Chapter 4
Ryan was first to sprint after him, then Zoë with Horatio following them. All 3 of them pulled their weapons and continued to run. Ryan quickly caught up with him, as Zoë briskly caught up with Ryan, leaving Horatio behind a little.
"Sir, I suggest you stop or we will shoot." Zoë shouted.
They turned the corner on the street and sprinted down there. Ryan closed in on him with Zoë close and Horatio further back.
Ryan caught him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him back.
"You're in trouble now." Ryan growled as Zoë caught up with them and put her gun away as she handed Ryan her cuffs. Ryan immediately called it in and notified the patrol officers to come and get him. Horatio reached them as he put his gun away. Ryan turned to face Horatio and Zoë, in the process, turning the suspect so he eyed Horatio up. Horatio placed two hands on his hips, racking his brains, trying to think if he knew the suspect. He studied his dirty clothes, the man clearly had a problem with hygiene. Horatio noticed that there was more blood on the man than they first thought, it was clear that he'd not changed in days. The man stared at Horatio, almost as if he was in a daze.
"The bastard" the man mumbled, then mumbled the same two words over and over.
"Sir, what were you doing at the crime scene and can you explain the blood on your shirt?" Zoë questioned. Horatio very gently backed Zoë off and placed himself between her and the suspect.
"The bastard" the man mumbled again.
"Sir, can you answer me?" Zoë asked and the man looked down from Horatio and at his badge.
"Horatio, I think he has some sort of mental health issue." Zoë whispered as she stepped closer to Horatio when she saw the man become detached. Horatio nodded and then studied the man more. 'I do know this man, his name is Kevin Storm.' Horatio recognised the aged man.
"Kevin Storm?" Horatio asked and the man immediately looked up at Horatio.
"The bastard! Don't think you're getting away Horatio, your father didn't finish his desires. He sent me to finish them off! I will get you! He talks to me, he tells me to do things. You don't deserve to live, you should be dead!" The suspect growled. Zoë's blood was boiling, she stepped forwards and whacked him forcefully, she couldn't help herself, but she wasn't going to have anyone threat Horatio. The man fell, but Ryan held him up, shocked. The man seemed to become detached again as he relaxed and then began to talk to himself, quietly and incoherently. Ryan pulled him away from both Zoë and Horatio.
"He suffers with schizophrenia, he must not be taking his medication." Horatio said to Ryan and Ryan gave him a nod. Horatio turned to Zoë as he knew she was about to ask how he knew this man.
Zoë turned around, and looked at a point in the middle of the road, she became increasingly breathless and Horatio turned with her, with their backs to the suspect.
"Where's your inhaler?" Horatio questioned when he noticed her breathing had changed. She didn't respond to him as she stared at the road. He watched her face drain of its colour again and he grew worried and began panicking.
"Zoë?" Horatio questioned as he placed his hand on her back, knowing touch usually brought her back to reality.
"Where's your inhaler, Zoë?" Horatio questioned as he stepped forwards and turned, raising both hands to her jacket. He reached into her inside pockets, he couldn't feel her inhaler. She didn't even react to him, she just continuously stared at the road. Horatio pulled out his phone and dialled for Eric.
"Eric, I need you to bring Zoë's hummer around the corner, now please." Horatio said as a few patrol officers jogged up the street. 'Her inhaler will be in there.' Horatio thought to himself. He placed his hand on her arm as he studied her face. 'This isn't a blackout.' He thought to himself. Patrol quickly took the man from Ryan and walked him back down the street after Ryan had a few words with them.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Horatio questioned, he could see that this was something more than her just having difficulty breathing. She looked around to the path, as if she was following something with her eyes. She looked right through Horatio. Ryan approached, he also saw something very wrong with Zoë and the panic in Horatio's eyes. He placed his hand on her back as he walked around and stood next to Horatio, in front of her. She stepped back from the both of them.
"Zoë, sweetheart?" Horatio questioned, unsure of what was going on. She turned around, again as if she was following something with her eyes and tilted her head. She took a few steps away from them, further down the path.
"Zoë, sweetheart? What's wrong?" Horatio asked, unsure of what was going on with her but knew she needed her space. He didn't want to stress her out and pulled Ryan back as he began to approach her.
"Give her space." Horatio said quietly, as he saw Zoë in her own world. They both saw her breathing worsen, but neither heard her wheezing. 'She doesn't always wheeze when she has an attack though.´ Horatio thought to himself. They watched Zoë raise a hand to her chest before taking another step.
"Sweetheart?" Horatio questioned, extremely worried, fearing her asthma was quickly worsening.
They both witnessed her reach out into thin air before her body fell to the floor.
"Zoë!" Both Horatio and Ryan shouted as they ran over to her, they both fell to their knees either side of her. Both of them rolled her onto her back and saw her ghostly pale face.
"Zoë?!" Horatio called loudly as he placed two fingers on her neck as Ryan took a hold of her wrist.
"She has no pulse." Horatio raised his voice as his heart began to pound in his chest. Ryan confirmed when he didn't feel a pulse. Horatio immediately moved her head and bent over her, he sealed his mouth over hers and gave her a rescue breath. Ryan pulled his phone out and ordered for an ambulance and Alexx. Horatio moved down to her chest and found the right position and began chest compressions as Ryan hung up. He then looked up as Eric turned up in the hummer. He quickly exited the hummer and rushed over to them after seeing Horatio performing chest compressions.
"Get her first aid kit, Ryan!" Horatio yelled frantically, pushing hard and fast on her chest. Both Ryan and Eric sprinted to the back of the hummer and pulled her first aid kit, then rushed back to Horatio.
"Unbutton her shirt." Horatio ordered as he took her pulse, he felt nothing and bent over to begin mouth to mouth again as both Ryan and Eric knelt and unbuttoned her shirt, they then pulled it apart. They watched her chest fall as Horatio's breath escaped her lungs.
