A/N: Sorry, this would have been up sooner if the flu didn't hit.

* * * * * * * * * *

Calleigh spent 3 days in SICU, watched carefully and monitored. She continued to improve physical each day; emotionally it was another story. The pain medication she was taking affected her thoughts more than she was willing to admit. Calleigh's thoughts were very disorganized and random.

Calleigh found herself experiencing waves of helplessness and fear when she woke from bizarre dreams. She was told it was one of the side effects of some of her pain medication. She dreamt she was a child in her parents' house and no one was home. She opened one of the doors and Alexx was standing there - then Alexx got shot. She opened the second door and Horatio was there - then someone shot him too. The third door held Natalia who also got shot. Then Maxine, Valera, and Ryan. Finally, Eric and that's when she woke up in a sweat.

Often one of her nurses would be standing there with a concerned look on her face and ask Calleigh if she needed anything. Calleigh always said she was fine and just needed to be out of the hospital.

Her friends and coworkers continued to visit her as often as they could. Calleigh enjoyed the company because she was bored, but hated the feeling of helplessness that lying in a hospital gave her. Calleigh's father, naturally, had been informed of her hospitalization. However, he was not able to fly in to see her right away due to a case; he sent his love and regards. He was told that she was recovering well.

Calleigh looked forward to Eric's visits with mixed emotions. On one hand, she wanted to see Eric; he was her best friend. On the other hand, seeing him opened up a whole new set of feelings that Calleigh did not have the energy to deal with then.

Occasionally, Lucy would visit Calleigh with Eric, and Lucy could see Calleigh's discomfort; even Eric was a little intimidated by it. Calleigh usually pretended she was tired and needed to take a nap. She rarely looked at Lucy and answered questions in only one or two words. It was getting a little tiring and annoying to Lucy who did not understand the underlining animosity.

* * * * * * * * * *

Lucy and Eric were having dinner, when suddenly Lucy asked him about Calleigh.

"Eric, I know you've been visiting Calleigh everyday and spending a lot of time at the hospital, but please, tell me more about her if you could. She seems really important to you."

Eric, always happy to have an opportunity to talk about Calleigh, complied. He recounted to Lucy his favorite things about Calleigh and his favorite memories.

Lucy could hear the love for Calleigh in his voice. She was curious why Eric and Calleigh weren't together as a couple. Eric was so plainly in love with Calleigh and she knew he was ready for a commitment. He wanted to settle down and have a family. They've talked about it themselves a few times. She was ready to settle down too when she found the right person.

She didn't understand it. Eric loved Calleigh. Calleigh took a bullet to protect Eric; did Calleigh love Eric too? Or was Calleigh just protecting a friend? They did seem close. What was she missing here?

"Eric, if you don't mind my asking, why aren't you and Calleigh a couple?"

Eric dropped his eyes and looked embarrassed. One of the things Lucy liked about Eric was that he did not hide his feelings; he was honest about them. She needed that in a relationship.

"I'm not sure. She never wanted me like that. I guess there's just something that Calleigh needs, and I can't provide it."

Lucy asked, "Do you love her?"

Eric started squirming in his seat. He knew he loved Calleigh, and he really liked Lucy. It was never his intention to hurt Lucy, and if they became serious and he fell in love, he would ask Lucy to marry him, and would not break his vow to her ever.

Eric figured that you can probably love more than one person at a time, but you can only be married to one. The one he was married to, the one whom he made his vows to, is the one he would put first in his life. He could never do any less than that and still respect himself.

He answered Lucy's question, hoping she wouldn't hate him. "Yes, I do love her; I have for a long time. But she doesn't love me, doesn't want me as anything more than a friend. I cannot wait for her forever; it's not healthy for either of us."

He looked Lucy in the eyes, "Lucy, I really like you, and I was never playing games with you. I like you more than I expected to, and you've become special to me. I am not using you while I wait for Calleigh. She's already made her choice. And I needed to move on. And I chose to move on with you."

"Thank you, Eric. I believe you."

Lucy was wondering, "How do you know she's already made her choice? Did she tell you?"

Lucy could see the hurt in Eric's eyes when he answered her question. "She dates other guys," he said. "Even knowing how I feel about her. And the sad thing is, even if she's not picking me, she picks guys that are not good to her. One guy even killed himself right in front of her. Another chose his job over her. She's always hurt."

She thanked Eric for being honest with her, and they moved on to other topics. However, Lucy still could not make herself stop thinking about Calleigh.

* * * * * * * * * *

After 3 days in the SICU, Calleigh was transferred to a private room on the second floor. A study was done and found that the longer a person stayed in SICU, the higher the chances of staph, MRSA, and other infections. The days of bed rest for most injuries and surgeries were over. It was now known that the human body heals faster when it is able to get at least some moderate exercise in proportion to a necessary amount of rest.

Lucy entered Calleigh's hospital room and saw Eric sitting by her bedside. He was just sitting there watching Calleigh sleep, barely moving a muscle. She wondered what was going through his mind.

Lucy walked up to Eric, knelt next to him, and gently hugged him.

"Hi, Eric. How is Calleigh doing?"

Eric looked at Lucy, relief on his face. "She's just sleeping now, mostly from some of her pain medication. She's doing much better and the doctors say she will recover with no damage or any other problems.

"They may actually release her in a couple of days. Everything should be fine, but she will still need to be off work for a few more weeks and on light duty a couple of months more. Physical therapy also will continue for months."

Lucy smiled at Eric, "I'm glad. That's good news. Now, how are you doing? And give me a straight answer, please."

"Much better now. I still feel so guilty; I mean she took that bullet to protect me. I am so thankful, though, that she will be fine."

"Eric, honey, why don't you go home and take a shower now that you know she'll be ok for good? Relax for a few minutes or so. You practically have been living here. I promise that I'll stay here with her and help her if she needs anything. If she wants me to call you, I will. I'll also call you if there are any changes, ok? Please?"

"OK, Lucy, I will. You are a really great person, you know that?" Eric gave Lucy a quick kiss on the lips, and left the room.

Lucy replied softly to herself, "Not yet, but I'm learning."

When Eric left the room, Lucy checked the monitors on the machines. Even though she wasn't a doctor, she was familiar with their operation and the ranges the numbers were supposed to be in. She then checked Calleigh over before sitting down in the chair right next to her bedside. Calleigh was still sleeping, so Lucy took out a small book and began to read softly out loud. She thought perhaps that the sound of a human voice might help soothe Calleigh in her sleep.

Gradually, she noticed the breathing pattern of Calleigh changing and saw that Calleigh was waking up. She waited until Calleigh fully opened her eyes and looked around.

"Hi, Calleigh," Lucy said as she leaned over her. "Eric was just here, but I asked him to go home and take a shower and rest a little; he's practically been living at the hospital, he's been so worried about you. How are you feeling?"

Calleigh looked at Lucy cautiously. "Like I've been shot," she said.

Lucy looked back at Calleigh carefully. "Well, you've got a good sense of humor, I guess that helps," she said.

Lucy continued to look at Calleigh, and Calleigh returned the stare.

Finally, Lucy broke the silence. "Calleigh," she said slowly, "I've asked the nurse to give us a few minutes of privacy. Now that I have your undivided attention, we need to talk."

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