A/N: I do not own CSI Miami or any of it's characters, affiliates...etc. This is just my imagination running with it! I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter Two
You're That Cop
"What did you tell them?" he asked, grabbing the girls upper arm after the silver vehicle pulled away.
"Nothing." she whispered.
"How long were they here? Were you able to have a little fun? Huh? Did you play around a little bit for free?"
"No. They were only here for a few minutes."
"You changed your shirt! You think I don't know what you wear to school?"
"I was just trying to get out of my school clothes!" she argued feebly.
"So you could look cuter? Huh? Is that what you wanted?" and he pushed her against the wall.
"Leave her alone honey! She's not smart enough to tie those cops down. It takes a special kind of talent to get into a guy's pants, I see it every day. Trust me. She ain't got it"
Letting go of her arm, he stood there for another moment before stepping away. "Get upstairs! You irritate me. You better not have told them cops anything! Do you hear me?" he said angrily.
She nodded. As she climbed the steps, she looked at where his hand was around her arm and she touched it lightly. It should hurt, right? She got into her bedroom and took the sleeve of her shirt off, looking at the bruising that was already appearing. Looking at herself in the vanity mirror she had on her dresser, she inspected the bruise more closely. Fingers were clearly indicated, and yet, when she touched it, there was no pain. There was no hurt. There was just...nothing. She was numb.
She took her shirt all the way off and looked at her arm where the fresh cut was made this afternoon. That, she had felt. That, she had been able to control. Well, until those cops showed up anyway. Remembering the way that one looked at her and kept asking her if she was okay or if she needed anything, made her wonder.
Then she looked at herself in the mirror. She was nothing. Her father was right. She was everything he said she was. And worse. Was she alright? Hah. As if it were that simple. She was a lot of things she supposed. Alright was definitely not one of those things. Her hair was too flat, her complexion too pasty, she had too many freckles, and pinching what little bit of skin was there on her stomach, she realized, she was eating too much. She had worked so hard in school to try and prove that she was more than what people thought, but it never worked.
It did for a little while, but then she had to come home. School was a fantasy world where she was good at what she did and who she was. Where people talked to her and made her feel like she actually was something. School was where she'd excelled and had surpassed everyone. She could hide there for seven hours a day, and smile when the teachers called her in to tell her she was graduating early. She could laugh when her friend talked about a cute guy she was going to chase after when she got out of school that afternoon. It was where she could escape her life at home during the week. She had from seven thirty to two forty five every day that was just her. She wasn't allowed to do extra curricular activities because her father had been afraid it would 'interfere' with his plans for her, and what he was raising her to be. What he was raising her to be. Like it was something to strive for. She was a monster. A slave to her master and a pathetic excuse for a human being.
Her cellphone rang beside her. Mitchell. She wasn't in the mood for his shit right now. He was no better than her father, making sure they kept up appearances. It wasn't that they actually liked each other all that much. But he was varsity and she was smart and popular. So they were expected to be together.
Suddenly her dad burst in her room. She covered her arms with her shirt. "What are you doing!" she yelled suddenly.
"Who was on the phone?"
She was covering herself now, keeping her arms close to herself as she stepped back away from him, standing in her bra and jeans. "It was Mitchell. I didn't answer though."
"Well too bad. We're throwing a party tonight. You should invite him over."
She closed her eyes. She knew what her dad's parties meant.
"I'm going to have a couple of high paying clients here tonight, so you'd better be on your...best...behavior."
Nodding, but saying nothing else, she watched as he left her bedroom. She didn't want to entertain anyone tonight. She let loose a couple of tears but brushed them away lightly. Staring at the card that she had in her back pocket, she wondered if she could call him. She wondered if he would actually help her. Not sure why she did it, she actually stored the number in her phone, under simply H. That way if her dad got a hold of it, he wouldn't ask questions, or if he did she could play it off.
Then shaking her head, she knew it would do no good. Her dad would just bribe them like he did the last time. They always seemed like they wanted to help, until it was time to get down to brass tax. Then it was as if they'd never even met. Oh well. It was time to get ready she supposed.
Opening up her closet door she found a long sleeve dress that looked like it was velvet and it was a dark green. The collar was lower cut and made a U, that showed off just enough chest, without getting into the cleavage area. It came to half way down her thighs and was very form fitting.
Throwing on some pantyhose that were just a darker shade than her skin, to cover the bruises, she glanced at herself, putting on make up and doing her hair. She knew she would get her father's approval for her attire, so she didn't even worry about that part. Looking at herself again in the mirror, she closed her eyes and shook her head in disgust. Her mom was right too. She didn't have it in her to seduce anyone. She never understood the concept of deceiving anyone like that. It had pissed her parents off so bad that she was never going to be what they wanted. And deep down, no matter what it was they wanted her to do, she still longed for their approval.
How messed up was she? Walking down stairs, she took a few moments, knowing her parents were in their room getting ready themselves, and sneaked into the liquor cabinet. Grabbing a glass from the cupboard, she emptied the entire contents into the container, and hid the now devoid bottle, at the bottom of the trash, so her parents wouldn't find it. She never drank. And taking a sip of the nasty clear liquid now, she would probably never drink again. But she couldn't do this tonight. She'd rather be just about anywhere but here. Tonight, for whatever reason, she just couldn't play into the normal game. Some guys were nice, but most just wanted to have a good time and go.