"Ryan, chest compressions" Horatio ordered as he pulled her first aid kit closer to him and pulled out the small AED. Ryan placed his hands over her chest and began compressions.
"Eric, pulse" Horatio ordered as Ryan pulled away, giving Horatio the chance to attach the AED pads. He let it charge up as he sealed his mouth over hers as he pinched her nose closed and gave her two more rescue breaths.
"Still no pulse" Eric said as he removed his hand from her wrist. Horatio sat back up and watched her chest fall.
"Stay clear" Horatio said as he picked up the small machine. Both Ryan and Eric made sure they were clear and Horatio hesitantly pressed the shock button and they all witnessed her body jolt. Horatio placed two fingers back on her neck. Ryan saw Alexx turn the corner, hurriedly. Once Alexx saw the severity of the situation she began to run. Horatio began mouth-to-mouth again as Alexx reached them.
"What happened?" She asked frantically when she saw the AED attached, she fell to her knees and placed two fingers on Zoë's neck as Horatio gave her the last rescue breath.
"She just arrested." Ryan said, horrified.
"Stand back" Alexx ordered as she took hold of the AED and shocked Zoë. She quickly took her pulse when it was safe to and concentrated.
"She's got a pulse." Alexx said as she pulled a stethoscope from Zoë's bag and listened to her chest.
"Well done beautiful, you're going to be okay, we're going to get you to hospital." Horatio said softly with his face close to hers, stroking her hair with his heart still pounding. Ryan sat back on his knees and exhaled a long breath, relieved. He looked down her body and took a double take of her stomach when he saw a part of the scar from when she lost Maya. He swallowed and felt incredibly bad that she had to live with that reminder.
"Horatio, I need you to move back just a little please." Alexx asked softly as she leant over Zoë and opened her mouth wider, completely clearing her airways. Horatio leaned back a little, still with his hand in her hair. Alexx opened Zoë's eyes and checked her pupils.
"Zoë, I don't know if you can hear me honey, but you're going to go to hospital, you're going to be okay baby girl." Alexx said softly as she made her hand into a fist and then rubbed her sternum. Zoë let out a small moan.
"Well done sweetheart" Horatio praised her, happy to hear her making some sort of noise. 'I could have lost her, she was nearly gone. I nearly lost her after we had an argument… well, not an argument, a disagreement. I don't think I can ever disagree with her again. What if I did and something like this happened again and I wasn't so lucky in getting her back? I'd never get to clear it up with her or apologise to her.' Horatio thought to himself. Zoë began to move a little as she turned her head. Alexx quickly pulled her shirt closed over her as Horatio pulled his jacket off and placed it over her.
"It's okay sweetheart, you're okay." Horatio said softly. She swallowed and began to open her eyes, she looked up at Horatio, squinting. She swallowed and let out a small moan.
"It's okay sweetheart, it's Horatio, you're going to be alright." He said warmly as he ran a hand through her hair, making eye contact with her. Ryan had placed his hand on her arm while Eric had placed his on her leg. They were all comforted by her touch and that she was back with them.
"Zoë, can you hear me honey?" Alexx asked softly as she leant over, closer to Horatio. Zoë looked over at her and nodded.
"What happened?" Zoë asked dryly as she lifted her left hand and placed it on her chest, unsure of what sensation she was getting.
"You arrested baby, an ambulance is on its way. You're going to need to go to hospital and I suspect that you'll need a pacemaker fitted." Alexx said softly, as she placed her hand over Zoë's. Zoë took a deep breath.
"I saw Josh" Zoë mumbled as she looked up at Horatio. Horatio exhaled and looked down at her softly, running his hand through her hair. He was unsure of his feelings, he felt happy, scared and confused all at once.
"You should have said something was wrong, did you feel anything before?" Horatio questioned.
"I don't know, all I remember is Josh was in the road, then he moved over to the path." Zoë murmured. Horatio took a deep breath, realising that was what she was staring at.
"You should have said you were seeing him sweetheart, have you been seeing him more, lately?" Horatio questioned, thinking that she had been seeing him each time she switched off and seemed to look at a fixed point. She nodded at him. She reached up and placed her hand on his neck and weakly pulled him down, closer.
"He said that Maya's okay and happy." She whispered weakly in his ear. Horatio pulled back a little and looked down into her bright brown eyes and swallowed a little. He placed a hand on the side of her face and nodded.
They heard the siren of the ambulance in the distance and only hoped it was the ambulance for Zoë.
She let out a small low moan as she let go of Horatio's head and placed her hand over her chest.
"Zoë, sweetheart?" Horatio questioned when he saw her in discomfort. Alexx immediately placed her hand on Zoë's wrist and took her pulse and looked down at the AED screen.
"My chest" she babbled as her jaw tightened.
"Okay baby, try and stay calm for me. Try and take a long deep breath." Alexx said as she removed her hand from Zoë's wrist as Horatio took hold of her hand as she became breathless again. Zoë turned her head and her eyes focussed on another point.
"Josh, I can't go" she mumbled as Alexx raised her voice. "She's in VF, get back."
Zoë's body became limp as her eyes glazed over and the colour drained from her skin, making her look deathly pale.
"Zoë?!" Horatio called loudly as he turned her head.
"Horatio! Back off! Don't touch her." Alexx ordered, she was just about to shock her when Horatio placed his hand on her. Horatio looked up at Alexx and backed off. They watched her body jolt and all looked to the AED monitor to see a steady heartbeat returning.
"Well done baby, you keep fighting for us." Alexx said as she took hold of Zoë's hand as Horatio ran his hand through her hair again. She let out another small whimper as she turned her head towards Horatio.
He placed his other hand on her shoulder. Eric stood when he saw the ambulance turn onto the road with the lights flashing. Zoë opened her eyes and looked at one of Horatio's knees, looking a little confused and dazed. Horatio tenderly pulled her hair out of her face and she looked up at him. They heard the slam of the ambulance doors as the crew of 3 got out and made their way over with Eric as he gave them the details.
