Elle's New Road
As the sun was setting outside the big windows in his office, Horatio sat at his desk finishing up the stack of paperwork that had collected over the past few days. Before he knew it, his mind wandered to a young lady he had recently met, Elle Toring. She had been on his mind a lot lately, and he was trying to sort his feelings out concerning her. At the time they met, she had severe self-image issues, and had even attempted to hang herself, all of which he could identify with unfortunately. He thought about the times when he wanted to end it all, but was brought back to the matter that he had a "family", his team who needed him, and in the last few years, a son who still needed his guidance, even though he was almost grown and was presently serving in the army in Afghanistan. He also thought that his job of protecting the citizens of Miami from the criminal element that was growing in leaps and bounds, helped keep his focus on the living.
He finished the paperwork and contemplated calling Elle to check on how she was doing, just like he had done several times in the last three months. She had been going to therapy sessions and he could sense that she was making huge strides in her recovery, even just through their phone conversations. He wondered if she was ready to start living again. Pushing her number on his speed dial, he thought it was time that he helped her get readjusted to relationships with others.
"Elle, hi, it's Horatio. How are you today?" "I'm glad to hear everything is good with you. You do sound chipper this evening." "I am fine, still at the lab finishing up some reports." "Um…if you are not busy tomorrow evening, would you like to have dinner with me? Nothing fancy so, won't be dressy, just thought I would take you to a nice place in Miami Beach." "You can? Great! Pick you up at 6:30?" "No, I don't mind driving out to your place it will allow me to unwind from my day." "Ok then, see you tomorrow!"
Horatio punched his phone off and smiled for the first time in a long time. Even though the incident where he met Elle had not been pleasant, he felt that she was making great strides in overcoming the fact that her dad had murdered the girls responsible for tormenting her through her college years and beyond. Horatio had felt for the man, what father would enjoy seeing his daughter suffer? He knew that he would feel the same if he had a daughter. It was just in most men's minds to protect women, at least that's how he felt. It came from his childhood, watching his own mother being tormented for years by his father until he brought it to an abrupt end when he killed his father.
Horatio woke up to the irritating sound of his cell phone buzzing by his head on the table. The sun was just beginning to shed light on a new day, one that he looked forward to ending with a pleasant dinner. "Caine," he answered abruptly. "Frank, what do you have?" "OK…I'll see you in about 30 minutes." Horatio clicked the phone off and went in the bathroom, turning on the shower. After a quick shower and shave, he put on his usual dark suit and headed for the kitchen to retrieve a cup of coffee. His coffee maker automatically turned on each morning at 6 to save him time. Quickly locking the door while holding his cup of coffee with his other hand, he made his way to the hummer thinking the crime scene he was going to was just five minutes from his condo.
After an early quick start, everything else seemed to be routine for the rest of the day. The crime scene this morning had a fair amount of trace evidence, and the team had concluded without a doubt the person who was responsible for the shooting of a young man found in the parking lot of one of the numerous big box stores that littered Miami's landscape. Horatio was glad the day was relatively easy so, he would not be as tired for tonight. Tonight! He had a "date"! It had been quite some time since he could say that….perhaps too long!
Horatio met Calleigh in the hall of the lab on his way to the elevators. "Wow, Horatio, you seem happy to be leaving at an early hour!" "That I am, Cal!" "OK, have a good evening!" "I sure plan to!" Horatio said with a wink. When the elevator doors closed, Calleigh said to herself, something is up with Horatio and for once it seemed like something good.