Chapter 14:
Calleigh and Eric were standing at the flight of stairs that lead up to Calleigh's apartment as Eric had insisted he goes with her. She needed to drop by at her apartment to grab some clothes for work since Monday was right at the doorstep and Calleigh had to go back to work. They had obviously argued about it but Eric wouldn't let her have her way this time. He had insisted it was for her own good after all...
'Oh come on Eric, you're being silly' Calleigh told him.
'No Cal. I don't care if I am being silly or not. If you're going home then I am coming with you' Eric told her.
'I don't like this. You know I hate this' she told him frowning.
'I know, but I hate the fact that Stetler is watching you even more' Eric replied 'If something happens to you...'
'Nothing is going to happen to me damn it' she protested hotly.
'Calleigh you can protest all you want, I am not backing out of this one, I'm sorry' he told her 'Can't you place yourself in my shoes? Would you back out if the situation was in reverse?' he asked her taking her hand in his, looking straight in her eyes.
'And I hate it when you bring up that example as well' she told him, and that is when Eric knew that he had won the argument 'Do you know how many stairs you have to go up to get to my apartment?' she told him.
'I can do that. It is the least I can do Cal' he told her.
That was why, they were here now. Calleigh was holding his crutches in her hands as she climbed the stairs behind him, just in case he unbalanced himself.
'Will you not stay behind me?' he asked her, glancing back at her.
'I can hold you in case you loose your balance like this' she told him.
'Yes and if I fall and you don't managed to steady me, I'll crush you' he replied.
'Then make sure you don't loose your balance because I am not going up ahead of you' she told him.
'You're so stubborn sometimes' Eric told her.
'Yeah yeah...' she teased him as she stung her tongue out.
'I saw that' he told her, and Calleigh burst out laughing, making Eric smile in process.
It took them about seven minutes to finally make it up to her door and Calleigh gave him the crutches for support as soon as they reached her level. He had teased her that she really didn't need to do the extra jogging with all these stairs she climbs up and down every day. She had obviously rolled her eyes at his silliness and Eric had laughed at that. He just loved making her do that simple action.
She opened the door and the odour that hit her senses as soon as the door flung open, hit her. It was the smell of a place that hasn't been used as of late. Windows weren't being opened anymore, the floor wasn't being washed anymore, the kitchen wasn't being filled with the smell of fresh herbs or even the smell of burnt toast or fried oil. Nothing.
Eric watched her stare inside her apartment without taking a step inside, immediately realizing why she was having that kind of reaction. He could smell the heavy air inside her apartment, and it hit him hard, knowing that she was feeling foreign in her own home and that it was all because of him. He didn't say anything though and just watched her, waiting for her next move.
He watched her walk slowly inside then, hanging the keys on the hanger before walking directly to the window, opening it up and pushing the curtains open.
'I won't be long' she told him as he was closing the door.
'Cal wait' Eric told her.
'What?' she asked him.
'Do you want to stay? We can stay if you want to spend some time here' he told her. She smiled at him at that. He understood. She knew that.
'OK' she whispered with a smile and with that, she quickly rolled her sleeves and made her way to the cupboard where she keeps all the cleaning materials she uses and started cleaning the house.
Windows open, curtains pushed aside as the sunrays filled the rooms, floors being mopped and washed...suddenly the house was turning into the feeling of a home again as Calleigh gave her life again. TV switched on as Eric flipped from one station to the other until he found some sports to watch while he let her do her thing. She needed this. She needed to spend some time at her own home. She had focused so much on taking care of him that she forgot to take care of herself. Usual selfless Calleigh. He watched her fascinated at how good she was feeling and alive by doing such normal tasks. She was such a career person, that Eric almost couldn't imagine her being a "housewife". He could see though that she enjoyed it just as much as she enjoyed her work, although he knew she would never give up her work to stay at home.
It made him feel guilty though that he had taken that from her. It wasn't his choice. It hadn't been his choice to being shot in the head, and it hadn't been his choice or his request for her to live with him until he is able to do everything by himself again. Calleigh had insisted, and he knew that she needed to take care of him as well after what happened to him. He was a constant in her life, and Calleigh had been rocked when he was shot. He knew that everything that she had decided to do was because she needed it herself as well, but in the process she had forgotten all about her other needs.
He watched her walk into the kitchen then, her hair up in a messy ponytail as she turned on the kettle and take two mugs out, making coffee for the two of them. She was completely oblivious to the thoughts running through Eric's head as she almost forgot that he was even there. She didn't say a word, but just let herself fall into this place of being herself while still taking care of the person accompanying her.
