Sealed Heart
Chapter 1
Monday morning appeared and the team arrived on time at the lab. Eric and Zoë were talking in the break room having a cup of coffee, chatting casually. Ryan rushed in a few minutes late, looking flushed and rushed off his feet.
"Woah, chill pretty boy. What's the rush?" Zoë asked with a smile.
"Sorry, I'm good." Ryan smiled as he picked something up off the side behind Zoë, in the process making bodily contact with her.
"Did you oversleep again?" Eric chuckled.
"Something like that, yes." Ryan replied as he pulled his phone out when it bleeped at him. Ryan looked up at Zoë from reading the text as she sneezed.
"I haven't been in Katie's house for over a week." He said, afraid that he'd somehow set her off.
"Okay pretty boy, it's probably just some dust then." She smiled as she gave him a reassuring smile.
"How is it going with Katie?" Zoë questioned with a smile, happy for him.
"We're good" Ryan smiled at her.
"Excellent, that is what I like to hear." She smiled at him then sneezed again after she put her mug down on the side.
"I must be getting a cold or something, sorry." She said as she pulled a few tissues from her pocket.
"Not a problem." They both said with a smile and she then began to cough.
"You haven't got a new girlfriend, have you?" Zoë asked, turning to Eric, thinking that he had been near cats.
"No." Eric said innocently.
"Have you been near a cat?" She asked him as she began to rub her eyes.
"No."
"Then it can't be my cat allergy." She said as she pushed it to the back of her mind.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Eric asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah" she said softly and then sipped her coffee again, unsure herself. She put her coffee down as she began to cough more so and felt her chest tightening. Ryan stepped closer and rubbed her back softly.
"I'll be back shortly." She said as she began to walk out but stopped when she was thrown into another coughing fit and leant on the sofa as her chest tightened further.
"Hey, you're not okay, Zoë." Eric said as both Eric and Ryan rushed over to her and placed their hands on each of her arms. She rubbed her eyes and then looked down at her hands and saw a rash developing.
"This is definitely my cat allergy. Ryan, have you been really close to Katie this morning?" She asked and then began coughing.
"Yes, but we weren't in her house." Ryan said softly and Zoë nodded.
"I'm sorry, I can't be near you Ryan, the cat dander will have rubbed off her and onto you." She said as she stood up and then coughed again, her wheezing was now audible.
"I'm so sorry, Zoë." Ryan said as he back off from her and she rubbed her eyes again.
"It's okay, I just can't work with you, Ryan. I'll be right back." She said as she stood up once her coughing had ceased and made her way towards the door. Eric placed his hand on her back and walked out with her. Just as they got to the door it swung open and Horatio laid his eyes on Zoë.
"Zoë?" Horatio questioned as he stepped forward and placed his fingers under her chin and delicately lifted her head and saw her eyes beginning to redden and swell as well as a rash develop over her face.
"Come on sweetheart." Horatio said as he took her arm and walked her out, they could hear her chest wheezing and getting worse.
"It's going to be alright sweetheart." Horatio assured her as Eric walked with them down the hall.
"Is your bag in the locker room?" Horatio questioned and she nodded. They made their way into the locker room and Horatio got her bag out of her locker. Eric sat Zoë down and rubbed her back a little in an effort to keep her calm.
"Okay sweetheart, take these." Horatio said as he pushed out two tablets from a tablet packet and handed her a bottle of water and then pulled out the eye-drops, nasal spray and cream from her bag. He then pulled out her inhaler and handed it to her as she passed the bottle of water back to him.
"Has Wolfe been round his girlfriend's today?" Horatio questioned, looking up at Eric.
"No, he said he hasn't been there all week, but he was with her this morning." Eric said softly as Zoë took her inhaler.
"It's because… he was with her, the cat dander had… gotten onto him and his clothes, now it's on… my clothes." She said softly and then took her inhaler again.
"Okay sweetheart, try not to talk for now." Horatio said softly and she nodded as she put her inhaler down and took the eye drops from Horatio's hand. She looked up and dropped the solution into her eyes.
"Me and my bloody allergies" she exhaled as she picked up the nasal spray and administered it. Horatio reached out to touch her and she moved away from him.
