Waking up in the morning, Calleigh rolls over and snuggles into the bed not wanting to get up. It was still dark in the room but the clock did read 10am. Sitting up, she makes her way to the bathroom. She wasn't sure what Esteban gave her last night but it sure as hell was potent. Forgoing a shower in fear she'd fall, she sets a warm bath.
Esteban walks up into their room to check up on her only to find the bed devoid of anyone. Walking back towards the bathroom he's afraid she's once again in the closet and he feels his heart skip. But from the light coming from the bathroom he heads there first. Inside he feels relief at the sight of her relaxing in the tub. Squatting down, he makes his presence known without frightening her.
"You okay Leigh? Last night was rough huh?" he asks softly. She opens her eyes softly, the green filled with fright were now empty but thankfully not dull.
"I'm better. I guess everything got to me all at once." she answers back weakly. It seems she really has reached her limit.
Not knowing how to navigate this, he figures he should at least figure out what and why she had that breakdown. He could guess it had a lot to do with the…recent events. But an attack like that comes from a deeper place.
"You want to talk about it? That's what I'm here for you know." he sits on the bench by the tub so he could seem smaller and she wouldn't feel forced to reply. She shudders before sitting up and making her way across the tub to rest her head on the side by him.
"I guess the reality of this entire situation set in. It's a lot to process. I'm not sure what came over me but it needed to come out. I don't really show this much emotion, but when I break down, it gets bad… like last night." she reaches for Esteban at this confession and he finally reaches out and comforts her.
He figured she'd simply adapt and adjust but it seems she needed more support. It also seems from the day she walked into the shed and seen Trujilio she had reached her breaking point and was dissociating afterwards. The despondent and detached way she was behaving were sure enough signs of that and he curses himself for not catching on earlier. But he should've seen this coming as he told her himself that he didn't want her compartmentalizing all this.
"Thank you for allowing me to witness that. I should've realized this was going to happen so you could be better equipped to handle it and for that I'm sorry" she looks up surprised and he smiles softly at her. This is good, keep pushing her where you want her.
"I- when Seth McAdams kidnapped me, I was able to think my way through. I could at least outsmart him and the sense of helplessness, hopelessness faded despite not knowing what would happen next. At least I left evidence even if he did kill me. But here, I don't have that at all. No sense of control to latch onto. No way to think my way out. I feel isolated and trapped. Like no matter what I do, it doesn't matter." she rests her head on her arms. Esteban smiles slyly as she looks away. He knows they planned on her feeling that way but doesn't know what to expect out of them every day.
"We wanted you to feel as such. But not for all the reasons you think. I'm trying to prove my ability to care for you. Not just to Papi or myself, to you too. You don't need to worry about control anymore and while the way we chose to convey that message was strong, I think it's needed. Is there anything I can do to alleviate that feeling?" he couldn't help but exaggerate the "I". Everyone has been letting her know he's in charge of her and in this post breakdown clarity it will certainly be something she latches onto.
She thinks it over for a while, her eyes downcast at the bubbles in the water. For a second he thinks she's fallen asleep before her head whips back around. "Can we go back to Miami soon? I understand if we can't now but like in a week? I know Papi said I'd be here for a while but can I have some time to settle into m-my new home before having to go back to work? I can go back to work right?" she looks up to him pleading. As if she doesn't believe she won't be returned to her old life. They didn't plan on stripping her of her career(any time soon at least), in fact they thought it would help keep her in line. And they did plan on her going to the estate early to get used to it. But he won't let her in on those facts.
She's looking to him for guidance and help and he'd provide that for her. "Yea, we can head back earlier than expected. Just give it until we can dispose of Ruiz and Trujilio. That's just a few days. If you are truly feeling back to speed you can even head back to work at most a week early. Sound good? I don't want you to feel forced or trapped. We expect good behavior and you've been upholding your part. Let me uphold mine." she looks more than relieved and he kisses her before leaving the bathroom, needing to inform his parents of the recent change in plans.
Back in the bathroom, Calleigh felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She didn't know what to expect but it wasn't his complete compliance. She didn't know where the line between wife and possession blurred but he had enough sense not to try and provoke her to misbehave. She couldn't let emotions get the better of her again. It seemed Esteban responded well to them though. The man is also wading new territory and would be easy to manipulate because of it. I'l keep that in mind for later. I don't want to play cat and mouse, especially with so many lives at stake. But it must be done.
Huffing, she lays back in the tub, she's got the morning to herself at least and she plans on taking advantage of it.
It wasn't until later the same night that Calleigh decided to call Eric and let him know about recent transgressions. Esteban, of course, was seated right next to her patiently waiting. It doesn't take but a few rings for him to answer.
"Hey Cal! How are you doing?" came his enthusiastic response.
She turns to Esteban with a small smile. "I'm doing okay. The case is taking its toll on me for sure but I found out I won't need to stay the entire ten weeks anymore. I'll be back in Miami in at least two weeks! I'm very relieved because it's been tough."
"Yea, I bet. You were rushed away from both Horatio and I yesterday. I know you're not supposed to talk about it but can you give me a bone? Maybe I can help somehow"
Calleigh felt her heart jump, he's so sincere, give him more than a bone Calleigh. In a playful whisper, she answers "Yea, it's an embezzlement case. Mafia or cartel related. Seems our experience with the Russians, Mala Noche and others as well as my work in ballistics put me on their radar. But that's all I can really say. Sorry about yesterday, there was another victim found and it's pretty harrowing to see."
