Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CSI:MIAMI OR ANY CHARACTERS AFFILIATED WITH THE SHOW! I OWN THE CHARACTER ROXANNE CLAIBORNE!
Horatio's Girl
Part 1
"Frank. What have we got," asked Horatio as he walked up to the detective.
"Neighbors heard loud noises coming from the house and called it in. One of the neighbors said he saw a male running from the house with blood on him. He knows the woman who lives here. Her name is Roxanne Claiborne. She lives by herself. She's probably still in the house," said Frank.
"Okay. Let's go," said Horatio has he pulled out his gun and headed for the house.
"Miami-Dade Police," yelled Horatio as he and Frank entered the house. They went through the house trying to find Roxanne.
When Horatio and Frank got near the back of the house Horatio heard a noise. "Listen Frank. Do you hear that," asked Horatio in a whisper.
"Yeah. Sounds like it's coming from the bedroom. How do you want to handle this," asked Frank.
"I'll knock on the door to see if I get a response and if I don't we'll go in slowly," said Horatio. So Horatio knocked on the bedroom door and identified himself.
"Roxanne. My name is Horatio Caine. I'm with Miami-Dade Police," said Horatio. He waited for a minute to see if he would get a response, but when he didn't he motioned Frank to follow him in.
When Horatio opened the door he saw a young looking woman in a corner of the room. "Hi there. There's nothing to be afraid of. No one's going to hurt you anymore. I promise," said Horatio as he slowly made his way towards Roxanne.
"Go away. Don't touch me," said Roxanne in a shaky voice.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help you. You can trust me," said Horatio as he kneeled down in front of Roxanne. Roxanne eyed him for a minute then eyed Frank before returning her gaze on Horatio.
"You promise no one will hurt me," asked Roxanne.
"I promise," said Horatio.
"Okay, but you'll have to carry me out. I can't walk and I don't know where my wheelchair is," said Roxanne in a whispered voice.
"It's okay. We'll find it for you. Put your arms around my neck and we'll get you out of here," said Horatio. So Roxanne put her arms around his neck and let him left her up.
Calleigh and Eric were outside waiting for Horatio to give them the word to start processing the scene. "Hey. Look at that," said Eric as he nodded towards the house where Horatio and Frank were coming from. Calleigh looked up and saw Horatio carrying a young woman from the house.
"She must be very scared. Let's see what Horatio wants us to do," said Calleigh as she grabbed her kit and started walking towards Horatio and Frank. Eric followed right behind her.
"Horatio. What have we got," asked Calleigh.
"This young lady here was attacked by a man. We'll need to process her and of course the house. Calleigh, do you think you can grab some clothes for her to change into," asked Horatio.
"Sure thing. Where is your room," asked Calleigh as she turned her attention to the woman in Horatio's arms.
"In the back on the left. Anything you can grab is fine with me," said Roxanne.
"Okay. I'll be back soon with some fresh clothes," said Calleigh with a smile.
"H. Where do you want me to start," asked Eric.
"Start in the family room and make your way back to her bedroom," said Horatio.
"Okay. I'm on it," said Eric as he entered the house.
"I'm going to get the paramedics to check you out, okay," asked Horatio as he looked down at Roxanne. He could tell that she was very frightened.
"Will you stay with me," asked Roxanne.
"If that's what you want," said Horatio.
"Yes. It's what I want," said Roxanne as she looked up at Horatio. She was mesmerized by his blue eyes.
"Okay. Let's get you checked out then," said Horatio as he walked over to the waiting ambulance. Once she was seated on a stretcher a paramedic started to look her over.
"That girl looked so scared. She looked like she would break any second," said Calleigh.
"Yeah. I noticed that too. Did you notice how she clung to H," asked Eric.
"Yeah. It seems like she trusts only him at the moment. I don't blame her either. If someone hurt me as bad as they did her I wouldn't trust many people either. Let me get these clothes to her and I'll be right back to help you," said Calleigh.
"Okay," said Eric as he went back to looking for and documenting evidence.
"Hi. I got some clothes for you. I hope these will do," said Calleigh as she handed Roxanne her clothes.
"Thank you. These will do just fine. When can I get the rest of my things? I don't think I could stay there anymore," said Roxanne.
"Well, we have to process your house for any evidence the suspect might have left behind. After that you can get anything you want from inside," said Calleigh.
"Thank you. I'll try to help as much as possible. Do you think you can find my wheelchair? It's somewhere in there," said Roxanne.
"Sure. I'll have it out here to you in no time," said Calleigh with a smile. She really waned to help any way she could.
"Thanks again. I'm sorry if I'm asking a lot from you," said Roxanne.
"It's okay. No problem. Well, let me go so I can find your wheelchair for you. I'll be right back," said Calleigh as she left.
"She's nice," said Roxanne.
"She is. Her name is Calleigh Duquesne. She's my ballistics expert," said Horatio.
"Cool," said Roxanne with a small smile. She felt very calm with Horatio by her side.
"Yep. The young man with her is Eric Delko. He's an expert in under water recovery and tread analysis," said Horatio with a small smile of his own.
"Wow. They must be great at their jobs, said Roxanne.
"They are. They're the best. There are two other people on the team, but they're not here. Ryan Wolfe, who is our trace expert and Alexx Woods, who is our medical examiner," said Horatio.
"Maybe I can meet them one day. They seem like nice people," said Roxanne feeling more relaxed as she talked with Horatio.
When the paramedic was done he looked at Horatio. "How is she," asked Horatio.