"It's okay sweetheart." Horatio said softly.
"Ring Nathan" Horatio said quietly to Ryan who climbed to his feet as he pulled out his phone.
"Okay Zoë, how are you feeling?" One of the paramedics asked as they crouched where Ryan had been. Zoë looked over to him and studied him a little. He was a young male, around 28-29 years of age, black hair and a small amount of stubble with light brown eyes.
"I'm okay" Zoë replied weakly as she lifted one of her knees.
"Okay sugar, we're going to check you over okay? Try and stay still for us." He said softly as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She nodded at him and looked round to Horatio.
"It's okay sweetheart, there's nothing to worry about." Horatio assured her softly. She looked over to Alexx as she let go of her hand, letting another paramedic take her place as the trainee paramedic crouched beside the young male.
"Okay Zoë, we're going to take this jacket off you, okay?" The older, balding paramedic said and she nodded at him. He pulled the jacket off her and pulled her shirt apart.
"Do you mind if we use our ECG machine?" The balding man asked and she shook her head and he pulled the two wires from her chest.
"I'm going to let our trainee attach the ECG okay? Don't worry, he knows how to do it." The balding man said as the younger dark haired male took her pulse and counted her breaths, writing things down on the sheet they had to fill in. Zoë nodded and then looked up at Horatio. He continued to play with her hair as Alexx watched the crew like a hawk, mainly the trainee, making sure he didn't screw up. The ECG was attached and they had begun the rest of their investigations. Ryan walked over with Eric and stood by Alexx, watching the crew with Zoë.
"Alexx, what happened exactly?" Eric asked, unsure as he wasn't fully aware of the problem.
"She went into VF, which is Ventricular Fibrillation, a dangerous heart arrhythmia which ultimately led to cardiac arrest." Alexx said smoothly, looking round to Eric.
"But she's young and healthy, how? Why?" Eric questioned.
"Nathan doesn't exactly know, but he thinks it's to do with the toxin that she was poisoned with a while back." Alexx said softly and Eric nodded.
"Is she going to be alright?" Ryan asked Alexx, looking worried.
"She'll be fine, they'll probably fit her with a pacemaker, to prevent the arrhythmia and stop her from arresting." Alexx said as she placed her hand on Ryan's arm, seeing how worried he was.
"Okay Zoë, we're going to get you into the ambulance now and we're going to take you to the hospital, they're going to sort you out sugar." The young male said softly as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Okay" Zoë said softly as she placed her hand over Horatio's on her shoulder.
"Do you want to grab the trolley, please?" The young male said to the trainee and the trainee nodded.
"I'll walk, the ambulance is only there." Zoë said as she looked at him, then over to the ambulance.
"Are you sure you can manage it?" The young male asked as he looked at Zoë.
"Yes" Zoë replied as she nodded.
"Okay, well I'm going to take these wires off you first in that case and then we'll help you up, okay?" The young man said and she nodded at him. He reached over and pulled the leads from her chest. Zoë immediately let go of Horatio's hand and did as many buttons up as she could.
"We'll be undoing your shirt again in a moment." The balding man said as he looked back round to Zoë after calling the trainee back, saying that they didn't need the trolley.
"Yes, well, I don't want to walk to the ambulance flashing everyone in the street, do I?" Zoë said sarcastically. Both Horatio and the young male tried to hide a smile. The young man looked up at the older balding man and chuckled a little. The older man nodded and also had a smile himself.
"Okay sugar we're going to help you up, slowly. You need to tell us if you need to sit back down or if you have any odd sensations in your chest, okay?" The young man asked. Zoë nodded and both the paramedics helped Zoë to sit up. They then helped her to her feet as she looked around to Horatio.
"Don't worry sweetheart, I'm right behind you." Horatio assured her as Alexx, Ryan and Eric all gave her a small smile as she gave them one back.
The older male let go of her as the younger one took a firmer grip of her as he helped her into the ambulance.
"Are you travelling alone?" He asked as he sat Zoë on the bed and she looked up at Horatio.
"No she's not." Horatio said as he hopped into the ambulance. She gave him a relieved expression and small smile.
"Are you family?" He questioned softly as he began to reattach the ECG leads while the trainee hopped in and sat quietly on the seat, observing.
"Engaged" Zoë replied, proudly. The younger man turned back to Zoë and gave her a smile.
"Congratulations" he said softly as he pulled her shirt closed a little and looked up at the ECG monitor to make sure the leads were in the right places and it was recording. He then placed the pulse oximeter on her finger.
"Hey, keep us updated, I'll pop over later after we're finished here." Ryan said as the 3 of them appeared at the back of the ambulance.
"We will." Zoë said softly.
"Thank you all" Horatio said sincerely. They all gave them both a nod and walked away.
"Do you have any other medical conditions?" The young man questioned and she remained silent as she looked out the back of the ambulance.
"She has asthma and speaking of which, I'm going to get your bag, okay? I'll be right back." Horatio said softly and then got up as he quickly placed his hand on her leg. She nodded at him and he quickly made an exit.
"How are you feeling?" The young male asked as he sat down, writing down her obs.
"Alright, I don't think there's any need to go to the hospital." She said looking over to him.
"Your heart has stopped twice, I think you need to go to hospital." The young man raised an eyebrow.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" She questioned, lowering her eyebrows at him.
"I vaguely recognise you." She added and he looked at her.
"I don't know" he said honestly, looking back at her. Horatio got back and saw Zoë thinking.
"Where did you go to school?" She questioned.
"New York" he replied, as Horatio sat back down.
"What school? I know I know you." She said softly and Horatio looked over at him.
"CGPS" he replied, also vaguely recognising her.
"No way, seriously? You went to Columbia Prep?" She questioned as her face lit up a little and he nodded.
"I went there too" she said with a smile as Horatio looked at the young male.
"This is a small world, you must have been the year below me?" He questioned with a smile himself.
