Pliant
Ten
Ryan leans up against the side of the hummer while he waits on Calleigh. They have stopped along the side of the road by the beach. They are on their way to the scene of a home invasion/homicide, and Horatio is expecting them there soon. Calleigh wanted to get out in the field, insisting that she felt fine, but Ryan knew better. Now, he regrets having let her come along. He is now in a bit of a quagmire because if he arrives at the scene with Calleigh looking like death warmed over, he'll get his ass kicked, and if word gets back to Eric that he let her out of the lab period, he'll come and kick his ass...if he mentions anything about this whole situation to Calleigh, she'll shoot him.
He sees her bent over, vomiting what little food she'd eaten at work. He has a bottle of water in hand for her.
She straightens, one hand on her abdomen and the other combing through her hair as she makes her way back up to the truck.
"Here you go," he says, handing her the bottle of water.
"Thanks," she says as she takes it gratefully.
She takes a long drink before she sighs. "Ready?"
"Cal, you don't look well," he says. "I should take you back."
"No," Calleigh says. "Let's go."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah I'm sure," she says. "Let's go to the scene."
With that, she gets into the vehicle and he gets in as well.
She rubs over her abdomen, frowning. She takes a deep breath and rests her head against the window. She feels completely disgusting, with the sour taste in her mouth and the sheen of sweat covering her body. She has the sudden urge to take a shower because she feels grimy now, and the humidity isn't helping either.
She is ticking off the days until this morning sickness passes.
She is in her sixth week of pregnancy, and she only has six more before she gets out of this risky phase. Eric insisted that she stay home once again, and this time, instead of words, she let tears flow, and he gave in, feeling terrible about causing her to cry. She can't stand any of it; the sickness, the fluctuating hormones. It's all driving her mad, and she wants to start enjoying her pregnancy.
Calleigh shifts in the seat, still rubbing her abdomen.
Ryan glances over at her, and the discomfort she feels is etched into her face. He is willing to admit that she's terrifying when she's moody, and he doesn't want to get on her bad side at all today.
They make it to the crime scene and meet Horatio just outside the door.
Horatio takes in Calleigh's appearance, noticing how pale and weak she looks.
"Calleigh," Horatio begins. "Are you absolutely sure that you can work this scene?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she says, willing away the terrible nausea. "I can work."
Horatio nods and Ryan goes into the house. "I'll take the upstairs."
"Kitchen," Calleigh says.
"I've got the garage," Horatio announces as he heads over to the three car garage.
Ryan makes his way upstairs to the huge master bedroom and he photographs the bed.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Calleigh sets down her kit and she leans up against the counter for support as dizziness takes over. She tries to work through it, but the room is spinning and she feels her legs beginning to turn to jell-o.
She feels the urge to vomit and she is trying to make it to the sink, but she stumbles over herself and she vomits onto the floor, contaminating the crime scene. She begins to cry as she tries to make her way to the steps. Ryan is upstairs processing the bedroom, and Calleigh blinks her eyes several times to try and focus her blurry, spinning vision.
"R-Ry-Ryan...R-Ry..." She calls out, but her voice doesn't carry.
She steps forward and she trips over her own feet and the last thing she feels is a bang to her head before she blacks out.
Upstairs, Ryan completes a tape lift of the bed in the master bedroom before he puts his collections into his kit. He sighs as he closes it up and then begins to make his way downstairs to the kitchen. He wonders how Calleigh is faring because she knows that she's been feeling quite ill; normal pregnancy symptoms, with the nausea, dizziness, and moodiness. Walter, for some reason, has become Calleigh's unfortunate victim of her mood swings as of late and he chuckles a bit. He hopes that he understands that it's the baby, not Calleigh per se.
"Cal, I finished processing-Calleigh?" He inquires when he sees Calleigh lying unconscious on the floor.
He sets his kit down and rushes over to an unconscious Calleigh.
"Calleigh? Calleigh?"
There is blood running down from a large cut on Calleigh's forehead into her hair and Ryan presses his hand to the wound. His other hand grabs his radio.
"Horatio! I need help now! Williams!"
The uniform posted outside comes rushing in.
"Call 911 we've got an officer down!" Ryan says. "Calleigh...Calleigh..."
Horatio rushes into the kitchen and he kneels on the other side of Calleigh.
"Mr. Wolfe, what happened?"
"I-I don't know," Ryan explains. "I found her on the floor. Looks like she collapsed and hit her head on the counter."
After a few minutes, sirens can be heard in the distance, making their way to the house and Horatio wishes that they'd come a little faster.
Calleigh's eyes open up slowly and she groans.
"Calleigh, stay with me, okay?" Horatio encourages, his heart pounding in his chest. "The ambulance is on the way, sweetheart. Mr. Wolfe, I need you to notify Eric."
