Horatio stared at him with intense eyes now, thinking, working it all out in his mind. Then he spoke, "Who…who Jay? I know he's from the department,… right?"
He was trying to rattle Jay into making a mistake.
"I mean, you're not smart enough to come up with this all on your own and how-exactly- did you get out of jail?" He said in a condescending manner.
"Now you're asking too many questions lieutenant, but I will answer one for you---—Who?
"A friend…of mine" Jay answered laughing. "A really good friend and you know Lieutenant, he told me to send his regards to you."
Horatio had a questioned look on his face now, it was someone he knew. He pushed Jay more now, "He's a cop…" Horatio started but Jay cut him off.
"Now, now. I promised, I- would- not- tell. You know that." Jay laughed.
"Claudia you hungry, because Im famished. Let's get a bite to eat before we finish up here, ok?"
"Ok Jay that sounds good to me." She answered him smiling.
"Well Calleigh, why don't you continue your story for him and then he can tell you how he followed you home every night last week.
"Actually he got out of his car last night and started to walk to your door but then he stopped and turned around. Isn't that right lieutenant?"
"We were gonna grab you both last night, it would have been perfect but I really think this way, was a lot more fun. One- at- a- time…." Jay was laughing.
Calleigh looked at Jay in shock, she could not believe it. Horatio at her door, she thought.
"It's all true you know. Why don't you explain it to her lieutenant, you seem to have all the answers Jay said, rubbing it in now. He was delighted that he caught Horatio off guard and shut him up finally. He continued.
"What's the matter lieutenant, cat got your tongue?" He laughed and ridiculed him more now.
"The great lieutenant Caine had other things on his mind,… didn't he? You had no idea we were even following you. Well,..she's really got you smitten, doesn't she?" Jay laughed at him.
Horatio's eyes narrowed now, they showed fire and hatred. Bitter anger was written clearly across his face, his emotions getting the best of him.
"Who were you talking to,-Jay?" Horatio growled dangerously low now, demanding almost. His jaw clenched tightly.
"I told you I would not tell, now stop asking. Don't you learn?" Jay said.
"Well, I guess I can tell you one more thing, lieutenant. He doesn't like you much,…as a matter of fact, there are quite a few people who, don't- like- you- much- and would pay to see you dead!
"So you're doing him a favor then?" Horatio questioned again, his eyes locked with Jays.
"Yes, think of it as killing two birds with one stone, we want you dead too! We All want you dead lieutenant." Jay said laughing at him.
"ALL?" Horatio's said with awareness. He saw Jay flinch and knew he slipped up, he made a mistake. Now it was his turn to ridicule.
"What's wrong Jay you…." He cut Horatio off.
"Shut UP! Enough with all your questions." Jay's voice tensed now.
"You seem upset Jay, did I hit a sore spot or…." Jay cut him off again.
"Speaking of sore lieutenant, I have something for you." Jay said to Horatio. "You almost made me forget." Jay looked over to Claudia and nodded his head.
Claudia moved over to where Calleigh was and it caught Horatio's attention, he tried to pick up his head and strained to hold it up.
He was watching Claudia now closely, he knew something was up.
He was afraid of what they would do to Calleigh.
Jay picked up the baton again and said "Regards sent, my friend…"
"Horatio, look out!" Calleigh yelled, trying to get his attention.
Horatio attention was on Calleigh and Claudia though. He turned his head to-wards Jay and the statement but it was too late. Jay's hand came down hard and he swung the baton full force into Horatio's head. There was a sick cracking sound and Horatio's head flew to the right and slumped down. He didn't move, he was knocked unconscious, blood started to pour from the gash above his left eye. Jay leaned over his limp body and hit him viciously with the baton again, this time in the ribs and chest.
"Well maybe now, you-will-shut-up-and-stop-asking-so-many-questions, lieutenant." Jay said, beating him with the baton again.
"NO, NO please…stop it, stop hitting him….please, please. Calleigh pleaded now.
