A/N : Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for giving me so much support and have been reading my stories all this while. I have enjoyed writing for your entertainment and I appreciate it that you loved my stories.
As promised, this is the third installment for the "Return" series; a sequel to Returning Past. I know the previous story ended with a cliffhanger. So...Stay tuned to see what happened! :)
For those who haven't read the previous stories, they are "The Deadly Return"(1st) and "Returning Past"(2nd). You might want to catch up with that first. Cheers!
Enjoyyyy ;)
-Previously, from Returning Past-
"What have you got?" Mac asked as he walked and stopped beside Lindsay who was waiting on the computer for the results of the blood.
"We're still waiting Mac. I'm running it through the National Database." Mac nodded and focused his attention onto the screen, waiting impatiently for it to come up negative. Suddenly, a ding came up.
"Mac. It's a match." Lindsay spoke up and Mac just stared at the screen with an open-mouth. The results came up positive. Mac's eyes never left the screen.
Horatio Caine.
Miami, Florida
-Continuation-
"Doctor, how is she?" Mac asked the doctor as he stood outside the room, glancing over into the room occasionally. He had expected this to happen but he didn't think it would be a very serious matter. Eric was standing right next to him, focusing on what the doctor have to say about the situation.
"She's fine. She's just stressed. If you hadn't brought her here in time, she might have suffered a miscarriage. May I ask what is she stressed about?" The doctor asked and Mac just stared into the room. He was fiddling with the coins in the pocket of his pants, while watching the patient lying in there motionless, with tubes connecting the drip to her arm.
"Uhm…She just got news that her husband went missing." Mac said then shifted his glance to the floor. He was really sorry that this had to happen to Calleigh and the babies.
"Oh." That was the only reply that doctor managed, with a sympathetic look.
-TWO DAYS AGO-
"Mac. It's a match."
Horatio Caine
Miami, Florida
"Mac." Stella called out. Mac was quiet when he saw the results of the analysis. "Mac." She called out again. Mac shook his head.
"This cannot be. This result is wrong." He said, trying not to believe the results that appeared before him.
"Mac, it's his. It's Horatio's. You know very well that the system doesn't screw up." Mac still refused to believe it. He kept shaking his head. Stella approached closer to Mac and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Mac…" She called out softly. In an instant, Mac flinched.
"NO! This cannot be Horatio! What am I supposed to tell his wife? I was supposed to ensure his safety! I was supposed to make sure that Horatio is safe! And now he's missing! Not even a clue on his whereabouts!" Mac blared, his hands balled into a fist and everyone in the lab stared at him in shock. Never have they seen Mac this angry. Mac then slammed his hand on the table, which caused the team to jump in shock.
"Mac calm down. Everyone is watching you." Stella warned.
"Stel, you tell me. How am I supposed to face Calleigh now? I was supposed to help Horatio. Calleigh trusted me!" Mac shouted again and stormed out of the lab, leaving the rest standing, froze with dropped jaws.
Suddenly, amidst the quiet moment, a cell phone beeped. "Whose is that?" Everyone checked their phones and it was none of theirs. Then, they saw the light flashing from inside the evidence bag.
"It's Horatio's." Danny spoke up. He then put on his gloves and took the phone out of the bag slowly. "Calleigh." Everyone looked at each other then focused back to the phone. "Okay what now? What am I supposed to do?" Danny said as his eyes still focused on the phone in his hands. Everyone were still looking at the phone, not answering Danny. "Hello guys. Seriously? This phone won't answer on its own you know."
"Then you answer that Danny." Adam replied, looking annoyed.
"I'm just going to let it go to voicemail. Then we shut it off." Danny said quickly. The call ended after a few more rings and Danny quickly turned it off then placed it back into the bag. "Mac is going to kill us."
"I know. But what are we supposed to say to her anyway. We don't even know anything. Mac can't expect us to tell her that her husband is gone. Not over the phone that is." Lindsay countered. "Where did Mac go?" Everyone shrugged. Stella tried to contact Mac but he wasn't answering the phone and the calls kept going to voicemail.
