CSI:MIAMI SEASON ELEVEN

Episode Thirteen

After stuffing themselves with tacos, and a dessert of tostones, the family headed to the grocery store. Horatio decided to make his famous spaghetti with homemade meatballs, since the children had never had them, and Calleigh hadn't had them in years. They let the children pick out items that they never would have stocked in their pantries as single adults. Calleigh picked up some items to make red beans and rice, and jambalaya, and Horatio chose items to make more Italian and Mexican food.

Calleigh decided to purchase all the ingredients to make homemade cookies that the kids could help with. She remembered as a child helping her mother, using her hands as the mixer. She couldn't wait to see her own children digging into the bowls and mixing the dough.

On the way home, they stopped at the drug store, and Horatio went inside to stock up on children's strength medicines, and picked up a rolling walker with a seat for Calleigh. She had adamantly refused a wheelchair, and this walker was perfect. She could take the weight off her foot, and sit if she got tired. It was also perfect for the kitchen, so she could cook if she wanted to.

The kids were tired when they got home, so Horatio put in a movie for them while he started dinner. Calleigh had complained about the walker initially, but she appeared in the kitchen while he was making the meatballs and thanked him with a kiss, and then began to make fresh french bread to go with the dinner. While it was baking, she was able to assemble a salad before joining the children in the living room and resting her foot.

"That should be elevated, Sweetheart. Kids, move onto the floor so Mom can put her foot up." They slid onto the floor and smiled at their parents, as Horatio helped Calleigh elevate her leg and get comfortable. "Why don't you give the orthopedic surgeon a call?"

"Good idea. Could you bring me the phone and his number, please?"

"I'll do you one better." He picked up the phone and opened the MDPD phone book and dialed the doctor's number. "Hello, this is Horatio Caine. My wife had a fall in Louisiana, and from the x-rays taken there, she has a break in her ankle." He was quiet for a few minutes, and then began giving yes and no answers. "That's perfect. Thank you, Doctor." He hung up the phone and looked down at his wife. "He's going to call in the MRI for tomorrow, and then you see him next week for the results."

"Wow, that was quick. What about the kids?"

"If I remember right, the new term starts soon, let's call the school tomorrow and get them enrolled."

"Our big brother went to that school." Patty was looking up at her mother and smiling.

"Yes, he sure did. He really seemed to like it."

"Cool. I didn't like the other school we were in. Kids picked on us because of our old dad. They knew he was in jail all the time."

"If that happens at your new school, you let us know right away and we'll deal with it."

"Yes, Sir."

By the time the movie was over, dinner was ready, and the kids could barely keep their eyes open during dinner. "Kids, how about going to bed early tonight? You two look like you're about to fall asleep in your spaghetti."

"Uh-huh, I am sleepy. Are you, Austin?"

"Yeah, I am, too. Moving into a house is hard work."

"Tomorrow you can have a bit of a rest. Your mom and I will be putting things away, but we'll take a break and let you go swimming."

"Awesome!" Austin got up and took his and Patty's plates to the kitchen and rinsed them in the sink, like he'd learned at his grandmother's house. "Do you want me to put them in the dishwasher?"

"No, Honey, I'll do that, thank you."

Austin returned to the dining room and hugged his mother. "You're welcome, Mom."

"Ok, you two, baths and bed. Who wants the first bath?"

"Me!" Patty had her hand in the air and was jumping up and down.

After the children had their baths and were tucked in for the night, Horatio and Calleigh finally got some alone time. He helped her upstairs and into her bath, and then climbed in behind her.

"Comfortable?" He nuzzled her neck softly.

She leaned back into him a bit more. "Mmm. I just hope the kids don't wake up."

"I turned on the monitor. I don't see why you insisted on that thing."

"They are downstairs alone, and we're up here...naked. Anyway, once they get used to the house and us being here for them, they won't need it. By that time we might need it for the nursery."

"So much for our office." He moved his hand to cover her abdomen. "But I'd rather have what will be growing in here."

"Me, too."

Bath time for the adults was followed by a long session of lovemaking, and then falling into an exhausted sleep. The next morning after breakfast the family made a stop at the imagining center for Calleigh's MRI, and then at their new school to get registered. Horatio was right about the start of the new term, the kids would start on Monday, so they had time to purchase uniforms and supplies.

"Do we have time to stop at the clinic? I want to see what I'll need to do."