Most of the clients her parents represented were doing something illegal. Hell half of what her parents did was illegal in itself. Including making money off of her and to keep the client base up. Because that's what it was about. The clients. And the money they could make off of them.
She glanced up at the men that were coming through the door an hour later. She was in for a long night. She always was when her father had these parties. The next morning she would always be forced to take a morning after pill because there would be at least six John's in her bedroom, forcing themselves. She had been threatened by her father that it would happen every night until she was dead if she didn't act like she wanted it, and after having the crap beat out of her for trying to tell someone about it before, she never took the chance that he was bluffing. Thankfully these parties only happened once every other month. This time though, she'd started drinking before they got there, and had slipped in a few of her mother's Xanax that she kept in her purse, for good measure. She didn't want to remember any of it when it happened. Tonight she wouldn't and she was going to make damn sure of it. She had been introduced to at least three guys that they'd wanted her to 'entertain' and another two that he told her would be coming.
It was around ten that night when she was looking for her cell phone. Had she dropped it somewhere? Nothing made sense at the moment and her mind was spinning as much as her world. Damn, she shouldn't have mixed the pills with the alcohol. How many pills had she taken? She couldn't remember. She just knew that after the first hour, she'd taken another, then another an hour after that. Then some more later? Dammit, she couldn't remember anything. But that was the point, wasn't it? Had she entertained the one guy her father had told her to carry to her bedroom? He wasn't going to be happy about this. She made her way out of her bedroom when she stumbled into another man. She wondered if he'd been sent up by her father, but realized it hardly mattered any more.
She looked up at him with glazed eyes and he knew she was on her way out. She had just about lost all motor functions as it was and was barely walking when she'd run into him. Unable to stand any longer, he picked her up swiftly as her knees buckled beneath her. "Easy sweetheart."
She glanced up, her eyes unfocused. "Are you one of my dad's clients?" she asked softly. "My bedroom is right there...but you might have to carry me in there. Just...don't tell him. He's going to be so mad."
Closing his eyes, Horatio hid the urge to kill, that he was feeling. "No Lee. I'm not one of his clients."
"You called me Lee." she said barely coherent. Then realization took over for a split second as she looked into the man's face. "You're that cop."
"I am. What did you take?"
"What?"
"What did you take, sweetheart? What are you on?"
She stared at him for a moment before closing her eyes. "I didn't want to remember." Opening them briefly she looked at him. "She said I couldn't seduce you. She was right. I can't do it. I can't deceive people like that. I don't want to do this any more. Wait, is this a test? Is she testing me? Why are you here again?"
Ready to squeeze the last breath out of both parents bodies, he tried to soften his voice to keep from yelling. "You called me."
She shook her head. She called him? "That's impossible. I don't know where my phone is."
She was clearly getting worse as she progressed. "Lee, honey I need you to tell me what you took?"
She closed her eyes again and shook her head back and forth a couple of times. "I don't know. A lot." she said, her voice now floating. "I don't remember. I didn't want to remember. Not any more. I don't want to remember." she repeated, slurring the last part.
"Come on Lee. We're getting you some help sweetheart." and he shifted her slight frame in his arms. He walked through the house and not a single person stopped him as he made his way out and into the Hummer. Sitting her down and buckling her up, he ran to the drivers side of the vehicle.
Looking over at the girl, almost unconscious he touched her hand. "Hey sweetheart. Stay awake. Can you do that for me?" her eyes were closing. "Lee?" Grabbing his radio in the car, he pushed the side button after changing the channel for the hospital. "Dade Memorial, be advised, this is Lieutenant Horatio Caine and I am inbound with a sixteen year old, female, overdosed. Unaware of the drug, alcohol on her breath. Reduced to almost no motor functions and losing consciousness. I want a team ready when I pull up."
He looked over as the female voice came over the speaker. "Ten-four Lieutenant. We'll be waiting." Grabbing the kids fingers after putting the hand piece back on the CB, he squeezed lightly. "Hang on Lee. We're almost there." Her hands were freezing and her breathing was so shallow.
Pulling up, someone did meet him as he rushed out of the drivers side. They pulled her out of the truck, laying her flat on her back on the stretcher. "What's her name?" someone screamed out.
"It's Lee. Lee Hartford."
"Hartford? Like Hartford and Hartford, Attorneys at Law Hartford?"
"Does it matter?" Horatio asked, irritated.
"Well no, but..."
"But nothing. She needs help! I'll deal with her parents."
Rolling her in, one nurse stood over her. "Lee? Can you open your eyes?"
She moaned, but didn't open her eyes. "She's not responding!" someone screamed. He watched as someone shined a light in her eyes. "Pupils are dilated and fixed!" the nurse shouted. Another, yelled out "She's not breathing! Blood pressure's bottoming out!"
The doctor that had been shouting out orders looked at Horatio. "Do you know what she's on?"
He shook his head. "I have no idea. I found her about fifteen minutes ago and she was still semi-conscious."
"We need to pump her stomach!"
Then another nurse screamed and made H's heart drop. "We're losing her! Get me the crash cart!"
Horatio stepped out of the room as they pushed him lightly through the doors. "We have to stabilize her sir. You're gonna have to stay out here." and he watched through the small window as they continued working on her for close to thirty minutes.