A/N: Thank you again, to my guest reviewers and to those who added this story on your alert: D. Hudson, Yammy 1983, and tigerlillies-and-superheroes. You are so appreciated. Whatshername! So glad to hear from you again! Thank you so much for the kind review.

Chapter 4: While You Were Sleeping

2 Days Later off the Florida Coast

Brody watched as two medics transferred her partner into the bed where he would stay until it was safe for him to come home. Crossing the room, she moved over to him, noting the pronounced pinch between his eyebrows. Gently, she reached over and rubbed his forehead hoping to get him to relax. She was glad he was starting to respond with facial expressions but more and more it seemed that he was wearing a pronounced scowl and that bothered her.

Chris LaSalle was familiar with the term limbo but he never thought he would be living in it. Bright flashes of light, reoccurring flashbacks, voices he couldn't respond to and pain. He could hear almost everything as clear as day he just couldn't do anything about it. It was like having one of those dreams where you knew you had to wake up but were trapped until you finally woke up with a start.

For whatever reason, Brody's voice came through the strongest. Not that this surprised him really. It was just different, like he'd become extremely sensitive to it. It was almost as if he could feel her fear coursing through him. He tried calling out to her a couple of times but it was as if his vocal cords and muscles had been paralyzed. Every time he tried he was thrown back into the alleyway with a knife being plunged into his back, ripping him to shreds as Brody screamed. It was almost like he trapped in some kind of horror movie. Nightmare on Bourbon Street.

Oddly enough, he was thankful for the pain. It reminded him that he was still alive if you could call this being alive.

The worst part of it all was he could feel himself teetering on the surface of reality and then wham he'd be sinking again.

He didn't know that the times he was sinking coincided with Brody leaving the room and that when she returned that his EEG waves seemed to pick up. They were especially strong when she was holding his hand or caressing his cheek.

At least that's what Dr. Kalliope Miller, head of the neurological department at Naval Hospital Pensacola told Brody. Kalliope was a friend of Loretta's from medical school and an expert in her field. Loretta had sought her out specifically for the purpose of treating Chris.

"He responds especially well to you." Kalliope told Brody. Unlike many patients, Chris' coma wasn't caused by a head injury. It was the result of his body being faced with too much trauma. He was on the edge of death and needed to retreat in order for his body to use all of its resources to heal.

Kalliope reminded Pride of a blond Abby Sciuto only a little older complete with pigtails and her own style of tattoos. "Heal his body and you'll heal his spirit," meaning that he would come back to them if the physical injuries didn't get him first. Chris' pulmonary issues were taken care of and he was breathing fine on his own. The massive internal bleeding had stopped. All that remained was the damage to his liver and his left kidney. His overall physical condition was now listed as guarded meaning things could still go either way.

"But it's been 7 days." Brody hated to sound like she was whining but every day was becoming like a new type of torture. She couldn't stand not knowing if he was going to pull through or not.

Worst of all she couldn't bear the thought of leaving him in some strange place while she returned home to begin her hunt for Fod. Pride had volunteered to stay behind however that brought her little comfort. Once she left she couldn't take the risk of coming back until Fod and all of his people had been eliminated.

"Why don't you both try to get some rest?" Kalliope suggested noting how exhausted both agents looked.

Brody glanced at Pride. She wasn't quite ready to leave LaSalle alone with this woman yet.

"Go on," he told her. "I'll stay here with Chris until you get back."

Brody found her room at the Navy Lodge to be more than accommodating. As a favor to Loretta, Kalliope had arranged for the agent to have a suite. Entering the bathroom, Brody quickly noticed the whirlpool bathtub. She strolled over to the edge and immediately picked up the container of bubble bath sitting in a neatly decorated wicker basket.

Chris placed his hands on either side of her face hoping to quell the fear that was threatening to ruin their moment. "Bubble bath?" He kissed her softly. "I promise. I'll be with you the whole time." He would love her so much that she would forget everything she feared.

Brody raised an eyebrow before she consented to return the peck. The idea of a bubble bath was a little more tolerable but she still feared she wouldn't be able to get through it. "Kiss me some more and I'll think about it." She said huskily wrapping her arms around his neck. If nothing else, she would sway him away from anything that had to do with water.

For several moments they kissed until Brody felt an ominous presence surround them. Opening one eye, she saw one of Fod's minions, standing behind LaSalle yielding a knife.

"CHRIS!" she yelled, breaking out of the kiss.

Startled by the memory, she dropped the container on the floor and watched the soapy contents ooze out onto the white ceramic tile.

After cleaning it up, she retreated to the bedroom where she reluctantly wrestled with herself over taking a sleeping pill that Loretta had prescribed. In the end, the need for sleep won out and she consented to take the sleep aid.

She hadn't been asleep along she found herself trapped in a dream.

She was standing on the pier at the edge of the Mississippi River dressed in black bikini top and a pair of Daisy Duke cut offs.

