A/N : Sorry for making you wait for a long time. i was too busy and when the show ended, it just broke my heart further. But trust me, I think I will try to update more and write more stories. But for now, this is the final chapter of this story. I hope you have enjoyed it.
That afternoon, Horatio went to the lab to bring Calleigh out for lunch but he noticed that she was busy in the lab, analyzing and comparing bullets. He approached the lab and went in quietly so as not to startle her.
"Hey Handsome." Calleigh greeted him as soon as he entered. Her attention was still focused on the computer, waiting for a match to appear.
"Oh…You realized. Sorry. I didn't want to startle you." Horatio answered softly. Calleigh turned to face him and gave him a passionate kiss.
"You don't have to say anything. I know when you're here." Horatio raised an eyebrow, surprised. "I just know okay. Don't ask me how or why." She smiled.
"Okay I won't ask. Care to accompany me for lunch?" He asked but he got a frown for an answer. "I'm sorry Horatio." Calleigh felt guilty for turning him down.
"It's okay… I understand. You have loads of bullets to compare." He smiled weakly. "That's why I ordered in. Shall we?" He asked as he raised his arm for an interlock.
"You know so much and too well." Calleigh smiled and gave him a peck. "Of course I do. That's my job." They went into his office where he already prepared the lunch and all they had to do was eat.
A few minutes into their lunch, Frank barged into Horatio's office, interrupting their time together.
"We've got a shooting downtown. We need you to be on deck Cal." Frank said.
"You may need an extra hand" Horatio offered.
"That may not be necessary H. We already have all patrol on it. Besides, you're still on medical leave." Horatio didn't look too happy with but had to give in to it. He was still on medical leave. As Calleigh and Frank were leaving the office, Horatio reminded them to be careful.
The case turned out to be gang-related and all suspects have been apprehended. That evening, Calleigh came home to a pleasant and mouthwatering aroma.
"Horatio? Are you here?" Calleigh called out. She knew it was him but she needed to make sure.
"Hey Sweetheart. Come on in. I'm making dinner." Calleigh went straight into the kitchen and found him adorably in her apron.
"Oh Handsome. That smells delicious! And you look so adorable in that apron. I think you need to do this everyday." Calleigh joked and gave a kiss on his blushing cheek. She helped him set up the table and waited for him to finish his cooking.
"So how was your day Sweetheart?" Horatio asked.
"Busy as you know it. I miss you at the lab." Calleigh replied quietly as she enjoyed the dinner.
Right after dinner, the couple watched a few movies together and went to bed; except, Horatio couldn't fall asleep. He was just lying there, looking up to the ceiling thinking of the past few weeks that has been truly emotional for him. It has been a tough time for him but he's moving on from what happened and Calleigh is slowly helping him with that.
"Horatio?" Calleigh called out softly and it startled Horatio a little.
"Hey. Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" He asked as he turned towards her. She shook her head and turned her focus onto Horatio. Gently tracing his jawline, she asked "Are you okay? Care to share?"
He looked straight into her eyes, seeing only pure concern. "I was just thinking about what happened these few weeks." He explained.
"Oh Horatio…I know those were very bad weeks for you. But you will get through this alright. I'm here for you." Calleigh said in a soothing tone. "Oh. Tell me what you saw the other day. I know you were dying to tell me the other day at the hospital." Calleigh jested.
"Oh right." Horatio smiled. "Well I saw you. I don't know how or why but I saw you when I was held at gunpoint. Everything came back to me. It was like a flash of my life." He paused. "I saw Marisol. The time we spent together…" He paused again. "On our wedding day. And then I saw you. You being here for me and that made me realize that you have always been with me all these while."
"Hey…I'm always going to be here whether you like it or not." She kissed him on the lips right after. "Go to sleep Horatio. I'll be here when you wake up." She smiled and snuggled into him.
A month passed by and Horatio felt ready to go to work. He couldn't stand any longer being at home. It was driving him crazy. He went for his check up and had requested to be given the clearance to go to work. He didn't mind desk duties as long as he no longer needs to stay home.
"Alright. I'm going to clear you for desk duties but not more. No field work. Nothing exertive. We don't need to pressure your organs again." The doctor joked. Horatio agreed on that. That day onwards, he just stayed indoors in his office as per instructed by his doctor. He took that opportunity to finish up his piled up paperwork which only took him 2 weeks to complete. Horatio decided then to just show up at a crime scene. He was sick and tired of staying indoors and he needed the adrenaline rush and had to be out there.
As he stepped out of the hummer, Calleigh saw him and rushed to him.
"Horatio! What are you doing here?" Calleigh asked in a firm but worried tone.