"Yeah," Ryan says, taking out his cell.
Calleigh begins to drift off again.
"No, Calleigh," Horatio says firmly. "Stay with me, sweetheart. Calleigh stay with me..."
Calleigh tries to keep her eyes open and trained on Horatio, but she feels the blackness around her closing slowly in and she blacks out.
"Calleigh, stay with me," Ryan says. "Cal...Calleigh!"
O-o-O
Natalia walks into the waiting room where she finds Eric, Horatio, Ryan, and Duke. Eric is pacing back and forth, unable to sit down, waiting on word about his wife's condition, and Horatio and Duke are sitting down, but no calmer, Natalia can tell, and Ryan is sitting motionlessly in a chair. Horatio called her while she'd been at another scene with Cardoza and Walter and told her that Calleigh was on her way to the hospital and that Ryan had been with her.
She hopes that Calleigh doesn't lose the baby. She knows that will devastate both Eric and Calleigh.
"Hey H, Mr. Duquesne," Natalia says. "Any updates?"
"Not yet," Duke sighs.
"Is she gonna be alright?"
"They're not sure," Horatio says.
She nods before she goes over and sits by Ryan, putting her hand over his. He sighs, shaking his head.
"I knew I should have followed my first thought and taken her back to the lab," he laments.
"Ryan, it's not your fault," she assures. "You know how stubborn Calleigh is."
He nods then he looks over at the rest of the family.
Eric sits down heavily into a chair, rubbing his hands over his face.
The silence and tension in the room is mounting, and his chest is tight, making him realize that he needs to breathe. He will be no help to Calleigh if he himself is not calm and collected.
Eric gets up again and begins to pace.
He'd been at work, out on the water with his new batch of trainees when he got the call that his wife was en route to the hospital. They escorted him to the hospital and he rushed into the ER in search of Calleigh. When he finally found her, they wouldn't let him in the room anyway because they were already working on her and hewas shooed away into the waiting room. Where he is still waiting.
How many times have they gone through this together? How many minutes, hours, days have they waited for each other? All he can pray for now is that he just doesn't lose her.
He prays that both she and the baby are going to be alright.
Though Calleigh has been sick, she still wants the baby so badly. Finding out that they were going to have a baby together was was just the realization of all of the things they've ever wanted in their lives. They got married with making a family in mind, both of them looking forward to a moderate sized family, maybe two or three children. He remembers Calleigh mentioning rather enthusiastically that multiple births run in her family and Eric secretly hoped that they'd be that lucky.
More than anything, he wants to be a father, he wants the chance to see Calleigh as a mother and see her truly happy.
Even through the morning sickness and the shifting moods, this morning, as Calleigh made it a point to X off another day of morning sickness on the calendar, she managed a smile after the little tiff they had and told him that she loved him. Her skin had been pale, but her eyes were bright and full of expectation for the coming months. Thinking about the coming months and possible themes for when they get to convert the guest room into a nursery is the only way that Calleigh can possibly muddle through the fatigue and dizziness and loss of appetite. All the hopes she shared with him kept her from completely lamenting the experience.
Now, a single call has changed the way Eric will deal with Calleigh's pregnancy.
After another anxiety-filled hour of waiting, Alexx finally appears in the waiting room. Everyone looks at her expectantly, and they all shift ever so slightly.
"Eric," she calls softly and he gets up and goes out into the hallway.
"How's my wife?" He asks.
Alexx sighs, grinning a bit. "Calleigh's going to be fine."
Eric breathes a sigh of relief and he leans up against the wall. "Thank God."
"She and the baby are fine," she explains. "The head trauma wasn't serious. We stitched up the cut on her forehead and the scans came back negative for any serious injury. We took some blood work, and her labs came back showing that her electrolyte levels were low, indicating dehydration. We've got Calleigh on IV fluids to help with that."
"Is she awake?"
"No, she's resting right now, but she should be awake in a couple of hours," she says. "But, Calleigh is going to need plenty of rest when she leaves here. She's very weak, so don't let her rush back to work too soon."
"Do you know what it's been like having to tell her that?"
"I don't care," Alexx says firmly. "I'll help you lock her up inside your house if I have to. That girl needs to suck it up and sit on her ass for a couple of weeks. You're the man of the house, you know. That's your baby she's carrying too. You got me?"
Eric nods, chuckling a bit. "Yes ma'am. Thanks Alexx."
She hugs him tightly before she goes back to work.
He goes back into the waiting room and he sees the anxious looks on everyone's face.
"Alexx said that Calleigh is alright," he says, and everyone visibly relaxes.
"What about the baby?" Natalia asks. "Is the baby alright?"
"The baby's fine," he reports.
