Heartache Turns to Joy

Chapter 3

After finishing dinner, Horatio and Calleigh enjoyed an evening walk on the beach. The cool April wind blew off the water, causing her to press herself closer to Horatio.

"Sweetheart, you're cold," they stopped long enough for him to take off his coat and wrap it around her shoulders before hugging her close so she could gain extra warmth from his body.

"Thanks Handsome, the coat, plus your body heat feel so good," she responded snuggling closer to him.

"Are you going to tell me what you found out this evening from your meeting?"

Horatio turned his head and kissed the side of her head as he began, "Tiago Santos is the Miami connection in the arms trafficking to Rio."

"Why does that name ring a bell?"

"He was a suspect in a murder about 3 years ago in Coral Gables…"

"Yeah, now I remember. We never could get enough clear evidence to satisfy the state attorney to pursue him on the charge."

Horatio grunted, "One of hundreds, if not thousands that manage to slip through the cracks. You know, I love being able to talk to you about what's going on at work. It helps me."

She turned and looked up at his face, just able to make out the outline of his features in the moonlight and answered, "I'm glad it helps you. You know you can talk to me about anything, don't you?"

"I do, and I will unless it puts you in jeopardy knowing the information…that's where I draw the line."

"Like this evening, not telling me who you were meeting with or where?"

"That's right."

Later that night as they lay in bed holding each other, Horatio couldn't stop thinking of how he was going to get Santos and stop the arms trafficking or at the very least, hinder the activity.

"Horatio…I can feel the tension radiating from you. You're thinking about Santos, aren't you?"

Horatio chuckled, "Sorry Cal, I was."

"Try to relax and go to sleep…it'll all work out."

He turned and kissed her sweetly, "Thank you Sweetheart."

"For what Handsome?"

"For being here with me, I love you."

"I love you too, now rest!" she replied with a smile then kissed him.

The rest of the week flew by, between call-outs, Horatio and the team gathered all the information they could find on Santos. Then Friday afternoon, Horatio joined the team on a call-out, Calleigh of course stayed at the lab.

Arriving at the scene, he exited his Hummer and walked toward the dead body that was lying on the concrete sidewalk next to Biscayne Bay. Frank saw Horatio approaching and turned to greet his friend when suddenly Eric called to Horatio from a few feet away about some evidence he found; Horatio stopped and turned in Eric's direction. As he did so, Horatio heard a psssft sound near his head, as a hanging flower pot close to him, exploded causing him to immediately fall prone on the pavement for protection.

Horatio screamed, "EVERYBODY DOWN…SNIPER," as he scrambled to get himself behind a concrete wall, dodging a bullet that hit the top of the wall, showering him with tiny bits of concrete.

Frank screamed, "You ok Horatio?"

Horatio yelled back, "I'm ok. Did anybody get eyes on the shooter?"

Eric yelled out he saw the flash come from condo building rooftop across the street. No more shots were fired so Horatio moved down the wall to another spot before taking a chance and raising his head to scan the area. He paid close attention to the direction Eric saw the flash, but couldn't see anything before quickly ducking down avoiding another bullet.

"SWAT's on their way," Frank yelled.

Horatio thought he'd change places to get a better view, so he ran to what looked to be a storage building for the marina. As soon as he was partially behind the structure, another bullet struck the corner a split second after he passed it. Leaning against the wall, he concentrated on catching his breath.

Within two minutes the SWAT van pulled up and armored officers poured out the back heading in the direction of the building. Sirens were screaming everywhere as more patrol cars arrived. SWAT officers were running toward the front of the building as others were going around each side to the rear.

In less than ten minutes the SWAT Commander shouted, "AREA CLEAR." One by one the CSI's emerged from their cover. Horatio quickly made his way to the SWAT Commander and he learned the shooter was captured two blocks away by patrol officers approaching the scene as he parachuted from the roof, down to the street below attempting to elude police. Horatio shook his head in disbelief and thanked the Commander for the help of his team. Then he requested the casings found on the roof so Calleigh could process them.

Ryan and Eric walked up to Horatio while Ryan spouted, "It's the Brazilians doing this isn't H? Another group ruining Miami…."

Horatio quickly spun around and growled, "Mr. Wolfe, I don't ever want to hear you make a comment like that again. Brazilians are good people and the majority of them make positive contributions to this city…just like any group, they have their bad apples."

