Disclaimer: CSI: Miami, its characters, scenes, dialogue and other assorted, recognizable pieces do not belong to me, nor me to them. Also, I do not live in Miami but hope to someday be able to change that, even though my bestfriend, CharlotteB, keeps reminding that he isn't really there.
A/N: This is it. Our ride is over. Thank you so very much for coming along with Madison and me. Your comments have been an encouragement throughout this story and I treasure the conversation we've had. I hope to write more about Madison and Uncle Horatio sometime, but I need a little bit of a rest before visiting with them again. I am so glad you have enjoyed this story.
"When's Mommy coming home?" Madison asked. She was following Horatio's footsteps as he cleaned up their breakfast dishes.
Horatio glanced at his watch. "Ten minutes sooner than the last time you asked," he told her. "Did you have a good time playing with Janie?"
Madison bobbed her head. "Can I play with her again?"
Horatio smiled and nodded. "I think so," he told her, putting the last plate in the dishwasher. "Why, uhm, why don't you go get your hairbrush and hair ties? I'll put your hair in braids for you, so you'll look neat when Mommy comes."
"Okay," she said brightly and skipped to her bedroom. Horatio let out a sigh and was able to take the first full-sized step of the morning. Madison had nearly clung to his side since he came out of his bedroom. He found her in front of his T.V. watching Saturday morning cartoons. When she saw him, she had raced over to his side to give him a morning hug and kiss.
During breakfast, she had started a count-down of "when's Mommy coming home?" asking at least four times while they ate.
The manila folder rested on the high counter at the edge of the kitchen. He didn't need to glance at it, but he did anyway, checking that it was still where he had left it. Horatio had a plan, but, with Suzie's reluctance, he was afraid she might reject his idea.
Horatio expected Suzie at anytime; she had a morning flight and insisted on taking a cab to Horatio's house. He planned to drive them both home rather than have Suzie call for another cab.
Madison returned with the hair brush and ties, bouncing as she walked. Horatio knelt down to her eye level, realizing as he did, that the action had become a new habit. Madison grinned and kissed his cheek.
"I love you," she said simply and handed him her hairbrush.
Horatio picked her up and gently swung the little girl around, landing her feet on one of his kitchen chairs. "I love you, too, Madison," he replied with a smile. Carefully, he brushed out her long red hair and separated strands of it between his fingers.
It took Horatio only a minute to French-braid Madison's hair. She handed him the hair tie and he looped the elastic around the end of the braid. She giggled as he swung her from the chair.
"Go check on Tim," he told her. "I bet he's hungry." Truth was, Horatio had no idea if the gecko was hungry or even what it ate; the bits of lettuce Madison had put in his house were still there.
"Okay," she said, taking back her hairbrush and heading out to the lanai.
Horatio watched her through the glass doors, chattering to the gecko. He carefully kept his eyes from the manila folder. The clock on the wall read five minutes past ten. Suzie's plane had landed about forty-minutes earlier.
Horatio slid on his sunglasses and joined his niece on the lanai. She looked up from talking to Tim and grinned. He smiled in return.
"Well, how is he?" Horatio asked.
Madison made a face, scrunching up the corners of her mouth. "I dunno," she said. "Do you think he wants something else to eat?"
"Maybe," Horatio said slowly, "maybe he just wants to be let go?"
Madison frowned and shook her head. "No," she told him. "Tim likes it here."
Horatio studied the little green lizard, not quite agreeing with Madison. He considered his next option.
The doorbell rang.
"Mommy!" Madison called, her eyes bright with excitement and the gecko forgotten. She ran to the sliding glass door and tugged it open to dart across the livingroom and to the front door.
Taking off the sunglass, and with hands in his pockets, Horatio followed.
Madison had managed to pull open the front door by the time Horatio joined her. Suzie stood on the other side, her blond hair pulled back. She smiled to see her daughter and immediately took Madison in her arms.
"Oh, I missed you, little girl," she said, smoothing Madison's hair and holding her tightly. Horatio stood to the side of the door, watching them.
Suzie released Madison, who continued to hold her hand, unsure how to greet Horatio. He settled the question by offering her a brief hug.
"How was Washington?" he asked. "Did you get to see any of the sights?"
Suzie followed Horatio into the livingroom but did not take a seat. "It was lovely," she told him. "We had two evenings to take tours. They showed us the Lincoln Memorial and took us to the Smithsonian. And the training went really well, the instructor said I was in the top of our group."
"Good, good," Horatio said, sincerely glad it had gone well for her. He turned to Madison. "Sweetheart, why don't you go pack your bag to go home, okay?"
"Okay," she said and let go her mother's hand to skip back to her room.
Horatio opened and closed his mouth twice, fiddling with his sunglass. "Uhm, Suzie," he said at last, "why don't we sit down for a minute."
Suzie's face immediately clouded with worry. She dropped on to the couch, lacing her fingers. "Is everything okay?" she asked. "Is Madison alright?"
"Yep," Horatio said, mentally kicking himself for the ungraceful start. "She's fine. We've had a very good week. In fact," he hesitated, "that's part of what I want to talk about."
Suzie still looked concerned but relieved. Horatio crossed the room to pick up the manila folder with the print-outs. He handed it to Suzie and sat down on the other end of the couch. She glanced at him and then opened it.
"I've been thinking," he said, folding his hands and not quite looking at her, "about what you once said. About finishing your degree in advertising."
