responding, "I'm afraid it is, Baby…"
"Calleigh—" Eric started to apologize and comfort, but found her pulling away from him and speaking up, cutting him off.
"So, Horatio's still out there," Calleigh said confidently.
"Somewhere," Alexx added with concern for Calleigh. She knew two things were for sure: Calleigh didn't need to be there and that Calleigh wasn't going to make sure she worked it just the same. "Calleigh, Honey, I think we should let the Feds handle this case."
Alexx obviously was crazy. Why would she let Horatio's life be handed over to people who didn't even know or care about him? "I'm not goin' do that," Calleigh said walking past Alexx and towards the tape line.
Alexx hurried after Calleigh, "Honey, you're too close to this…"
"Who else is goin' look after Horatio?" Calleigh asked turning to face Alexx. Horatio had left her in charge, put his faith in her, and Calleigh was determined not to let him down. "He could be hangin' out there waitin' for us…"
She could hear her friend's voice had changed. There was worry, panic, and upset laced her voice. Calleigh's accent had also thickened. "You're right, Honey," Alexx told her knowing that the federal detail there just saw Horatio as another casualty instead of Lieutenant Horatio Caine, their friend. Alexx watched as Calleigh walked back towards the scene line to try to talk her way in. Turning her head, she frowned. "You guys do me a favor and keep an eye on her."
"Already done, Alexx," Eric told her.
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After the team had gotten past the scene line, Calleigh had asked Alexx if she could see Jake. It had taken a minute, but Alexx had eventually agreed. The Medical Examiner's tent hadn't been set up very well, but it worked enough for the time being. Bodies that had been recovered so far were bagged and numbered. The numbers coordinated with a file that had the information on where it had been located along with pictures. There was a temporary table standing in the middle of the makeshift room to complete it.
"I'm not sure if this is a good idea, Honey," Alexx told her as she knelt down next to the last body bag and looked up at her friend. "Are you sure about this, Calleigh?"
Calleigh nodded numbly as she stared downward at the black body bag. She'd been to hundreds, if not more, posts and autopsies. This one felt different. She watched as it was slowly unzipped. The pale face of Jake Berkeley came into view, his eyes still open. They were looking at her through an unnatural white film. Unprepared for it, Calleigh covered her mouth, "Oh God," she gasped and turned away.
"Calleigh, Honey, I'm sorry…they haven't cleared me to post the bodies, yet. I should have prepared you for this," Alexx quickly apologized and knelt back down closing the closed Jake's eyelids. Calleigh dashing outside was not something Alexx had expected, but followed and watched as Calleigh emptied her stomach outside and tears rolled down her face. Reaching out, Alexx rubbed her back in small soothing circles, "I'm sorry, Calleigh… You feeling any better?"
"Fine…now," Calleigh said spitting to try to get the acrid taste from her mouth. Bringing her hand up, she wiped her tears away and then pulled her hand across her mouth.
"Maybe you should sit down and drink some water," Alexx suggested.
"I'm fine."
The tone sounded cold and unfeeling to Alexx, "Calleigh—"
Calleigh straightened and headed back into the ME's tent. She stared down at Jake; she didn't feel what she thought she would. She had helped that seeing Jake would help her concentrate. She felt as if her heart was missing or empty…
She didn't.
She was relieved more than anything. Calleigh had already known that it would be him. She wasn't shocked, but she did feel a loss. "Do you think he suffered?" she asked looking back over at Alexx. It was something she needed to know.
"From what I've seen," Alexx said, "No."
Calleigh looked back at Jake's face. She'd never seen him look so peaceful. "Good." She pulled in a deep breath before she knelt down and zipped the bag back up. Straightening up, she let out a breath and looked back over at Alexx, "Horatio's still out there."
"I think you should take time to grieve, Baby," Alexx told her. "Let the others look."
"I'll grieve later, Alexx."
"But Calleigh—"
"I'm fine."
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TBC…
