October 28, 08:00
"You two are looking suprisingly happy at eight in the morning. On a Wednesday." Frank said as Ryan and Calleigh entered the break room.
"That's because we have some good news." Ryan smiled.
"Oh my god! I know what it is!" Alexx exclaimed.
"Yeah, it is what you think." Calleigh chuckled.
"I know too." Natalia smiled, "It can only be one thing."
"Yes it is." Calleigh smiled.
"Am I the only one here that don't understand?" Eric asked.
"I'm pregnant." Calleigh smiled.
Frank, Eric and all the lab techs gaped at her. Alexx and Natalia shrieked of joy.
Then all the women embraced Calleigh in a hug. Valera tried to get into the group hug, but her big belly made it difficult for her to squeez in.
"Okay, woman with triplets, coming through! Make way!" Valera said and pushed everyone away to give Calleigh a hug.
"We have to buy clothes!" Alexx smiled, "I love buying baby clothes."
"Do you know how far you are?" Frank asked.
"No, not yet. My doctor's appointment is next week." Calleigh smiled
"Well, congratulations Cal." Eric smiled and hugged her.
"Thank Eric, thank you all."
"Yeah, congrats Calleigh." Frank smiled.
"Thanks Frank." Calleigh said, "Oh and we have already decided who we'd like as the godfather and godmother to our child."
"Yeah, and the godmother will be Natalia." Ryan smiled.
"And the godfather will be everybody's favorite human teddy bear, Frank." Calleigh smiled, "If you both want it of course."
"Really?" Frank asked.
Calleigh nodded.
"Thank you, I'd love to be the godfather." Frank smiled. Everybody could see how much it meant for him to be chosen as the godfather.
"And I'd love to be the godmother." Natalia smiled.
Ryan and Calleigh hadn't had any trouble deciding the godmother and godfather. Natalia and Frank was one of their best friends. And everybody knew that Frank was like an uncle to Calleigh.
"We're having a baby boom in our big family." Alexx grinned, "Elena, Valera and now Calleigh."
"That's five babies." Valera smiled.
-I-
"Sit Waldo. Sit, come on, sit." Horatio said. He was trying to train Waldo in sitting and lying down. He was holding some dog candy in his hand, but Waldo refused to sit. He wanted the candy, but he wasn't going to sit down for it.
"Come on Waldo, just sit will ya?" Horatio sighed, "Alright, Rascall, come here... sit, come on, sit."
Horatio's cell phone started ringing.
"Horatio." He answered.
"Hey, Horatio, it's Calleigh, can I come to your place for lunch today. I have something to tell you and I want to do it in person." Calleigh said on the other end.
"Sure Calleigh, no problem. Just don't bring a camera." He said.
Calleugh laughed.
"I promise I won't take a picture of ya."
"Good, I'll see ya at lunch then."
"Should I bring anything?"
"Nah, I'll cook something for you."
"Alright, see ya."
"Bye."
Horatio hung up and looked at Waldo and Rascall. They were about 18 weeks old, and so far they had been biting furniture, shoes, clothes and Horatio and Eric.
Though they were starting to learn not to do it.
"Please sit Waldo. Please." Horatio said, "Come on! Waldo, sit... okay, lay down then. You are never going to do it are ya?"
-I-
12:15
Calleigh tried not to laugh when she saw Horatio in the doorway. He really looked funny with all the red dots in his face, and on his arms.
"Oh god ahead and laugh." Horatio grinned.
"I'm sorry, but you do look funny." Calleigh laughed.
"Yeah, I know." Horatio chuckled, "I have Eric teasing me and laughing at me all the time."
"Well, you only have about twelve-ten days left of that." Calleigh grinned, "Hey Waldo and Rascall."
Calleigh bent down to pet the dogs.
"They're getting bigger and bigger." She smiled.
"Yeah, imagine when they're full grown." Horatio said, "I just made some pasta for lunch."
"Oh that's sound so great! I haven't eaten pasta in ages."
Horatio had prepared for lunch on the back porch.
"So, what are the news?" Horatio asked.
"Well, guess." Calleigh grinned.
"Hmm... you have bought a porsh?"
"No."
"You've beated Frank in poker?"
"No, but I wish." Calleigh chukled.
"Okay... you are... oh my, you're pregnant?"
