The weather here in the UK today has been pretty shocking so I've been able to devote more time to my writing today than I normally would.
I would like to state for the record that I am no expert on medical terminology but I have done some research and I apologise if anything I've written is not 100% medically correct.
Eric woke up to find himself back in Horatio's room; one by one the others had made their excuses and left, promising to be back in the morning. He glanced over at the figure in the bed, he still had that lifeless look about him, there had been no change in his condition overnight but he had survived and that was the main thing. He knew that Ryan was bearing the brunt of his anger at the moment; he couldn't help but blame the other man for this happening. His anger and fear that he would lose one of his closest friends had found an easy target in Ryan. He looked up as a nurse entered the room, "He got through last night without any problems Mr Delko, this is a good sign" she smiled at him as she checked the chart at the end of the bed and then adjusted one of the IV's running into Horatio's arm. "He'll be going for some tests later on today, then the doctor will come and give you an update" she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
Just as the nurse had said, Horatio was subjected to a number of various tests throughout the day with doctors and nurses coming and going. After being asked to leave the room for yet another test to be carried out Eric pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled Calleigh's number.
"Hi Eric" she answered in her sweet Southern tone, "How's Horatio doing?"
"The same, Calleigh" he sighed, rubbing a weary hand over his face. "How are things at the lab?"
"We're coping" she replied, "I'm nearly finished here and so I was going to come over and sit with Horatio for a little while so you can go home and have a break" Eric was just about to tell her that he would be fine when she answered for him, "No arguments Eric. You've not had a rest since it happened, you're not going to be any use to Horatio if you're exhausted" He knew she was right, plus a shower and a shave seemed like a good idea right about now.
Admitting defeat Eric agreed, "Ok Calleigh, I'll see you when you get here" Re-entering Horatio's room for what seemed like the fiftieth time today he closed the door quietly and sat back down in the armchair beside the bed, ready to continue his vigil. He realised that he must have fallen asleep at some point, he was woken from his dreamless rest by the sound of Horatio's heart monitor screeching wildly. Before he could reach the alarm button doctors and nurses poured into the room, roughly pushing Eric aside to attend to the ailing man in the bed. One kindly nurse took him by the arm and told him gently, "Sir, you need to leave the room and let the doctors do their job. He's in good hands" she smiled at him encouragingly.
Panic surged through Eric, "What's happening to him? Is he going to be ok?" he asked desperately as the nurse led him from the room.
"Someone will come and find you as soon as we can" she reassured him as she closed the door and returned to the chaotic scene inside the room.
Eric just stood there, staring at the door and wondering what the hell had just happened. Calleigh walked into the waiting area and gasped when she heard the commotion coming from Horatio's room, "Oh God Eric!" she exclaimed, "What happened?"
"I…..I don't know Calleigh" he looked at her desperately, "I must have fallen asleep. Next thing I knew alarms were squealing and then I got thrown out of the room" He looked for all the world as if he was going to fall to pieces right there in the waiting area, Calleigh rushed up to him and drew him fiercely into a hug.
"It's going to be ok Eric" she told him, gripping onto him tightly. She had no idea how long they had stood like that for, the embrace only broken when a doctor emerged from Horatio's room looking pale and stressed, he cleared his throat in an effort to get their attention.
"Excuse me" the doctor began, "Are you hear for Mr Caine?" he asked them, his head motioning to the room he had just left.
Eric broke from the embrace and turned his head to look at the doctor, "Yes, that's right. Is he ok?" Judging by the demeanour of the doctor he had a feeling that the news would not be good, he closed his eyes and braced himself.
"We've managed to stabilise him, we're running tests at the moment but it appears as if Mr Caine is suffering from endocarditis" the blank look on their faces indicated that the doctor would need to explain the condition in simpler terms. "It basically means that he's picked up an infection that has affected the inner lining of the heart, it means that his heart is struggling to function properly at the moment. Seeing the crestfallen looks on the Eric and Calleigh's faces he continued, "The good news is that we've caught it early. We're treating it aggressively with antibiotics, once the infection is cleared we'll have to run some more tests to check that there's been no long-term damaged caused to his heart"
"Will he survive?" Calleigh asked, her voice barely a whisper.
The doctor looked down at the ground and then me her eyes, "Right now we need to get the infection under control, he's feverish and his body is already under a great deal of stress. Given his age he's at a higher risk of complications such as heart failure or stroke, we need to keep a close eye on him for the next 24 hours or so, then we'll have a better idea of what the next course of action will be" He looked them both in the eyes and told them, "I'm sorry I don't have better news for you"
Eric left shortly after the doctor's prognosis, giving in to his fatigue and allowing Calleigh to keep watch over Horatio. She had been sat in the armchair for the last two hours and her body was beginning to complain of being kept in the same position for so long, she moved her head from side to side and rolled her shoulders in an effort ease some of the stiffness from her muscles. Horatio's condition had not changed, the uneven beeping from the monitors keeping a steady pace as he clung on to life. Calleigh gripped his hand, convincing herself that the physical contact alone would keep him alive, "Horatio, you need to fight this" she told him as she wiped the tears that were falling unbidden from her eyes, "I need you to wake up and tell me what to do" she admitted quietly.
Natalia entered the room just before 5am, giving Calleigh a slight smile she asked, "Need a break?"
The fear of breaking physical contact with Horatio almost made her say 'no' but she had to admit to herself that she needed to get up and stretch her legs; she nodded her head as she raised herself from the chair. Natalia walked over to her and placed her hands on her arms, "I'll stay here with him, he won't be on his own, I promise" she tried to reassure her colleague.
As Calleigh left the room she saw Eric walk back into the waiting area, he still looked tired and haggard but it appeared as if he had a shower and had changed his clothes. "Any news?" he asked her.
"Nothing yet" she told him, "He's been pretty shaky most of the night but they seem to think it's down to the fever"
Trying to find a positive in the harrowing situation Eric remarked, "I suppose we should take it as a good sign that he hasn't got any worse"
Calleigh tried to raise a smile but failed, her eyes full of sorrow she looked once more at Horatio's room. "Natalia's with him at the moment, I need to go home and freshen up and then get to the lab" Eric offered to go with her but she insisted that he stay with Horatio. "You need to be here Eric" she told him as she reached to take her purse from a chair and left the room.