Chapter: 4

… Doesn't mean it's not there;

"What do you think your doing?" Calleigh slightly yelled quickly walking back into Eric's bedroom watching Eric lift up the window. She stood next to him and moved his hands away to finish lifting it for him.

"I'm not a univalent Cal – I'm capable to open a window!" Eric chuckled slowly making his way back to the bed. Calleigh turned around and put her hands on her hips looking over at him seeing that goofy grin plastered on his face. They had him on some medication now that would make him feel 'good' so Eric was in and out of it the last few days. He had spent the week in the hospital and now he wasn't able to go back to work for at least another three weeks.

Eric, like Calleigh, hated to lounge around when there were things to be done. Although he wasn't able to do much, still opening the window to get some fresh air into the room wasn't exactly a hard job. But leave it to Calleigh to baby him. Well she didn't baby him so much, but she did make sure he stayed in the bed and did as little as possible while she was there to help him.

Even though they were both sure by this point that the lab had every reason now to believe that the two of them where dating, they never pressed the subject. Calleigh still worked while Eric was off, but his last week before he was able to come back, Calleigh took that week off just to make sure he was going to be ok to come back. Not only that, so she could spend alone time with him. It was from all her sick days she never used this year, nothing unusual about it at all.

Calleigh chuckled as she walked over to the bed and sat down next to Eric as he pulled the covers over himself. He leaned forward and brushed Calleigh's cheek with the back of his hand, then moved some of her hair from her face. She smiled at him and moved her hand to his cheek as well, softly touching it. "It's nice of you to come and spend your lunch here with me everyday," Eric said softly to her.

Calleigh smiled with a light sigh, "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!" she confessed watching a smile form on his lips. "Besides I hate leaving you here alone all day -," her voice had a hint of guilt in it as she looked down.

"Hey -," Eric whispered moving his fingers along her lips as her eyes shifted up to look at him. "It's only for a few hours, its ok Calleigh." He leaned up and pulled her a little closer to his body. Calleigh willingly moved herself so he didn't strain, her face was mere inches from his while her hands rested on his chest. He kissed the top of her forehead before putting his forehead against her own. "Not only that, you know my mother – she's been here everyday since they released me, so I'm never really alone." His hands moved to cup her face as he lightly kissed her lips.

Calleigh knew that Clorinda had been there almost everyday –she would be leaving when Calleigh would be coming in for the night. She had dinner with them yesterday, so she knew he wasn't alone all the time. Still Calleigh felt guilty that she couldn't stay with him all the time like she wanted. "I should probably get going -," her voice sounded with a soft edge. She frowned; this was the moment of her lunch hour that she hated, leaving him. "Hopefully I'll be early again tonight," she whispered softly.

Eric smiled and pulled back a little, "… and I'll be waiting." He stroked her cheek once more leaning in to kiss her lips again before she had to head back to the lab.

/X/X/

Calleigh walked into the crime lab with a slight frown on her face. As much as she loved her job, she loved being with Eric more. They were always close, but every since he was hospitalized a little over two weeks ago now, they had become closer and Calleigh had become more aware on just how much she truly loved him. The last week she had become anxious because she only had a few days now until her week vacation started. Not only that, now that the weeks had gone by Eric was capable to do more things on his own, slowly but surely.

She wanted to be there every time he needed something, she knew that he didn't need her all the time now to do things for him but still she felt it was her duty to be there for him. She was proud of him, he was healing quicker then she expected he also stopped talking about Tim. Not that she didn't like to talk about him, but it was sad when he was brought up. Eric must have not 'seen' him anymore because he never mentioned him. Except the day after she brought him home, he mentioned going out for his birthday. None of them had gone to visit Speedle's grave yet.

Horatio and Calleigh talked about it a week ago and decided that once Eric was better they would all do it together, as planned.

Once Calleigh hit her ballistics lab her phone went off, without looking at the Caller ID she answered it. Her first thought was, it was Eric calling because something happened and he needed her. But then she heard Horatio's voice on the other end telling her they needed her assistance out towards a warehouse in Coral Gables. Calleigh quickly turned around and made her way out of her ballistics lab and out to the crime scene.

/X/X/

"Hijo now that you are doing better you and Calleigh should come over for dinner," Clorinda Delko said while pulling the laundry out of the drier balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder.