While the team was worried about his well-being and his whereabouts, Mac had actually gone back to his place. He needed to get away from all the troubles and he needed a quiet place to think about his next move. The moment he arrived home, the first place he went to was the guest room where Horatio had stayed in the past few days. The minute he entered the room, a small package on the table caught his attention and he went straight towards table, picking the package slowly.
'Damn Horatio. Why do you have to make this so hard for me? Having to tell your wife that you're missing is already so hard and now you're leaving behind some kind of jewelry for her?' Mac thought. He opened the package and there it was. A heart shaped sapphire pendant. 'Really Horatio..you just have to make this harder on me don't you.' Mac then slipped the package into the pocket of his jacket and went out of the room. He needed some refreshments. While waiting for his coffee to boil, Mac checked his phone and there were several missed calls from Stella and the rest of the team. He left the lab without saying a single word to them, thus him not being surprised with the missed calls. He decided to let it be and not call them back. He will talk to them when he returns to the lab with an idea. The coffeemaker beeped and Mac poured himself a cup.
"Now what am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say to Calleigh?" He asked himself, aloud as he slumped himself onto the couch. After a while, he tried to shut his eyes only to be interrupted by the vibration of his phone. "Oh damn." He cursed when he saw who the caller was. It was Calleigh. "Really Calleigh? Now?" He stared at his phone, trying to think of something to say to her. The phone stopped vibrating then it started again in a few moments. This time, Mac had to answer the call.
"Taylor." Mac answered.
"Mac, it's me Calleigh. Where is Horatio? Is he okay? I called his phone but there was no answer. And then it was turned off. You didn't answer the first time I called. Mac what's wrong with him? What happened to him?" Calleigh bombarded Mac with all the questions that she didn't even give him a chance to speak up.
"Calleigh…Calm down." Mac paused.
"Mac. Tell me what's wrong. I need to know. What happened to Horatio? Where is he?" Mac was caught in a spot. He thought of just clicking the end button but he couldn't do that to Calleigh. She would definitely know something is wrong and panic. He didn't want that to happen. Instead, he hung onto the call and waited for her to finish throwing questions at him and he finally spoke up.
"Calleigh…we are still tracking him down right now. I don't want you to worry or panic." Mac said aloud although in his mind, he knew that he couldn't find a better way to say that her husband just went missing. Over on the other side of the call, Mac could hear her broke into a cry, almost screaming. He felt guilty. He felt sorry. He had one job, which was to make sure that Horatio would be safe but he failed. He sunk in deeper into his couch.
"He's gone isn't he? Mac tell me honestly. I need the truth. Where is he?" Mac could hear her sobbing already. Calleigh sounded so desperate and devastated.
"Calleigh, I want you to listen to me. We don't know that yet. We are still tracking him and I will try my best to bring him back to you. He will be safe Calleigh." Mac tried to assure her.
"Mac, is he really gone? I thought you were supposed to make sure that he's safe. Why did you break your promise Mac? Why?" Calleigh was sobbing real hard. Mac felt his heart ache listening to her cry.
"Calleigh, you listen to me. We will find him. I will find him." Mac assured her again. His jaw clenched and his other hand balled into a fist, so hard that his knuckles almost turned white. He was blaming himself for the disappearance of Horatio. After he tried to assure her and it failed, he had to put an end to the call. He couldn't take her crying and sobbing anymore. He quickly finished his coffee, slipped the jewelry box and his phone into his jacket then made his way back to the lab. He didn't want to worry the team further. The moment Mac arrived on the floor of his lab; Stella was waiting for him, arms crossed across her chest. The look on her face could kill Mac instantly.
"Where were you Mac?" Stella asked sternly. "You walked out of the lab just like that without informing us where you were going." Stella kept her arms crossed across her chest and Mac looked remorseful.
"I went home. I just couldn't stay here." He said as his hand reached out into his jacket pocket and took out the jewelry box. "I found this in Horatio's room. It's definitely for Calleigh. What am I supposed to do?" He asked Stella. The box was held tight in his hand.
