Here's chapter two, thanks to calleighsthebest, CsI-aDdIcTeD, Nora-1973, Le Pecore Nere, and Indygo-Blues for the reviews, they made my week!
Chapter Two
Calleigh made it to the hospital in record time, parking the Hummer haphazardly in her rush to get inside. Shortly after showing the admitting nurse her identification, her heart sunk as she was led into the ICU. When she stepped into the room, her attention was immediately drawn to the large number of machines that were constantly beeping and pinging, keeping her father alive. The sound of the ventilator drew her attention to the bed where her father lay; an oxygen mask covering his lower face, and numerous lacerations covering the rest.
"Miss Duquesne?"
Calleigh was staring so intently at her father that she hadn't even noticed the presence of the doctor amidst all of the machines. "Uh, yeah, that's me," she replied.
"My name's Doctor Bernard, but you can call me Katrina. I'm the doctor assigned to your father's case. I'm sorry that we couldn't reach you sooner. We tried calling the number listed in your father's contact information but it was unreachable. I hope it was alright that we called Lieutenant Caine."
"Yes, that was fine, thank you." Calleigh cut right to the chase. "How, how is my father? Is he going to be alright?"
"We have him stabilized for now. He suffered a severe blow to the head, probably from the windshield. It appears that he wasn't wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident."
"When is he going to wake up?" Calleigh asked tentatively.
Dr. Bernard sighed. "I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that question. As I said, he suffered a severe head trauma. While there's no sign of haemorrhage or permanent damage on the CAT scan, the technology's not perfect and there's always the chance that we missed something. All we can do right now is keep him stable, and hope that he wakes up on his own. If there is no change in the next three days, we'll run some more tests."
Calleigh silently took the information in. She still couldn't believe that this was happening.
"Was anyone else involved in the accident?" she asked, praying that at least this one thing would be on her side.
"No, it looked like he missed a corner, and his car collided with a tree. No one else was injured."
Calleigh let out a relieved breath. At least no one else had been hurt. Or worse. However, there was one more question she needed to ask, even though she may not like the answer. "Did you run a blood alcohol test?" she questioned, in a quiet voice.
"Yes, we did." Dr. Bernard said simply. "Does your father have a drinking problem?"
"Had. He had a drinking problem." It was stupid, but Calleigh felt the need to make sure that was clear. "He has been sober for six months." The words tasted sour in Calleigh's mouth. From the doctor's response she already knew the answer to her question.
"I'm very sorry to tell you this, but your father's BAC level was 0.27 when we brought him in. Do you know of anything that could have triggered this binge?" Dr. Bernard asked, not unkindly.
"No," Calleigh replied. "I can't think of anything." She finally allowed herself to sink into the chair by her father's bed, as all her grief and frustration that she had been trying to stamp down came to the surface. Seeing that she needed some time, Dr. Bernard excused herself from the room, leaving Calleigh alone with her father.
Calleigh carefully picked up her father's hand, feeling the rough skin under her own smooth hand. She closed her eyes and finally let her tears begin to fall, hating the feeling as they slid down her cheeks, but thankful at least that no one was there to witness her breakdown.
Twenty minutes later Calleigh had gotten her emotions back under control, and was just sitting quietly, holding her father's hand when she heard the door open. She turned her head to see Eric standing in the doorway.
"Eric," she whispered, standing up to meet him.
"Calleigh, are you alright?" Eric asked.
She just nodded, not willing to trust her voice at the moment.
"Horatio told us what happened; I came over as soon as I dropped off the evidence. Are you sure that you're okay? Do you need anything?"
Calleigh shook her head, the sight of Eric bringing up the rest of her buried emotions.
"How's your Dad doing?" Eric asked.
"He's in a coma." Calleigh was surprised at how raspy her voice sounded. Clearing her throat she continued. "The doctor's not sure when, or if, he's going to…" her voice trailed off, her calm façade beginning to waver.
"Oh, Cal, I'm so sorry. C'mere," Eric said, opening his arms for her.
She fell into him, quiet sobs now wracking her body.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Calleigh was under control again. She pulled back from Eric, wiping her eyes quickly, glad that she'd only put the bare minimum of makeup on that morning.
"Thank you, Eric."
"For what?" he asked, confused.
"For being here. It really means a lot to me."
"Oh Calleigh, there's nowhere else I'd rather be." Eric paused for a second, realizing how that sounded. "I didn't mean that… What I meant is-"
"Eric, I understand," and with that she hugged him again, letting herself relax into his arms.