Chapter 14
"Zoë?!" Horatio called loudly as he placed his hands on either side of her head. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"You're safe, don't panic. I've got you." Horatio said softly as he rubbed her temples with his thumbs. She saw his mouth moving but couldn't make out what he was saying. She blinked a few times and then looked up at Eric who was knelt the other side of her. She looked back up at Horatio's red hair as it blew gently in the gentle breeze.
"What happened?" She questioned quietly. "I stabbed Ryan, is he okay? Tell me he's okay, please?" She asked as tears collected in her eyes just as she began to come around more. 'I stabbed him? I stabbed someone?' She thought to herself, unable to believe such a thing.
"You didn't stab him sweetheart, you collapsed just after you ran at him, you didn't stab him." Horatio said calmly.
"No, I saw it, you all tried to stop me… I stabbed him, is he okay?" Zoë asked as she began to panic a little.
"He's okay, you didn't stab him Zoë." Horatio said softly and she sat up as she pulled at Horatio's shirt. She looked over to Walter and Ryan and saw that Walter had his hand firmly on Ryan's shoulder to prevent him from moving closer.
"Zoë, I'm so sorry. If I could take it back, I would, you have to understand that, please!" Ryan begged her. She looked round to him and turned back and looked down at her legs. She pulled her knees up and curled into a ball, feeling violated and disgusting.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Zoë questioned as she looked up at Horatio.
"I thought you knew, I thought you were just keeping it from me. I never brought it up with you as you didn't know that I'd looked at the tape." Horatio said softly.
"Why didn't you confront me if you thought I was lying to you though?!" Zoë questioned as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I thought you felt ashamed by it, I didn't want to make you feel bad." Horatio said as he exhaled.
"You sent him up to New York when you faked your death! I was a mess! He could have done anything!" She growled at him and he sat back.
"He was the only one you would trust, the only one I felt that could handle you. You were with Joe the whole time, he wouldn't have allowed anything like that to happen. You were safe the whole way, Zoë." Horatio said softly and she looked down at her hands as she entwined her fingers together.
"I helped him out of all sorts of situations! Now I find out what he's really done! I should have seen this before! I should have seen the signs! Natalia broke up with him because he shouted my name when they had sex! Why did I believe him when he said he was over me!? Why didn't I see it before?!" She cried.
"I trusted you!" Zoë shouted as she turned around and rose to her feet.
"I cannot tell you how sorry I am! If there's anything I can ever do to make you feel better then say! I don't care what it is! I don't care what I have to do!" Ryan pleaded. She walked over and stood just behind Walter.
"I hate you! You can never ever do anything to redeem yourself!" She growled at him. Horatio began to walk over to her but just as he got a few meters away, she ran. She sprinted up the beach as fast as she could.
"Let me talk to her, give us some space." Horatio said softly and they nodded at him. Horatio quickly turned around and began to jog up the beach after her. He could see that she was quickly sprinting into the distance, he knew that he wouldn't ever catch her up so kept a steady pace.
"How could you do that to Zoë? How could you do that to H? After what they had been through?! They were inseparable after she woke up, you saw how much he cares for her, you know how much he cares for her! You saw the connection they had even when she didn't remember who he was!" Eric said forcefully. Ryan swallowed and looked up at them.
"I love her, I couldn't stop myself." Ryan pleaded.
"If you loved her you would not have done that to her, you would have made sure she was okay and fully aware. You wouldn't have done that to her when she was unwell. Even I knew she wasn't right when she came home from hospital! You should have thought about what you were doing. I could understand it if you had just kissed her, but to do what you did, that's disgusting." Eric growled.
"You should be thankful that you're still alive, if she had been my fiancé or my sister, I would have shot you." Eric growled as he turned around and began to slowly walk away.
"Don't you think I've learnt my lesson? She hates me! That's about as bad as it can get, I'd rather be shot than have her hate me! I shouldn't have done it I know! I know that! But I made a mistake, I can't change that!" Ryan shouted back at him.
"You're damn right you made a mistake! But you know you're not going to get off lightly for this." Eric growled as he turned back on his heel and stalked back over to Ryan.
"You've just ruined her life all over again! She has just recovered after everything with Maya! She was vulnerable, she had no better decision making skills than a child! Were you inappropriate at any other time with her?" Eric questioned fiercely. Ryan remained silent.
"When?!" Eric shouted and Horatio glanced around when he heard Eric's voice.
