Chapter Twenty-Nine

Horatio and Kyle sat watching the sports highlights. Hunter lazed in his dad's arms, drinking his bedtime bottle. Horatio didn't care for sports but he enjoyed any time with Kyle. Tonight the highlights were a way of checking up on hos oldest son before he went to bed. That fact wasn't lost on Kyle. He was surprised his dad didn't ask him to sleep in the house tonight. After a while he said goodnight to his dad and kissed a sleepy Hunter. When Horatio told him to call if he needed anything Kyle almost laughed.

It was just a dog bite. There's a lot more in my future, dad, he thought.

But if he had any trouble opening the bottle of Motrin, the local anesthesia had worn off, he would call for help. Kyle tried not to frustrated with his parents. It did feel good to be cared about. Julia wouldn't have given a damn if he had been on his deathbed.

Aimee had just got out of a bubble bath and into her pajamas when her husband entered the bedroom. He took the brush from her hand and began to brush her hair for her.

"Everyone in bed?" She asked him.

Horatio nodded. He told his wife that he hadn't asked Kyle to stay in the house. His wife told him that was a good idea. Doing so would have been over-kill. "Do you think we over-reacted?"

Aimee said yes. But they were parents. It was what they did. Then she said what her son had been thinking. "You know that he picked a career where getting bit or scratched is every day thing, right?"

"True."

"I think we should count our blessings and be glad he didn't enlist," Aimee said. She couldn't stand the thought of being an army parent either. She was glad that Kyle didn't want to be a cop like his dad. It hard enough worrying about Horatio.

Suddenly dog bites were nothing.


This morning Horatio was off to Tampa. Neither of his little girls was happy. But daddy promised he would video chat with them every night before bed—and bring them back a present. Uncharacteristic of him Horatio slept on the one hour flight. It must have been the nights mixed call-outs and having small children. At the hotel there was a group of ASL instructors from Miami-Dade College. They were all retired and now living in Tampa. They volunteered with the Tampa police department with lip-reading surveillance videos and interpreting during questioning of deaf witnesses or suspects. Two of them come over to him during a break introducing themselves.

Horatio was familiar with their names. Aimee still kept in contact with them.

"We wanted to meet the husband she gushes so much about. She says you're the best dad too."

Horatio smiled. "She's a great wife and mom, too. I'm a very lucky man."

One of woman said she realized that he and Aimee got a hard time from Aimee's former classmates about having four children, three of them being so young "but that wasn't even the starter kit in my family!" She said. This was coupled with the fact Aimee decided to be a stay-at-home mom instead of working outside the home. "They should mind their own business."

Horatio talked to Rachel and Cheyenna before they went to bed, asking about their day and telling them about his trip on the plane. Everything was normal at home except Rachel again wanted to make sure daddy was home for her special dance.

I wouldn't miss it, honey, Horatio told her when they were video-chatting. He was looking forward to this more than Rachel was. It was their special afternoon after all. He talked to his wife and Kyle as well. They both told him to relax and try to enjoy his four days without kids. Kyle assured him that his mother were getting some time to herself. He had made his mother go for "one of expensive coffees she liked" while he took the children to the park.

"And used them as a chick magnet," his father finished.

"Well, that was the bonus plan. But any chicks were older than you and too young for me," Kyle laughed.

Children were "chick magnets" however Kyle bringing his siblings around was to see how a young woman reacted to his close relationship to them. Then how she reacted to him leaving at home, with no plans to leave, or have anyone move in with him soon. So far every date was a dud when those topics came up.