Chapter Three: Unease

Twenty minutes later, the two vehicles pulled up at a small house, just off the beach. Ryan stepped out of the medical van, and stared. He blinked, then looked at the two men emerging from the hummer. "This is Horatio's place?"

Frank snorted, coming over to open the door to the medical van. "Sure. What, you thought he lived at CSI or something?"

"No." Ryan shuffled, looking embarrassed. "It's just...it's a bit bigger than I thought. I always thought of Horatio as more of an apartment kind of guy." He studied the house. "I mean, he's single, he works most of the time, I've never heard of him having much of a social life outside of the office. It just seems...a little bigger than I expected."

Frank pulled the stretcher from the van and gently lowered it to the ground. Eric and Alexx steadied the sides. Lying motionless on the gurney, Horatio didn't even stir as the front wheels thumped gently onto the pavement. The detective sighed, brushed his hands off, and looked at the house. "It's because of Yelina."

"What?" Ryan blinked.

"Yelina." Frank met the younger CSI's gaze. "You know, his brother's wife. Horatio bought a house so he'd have somewhere comfortable for her, or Ray, or Ray Jr to stay if they needed. After a while, he got into the habit of using it as a safe house in an emergency too."

Eric blinked up at the house. "Yeah. Marisol mentioned it. She used to stay here sometimes."

Alexx sighed. "Can we discuss this later? If we leave him out here, he's gonna overheat again."

"Right." Eric stepped forward, pulling a key-chain from his pocket. He strode up the steps, then pulled a key from the bundle and turned it in the lock. He pushed the door open and stuck his head in the door. "Hallway's clear."

Frank and Alexx grabbed the sides of the gurney. Ryan followed behind. He frowned at his superior's still form. "Alexx...is he okay?"

Alexx shot him a look. "Of course not. But he isn't enough worse to panic, if that's what you're asking."

Moving carefully, the three of them pushed the stretcher up the walk, lifted it over the door-frame, and into the house. Frank gestured with his chin. "Horatio's room is in the back. Down the hall."

Eric and Alexx carefully steered the stretcher through the doorways. Ryan and Frank followed. Ryan looked around as they walked. One doorway opened to a living room, and a kitchen alcove off to one side. Another door had a guest bedroom, and another led to a small office and library. There was also a small guest bathroom to one side.

All of the rooms were neat, spare. The walls were painted in cool, or neutral colors. The furniture was comfortable looking, and clean. The living room had a couch, small table, and a chair, as well as a moderately sized TV. The kitchen was just far enough from spotless to look lived in, but it was still very clean, no food wrappers or empty coffee cups. The office was uncluttered, with a medium-sized desk. There were bookshelves everywhere, books and journals placed neatly on them. Ryan blinked. "This place is so organized."

"Yeah, well, you've seen his office. Did you think he'd be any different here?"

Ryan blinked. "There's practically nothing in his office."

"Yeah, well, it used to be that way here too, but Yelina kind of insisted he at least get furniture." Frank grinned. "She made him set this place up, but H picked his own stuff. Understand from her that it was quite an experience."

"I'll bet. At least he's got decent taste." Ryan looked into the bathroom, noting the clean tub and toilet, the towel folded neatly over the rack. "And his house-keeping skills are way better than mine."

Frank shrugged. "Don't know where he gets that." He gave the younger CSI a small, quirked grin. "He can actually cook too. Don't ask me how."

"Frank." Eric stuck his head out of the room at the end of the hall. "We could use your help in here."

"Coming. Come on Ryan." Frank gestured.

The bedroom was modestly sized, like everything else in the house. There were two doors to either side, one that opened partially to reveal a walk-in closet, the other that opened to reveal a nicely sized bathroom. The bed was a double, slightly rumpled, the first sign of untidiness in the place. There were two small bookshelves, a nightstand, and a three level chest-of-drawers. The rest of the room exhibited the same tidy lack of clutter as the rest of the house.

Frank looked at the ME tapping her foot, her arms folded and a no-nonsense expression on her face. "Let me guess, you want me to get him on the bed."

"You got it. Then you three can take care of getting him changed, while I unload the equipment from the stretcher." She put a hand carefully on Horatio's forehead, then checked his pulse. "He's still good for the moment. Anything happens to change that, you holler for me before you stop to take another breath. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." Frank stepped over and gently unwound the hospital sheets from Horatio's body. The CSI appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but he was warm to the touch. Frank looked up. "What's his temp?"

