Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue. The song is A Moment Like This by Kelly Clarkson.
Notes: Thanks to witch for betaing this chapter for me! Sorry for the long wait, but I've been busy with exams, other fics, and my mom is cutting down on my computer time even more...anyway, here is chapter 7 at long last! Enjoy, everyone!
More notes: Am currently suffering from a type of writer's block where I can write, but I imagine that everything I write is dull and doesn't contribute to the plot...hope it isn't really so. ;)
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Chapter 7
Amy eyed the three men warily from her position in her brother's living room. It took barely a few seconds for her to decide that she really did not like the way they were looking at her.
"What?" she asked, eyes narrowed.
The three of them exchanged glances, then Bayden held up a hand. "Hold that thought, Amy."
To Amy's stunned disbelief, the three of them went into a huddle, whispering and arguing together. It lasted about five minutes, during which Amy twiddled her thumbs and scowled.
She was just about to whine her brother's name, when Bayden pulled away.
"Hey, Ames," he began. The little girl frowned. Bayden only ever called her Ames when he wanted her to do something he knew she wouldn't like.
"Whatever it is – no," she said. "I have a Math test tomorrow, and no time to do whatever it is you want me to do."
It became her brother's turn to frown. "You haven't even heard me out!" he complained. "And anyway," he reminded her, "You owe me. For that time with the guy in the place. Remember?"
Speed and Delko both raised identical eyebrows, but Amy apparently knew all too well what Bayden was talking about. Scowling at her brother, she snapped, "Fine. If I fail the test tomorrow, you can explain it to mom."
"I'll do that," Bayden agreed quickly, though Amy knew he had no intention of doing so. If she agreed to help him, she was on her own.
It was really unbelievable, the things she would do for her brother.
"What do you need me to do?" she asked, defeated.
Her brother grinned. But just as he was about to explain, all three of their beepers went off, and his grin dissolved into a puzzled frown.
"It's Calleigh," said Speed, just as confused.
"I'll call her," said Eric, taking his phone out and hitting speed dial. The others waited patiently as he listened, then said, "Cal? Yeah, what's up?" He listened some more, then his eyes widened into an expression of alarm. "Is he okay? No, I understand…yes, we'll come in right away. Mt Sinai hospital, you say? We'll be right there." He hung up and turned to Speed and Bayden, shock in his eyes and face.
"It's Horatio. He was shot by a suspect at a crime scene and he's in the hospital now. Calleigh's with him, and the doctors don't think he's going to make it."
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Eric Delko broke around three different traffic laws that day getting him and his colleagues to Mt Sinai hospital, escaping being issued any speeding tickets or traffic summonses through sheer luck and skill - and the fact that thanks to Horatio's fame in the MDPD, every person even remotely connected with police work knew that the lieutenant was in the hospital.
Horatio had just come out of the ER when they arrived, and was resting in his room. Calleigh had collapsed on a bench, and Alexx was comforting her gently. She nodded to the three men as they approached, all looking apprehensive and worried. H was the heart and soul of their team, and without him…
It was depressing to even think about thinking about it.
"How is he?" asked Speed, the first to recover his voice.
Alexx looked up at him, her smile as gentle as always. "He's resting now, sugar, but Doctor Roget says he should be just fine. We'll know more once he wakes up."
"So, he will wake up?" Bayden looked hopeful.
"Of course he'll wake up!" Calleigh snapped, before she instantly looked horrified. Had she really spoken to Bayden that way? Gentle, well-meaning Bayden?
"All right," Alexx cut in firmly, "We've all had a great shock, and tempers are short right now…Calleigh, you need to go home and rest, honey, and you three – you need to get back to work. That scene Horatio and Calleigh were processing – someone needs to finish working it."
"We'll do it," Delko volunteered, nodding at Speed, who nodded too. Both were ready to go out and catch the guy who had shot their supervisor.
"Someone needs to stay with H," Bayden said, firmly, a stubborn gleam in his eyes. "I'll do it."
"I want to -" Calleigh started to protest, but was cut off by Alexx again.
"That's an excellent idea, Bay," she told the young artist. "You stay with Horatio, and Calleigh or one of us will relieve you tonight." Looking pointedly at Calleigh, she added, "After we get some rest at home."
