Cauchemar Part 14: Exorcism
By koaladeb
Disclaimer info in part 1
Horatio stood in the driveway of the cabin, staring after the ambulance. He couldn't move. He just kept staring at the dust, wondering what he should have done-how he could have gotten there faster, how he could have let this happen to her. He felt Alexx pull on his arm and snapped back to reality. "Come on," she was saying. "We have to follow. Give me the keys."
Horatio handed them over without thinking. He was in no shape to drive. Guilt and fear were eating him up inside. He was breathing in short gasps and when he looked down at his hands, they were shaking. I can't lose her now, he kept thinking, not when I've just found her. They pulled up at the hospital and Horatio ran up to the Emergency Room entrance with the others. "We're here for Calleigh Duquesne" he said quickly. "Can you tell us anything about her condition?"
The desk worker looked at the man in front of her. He was fighting to remain in control, but there was terror in his countenance. She looked through some records. "She was just brought in a few minutes ago. They're working on her right now. That's all I have."
Horatio dragged his hands through his hair. "Can you tell me if she was breathing? She stopped breathing when they left. I jut need to know if they got her back." He was desperate for any piece of information that would give him a link to Calleigh.
"She was." The worker said. "I remember when they wheeled her in. I think they had her stabilized."
Horatio let out the breath he was holding. She had been stable. That was good. He nodded his thanks and joined Alexx, Eric, and Speed in the waiting area. He gave a wobbly smile and reported his findings. "She was breathing when they brought her in. They're working on her."
Alexx came over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "It's going to be ok," she whispered. "She's going to make it."
Horatio hugged her back fiercely. "I can't lose her Alexx. Not now."
Alexx just stood with him for a minute, then led him over to a couch. They had some waiting to do.
~~~~~~~~
When the doctor finally came in, everybody jumped up. He was met with a chorus of "Is she ok?" He looked down at the chart he had with him. "She's stable at the moment, but we're listing her in critical to serious condition. We're moving her up to ICU."
Horatio tensed. "What's wrong? I thought they said that she was stable when they brought her in?"
The doctor looked at the worried people in front of him and wished that he could ease their fears more. "Ms. Duquesne's body underwent a huge trauma. She was stable when she got here, but she crashed two more times when we were examining her. The process of breathing was putting too much of a strain on her system, so we were forced to put her on a respirator. In order to keep her from fighting it, we had to sedate her."
Alexx reached for Horatio's hand. "It's not uncommon, Horatio," she said, seeing him start to shake again. "It doesn't mean anything. Her body just needs time to get over the shock."
The doctor nodded his thanks. "I expect that we'll be able to begin weaning her off the respirator sometime tomorrow. For now, you can all see her-one at a time, and only for a few minutes."
"I'd like to stay with her, Please," Horatio said, quietly but firmly. "I don't want her to be alone."
The doctor was about to argue but as he looked at Horatio, he couldn't say no to the raw emotion in the man's eyes. He merely nodded. "I'll talk to the staff."
Everyone moved to follow the doctor. When they got up to the ICU, Horatio motioned for someone else to go in first. "I'm staying here, I'll go in last. Someone go ahead."
Alexx motioned that either Eric or Speed should go ahead. She was worried about Horatio. Eric went in and Speed walked a few feet down the hall, giving her some privacy to talk to Horatio. "You going to be ok?" she asked him.
Horatio nodded curtly. "I'll have to be. For her." He said, nodding towards the hospital ward. "I can't help but think if we had gone through the door five minutes sooner."
"You couldn't have known." Alexx said firmly. She forced Horatio to look at her. "When you got to her doesn't matter. You found her, and you got to her before they could kill her. The details don't matter."
Horatio wished that he could believe her, but he wouldn't be able to get rid of the doubts and the guilt until Calleigh was out of danger. He nodded, letting Alexx know that he had heard her. He waited with her quietly while Eric and Speed switched places. When it was Alexx's turn, he nudged her. "Tell her I'll be with her in a few minutes, ok?"
Alexx smiled softly at him. "I'll tell her." She went into the ward. Calleigh looked like she was sleeping apart from the machines that were hooked up to her. The staff had managed to put her in a far corner, where she wouldn't be in the middle of all the medical traffic that seemed to be in the area. She took the one of Calleigh's hands in her own and reached up to smooth her hair back from her face. "You're going to be ok," she promised her. "You're safe now and nothing is going to hurt you. You've just got to sleep for a little while until you're ready to breathe on your own again. It won't be long, I promise. Horatio's waiting to come in, so I won't stay here long. But if you can hear me, listen up. That man is going crazy with worry. So get better fast and ease his burden a little, ok? I know that you were afraid, but all you have to do is look him in the eyes and I know that you'll see that your heart is safe with him." Alexx bent down and kissed Calleigh's forehead. "Sleep now, baby. I'll be back tomorrow." She squeezed Calleigh's hand and walked out. "Go ahead, Horatio." She said. "We'll take your car tonight but I'll bring it back with me tomorrow morning, ok?"