"Ya made it!"

Chris? He was alive and whole wearing his favorite black t-shirt and a pair of navy blue swim trunks and flip flops.

"What are we doing here?"

He leaned in for quick kiss, making her heart catch. "We're going skinny dipping remember?" he quipped, placing his hands on her hips.

"I can't," Brody hedged looking at the dark ominous water, as Chris walked his fingers across her cheek.

"Don't look at the water. Look at me." He told her before he raked his t-shirt over his head.

Brody stared at him with palpable fear in her eyes, but consented with a nod as their mouths melted together, kissing until she relaxed.

"I'm just kiddin,' " Chris teased, pressing his forehead to hers when the kiss broke. "I know ya ain't ready. But I do need ya to do something for me."

"What's that?" she asked lifting her dark irises to his intense blue ones.

Chris smiled, sadly as he cupped her chin. "Leave. It's time for you to go."

Leave? What was he saying? Her eyes started to bead back as forth, with her heart pumping wildly.

"I-I can't." she choked, "I need you to come with me."

I have to stay here," He said in time with a large clap of thunder. Picking up his t-shirt, he pulled it back over his head.

"Ya need ta go home, Michigan." he said, sweeping a kiss to her pale lips. "There are people countin' on ya."

"No! I won't leave you," she sobbed barreling into him, the force propelling both of them into the water.

Brody hit the dark water hard, feeling like she had just smashed through a wall of concrete. When she surfaced, she was alone.

"Chris!" She screamed her arms flailing as the water started to consume her. She was drowning. "Chris!" she gulped taking in water as she started to descend downward.

She was still screaming his name when she woke up with a start covered in sweat, her heart pounding furiously. Seeing the container of bubble bath must had subconsciously triggered her fear of water. Gazing at the clock, she noticed she had slept nearly nine hours.

Pulling to her feet, she ran her hands down her dark pant suit trying to smooth the wrinkles and then went to wash her face before making a beeline for the door. She needed to get to back to Chris. She feared her nightmare had been some sort of cryptic message and she was right.

Pride was waiting for her when she arrived back at the hospital.

"Pride? What's happening?" she swallowed, noting the mournful look in his eyes.

Pride grabbed her by the shoulders, as she started to shake. "Ya, can't go in there right now." Automatically, Brody started to struggle against his grip.

"I need to see him," she said as a sob ripped from the back of her throat. From the small window in the door, she could see that something was happening. Alarms were going off and there were at least a dozen people gathered around her fallen partner.

"You can't."

"Pride Please!" she wailed, on the verge of an anxiety attack.

"Not now!" he insisted, pushing her into a small alcove outside of the corridor. "Not this way."

Was Pride ordering her to keep it together? Because if LaSalle had just died after putting her through 7 days of hell there was no way she could fathom trying to keep it together, not after everything they had been through. Nope, absolutely not happening. She would sit here screaming her head off until her throat went raw.

Brody felt like she was hyperventilating as she started to take in large gulps of air.

Pride again, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "Calm down. We don't know all the facts yet." He continued to hold her until she stopped shaking.

"I'm fine," she lied, calming her breathing as a nurse approached them.

"Agents, Dr. Miller would like to speak with you."

"Is he dead?" Brody blurted out not even realizing she had verbalized her thoughts until she saw the startled look on the woman's face.

The nurse just stared at her.

"Answer the question!" Brody shot back in interrogator mode, earning a stern look from Pride.

"My apologies," he said softly as the woman turned on one heel and started back down the hall.

When the woman was out of sight, Pride latched on the Brody's arm and whirled her around. "What in the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Brody repeated in disbelief to the point where she almost laughed in hysteria. She was about to comeback with a curt retort when Kalliope appeared.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, but I had to make sure Christopher was stabilized before I could talk to you."

Stabilized? Brody's eyes widened with concerned. "What happened?"

Kalliope pulled her lips into a tight thin smile, "He had a minor cardiac incident."

"A heart attack?" Pride questioned.

"No. There was an influx in his heart rate which why the monitors went off. All it means is that his heart rate had a sudden increase. It is possible he was having a dream or maybe it's his body's way of trying to return his heart rate to normal." Typically, coma patients tend to have a slower heart rate than normal due to the bodies need to suppress everything. "Everything is fine. He's just trying to find his way back to you."

Several hours later, Brody sat at his bedside reflecting on her dream. She wasn't one to put much into them but this one bothered her. Chris had asked her to leave. Leaning over she touched his cheek, knowing his face would twitch. "I don't care what you say I'm not leaving you." she whispered, as a small inaudible sound erupted from deep inside his throat, his head turning toward the sound of her voice.

A smile spread across her face as she watched him blink. Welcome back from limbo, Christopher LaSalle.

A/N: A happy, sappy, reunion is coming up in the next chapter! FYI, I know Brody's dream was a bit cheesy but isn't that the way they always are on TV?