A/n: Horatio post-op...LOL at Stetler's reaction. Planning to post a complementary CSI: NY case to this. Reviews are welcome! Horatio and CSIs (c) CBS, Dai and Sexie (c) my sister
11, Welcome
Horatio's eyes blinked awake as the sun sat, prompting him to jump up only to be delayed by fresh bandages and pain. Alongside his bed was Speedle, who drew to his side. "How are you feeling?" "Still a bit knocked out but…much better." Caine was bewildered at how well he felt; one minute he was on the brink of a painful death by battery, the next it felt like a bad concussion.
"You've been out for a day and a half. It's my turn to watch you." "And the case?" "Waiting for you; sad part is we found the organs but no trace of the killer." "That's because…" Caine then struck a cord in his brain; "Marla's the killer and she had…one of her associates beat me to keep it shut." "That would explain the phantom blood sample."
"I see the patient's awake." Kino stated, standing on the doorframe. "I am," The lieutenant noticed a lack of head pain and back pain. "What happened on the table?" Kino smiled slightly as he sat down on a nearby chair. "Umm, how can I say this…" "Lay it on me, I can take it; my headaches are gone and-" "You're not exactly human anymore." The simple reply dropped like a ton of bricks on Caine's head. "Wha?" "In fact, your family history tells me you weren't completely human in the first place."
"You're scaring him doc." Speedle scolded Kino, warranting a small laugh. "There's nothing to worry about. In fact, this is pretty good, considering. Though Speed already started preparations to accommodate them into your life." Now Horatio was exasperated. "WHAT? Accommodate WHAT?" "Your wings; H, you're an angel." Tim responded. "A what? I thought Secondet, what?" the lieutenant was taken aback at the results; how could he be that? "Don't worry, you're not like Sexie, you're still you, just with an extra pair of limbs."
Then it came to him. "Can any siblings be that too?" "Of course, why?" Kino replied. Horatio became quiet, deep in thought; it explained Ray's return from the dead. He could still vividly remember his younger brother, beaten beyond recognition, as he drew his last breath back in Brazil. The lieutenant tried to stand but was brought down by the weight of his new appendages strapped onto his back.
"She knew all along." Horatio said between his teeth. "Who?" "Marla; that's why she kidnapped me. But when she couldn't have me, she went for the next best thing." Kino then understood and sobered up. "But why Cathleen Homer? Why would Ruez want with a pregnant prostitute? It's not her MO." The doctor argued; that's what Sexie had told him after the surgery. "Take it from me, she's got plans everywhere." Speedle added. "She sent me Cathleen Homer's unborn child not as a message to stay away but as a lure to this." Caine grimly reasoned.
In that moment, Calleigh knocked on the room door, along with Wolfe and flowers on tow. "Well, cheer up; your CSIs are here." Kino said as he opened the door.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Horatio would've paid good money to see the look IAB Rick Stetler was giving him for free. Kino's medical file had been faxed just an hour prior and he was still reeling. "I wish I could, trust me. But that's the truth." "What are you going to do? Smite me? If this gets out to the public, we'll be the laughing stock of the police force!" Stetler disputed.
"All I care is getting back to the Homer case, close it and get used to these as fast as I can…" the lieutenant said rather annoyed as he pointed to the feathers sticking out the lab coat, further causing Rick even more discomfort. The disbelief in the Internal Affairs officer, so with a resigned sigh, Horatio drew the covers surrounding the office and took the coat off, revealing the wings. "Good enough?"
"Fine; just keep the lab coat on; I don't want hysteria in this place." Stetler finally allowed as Caine put them back into the garment. "Will do." As Horatio walked into Valera's station, he was greeted with a warm smile by the DNA technician. "Good to see you back in action." "Good to be back, any word on my phantom sample?" "You were right; it matches your brother 100 percent. Problem is, how did it there?" "Let's leave it that our favorite undead murderess is to blame." The lieutenant explained as he read the results and thanked Maxine.
"Speedle, did you find the rest of Homer's organs?" "They were already in the putrefaction stage; I'm analyzing the soup for any leftover coke right now." The ragdoll CSI replied as he typed in some data. "Good, Mr. Wolfe, were you and Eric able to link Marla Ruez to the victim while I was gone?" "We've been able to absolve Tommy Reyes after we noticed that the van had been hot-wired just hours before Cathleen's TOD. Boa Vista cleared Katyria Penn and there's no known record a Ray Carlos with the telephone she had with her. Safe to assume that 'Tati' is Marla…"
"Great work, Mr. Wolfe. Calleigh, how are things with Fierari?" "Frank is getting a signed confession as we speak." The ballistics expert replied as she caught up with her boss. "We've got the how, the who, when and where…now all we need is a why and I'm setting that up tonight." Horatio stated as he walked to his office. "You sure you won't need back-up?" Duquesne reminded H, implying the attack three days prior. "I'll be fine."
