Revelations
Chapter 8
Lara walked closer to the sleeping Lieutenant and stopped just beside the bed and watched him reacting as if he were dreaming. Horatio groaned as his body began restlessly moving in the bed. She noted the sheen of sweat on his face and the fact that his right hand seemed to instinctively stay pressed into his lower abdomen.
She spoke aloud, "Your demons are visiting it seems Lieutenant Caine, as rightly they should. I'm sure your suffering is more magnified with the knowledge that my dear friend Marisol ended up being sacrificed in your place. It should have been you killed that day." She laughed lightly and continued, "Your physical suffering at the moment is just an unexpected plus that only enhances my plan of making you pay for your sins."
Lara's lecture was quickly interrupted by the sound of the room's door opening. Turning around, she saw a nurse hurriedly enter, undoubtedly coming to check her patient. The nurse looked at Lara and immediately inquired,
"Who are you?"
Then looking beyond the brunette woman to the pale face of the man lying in the bed shaking with chills and moaning in pain, the nurse didn't wait for Lara's answer.
"You need to leave – NOW!" Reaching over Horatio for the call button the nurse summoned help. When the intercom's speaker jumped to life with a nurse answering, "How may I help you?" Lara watched from a few feet back toward the door where she'd moved as the nurse shouted, "Is Dr. Schmidt on the floor? I need him STAT!" Lara smiled wickedly and quietly eased out of the room.
Having showered and changed into a new set of clothes, Calleigh walked out of the locker room and headed for a much needed cup of coffee before beginning her day in Horatio's office. She smelled the aroma of fresh brewed coffee wafting down the hall as she got closer to the break room and knew someone on the team had already arrived.
As she walked through the door, she saw Walter watching something on his cell phone and then suddenly he let out a loud, "Yeah… Alright!" The shout startling her for a moment.
Calleigh smiled at the young CSI's excitement and then commented, "Morning Walter. Whatever you're watching, it must be good."
Walter glanced up briefly before his eyes travelled back to the small screen. "Morning Calleigh. Yeah, it's the Heat's game last night. I thought I'd try to finish watching before Ryan arrived. He always spoils it for me by giving me the score…this time it would make me have to kill him and I prefer not to deal with all the hassle of paperwork – he's not worth it."
Calleigh rolled her eyes and muttered, "Men," as she walked out and left Walter to his game, she then walked toward the stairs leading to Horatio's office with her cup of steaming, hot coffee.
Pulling out her key to the office, she found it was not needed as she turned the knob, the door opened. Who left this door unlocked? If Horatio's not here, the night shift commander should make sure that it's locked.
Setting the cup down on the coaster that was always on Horatio's desk, she sat down in his chair and paused a moment to look around, feeling his aura that was present in the room, even when he wasn't. Then she looked at the pictures on his desk. One picture was of Marisol and Horatio on their wedding day, the other, a group picture of the team. Again the fact that Horatio was beside her leaped out and the sight caused her to smile.
Thinking she'd tackle the stacks of paperwork later, she thought she'd secure the folder Horatio had asked her to put in his safe. Then, I want to get started on the comparisons of the bullets from last night as they will give us clues about who was involved. Looking around on the desk and under papers, she didn't readily see the folder he spoke of. Maybe he stuck it in a drawer. She picked up the ring of keys and found the key to his desk. Unlocking the deep file cabinet, which unlocked the drawer above, she quickly rifled through the items, but didn't see a folder separate from the others. I need to call him. She smiled, He was right when he said he needed his phone. I already need his help, but I won't make a habit of bothering him.
Before she could push the speed dial, Ryan stuck his head in the door and announced, "Calleigh, we got a call from patrol. Ricardo was just spotted entering a restaurant in Little Havana."
She immediately locked the desk back and then responded, "Let's go see if we can get this bastard." I'll look for the folder when I get back.
She and Walter were in the first Hummer approaching the building where the officers had spotted Ricardo. Ryan and Natalia were approaching from a different direction.
