Disclaimer: I don't own any CSI Miami characters.

This kinda sprung from one of the character shorts I wrote for the CBS board (before they wiped the whole thing). It's from a different perspective from the short though. If you are interested in reading it (REALLY SHORT) the link is on my profile. The chapter title is Horatio. I've been suffering really badly from writer's block. The story I want to write isn't materialising, this one is. So I'll write what I'm told to by the little voices and hope that one day they'll allow me to write the other one. Enjoy.

When the going gets tough.

The silence was deafening. The aftermath of a bomb blast was more silent than people could ever imagine. The panic which sets in after is what causes the commotion. The screaming, the crying, the terror, everything that comes with the unexpected, that's what causes the hubbub. Footsteps hurrying to the nearest exits, fast, but not running. People looking around seeing if they can see their work mates, their comrades. The worst thing was Eric had known it was going to happen. He'd started the evacuation as soon as Horatio had told him to. The minute Horatio had heard something he didn't like the sound of in the locker room, the very second he'd shown concern. Eric stood outside; he watched the doorway along with Calleigh, Natalia and Ryan. Horatio didn't appear. They waited until the steady flow of people stopped. Horatio still didn't materialise. They looked at each other. One of their own was inside. Not just anyone either, their leader, their mentor. They had to go back for him. As one they moved towards the door. The rescue officers tried in vain to hold them back. They weren't going to be stopped.

"If you want us to be safe, you need to come with us. We're going in regardless." Eric told the first guy who tried to hold him back. In response the uniformed rescue officer nodded to a few of his men who accompanied the hurrying group back inside the fragile building. Eric and Ryan took the stairs two at a time, Calleigh and Natalia hurried along behind them alongside the rescue workers. Eric headed straight for the locker room; he knew where he'd left Horatio. When he pushed open the door the devastation overwhelmed him. A heart wrenching sob fell from his mouth. He took a deep breath. Ryan pretended he hadn't noticed. He felt Eric's pain. The locker room was no longer as they had known it. There was no ceiling and the lockers were strewn all over the floor. Stray clothing was all over, and there was water spewing from the broken showers. Calleigh and Natalia caught up just as Eric had started to pull at some of the rubble, hunting for his Lieutenant. The rescue workers tried to pull him away so they could move the broken pieces, but he wouldn't be budged. So they joined him in moving the debris. Ryan was taking the junk that Eric and the others had moved and was relocating it outside of the room. After about ten minutes of intense work they saw it. A hand. A still, unmoving, blood covered hand.

"H." Eric's voice caught in his throat. He grabbed at more of the rubble.

A rescue worker grabbed his arm, "let us do it, it's safer." He and his co-worker got to work safely removing the pieces of broken room off the prone Horatio. Calleigh was crying silently, the tears rolling down her cheeks Natalia's crying was louder, but not wailing. The only noises came from her sobs and the grating movement of concrete. Eric and Ryan tried to comfort them both while trying to control their own emotions. As they slowly uncovered Horatio it became apparent that he wasn't in a very stable state. His leg was bent at an awkward angle, and his face was bleeding from multiple contusions. Most of his body was covered in blood and an almost black sooty substance. He wasn't moving. One of the rescue guys leant over him and listened at his mouth, then his chest. He felt for a pulse.

After the third try his eyes lit up. "I've got one, it's faint, but it's there. Let's get moving!" He climbed around Horatio, placing his feet in the safest places he could so not to cause any other movement amongst the wreckage. He used his radio to call for paramedics to bring up a body board, told them to take the stairs, but to be careful. They arrived in a flash. They gently loaded Horatio onto the equipment. The first paramedic checked his vitals once more. They strapped him on and told the others to follow to the hospital if they wanted to. They shared a look, one that said 'of course they were following.' The party readily departed.

-oOo-

The hospital was in pandemonium when they arrived. Although Horatio was the only serious casualty plenty of others needed treatment for shock and mild injuries. They tried in vain to get details of Horatio's whereabouts. Everyone was busy trying to deal with the sudden influx of patients that were in need of minor treatments. Eventually they got the answer they were after and headed along the clean white hall to another section of the medical facility. They were greeted by a nurse. This section of the hospital was quieter, all of the noise left behind them in the admittance area. The duty nurse showed them to an empty room, offered them seats and told them she'd be right in when she knew any information. The time dragged by. Eric paced the room making the others feel slightly uneasy. When he started muttering to himself they started to worry.

"Eric?" calleigh asked, frowning.

