A/N: Thanks for the great reviews of my story. I know it takes time to review, and they are always appreciated. I hope everyone has a happy, safe and fun New Year's!
Chain of Command
Chapter 8
It was six in the evening when Horatio decided that it would take patrol some time before they would be able locate their suspect and right now, he hated to admit it, but the investigation was at a standstill until they could question him. He shut off his computer and as he was waiting for it to shut down, he reached over and picked up the 8x10 framed picture of him and Calleigh taken at the beach after he'd asked her to marry him. The photo captured her beautiful smile, appearing more radiant than he'd ever remembered which caused him to smile, but quickly his smile left him as he began to worry about whether she'd still be that happy after a few years with him.
His thoughts were broken by Calleigh's arrival, "Hey Handsome."
"Hi Sweetheart," he softly greeted as he placed the picture back on his desk, and then stood. "Ready to call it a day?"
"I've been ready all day for this night," she softly declared as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He hugged her close, then rested his head against hers and whispered,
"Me too. I hope you'll enjoy what I have planned." Before Calleigh had arrived at his office, he'd called to say they would be arriving soon plus, he wanted to check and see if everything was going alright and he was assured it was.
"I know I will," she leaned back in his embrace, and then tilted her head up giving him a light kiss.
"Let's get out of here and go home Sweetheart."
Horatio insisted that he could drive; he felt fine. Calleigh reluctantly agreed to let him, knowing he wanted to feel like he was taking her on their honeymoon and not vice versa. As he steered them through the evening traffic, he took the time to tease Calleigh about their icing laced kiss and the shock on her face afterward. They both laughed about his antics and agreed that the reception that was given them by the team was very touching; their co-workers had put a lot of effort into bringing everything together on such short notice.
"I just hope that picture doesn't end up on Facebook," Horatio chuckled.
Twenty minutes after leaving the lab, Horatio turned into their driveway, but instead of pulling into the garage; he stopped and turned the car off. He turned and smiled, then exited the car and walked around to Calleigh's side and opened her door. As soon as she stood, he swept her off her feet into his arms.
"Oh my!" She gasped in surprise, and then wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Tradition has it that you are to be carried over the threshold Sweetheart," he tenderly said as he carried her to the door and opened it with one hand.
"You are a special man Horatio Caine," she whispered as she nuzzled his neck lightly kissing him, "and I love you so much."
He gently put her down in the foyer before answering, "I'm glad you do." He gently cupped her face with his hand and spoke from his heart, "I love you more than life itself Calleigh, you make me feel complete, you make me feel whole for the first time in my life and I'm so thankful to have you beside me. I just hope I can make you happy Sweetheart…I want you to always be happy."
"I will be happy, as long as you're with me," she returned softly.
He brushed her hair back from her face as he smiled, looking deep into her beautiful green eyes that glistened with unshed tears and began to tenderly trace his fingers down her cheek before wrapping his arms around her petite body, capturing her lips in a deep searing kiss, which she fervently returned.
"Oh Calleigh," he gasped as they broke the kiss, gulping for air he weakly whispered, "What you do to me." He pulled her tight against his chest and just held her as he felt the warm dampness from her tears soaking through his shirt as he buried his face in her soft, golden hair. Finally relaxing his embrace, he lifted her head off of his chest, searching her eyes before commenting,
"I hope those are tears of joy."
"They are Handsome," she replied as her hand began wiping the tears from her cheek, but suddenly he stopped her and began to softly dab her cheeks with his handkerchief as he smiled warmly.
"Let's enjoy our dinner Sweetheart."
Horatio wrapped his arm around her shoulders and began leading her around the end of the wall to the living room where she saw an old friend of theirs suddenly appear from the kitchen.
"Calorosi saluti!" Gino greeted as he walked toward them with outstretched arms. "Beautiful couple…very happy no?" he added as he hugged Calleigh and shook Horatio's hand.
"Very happy," Calleigh answered as she smiled radiantly looking up at Horatio after stepping back into his embrace.
"Tonight I cook for your wedding. You eat, you dance a little under the stars, enjoy each other…" he laughed pumping his eyebrows up and down adding as he winked at them, "I will take my leave after serving dessert. Go outside now…I bring the salad after you enjoy a little of the bubbly and a little dancing under the stars!"
"Thank you Gino," Horatio responded as he steered Calleigh toward the patio.
"Horatio…this is gorgeous!" Their patio had been transformed into a luscious, tropical paradise highlighted by the soft glow of candlelight with beautiful music playing faintly in the background. A linen cloth-covered table was waiting for them with a bottle of champagne on ice in a bucket stand.
"I wish I could give you a real honeymoon, but I hope this will do until I can."
"I love it." she smiled. "The most important thing is that we are together…not the location."
Horatio took the bottle of champagne, opened it and poured them each a flute and smiled, his eyes full of passion as he handed Calleigh hers. Then he raised his glass, "To my soul mate, my lover, my wife, my best friend," and took a sip.
Calleigh returned his toast and raised her glass to him, "To my hero, my soul mate, my husband, my strength," and sipped hers. Horatio leaned in and gave her a light kiss.