Eric shook his head while slowly walking down the hall and into the living room, "Ah, Ma' we'll have to plan that on a night when Calleigh has off –you know sometimes we have to stay later then planned because of a case." He could hear his mother's sigh on the other end. Eric hated to disappoint his parents, especially his mother. His father he knew he disappointed years ago when he took the job of being a CSI. "Look, Calleigh has all next week off with me, I'll talk to her tonight about it and I'll let you know ok?"

He could hear her sigh again but it was a happy sigh, he could almost hear her smile on the other end. "Alright, are you sure you don't need anything now? I could come over and stay with you until she -," she stopped with Eric's interruption.

"I'm not a baby, Ma', I'll be alright!" Eric said with a chuckle. "I'll call you tomorrow and let you know what day we'll be over, ok?" he said with a smile even though she couldn't see it.

"Ok, Hijo, te quiero"

"I love you too, Ma', bye."

/X/X/

"Miami Dade PD put your hands up where I can see them!" Calleigh shouted with her gun pointed ahead of her at a man who had a knife in his hand and his wife in the other ready to hurt her. Horatio and Ryan were standing on the opposite end as Calleigh approached the man from behind; she eased up on him seeing the other woman look at her scared for her life.

"Sir, put the knife down and no one gets hurt -," Horatio said to the man as he stepped closer to him. They had to stay on guard around people like this before anything could happen, they didn't want him to snap and hurt his wife or one of them for that matter.

Calleigh came up behind him lowering her gun a little as she reached her hand out to take the knife from him. He didn't see her and swung his hand back, knife and all and clocked her right in the face. Calleigh grunted and fell back as Ryan grabbed the guys hand taking the knife from it as Horatio took the woman out of harms way. One of the other officers came over to cuff the guy as Ryan helped Calleigh up off the ground. "Your bleeding Cal," he said to taking her face in his hand to examine it.

"I'll be fine." She sighed touching her lip, it was bleeding alright, she was so lucky that the knife wasn't angled up more, it would have gone right through her cheek if it was.

"Ma'm are you alright?" Horatio asked looking at her lip.

"Just a cut. It'll probably leave a mark," she rolled her eyes with another sigh watching as they took the guy away in one of the police cars.

"Get it looked it, just to be sure," Horatio said with a smile and genuine concern.

Calleigh nodded to him and bent down to pick up her gun. She put it back in the holster and walked off towards her hummer. She knew it was just a cut, nothing serious, but she would get it cleaned up once she got back to the lab.

/X/X/

Eric sighed reaching into the freezer to grab a soft ice pack for Calleigh's lip. It was starting to bruise and the cut was bigger then what she expected it to be. "Here," Eric whispered sitting down next to her on the couch while placing the ice pack against her lip softly. He used his other hand to brush some hair from her face before letting his hand cup her cheek. She smiled at him and placed her hand over top of his to hold the ice pack up. "You sure your ok?" he asked her concerned.

Calleigh looked deep into his eyes and nodded, leave it to Eric to worry about the littlest thing. Especially with him being the one that was just release from the hospital a few weeks ago because of the bullet in his head and now he was worried about a little cut on her lip? Oh yes, Calleigh Duquesne was head over heals in love.

"So what day did you want to go to dinner at your parents?" Calleigh asked him softly changing the subject.

Eric stared at her for a moment, he wanted go on about what happened today and how she was feeling, but he knew Calleigh and knew that if she said she was fine she generally was. So he let it go. "I was thinking Tuesday night?" he smiled softly watching her move the ice pack down. Her cheek was red from the coldness of the pack. The bruise wasn't as big as he thought it was, that was a sigh of relieve.

"Tuesday's good," she said moving closer to him. She leaned over setting the ice pack on the coffee table in front of them. Eric opened his arms while she nuzzled herself closer against him. Her back and left shoulder hitting against his chest as they sat on the couch. His arms were wrapped securely around her waist as she leaned her head back.

"I –I was also wondering if you and H -," he paused for a moment watching her head come up slowly as she turned it to look over her shoulder at him. Her eyes were a darker shade of green today; they were beautiful, just like her. Eric swallowed hard, "We missed Tim's birthday this year Cal, because of me." He shook his head watching her face fall.

She brought her hand back and cupped his cheek, "Eric -," she started before he cut her off.

