AN: Sorry for the quite long update, but I've been sick for a few days now. Though right now I'm well enough to update on all my stories!
14:40
Valera sneezed and then blew her nose. She growled incoherent words and dragged her feet as she walked in to the kitchen in her and Jason's apartment. Valera was supposed to be working today, but when she had arrived at the lab, Alexx, everyone's favorite mother-hen, had sent her home. Valera had a fever and a cold. Jason was home too, making sure that Valera actually rested.
"I swear to god if I don't fin that god dam…" Valera growled quietly to herself as she rummaged through several cabinets. Jason raised his eyebrows at her as he joined her in the kitchen.
"Since when did you start forgetting where you placed our stuff in the kitchen?" Jason asked.
Valera glared at him, "Probably since your god dam sperms put these babies in me.
"Val… Maxine…" Jason grinned at her, "It takes two."
Valera snorted, "Yeah right and I'm Santa Claus. You seduced me!"
"If I remember correctly it was you who had the extremely sexy underwear."
"Oh you liked those huh?"
Jason nodded.
"Good, ´cause you won't see them again for a very long time!" Valera said, "Not until these babies are kicked out of this house… apartment."
"That's at least 18 years."
"Yeah." Valera grinned.
"I can wait." Jason smirked.
Valera groaned on continued searching for whatever she was looking for. Jason chuckled. He knew Valera always thought he was way too optimistic. He loved teasing her with his optimism.
"What are ya looking for anyway?" Jason asked after a while.
"I want food. So I need something to cook it with."
Jason was about to help her when the phone rang. He told to hang on a second and answered it.
"Jason here." He said, "What?… are you kidding me? When did that happen? Alright. Yeah, we'll be there… okay, we'll stay." Jason said and hung up, he had a very concerned look in his face and Valera immediately knew something was wrong.
"What is it Jason?" She asked.
"Horatio was in a car accident. He's at Dade Memorial."
Valera moved towards the front door, but Jason grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Tripp told is to wait here. There is nothing we can do, and you're sick." He said.
"Jason, one of my best friends is in the hospital and his boyfriend, who is also one of my best friends, is probably worried sick right now." Valera growled, "I am not staying here!"
Jason nodded, he never really argued with Valera. And he had to admit that he also wanted to be with the rest of the family right now. Together he and Valera drove to the hospital.
-I-
Eric was pacing in the waiting are in the ER. Alexx was with him. Soon though, his sister, father and probably the rest of the team would show up. And fact was that he needed them with him. He needed them to tell him that everything was going to be alright. Alexx had already tried telling him that, but the words just wouldn't sink in. He couldn't believe that once again he was at Dade Memorial, and once again he was worried and scared for the life of his lover. Without Horatio he had nothing, he was nobody. He needed him. Alexx sat in one of the chairs. She too was scared, but on the same she remained calm and she just knew in her heart that Horatio wouldn't die.
Ryan was still at the Glades, processing the crime scene and working on getting the car out of the water. Frank was driving there to join him. Natalia had been called to another crime scene and the women's prison in Miami. What nobody knew at the moment was that the victim was Raquel Delko. Calleigh was on her way to the hospital though. Eric and Alexx snapped out of their deep thoughts when they recognized the growling voice of Valera down the hallway. She dragged Jason behind her and cursed every time she sneezed. She also had back problems because of her belly and it hurt to walk for her.
"Oh Eric, it's going to be alright." Valera said and hugged her friend. Eric hugged her back.
Jason placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Have you spoken to a doctor yet?" Valera asked as she and Eric parted.
"No, not yet." Alexx sighed.
"Well they must be able to tell us something by now right?" Valera asked.
Like the rest of them she wanted to know what Horatio's condition was, and she wanted to know now! Alexx patted the chair the next to her and nodded for Valera to sit down. Everybody knew how the walking was becoming harder for her. She also had trouble sleeping since she couldn't find a comfortable position. And all that made her very grumpy, which she of course took out on poor Jason. Some people were amazed at how calm Jason stayed every time he received a tongue-lashing from Valera, even when he hadn't done anything wrong.
"If he dies…" Eric started saying but was interrupted by Valera.
"There are no ifs Eric. He will not die." She said firmly, but friendly.
