CHAPTER 11
Natalia meant business earlier when she told Ryan to keep his distance from her. Jokingly, but still--if she needed to warm up, she'd surround herself with a few dry gym towels. Not too much time passed after Calleigh and Eric left until she did just that.
When the pair came wading back into the main locker area, the sight that greeted them caused equal confusion and concern.
Ryan and Natalia lay wrapped firmly in each other on the wooden bench, Natalia covered in towels and shivering from head to toe. In the little light beaming from Calleigh's flashlight, she observed beads of sweat on her friend's brow.
As they approached, Ryan transitioned their bodies into sitting positions, careful not to jostle Natalia too much.
"Nat?" Calleigh asked, worry painting her voice. "Ryan, what's going on?"
Ryan sighed deeply. "It started about twenty minutes ago. She's got a fever."
Eric muttered a soft damnit under his breath. He noted the water out here nearly peaked the top edge of the bench. Ryan and Natalia essentially sat on an island.
"I'm fine!" Natalia insisted. She didn't sound fine.
"Who knows what's in this water. And, Natalia, you mentioned on the scene this afternoon," Calleigh stopped and consulted her watch, "make that yesterday, that you felt like you were coming down with something."
Before anyone had a chance to respond, they heard a loud crash near the door to the gym. Four heads whipped in that direction, just for four hearts to stop.
"Shit, shit, shit," Ryan hissed.
The water-logged tiles directly above the gym entrance could no longer bear their burden, collapsing beneath the weight from above. Water poured in from the ceiling in waves.
Another tile fell, then another, and in that instant the entire group realized their chances of survival just drastically diminished.
Calleigh didn't hesitate; she mustered all her strength to force her way through the now thigh-high water back to the door to start pounding.
"HELP! We need a 10-15 NOW!" She shouted as she banged over and over with her fist.
Eric joined her, yelling as loud as he could as they struck the hard metal.
"No one is there, guys!" Ryan called after them in defeat. "They can't hear you. We need another way out."
"Maybe we can crawl through the opening in the ceiling," Natalia chimed in. Her teeth chattered.
Ryan shook his head. "The force of the water is too strong, and we have no clue how to get out on the first floor or how much water is up there. Not to mention you're in no shape to attempt it, and Delko wouldn't fit, anyway."
"Okay, well you figure it out then!" She snapped at him, untangling herself from his arms to weakly stand now that the water rose well above the bench. At least only her feet and ankles would be soaked that way.
"Both of you stop!" Calleigh yelled at them. "I hear something!"
A tense five seconds passed before they all heard it. Voices.
One above all others reached their ears, shouting orders to what seemed like a team of people further behind him.
Sheer relief washed over the four CSIs as they recognized the sound of their LT advancing toward them in the interior hallway.
Eric pounded on the door as hard as he could. "H! We need to get out of here!"
Horatio called out loudly, "We are on our way, Eric!"
The next moment, they heard him again just on the other side of the door. By now, the rushing onslaught of water reached their waists.
"Eric, we have a situation," he said, and for once the team could hear a hint of fear in the normally-stalwart man's tone.
"So do we, H. Natalia is sick, and we've got water pouring in from all sides."
"How high?" the redheaded lieutenant asked.
"Waist on me, almost to the chest on Calleigh," reported Eric.
"Everyone, there's no time to explain, but I need you to fall back. We're placing breaching charges on the door. Once they detonate and we extricate the debris, you have to swim…as quickly as possible."
Eric and Calleigh immediately retreated from the door on Horatio's orders.
"Natalia, where's your kit?" Calleigh said suddenly.
"What?" Natalia asked, confused at her friend's abrupt question.
"Now, Natalia! Where is it?" Calleigh cried.
"There, on the shelf to your right by the door," Natalia replied and pointed.
Calleigh swam over to the shelving unit where, luckily, Natalia's kit rested undisturbed above the water. She threw it open and began to desperately search.
"Eric, give me your journal!" she beckoned with her left hand as she found what she looked for with her right.
Eric had stored the journal in his breast pocket for safe-keeping, holding on to faint hope he could save it from being destroyed by the flood. It contained the only copy of the picture of him and Calleigh in the hospital that day. Over the last two years, he grieved with that photo. He hoped with it. He longed for what it held, for what it meant, and for what it could mean.
Calleigh knew. She knew how he'd mourn to lose that photo and the book as a whole. And, God, here she was with a plastic evidence bag, wasting precious seconds as they attempted to escape a watery grave, seizing his journal from him and slipping it inside to protect its memories and secrets.
"Calleigh! What are you playing at?" Ryan called. "Get away from the fucking door!"
Calleigh closed the distance between her and Eric and deftly slipped the journal back into the inside pocket of his jacket, just as Eric scooped her up with his arm and took off swimming away from the door with her in tow.
Eric knew Calleigh wasn't the strongest swimmer, and he'd seen the stricken look on her face when the rush of water began assaulting them from above. She'd never show it, but he knew she must have flashed back to her near drowning just over two years ago.
Calleigh wouldn't show it, but Eric was right. She thanked every god in the heavens for him right now, confident that he would help get her out alive. She swallowed hard, pushing the panic aside and focusing on kicking her feet in time with Eric's.
"Ten seconds!" Horatio shouted.
They heard the countdown and readied themselves for the blast.
"…three…two…ONE!"