"I must have, what was your name again?" She questioned.
"Ben" he replied.
"Ben Cowling, the one who loved rugby?" She questioned and a wider smile appeared across his face.
"Yes, I think I remember you too! Weren't you the one who locked that teacher… er Mr. Morris in his classroom after he… what did he do?" He questioned with a chuckle and she stifled a chuckle.
"He threatened to call my aunt and uncle when I refused to keep quiet in class… but shh, that was my younger years." She said, blushing, looking back to Horatio. Ben laughed and nodded.
"Yes, I remember now! That was going round the school for weeks!" He laughed. 'She's just as hot now as she was then!' He thought to himself.
"You haven't changed much" he said softly as he glanced up at her obs as he placed the blood pressure cuff on her arm as they older man closed the doors.
"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not." She grinned.
"It's a compliment." He grinned back at her.
"Sorry, Horatio, this is Ben Cowling, he was the year above me at prep school, Ben, this is Horatio, my fiancé." She grinned, smiling at Horatio.
"Nice to meet you" Ben said softly as he held out his hand.
"Likewise" Horatio said softly as he shook his hand.
"Did you ever get that sports scholarship?" She questioned.
"I didn't unfortunately, I was involved in a car accident which ripped one of the tendons in my leg, it's one of the reasons why I became a paramedic, they saved my life." He said softly.
"I'm sorry to hear that, but you look like you've done well." She said softly as they pulled off.
"You don't look like you've done so bad yourself, you're a detective and a CSI? You've also been on TV too, haven't you?" He questioned, recognising her more.
"I have been on TV, but only to do with my job." She smiled at him softly.
"Are you still in touch with people from Prep?" He questioned as he wrote a few things down.
"Only a small handful, do you know Kaitlin, Jessica and Joe?" She questioned.
"Ah yes, you 3 girls practically ruled your year and had a huge influence over the boys in the years above… and below for that matter. The boys would have done anything to get into Joe's position." He grinned.
"We didn't practically rule our year, or influence the boys." She scoffed, chuckling a little. Horatio sat back, enjoying their conversation as he was getting more of an insight into Zoë's past.
"What are you grinning about?" She questioned, seeing the wide grin plastered across his face.
"Well, I think I believe him when he says you had an influence over the boys." Horatio chuckled, easily imagining how she was when she was younger.
"You really did, you had no idea just how much every boy would try to get close to you three, you were like the queen bee's." He grinned.
"You're exaggerating." She replied.
"Hmm… well Prom Queen, I think the rest of the school would beg to differ." He grinned. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"That was a fluke, I have no idea who voted for me." She grinned, shyly.
"Only every single boy in the school" He grinned.
"Come on… I may have been popular, but that wasn't all great, there was a lot of back-stabbing too. I wasn't all that you're making me out to be." She said softly.
"Yes, but the back-stabbing was because those particular girls were jealous. Everyone knows that, anyway, you showed them you smart-ass." He grinned.
Zoë grabbed for Horatio's hand as she looked over to him as she lowered her eyebrows and put her head back.
"Zoë?" Horatio questioned and Ben looked up from her chart and saw her heart rate becoming erratic and uneven.
"Okay Zoë, try and stay calm for me, you're going to be alright." Ben said as he stood up and pulled his stethoscope out and pulled her shirt open, placing the end against her chest.
Horatio lent forwards and placed his hand on her leg and gripped her hand tighter.
"You're going to be okay sweetheart." Horatio said very warmly as he gripped her hand a little tighter. She turned her head and looked down to Horatio with panic in her eyes. Suddenly her expression calmed and she looked over to the end of the bed.
"Sweetheart, listen to me, you're going to be okay." Horatio assured her as he saw her becoming distant again.
"Zoë I'm just going to lay you down, okay?" Ben questioned but she didn't respond, instead she sat up and looked at the end of the bed. She pulled her hand out of Horatio's grip and reached out as Horatio's heart beat furiously.
"Zoë I need you to sit back for me sugar" Ben said softly as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
He looked up at the ECG monitor and saw her going into VF.
"She's gone" Ben said as her body weakened, becoming limp as her head fell forwards.
He laid her back, flat on the bed.
"Phone the hospital, tell them she's in VF now." Ben ordered as he pulled out the small defibrillator.
"Place a line and a tube, now please." Ben ordered the younger trainee. The trainee sprang into action, adrenaline pumping and quickly had the tube and line in as Ben had the defibrillator ready.
"Clear" he said as he administered a life-saving shock and her body jolted. The trainee went back to breathing for her using the bag. Ben looked up at the ECG monitor and saw her heartbeat returning to normal.
"Well done Zoë, don't worry sugar, we'll have you sorted out soon." Ben said as he pulled out his stethoscope.
"Are you sure she doesn't have any other medical problems? She's too young for something this serious, she was always very healthy." Ben asked Horatio.
"No, but this is could be because she was poisoned a while back." Horatio said softly as he took her hand.
"Can you give me any more details? It may help the doctors." Ben asked, looking at Horatio, inquisitively.
"The doctor that will be looking after her knows everything, he's already been contacted and is on stand-by for her." Horatio replied. Ben nodded.
"The doctors name?" Ben questioned as he took her pulse while he looked at Horatio.
"Nathan Taylor." Horatio replied and then looked down at Zoë himself when he felt her hand twitch a little. Ben nodded and then stood up.
"ETA?" Ben questioned loudly, addressing the driver.
"3 minutes." He replied back.
"Okay Zoë, I'm going to shine a light in your eyes." Ben said softly as he opened her eyes.
"Well done sugar." He said softly and then placed his hand on her shoulder.
Zoë began to gag and struggle with the tube down her throat. She moved her head and the trainee pulled the bag away as she pulled her hand out of Horatio's as she opened her eyes. She began to cough violently as she went to pull the tube out.
"Zoë, lay back for me please, I'll take it out." Ben said as he pushed her hand away gently and looked into her eyes.
