Calleigh sat silently in the passenger seat of the car as she watched the street signs pass by. She must have tightened her ponytail five times in the past 10 minutes. A nervous tick. Eric hadn't seen her like this before. He let the ride stay silent, he knew she didn't feel right about. He reached over and grabbed her hand that was laying motionless on her leg and gave it a squeeze. Calleigh could see the courthouse in the distance along with two other Hummers and at least three news crews. This case was a big deal. She felt the feeling in her chest grow stronger. It didn't feel right. She squeezed Eric's hand tightly without saying a word. She watched as the news casters spoke into the camera's lens with such a serious face you almost couldn't look away. Before she knew it the Hummer was in park.
"Cal, it's time" Eric said flattly. Calleigh nodded and took a deep breath. Eric got out of the car as Horatio, Natalia, and Ryan came to meet up with their teammate. Horatio opened the passenger side door and helped Calleigh out. She looked around at them all. She was okay, everything would be fine. Everyone was here. Calleigh nodded again and they began walking towards the steps to the courthouse. Only moments later did a second car pull up and the flashes and roars of newscasters grow. The lights and sounds were overwhelming. Calleigh turned around to see that it was Bryan's car. He and Vega stepped out being swarmed by photographers and news personalities yelling questions and assumptions at him and Vega about the case. Ryan and Natalia continued up towards the steps with Horatio behind him. "Come on" Eric said gently as he placed a hand on Calleigh's lower back, leading her towards the steps. But the feeling was overpowering now. Calleigh took a few steps forward before stopping in her tracks.
"Something isn't right, I need someone to hear me out" She said in a hushed tone. Eric couldn't help but listen to her. If anyone had a dependable gut feeling it was Calleigh. Eric took one look at the expression on her face and placed a hand on his holstered weapon and looked around. Nothing. Horatio had caught on that the two weren't following and turned around to see what was holding them up. Upon seeing Eric with a hand on his weapon Horatio looked around as well. He looked to Bryan and saw the wicked smile on his face as he looked into the distance. Horatio turned his gaze to where he was looking and immediately spotted a man up on the side of the courthouse with a sniper's gun.
"GET DOWN!" Horatio shouted at the exact moment that the sniper fired. Ryan stepped in front of Natalia with his gun drawn and followed where Horatio was pointing. Eric grabbed Calleigh around the waist with one arm and pulled her to his chest as he turned his back to the shooter. Everything after that was a blur. Seconds that went by of flashing noises, screams, gun shoots and shells hitting the ground. Calleigh's ears rung ferociously. She finally opened her eyes when the noise came settled. "TEAM?" Horatio yelled out.
"Good over here" Ryan called out from the steps. "Good!" Natalia yelled from the bottom of the steps as she crouched by a group of camera men with her gun drawn still. Eric had Calleigh pinned up against the Hummer. He turned her around and looked at her face. She was okay. "We're good over here H" Eric yelled out. He winced. As soon as he yelled though he felt a burning pain in his side. He went to touch it but Calleigh had already grabbed the bleeding wound on his side.
"Sit down, it's just a through and through" She said to him as calm as she could. She only knew that because she felt the same bullet graze her waist. Eric looked at her straightly and followed directions. He sat down carefully on the curb as she sat with him, keeping her hand pressed tightly to both his back and his stomach area. It was far off to the side, and by the way he was responding it was unlikely the bullet had hit any major organs.
"Paramedics!" Natalia yelled as she ran over to the two of them. Natalia removed her jacket and wadded it up into a ball as she put it onto Eric's back Natalia kneeled behind him and took over applying pressure to that side of him. Calleigh smiled at him as she lifted her other hand and used it to apply more pressure to his stomach.
"I thought we had a deal about this" Calleigh said with a smile, trying to keep him calm. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Horatio and Ryan ran up the side of the courthouse to where she saw a seemingly lifeless body lay. Eric gave her a smile back.
"The deal was that YOU wouldn't get hurt anymore" Eric said with a chuckle, he pinched his eyes shut as the laugh sent another wave of pain through his body. Natalia laughed as she repositioned her hands on his back. "Hey Nat, how are things with you and Ryan by the way?" Eric asked through gritted teeth. He knew at this point he could get away with anything. Natalia rolled her eyes.
"Delko, you do know I am controlling your bleeding right now right?" Eric smiled. He was starting to feel a little light headed. Calleigh began to grow more concerned as he grew more pale in the face. Soon enough a set of EMT's pulled up with a gurney and began to take over holding pressure as they loaded him onto the moving bed. As they sat him up he saw the bleeding through Calleigh shirt.
"Hey! Calleigh! You're bleeding!" He exclaimed, trying to get the attention of anyone around him. Calleigh looked down at her shirt, there was a little more blood than she had originally anticipated. One of the EMT's started towards her. She quickly put her hand up.
"The bullet just grazed me" Calleigh said as she watched Eric get an IV put into his arm.
"Well regardless, we can at least take you with us" The EMT argued. Calleigh looked over to Natalia who nodded that Calleigh should be going. Calleigh looked up into the sky. The sun was finally peeking through the clouds. She turned again and watched as Horatio and Ryan dragged the shooter down the hill, he was apparently still conscious regardless of the blood that drenched his clothes, she finally looked passed the crowd to see officers putting Bryan back into cuffs and shoving him into a car against the protests of Vega. It was obvious he had involvement in the shooting. Natalia touched Calleigh's shoulder.
"Go get looked at, stay with Eric. We got this now" She said softly. Calleigh gave a small smile as one of the extra EMT's applied gauze to Calleigh's side with a gloved hand. Calleigh turned to him and placed her own hand over the wound. The pressure felt nice she had to admit. Calleigh took a deep breath and boarded the ambulance. Natalia patted the back of it and smiled as she watched it pull away, the second it was out of sight her grimace returned to her face quickly. Horatio and Ryan were loading the bloodied man onto another stretched and she took that as her opportunity.
"H!" She yelled out. Horatio turned her way. She gestured towards the police car that was driving away and he nodded. Natalia pulled herself into the Hummer that she and Ryan had arrived in and drove off behind the police vehicle holding Bryan. Today was not going to be his day.
Ryan helped Horatio lug the shooters practically lifeless body to the stretcher and watched in disgust as they rushed to wheel him into an ambulance. He didn't deserve all of the attention they were giving them. Any person that tried to attack the team deserved the worst service. Ryan was quickly pulled from his thoughts. "Ryan, I know we didn't prepare for a crime scene today, but now we have one. Worry about your statement later, for now, call in the night team and get them here to process what they can salvage. Let's get this done quickly" Horatio said as removed his jacket that now had blood smeared entirely down the side. He grimaced at the sight. Such a criminal.
Ryan nodded as he spun on a heel and removed his phone, quickly calling the lab to get them to send in the night team. Horatio put his hands on his hips and looked at the scene. The scene. That is not how today was supposed to go. Today was supposed to be the end of it all, and instead it's just reopened more wounds…
I know that a lot of you were really nervous about this chapter so I hope I didn't upset anyone! Certainly more to come my friends! I made a note about this on my other story which (as I noted on that one) you totally do not need to read.
"I work at a preschool and today there was a shooter that killed two people and injured two more at a mall only a few miles away from us and we had to go into lock down. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. Not because I was scared for myself, but because I was scared for the kids. Life is so precious. The shooter was captured and everyone was fine at the end of the day but it's just a little reminder to appreciate each day you have on this Earth. Thanks for taking the time to read this is you did. I appreciate each and every one of you guys! Have a great day or night 3"