AN: Thanks for the reviews. Here is the next chapter.
Chapter 7: Shocking news
Calleigh and Horatio woke up really early the next morning, but it didn't really matter because they hardly gotten any sleep last night, and after he had some coffee and a light breakfast, he kissed her goodbye, said he loved her, then walked out of the house.
After she shut the front door, and as she was walking back to the dinning room table, she hears C.J.'s sleepy voice. "Mom, what's going on?"
She shook her head and whispered. "Sorry if we woke you, but Horatio had to start his morning pretty early today."
He walked up to the dinning room table, looked at her and asked. "You sure that's all?"
Calleigh grabbed his yearbooks, and as she handed them to him, replied. "I'm sure Honey, there is nothing wrong." She hope she was correct on saying that, and as much as she wanted to be completely honest with him, he was still just a kid in her eyes and there were some things she wanted to know fully on what was going on before she shared with him. She mentally shook her head as she continued. "Horatio looked at your yearbooks and didn't recognize anybody in there, so either he never went to your school or he just wasn't there on picture day, but thanks for the help anyways."
He nodded as he took the books from her. "You're welcome, so how about I put up the books and make breakfast for the younger kids." He had been leaning how to cook the last few months and he was getting pretty good at it.
Calleigh gave him a smile before replying. "If you don't mind."
"I'll be right back then."
Calleigh nodded as C.J. was turning toward the hall, then stopped when he heard Calleigh say. "I love you, C.J."
He turned around, smiled and said. "I love you too."
After another shared smile, C.J. went to his room while Calleigh sat down with a sigh before she sipped her coffee, hoping things were going ok with her husband.
As Horatio was walking into the hospital waiting area, he saw Dan turning around from the receptionist desk.
They looked at each other a little surprised that either one was there, then Horatio asked. "Is everything ok, Dan?"
He nodded and replied. "I gave the hospital the wallet that belonged to the young man who was shot in the Dairy Queen."
"Really? Do you have anything on him?"
Dan shook his head and replied a little confused. "No, I thought he was just a victim, did I need to go further into his background?"
Just like all last night, a part of Horatio couldn't help but think there was something about that kid, but he just chalked that part on being a CSI too long, which he couldn't help but be suspicious.
Horatio shook his head and replied. "No, you're right." He pat Dan on the shoulder and said. "Thank you."
"Just doing my job." Horatio nodded as Dan continued. "But what are you doing here? Visiting the kid?"
Before Horatio could speak, Dr. Zimmer walked up to the men and said. "Hi, Mr. Caine."
Dr. Zimmer stops as he looked at the other guy, then Dan held out his hand and said. "Detective Dan Wilson."
After the Dr. introduced himself, he looked at Horatio, which Horatio seemed to get it, so he looked at Dan and said. "I'll talk to you later, Dan."
Dan nodded as he said. "Yeah, you got it."
After Horatio nodded, he followed the Doctor as Dan watched them walk away, wondering what was going on, but then he took a breath and shook his head as he walked out of the hospital, knowing it wasn't any of his business, even though a part of him was hoping everything was ok for Calleigh's sake.
Just because he had moved on didn't mean he stopped caring about Calleigh, she will always be a very good friend of his.
End of Shift
It seemed the moment Calleigh got to work after taking the kids to Ashley's, it's been non-stop busy, which of all days to do this to her, it had to be the day that they were a man short.
When Calleigh had gotten back to the lab from the scene she was at, she didn't see Horatio in his office, which she figured he probably got a call to go to a scene. But when the receptionist told her that Horatio had phoned her to let her know he wasn't coming in, she tried getting a hold of him all day, and when she couldn't, that made her very worried.
So at the end of shift when she saw that his blinds were closed in his office, which only happens when he was in there and didn't want to be disturbed unless it was important, she breathed a sigh of relief and wasted no time walking up the stairs to his office. She did stop to knock first, not only did she respect him as her husband but also as her boss, especially at work.
After she heard a come in from him, she opened the door and walked in, breathing another sigh of relief before saying. "Where were you? You didn't say anything about not coming in today and that worried me, especially when you didn't pick up your phone."