"Aside from the nasty cut on her head and some lacerations on her arms and legs, she's fine. She'll probably need a few stitches on the cut on her head though," said the paramedic.
"Okay. They're going to take you to the hospital so you can get some stitches then I'll be by to pick you up. How does that sound," said Horatio. He really didn't want to leave her, but knew he had to stay at the crime scene.
"Okay, I guess. You won't be too long, will you," asked Roxanne. She really didn't want Horatio to leave her side. She felt safe when he was with her.
"I promise I won't be too long. I'll even bring your wheelchair to you," said Horatio with a smile.
"Okay. I guess I'll see you at the hospital," said Roxanne.
"Okay. It'll be okay. You'll get through this," said Horatio.
"I know. Thank you," said Roxanne with a small smile. The paramedics loaded Roxanne into the ambulance and drove off to the hospital. Horatio turned his attention to the crime scene. He walked into the house in search of Roxanne's wheelchair.
"Have you had any luck finding her wheelchair," asked Horatio as he caught up with Calleigh.
"No. Not yet. Her wheelchair has bound to be here somewhere," said Calleigh.
"I'm sure we'll come across it soon," said Horatio.
"Yeah, so how is she doing," asked Calleigh.
"She's still scared. She's on her way to the hospital. The paramedic said she needed some stitches from a cut on her head, but besides that she's fine," said Horatio.
"That's good. Do you think she was sexually assaulted," asked Calleigh.
"I don't know. I didn't even think to ask. When I go by the hospital I'll ask them to do a rape kit," said Horatio.
"H! I found something," yelled Eric from the back of the house. Horatio and Calleigh went to see what Eric had found.
"You found her wheelchair. Good job Eric," said Calleigh.
"Thanks," said Eric.
"Did you find anything else," asked Horatio.
"Yeah. I found this just outside her bedroom," said Eric as he held up a small blade.
"That explains the cuts on her arms and legs, but it doesn't explain the cut on her head. She must have gotten that from hitting something," said Horatio.
"Or something hit her. I found a piece of broken glass with blood on it," said Eric.
Meanwhile at the hospital Roxanne was becoming anxious. She wasn't so sure Horatio would come or not, even though he said he would. "I don't know why he would deal with a person like me. I'm just a hindrance to everyone. He doesn't need to deal with my problems. I should just get someone to call him and tell him I'll get a cab ride to a hotel or something," thought Roxanne as she sat on the exam table.
"Hi. I'm Doctor Richardson. I'm going to take a look at the wound on your head," said Dr. Richardson.
"Okay. You promise you won't hurt me," asked Roxanne. She felt nervous without Horatio beside her.
"It'll sting a little bit, but not for long. I promise to be as gentle as I can be," said Dr. Richardson.
"Can--can you wait a few minutes to do it. There's a guy who is coming by to come get me. I want him here when you put the stitches in, no offense," said Roxanne.
"It's okay. It's understandable. Who is the guy who is suppose to be coming to get you," asked Dr. Richardson.
"Horatio Caine," said Roxanne.
"Okay. I'll see if one of the nurses can get in touch with him. I'll be right back," said Dr. Richardson as he left the room.
"I can't believe I'm being such a baby over something so simple, but I can't help it. I feel safer when Horatio's around," thought Roxanne to herself as she waited for the doctor to come back in the room. Roxanne thought back to when Horatio first entered her bedroom. She was terrified of him at first, but then when he spoke she felt like she could really trust him and that he wouldn't hurt her.
"Hi there. There's nothing to be afraid of. No one's going to hurt you anymore. I promise," said Horatio as he slowly made his way towards Roxanne. "Go away. Don't touch me," said Roxanne in a shaky voice. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help you. You can trust me," said Horatio as he kneeled down in front of Roxanne.
"He was so gentle with me. When he picked me up he was careful with me. He made sure he wasn't hurting me," thought Roxanne to herself, totally lost in her own world.
Horatio was about to ask Eric if there was anything on Roxanne's wheelchair when his phone rang. He looked down and saw it was the hospital. "Caine," said Horatio.
"Lieutenant Caine. I called you in regards to a young lady who came in. She won't let me put stitches in her head unless you are here. She seems very frightened," said Dr. Richardson.
"Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can. Thank you for calling," said Horatio as he hung up.
"Who was that," asked Eric.
"That was a doctor from the hospital. Apparently, Roxanne won't let the doctor put the stitches in unless I'm there. So, I'll leave Frank in charge until I get back," said Horatio.
"Okay. Tell her I said hi and that Eric found her wheelchair," said Calleigh.
"About her wheelchair. Did you find anything on it," asked Horatio.
"Yeah. I found hair and some finger prints. I already collected the evidence from her wheelchair. I think it's safe to say you can take her wheelchair to her," said Eric.
"Okay. Thank you. If anything comes up call me," said Horatio as he turned to leave.
"Will do. Don't forget to tell her I said hi and that Eric found her wheelchair," said Calleigh.
"I promise I won't forget," said Horatio as he left the crime scene.
"I hope Horatio is able to get her to open up some more. It seems like he's doing a good job so far," said Calleigh.
"Yeah. I'm sure if anyone can make her open up, it's definitely H," said Eric. Eric thought about how Horatio looked when he carried Roxanne from the house. He had that look in his eyes that said he would do anything to protect her from anymore harm.
"Hopefully Stetler won't find out about this. If he does he'll be all over Horatio," thought Eric to himself as he continued to collect evidence. Calleigh was also thinking about the same thing. She was worried about Stetler finding out about Horatio's involvement in helping the young woman.
