Title: Find Out Who Your Friends Are (Skin) 3/?
Author: wolfsong98/Amy/Calleigh
Beta(s): Maj. Paul, Beck, and rascalflattsgurl43.
See Part 1 for Warnings and Notes.
* * *
Although the majority of the crime lab's employees were happy that Calleigh was feeling better, there was one that didn't share their opinion.
The newest janitor was furiously scrubbing at the floor with her mop, when she heard the click of heels coming down the hall. "Hope you fall," the woman muttered under her breath when she saw who was heading her way.
Calleigh did not fall, but was instead carefully maneuvering down the wet hallway.
"Well, look who decided to show up and do some work for a change," the janitor remarked.
Calleigh just gave the woman one of her dazzling smiles. "Good morning to you too, Ms. Boa Vista," the blonde replied as she turned the corner.
Once the criminalist was out of sight, Natalia kicked the bucket of water that she had been using creating an even bigger mess. The former lab tech couldn't see why everyone liked Calleigh, and she couldn't even file a complaint to the higher-ups because the ballistics expert had never been anything but polite to her.
"Hey, you missed a spot!" Natalia glared at Cooper who wisely retreated back into the safety of his audiovisual lab.
* * *
During the next week, the team of CSIs was kept rather busy with a sudden rise in the crime rate. It seemed as if for every crime they solved, two more occurred in its place. Since work was keeping them busy, Calleigh forgot about the tests that Dr. Cates was having run. Since she had forgotten about them, she wasn't spending her time worrying about what the results would say when they came back. Instead, Calleigh was able to focus all of her attention on doing her job.
* * *
On Friday, Calleigh and Ryan were just finishing up at a crime scene in the Everglades when her cell phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, Calleigh saw that it was Dr. Cates' office. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she walked around to the far side of the coroner's van for some privacy before answering it. "Hello."
'Is Calleigh Duquesne there?' The caller asked.
"This is she."
'Hi. This is Jess from Dr. Cates' office. I was calling to let you know that the results from the blood tests have come in. Dr. Cates would like to see you as soon as possible. He has an opening for today at four-thirty. Can you make it?'
"I think so." The blonde answered, after she had checked her watch to see what time it was.
'Great, I'll go ahead and pencil you in.'
"If I'm unable to make it, I'll call and let you know." With that, Calleigh ended the call.
When she emerged from her spot behind the van, Calleigh was a couple of shades paler.
"Hey Cal, who was…" Ryan started to ask but stopped when he saw her. Switching gears, her partner asked a different question. "Are you okay?"
When she walked past him, Ryan realized that Calleigh hadn't heard him. He started to go after her, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. When the trace expert turned around to see who had stopped him, Ryan was surprised to find that it was Horatio. His hazel eyes looked questioningly into his boss' deep blue ones. Before he could voice his question, the redhead spoke.
"Just watch and wait."
Ryan took a step backwards so that he was standing beside Horatio and they watched the retreating blonde. The two men did not have long to wait. As the two CSIs watched, Alexx opened the door of the van and took off after Calleigh.
"Come on Mr. Wolfe, we need to get the evidence back to the lab."
"What about Calleigh?" Ryan asked as he was ushered to the passenger side of the hummer.
"Don't worry Ryan, Alexx will take good care of her and see that she gets back to the crime lab safely.
* * *
After seeing how pale the younger woman was when she had finished her call, Alexx knew that she had made the right decision in staying.
"Sorry," the older woman told the victim in the body bag. "I'll be back after I make sure that my baby is okay."
She quickly opened the door and jumped out. In the time between spotting Calleigh walking off at a hurried pace and exiting the van, the ballistics expert was nowhere to be found.
"That girl can sure move when she wants to." Alexx muttered under her breath as she watched Horatio and Ryan pull away in the Hummer.
With a determined gait, the medical examiner took off in the direction that the blonde had last been seen heading in. A few minutes later, the older woman came to a stop and looked around.
"Gotcha," Alexx whispered with a smile when she noticed where the grass was slightly depressed. Following the evidence led her to where Calleigh was sitting on the ground with her arms wrapped around her legs.
"Sugar?" The mother hen questioned.
It was obvious to the older woman that she hadn't been heard. Calleigh continued staring into space.
The medical examiner quickly covered the remaining distance between the two of them, and put her hand on Calleigh's shoulder which resulted in the blonde giving a surprised shout and jumping slightly. Alexx took a seat on the ground across from her adopted daughter.
