This is a oneshot I developed in thirty minutes after watching Monday's episode. I've got some more ideas, so if you like it, there can be more.
Horatio: If those scratches are from my son and anything has happened to him, I am going to come back to this room and you will leave it in a bag.
Kyle: I did what you said, I fought back.
Horatio: I know you did son, I know you did.
Kyle: Why are you doing this?
Horatio: I'm doing this because I'm your father, Kyle. I know you don't believe me, and we can't talk about it now, but we will. C'mon.
Horatio: Pass the word, Oscar. That kid is untouchable from here on in, you understand?
THE STORY
It was a hot afternoon in Miami. Standing outside the minimum security prison, Horatio Caine cast a long shadow in the late day's sun. Pausing for a moment, he glanced to the sky, as if assessing his position on the earth. Then, sunglasses in hand, he strode into the building.
Someone was shoving him, growing continually rougher. Kyle Harmon blearily opened his eyes to find one of his cell mates, Oscar, standing over him.
"Get up kid, the guard says you got a visitor," he said without preamble. "And if it's your old man, tell him I been good to you. I keep my word."
Kyle shuffled alongside a guard, replaying Oscar's words in his head. He had a sinking feeling he knew who it was going to be. Sure enough, Lieutenant Caine sat at a visitors table. In an effort to avoid meeting the Lieutenant's eyes, Kyle glanced around the room. It appeared to be a private interrogation room, not a normal prison visitation center like Kyle had been expecting. Not that Kyle had experience in those matters; that preformulated idea came from watching the Blue Brothers movie once at the best of his foster homes. There was only one cop too, a uniform from Miami Dade County.
"What are you doing here?" Kyle states as he was seated at the silver table. Cold. Impersonal. Prison.
Lieutenant Caine paused after nodding at Kyle's escort. The guard left. "Well Kyle, I am here to check on you."
"…because I'm your son?" Kyle confirmed, not bothering to hide the suspicion in his voice.
"That's right Kyle. And because I care."
There was a momentary pause. Kyle stared attentively at his lap. He could feel Horatio's gaze on him, and it made him a bit uncomfortable. "I know we didn't have much time to talk last time, and I owe you an explanation," Horatio began.
Again there was a long pause, as Horatio waited for an angry rebuttal from the troubled kid. There was none. A week in prison must have quieted him down, he realized with an odd feeling.
"I ran a lab test, a DNA check, to confirm my suspicions Kyle. I know this is hard to hear, but…"
Kyle suddenly exploded, cutting into Horatio's soft tone. "So what, you just run a DNA check on every kid who passes through your joint?"
The Lieutenant had the good grace to look down. Finally, Kyle thought. Let him be uncomfortable. The tables quickly turned though, as Horatio smiled. Clearly something was amusing him. Great.
"Surely Kyle, you noticed we look startlingly similar. I'm not even sure where the idea came from, but staring at your mug shot, you just seemed so familiar. Maybe it's a side-effect from too many years as a crime scene investigator, but I wanted to satisfy my own curiosity. When I asked you your birth date, it all started becoming clearer. As I got a lab technician to run the test, I had my sister in law do some private investigating. The DNA was a match."
Horatio didn't know if he felt relieved or sick, but he sat back and tried to gauge Kyle's reaction.
"So, my mother…but…your name isn't listed on my birth certificate. How do you explain that?" Kyle's tone was accusing.
"The name on your birth certificate…John Waldon, was the name your mother knew me by. That was an alias I used while doing undercover work in Pensacola. I'm ashamed she never knew my real name, but it's part of that life. You tell no one your real identity. We...we dated for a few months in 1990. Seriously, I thought. Then she disappeared. I had no idea where she went, or why. And believe me, I tried my best to find her." Horatio ducked his head in shame. "I had no idea she was pregnant."
"Yeah, well, my mother wasn't exactly the best person. Or so social services say anyways. I barely remember her. It's uh…it's not like it's your fault or anything." That was as close to forgiveness as Kyle could get. This was just too weird.
Horatio suddenly looked up at Kyle, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "Thank you son."
After a few quiet minutes, the Miami Dade officer spoke up. "Uh, Lieutenant Caine, our time's up for today. We can probably get more for next week. Just have to do some talking to the higher-ups." The guard sounded apologetic.
"It's alright officer, I understand. We'll work on that," Horatio promised, never taking his eyes off his son. "Kyle," he nodded.
Kyle sat in silence until a guard returned, pulled him up, and he returned from whence he came.