Chapter Twenty-Two: Cope

Later that night, at the Miami-Dade crime lab…

Erik Delko pushed through the doors, dropping numerous folders in front of Speedle and Calleigh who were sitting quietly in the break room.

"I heard about what happened…that's rough, man. Is H okay?" Erik said, taking a seat next to Calleigh.

"I'm sure he's taking it pretty hard…he went straight to the hospital after the EMS showed up at the hotel. We haven't heard from him since," she said before taking a sip of black coffee.

"We thought it would be better to leave H alone for now," Speed started. "I bet he's a mess."

"Wow," Erik shook his head, looking at the table. "I never even suspected that…I mean, Horatio didn't even pick up on what was going on until the last minute?"

"Nope. He had no idea."

"I guess it's 'case closed' then…you guys going home for the night?" Erik said, making his visit short.

"Yeah, in a few minutes," Calleigh said, waving to him.

"Alright, if you see H, give him my sympathies…I'll stop by the hospital to visit tomorrow."

Speedle agreed, saying goodbye. Once Delko had stepped out, Speed turned his attention back to Calleigh.

"You gunna be alright with all this? It looked like you were taking it pretty hard back at the scene."

She swished the coffee around in her mouth before swallowing it, letting everything settle in her mind, "I really don't know…I can't stand to see Horatio like this. Throughout this entire case, he'd always look so tired…like it was starting to get to be too much on him. And did you see him on the way to the hotel? He was a total wreck! He didn't even know you were talking to him half the time!"

Speed quickly broke in when he noticed her eyes were becoming glossy, "I'm sorry, Calleigh…I didn't know I was making you so upset. I think you should just put the work aside for now and get some sleep."

"I…I guess you're right. It's just that…I'm worried about Horatio. What if Robin isn't okay? He'll never be the same again without her…" she said, sweeping the tears from her mascara-stained face.

Speedle set his hand on Calleigh's arm, looking into her vibrant blue eyes. He smiled encouragingly, "Listen, this is H we're talking about…he won't let anything happen to Robin."

She chuckled, knowing he was right. Standing up, Calleigh grabbed her jacket off the back of the seat, "So, I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

There was a slight pause before Speed nodded, picking up the folders from the desk, "Yeah…I'll see ya then."

* * * * *

It was early the next morning--the sun peeked through the horizontal blinds, making a sort of striped pattern throughout the hospital room. It was quiet, but there was still a light murmur from the hustle and bustle of the hospital's everyday business.

In the center of the room was a small bed, and under the covers, Robin laid peacefully. Horatio was sitting in a chair beside her. His head was resting next to her arm, and he was still gently holding her hand as he had done the day before. He opened his eyes slowly and rubbed his face, taking a moment to realize exactly where he was.

Once he became more awake, Horatio leaned closer to Robin's face, just taking a moment to simply look at her. Her face was slightly pale from the large amount of blood loss, and the area under her eyes was slightly darker from the lack of sleep she had been getting. There were bandages across her chest and a small wad of cotton taped onto her shoulder--both of them were stained in red.

When looking around at the numerous machines and monitors, Horatio heard a steady beeping noise, confirming that Robin's breathing was almost back to normal. He pulled the sheets up to her shoulders, then brushed a few hairs from her forehead.

"Robin…what did I do to you…" Horatio said quietly, kissing her slightly parted lips.

Moments later there was a clicking noise from the door as Doctor Barry Kaldwell entered, holding a clipboard with several sheets of paper attached. Looking about 62 years of age, his hair was thin and scarce, and the glasses that were perched on the bridge of his nose gave him an appearance of professionalism. He gave a nod to acknowledge Horatio, stepping in and shutting the door behind him.

"Lieutenant Caine, I would say 'good to see you again', but I guess when it's in a place like this, that's never the case," he said, shaking Horatio's hand.

"How is she, Doctor Kaldwell?" Horatio said, his voice quiet and growing hoarse.

The doctor looked over at Robin, his aged face was sympathetic, "I can't lie to you--she's lost a lot of blood…and that bullet shattered parts of her ribcage. If it were merely an inch higher, it would have pierced her heart."

Horatio slipped his hands into his pockets, lowering his head and turning away for a moment. Kaldwell took a second to look back at his charts, "However, she just needs a lot of time to recuperate. You know, let everything regulate and properly heal. Of course, that's only the physical side of things."

"So, Robin will be okay," Horatio checked, turning back and looking directly at the doctor.

He smiled, nodding again as he pulled the door open, "Don't worry, she'll be good as new. Just give her a while."

The door shut, and Horatio pulled the chair back beside hospital bed. He smiled at Robin, kissing her hand as he held it in his.

"Did you hear that, Sweetie?" he said in a smoky whisper. "You're gunna be fine…and we can start all over again."

…On the other side of the door, Speed and Calleigh had heard all that Horatio and Doctor Kaldwell had said. Calleigh looked over to her partner, feeling like a thousand pounds had been lifted from her chest.

"I'm so happy Robin's going to make it! Horatio really cares about her…it's so sweet…"

Speedle nodded, reaching across to take Calleigh's hand, "Yeah, they're perfect for each other."

Her face was slightly confused, but she seemed to get the point.

"Like H told us…you can't take any chances when it comes to possibly losing someone you care for…and, Calleigh, after seeing how close he came to losing the one he loves…I don't want to wait until it's too late to tell you how I feel."

"Oh, Tim…I don't know about…" she said with a light chuckle, thinking it was some kind of joke.

"Don't tell me right now…take some time to think about it. But, I just want you to know that I'll be ready."

Calleigh took one last look into the hospital room, seeing Horatio right there--never leaving Robin's side. A huge smile spread across her face--her mind was made up.

**I wanted to post this chapter yesterday, but almost everyone in Michigan had a huuuuge blackout! Did any of you guys get stuck with no power too? It didn't turn on until about 5 in the morning. I'm just happy it's back, because today it's really really warm! Almost 90! At least I have the day off! Okay, back to the story. Thank you guys for the reviews for the previous chapter! I can't believe that it brought tears to your eyes, Yaba! : ) I know I said that this would be my last chapter, but I didn't want to throw the last part in there just yet. So yes…it saddens me to say that chapter 23 will, in fact, be my final chapter. I just want to tie up some loose ends. But I don't think this will be my only story with Robin in it. If I have time, I might actually do a prequel to this story--maybe of when Horatio and Robin first met about 5 years earlier. The only problem is that I wasn't sure if he already was working with Calleigh and Speed or not. Maybe I'd just make up a whole other CSI team for Horatio if he didn't already work with them…or was he working with the Bomb Squad? If you think that's a good idea, or if you guys could help me find out about what H did five years before when the actual series takes place, then please give me an email or put it in the review section. Take care, and I'll be posting soon!**