"Exhale in 3…2…1" He pulled the tube out and she sat up as she coughed.
"Well done Zoë, we're nearly there." Ben said softly as he sat back down and took her pulse. She looked over to Horatio, looking slightly panicked.
"Don't worry sweetheart, Nathan is waiting for us." Horatio said softly as he began to play with her fingers.
"Zoë, I'm just going to feel your stomach, okay?" Ben said softly as he very gently placed his hands over her stomach and felt for any internal bleeding.
"Did you hit your head when you fell and do you hurt anywhere?" He questioned, looking up at her.
"No." She said softly and then took a deep breath and rested her head back, she felt Horatio's fingers entwine with hers.
"Do you feel tired?" Ben questioned.
"Tired is an understatement, try shockingly exhausted." She said, looking up at him sweetly as a smile appeared across Ben's face as he nodded.
"We're here" the driver called as he pulled up. The doors swung open and Nathan hopped in immediately and placed his hand on her leg.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" He questioned softly.
"Alright, just tired" She said softly, she saw and heard how panicked he was.
"Okay sweet, lets get you in." Nathan said softly as he backed off and helped Ben get the trolley out. Horatio walked beside her as she gripped his hand.
"Zoë, I'm going to take you through to resus, I need you to remain calm for me, okay? Horatio is going to come with us." Nathan said smoothly as he looked back to her.
He immediately saw a panicked expression flourish across her face.
"Sweet, don't worry. They aren't going to hurt you, okay? I'm only going to be treating you, but I need you in resus in case you arrest again." Nathan said very warmly and Horatio gripped her hand and looked down at her, reassuring her as she looked up at him. She nodded at him and they walked through to resus, Ben began to update Nathan of what had happened. They transferred her onto the other bed.
"Good luck Zoë, it's been good to catch up. I hope everything gets sorted." He said sweetly as he pulled the trolley away.
"Thank you Ben, look after yourself. Hopefully see you around sometime soon under different circumstances." She said softly and he gave her a small nod and a small salute.
"Is there anyone you don't know?" Nathan questioned softly as he hooked her up to another ECG machine.
"Nope" she said softly as she looked up at him.
"Do you remember what happened?" Nathan questioned as he thoroughly checked her over.
"We were going after a suspect when he ran, I felt something weird in my chest and I then was on the path, looking up at Horatio." She said softly.
"Okay sweet, you've arrested 3 times now, what we're going to do is send you for a few tests, then the most likely outcome is that we're going to have to fit you with a pacemaker." Nathan said softly.
"A pacemaker, seriously? I'm not 87 years old." She scoffed.
"No you're not, but you've obviously got something going on and you'll need it unless you want to chance arresting when no-one is around to resuscitate you?" Nathan asked, a little firmly. She remained silent and looked down at her feet.
"Good, I'm going to have a cardiologist come down and take a look at you, okay? Don't worry, he's a good doctor." Nathan said as he wrote a few things down. Zoë nodded a little and then looked over to Horatio's hand as he held hers.
"Thank you Nathan." Horatio said softly as he looked up at Nathan writing a few things down. Nathan looked up and gave him a small nod and smile.
"Don't worry Zoë, we'll have you out of here in no time." Nathan said as he placed the sheet he was writing on beside her.
"I'm just going to make a phone call, I'll be right back." Nathan said as he gracefully strolled over to the phone and dialled a number.
Zoë looked up at Horatio and rested her head back.
"Are you okay?" She questioned softly, sounding weak.
"Yeah, I'm good." Horatio said softly but she saw the distress in his eyes.
"What's bothering you?" She questioned, disregarding his fake answer.
"I just want you to be well." Horatio replied, knowing she saw right though him.
"You and me both" she replied as she took a deep breath.
"I'm alright honey, don't worry about me." She said softly.
"You know that isn't possible beautiful." Horatio replied quietly and then leant in close and kissed her forehead. 'I don't think I've ever felt so weak before.' She thought to herself as she exhaled and gave him a small smile. She scooted over a little and patted the bed.
"Can you sit, please?" She asked quietly and Horatio obliged. He sat on the edge of the bed, facing her as he played with her fingers.
"Get some rest sweetheart." Horatio said delicately as he reached over and pushed her hair behind one of her ears and then gently stroked her cheek.
"I am resting." She said as a small cheeky smile appeared across her face. She watched the very small smile appear across his lips as he looked down.
"Thank you Horatio." She said sincerely and weakly.
"For what, sweetheart?" Horatio asked, looking back up at her with his blue eyes, searching hers.
"For everything" she replied as she placed one of her hands over his on her face and rubbed her cheek against his palm.
"Right, the cardiologist is on his way down." Nathan said as he walked back over to them. Horatio looked round to him and nodded.
"Why's this happening Nathan?" She questioned as she looked up at him, looking exhausted.
"I suspect the main reason is because of the toxin. Do you know if anyone in your family suffered with any heart conditions?" He questioned softly as Horatio pulled his hand from her cheek and gripped her hand with both hands.
"No" she said softly and Nathan nodded at her.
"Okay sweet" Nathan said softly and then looked up as an older man walked in in a black suit.
"Ah, Martin, thank you for coming down at such short notice." Nathan said as he walked over to the older man. Zoë studied him, studying his strawberry blond hair and caring facial expression. He must have been in his late thirties. She saw the strong handshake between both Nathan and Martin. They walked over to Zoë.
"Zoë, this Martin, he's a friend and a fantastic cardiologist. Martin, this is Zoë Chambers, I've given you the details." He said softly as Martin stepped up and held his hand out.
"Pleasure to meet you Miss Chambers" he addressed her formally, yet compassionately. Zoë nodded shyly and hesitantly held her hand out to meet his waiting palm and shook his hand. They had both seen her heart rate increase.
"This is Horatio Caine" Nathan said softly.
"Pleasure to meet you too" he said warmly as he held his hand out.
"Pleasure to meet you" Horatio replied as he shook his hand as he stepped off the bed.