"Horatio better be careful how he handles this. I'm sure he knows what he's doing," thought Calleigh.
"Hey," said Horatio as he entered the room Roxanne was in.
"Hi. I'm sorry to pull you away from your team," said Roxanne.
"It's okay. Calleigh says hi and Eric found your wheelchair," said Horatio as he pushed Roxanne's wheelchair into the room.
"Oh, wow! Thank you so much! I'll have to thank Eric for finding it," said Roxanne with a smile.
"When we're done here I'll take you to the lab so you can thank him. Now, how about we get you stitched up and out of here," said Horatio.
"Sounds good to me," said Roxanne. A minute later the doctor came in and proceeded to stitch up Roxanne's head wound.
"Now, that wasn't so bad. Was it," asked Dr. Richardson.
"No. It wasn't. Thank you," said Roxanne.
"You're welcome," said Dr. Richardson.
"Roxanne. There's one more thing I'd like for you to get checked for," said Horatio.
"What's that," asked Roxanne even though she had a feeling of what it might be.
"I want to have a rape kit done, if you don't mind," said Horatio. He could tell she really didn't want it done, but he knew it had to be done.
"Haven't I been through enough already? When can I start living a normal life again," said Roxanne.
"I know you've been through a lot, but it needs to be done just as a precaution," said Horatio.
Roxanne didn't answer right away. She knew what he was saying was true, but she didn't know if she could go through with it.
"Okay. I'll do it, but under one condition. I want a female in here," said Roxanne.
"A female nurse will be the one to do it. I'll send in one of my nurses," said Dr. Richardson as he left the room.
"If you want me to leave the room I will," said Horatio.
"I think I can manage with you here. I feel safe with you here," said Roxanne with a small smile.
Soon a nurse came in the room to do the rape kit. The nurse looked at Horatio then back at Roxanne with a questioning look.
"I told him he could stay in here," said Roxanne.
"Okay, but he'll have to step out for a second so you can put this gown on," said the nurse. Horatio looked at Roxanne. He wanted to be sure she would be okay.
"I'll be fine. I promise," said Roxanne. So, Horatio step out of the room so Roxanne could change.
"That man is very protective of you," said the nurse.
"I guess he is. He is nice though. I do feel safe when he's around," said Roxanne as she changed into the hospital gown.
"Okay. Let me go get your friend and we'll get this over with," said the nurse.
"You can come in now," said the nurse as she poked her head outside the door.
Horatio came in and took his place beside Roxanne. He took her hand in his and held it.
He wanted her to know that he was there for her no matter what. Roxanne looked up at Horatio and squeezed his hand. She was glad he was there with her.
"Alright. We're done," said the nurse.
"What did you find," asked Horatio.
"Nothing. The test came back negative," said the nurse.
"Thank God," said Roxanne with a sigh of relief.
"I'll step outside so you can changed back into your clothes," said Horatio.
"Thank you for being here," said Roxanne.
"Anytime," said Horatio as he stepped out of the room.
"I can't believe I'm falling for this woman. I barely know her, and yet I'm falling for her. I've never felt like this before. I know it's probably wrong to fall for her, but I can't help it. Every time I see her smile it just does something to me," thought Horatio as he leaned against the wall.
Horatio was startled from his thoughts when the door opened.
"I'm ready to go," said Roxanne with a big smile on her face.
"Okay. Let's get you out of here. Do you want me to push you or do you got it," asked Horatio.
"I think I got it. If I get tired I'll let you know," said Roxanne.
"Okay. I have to stop by the lab for a few minutes. While we're there you can meet Ryan and Alexx," said Horatio.
"Sounds good to me. I'd like that very much," said Roxanne.
Thirty minutes later they arrived at the lab.
"I am so nervous. I don't know why," said Roxanne as they pulled up to the lab.
"It's okay to be nervous. When you saw Calleigh and Eric you were in an emotional state," said Horatio.
"Yeah. That's true. Hopefully I won't freeze up in front of them," said Roxanne with a smile.
"I'll be there just in case," said Horatio.
"I know. I guess we better get in there," said Roxanne as she undid her seat belt. She waited for Horatio to get her wheelchair and open the door.
"Do you think you can manage," asked Horatio. "Yeah, I think I can manage. It's easier getting out then it is in," said Roxanne with a laugh. "I see that. You just slide right out," said Horatio.
"Yup. It's as simple as that," said Roxanne with a smile.
"I don't know if I'd be able to do it," said Horatio.
"I'll have to show you one day. I'm sure you could do it," said Roxanne. When they entered the building the first person they saw was Frank Tripp.
"Frank," said Horatio as he and Roxanne approached him.
"Horatio. I see you made a friend," said Frank.
"Indeed. Roxanne. You remember Frank," asked Horatio.
"Yes. I remember. It's nice to see you again," said Roxanne.
"It's good to see you again too. I'm glad you got a smile on your face this time," said Frank.
"Yeah. I'm getting better," said Roxanne.
"That's good. Anyways, I just stopped by real quick. I got to go back to the office. I'll see you around," said Frank as he left.
"Hey H. I got a fingerprint off the broken glass," said Eric as he walked up to Horatio and Roxanne.
"Good work. Who does the fingerprint belong to," asked Horatio.
"Juan Sanchez," said Eric.
"Okay. Let's bring him in. By the way, I don't think you've met Roxanne," said Horatio as he looked at Roxanne.
"Hi Roxanne. I'm Eric Delko. Nice to meet you," said Eric.