She tried to stand up but Claudia hands just pushed her back down into the chair.
"Calleigh!... Now, when we leave, behave yourself and don't do anything stupid! Just remember one thing…..He'll pay for it… later!" Jay said.
Jay took Claudia's hand and they walked out of the room. Looking over her shoulder Claudia said, "See you two lovebirds in a little while" Laughing the whole time.
Calleigh jumped up from the chair and ran over to Horatio; she was in a panic now.
Blood was running down his face and his body had bruises all over it. She put two fingers to his neck and found his pulse; she breathed a sigh of relief. Next she looked around for something to put on the cut; she had to stop the bleeding.
The chains held her back and she couldn't get to the other side of the room. She saw another bucket and knew there was water in it but she couldn't get to it.
She found nothing, and decided to use a piece of Horatio's T shirt. It was already ripped and torn. It was also wet, which would help her clean the wound up a bit. She folded it and patted his forehead gently, wiping away some of the blood, but it kept coming, it was a deep gash and it continued bleeding. She began to apply pressure to the wound and after a bit, the bleeding slowed, his blood began to form a clot and she thanked God for that.
She ripped another piece from his T shirt and began wiping the blood off of his face and chin. "C'mon Horatio hang in there, please."
She felt sick to her stomach, seeing him like this. The tears began to fall, she prayed that he would be ok but each time her eyes roamed lower and saw his bruised body, it was harder for her to believe it.
How could he possible be ok? She questioned herself. Stop it Calleigh, she thought to herself, stop thinking that way and help him. I have to focus, she told herself.
She got up and went over to the steel pipe and began pulling on the chains. She used her leverage and pulled but the steel pipe was embedded firmly in the wall, it was no use. She began looking around again; she found a small piece of metal on the floor and shaped it with her fingers. She began picking the cuffs; she sat down in the chair and desperately worked the lock on the cuffs.
She lost track of time and was so involved in picking the cuffs that she didn't see him move. A low moan caught her attention and she picked her head up and spoke, "Horatio?"
She got up and went over to him and this time he groaned in pain and moved.
She began talking to him softly, "Hey, hey it's ok Horatio. Easy ok, don't move your head, you have a bad cut, ok? Horatio, Horatio, can you hear me?"
"Umm" another moan came out and he tried to shift his weight, his arms felt dead under him. His eyes suddenly shot open and he groaned in pain, he clenched his jaw and stiffened, trying not to move.
Spasms of pain racked his body and he began breathing deeply now. Every deep breath was causing him more pain, with each rise and fall of his chest. His head was killing him; his chest and ribs were throbbing with pain, he was feeling dizzy, confused and dazed.
Calleigh tired to calm him but his body would not still, it would just go into spasm again. His muscles were screaming for relief.
"Easy Horatio, easy, breath easy….Look at me, look at me, Horatio
He stilled and found her green eyes. "Breath with me Horatio, slow, easy, ok? Look, in and out, take little breaths, ok? You with me Horatio?"
His eyes began to focus on her and he moaned her name. "Cal..leigh" in a low raspy whisper.
"I'm here Horatio, right here." Calleigh reassured him. She put her hands on his face and he closed his eyes. He seemed to relax to her warm touch.
"That's it Horatio, nice and easy, were gonna get out of this, you're gonna be ok."
He opened his eyes quickly and spoke "Cal…you ok? Hurt... Cal? Did…"
"Hey, I'm fine, Horatio. They didn't hurt me. Calm down, don't talk, just lay there and breathe, ok?"
She took a deep breath thinking, how in the world is this man thinking of me when he must be in terrible pain himself. That's Horatio, she thought, always thinking of someone else first. That was one of the qualities she loved about him, he was not a selfish man.