Horatio nodded absently, not focusing on anything other than the doors that led to Calleigh. "Go ahead," he said, glancing at her. "I'll see you tomorrow." He watched them start down the hallway, then turned back to the doors. Taking a deep breath, he walked though.
He found Calleigh in her corner. The scene in front of him was a mixture of peace and horror. She was safe and sound and away from people who wanted her dead, but she was attached to machines that monitored her heart and pumped air into her lungs. He found a stool and dragged it to the side of her bed that wasn't covered in wires and tubes, taking one of her delicate hands and sandwiching it in his own. He sat there for a moment, just feeling her hand in his, looking at her face. Her eyes were closed and her hair was resting along side of her face, glowing in the soft light of the ward. Watching her rest like this would have been beautiful if it weren't for the tube taped to her mouth and the bruises he could see on her cheeks under the tape. He fought back anger at what had been done to her and guilt for not reaching her in time. He reached up with one of his hands and traced the outline of her face. "I'm so sorry," he finally whispered. "I should have gotten to you sooner. I should have done so many things." He looked back at her hand in his. "I know that this isn't the right time for this, and that I'm going to have to say this again when you're awake, but I need to say it. I was wrong to walk away from what we had to chase after something I thought I wanted. I had a long talk with Alexx the other day and she made me realize some things. I took what we had for granted, thinking that it was just some quirky part of our friendship. We were never just friends; there was always something more between us. You light up the dark places in my heart and soothe the wounds in my soul. Please come back to me. Give me a chance to show you how much you mean to me."
He sat with her through the night, talking, begging, sometimes just sitting in silence. He knew that she wouldn't wake up because of the drugs; he just didn't want her to be alone. He never let go of her hand.
When the doctor came to check on her early the next morning, Calleigh's vital signs were looking a lot better. He told Horatio that they would begin the slow process of weaning her off the machine, checking to see how her body handled more and more responsibility. Alexx came in around ten, sending Horatio home to eat, sleep, and change. She let him know that someone would be with Calleigh at all times, and he was not to return before 5:00 that evening. He reluctantly obeyed, feeling the strain after two nights with little to no sleep. When he returned that evening, Eric was with Calleigh. The younger man met him in the hallway, filling him in on the day's events. Calleigh was still on the respirator, but she was breathing in room air on demand. The machine was allowing Calleigh herself to trigger when she needed to inhale and exhale, but the work of getting air to the lungs was still under the machine's control. The doctors had been pleased with her progress, and were slowly bringing her out of her sedated state. When she was fully awake, they would see about pulling the tube out. Horatio patted Eric on the arm and thanked him before going in to see Calleigh.
Horatio was at her side in no time, frowning when he noticed that the staff had restrained her hands in anticipation of her waking up. He understood that a normal reaction would be to attempt to pull the tube out, but he didn't like the necessity of binding her arms to the hospital bed. He sat down on the same stool he had found last night and released one arm, holding her hand in his own. "Hey there, beautiful," he said to her. "Sounds like you're going to be waking up soon. I'm going to be right here when you do." He waited with her, talking to her about everything and nothing, waiting for any sign that she was waking up. After a few hours, she began to move around. He called for the nurse, standing up and reaching to stroke her face. "It's ok," he kept repeating. "Don't be afraid, I'm right here." He saw her become more and more aware. Joy filled him as he realized that she was working her way back to him. Finally, her eyes opened and she looked about in confusion and fear. Horatio wasn't a medical expert, but he could tell from the sounds the monitors were making that Calleigh was not reacting well. She started to move around more fiercely, struggling to reach up toward her head. Horatio held her hand firmly. He looked around for help and saw the doctor heading for them. He looked down again at Calleigh. "It's ok, look at me," he said. Her eyes swung up to meet his, filled with panic. "There's a tube in your throat but you're in control. The doctor is coming, just try to breathe and relax." Calleigh stopped her thrashing.
As he was speaking, the doctor came to stand beside him. "Good morning, Calleigh," he said. "I'm going to get this tube out of you, but you need to listen to me for a moment. I'm going to count to three and then pull. I need you to try to cough when I pull the tube out. Ready? One.two.three.now!"
When Calleigh had first started to wake up, she thought she was still in the middle of a nightmare. She was in pain, she was disoriented, she couldn't move her arms, and she couldn't breathe. Slowly, as she became more aware of her surroundings, she fought against the panic that was threatening to overwhelm her. The only thing that kept her from trying to jump up and flee was the sound of Horatio's voice, and she realized that one of her hands was being tightly held by his. She clutched at his hand and latched onto the sound of his voice, not even paying attention to the words he was saying until she heard him ask her to look at him. She looked up into his eyes. They were the most beautiful things she had ever seen. They were intense, but not filled with anger or caught up in solving a puzzle. They were full of joy, and they were aimed directly at her. She focused on him, taking of his strength and calming her racing heart. She listened to the doctor and followed his instructions. Coughing and gagging, she gulped for air, sitting up in the bed.
