Breathe

Chapter 7

Horatio stood at the door of the questionable documents lab and held his breath. His hands shook with uncertainty and he felt quite odd at the moment. Usually, he was in control of his emotions, but with this little piece of paper, he felt his world colliding. What would happen if this turned out to be Speed's signature? What would that mean, that Speed had returned from the grave? Horatio chuckled to himself at the absurdity of the claim, but something was itching in the back of his mind. He had seen the look in the man's eye as he stood there and talked to Calleigh. There was something there.

The door opened suddenly and Horatio found himself face to face with the QD tech , Cynthia. She gazed at him wide eyed, because she hadn't seen him there when she opened the door. He tossed her an uneasy smile as she confessed her apologies to him.

" Lieutenant, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there."

" Oh , that's quite alright, Cynthia. I need you to do something for me," Horatio said as he handled a folder and the piece of paper nervously.

" Anything."

" Could you take a look at this for me? I need to know who wrote this," Horatio said handing her the paper.

" Easy. Do you have anything to compare it with?" Cynthia asked with a saccharine smile.

" Yes," Horatio said as he opened the folder, " I do."

Cynthia grazed over the last evidence report that had Speed's signature on it and looked up at him , a confused look taking over. She then flipped the page and saw a report from a Trent Spaulding.

" Lieutenant?..." Cynthia started as she saw Stetler approach from behind Horatio.

Horatio turned suddenly and saw him standing in front of him and grinned broadly. He then turned back to Cynthia and nodded, " Page me with the results."

Cynthia nodded accordingly and turned quickly to retreat into her lab. She would do what she was told and not question it any further. Outside the lab, Horatio turned back to Stetler and glanced down at the floor. Despite the confusion that he held about the piece of paper, he wasn't going to let Stetler hone in on it.

" Rick, what can I do for you today?"

" Horatio, I need to speak with you briefly about something concerning your CSI, Calleigh Speedle," Stetler said as he leaned into him." As you know , we did a random drug test, and she popped positive for Valium."

" Rick, there's nothing illegal about taking Valium. Surely you have something else better to do than trying to scratch up some trumped up charge against my CSIs," Horatio countered as he lifted his gaze and placed his hands on his hips.

" There would be nothing wrong with it, if they were prescribed. There's nothing in her medical records showing that she was given that medication by a licensed doctor. I want to have a little talk with her as soon as possible. That means today."

Horatio glared at Stetler for a moment and held his peace. It seemed he had not been as aware of his team as he thought he should've been. If Calleigh was abusing drugs, he certainly would've known about it. Nothing the petite southerner did even threw a slight hint about anything out of the ordinary, with the exception of her distancing herself from them. But she was still experiencing the loss of her husband.

" As soon as I see her, I will tell her, Rick. But this is a mistake."

" We'll see, Horatio," Stetler said as he turned around and walked back the way he came, leaving Horatio to think about his role in this.

TS

"Tell me something about yourself," Calleigh said as she sat across from him in the booth of the diner. She had chose this place simply because she missed it. She had not even stepped foot on the property since Tim died, it bearing too many good memories for her to take. But with Trent, she felt like she could venture out again, and not feel alone.

Tim took in a deep breath and smiled slightly. He was prepared for this. He had spent the majority of the night going Trent Spaulding's background, memorizing the finer points of his short life. There were some similarities that made it easier for Tim to remember, but others, like where he graduated from college and why he hadn't had anyone in his life, were posing a problem. But he managed to get it all down pat in the wee hours of the morning.

" Well, what do you want to know, Calleigh?" Tim asked as he took a sip of his water.

" For starters, where were you born?"

" Syracuse, New York. February 25, 1974."

Calleigh felt as the color drained from her face. He was born in the same exact city as Tim was and was 33. She stared at him for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts to ask the next question. Stop it Calleigh, millions of people were born in Syracuse,she told herself as she finally broke her gaze. She cleared her throat and continued on, " Okay, so where did you go to college?"

" Penn State, but I transferred to Columbia in my senior year,"Tim replied with a hint of humor. He couldn't make this up if he tried. Whoever picked Trent Spaulding for Tim , knew what they were doing. " I graduated with a degree in psychology."

" How did you end up in Miami?" Calleigh asked, feeling her heart as it beat faster than she could take. It was odd how similar yet different Trent was to her late husband.

