Need a Favor
Chapter 3
Is That Him in the Wind?
Eric starts the car and Calleigh is quiet. Too quiet. He looks over and she is looking at him. "That's a mighty serious look, Cal." Calleigh smiles and tilts her head. "I was just thinking about the story of David and Jonathan and the Scripture talking about their souls being knit together. It made me think of you and Speed." Eric's grip tightened on the wheel. "Yeah. It made me think about Speed too." Calleigh fights tears. "I thought it would get easier, ya know?" Eric chokes up and clears his throat. "It does some days. Today's not one of them." Calleigh nods. "Want to go get that coffee?" he asks her. Calleigh breathes in and says, "No. Let's go to the cemetery. I want to see Speed and even though I know he's not physically there, it seems as close as I can get right now." Eric gets this panicked look on his face. "Uh, Cal, I dunno. I hate seeing him and thinking about him being in the ground." Calleigh quietly says, "I've never even been back since the funeral Eric." Eric looks shocked. "You haven't?" Calleigh says, "No. It's too hard. But today, after that sermon, I just feel like we need to. We need to honor the memory of the man who was such a fantastic friend to us both." Eric knew she was feeling the same depth of emotion that he was. "Ok, we'll go."
They drive quietly to the cemetery and get out. Neither says a word as they walk what seems like 100 miles. They both look down at the stone. Eric is so tense that he wants to scream. Calleigh kneels down quietly and he sees tears dripping on the ground in front of her.
"Well, Tim, I guess you never thought you'd see me at a loss for words huh?" she says quietly.
Eric lets out a little laugh. Calleigh chokes back a sob and says, "God, Eric, I can almost hear him laughing with you." Eric kneels down next to Calleigh. He rubs her back as she cries. He looks up so his own tears won't fall.
Eric finally speaks in a very strained voice, "We just wanted you to know today that we miss you man. We never knew how much you meant to us until it was too late to tell you. You were the best." Eric's voice cracks. Calleigh reaches over and squeezes Eric's hand. "What he's trying to tell you Tim is that we love you. You were a great friend and a great CSI. The world just isn't the same without you in it."
They both kneel quietly for a moment. Calleigh smiles through her tears and says, "And Timmy, can you please tell Eric that he doesn't have to hate Ryan Wolfe. I think he believes he is dishonoring you if he is friends with Ryan." Eric gives a fake offended look. "Speed, man, that's not true. The guy is just a smartass and he gets on my nerves." Calleigh laughs and sits cross legged on the ground. She looks at Eric and says, "I do believe, Eric Delko, that you are lying to your best friend." Eric laughs and looks back toward the tombstone. He shrugs, "Ok. I guess I was determined not to like anyone who took your spot. I haven't given the guy much of a chance." Calleigh interrupts, "Any chance at all." Eric laughs again, "None at all. I've been pretty hard on the guy. Guess you'd tell me it was time to lay off now huh?" The wind blows lightly and Calleigh bursts out laughing. "Uh uh, Calleigh. Don't even say it." Eric grins at her. Calleigh replies in her best southern drawl, "Well, Eric, I just think it is funny that as soon as you said Speed would tell you that and said huh that the wind blew. Maybe he's trying to tell you something." They both laugh.
They sit there quietly for a very long time just remembering their friend. Eric looks at Calleigh. "Thanks for suggesting we come here, Cal. I always feel kinda crazy when I come here and talk to Speed like he's sitting in front of me. Doing this together today makes it seem less crazy." Calleigh smiles. "It felt good to me too. I miss him so much I can't stand it and this seems like the only way I can talk to him. I've never had the nerve to come back until today. Guess we need to go though. I didn't realize we'd been sitting here so long." They get up and Calleigh kisses her hand and reaches down and rubs it across the top of the stone. "I love you, Tim. We won't ever forget you." Eric feels that knot in his throat all over again and feels like he needs to say something too. "I'll see you soon buddy. And I'll try to be nicer to Wolfe. Don't be sending any bigger gusts of wind." Calleigh stifles a giggle. They walk to the car, hand in hand.
When they get to the car, Eric walks around to open Calleigh's door. She steps in to where she is in between him and the door. It brings them face to face. She looks up at him with tears threatening to spill. "Eric?" Eric catches his breath. "What is it Calleigh?" The tears fall as she reaches up and touches his cheek. "I want you to know that I love you too, Eric. I don't ever want anything to happen to either of us and you not know. You are there for me through everything. You never let me be alone even when I try to shut you out. I don't know where I'd be without you." Eric breathes in harder. "I love you too, Calleigh. More than I think I should most of the time. I want to be there for you. I want you to need me." Calleigh reaches up to hug him. With her head in his neck she whispers, "I do need you, Eric."
Welllllllllllll, that was entirely NOT where I'd planned for this chapter to go. I just started writing and then felt it needed to be in there. So…………here it is and I pray it isn't out of place with the rest of the story. Needless to say there will have to be at least 2 more chapters now because this wasn't what I meant to happen! HA HA
Please keep reading and please review!