NOTES: Sorry about the delay - watched the CSI: Vegas S5 finale last night and was in a state of shock. This is the final part - remember, feedback makes my day!

Tim Speedle wasn't a religious man but in that moment, he found himself praying. Praying that he could survive this, get Eric to hospital, make everything right…the likelihood of any of those things happening was rapidly dwindling away to nothing.

He had quietly counted down the seconds in his head until he realised there were only sixty remaining. One minute until they all blew up to kingdom come.

"I think I have the wire," Horatio breathed and placed the pliers over his chosen wire. As he was about break it, Speed gasped, "Stop," and the pliers' motion halted.

Fifty…forty-nine…forty-eight…

"Let me do it – get out of here. No point us all going up." Horatio looked momentarily shocked, hesitant, but then he eased his hands off the pliers as Speed slipped his right hand further around Eric to staunch the blood and pulled away his blood-slicked left hand to hold the pliers.

Thirty-three…thirty-two…thirty-one…

"Good luck, Speed," he choked out and then ran at full pelt out of the lab door. Speed watched him go with an eerie sense of calm and when he thought he was far enough away, he concentrated his sight on the pliers, on the possible pivot between life and death.

Twenty-one…twenty…nineteen…

Taking one long look at Eric's pale but beautiful face and placing a kiss to his temple, lips lingering, Speed allowed himself to feel the solid weight of the pliers in his hand and shut his eyes.

Fourteen…thirteen…twelve…

"I love you, Eric," he whispered and tightened his grip. Snap.

Ten.

The beeping faded to nothing and it took a few painful moments before Speed realised he wasn't dead and wasn't going to be anytime soon. He let the pliers fall to the floor and pulled Eric close to him, hands settling over the trickling wound and eyes still closed, thanking God that he was here to be thankful.

It took a couple of minutes before bomb squad personnel tiptoed in and now working without the threat of imminent explosion, managed to disentangle the remaining intimidating wires but Speed was passed caring. All he could see was Eric and then they were free and paramedics swarmed around them and took Eric from him.

He barely had the strength to protest – what was wrong with him? It was Eric who had been shot, who needed him to be strong, but here he was, quivering against the cabinet as if he still had a ticking bomb slung around his chest.

Minutes passed without him noticing, as he tried to pull himself together and only managed to sit there and watch them bundle up Eric, hang fluids and talk about bleeding and peritonitis and surgery as if this was just another day, another gun shot and maybe it was, maybe this was all perfectly normal for them but he was watching his best friend, his entire world being taken away on a stretcher and he couldn't even move.

"Sir? Sir, can you hear me? Someone get me a blanket here!"

He blearily focussed on the unfamiliar lady in front of him and she took his bloodied hands into her own without batting an eyelid. He was covered in Eric's blood – on his shirt, his hands, soaking the floor. The red was everywhere, but this lady wasn't paying attention to the blood, just looking at him.

"Okay, sir, can you tell me your name? Are you hurt, sir?"

He shook his head 'no' and managed to stutter out, "Tim." He immediately cursed himself for ten kinds of fool – this was absurd! He felt his breathing notch up a gear at his own frustration and the paramedic placed her hands on his shoulders, as she quickly wound a blanket around his shoulders.

"Tim, I need you to listen to me. You're in shock and you're breathing too fast. It's perfectly normal but I need you to try and calm down for me, okay? Just breathe nice and slowly, deep breaths."

"Eric, please, where…" the words tumbled past his lips but she just shushed him.

"Don't talk, just breathe. Eric's safe now, they're taking him to hospital. Which is where I'm going to take you in a bit, but first you need to breathe."

Fighting his rising panic, Speed drew a deep breath, then another, and his mind began to clear. In a few minutes, he felt almost halfway normal and that's when he saw Calleigh. She hurried over to him and ignoring the paramedic, wrapped him in a heartfelt embrace.

"Okay?" she said with a shaky voice and he nodded against her shoulder. Calleigh pulled away from him and looked questioningly at the paramedic.

"Residual shock, but he'll be fine."

"I'll take him to the hospital with us," Calleigh said with authority Speed had rarely heard her use and the paramedic acquiesced, and with one last command for him to 'keep breathing', she was gone.

Calleigh helped him to stand and supported him as he adjusted to being upright. She walked him slowly out of the building and past the flashing maelstrom of cameras and journalists. He found himself being enveloped in a hug by Alexx and wondered what he'd done to deserve this.