She watched his chest rise and fall as his blue eyes opened and closed. His eyes would focus on her and then slowly close, she knew he was in a great deal of pain; she just kept trying to reassure him. Each time he clenched his jaw, his eyes would tighten. She watched him closely and began to see the pattern. He was trying to bare it but the spasms were uncontrollable. He was in excruciating pain.
He shivered and his blue eyes shot open in pain, he clenched his jaw and closed his eyes trying to bare it again. The spasms kept coming. She wished he could just fall asleep, so he wouldn't have to feel the pain.
"Horatio, you ok?"
"Col…d, "I'm… col...d Ca..l" Now his whole body was starting to shiver and shake.
Calleigh put her hands to his head and felt him, he felt like he was burning up. Oh my God she thought to herself, he has a fever. She began to panic. Ok, ok how do I get him warmed up, think Cal. She told herself.
She stood up and began looking around the room again; there under the cot Horatio was lying on, was an old dingy blanket. She pulled it out and dusted it off best she could, "This is gonna have to do." She said out loud.
She doubled it up and put it on Horatio's body, pulling it high up to his neck. He opened his eyes and a shaky "Th.a.n.k. y..o.u." came out of his mouth to her.
She smiled to him but couldn't help it when her eyes welled up again with tears.
"Shhh, its ok Horatio, just rest, don't talk." She put her hands on his face again, cupping it.
He moaned, "Mmm,… Wa..rm…" Her wrists were killing her but she knew her hands were helping him to feel warm. She wanted to get back to picking the cuffs but she couldn't take her hands off him now. His body calmed and his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep again.
Calleigh removed her hands and checked his pulse, it was steady and stable, she went right back to work on the cuffs again.
"What do you mean Calleigh's gone, gone where? Eric asked Ryan and Alex.
"We don't know the hummer's still in the parking lot and we can't get her on her phone." Ryan answered.
"What the hell is going on here?" Eric said and began to dial Frank.
"I am going to check the hummer out Eric; I'll let you know what I find." Ryan said and left.
Alex just stood there and listened to the conversation. Eric explained the situation to Frank and told him about Calleigh.
Ryan called Eric and told him he found a cloth with chloroform on it, inside of Calleigh's hummer and was bringing it back to the lab to process it and make sure. The hummer showed no force entry or broken glass.
Eric now told Frank that it looked like Calleigh has been kidnapped too.
"How could they take her right from under our nose?" Frank asked.
"That's it Frank… The camera in the parking garage, I gotta go Frank, we'll keep you posted."
Alex followed Eric and they went to examine the tape. They had a time frame so Eric was able to bypass a lot of the footage and save time.
They saw him; he walked right over to the hummer and pressed the beeper. He opened the door and got in the back seat and waited. He had the keys?
Then a few minutes went by and they saw Calleigh on her phone walking to the hummer, she was looking around cautiously. She beeped the hummer and got in and Eric zoomed in and saw what had happened and how Calleigh was taken by surprise.
Alex gasped and put her hand to her mouth in shock. "They have them both Eric, who would do this? Alex asked.
The names came back to Eric now "Jay Seaver and Claudia Sanders….
"We put them away a year ago. Let's see if we can find out what he was driving?" He scanned the tape and saw a white van, he zoomed in on the license plate. They watched together as he took Calleigh out of the hummer and put her into the van.
He called Frank immediately and updated him. They put out the APB on the van. He found Ryan in the lab and told him about the tape. Ryan also confirmed to Eric that it was chloroform on the cloth.
"They used Horatio's keys to get into Calleigh's hummer, that's how they did it." Eric said.
"I didn't think to look for his keys when I was there." Ryan said,upset now.
"They had this all planed and even if you had found his keys, they would have just figured out some other way to get it done. I didn't think about his keys either." Eric stated.
"Forget the keys! We have to find this van!" Alex said, very upset now.
"Yeah, your right Alex. Let's concentrate on that right now. Eric agreed.
Metal click, once,... twice and Calleigh was almost out of one cuff. There was a loud bang and her head shot up and so did Horatio's.
TBC...