Horatio instantly supported her, rubbing her back and encouraging her. "It's ok." He said, his own words choked with relief. "Don't worry about talking. Just breathe." He helped her lay back again and left for a minute to grab some water for her. In reality, he didn't want her to see the tears that had formed when he realized that she was really back.
The doctor stayed for a few minutes checking the readings on Calleigh's monitor and nodding his approval. "Seems you're doing just fine," he said as Horatio came back with a cup and straw. "Your oxygen stats look good. In fact, given the nature of your case, I think we can safely assume you're going to be as right as rain. We'll be moving you out of here immediately. I'll be checking on you off and on but you seem to be in good hands here. If you keep this up, you'll be back home in no time."
"Thanks," Calleigh rasped. Her throat was sore from the tube, but she didn't want the doctor to go away without her saying anything. Horatio pushed the water at her.
The doctor smiled and continued his rounds. He wasn't kidding. Calleigh was being taken care of just fine.
Calleigh swiped at Horatio's hand, pushing the water away. "I'm fine," she said, her voice stronger but still gravelly.
"Like hell you are," Horatio shot back. "You just got pulled off a respirator. You spent the last day and a half on it. You scared me to death."
Calleigh was taken aback. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious. She saw a haunted look shadow Horatio's eyes. She grew serious. "I didn't know." she whispered, accepting some of the water then reaching for his hand. She stared at their intertwined fingers and marveled at how right it felt to have her hand in hers. Their moment was interrupted by the nurse.
"Excuse me," she said, "But the doctor said that you could be moved to a room." Horatio jumped up, ready to be of assistance, but didn't let go of Calleigh's hand. "What can I do?" he asked.
"Right now, the best thing you can do is to give us some space to get her moved," the nurse replied, a regretful tone in her voice. She hated to separate the two, but having an extra person hovering around while they got Calleigh ready to move would be problematic. "You can see her again as soon as she gets settled. It should only take about an hour. Room 304."
Horatio hesitated. He didn't want to be in the way, but he didn't want to spend another minute away from Calleigh now that she was awake. The nurse understood his reluctance to leave and leaned over to him. "You could get her some flowers," she said softly. "And let her other friends know she's ok." She backed off, giving them privacy to say goodbye.
Horatio nodded. He looked down at Calleigh, who seemed to dislike the notion of him leaving as much as he did. He smiled at her. "I'm going to be waiting for you in your new room," he said. "Right now I need to call everyone and let them know that you're awake and where you're going. Don't want them to come here looking for you only to find you've disappeared on them, that is, if you're ready to have visitors."
Calleigh nodded. "Tell them I'd love to have visitors now that I'm awake," she said. She looked around to make sure the nurse wasn't within earshot. "And see if anyone can smuggle me in some ice cream. I'm hungry."
Horatio laughed, overjoyed to see her making jokes. "We'll see," he said. "Your doctors might have something to say in the matter." Calleigh leaned back in the bed and huffed, a small pout on her lips. Horatio couldn't resist. He leaned over and kissed her forehead then rested his own against it. "I'll be right back," he breathed into her ear. With a final squeeze of her hand, he walked out, turning to look at her before going through the doors. She was looking straight at him, a small smile on her face and stars in her eyes. Horatio felt his heart expand with joy and contentment. He had his Calleigh back.
~~~~
Horatio, as promised, was waiting for Calleigh when she was wheeled into her new room and hour later. He helped her up onto the bed and fluffed her pillows before while the nurse hooked up the monitoring equipment. When everything was settled, he sat on the edge of the bed near Calleigh's waist and took her hand in his again. "Careful, tiger," she teased, "or I'll let everyone know you're as sweet as a tabby cat."
Horatio made a displeased sound, though the smile on his face worked against him. "You do that and I'll confiscate the ice cream Eric's bringing."
Calleigh gasped in mock horror. "You wouldn't!" She laughed at their easy banter. "When is he getting here?"
"I expected him ten minutes ago, but he was swinging by the store on the way, so any minute now. Alexx and Speed should be getting here soon too." Horatio looked down and played with Calleigh's hand, turning it over and tracing the lines of her palm. "Then again, Alexx said that they kept getting mobbed with questions about you. It seems you're kind of popular." He met her eyes again and smiled.
Eric chose that moment to make his entrance. "Glad to see you're awake!" he said to Calleigh, coming over to her and giving her a hug before dropping a shopping bag on her lap.
Calleigh jumped, the cold weight on her leg startling her. "Goodness gracious, Eric!" she cried out. "Give a girl some warning next time!"
Eric laughed. "Does this mean that you don't want any chocolate fudge brownie?" he asked, laughing as Calleigh swiped at his hand for the spoon he was teasing her with. "I didn't think so." He said as he watched Calleigh dig in to the carton.