Horatio looked at his watch. "We still have an hour or so until lunch time, we can find somewhere to eat close by."

Calleigh was happy when they got to the clinic that the waiting room was empty. They sat the children as far away from the reception desk as they could, so they couldn't hear.

"Hi, I need to find out what I need to do to get my frozen eggs fertilized and implanted."

"What's your name, Ma'am?"

"They'd be under Duquesne."

"Spell that, please?"

Calleigh spelled her maiden name out for the clerk and waited until the nurse appeared at the window. "Ms. Duquesne?"

"Calleigh, please. I'm actually married now, it's Caine."

The nurse looked at her file. "Are you related to the egg donor?"

"No, she's my husband's late wife. If you look at the custody paper drawn up by the hospital and my father, she left them to me as long as Horatio and I were the only ones to use them. Actually, I need to find out about harvesting my own eggs and implanting one egg from each of us."

"I'll have to check with the doctor on that, I've never heard of that being done. Do you and your husband want to come into the back?"

She looked at Horatio, who was busy reading to the children. "I hate to ask this, but can the receptionist make sure our kids are all right? They're good kids, and Austin watches his sister, but we just adopted them, and we don't want to get them excited about this until we're sure."

"Of course. Janie, can you keep an eye on the Caine's children while we take their parents in the back?"

"Sure, I'll just take the portable phone out with me."

"Thank you so much, Janie. Horatio, can you come back with me?" He looked at the children, and then back at her.

"Kids, this is Janie, she's going to watch you for just a few minutes while Mommie and Daddy talk to the doctor, all right? Be good, she'll take good care of you, we won't be long."

"Ok, Mommie." Patty got up and hugged her mother.

"Good girl. Austin, help with your sister, please."

He smiled at his father. "Yes, Sir."

Horatio and Calleigh were escorted into the doctor's office, and the file was placed on the desk. "She'll be in shortly, I'll let her know you're here."

Calleigh took Horatio's hand in hers. "Thank you." She squeezed his hand harder when the doctor entered the room.

"I'm Dr. Evans. I understand you want to know about IVF, with the eggs we've been storing for you."

"Yes." She looked at Horatio. "Also, I'd like to harvest my own eggs, so I can carry them both at once...and I'd like genetic screening done to determine the sexes."

"Calleigh?"

"Horatio, you said this was my call, and I decided I want Mari's baby to be a girl, named for her mother, and I want mine to be a boy."

"Well, to get started, we need to run some tests, get you on fertility shots." She looked at the document in the file. "And contact Marisol's...oh, you must be Marisol's husband."

"Yes, she's my late wife. She asked Calleigh to take care of her eggs so we could have her child."

The doctor leaned back in her chair and eyed the couple for a few minutes. She looked at Calleigh before she spoke. "Are you prepared to look at her child for the next eighteen years? One that very likely will look like her mother?"

"Marisol Delko Caine was one of my very best friends. She knew Horatio and I had been a couple a long time ago, and with her cancer, she couldn't carry a child. I had already planned to surrogate for her. I hope her little girl DOES look just like her."

"All right, then. She pulled out two lab slips and began filling them out. "These tests need to be fasting, and I'd get them done as quickly as possible. The sooner I get the results back the sooner we can start fertility shots."

"Thank you very much, Dr. Evans. We'll get the blood work tomorrow morning."

The doctor showed them out, and they made an appointment for the following week to discuss the results. "You were right, Handsome, it is almost lunch time. What sounds good?"

"There's a burger place across the street, why don't we give that a try?"

"You two feel like burgers for lunch?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, then, I guess that's settled. Burgers it is."

After lunch, Calleigh wanted to go to Rooms to Go so the kids could pick out furniture, Horatio was being overprotective of her, as usual. "Sweetheart, are you sure you're up to it? How's your ankle feeling?"

"It's a little sore, but I brought along a pain pill just in case." She reached into her purse and retrieved a small plastic bag, and then opened a bottle of water that they had brought along. "See, I planned ahead. I'll be fine, Horatio, stop frowning." She giggled

"Are you sure you're ok, Mom? We don't have to do this today if you're hurting."

"Oh, not you, too. Austin, I promise you that I'm fine. I took the pain pill so my ankle wouldn't start hurting."

"You promise?"

"Cross my heart." She made a cross across her chest.

Just as they pulled up in front of the furniture store, Horatio's phone rang. He swore softly to himself and answered the call. "Caine."