"Nice to meet you too," said Roxanne. "I'll call Frank and let him know about Sanchez," said Eric.
"Okay. Let me know when he's brought in," said Horatio.
"Will do," said Eric as he walked off.
As they started walking towards Horatio's office he heard someone call his name.
"Horatio," said a familiar female voice. Horatio turned around and saw Yelina standing at the receptionist desk.
"Hi Yelina," said Horatio as he and Roxanne walked up to her.
"Who's your friend," asked Yelina as she looked at Roxanne.
"This is Roxanne Claiborne. Roxanne. This is Detective Yelina Salas," said Horatio as he introduced them to each other.
"It's nice to meet you. Horatio. I got that information you needed," said Yelina as she handed Horatio a folder.
"Thank you. This is very helpful," said Horatio as he looked over the folder.
"I'm glad I could help. Is it still okay if Ray Junior comes over this weekend," asked Yelina.
"Of course. The other day when he called he sounded excited. I can't wait to spend some time with him," said Horatio.
"That's good. What time did you want me to drop him off," asked Yelina.
"I'll pick him up after school on Friday," said Horatio.
"Sounds good to me. See you around," said Yelina as she left.
"Who is Ray Junior," asked Roxanne. "He's my nephew. Yelina is my sister-in-law," said Horatio.
"Where is her husband," asked Roxanne.
"He died. He was actually killed," said Horatio.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory," said Roxanne.
"It's okay. He died a few years ago," said Horatio. They continued walking until they made it to the autopsy theater.
"Alexx. Do you have a minute," asked Horatio. Alexx looked up and smiled at him.
"Sure. Just let me wash off and I'll be out," said Alexx. A few minutes later Alexx joined Roxanne and Horatio.
"Alexx. I would like you to meet someone. This is Roxanne Claiborne. Roxanne. This is Alexx Woods. She's our M.E.," said Horatio.
"Hi. It's nice to meet you," said Roxanne with a smile.
"It's nice to meet you too," said Alexx. Alexx had a feeling there was more to Roxanne then meets the eye.
"I was showing Roxanne around the lab. She met Calleigh, Eric, and Frank from earlier today," said Horatio.
"The call you got this morning," asked Alexx. "Yes. Frank and I found her in her bedroom," said Horatio.
"It was an interesting way to meet. That's for sure," said Roxanne with a smile. Horatio was going to comment when his cell phone went off. "Excuse me ladies. Horatio," said Horatio as he stepped away from Roxanne and Alexx.
"That was Frank. Sanchez was brought in," said Horatio.
"Okay. Do you need me to I.D. him," asked Roxanne.
"Yes. If you don't mind," said Horatio.
"No. I don't mind. He won't see me, will he," asked Roxanne.
"I promise he won't see you. You'll be in another room looking in," said Horatio.
"Okay. I'll do it," said Roxanne.
"Good. I'll let you come back and talk to Alexx some more. Would you like that," asked Horatio.
"Yeah, that is if you're not busy Alexx," said Roxanne as she looked at Alexx.
"No. I'm not busy. I would like some company down here," said Alexx.
"Cool. I guess I'll be back," said Roxanne with a smile.
"See you later," said Alexx as she watched Horatio and Roxanne leave.
"There's something between those two," thought Alexx to herself as she walked to the break room.
"Hey Alexx. Have you seen Horatio," asked Calleigh.
"As a matter-of-fact, I have. He and Roxanne were walking around. Horatio is showing her around the lab," said Alexx with a smile.
"Really? Interesting. Thanks Alexx," said Calleigh as she walked off in search of Horatio and Roxanne.
"So, Roxanne is with Horatio. Things are going to get a lot more interesting around here," thought Calleigh as she walked by the interrogation room. When she looked in she saw Horatio with a suspect. She turned towards the interrogation room and walked in.
"Excuse me a minute. What have you got Calleigh," asked Horatio in a whispered voice.
"I got two sets of fingerprints from the blade we found outside Roxanne's room. One set belongs to Roxanne and the other to a guy named Juan Sanchez," said Calleigh.
"Thank you Calleigh," said Horatio. He made his way back to Frank and Sanchez.
"We found your fingerprints on this blade. Care to explain how they got there," asked Horatio.
"I always care one with me, so," said Sanchez.
"Well, this blade has the victim's blood on it. That tells me that you had intentions on killing her," said Horatio.
"Yeah, I tried to kill her. She ain't nothing but a crippled anyways," said Sanchez.
"She might be in a wheelchair, but she put you away for attempted murder. Take him away," said Horatio. After Sanchez was taken into custody Horatio went in the other room to get Roxanne.
"Horatio. Is he going to come after me anymore," asked Roxanne.
"No. He won't be coming after you anymore. I promise. He won't hurt you anymore," said Horatio.
"Good. I'm glad. I don't have anywhere to go. I can't go back to my place. It holds too many memories," said Roxanne.
"That's understandable. How would you like to stay with Calleigh until you can find a place," asked Horatio.
"I couldn't do that. I'll just be a burden to her," said Roxanne as she looked up at Horatio.
"You won't be a burden to her. I'm sure she'll like to have you over. You two can gossip and go shopping together," said Horatio. "Will you ask her for me," asked Roxanne with a sheepish smile.
"Sure thing," said Horatio as he and Roxanne made their way to ballistics.
"Hey Horatio. Hey Roxanne," said Calleigh with a smile.
"Hi. I was wondering if you mind having another person living with you for a little while," said Horatio.
"I don't mind," said Calleigh.