Natalia smiles, thanking God that both Calleigh and the baby are okay.
Horatio stands up. "I'm sure Calleigh's going to need some time off, so I'll take care of that, alright? Don't hesitate to call if you need anything else."
"Thanks H," Eric says.
Natalia and Ryan stand up and come over to him. Natalia hugs him tightly, glad for him.
"I'm so glad they're both alright," she says happily.
Ryan hugs Eric and claps him on the back.
"Thanks Ryan," Eric says appreciatively. "Thank you for staying with Calleigh."
"That's what family's for," Ryan says. "Like H said, don't hesitate to call."
"I won't."
With that, Horatio, Ryan, and Natalia leave the waiting room.
O-o-O
Eric goes into the room, and he sees Calleigh sleeping. He goes over and he smoothes over her hair and kisses her forehead. She stirs slightly, and opens her eyes, smiling.
"Hey love," she says softly.
"Hey carina," he says as he caresses her cheek, looking at the angry, stitched up cut on her forehead. "You got a hell of a bump there."
She sighs. "I know."
He pulls up a chair and sits down, holding her hand. She looks so small beneath the covers and in the gown, and he warms her hand. She shivers.
"It's cold," she says, her eyes already heavy from fatigue.
He covers her up with the blanket and he kisses her softly.
"Is the baby okay?" She asks, a bit of fear in her eyes. "Did I hurt the baby?"
"Alexx said that the baby's fine," he assures as he kisses her hand. "And that you need to rest."
Calleigh turns onto her side and he caresses her cheek.
She is very pale, her face is thinner than normal, there are dark crescents under her eyes, and her hand feels so small in his, but she is still gorgeous and beautiful to him. He wants her to start feeling better, for both of their sakes because he'd been terrified when the call came that she was in the hospital. They now have another life to worry about between them, so anything that happens to her could potentially happen to the baby. Their baby's life is dependent upon Calleigh's health and safety, and if this recent scare isn't enough to convince her that she needs to slow down and get her strength back, he doesn't know what will. She's gotten to the point now where she's so weak, she can barely stand on her own two feet.
"I'm so tired," she says, closing her eyes.
"Rest," he says, gently pushing a lock of her hair from her face.
She opens her eyes, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I've been selfish about this whole thing, haven't I?"
"What do you mean?" He asks.
She wipes her tears then she caresses over his hand, grinning a bit.
"This baby is going to change our life together," she begins. "The baby is going to change everything and...I've been scared. I've been so miserable with the morning sickness and the fatigue, but working helps me to not think about not only that, but the sacrifices we'll both have to make."
He nods. "I know."
"So the thought of taking time off of work," she says. "Taking time away from the job that I love, scares me. It's enough that I'm sacrificing my body for this baby, but my job too? But I'm in the hospital, I'm exhausted, and I've got an IV hangin' on me. Guess it's not a bad idea to take time off, is it?"
He chuckles. "No, it's not."
She smiles faintly, her eyes closing again.
"I love you," she says quietly.
"I love you too, carina," he says, leaning in and kissing her again. "Go to sleep."
She nods then she sighs, falling into a deep sleep a few minutes later.
O-o-O
Ryan comes into his apartment with some groceries in hand. Natalia is sitting on the couch, enjoying a heaping, leafy salad while watching a movie. She beat him home from work, and she is nice and settled in.
"Hey sweetie," she says.
"Hey," he greets her as he goes into the kitchen.
She gets up and she goes over to him and he kisses her softly.
"I got some flowers and a card for Calleigh," he says. "And I got some flowers for you."
She smiles as he gives her a vase with some roses. "Thank you, Ryan. These are so beautiful."
She goes into the dining room and puts them onto the table, smiling. He loves seeing her smile, that's for sure, and he wanted to give her something to help cheer her up. Even with the good report on Calleigh, Natalia has still been worried about her, anxious to see her. Per Eric's request, they have not visited her yet, giving the couple some time to rest together. Calleigh had been exhausted and weak long before her collapse, and she needs as much down time as possible to get her strength back.
Natalia goes back into the kitchen and kisses Ryan's cheek.
He wraps his arms about her waist and she grins a bit, falling into Ryan's embrace. She rests her head back against his shoulder and he kisses her temple.
"I love you," he whispers.
"I love you too," she says, resting her hands atop his arms. "You ever think about having kids one day?"
"Sometimes," he says. "It's a huge responsibility..."
"I know," she agrees. "But having a family is so great. I think it would be great."
"Yeah, it would be," he says before he kisses her cheek.
She turns and kisses him lovingly before going over to pick up her salad.
"Mm, you gonna share?" He asks, picking up her fork and eating the bit it had on it.
"Uh, excuse you, Mr. Wolfe," she giggles.
"C'mon, 'Lia," he says, kissing her. "Sharing is caring..."
