000

Chapter 19

000

Horatio woke up and looked over at Calleigh sleeping on her side. In the semi-obscurity, he wished he could watch her sleep, but her back was turned to him. He shifted in bed and inched closer spooning her, draping an arm over her waist, careful not to disturb her slumber. She let out a muted moan, moving to lie comfortably against him. Horatio stayed awake, thinking, watching her at rest with something gnawing away at him.

000

They started their day together and encountered one another close to lunchtime.

Calleigh was waiting for the elevator doors to open, surprised to find Horatio standing inside, lost in thought, one arm across his chest, the other supported by it with the back of his fingers covering his mouth.

She brought him out of his mulling with a very friendly "Hey."

He looked up, startled, dropping his arms to his sides, "Hi."

"I was just going up to see you - " Calleigh said with a grin, then asked, "Where are you off to?"

"Ah. Yelina called me up - We've got another one." It seemed like the number of victims never ceased to grow.

"Again?"

"Yup."

"They're right when they say irritability goes through the roof when the heat rises above normal in Miami - "

"And people become less friendly," Horatio added.

She nodded in response then tipped her head, "Mind if I walk you out?"

"Not at all."

They walked down the pristine hallway and Horatio hunkered his head, listening to Calleigh, "I wanted to ask you if you were up to seeing a movie tonight?"

"Um. A movie sounds great," he replied before they reached the front door.

So in tune with her, he pushed the door and didn't even have to motion for her to step ahead of him, she was already out the door with a gentle thank you smile playing on her lips.

He always refused to go through any door before any woman, especially not Calleigh.

"I have to go home tonight to get my mail and clean up a bit - I'll bring Ella with me."

"So it's a date then," he liked the thought of going to pick her up after work for a night out.

"I guess you could call it that," she beamed him a smile, "I just might dress up extra special for you."

"Mmm," he hummed appreciatively at the images she had produced in his mind. He stepped closer, placing a hand at her lower back, "I'll catch up with you later, okay? Go have lunch."

"Will do," she watched him walk off, pulling out his sunglasses to cover his eyes from the excessively bright sun. Without a cloud in the sky, it looked like it was going to be a sizzling afternoon. The evening wasn't going to be much cooler, she thought, and she wasn't talking about the weather.

000

Horatio hadn't been very attentive to the movie. He pretended to be, Calleigh had noticed.

As they exited the movie theater, Calleigh turned to Horatio, "Why didn't you tell me you didn't feel like seeing that movie?"

Horatio followed her, taking a last step down the stairs and furrowed his brow, "What do you mean? I thought the movie was great."

"Well, you seemed, I don't know, distracted - what's on your mind?"

"Nothing, I don't know what you mean - " He diverted his eyes from her own to her cherry lips.

If he didn't look into her eyes, maybe she wouldn't keep on asking questions.

"You sure there's nothing you want to tell me?"

"Positive." He wasn't looking at her, she observed and understood exactly what that meant; he didn't want to tell her something.

"Alright then. What do you want to do now?"

"Let's just go for a walk."

She nodded, still wondering what he was hiding from her.

He took her hand and kissed it and Calleigh decided to think nothing of it. If he didn't want to tell her what was on his mind, she could accept that. She didn't feel like she was the only woman in the world wondering what was going on in that head of his.

They had a long peaceful walk down Lincoln Road where the Colony Theater was located and continued along Collins Avenue. When they decided to call it a night, Horatio drove Calleigh home.

He carved the image of her in a silk blouse and skirt in his mind as he looked over her riding up in the elevator, accompanying her to her door.

As she had requested earlier during the day, he left her in her domain, her home. It had been painstakingly hard to leave, but he handled it like a gentleman and casually left with the promise of seeing her the next day at CSI.

000

"Hey," she said lowly in the phone, "I know it's late."

He chuckled, "It's early, but don't worry about it."

His voice didn't sound sleepy, she thought. Did he have trouble sleeping too?

He turned in bed and cleared his throat. She heard him stretch and when he spoke again she knew he was lying on his back, probably in the middle of the bed, taking up all the room like he loved to.
"Anything on your mind?"

"No, just wanted to hear your voice."

"Mm. Why aren't you sleeping? It's two thirty - "

"I'll ask you the same question - " she retorted.

She knew he was smiling as he spoke, "I don't sleep well alone anymore."

"Then why didn't you ask me if you could stay over?"

Nonplussed, he replied, "I thought you wanted to go home and be in your things - " he trailed off.