While stopped for a red light, her phone signaled she had an incoming call. Glancing over at the phone, that was secured in a holder on the dashboard, her breathing suddenly stopped. Mount Sinai Medical Center was printed on the screen. Walter saw the name of the hospital and quickly looked over at Calleigh.
She hurriedly jerked the phone from the clamp and answered,
"CSI Duquesne"
There was a period of brief silence on the other end before an unfamiliar voice asked, "Ms. Duquesne?" Calleigh felt as if her heart literally stopped at that second.
"Yes?"
"Dr. Ernie Schmidt, I'm Lieutenant Caine's doctor." Calleigh's body stiffened, and gripped the steering wheel.
"Is…is something wrong with Horatio?"
"I'm sorry to tell you this, but he's being prepped for surgery at the moment."
Reeling with the news, she suddenly couldn't speak.
Quickly, Dr. Schmidt asked, "Ms. Duquesne, are you there?"
"Yes…yes doctor, I'm sorry. When I left him earlier this morning, he seemed tired, but otherwise ok. What is wrong?"
"His symptoms are similar to those of a perforated intestine. We really won't know until the surgeon examines the area through a laparoscopic, exploratory procedure. He'll insert a small camera that will magnify the tissue and hopefully find the problem."
A blaring horn from behind the Hummer broke her concentration on the conversation and made her realize the light had turned green. Clearing the intersection, she pulled the Hummer out of traffic and stopped along the curb. Walter was becoming concerned about what might be happening with their boss since Calleigh seemed very upset.
Returning to the call, she rubbed her forehead with her hand and questioned, "Horatio had a CT scan done in the ER last night and it did not show any other damage other than where the bullet passed through his muscle and tissue. I don't understand how this could be happening."
"Believe me Ms. Duquesne, neither do we. The surgery should reveal the problem."
"I'll call you when we know something. He'll have to stay in recovery for a while afterward until he is awake and talking."
Calleigh thanked the doctor and ended the call. Walter noticed the frightened expression on her face and asked,
"Calleigh, what's wrong with H?"
She explained what the doctor had told her and Walter blew out a breath and nervously rubbed his shaved head before speaking,
"You need to be there with him."
Calleigh snapped her head around and curtly responded, "If I was there, they wouldn't let me see him. Right now, what I and the rest of us need to do is find the bastard that ordered this hit."
She pulled the massive vehicle back out into traffic and continued the last few blocks to the restaurant. When they arrived, Ryan and Natalia were waiting a few yards down the street.
As they met on the sidewalk, Calleigh and Ryan began discussing how they would handle the situation while Walter eased over toward Natalia and whispered, "Help me keep an eye on Cal. A doctor called her on our way here and told her that H has had a setback. I'm concerned she'll be distracted." Natalia nodded her head signifying she would.
They decided that Ryan would enter alone, causing less attention as he looked around for Ricardo. Minutes later, he walked out and joined the others as they sat at an outdoor café across the street with coffees.
Ryan's petulant expression as he sat down, gave them the results of the scouting mission even before he said one word.
"He's not in there." Running one of his hands through his hair as he rested his elbows on his knees, he quietly voiced his frustration, "If we could get a court order…"
"Based on what? A suspect entered a building and now has obviously left," Calleigh responded. "Look, what we can do and it might give us results quicker is to request undercover officers to watch the building and area for a while. He might come back."
Calleigh made the call and got assurance that the officers would relieve them within the next thirty minutes. After the officers took over, Walter rode back to the lab with Ryan and Natalia after telling Calleigh they could manage, while she went to the hospital to check on Horatio.
She'd perhaps travelled six blocks and as she looked around while stopped for a light, she saw him walking ahead of her on the sidewalk. At first, she couldn't believe it. Ricardo! I'd like nothing better than to tell Horatio we caught this piece of trash.
Quickly pushing the speed-dial for Ryan, he answered and she explained where she was and who she was following.
"Keep him in sight Calleigh. We'll be there in ten minutes, five if we're lucky."