She only stopped and took a moment to sit down next to him when it was time to have their coffee as she walked over with the two mugs in her hands.
'I hadn't realized how much I missed being here' she told him.
'I noticed' he replied as he sipped his coffee 'You know we can come here anytime you want, or if maybe you just want to come back here period it's fine Cal' Eric told her, although he didn't want to think about that day when she would leave his house to come back here. He had gotten so used to having her at his house, he just didn't want to think about it being different.
'Oh no Eric, I don't want to leave you alone. I still don't like the fact that I am going back to work tomorrow and leave you alone during the day' she told him.
'I know but you missed being here. I noticed that the moment you opened the door' he told her.
'It just hit me that my home was no longer a home without me here' she told him 'I feel better now that I have washed the house and opened the windows and that I am having a coffee in my own mug on my couch with you' she told him smiling 'In fact...I think I am bringing the mug with me' she told him.
Eric chuckled at that 'You can bring anything you want' he told her.
'Thank you Eric' she replied smiling 'At what time did Horatio tell you he was coming?' she asked him.
'At around five' he told her 'Why?' he asked her.
'Is it alright if we stay here a little bit more?' she asked him.
'Of course' he replied.
'Are you tired? Do you want to lay down maybe?' she asked him.
'Yeah alright' he told her. She watched him adjust himself and she realized that he was going to lay down on the couch.
'What are you doing?' she asked him.
'Lying down on the couch' he told her.
'Oh no, you go and lie down in my bed' she told him.
'Oh no, I can't do that Cal' Eric told her.
'Why not?' she asked him.
'Because it's your bed' he pointed out. What he meant was that it was her bed, and being in her bed did things to him. He wanted to be in her bed but in a different way. To him it was too intimate to sleep in her bed, surrounded by her scent. Well maybe not that much since she hadn't slept in it for a while, but still it was her bed.
'Oh come on Eric. I slept in your bed, now you sleep in mine' she insisted. He could see that she wasn't going to let this go, so he sighed heavily and got up from the couch. She lead him into her bedroom as he made his way after her, trying to prepare himself for what he was about to do.
He had been in her bedroom before, but somehow things felt different. They had been feeling different for a long time now. She took his crutches and let him get into bed, as a smile crept on her face as he laid on his side. Putting the crutches down, she sat down next to him on the edge of the bed and placed her hand on his hip.
'Why are you smiling?' he asked her, seeing the particular smile on her face.
'You're sleeping on my side of the bed' she told him.
'Oh…emm…I'll just…I'll move to the other side' he told her then and Calleigh just laughed.
'No don't. It's fine really. Its emm…it's kind of nice' she told him with a shrug that smile still on her face.
Eric narrowed his eyes a bit confused but he smiled at the thought of being on her side 'OK' he whispered.
'Now close your eyes and rest' she told him as she turned around to get out of the room when the sound of his voice stopped her.
'Where is my good night kiss?' he asked her before a chuckle escaped him.
Calleigh rolled her eyes at his silliness but laughed 'It's not night time yet' she teased him sticking her tongue out and Eric laughed as he watched her sway out of the room closing the door behind her, leaving it just slightly open in case he needed her.
She stopped midway the corridor and turned around to look at the almost closed door, as a smile crept up on her face. Eric Delko was sleeping in her bed. There was something about it that Calleigh couldn't quite point out that made her heart sing a certain song. She rolled her eyes at herself for being silly and just went on to continue the rest of her chores.
oooOOOooo
Checking the time, she realized it was four in the afternoon, and Eric had said that Horatio was supposed to come to his house at around five. She needed to wake him up.
She made her way to her bedroom and slowly pushed the door open so she won't startle him awake. Her eyes settled on the man sleeping in her bed and Calleigh took a slow deep breath at the view in front of her. Eric was sleeping in her bed…on her side, somehow filling her with a certain peace and calmness she couldn't quite describe.
She walked slowly towards him, her hand itching for her to touch his face as she slowly approached the bed, taking a seat next to him. She took a moment to stare at his sleeping form, breathing it in. It wasn't that she had never seen him asleep, especially lately, but there was just something about him sleeping in her bed…like he almost belonged there.
She reached out her hand then as she slid it slowly down the side of his face 'Eric' she whispered 'Time to wake up' she told him as she let her hand move down his arm, not really sure if she wanted him to know that she had been stroking his face.
Eric blinked his eyes open, to find the beauty of Calleigh Duquesne looking down at him and Eric couldn't help but smile 'Hey' he whispered.
'Sleep well?' she asked him.
'Yeah. Your bed is emm…very comfortable' he told her.