"Doctors got it down to 100.5, last I checked. Wouldn't go any lower without giving him chills." Alexx's eyes were dark with concern. "Be careful with his head Frank."

"You got it." Carefully, Frank lifted Horatio into his arms, making sure his head leaned against his shoulder as he straightened. "God, he looks like a kid. Last time I held someone like this, it was my ten year old daughter."

"Maybe I should take a picture. 'Unexpected Father and Son'." Eric chuckled, and Ryan coughed, unsuccessfully trying to choke back laughter. Even Alexx grinned.

"Not a chance." Frank shot the CSI a quick grin, then shifted and bent over to awkwardly lay the red-haired man on the bed. Horatio rolled into the sheets, limp as a rag, arms and legs dropping loosely across the mattress. Frank snorted. "Sleeps like a kid too." He looked up at the ME standing nearby. "We'll take it from here. Call you when he's ready, or if we need you."

"Good." Alexx nodded, then shoved the cart out of the room.

Ryan studied the still form. A frown appeared on his face. "Umm...so, who's going to undress him? And how, exactly? I mean...he's not really in a position to help."

Frank snorted. "Come on Wolfe. You can't tell me you never helped in autopsy, or took a jacket off a suspect or unconscious guy to make an ID."

"No, I have." Ryan shifted defensively. "It's just...it's never been someone I liked or respected. Hell, it's usually not even someone I know. And this...well, it's Horatio." He made a face, expressing discomfort, then gestured. "You wanna do it?"

Frank looked away, his expression uncomfortable, absently chewing the inside of his cheek.

Eric stepped forward. "I'll do it." He reached over, undid the shoes, and slipped them off Horatio's feet, repeating the procedure with the socks, unclipping Horatio's back-up weapon as he dud so. "Put these somewhere, will you?"

Ryan stared. "This doesn't bother you?" His voice was incredulous, and faintly disapproving. "You're stripping our boss, and it doesn't bother you."

Eric made a face. "H would do the same thing for me if he had to. Besides..." He swallowed, his hand stilling for a moment. "I used to have to help Marisol sometimes. If you want uncomfortable, try helping your adult sister undress sometime." He gave Ryan a brief grin. "Now that's embarrassing."

"I'll bet." Frank took the shoes, and socks, tossed the socks into a small basket. "He's got a laundry hamper somewhere. We'll figure it out later. Wolfe, help me find his sleep clothes."

"Sleep clothes?" Ryan's eyebrow went up. Most people he knew wore as little as they could get away with to bed. In Miami, the temperature was usually either hot or comfortable. But more than that, the idea of going through Horatio's clothing and personal things...

"Yeah, I know." Frank looked back at him, then sighed and looked away. "I know he wears them because I surprised him cooking breakfast in them once or twice." He glanced back at the younger man. "When he had a day off."

"I don't even wanna know." Ryan sighed. "So, what am I looking for? Pajamas?"

"Nah. Just sweats and a T-shirt, I think. Check the drawers over there." Frank gestured, then stepped into the closet.

Ryan pulled open the upper drawer. Socks. He pulled open the second drawer to find briefs, and shut it quickly. The third drawer... "Got it." He held up a pair of navy blue sweat pants, and a t-shirt.

Eric had pulled off Horatio's badge and gun and passed them to Frank, then emptied Horatio's pockets, and removed his belt. The medics had given him Horatio's jacket instead of putting it back on the CSI. That left his shirt and pants.

Carefully, Eric supported Horatio's head, then used his other hand to roll the older man onto his back. Then he shifted to the foot of the bed and reached up to undo the zipper and buttons. Horatio stirred slightly and Eric froze, waiting to see if the other man awakened. Horatio didn't open his eyes, and after a moment, he settled. Eric shifted his weight, then pulled gently on the waistband. As soon as the pants slipped downward, he moved his grip to the hemline, and pulled them the rest of the way off. He handed the clothing to Frank, then gestured. "Ryan, give me those."

"Sure." Ryan passed him the sweats. "You know, this is seriously weird, watching you do this."

Eric looked up. "I know. It feels seriously weird to be doing it. I mean..." He cracked a brief grin. "I'd prefer doing this to a girl."

