No Ifs, Ands, or Buts
Calleigh looked at the gruesome crime scene before her. Two teenage girls, shot to death outside their country club. There were at least a dozen casings she could see, let alone the ones hidden in the rest of the gravel drive. "I really should just tell them I'm pregnant again and just stay back at the lab," she muttered. "What was that?" Natalia asked. "Oh, just... thinking," Calleigh said, kneeling down. She started collecting the casings, when something, err, someone, caught her eyes. She looked up, and saw Jake standing nearby. "Jake?" she mumbled. "What was that Calleigh?" Calleigh turned to Natalia, but, by the time she'd turned back to where she'd seen Jake, he was gone. "Nothing." "Are you ok?" Natalia asked her. "Mmm-hmm. Fine." "You sure?" "Positive." Natalia nodded, and they both got back to work.
Calleigh was still comparing bullet striations when everyone else started to head home. She almost didn't notice when Eric arrived. As he touched her gently, she jumped. "God, Eric, don't scare me like that!" she hissed. He smiled. "What're you still doing here? Your shift ended two hours ago." "I know, but I need to finish these bullets, and-" "No, you need to go home and rest." "But, Eric-" "No ifs, ands, or buts! We have a wedding in less than a month, and you're already six weeks pregnant. You need rest, and lots of it." She smiled as he gently kissed the top of her head. Then, she frowned. "Hey, Eric, what would you tell me to do if I told you that when i was at the crime scene today, I saw Jake. But, the in the moment that I turned away then turned back, he'd vanished." "I'd say you were just having a bad daydream because you're tired. Now go home. I left you some dinner. Go eat, take a long, hot shower, then curl up in bed and sleep. I'll see you when i get home. Now, go!" as he shooed her out, she couldn't help but giggle. She kissed him back on the cheek, then grabbed her keys and left. The protectiveness in his voice made her smile. She loved that about him.