Helping Out Friends
Tim Speedle aka 'Speed' to his co-workers at the Miami Dade Crime Lab had transferred to the night shift two years before. Although he was still close friends with Eric and Calleigh the relationship had changed a bit since the two had become parents. Tim was never all that comfortable with kids but he enjoyed being around Chloe Delko. He thought she were a 'cute kid' from the time his friend Eric had introduced his daughter to him. Tim felt relieved that he hadn't been in the lab, he had been out on a scene, when Melissa Jakobs had come in to the lab. He wouldn't have known what to say to his friend. When Tim thought about it, although he thought Delko had done the right thing and was a great father to his daughter, Tim wasn't sure if he could have done the same.
With the team short-handed, Tim temporarily went back to the day shift to help process Calleigh's case. He hadn't been obligated to do so but Tim wanted to "nail the prick" who tried to kill Calleigh. Eric wasn't allowed to work the case for obvious reasons. And he wasn't about to try for fear the defense attorney would cry conflict of interest and cause Jake to be acquitted. He could work other cases at the lab. Eric was going to stay home for five days with his daughter and lover. After his mother and sisters would be coming over during the day to do cooking and housework. His girlfriend was supposed ro take it easy anyway. Calleigh could spend her time with Chloe. And others could look after the unimportant things like housework.
Although everyone knows children are resilient, people close to the Delko-Duquesne family knew that even for a child Chloe's age, or especially so, that hearing mommy was "hurt in an accident" and then not seeing or hearing from her in almost five days had caused Chloe much anxiety and a few weeks of having mommy home with her was what she needed.
Jake's extradition hearing was set for two weeks after Calleigh was released from the hospital. She and Eric tried their best to forget about him for the moment. Jake Berkley had wanted to control their lives and they weren't about to give him that.
Jake knew he would be going back to Miami. There was no way a judge was going to rule in his favor. He was stalling. He was also proposing a defense to his lawyer that the attorney was not sure he was comfortable with. Jake was claiming "extreme emotional disturbance." He was in love with Calleigh Duquesne. He was upset when she ended what "she" called a "fling." In short, Jake said he thought Calleigh was "flaunting" her new life in his face. He claimed that he was drove to the deep end to see 'Delko's brat' calling Calleigh 'mommy' and Calleigh "so in love with a kid that wasn't hers no matter what she said."
Calleigh's relationship didn't drive him to do this. The mere existence of Chloe Gabriella Delko did. He wasn't back in Florida yet and he wouldn't have to mount his defense till then. He wasn't prepared for a reaction he would incite from the CSI team, the prosecutor and the presiding judge.