"Brave boy," she murmured tearfully and how he wished it were true.

"Let's go to the hospital, shall we?" Horatio interrupted and Speed pulled away from Alexx to meet Horatio's eyes. The man's determined gaze softened and he smiled at Speed. "It's going to be all right, Speed."

And for the first time, Speed actually believed it could be true.

Exhaustion was settling deep in her bones but Calleigh couldn't bring herself to leave. It was their second night haunting a hospital waiting room and there was still nothing definite coming out of the doctors' mouths. They had arrived to find Eric already in surgery – the bleeding had to be controlled before they could even attempt to repair any of the damage.

The list of possible complications was hideously long, with several of the more severe ones ending in the unsettling duo of 'coma and death'. Calleigh almost wished she hadn't asked for the literature. Then again, someone had to be sensible about this and Speed certainly wasn't in any condition to take responsibility.

He had held onto that blanket like a safety net and the red cloth was still draped over his shoulder, making him look like some kind of superhero. Which he was, Calleigh thought proudly, a real hero. Not that he could see it – once they'd forced hot, sweet tea into him, he had seemed more himself but every sound made him jump and she knew it was only a matter of time before he somehow made this out to be his fault.

As minutes had dragged into hours, Alexx returned home to her family, apologetic but accepting – there was nothing they could do for Eric now and it didn't take all three of them to baby-sit Speed. Horatio had left at first light, dragged back to the crime lab to give a statement, calm the bureaucrats and attempt to work out how a convicted felon had just wandered into CSI headquarters with a loaded firearm and several pounds of explosives. Calleigh didn't envy him the task.

Evening was once more shifting into night when a doctor finally came to see them. It had been a while since they had announced Eric was out of surgery for the second time but any other details had been unavailable. Eric's family were currently doing their waiting in the small chapel at the back of the hospital and Calleigh had promised to tell them as soon there was any news. Now it seemed their long wait was finally over.

"Ms Duquesne? Are Eric's family around?"

"They're in the chapel," she said in explanation, as Speed started from his stupor beside her and looked intently at the doctor. The man caught the stare and addressed his next comments directly to Speed.

"We have Eric stabilised but he's not out of danger yet. We found the bullet but it did some serious damage to the small and large intestine. We repaired the damage but infection is likely at this stage. He's on some strong antibiotics and plenty of fluids and his chances are good. Your friend is very strong, but there's still a long way to go."

Speed released a shuddering breath and Calleigh could almost divine his next words. "When can we see him?"

The doctor smiled patiently. "Eric needs careful monitoring at the moment, so not for a few days yet. I suggest you go home – if you leave me a contact number, I can let you know when he can receive visitors."

Calleigh could see that leaving the hospital bothered Speed, but with a little persuasion, she managed to bundle him into a taxi and send him back to his apartment. She quickly moved on to find Eric's family and as soon as she opened the chapel door, three pairs of eyes settled on her.

It was Eric's mother Clorinda who approached her and they stepped out of the chapel quietly. "The doctor brought news?" she said, eyes eager and yet wary of what she might hear.

Calleigh nodded. "He did. Eric's stable and they say its looking good so far. There could be complications, but they're giving him fluids and antibiotics. We just have to hang in there."

Clorinda nodded as if this made sense to her and then looked over Calleigh's shoulder, frowning. "Where is Tim? Have they let him see Eric?"

"No, no visitors at the moment. I sent Tim home – he looked fit to collapse."

Clorinda sighed and sat down on one of the chairs set outside the chapel. Calleigh joined her and the woman shot her a small smile. "So do you, Calleigh. You should go home too."

A yawn hit Calleigh at that moment and she smiled ruefully. "I will. I just wanted to let you know what was going on. I'll pick up Tim some time tomorrow and we'll come back then."

Calleigh moved to get up, but Clorinda's voice stopped her. "He's all he talks about, you know. Tim this and Tim that – he hasn't been this close to anyone in a long time. I would hate for him," Clorinda paused, swallowing down her tears, "for Tim not to know that."

The woman lost her proud self-control then and Calleigh comforted her, offering reassurances to this woman she barely knew and yet was so like Eric, so caring and so gentle, that she couldn't help but be drawn to her as she was to him.

"He'll tell him," Calleigh said with a certainty she wasn't sure she felt. "He'll tell him and we'll all be there to hear it."

"Such a nice young man," the woman whispered, a slight edge to her voice. "He must be a…good friend to Eric."