"Oh that's rough Querida, it's okay, we were a bit worried since we haven't heard from you much. I figured you were busy. Meet anyone interesting?" it was clear he was trying to find out info on possibly meeting another man but kept a business tone for appearance sake.
"I-uh… I did actually. He specializes in interrogations. I can't get much past him. He's taking me out to dinner later." Esteban sits up at the change of subject, proud that she barely had to embellish his repertoire. Suddenly his emails and reports were delegated to unimportant.
"Is that so? I'm happy for you. Guess he has his work cut out for him. You better make sure he pays for the date and understands you can out shoot him."
"Yes dad I'll make sure." they share a laugh much to Esteban's disdain.
"As long as you're happy. Is he a Miami citizen?" Eric shamelessly fishes for information. They might've agreed to see other people but either way, it was still disheartening.
"He lives in Ft Lauderdale, so it's not too big a deal. He does travel for work though but not sporadically."
"Ah so he's quite the busy man. But you sound very sure of yourself and despite the weight of the case, you sound happy. I'm glad Cal, I really am." Esteban's chest puffed out at this, a confident smile making it's way across his face making her eyes roll.
"He does… I'm surprised because I thought I'd be more closed off but it's not like I'm able to anyway. He reads people for a living." they both share a laugh and Calleigh finds herself missing Eric more and more. The emotions swelled like they did the night before. She couldn't keep up with the facade anymore and reached for Esteban.
"I've got to go though. You catch the bad guys and I'll catch mine okay? I'll see you soon." she didn't even hear his words but heard the goodbye.
She buries her head in his neck and he holds her close. "It had to be done Leigh." came his, what he assumed were, comforting words and she nestles in more.
"I know. I told you he would be understanding if i explained without your…approach." Esteban chuckles but holds her closer. They sit with her clutching onto midsection while he continues with his work.
She wasn't sure of how long had been sleeping when she felt herself being moved. Waking up she sees Esteban laying her down in bed and tucking her in before kissing her head and leaving the room.
Back In Miami
Horatio watches as Eric hangs up with Calleigh feeling better than he did the day before. He certainly was worried about how she was doing during their call the day before. They both had come together to speak on the Navarros and what's to come.
"She's doing well it seems? Just trying not to let the case get to her?" Horatio asks. The commonality between both their calls was her hanging up early and seeming a bit distressed.
"Yea, she's got a date with some guy. Interrogator from Ft Lauderdale she said." Horatio couldn't help but note the regretful tone in his voice but chose to stay quiet on that part.
"Good for her, there's been way too much bad news"
He was incredibly stressful for both of them. While Diego was in and out of the city, Esteban hasn't been seen for a while now. And for Calleigh to be gone as well, it left both men nervous. Too many strange things have been happening lately.
Especially with a recent discovery on night shift. Trujillo's husband's head had been found placed in the same location her body had been. There wasn't any other sign and another man's blood had been located, one Hector Ruiz, cousin of Antonio Rayaz, on the body and is the suspect. Ruiz , he hasn't been seen for a long while and when he was, he'd been spotted back in Brazil. This had Mala Noche ties, but nothing about the Trujilio/Barnes dump screamed gang activity. It was scary how everything fell into place but sometimes it does happen that easily.
Still, the Esteban connection was setting off his intuition and that was rarely wrong. Looking back down at the files, he couldn't help but shudder at the thought of those women's last moments. "There's a storm brewing, brother. And for once, we're going to be forced to brace through it."
Eric shook his head as well. It seemed both of them couldn't shake this feeling. "I feel you H. It doesn't help that it seems MDPD is mixed up in all of this. You really think the Chief is a part of this? I wouldn't doubt O'Shay at all. Especially with his history."
Horatio sighed deeply "I certainly do, it's not like he was trying to hide it. And the dig at Calleigh… I'm sure she can tell us more when she gets back. They've been grooming her I'm sure of as well. It's Calleigh, so they've had to have taken months, even years to do it. She's a lot more familiar with the Chief than I am."
Eric watches as Horatio's hands tightened into fists. And he could understand why. Despite them not dating anymore, he still felt deep feelings for her. Eric couldn't imagine the stress Calleigh had been facing. He knew about Stetler and O'Shay going down to speak to Calleigh every once in a while but the Chief was a surprise.
"She's brought up watchful eyes but I didn't realize who until just now. She's been talking about the higher ups being more involved since Stetler was caught."
Horatio turned to him unsurprised. "I've been detached from her for far too long. We've been rocky since…"
"You faked your death, yeah. She told me about how hurt she was. It's okay though, I've been out of touch with her too. I know the silent treatment all too well" Eric already knew what she was going through, but now that he thinks back on it… Calleigh wasn't ever comfortable about how she truly felt about the entire situation. He was so busy being excited about Horatio being alive and she was dealing with Jake, so it never occurred to him to follow up and check.
Speaking up, Horatio brings up something important. "All of this is happening around the same time and cant be coincidental.
The two men stare at each other as they realize just how out of touch the two have been. Chasing criminals until they were exhausted seemed to be an excuse not to check on one another. "I'll keep in touch more with her. She said two weeks and undoubtedly misses all of us so we'll have plenty of time to scope things out."
Horatio nods along but still looks unsure. Only thing they could do now was wait for everything to fall into place.