Chapter 10

Sunday,

9:30 am

Calleigh slowly opened her eyes and squinted at the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Lambchop?" Kenwall smiled as she finally tilted her head towards him. He was sure these past couple of days taken years from his life. He'd yet to make up his mind which was worse - not knowing what had happened to his daughter and fearing the worst, or knowing and having his fears confirmed. Thank god for the people Calleigh worked with. They were an extended family in every sense of the word. No one had actually said anything but they kept an eye on him, kept him from sinking into that despair that presaged his bouts of drinking. Kenwall had clung to the warmth of their bond with Calleigh and they'd generously included him in their circle for the sake of his daughter. While Calleigh's choice of profession scared him, he would be forever grateful for the colleagues who obviously cared deeply for her.

When Calleigh didn't smile back, Kenwall's own faltered slightly. He took a steadying breath, "Hey there, how're you feeling?" He'd talked to her doctors early this morning when he'd first gotten in. They were cautiously optimistic about conquering the infection. Her fever was down a bit from its dangerous levels but far from gone. It was anybody's guess on her mental state. Kenwall had hopes that this time she would be back in the here and now.

"Daddy?" Calleigh stared at him for a few moments, then her breath caught as her face clouded over and she looked away, "Oh god."

"Sweetheart?" Worried, Kenwall leaned in a little. Was the delirium hanging on? It hadn't been easy sitting and listening to his daughter's fevered ramblings. He'd finally heard her uncensored view of her childhood and it hadn't been pretty. His guilt had grown heavier, knowing how much was his fault. "Lambchop, what's wrong?" She had a white-knuckled grip on the bed sheet and he reached forward to cover her hand with his own.

Calleigh jerked away as he extended his hand towards her and gave him a wide-eyed look. If anything, she looked even more upset, "No! I know you're not really here. You're dead. Everyone's dead and it's my fault. I'm so sorry." She squeezed her eyes shut, causing a tear to trickle down.

He looked at her in surprise, "Darlin', I'm fine. It was just bad dream." Kenwall frowned uneasily when she didn't respond. What the hell was going on? It was like... Duke straightened suddenly, remembering what Eric had told him about her rescue. He raised his voice, "Calleigh?" Again, there was no response. He tried one more time, then got up and headed for the door. He needed to find her doctor. No one had mentioned this, he wasn't sure if they knew. Stepping into the corridor, he hurried towards the nurses' station. Head down, Kenwall paid no attention to the people he passed as he worried over this latest development. The sound of his name being called stopped him and he looked around in confusion.

"Mr. Duquesne?" Alexx repeated as she walked towards the older man. "What's wrong? Is she worse?" Seeing him looking so rattled had sent a wave of fear through her. Bacterial infections were nasty and unpredictable. God knew Calleigh was a strong woman but that was no guarantee against something like this. Physically, she'd been through the wringer although (and here, Alexx had sent more than one grateful prayer skyward) it could have been so much worse. It was Calleigh's mental state that had Alexx worried. Ordinarily, it would be a point in her friend's favor. No doubt because of her past, the blonde had an indefatigable sense of survival. Now, the ME wasn't so sure. The last thing Calleigh had apparently seen was Horatio taking a bullet to the chest. If she believed he was dead, she'd be blaming herself. Grief and guilt could very well be more than she could handle in her weakened condition.

Kenwall relaxed a little as he watched the ME walk towards him. Dr. Woods would know what to do and she always had Calleigh's best interests at heart. He took a moment to compose himself as she reached him, "She doesn't hear me."

"What do you mean?" Alexx frowned, remembering what Eric had said about trying to get to Horatio after he'd been shot.

"I think she's... " Duke hesitated slightly, almost as if he was afraid to say the words out loud, "I don't think she can hear." He ran a hand through his hair as he looked at the floor, "Could the fever damage her hearing? I remember a third cousin back when I was a kid. I think he had scarlet fever or something when he was about five, and afterwards, he was deaf."

"It's possible," Alexx conceded uneasily, "But I don't know if that's what's going on. What did her doctor say?"

"She talked about getting Calleigh's fever down, the toxins in her blood and the antibiotics they would be using. She didn't mention anything about her hearing." Kenwall glanced away, clearly uncomfortable, "You think this is in her head? That she's... not right? Eric told me what happened out there in the 'Glades."

"She's not crazy," Alexx said firmly, "but she's sick and then had an emotional shock watching Horatio get shot. This could be temporary." She hoped so, anyway.

"She's still not making any sense." Kenwall's shoulders sagged a little, "She told me I was dead. She said, 'Everyone's dead' and she thinks it's somehow her fault. I tried telling her it was just a bad dream but she can't hear me. I don't know what to do."

Alexx smiled comfortingly, "Sure you do. You go talk to the doctor and see what she says, just like you were planning. I'll sit with Calleigh until you get back."