"Sorry H, I was out of line with that comment. It's just so frustrating to watch what's going on lately in this city."

Horatio stood straighter, placing his hands on his hips and agreed, sadly.

As Frank approached Horatio, the big man asked, "What in the hell was that all about Horatio?"

"I'm afraid it was about me," Horatio replied as he looked at Frank. Frank just stared back at his friend wondering what was going on.

Horatio turned and walked over to the dead body they had found, but stopped in his tracks when he saw the purple shirt on the male victim. Stepping closer, he could make out it was Roberto, even though he'd been in the water for several days.

Frank and Eric were standing beside him as Horatio quietly said, "I know who our victim is…its Roberto Hernandez. I talked with him a few days ago in fact, he's the one that gave Santos up."

Eric spoke up, "The pimp?"

Horatio shook his head implying 'yes' as Eric said, "Good riddance in my opinion."

Quietly Horatio answered, "He wasn't much of a man, but he didn't deserve to die with a bullet hole in the back of his head and then end up in the bay."

"Eric, would you mind riding back with Ryan and Natalia? I have to go see about something."

"Sure H, no problem." Eric watched as Horatio walked toward his Hummer wondering where he was going.

Horatio had a good idea where he could find Santos and he headed back to Biscayne Point. He had called Calleigh and assured her he was alright just as all the team was and that he would be back at the lab later, there was something he needed to do before coming in.

Turning down a narrow street in the community, he was half way down the block when a large SUV pulled out of one of the side streets, effectively blocking the Hummer. Horatio realized immediately what was happening and he threw his vehicle in reverse, only to find a similar SUV blocking him from the rear. He was unclipping his weapon from his belt when suddenly the driver's door was jerked open and a huge muscular man reached in and dragged him from the Hummer.

"What the hell," Horatio exclaimed as he was slammed against the side of the Hummer by the man holding one of his arms and another joined in and grabbed his other. Horatio struggled, but could not escape their strong grasp.

A third man walked up to face him asking, "Seems you turned down the wrong street Lieutenant." Horatio glanced around and saw people who were out on the sidewalks, scurrying to get out of sight.

"Why do you say that?" Horatio asked sarcastically.

"For one thing, you're not welcomed in this neighborhood. Whenever people talk to you, they end up dead. Just why are you here, Caine?"

"I want to talk to Santos. My business is with him."

The man began laughing heartily and finally replied, "You want to talk to Santos. Well, he doesn't talk to cops…at least not voluntarily, but he sent me to teach you a lesson about coming into our community and harassing residents."

"Is that so?" Horatio replied sharply.

Horatio had just gotten the words out before the man's fist slammed into his face, whipping his head to one side. The man then landed a few hard punches to his midsection, causing Horatio's legs to cave, but the two big men pulled him upright. Another hard blow hit on the opposite side of his face and Horatio actually thought he was losing consciousness until a hand grabbed his hair, jerking his head back so hard, pain shot down his spine.

"Hold him still," the man's voice growled. Then Horatio felt the burn of the alcohol as it was poured down his throat, causing him to gag and he began choking from the large amount filling his throat and mouth. His head was released, allowing him hang his head forward to catch his breath and spit out some of the whiskey before his head was jerked back again repeating the process. His head was released again and the rest of the whiskey was poured down his shirt and pants.

Then they put him back in the driver's seat of the Hummer and told him to leave. Horatio gripped the steering wheel as everything was spinning. I've got to get out of here. The men and SUVs had left to allow Horatio to complete their plan. Starting the Hummer, Horatio tried to focus on the street ahead, but was finding it difficult. He made it out to the main thoroughfare back to downtown, but was weaving badly in the lanes when two officers with the Florida Highway Patrol spotted the Hummer and began attempting to stop it.

Horatio heard the siren and saw the flashing lights, unaware they were directed toward him. All he could think about was go and make sure Calleigh was safe. He narrowly missed hitting two cars as he cut in front of them to exit off the freeway, headed for a city street that he thought would take him back to the lab. The officers had enlisted another car to assist in stopping the Hummer, the second car was the Sargent for the shift.

Sargent Meadows instantly recognized the Hummer and wondered what was going on. They got the vehicle stopped and Meadows walked toward the driver's door, and noticed it was Lieutenant Horatio Caine. He tapped on the window and saw the Lieutenant looked unstable thinking he was sick or injured in some way, the Sargent opened the door and the smell of whiskey immediately overpowered him.

