Julius didn't have anyone watching the pier so he didn't know that Horatio made a visit the afternoon of the bombing and weighed anchor for the far side of the marina. There he docked among a flotilla of army and navy brass, whose boats were guarded 24/7. There were ways into them but the moves were too risky, so Silas called off the bomb placement. He didn't know that Horatio berthed between the hot general (she'd have been horrified to know he thought of her that way) and Admiral James Kensworth until it was too late.
Horatio was offered the empty berth by the admiral, who knew and approved of his plans for General Davenport. He ensured the man's boat was protected because he heard from sources in the Red Skulls gang that Horatio was a top target on their assassination list, along with the general and her two top lieutenants. Horatio Caine was in for one hell of a shock when he reconnected with his two kinsmen.
Kyle was hand picked by the general because he was level-headed and had an eye for details few others did. Admiral Kensworth wasn't surprised when he learned who the lad's father was, because the senior Caine's head for details was well-known to the military community. He was surprised to learn that Ray Caine, Junior had the same head because he came into the Army Corps of Engineers on a provisional promotion to get him away from a known threat in charge of the base at San Diego.
His first months were a major adjustment for him because he was used to having free roaming of his digs and didn't at his new location in Tikrit. Once he settled down and got to work, the lad proved worth every ounce of energy and money spent on him, saving General Davenport and her platoon from two attempted assassinations. The third time wasn't so charming and nearly cost Central Command a five-star general who was worth her weight in Fort Knox's finest.
She proved that worth getting her people out of harm's way and nearly made it out herself or she'd have been killed instead of gravely wounded. Kensworth questioned the wisdom of her transfer to Miami, since many of her worst enemies called the city home. He didn't have the clout to have her transferred to Raleigh or he'd have pulled the strings to make it happen.
He learned through his spies that she'd have turned down the offer because it meant keeping her two favorite people from their sole remaining male role model, who just happened to be in need of a bit of support himself. They needed each other and she needed them, so things worked out well despite the danger to all of them. Horatio had deep roots in the Miami-Dade community thanks to living there and doing volunteer work when possible between his cases, so moving him would've meant uprooting a leader the community needed.
The senior Caine had a rough adjustment of his own after his precinct promoted him to Captain and confined him to desk duty, because he thrived in the field. He shared the process with Ray, Junior and the pair often commiserated with each other on the cruelties of fate. Kyle was of great help to them both, providing tidbits of data from the case that cost his father any hope of making it to full retirement age as a way of keeping their minds on something other than their shared miseries.
Horatio took care with his clothes as he dressed to visit with General Leila. She was a beautiful woman before the explosion and he was strongly attracted to her no nonsense style, probably because he shared it. She didn't suffer fools because she preferred to support the staffers who did their best and molly coddling fools wasted the time she wanted to spend doing so.
He arrived ten minutes before the end of visiting hours on purpose, so he'd be forced to keep his visit short. He didn't know how deeply his feelings went for the statuesque blonde, but his son, niece and nephew did the moment they looked up and saw him waiting to see her, because it was written all over his face. Had Eric seen his friend's expression, he'd have agreed with them because he'd seen the same one when H looked at his sister Marisol.
The trio of younger folks was very protective of their charge, so much so that Horatio asked,
"What gives, guys? You must know I'd never hurt Miss Leila," Ray got volunteered to explain things, so he said,
"We've all seen how you badger witnesses, Horatio. General Davenport hasn't regained full consciousness and needs her rest, so we're here to make sure she gets it."
"I'm no longer an investigator," he sighed heavily reminding them of his forced retirement the previous month and the huge hole it created in his life. "Instead I push paper all day, which is the last thing I ever wanted to do."
"You're here as a friend, then," Leila rasped from her bed, alerting her crew that she was awake. "That's good. I need friends," and lapsed back into unconsciousness.
Kyle and Ray looked at Horatio entirely differently after that, since he was the only visitor their boss woke up specifically to talk to. Madison smiled knowingly because her uncle brought flowers and came to visit as a friend, but her patient woke because she had deeper feelings for him than she knew as yet. She'd seen this scenario play out countless times and it usually meant marriage between the pair at some point.
Horatio sat vigil while Kyle and Ray got something into them, tickled to bits that the general woke specifically to say hello. He also knew she wasn't unconscious but deeply asleep from her breathing. Her chest rose and fell at regular intervals and her eyes went nuts beneath her closed lids, indicating that she was in REM sleep, which was all to the good.
He woke when Ray Junior patted his shoulder, unaware that he'd fallen asleep at all until then. He was surprised when the younger man handed him a college catalog and opened it to the Forensics Studies section, and said respectfully,
"Kyle, Madi, and I have seen how depressed you've been since they railroaded you last March. We all think you still have lots of good years left in you, as you do. We think you should become an instructor because you're patient, persistent, and dedicated to whatever you're doing. Look at us, for God's sake. We're only doing well because you've been a role model for us since we were small."
