Calleigh stayed at the crime scene and called 911, while Natalia ran up the stairs to the lab. Calleigh didn't want the little girl to witness are the horrible things that could be seen at a bomb site. The little girl had recently been crying and was holding a teddy bear tightly in her arms. She didn't look at Calleigh.
"Hey, it's alright. I'm here to help you." Calleigh said softly.
Calleigh didn't want the little girl to see the concern and fear in her eyes. She tried to stay calm and happy for her. Calleigh knew that the girl didn't belong to the janitor, Mary, since Mary had a son, not a daughter. Unfortunately, none of the other women's pictures of their children had survived the fires.
Natalia, who had been running like crazy up the stairs to the lab, sighed in relief as she saw that Horatio, Ryan and Cooper were okay. She couldn't see Frank nor Eric, though. The scene of detonation was on fire, but there was no risk that it would make too much damage.
"Horatio!" Natalia called out.
Horatio turned around and that's when Natalia noticed that all three of them were injured. They had small cuts in their faces, and Cooper's right arm was bleeding very much. Ryan had two big cut wounds on his left hand, but other then that they all seemed fine.
"Someone rigged a bomb behind Cooper's computer." Ryan said, "There aren't many people who can do that when nobody is here."
" Yeah, riiiiight...just cops, CSI's, lab techs and the cleaning crew." Cooper hissed in pain, "Shit."
"Have you called 911?" Ryan asked.
"I'm sure Calleigh is doing that, she's down in the morgue, with a little girl that we found. Where is everybody else?" Natalia said.
Horatio looked around the lab, he saw some lab techs walking past the scene of detonation. Everybody gathered at the entrance, except Eric. Horatio felt a rush of panic go through him. Eric was no where to be found.
"Where is Eric?" He asked.
Natalia shrugged, "I'm sure he's safe."
"Yeah, the bomb wasn't too big. It barely hurt me and Cooper, and yet we were closest ones to it." Ryan said.
Soon paramedics and a group of firemen arrived and started examining people who were in shock or had small injuries. Cooper and Ryan went to the hospital in an ambulance. When the commotion started to calm down, Natalia found Valera, she was sitting on a bench and gently rubbing her belly.
"Are you okay Val?" Natalia asked.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm more concerned about everybody else."
"Well, only Cooper and Ryan are injured serious enough to be taken to the hospital. They might need some stitches. But other then that everybody seems to be fine."
"Good." Val said, "I suddenly feel very tired."
"I'll drive you home." Nat said. The tone of her voice left no room for argument. Valera nodded and left the lab with Natalia.
Frank and Horatio waited for a group of firemen to put the fire out. Horatio was worried about Eric. He wasn't answering his cell phone and he didn't seem to be in the lab.
"Did you know where Eric went?" Horatio asked Frank.
"No, I thought he was here."
Horatio nodded, "Calleigh is at the morgue with a little girl, could check if she's okay?"
Frank nodded, gave Horatio a friendly pat on the shoulder and left to find Calleigh.
-I-
09:10
Eric had turned off his phone so that he wouldn't be bothered by anyone. He was at the women's prison in Miami, and waited for his mother in visitors room. He was furious and scared. Ever since his mother found out that he was gay, she had changed so much, and it scared Eric. He didn't know what to expect, but he had a feeling that she wouldn't be happy to see him. Maybe Raquel was much more evil now that she had spent a few months in jail. Eric wondered how much jail had changed her. Eric's eyes widened when a woman with long dark hair and a angry expression sat down in front of him. He recognized his mother, but her eyes were different. They way she looked at him was different. Deep in her eyes Eric could see that she was sad, that she didn't want to be here.
"Mom." Eric greeted.
Raquel greeted him with a nod. It was clear that she hadn't expected him to be there. She had expected Horatio to show up, either because of curiosity or to yell at her.
"I know you weren't expecting me. But Horatio isn't coming." Eric said, he tried to keep his voice steady, but his mother could see right through him. She knew he was nervous.
"Why not?" Raquel asked.
"Because he said he wouldn't."
Eric knew it must have sounded lame. But he trusted Horatio not to visit Raquel, Horatio had promised not to, and he never broke a promise.
"Well, the letter I sent was addressed to him. Not you." Raquel said.
"He showed me the letter." Eric said, "And it made me quite angry to read what you had written, mom."
"Why? Afraid I'm going to tell him the negative things about you?"
"What?"
"Eric, everybody knows you can't stay with one person for too long. Yet, I am amazed that you've stayed with Horatio for a bit more then two years." Raquel said, "You and I both know that it won't last. You'll leave him for someone younger... hopefully a woman."
"That's not true. Horatio makes me whole and I love him."
"You've said that before Eric!" Raquel growled, "To so many women. Those exact words, and then a week later you're not together anymore."
"Horatio is different."
"Because he is a man?" Raquel asked, "He is old and will only slow you down. You can't have children with him."
