Chapter 2

Calleigh pulled up in Horatio's driveway and killed the engine. She had tried to call him a couple times, but his phone just went straight to voice mail. That's odd, she thought. She hesitated for a moment, should she just show up on his porch unannounced? She didn't want to invade his privacy. She saw that his car was here, but it didn't look like anyone was home. She could see only one dim light on in the living room, the rest of the house was dark.

I'll just see if he's home, she finally decided. If he is, I'll just give this cross to him and get out of here and leave him to his evening in peace.

She exited the vehicle and walked to his front door. She was just about to knock, when she heard a loud crashing sound from inside… the unmistakable sound of glass shattering. Then another sound, like someone struggling… in a fight…

Oh my God… Horatio's in trouble!

She drew her gun and took a defensive position next to the door.

"Horatio?" She called loudly. "Horatio, it's Calleigh! Are you in there?"

Silence.

"Horatio?" She called again.

She couldn't wait any more. He could be fighting for his life or seriously hurt. She had to get in there. She spun around and stood in front of the door, and with every ounce of strength she had, she reared back and kicked the front door as hard as she could. The door flew open as the door jamb caved in under the force of the blow, sending small shards of wood flying in the process.

She immediately ducked and rolled through the open door and came up on one knee, gun at the ready, and quickly scanned the room.

And then she saw him. Horatio was sitting on the floor with his back leaned against the far wall, breathing in shuddered gasps. She looked around quickly, but could see nobody else. She holstered her weapon and quickly went to him.

"Horatio?" She said, kneeling down in front of him, "Hey, are you OK? Are you hurt? What happened?"

He was huddled up, his head buried, and his arms wrapped around his knees.

"Go… away…" he managed to stammer.

Calleigh paused for a moment, stunned. It sounded like, like he was crying…

"Horatio, I'm not going anywhere until I know you're not hurt," she said gently, her concern growing deeper by the second. What the hell was going on here?

He didn't move.

"Look, I heard glass breaking," she said carefully. "I thought you were in trouble…"

"The lamp…" he choked. "I… I threw my gun… it… broke…"

It took a couple of seconds for Calleigh to figure out what he was saying. And the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Threw his gun… Oh my God… Had he actually been considering… No. She didn't even want to think it.

All the alarm bells went off in her head. And no way was she leaving him alone now. But she had to get him calmed down, get him to talk to her. Whatever was slowly tearing him apart, whatever was tormenting him so, she was determined to help him.

"Horatio," she said softly. "Hey, it's OK." She reached out and put her hand gently on his shoulder. "It's OK."

He still didn't move, but she could feel his body lightly trembling under her hand.

"You know I just want to help you, right?" She asked gently, her voice almost a whisper. "I want you to let me. Please, Horatio. Please let me help you."

Slowly, he raised his head from between his arms, but his gaze stayed glued to the floor. His face was streaked with tears and his eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot. A look of utter despair was etched into his features. He was still breathing in short, ragged gasps. Calleigh had never seen anyone look so tortured and sad, much less the Horatio Caine that she knew.

"Please… Calleigh…" he pleaded, not even able to look at her. Completely ashamed of himself. "Don't… please don't… tell anyone…"

"I won't," she answered. It broke her heart to see him like this. "But you need to talk to me. OK? You need to tell me what's going on."

She reached out her hand and gently brushed back a few strands of his hair before softly laying her hand against his cheek. His reaction startled her. He gasped and closed his eyes, and immediately leaned heavily into her touch with what sounded like a soft whimper. Slowly, it dawned on her. When was the last time a woman had touched him?

Hoping she wasn't making the wrong move, she slowly got up and moved closer to him. Never breaking contact with him, she slipped her other arm around his shoulders and pulled him to her.

"Come here, Horatio," she whispered. "It's OK. C'mere."

She felt his trembling frame melt into her embrace. He leaned against her and wrapped both his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. He took a shaky deep breath and sighed heavily.

They stayed like that for some time, their arms wrapped around each other, Calleigh gently caressing him and whispering soft words. Eventually, he calmed down and his breathing started to return to normal.

Finally, Calleigh broke the gentle silence.

"Hey," she said sheepishly. "I think I should go see if I can find a way to close your front door. Then maybe we could sit down on the couch and talk. Would that be OK?"

Slowly, they unwrapped themselves from each other. Horatio sat up, his eyes still downcast, and quietly nodded.

They both knew that it was going to be a long night…