Horatio felt a correction was in order, so he said humbly,
"I'm not the best role model, Ray, but thanks for the compliment. You took what I gave you, ran with it and did the hard work to stay on course, so you're responsible for your success. I'm glad I played a small part in it, but you took your personal ball over your chosen goal line. I'm proud of all of you for how far you've come and will definitely look into this," and surprised everyone when he hugged the young man tightly.
Kyle and Maddie looked more closely at their mentor's face and saw the deep worry lines, knowing then that something major ate at him and he wouldn't share it until he was ready. Maddie was the only one who saw the slight sheen of sweat on his face and worried that he was ill. Being a nurse, she waited until Horatio left her patient's bedside to go home and waylaid him, saying,
"You should go to the ER, Uncle Horatio. You don't look well at all and haven't since you got here."
He felt weary beyond belief and knew she had a point, so he went to admissions and checked into the hospital, saying,
"I've been feeling under the weather for days and put it down to depression, but my niece thinks it's more serious," as he fell heavily to the ground.
He was a special favorite of the staff so he was taken to a private room immediately and his doctor was paged as soon as he was comfortable. Dr. Rudolph arrived within moments, saw the same sweat his favorite nurse had, and woke his patient, saying gruffly,
"I'll let you return to your dreams after I've done some tests, Horatio. Madison mentioned you had a slight sheen of sweat on your face and seemed more tired than usual," giving him the opening to add,
"I've been feeling run down since they retired me from active service in March. I thought it was depression," and sighed heavily.
The sigh worried the doctor because Horatio wasn't prone to histrionics. He only became weepy when he was seriously ill, so Hector was grateful his patient listened to Miss Caine and admitted himself for tests. They conversed throughout the tests and he learned first that Nurse Caine was his beloved and only niece, that her two strapping companions were his son and nephew, and that he deeply resented being taken from the field, even though the bullet that was still in his last wound and created serious issues with his breathing.
He wasn't the young buck he'd been and knew it, so he accepted his fate even though he wasn't happy about it. Hector wondered if Horatio would be able to adjust to a more sedentary job and hoped for his sake that he would. He asked if Horatio had plans for after his full retirement in December and was glad to see the man nod, but unhappy that he didn't answer directly because it wasn't like him at all.
He used a hand to lift Horatio's chin and saw a vague expression that worried him, so he paged for a berth in the MRI room to check out the man's heart. He feared the loose bullet had migrated and was blocking an artery, thus the man's shortness of breath under a heavy workload. It took some time to get his patient into the correct position for a clear set of images because he lost consciousness several times, another serious issue given his age and the severity of his previous wounds.
Dr. Rudolph located the troublesome missile and immediately booked a surgery room because it rested in the right ventricle of Horatio's heart. It would be tricky to remove but would definitely come out, which would ease the man's issues a lot. Horatio was prepped while the doc scrubbed up and laid out his tools, a task he trusted to no one but himself.
He phoned Madison and told her what was going on with her uncle, making the strong suggestion that she tell her two cousins and all three should pray for their mentor while he was under the knife. The surgery took over eight hours, during which time General Davenport awoke fully from her coma. She saw the three young people with their heads bowed and startled them badly, when she asked,
"What's going on, Corporal," of Kyle.
He thought carefully before he spoke, saying gently,
"My dad's in surgery to remove a bullet from his heart. The doc said it migrated up from the chest wound he received in a fire fight a few years ago. We're praying for him and for you."
She licked her lips, so Ray brought her a glass of water to drink, pleased that she sipped slowly and waited for the water to go down before she took another one. He turned towards the door when her eyes lit up, saw his uncle's cardiologist in the hall, and went to speak with him. He took his two cousins along so everyone would remain on the same page concerning Horatio's health.
Dr. Rudolph was pleased and touched that the full trio of young folks came to learn how Horatio was after his surgery. He saw General Davenport's gaze focus on Kyle Harmon and realized she was his commanding officer from the way she watched over him. He returned to his discussion and gave the youths this advice,
"Horatio is on hospital bed rest until further notice because I don't like the way his body handled the surgery. He's still coming around from the anesthesia but I'd like at least one of you to be in the room when he wakes fully, so he knows someone gives a damn for him. He's been so tired lately because the bullet from his last skirmish migrated from his abdomen to his heart and blocked his left ventricle. It's thanks to Nurse Caine's sharp eyes and instincts that he's still alive."
Kyle smiled and shook the doctor's hand, saying warmly,
"It's thanks to your skill with a scalpel that my dad will live, hopefully for many more years. Thank you for making sure he'd survive."
The strapping young man stunned Dr. Rudolph when he hugged him tightly, because no one in the Caine family made a habit of doing so. He wasn't as surprised when Madison hugged him because she was the only female in the family and much warmer than her male relatives. He left the trio to their joint mission of caring for the two people who meant the most to them, knowing that both recovering patients were in the best of hands.
He met with the orderlies on duty on his way to his next surgery appointment and ordered them to move Horatio from ICU to General Davenport's room when they knew he'd remain conscious. They obeyed him nearly to the letter, but chose to move the man the moment he opened his eyes, whether or not he could keep them open. Horatio came to himself in a dim room and was at a temporary loss how he came to be there.
