A/N: thanks so much to the reviewers. You're great!

Part 7 - Hell breaks loose

Dr. Alexx Woods put the receiver down. Looking at Keith, she explained. "I'm to call back within ten minutes, the detective had to consult the head of the department."

Keith frowned. He wondered if he was being tricked or not. Ten minutes wasn't that much, so obviously they weren't deliberately stalling the situation. He'd wait it out and see what they had to say.

While she was still standing, Alexx wondered if she'd take the opportunity to take another step closer to Horatio, so she could check on him. His incoherent ramblings had worried her and she really didn't want him to fall back into unconsciousness, as he could easily slip into a coma.

Keith wouldn't let her. With a gruff cough of warning, he alerted the doctor to step back, then glanced at his watch. "You better hope they keep their end of the bargain," he muttered, thinking of what he could do if they didn't.

"Three strikes, you're out," said Horatio, his eyes tightly shut. "Can we go to the game tonight?"

"We have a date, handsome," Calleigh responded, forcing herself to use her usual cheerful voice. Despite her own dire situation, she was worried sick about her boss's condition.

"Shut up," Keith barked angrily. He moved closer to the Lieutenant, ready to knock him on the head a second time.

"Hey!" Eric yelled in rage. "Leave him alone!"

Keith threw a meaningful smirk over his shoulder, ready to act.

Then, hell broke loose.

Something came flying through the window behind Eric, the shattered glass flying through the lab. The young man immediately drew in his head and protectively threw his uninjured arm over it for cover.

"Calleigh, keep still!" Horatio's voice was heard above the noise of pieces of glass falling on the floor. "Everyone else, get down!"

Meanwhile, the door was thrown open, and while two dark figures rolled smoothly inside, Horatio had already slammed into Keith, knocking the surprised man down before he could do anything.

One member of the swat team was on top of the perp already, his gun at Keith's temple. "Drop it, mister."

"I'd listen to the man, RIGHT now," Horatio added sharply, and only when Keith let go of the gun did he relax. Knowing the situation was under control, he scrambled to his feet, turned around to face his CSI's and asked, "Everybody all right?"

Eric nodded, shrugging off the shattered glass.

"We're fine, H," Speed acknowledged, holding out an outstretched hand for Alexx to help her to her feet while he slapped his pants with the other. Looking up, he stared at Horatio.

Alexx had grabbed the proffered hand, got up and looked from Eric to Horatio. "We're okay, sugar." Her eyes showing her surprise she quickly studied him. "You're okay?"

"Fine," Horatio quickly shrugged her off, then turned to give Calleigh a reassuring smile. "Stay still. We'll get you out of here soon, all right?"

She stared at him with open mouth, ready to say something. Taking in the swat team that was waiting for attention, she decided against it and just nodded.

One of the swat team members moved within Horatio's view. "Sir, the bomb squad is coming in any minute now," he said.

"Good. Thank you," Horatio smiled, then threw one last glance at the perp on the floor. "You didn't get away with this, did you, Keith? Get him out of here."

"Yes, sir," the other man replied, then after cuffing the suspect, he dragged him to his feet and they left.

"Alexx," Horatio now addressed his ME. "Alexx, could you please take Eric outside and see to it that he gets medical attention? Speed, go with them. Take the stairs, all right?"

"You need to come too, Horatio," Alexx protested, although she knew it would be of no use. "You need some stitches, you know." Stepping closer to her boss, she looked into his eyes, then her gaze drifted to the makeshift bandage that was still wrapped around his head. Luckily, she found no fresh blood soaking through.

"Horatio, go," pleaded Calleigh. "I'll be all right."

"Yes, you will. And I'm going to make sure you are," Horatio responded resolutely. He lifted a hand, brushing slightly over the bandage above his left ear. "Alexx, it's okay. We'll be down soon and then you can patch this up, all right?"

Alexx rolled her eyes. "As if you ever listen to me," she muttered under her breath. "All right, Eric, let's get you out of here." She turned towards the injured man, smiling thankfully as Tim had already helped him up. Brushing her hand through Calleigh's hair she whispered, "You'll be fine... see you later, sweetheart."

"Good luck, H," Speed wished then stopped to look at Calleigh. "See you soon."

"We'll go out for dinner tonight, after this is all over," Eric commented, also attempting to sound as normal as he could. "Cal, you get to pick the restaurant."

"I'll hold you to that," Calleigh smiled, and watched her friends leave before looking back at Horatio. "Are you sure you' re all right?"

"I'm fine," Horatio tried to reassure her. "Just a headache."

"I bet." Calleigh frowned. She still wasn't convinced that it was just that, but also knew he wouldn't admit to anything more than that. Taking another good look at him, she grinned. His suit was all wrinkles, and dark stains on both his jacket and pants showed he'd been sliding over the floor. His hair was ruffled, there were dark patches of crusted blood in his hair and on his neck and the bandage Alexx had wrapped around his head made the image complete.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked, tilting his head a bit.

"You look like Rambo," she chuckled.

Horatio raised his brows, although his eyes showed his amusement. "Rambo, huh?" he commented. "I don't remember seeing Johnny wear a suit."

She wanted to respond, but fell silent when a man, wearing a black bomb suit, appeared in the doorway to the lab. "Hello. You must be Mrs. Duquesne. And Lieutenant Caine? I'm Sergeant Orrick of the bomb squad," the younger man held out his arm then shook hands with Horatio. "It's an honor, sir. Your hints came through loud and clear. Thank you."

Horatio smiled. "I'm glad I could help out."

