A/N: Disclaimers in the first chapter. For all of you still hanging in...Thank you. For those dropping by for the first time...welcome and thanks! I'd love some reviews. Just click...type....click. Thanks.
Horatio had dozed off, one hand resting on Annabel's, the other still clutching her rosary. The monitors continued to beep in rhythm. Horatio's eyes snapped open. He looked down at his hand. The fingers below it fluttered slightly. Horatio looked up at Annabel's eyes. They were open, but still a little unfocused. He smiled slightly.
"Welcome back, Detective." Horatio's smile spread across his face. His eyes were still troubled. Annabel didn't answer. She frowned, trying to get her bearings. Annabel tried to raise her left hand to touch the mask on her face, but was too weak to lift the cast. She slowly raised her right hand and tried to lift the mask. Horatio carefully stilled her movement. "You still need that." Annabel turned her head slightly to better see Horatio. "Explosion. Looks like you stumbled onto a Meth lab when you tried canvassing the neighborhood," he answered the question in Annabel's eyes. Annabel turned her head and looked back at the ceiling. Horatio touched her face. Annabel turned back. Horatio's heart tightened at the look he saw there. "Ears ringing?" Annabel nodded slightly. Horatio frowned. Annabel caught his frown and shook her head.
"Not much," she croaked.
"Shh. Bella…" Annabel frowned at him. "Do you want me to call the doctor in immediately?" Horatio threatened. Annabel scowled. Horatio's lips twitched briefly. His face got serious. Annabel saw how damp his eyes had gotten and tried to reach her hand out to touch him. When she had trouble moving her left arm again, she growled slightly. Horatio wrapped his fingers around hers. "That's not going to move well for a while." Annabel grimaced, eyes tearing slightly. "Is the pain…?" Annabel shook her head hard.
"Don't…want…to…be…helpless," snarled Annabel.
Horatio blinked hard, eyes prickling. He reached over, pulled up the oxygen mask, leaned in and kissed Annabel tenderly. When he ended the kiss, he kept his face hovering over hers, his forehead resting on the oxygen mask.
"Thought you said I needed that," she teased. Her voice was soft and thready. "Don't…breathe…through…my…forehead."
Horatio smiled, kissed her again briefly and replaced the oxygen mask. He settled back. Annabel turned her head to keep the connection between them. Horatio reached out and cupped her face. "I am glad you're here." There was a slight quiver in his voice. Annabel narrowed her eyes. "The alternative…" Annabel shook her head slightly. Horatio gave her a sad smile. He sat back, breaking physical contact. "I have to get the doctor in here." Annabel's eyes narrowed. He reached out and touched her face again. "I'm going to get in trouble for not letting them know you're awake." Horatio took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I just wanted to keep you to myself for a minute or two." He rubbed his thumb over Annabel's cheek. "You're going to need pain meds." Annabel started to protest. Horatio slowly shook his head. "This is serious, Bella." Horatio locked his gaze with Annabel's. His eyes were damp. "The alternative is unthinkable, but…" Horatio caressed her cheek again. He tilted his head. "I'd better let the doctor run down everything." He stood up, leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Annabel's forehead. "Be right back." He left the room.
Annabel looked up at the ceiling. Sharp pain was starting to eat the edges of her consciousness. She tried shifting her body, hoping to take stock of her injuries. The pain intensified. Maybe Horatio was right. Maybe some pain meds would be a good idea. Her face itched slightly. She tried to raise her left arm by was hampered by the cast again. She not so silently cursed and rubbed at her face with her right hand. The oxygen sensor was dislodged from her finger and the monitor started to shriek. The doctor came into her room followed by Horatio. She grinned at Annabel.
"Well, Mrs. Caine, Dr. Ramirez warned me about you two, but I really didn't expect you to start pulling off monitors as soon as you regained consciousness," she joked. "I'm Dr. Hickman." Annabel scowled. The doctor replaced the sensor and turned off the alarm.
"Face itched. Too much crap attached to me. Not my fault," grumbled Annabel. Dr. Hickman frowned slightly at Annabel's gasping between sentences. She glanced quickly at the chart, crossing the room to Annabel's other side. The doctor turned down the blanket and sheet and probed slightly at Annabel's ribs. She pulled out her stethoscope and looked over at Horatio.
"Can you help me sit her up?" The pair carefully lifted Annabel into a sitting position. Dr. Hickman placed the stethoscope on Annabel's back. "Please breathe in and out for me. Slowly. As deep as you can." Annabel did as she asked. Waves of pain contorted her face.
"Something wrong, Doctor?" asked Horatio. He held Annabel's hand as Dr. Hickman listened to her lungs. The doctor stood up without answering.
"Please breathe again." She watched how Annabel's body moved. "Ok. Let's lower her back down." Dr. Hickman and Horatio repositioned Annabel. Dr. Hickman made a notation in her chart. She looked over at Horatio and then met Annabel's eyes. "With the way you were gasping I was worried for a minute that you had Flail Chest. The x-rays didn't show it, but occasionally it's not pronounced enough to show."
"Just…plain…old…broken…ribs?" Annabel inquired.
"Well, a little more than that…"
"How…how long will I be…?" Annabel lifted her left arm a little.
"That's at least six to eight weeks. Plus physical therapy. It's going to be a while before you'll get full use back."
Annabel blinked hard several times and sighed in frustration. "How long in here?"
"We'll have to play it by ear. You're lucky to be sitting here at all. From what I heard that was quite an explosion…"
"I…didn't make it…up…to the house."