Taking both of their glasses, he set them on the table and held out his hand, "Would you care to dance my love?"
"Thought you'd never ask Handsome," she smiled radiantly as Horatio picked up a remote and suddenly one of the most beautiful songs began playing, the first of several, as he gently pulled her into his arms,
Always and forever
Each moment with you
Is just like a dream to me
That somehow came true
And I know tomorrow
Will still be the same
'Cause we got a life of love
That won't ever change and
Everyday love me your own special way
Melt all my heart away with a smile
Take time to tell me you really care
And we'll share tomorrow together
Ooh baby, I'll always love you forever
There'll always be sunshine
When I look at you
It's something I can't explain
Just the things that you do…
Calleigh felt so loved in Horatio's warm embrace as they slowly danced, under a star laden, dark black sky, looking into each other's eyes. Can this be real? She thought. I've dreamed of a night like this all my life and now I'm sharing it with a man who possesses my heart.
Gino watched from inside the house and he smiled as he watched the couple dance. Horatio Caine had been coming to his Italian restaurant in Miami Beach since he first arrived from New York, many years ago. Gino had come to think of the redhead as the son he never had. They had developed a close bond over time and he was so pleased when he brought Calleigh in one night as his date. He'd been concerned about the young man, always alone and then suddenly the blonde lady was like a breath of fresh air. He immediately noticed the positive change in Horatio when he was with her and it warmed his heart when he found out they were to marry. He told them he wanted to do something special for his favorite couple so, when they had to speed up the nuptials he knew what he could give them…a wonderful meal to celebrate their union.
Later that night, Horatio gently laid Calleigh down in their bed and breathed, "Let me love you Sweetheart as you deserve to be loved…" he began kissing her lips lightly then her cheeks, continuing to her ear, trailing his tongue along the edge. Feeling her beautiful body begin to writhe beside his, he began to trail light, moist kisses down her long slender neck as he paused before going lower and said in a husky voice, "I want to love you slowly and tenderly." Calleigh looked up and saw the passion in his eyes and kissed him hard, and then they lost themselves in the waves of pleasure.
The alarm clock woke Calleigh from her dreamy sleep and she reached out to stop the irritating sound. Groaning as she rolled over, she then let out a sigh after finding the comforting warmth of Horatio as she snuggled into his side. She heard him whisper, "Time to get up Sweetheart."
"Already?" she mumbled as if still asleep.
Horatio smiled and stroked her long golden hair, then leaned down and softly kissed her forehead, "Already Sweetheart."
Later that morning after returning from the rehearsal for the funeral, Horatio arrived at the lab to join the growing frustration of finding something that would tie everything about the case together. Frank and the patrol units were coming up empty so far in the task of finding Phan. It was no surprise to Horatio because he knew the man was probably well hidden in the Vietnamese community and would be difficult to find, but they desperately needed the man to give them some leads.
Out of curiosity, he'd asked Eric to run a check on the only other man incarcerated with them in the POW camp, Mike Gamble. Eric had found where he'd died a couple of years ago and would keep investigating to find out how he'd died.
That night after their long day and their short night before from celebrating their wedding, Horatio and Calleigh both agreed that an early night sounded good. They went to bed early and drifted off in each other's arms.
The next morning, Calleigh was finishing getting dressed for the funeral when she stepped out of the bathroom and gasped. Standing before her was Horatio wearing an MDPD dress uniform, complete with a tie. His crisp white shirt with MDPD insignia attached to the collar on each side, contrasted nicely with the dark suit. The gold lieutenant bars pinned on top of his shoulders shone brilliantly against the black fabric.
"Wow, how handsome! I've never seen you in a uniform before. You know what they say about a man in uniform…" she teased as she walked closer. Horatio tucked his head and chuckled a little.
"As much as I want to, we haven't got time to get carried away…" Horatio reminded her. Looking at her he commented, "You're beautiful Calleigh."
"Maybe you could wear your uniform for me sometime," she playfully inquired as she reached out and touched the service ribbons on his chest. The MDPD uniform was similar to an army officer's dress uniform except in color.
Horatio hugged her close whispering, "I'll just do that Sweetheart." She could see the sadness reflecting from his eyes, even though she'd tried to lighten the mood. It was going to be hard for him to say goodbye to his close friend, but she'd be there to comfort him afterward.
"Kyle will be here tonight. I thought after work the three of us could go out to eat?"
"Sounds nice Handsome. It will be so good to catch up with everything happening in his life right now."
Horatio drove them to the lab and from there he would ride to The Arena with Frank and the other officers. Calleigh and the team went in separate Hummers since she planned to go on to the cemetery, while the others needed to return to the lab.
Later that morning, the service began with the procession of the caskets led by a lone bagpiper, playing the funeral march, Going Home, to announce their entrance. Tom's flag-draped casket was first and as it passed by she saw Horatio's sad expression as he was the lead officer helping to carry the casket down the long aisle to the front. All the pallbearers walked in precision which was amazing considering the weight they carried. After reaching the front, the lone bagpiper was then joined by the MPD regiment of bagpipers and drums and they played until all three caskets were in place.
