Spoilers for Mayday.
Disclaimer: CSI:Miami is not mine and I do not intend to earn any money from my story.
Authors Note: My first story on FFnet so please be gentle. Also English is not my native language so if there are any mistakes, please let me know, since it will help me to avoid them in the future. More Thorough.
"H, can you hear me?" came a soft voice through what felt like a very thick fog that clouded his brain.
Horatio was waking up slowly. There was a faint beeping noise beside his head and a familiar antiseptic scent of a hospital. He knew something went wrong, but what? The last thing he remembered was going with Natalia to meet Randy North. They got out of the car and then he was probably shot, because in one second he was talking to Natalia and the next he was on the ground, bleeding. Everything that happened next was a blur of images, voices, people and a horrible feeling of helplessness when he couldn't stop Randy from sending Natalia to the water in the trunk of an old car.
"Natalia!" His eyes snapped open when the terrible memory came back to him. This sudden movement caused him so much pain that he shut his eyes back very tight trying not to scream out loud. He groaned and that was followed with increased activity around him.
"Horatio, calm down." He heard Eric's voice and felt a pair of hands that grabbed his own.
"We're giving you something for the pain, Lieutenant, it should start working in a minute." Other voice, probably belonging to a nurse, but he didn't have the energy to make sure of that.
Trying to breathe through the pain and waiting for the medicine to kick in he felt his mind going back to the events from the pier.
It wasn't until he found himself leaning on the cold concrete that he realized something happened. He heard a shot, but everything was so surreal. There was no pain at first, because the signal from the nerves in his abdomen haven't quite reach his brain yet. He realized that someone was talking to him, but he couldn't make the words out. His body felt the trauma and Horatio suddenly couldn't stand anymore. After kneeling a second, still with a gun in his hand, he collapsed on the ground at the pier. He probably lost consciousness for a while, but then he realized that Natalia wasn't anywhere near him. He tried to get a look around, but even a slightest movement caused him a lot of pain. His eyes clouded, he managed to take a shot or two in the direction he thought was accurate, but nothing stopped Randy from rolling the car with Natalia to the water. Defeated, Horatio collapsed back on the cold ground, feeling the blood pouring from his wound and forming a large pool around him. His energy gone, he knew he had to try and save Natalia, but he was getting weaker every minute and he didn't know how long he could hold on. Feeling for his phone, he managed to get it out of his pocket and press '1' on his speed dial. Eric. He knew that he could count on his friend. In his mind, Natalia was the priority. If he himself couldn't be saved, maybe Eric would be able to save her.
"Hey H, you found something?" Horatio heard Eric's voice. But he only was able to mutter weak "Help… Natalia… is in danger… Old pier… Car in the water…" and he could feel the darkness enveloping him. The phone fell out of his hand and before he lost consciousness he hoped that his team would get here in time to save Natalia, and, with some luck, maybe him too.
"H?" Eric's voice cut through Horatio's mind and he got back from his thoughts to the hospital room. He realized that the medicine must have worked because the blinding pain was gone, and there was only a dull ache in his abdomen. He opened his eyes and saw not only Eric, but two other faces looking down at him.
"Good to see you awake, Lieutenant," said one face, which belonged to a doctor. The other one was probably a nurse from before. Horatio wanted to say something but his mouth and throat we so dry that he couldn't form a word. Eric realized his discomfort and handed him a cup of water, which helped quickly.
"Natalia?" he asked, wanting to know if they were able to save her. They had to if they could also save him. She had to be okay. If not, he was the one responsible, because it was his job to protect her. If not, it was all his fault.
"She's…" Eric apparently was at a loss of words. "Maybe the doctor should examine you first and then we could…"
"Eric." Horatio cut him off, waiting for an explanation.
Defeated, Eric looked down at his boss and friend before saying "H, she's in a coma."