"It's Tim," she said lightly. What Eric didn't know, was that in the hours he was spending at the bar, Tim had been victim to a breaking and entering. The same guy that had threatened Calleigh had Tim, and he knew exactly who to go to, to get exactly what he wanted. She hit a button and handed the phone to Eric.
"Hello Ms. Duquesne, I have your precious boyfriend here with me. In order for you to set him free, you have to trade me. Your life for his, meet me in Tim's basement in an hour, and no police, or else he gets it!"
Eric brought the phone down from his ear and looked down at a sobbing Calleigh. He bent down and wrapped his arms around her. "We're gonna get him out of there, okay? Okay Calleigh?" he asked. Calleigh nodded and then let go of him. "When did you get that message?" Eric questioned.
"About 45 minutes ago," Calleigh squeaked. She got up and took a deep breath. "I have to save him," she said.
Eric shook his head. "You're both going to get out of this alive, you're both going to get back together, and you're both going to live happily, okay?"
Calleigh gave him a blank look and then tilted her head a bit. "But Eric, what about-"
"Don't worry about me Calleigh, all I ever wanted was friendship from you, I just can't stand seeing you like this sweetheart," he said as he walked up to her and placed his hand on the small of her back. "Come on, let's go save Tim, okay?" he asked. "Listen, Tim has an emergency escape in his basement that is hidden, it's got a one way mirror into the basement. Tim installed it after he enrolled into the FBI. He used it as practice."
Calleigh looked so out of the loop. "Tim was in the FBI? Is that why that guy is after him? What didn't he tell me?"
"Calleigh, let him explain when we save him alright, I'm gonna go down to that room, all you need to do is get me a good shot. The wall has a fake gun hanging on it, I know you can tell a fake gun from a real one, just get me a good shot, and everything will go as planned okay?"
Calleigh nodded and took a deep breath. She ran to the car with him, gun in holster. They sped to Tim's house and Calleigh went through the house while Eric went around the back. She walked downstairs and found Tim tied to the chair, totally awake. He was murmering something, and shaking his head, probably trying to tell Calleigh not to do it, but Calleigh knew what she had to do.
"No police?" the man Cal recognized as Julien asked.
Calleigh shook her head. "No police," she told him. She stood so that Julien was pointing her gun towards her, but he soon turned his gun towards Tim. Calleigh realized what he was doing and stood in front of him. She lunged towards him, managing to get the gun pointed downwards. She heard a shot fired, but it hit the ground, and luckily missed her foot. She lost her grip, and scratched at him, but when she felt a sharp pain, and heard a gunshot ring out in the air, she gave up. She fell to the ground and heard another shot ring out, and Julien fell to the ground.
Julien had gotten her right in the gut. She was still conscious, but she was bleeding, and coughing up blood. Eric untied Tim so that he could help her, and then went to call 9-1-1. Tim kneeled by her side, tears pouring down his face and onto hers. "Calleigh, stay with me baby please, please Calleigh," he begged.
Calleigh looked up at him, and coughed up blood onto his shirt, then inhaled enough to speak. "Tim, I-" Cal took another breath and then finished. "I love you," she said quickly. Tim nodded and started to cry harder.
"I love you too Calleigh, please, stay with me."
Calleigh paced herself, and took a few deep breaths. "Then why did you push me away?" she asked.
"Because I didn't want something like this to happen. I didn't want you to get hurt, but I didn't do a very good job did I? I'm so sorry Calleigh, just please don't leave me."
Cal shook her head. "Never," she whispered. She reached up a bloody hand for him, and he quickly took it. Eric came back downstairs with a few paramedics, and helped Calleigh up unto the stretcher. They carried her out quickly, and took her away in the ambulance.
Tim and Eric were left behind, devastated. This wasn't supposed to happen. Cal wasn't supposed to get hurt. Tim looked down at his bloody hand while Eric looked behind him at Calleigh's blood pool. Eric sighed and placed his hand on Tim's shoulder. "Come on, let's go get Cal," he said. Tim nodded and went upstairs to wash his hand off and get a new shirt. He also brought Calleigh some clothes, since he knew that she was going to need them. She might have moved out, but she'd left a lot of her stuff there since she'd left in such a hurry. The two then went to Eric's car and drove to the hospital to hear news about Calleigh.
About three hours of waiting, and no report on how Calleigh was doing, Tim and Eric were anxious, and worried. Tim especially. The doctor came out of Calleigh's room and asked the receptionist who was there for Calleigh. When the woman pointed to Eric and Tim, they stood up, and the doctor walked over to them. He didn't look very happy, which wasn't good for Tim and Eric, they were both scared for her.
