Two Sided Mirror
Chapter 3- Break in
Before he got up , it hit him like a brick in the chest. The heaviness caved it in ,making it harder to breathe. Feeling his pulse racing, he lifted his hand to his face to feel sweat as it poured off of his face. The sheets that he was now tangled up in, were soaking wet from it. He tried to slow his breathing, but it became apparent that he was unable to do it. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember her , long straight dark hair, deep brown eyes, devilish smile, and her angelic voice. Soon he calmed down long enough to untangle himself from the sheets and threw his feet over the sides of his bed, holding his head in his hands. He could hear the echos of her as he trodden to the bathroom, his heart still running a marathon. Despite the time that had passed, Speed still thought about his daughter. She was only eleven when she left, but her ways had matured far earlier than that of the normal eleven year old. It was as if she had been here before, and she was just sitting back and watching others as they prodded through this life, trying to figure out what she already knew. He smiled to himself lightly as he remembered one particular day in the spring, it being the most wonderful time he had ever had in his life...
Flashback
"Daddy, I can't believe that you got the rest of the day off! What did you have to sacrifice for that?" Nia Speedle asked as she gazed into her father's warm eyes, his smile warming her heart. She returned it, seeing her love that he received openly.
" Well, I'll have to start living in the lab for awhile,"he returned as he walked hand in hand with her.
" Do they have a extra bed? We are a packaged deal," she quipped as she laughed , swinging her arm joyously. Her eleven years had been filled with so much pain, but the four years with her father had helped her to forget the past. He had loved her more than his life, and she secretly cursed her mother for keeping him away from her. It didn't matter now though. What mattered was that she was with him.
" I'll have to talk to Horatio about that, babe. Hey, you want to go on the swings?" he asked as he smiled down at her.
"Only if I can push you."
" I think I'm supposed to be the one who pushes, Nia."
"Well, I think that I'll give you the day off, daddy. You deserve it."
"Thanks," he said as he grinned from ear to ear. Having her in his life had saved him from himself. He cared more about what went on around him.
Soon, she was standing behind him, placing her small hands on his back and pushing. He only moved forward slightly , but he was proud of her. When he swung lackadaisically back to her, she laid into his back and pushed harder, sending him further. He cheered her on as he gained momentum, and she laughed . He burned that laughter into his conscience, it being the most beautiful sound.
Looking into the mirror, he saw only a shell of that man, as he peered at himself. He was still Tim Speedle on the outside, but on the inside, where her love once resided, he felt empty. He had gone back to work soon afterwards, but nothing felt the same. Soon, everything fell back into place, and he was the same as before she had come to him. The black circles around his eyes gave testament to how much he missed her, his nights being similar to this one. He didn't sleep well, and if he did manage to fall asleep, he would toss and turn fitfully, dreaming about her, about the day that she left. It was those memories that kept him in the lab, sometimes all night , because he didn't want to face an empty home. Turning on the water, he felt the familiar sadness rise in him, and he struggled to hold it down. Submerging his head in the water, he was reminded of that day that he knew that she was his angel.
Flashback
"Dad, when are you coming home, Isabel is ready to go," Nia asked as she glanced over to her babysitter who was constantly looking at her watch. He had promised her that he would try to get off early today to help her with her science project.
" I just have to follow up on a lead, Nia, then I can come home. Did you get the list?"
"It's right here in front of me ,daddy."
"Good, I'll be home in two hours."
"Okay daddy, I love you."
"Love you too, honey."
"Rescue, we have an officer down! I repeat officer down. Location McCauley Jewelry, 124 and Flager!" Horatio shouted into the two way. " Speed, hold on. Breathe..."
" I can't..."
" Just try to breathe, Speed. Speed!..."
" Daddy, you have to wake up," Nia said as she held on to his limp hand. " I love you. You have to wake up." She looked into his still face and felt hot tears trail down her face as the door opened. Looking away, she saw Horatio as he approached the bed ,a look of utter despair hanging on his face. She turned back to her father and touched him on the cheek, then touched the white bandage on his shoulder. " Is he going to be okay, Horatio?"