He opened his eyes more widely and looked up, thinking he'd be alone and was pleasantly surprised to see Kyle, Ray, Madison, Eric, Calleigh, Frank (he retired the previous year, so Horatio was especially happy to see him), and Alexx (another nice surprise since she practiced in New Orleans). He was floored to see Julia hovering outside the ICU because he thought she was still a resident of the asylum.
He heard a soft cough and turned his head to the left, when he saw he was roomies with General Davenport. He gave her his most devastating smile and felt renewed when she returned it with her own, beginning their flirtation in fine style. Theirs would be a shared and prolonged convalescence, which would give them plenty of time to get to know each other. Having someone with whom he had a lot in common to accompany him into his twilight years made entertaining the prospect much more appealing than it was previously.
His entire crew smiled widely when they noticed how the pair of patients gravitated towards each other and Kyle was especially happy, since he knew his CO was as lonely for male company as his father was for female, but neither party was about to admit it. He hoped they'd keep it in the family and marry, as doing so would slam the door in his mother's face and ensure that she left them in peace. He'd never seen his boss's face light up as it did that day and for the dozen or so afterward and was overjoyed it did when his dad was around.
It helped a great deal that they had so much in common because they'd have a lot to talk about while they healed from their operations. Kyle looked up and caught the thunder of jealousy in his biological mother's eyes, gave her a chilling look and she left, but he knew it wasn't over by a long shot. His father was a very wealthy man because he made wise investments during his long career at the lab. She was bankrupt both morally and financially, so she was on the hunt for an easy pocket to pick.
Neither of them knew that Horatio wasn't about to humor her, having put any hope of having his love returned by her to rest when he committed her. He knew her sentence had completed at some point, but didn't know exactly when, so he was most unhappy when he caught a brief glimpse of bleached blonde and silk skirts and learned that Julia visited him. She knew he was responsible for having her committed to the asylum, so he was puzzled as to why she'd visit him.
He caught the anger in his son's eyes before he doused it and learned her motive from that, deeply grateful the lad was there to help him fend the woman off. He looked back into the room at Alexx's cough, and smiled, saying,
"I'm glad to see everyone, surprised but very glad."
Walter was the first to say hello, dropping a heavy box in the man's lap. Horatio saw the card and opened it, grinning when he read,
"Happy birthday, big guy, I thought these might help you explore new avenues outside of the precinct, since the powers here don't appreciate you as they should. I marked the sections that I thought would intrigue you the most, thinking that they might be covered by MDPD as continuing education. You don t have to rot behind your desk because the heads of state railroaded you. You're a great cop but you'll make an even better PI. Walter"
Horatio's smile widened when he saw the bookmarked sections pertaining to being a Private Investigator, because he liked knowing someone besides his immediate family members had that kind of faith in his will to recover his health. No one expected that the Big Man would have a mild heart attack but he did, so Walter brought the materials to Horatio to give him something constructive to do during his long convalescence, further evidence he was held very highly in the man's thoughts.
Horatio's smile finally reached his eyes when he opened the box and began sorting through the half dozen or so college catalogs. It felt good to be part of a team that thought as much of him as he did of them. He was still dealing with the fallout from keeping Ryan Wolf on after he showed his true colors, and suspected that fallout was the primary cause of his reassignment. The department couldn't afford to have a man as loyal to his team mates as he was fill a position that required a cold, calculating person with loyalty only to himself.
Carolyn Ramirez was in charge of continuing ed for the entire precinct. She was elated to find Horatio Caine's applications among her latest stack of hopefuls and approved them without a second thought, gladly repaying the man for his dedication to the department. She remembered that he formed it, staffed it with only the very best investigators, and assured its survival through several rounds of political maneuvering led by one Tom O'Shay. Horatio's keen senses of fair play and impending danger kept his department thriving when the politician did his best to eradicate it.
He paid from his own pocket to ensure they had only the latest and best technology to process their evidence; helped the CSIs schedule their courses when it was time to renew and/or update their proficiency certifications; and made a great study buddy. She knew he'd be sorely missed by his core staff and many of the auxiliary departments as surely as she knew it was time to urge him to take his retirement and run. She completed, signed, notarized, and filed the paperwork while he convalesced; fought Tom O'Shay's bid to deny the man his hard-won pension and ensured it was a full one in appreciation for the decade's worth of overtime he gave the precinct in his early days.
Horatio's confinement during his recovery from his heart attack proved beneficial because he made it be so, researching his educational options and choosing for teaching instead of private investigative work. He knew that PIs endured even more strenuous schedules than he had as a CSI, so he knew that teaching was the right choice for him. He'd resumed his education and completed his lower level courses before he was railroaded, so all he had left were his cores and the licensing exams for his chosen level of instruction.
He knew he'd ace those in spite of a lag in his thought process, so he applied into an internship with Miami-Dade Community College that he'd begin the term following his licensing exams. The school was happy to have him on its roster of instructors because he was a thorough and patient one. He further proved their wisdom in hiring him because he had a knack for spotting the most promising candidates and encouraging them into the various fields of forensics that needed them the most. He was soon one of their most sought-after instructors, which brought in new applicants from different areas of the country.