Alexx and Speed appeared in the doorway. "Hey! Are you going to share any of that?" Speed asked. Calleigh looked up and beamed at her friends. There were rounds of hugs and laughter as everyone settled around Calleigh. The ice cream made its rounds as well, only lasting about fifteen minutes. Horatio never moved from his place at Calleigh's side, content to watch her smile and laugh freely. The last traces of worry eased out of him.
After an hour of visiting, Calleigh began to feel tired, the sedatives not being completely out of her system. Seeing this, Alexx, Speed and Eric said their goodbyes, hugging Calleigh again and telling her how glad they were that she was safe and well. Horatio stayed behind, promising Alexx he wouldn't keep Calleigh up too much longer. He tossed out the remaining cups and spoons that were left from the impromptu party and turned down the lights in her room before helping Calleigh slide down to find a comfortable resting position. She groused at his mothering. "I can do this myself," she grumbled.
"I like taking care of you," Horatio replied. "Humor me."
Calleigh acquiesced, allowing him to tuck the blankets securely around her. "Thank you for staying with me." She said.
Horatio settled next to her again, brushing hair back from her face. "There's no place I'd rather be right now than here with you," he said honestly.
Calleigh smiled a little and caught Horatio's hand with her own. "Thank you for saving me, Horatio," she said quietly, bringing up her capture for the first time. She looked up at him with relief and gratitude. "I was so scared."
Horatio clutched at her hand in his. He had been afraid too-for her and for himself thinking that he might lose her. "So was I," he admitted to her, "but there was no way I was going to let them take you away from me."
Calleigh's need to be close to Horatio prompted her to sit up, pulling her hand from his and throwing both arms around him. She leaned into him and felt his arms come around her, one hand pressing her tightly to him and the other gently stroking her back. She began to cry silently, her shoulders shaking. Horatio continued to support her, whispering gently in her ear, letting her know that she was safe and that no one would harm her while he was there. Calleigh finally stopped, spent, leaning against Horatio's strong frame and resting her head in the crook of his neck. They sat there for a few moments in peaceful silence before Calleigh spoke again. "You found me," she whispered drowsily.
Horatio helped Calleigh lay back down. She was fighting sleep, struggling to keep her eyes open. He tucked the blankets around her shoulders again and wiped the tear marks from her cheeks. "I'll always find you," he whispered. Calleigh smiled a little, losing the battle against sleep. Soon she was out completely. Horatio got up from the bed kissed Calleigh on the forehead before pulling a chair up next to her. He sat down, resting his arms on the bed, pulling one of her hands in his own, and rested his head where he could still watch her face. He continued to watch her until the steady sound of her breathing lulled him to sleep as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days later, Calleigh was released. Horatio took her to her apartment, settling her on the couch and calling for Chinese food. They ate in a companionable silence, neither one paying much attention to the move on the television. After their dinner, Horatio cleaned up the take-out cartons before steeling back on the couch, pulling Calleigh over to lean on him and placing his arms around her. He placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Welcome home," he said.
Calleigh took a deep breath, closing her eyes and reveling for a moment how peaceful it felt to be with Horatio again. She was home, safely tucked away in his arms. She felt the pull of the connection between them and reveled in its renewed strength. She had rediscovered it in the hospital, and was still amazed at the care and tenderness Horatio had continually shown. Calleigh could hardly believe it. It was so different, being here with him like this, when only a few days ago they had stood in this very room and yelled at each other, ripping apart their friendship with both hands. Now, they were moving into a new realm of their relationship and they still hadn't talked about what had happened to them. Calleigh leaned away from him and looked up into his eyes. She didn't know what would happen now, the scars on her heart were still fresh but healing quickly. She had decided as soon as she woke up that it was time to stop letting her fear keep them apart, but she hadn't had the guts to bring up the subject with Horatio yet. She needed him to know how much he meant to her. "Horatio, there's something I need to tell you." she began.
Horatio knew what was coming and stopped her, putting his thumb over her mouth, cradling her face in his hand. He moved his thumb, tracing her lips. "You don't have to say anything, Calleigh," he said softly. He had decided when she was still in the hospital that it would be best to wait a little while before they made any declarations. They needed some distance from recent events, and they still needed to talk about what had happened in the past couple months. Horatio wasn't expecting Calleigh to immediately let him all the way back into her heart, he had hurt her and she needed time to build up her trust in him again. "I understand, and I have some things to say to you, too. But we don't have to say them all tonight. We have all the time in the world."
Calleigh nodded, wide eyed. The look in his eyes.he knew. He understood everything without her saying anything at all, just as she understood what he needed to tell her. She snuggled against him again, inhaling his cologne and listening to the beat of his heart. He was right. They didn't need to say anything in order to have this conversation. It was all there in how they looked at, no, into each other-their hearts were carrying on a conversation that didn't need to be voiced in order to be heard. Calleigh let out a contented sigh and burrowed further into Horatio's warmth. She felt his arms tighten even further around her. It was good to be home.
