The New Recruits: Cha Cha Changes
Chapter 8
A/N: This is going to be a strong chapter, just to warn.
She looked into the eyes of the man that was sitting next to her, unable to find the comfort that she was desperately seeking. Inside she was seething. Why couldn't he have let her do it? Why did he have to be there? Her eyes narrowed on his soft features, noticing the ever presence of sadness that encased his blue eyes. Surely he knew of the sadness and pain that she was dealing with, yet he chose to save her, to allow her to continue to dwell in this place. At that moment ,she hated Horatio Caine.
He noticed her as she stared at him, feeling the pain and weariness as it drifted off of her. But mostly, he felt hatred. He knew that he had treaded on her moment of release, but he couldn't just sit by and watch her throw her life away, not when she meant so much to others. If her hatred was what he was looking forward to , then he would deal. He would never give up on her.
" Jen, the doctor is going to take you to your room in a moment," Horatio said softly. He saw as she had stopped staring at him, instead concentrating her gaze on the floor. "Jen?"
Jen glanced up at him , a different look emerging. Her knuckles began to turn white from the pressure that she was holding them under, trying her best to remain in control, but finding that it was impossible. She was still here, still breathing , still having the unbearable pain coursing through her very soul, and it was all because of him.
In a moment of blindness, she reached out and struck him, causing him to reel back in surprise. She continued her attack, opening her hands, letting her nails catch on to his skin.
" Why didn't you let me die, Horatio!" she screamed as she continued her fury. Horatio tried to grasp at her hands, but failed, feeling his skin rip under her frantic slashes.
The orderlies came quickly as Horatio managed to grab her, looking her in her eyes, seeing all that he feared. Jen was too far down that path for him to reach her. But he was not going to give up on her. He reluctantly gave her to them as the fury seemed to seep out of her, leaving her drained even more. It pained him to see her drastic transformation, from fury to lost, in mere seconds. The doctor came up behind him as the orderlies strapped Jen on to the gurney for transport to the psychiatric ward, and looked at Horatio with concern.
" Sir," the doctor started as he looked over Horatio's face. The scratches were starting to bleed slightly, " I suggest that you go down to the emergency room to get those looked after."
Horatio gave a dismissive wave as he watched the orderlies push the gurney into the elevator. His main concern was for Jen.
" What's going to happen to her?" he asked as the elevator doors slid shut.
" We are going to keep her 72 hours for observation purposes, and if she seems to be getting better, we will release her. But if she doesn't, we will make steps to commit her to the psychiatric hospital . Are you her father or husband?", the doctor asked as an afterthought.
" No, I'm not , but she is like family. I want the best care for her. Anything necessary."
" We will do our best, sir. She will be on a suicide watch for the first twenty -four hours, so that means no visitors will be allowed. You are welcome to sit in the waiting room, if you like. If progress is made, we can let her have one visitor per hour. I stress the word if."
Horatio gazed at the doctor with uncertainty swimming through him. He knew that he had to tell Eric and Max what was going on, but he didn't want to leave her. He wanted to be there for her. He nodded at the doctor then placed his hands on his hips, delving deeper into his own thoughts.
Speaking quietly, he asked, " Is there a phone that I could use?"
" Just around the corner to the right, sir," the doctor instructed. Horatio took in the directions and started off .
" Thank you doctor. I'll be back shortly."
The doctor nodded as he turned and walked to the elevators, pushing the button. Horatio took in a deep breath and then let it escape noisily. He would first call Eric , then he would take care of himself.
TNR
Calleigh sat next to Max as they awaited news on Eric's condition. It was a flurry of motion when they entered the emergency room, Eric being swept away behind the doors instantly. Now all that was left for them to do was wait. Calleigh took Max's hand in hers and comforted the distraught woman, hoping to ease her fears. In all the years she had known Eric, she knew him as a fighter. There was no way that he was going to concede his life.
" Max, he's going to be fine," Calleigh intoned softly. She glanced up at Speed and Alexx who were sitting across from her and Max, seeing the toll this was taking on the both of them.
" I don't know what I would do if I lost him, Calleigh. This man is my life... and what about... Jen! Has anyone seen Jen?" Max burst out tearfully.
Calleigh looked to Alexx , who shrugged ,then back to Max. She didn't need another point of contention at a time like this.
" No, we haven't , but I'm sure if we call her, then we can let her know and she can come to the hospital," Calleigh said as she let go of Max's hand. She instinctively put her hand on her cell phone ,but then remembered that it was prohibited. " I'm going to go call her. I'll be right back, Max."
Calleigh got up and made her way to door, un clipping her phone as she went. As she stood outside the emergency room she looked out into the parking lot to see the familiar sight of his personal Hummer. Calleigh continued to concentrate on the Hummer as the phone rang and eventually went to Jen's voice mail. She left a quick message and then turned to go back into the waiting room. Her eyes lit on Maddison first, trying to decide if to tell her that Horatio was here, then they moved to Speed as he sat next to Alexx, looking very much in need of some comfort. She walked up to the group to report, just as the doctor came out of the door.
