Chapter 21
Horatio managed to keep the steering on track as Joe gently pulled her back. Horatio quickly pulled over and into a car park and exhaled a sigh of relief as he pinched the bridge of his nose, thankful that they had Joe in the car with them. 'Nearly ended up back in the hospital.' Horatio thought to himself as he took a deep breath and looked over to Zoë with soft eyes as Joe held her back in the seat while she tried to get out of his grip, frantically.
"Zoë, sweetheart, we're safe." Horatio said as he turned to her and took his seatbelt off. He placed both of his hands on her thigh as she reached out for him with her left hand and took hold of his jacket while she reached out to the front with her right and placed her feet on the dashboard.
"We're crashing! They're going to kill us Horatio!" Zoë shouted as she looked around as Horatio removed one hand from her thigh and placed it on her upper arm. He gave her a very gentle expression as she frantically looked around as if she was looking for something or someone. "Where are they? They've gone." Zoë said as she looked around more and held his jacket tighter as she dropped her feet from the dashboard and sat up straight, she looked at the static cars around them, parked and people walking past to the shop beside the car park, minding their own business. Zoë frowned as she looked around again.
"Where are who Zoë?" Horatio asked as he tilted his head at her, as Joe's grip on her loosened, deeming it safe to let her go.
"Those SUV's" Zoë panicked as she looked at him and placed her hands on his arms and sat forwards to look at him intensely, highly confused too.
"Zoë, we're safe. I think you just saw our crash from the other week." Horatio said as he placed his hand on the side of her face and swept his thumb over the soft skin on her cheek. She swallowed and frowned at him as she tilted her head.
"No, they were just pushing us into the water." Zoë shook her head and tightened her grip on his arm as she glanced around again.
"Zoë, that was a few weeks ago. Calm down sweetheart, you're safe." Horatio said softly as he stroked her other cheek with his thumb after removing his hand from her thigh. She quickly climbed over to him and hugged him as she straddled him in the front seat. She closed her eyes and felt his calm breathing and slowed hers to his rate. She closed her eyes and buried her nose into his hair and took his scent in, calming her further.
"I love you Horatio, I don't want to die." She said as she began to sob.
"We're not dying sweetheart, we're safe. We're on our way home. I love you too. Shall we get into the back and let Joe drive?" Horatio asked and she nodded as she sat back on the wheel and wiped her eyes with her left hand. When she sat on the horn Horatio pulled her closer to him and he then looked back to Joe who nodded at him. Horatio got out with Zoë and swapped with Joe.
"Thank you." Horatio said softly as he got Zoë into the back as Joe passed them and hopped into the front.
"Put your seatbelt on sweetheart." Horatio said as he sat next to her and she did as he asked. Joe pulled off once they were strapped in and calm. Horatio put his arm around her and comforted her while she wiped her eyes. She then placed her hand over his thigh as she looked up at him.
"That's how we crashed?" Zoë asked Horatio and he nodded with a gentle smile before sweeping one last tear that was just about to fall from the corner of her eye. "Who were they?" Zoë asked as she shuffled closer to him and put her head down on his shoulder.
"Eric's on that right now, he thinks that Joe LeBrock has something to do with it though." Horatio said softly as he tenderly rubbed her thigh and then kissed the top of her head.
"Who's Joe LeBrock?" Zoë asked as she lifted her head and looked up at Horatio, inquisitively.
"A nasty piece of work who is in prison." Horatio said lowly as he felt the fire within his stomach ignite into a smouldering flame, ready to burn hot and fast when the time came.
"Is he going to try and kill us again?" Zoë asked quietly as she looked into both of his eyes, worried about their lives.
"As soon as we're well enough, I'm going to have some words with him and he won't be seeing anyone ever again." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded as she placed her head back on his shoulder. She immediately felt safe when she heard the determination and conviction in Horatio's voice. They arrived home and Horatio helped Zoë out and then picked up the bag and put it over his shoulder.
"Thank you Joe." Horatio said as he closed the car door after them. They walked up to the door and Horatio let them in. Kaitlin ran straight to Zoë and embraced her tightly as Horatio stepped back.
"Welcome home gorgeous." She said as she wrapped her arms around Zoë as Horatio moved past them and into the kitchen with Joe following.
"Thank you" Zoë said softly and then pulled away from her and gave her a small smile. She then quickly followed Horatio through to the kitchen with Kaitlin following her closely.