"I took her to practice her shooting, I got really close with her but she didn't realise or think anything of it. I was stood right behind her with my hands on her waist. But that's it, I swear." Ryan pleaded.
"You sick animal!" Eric shouted and then hit Ryan in the side of the face. Ryan fell to the floor as Eric turned around and rubbed his fist. Horatio turned back to look at Zoë running after he saw Ryan fall to the floor.
Eric looked round to Horatio and Zoë and saw that Zoë had stopped and was catching her breath. He also saw Horatio picking his pace up. He felt so bad for the both of them, even worse for Zoë. He turned to look at Ryan who didn't take his eyes off Horatio and Zoë. He sighed and then slumped into one of the chairs and rubbed his face. When he looked back over to Zoë and Horatio he saw them sat on the sand with Zoë wrapped in Horatio's arms as she curled into a ball and leant against him.
"Do you see what you've done to her?" Walter asked as he looked at Ryan.
"Yes, I do. Will you give me a break, please! I feel terrible." Ryan pleaded.
"I bet she's feeling worse than you though." Walter snapped as he walked away from Ryan. He joined Eric and then looked over to Zoë and Horatio.
"I can't believe he'd do something like that to her." Walter mumbled as he looked over to Eric.
"Neither. She's already got a problem with trusting people, he knows that. She's eventually never going to trust anyone." Eric sighed.
"I can't imagine how H is feeling too, that's twice she's been assaulted now by colleagues. I doubt he's ever going to let her work again." Eric sighed.
"She's been assaulted before? What more does she have to go through?" Walter questioned.
"Yeah, by a man Horatio hired, he assaulted her not long after he started. She luckily fought him off before he managed to do anything extreme. He was not looking in good shape after Horatio had him on his own. They got together soon after that actually." Eric said softly.
"They're so good together, but I'm surprised they're still together after what they've been through." Walter said as he looked down to the sand.
"They'd stick together through anything, I don't think I've seen a bond so strong between two people. They mean everything to each other." Eric said as he looked over to Walter.
"Eric!" Eric heard Horatio shouting his name at the top of his lungs. Eric quickly stood and looked over to them. He saw Horatio performing chest compressions on Zoë. He immediately picked up her first aid kit and bolted over to them with Walter and Ryan close behind him. They saw Horatio giving her rescue breaths and then going back to chest compressions.
"Come on Zoë, please don't do this now!" Horatio pleaded as he pushed on her chest. All 3 of them quickly reached them and Eric immediately pulled out the AED. Eric felt the surge of adrenaline move through his body as he fell to his knees beside Zoë as Horatio continued chest compressions.
"Cut her top with the scissors in the kit!" Horatio said frantically before he began to give her 2 more rescue breaths. Eric had cut up her top and threw the scissors back in the back before he pulled the top apart.
"Get away from her Wolfe." Horatio growled as he attached the AED pads.
"Clear!" Horatio said frantically before he pressed the button and watched her body jolt.
"Eric, pulse." Horatio said as he leant over her and gave her another 2 rescue breaths.
"Nothing" Eric said as he leant back. Horatio nodded and then shocked her again. Eric took her pulse while Horatio gave her two more rescue breaths.
"I think there's a weak pulse." Eric said as he looked up to Horatio. Horatio placed two fingers on her neck.
"Yes." He said as he looked back to the AED machine.
"Well done Zoë, you're safe beautiful." Horatio said as he ran a hand through her hair. Eric quickly unbuttoned his shirt and then placed it over Zoë. Horatio gave him a nod and then leant back over Zoë.
"Can you open your eyes for me, Zoë?" Horatio questioned as he threaded his fingers in her hair. He then rubbed her sternum with his fist when he didn't get a response from her. She let out a small moan and turned her head slightly. Eric placed his hand on her knee and she let out a moan as she squirmed. He quickly removed his hand and looked down at her.
"Sorry Zo, it's Eric." He said softly and she calmed as she began to open her eyes as she raised a hand to her chest.
"Zoë, I'm just going to feel for your pacemaker, okay?" Horatio asked and she slowly nodded as she let out a long breath. Horatio lifted the shirt a little and then placed his hand against the side of her chest and could feel the pacemaker.
"It seems a little loose, Zoë." Horatio said softly, he couldn't think of how else to describe it. He could feel it moving about more than usual.
"Crash" she mumbled as she looked over to him.
"Has it been loose since the plane came down?" Horatio asked and she nodded at him.
