Rick sat in one of the cracked, yellow vinyl chairs in hospital's waiting room desperately wanting to be with Horatio as the doctor patched him up from his latest brush with death.
The EMTs had given him the rosary that they had found in Horatio's pocket. He let it slip through his fingers silently praying for his husband's recovery.
Seconds ticked over into minutes and minutes turned into hours.
Finally, the doctor came and told him that Horatio was stable and that he could sit with him, if he wished to do so.
Rick calmly took the man up on his offer, and now he sat in another uncomfortable chair, but this time his fingers are entwined with Horatio's as he waited for the redhead to wake up.
"When are you going to learn that you aren't Superman, babe?" he softly asked his voice barely audible over the sound of the machine keeping track of Horatio's heart rate and blood pressure. He dropped his eyes and stared at the tile floor still praying for a miracle.
Horatio had woken up several minutes after he had been deposited in the room, and he had pretended to still be out of it since he wasn't ready to deal with the multitude of questions concerning the shooting. "I was always partial to Spiderman," he croaked causing Rick to look up.
"Leave it to the New York boy to love the web slinger," Rick tried to tease knowing he sounded pathetic.
Horatio chuckled and groaned. "Don't make me laugh. It hurts too much."
"It should," Rick grumbled. He had let go of Horatio's hand and pour him a glass of water, which he helped the redhead drink. "You took one in the side."
"I'm sorry."
"Just concentrate on getting better," Rick firmly said as he set the glass of water back on the night stand. "Apologize later."
"Yes, dear."
Rick shook his head and leaned over to brush a kiss against Horatio's lips. "Love you."
"Love you, too," Horatio whispered reaching up to slip a hand behind Rick's neck to return his soft kiss knowing that he had his lover's forgiveness.
The End