"Good. Roxanne needs a place to stay until she get a place of her own. She wanted me to ask you for her," said Horatio.
"That's fine. I don't mind having you stay with me. It'll be fun. We can have movie nights and other things. We can gossip all night long if we want," said Calleigh with a smile.
"Do you have any gossip on Horatio here," asked Roxanne with a smirk on her face.
"Oh, I have plenty," said Calleigh with a smirk of her own.
"Ladies. I know what you two are thinking," said Horatio.
"What? Afraid she might tell me something embarrassing about you," asked Roxanne. Calleigh was trying hard to keep a straight face, but couldn't and burst into a fit of giggles.
"I'm sorry Horatio, but it's funny," said Calleigh between breaths.
"I'm glad you find this amusing," said Horatio. "Very. Come on Roxanne. Let's get you settled into my place," said Calleigh.
"Okay. I'm right behind you. Bye Horatio. I'll call you later," said Roxanne as she and Calleigh left Horatio in ballistics speechless.
Horatio shook his head and went back to his office.
"That was hilarious! I've never seen Horatio get so red in the face before. Makes me wish I had my camera," said Calleigh as she drove to Roxanne's place. "I know! I wish I had taken pictures. That was a Kodak moment for sure," said Roxanne as she laughed.
"I just had a thought. What if we had taken pictures and sent them to everyone in the lab," said Calleigh.
"Oh, my god! Horatio would kill us for sure, but it would be worth it," said Roxanne. "Yes, it would have been. Well, here we are. Let's get your stuff out of here and into my place," said Calleigh.
"Yeah. Thanks again. I really do appreciate this a lot. It means a lot to me," said Roxanne.
"No problems. I'm glad to have a roomie. It'll be nice for once not coming home to a empty place," said Calleigh.
"I bet. I hope you don't mind all of my medical stuff. It's really not that much," said Roxanne.
"It's fine. I'm cool with it. It'll be a great learning experience for me. I'll get to know you better too," said Calleigh.
"Yeah. I'll be glad to answer any questions you have as best as I can," said Roxanne.
"I do have one question. Why are you in a wheelchair," asked Calleigh.
"I have a birth defect. It's called Spina Bifida. It's a common birth defect. It happens in 1 out of 1,000 births. There's 3 forms of Spina Bifida. There's Occulta, Meningocele, and Myelomeningocele. It's hard to classify which form of Spina Bifida I have because I have symptoms of both Occulta and Myelomeningocele," said Roxanne.
"Oh, wow. You are definitely educated on that stuff. You'll have to tell me more later," said Calleigh.
"Sure. I have a book on it and there's a website about it too. I'll show you both," said Roxanne.
"Sounds good to me. Well, I think we have all your stuff packed. Let's get this stuff put into the hummer and be on our way," said Calleigh.
"Okay. I'll follow you," said Roxanne as she and Calleigh headed back out to the hummer. When they got everything in the hummer Calleigh asked Roxanne a question.
"I know it's none of my business, but I was wondering about something," said Calleigh.
"Wondering about what," asked Roxanne.
"I was wondering what you think of Horatio," said Calleigh. Roxanne got a smile on her face at the mention of Horatio. "He's a nice man. He's strong but gentle at the same time. He's very caring," said Roxanne.
"So you like Horatio," said Calleigh.
"Yeah. I feel comfortable around him. I feel safe when he's around. There's just something about him that just attracts me to him. Please, don't tell him I said that. He'd probably think I'm weird or something," said Roxanne.
"It's our secret," said Calleigh.
"Is something wrong H," asked Eric.
"No. Nothing's wrong," said Horatio.
"Are you sure? You were shaking your head," said Eric.
"I asked Calleigh if Roxanne could stay with her until she found a place to stay. Roxanne asked if Calleigh had any gossip on me and Calleigh said she had plenty. I have a feeling I am not going to hear the end of this for a while," said Horatio with a small smile.
"Yeah. I think you're right. I'm sure those two will have plenty to talk about," said Eric.
"Yeah, but it'll be good for Roxanne. It'll bring her out of her shell some more if she hangs around people and starts trusting them," said Horatio.
"Yeah. Calleigh and I noticed she only trusted you at the moment since you were the one to bring her out of the house," said Eric.
"Yeah. You know what? I think I might be falling for her. I know I'm not suppose to get involved with the victims, but I just can't help it with her," said Horatio.
"We noticed that too. We hope Stetler doesn't find out. If he does, he'll be all over you in a heart beat," said Eric.
"Hopefully he won't find out. I'll make sure that doesn't happen. I'd go to the chief and tell him before Stetler ever found out," said Horatio.
"Do you think the chief would take it well," asked Eric.
"I'm sure he would. He knows how dedicated to this job I am. I'm sure he wouldn't have any problems with it. But we'll see what happens from here. I'm not sure she even loves me like I love her," said Horatio.
"I'm sure she does. Any time you're around her she has this big smile on her face. Her face lights up any time you come in the room. I think she loves you," said Eric.
"I hope you're right," said Horatio.
"I know I am," said Eric.
"Hey H. I just got back from court," said Ryan as he stood in the doorway of Horatio's office.
"How did it go," asked Horatio.
"It went great. Mason was found guilty. Sentencing is two weeks from today," said Ryan.
"Good work Mr. Wolfe," said Horatio.
"Thanks. Hey. I heard about the B and E case. How did that come along," asked Ryan.
"We finished it up. We got our guy," said Horatio.
"That's good. Well, I'll see you later," said Ryan as he left.
"He's come a long way since he first came on board," said Eric.
