All I could remember was the pain. I placed my hand to my stomach. It was warm and red. I heard sirens wailing all around.
And then I heard some familiar voices. I heared them whispering to me, telling me something that I cannot quite make out. I heard the voice telling me to hold on.
A lady was lying in the bed of Ward 25. Her dark and curly hair was spread all over the white sheets of her pillow. Respiratory tubes, transparent and winding hung from her mouth to the respiratory machine by the bed. It beeped every few seconds.
Someone was sitting beside her. He had been at the hospital since that afternoon. Deciding to strech his legs, he got up and walked to the window. The stars were shining brightly that night, but to him, they were in a deep slumber.
It was a bright day. It was the day before Raymond Caine was to be married to Yelina Salas. He and his brother sat at the kitchen door.
"So, tell me more about my future sister-in-law," said Horatio.
"Wow, you getting interested this early?"said the dark-haired Raymond. Horatio supressed a snigger.
"Well, what's she like..."Raymond trailed off as he looked at the bushes by the pathway. "She hates roses. The only flowers she likes are lavenders"
Horatio listened keenly.
"She doesn't like to be pampered, and I learnt that the hard way," said Raymond. Horatio chuckled. He remembered the first time they went on a date. Raymond showered Yelina with flowers and champagne only to be told off sternly for wasting his money.
"Is that it?" "Yeah that's it. That's all I'm going to tell you, anyway," said Raymond, ending the conversation awkradly. Horatio managed to dig some more information out from Raymond that afternoon.
A black Hummer stopped in front of the gift shop. A tall man got out of the car and walked into the shop. The doorbell tinkled. As Horatio Caine walked around the flower shop, a small girl in a white dress passed by him with a handful of yellow daisies. After a few minutes of checking the shop, he decided to talk to the cashier. The cashier was a woman with blue hair. The hair did not seem strange as it was pulled in a tight bun.
"Excuse me, do you have any lavenders?" said Horatio, looking at the rack behind the woman.
"No, I'm sorry. A couple bought every last lavender for their wedding yesterday. You won't want to check every flower shop in Miami, they had a really big wedding," the woman replied.
"Thank you," Horatio replied with a small smile. He took out his sunglasses, wore them and went out to the Hummer.
Calleigh Dusquene was reading a very thick novel at the doorsteps of her home. It was a thriller and a romance. She had just got to the climax when a Hummer stopped in front of her house. Horatio came down from the vehicle and walked to Calleigh.
Calleigh left the book upside down on the steps and stood up. Horatio was a lot taller than she is. "How's Yelina holding up?" she said in a mellow voice.
"She's fine," he said. Calleigh smiled. She knew he was there for something else. "Listen, Calleigh, may I pick a few of your flowers form your garden?" Horatio said in a hurry. He glanced over to the violet and yellow flowers in the flowerbeds by the pathway.
Calleigh looked at him for a while before going into her house. She came out with a pair of red scissors in her hand and a purple string. "That was quick," Said Horatio. "Take your pick," Calleigh replied with a smile, handing the items to him.
Horatio bent down and examined the flowers carefully. Very slowly he cut of a few by the stems. "Thank you, Calleigh," he said, giving the scissors back. "You're welcome," she said. She watched him climb into the Hummer and sat down, reading her book.
Yelina Salas awoke on a Thursday morning, a day after she was shot. Her eyes adjusted to the surrounding and light soon enough. The curtains were open and sunshine was pouring in.
As she began to take in the surrounding, she sat up and saw a small bunch of lavenders tied with a string. She reached for them and smelt the flowers. Her heart felt lighter than before, even though it did not feel heavy. And, for the first time that week, she smiled.