Kenwall straightened up slightly, returning Alexx's smile with one of his own, "Thank you." Resolutely, he resumed his trek towards the nurses' station.

Alexx strode towards Calleigh's room and stood for a second or two, looking in. Squaring her shoulders, she walked up to the bed and settled in the chair Kenwall had recently vacated. The blonde had her head turned away and Alexx debated with herself for a moment before reaching forward and lightly touching Calleigh's shoulder. As she halfway expected, her friend jerked away in surprise, while turning to see who was there. Alexx gave her a warm smile, "Hey sweetie." It took a determined effort to hang on to her smile when Calleigh tensed and pulled further away. Clasping her hands together, Alexx leaned in, letting her expression grow serious, "Calleigh, honey, can you hear me?" The silence was all the answer she needed. The ME held up a hand and then dug into her purse, coming up with a pad and pen. A quick glance showed Calleigh watching her with a mixed expression of despair and guilt. Hurriedly, Alexx scribbled out her message and held it up. She held her breath as the blonde frowned slightly.

Calleigh stared at the woman sitting by the bed, suppressing a shiver. It certainly looked like Alexx was truly there but that wasn't possible, was it? She really must be losing her mind this time. This was just another delusion her conscience had churned up, like her father earlier. She'd seen the bodies, the blood, the gore. No one had survived - except her and the Burrus brothers. These silent presences of her family and friends were appearing to drive home the fact that she was responsible for inadvertently leading those bastards to the lab. It had been a bloodbath that she had somehow survived. More than likely that son of a bitch, Milo, had made sure not to kill her so she could live with the deaths of nearly everyone she cared about.

Calleigh knew she was in a hospital although she had no memory of getting there. There were disjointed images of fighting with one of Burruses although it didn't make much sense. It'd been dark and seemed to have been outdoors but that wasn't right, it had to have happened at the lab. The choice of weapon varied, too. Sometimes, she had a knife and other times, a pistol. She closed her eyes and then inhaled sharply as she tried to bring her left hand up to her forehead. Blinking rapidly at the pain, she stared at the bandage covering her forearm. What the hell? Calleigh briefly closed her eyes again as another tremor coursed through. It made her arm ache even more. She almost welcomed it. Anything was better than the overwhelming guilt.

Speaking of which... cautiously, Calleigh shot a glance to the side and then exhaled slowly. That damned illusion of Alexx was still there, watching. When her father had appeared, she'd managed to banish him by keeping her eyes closed for a couple of minutes. Obviously, that wasn't going to work twice. It didn't seem fair that she would have so little control over something that she was fabricating out of her head. If only they didn't watch her in such unnerving silence. That was the worst part - being unable to explain herself and ask for forgiveness. Resolutely, she turned her attention to the door. Maybe she could ignore the image away.

Alexx watched the range of emotions play out across Calleigh's face. It was obvious that her friend didn't believe what she was seeing. The fever must still be affecting her perceptions. From what Mr. Duquesne had said, Calleigh's view of reality involved the deaths of her family and friends. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the shock of seeing Horatio shot had triggered massive guilt. If it had also manifested as some sort of psychosomatic deafness, it could explain why Calleigh didn't think what she was seeing was real. Silent images of supposedly dead friends would seem like a hallucination.

When the blonde apparently settled on ignoring her, Alexx's gaze narrowed. "Oh no, sweetie, you're not getting rid of me that easily." She held out the pad again, jostling the bed with her free hand to get her friend's attention.

Calleigh shivered again as she reluctantly looked to the side. Up until a couple of minutes or so ago, she'd been burning up and now it was like someone had abruptly turned the room into a freezer. She eyed the apparition of Alexx as another chill shook her. She was shoving that damn pad forward again but Calleigh found she couldn't focus enough to read. Teeth chattering, she moaned quietly as her eyes closed. She no longer cared who appeared at her bedside. It didn't matter. She was so cold.

Alexx frowned in worry as the blonde shook with chills. Her temperature was spiking again. The ME knew the doctors were doing everything they could. There just weren't that many treatments available. Bacterial infections were always risky. Young, healthy adults had better odds, of course and fortunately, the bug that had hold of Calleigh was one they could fight. It didn't mean she wasn't still in danger but there was a lot to be said for a patient's will to live. Calleigh's survival was pretty much in her own hands. She would make it through this if that's what she wanted. Alexx leaned in to tuck the blanket more firmly around and then put a hand on Calleigh's forehead. "Baby girl, I don't know what's going on in that mind of yours but don't you dare give up. We need you."