"How are you feeling?" Kaitlin asked warmly once they got into the kitchen.
"I'm good thank you." Zoë said quietly as she glanced at Kaitlin.
"Are you sure? You've been crying again." Kaitlin said softly as she reached out and placed her hand gently on Zoë's upper arm.
"Yeah, I just panicked a little in the car." Zoë said softly and Kaitlin nodded with an understanding, sympathetic look.
"Oh babe." Kaitlin said softly and Zoë gave her a small shy smile as she moved closer to Horatio and took hold of his arm. They all saw a dramatic change in Zoë's body language as soon as she made contact with Horatio, she seemed to look more confident and happy.
"How have you been? Coped with the house alright?" Zoë asked softly as she tilted her head with a gentle smile.
"Yeah, it's a gorgeous house, and the beach is fantastic. We'll have to go sunbathing one day! I've already been shopping for you guys so you don't need to worry about that." She said softly with her smile widening as she watched Zoë come alive. 'That's my Zoë, confident and bouncy.' She thought to herself while Joe thought something along the same lines.
"Thank you Kate." Zoë smiled a little more naturally she then tilted her head and studied her.
"What?" Kaitlin asked with a smile. 'She's picked up on the clothes, I wondered how long that would take.' Kaitlin thought to herself as her smile turned into a cheeky grin as Zoë's eyes scanned her body.
"Is that my top? Have you been in my wardrobe?" Zoë asked with a chuckle as she smiled brilliantly at her and placed her other hand on her hip.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. You always have the best clothes." She smiled and Zoë giggled as she shook her head, amused. 'I knew she'd be in the wardrobe as soon as she got here anyway… she's not changed one bit.' Zoë thought to herself. 'That top looks really cute on her though, much better on her than me. In fact, all my clothes look better on her than me!' Zoë thought to herself as she studied Kaitlin's straight hair and happy blue eyes. 'She's even got my lip gloss on…' Zoë thought to herself as her smile widened more so. Zoë giggled a little more as she glanced up at Horatio as he began to rub her lower back."I also tried to get on those lovely black skinny jeans but they were too small you skinny bitch. Get fat already. Or get pregnant, then I can have all of your clothes because you won't be able to get into them." Kaitlin smiled at her as she leant on the counter and Zoë chuckled again. She moved away from Horatio a little once she felt a little more comfortable as she began to bite her lip gently. "I also slept in your pjs, I'm sorry." Kaitlin smiled and Zoë chuckled again with her natural smile widening from ear to ear.
"See, I told you it's a weird relationship you two have." Joe said as he shook his head and they both turned and laughed at him.
"She's welcome to it, the amount of times I slept in her things, in her bed and borrowed her clothes and stuff she can do what she wants." Zoë chuckled as she played with Horatio's fingers.
"I wouldn't have slept in your pjs if I had brought my own, so I'm not that weird." Kaitlin grinned as she shook her head, trying to defend the relationship she and Zoë had a little.
"No, you are weird, then again I am too, that's why we're best friends." Zoë grinned and Kaitlin chuckled.
"Please don't tell me that you wore her underwear as well?" Joe questioned with a slight grimace, unsure whether she actually had gone through Zoë's underwear draw and they both laughed more.
"No, that's where we draw the line." Kaitlin grinned as she shook her head.
"I don't know… we've tried each other's bras before, remember? Your bloody bra fit my head, mine barely fit your fist…" Zoë chuckled and Kaitlin laughed too as she smiled at Zoë, so happy to see Zoë laughing and well. She couldn't help but find herself staring at Zoë with a happy smile, having not seen her in so long and loving her perfect smile.
"Anyway babe, we should be off. I'm happy you're home. We'll be down for a few days so call if you need anything or if you want a coffee or something." Kaitlin said softly and Zoë nodded.
"Thank you Kate." Zoë said as she moved away from Horatio and then hugged Kaitlin warmly.
"Take care gorgeous." She said softly.
"You too." Zoë said softly. They pulled from the hug and then kissed each other's cheeks.
"Take care Horatio, see you soon, take care of my girl and thank you." She said as she shook Horatio's hand and then pulled him in to give him a kiss on the cheek while Zoë gave Joe a warm hug. Horatio was a little shocked, he didn't know what to do, he was rarely kissed on the cheeky by anyone and she took him by surprise.