A/N: Hope you all liked reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that there is an even happier epilogue to follow! And I know that Calleigh recovered awfully quickly, but as much as I love angst, I love happy endings better. (
Horatio stood in the driveway of the cabin, staring after the ambulance. He couldn't move. He just kept staring at the dust, wondering what he should have done-how he could have gotten there faster, how he could have let this happen to her. He felt Alexx pull on his arm and snapped back to reality. "Come on," she was saying. "We have to follow. Give me the keys."
Horatio handed them over without thinking. He was in no shape to drive. Guilt and fear were eating him up inside. He was breathing in short gasps and when he looked down at his hands, they were shaking. I can't lose her now, he kept thinking, not when I've just found her. They pulled up at the hospital and Horatio ran up to the Emergency Room entrance with the others. "We're here for Calleigh Duquesne" he said quickly. "Can you tell us anything about her condition?"
The desk worker looked at the man in front of her. He was fighting to remain in control, but there was terror in his countenance. She looked through some records. "She was just brought in a few minutes ago. They're working on her right now. That's all I have."
Horatio dragged his hands through his hair. "Can you tell me if she was breathing? She stopped breathing when they left. I jut need to know if they got her back." He was desperate for any piece of information that would give him a link to Calleigh.
"She was." The worker said. "I remember when they wheeled her in. I think they had her stabilized."
Horatio let out the breath he was holding. She had been stable. That was good. He nodded his thanks and joined Alexx, Eric, and Speed in the waiting area. He gave a wobbly smile and reported his findings. "She was breathing when they brought her in. They're working on her."
Alexx came over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "It's going to be ok," she whispered. "She's going to make it."
Horatio hugged her back fiercely. "I can't lose her Alexx. Not now."
Alexx just stood with him for a minute, then led him over to a couch. They had some waiting to do.
~~~~~~~~
When the doctor finally came in, everybody jumped up. He was met with a chorus of "Is she ok?" He looked down at the chart he had with him. "She's stable at the moment, but we're listing her in critical to serious condition. We're moving her up to ICU."
Horatio tensed. "What's wrong? I thought they said that she was stable when they brought her in?"
The doctor looked at the worried people in front of him and wished that he could ease their fears more. "Ms. Duquesne's body underwent a huge trauma. She was stable when she got here, but she crashed two more times when we were examining her. The process of breathing was putting too much of a strain on her system, so we were forced to put her on a respirator. In order to keep her from fighting it, we had to sedate her."
Alexx reached for Horatio's hand. "It's not uncommon, Horatio," she said, seeing him start to shake again. "It doesn't mean anything. Her body just needs time to get over the shock."
The doctor nodded his thanks. "I expect that we'll be able to begin weaning her off the respirator sometime tomorrow. For now, you can all see her-one at a time, and only for a few minutes."
"I'd like to stay with her, Please," Horatio said, quietly but firmly. "I don't want her to be alone."
The doctor was about to argue but as he looked at Horatio, he couldn't say no to the raw emotion in the man's eyes. He merely nodded. "I'll talk to the staff."
Everyone moved to follow the doctor. When they got up to the ICU, Horatio motioned for someone else to go in first. "I'm staying here, I'll go in last. Someone go ahead."
Alexx motioned that either Eric or Speed should go ahead. She was worried about Horatio. Eric went in and Speed walked a few feet down the hall, giving her some privacy to talk to Horatio. "You going to be ok?" she asked him.
Horatio nodded curtly. "I'll have to be. For her." He said, nodding towards the hospital ward. "I can't help but think if we had gone through the door five minutes sooner."
"You couldn't have known." Alexx said firmly. She forced Horatio to look at her. "When you got to her doesn't matter. You found her, and you got to her before they could kill her. The details don't matter."
Horatio wished that he could believe her, but he wouldn't be able to get rid of the doubts and the guilt until Calleigh was out of danger. He nodded, letting Alexx know that he had heard her. He waited with her quietly while Eric and Speed switched places. When it was Alexx's turn, he nudged her. "Tell her I'll be with her in a few minutes, ok?"
Alexx smiled softly at him. "I'll tell her." She went into the ward. Calleigh looked like she was sleeping apart from the machines that were hooked up to her. The staff had managed to put her in a far corner, where she wouldn't be in the middle of all the medical traffic that seemed to be in the area. She took the one of Calleigh's hands in her own and reached up to smooth her hair back from her face. "You're going to be ok," she promised her. "You're safe now and nothing is going to hurt you. You've just got to sleep for a little while until you're ready to breathe on your own again. It won't be long, I promise. Horatio's waiting to come in, so I won't stay here long. But if you can hear me, listen up. That man is going crazy with worry. So get better fast and ease his burden a little, ok? I know that you were afraid, but all you have to do is look him in the eyes and I know that you'll see that your heart is safe with him." Alexx bent down and kissed Calleigh's forehead. "Sleep now, baby. I'll be back tomorrow." She squeezed Calleigh's hand and walked out. "Go ahead, Horatio." She said. "We'll take your car tonight but I'll bring it back with me tomorrow morning, ok?"
