A/N: Just as a quick note: my medical knowledge comes onlyfrom endless episodes of ER and House, so don't be surprised if none of this is medically accurate. I'm making it up as I go along.


Horatio drove to the Dade Memorial hospital, adrenaline from his encounter with Jorge still coursing through him. Never, in his entire life, had he been so enraged. If he hadn't been watched by most of the crime lab, he could have torn the man apart with his bare hands. Parking the Hummer, he sat for a moment, trying to control his breathing. Slowly, he regained some semblance of control over himself and wondered what he was going to say to her. Frankie. He had been so stupid. Could she ever forgive him? He wasn't sure he could bear it if she didn't.

She was still in intensive care, although Alexx had rung him earlier to reassure him that she was doing fine, and had woken up for a few minutes. He made his way towards ICU and was pleased to see that the guards were still at their station outside ICU. He nodded to them as he went in. They had snapped to attention as he approached, and he made a mental note to tell them to stand down later on. They had the culprits now.

Alexx was talking to a doctor outside a room he presumed to be Frankie's. She smiled at him as he came closer, before enfolding him in a firm hug. Unable to relax, he held her only briefly.

"Is she all right?" he half-whispered, scared to death that she wouldn't be.

The doctor looked at him askance. "And just who are you?"

"Lieutenant Caine. I, um, I'm a friend." He didn't know how else to describe himself.

"You're also the man responsible for turning ICU into a siege." The doctor harrumphed indignantly. "Our patients and relatives have enough to worry about without armed guards demanding identification."

Horatio felt his temper rise again. "That was for the protection of one of your patients. The guards can be stood down now, though, as we have caught those responsible for putting Frankie in here in the first place." Alexx heaved a sigh of heartfelt relief while the doctor looked shamefaced.

"I'm, um, well, congratulations. I'll get on with my rounds now."

"Is she all right?" He repeated his original question to Alexx once the doctor had disappeared.

"Go in and see for yourself sugar."

He opened the door and slid inside. She was asleep, and he stifled a gasp as he took in how pale she was. He had gotten so used to seeing her with a Florida tan, her honey blonde hair making her look totally golden, that he was horrified to see her as white as the sheets she was lying on. Someone had picked up some clothes for her, as she wasn't in a hospital gown, but in soft pink pyjamas. She looked about twelve. Various monitors and IVs were attached to her, making her look even more vulnerable. Pulling up a chair, he sat down next to her, and took her hand in his. So cold, he thought, her hands were so cold. He brought her hand gently up to his lips and kissed her fingers, before settling back in his chair, preparing for a long wait.

Alexx watched through the door, a sad smile on her face. What a pair, she thought fondly. It was difficult to tell which of them was paler. She only hoped they could work through everything, preferably before Eric or Calleigh decided to murder Horatio for upsetting Frankie. She took up a guard station outside the door, knowing Horatio needed privacy.

She was still there a couple of hours later, having only let the nurses checking on Frankie's condition disturb Horatio's vigil, when Eric came to check on the patient. "How is she Alexx?"

"She's doing okay, according to the nurses."

"Has she woken up again?"

"No, but that's for the best. Her body needs all the rest it can get."

Eric noticed Horatio sitting, his head bowed as if in prayer. "Did he tell you we got the Fuentes brothers?" When Alexx only nodded, Eric laughed quietly. "So he didn't mention his little chat with Jorge Fuentes, the shooter?" He quickly filled Alexx in, and she shook her head in despair.

"Sometimes that man drives me crazy. He'll get himself fired one of these days."

Eric laughed again. "I don't know about that, but Jorge couldn't confess quickly enough, just as long as we promised never to let Horatio get near him again. Scared that little creep half to death, and he barely laid a hand on him. Sometimes I think we should just let him loose on the bad guys. They wouldn't know what hit them."

He looked through the door again. The look in Horatio's eyes as he held Jorge Fuentes had scared Eric; he wasn't surprised that Fuentes had been terrified. He shuddered. "I thought he was going to kill him Alexx. I've never seen Horatio that close to the edge. Do you think one of us should be in there with him?"

"They have things they need to work out, just the two of them. Besides, Horatio would cut off his own wrist before he raised a hand to a woman." Eric smiled ruefully, and joined Alexx in her guard.