"Thank you for everything Joe, it means a lot to me that you've stuck by me even though I've been a complete bitch at times." She said as he rubbed her back lightly.
"Don't worry about it darling, if you need anything, give me a call, although I'm sure Horatio will make sure you're okay. Take care okay and be careful please." Joe said softly as Zoë ran her fingers over his back.
"I will, thank you Bunny." She said as she pulled from the hug and they smiled at each other. Joe tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and then looked up to Horatio and shook his hand after stepping to the side of Zoë so she could hug Kaitlin again.
"Thank you Joe." Horatio said sincerely and Joe gave him a nod and wink.
"Take care, ring if you need anything." Joe said softly and Horatio nodded as Zoë moved over to him and took his hand in hers. Zoë and Horatio walked them to the door where their cases were and then said bye again as they left. Horatio closed the door and then pulled Zoë in to hug.
"Okay sweetheart?" Horatio asked softly before he kissed the top of her head with delicacy.
"Yeah, sorry handsome" Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded and they then walked into the kitchen with relieved smiles, both happy to be back in their own home.
"Salad?" Horatio asked and Zoë nodded with a smile as her eyes fell to his body to get a look at his ass as he turned around to the fridge. He turned back with a few items in his hands and caught her staring at his ass. She looked back up at his boyish grin and smiled cheekily herself.
"Thank you." She said as she pulled the bag from the counter and then walked out. Horatio watched her walk out and looked to her ass but couldn't get any definition as she was wearing his trousers that were too big for her. She walked upstairs with the bag to put things away and then came back down with the washing basket and put some washing on. She walked back into the kitchen just as Horatio put two plates on the counter.
"Chicken salad?" Horatio asked softly and Zoë smiled at him.
"You'll get used to the relationship I have with Kaitlin, Joe still finds it hilarious." She smiled at him and he nodded with a smile. 'I had a feeling they were very close.' Horatio thought to himself. "It was practically love at first sight when she joined the school. We've been close ever since." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded again as he set down two large glasses of water and tablets for the both of them.
"Thank you Horatio." She said softly as she sat up at the counter with him. She then looked to his plate and cutlery and bit her lip. She looked up at Horatio as he swapped the plates, cutlery and glasses around and then watched a smile form on Zoë's face as she picked up the fork. They both ate the lunch, keeping the conversation pleasant and flowing well. Horatio made sure she had her painkillers before he allowed her to leave the counter.
They relaxed on the sofa with a film on in the background after eating brunch. Both of them mainly dozed as their painkillers made them slightly drowsy but woke often. Once the film finished Zoë picked the remote up to change the channel but the batteries had died. Her jaw tensed as she glared at the remote dangerously. Horatio sat up when he saw her about to lose it as her face flushed red while her grip on the remote tightened considerably.
"Fucking remote!" She raised her voice as she threw it into the fireplace and then fiercely got up. She quickly stalked out of the room with her tight fists beside her hips and went upstairs to cool herself off while Horatio got up and picked the remote back up and changed the batteries. Zoë came downstairs 5 minutes later and apologised to Horatio as she slumped back on the sofa beside him. He gave her a quick kiss and then put his arms around as she relaxed further.
"Can we go for a walk, please?" Zoë asked and Horatio nodded. 'I could do with a walk myself, I just need to get her to change into something other than my clothes.' Horatio thought to himself as he glanced down at her in the oversized shirt and trousers.
"Shall we go and get changed first?" Horatio asked and Zoë nodded as she sat back up and then got up. They went upstairs but Zoë refused to change into anything else once she was undressed.
"Zoë, you can't go for a walk naked." Horatio exhaled softly as he looked at her standing in front of him, completely naked with her hands on her hips as she tilted her head at him.
"Why not?" She questioned as she began to get stressed again, he could see her tensing slightly. He glanced down at the floor as he tried to collect his thoughts as he tried to work out a way to get her to dress without causing conflict.
He looked back up to her with soft, calm eyes as he stepped forwards. "It's not the done thing Zoë, you will be arrested for indecent exposure." Horatio said softly as he tried to remain calm himself. She scowled at him before she turned around and walked back out of the room and went downstairs. Horatio's jaw tensed as he felt his stress beginning to stack up as he quickly rushed after her. His heartbeat had picked up. 'She's going to go outside, she's going to get herself arrested and Nathan will have to take her back.' Horatio thought to himself, beginning to really panic. "Zoë, please." Horatio asked as he placed his hand on her upper arm and tried to turn her but she resisted and pulled out from his grip.