"Don't touch me, if you do whatever rubbed off Ryan onto me could get onto you." She said as she stood up and took her jacket off.
"Are you that sensitive to it?" Eric asked and she nodded at him.
"I need you both to wash your hands please?" She asked softly and the nodded at her.
"Horatio, I can't work with him. What am I going to do?" Zoë questioned softly and Horatio stood as he thought about it. He looked down at her sat on the bench as she gazed up at him, needing his opinion and guidance.
"You're just going to have to stay separate from him." Horatio said softly. She began to scratch her chest and stomach as she nodded at him. She looked down at where her hands where itching and could feel the itching multiplying. It felt like thousands of searing hot hypodermic needles puncturing her skin all at once, repeatedly.
"How close did he get to you?" Horatio asked, he could see her itching more than usual.
"Not too close, I don't think." She said as she began to unbutton the first few buttons of her shirt to look down her top to see if she was developing a rash.
"When he came in he reached for something behind you, he got quite close then." Eric said softly and Zoë exhaled once she remembered.
"Oh of course" she shook her head and Horatio got a glimpse of the top of her chest.
"You're coming out in a serious rash, Zoë." Horatio said as he pulled at the top of her shirt. He could see the bright red rash developing over her chest. He could see the redness becoming raised and almost forming welts. Eric got a glimpse and he grimaced as he knew it must be painful, he then stepped back to give her some space. She stood and threw the inhaler, eye drops and nasal spray in her bag.
"Yeah I know, I need to change and put my cream on." She said as she picked up the spare shirt and suit from her locker.
"Okay sweetheart, do you need a hand?" Horatio questioned.
"No thank you honey, I'll be fine, I'm just going to pop to the ladies." She said as she picked up the pot of cream and put her handbag back into the locker.
"Thank you both." She said softly while blinking a lot, she was trying her hardest not to rub her eyes but the more she blinked, the more they watered. They could both see the rash becoming denser on her face.
"Sweetheart, your lips are beginning to swell, this hasn't happened before." Horatio said softly as he looked at her face.
"The anti-histamines will take care of that, don't worry." She said softly and then backed off from them.
"If you could both wash your hands, I'd really appreciate it, thank you." She said as she backed off and then walked out and made her way to the ladies, she saw Ryan walking out of the break room on his phone.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked as he took the phone away from his ear and covered the bottom so the other person couldn't hear him.
"Yeah, I'm good thanks, just try and keep your distance from me, please. I'm so sorry Ryan." She said as she walked away and into the restroom. Ryan looked round and saw Horatio and Eric walking out of the locker room. They walked over to him, but both kept their distance and stood a couple of meters away. Ryan could see that Horatio clearly wasn't happy and it made him feel even worse.
"H, I'm sorry, I didn't know that she was that sensitive or that the allergen could be transferred from person to person. I haven't been in Katie's house for some time." Ryan explained softly. Horatio gave him a nod. 'He has done his best to keep Zoë from having a reaction, I'll give him that.' Horatio thought to himself as he placed his hands on his hips.
"Just keep your distance from her please, and try and avoid anyone she's likely to come into contact with, I can't have her allergies flaring up while out on a case, here is bad enough." Horatio said softly. Ryan gave him a silent nod and then watched the both of them walk into the men's restroom to wash their hands. Once they had finished, they walked out. Eric went to finish his coffee and wash up the mugs while Horatio waited outside the ladies to make sure Zoë was okay. She eventually came out in a new suit, holding the other one at arm's length.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Horatio questioned as he walked with her back to the locker room and she nodded.
"I just feel really bad for Ryan." She said as they walked in to the locker room and she slung her suit and shirt to the bottom of the locker and applied more cream to her hands.
"How is the rash?" Horatio asked softly.
"It's okay, it's just covering my stomach and chest, but that's because he got really close to me." Zoë said softly.
"Your lips are still swollen; I think we should probably go to hospital, sweetheart." Horatio said softly.
"There's really no need for that. I'll be fine – the anti-histamines will take care of it." She gave him a reassuring look.
