"Hey now, what do you say to calling Emily really quick and tell her we're okay?"
"Mmmm. 'Kay."
Calleigh took JJ's cell and scrolled through the entries until finally finding Emily's number at E.
She dialed and Emily picked up at once. "JJ?"
"No, it's Calleigh."
"Oh thank God. Are you okay? Where's JJ? What about Ryan? Where are you?" Calleigh could hear the relief in Emily's voice, but she still sounded really nervous and edgy.
"Wow. Slow down. I'm a little beat, but I'll live. JJ will be okay. She's suffering from a little hypothermia but she'll be okay. She shot Ryan and we're still at his house in the Glades. When will you be able to get us out of here?" Calleigh stated the facts, trying to assure Emily and herself that everything was gonna be okay.
"We'll have to wait until the storm let's up. The forecast said that it'll get better tomorrow around noon. The streets are flooded and there's too much wind for a copter. Will you manage until then? You can't let her fall asleep."
"Yes, we'll deal. Just bring a medic. She has some nasty bruises and a graze at her arm. I patched her up but I guess a doctor should take a look at it."
"Oh I can assure you: I'll bring a complete hospital if I have to."
„Hey Emily. Would you talk to JJ for a second? I want to search this room a little more thorough, but I fear she'll fall asleep."
"Yes. Please."
"She's kinda hard to understand though. But she's not hallucinating, it all makes sense."
Calleigh crouched down before JJ and held the cell out to her.
"Hey JJ. It's Emily. She wants to talk to you."
And surely JJ took the cell from Calleigh and started talking.
"Em'ly."
With one eye still on JJ she went to the bathroom again and searched for other useful stuff. She found towels, soap and shampoo but left everything in its place. A hot shower sounded really good to her right now, but for JJ it would be lethal. She could lose the rest of her body heat at the core.
"I'm really tired." JJ said slowly but seemed to be trying to talk clearly as if not to worry Emily further.
Calleigh crossed the room again heading for the closet now.
"Ya, will do it fo' ya."
The blonde CSI searched the closet thoroughly and systematically. Besides clothes and shoes she found a radio unit that was set to the police frequency, some stash of GHB and luckily two bottles of mineral water and a bottle of Coke. Coke was a good thing actually because it contained a lot of sugar and since she couldn't make any tea it was the next best thing.
"Hurry. Miss you baby."
"Cal, she wanna talk to ya."
Calleigh heard JJ call out for her, grabbed the water and the coke and went back into the main room. She put the bottles on the table and took the cell back from the agent.
She listened carefully what Emily had to say.
"I've never seen her like this before. She's our press liaison for God's sake, she's a very articulate person usually. You have to get her warm and keep her safe until we can come and get you." And then she added more softly. "Please!"
"Don't worry. She'll be okay. I promise! I won't let anything happen to her."
"Natalia says she's glad you're okay. She was really worried."
Calleigh sighed, she really had not the strength to think about Natalia now.
"Tell her I'll have a lot to think about, but I will talk to her soon. Don't call us until it's an emergency, the battery is running low and maybe we'll need the cell if JJ gets worse."
"Sure. I'm really glad you're okay Calleigh."
"Ya. Me too. Tell everyone we said hi. And tell Nat … just tell her I need some time."
"Okay. See you soon."
The line went dead and Calleigh wondered briefly what Emily really felt for JJ. But she had no time to think about it because JJ tried to lay down.
"NO! JJ don't lay down. Come here."
Calleigh sat down on the bed her back to the headboard and pulled JJ against her, snuggling up to her from behind and pulled the blankets around them.
"Come on JJ. Tell me what happened after you started following us."
Calleigh asked question after question to keep JJ talking and awake. In between she shared the Coke with her she found earlier. She took JJ's temperature after an hour again. The thermometer read 97°F now, but Calleigh found that it rose way too slowly. JJ still wasn't shaking and she knew that this was a bad sign. She had to start shaking in order to produce body heat on her own.