"He sure has. His OCD isn't as bad as it use to be," said Horatio.
"Yeah. I noticed that too. He's fitting in pretty good. I know Calleigh and I were tough on him when he first came on board, but it hadn't been that long since we lost Speed. I'm just glad he didn't hold it against us," said Eric.
"That isn't that kind of person he is. It isn't his nature to hold a grudge for too long," said Horatio.
"So what can you tell me about Horatio," asked Roxanne.
"Girl. You are so bad. I know he takes cases seriously, especially when they involve young kids. It's who he is," said Calleigh.
"Do you think he relates to them some how," asked Roxanne.
"Yeah, but that's for him to tell you," said Calleigh.
"I understand. I want to tell him about my past, but I don't know how he'll take it," said Roxanne.
"Horatio is a very understanding person. I'm sure whatever you tell him, he'll understand," said Calleigh.
"I just don't what he'll think of me when he finds out about my past," said Roxanne.
"Your past won't matter to him. The person you are today will matter to him. Who you are today is all that will matter to him," said Calleigh.
"Thanks Calleigh. I feel better now," said Roxanne.
"You're welcome. It seems you're settled in now. It'll be nice to have you here even if it is for a little while," said Calleigh.
"If you want me to stay longer I have no problem with that," said Roxanne with a smile.
"Would you really stay a bit longer," asked Calleigh.
"Sure. It'll be fun. That way we can both gang up on Horatio," said Roxanne with a laugh.
"He'd kill us both, but it'll be worth it in the end," said Calleigh with a laugh.
"Yeah. I can't wait to see Horatio's reaction when I tell him I'm staying with you a bit longer than what I had planned. He'll freak out I bet," said Roxanne.
"That'll be so much fun to see. I'll have to make sure I have a camera on me," said Calleigh with a smirk.
"And you said I was bad. Who's bad now," said Roxanne with a laugh.
"I know. We're just two bad girls who nobody can control," said Calleigh.
"Got that right! Horatio has got nothing on us," said Roxanne in a fit of laughter.
"We should call him and tell him over the phone that you're staying longer," said Calleigh with an evil grin.
"I like how you think," said Roxanne as she grabbed her cell phone and dialed Horatio's number.
"Caine," said Horatio.
"Hey. I just wanted to let you know that I got settled in to Calleigh's place," said Roxanne.
"That's good. I'm glad," said Horatio.
"Yeah. And I have some other news to tell you," said Roxanne with a smile on her face.
"What's that," asked Horatio oblivious to what the girls had planned.
"I decided to stay at Calleigh's place a little bit longer than I had originally planned. I hope you're not mad," said Roxanne.
"No. I'm not mad at all. Whatever makes you feel comfortable. I don't mind you staying at Calleigh's a little bit longer," said Horatio.
"Aw! You're too sweet. Well, I got to go. I'll talk to you later," said Roxanne as she tried not to laugh.
"Okay. Talk to you later," said Horatio.
"Bye," said Roxanne as she hung up and went into a fit of laughter.
Horatio hung up his phone and shook his head. "Do I dare ask," asked Eric.
"Roxanne told me she is staying at Calleigh's for a little bit longer than she originally planned. Those two are definitely up to something," said Horatio.
"Yeah. I'm sure they are. Let them have their fun," said Eric.
"I am for now. I will get them back for whatever they have planned. It's just a matter of time," said Horatio.
"This is great. Can I be a part of it," asked Eric.
"Sure. I might need your expertise in what I have planned for them," said Horatio with a smirk on his face.
"This is too funny. I am going to love this. Calleigh might hate me after this, but it's worth it," said Eric with a laugh.
"Yes. It'll definitely be worth the girls yelling at us," said Horatio.
"I think we should get Ryan and Tyler to help us. We'll have an advantage over the girls," said Eric with a smile on his face.
"I like your idea. Let's go ask them," said Horatio as he and Eric headed to the A.V. lab.
"Tyler. Just the person I wanted to see," said Horatio.
"Yeah. What's up," asked Tyler.
"I have a feeling Roxanne and Calleigh are up to something. I want you to spy on them and report back to me what they're up to. You can help us get back at them if you like," said Horatio.
"Great! This is going to be great," said Tyler as he grabbed some equipment and left.
"Now all we need to do is find Ryan and ask him to join our little team," said Eric.
"He's probably in trace. Let's look there," said Horatio.
So Eric and Horatio made their way to the Trace Lab.
"Mr. Wolfe. May I speak with you a minute," asked Horatio.
"Sure. What's up," asked Ryan.
So Horatio told him the same thing he told Tyler.
"Yeah. I'll be glad to help. This is too funny. The girls are going to be so pissed at us," said Ryan with a laugh.
"Yes, but at least we'll be out numbered," said Horatio.
"Yeah. That's the only good thing," said Ryan.
"Do you think Roxanne and Calleigh will try to get Natalia, Valera, Alexx, and Yelina to join them," asked Eric.
"It's possible, but I'm not worried. I still have Ray Junior," said Horatio.
Meanwhile Cooper had parked his vehicle down the street from Calleigh's house.
He was hiding in one of the bushes near her house.
"You are so bad Roxanne," said Calleigh.
"I know, but you have to admit it was funny," said Roxanne.
"Yeah, it was funny. I wish I could have seen the look on his face though," said Calleigh.
"I know. I think it would have been hilarious to have seen his face," said Roxanne as she put some clothes away.
"I was thinking since it's your first night here we should have a girl's night. We could invite Valera, Natalia, Alexx, and Yelina over. What do you say," asked Calleigh.