"Miss Chambers, do you mind if I have a listen of your chest?" He asked softly, pulling the stethoscope from his pocket.
"Please, call me Zoë." She said softly as she gave him a nod.
"Thank you Zoë." He said softly and leant in to place the end of the stethoscope against her chest after pulling her shirt away slightly. She immediately grabbed Horatio's hand and looked over to Horatio. Nathan immediately saw her beginning to panic. Horatio placed his hand on the side of her head and began to play with her hair as he held her hand.
"Could you please sit forwards for me, Zoë?" The doctor asked and she did so.
"Thank you" he said warmly as he listened to her back.
"And back again?" He said as he once again listened to her chest.
Nathan saw her trying her best to hide her panic. "Martin, could I please have a quick word." Nathan said softly and the doctor looked up at him and gave a nod.
"We'll be right back." Nathan said with a warm smile and Horatio nodded at him. Both doctors walked out and away from both of their views.
"Well done sweetheart, you did really well." Horatio said softly, he could see that she was on the verge of breaking down. She looked up at him and calmed a little when she looked into his eyes. She looked down at his hand in hers and released her grip a little when she realised she was holding his hand too tightly.
"Sorry." She mumbled a little.
"Don't worry sweetheart." Horatio said softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
A moment passed and Zoë lost herself in her thoughts.
She looked up at Horatio with a small smile. "At least I'm wearing a nice bra." She said with cheeky smile replacing the small smile.
"Yes, but I'd rather you kept your bra's for my eye's only." He grinned, leaning in closer, whispering into her hear. He pulled back a little and looked into both of her eyes and saw her grin widen a little.
"Well, surely this is better than if I hadn't have put a bra on?" She grinned. Horatio grinned. Horatio perched on the bed again.
"You know, you are probably the only woman I know who has your tendencies with bras." Horatio grinned.
"What, you mean I'm the only one who enjoys wearing bras in bed? Or wearing bras in general?" She grinned.
"Both, other women hate them, or so I've been told." He grinned.
"Well, I think we both know that I'm different from other women." She grinned, relaxing.
"That you are, sweetheart." He smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She gave him a shy smile and then both doctors walked back in. Martin held a softer stance and there was no doubt that Nathan had warned him to be gentle.
"Okay Zoë, what's going to happen is we're going to get a few more ECG readings and then we're going to have a discussion, okay?" He questioned softly and Zoë nodded at him, but happy he was standing a little further back.
The cardiologist pulled the 12 lead ECG monitor over and unhooked the leads from the 3 lead monitor and took a few readings, analysing them as he went. Nathan stayed put, also looking at the readings.
"I think we need to fit you with a pacemaker." The doctor came out with bluntly.
"Is there nothing else you can do?" Zoë questioned, not wanting to have a pacemaker unless it was absolutely necessary.
"No, a pacemaker will sort this situation out immediately and will stop you from having these life-threatening arrhythmia's." He said as Nathan also looked at him. Zoë exhaled and looked up at Horatio.
"The pacemaker will deliver shocks directly to your heart when it senses a dangerous arrhythmia occurring, it's a clever devise and will help. The particular device I want to use is a pacemaker and ICD device." He said softly. Zoë looked back to him then to Nathan.
"I agree, Zoë." Nathan said softly when she saw her looking for his opinion.
"As you've have 3 episodes today, I want to schedule you for the procedure as soon as I can." He said.
"As soon as you can?" Zoë questioned.
"Yes, there's every chance that you'll arrest again and the sooner we get this done, the sooner you'll be feeling better." He said softly.
"Don't worry, you won't be knocked out, this procedure is simple and won't take longer than an hour, we simply implant the device and thread the wires up through your blood vessels into your heart, you won't feel a thing." The doctor said softly. They both saw her eyes widen when he said she wouldn't be knocked out.
"Zoë will need to be under general anaesthetic for this procedure." Nathan added immediately, looking at the other doctor.
"That can be arranged if you'd prefer it." The doctor said looking back to Zoë and she looked up at Horatio. She slowly nodded as she looked back round to the doctor.
"Do you have any questions?" The doctor asked, addressing both Horatio and Zoë.
"What are the risks involved?" Horatio questioned immediately.
"There are a couple of risks involved, one of them being infection, around 1 in 100 will develop a 'pacemaker infection' in the first 12 months after having it implanted, you'll have to check the area where the pacemaker is frequently and see your doctor when and if you have any signs or symptoms of infection. There's also the chance that the pacemaker could malfunction, but this only happens 1 in every 250 people, and you'll notice some symptoms, but I'll give you a leaflet on that, other than that, there aren't not much risks. However, if you have the procedure done under general anaesthetic, you'll have the risks that accompany that." The doctor said softly and formally. Horatio nodded.
"What if she arrests during the procedure?" Horatio questioned.
"We'll be monitoring Zoë's heart constantly and have everything on hand in case the situation arises." He replied.
"When can I leave?" Zoë questioned looking up at him.
"You'll likely be allowed to leave the day after." He said softly.
"Will I feel it?" She questioned.
"You'll probably notice it at first, but you'll get used to it. You'll certainly fell it under your skin, but you won't feel it shock you. You may be aware of your heart rate changing though." He said calmly.
"What about exercise?" Horatio questioned, worried about her job.
"You'll have to avoid strenuous activities for 3-4 weeks after the procedure but you'll be able to get back to sports and exercise soon after. However, extreme sports, like sky diving and bungee jumping are to be avoided." Zoë looked round to Horatio.
"So will she have to take some time off work?" Horatio questioned.
"No not too long anyway, you should be able to go back to work soon after. Although, it is my understanding that you are a detective?" He questioned and Zoë nodded.
"Well, I'd suggest that you resume your usual habits, but you'll have to avoid things like running." He said softly and Zoë swallowed. She looked up at Horatio.
"So, if I have this done, I won't have any more problems?" She asked as she looked up at them.
