Chapter 6
The Boeing 767 slips through the thick clouds and into the rainy Miami sky. It descends lower and lower towards the metropolitan area below. It is late afternoon, just before the start of rush hour. Calleigh has the window seat on this flight, and Ryan is to her left sound asleep. He has been the entire flight. Calleigh is physically exhausted as well, yet there is far too much on her mind for her to sleep. The one thing she isn't worried about is their current case. Their arsonist has already landed in Miami; he is currently eating his first meal as an inmate. All that is left is Calleigh and Ryan's testimony at his trial in a few weeks.
There is a gentle bump as the plane touches down. Quickly it slows to a light bouncing on the tarmac as they now head for their gate. Calleigh nudges Ryan awake. He opens his eyes and smiles at her; she returns the smile. When Ryan looks at Calleigh now, there is a sparkle in his eyes that wasn't there before this trip. The first time Calleigh noticed this was yesterday at the hospital. They were side by side in the ER as the doctors fussed over their injuries. While one stitched Calleigh's left knee, she had her head turned away, towards Ryan. At that moment he locked eyes with her. With that one look, Calleigh saw the sparkle in Ryan's eyes come to life, and it felt as if their whole being shifted. Ryan now steps into the aisle of the airplane to retrieve their carry-ons. He doesn't give Calleigh hers, but instead he carries it too as they make their way off the plane and towards the baggage claim.
Throughout the seemingly endless trek from their gate to the baggage claim, Ryan and Calleigh are silent. As the walk they look at each other every few seconds and smile. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowded airport around them, Calleigh and Ryan are off in their own world where nothing matters except that the other is here, and where the words they will soon speak will close the remaining gap between them, making it known to the world the feelings their eyes have always known.
After gathering their luggage, they head for Ryan's car which he left at the airport.
"Ryan, I feel bad that you're carrying everything."
"Don't worry about Cal. I know it'll hurt your hands if you try to carry your bag."
Calleigh looks down at her bandaged hands. Unlike with her knee, the cuts on her hands did not require any stitches to close. Now, she looks back over at Ryan.
"At least I have a man who's strong" she smirks.
Immediately Calleigh realizes how that sounded. But, before she can say anything else, Ryan does.
"So you have a new man now, huh? Bet he's not as strong or as hot as me" Ryan smirks back.
He too realized how Calleigh's statement sounded, yet he knows now is not the time to get serious about it.
"No way babe" Calleigh replies, relieved that Ryan's playing it off.
They are now at Ryan's car. He loads the luggage into the trunk while Calleigh waits in the passenger seat. A wave of exhaustion and jetlag is taking over having walked all that way here. All she wants to do is go home, put on her pajamas, and crawl into her bed. Calleigh's thoughts stall out at this- her bed, her cold, lonely bed where she will sleep alone. Ryan now gets in and starts the car.
"You ready to go home Cal?"
"Yes, let's go."
Her mind flashes back to two days ago when she stayed the night in Ryan's bed. She can't help but smile at the thought of his warm self behind her, with his arms holding her securely. Until that night, Calleigh had been able to ignore the loneliness that stung at her every night as she got into her empty bed. It was that same loneliness that made her even more afraid when she was awoken in the middle of the night by a nightmare. But, she couldn't just ask Ryan to stay with her so she wouldn't be lonely. Could she?
"Ryan, can we talk?"
Her voice is nearly an octave higher as she speaks. She knew they would have to talk about the events of that night; however, Calleigh is afraid of this talk. It can change everything. Still, she is going to give it a try for the sake of she and Ryan's relationship along with the fact that they have to work together.
"Sure. What's up?"
Normally an easy question, this time the words out of Ryan's mouth are more loaded than a machine gun. So many thoughts are racing through Calleigh's mind as he asks that question. She has to start this at exactly the right spot so it all comes out right.
"First, Ryan let me say how incredibly happy I am that you-we, made it out of that rubble alive and that you're okay. Granted, I did have doubt for a split second, but you said we'd make it out. And we did."
Upon finishing this, Calleigh reaches over and lays her hand gently on Ryan's shoulder. To her surprise, Ryan reaches over with his left hand and lays it on hers on his shoulder.
"Calleigh, so am I. You don't even know how much. There is one thing I'm curious about though."
"What is it Ryan?"
"Why did you jump down the hole after me? It would have been much easier for you to get back out of the house and get me help than come yourself. Not that I'm complaining though."
Just as Calleigh is about to answer, her phone starts ringing. Ryan lets go of her hand so she can answer it. After a second he can tell it is Horatio. They speak for seven minutes. This he can tell by the clock on his dashboard. In the meantime, he reaches Calleigh's house. He pulls into her driveway and kills the engine.
Calleigh closes her phone and turns back to Ryan.
"That was H. Due to our little adventure, he is giving us three days off to rest and recooperate. And he'll be by tomorrow morning to see how we're doing."
"Resting sounds so great right now" Ryan adds.
"Okay Ryan, back to your question. Yes, it may have been easier for me to go get you help. But…but Ryan I couldn't leave you. No matter what I couldn't leave you down there. I called to you but you didn't answer. It scared me so much. I didn't know if you were dead or alive or if I'd ever see you again. And I'm glad I jumped because when that house fell on us I was glad I was with you and not outside. No way could I handle being outside with the house on top of you and you in the rubble all alone."
Tears have begun streaming down Calleigh's face while she is speaking. Yet this time she doesn't care; Calleigh is tired of holding back. She just cannot do it anymore. Ryan begins to speak and Calleigh stops him. There is more she needs to say. So instead he takes a hold of her bandaged hands the best he can while looking her in the eye.
"Ryan, I…"
Those three words, the words that Calleigh has felt since the moment she found Ryan laying amongst the rubble on the cellar floor, are on the tip of her tongue. She desparately wants to say them now; however, she has never felt them so strong than she does right now with Ryan. It scares her, and it exhilarates her at the same time. Calleigh looks to Ryan's eyes for guidance. They tell her to go on, don't be afraid that he feels it too.
"Ryan, I love you. I cannot live without you."
With one motion, Ryan lets go of her hands, undoes her seatbelt, then brings her to him in a great embrace. He turns his head and whispers in her ear loud enough for only her to hear.
"Calleigh I love you too, more than life itself."
With this, she pulls back a bit and just looks at him. This is so wonderful it is almost unreal. Tears are falling from his eyes too. He takes his hand and caresses her cheek; he moves his face closer to hers. Calleigh knows what he is about to do.
"Ryan wait. Let's go inside. Okay?"
"Of course."
They both scramble out of the car. Ryan opens the trunk to get Calleigh's luggage as she unlocks her front door.
"Grab yours too" Calleigh says, turning her head to him.
He throws her a confused look. She pushes the door open then walks up and stands before him.
"Ryan, stay with me."
"Are you sure?" he asks, making sure she is certain of her request.
"I've never been more certain of anything but this." Calleigh says as she wraps her arms around Ryan's waist, pulling him close to her.
The second she finishes speaking, it clicks in Ryan's mind. Calleigh is not asking him to stay just to keep her company tonight. She is asking him to stay with her forever because she loves him too. Ryan almost asks Calleigh to repeat herself; he is awestruck as well as happy- the happiest he has ever been. Her question is an easy one to answer.
"I will stay with you Calleigh no matter what."
They stay wrapped in each other's arms for a moment before separating. Ryan grabs their luggage that he placed upon the driveway a moment ago. Calleigh loops her arm through his. She guides him into her house then closes the door behind them.
THE END