"That is correct Lt." Calleigh smiled.
"Really? That's great!" Horatio smiled and gave Calleigh and hug and a kiss on the cheek, "Congratulations."
"Thanks. Yeah, it's great." Calleigh smiled.
"But you're having doubts?" Horatio asked. He knew that Calleigh was thinking alot about her pregnancy.
"No, or.. I don't know, I don't know if I'm ready." She said, "Or if I'll be a good mother."
"Calleigh, you'll be a great mother. And Ryan will be a great father." Horatio said, "You never have to worry about being a bad parent."
"Yeah, but I'm so afraid of getting depressed and push away my child. Or simply being too lazy to take care of him or her."
Horatio knew what it was about. She was afraid that she'd end up like her own parents. Her mother had never really had the energy to take care of Calleigh or care much about what she did. And her father had been too drunk to notice anything about his daughter.
Horatio mentally cursed at her parents, for treating their daughter like that.
"Calleigh, you're afraid of being like your parents, right?"
Calleigh nodded.
"Well, you won't be like them." He said, "I know that you are already so much unlike them. You take care of yourself and the people around you. And you know how to treat a child."
"Yeah, but I still have doubts." She said.
"But it will go away as soon as you see your baby." Horatio smiled, "I know that you're afraid of being what your parents are. But I know that it won't happen."
Calleigh smiled at Horatio.
"You're right." She said.
He gave her a smile.
"But you should talk to Ryan about this too." He said.
"I will tonight." She said, "And you should see him, he is so happy."
"That I don't doubt." Horatio smiled.
"And we've chosen Frank and Natalia as the godparents."
"Great choices. Frank must have been very touched by that." Horatio smiled.
"He was." Calleigh smiled.
-I-
14:30
The murderous robber had struck again. He had robbed another small bank, and shot two people. A man and a woman.
"911 call came in fifteen minutes ago." Eric said as Calleigh, Alexx, Natalia and Ryan approached the scene.
"Who are the victims?" Ryan asked.
"Stacey Heart and Adrian Bale." Eric said, "Placed next to each other. Only five peopled worked at this bank. Now they're only three left."
"Oh no." Alexx said as she kneeled down next to the bodies.
"What? Do you know the victims?" Calleigh asked.
"Don't you recognize Stacey?" Alexx asked.
They all looked a little closer and they did recognize her. Everybdy except Ryan and Natalia, who had never met Stacey Heart before.
"Who is she?" Ryan asked, "I've never met her."
"Well, Heart is her maiden name. She was married once. And then her last name was Tripp." Alexx said.
"This is Frank's ex-wife?" Natalia asked.
"Yeah, don't let Frank enter the scene. I'll talk him." Calleigh said.
"Are you sure?" Eric asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I think that I can keep him calm." Calleigh said.
"Frank should be here soon." Eric said.
Calleigh nodded.
"Well, they were both shot in the head." Alexx said, "TOD is an hour ago."
"So once again our guy spent one hour in the bank. He shoots Stacey and Bale first."
"Probably forced one of the to give him money." Ryan said.
"Yeah, the three employers who are left are all men." Eric said.
"You mean, he might not have raped them?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah, exactly. But we have to ask." Eric said.
"Eric you talk to the employers, Ryan and I process." Calleigh said.
Eric nodded and approached three men that were staning behind the crime scene tape.
"Hi, I'm Dt Delko. Can you tell me what happened?"
"Well, a guy in black clothes entered the bank. He started shouting and told us to get down on the floor in a half-circle." One of the men said.
"Alright, what are your names?" Eric asked.
"I'm Steven Hill, bank manager." The first man said.
"I'm Justin Baker and this is Freddy Holmes."
"Alright, did he wear a mask?"
"Yes, a black mask." Steven said.
"Did he um, cough?"
"What?" Justin asked, "Cough?"
"Yes, did he cough or clear his throat very much. Like something was wrong?"
"Well, yeah, a couple of times I guess." Justin said.
"What happened after he told you to sit in a half-circle?"
"Well, he told Stacey to give him all the money from the cash desks. Then he told her to stand infront of us." Freddy said.
"Then he shot her." Justin said.
"And that's when Adrian tried to attack him, but the guy knocked him down and shot him." Steven said.
"Did he drag him next to Stacey?" Eric asked.