"Okay, but who are Valera and Natalia," asked Roxanne.
"Valera and Natalia work in the lab. Valera and Natalia are our DNA experts," said Calleigh.
"Cool. I know who Yelina is already. I met her at the lab," said Roxanne.
"Have you met her son," asked Roxanne.
"No. He wasn't with her when I met her," said Roxanne.
"He's a sweet kid. He's about thirteen. He takes after his mom as far as looks," said Calleigh.
"Sounds like a cute kid," said Roxanne.
"He is. He's very close to Horatio too," said Calleigh.
"I kind of gather that from the conversation between Horatio and Yelina. Horatio told me his brother was killed. That had to be hard on him," said Roxanne.
"Yeah. It was hard on him for a while, but he got past it," said Calleigh.
"I feel like I can relate to him in a way. I lost my brother about a year ago to a gang. He got mixed up with them, and when he tried to leave they killed him," said Roxanne.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Did you ever find out who the gang was that killed him," asked Calleigh.
Roxanne was about to answer her when she heard a noise outside.
"What was that," asked Roxanne.
"I don't know. Stay here. I'll be right back," said Calleigh as she grabbed her gun and went outside.
Calleigh slowly made her way over to where she heard the noise.
"Miami-Dade Police. Come out with your hands up," said Calleigh. She was shocked when Tyler came from behind the bushes.
"Tyler! What are you doing hiding behind my bushes," asked Calleigh.
"I uh...I was kind of sent here," said Tyler. "Who sent you here," asked Calleigh as she put her gun away.
"Horatio. He wanted to know what you and Roxanne were up to. He knew you two were up to something so he sent me to find out," said Tyler.
"You're going to use your nephew against his mother. You are so bad," said Eric with a laugh.
"It happens. Ray always wanted to play a prank on his mother. This gives him the chance to do so," said Horatio.
"God help Yelina if Ray grows up to be like you," said Ryan with a laugh. Horatio just smiled. He had a feeling Ray Junior wanted to go into the line of work Horatio was in.
"Where is Tyler? I thought he'd be back by now," said Eric.
"I don't know. He should have been back," said Horatio.
"Do you think we should call him," asked Ryan.
"It couldn't hurt," said Horatio. So Eric dialed Tyler's number.
"Hello," said a female voice.
"Roxanne," said Eric shocked.
"Were you expecting someone else, like Tyler maybe," asked Roxanne with a smirk on her face.
"Uh...Yeah. I guess you and Calleigh found him out," said Eric.
"Yes. We did find him out. Would you be a dear and put Horatio on," asked Roxanne.
"Sure. Hold on," said Eric as he handed the phone to Horatio.
"Hello," said Horatio.
"Hi. Spying on us girls are we now? You be ashamed of yourself," said Roxanne sarcastically.
"I know. I had a feeling you and Calleigh were up to something so I decided to even the playing field," said Horatio.
"Even the playing by sending Tyler to spy on us. That's really mature of you," said Roxanne with a laugh.
"So does this mean you'll let Tyler go," asked Horatio.
"Maybe on one condition," said Roxanne.
"What condition is that," asked Horatio.
"You have to take me out to dinner one day this week," said Roxanne with a smile.
"It's a deal," said Horatio.
"What? No trying to get out of it? I'm surprised," said Roxanne.
"How could I turn down a dinner date with a beautiful lady," said Horatio.
"So it's a date now. I'm game," said Roxanne.
"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to get back to work," said Horatio.
"Okay. I'll let Tyler go and let you get back to work. I'll talk to you later," said Roxanne.
"Bye," said Horatio as he hung up.
"So, what's up? Is she going to let Tyler go," asked Eric.
"Yes. She is letting Tyler go as we speak," said Horatio.
A few minutes later Tyler made it back to the lab.
"I see you made it back in one piece," said Eric as he tried not to laugh.
"Ha ha. I swear those two are scary," said Tyler.
"Come on. It couldn't have been that bad," said Ryan.
"Let's just say I'm glad Calleigh didn't empty her gun on me," said Tyler.
"She pointed her gun at you," asked Eric.
"Yeah. I was staring at the barrel of her gun. Do you know how scary that is? It's pretty damn scary. I never want to go through that again," said Tyler.
"Than don't let Horatio con you into doing it again," said Roxanne as she and Calleigh walked out of the elevator.
"Ladies," said Horatio as he, Eric, and Ryan turned around.
"Horatio. So, you're still taking me out right," asked Roxanne with a smirk.
"Of course. You pick the time and place," said Horatio.
"Okay. Casa Tua," said Roxanne.
"Okay. What time," asked Horatio.
"How does 7:30 work for you," asked Roxanne.
"Works good for me," said Horatio with a smile on his face.
"H has a date," said Ryan and Eric.
"Aw! Horatio is blushing," said Calleigh with a laugh.
"It's so easy to make him blush. I love it. See you later," said Roxanne as she left.
"You're not going to let me forget this, are you," asked Horatio as he looked at everyone.
"Nope. We want details too," said Calleigh.
"Will do. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have some paper work to get to so I can get ready for a date tonight," said Horatio as he walked away towards his office.
"This is great. Horatio going on a date," said Ryan.
"Yeah, it's good to see him happy for once," said Calleigh. "Yeah. He definitely deserves to be happy. Roxanne has definitely made him happy since he met her," said Eric.
"Yep. She was what he was missing," said Calleigh. "It seems so. Well, I think I'm going to embarrass Tyler some more. I'll talk to you guys later," said Ryan as he walked away.