"Okay beautiful." Horatio said softly. He lifted the shirt and took the two wires from her chest and then leant over her and put the AED away.
"Zoë, we're going to get you back to the shelter, okay?" He asked and she nodded at him.
"Eric give me a hand with getting the shirt on please." Horatio asked softly and Eric nodded at him. Horatio looked up to Ryan who turned away and began to walk back to the camp. Horatio looked to Walter, then to Eric.
"Take our hands, Zoë." Horatio said softly and she gripped both his and Eric's hand and they helped her up. Eric helped support her and held his shirt up so she was covered while Horatio got the ruined top off her and threw it to the sand.
"Thank you, Eric." Horatio said softly as he took one side of the shirt and then put Zoë's arm through the sleeve. Eric moved to sit behind her while Horatio moved to get her other arm through the other sleeve. Eric supported her back while Horatio did the buttons up.
"Thank you." Zoë mumbled as she let out another long breath. Horatio got to his feet and crouched in front of her, he then helped her up and supported her while she brushed the sand from her bum and the back of her legs. He quickly brushed himself off. He pulled her in closer to him when she began to fall due to her weakening legs. She reached up and put her arms around his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Do you think you can walk?" Horatio asked softly and she shook her head as she leant on him more.
"I don't want to go back there." She mumbled quietly.
"We have you sweetheart, he won't go near you, I promise you." Horatio said softly as he glanced over to Eric and Walter who gave Horatio a nod.
"I'm going to lift you, okay? You just hold onto my neck." Horatio said softly and she nodded again. He crouched a little and then lifted her up by her thighs and held her legs around his waist. He began to walk once he had a good hold of her.
"I think the leads were pulled when we crashed." Zoë said quietly.
"Have you been getting symptoms since then?" Horatio asked.
"Not really, but I've been tired. But that could be to do with the heat. It's possible that it was moved then, the force could have been enough to jog the leads. I had that nose bleed though, that's sometimes a sign that something is wrong with blood pressure and things." She mumbled quietly.
"Okay, well we're going to see Martin as soon as we get back." Horatio said softly.
"What if we don't get back? I'm likely to die if the pacemaker has moved." Zoë said softly.
"You're not going to die, and we're certainly getting back. I promise you that." Horatio said, sure of himself.
"What if I arrest constantly though? Like last time? I'll definitely die as we could all be asleep when it happens." Zoë mumbled as she moved her head closer to his neck.
"Then I'm not going to sleep, I'll get you off this island, Zoë." Horatio assured her.
"You'll have to sleep." Zoë mumbled.
"Don't give up on me, Zoë." Horatio pleaded her quietly.
"If it comes to that, we'll take turns to stay awake. We will get off this island, and we will sort everything out." Eric said as he placed his hand on Zoë's arm. She looked over to him and gave him a small smile. She closed her eyes slowly as they walked back in the searing hot sun.
"I need a shower before I can do anything else." She mumbled.
"A shower isn't a good idea right now, beautiful." Horatio said softly.
"I need a shower, I don't feel clean, he's made me feel disgusting." Zoë pleaded.
"Okay, we'll go to the waterfall." Horatio said softly.
"I need some time to myself, please, Horatio." She begged.
"Zoë, I can't do that." Horatio said softly.
"I need some time, I want some of my own space, I don't want too long, just a few minutes or something." She begged again.
"I'll give you your space, but I'm not letting you go on your own. Is that okay?" He asked.
"It'll have to do I suppose." Zoë said softly.
"Can you eat something before we go though, please?" Horatio asked and she nodded. Walter put the first aid kit down as Horatio lowered Zoë onto one of the chairs. Eric quickly grabbed a bottle of water while Horatio grabbed a chocolate bar for her, they both handed her the items and sat down. Ryan wanted to check to see if she was okay, but knew that doing that would cause her more upset. He sat in one of the tents and let his mind wander. He knew what he had done was wrong and he knew he deserved the treatment he was getting so he thought it would be best to stay out of their way.
"I really need a shower, can I please go now?" Zoë asked once she'd finished the chocolate bar and Horatio sighed. He gave her a nod as he got up and picked up the first aid kit. Zoë lowered her eyebrows.
"Well, if you were to collapse and arrest again, I wouldn't want to leave you to collect the kit, would I?" Horatio asked and she gave him a nod and then slowly rose to her feet. Horatio linked arms with her after picking up a towel and some clothes for her.