Horatio looked up from looking down at his desk, and even from where Calleigh was standing, the look in his eyes told her something was going on, but before she could ask again, he cleared his throat and said. "Can you shut the door, then come and sit down, please."
She did what he asked, but she had this really tight knot in her stomach as she walked to one of the chairs in front of his desk, which it grew tighter as she sat down while he remained silent. Then after a few minutes of some more silence, she cleared her throat and said. "Pardon my language, but you're really starting to scare the hell out of me, what's going on?"
Horatio took a breath, moved his office chair back, stood up, grabbed a folder he had in the middle of his desk before walking around to the front of it, then after putting his backside against it, he hands her the folder and said. "Here, take a look at this." She looked into his eyes first then at the folder as she grabbed it from him.
She took another second before opening it and looking at the piece of paper on top, then after scanning it, she looked back up at him and asked "Horatio, what is this?"
"I think you know when you're looking at DNA results."
"Yeah, but why do you have it?"
Horatio took a breath and told her as his mind has a flashback when he went to see Dr. Zimmer.
Flashback
Earlier this morning
Horatio followed Dr. Zimmer to his office in silence, then once he was in there, the Doctor closed the door and spoke while walking to his desk. "Can you sit down please."
Horatio nodded as he walked over to the chair in front of Dr. Zimmer's office, then sat down.
After Dr. Zimmer opened the file that was in front of him, he looked at Horatio and asked. "When you came in with the victim you said you didn't know who he was, right?"
He was confused on what was going on, but he nodded and replied. "That's right, I've never seen him in my life before yesterday."
Dr. Zimmer nodded and cleared his throat before replying. "When we checked your blood before giving it to the victim we noticed some similarities."
"Isn't that a good thing, so there won't be a deadly reaction?"
Dr. Zimmer nodded, then replied as he puts two pieces of paper in front of him. "Yes, but it seems you're a perfect match to him, which could mean only one thing." Horatio looked at the doctor shocked as he finished, but deep down he already knew what he was going to say. "You're his father."
He looked down at the evidence in front of him, but it didn't seem to be real for him, so he looked at the doctor again and asked. "You sure?"
"We could do another DNA test, but I have no doubt that you are, nothing was contaminated."
Horatio took a moment, then said. "Wow, I knew I felt something towards him, but I never figured this, and I never would have thought this was the reason you wanted to see me today."
"I didn't mean to alarm you, but I just thought this should be said in person, as I said on the phone last night."
Horatio nodded. "I understand, and thank you for informing me."
After Dr. Zimmer nodded, Horatio did request another DNA test just to be sure, which the doctor said it was no problem and he understood. Then after the sample was taken, and while he was waiting for the results, he called Yelina, knowing she was a private investigator and if anybody could find out more about his son's history, it was her.
End of Flashback
After he was done telling her everything, she blinked a few times and said. "You sure this is correct?"
Horatio nodded as he replied. "Like I said, he did a second test while I was there, it's true Calleigh. That kid in the hospital room fighting for his life, the one that saved the little girl, and goes by the name of Kyle Harmon is ..."
She cuts him off. "Your son." There was more to read in the file, but at the moment she couldn't. She closed the file, sat it on the chair next to the one she had been sitting on, then got up off the chair and walked to the big window facing the parking lot. She then puts one hand up to her mouth and the other on her hip as she said. "I can't believe this."
Of all the things her mind conjured up last night and today for the reason the doctor wanted to see Horatio, she never imagined it could be about informing him that he has a son.
"I can't either."
It was a few minutes of silence, then she cleared her throat and spoke with emotion as she turned to look at him. "Were you even aware a woman was pregnant with your child? And when did this happen?"
Horatio saw the sad look on her face, so he moves away from the desk and walks up to her, then he cups her cheek, looked into her eyes and said. "As for your first question, the answer to that is no, I had no idea. Do you really think that I am the type of guy that knowingly left a woman pregnant?"
She didn't even hesitate. "No, I would never believe that you would."
He nodded, then he took another moment and explained to her about a part of his past he had never told her, which he believed, considering his son's age, that it was when it happened.