"Baby Girl, what's wrong?"
"It's n…" Calleigh was not given the chance to finish the sentence.
"Don't you dare sit there and tell me that 'it's nothing' or 'I'm fine'." The younger woman quickly closed her mouth, but Alexx wasn't through.
"If it was nothing, a phone call would not cause you to become a couple of shades paler and it certainly wouldn't make you run off. Also, it's normally very difficult to startle you. Honey, you have friends that are worried and want to be there for you. Now, I want you to stop being so stubborn for a change and tell me exactly what is going on with you."
When the older woman had finished her lecture, Calleigh found herself telling Alexx everything that had happened from the day she went to the doctor up until the phone call that she had just received wanting her to come in as soon as possible. The medical examiner quickly pulled her into a tight hug and held her close.
"Come on Sugar, let's get back to the lab. I'm going to call in a favor from the swing-shift coroner." The M.E. took a few steps before she realized that the younger woman wasn't following her. The blonde was still sitting on the ground, looking puzzled.
"Why?" Calleigh quietly asked.
"Because I'm going to take you to the doctor, of course."
The older woman quickly walked over and pulled Calleigh to her feet. Before the younger woman could open her mouth to protest, she was stopped by a raised eyebrow. Calleigh knew better than to argue with Alexx when she was in full-blown mother hen mode.
As the two ladies walked back to the van, Alexx pulled out her phone and dialed a number. Calleigh quickly opened the passenger side door and climbed in. She couldn't help but smile when the older woman sat down in the driver's seat, giving the person on the other end of the conversation a piece of her mind. The blonde listened to one side of the heated conversation for an additional fifteen minutes.
"I'm glad that you finally saw my point of view. Yes, I am taking one of my kids to the doctor and no I am not trying to get out of doing the autopsy." Alexx said, glaring at the phone as if the person on the other end of the call could actually see her. "Maybe you can reschedule that date." She said sweetly, as she ended the call. This earned her a raised eyebrow from her passenger, who quickly caught the phone when it was tossed at her.
By the time the last two members of the team made it back to the crime lab, it was already five after two. If the traffic cooperated, it would take at least an hour and a half to get to the doctor's office.
As they entered the lab, Alexx turned to face Calleigh. "Honey, why don't you go and get what you need from your locker. While you're doing that, I'm going to let Horatio know that we are taking the rest of the day off and where we are going to be. I'll meet you back at the hummer in ten minutes."
"Okay." Calleigh agreed, as she handed the keys over to the M.E. After giving Alexx a quick hug, the blonde hurried off towards the locker room. Neither woman noticed a curious Natalia watching the two of them intensely before arching one eyebrow and marching off in the opposite direction.
* * *
Ryan was just leaving the locker room when his partner was entering. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice tinged with concern.
"To tell you the truth Ryan, I'm not sure." Calleigh admitted. "I'll let you know later."
Ryan paused as if he wanted to say something else, but decided against it. Instead, he watched as his partner made her way over to her locker. With a smile, he turned and casually walked away.
Calleigh entered the combination to her lock and opened it. She was surprised to find a book inside of her locker that had not been there that morning. The ballistics expert pulled the book out and stared at the title. It was The Shooter's Guide to Classic Firearms.
When she opened the book, a slip of paper fell to the ground. The blonde bent down and picked it up. After unfolding it, she saw that it was a note from Ryan.
Calleigh,
You are the sister that I never had, but always wanted. I saw this the other night when I was shopping at Wal-Mart and immediately thought of you. When I showed it to H, he thought that it would be a good idea to surprise you with the book. After making me promise to only use it to place the book inside your locker, he gave me the key. Don't give me that look, I didn't touch anything. I promise. Hope that the book brightens your day just a little.
Ryan
Calleigh smiled as she quickly stuffed the note back into her book. The blonde then grabbed her purse as she hurried off to meet up with Alexx.
The criminalist made a mental note to ask Ryan how he managed to convince Horatio to let him borrow the keys. H had never let Calleigh or anyone else borrow them.
* * *
Alexx already had the vehicle started and was in the driver's seat by the time Calleigh returned. The blonde quickly jumped in and buckled up.
The younger woman was grateful that the M.E. had the air conditioner turned on and the radio off. She wasn't in the mood for any kind of music.
It wasn't long before the moving vehicle was casting its spell on Calleigh. Every once in a while, when she could spare a moment, Alexx would cast a worried glance over at her sleeping passenger.