"What if you go into anaphylaxis? I don't want to chance it sweetheart." Horatio said softly as he placed his hand on her back.
"I won't, Horatio, it's not that bad, seriously. I'll be fine in about 10 minutes." She said as she placed her hand on his arm.
"It's okay, really." She reassured him. Horatio gave her a nod and looked at her face, the rash was still developing. She was trying her hardest not to itch while she stood in front of Horatio.
"Take the day off, sweetheart." Horatio said softly as he raised his hand to place it on her arm. She stepped back and began itching her arm.
"Sorry, it just itches when it's disturbed." Zoë said softly as she tried to stop herself from itching the skin. 'It feels so good to itch though!' She thought to herself.
"Sorry." He said softly as he placed his hand on his hip.
"Taking the day off is no necessary for an allergy, Horatio." She chuckled with a smile.
"Zoë, I've never seen you come up in so much of a rash before, I think it's wise if you take the day off." Horatio said softly and she began to itch her stomach.
"I'm okay, he just got really close, that's why I'm getting more of a rash. There's no need to worry." Zoë said as she began to itch harder with both hands.
"Zoë, stop itching sweetheart" Horatio said as he took hold of her wrists and pulled her hands away from her stomach.
"I know, it's really, really itching though." She said as she tried to bare the increasing itchiness.
"Okay sweetheart, I think it's a good idea if you go home and take a cool bath or shower, you're still developing a rash." Horatio said as he pushed her fringe back. She began to itch her hands and looked down at them as they became even redder.
"Yeah, okay." She said agreeing, knowing that she'd go crazy if she had to work with the constant itching.
"Okay sweetheart, you go home and I'll ring you a little later–"
"I don't think I can drive, Horatio." She cut him off as she began to scratch her neck.
"Okay, I'll drive you, don't worry." He said softly as he picked up her bag and placed his hand on her back.
"Come on, sweetheart." Horatio said softly and they walked out with Zoë constantly itching.
"Try not to itch, Zoë." Horatio said softly.
"It's easy for you to say." She said looking over at him as he pushed the button on the lift. He sighed and gave her a nod. Eric quickly rushed over.
"Hey, is everything okay?" He asked once he saw Zoë covered in a rash.
"Yes, I'm just taking Zoe home." Horatio said softly.
"I'm fine and thank you, Eric." She said as she briefly looked over to Eric. Eric nodded and then backed off as they boarded the lift and pulled his phone out. Horatio got Zoë home and then returned to work after he made sure she was okay.
As soon as he stepped through in to his office, his phone rang and he answered.
Once he had hung up, he went to find Eric and Ryan, he saw Eric in one of the labs.
"We have a call out, where's Mr Wolfe?" Horatio questioned and Eric looked up at him.
"I don't know, but Walter is free." He replied softly and Horatio nodded.
"I'll meet you there, ring Mr Wolfe and find out where he is." Horatio said as he immediately headed out. Eric and Walter headed over to the scene after Eric had called Ryan.
Ryan turned up 20 minutes later.
"Sorry I'm late H." He said as he approached Horatio. Horatio nodded, noticing that he'd changed his clothes and had obviously taken a shower.
"Where's Zoë?" Ryan questioned after he glanced around.
"She's had to go home, she'll be in tomorrow." Horatio said softly and Ryan nodded, feeling guilty. He got on with his job and pulled his phone out when he had a spare 5 minutes.
"Hey Zoë, I'm so sorry. Are you okay though? H said you went home? I feel terrible, I'm so sorry. Ryan x" Ryan sent her as a text. He put his phone away and got on with processing.
"Hey, yeah, I'm good, don't worry, I just came out in a bit of a bad rash. I'm good though. Don't worry, it wasn't your fault. Z x" Zoë replied.
"It is my fault, I should have thought, I won't be seeing Katie anymore, so you won't have to stay clear of me, again, I'm so sorry. Ryan x" Ryan replied and then got into his hummer as he, Eric and Walter went back to the lab to process the evidence they had collected. 'Oh shit, I shouldn't have said that, she's going to flip.' Ryan thought to himself realising he'd just told Zoë that he'd broken up with Katie because of her allergy.