She turned as the door to the room opened revealing Dr. Castellini and Duke. Alexx stood up and met them halfway. She and Castellini were still in the process of feeling each other out. They were completely different personalities and Alexx had the distinct feeling they'd never be friends. Honestly, she didn't much care. The one thing they had in common was a fierce desire to see Calleigh recover. Their approach was different. Castellini saw it as a battle in the constant war of life over death and took almost a personal offense at any setback. Alexx, comfortable with death in all its forms, saw life as a precious gift. She would do everything in her power to keep Calleigh's from being cut short.

"She's got chills. Her temperature's up again," Alexx stated without preamble. Castellini tended to be blunt to the point of rudeness and didn't mind it in others. She was still an exceptionally good doctor.

Castellini nodded, "That's to be expected. It'll be up and down for a bit. We've finally isolated the bacteria and we'll keep after it with the medication. She's strong. There should be a definite improvement in the next twenty-four hours." She folded her arms and glanced at Kenwall, "What's this about her hearing? There's no physical damage, nothing major anyway."

"Wait a minute," Kenwall looked from one woman to the other. "Does that mean there is damage?"

Alexx answered after a glance at Castellini, "Accumulative. Calleigh's been working in Firearms for a long time. Even with protection, that's going to have an effect but we're talking years down the road. She'll probably have some hearing loss by the time she retires."

"But she's having a major hearing loss now?" Castellini returned to her original question while looking from Alexx to Kenwall.

"It seems that way," Alexx hedged a little. "The fever's still affecting her mental status. It's hard to get an answer." She tilted her head slightly, "Did you talk to Eric Delko or Ryan Wolfe?"

Castellini frowned, "No, I read the EMT's report. It stated that she had infected wounds, high fever, altered mental state and was drifting in and out of consciousness when they transported her. Who are Delko and Wolfe?"

"Her colleagues at CSI. They were with the first SWAT team that found Calleigh. They arrived in time to see Lt. Caine get shot. The SWAT boys took out the shooter but they couldn't get to Horatio. Calleigh wouldn't let them." Alexx allowed herself a moment of amusement at the expression on Castellini's face. "She had Horatio's pistol and she's a pretty good shot even when she's out of her head with fever."

"So she was already delusional?" Castellini couldn't help glancing at her patient. While she didn't much like guns, having to deal mostly with the aftermath, she was also a realist. Firearms were part of the social fabric and if somebody had to have them, she infinitely preferred it to be the police - at least they had training. Gavin had given her a little background on Duquesne and she'd read some of the past case history. It'd been hard to reconcile what she'd learned with the petite woman who'd arrived in the ER.

"Yes," Alexx replied a little impatiently, "But, according to Eric, she was reacting to movement, not sound. He didn't think she was hearing anything."

Castellini looked at Calleigh again, her eyes narrowing, "I've heard of cases of hysterical blindness but this is a new one." She turned back to Alexx and Kenwall, "Well, our first order of business is still to knock out the infection and bring her fever down. Once we've determined she's lucid, we'll address the issue of her hearing. It's possible it'll sort itself out. In the meantime, I'll talk to Dr. Lindsay about this and see what he has to say." She gave Kenwall a slight smile, "I know it's difficult right now but we'll get your daughter through this. Try not to worry too much." With a nod towards Alexx, she walked out of the room.

The two watched her leave and then looked at each other. Kenwall scratched his head, "Now what?"

Alexx turned back towards Calleigh, "Now we wait."

Sunday,

11:30 am

Horatio woke up to the soft murmur of voices. He laid there with his eyes half-closed, taking inventory. From the fog in his head and the odd lack of sensation in his body, he assumed he was still on heavy-duty pain meds. It didn't really stop the general feeling of unwellness but it did make it hard to care. Ignoring the external noises, he tried to concentrate on his memories. There were gaps he needed to fill. He remembered being told he'd been shot but not the actual event. He remembered being out in the 'Glades but not how he got there. He remembered the look on Calleigh's face after she'd shot the man behind them but couldn't remember how they'd wound up together or the nature of the trouble that had put them in that situation in the first place. It was incredibly frustrating. Finally, Horatio forced his eyes open and waited for things to come into focus.

"Hey, you're awake."

Horatio blinked a couple of times. That had sounded like Eric. A shape moved into his line of vision. It was blurry around the edges but definitely man-shaped, "Eric?" His voice sounded like someone had sandpapered his throat.

"Yeah, right here, H," Eric smiled in relief. Intellectually, he knew sleep was healing and that Horatio was making progress in his recovery but viscerally, it was more reassuring to be able to talk to his lieutenant. Mindful that Yelena was close by, he stayed away from the subject of Calleigh, instead assuring Horatio that everyone at the lab was fine and wishing him a speedy recovery. There was one subject he did need to broach, if nothing else than to give Horatio some warning. He shot a furtive glance backward and then plunged ahead, "When the doctors clear it, Stetler wants to talk to you about what happened out there." Knowing the animosity the IAB officer held for Horatio and his people, Eric hurried to reassure, "He's fishing and he knows it. It was a good shoot. Those guys were trying to kill you."