"He is so bad. Roxanne and I did nothing to the boy," said Calleigh. "Why do I find that hard to believe," said Eric with a laugh.
"We didn't do anything to him," said Calleigh. "Yeah, like pointing a gun at him wasn't anything," said Eric. "I didn't know it was him at first. He was hiding behind one of my bushes. He better be glad I identified myself and not just shoot first and ask questions later," said Calleigh.
"He can't help it. He's still learning," said Eric. "I know, but who hides behind someone's bushes? I don't think I'll ever understand some people," said Calleigh as she walked away, leaving Eric standing in the hallway by himself.
A few hours later Roxanne getting ready for her dinner date with Horatio.
"I can't believe I'm going out to dinner with Horatio. I have no clue what to talk to him about. I don't want to talk about the case or anything work-related," thought Roxanne as she finished getting ready.
"I hope I look alright," said Roxanne to herself as she glanced in her mirror. She was startled from her thoughts as the doorbell rang.
"Hi," said Roxanne as she answered the door.
"Hi yourself. Are you ready," asked Horatio.
"Yes. Let me get my purse real quick," said Roxanne as she went inside and got her purse.
"Okay. I'm ready now," said Roxanne with a smile.
"Good. You look beautiful," said Horatio.
"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself," said Roxanne as she blushed.
"I hope you have a big appetite," said Horatio.
"You bet I do. I've been munching on some things. I didn't have a big lunch since I knew where we were going for dinner," said Roxanne.
"That's good to know," said Horatio as the pulled up to the restaurant.
"I love this restaurant. I don't eat her much, but when I do I enjoy it," said Roxanne.
"This is definitely one of the best restaurants around. So, how is your day going so far," asked Horatio as he and Roxanne sat down at a table.
"It's going pretty good. I got settled into Calleigh's place. I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back to my house. There use to be good memories there. Now, there's just bad memories there," said Roxanne with a sigh.
"I know it's going to take some time to get past this, but know that you are not alone. You have a lot of people there for you," said Horatio with a smile.
"I know. I have you and the others to talk to. I really appreciate it. It means so much to me. I'm glad you got Sanchez. I thought for sure he would come back and kill me for sure. He use to call me his little pet. He treated me like I was just a piece of property instead of a human being. He use to do bad things to me. So, how was your day," asked Roxanne trying to change the subject.
"It was pretty good. Not too much going on, which is a good thing. We didn't have anymore call outs," said Horatio.
"That's always a good thing. I hope I didn't embarrass you too bad in front of everyone," said Roxanne with a smile.
"No. You didn't embarrass me too much. It was all in good fun," said Horatio.
"Yeah, I think maybe next time I'll have to go after Eric or Ryan. I'll have to get Calleigh to help embarrass them," said Roxanne with a smirk.
"Tyler was right I guess," said Horatio with a laugh.
"About me and Calleigh being scary when we're together," asked Roxanne.
"Yes. That would be it," said Horatio.
"We couldn't help ourselves. We didn't do any harm to him. Well, any physical harm anyways. He might be emotionally scarred," said Roxanne as she laughed. Horatio just shook his head.
After dinner Horatio took Roxanne back to his place for a little while.
"Dinner was great. It felt good to get out and not worry about anything," said Roxanne as she and Horatio entered Horatio's place.
"Yes. I have to agree with that. Would you like something to drink? I have tea, water, beer, and some sodas," said Horatio.
"No, Thank you. I'm good. Horatio. May I ask you a question," asked Roxanne as she looked at Horatio.
"Sure. You can ask me anything," said Horatio.
"What do you see in me," asked Roxanne as she looked intently at Horatio.
Horatio was taken aback by the question. He wasn't expecting her to ask him something like that. "I don't get what you mean," said Horatio honestly.
"What makes me so special that you would want to be around me," asked Roxanne.
"I love your personality, your sense of humor. You don't let anything get in your way no matter what comes at you. You have a positive outlook on life that I have never seen in a person before. You're not afraid to show your emotions in front of people. You don't care what people say about you. Does that answer your question," asked Horatio.
"Yeah. It does. I thought nobody would ever love me because I was in a wheelchair. I thought people would look at me and all they would see is that I'm in a wheelchair and probably couldn't do anything for myself," said Roxanne as she started to cry.
"Shh...I love you no matter what. Wheelchair or not I love you for who you are. To me you are a strong person. Anybody who doesn't love you for who you are is stupid. If all they see is your wheelchair then they are just inconsiderate people. They don't want to look what's inside of you to know who you really are. They're intimidated by the fact that you're in a wheelchair and still capable of taking care of yourself," said Horatio as he tried to calm Roxanne down. He rubbed his hand over her back as she started to settle down.
When he looked down at her he saw that she had fallen asleep, so he picked her up and took her to the spare bedroom. When he made sure that she would be alright he went in the other room and made a phone call.
"Duquesne," said Calleigh.
"Calleigh. Its Horatio. I'm just calling to let you know that Roxanne is staying with me for the night. She kind of got emotional tonight," said Horatio.
"Poor thing. Is she going to be okay," asked Calleigh concerned.
"Yeah, I think she is. She thought nobody would love her because she's in a wheelchair. She cried herself to sleep so I put her in the spare bedroom," said Horatio.
"Okay. Do you want me to pick her up in the morning," asked Calleigh.
"No. I'll drop her off in the morning before I go to work. I'll see you tomorrow," said Horatio.
"See you tomorrow," said Calleigh as she hung up the phone.