Eric looked up after a small movement caught his eye. After a couple of minutes without anymore movement, he started to look down again. Then he felt something tug on his hand and his heart leapt with joy.
"Calleigh, wake up," said Eric happily.
When Calleigh's eyes fluttered open, Eric called out for a nurse. He was so excited that he didn't notice that Calleigh had pulled away from him. He didn't see the fear in her eyes either.
"Mr Delko, what's wrong?" asked Sandy. She and Eric had become friends quite quickly.
"Calleigh's awake."
Sandy looked over at the bed and saw, to her immense relief, that Calleigh was indeed awake and watching her every move. Walking over, Sandy noticed that Calleigh was afraid of her, though she couldn't understand why. Most of the patients loved her. She figured that it was just because Calleigh was generally scared and didn't think about it again.
"Hi Calleigh. I'm Sandy, a nurse at Mercy Hospital. Do you remember what happened?"
Calleigh shook her head but stayed focused on Sandy.
"Okay. That's alright. I'm sure Eric can fill you in if you want to know. Are you in any pain?"
After a few seconds, Calleigh nodded her head. "Not much though," she added when she realised that she would be bothering Sandy. The look on her face clearly said that she thought she was a bother.
"Don't hide the pain Calleigh. You aren't a bother. My job is to help you get better. I'm here if you need anything."
Calleigh smiled for the first time since waking up. Sandy smiled back and gave Calleigh pain relief before giving Eric a smile and then leaving.
"Cal, I'm so glad you're okay. You scared everyone," said Eric. He hugged Calleigh after helping her sit up.
"Don't leave me Eric," whispered Calleigh.
Eric sat down and Calleigh rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes until she felt a kiss on her head. She looked up to find her father smiling at her, a look of relief on his face.
"Daddy," said Calleigh as she accepted his gentle hug.
"Lamb chop. Don't ever scare me like that again." Duke's tone was slightly harsh but he wore a smile anyway.
"Calleigh, since your dad's here, I'm going to make a quick phone call. I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?" asked Eric.
Again, Calleigh nodded. She then let her father take Eric's place next to her and closed her eyes again.
"What did he say?" asked Horatio.
Natalia looked at her boss with a smile on her face. "She's awake," squealed Natalia happily.
Horatio let out a breath that he hadn't realised he was holding. The news wasn't particularly good, but he supposed that it was a good sign that Calleigh had woken up. Horatio watched as Natalia practically skipped through the hallways, whistling as she went. She was clearly happy that her friend was awake. Realising that she hadn't actually seen Calleigh until the day after they had found her, Horatio figured that Natalia thought that her friend was better. Horatio didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise; to tell her that it may be better for Calleigh if she had still been unconscious.
"Miss Boavista," called Horatio.
Natalia turned around. "Yes H?"
"Go visit her. Take Ryan with you."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I want to try and get some more information from that idiot in there anyway. Tell Calleigh that I'll come by tonight."
"Okay. Thank you Horatio." Natalia almost ran through the halls this time, calling out to Ryan as she passed the break room.
Natalia knocked on the door to Calleigh's hospital room and then entered with Ryan behind her. Her smile hadn't left her face since she had heard the news and it only grew bigger when she saw Calleigh sitting up, reading and having lunch.
"Hey Cal, how are you?" asked Natalia.
"I'm okay," said Calleigh with a stiff smile.
"Where's Eric?"
"Getting lunch with my dad."
Natalia sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up Calleigh's book. "Uh, do you want a better book to read Cal. I have one in the car."
"Sure. Sounds good to me." In actual fact, Calleigh just wanted them to leave her alone. She didn't know why, but she didn't trust them anymore.
To her immense relief, a few minutes later, Natalia and Ryan left Calleigh, and she curled up underneath the thick blankets covering her. She had just fallen asleep when she felt someone kiss her cheek and opened her eyes with a smile on her face. Eric helped her sit up and pulled her into a hug, where she stayed until Natalia's voice drifted to her from outside the room.
"Eric, I don't want them here," whispered Calleigh. She had tensed in his arms, causing concerns for Eric.
"Why?"
"I don't know, but I don't trust them. I don't trust anyone except you and my dad."
"Okay sweetie. I'll get rid of them. Pretend to sleep. I'll be back soon."
Calleigh closed her eyes when Eric moved. She could hear him moving around and talking. She soon heard Natalia agree to give Calleigh some space, though she could also hear the sadness. Immediately, Calleigh felt bad and opened her eyes, calling out to Natalia. A tearful Natalia ran into Calleigh's room, making Calleigh realise that she was safe around her friend.