He had met a woman sixteen years ago and became involved with her while he was undercover using an alias name. Their short relationship ended by the time he was done with his job, and whether the she knew she was pregnant when they broke up, he had no clue about any of it.
Calleigh stepped back from Horatio's touch when he finished, and walked back to her seat in a daze-like state, then she sat down, looked at him again with tears in her eyes and asked. "Did you love her?"
He turned around to look at her, then as he walked up to her, he replied. "At the time I thought I did." He saw her look down as she does a small sob, then he kneeled down on one knee as he placed his hands on hers and continued. "But Calleigh, I swear that the way I feel about somebody in my past doesn't even come close to how I feel about you." He lifts her chin up, then cups her cheek and speaks while running his thumb up and down. "I love you Cal, and that hasn't changed from this morning, nothing's changed."
Calleigh sniffled as she replied. "But it has Horatio, you have another son."
"Ok something has changed, but not my feelings for you and our family, I'm crazy about you guys, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you about everything from my past."
"Is there anymore things I need to know about?"
"From my past? No, but you need to check this file out."
As he reached for the file that he had handed to her earlier, she asked. "Where is his mother? And what's he been up to all this time?"
He hands her the file and said. "You'll find most of your answers here, but the others I believe we'll have to ask Kyle when he wakes."
She takes the file with one hand, then looks at her watch from her wrist on the other. "I have to pick up the kids, Ashley has a doctor's appointment so I can't be late."
He nodded as they stood up, then as she was walking toward the office door with the file in her hand, he asked. "Want me to bring home pizza later?"
She turned to him and said. "Yeah, the kids would love it."
"Ok." He looks at her with sincerity as he continued. "I love you Cal."
She gives him a small smile as she replied. "Love you too, I'll see you at home." Horatio nodded as Calleigh walked out of the office, leaving the door cracked.
Horatio took a breath and ran his hand down his face, he knew she must be reeling on what he shared because he was still reeling on finding out himself. He never thought that he would be a father where Calleigh wasn't the mother, but now that he found out it happened, he couldn't turn his back on him. He just hopes he doesn't lose his family in the process.
He let a breath out before walking to the other side of the his desk and turning off his computer, then he walked out of the office, locking the door behind him and leaving the lab so he could stop at the hospital before going home with the pizza he promised to get.
A few hours later
While the kids were in their rooms playing, Calleigh was sitting on the couch reading a book when the front door opened.
She looked up from her book and saw that Horatio was walking in the house with a large pizza, they gave each other small smiles, then as he was closing the door, she asked. "How was your trip to the hospital?"
He walked to the bar counter as he replied. "It was..." But stopped when Christy came running down the hall saying daddy.
He smiled at his daughter, then picked her up when she was closer to him.
As father and daughter was greeting one another, Calleigh gets up from the couch and yells for the other kids. "C.J., Josh, dinner time." Before walking over to the cabinets to get the plates.
After everybody had their food and sat down at their usual places, they started eating, quietly, but it felt a little stiff. Christy and Josh didn't pay that much mind to the atmosphere, but C.J. felt it and it made him curious on what was going on.
Once dinner and the dishes were done, Calleigh gave the kids a bath, then after a few hours of free time, Horatio and Calleigh put the kids to bed. Horatio was about to read to Christy, but she had requested C.J. to do it, which he didn't mind one bit. So after Calleigh and Horatio kissed their little girl goodnight, they left the room, went into theirs and got ready for bed themselves.
Once they were in their sleeping clothes and sitting up in bed, Calleigh asked the question she had asked earlier. "So how as your trip to the hospital?"
He took a breath before replying. "It felt different this time."
She nodded in understanding. "Because you are starting to see him as your son and not someone else's."
She looked down at her hands, then as she sighed, he starts speaking. "Calleigh..."
She cuts him off as she looked at him. "So he's going to need a proper home when he wakes up and gets discharged." He nodded as she continued. "I'm sure we can put him in with C.J. since his bedroom is the second biggest."