Ending the call, Calleigh noticed Ricardo glance back over his shoulder before taking off in a sprint. She jerked the Hummer over to the curb and jumped out pulling her weapon as she began to run after the man.
People on the sidewalk became alarmed as she ran through the crowd, brandishing her gun shouting that she was police and for them to move out-of-the-way. Thank goodness all I had in my locker this morning were my running shoes!
"There they are," Natalia shouted as she pointed. Ryan jerked the wheel causing the Hummer to swerve down a cross street and gunned the vehicle toward the chase.
The Hummer screeched to a halt and doors flew open as Ryan screamed, "Calleigh," before starting to run after her with Natalia and Walter close behind.
Ricardo could feel his muscles tightening and he knew he couldn't keep up the fast pace much longer so, he cut into an offshoot of the alley and had just rounded the corner at the opposite end and found an unlocked door. Quickly stepping through it, he closed it behind him and turned the lock on the inside. Catching his breath enough to start looking around, he realized he was in the storage room of a restaurant.
Calleigh entered the alley with her gun at eye level, grasping it with both hands as she carefully scanned the opening from one side to another while she slowly began walking toward the opposite end. When she was about half way down the alley, the other CSIs appeared and followed, quickly trying to catch up with the fast-moving blonde to give backup.
Calleigh stopped before rounding the corner and then in one swift movement stepped around the corner to find that the short alley was empty. Then, her eyes focused on the nearest door. If I were Ricardo, I'd try every door to see if one opened. Ricardo pressed his ear to the door and heard the movement on the other side. He'd discovered that essentially the room was a trap for him. The only other door seemed bolted from the other side.
When his eyes caught the doorknob moving, he eased the lock off and shoved the door open, knocking Calleigh backwards which caused her gun to discharge. The bullet flew past Ricardo's head and buried into the brick wall of the building behind him. The man then hurdled over the CSI and hit the wall enclosing the small area and was clawing his way to the top just as Ryan, Walter and Natalia rounded the corner.
"STOP! MIAMI-DADE POLICE!" Ryan shouted as the man approached the top of the wall.
Ricardo stopped and turned around for just a second, giving Walter the opportunity to reach up and grab a handful of the bottom the man's pants leg. Ricardo kicked hard enough knocking Walter back, but the material tore and the man disappeared over the high wall.
Ryan stepped over to where Calleigh was lying on the dirty asphalt and Natalia was on her knees beside her.
"Calleigh…Calleigh, can you hear me?" Natalia called frantically.
Calleigh's eyes were open, but were dazed. She began attempting to sit up and Natalia tried to make her lie back down to no avail.
"I'm…I'm ok Nat."
Ryan and Walter stood by them and Ryan watched Calleigh for a moment then walked a few steps away and called for a bus.
Walter walked over next to him asking, "Did you call for paramedics?"
"I did. The way she looks tells me she might have a concussion."
Walter held the material up and commented, "I think we'll be able to lift some DNA off this material. It should give us a base for testing comparisons on the evidence we already have."
After the ER doctor finished checking her, he told her that they found she only had a mild concussion and needed to take the next couple of days off from work. Riding up in the elevator, as she headed for Horatio's room, she'd tried to think of how she would explain the bruise on her chin where Ricardo slammed the door into her face. She knew Horatio would be upset regardless.
Dr. Schmidt had found her in the ER, after she'd requested to see him to find out about Horatio, shocked to find that he was in a regular room. He explained that the surgeon, performing laparoscopic surgery, found a small opening in the wall of Horatio's colon made by a small piece of wood which the scan easily missed. The surgeon believed it must have moved partly out of the opening when food passed by it, dislodging the material enough to where bacteria and intestinal contents were escaping into his abdominal cavity. Calleigh explained that the bullet had passed through a wooden door before entering Horatio.
She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Horatio appeared as if he were asleep so, she quietly pulled a chair closer to his bedside and sat down. He does look better. His color has returned and he's not feverish.