"Wait a moment." She said softly as she pulled the top Horatio had over his arm for her.
"Have I taught you nothing?" She asked with a small cheeky smile as she walked over to the suitcase and pulled out another top. Horatio looked round to her and raised his eyebrows at her, but he was happy to see her smiling. Eric let out a small chuckle as he looked round to them.
"The colours were clashing." She said as she linked arms with him again.
"What am I going to do with you?" She asked with a grin as she looked up at him with a smile.
"We'll be back soon." Horatio said softly and they nodded at him. They walked out and Zoë looked at Ryan as they walked towards the tents. She quickly looked down at the sand and carried on walking with Horatio as he gave Ryan a dirty look.
"What's going to happen now?" Walter asked Eric quietly.
"I'm not sure; there's no way Horatio is going to let Ryan anywhere near Zoë, she won't want him close either. I guess he's going to have to keep away." Eric said quietly as he sighed and then rubbed his face. They both remained silent, thinking to themselves as they looked out of the shelter up the beach.
"I'm sorry, I just need some water." Ryan muttered as he walked over to the water box and picked up a bottle. He quickly walked back out and into the tent he was occupying.
"Even if she doesn't remember what happened, surely when it happened, she knew what was going on?" Walter asked quietly.
"She wouldn't have been able to make a rational decision to consent to anything, H has said that she didn't look like she was aware of what was going on. He's said that before she blacks out, she sometimes becomes very distant and unsure of the surroundings or situations she's in. I've seen it happen and if she did become distant before she blacked out for the second time then she wouldn't have known what he was doing." Eric said quietly as he looked over to Walter.
"But then why didn't he bring it up to her if he knew she wasn't aware?" Walter questioned.
"It's very hard to tell when she becomes distant if you're not standing in front of her. As he looked at it from the CCTV, he probably didn't realise that she was completely out of it." Eric said softly and Walter swallowed.
"What he did is disgraceful and he knew exactly what he was doing, he knew she was very unwell. Horatio didn't even want to mention that they were in a relationship because she was too vulnerable and unstable to know, if you had have seen her, you'd understand a lot better." Eric added. Walter swallowed and nodded at him. They both sat in silence until Horatio and Zoë walked back. Both Walter and Eric gave them both a kind smile. Zoë dumped the clothes in one of the suitcases and then put the towel on one of the seats.
"Where's the axe?" She asked and they all looked round to her.
"I want some more bamboo because the towels aren't drying quick enough on the back of the seats.
"I'll go and get some, how much do you need?" Walter asked as he stood.
"You don't have to do that, I don't mind doing it." She said sweetly.
"I insist Zoë, how much do you want?" He asked softly and she gave him a small shy smile.
"If you could please get 4, roughly the same height, we'll have enough space to put all of our towels on and wet clothes." She said softly and he gave her a nod and then walked out. Zoë then sorted out the suitcases and closed them. She began to lift one.
"Put that down please Zoë, I'll take it wherever you want it to go." Horatio said as he rushed over to her and took it from her.
"It's not going to kill me Horatio." She grumbled.
"I want you to rest and only rest. If your pacemaker isn't doing its job, then any sort of exercise for you is out of the question." Horatio said as he held the suitcase.
"I was just going to put them in the tent." Zoë mumbled as she looked up at him.
"You go and sit down, have some water and I'll do it." Horatio said softly. She crossed her arms and looked up at him like a stroppy teenager. Horatio raised his eyebrows at her and looked at her firmly. She exhaled and dropped her hands to her sides.
"Thank you." She mumbled as she turned around and then sat in one of the seats. Horatio carried the suitcase into the tent while Eric got up and picked up another of their suitcases and helped Horatio. Once their stuff was in their tent both Horatio and Eric walked back into the shelter. Zoë looked over to Walter and watched Walter pulling 4 lengths of bamboo along the hot sand. She quickly got up and rushed over to him, she didn't even exchange a look with Ryan when she passed him.
"Zoë…" Horatio grumbled as he quickly walked after her. He took the bamboo from her that she was dragging.
"You're going to exhaust yourself." She said as she looked up at him with her hands on her hips as they continued to walk.
"If we just put them there" Zoë said as she pointed to the right of the fire. They dumped the bamboo and Zoë sat on the floor by one end and began to dig.
"Where do you want the other holes?" Walter asked softly and she pointed to a couple of meters away in a straight line. Eric walked over to them and began digging where Zoë pointed and Horatio did the same, but kept a very close eye on Zoë. Zoë got up to get the rope from the survival bag and tied it to the poles to create a washing line once all 4 poles were steady and upright.