The two women arrived at the doctor's office with close to thirty minutes to spare. After parking the hummer, Alexx gently placed her hand on Calleigh's shoulder.
"Calleigh?" She questioned.
When she didn't receive a response, the older woman gently shook the blonde's shoulder. When her sleeping passenger finally began to stir and opened her eyes, the older woman tried again.
"Honey, we're here."
When she heard that, Calleigh wiped the sleep from her eyes as she gathered up her things.
Upon entering the waiting room, Calleigh quickly signed in and paid her co-payment. After which, she took a seat next to Alexx and began to look through the book that Ryan had given her.
The book wasn't very detailed, but it was still interesting. Classic military rifles were covered in the first section. The ballistic expert had just finished reading the information on the U.S. Springfield .45-70 Trapdoor rifle when she heard someone calling her name. When the blonde looked up, she saw that it was the young nurse who was holding the door open.
"Do you want me to go back with you?" Alexx leaned over and asked Calleigh before she stood up. The blonde was silent for a few seconds before she finally nodded her head 'yes'.
The two women were led back to an exam room which was familiar to Calleigh. It was the same room that the ballistics expert had been in the last time she had been there.
"Dr. Cates will be in to see you shortly." The nurse kindly informed them, after she had checked Calleigh's vital signs. Once she had finished and recorded the figures into the chart, the nurse left the room closing the door behind her. To the blonde, the click when the door shut was deafening.
The last time that Calleigh had been in this particular room, she had had to wait for a few minutes before Dr. Cates had knocked on the exam room door. This time, however, was different. If it weren't for the fact that the corridor had been free of anyone except for the occasional nurse, she would have thought that Dr. Cates had been standing right outside the door. When Calleigh looked down at her watch to check the time, there was a soft knock on the door.
"Come on in," the blonde said in response to the knock. Although to the casual observer it looked as if she were calm, this was most certainly not the case. Calleigh was a nervous wreck.
The ballistics expert was doing all that she could to be still. Calleigh felt as if she had swallowed a cupful of live crickets that were now jumping about trying their best to escape. The blonde was afraid that if she moved too much, she would vomit.
"Quit chewing on your hair young lady!" The older woman whispered loudly at the young woman as the door slowly opened.
Calleigh was not aware of the fact that she had been chewing on her hair until Alexx had mentioned it. The blonde quickly pulled the strand out of her mouth and tucked it behind her ear.
"How are you doing today?" Dr. Cates asked as he walked in carrying her chart.
"I feel better than I did last week." Calleigh replied, as she gave him a small smile. "Although, I'm nowhere close to being one hundred percent yet."
"And the main reason is because you finally ate something." Alexx chided gently, motherly concern clearly evident in her voice.
"Why am I not surprised?" Dr. Cates said with a smile, when he heard the familiar voice. He turned around and gave the older woman a hug. "Still collecting kids?" He asked, with a smirk.
"You should know David, you're one of them." Alexx spoke softly patting him on his shoulder.
Calleigh wasn't surprised at the fact that the two of them knew each other. After all, the older woman had practically recommended him that day in the morgue when she had made that appointment. What had surprised Calleigh was that her new doctor had been adopted by Alexx and she hadn't known about it.
The blonde was content to let her doctor and Alexx catch up with each other. She tried to silently scoot backwards closer to the wall, but the paper protecting the exam table gave her away. When the older woman shot her a look, the ballistics expert winced causing Dr. Cates to chuckle.
"You haven't changed a bit, Alexx."
The young doctor relished the relaxed atmosphere, because he knew how fast it would change once he delivered the news. Dr. Cates watched Alexx and Calleigh for a few minutes before forcing himself into a more detached and professional demeanor. As hard as this conversation always was, it was even harder given that it was happening to someone who Alexx cared deeply about. He slowly took in a deep breath before letting it out just as slowly.
"Has there been any change regarding the bruise?" Dr. Cates asked Calleigh, after clearing his throat and opening her chart.
"There hasn't been any change. Or if there has been, it wasn't enough for me to notice."
"I see." The doctor replied as he was busy scribbling something into her chart. "Roll up your sleeve so that I can take a look."
Reluctantly, the blonde tugged on her sleeve to reveal the single blemish marring her forearm. Calleigh winced slightly as Dr. Cates pressed lightly on the bruise.
"Did that hurt?" He asked.