"Hey, H., when are you and Calleigh coming back to work?"

"Calleigh will be off for a few weeks, and I'm not sure how much time I'll be taking. Calleigh had a fall in Louisiana and broke a bone in her ankle."

"When was she in Louisiana?"

"Eric, I tell you she has a broken ankle, your first question should be how is she feeling."

"Sorry, H., I'm still a little blown away by the..." he lowered his voice..."marriage thing."

"So I take it you haven't told anyone?"

"No, I was hoping you'd change your minds."

"Not going to happen, Eric. Now, what do you need?"

"Everyone's just asking how long you are going to be out. They figured Calleigh would have taken a bit of time to bond with the kids."

"We took them to Louisiana to meet their new family members. We only came home early so Calleigh could see the MDPD orthopedic surgeon."

"Does she need surgery?"

"The doc in Louisiana says probably not. She had an MRI this morning, so we'll know more once the results are in. If there's nothing else, we just pulled up at the furniture store. The kids want to decorate their own rooms."

"Good luck with that. Hey, can I talk to Cal?"

"Not right now, she's already out of the car with the kids. Give her some time, Eric. She's got a lot on her plate right now. Thanks for holding down the fort."

"No problem, any time, you know that."

"And it's appreciated, Brother." He snapped his phone shut and joined his wife and children, who had just entered the store.

"Eric?"

"We don't have to get into that right now. Let's concentrate on making our children happy." They found a salesman who directed them to the children and teen department, and watched with joy as their two angels flitted from room to room, until they finally settled on a theme. Patty chose a Tinker Bell theme, and Austin chose Pirates of the Caribbean. The decided to have them delivered next week to paint the rooms to match. The wall décor that came with the furniture was perfect. While Horatio was finishing up with the salesmen, and the children were still sitting in the models of their new rooms, Calleigh moved slowly to the baby section. She ran her hands over a beautiful brass crib with a white eyelet lace canopy. She could almost picture little Marisol lying in it. She smiled as she looked around at the other cribs. She'd have to find two that would work for boy/girl twins. Maybe just white cribs, and find some sort of wall décor that would enhance it. Not yet, not until she was sure the implantations took and she was truly pregnant. She felt her husband's hands slip around her waist. "You all right?"

"Mm-hmm. Just thinking. I really like that brass crib over there, but I think the cribs should match, don't you?" She leaned back against his chest. "But we've got time. I want to wait until we know for sure."

"It'll be soon, love. I promise you, it'll be soon. Another thing to think about, do we really need a home gym? That way each child can have a room upstairs with us, and you can make the baby girl's room as girly as you want."

Calleigh frowned. "Baby girl? You don't want to name her after her mother?"

"You'll be her mother, Calleigh."

"I know that, but don't you think it would be nice to name her after the person that made her possible? I know we could use two of my eggs, but we're doing this for Mari. Eric and his parents will be her blood. Will it hurt too much, is that it?"

"No, I was just thinking of you, Sweetheart, of how you would react looking at a daily reminder of me being with someone else."

"Someone who loved you and made you happier than I had seen you in years. I'll be grateful to her for the rest of my life for that. You're going through the same thing with Eric shoving your nose in the fact that we were together, and it was nothing like you had with Marisol."

"So how about we name her after both her mothers. Marisol Marie Caine."

"I like that." She looked over at the kids, who were now starting to get restless and jumping on the beds. "Oh, no you don't. You both know better than that. We're all done, time to go home."

"What about our school uniforms?"

We'll go out and get them tomorrow, along with all your supplies. The headmaster gave me a huge list for each of you. Seriously, Horatio, for what they charge for tuition, they should provide all that stuff."

"Wait until they hit the higher grades. They each will need a computer for class and homework."

"Can't we get a computer now, Mom?"

"No, Austin, there's too much dangerous stuff on the Internet."

"What about games?"

"Games?" She sighed. "How about we stop at Best Buy on the way home and pick up some stuff."

"Wonderful idea, Sweetheart, they can each get a video console and television for their rooms. I guess they'll need a Blu-Ray player as well."

Calleigh laughed. "Yes, I suppose they will."

The family spent almost two hours at Best Buy, picking out electronics for the children, and then Horatio decided they needed a surround sound system for the living room for family nights. They picked out a 3-D capable wide screen TV, and a 3-D Blu-Ray player for the living room, along with lots of kid friendly movies, and a few movies just for grown up time. Horatio set up the install date on the surround system, and then had a thought. "Do you carry and install home intercom systems?"