"That may be what kept you from being killed." Horatio squeezed Annabel's hand. Her gaze shot to him. Dr. Hickman looked briefly to Horatio and then back to Annabel. "Even so, you're not gonna just get up and walk out of here and back to work."
Annabel closed her eyes. "What is the damage, Dr. Hickman? Besides the broken arm, broken ribs?"
Dr. Hickman opened the chart and started running down Annabel's catalog of injuries.
88888888
Annabel slowly formed the letter in the cryptogram with her right hand. She looked at the messy letters, dropped the pencil and pushed the magazine away. She fell back against the pillows and closed her eyes. She fought back the tears of frustration. Annabel snatched off the oxygen mask and took a slow, deep breath of regular air. She smiled slightly and settled down. She picked up the pencil again and returned to her puzzle. Several minutes later Annabel completed the letter and set her pencil down with snap.
"You seem quite pleased with yourself."
Annabel glanced at the clock before looking at Horatio standing in the doorway. He was earlier than she expected him to be. A slight smile played about his lips. Annabel scowled.
"You're right handed."
Horatio raised an eyebrow. "And if my right arm was broken, I'd feel just as frustrated." Horatio walked over and tried to look at the puzzle book. Annabel flipped it over. He looked at the mask resting on the pillow next to her head. "Should you be wearing that?"
Annabel scowled. "I'm tired of breathing rarified air. I feel fine."
Horatio glanced at the oxygen monitor behind his wife. It read over 90%, so he decided not to press it. He sat down in the chair next to her bed. Horatio relaxed and Annabel noticed how tired he looked. Working long hours and spending every spare moment at the hospital were starting to take their toll. Annabel sighed heavily and clucked her tongue. Horatio looked mildly up at her.
"Something to say, Detective?"
"Just thinking maybe a forced vacation would do you some good"
"Suggesting that being caught in an explosion would be good for my health?" Horatio's lips twitched.
Annabel's eyes sparkled. "No, maybe just a flesh wound or something. I went a little overboard."
"I can't believe it. Only you two would consider being hospitalized a vacation." Annabel and Horatio looked up to find Alexx standing in the doorway. Her face radiated staunch disapproval. "Although, that's about the only way you all will take one."
"Oh, believe me, Alexx, I won't be taking a vacation like this again if I can avoid it, " assured Annabel.
"Good to hear, Sugar. I was beginning to think that I'd be recommending you get a psych evaluation." Alexx came over and gave Annabel a careful hug. "You're looking better. Have you been behaving yourself?"
Annabel shrugged. "You might get some argument from Dr. Ramirez, but I think he's prejudiced."
"No, you've just found someone as stubborn about his job as you are," chuckled Alexx. She glanced over at Horatio, who had dozed off in the chair. "You being here isn't slowing him down any."
"It is. He hasn't been home to sleep since I've been in here." Annabel frowned and nodded toward her husband. "That's where he usually beds down. I don't know how he's doing it." She looked back at Alexx and grinned mischievously. "Drives all the doctors nuts. I hoping it'll get me out of here sooner."
Alexx wagged her finger at Annabel. "You just sit tight here until you're well enough."
Annabel flopped back in the bed. "I'm so tired of being here. I just wanna go home," she said warily.
"And then you'll just wanna go back to work. And then you'll just wanna get back in the field. You need to heal, Sugar." Alexx took a seat on the other side of Annabel's bed.
Annabel lifted her left arm and waved the cast. "Think I don't know that?" She winced and dropped her arm back next to her body. She glanced at Horatio who was snoring. "Fact is I don't know when I will be able to get back into work fully." She tapped her right hand on the puzzle book. "I'm horribly left handed and my left arm is pretty messed up." Annabel sounded forlorn that Alexx tried to find a bright spot.
"Well, maybe if you're not running around so much, you and Horatio will finally manage to make that baby you both want so badly."
Annabel rolled her eyes. "Me being home more isn't going to help much. Our problem isn't lack of effort, Alexx." Annabel blushed slightly.
"That may well be, but you not putting some much stress on your body would go a long way to helping."
Before Annabel could counter Alexx's argument, Horatio's head slipped off his hand and he startled awake.
"I'm sorry Alexx," he said sheepishly.
"Not a problem, Horatio." She fixed him with a pointed gaze. "Although if you slept in an actual bed, you might not be falling asleep in the middle of conversations," chided Alexx.
Horatio smiled slightly. "You two have been talking." Annabel shrugged. "Too quiet at home." Alexx just shook her head.
The trio visited for a little while longer before Alexx excused herself to go home. Annabel looked at Horatio. The shadows around his eyes worried her. His face was looking a little gaunt and she wondered how many meals he was skipping.
"I'm fine, you know. You don't need to stay here every night," she pointed out.
"I'm not staying here because you need me."
Annabel sighed. "You need to get some decent sleep. That chair doesn't do it," she argued.
"Are you trying to get rid of me?"
"No. I'm just worried about you."
"I'm fine, Bella," he insisted. Horatio shifted in the chair to get more comfortable.
"You could be bleeding out, Horatio Caine, and you would argue you were fine with your dying breath."
A smiled played about his lips. "And so would you."
"I'm in a hospital bed with my arm in a cast, ribs broken, amongst other things wrong. I can't write. I don't know when I'll be able to fire a gun properly. If I don't take my meds, I hurt like hell. I'm not in the least bit fine," admitted Annabel. Tears threatened to spill over. Horatio gently gathered her into his arms.
"And there's the real reason I'm here."