Thanks so much for the reviews, sorry I couldn't properly thank everyone.
I got to work right away with the new chapter, hope everyone enjoys this chapter.
-Chapter 29-
"Calleigh!"
Calleigh turned around as Ryan called her name. He called her as if he was stuck somewhere and desperately needed her help to get him out. They weren't currently working on a case so she really wanted to know what he wanted.
Ryan caught up to her. "Can I talk to you privately?"
Calleigh looked around the halls nervously and then glanced back at him. "Sure." She adjusted her jacket and walked with Ryan to one of the labs.
The door closed quietly as Ryan collected his thoughts. He sighed and brushed his hand over his face. "Okay, here's the thing," he started. "I was in the morgue...Tara....I don't know...I guess she's been acting weird lately." He shifted positions. "I went back to her to see what could have been the problem or so and I saw her taking pills...Oxycodone."
"What are you thinking, Ryan?"
"I'm thinking maybe she could be pregnant," Ryan said. "I mean come on, taking pills, mood changes, the signs are right there."
The word pregnant made Calleigh jump a little. She was now nearing her third month and the little 'bump' started to appear by now. This morning as she was getting dressed, Jayden noticed and asked her if she was hurt...Calleigh laughed when Jayden asked her that. She promised Jayden that she would talk to her about it when she came home. She and Eric both. Calleigh's mind went back to Ryan who was standing there looking at her crazily. Calleigh adjusted her suit jacket. "Ryan, pregnant women do not take oxycodone. That would literally kill the unborn child."
"Right..." Ryan said unsurely. "What about the mood swings? I mean, you were..."
"I was not like that," Calleigh said.
Ryan smiled. "Calleigh, you threatened to shoot me if I didn't shut up."
Calleigh laughed and playfully rolled her eyes. "I don't remember that."
"Figured you wouldn't," Ryan said, laughing. Then he got serious. "If she's not taking the pills because of pregnancy then why are she taking them in the first place?"
"Are you sure they were oxycodone?" Calleigh asked. "Because those are strong pain killers. I mean, its not like your typical over-the-counter pain medication. Those are only available at pharmacies and even still, they aren't prescribed out. They're normally broken down and used to make the more common pain medicine. One of the reasons why its not distributed out is because of its dependency levels are really high. Almost equivalent to cocaine."
"Well," Ryan started, "Figures. Tara's a doctor, she has perfect access to these drugs." He wiped his hand across his face. "Are you telling me that our medical examiner is getting high and she goes on with the examinations? This isn't right. She could be getting the wrong causes of death. Everything she's done now could all be wrong."
Calleigh looked around the lab. "Ryan, lower your voice." In the back of her mind, she wondered whether or not Tara was blown when she performed autopsies. Calleigh sighed. She tried hard not to think that way. She didn't want to think of the possibility of reopening every case Tara performed the autopsies for. "I'll talk to Tara right now, don't say a word to anyone else about this."
"Don't you think Horatio deserves to know?" Ryan asked.
"Of course, Horatio is going to know," Calleigh said. "I just don't...I just don't..." she was at a lost for words. No matter how it was looked at, Tara was taking pills and if Ryan were right about them being oxycodone, she was also on a high. "I'm just going to talk to her about it first..." She could tell that maybe that was a bad idea but she really didn't know what to do. "Give me an hour or two and I want you to tell Horatio." That was the best decision that she had. She gave a head nod to Ryan and left out the lab, making her way towards the morgue.
---
Tara was cleaning up the examination table when Calleigh came in. She gave a heavy sigh and walked over to her.
"What can I do for you?" Tara asked, trying her hardest to pass the statement off as a joke. They weren't currently working on a case so she was really curious as to what Calleigh would want right now.
Calleigh sucked in her bottom lip, biting it softly. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" It was literally an ultimatum before Horatio got involved. She knew Tara wouldn't want to lose her job with something that could be explained.
"What do you want to talk about?" Tara said sarcastically, placing her hand on her hips.
Calleigh raised an eyebrow slightly; Tara's little tantrum reminded Calleigh of Jayden's tantrums; Tara, thirty-one years old, acting like her two-year old daughter. "Okay, are you taking medication?"