"That's better, thank you." She said to them a she put the towel up. They walked back to the shelter once they'd put anything wet that they had up.
"Zoë…" Walter said lightly as he looked over to her.
"Yes?" She asked.
"I swear you have ADHD." Walter said as he tilted his head. She chuckled and tilted her head at him.
"You never sit still, you're always doing something, you're even fiddling with your hands now." He said softly. She smiled at him.
"Do you actually have ADHD?" Walter questioned when she didn't say anything.
"No… well, it's a long story, when I was younger I was diagnosed with it. I've outgrown it though." She said with a small smile. Horatio looked round to her shocked.
"I'm guessing H didn't know that?" Walter said with a smile and Zoë looked round to Horatio with a small smile.
"I thought I told you that?" Zoë asked and Horatio shook his head.
"It's nothing to worry about, I no longer have it, the doctor said that it probably wasn't even proper ADHD. I just had to take the medication to calm me down. I had perfect mental function, I just couldn't sit still and the other physical and impulsive symptoms were present. It was more than likely linked with previous situations." She said to Horatio and he nodded at her and understood. 'Ah, she was probably quite a disruptive and loud child then, more than likely because she was angry and disturbed by what had happened.' Horatio thought to himself.
"Previous situations?" Walter questioned.
"Long story" she said sharply.
"You talk all the time, but you never really talk about yourself. There's so much we don't know about you, you're like a spy. I bet you are a spy, aren't you?" Walter said as he sat back. Zoë sat back and chuckled at him.
"Damn it, I've been caught out. I'll just go and phone headquarters and tell them to pick us up now." Zoë smiled at him. He smiled at her and then let out a small chuckle.
Zoë slowly fell asleep on one of the seats while Walter and Eric had a calm conversation. Horatio played with her fingers while he sat in deep thought himself.
"I'm going for a shower." Walter said as he stood and then walked out after they nodded at him.
"Everything okay, H?" Eric asked softly once Walter was out of ear shot.
"I'm just a little worried about Zoë." Horatio said truthfully. Eric nodded in understanding.
"We'll get off this island and we'll get her to a hospital. Our disappearance wouldn't have gone unnoticed." Eric assured him.
"It's not just that, I'm worried about what this whole situation is going to do to her, she can't take much more. I know she's reaching her limits." Horatio said as he sighed and looked down to her.
"She's strong, H. If she needs some support, then I'll stand by you and give her the support she needs." Eric said softly and Horatio looked up at him and gave him a small, appreciative smile.
"If there's anything I can do, then just ask." Eric said warmly.
"Thank you Eric." Horatio said softly as he glanced up at Eric then to Zoë as she let out a few content moans and moved in the seat.
"What other food is in the survival kit? She needs to eat something other than fruit, but she won't eat anything with a sauce in because she won't eat it with her fingers." Horatio said as he looked over to Eric.
"There's 10 tins of those processed hot dogs?" Eric asked.
"I think it would be a good idea if we had some of those tonight, she's getting weak again. She won't eat anything else with them, but it's the best I can think of." Horatio said softly as he moved his hand to lightly take her pulse.
"Sure thing" Eric said softly. Horatio let go of her wrist and then lightly ran his hand over the back of her neck and smiled as she let out a content moan. She moved again, towards Horatio. He lightly ran his hand down her back as she relaxed more.
"She put your shirt over there, thank you for that, Eric." Horatio said softly as he pointed to the back of the shelter.
"No problem." Eric said softly as he got up. He picked up a bottle of water and then handed Horatio one. Walter returned and put his towel on the new washing line and walked back over to the shelter.
"Would you please keep a very close eye on her? I need to go and have a shower." Horatio said as he looked over to Eric.
"Of course, H." Eric said softly.
"If she wakes just tell her where I've gone, just keep an eye on her and make sure she's breathing. If she panics because I'm not there, talk to her calmly and bring her over to the waterfall, please. Make sure Mr Wolfe keeps his distance from her, it'll stress her out if he comes too close." Horatio said softly and both Eric and Walter nodded at him.
"Don't worry H, she'll be fine." Eric assured him. Horatio gave him a nod and then collected a towel and some clean clothes. Horatio walked away after looking over at Zoë one last time.
"He must trust you a heck of a lot." Walter said as he looked over to Eric.