" It's a long story, but the long and short of it is, that after my parents passed away, I really didn't see a reason for staying in New York, so I literally picked a city."

" Really? It was that easy for you?"

" Yeah, I didn't have any sisters or brothers and I wasn't tied to anyone, so I went for it. I applied for the position and soon, I was down here in sunny Florida, trying to talk some guy from jumping to his death."

" Interesting. Why did you choose to be a negotiator? Why not practice privately?"

Tim smiled and asked, " Look at me, do I look like I should be telling people about their problems?"

Calleigh could barely contain her laughs as she sat back in her chair. She did take the moment to take him in. Her eyes lit on his handsome face which held knowledge beyond his years and dark features that added to his appeal. But what held Calleigh most was his eyes. She had not seen such intensity , such warmth and love since that fateful morning two years ago. As she thought about Tim, she felt the tears rise up inside of her and the happiness disappeared. Tim noticed this and reached a hand out to her. It was obvious that she was reminiscing about him.

" Calleigh, what's wrong? I didn't say anything to upset you did I?"

She shook her head and lifted her hand to wipe her eyes, and that is when he saw it. She was still wearing her wedding band. Tim was speechless as he continued to hold his hand out to her. After two years, she still held on to him. The waiter came up with the menus and they ordered their meals. The silence that had descended on them was heavy and Tim didn't want this to be the end of his chances. Now more than ever , he needed to be with her.

" So, um Calleigh, tell me something about yourself." Tim said hesitantly.

Calleigh's look softened and she took a deep breath before speaking, " Well, I was born in Louisiana , and I graduated from Tulane with a degree in physics and a serious love for firearms. I worked in New Orleans until Horatio Caine came and swooped me up, and the rest they say is history."

Tim smiled goofily at her , relishing her thick southern accent.

" What?" she asked as she saw him.

" Nothing, I was just listening to you talk. You have a fantastic accent."

" Really? Some think it sounds too hick. I try to hide it as much as possible."

"Don't Calleigh. It's really beautiful," Tim said as he reached out for her hand, " You're beautiful."

Calleigh let her hand drop into his and felt her color rise in her cheeks. This felt alien to her, yet she knew that she needed this. She had been too long with out a loving touch. They lingered that way until the food came up and even then, they held each others gaze while they ate. It seems that things were progressing rather well.

TS

Horatio glanced at his watch again for what seemed like the hundredth time as he sat at his desk. Calleigh was due back from lunch almost an hour ago , but no one had seen her. He opened her file and flipped through the sheets of paper, seeing nothing that would be a potential factor in her dismissal, if it came to that. He simply hoped that she had an explanation for this.

A knock at the door startled him and he sat up straight as he beckoned them in. The door opened and Eric walked in. He had a solemn look on his face and it almost seemed like he was on the verge of tears.

" Horatio, I think you need to come and see this."

Silently Horatio got up and walked out of his office behind Eric as he headed for the QD lab. He didn't like the feeling that he was getting.

TS

" I really enjoyed lunch, Trent. I needed the time away from the lab," Calleigh said as she stepped out of the car. She had been pleasantly surprised that he had opened the door for her and offered her his hand.

" I'm glad you did. How about next time, we make it dinner?" Tim asked lightly as he walked her to the door of the CSI building.

" I don't know, Trent. I have a two year old that I can't seem to part with after five o'clock."

" She can come along. It will be fun," Tim said ,hoping that he wasn't laying it on too thick.

Calleigh thought about it and shrugged. She didn't know why she felt comfortable enough around him to concede to this, but it just felt right.

" Sounds great," Calleigh replied as she slipped on her dark sunglasses. The wind whipped around her and blew her long blond hair around her and Tim thought that he would lose his cool right there on the spot.

" Good, let me give you my number and you can give me a call whenever you feel like it," Tim said as he took out a pen and a piece of paper. He then handed Calleigh the paper and smirked. " I expect a call, sooner than later."

Calleigh laughed and went to turn around, losing her balance. Tim moved quickly and caught her before she hit the ground and then they were face to face, inches apart. He gazed into her eyes and felt the need to kiss her right there, inching his lips ever so closely to hers. She closed her eyes , waiting for his touch, feeling a sense of euphoria as his soft lips grazed over hers. The kiss lasted for mere seconds, but it was enough to convince Calleigh that she had just fell in love all over again.

TBC...