"I know it was something I couldn't help, but if I wasn't so damn hardheaded and went to the doctors sooner maybe this all wouldn't have happened." His tone was a little higher and when she dropped her hand from his cheek he was weary of how he was talking. His face grew calmer seeing the look on her face. "I'm sorry; it just upsets me to think about it." He glanced around after his confession feeling her hand go back to his cheek his eyes met hers again.

"It's alright Eric," she smiled softly feeling him lean into her touch. "We'll go on Tuesday." Her eyes wavered between his for a few moments longer before she felt him happily press soft kisses along her cheek and at the corner of her mouth.

/X/X/

Calleigh and Eric walked up the hill of the cemetery looking around at what a nice day it was; they were both quite most of the afternoon knowing this time was coming. They looked ahead to see Horatio already at Tim's grave waiting. When he saw both CSI's he removed his glasses and smiled at the both of them. "Hey, H -," Eric said almost silently as they stood next to one another looking down at the head stone that read Timothy Speedle.

Usually that would tell stories about Tim, maybe laugh and sometimes cry about them but this year was different. It wasn't that they were comfortable with his death, with the fact that he was never coming back; it was just they new that Tim was in a much better place. He was obviously looking after them, helping them with their cases still even if they didn't know it.

Eric on the other hand knew different, he knew that Speed was gone, everyone else couldn't see him, but Eric could. Even if it was just his hallucinations, he knew that Tim was there looking out for all of them.

"Just because you can't see something… doesn't mean it's not there."

Eric's head shot up, "What did you say?" he asked Horatio calmly. Those words, he had heard them before. Speedle.

"Eric, we all know that you've been having a hard time. Just take it day by day, that's all you can do, that's all we all can do." Horatio smiled faintly watching Calleigh put her hand on Eric's upper arm squeezing it for comfort. "Tim may not be with us anymore, but we all know he's looking after us. Even if we can't see him," Horatio said with another smile.

It was silent again.

Not your uncomfortable silent's either, it was soothing and needed. Calleigh quickly whipped her few tears that fell and composed herself looking at the corner of her eye seeing Eric watch her. She licked her lips blinking a few times before tilting her head to look over at the two men. She had been quite the whole time, she could say things to make the moment better, less sad, but she knew now that she didn't have to. The silent's spoke for itself.

Horatio slipped on his shades and turned to his side, "You two enjoy your time off -," he said softly watching Calleigh and Eric look at one another then back at him. Horatio nodded with a grin, "I know nothing," he said before walking away leaving Eric and Calleigh with the same blushing expression on their faces.

Eric turned and looked down at her, her cheeks bright red, her green eyes light up from her previous tears, "Are we really that obvious?" Eric asked her with a light chuckle. According to Speedle they were, of course Eric would never say anything that he talked to his dead best friend about him and Calleigh. People probably thought he was crazy already why would he give them any other reason to think that.

Calleigh smiled at him and glanced over the hill seeing Horatio had already pulled away. Her eyes met back with his, "Ryan knows too," she blurted out finally.

"Wolfe? How does he know?" Eric asked her stunned while lacing his fingers with hers.

She chuckled, "Well my guess is, yes, we are really that obvious." She grinned squeezing his hand. "But I just think it's obvious to them because we all see and work with each other every day. They were bound to find out sooner or later, I think we're ok though, Eric." Her words had more meaning to them then just what everyone else in the lab thought about the two of them, whether they all knew they were dating or not.

It had taken them both so long to confess how they felt for one another, it seemed like everyone else in the lab knew it before they did. But now that they were together nothing was ever going to keep them apart. Not a bullet shifting in the brain, not some psycho with a knife and a hard punch, nothing. Every one of their experiences whether it be together or alone, it made who they were stronger people. It made their relationship stronger. Something that was built to last.

Eric leaned down and kissed her lips softly feeling her cup his face in her small hands. He pulled back a little to meet her eyes again, "We should probably get going, told mom we'd be there at six," Eric said softly kissing her once more.

She nodded her head and smiled as they both looked over at Tim's grave once more. Calleigh took in a deep breath and sighed while squeezing his hand, "Lets go."

"Later Speed -," Eric said with a grin as he and Calleigh walked back down the cemetery hill.

-Ahh, I'm sorry it took me so long to post this! I've been busy with school & work. I've been sick this past week too. Forgive me if this chapter sucked! I really am sorry about that! But nevertheless I hope you enjoyed this story of my series. My 3rd story, "Wrongfully Accused." will be coming soon. I promise! Thank you all SO much for your reviews so far, on all my stories. It means so much to me!-