Chapter Seven

A/N: Thank you all for the reminders in your reviews. You must know, I will be keeping them all in mind :) I apologize if my medical terminology is off, I truly did my best! This chapter was tough to write, as you can imagine. Either way, I hope you enjoy it. I appreciate every review very much!

Calleigh lay on the ground for several moments, trying to catch her breath. As if her heart wasn't already racing, she received no reply when she called for Horatio. Still stunned, she sat up, and immediately jumped to her feet when she saw the redhead on the cold cement floor. Jason Hardenslo had succumbed to his wounds; And as soon as she saw that man in a dead heap on the ground, she was thankful. But she had a more pressing issue on her mind.

"Horatio! Horatio!" she yelled as she ran over to her fallen superior.

Calleigh cradled her arm around his head and planted her hand on his chest in an effort to stem the bleeding. There was no chance of holding back her tears. Not now. An intense fear gripped her heart. Don't you dare give up on me, Horatio. Don't you dare. Calleigh repeated the thought in her mind while she fished into her pocket for her phone. Her hand shook so bad, that she could barely dial for help.

"This is CSI Duquesne, I have a priority at 4th and Flagler, warehouse number one! I need fire rescue immediately, officer down, repeat, officer down!" The Ballistics expert dropped her phone and returned her attention to Horatio. His icy cold eyes were staring into oblivion and he fought to stay conscious. The fact that she could lose her boss, her mentor, and most of all, her best friend in one moment, was enough to eat a hole into her soul. But she too fought the onslaught of emotions bombarding her.

Soon, she heard the siren song of an Ambulance closing in. With it, brought next to no relief. Suddenly, a Hummer escorting the EMS crew came to a skidding halt outside. Eric and Natalia vaulted out of their vehicle and slid open the sheet metal door to uncover a sight that made them cringe.

Calleigh never moved her hand from his chest, in fear that more life would slip from him than already had. Several times, he tried to sit up, but she denied him instantly. The Paramedics ran over with equipment and a gurney at the ready. Before they made the hectic trip to the emergency room, they had to stabilize him first thing. It took coaxing, but they finally got Calleigh to remove her hand. In its' place, the medics began to apply pressure and assess his condition. Eric knelt by his brother and tightly grasped his hand. He felt the redheads' grip getting weaker and weaker by the moment and grew extremely concerned. Natalia embraced Calleigh in a comforting hug (not that it did any good) and watched the medics' insert an IV and supply him with Oxygen.

With the excessive bleeding slightly halted, they loaded him on the stretcher and into the ambulance. Too overwhelmed with shock, Calleigh grabbed both her and Horatio's sidearms and bolted to the Hummer with Natalia. Uniforms began to secure the newly created crime scene and with Calleigh leading the way, both the Hummer and Ambulance hauled it out of the warehouse parking lot at top speed.

Inside the Ambulance, all Hell was unfolding before Eric Delko's very eyes. Horatio's vitals were declining rapidly as the paramedics scrambled to keep him stable. It looked as though every odd was stacked against him as his condition deteriorated. Eric held the mans' hand tight while the siren and the sound of barking EMT's faded in the small space.

They came to a grinding halt in front of Grace Memorial hospital and the Ambulance doors swung open in a hurry revealing a frantic E.R staff and a stunned Calleigh Duquesne. One main Paramedic started shouting updates to the Doctors while they offloaded him and raced him inside.

"Lieutenant Caine, MDPD, single gunshot wound to the middle quadrant of the chest, heavy blood loss and decreased heart rate! Victim also shows signs of shock, and respiratory distress!" The EMT hollered. Natalia, Eric and Calleigh were restricted to a distance, but they all had a slight view of Horatio through the small window of the door.

While they could not hear much, they saw everything. The orderlies removed his button-up, making quick work with a pair of scissors. They continued to feed him Oxygen and stem the incessant bleeding. Natalia buried her head into Eric's shoulder, unable to stand the tension any longer. Meanwhile, Calleigh repetitively sung a mantra of prayer, begging God to not take him away from them. All three of them trembled in fear while Eric held on to both women trying to be strong. The mutterings and hollers of the Nurses and Doctors were muffled from the outside of the trauma room.

The one thing that was not muted, was the sharp elongated tone that plunged their heart, mind and souls into the oblivion of panic and heartbreak.

Horatio's eyes bolted open, and became instantly aware of his surroundings. He stood in the light and grainy sand of Miami Beach while the calm Florida breeze caressed his auburn hair. Along with the change in scenery, came a change in feeling. His heart was completely weightless, and free of stress, hurt and worry. The Lieutenant's mind was clear, and peaceful. For once in oh so very long, he was healthy and had a renewed spirit.

For several moments, he only stood, taking in the soothing scenery. It wasn't until a movement from the left caught his attention that he shifted position.

From a short distance, a familiar, black-haired, Latina beauty in a pearl white sun dress came closer and closer to him until the both of them were face to face. He reached a hand out and she closed the distance between them while taking his hand in hers. She stared into his aquatic eyes and uttered his name in a delicate tone, almost as if she was speaking to a dear child.

"Horatio," she uttered. He became incredibly comforted in her presence and at last, spoke himself.

"Marisol. We have quite a bit of catching up to do, sweetheart. I miss you with all my heart, darling."

With the satisfaction of hearing his husky voice, she flashed him a smile and wrapped her arms around him. While seeing her beloved husband again since the day that he lay on the pier fading away, came concern. She knew that he would not go back, not after this, but she couldn't bear to see him go out in such a way. For the second time in months, she whispered her plea into his ear.

"Horatio, it's not your time. You have to go back."

The redhead closed his eyes trying to ignore her words. A heavyhearted sigh accompanied his quiet and wishful response.

"No, not now, love. I can't live without you. I love you so much it hurts, sweetheart. Not just yet," he repeated.

"Not just yet."