A/N: H will be out of character
Achoo. CSI Lieutenant Horatio Caine sneezed then blew his nose in his handkerchief. Horatio had woken up with a terrible cold and a headache. Achoo, he sneezed again as he blew his nose as he entered his office, Achoo
"Did someone take a walk in the rain again?" a voice asked from behind him, he turned around to see his best girl friend Natalia Boa Vista.
Natalia took one look at her boss' appearance and knew he was ill; red nose, pale complexion and a tired look
'He really shouldn't be here but knowing Horatio, to be like myself, we don't take sick days' she thought
"Yeah unfortunately" he replied in his scratchy and stuffed voice as he blew his nose.
Natalia smiled, turned and walked away down the stairs all the while calling out
"Meet me in the break room when you're ready", Horatio frowned, sneezed again and followed her.
When he reached the break room, he found Natalia pouring boiling water into a cup and turned around smiling
"Here, drink this. It may not help right away but it should help sooth you" she said walking over and handing him the cup.
Horatio, grateful that Natalia never scolded him much like his surrogate sister ME Dr. Alexx Woods did, took the cup
"Thank you" he said as he took a sip and sighed
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather be at home resting?" she asked him
"Sure I'm sure" he replied.
Just then CSI Eric Delko walked in
"Hey, we have a dead body in the Gables" he said.
Horatio downed the drink, put the cup in the sink and followed Eric out, Natalia sighed as she followed them.
Horatio's illness hadn't subsided at all, in fact it changed his mood; he snapped at his co-workers, his walking was sluggish, he growled a lot and it scared a lot of people as this was normally his nature. Then again, sickness did tend to change people's personalities sometimes.
Natalia was in the Autopsy Theatre with Alexx when they heard Horatio and Eric arguing
"Alexx, do think maybe I should take him home and take the rest of the day off looking after him?" she asked her bff, Alexx looked up at her from examining the dead victim's heart
"Honey, I think that is possibly the most sensible suggestion anyone has had. I can't do my autopsy with him down the next corridor screeching like a banshee to some poor employee especially if it's Eric, Ryan or even you" she replied.
Natalia exited the Autopsy Theatre removed her coat and went to find Horatio. She found him yelling at Eric about something so she decided to intervene; she walked over and stood beside Eric
"Horatio, you better shut up or I will punch you so hard that I will break your jaw" she said to her boss something she would never dare say.
Horatio immediately shut up and stared at her
"Right Eric, you will be running lab for the rest of the day—uh-uh-uh H don't talk I'm not finished—Horatio, I'm taking you home where you will spend all day getting better with me to help you and that's an order" she instructed to them.
Horatio, surprisingly, followed Natalia's orders, turned and began to head for the exit
"Gee thanks, you should take control more often" Eric said
"Don't mention it, Alexx couldn't concentrate. She even called him a screeching banshee" she said causing both of them to crack up.
Eric looked ahead to see an exhausted Horatio leaning against a wall causing him to stop laughing
"Hey, he doesn't look too good you better get him home" he said
"Yeah I'll see you later" she said as she walked down the corridor and wrapped an arm around Horatio's sick form and helped him out of the building.
2:00 that afternoon found Natalia asleep on the couch of Horatio's condo while Horatio was fast asleep in his room. Natalia sighed in her sleep when she suddenly heard someone whimpering, frowning she opened her eyes and sat up
"That can't be good" she muttered as she hurriedly made her way up the stairs and into Horatio's room.
The sight before her made her want to cry; Horatio was thrashing violently in his sleep, tossing and turning, crying out. Natalia ran to him and climbed on top of him to stop him
"Horatio, Horatio wake up" she said as tears ran down Horatio's cheeks, she wiped them away but they kept coming "Horatio please wake up, wake up" she cried.
But her attempts to wake him were futile, Natalia shook him
"Wake up, please" she pleaded desperately.
Horatio suddenly shot up and began to strangle her; Natalia gasped
"Ho-ra-ti-o" she managed to get out.
