This is a filler chapter and so it's kinda short. Longer chapter next time, I swear.


Chapter 29

Something to Believe In

One of the nurses brought Calleigh's release papers to the hospital a few days later, but Calleigh had no intention of leaving the building, just the room she had been forced to stay in. Calleigh changed from her hospital gown and met Eric at the NICU where he sat with Brooke, his knuckle ever so gently brushing along her cheek. Calleigh sat approached them in the plastic scrubs and Eric pulled up a chair for her, still determined to make sure she took it as easy so she could make a full recovery.

"Hey, baby," Calleigh whispered to Brooke before looking at Eric. "How's she doing?"

"Same," Eric said softly; there was good and bad news in that statement, she wasn't any worse…nor was she any better.

Calleigh sighed as she watched Brooke, moving her arms and legs in tiny motions; she seemed restless from being trapped in the plastic box and unable to escape to see the world around her. They could only hope one day she would grow, she would get better and the world would be ready for her. When Calleigh tried hard enough, she could see Brooke sleeping in the nursery (which, now that she thought about it, was still unfinished back home), she could see Brooke's brown eyes transfixed on the mobile that hung overhead and smiling in fascination. She wanted the nights when the baby cried down the hall and one of them went to the nursery to feed her, change her or just soothe her; they yearned for those moments and could only hope one day they would get them.

"She's really beautiful, isn't she?" Calleigh smiled in awe at her baby girl, still unable to believe this wonderful creature before them was theirs.

"Yeah," he agreed. "She gets that from her mother."

Calleigh rolled her eyes and smiled at Brooke. "Daddy's being silly, isn't he, Brooke? You'll learn that Daddy is always silly."

"Oh, really?" he grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Well, Brooke, let me tell you a story about Momma. The first day I met her, I was already in love with her-."

"Please," she playfully scoffed.

"Then," he continued as though he hadn't heard her. "I asked her for her number, but she turned me down because she would never want to date someone she worked with. Now that was something silly to say, because here we are, years later, married and we have you."

"And it took us a long time to get you," Calleigh whispered. "You have no idea how long we waited for you. No, you don't have any idea, baby girl."

Eric felt a sadness swell up within him at those words; they had waited far too long for Brooke to come and it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that their hopes of raising a child could be dashed or that their innocent baby was going to endure so much pain now and possibly in the future (if she survived the hospital).

Brooke just looked at her mother and father, holding their gaze for a moment before stretching her limbs again and closing her eyes.

"That was a big stretch for someone so small," she grinned. "Are you getting sleepy?"

Brooke blinked her heavy eyelids in their direction, on the verge of sleep but somehow unable to get there. Calleigh then heard a soft tune, a lullaby being sung by a female voice; she realized that it was coming from her own lips. Her instincts appeared to have taken over and she was singing the same song her grandmother would soothe Calleigh with when she was a child; she couldn't believe she had remembered all the words.

"That's right, get plenty of sleep so you can get better," Eric whispered as Brooke drifted away into her dreams; he turned to Calleigh. "Who taught you that lullaby?" Eric asked curiously.

"My grandmother," she sighed. "I used to love going to her house and spending the night there before she died. She was so stable and sweet and it was so different from my house. She taught me how to cook and a few prayers. Thanks to her I can play a few songs on the piano and, best of all, she showed me how to clean a long rifle."

Eric chuckled; seldom Calleigh had positive stories about her childhood, but now there was a lullaby that had emerged from Calleigh's past that now helped Brooke sleep, just going to show how some good comes out of all bad situations.

"Makes me wonder what she would say if she were here right now," Calleigh admitted sadly as she stifled a yawn and rubbed her sore eyes, her body craving sleep; for the last few nights, sleep had been eluding her due to worry and the limited sleep she did have was plagued with nightmares about her daughter and an undesirable future.

"I can drive you home if you want to get some rest," Eric said softly, reaching up to stroke her hair.

Calleigh vigorously shook her head. "No, I want to stay here."

Eric nodded, not at all blindsided by the answer. "Just let me know if you change your mind, okay?"

"Okay," she said, her eyes never leaving the baby.


"I feel like we should do something," Natalia admitted as she, Ryan and Valera stood in DNA as they worked.

"But what can we do?" Ryan asked, his voice deflated.

"That's what makes me feel so lousy, there isn't anything," Valera sighed. "We can't magically make Brooke better and there isn't anybody who can."

"But maybe we can do something for them," Natalia suggested. "I don't know, maybe we can set something up to get donations for Brooke. It'll probably help them out a little and give them one less thing to worry about."

Valera and Ryan exchanged a look, considering the idea; Ryan nodded. "I like it; it's something at least."

"We should fill Horatio in and spread the word," Valera said.

"I'll look into having a memo sent to everyone," Natalia volunteered. "Has anyone heard from them today?"

"Horatio called them earlier," Valera sighed. "No change."

The disappointment was apparent on Ryan and Natalia's faces. Natalia's mind briefly returned the that day in the restroom when Calleigh told her about the infertility and when Natalia saw the positive pregnancy test that Calleigh didn't want to see the results for. Natalia realized the Delkos had struggled with the challenges the had brought to them by infertility and it didn't seem right that they should be enduring this now, not after all they'd already been through.

"Well, maybe tomorrow things will change," Ryan said optimistically.

The women tried to believe this hope, but hope was something that seemed to be running low in their world as of late.


The NICU closed for the evening and they reluctantly said goodnight to Brooke; the nights were always a bittersweet prospect, on one hand it meant Brooke survived another day while on the other it meant another fight through the next day.

They left the NICU and went to the near deserted waiting room. They sat down in the less than comfortable chairs and their eyes rested on the television hanging on the wall; it was some infomercial they quickly began to ignore.

"Do you want to go home?" Eric asked.

Calleigh shook her head. "Maybe tomorrow night, but for now I'd just feel better being a few minutes away."

Eric nodded, his feelings the exact same as hers; he wrapped an arm around her and invited her to rest her head against his shoulder and he placed a cheek rest against her hair.

"I'm having a small case of déjà vu," Calleigh chuckled a little in spite of herself. "Only originally we were in an airport."

Eric chortled. "Oh yeah, the night we returned from our honeymoon."

"Yeah," she said with a smile; their flight back home had been delayed due to severe weather and they ended up spending the night there, sleeping in the same uncomfortable chairs. "Remember the days when that was our biggest worry?" Calleigh sighed sadly.

"Sure do," Eric nodded, his tone just as dismal and it was apparent the simplicities of life had long since eluded them. "Hopefully soon our worries will consist of diapers and midnight feedings."

"Hopefully."