Calleigh jumped, hearing Horatio's voice behind her.
"How long have you been here?"
"Today or for the past few months?" Calleigh asked, glancing behind her. Horatio could see how tired she looked.
"Have you been here all night?" he asked.
"No. I just... didn't sleep well last night."
"Why not?"
"I'm just worried about him." Calleigh said quietly, turning back to Tim. "Sometimes I think he's waking up and other times it's like he's dead."
"Calleigh, he's going to be fine. The doctor said so. It's just going to take him sometime to wake up."
"How long is sometime? It's been four months already. I missed my plane to go back to New Orleans last night."
"You couldn't leave him."
"I don't know if I want to." Calleigh murmured.
-----------S/C---------
"Just please wake up Tim. I can't believe I'm even saying this but... I need you." Calleigh whispered, holding his hand in hers. "I know all we've done is fight over the past year but... you hurt me. You hurt me so bad. I'm not saying for us to go back to being lovers. I just... I just want our friendship back."
She leaned back in her chair and slowly fell asleep. The next thing she knew someone was waking her up.
"Huh? What's going on?" Calleigh glanced over her shoulder to see Alexx there. "What?"
Alexx pointed over to the bed and Calleigh was startled to see a pair of brown eyes staring intently at her.
"Oh my lord... Tim..."
"Hi." he mumbled hoarsely.
"How... how long have you been awake?" Calleigh asked.
"About six hours. I didn't have the heart to wake you."
"Did you talk to the doctor?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. A few more days here and I'll be good to go home." Tim said. Calleigh nodded and put on a smile.
"Well, since you're okay I uh... I'm gonna go." she said. "I have some last minute packing to do."
"Where are you going?"
"I've been transferred back to New Orleans."
Tim felt his heart drop. He couldn't lose her even more than he already had.
-----------S/C----------
A few weeks later...
"We'll keep in touch." Horatio said, hugging Calleigh.
"Yeah. Definitely." she walked over to Eric and hugged him.
"Bye Calleigh."
"I'm gonna miss you Eric." she smiled, hugging Valera. "You need to finally tell him."
Valera and Eric both blushed and Calleigh just smiled, going over to Alexx.
"Oh sugar I can't believe you're leaving." she sniffed, pulling her into a hug. "Promise to call me when you get there."
"I will." Calleigh cuffed Tyler along the side of the head, making him look on. "Aww come on Stringbean don't look so glum. You're a computer geek. You know how to send a e-mail."
Tyler smirked and pulled Calleigh into a hug.
"Not gonna be the same."
"Yeah, less cheerful." Tim sneered.
"Stop being bitter." Calleigh quickly hugged him. "Okay I'll see you guys..."
She walked out of the lab and gave a final wave as the elevator doors closed on her.
"Oh you're retarded." Eric said, turning on Tim. "You should've said something."
"I think she made it quite clear this past year how things are supposed to be between us." Tim said. "I'll be in Trace."
Valera followed him out and grabbed his arm.
"Come on."
"What?"
"Well if Eric and I are gonna get together, you and Calleigh need to get back together. God knows there's no better match than you guys. If you two weren't so stubborn and admitted that you stupid then this wouldn't be happening. You're going after her."
---------S/C--------
"Just please don't go." Tim grasped Calleigh's hand tightly.
"Tim, I have to."
"No. No you don't. You can stay here. I'm sorry that I chose my job over you. I quickly realized my mistake."
"Tim, I'm not leaving because of you. The New Orleans Crime Lab needs me."
"I need you more. I am so in love with you Calleigh and I was a fool to let you go. All I'm asking for is one more chance."
"You lost it Tim. I'm sorry. I have to go." Calleigh pulled her hand out of his and walked towards the gate. She handed her boarding pass over and glanced back to Tim. "I am sorry Tim. I just... it's not going to work."
-----------S/C---------
Feeling defeated, Tim closed his apartment door and flopped down onto his couch. He saw his answering machine blinking and pressed play.
"It's me. Tim, I am sorry. But you hurt me so bad. We were so happy and you had to go and ruin it. You scared me when you got into the accident. I... I thought I'd never get to tell you I was sorry but I am. I do love you but... it's just... great now I'm changing my mind about going to New Orleans. I love you Tim. I always have and will but... I just... it won't work. No it will."
Tim stared at his answering machine, listening to Calleigh talk.
"I'm—." the message ran out and Tim sighed. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. He didn't know how long he sat there or when he had fallen asleep but there was an incessant knocking on his door. Tim got up slowly and limped over to the door, glancing through the peep hole. He frowned and swung the door open. Calleigh immediately jumped him, pressing her lips against his.
"I'm sorry." she said, tears streaming down her face. "I got off that plane and sat in your parking lot for three hours, not knowing whether to come up or not."
"I'm glad you did. I'm the one who's sorry. I was stupid. I should have never have pushed you away." Tim said, wiping the tears off Calleigh's cheeks. He pulled her face even with his and kissed her deeply. Calleigh pushed the door closed with her foot, never letting her lips leave Tim's.
"I do love you." she murmured, her green eyes locking with his brown ones.
"I love you too."
"I want us to be together again."
"So do I."
Calleigh wrapped her arms tightly around Tim and he hugged her back. Calleigh smiled, seeing a little black box on Tim's coffee table.
"What's that box?"
"I dunno." Tim admitted. "It was here when I got home with a note."
He walked into the kitchen and came back, handing Calleigh a paper.
"Don't waste anymore time." she read. Tim grabbed the box off the coffee table and opened it slightly. He held back a whistle and walked back over to Calleigh, taking her hand in his.
"Something happened to me when I was in that coma. I don't know how to explain it and if you're anything like the Calleigh in that dream then I'm not going to even try to explain it. But I do know this. I realized how stupid had been to push you away. I saw us together, being happy and I want that, forever. Hell, I didn't want to come out of that coma but I knew that you would still be there when I woke up. We would just have to work a little to get to that place in our lives. I know that we haven't been together for a year but life is too short and I agree with whoever sent that note. I don't want to waste anymore time. I want to be with you, forever."
Calleigh pressed her free hand to her mouth as Tim got down on one knee.
"I don't care how sudden this may seem. Calleigh, will you marry me?"