"Hi, I'm doctor Sheperd, I operated on Calleigh, I have good news and bad news," he told them as he shook their hands. "The good news is that Calleigh is stable. She's awake and alert, the bad news is that she had a massive loss of blood, and she's going to be very tired for the next few days. And with this much trauma comes the emotional factor. She cried at almost every word I told her. She kept asking for Tim," he told them.
Tim nodded a little. "That's me," he said.
"Well I'll leave it up to you two, you can both go in at the same time, or you can take turns, it's up to you," he said, then told them the room that Calleigh had been transported to. The men shook hands again and Eric and Tim headed to the room.
"You go in first man, it's you she wants to see," Eric said as they walked down the hallway.
"Are you sure? I mean, I'm sure she wants to see you too, you probably are to blame for saving her life," Tim answered.
Eric nodded, and stopped at the door. "Just come get me when you're finished, and I'll go see her," Eric said as he sat down in a chair outside the door.
Tim nodded a little and walked in. He winced a little when he saw Cal. She was hooked up to a machine, and she had an IV going into her. He swallowed hard and walked up to his sleeping beauty. He took her hand, which jolted her awake. Her heart rate went up, indicated by the little lines on the screen, and the increase in beeps on the monitor. Tim swallowed hard again and looked up at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Tim told her.
When Calleigh saw him, tears immediately formed in her eyes. She held out her arms to him, and Tim hugged her gently, as not to hurt her. He whispered small words of comfort into her ear and kissed her cheek and forehead. He hadn't really expected anything less from her. He knew that she was going to cry, and he had to comfort her, and he was doing the best he could. Calleigh was just glad that he was there.
"Are you okay?" Calleigh asked, pulling away to look over him. "He didn't hurt you did he?" Cal asked, remembering the whole thing.
Tim shook his head. "No, but Calleigh, you are hurt, and I never wanted that to happen. I pushed you away because I didn't want you to get hurt, I didn't want to put you in danger's way, that's why I argued with you, I never meant for any of this to happen. I'm so sorry Calleigh."
Cal just shook her head. "No, Tim, I'm glad you're even alive, I couldn't live with myself if I knew that you had been hurt, or worse, and I could have done something to help it. We both have dangerous jobs Tim, this could have happened to me in the line a duty at any time, but I want you Tim. No, I need you in my life. I can't live without you, and pushing me away hurt me more than anything else in the whole world. I love you Tim." Cal said with a shaky breath.
Tim looked down at her with tears in his eyes. He was brought back into the reality of the moment when he felt soft fingertips brushing his tears away. He looked down at her, the angel that she was. She saved his life, and he owed her everything. "Calleigh, marry me," Tim said, bluntly.
Cal looked up at him like he had eight heads. "Tim are you-"
"More sure then I have ever been in my entire life. I love you Calleigh Duquesne, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don't have a ring, and I know this is a really lousy way to propose, but I can't live without you. In that empty apartment, I was never happy. I will never be happy in that apartment by myself, or any other woman in the world. I want you, and only you. You deserve the world Cal, and I promise to do the best I can with what I have. Please Calleigh, don't make me beg," he said hopefully.
Calleigh just smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'll marry you Tim," she told him.
Tim's eyes lit up as he reached down and hugged her, as tightly as he could without hurting her. He reached down and kissed her passionately. Calleigh smiled and pulled away for lack of air. "Can we tell Eric the good news? Is he here?" she asked.
"Of course he is, he wasn't about to leave you," Tim said, as he walked to the door and peeked his head out. A few seconds later, Eric appeared at the door.
"Hey Cal, how are you doing?" he asked, going over to her to kiss her on the cheek.
"Fine, now that Tim and I are engaged," she said.
Eric smiled softly, that was exactly how he wanted to see Calleigh. He wanted to see her happy, with the man she loved, which he knew all along was Tim. Ever since the moment they'd laid eyes on each other, they had been falling over and over for each other. Everyone but Tim and Calleigh knew it. Even Horatio had seen it. Speaking of that man, he was mysteriously standing in the doorway. He'd heard the 911 call made by Eric.
"I hear congratulations are in order," he said with a smirk.
Calleigh was a little dumbfounded, but she smiled anyway. "Thanks H," she said with a soft tone.
It was Horatio's turn to give Calleigh a hug. She felt very loved. Between her new fiancé, her best friend, and her father-like figure, she was one very lucky woman, she had all she ever wanted, her friends, her soon to be family, and happiness.
Calleigh was at her highest. Horatio told her, a few minutes later that they had found the real perp in her case, and the innocent man that Calleigh was forced to put away was now free, and back with his family. Her father was no longer with her, but Horatio promised to walk Calleigh down the isle in place of him, and dance with her in honor of her father. She had everything now. Her family was on their way, she was newly engaged, and her friends were surrounding her. And for the first time in the past few days, they didn't want anything from her, they just wanted her happy, and alive. Calleigh Duquesne cried no longer.