"I'm sick and tired of being in the lab. I need the Miami sun." Horatio smiled cheekily.
"Oh no Mister, don't give me that cheeky and charming smile of yours. You're not getting away with this." She said firmly. "The doctor hasn't cleared you yet for field work Horatio."
"But Sweetheart, I'm just here to…" He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when she interrupted him.
"No buts Horatio. I want you to get back in that hummer and drive back to the lab." Horatio wanted to argue further with her but she walked away as fast as she said that to Horatio and he didn't want to create a commotion with the whole team being there. He drove back to the lab feeling so agitated and angry. As soon as he reached the lab, he went straight to the mini gun range in the Ballistics Lab to shoot off some steam.
Calleigh reached the lab and saw Horatio in her lab shooting at the human targets. She didn't disturb him nor did she go into the lab. She knew he was angry because of the event earlier and this was the only way that he could release his anger without hurting himself. Just as he finished his last round, Calleigh entered the lab quietly, not to startle him.
"I'm sorry Horatio." She said quietly, almost whispering.
"Oh the hell you're sorry." He mumbled. He was still pissed at what happened earlier.
"Excuse me? What was that?" Despite Horatio mumbling, she could still make out the words that came out of his mouth.
"Nothing." He said and walked off from the lab.
"Horatio. You know I was worried for you back there right. I didn't want anything to happen to you." Calleigh said and Horatio stopped at the door turning to her.
"Yeah. But you didn't have to embarrass me in front of the team." He said softly.
"I didn't Horatio. I meant well and they know very well that you're in no position to be there yet."
"Why can't you just trust me! I'm fine! It's not like I will die or something!" Horatio blared.
"Horatio. Will you calm down please? I know you're fine but you're not allowed to be on the field yet." Calleigh said trying to calm him down.
"Oh yeah? You just can't trust me can you? You think I'm on a suicide mission again?" He shouted. Calleigh was speechless. She didn't expect this conversation to take such a turn.
"Horatio…" She called out softly.
"You don't even trust me! Why the hell was I so stupid! And to think I trusted you with my life! With everything I have left!"
"Horatio please…" She begged, reaching up to his arm.
"Get off me!"
"I won't! I was really being thoughtful for you! I didn't want you to risk yourself being out there. Why can't you just understand that?" This time, Calleigh was furious.
"You just don't understand me! Why can't you just let me do things on my own! Who are you to even control me!" Calleigh was hurt by his words and she felt achy to her guts. She tried to control her tears as Horatio said those hurtful words.
"Even Marisol doesn't try to control me!" Calleigh stared at him in shock. 'Did he just compare me to Marisol?' She asked herself in her thoughts. 'Yeah. He did.'
Horatio paused at that. He realized he went overboard when he compared Calleigh to Marisol. He saw the tear and the hurt in Calleigh's eyes. She was quiet. No words could come out of her. She was just standing there feeling so hurt and Horatio didn't know what else to say.
"Cal…I…uh…I'm…" He stuttered. Calleigh didn't give him any chance to finish. She just stormed out of the lab, leaving Horatio alone in a daze.
Horatio on the other hand regretted what he had said to Calleigh. He had unconsciously compared her to Marisol and he blew it all up. He screwed up the relationship for his damn ego. He tried to look for Calleigh but she wasn't anywhere in the lab. He even tried calling her cellphone but she wasn't answering. For the rest of his shift, there was nothing else besides Calleigh that ran through his mind. He was sure he hurt her so much.
That evening, he went straight to Calleigh's to make sure she was alright and he needed to apologize to her for earlier. The lights were off and her car wasn't there. Horatio was getting worried and he decided to call Eric.
"Eric. It's H. Is Calleigh with you?"
"Nope. What's up H?"
"Oh. Uhh… it's nothing. Talk to you later." He said and put away his cellphone. He didn't know where Calleigh went and there was no way he could track her so he decided to call it a day and went home instead.
The next day, Horatio went to work only to find the Ballistics Lab empty. He went to the receptionist to ask about her whereabouts and was told by Frank that they had a case and Calleigh was on scene. He waited for Calleigh to return to the lab to talk but apparently luck wasn't on his side. Calleigh didn't have time because the case they had just gotten was priority and she was busy.
Days passed by and Horatio hasn't talked to Calleigh because she has been slogging over the bullets and cases. He tried calling and going to her place but her place was empty. She hasn't been going home and he didn't know where she stayed all these while.
He went to work the next day and immediately looked for Calleigh. There was nothing that would stop him or her from having the talk. The moment he stepped into the lab, he saw Calleigh walking towards the pantry. He followed her to the pantry where she was taking a sip of her coffee and he made himself busy with the coffee.