Horatio suddenly seemed to come to his senses, realizing where he was and what he was doing and immediately let her go in shock. Natalia massaged her throat coughing as she looked at him; he now was rocking back and forth his head on his knees. Natalia crawled over and lay down pulling him to her, he tried to resist in fear of hurting her but eventually gave in and curled up to her.
Natalia stroked his hair humming as he closed his eyes tears silently running down his cheeks, she brushed them away and continued to hum. Natalia lay there watching as Horatio slowly slipped off back to sleep wondering what he had been dreaming of. She had rarely seen her boss cry and so vulnerable, it made her want to cry but she held herself together for Horatio's sake.
When she next awoke, she looked at the alarm clock and realized it was 8:00 the next morning; she looked down and noticed that Horatio was still asleep in her arms
"Well at least he slept through the night" she muttered to herself.
As quickly and as quietly as she could, Natalia slipped out of the bed and the room making her way to the kitchen to call Eric
"Delko" Eric answered
"Hey, we're not coming in today, he's um...he needs to rest and recover so you're in charge again" Natalia explained
"Okay see you guys tomorrow" Eric said
"Bye" she said as they hung up.
She picked up the receiver and called Alexx
"Dr. Woods" Alexx answered
"Hey it's me" Natalia said as she sat down at the kitchen table
"Hey baby how is he?" Alexx asked her
"Well he's fine after our little incident of him having a nightmare and then almost strangling me to death other than he's getting better" she replied.
Natalia heard Alexx gasp
"He tried to strangle you?" she asked in shock
"Alexx, calm down. Look, he thought he was still in his dream and wasn't really aware of his surroundings. I'm fine just a little sore around the throat but I'll be fine" she replied.
Alexx didn't know but Natalia did, she knew that Horatio was awake, in the hall outside the kitchen and eavesdropping on their conversation using the other phone
"Natalia, honey he could've kill you" Alexx said
"But he didn't. Alexx I told you before; he thought he was still dreaming. I don't blame him, in fact I forgive him... I have to go he'll be wanting breakfast probably" Natalia replied and hung up.
Natalia smiled slightly
"Next time you want to eavesdrop on a conversation try not to cough" she said out loud, she turned her head to see Horatio standing in the doorway.
She beckoned him and he walked in and sat in a chair next to hers, dropping his head on the table
"Can I ask you something" she said stroking his hair
"Mmhmm" he replied.
Horatio turned his head to look at her
"What was your nightmare about?" she asked him.
He sighed
"Alexander Vladimir; he was beating everyone and killing them. You were last; he said 'you will watch as the one you love suffers' he...raped you in front of me, you were screaming. He then hit and beat you over and over again and eventually he shot you. Throughout the whole thing I was chained to a wall" he explained.
Natalia remained silent as she let it all sink in, she noticed then that Horatio had tears in his eyes; she pulled him to her as he cried into her shoulder. She held him
"Shhh, shh, shhhhh" she comforted him as she rubbed circles on his back.
After a while Horatio pulled back
"I'm sorry" he said "Don't be" Natalia replied
"It's just...I was..." Horatio trailed off looking down at his lap
"Scared" she finished for him knowing he wasn't good at admitting he was scared to anyone.
Horatio looked up at her knowing that she understood
"He almost killed you" he said referring to the case about a month ago when Natalia had been kidnapped and near death when the team had found her
"And had you not found me I wouldn't be here now" Natalia said caressing his cheek.
Horatio leaned in his lips hovering inches from hers
"I don't want to lose you because you mean too much to me" he said to her causing her to smile and that enough was to let Horatio know she was feeling the same and he kissed her.
At first Natalia was taken aback but then she kissed him back wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands settled on her waist. Horatio knew he couldn't ever let her go in fear of losing her again. When the kiss ended, they rested their foreheads together
"I love you and I never want to lose you" he said to her
"I love you too, and you know you'll never lose me" she replied as she kissed him again.
The end