"Yeah, yeah. We know. But right now, what's weird for me is seeing H in a suit shirt and his underwear. Not the best view on the planet, so if you could get on with it, Delko." Frank shuffled uncomfortably, though both CSI's saw the grin on the corner of his mouth.

"Right." Eric turned back. With gentle movements, he got the legs of the pants onto Horatio's body, and edged them upward until they were in place. Then he took Horatio's arm, and unsnapped the cuff buttons. He undid the other cuff, then began working his way down the buttons of the shirt. He was halfway down when he spotted something. He stopped.

"Something wrong?" Frank spoke softly. "Do I need to call Alexx?"

"I don't think so. It's just...there's something odd." Eric finished undoing the rest of the buttons, then brushed the fabric lightly, almost hesitantly aside. "Frank."

The homicide detective moved forward. Ryan did too. Eric looked up into Frank's face. "You know anything about this?"

"About what?" Frank blinked.

"About this." Eric pushed the shirt the rest of the way off, revealing Horatio's chest and abdomen.

"Sweet jesus." Frank swallowed. From the other side, Ryan made an involuntary noise of surprise.

Horatio's upper body was marked by scars. Low on his rib cage were a few that looked like old knife wounds. But...there were others. Light thin slashes, across his chest. Deeper, longer wounds as well, all old. Others on his shoulders. Frank swallowed again. Eric stared at the markings, his face twisted in a mix of shock, horror and pity. "This..." He stopped, uncertain what to say

"Yeah." Frank bit his lip, then looked up. "Did you check the rest of him?"

"Not yet." Eric slid the shirt off the thin shoulders, then down his arms. "Look at this. His arms too."

"Yeah." Ryan had come out of his shocked daze. He looked at Horatio's forearm. "These...they look like they were defensive."

"Explains a lot about the suits. He didn't want anyone to see these." Frank sighed. "Can you...lift him partially upright?"

"Yeah." Eric lifted Horatio's body gently, and slipped the shirt off onto the floor.

Frank's jaw clenched. "His back too. He's all marked up."

Ryan's jaw twitched in a mirror image. "So, what do we do?"

"I'll tell you what we do." Eric shifted his grip. "Wolfe, give me the shirt." Ryan handed him the cloth. Eric carefully slipped it onto Horatio's arms, then over his head. He settled the shirt, then laid the other man down. Then he stood and gently covered Horatio with a sheet and looked at the other two. "We leave this alone."

"Seriously?" Ryan stared at him. "Eric, you saw those scars."

"Yeah. I did. And I know H doesn't want anyone to see them." Eric met his colleague's gaze. "Whatever happened to him, this is H's business. If he hasn't told us about it...then we should probably respect that."

Frank folded his arms and exchanged a look with Ryan, then shrugged. "He's got a point." He looked back at the unconscious man. "He's been in Miami for over ten years, and he didn't get those here. And I never even guessed before today. He's made a lot of effort to hide that, whatever it is, and he's been doing it a while. That means it's personal. Really personal." He met Ryan's eyes again. "I'm gonna have to side with Eric on this one."

"Fine." Ryan ran a hand through his hair. "Do we tell the others?"

"Nope. Although...we might ask Yelina if she knows about it. See if there's anything we need to watch out for." Frank sighed again.

"I disagree. I think we need to warn them." Eric swallowed. "I don't mean tell them exactly, but warn them that there's something wrong." he glanced at Frank. "You know Calliegh and Natalia. How do you think they'll react if they see this?"

"They'll want answers." Frank made a face. "Right. We'll warn the others but keep this as low key as possible." He glanced back at Horatio's sleeping face again. "I sure as hell hope he doesn't go delirious on us. Otherwise, I get the feeling we're all gonna find out more than we want to know."

"I already have." Eric swallowed again, his expression strained. "We'd better call Alexx. She's probably chafing by now, wondering what's taking us so long."

"I'll get her." Frank stuck his head through the door. "Hey, Alexx."

"Finally." The ME stepped into the room, carrying a monitor, an IV bag and tubes. "I was just about to check on you guys. Honestly...it doesn't take that long."

"Maybe not for you." Eric grinned. "I don't undress bodies for a living. Besides...undressing H? That's just weird."