It was only then that Calleigh realised where this conversation was going and couldn't for the life of her think of how to react. What was Clorinda trying to tell her? That Eric felt that way…about Tim? If she was seeking reassurance from Calleigh, the young woman was suddenly not sure she could provide it. Because if Clorinda was hinting at what she thought she was, a lot of things suddenly made sense.

"He is that, Mrs Delko, a very good friend." She did stand up then and offered a smile, her mind whirring. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Clorinda nodded silently, lost in her own thoughts, and Calleigh walked away.

He awoke to a dull sensation of pain. It was difficult to pinpoint, seeming to radiate from his several points within his body at once. This was nothing like a hangover, or even a good session at the gym – and he realised, abruptly, this wasn't even his bed. What on earth had he been up to last night?

Slowly, Eric opened his eyes and at the first sight of institutional white and the faint smell of disinfectant, he knew this was a different kind of twist. His memory of events returned in fits and starts and he flinched as he recalled the bullet savagely tearing through his body.

Slightly panicked now, he attempted to calm himself and work out exactly what was going on. It was then he noticed the presence of someone's hand in his, a set of fingers wrapped around his own and he turned his head slowly to find out whom.

A smile spread over his face as he took in the sight of a slumbering Tim Speedle. His dark hair was delightfully tousled, his t-shirt a grid of greases and the chair he was slumped in didn't even look comfortable. Eric took in the bruise-deep circles under his eyes and the pallor of his face and realised he was the cause.

Unwilling to disturb his sleep, Eric attempted to assess his condition. Pain in abdomen, check. Annoying headache and dizziness, check. Incredible thirst, check. But he was alive, breathing, and not at death's door, as far as he could tell. He also had a pretty nice view.

It was in these first moments of waking, where the world of dreams still held sway, that Eric began to realise that the little bubble of joy that was lodged in his chest was entirely due to Speed. He wondered how he had never noticed it before, but maybe they were right about brushes with death changing your perspective. Or perhaps he was just blind and stupid – it certainly wouldn't be the first time.

Maybe it was time to stop denying it then. If he were truly honest with himself, he had known there was something else there but it was a strange and terrifying place into which to venture. And could he really put their friendship on the line, the companionship that kept him sane, for something that might not be so great after all?

Yet nothing ventured, nothing gained and surely now that his heart had made its feelings known, the half-ignored longings would only insinuate themselves into everything he did with Speed and their friendship would suffer one way or the other, dishonesty effectively ending the relationship without Eric ever having the opportunity to investigate this attraction that could lead to a whole lot more.

Eric then decided he was in too much pain to think that deeply. He tried to shift to ease the ache, but it had the exact opposite effect, a wave of pain crippling him and causing him to tighten his grip on Speed's hand.

The man shifted awake instantly and Eric let his pain-filled eyes meet the shocked dark eyes of one Tim Speedle. "Hey," he mouthed tiredly, as Speed just continued to stare as if he had just seen a ghost.

Finally, he managed to shut his mouth and learn forward, not releasing his grip on Eric's hand. "Hey," he said and a hint of a smile played across his lips. Eric returned it, feeling that little bubble burst and fill him with warmth. "How are you feeling?"

"Hurts," he admitted, and Speed tried to pull away, mumbling about the nurse, but Eric held fast. When Speed looked at their joined hands questioningly, Eric just smiled.

"Tim, come here," he said softly, and as if spellbound, Speed leaned towards him, just close enough for Eric to touch his lips to his once, twice before relinquishing his grip on his hand.

"Now you can get the nurse," Eric said with a satisfied smile and Speed, despite looking like he'd just been whacked upside the head, managed to stand and carry out the command. Eric watched him go with a nervous excitement that effectively blanketed the pain – he'd just kissed his best friend and far from retching in disgust, said best friend had actually looked pleased albeit slightly shocked.

Things were looking up.

Speed drove as carefully as possible through the Miami streets, shooting concerned glances at his passenger every two minutes. He'd never realised the route between the hospital and his apartment was such a maze of turns and traffic lights, stops and starts. He shot another look at Eric only to meet darkly amused that sparkled with mischief.

"I haven't vanished yet," he said lightly and Speed returned the smile before turning his eyes back to the road. They hadn't really spoken about what had happened in the hospital – Speed had just put it down to the pain medication and tried to move on, but it was proving more difficult than he'd anticipated.