Eric nodded. He knew he shouldn't walk around thinking that Horatio could die. He had to believe that he would survive. He knew that deep inside his heart, he would soon be at home with Horatio again. Though the physical scars would heal faster then the mental ones. Eric had a lot to make up for, but he was willing to do it, even if it took him the rest of his life.
"Any news?" Maya asked as she joined the group. She hugged her brother and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"No… Is that good or bad?" Valera asked.
"Good." Jason said quickly, "If he was… well, dead, then a doctor would have been here a long time ago."
"So it means that he's doing good?" Eric asked.
"Yeah it does. Things are going good." Jason smiled slightly.
Maya hugged her brother again and sat down.
-I-
14:55
Natalia looked surprised at the body in front of her. She gaped as she saw the arrow and kneeled down next to Raquel.
"Do you know her?" The guard, Walter asked.
"Yeah, I know who she is." Natalia said.
"Who doesn't?" Walter sighed.
"That's not what I meant. I mean that I'm a friend to her son."
Walter nodded, "Can ya tell me anything?"
Natalia sighed, she had only just arrived and the dam guard was already expecting her to find something.
"I just arrived." She said.
"Right, sorry." Walter said, "Well, I can tell you this much anyway. The only way to shoot an arrow in her back is through the bar windows." Walter pointed at the windows.
"And if you're a really good shot you don't have to stand so close either." Natalia said.
"A good shot wouldn't shoot in the back." Walter snorted, "Why not the head?"
"Maybe our killer wanted her to die slowly. Or the wind changed the direction of the arrow slightly. Or maybe our shooter is good, but not good enough."
"So how soon can you, um.. Move the body?" Walter asked.
"It's going to take a while. Lt. Caine was in a car accident almost an hour ago, so everything is in a bit of a chaos at the moment." Natalia said.
"He was here around one, today." Walter said, "He talked to Mrs. Delko."
"Do you know what they talked about?"
"I heard him tell her to leave him alone." Walter said, "Then he left."
"So he was in the accident right after that." Natalia said, "Did you see him leave with anyone?"
Walter shook his head.
"Alright, thank you."
Natalia started processing the arrow for prints.
-I-
"I may not believe in God, but thank you for this." Ryan said as she started molding the impression of shoes going from the water and down the road.
"Shoe prints." Frank stated, "A woman's shoe too."
"You can see that Frank? You got a little secret you feel like telling me?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah, I'm at your mother's house every Sunday and she wear shoes in this size every time." Frank said.
Ryan opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't think of anything that could beat what Frank had just said.
"Let's follow the prints." He said instead.
Ryan and Frank walked for five minutes on the road, until the prints changed direction and instead whoever had worn the shoes had decided to walk deeper inside the glades, through bushes and alligator filled water.
"H wasn't alone in the accident, someone was with him. And that someone was unharmed enough to walk away from the scene, but why in God's name would you suddenly start walking deeper into the Glades?" Ryan said.
"Especially if you're bleeding." Frank said, he had knelt down next to a bush. There was blood on some leaves.
"Great, I hope we can find a match in the system." Ryan said, "If the alligator and crocodiles don't get our suspect, then we will."
-I-
15:15
Calleigh had arrived at the hospital now too, as well as Joseph and Trish. Eric had started pacing more. It had been almost an hour since Horatio had arrived to the ER, and still no doctor had come to talk to Eric and the others.
"If a doctor doesn't show up ten minutes I will find the room H is in and…" Eric growled.
"Eric!" Joseph said, "He's alive. That's why they're not here, because he is still alive. If he was dead, they would have.."
"Actually." Maya said, "Maybe they're having complications."
Everybody, but Eric, looked at Maya, begging her to take that back. It was not what Eric needed to hear. But Maya didn't see their looks.
"I mean, he's alive yes, but the reason they haven't shown up yet might be because they can't stabilize him." She said and then cursed at herself when she saw her brother's freaked out look.
"Are you here for Lt. Caine?" A female voice asked from the doorway.
"Yes we are." Joseph said.
"I'm Doctor Jessica Dawson. Lt. Caine has a very deep cut on his left leg, there is a risk that it will get infected from the water in the Glades. He also has a gash behind his right ear, and both his arms are severely cut as well as both his hands. His left wrist is broken, and he has some swelling in his brain. Three broken ribs, a concussion and massive internal bleeding. His nose appeared to be broken when he came in, but it isn't." Jessica said.
