Thank you so much for all of your reviews! Here's chapter 26…

"Eric…" Calleigh choked, her throat hurt, her whole body ached she felt like a train was running through her head, it was pounding. As her eyes managed to refocus she saw him sitting there by her side, he had hold of her hand and it made her feel safe, she liked that.

"Calleigh, it's ok, you're going to be ok," Eric tried to reassure her.

"What happened?" Calleigh asked confused, she remembered something had happened but she just couldn't remember what, it was cloudy, "where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, you were….you were attacked…um…"

"My dad," Calleigh said, suddenly beginning to remember as her memory began to clear.

"Yes…he…"

"I remember," Calleigh said, "he kept hitting me, he wouldn't stop, he was going to rape me but then he changed his mind and he was going to hurt Laura, I tried to get him to stop, I begged him to hurt me instead but he wouldn't, he said that would be no fun, I saw the gun I grabbed it and then I shot him, I had to, there was nothing else I could do, I couldn't let him hurt her." Calleigh was getting worked up, she was speaking so fast, Eric was struggling to understand her.

"Calleigh calm down, I know, it's ok, you don't have to talk about this now, it can wait for the moment, you need to rest."

"I am tired, but I won't be able to sleep, my mind is racing, I can't stop it, I killed my dad, I actually killed him, he's dead and it's my fault," Calleigh said trying to sit up, pain was evident on her face as she moved.

Eric leaned over to help her, he knew she shouldn't be sitting up yet, but he also knew she'd only argue with him so he thought it better to help her than to let her struggle on her own when she was in pain.

"Calleigh it wasn't your fault, there was nothing else you could have done," Eric tried to reassure.

"I shot him! How is that not my fault?" she shouted, seeing the look of hurt on Eric's face she felt immediately guilty, "Eric, I'm sorry, it's just…."

"I know its hard Calleigh, but you saved that little girl, she's safe now because of you."

"How is she?" Calleigh asked, she hoped she was ok; she'd never forgive herself if she wasn't.

"The doctors say she is fine, she had concussion, but other than that she just needed some food, they hadn't given her anything to eat, she's been asking to see you."

"Why would she want to see me?"

"You saved her Calleigh, she wants to thank you for that."

"It's my fault she was taken in the first place, had nobody told her that, she should hate me."

"Calleigh, please stop blaming yourself, this is not your fault, none of this has ever been your fault."

"Where are the rest of them? Did you get them?"

"Yes they all spent a night in the police cell, they will be interviewed over the next couple of days, Horatio wants to make them sweat a bit first."

"Good," was all Calleigh had to say.

"Calleigh you need to sleep, get some rest."

"I can't, I killed my dad, after everything I killed him, he didn't even have a gun I killed him in cold blood."

"Calleigh, he deserved it," Eric regretted saying that as soon as he said it.

"No Eric, I may have hated him, but it wasn't revenge, there were times when I wanted to kill him so much, times when he'd just left me with nothing and times when it hurt so much I wanted to die. When he first showed me how to use a gun I used to dream about shooting him, I never had the guts, I didn't dare, but now I have actually done it, I've killed him. Has anyone told Mike, Dave or Mom?"

"No, not yet, I didn't know if you wanted to do it, but I can do it if you want."

"No I'll do it, when will they let me out of here?"

"I don't know, I'll go and get a doctor so we can find out, ok?"

"OK, um Eric…"

"Yes?"

"Don't take too long," she asked.

"I'll be back as soon as possible."

Calleigh watched as he left the room, she still couldn't believe she had killed her own dad, her mom was going to kill her, she relived it in her mind over and over, trying to figure out what she could have done differently, there was nothing, she was sure of it. She thought about the girl, she was so glad she was ok, she knew what it was like to live with what they were going to do with her and was so glad the girl wouldn't have to carry that with her for her entire life. She looked down at her shoulder, there was a bandage on it, she remembered being shot, she remembered the searing pain that flashed through her body, she tried to move her arm, it moved but it was sore, at least she could move it, she needed to still be able to work.

Eric walked back in with a doctor who then carried out an examination of her, asking her to move when necessary but other than that she didn't really say anything.

"Ok, Miss Duquesne, if you rest for the rest of the day, you may be able to leave tomorrow as long as you make sufficient progress, but you will need rest when you go home, ok?"

"Yes, and thank you."

"You're welcome," the doctor replied before walking out of the room.

Calleigh and Eric sat in silence for a while, he was beginning to worry about her, she wasn't speaking, he wanted her to open up to him, he didn't want her to start bottling things up again.

"Maybe you're right," Calleigh said suddenly, "there really was nothing else I could do."

"There really wasn't Calleigh; this is not your fault."

"I wished him dead so many times, when I wanted to stop it hurting, ironic isn't it? I killed him now, he hasn't really hurt me for years and I kill him now after everything," Calleigh smiled sadly.

"Calleigh, you had every right to hate him."

"I spent years hating myself instead," Calleigh started, "there were times when I just wanted to die, there was one time, I was 13, they'd all just left and I was at home on my own, I don't know where everyone was, dad went to the pub with Jack and the others, I had had enough, I couldn't take anymore, I was determined that they had hurt me for the last time, I wasn't going to let it happen, there was only one way I could think to make it stop."

"Calleigh…"

"Eric, you don't understand what it was like in that place, I just wanted it to be over, I went downstairs and opened the gun safe, I grabbed a gun and walked back upstairs, I lay on the bed and held the gun to my head, I was shaking, I just wanted it to be over, I needed to be free. I wanted to pull the trigger, I so did, but then I thought about Mike, Dave and Joe, and I couldn't do it, I didn't want to leave them behind, I dropped the gun, I didn't do it, I eventually put the gun back and then went to bed. Dad came home after a few hours, he came in my room and raped me, I knew this was it, I was going to live like this for years, it was never going to be over, and I had had the chance to make it to stop and I had been too weak, it was my fault I was still there." Eric reached up and softly wiped the tears that were slowly making their way down her cheek away.

"Calleigh, please don't think that makes you weak, you're wrong, it makes you strong, you're a survivor, you made it."

"Thank you Eric, I really don't know what I would do without you."

Both Calleigh and Eric turned and looked as the door opened and Stetler walked in.

"Miss Duquesne, we need to talk…"

TBC…

Thank you so much for reading! If you read this chapter, please review and let me know what you think, reviews make me happy! I'll update soon!