'I know' she smiled 'We need to get going though, we need to get back home before Horatio arrives' she told him.
'Yeah' Eric replied.
'I'll just grab some work clothes and we can go' she told him.
'You haven't done them yet?' he asked her as he watched her making her way to her wardrobe.
'No. I didn't want to come in and wake you up' she told him as she opened her wardrobe and started taking clothes out. Black suit, a pair of jeans, her blue pants, red blouse, pink one, white tank top and blue blouse and the list goes on. She was almost lost in her wardrobe as she kept taking clothes out until Eric burst out laughing, and Calleigh turned around.
'Shall I call a tow truck to come and get your wardrobe?' he laughed asking her.
'Haha very funny' she told him 'Its just so I don't have to come here every day' she told him.
'But you enjoy coming here' he told her as he got up in a sitting position.
'Yeah but I don't have the luxury of free time when I'm working to come here every day. It's easier if I bring a couple of clothes and then I can come and get some more' she told him with a shrug.
'That's fine. We'll just make room for your clothes in my wardrobe' he told her.
'It's not necessary Eric. I can iron them' she told him.
'We'll sort this out. Now I guess we better get going' he told her.
oooOOOooo
The doorbell rang two times and Calleigh hurried to open the door, knowing it was Horatio. He was on time as usual, always punctual. He was standing there in his black suit, black shirt, sunglasses in his hands as Calleigh smiled at the familiar face.
'Horatio...come on in' she told him as she stepped out of the way.
'Thank you Calleigh' he told her as he immediately spotted Eric on the couch.
'Eric' Horatio greeted him as he tilted his head sideways 'I can see you are doing much better already' he told him.
'I am' Eric replied with a smile 'Calleigh has been helping me a lot' he told him as he glanced at the blonde woman sitting down next to him on the couch.
'That is good news' Horatio replied 'So...what did you want to see me about?' Horatio asked him.
Eric looked at Calleigh first as if waiting for her approval on the matter and when she nodded, pressing her lips together complimenting a smile in agreement, Eric turned his focus back on Horatio.
'Stetler' Eric told him and H frowned.
'Stetler? What's up with Rick?' H asked them.
Once again Eric and Calleigh looked at each other before Calleigh started talking 'He is following me H. I bump into him everywhere I go, whether I am jogging, when Eric was at the hospital, at the beach...' she went on.
'And he even threatened her yesterday not to mention the way that he is looking at her...I don't like it H. I don't like the look he is giving her' Eric told him as his nostrils flared as he remembered yesterday's scene at the restaurant.
'What did he say?' Horatio asked them.
'That he wants to finish me' Calleigh told him. She could feel Eric tense next to her as she said the words. She wanted to reach out, place a hand on his thigh but she hesitated in front of Horatio, even though he knew how close the two of them where, she felt like he would read too much into such an action, so she held back.
'H I called you here because I needed you to know just in case happen while at work or any other time. I am locked in here for a while. If something happens to Calleigh I can't protect her, at least like this maybe you can keep an eye on her' Eric told him. His eyes were wild and his jaw was set in that way it gets when he is tense about something.
'I understand. I will make sure you do not go out on scenes on your own, and will try to keep Stetler on my radar' Horatio told them.
'Thank H' Eric replied.
'Yes...thank you Horatio' Calleigh told him 'Hey emm...I am about to start dinner...do you want to stay?' she asked him, having already asked Eric if it was fine with him if they invited him to join them for dinner. She felt it was the least they could do after involving him in this situation with Stetler, and Calleigh thought that maybe this way, Eric would have a chance to get to know more about his sister and her death.
'I would love to Calleigh. Thank you' Horatio told her.
She nodded with a smile as she excused herself and made her way towards the kitchen, filling two glasses with cold water, before making her way with the glasses to the two gentlemen in the living room.
Back in the kitchen, Calleigh's eyes were on Eric. She wanted him to get to know more about his sister but at the same time she was worried. The last time she tried to help him out with that, Eric had taken it quite hard, so as much as she wanted him to get some answers, Calleigh was agitated.
'So why haven't you been around?' Eric asked him finally. The question had loomed in his head for so long, he just couldn't wait any longer to spit it out. He needed to know.
'Calleigh told me that you couldn't remember your Marisol's death...I thought that you would try to seek answers from me. Answers which you might not be ready to hear' Horatio replied.
'Maybe' Eric replied 'I know that she was shot...that I was shot first...I know that you were there. I remember that you and my sister had become close...I don't recall anything else though' Eric told him.