Horatio nodded absently, not focusing on anything other than the doors that led to Calleigh. "Go ahead," he said, glancing at her. "I'll see you tomorrow." He watched them start down the hallway, then turned back to the doors. Taking a deep breath, he walked though.
He found Calleigh in her corner. The scene in front of him was a mixture of peace and horror. She was safe and sound and away from people who wanted her dead, but she was attached to machines that monitored her heart and pumped air into her lungs. He found a stool and dragged it to the side of her bed that wasn't covered in wires and tubes, taking one of her delicate hands and sandwiching it in his own. He sat there for a moment, just feeling her hand in his, looking at her face. Her eyes were closed and her hair was resting along side of her face, glowing in the soft light of the ward. Watching her rest like this would have been beautiful if it weren't for the tube taped to her mouth and the bruises he could see on her cheeks under the tape. He fought back anger at what had been done to her and guilt for not reaching her in time. He reached up with one of his hands and traced the outline of her face. "I'm so sorry," he finally whispered. "I should have gotten to you sooner. I should have done so many things." He looked back at her hand in his. "I know that this isn't the right time for this, and that I'm going to have to say this again when you're awake, but I need to say it. I was wrong to walk away from what we had to chase after something I thought I wanted. I had a long talk with Alexx the other day and she made me realize some things. I took what we had for granted, thinking that it was just some quirky part of our friendship. We were never just friends; there was always something more between us. You light up the dark places in my heart and soothe the wounds in my soul. Please come back to me. Give me a chance to show you how much you mean to me."
He sat with her through the night, talking, begging, sometimes just sitting in silence. He knew that she wouldn't wake up because of the drugs; he just didn't want her to be alone. He never let go of her hand.
When the doctor came to check on her early the next morning, Calleigh's vital signs were looking a lot better. He told Horatio that they would begin the slow process of weaning her off the machine, checking to see how her body handled more and more responsibility. Alexx came in around ten, sending Horatio home to eat, sleep, and change. She let him know that someone would be with Calleigh at all times, and he was not to return before 5:00 that evening. He reluctantly obeyed, feeling the strain after two nights with little to no sleep. When he returned that evening, Eric was with Calleigh. The younger man met him in the hallway, filling him in on the day's events. Calleigh was still on the respirator, but she was breathing in room air on demand. The machine was allowing Calleigh herself to trigger when she needed to inhale and exhale, but the work of getting air to the lungs was still under the machine's control. The doctors had been pleased with her progress, and were slowly bringing her out of her sedated state. When she was fully awake, they would see about pulling the tube out. Horatio patted Eric on the arm and thanked him before going in to see Calleigh.
Horatio was at her side in no time, frowning when he noticed that the staff had restrained her hands in anticipation of her waking up. He understood that a normal reaction would be to attempt to pull the tube out, but he didn't like the necessity of binding her arms to the hospital bed. He sat down on the same stool he had found last night and released one arm, holding her hand in his own. "Hey there, beautiful," he said to her. "Sounds like you're going to be waking up soon. I'm going to be right here when you do." He waited with her, talking to her about everything and nothing, waiting for any sign that she was waking up. After a few hours, she began to move around. He called for the nurse, standing up and reaching to stroke her face. "It's ok," he kept repeating. "Don't be afraid, I'm right here." He saw her become more and more aware. Joy filled him as he realized that she was working her way back to him. Finally, her eyes opened and she looked about in confusion and fear. Horatio wasn't a medical expert, but he could tell from the sounds the monitors were making that Calleigh was not reacting well. She started to move around more fiercely, struggling to reach up toward her head. Horatio held her hand firmly. He looked around for help and saw the doctor heading for them. He looked down again at Calleigh. "It's ok, look at me," he said. Her eyes swung up to meet his, filled with panic. "There's a tube in your throat but you're in control. The doctor is coming, just try to breathe and relax." Calleigh stopped her thrashing.
As he was speaking, the doctor came to stand beside him. "Good morning, Calleigh," he said. "I'm going to get this tube out of you, but you need to listen to me for a moment. I'm going to count to three and then pull. I need you to try to cough when I pull the tube out. Ready? One.two.three.now!"
When Calleigh had first started to wake up, she thought she was still in the middle of a nightmare. She was in pain, she was disoriented, she couldn't move her arms, and she couldn't breathe. Slowly, as she became more aware of her surroundings, she fought against the panic that was threatening to overwhelm her. The only thing that kept her from trying to jump up and flee was the sound of Horatio's voice, and she realized that one of her hands was being tightly held by his. She clutched at his hand and latched onto the sound of his voice, not even paying attention to the words he was saying until she heard him ask her to look at him. She looked up into his eyes. They were the most beautiful things she had ever seen. They were intense, but not filled with anger or caught up in solving a puzzle. They were full of joy, and they were aimed directly at her. She focused on him, taking of his strength and calming her racing heart. She listened to the doctor and followed his instructions. Coughing and gagging, she gulped for air, sitting up in the bed.
