First off, I think now I can officially welcome Long Time First Time, a brave reader who has gone through all of my stories in the past couple of weeks. I am humbled and this chapter is for you, to celebrate finally catching up with it all.

Ok, let's see if I remember everybody.

Tori: sounds like a strategy, get some bundles of chapter in one go. I guess I got you all so used to twist now you just expect them all the time LOL

Ospite: Dare I say we have another Italian? I know you all want that kind of scene, but the time is not right yet. They will come, bear with me

Fridmame: they really need to sort this out first, don't you think? Some maniac just tried to kill Gillian when they thought the case was over, Cal is certainly the kind of person who needs to know and not leave any loose ends.

Now, I know what you want but there's something that needs to be taken care of first

Perhaps it was just the fatigue, or more likely the pain medication kicking in and dragging her into a forced rest, but shortly after Cal left Gillian easily fell asleep. Emily kept a watchful eye on her the second she started closing her eyes, ready to call for help if something seemed off. But the monitors didn't beep alarmingly, her breathing stayed regular and when she finally slipped away into sleep she looked calm and peaceful.

Emily didn't have much to do after that besides waiting and playing with her phone, but she didn't mind having a little time for herself. To say that it had been a crazy day would have been an understatement, and as much as she appreciated the concern of the adults all around her she felt like she needed to get through it on her own, at least a little bit. Dad had been great, nothing new there, but to see Gillian putting so much energy into comforting her from her position had been somewhat overwhelming. And then there was the Sheriff, who had tried her best, and Dr Milton who kept telling everybody how her prompt reaction had saved Gillian's life, causing people to look at her as if she was someone famous in her own right. Truth was, she appreciated that everybody wanted to help but all that attention was becoming harder to handle than what had brought it upon her.

That was why she enjoyed the solitude, swamped on the small couch in the corner of Gillian's room, headphones on to listen to some music while keeping it quiet. Every now and then she would throw glances at Gillian, just to make sure, and at some point Deputy Larry shyly showed up at the door. Emily looked at him a bit baffled, thinking the officer probably knew her father was elsewhere or he'd hardly showed up, then she noticed the flowers in his hands. She studied him for a while, not knowing it was a stare very similar to the one Cal would give, then nodded at him and the deputy stepped forward to leave the flowers on the nightstand before leaving again without a word.

Time went by with nothing much happening, until the phone in her hand started ringing. Only then, much to her surprise since she felt like that day would never end, Emily noticed that it was barely 8pm.

"Dad?" She picked up immediately, biting at her lip when she realised too late she should have kept her voice down and saw Gillian stir in her bed. "Where are you? Is everything ok?"

Gillian woke up slowly when hearing Emily's voice, quickly tuning in on the fact that she was talking to Cal. While she listened she checked herself mentally, finding that the soreness on her back seemed to be the worst part of it all. She felt fine otherwise, in full control of her breathing and rested enough after the nap, which helped her to start shaking off the craziness of the day.

"Yeah, she just woke up. Hold on." Emily came over to the bed and handled her phone. "It's Dad, he's on his way. He wants to talk to you."

Gillian thanked her and took the phone, watching as Emily grabbed the TV remote from the side of the bed and held it up, waiting for her to give a sign if she was ok with the machine to be turned on. Gillien nodded and Emily went back to the couch, switching on the TV with a low volume and flipping through the channels. Gillian smirked and thought that was how things should be, a bored teenager watching TV and nothing more, then sighed and brough to phone to her ear.

"Hei Cal."

"Hei there love, how are you doing? Feeling better?"

"Much better, yeah. Sleep can do wonders."

"So can drugs," he cackled, and Gillian smiled not so much at his crass hint but mostly at his relaxed tone. "Listen, I'm on my way back. I was thinking I could stop at the cabin and get some stuff for you since you'll be spending the night at the hospital."

"That'd be nice, thanks." She smiled again, she knew he would have had the same attention regardless but it hit differently now. "How did it go?"

"I'll tell you when I get there."

"Cal."

"What? I'm not hiding anything Gill, I just don't want to talk over the phone!" He grumbled, nearly offended that she might suggest otherwise. Then he paused and when he spoke again his voice was different, softer. "At least not about this."

Gillian felt her lips defeat gravity and turn upwards in a smile, and she had to throw a glance at Emily just to make sure she was still watching TV because she knew that kind smile could easily give her away.

"Well ok then. Just-" She looked at Emily again, who looked back and smiled absently before going back to the TV. "I guess it depends on what's the alternative."

"Em's there?" Cal asked, and Gillian hummed in response. "She's doing ok?"

"Looks like it. I think for now it's best to leave it at that."

"Professional opinion?"

"On something like this? Never."

On the other side of the line, alone in the car with the speaker on, Cal smiled. He did so because it was fun to have that conversation with her, sort of like a secret language, and because he appreciated the implication that she cared about his daughter in a special way.

"How are you feeling darling?"

"You asked me that already," she pointed out.

"I guess I just like to hear you saying you're ok," he whispered, then added absently. "Don't know about you love, but this is getting hard to deal with."

"I know, same here." Foster had to control her own voice, because the way he had just spoken to her nearly melted her. "Almost there."

"Literally," he quipped. "Just arrived at the cabin now, I should be there in half an hour."

"We'll be here."