Max stood up with apprehension written all over her face, nervously twisting her fingers as he approached the team.
" Mrs.Delko?" the doctor asked as he flipped the chart open.
" Yes," replied Max as the tears began to well in her eyes, "what is it?"
" Mr. Delko suffered a mild heart attack. He's fine now, but he's pretty much out of it. I want him to rest tonight and maybe we can think about him going home tomorrow. I want you to start thinking of ways to keep him stress free. He was lucky this time that he had immediate help, but the next time, it may be worse. I want to prevent that," the doctor said as he gave her a reassuring smile. " Oh, by the way, I'm Dr. Ryan Westmoreland. I'm the attending cardiologist so if you have any questions, just feel free to ask me."
Maxine let out a controlled sigh as she extended her hand, and pumping it up and down furiously, " Thank you doctor so much."
" I'm glad that I can help. He'll be moved with in thirty minutes , to the second floor. I will allow some visitation, but I can't emphasize how important it is that he gets his rest," Dr.Westmoreland said as he regarded the rest with light smiles. He could tell that they were a close group of friends.
When he took his leave, Calleigh , Alexx and Maddison turned to Max, giving her hugs. Speed stood on the edge of this with small smile. He was glad that his best friend was going to be alright. The group of ladies dispersed and Maddison took Max to the bank of elevators, leaving the close knit CSIs alone. Calleigh looked into Speed's eyes, seeing the relief of the news, but the subtle hints of sadness that still lingered. She then glanced to Alexx, seeing the exact same and nodded her head slightly. These two were like peas in a pod.
As she watched Maddison and Max board the elevator, Calleigh leaned in and spoke in a hushed tone, " I think I saw Horatio's Hummer outside. Do you think something's happened to him?"
" You saw Horatio's Hummer?" Alexx asked as she glanced at Tim then back to Calleigh, "Are you sure?"
" There's no possible way that I could mistake it, Alexx. Horatio is somewhere in this hospital."
" He could be just visiting someone,"Speed rationalized. It had been a long time since Speed had seen or heard from his mentor, and he missed the connection with him.
" Somehow, I don't think so. And, I was unable to get Jen on her cell, and I haven't seen her all day. I'm worried," Calleigh stated.
Alexx placed a hand on Calleigh's forearm, " I'm sure she's okay, Calleigh. But it is odd that she hasn't been around. Tim, have you seen her?"
" I haven't , but I've noticed here lately that she has been distancing herself from everyone. I think that RJ's death has hit her hard. She barely speaks to me while we are in trace, and her work is starting to take a dive," Speed said as he looked between the two ladies. Both of them had a special place in his heart, and it warmed him to be in their presence. " I know depression when I see it."
" You think she's depressed?" Calleigh asked.
" I do, and I think that it is important that someone finds her before she does something drastic. I don't think Delko could handle that."
"Agreed," Calleigh said as she flipped her phone out again, heading for the door, " I'm going to call Jacinda to see if she's heard from Jen. I'll catch up to you guys."
Speed and Alexx both nodded as Calleigh disappeared through the door. Speed watched her go out of the door and maintained his gaze when he spoke to Alexx, " So are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"
Alexx looked up at him with a surprised look on her face, speechless. In all her years of knowing Timothy Speedle, not once did she experience this. She knew he cared about her , but he never gave voice to those cares , not in this sense.
"Timmy..."
"Alexx, I can see clearly that something is bothering you. You want to talk about it, or are you going to make like me and hold it in?" Speed asked as he looked down on her with a lopsided grin.
" Got a deal for you," Alexx said as she took his arm, " I talk, you talk."
"Alexx..."
" Tim, its this way or no way. We both have to have some kind of relief from this. So, deal?"
Speed sighed heavily as he glanced at the floor then back up to her, " Deal."
"Good, let's go get some coffee and talk then," Alexx returned as she started to walk, pulling him gently. He followed with a light smile on his face. It would be good to connect with someone again.
TNR
Rory sat down in front of her as Raymond stood behind in the corner. Jeanne Moore sat across from them, a look of desperation and worry over taking her. She was about forty, but her expressions and mannerisms gave her an older look, the long brown hair graying at the temples, doing nothing to enhance her. Her brown eyes seemed dull and vacant, devoid of any resemblance of life, and a permanent look of sorrow seemed etched upon her face. She was clearly a woman who had seen very hard times.
"Mrs. Moore," Rory said softly, breaking the silence in the room, " When's the last time you saw Shannon?"
" It was yesterday morning around eight. I went by her uncle's house to give her something's she needed for school. Why?"
" What did you do after that?" Raymond interjected.
" I- I went to work. Why are you asking me this?" Jeanne asked she glared between the two men.
" What kind of relationship did you have with your daughter Mrs.Moore?" Rory asked as he flipped open the folder.
" A loving one. Just because she didn't live with me doesn't mean that I didn't love her. I was able to see her whenever I wanted. It was her father that was the abusive one."