He stopped and raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you okay?" She asked him.

"Yeah, just, why did I leave him in there?" He asked, obviously of himself, not wanting an answer.

"You did as Horatio asked, you started evacuation. You did what your supervisor told you to do. What do you think you ought to have done Eric, said no?"

Eric shrugged, "maybe I coulda gotten him to come with me. This didn't have to happen. What if he dies?"

There was a shocked silence. They'd all been thinking it, but no one had wanted to ask that particular question. He was their leader, their confidant, their protector. At one time or another he'd been there for each and every one of them. Some of them on more than one occasion, even what you could call regularly.

"It's not your fault. He's a bomb expert. He thought he knew what he was doing. He wouldn't have stayed behind otherwise. I think someone knew he'd stay, knew he'd try to disarm the bomb." Calleigh told Eric.

"So you think this might have been all set up to get H?" Natalia asked surprised. She hadn't even considered that.

Calleigh nodded, "I do think that." If she was going to say more she couldn't. They were interrupted by the door opening. The nurse was stood there with a grim look on her face. A tear rolled down Natalia's face before the nurse even opened her mouth.

Ryan leapt up out of his seat, "how is he?" He asked, almost aggressively.

"Not so good." The nurse paused and cleared her throat, "the doctor thought best to put him into a drug induced coma. He had a severely broken leg, he needed stitches to multiple wounds in his face, his right hand was shattered and his chest cavity was crushed causing restrictions to his breathing. Also his skull was fractured we're not sure if there will be any on going brain damage." The nurse sighed, giving bad news was awful, and the faces intently watching her always begged for some hope, hope where sometimes there wasn't any at all. In this case however a little hope could go a long way. "He's on a ventilator, but is doing okay. You're allowed to visit, but only if you are quiet and don't over crowd him. He may be able to hear you, so maybe you should all say a little something to him." She gave a small smile. The smile gave them a little encouragement. If it was all bad, surely she wouldn't even be able to bring herself to place a grin on her face. They glanced at one another as they followed her to see their fallen commander. Wondering exactly what he was going to look like, and if they could contain their emotions when they arrived.

-oOo-

The nurse didn't enter the room; she pushed the door open and motioned for them to enter. She put her finger to her lips to reiterate the need for quietness, peacefulness. They all nodded and thanked her as they passed her by and entered the room. Horatio was lying on his back, a tube taped into his mouth and smaller tubes passing up his nose. The cuts on his face were stitched so he looked like some sort of Halloween mask. Natalia choked back a sob, and Delko looked away. Calleigh putting on a brave face approached the bed, avoiding touching Horatio's leg which was suspended in the air, covered in a huge cast. She leant in and carefully placed a small kiss on his cheek and whispered in his ear.

"Hi." She said simply, and sat herself down.

Ryan took a deep breath and joined Calleigh, a little more gruffly than she had spoken he said "Horatio, um, hey it's Ryan, um," he let out a huge sigh, and a single tear rolled down his cheek, he cleared his throat "we're here for you, and I hope you get better soon." He took up position behind Calleigh's seat. He looked at Eric. Eric looked back at him; more than anything he looked scared. Horatio had been there for all of them, for him he'd protected him when he'd been shot. Looked out for his sister, man he'd loved his sister, married her. He was family. He moved towards the bed, slowly.

"Hey H," he was attempting to sound upbeat, "it's me, Eric. Uh, thanks for giving the warning to get out of there. Because of you no one else was seriously hurt. Always the hero, huh?!" He choked on his words, "get well soon. We need you."

Natalia was last, her emotional state was a little unstable and the others were unsure of what she was going to say to him. She drew near to Horatio and placed her palms flat on the bed next to his still body. She looked like she was thinking. Then clearly, with a slight anger in her voice she asked one question, "how could you do this to us?" Then she turned and fled the room.

They looked at each other confused. Natalia's feelings had taken control and she obviously had the notion that if anything happened to Horatio their team could not function. She kind of had a point. Ryan had a glare on his face. Not because of Natalia, but because of what someone may've taken from each and every one of them.

He turned to Calleigh and Eric and said with venom, "We're going to find who did this. And we're gonna make them pay."

A/N: So that's my first chapter. I'm going to try to update at a decent speed. I'm hoping my muse doesn't run off with 'Autumns Shadow's' one back to Mexico to party... Darn that tequila! Anyways, please Review. That way I know if it's any good. I loves the reviews I do!!
Sarry xx