"You better!" Cal teased, then once again his voice went lower and when he spoke again Gillian felt like it had been soaked in honey and velvet. "I love you, Gillian."

"I know," she replied, holding the phone tight. "Same here."

"Alright love, see you soon."

Gillian didn't mind the abrupt end of the conversation, if he was half as frustrated as she was in that moment she couldn't really judge. She missed him, she missed them, and even with all the many very good reasons why they couldn't be them for the time being, yes, it was getting really damn hard to keep away. It wasn't necessarily about their intimacy, at least not after a day like that: it was about comfort, about having someone there to be yourself with without fearing any judgement or the need to hold back.

"Is everything ok?" Emily asked once the call ended, and Gillian nodded. "Is Dad coming?"

"He's going to stop at the cabin and get a few things for me." Emily walked over to the bed and got her phone back from Gillian. "Any idea where my phone might be?"

Emily nodded and leaned down to retrieve a plastic bag from under the bed, which contained her personal effects, then rummaged inside it until she found the phone. The battery was dead, so she texted her father to get a charger and put the bag back under the bed, then she helped Gillian to sit up straight in the bed and adjust the pillows behind her.

"How long did I sleep?"

"A couple of hours," Emily said, then gave her a studying look. "You look a lot better."

"I feel better."

Gillian's response was quick and sincere, much to Emily's relief. But then there was a strange and awkward silence between them, with Emily looking pretty much everywhere but at her, yet Gillian felt it might be best to wait and not say anything else. It paid off, because after a few seconds Emily sat on the edge of the bed with a long sigh and folded her arms to her chest.

"Are you going to ask me how I feel?"

Gillian shook her head no, trying to fight back a little smile.

"I think you've been asked that enough already," she muttered then, and Emily gave her a knowing look. "You don't have to talk about it Emily, not unless you want to."

"It's not that Gillian, it's just-" She looked down, avoiding eye contact as she mumbled. "I think I am actually ok, all considered. I mean, I was scared when it all happened, at the house and here at the hospital…but I think now it's all over and I'm just…fine."

Gillian had to bite her tongue, to stop herself from asking if she thought that was a bad thing. Minutes earlier she had just told Cal that she wasn't going to assess his daughter from a professional point of view and she wanted to make good on that promise, but she still wanted to be able to help Emily. Cal might have not liked to hear it, but she felt responsible for putting Emily through that, at least part of the day. She had been on board with addressing Tamara Lewton without waiting for backup, she hadn't considered that things could go south and she hadn't thought about keeping Emily out of trouble. How Cal hadn't lost his marbles with her because of all that was a mystery to her, but that didn't ease her own sense of guilt.

"That's good," she said then, trying to validate the way Emily was feeling.

"You think so?"

Gillian nodded, realising that apparently there was no way around at least some psychobabble after all. She had actively tried not to push Emily to talk about how she felt, but it seemed obvious that there was no way around it.

"Emily, when this kind of thing happens… Everybody reacts in their own way, there isn't a right or wrong way to deal with it." She took hold of her hand. "Your father bottles everything up, I downplay it and try to move on. Some people try to ease their guilt." She nodded over at the flowers brought by Deputy Larry. "And some recover quickly, and understand that it's in the past and everything is back to normal."

"So it's ok…to be ok?"

"Of course it is," Gillian smiled, feeling some envy but mostly relief, knowing she was telling the truth and that Cal would have been happy to hear. "There's plenty of reasons to be ok Emily. I'm ok and so are you. We found all the children and they are safe…to be honest, I think we should all focus on the positive."

"Do you think Dad is ok?"

The million dollar question! Gillian thought, but instead opted for an absent shrug.

"I think he will be once we wrap up the case. You know how he is, he gets very intense but then he can just as easily let go."

"I'm with you on the intense part!" Emily sighed and nodded knowingly. "But you're right, he does calm down eventually."

"It's gonna be ok Emily. We'll be home soon and everything will be back to normal." Aside maybe one particular piece of news coming your way, she added in her mind, then she gave her a teasing smirk. "But for now, just play along with your father. He likes to think you need him."

"Is he ever going to accept I am not a child anymore?"

"I don't think parents are programmed to think that way," Gillian chuckled and Emily rolled her eyes. "But I can tell you this much. Despite everything, he doesn't regret you tagging along for this case."

That might have been a bit of a stretch to be honest, Cal had probably spent a lot of time questioning the decision to allow Emily to come, but she considered it was a white lie after all and it did wonders to boost the young girl's spirit. They kept on talking for a bit, Emily asked if her father had told her anything about the mysterious man over the phone and then they talked behind his back a little, until a nurse came in with a tray of food for Gillian. She looked down at it and realised how hungry she was, but when she lifted the plastic lid she smirked at what was underneath.

"I think the cafeteria is still open," Emily came to the rescue, easily reading the disappointment on Gillian's face. "Let me go and see what I can find."

"Just as long as you get something for yourself too," Gillian instructed, and Emily nodded.

Then she left the room leaving Gillian alone with her own thoughts which, despite the conversation they just had, all pointed solely at the girl's father.

I can see there is a certain…desire for a particular kind of scene: they will come, I promise, when the time is ready for the characters. But also, do keep in mind my idea of Callian moments might be a little different, at least for now: I am bias because I am the writer, but to me all the little stolen moments they've had so far are definitely Callian.

That being said, I am posting again tomorrow so be ready!