Horatio glanced back at Calleigh as if to check if he should tell him and Calleigh nodded softly, lips pressed together, letting him know silently that Eric needed to know what happened to his sister.
'Eric...Marisol and I...we had gotten married. Your sister is my wife' he told him.
Calleigh's eyes were on Eric. It was like she was waiting for a reaction...a bad one...a reaction where she would need to rush to his aid and try to calm him down. She could see the way he straightened up, she could hear what they were saying and then Eric's eyes settled on her briefly as if to ask her, if she knew that. Calleigh nodded and Eric frowned, even though deep down he knew why she hadn't said anything.
'How did I take the news?' Eric asked him cautiously.
'Good. You were surprised...but you were fine with it. You did warn me though to take care of her and treat her right' Horatio said as he remembered the encounter. He stared ahead for a while staring at his sunglasses before he finally looked up and looked at Eric 'How are you taking it now?' he asked him.
'You didn't take care of her' were Eric's first words and Calleigh stopped what she was doing, her eyes on Eric 'She is dead...but I didn't protect her either' he said then as he looked down.
He closed his eyes, and Calleigh could sense that he needed to get away, that he needed some time for himself, and just as she was about to invent an excuse to get him out of the room, Eric got up and excused himself. He walked ahead on the support of the crutches, without even looking at her, as he made his way to his bedroom. Calleigh watched him disappear into the room as she exhaled heavily.
'It is hard for him' she said to Horatio, her back still at him 'He has to go through this ordeal again' she told him.
'I know' Horatio said 'I face it every day and it doesn't get better' he told her, and Calleigh turned to look at him sympathetically.
'That is why you have been avoiding him, haven't you?' she asked him.
'I didn't really want to get into it. It's hard to talk about her sometimes, and I had no idea how Eric was going to take it' he told her.
'Will you excuse me? I better go check on him' she told him before she turned around and walked into the bedroom. Horatio was watching her taking care of him, and he could see that they were getting involved whether they knew it or not. They were getting closer, and now he understood why Eric had wanted to talk to him. He had lost Marisol...he couldn't have done anything to protect her...and now he is scared of losing Calleigh in time when he can't do anything to protect her.
'I will keep an eye on her Eric. We won't loose Calleigh as well...I promise' he said to no one in particular.
Back in the bedroom, Calleigh walked slowly inside, her eyes on Eric as he sat on the edge of the bed. She smiled sympathetically at him as he lifted his eyes to check who had walked into the room, even if he knew it was her, and then made it over to where he was sitting, taking a seat next to him.
'Are you alright?' she asked him as she playfully pushed her shoulder against his.
'I just needed to get away' he whispered.
'Is it because you don't like the fact that H and your sister were together or...?' she asked him. She pretty much knew what was bothering him, but she wanted to be sure.
'I can't stand the fact that I couldn't protect her Calleigh' Eric started telling her 'I am a CSI and yet...my sister died while she was with me' she told her.
'Like you could have died while you were with Horatio' she told him as she placed her hand on his thigh 'We can't always protect the people we love Eric, even if we are CSIs' she told him.
'But I will protect you' he told her as he turned to look at her 'I won't let Stetler hurt you. I won't loose you Cal' he told her as he placed his hand on top of hers, squeezing it a bit.
'I know you need to do anything possible to protect me...that is why I let you talk to Horatio' she told him.
'Thank you Cal' he said as he pulled her into a hug 'I know this is hard for you. Thank you for doing this for me' he told her.
'It's nothing' she replied as she slowly pulled out of the hug 'Now I better go out there. We left Horatio on his own after we invited him here' she told him.
'I'm coming with you' Eric told her.
'Are you sure?' she asked him.
'Yeah' he replied and with that he got up from the bed and accompanied Calleigh outside, but as they reached the living room, Horatio wasn't there.
'H?' Eric called out.
'He is not here' Calleigh told him as she picked a note from the breakfast table 'Look he left us a note' she told him. She could see that the look on his face hadn't changed 'What?' she asked him.
'Is it bad of me, if I say that I am glad he's gone?' Eric asked her, leaning on the crutches.
'No but why?' she asked him.
Eric stepped closer to her then, and Calleigh had to lift her eyes to meet his, as a breeze slid inside making her hair sway as a strand covered her face. Eric reached out and pushed it behind her ear, his hand lingering just a bit, his thumb brushing against her cheek as he did.
'It's your last night before you go back to work...I just wanted to have you all for myself' he told her smiling timidly 'Is it bad of me?' he asked her, as that golden swirl in his eyes danced in front of her.
'No it isn't. Not bad at all' she told him smiling and Eric just beamed at her reply.