"Could he have done this?" Rory asked as he pulled out the photograph of Shannon. Jeanne put a hand to her mouth to stifle a cry as she stared at the picture. It was obvious to both Rory and Raymond that this was indeed her daughter..
" How– I- Oh my god, Shannon," Jeanne cried, " Who would do this? She was so young..."
Rory nodded and glanced at Raymond who brought a glass of water to the table and sat it in front of her.
" I was hoping that you could tell us, Mrs. Moore."
Jeanne took a huge gulp of water then closed her eyes as she fought to compose herself, " I - I don't know of anyone who would do this to her. She was an angel. She never crossed anyone."
" You said your husband was abusive. Did he ever hit Shannon?" Ray asked as he stood in the background. He searched the distraught woman for any signs of deception.
" No, his fury was focused on me mostly, but someone called Child protection services and they did an investigation. She was placed in her uncle's care. I have no other relatives."
" Where's is your husband now, Mrs. Moore? We are going to have to talk to him," Rory pointed out.
" He didn't do this," Jeanne stated simply.
" Mrs. Moore, we have to look at all angles here. There is a great possibility that he did do this," Rory returned as he gestured to the photos. " She was strangled bare handed. A man with rage could easily do this. Or a woman."
" What are you implying detective? That I killed my own daughter?" Jeanne questioned as she wiped her eyes with a tissue. " That's ridiculous. I loved her."
" I didn't say that. Where is your husband?" Rory asked, growing tired of this. It had been a long day and he was seeking some kind of break here.
" Peter couldn't have done this because he's locked up at the moment," Jeanne replied as she glared up at Raymond, then back to Rory.
" In jail? How long has he been in jail?" Raymond asked.
" For about four days now. He called me to ask if I would bail him out. You believe the nerve of that man? After what he put me through? I told him the hell with him," Jeanne spat.
Rory turned to Raymond and gave him a look, Raymond caught it and walked out of the door.
" Mrs. Moore, I need the address to your brother in law's house, and I ask that you don't go anywhere. We might need to talk to you again."
Jeanne nodded as she glanced once more down to the picture, her eyes finally overflowing with despair, " You find who did this to my little girl, detective."
Rory looked at her with determination, " We are going to try our best, Mrs. Moore."
" You do that," she replied as she got up from the table and walked out of the room. Moments later, Jacinda walked in, with a small smile on her face.
" What is so funny? Two possible suspect have been eliminated and two more have yet to be found."
" Mrs. Moore's alibi has to be verified and you have all the information you need to continue. You did good newbie," Jacinda said with a smirk.
"Thanks for the confidence booster," Rory responded as he heard Jacinda's phone ring. Jacinda picked it up and smiled at the sound of her mother's voice.
"Mom, how's Uncle Eric?"
" He's fine, hon. He suffered a mild heart attack, and he's resting now."
"That's good, mom. We just got through talking to the mother, she made a positive id and eliminated the father . He's in jail."
"So we look at other people in her life," Calleigh responded. She didn't want to worry Jacinda about Jen , but she had to be found . " Jacinda, have you seen or heard from Jen?"
"Jen? No, not since the Moore case. Why?"
" I can't get her on the cell, and she really needs to know about her father," Calleigh replied. It hit Jacinda like a brick when she thought about the last time she saw her friend. She closed her eyes and put a hand on her forehead.
" Mom, I think Jen's in trouble."
"What makes you say that Jacinda? Did you talk to her today?" Calleigh asked , feeling the fear rise inside of her.
" No, it's just this look that I saw her with. It's one that I've never seen before. Never. And coupled with that the fact that she hasn't been herself since Robert died... Mom, I just hope that she hasn't done anything yet!", Jacinda exclaimed as she pulled the door out, narrowly missing Rory.
" Hey! Watch it!" Rory said as he deflected the door with his arm. " You are going to kill someone."
Jacinda put a hand to her mouth then moved to cover the phone with it, whispering, " I'm sorry."
" It's fine, Jacinda. What's up?"
Jacinda put a finger up to hold him as she listened to her mother on the other end, then responding, " We are just about to finish here. I'm going to go look for her."
" Jacinda..."
"No, mom, she's my friend and I haven't been there for her when she needed me, so I feel responsible for this. I'll call you if I find out anything."
Calleigh conceded remembering that her blood ran through her veins as well, " Well alright, Jacinda, but be careful."
" I will mom," Jacinda returned as she flipped the phone down. She then turned to Rory with a glint in her eyes, " Are you doing anything tonight?"
Rory smirked broadly and shook his head, " No, but I can bet that you have something planned. Am I right?"
" Correct. We are going on a little hunt. Are you game?"
" More than ever," Rory replied as he walked away with her.
Raymond appeared with a folder in his hand, leafing through it as he pushed his way into the interrogation room. When he looked up, he saw the room empty. Shaking his head, he flipped the folder down and turned to walk back out the door. The file would be waiting for them when they returned.
TBC...
A/N: I'm really trying to catch this up, so forgive me if it seems a trite contrived. I am trying though.