Suzie looked up, her face an odd mix of emotions. "Horatio – I'm not able to right now –"
He pulled out one of the forms, which showed scholarships for working parents. "I think, you could," he said. "And I'll be here to help."
Suzie took a deep breath and closed the folder. "You've already done so much, I can't ask for more," she told him. "Besides, I can't afford more daycare for Madison, especially since she's starting school this August."
Horatio nodded. "That is what else I'd like to talk about," he said. "Would you be able to start this semester if I watched Madison while you were at class and had her for a couple of weekends each month?"
Suzie took a deep breath without exhaling. She opened the folder again, leafing through the sheets of paper and pausing at the course descriptions.
"I enjoyed having Madison for the week," Horatio said softly. "I'd like to spend more time with her, and with you. I thought, maybe, this would benefit all of us. With a degree you could move higher up at the Agrimont or start a career with a firm in Miami. It will put you firmly on your feet in the long run."
Suzie considered what he said, letting her breath out slowly. She looked up to meet his eyes.
"And you don't mind taking care of Madison while I do this?" she asked, meeting his eyes.
Horatio smiled at Suzie. "Nothing makes me happier," he told her.
Suzie bit her lip then nodded. "Okay," she said. As she did, she seemed suddenly lighter. "Okay," she repeated and impulsively hugged Horatio. "I'll do it. Oh, Horatio, I've wanted to go back to school for a long time, but it just didn't seem possible."
Horatio patted Suzie's back, surprised by the depth of her emotion. "You and Madison are my family," he told her again. "I want this for you. And for us."
Suzie let go of him and gripped the folder tightly. "Will you come with me Monday to register?" she asked.
Horatio grinned. "How about – how about I pick you up at three? We can get Madison after we're done at the university and have dinner together."
"That would be great," Suzie said. A shadow crossed her expression. "You're sure about this?" she checked.
"I am," he said.
Suzie nodded. "And we can work out a schedule with my classes and when you'll have Madison?"
"Whatever works best," he told her. "I am happy to have her here while you do your school work."
Madison came from her room, dragging her overnight bag and backpack. She saw her mother and uncle sitting on the couch and grinned, dropping both bags. She dashed across the room to take a seat between them.
"Guess what, little girl," Suzie said, kissing the top of Madison's head. "How would you like to spend more time with your Uncle Horatio? Get to see him during the week and then spend some weekends with him?"
"Yeah!" Madison cheered. She kissed her mother's cheek and then turned and kissed Horatio's. "I love Uncle Horatio, he's funny," she told Suzie. "Did he show you my gecko? Mr. Eric caught him for me. His name is Tim."
Horatio rolled his eyes. Suzie gave Madison her hand. "I would love to see Tim."
Madison took Suzie out to the lanai. Pushing her hair behind her ear, Suzie leaned over to get a better look. Horatio watched them; the pain in his chest loosed and for the first time that day he felt like he could breath again. Suzie had said yes to his plan.
"Can I take him home, Mommy?" Madison asked, picking the house up by its handle.
Suzie shot a glance at Horatio. "No," she said firmly. "I don't think your gecko would be happy in out apartment."
"But Mommy –" Madison whined, shocked that Tim could go with her.
"Why don't you leave him with your uncle?" Suzie said smoothly. "That way you'll get to see Tim when you come here."
Madison chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Okay," she said at last.
The gecko is staying here? some part of Horatio's mind protested. Instead, he smiled tightly and nodded. How am I supposed to keep a gecko alive?
"Tim will be safe here," he told her.
Suzie stood back up and nodded to Horatio. "I guess we should be going," she said.
"Let me drive you," Horatio offered. "We can talk about your studies on the way."
Madison ran over to Horatio, who stooped down to meet her. Madison hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek again. He closed his eyes when she did and silently thanked God for this little girl and the twists that had brought her into his life.
MttS
It was past mid-afternoon when Horatio returned to his house. Suzie and he had spent an hour filling out her re-application to the University of Miami and picking out courses she would need to get started. He figured, part-time, she would finish her bachelor's degree in three years. She had been a student at UM before "meeting Tina" and so her transcripts and records were still there. He was proud of her, how she had turned her life around in the three years he had known her. She had gone from the scared, almost-teenaged, girl he had found under a doghouse to a young woman who was ready for the uphill battles she faced. Horatio was glad to be there with her, to see her recovery from drug addiction and help her take control of her life once more.
Whatever mistakes Raymond had made, Horatio silently admitted he was glad for this one. His brother's actions as a dirty cop had brought Suzie and Madison into his life. There was never anyone as important to him as his family.
Horatio pour a glass of ice tea and carried it and the phone out to the lanai. As he dialed, he thought of Madison. Tim splayed tiny green toes against the plastic of the house.
"Well, my friend," he said to the gecko, "we seemed to do pretty good this week."
The phone line rang and a woman answered.
"Hello, Katie?" he said. "Uhm, this is Horatio Caine, we met at Anthony's Pizzeria on Monday. I, uh, I was wondering what you were doing for dinner tonight?"
Delaney Talks To Statues
Delaney talks to statues
As she dances 'round the pool
She chases cats through roman ruins
And stomps on big toadstools
She speaks a language all her own
That I cannot discover
But she knows I love her so
When I tuck her 'neath the covers
Father, daughter
Down by the water
Shells sink, dreams float
Life's good on our boat
-- Jimmy Buffett, Mac McAnally, Amy Lee