Everybody gaped at her, it seemed as if not a single part of Horatio's body had remained unharmed.
"He's being sent up to surgery right now. It might take up to 12 hours before the surgery is over." Jessica said.
"But he'll be okay?" Eric asked.
"Well, the cuts will heal, his leg and wrist will heal, I'm concerned about the risk of infection though, and of course there is a risk of brain damage too."
Eric ran a hand over his face.
"But, he will survive." Jessica said, trying to give them some good news.
"Thank you Dr." Joseph said, he seemed to be the only one, except Eric, able to speak.
Jessica nodded and left. Everybody sat down in the chairs and sighed.
"It doesn't sound good." Eric said.
"He's a fighter. He will be fine." Calleigh said.
"Eric, why don't you and I go get something to eat." Joseph said and grabbed his son's hand.
Trish and Maya went with them, while Calleigh and Alexx went back to the lab to help with the case. After a few minutes Jason and Valera decided to join Joseph and the others.
-I-
15:50
"It seems as if Lt. Caine might have tried committing suicide." The new IAB sergeant said. His name was Paul Its. He looked nothing like Rick Stetler, but they sure as hell had the same personality. Though Paul didn't have a personal grudge against the team and the lab. He hated everyone and everyone hated him.
"What?" Calleigh exclaimed, "What the hell are you smoking?"
Paul glared at her, "Watch your mouth Duquesne!"
"Why do you think H would try to kill himself?" Ryan asked.
"He had a fight with Mrs. Delko, he left the prison alone. Nobody saw him leave with anyone." Paul said, "And he was in a car accident, and there were no signs on anyone trying to brake."
"That's because there was a gun under the brake, whoever drove the car wasn't able to brake because of it." Ryan said, "Not to mention that I found shoeprints that belongs to a woman, and a blonde hair from the driver's seat."
"That means that H wasn't driving, and it wasn't his gun either, it was a Sig Sauer." Frank said, "Guess you were wrong Shitler… again."
"Shitler?" Paul asked.
"Oh I'm sorry, I thought you were Rick "Shitler" Stetler." Frank smirked, "I'm sorry Paul, I'll make up another nickname for ya."
"I don't need a nickname!" Paul growled.
"Sure you do. Every single IAB officer does." Frank smirked, "Now would you please leave us alone so that we can go back to our jobs?"
Paul growled and left the lab. Had he known that dealing with Lt. Caine's team would be such a pain in the ass, he wouldn't have taken the job.
"Alright, we got shoeprints, an arrow, hair, blood and a gun." Frank said.
"Visitor log." Natalia said, "A Janet Chambers visited Raquel Delko, before Horatio."
"That's our girl. I just know it is." Ryan said.
"Janet Chambers doesn't exist." Calleigh sighed, "It's a false name, but the hair and the blood comes from the same person… and guess who that is?"
Ryan and Frank shrugged.
"Chleo Kilmer." Natalia smiled, "She was the one we suspected gave Raquel ten thousand dollars to hire Jason Ash, to shoot Joseph and H."
"The girl who disappeared." Frank said, "Good job. Any idea where she is now?"
"Nope, but she's hurt and probably still in the Glades." Natalia said.
"A helicopter has already been searching a large area of the Glades. No girl yet." Ryan sighed, "Hopefully she is dumb enough to go to the hospital. Let's give every hospital a photo her."
"Great!" Frank grinned, "We pretty much solved the car crash, but we haven't solved Raquel's murder yet. Not to mention that we still need to find our pedophile and arsonist."
"You guys just got another crime scene." Cooper said as he walked into the small lab, and put the TV on.
"I'm Erica Sykes, reporting from outside the house of Martha Bones. A single mother, who is the latest victim of the serial arsonist in Miami. The police still don't know who the arsonist is. But sources tell us that there is a connection between New York and Miami."
"Can I kill her?" Frank asked, "I mean just shoot her?"
"Easy Frank, easy." Calleigh said, "You can kill her some other day. But we need to talk to her, and we need to process that house."
"Calleigh you can't go." Ryan said as he saw Calleigh getting ready to leave with Natalia.
"Try to stop me Ryan."
TBC…
AN: Please review! Oh and vote on my new poll on my profile too, please!