"Give me space Horatio!" She raised her voice as she walked through the house.
"You're not going outside, Zoë." Horatio said firmly as he continued to follow her, readying himself to dash forwards and lock the door before she reached it.
She stopped and turned to him with her eyes burning hot. "No I'm not, I'm trying to cool myself off because you're fucking me off." She raised her voice. Horatio quickly backed off after giving her a nod and raised his hands in submission. She swallowed and glared at him, trying her best to keep a lid on it. He turned around to break the heated glare and walked into the living room and slumped on the sofa. He rested his head back on the sofa and then rubbed his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose. 'I guess I do have to blame myself for antagonising her on that one. I should have left her be, I know that she wouldn't go out naked really.' Horatio thought to himself as he heard her walk up the stairs and left her too it. He hadn't heard a thing from her in 7 minutes, so thought it was best to leave her be in case she was still fuming. He decided that he was going to check up on Eric by ringing him. He was on the phone to Eric for 30 minutes and stopped talking when he heard Zoë shouting upstairs, shouting as if she was shouting at someone. 'Oh no, she sounds like she shouting out the window at someone.' Horatio thought as he quickly rose to his feet and rushed out.
"Hold on Eric." Horatio said as he ran up the stairs and down the hall, hearing her voice get louder as he covered the microphone on his phone. He walked into one of the guest rooms and saw Zoë sat on one of the beds shouting at the TV screen. He sighed with relief as he watched her sit cross legged on the bed with a controller in her hands. He looked to the screen and saw a character in amour and a large gun. 'At least she's shouting at the TV and not some innocent passer-by as I initially thought.' Horatio thought to himself.
"Fucking die you slut!" Zoë shouted as she pushed the buttons fast on the xbox controller as her muscles tensed. He saw her glaring viciously at the TV. 'I can really see that controller going through the screen.' Horatio thought to himself.
"Zoë, everything okay?" Horatio asked softly as he leant against the doorframe and tilted his head.
"Yeah this twat keeps killing me!" Zoë said firmly as she looked round to him for a second before looking back to the screen. 'I didn't even know there was a games console in the house.' Horatio thought to himself.
"Okay sweetheart, try and keep it cool." Horatio said softly and she nodded as she looked round to him again. He gave her a small smile, not wishing to argue with her and backed off. He walked back down the hall as he raised the phone back to his ear.
"Sorry Eric, Zoë's on the xbox… I think it's an xbox anyway, some sort of games console, they all confuse me." Horatio said as he walked back down the hall slowly, keeping an ear out for Zoë's cursing which had suddenly stopped. He was just about to go down the stairs when he turned around as he heard her footsteps behind him. He dropped the phone just as she jumped at him and wrapped her legs around his hips as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'm so sorry Horatio." She mumbled as she kissed him and he groaned as he grimaced.
"Zoë, be gentle please." He groaned as he pushed her from him and she stood in front of him, looking up to him as he swallowed and began to soothe his ribs. She quickly turned and ran back down the hall and into the guest room. Horatio took a few deep breaths before he picked the phone back up off the floor.
"Everything okay, H?" Eric questioned when he heard Horatio take another deep breath as he continued to try and soothe his ribs, but nothing seemed to be working.
"Yes, Zoë's just having a bit of a moment." Horatio said softly as he walked down the stairs and rubbed his hurting ribs more lightly when he caused himself more pain.
"How are you doing?" He asked softly as Horatio walked into the kitchen and pulled out more painkillers as his ribs had begun to hurt more with each breath he was taking. 'She didn't mean to hurt you, try not to get stress about it.' Horatio told himself as he poured a glass of water.
"Good thank you Eric, glad to be back in the comfort of our own home." Horatio said softly before swallowing the two pills with two gulps of water. Once they'd finished their conversation, Horatio started to prepare dinner. He moved about the kitchen with ease, as his ribs felt fine. He put the pie in the oven and then put the vegetables on. He went through to the living room after picking up the iPad and checking e-mails and messages from various people. Once the dinner was done, he got up and walked into the kitchen to dish dinner up.
"Zoë, can you please put something to wear on, dinner is done." Horatio called up clearly. He stopped dishing up when he didn't get a response and frowned to himself as he remained silent, listening for any sound at all. But he didn't even hear the sound of rapid gunfire from the game she was playing.