When Natalia finally arrived home it was just after six. She stepped into her home and hastily juggled a large, brown paper bag and her keys as she fumbled with the alarm code to silence the sensor she had triggered. Once silenced, she locked the door and reset the sensor before heading up the hall.
The security system was an adjustment, sure she'd have liked it in her old home, especially when her ex-husband Nick had re-entered her life but it was pricey so she'd been stuck with the old chain and lock. This system of external CCTV cameras combined with an alarm system at the front and back doors and sensors at the same entry points was a tad more than Natalia was used to in her daily life and it was definitely a deeper dig into her pay cheque than she was used to. Yet, since it made everyone in the home feel a little safer, it was an adjustment she was willing to make.
Natalia reached for the door to the living room as she heard the dull sound of the television from within. The room was dim, shrouded in shadows as the curtains were drawn and only the glow of the television offered any artificial light. The volume of the television was low to the point of it being little more than white noise.
Natalia paused to take in the occupants of the couch with a warm smile. Rick was slouched over, asleep Natalia suspected until she had entered the room, and still fast asleep was Annabelle in his lap.
"Tough day Lieutenant Stetler?" Natalia quipped quietly.
Rick blinked back the fatigue from his eyes before attempting to glance at his companion without moving. It was difficult as he had been bent against the arm of the sofa and had to twist his neck slightly to glimpse the young girl.
Rick looked from Annabelle to Natalia. "Yep," he retorted bluntly, careful to keep his voice low so as not to disturb Annabelle. "I don't know what was worse, work or after it."
Natalia's smile widened. "Eric couldn't quite contain his enthusiasm for working with you," she jested, "or so the rumours go." Her brown eyes saddened slightly and her smile dimmed. "He doesn't exactly talk to me much anymore."
Rick frowned, annoyed at both the reminder of Eric and the reminder of Eric and Natalia's past relationship.
Natalia spied Rick's scowl and smiled again. "Rick don't get sore about it, I miss him as a friend, that's all. Anyway," she gave the bag she was holding a light shake, "I bought a few things for dinner, are you hungry?"
"Sure. Suppose I need to contact Cassie, and Detective Frost, and work out what time it is," Rick murmured wearily.
Annabelle had been sleeping on and off for a few hours in between a few minor bouts of vomiting and watching cartoons. The unwillingness to wake her with any movement when she did sleep had made Rick lose all sense of time. He had had to empty and rinse out the bucket three times but he didn't think she had thrown up in at least a couple of hours which was good.
"It's just after six, I've already spoken to Cassie and she's keeping Mari for the night," Natalia reassured him. "Tobias," she added with a small smile as she avoided using his title like Rick, "and Eric finished up in the Bracker house. Horatio and Ryan ran through some footage near the park, they've got Officer McCoy's car arriving but no Kara Watkins or her killer. CCTV only covered the car park so it's entirely possible they entered somewhere on foot without a nearby camera."
Rick nodded. "I'll have to look into it," he murmured.
"Tomorrow Rick, you're off duty, stay with Annabelle," Natalia insisted, "I'll let you know when dinner's ready."
"Alright Nat, thanks," Rick said sincerely.
Natalia nodded before she exited the room and shut the door as softly as she could.
Rick put his head back against the edge of the couch and closed his eyes.
Annabelle stirred just ten minutes later, ensuring that Rick wasn't going to be returning to sleep. She awoke with a subdued groan of anxiety as she tried to gage where she was.
Rick sat up promptly, wary that there might be another spell of vomiting coming.
Annabelle pushed back her tangled fair hair and glanced up at the man with tired eyes. "Can I have water?" she queried hoarsely.
Rick nodded as he glanced to the right where he was certain he had left the glass. It was there, only a quarter full but it would do for now. Rick handed it over to the young girl.
Annabelle seized it and sipped at it greedily, sipping only because Rick had scolded her twice already about gulping since it had only led to a rush of watery vomit. She finished the glass and handed it back to Rick.
"Do you want some more?" Rick pried.
The young girl nodded quietly.
Rick pressed the back of his hand against her brow and was relieved to find it a little cooler than it had been earlier in the day.
"Alright, do you want to come with me to the kitchen and see Natalia?" Rick queried.
Annabelle nodded shyly at this. "Is Mari home?" she asked hopefully.
Rick shook his head. "No, she's staying with Aunt Cassie tonight," he explained. He was dismayed to see the confused sorrow that filled Annabelle's face. "We wouldn't want her getting sick too, would we?" he remarked gently.
Annabelle's sorrow turned to guilt. "No," she croaked.
Rick spied her dog teddy lying on the floor and plucked it up. "Hey," he addressed her gently as he held the teddy up beneath his chin, "is it Penny's fault she has a sore paw?" he quipped, alluding to the bandage around the stuffed dog's front paw.
Annabelle shook her head. "No."
Rick smiled before reaching out to tap her head lightly with Penny's plastic nose. "Then it's not your fault you're sick," he assured. "You bring Penny with us, she's probably thirsty too."
