Mind of a Fanatic
Chapter 21
Pain shot up and down both of her legs, but Calleigh grit her teeth and took another step, and then another. What ever made me think I can do this on half the pain meds...Right, because I can think.
She was running in sweat from the exertion. With a soft grunt of pain she lowered herself into the waiting chair, Horatio's arm steadying her around her waist.
"Great job!" Jodi cried, a grin spreading over her face. "That was twice as far as yesterday!"
"Yeah." Calleigh grinned back. "Let me try it on my own; no help? I'm gonna have to do it eventually, so why can't eventually be right now?"
"Calleigh, you've already worked hard." Horatio said. "It's time for a rest."
"Just a couple of steps; that's all I'm asking." Calleigh bargained looking from Jodi to Horatio and back again. "If I fall, then my body isn't ready yet and I'll accept it."
"Ok, ok, go ahead," Jodi said, laughing. My God, she's determined to get everything back and in spades. She took a couple of steps back and held out her hands. "Come here."
Slowly, gently, Calleigh stood up. Although her knees threatened to buckle under her, she waved off Horatio's hands. It had to be on her own; everything had to be hers. Fixing her gaze on Jodi's shoulders, not the hands, she took one tentative step forward. She wavered as pain cascaded up and down, but she slid her other foot forward and took another step, then another.
She blocked out everything except making it over to Jodi. She was a mile away. Calleigh took her time, took it easy. She reached out and her fingertips brushed Jodi's wrists: hands clasped hands and suddenly she was enfolded in an embrace, Jodi's musical laughter in her ear.
"Good girl, you did it!" Jodi praised. When Calleigh's knees did buckle, Jodi held her up and helped her over to the ultrasound table. "You deserve a good rest now, sweetie."
Horatio placed a warm hand on her shoulder as the ultrasound hummed over her knees. He was getting his old Calleigh back and couldn't be happier.
"You'll be back running marathons in no time." He said, proud and pleased to be allowed to witness her first solo steps.
"Good," She grinned up at him, tired but proud. "Because the MDPD marathon is in May and I'm planning on matching my time from last year and making those guys from nights eat my dust."
Jodi and Horatio shared a look over the top of her head. Her attitude and energy were a 100 turn-around since her explosion. It didn't mean that there weren't difficult moments, but that's all that they were; moments. Horatio sat behind her on the exam table and let her lean against him. She was tired; he could feel it in the way she rested against him. She probably shouldn't have tried that last little walk, but he was glad she did. It would give her something to hope for tomorrow.
She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Calleigh hadn't felt as content in a long while. She knew she had tons more work to do before she could even be released, let alone get back to work...work. Her right hand twitched and she realized that she missed her firearm. She missed its sweet weight in her hands, the spirited kick when she fired it, the smell of gunpowder and cleaning oil curling up from the barrel; the way it heated ever so slightly when she shot target practice. She missed her lab; her firearms locker. She missed teasing Ryan and going out on calls with Eric. She missed...she missed it all.
"When do you think I'll be able to be released?" She asked suddenly.
"Whoa there, Speedy, you just took a couple of steps. You're not quite ready to be out of here just yet." Jodi said, finishing up the ultrasound treatment. "I want you in the pool tomorrow for a little hydrotherapy. You're healed up enough that we can do that now. You'd be surprised at how much that works."
"You didn't answer my question."
"No, I didn't because I can't. That's Monica's call, not mine." Jodi regarded her carefully. "You're bored, aren't you?"
"Uh...yeah. I just realized how much I'm really itching to get back to the lab. The cases must be sky-high. I'll be on desk duty forever just to get caught up." Calleigh said with a small laugh.
"I wouldn't worry." Horatio said. "Camden has been pulling double shifts for you and he's keeping it all to a dull roar, taking the most pressing and time sensitive and leaving the cold ones for you to play with when you come back."
"I owe him a big one." Calleigh sat up and let Horatio help her into the wheelchair. The walk to her room was spent in companionable silence. She didn't speak again until they were halfway to her bed.
"Stop here, Horatio. I want to walk to the bed."
"Dr. Stourton told you to rest for the rest of the day," Horatio corrected. "Don't undo all the good work."
"I won't. Just to the bed and then I'm done for the day," Calleigh replied, turning her bright green eyes up to his brilliant blue and batting her eyelashes just slightly. "I promise that I'll rest; no more running around."
Horatio had always been a sucker for her eyes. All she'd ever have to do was look at him a certain way and he'd cave. That's how she got him to sign off on so many of her overtime sheets.
"Alright, alright; just to the bed and nowhere else. Doctor Stourton is not yelling at me."
He helped her set the brakes and then watched as she slowly rose and stood still for a moment. His heart wrenched at the pain in her eyes, but he knew that pain would pass and she'd be fine...eventually. Slow step by slow step as she made it to the edge of her bed, then using that as a brace, she made her way to the head where she allowed Horatio to pick her up and place her in, tucking the sheets around her.
"Did I just catch you walking on your own, Calleigh?" Dr. Webber asked, leaning in the doorway with an amused look on her face. "Good going! Jodi said you'd made significant improvements."
Calleigh nodded. She felt like a little kid on Christmas morning surrounded by everything she'd always wanted.
"That was the second time today."
"Jodi said that you've been working like a woman possessed and is more than pleased with your progress. How's the pain?" Webber asked, coming into the room and taking Calleigh's wrist. Her pulse was pounding, but it was only to be expected.
"It hurts a little," Calleigh lied. If anything, her knees and hips were pounding and her shoulder was a symphony of pain. That's what I get for taking only half the dosage. "Doctor, I want to talk to you about the level of medication I'm taking. It's not that I don't appreciate it, but I can't focus on the dosage you give me and I need to if I'm ever going to get out of here. And I can't focus like I need to when I'm speaking with my attorneys and I won't be able to focus when you finally let me go back to court."
"You're focusing just fine right now and you wouldn't have been making the progress you have if you couldn't focus." Monica said. She sat down on the bed, laying her hand on Calleigh's knee and was surprised at the hiss of pain that escaped her patient's lips.
She narrowed her eyes. "You haven't been taking the full dosage, have you? You shouldn't have felt any pain when I touched you."
Calleigh looked down. "Yeah, I've taken about half otherwise I'd be... Doctor, you need to understand that I need to be in possession of my faculties. The meds weren't just messing with my ability to concentrate, but to be able to control my emotional responses as well. I am not now, nor ever have been an emotional basket case, but the meds are making me that way. I can't deal with being like that. You're going to yell and I know that I deserve it, but I don't regret it, even though my shoulder is on fire and my legs are pounding."
"You are a piece of work, Calleigh Duquesne. It's not a bad thing, but you're definitely a complete handful. I don't know how Lt. Caine handles you." Monica said, shaking her head. "I tell you what, I'll put you on another med that won't cloud your head, but it will dull your pain because I have a question for you."
"That would be great." Calleigh grinned. "I hate having my head all foggy, but hurting isn't the greatest thing, either."
"Good. Now, how would you like to go back to court Tuesday morning?"
"You bet I would!" Calleigh exclaimed, her face in the brightest smile she had cause to give in a long time. Happy New Year!