He still acutely remembered his feelings of anguish when Eric had been shot and in the rational light of day, they still refused to be quelled. There were a thousand reasons why it was a bad idea to keep harbouring these feelings but there was one very compelling reason to continue entertaining them – Eric was an amazing, handsome man who didn't think Speed was something to be scraped off his shoe. And maybe, just maybe, he might feel the same way.

That's if he didn't blame Speed for this whole mess. Apparently, though, Eric was blind to the hundreds of ways Speed could've changed events and was quite insistent that Speed had saved his life. He was, in fact, so convincing that Speed was starting to believe it himself.

Pulling up outside his apartment block, he realised the next few weeks were going to be very interesting indeed. He'd instantly volunteered when the doctor said someone should stay with Eric and moving to his apartment had been the logical next step, as it was far closer to the ground than Eric's and had an elevator that was actually reliable.

Speed slipped out of the door and yanked Eric's holdall out of the back seat before circling round to the passenger side and opening the door. Eric regarded him with obvious amusement and gratefully accepted his hand down, moving with far less than his usual grace. Speed let him make his own way to the door with only a supporting hand on his back – he had to do this by himself, he was far too proud to accept anything else.

They entered the building and rode the elevator without incident, though Eric was already getting tired. At first, it had shocked Speed exactly how much his usually exuberant friend had just wanted to sleep day in, day out, but after the doctor had reassured him that it was perfectly normal, he had started to find this sleepy, slothful Eric Delko rather adorable.

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, he opened the apartment door and guided Eric inside. He watched him gingerly settle himself on the sofa before nodding to himself and putting Eric's stuff in his own bedroom. He brought a couple books back out with him and placed them on Eric's lap.

"I, uh, went by your place to get some stuff. I thought you might want a few books, videos, CDs. If you want me to get anything else…"

He trailed off because Eric was smiling again, that bright 'nothing can touch me' smile that had been absent of late. "Thanks, Speed," he said and fingered the books absently before setting them aside.

"Do you want anything to eat, drink? I think I've got some pasta somewhere…"

"Speed!" Eric exclaimed, laughing down. "Slow down, I'm fine really. There is nothing else I need, nothing I want…" his voice failed and his eyes steadily met Speed's, all intent now. "You're here," he finished simply, and in that instant, Speed realised what he wasn't saying and he felt his mouth go dry.

This was Fate presenting him with an opportunity and he should reach out and grab it with both hands. Propelled by some unknown force, he took a couple of steps forward so he was stood directly in front of Eric and his wondering, hopeful smile.

"Eric, I…" he stopped and tried to think, tried to find exactly the right words, but found that his power of speech had deserted him. Frustrated, he settled for a different language and kissed Eric hard, hoping to convey all his emotions in that one simple act.

There was a surprised gasp against his lips but after a moment Eric was kissing him back, and Speed knelt on the sofa, straddling Eric's lap, possessing him and being possessed. Eric's tentative hands crept up his back, warmth infusing into his body as he held onto Eric as if to never let go.

Finally, they broke apart through necessity of oxygen and Eric was looking at him with a dazed smile. "Very…eloquent," he breathed and Speed couldn't help but smile too.

"You're not going to kick me out of my apartment, are you?" Speed said, struck with the sudden fear that Eric was going to reject him and was just finding the right words.

"I think I'll keep you here," Eric murmured and kissed him, dispelling Speed's fears and effectively ending the conversation. When they broke apart again, Speed realised Eric had a slight grimace to his lips and slid away.

"You need to go to bed," he said knowingly and Eric looked most put out.

"What are you, my mother?" he said grumpily, but started to get up.

"Don't even go there," Speed warned good-naturedly and let Eric lean on his shoulder as they made their way into the bedroom. With greatest care, Eric sat, lethargy overtaking him, and it was all Speed could do to wrestle him out of his clothes and into his pyjamas.

Eric settled himself carefully into bed and as Speed made to leave, he reached for his hand. "Join me?"

"Eric, I don't think that's a good idea, I mean…" Speed stuttered, but Eric just chuckled under his breath.

"Sleep, Tim. I want to sleep. With you."

"Oh." Yes, that was about as coherent as Tim Speedle would get for a while and he toed off his shoes quickly, sliding into bed beside Eric. He lay on his side, curled around Eric's shoulder and gently slipped his arm across Eric's chest.

"I'm here, Tim," Eric murmured sleepily. "Staying right here."

Speed smiled and drifted off to sleep.