Annabelle took the dog in both hands and hugged her close to her chest.
Rick stood up with the empty glass in one hand and held out his free hand expectantly to the girl.
Annabelle took the hand, letting Penny hang by her side in one hand, as she allowed Rick to lead the way to the kitchen.
The smell of rice and chicken cooking greeted them as they stepped through.
Rick glanced to Annabelle with a sudden worry as he wondered if the smell of food might make her nauseous. She seemed alright although she had raised Penny to her face. It took Rick a moment to realise that she was attempting to hide behind the stuffed animal from Natalia.
"Hey honey," Natalia greeted warmly as she turned from the pot of rice to give the girl a smile, "how are you feeling?"
Annabelle lowered the dog teddy and looked up at Natalia with the same sorrowful guilty gaze she had given Rick. "Okay," she said glumly.
"Hmm." Natalia raised her hands to her hips. "Just okay? Well that's no good, what can we do to make you happy? Are you hungry? Would you like some toast?"
Annabelle shook her head.
"Just water," Rick answered for her.
"Ah." Natalia gave Annabelle another smile. "From the fridge?" she suggested. "With ice?"
An eagerness suddenly brightened the girl's face as she glanced over at the fridge/freezer. It had double doors and offered water, ice cubes and crushed ice from a nozzle at the front. It was a gadget Rick scorned as unnecessary but it offered an unlimited joy to the girls who took a delight in playing with it.
"Well since you're not well I think you should get to pour a big glass yourself," Natalia suggested. "Although maybe you'll let Rick help?" She cocked her head slightly as she gave Annabelle a mock quizzical look.
Annabelle turned a shy, hopeful stare up to Rick.
Rick suppressed the urge to sigh. "I'll get a cup," he said. "Plastic," he added firmly.
"Which one do you want honey?" Natalia queried. "Do you want your pony cup?"
Annabelle nodded. "Can I push the ice button?" she asked.
"Of course," Natalia answered happily. "Now, I've got to finish the dinner for me and Rick, do you want to sit at the table with us?"
"Okay."
Natalia turned her attention back to the rice whilst Rick attempted to hunt out the desired glass.
Dinner was a calm affair. Annabelle was satisfied with her large glass of crushed ice and water and sat at the table quietly, cuddling Penny and fiddling with the Salt and Pepper shakers, which were styled as sea lions and were an eccentric gift from Cassandra.
Once dinner was done, Natalia took Annabelle upstairs for a bath, on the promise that she could watch some more cartoons with Rick before bed.
Rick stayed downstairs, tidying the kitchen until a call from Cassandra disturbed him.
"Hey Cassie," he greeted wearily.
"Hey Rick," she responded chirpily, "how's Annabelle?"
"Better I think," he said, afraid to jinx it. "How's Mari?
"That's good. Mari's grand. I was calling to see if you want me to take her to her appointment tomorrow."
"Appointment?" For a moment Rick was puzzled. "Shit," he cursed out his realisation. Marissa had a doctor's appointment at nine in the morning to discuss her medication for her heart. He scratched at his hair as he paced the kitchen. "No, you've got work," he murmured.
"Not until twelve," Cassandra reassured. "I'm fine to take her Rick, I just wanted to confirm."
Rick frowned, knowing that Cassandra had no means of transport to take Marissa. "How are you going to get there?" he pried.
Rick could guess his sister was frowning now, annoyed at his question as it suggested she couldn't deal with her niece's needs independently. Rick didn't mean it like that but they had to be logical, he wasn't going to risk Marissa missing an important appointment because her aunt was stubborn.
"A taxi," Cassandra said flatly.
Rick sighed.
"Rick," Cassandra addressed him brightly before he could speak, "let's avoid the fight hmm? Let me do this, you have a sick kid in your house, that's enough worry, don't you think?"
"Cassie I'm not trying to fight with you," he said wearily.
"Then we're agreed," Cassandra continued talking in a cheerful voice, "I'll take Mari tomorrow. Good talking to you Rick, I hope Annabelle stays well."
The phone line went dead as Cassandra avoided giving Rick a chance to argue.
"God you'd think she was still a teenager sometimes," Rick grumbled to himself as he pocketed his mobile.
He ran a hand through his dark hair before turning his stern stare on the kitchen. The dishes were in the dishwasher and he had rubbed the table with a cloth. He figured it would do and headed out of the room, moving for the living room. It was tempting to go the fridge and grab a beer to bring with him if only to ease the edge he was on just a little but he couldn't. He'd promised Annabelle cartoons and he didn't feel right doing that with alcohol on his breath, even if it would just be one drink.
Exhausted, Rick was relieved to be back on the couch again. He channel hopped as he waited for Annabelle, trying to avoid the news in case Kara Watkins popped on reminding him of his work woes. He couldn't stop thinking about it however, knowing he would have to talk to Bill McCoy again, this time about the Bracker case. He wondered grimly if Bill was liable to be as hostile as Eric about it.
