Part 2/2

After double checking that Aaron was asleep, Horatio made his way back into the bedroom. Now it was him who was wide awake and he hoped to get some more hours of sleep. Even though it was a Saturday, he needed it. The week had been stressful and a good night's sleep was the first step for a relaxing weekend with his family. Once inside the bedroom, he slipped under his now cold covers and carefully wrapped one arm around his wife. Lying chest to back was Horatio's favorite position in bed, especially when he felt a bit cold. Letting out a deep breath, he closed his eyes and hoped that sleep would come quickly.

Calleigh was fully aware of what was going on in the room because she still wasn't sleeping but thinking about what Horatio had told their son just minutes ago. Gently, she took his hand and stroked its back with her thumb. "You did well," she said softly and knew that he heard her.

"Did we wake you?" He asked softly. He should have known better. Calleigh always knew what was going on around her. "And thanks.. I did my best...I hope it helped him."

She turned around to lie on her back with his arm still around her waist. "Yeah, you two woke me up, but that's okay. I love to hear the both of you talking", she said honestly. "And I'm sure you helped him, even though...in a few years I guess he won't believe that cake-argument anymore. I'm looking forward to your next story." She smirked lightly and brought his hand to her lips so that she could place a gentle kiss on it.

Chuckling, Horatio shook his head. "I guess in a few years I can bore him with the science behind it, or even better, he won't ask at all, because he's no longer afraid of a thunderstorm. That would be the best." Resting his head on her shoulder, he let her play with his hand. "I'm just happy that I came up with some story..."

"Just tell him another story from your mother", she answered. "He loves it when you talk about her."

"I know he does, but...that's easier said than done," he sighed. Knowing that Calleigh would ask anyway, he continued. "Because I...uh...well this wasn't one of my mum's stories, you know? I just told him."

"But the original idea came from her, right? That's okay. I always knew of your creativity", she assured him, not letting go of his hand because she could feel his hesitation.

"Ah, to be honest, no. She never told me a story...about thunder when I was little. I've always been afraid of it," he admitted quietly. "And still am," he added in a whisper.

Stunned she touched his cheek almost as if she wanted to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "You are kidding, right?" She asked him but the shame in his voice gave him away. Quickly she reached to her nightstand, turned the light on and dimmed it down a bit. As she looked back to her husband she had to blink. "Horatio? You okay?" He seemed really lost in thoughts and very vulnerable as he lay there.

"Yeah," he mumbled and pulled up his covers. "I know it's an embarrassing fact for a grown man like me..," he said and looked down, so he could avoid her look.

Somehow the roles have been switched, because right now Calleigh was the one comforting Horatio; just like he comforted Aaron. "Well," she started, "everyone is afraid of something. There's nothing you should be ashamed of, Handsome."

"Yeah, but it's just thunder, Cal...you know I can look right into a gun and won't blink, but when I hear the growl of a thunder, I get nervous. It took a lot to stand there by the window and watch the lightning with Aaron...because there was no way I could show him that I was as afraid as he was. I should be a role-model for my son." Just like every good father should be.

The first thought that came into her mind was to hug him the best she could and that's what she did. Holding him like a child, who was afraid of something, softly stroking his hair. "Do you...want to talk about it?" She carefully wanted to know, because she felt how important this was to Horatio. And knowing him, she was certain that he hadn't told anyone before.

"Well..I...uhm…you know, that I never had a role-model in my childhood, not a good one anyway...," he sighed and relished the feeling of being so close to Calleigh. "Fear was a sign of weakness in my father's eyes...and being afraid of thunder belonged to that. I don't want Aaron to believe that he's weak in my eyes when he's afraid of something, but the same time I want him to conquer his fears with my help...and being afraid of the very same thing, doesn't help at all."

"I don't think so. Just because you are afraid of thunderstorms doesn't mean you can't help him or yourself. You just took away Aarons' fears and now he's able to sleep. Maybe you didn't notice, but he helped you too. You are far away from being weak, believe me. And you're the best role-model I can think of," she said to him with a serious, but still gentle voice. She knew all too well about Horatio's doubts concerning his abilities of being a good father to Aaron. He was just perfect. And now it would be up to her to convince him so. She leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "Let me help you."

Horatio had never been a man who accepted help easily. He was the one who needed to be needed, not the opposite. So, not being able to help his son, because of his own fears, made him feel really bad. "How?" He whispered and looked at her. "You know what they say about teaching old dogs new tricks..."

She smiled. "You may be an old dog, but you're a clever one." She tapped on the tip of his nose. "A very clever and cute one, I may add." Then she became a bit more serious. "Maybe it'll help you just to talk about it. Or him." Never taking her eyes from him, she leaned back, giving him some space to think. "I don't say that it has to be tonight, you know? But what I'm trying to say is...whenever you feel like talking...I'm here for you."

Nodding, he accepted her invitation. Of course he had told her about his father, but just the rough facts. He hadn't gone into details about what exactly his father had done to him, just that he would never win the "world's best dad award". "I know and I'm very thankful for that," he told her and ran his hand through his hair. "It's not that easy to talk about him...but when I have the desire to do so, because it would explain my behavior, I'll definitely tell you," he promised her.

"That's all I'm asking for", she replied, happy that he showed signs of accepting help. Knowing from experience, it was clear to her how much effort this simple statement had cost him. Looking at him, she said, "Should I turn off the light? So we can go back to sleep? Or...do you want to talk about something else?"

"No," he shook his head at her last question. "Going back to sleep sounds like music in my ears," he smiled at her and gave her a nod to turn off the light. "Next time you can tell me, that you're awake, so Aaron and I don't have to whisper the whole time," he chided her playfully.

"But you two were so sweet," she grinned and reached for the lamp, but before turning it off, she said, "You know...your mother was a warm and gentle person and so are you. I'm proud of her. Of what she did to give you and Ray a good Mom. You are very much like her and you could never ever be a bad father to Aaron. Deep in your heart...you know that. But your mind says otherwise. Don't block yourself, okay?" Then she turned off the light, letting the words sink in.

"Okay, I promise," he said and once again wrapped his arm around her. "You surely have a husband with a lot of package, you know?" He sighed. He hoped that he could return the favor some day in helping her.

Snuggling into him, she drew small circles with her index finger on his t-shirt. "That I'm well aware of, but I don't mind. As long as we can talk about it, it's okay for me." She wouldn't start to force him to talk, that would only be a waste of time and would cost a lot of nerves. "A problem shared is a problem halved...that's what my mother always told me."

"A very smart woman with fantastic cooking skills by the way," he chuckled and closed his eyes. "Thanks for listening Cal...it means a lot to me..."

"Glad I could help...in some way I hope, Handsome." With that she took a deep breath and closed her eyes too, resting her head on his shoulder. Maybe this thunderstorm wasn't bad at all.

"You did, more than you probably know, Sweetheart," he said and took a deep, calming breath. "Sleep with the angels."

"You, too," she answered as she felt the sleepiness settling in. "I love you."

"Love you too," he mumbled already half asleep. Maybe with the help of his family, he could conquer his own fears and in return, he could be a better husband and father. And since his family was the most important thing in his life, it was definitely worth the try.

The End