Few people could win an argument with Alexx in mother-mode, and the young woman gave in with a sigh. Anyway, even though her heart, her soul, her very being longed to stay with Horatio, the more rational side of her mind told her that the coroner was right. Her body was screaming for rest, and her mind…was tired and needed sleep desperately.
She allowed Alexx to drive her home, but not before making Bayden swear to call her if – when – Horatio woke up.
"And I don't mean an hour or two after he wakes up, I mean immediately after he wakes up," she told him, a warning glint in her eye. "I can get here in ten minutes."
"Yes, ma'am," Bayden had agreed amiably. "The very second he opens his eyes and says, 'I'm awake!', I'll call you."
The artist, meanwhile, had settled down to start his vigil at his supervisor's bedside. His hand itched to grip a pencil and sketch, but he resisted the impulse, reminding himself that he wasn't addicted to sketching, and anyway, what was he going to sketch around here? The window? The view outside the window? The table with H's medications and a glass and pitcher of water? The..bed?
Bayden gulped. He had actually been trying to avoid looking at the bed – or to be precise, its occupant. Horatio Caine.
At that moment, Horatio looked so fragile and pale against the white bed. His red hair was a stark contrast on the white pillow and the white hospital dress also clashed unfavorably in Bayden's artist eyes. His entire chest was covered in bandages, and there were tubes stuck here and there in strategic spots on his body. Bayden was no medical student, but he wondered if all the tubes were really necessary. He was willing to bet they were uncomfortable and probably a real pain in the -
His boss looked… the young man cocked his head to the side, considering. For a man who had been shot, he was sleeping very peacefully; there was even a slight smile on his face. Definitely a far cry from the energetic supervisor who never seemed to tire.
Thinking back, Bayden realized he had never seen Horatio asleep. He had seen Calleigh, Speed, Delko, even Alexx crashing in the lab before, when cases and work piled up and just became to much to bear – but never Horatio. He had even wondered, along with Delko and Speed, if the lieutenant even slept at all – maybe he just plugged himself to a socket for a couple hours and hey, presto: Good to go?
Now, that was stupid. And completely inappropriate thinking for this moment in time. Bayden shook his head to clear his mind a little, then gave in to the instinctive need to sketch and withdrew his pencil and sketchbook. Bending over slightly, he started to draw.
Two hours later, it was how Speedle found him when he came to tell Bayden that they had arrested the man who had shot their boss.
"What are you doing now, Hawkeye?" he asked, keeping his voice down so he wouldn't wake Horatio.
Bayden jerked towards his coworker in surprise, before smiling and holding up his latest creation – a sketch of Horatio. Speed studied the intricate sketchwork, the way Horatio was made to look so fragilely delicate, and yet … strong at the same time. Bayden had managed to capture strength in the lieutenant's weakest moment, and Speed felt - as he always did when looking at one of Bayden's sketches – a moment of awe and wonder for the enigma that was Bayden Michaels.
Then the feeling passed, and Speed handed back the sketch, saying gruffly, "Nice."
Bayden beamed as though Speed had said the sketch belonged in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He started to put it away in his backpack, before asking, "Are you here to replace me?"
Speed nodded, delivering his news about the suspect. "His name is Michael Corner. A real piece of scat that I won't be sorry to see the last of. He's gonna be in jail for a very long time."
"For what he did to H…good," aid the young man, hauling his pack up onto his shoulder. "Okay, I'll head in to work then – when H wakes up -"
"Call Calleigh," Speed finished for him, a slight grin starting on his face. Bayden grinned back.
"Oh, yeah, almost forgot to deliver the gossip," Speed said as Bayden was almost out the door. The artist turned at once.
"Gossip?"
"Yes…" Speed lowered his voice and leaned in. "It seems that Calleigh left out a bit of the story about what happened when H was shot, but when the suspect was giving his statement, I found out – Bay, guess what? It seems that Corner actually meant to shoot Calleigh at first, because she was nearest, but H pushed Calleigh out of the way and took the bullet for her! Corner even put in his statement that he heard Horatio say 'I love you, Calleigh', before he passed out."
Bayden's eyes became wide green saucers. "Whoa," he gasped.