" Nia, he's going to be fine. He's just resting now. He's been through a lot," he returned calmly. She noticed that he still had his blood on his shirt.
" I bugged him about cleaning his gun until he did. I made sure that he did,..." Nia said tearfully. Calleigh had told her about what her father had gone through with Dispo Day, and she vowed that she would take care of him. She never wanted to lose her daddy.
" Nia, it wasn't his gun. We were out numbered," Horatio returned feeling solely responsible for this. He glanced down at him and felt his heart sink lower. Nia would be alone in this world if he didn't make it.
She held onto his hand, squeezing it hard, willing him to wake up, " Daddy, you have to wake up. I'll be alone if you don't. You promised me that I would never be alone, daddy..."
He lifted his head out of the water, feeling somewhat better, and reached for a towel. The sound of his phone blaring from his night stand prompted him to move quickly, wiping his face as he walked.
Getting to it, he answered, " Speedle."
"Speed, we need you at the lab. Something's happened," Horatio said tiredly.
"What?" he asked fearing the worse , but knowing better.
" Just get here. I'll tell you more then."
Speed flipped the phone down and got dressed. He knew exactly what was going to happen next.
/Break In/
The lab was surrounded by uniforms as well as all both shifts of the CSI team. There were too many people to keep track of , and Speed had stopped trying. He looked down at the body of the desk sergeant, Paula, and fought to compose himself. It was apparent that it was heist, and Paula had been on the receiving end of it going bad. He didn't hear Horatio as he came up, but he could sense him. Standing above him, he could imagine what those clear blue eyes looked like and he forced himself to look down at the ground.
" What was taken?" Speed asked as he saw the evidence bags littered through out the atrium.
"Evidence from yesterday's shooting. Twenty four hand guns confiscated at the scene, all of the expended rounds , test shots, all of it is gone," Horatio said as he put his hands on his hips. This day was starting to be tiresome already.
"Where's Calleigh?" Speed asked as he got up from his haunches. Alexx walked over to them, keeping her eyes adverted from Speed, focusing only on Paula. He knew that it was the reaction that he would be getting for time to come from her.
" She's with IAB. It was her case."
" They aren't thinking that she did this are they?"
" Speed, it's unknown at this time, but we need some answers," Horatio said as he glanced down at Alexx, who had started looking Paula over. " For Paula."
Speed remained silent as Horatio returned his attention to him, " I need you to go to firearms and process it. There's going to be answers there, and I want them."
" Horatio , maybe I should work it from trace," Speed said as he stood up, his lean frame straightening.
" I need my best on this , Speed, and you are the best."
" H,..."
"Speed, this isn't a request," Horatio warned. Speed sighed as he walked away, leaving Horatio and Alexx to themselves. Alexx glanced at him as he walked to the elevators and felt the hurt rise again.
" Horatio, have you noticed something different about Tim?"
Horatio glanced back as well, looking at him through squinted eyes. Besides the radical change to his appearance, he did notice that he was on edge a lot more.
" Yes, but right now, I want to concentrate on Paula. What happened to her , Alexx?" Horatio returned as he knelt down on his haunches.
" She's got a GSW to the base of the skull, perp most likely took her from behind, by surprise. She never knew what hit her," Alexx said as she lifted Paula's head to show Horatio. He groaned inwardly as he glanced down at the badge on her uniform. "It's a through and through, so the bullet is some where in here."
" Is there anything else?" Horatio asked.
" She's got what seems to be the beginnings of bruises on her wrists, she was being held down. I'll let you know more at post."
"Alright, Alexx. Thanks, and you hang in there, alright?" Horatio said as he got up and walked to the desk. He peered over it, seeing something in the shadows. Walking behind the desk, he took out his mag lite and turned it on. In no time, he found a sliver of blue cloth with some black stitching on it. Pulling out his gloves, he put them on, and picked up the cloth, putting it in an envelope. Whoever had done this would know the full power and reach of Horatio Caine.
TBC...