Horatio instantly supported her, rubbing her back and encouraging her. "It's ok." He said, his own words choked with relief. "Don't worry about talking. Just breathe." He helped her lay back again and left for a minute to grab some water for her. In reality, he didn't want her to see the tears that had formed when he realized that she was really back.
The doctor stayed for a few minutes checking the readings on Calleigh's monitor and nodding his approval. "Seems you're doing just fine," he said as Horatio came back with a cup and straw. "Your oxygen stats look good. In fact, given the nature of your case, I think we can safely assume you're going to be as right as rain. We'll be moving you out of here immediately. I'll be checking on you off and on but you seem to be in good hands here. If you keep this up, you'll be back home in no time."
"Thanks," Calleigh rasped. Her throat was sore from the tube, but she didn't want the doctor to go away without her saying anything. Horatio pushed the water at her.
The doctor smiled and continued his rounds. He wasn't kidding. Calleigh was being taken care of just fine.
Calleigh swiped at Horatio's hand, pushing the water away. "I'm fine," she said, her voice stronger but still gravelly.
"Like hell you are," Horatio shot back. "You just got pulled off a respirator. You spent the last day and a half on it. You scared me to death."
Calleigh was taken aback. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious. She saw a haunted look shadow Horatio's eyes. She grew serious. "I didn't know." she whispered, accepting some of the water then reaching for his hand. She stared at their intertwined fingers and marveled at how right it felt to have her hand in hers. Their moment was interrupted by the nurse.
"Excuse me," she said, "But the doctor said that you could be moved to a room." Horatio jumped up, ready to be of assistance, but didn't let go of Calleigh's hand. "What can I do?" he asked.
"Right now, the best thing you can do is to give us some space to get her moved," the nurse replied, a regretful tone in her voice. She hated to separate the two, but having an extra person hovering around while they got Calleigh ready to move would be problematic. "You can see her again as soon as she gets settled. It should only take about an hour. Room 304."
Horatio hesitated. He didn't want to be in the way, but he didn't want to spend another minute away from Calleigh now that she was awake. The nurse understood his reluctance to leave and leaned over to him. "You could get her some flowers," she said softly. "And let her other friends know she's ok." She backed off, giving them privacy to say goodbye.
Horatio nodded. He looked down at Calleigh, who seemed to dislike the notion of him leaving as much as he did. He smiled at her. "I'm going to be waiting for you in your new room," he said. "Right now I need to call everyone and let them know that you're awake and where you're going. Don't want them to come here looking for you only to find you've disappeared on them, that is, if you're ready to have visitors."
Calleigh nodded. "Tell them I'd love to have visitors now that I'm awake," she said. She looked around to make sure the nurse wasn't within earshot. "And see if anyone can smuggle me in some ice cream. I'm hungry."
Horatio laughed, overjoyed to see her making jokes. "We'll see," he said. "Your doctors might have something to say in the matter." Calleigh leaned back in the bed and huffed, a small pout on her lips. Horatio couldn't resist. He leaned over and kissed her forehead then rested his own against it. "I'll be right back," he breathed into her ear. With a final squeeze of her hand, he walked out, turning to look at her before going through the doors. She was looking straight at him, a small smile on her face and stars in her eyes. Horatio felt his heart expand with joy and contentment. He had his Calleigh back.
~~~~
Horatio, as promised, was waiting for Calleigh when she was wheeled into her new room and hour later. He helped her up onto the bed and fluffed her pillows before while the nurse hooked up the monitoring equipment. When everything was settled, he sat on the edge of the bed near Calleigh's waist and took her hand in his again. "Careful, tiger," she teased, "or I'll let everyone know you're as sweet as a tabby cat."
Horatio made a displeased sound, though the smile on his face worked against him. "You do that and I'll confiscate the ice cream Eric's bringing."
Calleigh gasped in mock horror. "You wouldn't!" She laughed at their easy banter. "When is he getting here?"
"I expected him ten minutes ago, but he was swinging by the store on the way, so any minute now. Alexx and Speed should be getting here soon too." Horatio looked down and played with Calleigh's hand, turning it over and tracing the lines of her palm. "Then again, Alexx said that they kept getting mobbed with questions about you. It seems you're kind of popular." He met her eyes again and smiled.
Eric chose that moment to make his entrance. "Glad to see you're awake!" he said to Calleigh, coming over to her and giving her a hug before dropping a shopping bag on her lap.
Calleigh jumped, the cold weight on her leg startling her. "Goodness gracious, Eric!" she cried out. "Give a girl some warning next time!"
Eric laughed. "Does this mean that you don't want any chocolate fudge brownie?" he asked, laughing as Calleigh swiped at his hand for the spoon he was teasing her with. "I didn't think so." He said as he watched Calleigh dig in to the carton.