"Let me take a look at that." Stella reached her hand out towards Mac and he gladly handed the box over to her. Once in her hands, Stella opened the box and she gasped. "This belongs to her Mac. You have to give it to her."
"But I want to find for Horatio. I don't want to give that to her. I want him to give it to her." Mac looked at her with eyes filled with remorse.
"Mac, you know we have no leads. You know we have nothing on this. The only thing we have is the blood which is his..his phone, which is of no use and the wires which had nothing on it." Stella looked at him and studied his face. He was frowning. She knew he was blaming himself. "Mac, you have to tell her. You have to go to her. Give back what belongs to her, Mac. She trusted you." Stella reached for his hand, opened his palm and handed him the box. "Give this to her. It belongs to her." Mac looked up at her. "In the meantime, we will keep looking for him."
"What if he's dead? And I give her hopes that Horatio might be alive? I can't do that to her Stel."
"I'm sure he's not dead. That pool of blood indicates that the shot wasn't major to have cost him his life Mac. You and I both know that." Mac stared at her blindly. "You listen to me. You're going on the next flight to Miami. You're going to tell her everything." Mac was still staring at her. "Mac." She called out. Mac shook himself and composed himself. He nodded.
"Book my flight. I'll fly over and tell her myself." Stella smiled at him.
"Thank you." Stella said then gave him a kiss on the cheek.
After that talk, Mac made his way back to his office to settle the administrative stuff and to make a call to the chief, telling him that he needed some time off to go to Miami to settle some work issue then made his way home to pack his bag. Stella helped him with bookings of the flight ticket and also his accommodation while the rest of the team kept themselves busy with the case. Sheldon and Danny were sent back to the warehouse to find for any evidence or any traces of Horatio or the potential kidnapper.
"Hey Stel." Mac greeted Stella once he was standing right behind her. Stella turned around and gave him a cheerful smile. "Thanks for arranging my stay over there and for booking my flights. I appreciate that and I owe you one." He continued.
"No problem Mac. Sometimes we can't do everything on our own you know. We need people in our lives." Mac smiled slightly. "And, maybe you could just do me a favor by staying with Calleigh when she's going through the tough moment. She's pregnant and she has to hear the news." Stella paused. "You get what I mean." Mac nodded.
"I'll see you when I get back." Stella gave him a brief hug then watch him walk away towards the boarding gate. A few hours later, Mac arrived in Miami and took a taxi to his hotel to check in and to get himself rested for the day.
The next morning, right after shower, he made his way to the Miami-Dade lab. He felt foreign around Miami since he has only been there once where he and Horatio had to work together on a case. He looked around and he saw how differently the lab works from his own lab. It was much more technologically advanced and very oriented compared to when he saw it last.
'Wow. You really keep up with the technology Horatio. No wonder you're the Head of the lab. Very impressive.' Mac thought when he saw the entire lab from outside the elevator.
"Sir." A voice called out to Mac. He turned towards the voice. "Are you looking for someone?"
"Uhm…I'm Mac Taylor from the New York Crime Lab." He stepped forward and towards the reception desk.
"Oh. But Lieutenant Caine is not in." Right then, Eric stepped out from the elevator.
"Mac?" Eric saw his reflection from the glass wall and immediately recognized Mac. Mac turned around.
"Hi. You're Eric Delko right? You work with Horatio?" Mac greeted and offered a handshake.
"Yeah. Just call me Eric. I thought Horatio went over to New York to ask for assistance. Where is he?" Mac looked at him and Eric noticed on the spot the tinge of disappointment in his eyes. "Mac? What happened? Where is he?" Eric was getting worried.
"He's not with me anymore." Mac answered briefly and Eric shook his head in disbelief.
To be continued...
Reviews? ;P
Hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter. If you have, drop me a review. If you haven't, feel free to hit me up with a critic or anything you want b/c I hope to entertain you with my stories and you might just be able to help me do that :)