"Kids ain't everything in the world mom!" Eric snapped.
Raquel snorted and then smirked evily at her son. Eric feared that she would tell Horatio about the biggest secret he had. The big mistake he had done a year ago. He had screwed up completely and then ended up at his mom and dad's house in tears.
Raquel and Joseph had promised not to tell anyone about what Eric had done.
"Don't you dare tell him!" Eric growled, "Why do you have to ruin things for me?"
"He deserves to know doesn't he?" Raquel asked, "It isn't more then right that I tell him. Hell, the best things would be if YOU told him!"
Eric growled and slapped his mother across the face! Raquel looked shocked at Eric, and Eric looked back at her, just as shocked. A guard stood behind Eric, ready to intervene if the fight went further.
The guard knew who Eric Delko was and he respected him very much. But that didn't mean Eric could slap one of the prisoners without a warning, even if is was his mother.
"Eric, behave." The guard said.
"Sorry Tobias." Eric sighed and ducked his head.
"Sorry mom." He then said and left the room.
Tears fell down his cheeks as Eric stormed out of the prison and towards his car on the parking lot. He didn't want Horatio to know what he had done, because it would be such a betrayal to him. Eric wouldn't be able to stand the look of sadness in his lover's eyes if he found out. Eric hoped that the slap to his mother's face, had acted like a warning instead of a trigger to tell Horatio the truth, of what happened that one night a year ago. That one night that made Eric realize that Horatio meant so much to him, but that also was the one things that could destroy their relationship. In fact Eric hadn't thought about that night until his mother brought it up.
-I-
10:00
The little girl's DNA tested positive for Chleo Manson. That meant that the little girl was only three years old.
Calleigh sat in the break room with the girl, who was drawing a picture. She hadn't said anything yet.
Ryan and Cooper were still at the hospital. Valera was at home, like many other lab techs, who had been so shocked that they had been sent home by Horatio. Horatio trying to put the bomb back together, gasoline, a watch and some wires had been used, and now Horatio tried to put it back as his had originally been.
Frank sighed and walked into the break room, he had tried to find the girls name in some sort of database, but with no luck. And the daycare in witch this little girl was supposed to belong to, was not open at the moment. They were all out on an adventure and were unreachable.
"How's it going?" He asked Calleigh.
Calleigh shook her head, nothing was working.
"Are you a tweddy bwear?" The little girl asked Frank.
Frank chuckled and sat down next to the little girl.
"You think a look like a teddy bear?" He asked, and the girl nodded.
"Well, some people call me the labs teddy bear actually." Frank smiled.
Calleigh chuckled, "Because he is nice like a bear."
"Emma." The girl said and pointed at herself.
"Hello Emma, I'm Frank." Frank smiled.
Finally they were making some progress!
--
Eric arrived at the lab and the first person to see him was Alexx. She gave him a confused look.
"Where have you been honey?" She asked.
"Um… I went to see my mother." Eric said.
Alexx nodded, she went with Eric into Valera's lab, which was empty at the moment.
"Spill it." She said.
Eric sighed and told Alexx about the meeting with his mother. He also told her what he had done a year ago. Alexx looked like she wanted to slap him when he told her about his big mistake.
"It will never happen again." Eric assured her.
"Honey, that slap to her face might have just triggered her to tell Horatio." Alexx said.
"Or it could have worked as a warning." Eric said, trying to give himself some hope.
"We both know Raquel. Do you really think that's possible?"
Eric shook his head. But he wasn't going to tell Horatio before Raquel.
"Maybe she won't have a chance to tell him." Eric said.
"Let's hope so." Alexx said.
Though none of them thought about the fact that Raquel could write about it to Horatio. The best thing would be if Eric told Horatio himself, but how does someone bring something like that up in a conversation?
Eric and Alexx left Valera's lab. Alexx went to the morgue and Eric went to find Horatio.
"Eric? Where have you been?" Horatio asked.
Eric pulled him into a tight hug and kissed him hard.
"Something wrong?" Horatio asked.
"I went to see my mom, we had a fight."
"Why?" Horatio asked, "Why did you go there?"
"To tell her to back off, I guess it was a mistake." Eric sighed, "I'll tell you more when we get home… What happened?"
"Explosion. Someone put a bomb behind Cooper's computer." Horatio sighed, "No one got too badly hurt. Cuts and bruises."
Eric nodded, and then asked what he could do. Horatio told him to start interviewing the cleaning crew.
Someone in in MDPD was dirty and Horatio and his team would find out who.
-I-
16:30
Raquel grinned as she sealed the envelope. Soon she would have her revenge, and Eric would find himself a woman to settle down with. It wasn't Eric that she hated, nor Joseph or her daughter. She hated the choices they had made, but not them in person. The only one she hated in person was Horatio Caine. The read head to ruined her sons future and made him into something he's not. Raquel would have her vengeance. Oh yes, she would.
TBC…
AN: Review please! Ya'll know you want to! Lol!