"Yes, Sir, we do, they are over with the alarms."

"I suppose we need one of each, a home alarm and the intercom system. Can those all be installed the same day?"

The salesman checked his calendar, and found a day where all three systems could be installed. Horatio scheduled the date, and found Calleigh frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Do we really need all that?"

"The alarm definitely. If we were to have a break in, the children are downstairs without us. The intercom will be great for the kids, and for you if you're resting upstairs, all you have to do is talk and I can hear you."

"I really don't want to see this bill." She chuckled softly.

"We're not done, the children need to pick out video games for their consoles. Ready to go pick out your games, kids?"

They nodded and hurried back to the game area, with their parents hurrying behind them. Austin picked a few that Calleigh thought were too violent, so he put those back. She did allow him to buy a shooting game where he could practice with targets. "Will this teach me to shoot as good as you, Mom?"

"It might, Austin. Just remember, this is the only gun you pick up. My guns and Daddy's guns are for police use only."

"Why do you bring them home?"

"Sometimes we have to go right to work from home, and we also use them to protect ourselves in case someone breaks in to the house."

"Does Daddy shoot as good as you?"

Calleigh giggled and looked at her husband. "No, Son, I don't. I wouldn't even try."

"Mommie, are we done yet?"

"Just about. You getting' tired, Baby?"

"Uh-huh, and hungry. I heard Daddy say we could have pasghetti again tonight."

"Spaghetti, Sis."

"Oh, yeah, sorry, spaghetti."

"Yes, we're having spaghetti and french bread, and I'll make another salad."

"I think you should leave dinner to me and go rest that ankle."

They made their way to the checkout station with an overflowing cart, and Calleigh took the kids outside to the Hummer and opened the trunk so Horatio could fill it up. "See, I can be some help."

He kissed her softly. "Thank you, Love. Are the kids buckled in?"

"Yes, Daddy!"

Horatio helped Calleigh into her seat, and then climbed into his side and headed home.

The children flew through their dinner, since they were told the car wouldn't be unloaded until they ate. They each had two helpings of spaghetti, and cleaned their plates both times.

"Somebody worked up an appetite today!"

"We shopped a LOT, Mommie!"

"Yes, you did. Are you ready for me to bring in your new things?"

"Whenever you are, Dad. Do you need any help?"

"Actually, I could use a bit of help. You can bring in the smaller things, and I'll get the heavy ones, how does that sound?"

"Sounds great! I just need to help Mom clear the table first." He started stacking the dishes and carrying them into the kitchen and rinsing them off.

"I'll get the rest, Sweetie, go help your dad."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. The sooner you two get those things in, the sooner he can set them up."

"Awesome! I'm ready, Dad."

Horatio and Austin made several trips to the Hummer, and finally everything was sorted into the two bedrooms. Austin read the instructions, and Horatio started plugging in the wires. Over an hour later, both kids had their new systems installed.

"Can we play now?"

"No, Sweetie, it's bath time, and then bed time. We have to get up fairly early tomorrow so Daddy and I can get our blood tests that the doctor ordered, and then we need to go shopping for your school supplies."

"Since we didn't get to swim today, can we do it tomorrow?"

"I'm sure we can find some time to do that after lunch time. Now, no more stalling. Into your bathrooms."

"Yes, Ma'am." Austin hurried in and started his shower, and Calleigh helped Patty with her bath. Once the kids were bathed and in their pajamas, she gathered them in Patty's room to read a story and then tucked them in for the night. Once she was done, she joined her husband in the living room, where he had just poured her a glass of red wine.

"You might as well enjoy this while you can. No alcohol once you're pregnant."

"So I'll sip herbal tea." He helped her onto the couch and pulled her into his arms. "Right now, I'll just enjoy this. I love the quiet right after the kids go to bed. Don't get me wrong, I love all the noise they make, it's just right after they go to bed and it seems so much more quiet than any other time without them."

"You're right it does." He watched her finish her glass. "Do you want more wine?"

"No, I want you to take me to bed, Handsome."

"That, my love, that would be my pleasure."

"You bet your sexy ass it will."

Horatio scooped her up and carried her up the flight of stairs and down the hallway to their room before setting her carefully on the bed, always mindful of her foot. They slowly undressed each other, and spent the next couple of hours reaffirming their love.