"Hey." He greeted her softly. He realized she was looking rather pale. 'Must be the workload and lack of rest.' He thought.
"Hey." She replied him with only that as she focused her attention on the morning papers. It went quiet. Horatio didn't know what else to say to her.
"I'll give you the report later. In an hour." She stated as she walked out of the pantry.
"Calleigh. Wait." He rushed to her and grabbed her arm firmly but not roughly.
"What do you want?" Horatio let go of her arm and took the coffee from her, placing it back on the counter. Horatio looked straight into her eyes. She had the hurt in her eyes; just like the day when he unconsciously compared her to his dead wife.
Calleigh realized that she had tears forming in her eyes and she quickly glanced away, avoiding his eye contact.
"Calleigh, look at me." He said as he gently lifted her chin.
"Look into my eyes Calleigh. I need you to hear me. I need you to know that I never meant to hurt you. I can't promise that I won't ever be hesitant or cautious but I am committed and I pledge to make this work." He then hugged her tight, as if his life depended on it.
"Trust me Calleigh, I don't want to lose you. I need you." Suddenly he felt heavy, as if someone was putting loads of pressure on him and he realized that it was Calleigh.
"Calleigh…" She didn't respond and Horatio felt heavier. He quickly brought Calleigh to the couch and placed her gently on it, immediately calling 911. She looked really pale. In the hospital, Horatio was pacing up and down until the doctor came in to talk to him.
"Lieutenant?"
"Doctor. How is she?"
"Can we talk for a second? In my office." Horatio nodded, fearing the worse. "Right this way." The doctor guided him. As soon as they reached the office, Horatio settled down quickly and waited nervously for the bad news.
"What's wrong with her? Is it anything serious?" Horatio asked in a concerned tone.
"Nothing too serious. She is just lacking of rest. Does she have any close family or a boyfriend or fiancée that we can contact? Because as far as I am concerned, you are her emergency contact."
"Yes. I am her emergency contact and yes she has a boyfriend."
"Alright. Can you contact him? Because this is very important."
"Oh. You're talking to him right now."
"Oh right. I should have known." The doctor smiled. "I assume you were informed that she is pregnant?" The doctor asked. Horatio was surprised. He was speechless.
"Ahhh. From your expression, I take it you didn't know." Horatio didn't reply.
'We used protection as far I know. Wait. How can that be possible? How can she be pregnant if we used protection?'
"Seven weeks now." The doctor continued.
'Seven weeks…' He thought. 'Seven weeks…' He counted back. 'Oh right. That was the first time we were together. And we didn't bother. Oh crap. I should have known that I am still capable of impregnating her.' He thought as he smiled to himself.
"Lieutenant? Are you still here?" The doctor called out to him.
"Ohh..uhh..yes. I'll make sure she won't strain herself anymore. Can I see her now?" The doctor nodded. "Thank you." Horatio said as he walked out of the office and went straight to her room.
He swiftly and quietly slipped through the door and went to her bedside. "Hey sweetheart." She turned to him at the call.
"Hey." She smiled weakly.
"You got me worried for a second there you know. Why didn't you tell me?" Calleigh couldn't keep her eye contact anymore. She looked over to the window.
"Cal…" He called as he reached out to her.
"I'm sorry…I just didn't want to burden you anymore. I mean…uhh…I didn't want to…" She stuttered as tears rolled down her cheek.
"Hey…shhh…it's okay. You're not burdening me."
"No Horatio. This was my fault. I should have…"
"Shhh. Calleigh, it wasn't your fault. None of this is a mistake."
"I don't want to tie you down. I don't want to control your life Horatio. I wanted to keep this from you and just leave to bring this child on my own." His heart broke.
'She wanted to keep it from me.' He thought.
"Calleigh, I want you to understand that none of this is a mistake. I don't want you to exclude me please. I need this Calleigh. I need you. If this baby here is a mistake, I won't be here, telling you otherwise. Look at me Sweetheart." He said as he gently turned her face to him.
"I want this. I want this baby. And I want you. I need you. He is mine and I am going to be there for him and for you. We will make this work. I want you to trust me like I trust you with my life. And I don't want you to stop controlling me for you are the anchor to my ship and that's what you're going to do. You're going to stop me if I'm going to do anything stupid." He said assuringly. Calleigh nodded. "And Calleigh, I'm sorry. I didn't know I could still...you know..." He said blushingly. Calleigh laughed and that made him chuckle.
Calleigh smiled at him, knowing that this has been a miracle and she liked the sound of that. She was looking forward to a future with him.
End :)
A/N : Thank you for staying through this story. I hope you have enjoyed it. And I look forward to your reviews. It would definitely help me in writing more stories to come. Stay Tuned. :)