Calleigh's eyes widened in surprise. "You weren't talking nonsense at all, but were actually giving them the needed information?"

"Yes, ma'am," Orrick nodded. "We know exactly what we're facing. Now let's take a look at the package." His equipment within reach, the bomb squad technician knelt and bent forward to look underneath the chair Calleigh was sitting on. "All right. Let's see if we can get a closer look at the detonator," he said, reaching out for his portable X-ray machine.

Horatio wanted to watch and bent forward as well, but his head protested as the pounding intensified, and it made him slightly dizzy. Slowly, he moved back.

"Horatio Caine!" Calleigh said sharply. "Don't even think I didn't see you stagger. Now sit down before you fall down and let the Sergeant do his job."

Orrick briefly looked up, taking in the older man's features. "Are you all right, Lieutenant?"

Sighing, Horatio threw his hands up in resignation. "Fine... Just a little dizzy, that's all." He drew a chair closer and sat down. "So, how long are you with the squad?"

"Three years, sir. I had the opportunity to work with the best the squad had," Orrick said, while he took the X-ray.

"Really?" Horatio asked. "Who was that?"

"Al Humphries, sir. I know you worked with him as well. He taught me everything I know."

Horatio's head turned away as he stared into nothing, away from the two people in the lab.

Calleigh bit on her lip, the memory of the day Al Humphries had died still fresh in her mind.

Placing the X-ray machine back, Sergeant Orrick sat up straight and looked at the silent man for a long time. "He really was the best, sir," he finally said with a soft voice.

The red haired man gave a barely noticeable nod. "That he was." Turning back, Horatio now glanced at the younger technician. "That he was," he repeated with a ghost of a smile.

Orrick returned his attention to the task at hand and studied the X-ray. "All right, I'll have to remove some stuff, and then I'll know if we can replace you," he smiled at Calleigh, "with something of similar weight. You just keep still. Okay?"

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere," Calleigh tried to sound as normal as possible. She remained quiet, her gaze never leaving that of Horatio's. She realized the mentioning of his former mentor at the bomb squad had brought back some sad memories, although he'd never really opened up to her about it. She was worried and really needed a sign from him convincing her that he'd be okay.

It took him a while, but then Horatio shrugged his shoulders, in an attempt to physically shake off the burden. The sadness that had been evident for a while was now being replaced by concentration as he drew his attention back to the situation at hand.

"Sir, what's your favorite color?" Sergeant Orrick called out from under the seat.

"You're kidding, right?" Calleigh said as she turned her head to look down, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Horatio smiled, never showing what he was really thinking. "What have you got, Sergeant?"

Orrick sat up straight, placed his tools on the floor, and shifted until he could face both CSI's. "Well. We can forget about replacing you with something else. It won't work. So it basically comes down to cutting the right wire."

"Just like in the movies?" Calleigh asked, still unable to hide her surprise.

Nodding, Orrick looked at the former bomb squad technician. "You might have to redecorate the lab, but there will be hardly any damage to the rest of the building. I'm thinking yellow. But please, have a look."

Horatio slowly moved, and the fingers of one hand slightly brushed Calleigh's thigh before he knelt next to the chair. Placing a hand on the floor to steady himself, the Lieutenant carefully bent forward and studied the bunch of explosives.

"So, Calleigh, what is your favorite color," he asked in a teasing way, trying to distract her.

"Oh, red," she said without hesitation. "Definitely red."

"Hmmm. Let's leave the red wire in one piece, then," Horatio commented, before getting up. He wavered a bit, as black spots threatened to cloud his vision. Steadying himself with one hand on the floor, he massaged his temples with the thumb and index finger of his other hand.

Calleigh looked worried. "Horatio?" she asked softly.

"All right. Here's what we're going to do," he started, throwing her a faint smile. "You're going to hold on to me, and on three, we jump that way," he pointed into the direction he had in mind, "while Sergeant Orrick here cuts the yellow wire."

Calleigh stared at Horatio as if he'd grown another head. "Please, tell me..." she started.

Horatio grabbed her hands and squeezed them gently. "Calleigh, believe me. This is the way it has to go down. It's gonna be all right. You're going to be fine."

"Okay. Fine. But I want you out of here. I can jump from this chair perfectly well by myself," she decided.

"I'm sure you can. But I can just give you an extra swing, getting you away from the possible blast," Horatio reasoned while he got up from the floor.

"Is that true?" Calleigh looked sideways, searching for the younger bomb technician. "Is this the only way?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm afraid the Lieutenant is right. It's the best we can do."

"I'm staying and that's non-negotiable," stated Horatio. He'd taken up his resolute posture, legs slightly spread, hands firmly at his hips.

"And how about you?" Calleigh demanded as she faced the younger man, needing to know how it was going down.

"Don't worry about me," Orrick reassured her. "I'm wearing my bomb suit, and I have my tools. I'll be cutting that wire from a distance."

Calleigh stared at him, then her eyes scanned the equipment on the floor before looking back at her boss. "This is crazy," she muttered.

"It's gonna be okay, Calleigh," Horatio said gently. "I promise. Let's do this."

Sergeant Orrick's gaze went from one to the other, and nodded. "Okay. But we're going to get you into some protective clothing first, sir."

Horatio didn't even get the chance to object.

"Yes, you're going to wear that, Horatio, or I won't jump at all," Calleigh said sharply. "And that's non-negotiable as well."

Sergeant Orrick tried to hide a smile before he continued. "I'll have them bring in a protective shield, too. You can dive behind it, it will give you some protection."

That said he used his radio to order the necessary equipment.