"Yes, I'm sure of it." Martin said softly.
"I've been fainting and feeling faint a lot, would that stop?" Zoë questioned.
"You've been fainting? Why haven't you said anything, Zoë?" Nathan questioned firmly and frantically.
"Because I didn't think it meant anything." She said looking up at him.
"In Zoë's defence, it hasn't been too often, we put it down to exhaustion or stress." Horatio said softly.
"That's not entirely true… I've fainted a lot more than you know, Horatio and feeling faint even more… It's been getting increasingly worse, especially over the past few weeks." She admitted softly and Horatio looked down at her, shocked and slightly annoyed.
"Zoë, you should have told me, this could have all been avoided." Nathan said looking over at her softly.
"I'm sorry, but I really didn't think anything of it." She said softly.
"Neither did I, Nathan. I just thought it was something to do with stress after the toxin… I didn't think it was anything to do with this." Horatio said softly, still trying to defend her as he knew that if Zoë blamed herself she'd have a hard time. Nathan exhaled and nodded.
"Yes, the fainting should stop. I believe that your fainting is linked to this." Martin said crossing his arms.
"Zoë, without this procedure, you're at risk of arresting at anytime, anywhere." Martin exhaled and she looked up at him.
"Okay, I'll have the procedure." Zoë said as she looked round to Horatio who nodded at her, agreeing with her.
"I'll have the procedure scheduled for tomorrow morning, you'll be staying overnight." Martin said softly and Zoë looked up at him.
"Can't I go home for the night?" She questioned.
"I'd feel much happier if you were here, you've arrested 3 times today." Martin kindly said.
"Yeah, I've been told many times." Zoë said with her eyes hardening on him.
"Okay sweet, if you'd feel more comfortable at home then that is fine. But you have to understand the risks." Nathan said when he saw her becoming defensive and stressed. She looked at Nathan and swallowed.
"I understand." Zoë said as she looked at him.
"It's not just you that needs to understand." Nathan said glancing up at Horatio.
"If Zoë wants to go home, then I'm prepared to support her." Horatio said, looking from Nathan to Zoë. Zoë smiled at him.
"Okay, I want to keep you in for observation for a little longer, but you'll be allowed home for tonight." Martin said as he wrote a few things down. She nodded and looked down at the bed.
"You'll be coming up to my ward for a few hours where we can run more tests." Martin said as he put the chart down. Zoë looked over to Nathan and they both heard her heart rate increase on the monitor.
"I'm going home, now." Zoë said as she sat up, holding the blanket over her.
"Zoë, I don't advise that." Martin said as he stepped back. He saw her stress levels escalating and realised what Nathan was saying about her temperament and mood.
"I want to go home." She pleaded.
"How about you come to my ward?" Nathan asked and she looked up at him.
"Would you rather that?" Nathan asked and she swallowed.
"Please sweetheart." Horatio asked her and she looked round to Horatio and up into his blue eyes. She looked back round to Nathan and nodded. Martin saw the trust she had in Nathan and realised why Nathan wanted to be present throughout the consultation.
"Okay sweet, Martin and I are going to have a little talk and we'll be right back, okay?" Nathan asked. She nodded as she pulled the blanket up a little more. Nathan gave her a small smile and then placed his hand on her shoulder. Both doctors then walked out and Zoë looked up at Horatio.
"Everything is going to be alright sweetheart. I'm with you every step of the way and you'll be out of here before you know it." Horatio said softly. She gave him a small smile and nodded as she squeezed his hand softly. Horatio leaned and kissed her forehead lovingly. He gave her a smile and they put their heads together.
"Thank you Horatio." Zoë said softly with her breath brushing against his lips as she exhaled.
"Don't mention it beautiful." Horatio said softly as he delicately pushed her hair behind her ear and pulled her chin up gently to place a loving kiss on her lips. Her heart fluttered, feeling the raw emotion he put into the kiss. They pulled back slightly and looked into each other's eyes.
The doctors came back and gave them both a small smile.
"Martin has agreed that it's best if we take you to my ward, you'll have the procedure early tomorrow morning and will be under general anaesthetic." Nathan said softly as he placed his hand on Zoë's shoulder.
"I'll be performing the procedure, it really isn't anything to worry about, I've done this over a thousand times." Martin added softly.
"Where will the device be?" Zoë questioned as she looked up at him.
"If I may?" Martin asked as he gestured to her chest. She swallowed and nodded.
Martin took a step forwards.
"I'm just going to pull the blanket down so I can show you, okay?" Martin asked and she nodded, he then pulled the blanket down and sat on the edge of her bed.
"We'll be making an incision here." He said pointing to the top of her chest. "This is where we'll be implanting the device, and we'll be threading the wires down through one of your blood vessels to reach your heart." Martin added as he sat back to look at her, judging her reaction.
"I'll have it there? Right where everyone can see it?" She questioned looking up at him.
"It's quite discrete." Martin said, reassuring her.
"Can't I have it anywhere else?" She questioned.
"That is the most ideal place we can have it." Martin argued a little.
"But I know other people have had theirs in different places." She argued back.
"We can place it here if you categorically do not want it there." Martin said as he pointed to the side of her ribcage.
"Yes, I'll have that please." She answered immediately as she pulled the blanket back up.
"That can be arranged." Martin said softly as he nodded and wrote a few things down.
Martin looked up at Nathan with a small smile.
"Thank you Nathan, I will be in touch." Martin said as he put his pen back in his pocket.
"Thank you Martin, we appreciate everything." Nathan said as they shook hands.
"Thank you." Both Horatio and Zoë said as they shook his hand. Martin quickly walked away.
"I'll take you upstairs now Zoë." Nathan said softly and she nodded at him, a little short for words.
'I have to have a pacemaker? Are they being serious? What the hell has my life come to? I swear my body hates me, I swear everything is out to get me at some point. Even my own body wants me dead.' She thought to herself. Nathan had her transferred upstairs and went with her. Horatio also went with her, holding her hand as they went.