The eulogies and message by the Burton's pastor brought tears to the eyes of most people sitting near them and Calleigh was no exception. While she was not as close to the chief and his family like Horatio, a service for people taken out of this world in such a horrific manner caused great sorrow and Calleigh could feel her silent tears making their way down her cheeks. All of them knew as police officers, they could face this again as any one of them could be killed any given day. Amazing Grace, played by the bagpipes echoed throughout the cavernous building making it sound even more mournful as the service was drawing to a close. Most of the audience of police officers bowed their heads during the entire hymn.
At the cemetery, Calleigh sat near the front under a large tent as a light rain had begun to fall and watched as the caskets were placed over each grave by the pallbearers. The minister gave a short service and then asked for a moment of silence, followed by the somber playing of taps. Calleigh saw Horatio hang his head for a moment, undoubtedly overcome by memories of the past. Then the order was heard for the soldiers and officers to begin the twenty-one gun salute. The firing of the first rounds made Calleigh jump slightly even though she was very accustomed to gunfire, but somehow this was always different. She recalled reacting the same way at Speed's funeral a few years ago, and remembered Horatio taking her hand in his to comfort her.
The last thing was the folding of the flag and once completed, the army officer handed it off to Horatio for him to deliver to Jim. Horatio walked over to Jim, stopped and held the folded flag out for him to take. Then Horatio and Jim embraced in a warm hug and Horatio offered a few words of condolences before turning away and rejoining the other pallbearers to file past the caskets, each laying a rose on all three caskets.
As people were milling around, Calleigh sought out Horatio and found him cornered by Chief Gonzales. She stopped short as she realized it did not seem to be a friendly conversation. After Gonzales walked off, she approached Horatio and saw his clenched jaw and the anger that radiated from his eyes.
"What did he say Horatio?" Calleigh asked as she stopped in front of him.
"Nothing for you to be concerned about Sweetheart. Frank and I will ride back to the lab with you," he softly said as he scanned the crowd for his friend.
At that moment, Horatio felt someone touch his arm, "Lieutenant Caine?"
Horatio turned and saw a nice young man in a suit standing behind him and answered, "Yes."
"Jim Burton asked me to tell you he'd like to meet privately with you in that mausoleum across the road." The man turned and pointed toward the building. "He said it would only take a minute."
"Thank you; tell him I'll be right there."
Calleigh looked puzzled, "Why does he want you to meet him there?"
"I don't know Sweetheart. I'll just be a couple of minutes. Try to corral Frank if you can," he squeezed her hand before walking off.
Calleigh turned her attention to the crowd and spotted Frank across the way talking to other police officers. She began walking toward him to let him know they would be ready as soon as Horatio was back.
Several minutes had passed and most of the crowd had thinned out and left the cemetery. Frank and Calleigh had been standing by the Hummer for a few of those minutes, waiting for Horatio to return.
"How long has it been since he walked over there?" Frank asked Calleigh with a hint of trepidation evident in his tone.
She glanced at her watch, "Almost ten minutes. The young man that gave him the message acted like it was just going to be a short meeting." Pausing for a moment she began, "Actually Frank, I'm starting to feel a little uneasy about this. Do you think we ought to walk over there and check on them?"
"I say we do. C'mon."
They walked up to the building and Frank opened the door to find the hallway empty. Calleigh's heart began racing when they found no sign of Horatio. What's going on?
Frank spoke up, "I'll walk out the back door…maybe they're standing out there." He stepped out the door and took a look around. Not one person was in sight nor was there a vehicle parked in the small lot. Frank felt a sinking feeling hit him in his gut. He turned and walked back inside to tell Calleigh, but could only shake his head in the negative when her frightened eyes locked with his. That's when he noticed the cell phone in her hand.
Her voice broke as she held the phone up, "It's Horatio's."
Meanwhile, Horatio was lying in the back of a moving van, tied and gagged as he was semi-conscious trying to fight the effect of whatever had been injected into his arm. His entire body ached from having been tasered, never experiencing the sensation before; he now understood how the criminal felt. It is an excellent way of subduing an individual as it rendered him helpless to fight the syringe plunging into his arm. As he could feel his body betraying him and succumbing to the drug, his last thoughts were that Calleigh would be looking for him.
Horatio could hear noises around him and a man's voice angrily giving out instructions. Confused as to where he was, and why he couldn't move his arms or legs, he gradually began opening his eyes. Then excruciating pain radiated from his side and shot over his entire body and he couldn't stop himself from screaming out in pain.
"ARGH!" after what seemed to be several minutes of sheer mind-blowing pain, he was left panting for breath as sweat rolled down his face and then he heard a voice he hadn't heard in years causing him to abruptly open his eyes.
"Ah, corporal Caine, I'm glad to see we have your full attention. You remember me, yes?"
Horatio stared dumbfounded at the Vietnamese man standing before him. He was older and his face was disfigured, but the recognition was almost instantaneous, it was Chien, the commander of the Vietnamese prison camp where he and the others had been held during the war.
TBC…