At the Caine/Silverstone household, Horatio stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom as Cassandra finished the call with her brother. He kept his expression carefully neutral, trying to tactfully pretend he had not heard the almost argument.
"Don't you say a thing," Cassandra warned as she gave Horatio a calm look, "I'm taking Marissa to her appointment tomorrow, I'm sure I'll manage."
Horatio nodded.
Cassandra frowned at Horatio's silence . "I can do these things you know, I'm not the only person in Miami getting by without a car."
"Cassie I didn't say anything," Horatio pointed out softly.
Cassandra raised her hands to her hips as she looked to her partner with a slight frown and raised her blonde eyebrows slightly. "But you're thinking it," she commented lightly, "I can tell."
"Cassie honey I'm thinking if you do need a lift anywhere tomorrow then ask, if you don't, that's alright."
Cassandra continued to regard Horatio with suspicion, not entirely mollified by his retort.
"There's something else," Horatio admitted. He was reluctant to say what he had to. It was something he had meant to tell Cassandra this morning before work but it had slipped his mind and it was only after receiving a text from Kyle earlier this evening that he had been reminded. "I'm seeing Kyle tomorrow," he confessed, "for a couple of hours. I want to tell him our news," he added with a faint hint of a smile.
Cassandra smiled back although she felt a little difficult with the gesture. She had met the mysterious Kyle only briefly in passing because his mother Julia had expressed a hostility towards Horatio's girlfriend and because Kyle himself didn't seem to have much interest in his father's partner. It was odd to think now that she would technically be the teenager's stepmother one day.
"That's good Horatio," she assured, "he's your son and it's important you see him. It's good you're telling him our news too," she added as her smile widened and she instinctively reached to her engagement ring with two fingers. "I'm in work from twelve until five or do you mean you're seeing him in the evening?"
"Dinner," Horatio explained. "Will you be alright to have dinner alone?" Horatio queried.
Cassandra nodded. "I'll be fine," she assured. "Poptarts and wine for one then," she jested with another grin. "Actually, that's making me hungry, I'm getting a snack."
The blonde headed for the bedroom door and exited to the hall.
Horatio watched her go with a weary expression, uncertain if the blonde was as happy as she insisted. He knew that come tomorrow he and Rick would both be worrying about her and wondering about her getting Marissa to the doctor's and then school and neither would relax until they had confirmation that it had all gone ahead smoothly. It was a confirmation, Horatio realised Cassandra was liable to keep from them for a while as punishment for their lack of faith. When the blonde got in a bad mood she had a habit of ignoring their phone calls.
He glanced at his watch. It was only after seven although it felt later. He exited from the bedroom too and headed for the living room. It wasn't often Horatio had an evening free in the house and he wasn't entirely used to it. Miami never slept and the crime never ceased and whilst he was strictly speaking in charge of the day shift that hadn't stopped his work from leading him to night time call outs at bars, nightclubs and hotels to interview suspects and witnesses or check fresh crime scenes. He was trying to regulate his shifts better for Cassandra, knowing she hated to be alone at night but also because he wanted to have more time with her. More often than not his time with Marisol had been during work hours and he didn't want his relationship with Cassandra to be that way. Then there was Kyle to consider and the girls, Marissa and Annabelle.
Horatio stepped in the living room and sat on the powder blue couch. He glanced at the remote on the coffee table, which had sand grains and seashells under its glass top and had come from Cassandra and Rick's former home. Horatio wasn't one for lazing back to watch television, he had no interest in soap operas or reality shows and the news was always grim. He flicked it on and scanned down for the channels which just offered music, no cheesy videos or irritating reality shows spliced in, just music.
Picking a jazz channel, Horatio turned his attention to the bio orb that dominated the right side of the room and housed two very spoiled goldfish- Bugsy and Lucky. They too had come from Cassandra and Rick's home but with good reason, Horatio had bought them and their tank as a gift for Cassandra and Marissa, a gift Rick had never seemed to appreciate.
Ten minutes past before Cassandra appeared, clutching a bag of cookies. She took a seat beside Horatio wordlessly and leaned her head against his chest.
Horatio reached up his right arm and placed it across her shoulders.
"Do you think we could have cookies at the wedding?" Cassandra quipped.
Horatio smiled. "Sure. What kind?"
"Chocolate chip," she mused before chewing on the one in her hand. "Snickerdoodles for Mari, peanut butter for Rick, if he's not being a sanctimonious ass," she grumbled. "Hmm what are we having for you? You don't like cookies, which is weird by the way."
Cassandra gave her fiance a light-hearted stare of mock scorn.
"For you I'll have at least one," Horatio offered.
Cassandra smiled before leaning up to kiss him. "Do you think we could work that into our vows? In sickness and in health, I promise to provide snacks for cupboard and for shelf?"
Horatio shook his head even as he smiled.