Horatio stirred in the bed and rolled his head to the left as he slowly opened his eyes. Not expecting to see anyone there, especially Calleigh, his lips turned up into a smile when his eyes found her.
"Hey Handsome. I heard you had a rough day. I wish I could have been here with you…but, we were kinda busy."
His smile quickly vanished as his eyes focused on Calleigh's face.
"Calleigh…Sweetheart," his left hand moved toward her face and stopped as his fingers lightly brushed the dark bruise visible on her chin, even though she'd put on extra makeup trying to hide it.
She watched the anger flash from his blue eyes as he asked, "Who did this?"
Frank had stopped by a restaurant and picked up a few dinner orders to go for Alexx, Brian, the officers on duty at the safe house, and himself. He'd taken a few turns down empty streets just to make sure he wasn't being followed before arriving at the automatic gate. As he keyed in the code, he thought how helpful it was that the chief had an old friend who was on a six month tour of Europe with his wife and family, and that the man had agreed to let them use the guest house for Alexx and Brian. As he drove past two security officers sitting just inside the grounds, he threw up a hand and gave them a brief wave. The only way I'm able to do my job is knowing that Alexx and Brian are in the most secure area in Miami. The security system on this joint is better than Fort Knox. Still, I'm keeping a minimum of two officers on duty.
The officer stationed in front of the house, thanked Frank and accepted his dinner before opening the door for the Sargent to enter, since the detective's hands were full of sacks.
Alexx smiled as Frank walked in with sacks of food.
"There's enough food in the pantry and refrigerator to feed an army. I could have fixed something Frank."
Looking up at Alexx as he was emptying the sacks of the multiple containers, Frank responded,
"No need for you to cook. The department is buying. You're supposed to be resting anyhow."
"Sugar, I'll end up being as big as Mobile if I keep on just resting and eating." Her expression turned serious.
"How is Horatio?"
Frank sucked in a deep breath, thinking he'd give her the bad news first, then the good.
"He had a little setback today. His condition became worse so they took him in for exploratory surgery," stopping briefly as he heard a small gasp, "he's fine. They found a small piece of wood, probably off the door when the bullet went through, stuck in his colon. They removed it and cauterised the opening. He'll really be ok now that Calleigh will have to stay with him."
Alexx's face wrinkled in confusion.
"What do you mean by have to stay with him?"
Brian walked up and Frank handed the boy a couple of containers and after thanking Frank, walked back to his room.
"Uh, Calleigh had a little run-in with Ricardo this afternoon. Docs said she has a mild concussion and will have to miss a couple of days of work. I figure she'll stay with Horatio."
Alexx sat down heavily in a nearby chair and let out a frustrated breath.
"I can't stand being separated from everything going on…and from my friends."
"You're not separated from me," Frank's lips then formed a shy smile.
Alexx turned around and smiled warmly as she reached over and took his hand in hers and then said, "Thank you".
After Calleigh had eaten some off of her tray and Horatio had tried to consume most of the chicken broth and green gelatin that was his supper, he slowly began to shift his body over to one side of the bed and motioned for her to join him.
"Are you sure I won't hurt you?"
Horatio smiled tenderly as he held his hand out to her, "You won't hurt me Sweetheart."
Snuggling close to his left side, the comfort she felt of being held in his arms soothed her more than anything else would have. Shortly afterward, Horatio heard her breathing become light and steady signifying she had drifted off to sleep with her head on his chest.
Mindful of the lump on the back of her head, he gently stroked over the injury and down the length of her hair to her shoulders. I never dreamed it would feel this wonderful to hold another sleeping woman. I love Calleigh more than I could ever possibly have imagined and that's why I've got to get out of here and find that scum Ricardo before he hurts anyone else.
Horatio lightly kissed the top of Calleigh's head, but his eyes remained open for a few more hours as his thoughts centered on what seemed to be a dream he'd had. All he could remember was a woman's voice telling him how it was his fault that Marisol had been murdered. Between that and Ricardo, he knew sleep would not come his way anytime soon.
TBC…