He kisses her again, and she smiles.
"Mm," she says as she pulls away from the kiss. "Among other things..."
The phone rings and she goes over and answer it, while Ryan eats a little more of her salad before opening the cabinet to get some bread to make a sandwich.
"Hello?"
"Hi..."
The woman's voice sounds a bit raspy, with an accent, and Natalia furrows her eyebrows.
"Who's calling?"
"Uh, this is Joy O'Shea, I'm Ryan's mother. Is he there?"
"Oh, hi," Natalia says with a smile. "I'm Natalia."
"Natalia, hi," Joy says happily. "Ryan sent me a picture of the two of you...you are gorgeous."
"Well, thank you, and you're lovely," Natalia says, turning to Ryan. "It's nice to finally-well, not meet you, meet you, but it's good to talk to you."
"I can't wait to meet you in person," Joy says.
"I know," Natalia says. "Anyway, here's Ryan."
He takes the phone. "Hi mom...yeah, she is..."
"What are you doing for Christmas huh?" Joy asks. "You're not working, are you?"
"I'm not, but 'Lia is, why?"
"Well, your father is going to be away on business, and Ever is visiting her in-laws," Joy sighs. "So, I was thinking that maybe I could come visit my only son on Christmas and meet his girlfriend, who is absolutely stunning...just beautiful."
Ryan chuckles. "Thank you. That sounds good, Ma."
"Really?" Joy asks.
"Yeah," he says. "Let me buy you a ticket and-"
"I already bought a ticket," she explains.
He sighs. "You were going to surprise me, weren't you?"
"Yeah, but then I thought that would be kind of rude, since you're not much for surprises," she sighs. "You never were. Remember you cried on your fifth birthday?"
"I didn't cry," he corrects indignantly. "I was allergic to the Gubermans' cat..."
"Well, anyway, I'm glad that you're excited," she says. "So I'll be coming in to Miami Airport on the twentieth at five in the evening."
"Alright," Ryan says. "I'll be there."
"Okay," she says. "Can't wait to see ya. Love you, son."
"Love you too, mom. Bye."
"Bye."
He hangs up. "My mom's coming to visit for Christmas."
"That's so great," Natalia says excitedly. "I can't wait to meet her. Okay, so you've got to tell me more about your mom so I can get stuff for her."
He chuckles. "My mom...she's...my mom," he shrugs, much to her chagrin.
"She's still a human being, Ryan," Natalia says. "What's she like?"
"She's...Catholic," he begins, and she glares at him.
"Yeah, yeah, everyone's Catholic, c'mon, what else?"
"She's...particular..."
"Well, that I can handle because you're just like her," Natalia says confidently.
"No, I mean really particular," he explains. "She couldn't handle you."
She pouts. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"'Lia...it's okay," he chuckles. "She likes toupe..."
"No, don't change the subject," she huffs. "Are you saying I'm a slob compared to you and her?"
"You said it..."
"Ooh!"
"No, you're not a slob," he says. "No, honey. You're just not...as concerned, I guess."
She raises an eyebrow at him. "Well is she staying here?"
"We'd have to sleep on the couch," he says.
"That's not practical," she says. "Why don't you just stay with me the week of Christmas? Your mom will have privacy and we'll have some privacy, unless your mom's really Catholic and we have to do that whole, wait-til-marriage innocent courtship thing..."
He chuckles. "She's not like that."
"Well then stay with me," she says, putting her hands on his chest. "I promise I will clean the house from top to bottom. It'll really shine."
"'Lia, it'll be fine," he insists.
She kisses him, then she smiles as she turns and brings his arms around her waist again. "I'm sure that your mom will love me."
"She already loves you," he says.
"And I know I'm going to love her," she says, hooking her arms around his neck. "Because she raised you, and you're wonderful."
He leans down and kisses her.
She turns and wraps her arms around his neck as she deepens the kiss. He picks her up with ease and sits her onto the counter, moving his lips over her cheek then down her neck and she tilts her head back, moaning when he involves his teeth and his tongue in his ministrations.
"Hmm," she purrs as he makes his way back up to her lips. "I think we should go to the bedroom..."
"You do, huh?" He whispers against her lips as his fingers begin to unbutton her blouse.
"Mmhm," she says as she kisses him softly, her hands slinking up under his shirt.
He gently pushes her unbuttoned blouse off of her shoulders and kisses along her collar bone. She pulls him up into a passionate kiss and he pulls away for all of two seconds so that she can push his shirt up and off before he reclaims her lips with his. She wraps her arms around his neck and deepens the kiss, allowing him to slide his tongue into her mouth to stroke and taste hers.
He picks her up and she wraps her legs around his waist and he carries her into the bedroom and gently closes the door.