"A lot of my things are at your place, Horatio. And, it's not exactly why I asked you to bring me home."

He didn't know how to respond right away. Had she decided to go home because she felt he didn't want to be with her?

Then, a thought crossed his mind, "I'm coming over."

"What?"

"I'll be there in fifteen."

"Horatio Caine, don't you dare step out of bed and drive down here in the middle of the night to - well, for whatever reason - "

He cut her off, "I'll sleep better and so will you."
He was the only person to render her speechless.
Horatio smiled and said silkily, "Don't move."

000

Calleigh spotted Horatio talking with Alexx and scuttered towards them, overhearing Alexx say: "I'm sure she'll love it."

"Who will love what?" Calleigh asked, curious.

"That girl is always poking around, wanting to know everything," Alexx shook her head at Horatio who smiled lovingly at Calleigh and answered, "yes, but she's mine and I love her just the way she is."

"Mmhmm," Alexx bobbed her head. "Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds. If that can't cool you down... I'll be in the in the morgue prepping for an autopsy."

"You always do make it seem like a piece of cake, Alexx," Calleigh said.

"Somebody's gotta do it, hun," she lifted her index finger to show her insistence, "and it ain't gonna be Glenn if I can help it."

"You go girl," Calleigh smiled as Alexx walked away.

Calleigh turned fully to Horatio, "What's with the hush-hush?"

Horatio saw Alexx turn and mouth, 'Janie's birthday.'

"Um," he quickly used Alexx' help, "Alexx is planning a surprise party for Janie and has asked for my help."

"She doesn't need my help?"

"I, ah, don't know," Horatio shook his head.

"That's weird," she narrowed her eyes at Alexx watching her turn the corner, "Well, anyway," Calleigh looked at Horatio, "here's the report ready to sign," she gave him the file.

"Thank you."

"If you need me, you know where to find me," she sashayed down the hall, turning her head to look back at him, delighted that she had elicited him to watch her walk away.

He blushed, diverting his eyes, shaking his head, thinking she caught me again.

000

After a long day, Calleigh came home bummed out. Horatio asked her to sit on the couch and took one of her sore feet in his lap, massaging it.

"Oh my God, Horatio," she sighed, "How did you know my feet were killing me?"

He briefly stopped what he was doing to lift one of her high-heeled shoes, "These are killer."

"What women do to look great."

"Mmhmm. Look what I got you," he pointed to her kitchen counter.

She saw the bright colored flowers, "Tulips! Oh, that's so sweet - thank you," she scooted towards him on the couch, forgetting about the massage.

He kissed her and then got up, to her surprise, and strode to the bouquet, taking out a white tulip and carrying it to the couch with him.

"Smell," he tenderly pointed the tip of the flower to her.

She held the stem, bringing the flower to her nose, watching out for the anthers to not get any pollen on her nose.

"What is this?" Calleigh asked and Horatio gave her a full-pledged smile. She tipped the tulip over and a ring fell in the palm of her hand.

Horatio picked it up from her palm and got down on one knee before her, "Calleigh, sweetheart, I want to be there whenever you need someone - I love you now and I'll still love you fifty years from now - if God lets me live that old." Calleigh smiled, tears welling up, and stroked the side of his face.
"I want to go to bed with you every night and wake up next to you every morning - I want to be with you, night and day." He tried to keep his voice steady, "Now, you know for certain how I feel about you and you can be sure I'll always feel this way - " His eyes never left hers, "I would be honored if you'd let me try to make you as happy as you make me every single day for the rest of my life - " He caressed her left hand with his thumb, "Will you marry me?"

Dewy-eyed and voice quavering, she replied, "Oh my God, yes, Horatio, yes, I'll marry you."

Horatio slipped the 14K white gold diamond engagement ring on her finger.

Her eyes sparkled brighter than the dazzling diamond, "Is that what's been bothering you?" she asked, pulling him forward onto the couch with her.

"Guilty as charged," he kissed her languorously.
Sitting up he said, "I'm sorry you felt like I was keeping something from you, but it was important that I keep it secret. Alexx warned me it was going to be difficult to keep this from you."

"Alexx was in this too? I knew Janie's birthday wasn't for another month and thought it was kinda early to start preparations for a party - I should have known."

"We're going to have to start preparations for our party, not to mention... pick a date," Horatio grinned. "I've already got the perfect destination for our
honeymoon - "

"My Lord, Horatio, you've put a lot of thought into this..." Calleigh shook her head in disbelief. "No wonder you haven't been able to sleep."

TBC...