"Lieutenant Caine, Sir are you having a problem?"

Horatio rolled his head around and attempted to focus on the voice, but slumped over the steering wheel and mumbled, "I…didn't…do…this."

Sargent Meadows turned to the two patrol officers standing behind him and asked for their help in getting the redhead out of the vehicle. Horatio was semi-conscious and asked for Calleigh over and over. The men loaded Horatio in a patrol car and began the trip to Troop E district headquarters.

Sargent Meadows took out his cell phone and called an old friend at the crime lab, Frank Tripp.

"Tripp," was the curt answer on the other end.

"Frank, this is Butch Meadows…"

"What can I do for ya Butch?"

"I've got a problem. I have your Lieutenant Caine in my car…we just picked him up DUI."

Silence consumed the other end until Frank managed to say, "DUI…Horatio Caine doesn't drink!"

"Well, it appears he has this evening."

"Thanks Butch, I'll be right there. You taking him to district?"

"Yes."

Frank hung up and quickly made his way down to the ballistics lab. After hearing what Frank said about Horatio, Calleigh was in shock.

"What's going on Frank?"

"Hell if I know Cal. This isn't like H. We both know he wouldn't do anything like this."

"We'd better get over to the highway patrol office and see about him," she said as she gathered her bag.

As Frank and Calleigh arrived, they saw flashing red lights from an ambulance backed up to the front of the building. They got out of the car and began walking toward the same entrance and met the paramedics rolling someone out on a gurney.

Calleigh looked closely at the gurney and saw Horatio's red hair. "WHAT"S going on here? That's my husband!"

Sargent Meadows saw Frank and the blonde woman talking to the paramedics and walked out to explain.

"Butch what is going on here?"

"Frank, we were processing the Lieutenant when he suddenly began gasping for air and collapsed on the floor. They're taking him to Miami-Dade to find out what's wrong."

"Butch, this is Lieutenant Caine's wife Calleigh. She needs to go with Horatio to the hospital. I'll stay and try to get this sorted out."

Calleigh reached over and brushed some hair back from Horatio's face causing him to open his eyes, but he couldn't talk as they had strapped an oxygen mask over his mouth. She grasped his hand and felt him squeeze it as she began walking beside the gurney to the waiting ambulance. During the 10 minute ride Calleigh asked if they had any idea what was wrong and the paramedic monitoring Horatio's vital signs told her it seemed like he had aspirated on something, perhaps the alcohol. Calleigh was growing more alarmed as Horatio seemed to be having greater difficulty breathing.

Horatio had been in the trauma room for 30 minutes when a young, tall dark haired doctor walked up to her asking, "Mrs. Caine? I'm Dr. Mike Davenport."

"Hi doctor, how is my husband?"

"He'll be fine. He aspirated, which means in his case, some liquid got down in his lungs, impeding their function capability. His oxygen levels dropped, but he's doing a lot better, now that we have him on supplemental oxygen. I will release him in a few hours; he should be fine. Mrs. Caine, the alcohol was forced down him…can you tell me how it happened?"

"I have no clue as to what happened doctor. He's working on a case…it could be related to that I suppose."

"Well, my report will show it was not self-induced and that should help him with his job."

"Thank you doctor."

"Oh, and I also cleaned the contusions on his face and none of them required stitches, but he has significant bruising of his stomach area. Just keep an eye on him for a couple of days."

Calleigh smiled, "Easier said than done. Can I see him?"

"Sure, c'mon, I'll take you back."

Horatio saw Calleigh walk in and he smiled. He no longer required the oxygen mask, the nose cannula was all he needed.

"I'm so sorry Calleigh," he softly said as he reached his hand out to her.

"There's nothing to be sorry for Horatio…the doctor said it was obvious the alcohol was forced down your throat." She squeezed his hand, then leaned over and kissed him.

"When can I get out of here…did the doctor say?"

"He said you could leave in a few hours…you don't need to stay overnight."

"That's a relief. I just want to go home and hold you in my arms," he whispered.

She smiled tenderly at him, "You can count on that Handsome. Nurse Calleigh will be on duty!" Horatio smiled.

Just then the door to Horatio's room flew open and Sargent Johnson from IAB walked in with a smug look on his face as he said with authority, "Lieutenant Horatio Caine, you're under arrest for DUI and conduct unbecoming a police officer. You are hereby suspended from duty pending a review."

TBC…