"No," Tara said, shaking her head. She knew taking undocumented medication was against protocol and could be punishable with being relieved of duty.
"So a test of your blood wouldn't show anything out of the ordinary?" Calleigh was well aware that she was backing Tara into a corner but how far did Tara think she could take this without somebody finding out?
Tara let out a sigh; there was so many retorts she would've liked to throw Calleigh's way but if her blood was tested, she knew what they'd find and right now, pissing Calleigh off wouldn't probably be the best. She remembered how everyone acted when she left Calleigh out at the crime scene. It wasn't intentional but no one cared about that. Everybody came down on her as if she was some criminal... Tara sighed again as goosebumps popped up on her forearms. "I've been having severe pain lately." She took a breath to gather her thoughts. "I thought...I suspected that...maybe I could be pregnant...it was after the kidnapping..." Her eyes teared up a little. "I was sexually assaulted...it was too soon for the hospital to know if I was pregnant or not. I knew..." Tara wiped away a few tears that fell. "A girl knows. A girl knows whether she is or isn't..."
Calleigh lips parted and she drew in a deep breath of air. Tara's kidnapping happened while Jayden was still an infant, which was two years ago. Pregnancy only lasted nine months; she couldn't be taking those pills to force a miscarriage... "Were you pregnant?" Calleigh asked softly.
Tara shrugged her shoulders; another gesture that reminded Calleigh of Jayden. "I was too scared to test for it. Figured I was when I missed my first cycle. Two weeks later, it came. So I just figured I was late." She didn't feel totally comfortable talking about this..but everybody wanted answers. "The third day came the severe clots of blood and I realized then that I wasn't having a normal cycle but that could have possibly been a miscarry."
Calleigh grimaced. "Did you ever find out for sure?"
Tara sighed and shook her head no.
Calleigh ran a hand through her hair, thinking for a minute. "You know a miscarriage left untreated can result in infertility."
Tara nodded her head. She was the doctor yet, Calleigh was telling her everything that she already knew. "I didn't want to face that fact if I was or wasn't," Tara said quietly. "No one wants to know that they're pregnant by their rapist...or in this case...rapists." She wiped more tears away and looked at Calleigh. "Maybe I don't ever want to have kids. I mean, its not like they're too important, all they ever do is get in the way."
Calleigh frowned a little, placing a hand on her stomach; her unborn baby and Jayden were on her mind. "Do you want me to tell you what I think? I think you're being selfish. Children are special. I love coming home to Jayden. I love when she hugs me, kisses me, tells me she loves me. I love hugging, kissing and cuddling her. I love reading to her and playing with her. She's brought so much joy to my life. I live for her and I will die for her. Its hard to explain but she depends on me and I depend on her too."
"Well that's good that works out for you," Tara sneered. "It won't work for me. To tell you the truth I really don't care."
Calleigh could see where this conversation was going and decided to change the subject. "Are you taking oxycodone?"
"Why does it matter to you?"
Calleigh bit her lip, "I'm just trying to help," she said quietly. "That drug is highly addictive..." She realized she was getting nowhere with Tara. "A blood test can determine whether or not you continue to work here." Calleigh got serious; her eyes darkened too. "You compromised cases."
Tara turned away, "you don't know anything about me, I never compromised cases."
"Your blood test will tell me everything that I need to know," Calleigh said. "I'm not trying to say this in the wrong way but..."
"You can't authorize a blood test," Tara said, cutting her off.
"I tried to help you, Tara," Calleigh said quietly, shaking her head. "I have to report this. Horatio will be down in a few." Without another word, Calleigh left the morgue.
I hope I can have another chapter up really soon! If not today then probably tomorrow. Enjoy. :D
Ohh yeah, I used a tiny spoiler. Really teeny. Ryan actually confronts Tara about her abusing the pain medication, but I'm pretty sure he's not going to tell Calleigh about it :S Don't know really. And I definitely know that the explaination that Tara gives Calleigh, isn't the excuse she's going to use.