He looked at her a little shocked that she suggested that, then he speaks. "Calleigh are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"You didn't think I was just going to let him continue to be on his own when he had a family right here, did you?"
Still shocked, he shook his head and answered honestly. "I wasn't sure what to think."
Calleigh nodded, took his hand, which was the first time she voluntarily touched him since she found out about Kyle, then speaks after another sigh. "I'll admit that since you've told me about Kyle something feels different, I can't explain what, but it is. However, this news doesn't change how I feel about you or our family." Horatio felt a heavy weight lift off his shoulders after she said that, then continued to listen as she continued. "You guys mean everything to me, and even though it's going to take me a little time to get use to you having another son, I'm willing to try and to let him get to know us."
"And did you read about his past?"
After his grandmother died, he had been in the foster system until he got in trouble with the law, then was on probation, which he still was, but has been staying out of trouble ever since.
Calleigh nodded. "Yes, but I also noticed he's been out of trouble for a while now, so I think we should give him a chance."
But that didn't mean she wasn't going to keep an eye on him, there were still young kids here and she had to make sure that having Kyle in their lives and home wasn't going to hurt them in any way.
"I agree." He cups her cheek with his free hand and continued. "Thank you."
She gives him a small smile as she replied. "For what?"
He smiles at her. "For everything, for being you. I wasn't sure what was going to happen after I told you I had another son."
She scoots closer to him, removed her hand from his, cups his cheek and continued. "Our lives may have changed because of this news, but I'm not going anywhere without you or make you chose between him or us. I love you Horatio and my vow was to stick by you on any ups and downs we go through in this life, and even though I wasn't expecting this one, I'm with you till the end." She ran her thumb up and down his cheek as she finished. "And what you said in your office, I accept your apology, but promise me there is nothing else in your past that you're keeping from me."
He looked at her with love in his eyes as he removed his hand from her cheek, then after he took her hand from his cheek, he kissed it before looking into her eyes again. "I swear Calleigh that I have hid nothing else from my past, you know it all now."
They look deeply into each other's eyes and she could see the truth, so she smiles the biggest smile he had seen all day, then as they lean forward to kiss, there was a knock on the door.
They sighed as they turn their heads to the door and Calleigh said. "Come in."
The door opened before C.J. pops his head through the opening and asked. "I felt a little tension at dinner, is everything ok?"
They both smiled at him as Horatio speaks. "Everything is great, son. We talked and resolved our issue."
C.J. smiled as he replied. "Ok, goodnight guys."
Calleigh replied. "Goodnight, son."
Horatio also said. "Goodnight, son."
C.J. nodded before stepping away from the door and shutting it.
When it clicked closed, the couple looked at each other, and she said. "We should talk to the kids tomorrow night."
He nodded in agreement. "Yeah we should."
She looked into his eyes as she asked. "You a little worried?"
He nodded again. "I'm just not sure how they will take this, especially C.J."
Calleigh nodded while taking a breath. "I know what you mean, he's at the age where he would understand, but his situation with us is unique and I don't want him to think we are substituting him."
"We'll never substitute him, he may not be apart of us in the DNA sense, but in every other way that counts he's every bit apart of us, and that won't change, no matter what or who comes into our lives."
She nodded again with a smile, happy that he still felt the same way towards him, now it was just a matter of talking to C.J. about it.
As they continued to look at each other, she started to yawn so she puts her hand to cover her mouth.
When she closed it, he speaks. "It looks like bedtime."
"I agree."
He brings her closer to him, kissed her softly before pulling back and saying. "I love you so much."
She looks into his blue eyes and replied. "I love you too, Horatio."
After one more kiss, which was a bit longer than the first one, they turned out their lamps before laying down, then after she turned to her side so her back was toward him, he scoots closer to her and wraps his arms around her waist. They sighed in content as she laid her hands on top of his and closed their eyes.
They never would have thought their day would end up like this, but considering all the things the doctor could have brought him in to discuss, it was better than they had thought when they woke up this morning.
AN: Well I'm pretty sure most of you guys knew that this was going to happen, but I hope you still like the development and story. Next chapter: Will Kyle wake? Please review.