"Yup," grinned Speed. "Exactly. And when he gets better…"
"You think this is a good topic to discuss right now?" Bayden shifted uncomfortably. Talking about fixing up their boss with Calleigh while said boss was unconscious in a hospital bed simply didn't appeal to his ethics.
Apparently, Speed felt the same way once he thought about it. Glancing at H, he nodded. "I see your point… okay, you better go. I'll stay here and keep an eye on our fearless leader."
Bayden looked thoughtful, then nodded and exited the door. Speed, however, drew up a chair and made himself comfortable. He was going to be here for quite a while.
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Horatio woke up at 9:33pm that night, and Eric, who was watching him, wasted no time in calling everyone – starting with Calleigh, of course. The ballistic expert was true to her word, arriving at the hospital at 9:43pm, looking anxious and apprehensive. Delko, who hadn't been expecting her to be so…openly revealing her feelings, nevertheless made way for her to approach the bed and left the room to give them some privacy.
Horatio was sitting up, leaning against his pillows. He looked slightly tired, but definitely alive. Calleigh choked back a relieved sob. She hadn't realized just how worried she had been, how desperately she had wanted Horatio to be okay.
She wasn't even sure why…
Her mind flashed back to the last few minutes at the scene. Hearing the click as someone cocked a gun and aimed it at her head, seeing the way everything seemed to go into slow-motion the way near-death experiences sometimes did…hearing her own strangled scream of fright as Horatio ran forward, pushing her out of the way – then the sound of a gunshot, the acrid scent of gunpowder exploding in her senses…and finally kneeling over Horatio as he lay bleeding and gasping on the floor…
"Calleigh? Are you all right?" Horatio's voice cut into her memories, and she looked up to see an unexpectedly gentle smile on his face.
"I -" To her horror, huge tears welled up in her eyes. Calleigh was mortified. She had never cried in front of her boss before… "I thought you were dead," she whispered, unable to stop the tears from falling. "Oh, H, I thought you were dead!"
"Hey – come here." Horatio's voice stayed gentle, and she blindly made her way to his side, clutching hold of him in a desperate hug. Horatio held her, gently stroking her hair and back. Finally, as her sobs slowed down, he turned her to face him, handing her a tissue for her eyes and nose, and said, "You know what? I thought I was dead too."
The laughter was sudden and unexpected, and Calleigh managed a small smile and a hiccough. "Well," she said, "I'm glad you're not dead. See, we need to have an a little talk."
Horatio looked as though he had a pretty good idea what she wanted to talk about. He smiled. "You want to know if I meant what I said, before I passed out back at the scene?"
Calleigh nodded, her blue eyes serious. "That would be nice, yes."
Her supervisor chuckled, then winced as his wound protested. Composing himself, he looked deep into Calleigh's eyes, and said, "I meant it."
Time seemed to stop as Calleigh processed what Horatio had just told her. Then, slowly, slowly, they leaned towards each other…
And broke apart again as the door opened to reveal a grinning Speed, with Delko and Bayden peering in from over Speed's shoulders.
"Boys? May we help you?" asked Horatio, not releasing his hold on Calleigh.
"Yes…if you two are finally going to get it on and listen to that person who's been sending you little hints – let us provide some appropriate mood music, eh?"
Speed moved towards the radio that sat innocently on the bedside table, and slid a CD into the player. With a grin, he hit play, then backed out of the room and shut the door behind him and his friends.
"What if I told you it was all meant to be?
Would you believe me? Would you agree?
It's almost that feeling that we've met before
So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy
When I tell you love is here and now
A moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Some people search forever for that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Everything changes, but beauty remains
Something so tender, I can't explain
Well I may be dreaming, but still lie awake
Can we make this dream last forever?
And I'll cherish all the love we share
For a moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Some people search forever for that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Could this be the greatest love of all?
I want to know that you will catch me when I fall
So let me tell you this...
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Some people search forever for that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this."
As the last strains of Kelly Clarkson's voice floated away on the night breeze that flowed into the room, Calleigh and Horatio turned to each other, smiled…and leaned in to join not just their lips together, but also their hearts and souls.
Outside, the stars began to move.
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Thanks for bearing with me, everyone! Please review!
RK9.