"Yes." Steven said.
"Okay, did he do anything else?"
"Like what?" Steven asked.
"Were anyone of you raped?"
"What? No." Freddy said, "He just tied us up and walked around us for one hour."
"Okay, thank you very much." Eric said and left.
Calleigh noticed that Frank approached the scene. She quickly walked towards him.
"Frank, we need to talk." She said and dragged him away from the scene, to a more quiet place.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
"Yes, there was a man and a woman shot." She said, "And you know the woman very well."
"Really? Who is it?"
"Frank... it's Stacey."
Frank looked shocked at Calleigh. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
The mother of his daughters, and his greatest love was dead.
"No, you're lying." He said.
"Frank, I really wish I was."
"No, Calleigh, this is some sick joke. I don't believe you."
"Frank." Calleigh said.
"What am I going to tell my daughers?" He asked. Tears started falling down his cheeks.
"I don't know." Calleigh said, "I'm so sorry Frank."
Calleigh embraced Frank in a hug. Frank was a strong man, and he rarely cried. But now he let his tears fall. He didn't care who saw it.
-I-
18:00
The death of Stacey hit Frank and his daughters the hardest. But Alexx and Horatio were also very sad. They had known Stacey for many years.
Calleigh and Eric, had only met her once or twice. And Ryan and Natalia had never met her.
Horatio was sitting on the back porch. Silently grieving Stacey. Eric was holding him tightly.
"I'm sorry H." Eric said.
"Yeah, me too."
"I only met her once or twice." Eric said.
"Yeah, she prefered to be on her own or with her daughters." Horatio said, "She had some trouble meeting new people sometimes."
Eric nodded.
"Someone's at the door." He said and got up.
Eric opened the door and found Madeline, Frank's youngest daughter outside.
"Hi uncle Eric." She said and stepped inside.
She threw her arms around his neck and started crying.
Eric embraced her.
"Oh Madeline, I'm so sorry." Eric said.
"Daddy is so angry and sad. He's at home cursing and throwing thing at the walls." Madeline said.
Madeline let go of Eric and ran out to the back porch. She jumped up into Horatio's arms.
"You have to talk to Daddy." Madeline sobbed, "He's so confused, angry and sad. He says he doesn't know what to do."
"Oh sweetie, it's hard." Horatio said, "It's hard for all of you."
"I know. And my sisters are just at their homes. They won't anser the phone or the door."
"They won't let you inside their homes?" Eric asked.
"They're so sad. I don't think they understood that someone was knocking on the door or calling them." Madeline sobbed.
"It's okay sweetie, everything will be alright." Horatio said, "I'll go see how your father is doing."
"And tell him I love him." Madeline said.
"I will sweetie."
Horatio gave Madeline a kiss on the cheek and left the house.
"Can I stay here tonight?" Madeline asked Eric.
"Of course you can, are you hungry?"
"Yeah, I'd like some food."
"Pizza?"
"Yeah, thank you uncle Eric."
"Anytime kiddo." Eric said.
--
Horatio had been knocking and calling Frank for five minutes. He remembered that Frank had given him a key to his house years ago. So Horatio used it and went inside.
There were broken vases and photos everywhere. Everything was dark.
Horatio found Frank on the back porch.
"I know, Madeline is with you." Frank said when he saw Horatio.
"Yeah, and she's worried abut you."
"Yeah, I guess I must have scared her when I started throwing things around." Frank sighed.
"She tried calling her sisters, but they won't answer the phone or open their doors." Horatio said, "She's 15 years old Frank, and she's scared by her own father and her sisters won't let her in."
"I know. I'm sorry." Frank said.
"You shouldn't apologize to me." Horatio said, "But Madeline understand why you reacted the way you did. I think she's still in shock that her mother is gone. It hasn't really sunk in yet."
"I still shoudn't forget my daughter." Frank said, "That's unforgivable."
"Don't be too hard on yourself." Horatio said, "She's not mad at you. She told me to tell you that she loves you."
"But I still forgot about her." Frank said, "And she's my little girl."
"She might want to spend the night at mine and Eric's place." Horatio said.
"Yeah, it might be best for now. Just tonight at least. But I'll call her." Frank said.
"Okay. Goodnight Frank." Horatio said.
"Goodnight."
TBC...
AN: Please Please review!