"JJ. I will take off my pajamas now and then I will strip you down also. You will get warmer better that way. Do you understand?"
"Ya I know. Medical trainen'."
Calleigh helped JJ sit up and extracted herself from the heap of blankets they had been under. She stood up and stripped quickly; there was no room for this to be awkward or to even think about any further implications. Calleigh just did what she had to do. Then she unbuttoned JJ's pajama top and removed it from her shoulders, carefully avoiding the wound on her arm. She knelt down in front of her and helped her out of the bottoms. She threw everything on a pile on the ground and climbed into the bed again resuming her former position. She pulled JJ close to enable as much skin to touch as possible. The agent's skin was still cold to the touch and Calleigh shuddered at the full body contact. Pulling the blankets close around them she created a cocoon around them, only their heads poking out.
Miami, 0400, June 04, Miami DADE, the labNatalia had fetched them a second and a third cup of tea. They didn't speak, they just sat there side by side, still holding onto each other, praying, hoping and waiting. Horatio had come in once to tell them that he had sent everybody home because the weather wouldn't clear before noon. He wanted them to go too, but both women refused to leave claiming not being able to sleep anyway.
"You just hold on okay. We will get them both back." And with that he left them alone again.
Silence settled onto the room again both women feeling comforted by the other one. Emily nearly fell off the chair when her cell started ringing.
She looked at the caller ID.
"It's JJ.!"
"JJ?"
"No, it's Calleigh."
"Oh thank God. Are you okay? Where's JJ? What about Ryan? Where are you?" Emily shot all her questions at Calleigh at once. She was really relieved that Calleigh was obviously okay but she really needed to know how JJ was doing.
"Wow. Slow down. I'm a little beat, but I'll live. JJ will be okay. She's suffering from a little hypothermia but she'll be okay. She shot Ryan and we're still at his house in the Glades. When will you be able to get us out of here?"
Emily sighed deeply and closed her eyes. JJ was gonna be okay. She gave Natalia a radiant smile trying to let her know that she didn't need to worry anymore.
"We'll have to wait until the storm let's up. The forecast said that it'll get better tomorrow around noon. The streets are flooded and there's too much wind for a copter. Will you manage until then? You can't let her fall asleep."
"Yes, we'll deal. Just bring a medic. She has some nasty bruises and a graze at her arm. I patched her up but I guess a doctor should take a look at it."
"Oh I can assure you: I'll bring a complete hospital if I have to."
„Hey Emily. Would you talk to JJ for a second? I want to search this room a little more thorough, but I fear she'll fall asleep."
"Yes. Please." Emily would go through hell right now just to hear JJ's voice, to hear for herself that she was alive.
"She's kinda hard to understand though. But she's not hallucinating, it all makes sense."
" Hey Jayj. How are you holding up?"
Emily was grateful for hearing JJ at the other end of the line, but worry about her slow and childlike pronunciation soon rose up in her.
"Yes I know. But you've been so strong today already. You have to be strong a little while longer. Can you do that for me?"
"That's my girl. Now listen to Calleigh, she'll help you. And I'll come and get you later, okay?"
"Let me talk to Calleigh again. See you later."
A little shocked Emily waited for Calleigh to take the cell again.
"I've never seen her like this before. She's our press liaison for God's sake, she's a very articulate person usually. You have to get her warm and keep her safe until we can come and get you." And then she added more softly. "Please!"
"Don't worry. She'll be okay. I promise! I won't let anything happen to her."
Natalia grabbed Emily's shoulder and whispered.
"Tell her that I'm so happy she's okay."
"Natalia says she's glad you're okay. She was really worried."
Emily gave Natalia a small smile. She knew how the brunette CSI must be feeling.
"Tell her I'll have a lot to think about, but I will talk to her soon. Don't call us until it's an emergency, the battery is running low and maybe we'll need the cell if JJ gets worse."