Horatio frowned, "Shooting?" Fragments of memory were finally working their way forward but he was still a long way from putting everything together. If there was nothing to worry about, why was Eric looking so uncomfortable?

Eric glanced at Yelena again, hunching his shoulders a little. She looked ready to tear strips out of him. He turned back to Horatio, "Yeah, the shooting. You took out one of the Burrus brothers just before we got there. Charles Henry, I think, then you got hit by Milo and the SWAT guys took him down. The last brother got away but we're still looking. SWAT notified New Orleans PD and the Darnell Sheriff's Department. They'll be watching if he heads back there."

"I didn't - ," Horatio paused in confusion. Hearing the name Burrus had unlocked more memories. He could remember firing his pistol but that had been more to delay rather than an attempt to hit anyone. Someone had been damn unlucky. "I did?" At least it was getting a little easier to get the words out.

Eric nodded, looking a bit confused himself, "In the middle of the forehead; he was dead before he hit the ground. His rifle was right there. There's no question you shot in self defense. Preliminary ballistics show he was one of the shooters that took down the copter so he'd already tried to kill you once. Stetler's just being a jerk."

Horatio managed a bit of a smile. Eric had his own reasons for disliking Stetler but he was right. It didn't sound like there was any reason for IAB to involve themselves. It was Rick being Rick. His smile faded as he considered what Eric had said. Damn, he'd thought the confusion was lessening. With a slight frown, he looked from Yelena to Eric. His frown deepened. Yelena looked about ready to blow while Eric just looked tense. What was going on? Carefully clearing his throat, he concentrated on Eric, "So there were five of them?"

Eric shook his head a little, frowning, "What?"

"Five men." At the younger man's blank look, Horatio bit back a sigh, not willing to take a deep breath just yet. It had hurt like hell last time despite the painkillers. He settled for raising an eyebrow. Eric wasn't usually this slow, the stress was probably catching up with him, "The three Burrus brothers and whoever else they had... the five... the first guy Calleigh took out when she escaped, the one I got, the one Calleigh shot, the one SWAT shot and one who got away." It was the longest sentence he'd managed since waking up and Horatio felt his eyelids beginning to droop. Dammit, when did talking become so exhausting? Determinedly, he tried to fight off the waves of weariness that were sweeping over him but it was no use. As he sank into oblivion, Horatio managed one brief flash of irritation. He still didn't know how Calleigh was. She'd been in pretty rough shape even before the Burrus brothers showed up.

"The one Calleigh shot?" Eric repeated as his eyebrows rose in surprise. It took him a moment to realize that Horatio had fallen asleep again and then he was hard-pressed not to shake his lieutenant awake. Calleigh? He turned his head to find Yelena glaring angrily at him. With a sharp jerk of her head, she indicated they should leave the room. Eric nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Sister-in-law or not, as far as he was concerned, she was overstepping the bounds.

The door had barely shut before she rounded on him. She kept her voice down but it was evident that she was furious, "What were you thinking?"

Eric stared back, stone-faced and determined not to lose his temper, "What are you talking about?"

"He's a sick man. He nearly died! I don't want him upset and worrying over things like work and IAB!" Yelena waved her hands for emphasis, ignoring the looks from people passing in the corridor.

Folding his arms, Eric glanced away for a moment. Screw it, she had no right. "Why don't you say what you mean? You couldn't care less if he hears about Stetler or the lab. You just don't want anyone bringing up Calleigh." It was beyond him how Yelena could think there was anything more going on between Cal and H other than friendship and a mutual admiration.

She blinked in surprise and then her face hardened, "And what if I don't? She's hurt him enough. All of this is her fault - he should have never been in that situation!"

"Like hell," Eric retorted, "Calleigh had no control over what happened and H would never sit by while one of us was in trouble. That's not who he is."

"You think I don't know that? You think SHE doesn't know that? She called you knowing you'd tell Horatio and he'd come running. Must be quite a rush, knowing she has that kind of power." Yelena's voice was bitter, "She's poison and if I can keep her away, I will. He doesn't need any more pain." She eyed Eric for a moment, "I'm surprised you're defending her. You know as well as I do that Horatio was besotted with her even though he married your sister. Hell, they didn't even take a honeymoon. You think that was a mutual decision? Work was just an excuse and a pretty flimsy one at that. All he needed was one sign that she wanted him and he'd have broken Marisol's heart."

Eric stiffened as his eyes flashed with anger, "You leave my sister out of this." He leaned in, his voice ominously quiet, "Calleigh would never do what you suggested and I'd say you just proved how little you really think of Horatio if you believe he'd ever deliberately hurt someone like that. How the hell did you ever become a detective?" With that, he turned on his heel and stalked off. He'd never in his life hit a woman and he wasn't about to start now.