Alexx and Speed appeared in the doorway. "Hey! Are you going to share any of that?" Speed asked. Calleigh looked up and beamed at her friends. There were rounds of hugs and laughter as everyone settled around Calleigh. The ice cream made its rounds as well, only lasting about fifteen minutes. Horatio never moved from his place at Calleigh's side, content to watch her smile and laugh freely. The last traces of worry eased out of him.
After an hour of visiting, Calleigh began to feel tired, the sedatives not being completely out of her system. Seeing this, Alexx, Speed and Eric said their goodbyes, hugging Calleigh again and telling her how glad they were that she was safe and well. Horatio stayed behind, promising Alexx he wouldn't keep Calleigh up too much longer. He tossed out the remaining cups and spoons that were left from the impromptu party and turned down the lights in her room before helping Calleigh slide down to find a comfortable resting position. She groused at his mothering. "I can do this myself," she grumbled.
"I like taking care of you," Horatio replied. "Humor me."
Calleigh acquiesced, allowing him to tuck the blankets securely around her. "Thank you for staying with me." She said.
Horatio settled next to her again, brushing hair back from her face. "There's no place I'd rather be right now than here with you," he said honestly.
Calleigh smiled a little and caught Horatio's hand with her own. "Thank you for saving me, Horatio," she said quietly, bringing up her capture for the first time. She looked up at him with relief and gratitude. "I was so scared."
Horatio clutched at her hand in his. He had been afraid too-for her and for himself thinking that he might lose her. "So was I," he admitted to her, "but there was no way I was going to let them take you away from me."
Calleigh's need to be close to Horatio prompted her to sit up, pulling her hand from his and throwing both arms around him. She leaned into him and felt his arms come around her, one hand pressing her tightly to him and the other gently stroking her back. She began to cry silently, her shoulders shaking. Horatio continued to support her, whispering gently in her ear, letting her know that she was safe and that no one would harm her while he was there. Calleigh finally stopped, spent, leaning against Horatio's strong frame and resting her head in the crook of his neck. They sat there for a few moments in peaceful silence before Calleigh spoke again. "You found me," she whispered drowsily.
Horatio helped Calleigh lay back down. She was fighting sleep, struggling to keep her eyes open. He tucked the blankets around her shoulders again and wiped the tear marks from her cheeks. "I'll always find you," he whispered. Calleigh smiled a little, losing the battle against sleep. Soon she was out completely. Horatio got up from the bed kissed Calleigh on the forehead before pulling a chair up next to her. He sat down, resting his arms on the bed, pulling one of her hands in his own, and rested his head where he could still watch her face. He continued to watch her until the steady sound of her breathing lulled him to sleep as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days later, Calleigh was released. Horatio took her to her apartment, settling her on the couch and calling for Chinese food. They ate in a companionable silence, neither one paying much attention to the move on the television. After their dinner, Horatio cleaned up the take-out cartons before steeling back on the couch, pulling Calleigh over to lean on him and placing his arms around her. He placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Welcome home," he said.
Calleigh took a deep breath, closing her eyes and reveling for a moment how peaceful it felt to be with Horatio again. She was home, safely tucked away in his arms. She felt the pull of the connection between them and reveled in its renewed strength. She had rediscovered it in the hospital, and was still amazed at the care and tenderness Horatio had continually shown. Calleigh could hardly believe it. It was so different, being here with him like this, when only a few days ago they had stood in this very room and yelled at each other, ripping apart their friendship with both hands. Now, they were moving into a new realm of their relationship and they still hadn't talked about what had happened to them. Calleigh leaned away from him and looked up into his eyes. She didn't know what would happen now, the scars on her heart were still fresh but healing quickly. She had decided as soon as she woke up that it was time to stop letting her fear keep them apart, but she hadn't had the guts to bring up the subject with Horatio yet. She needed him to know how much he meant to her. "Horatio, there's something I need to tell you." she began.
Horatio knew what was coming and stopped her, putting his thumb over her mouth, cradling her face in his hand. He moved his thumb, tracing her lips. "You don't have to say anything, Calleigh," he said softly. He had decided when she was still in the hospital that it would be best to wait a little while before they made any declarations. They needed some distance from recent events, and they still needed to talk about what had happened in the past couple months. Horatio wasn't expecting Calleigh to immediately let him all the way back into her heart, he had hurt her and she needed time to build up her trust in him again. "I understand, and I have some things to say to you, too. But we don't have to say them all tonight. We have all the time in the world."
Calleigh nodded, wide eyed. The look in his eyes.he knew. He understood everything without her saying anything at all, just as she understood what he needed to tell her. She snuggled against him again, inhaling his cologne and listening to the beat of his heart. He was right. They didn't need to say anything in order to have this conversation. It was all there in how they looked at, no, into each other-their hearts were carrying on a conversation that didn't need to be voiced in order to be heard. Calleigh let out a contented sigh and burrowed further into Horatio's warmth. She felt his arms tighten even further around her. It was good to be home.
A/N: Hope you all liked reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that there is an even happier epilogue to follow! And I know that Calleigh recovered awfully quickly, but as much as I love angst, I love happy endings better. (