"Sure. I'm really glad you're okay Calleigh."
"Ya. Me too. Tell everyone we said hi. And tell Nat … just tell her I need some time."
"Okay. See you soon."
The line went dead again and Emily put the cell on the desk turning fully towards Natalia.
"They're gonna be okay. JJ shot Ryan and got to Calleigh in time. They're both a little roughed up, but nothing too serious. Calleigh says to tell you she needs some time, but she'll talk to you soon."
With tears in their eyes both women fell into each others' arms all the pressure finally giving way and the emotions rushing to the surface.
Miami, 0400, June 04, an abandoned house in the Everglades
Calleigh was fighting sleep herself by now. It had been a long night with all kinds of emotions and physical strain, throwing her from one extreme to the next without the opportunity to digest any of it. She had a lot to think about, starting with Natalia. But now was not the time. She had to stay awake and she had to keep JJ awake too. She could think about all this later; when they were safe in some hospital with their friends around them, watching over them.
"Hey Jayj, wanna play a game? How about 20 questions, just without the booze? I'll start okay?"
Calleigh was hoping to shock JJ into a more alert state of mind. She had figured out by now that JJ thought of herself as straight up until recently and was now questioning herself, her feelings and her life up until now. She would bet a month's salary that the little "talk" with Natalia had not left her unperturbed and had opened her eyes some more. She hoped to get through the fog that seemingly had invaded JJ's mind with some inappropriate questions she would never ask under normal circumstances.
"So... You and Emily? Are you sleeping together?"
JJ's reaction beat her highest expectations. Her eyes flew open and she sat up straight.
"What?"
But before Calleigh could answer JJ started shaking very badly and all Calleigh could do was to hold her close. She was relieved that JJ finally started shaking, because it was a sign that her body was fighting the hypothermia on its own now. She really liked the blonde agent and wouldn't have forgiven herself if she suffered or died because she had come to her rescue.
Filled with joy Calleigh just held JJ and whispered softly into her ear that everything would be okay now. Over and over again, tears of relief filling her eyes.
JJ felt like she had lost control over her body but she was finally able to think clearly again; not necessarily a good thing in her book right now. With the feeling in her body came the pain rushing back to her. Her arm started throbbing, where the bullet had grazed her and she felt like she'd been hit by a truck all over, her skin tingling and burning everywhere. She couldn't stop shaking while her mind worked on double speed remembering and realizing what happened and trying to comprehend all of it. Memories rushing back to her, snippets and glimpses of the last hours jumbled together with fragments of her dreams and thoughts of the last two days, making her head spin.
The pain in her limbs got worse due to the blood rushing back to them, her circulation starting up again full force now and she let out a small whimper, not able to mask her pain any longer. Calleigh's hold on her tightened slightly, her words merely a soothing background noise until now coming into focus.
"It will be okay, the pain's gonna be gone soon. I promise. You made it through the worst already. It's gonna be okay. I'm here!"
JJ felt herself relax into Calleigh's arms knowing she had managed to get her this far already. And despite her pain, despite the place and that they were cut off from rescue for the time being she felt totally safe.
After what seemed like an eternity to JJ the shivering subsided and the pain stopped. Only the wound on her arm still hurt. She finally felt warm again and she finally felt human again. She started fidgeting in Calleigh's arms until she was able to turn around a bit in order to look at the detective properly.
"Thanks." Her voice was a little raw, she remembered screaming. Screaming out in pain, screaming out of fear that she was to late to safe Calleigh.
"I'm the one who should thank you. You saved me. You came after us, you fought Ryan and you won. That was really brave and really stupid. Rushing after me like that without back up."
"You would have died. I would never have forgiven myself if I didn't at least tried."
"I know. I would have done the exact same thing. Amazing shot by the way! We should go to the range together sometime."
"Sounds good. I'd really like that."