"No, it felt good. I just winced for the fun of it. Here's your sign." Calleigh replied shooting him an irritated look as she rubbed her arm. The comment earned her a smack on her leg from Alexx.
"Sorry," the blonde replied not looking the least bit apologetic.
"Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I could have phrased that question better."
The young man dropped the chart on the exam table and the sound seemed to be deafening. The doctor looked his patient in the eyes, making sure that he had her complete attention before he spoke once more. When he did, his voice was serious with not a single trace of the light-hearted tone that had been present when the young man spotted Alexx.
"The results from your blood tests have come back. Your white blood count was high."
Alexx was unable to suppress a gasp when that information was revealed. Meanwhile, Calleigh was speechless. Even though she did not have a medical degree, the blonde knew what that meant.
"Also, there were immature, nonlymphocyte white cells found in the blood sample." Doctor Cates continued after the brief pause from his earlier statement in which he allowed the words to sink in.
"So…" The ballistics expert started to say, but the words had vanished. The older woman quickly sat down next to her baby and pulled her into a tight hug. The simple action gave the blonde the strength that she needed to finish asking her question.
"So, it is cancer?" Calleigh whispered. Although she knew it was illogical, she felt as if voicing the question would somehow have an effect on how the physician would answer her.
"Yes." He always hated this part. In his opinion, this was the worst part of the profession.
"I do need to have a couple more tests run in order to determine the type of cancer that we are dealing with. Once we know exactly what we are dealing with then we will have a better idea on how to fight it."
The blonde said nothing, but nodded her head to acknowledge that she had heard him.
"We need to schedule a bone marrow aspiration and a bone marrow trephine biopsy. This facility does not have the necessary equipment to perform these tests." He pulled out a notebook from the pocket of his lab coat and checked his notes before speaking once more. "I can send you to Cedars Medical Center, Miami General Hospital, Dade Memorial, or the University of Miami Hospital and Clinic."
"Miami General." Alexx replied almost before he had finished speaking. If she hadn't been holding the younger woman in a tight hug, the older woman would have missed Calleigh tensing up at the mention of Dade Memorial.
The ballistics expert shot the motherly figure a relieved look. Although Dade Memorial was closer, the medical examiner felt that the blonde didn't need the stressor of remembering Ryan's stay at that hospital added on top of what she was currently going through.
"Both of these procedures can be performed at the same time. In the bone marrow aspiration, a syringe is used to retrieve some bone marrow cells. With the trephine biopsy, a one to two centimeter core of bone marrow is removed in one piece."
Calleigh was trying to listen to what she was being told, but the torrent of thoughts rushing through her mind was making it difficult to pay attention. The ballistics expert knew that if she needed to, she could ask Alexx any questions that she had.
The mother hen seemed to sense that Calleigh wasn't paying attention so she asked the same questions that she would have if it had being either Bryan or Jamie. Once Alexx and Dr. Cates finished their discussion, he handed the older woman the orders for the tests.
"The results should come back approximately one to two weeks from when the procedures were performed." David explained. He then turned his attention back to his patient. The blonde was staring at her hands which were resting on her lap. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Dr. Cates gave Calleigh what support he could provide. He then quickly picked up the chart and left the exam room.
"Honey, why don't you go on out to the parking lot and start the Hummer for me? I'll handle scheduling the tests as well as call Peter and let him know that I'm taking care of one of my babies."
The younger woman said nothing, but held out her right hand while picking up her things with her left. Placing the keys into the open palm, Alexx picked up her purse and held the door open for Calleigh.
"Thanks." The word was barely audible, but the medical examiner heard it just the same.
"Anytime, Sugar."
Alexx waited until the younger woman had left the office building before she called Peter and let him know that she would be late getting home because one of her kids at the lab needed her. Once she was through talking to her husband, Alexx made her way over to the counter. It didn't take the older woman long to get the tests scheduled.
By the time Alexx had entered the parking lot, she was on the phone once more. As she approached the Hummer, she could hear Shania Twain's Honey I'm Home blaring from the vehicle's speakers. The older woman was glad that Calleigh turned the radio down when she saw Alexx approaching.
"I'll see you there." She told the person on the other end, as she climbed into the cab of the Hummer.
The blonde, remained silent, stared out the window during the car ride. In fact, it wasn't until Alexx had missed a turn that Calleigh realized she wasn't being taken home.
"Where are we going?" The younger woman asked, sitting up straighter.
"You'll see."
* * *