"Well, you got a point about that." Alexx strolled over, and brushed the red hair out of the unconscious man's eyes. "Horatio, honey?"

He didn't respond. Alexx sighed. "Still out cold. Well, makes my job a little easier." With brisk efficiency, she set up a cardiac monitor on the nightstand, plugged it in, and slipped the cuffs and clips onto Horatio's arm. At the feel of the pressure cuff on his arm, Horatio moaned and shifted, an abortive movement to draw away. Alexx laid a hand on his arm. "It's okay, Horatio. It's okay." The man stilled under her hand. Alexx frowned at the skin of his arm. "Did you see this?"

Eric saw that her fingers rested on one of the scars. "Yeah, we saw it Alexx." He took the ME's hand gently. "Look, H has a few scars, from before he came to Miami." He held Alexx's gaze. "We were going to tell the rest of the team so they wouldn't be surprised, but we think that it's something personal, so we planned to leave it alone."

"I hear you." Alexx nodded. "My lips are sealed." She glanced back at the sleeping man. "I just got one question. Is this why you wanted him out of the hospital?"

Eric sighed. "No. Honestly, Alexx, none of us knew about this until a few minutes ago. Could be nothing...or it could be tied to why he has nightmares."

Alexx met his eyes. "There's something you aren't telling me."

Eric sighed again, a small smile touching his features. "Sometimes, you are way too perceptive."

"It's my job. Out with it." Alexx folded her arms.

"The injuries are pretty extensive." Eric shifted, the brief flash of humor dying out of his eyes. "Look...I don't know what happened, but...whatever it was, it was probably pretty bad. I don't want to push H too much, and I don't want to take advantage of his illness to find out things he'd rather not tell us. That's all. But if he gets delirious..."

"I know, Eric honey." Alexx patted his face. "I'll do the best I can. You want me to warn Calliegh and the others?"

"Yeah. If you can, that would be great." Eric let a small grin lift one corner of his mouth. "Thanks Alexx."

"For you and Horatio, baby, anything I can do." She glanced back at the patient. "I'm gonna finish hooking him up, and then I'll get back to the lab, finish up my work. Don't forget, you've still got his case to solve too."

"Right." Eric grinned. He glanced his sleeping boss. Then he frowned thoughtfully, remembering something Marisol had told him. "Hey, were you gonna run an IV?" His sister had told him when Horatio started accompanying her to the chemo sessions. She'd also mentioned that she liked having him there, but she found it amusing that he always left or looked away when they put the needle in her arm.

"Unless you got a better idea on how to keep him hydrated." Alexx looked at him.

"Why don't you let me try something I used to do with Marisol. Might be a little easier for him." He glanced up at the ME with a smile. "Marisol told me once, H doesn't like needles. And we're supposed to be keeping him as comfortable as possible, right?"

"Whatever you say." Alexx shrugged. She finished setting up the scanner, then pulled the pillows, rearranging them until Horatio was propped up, rather than lying flat. She pulled out a syringe, tapped it, then injected the contents into Horatio's shoulder. "That should hold him for his medication until morning." She glanced at the clock, then turned back to Eric. "Better show me what you were planning to do about the liquid situation."

Eric nodded, then looked up at Frank. "Do you know where H keeps his cups and spoons?"

"Sure." Frank disappeared, then returned with a cup full of water, and a spoon. "Here."

Eric settled on the edge of the bed, then slid his arm carefully under Horatio's shoulders and neck, lifting him slightly. His hand came around, and gently eased his superior's mouth open. Then he dipped a spoonful of water from the cup, set it carefully to Horatio's lips, and tipped the liquid in, rubbing the man's throat gently. Horatio swallowed convulsively. Eric repeated the procedure until Horatio shifted restlessly away from the spoon, coughing lightly. He glanced at the cup. About half the water was gone. He looked up. "Think that will do?"

"Yeah. But you've got to repeat it every half an hour for it to be effective." Alexx held his gaze.

"We will." Eric nodded.

"All right." Alexx packed up the equipment bags she hadn't used. "I'm gonna take the medical van back to the hospital, then Calliegh can pick me up. I have work to finish. You boys remember the rules. Keep him quiet, keep him as cool as possible, keep him hydrated. And if anything happens, call me."

"We got it." Tripp nodded.

"Good enough." Alexx turned and left, leaving the three men to their vigil.