They got into the room and Nathan hooked Zoë up to the ECG and placed the pulse oximeter on her finger.
"I'll be back a little later, give me a shout if you need anything and should anything become worrying, press that button there." Nathan said as he pointed to a large red button on the wall. Both Horatio and Zoë nodded at him and gave him a small nod before he left. Zoë looked up at Horatio.
"This is why I've been seeing Josh, Horatio." She said looking up at him.
"Sweetheart, you really should have told me that you've been seeing him." Horatio said very softly as he sat on the edge of her bed.
"I know and I'm really sorry, but I didn't think anything of it. I thought I was going crazy and I didn't want you to think that." She said as she looked down and began playing with her fingers.
"You're not crazy sweetheart, it was your body's way of telling you something was wrong. You can't fight things like this sweetheart." He said very softly.
"You're telling me that seeing my dead brother isn't crazy? Thanks Horatio, but I don't think I quite believe you." She said looking up at him, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Horatio looked down a little.
"It's not crazy, Zoë. Those times you saw him, you were probably experiencing some sort of arrhythmia that sorted itself out, you were probably not far from collapsing and arresting sweetheart." Horatio said as he exhaled, realising that she must have come toe-to-toe with death a lot as she had been experiencing the blank-type episodes for some time and increasingly more as time went on. 'I should have made her see Nathan about these blank things she experienced, then perhaps everything would have been okay!' He thought to himself.
"Do you think this is the right decision, Horatio?" She asked, wanting to know his honest answer.
"Yes sweetheart, I absolutely do. There is nothing to worry about, you're going to get through it and you'll be out of here before you know it and feeling a lot better." He said softly.
"Why didn't I sense something sooner? I've been getting increasingly tired and passing out. I just thought I was passing out because I was exhausted." She asked, looking up into his eyes.
"I don't know sweetheart, but I also should have sensed that something was very wrong. But you should have been honest with me. How many more times had you fainted and felt faint and when? I haven't seen you faint that much." Horatio said softly.
"You did, Horatio. You tried to make me go to the hospital about the passing out, but I wouldn't listen. I should have listened to you Horatio. I know, I know I should have told you. I don't know, I've lost count… I've felt faint right in front of you a few times, I knelt and said I was sorting my shoe out. I've also passed out when getting changed or after showering, you hadn't noticed as I wasn't in the room with you. I've also passed out at work once or twice when you weren't in… I made Ryan promise me not to say anything to you as you would have worried. It's been getting worse though, I passed out this week alone around 5 or 6 times." She said as she exhaled and looked back down at her hands.
"Don't blame yourself sweetheart, the main thing is that we're getting this sorted now." Horatio said softly and she looked up at him and gave him a small nod and smile. Horatio was annoyed that she hadn't told him, but also felt that it was partially his fault and felt bad that she felt like she couldn't talk to him about it. Nathan quickly walked in.
"Sorry sweet, but I have to ask you to wear this, just for now." Nathan said as he placed a gown on her bed. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. 'He's joking, isn't it?' Zoë thought to herself.
"I can't give you scrubs, just in case you arrest again, it'll cause us difficulty to resuscitate you if you do arrest and this gown gives us easy access." Nathan said warmly as he swallowed, he was waiting for Zoë to argue with him. She exhaled and looked down at the gown.
"Are you really being serious?" She questioned weakly and looked back up at him.
"I am sweet." Nathan said softly as he looked down at her pale face. She exhaled and nodded, not having the energy to fight with him.
"Thank you, I can help you get it on with Horatio present or I can leave you in the capable hands of Horatio?" Nathan asked softly.
"Horatio, please" she asked, looking from Nathan to Horatio and Horatio gave her a nod and a small smile.
"Certainly, take it easy." Nathan said softly as he backed off. Zoë reached for the ECG leads.
"What are you doing Zoë? You need to keep those attached." Nathan said softly.
"I need the loo, Nathan." She said as she looked up at him.
"I'll have a catheter fitted." Nathan replied back and he saw this displeased expression float across Zoë's face.
"No, I want to use the loo." She argued, weakly.
"You're in no fit state to use the loo Zoë, do you realise just how weak you are?" Nathan questioned and she swallowed. She looked up at him and took a deep breath.
"Weak?" She repeated, questioning him. Horatio eyes widened and he shook his head frantically at Nathan. Nathan ignored his plea and looked back down at Zoë.
"Yes, weak, now please lie back and relax." He asked and then looked at her heart monitor.
"I am not weak." She growled, quickly growing agitated and angry.
"I didn't mean it like that Zoë, I mean that you are physically exhausted; your heart is under a lot of stress at the moment." Nathan said, attempting to dig himself out of the hole and wishing that he had listened to Horatio's silent plea earlier.
"He didn't mean it like that sweetheart." Horatio said, knowing that she was thinking back to her father's words about her.
"I'll show you who's weak." She said as she pulled the leads off along with the pulse oximeter.
"Zoë, stay on the bed, please." Nathan asked.
"Who are you to call me weak?" She questioned as she sat up and bored her eyes into his.
"Zoë, please relax, I need you to relax." Nathan said, taking a step back.
"I should have stood up to you a long time ago, you got away with so much, you ruined everything good that came to your life and those around you." Zoë growled as she dangled her legs off the bed.
"Nathan, back off right now. She's not speaking to you, don't take it personally." Horatio warned.
"Who's she speaking to then?" Nathan asked frantically, he backed right off when he saw the ferocious glare in her eyes.
"You killed him. You killed them. Now I'm going to kill you." She said as she jumped off the bed glared at him. Horatio quickly walked around the bed and stood between them.
"Zoë, I need you to listen to me, it's Horatio. You need to calm down. He's not here, he's dead. He's long gone and he's not going to hurt you anymore sweetheart." Horatio said, firmly yet his voice was saturated in compassion. Zoë looked up at Horatio.