Chapter 2
"Horatio!" She yelled before she turned back around and shot the two gang members in the arms. She turned around and pulled Horatio up and put his arm around her neck and then backed off with him. They continued to shoot at the gangs when Horatio's legs went from under him and he put all his weight on Zoë.
"Horatio! Stay with me." She shouted as she ceased shooting and wrapped her right arm around him and dragged him back to the back of the car so they were shielded from all firing. She opened the boot and got Horatio in and laid him down.
"Stay calm handsome, I've got you." Zoë said as she placed her hands over his inner thigh.
"Lucky, they've just missed the crown jewels." Zoë said as she turned and pulled the first aid kit closer and opened it. Horatio gritted his teeth as he took a sharp intake of air.
"Put your hands on your leg handsome." She said and he placed his hands on his thigh as he continued to heavily breathe.
"You're doing really well, Horatio." Zoë said as she pulled out a load of gauze pads and ripped the packets open and then placed them over his leg and she pressed hard on his thigh.
"I know it hurts, I'm really sorry Horatio." Zoë said as she knelt over him. She pulled her phone out and rang for an ambulance just as patrol cars turned up and began firing upon the gangs.
"Stay with me Horatio, nice long deep breaths, okay?" She said softly and he nodded and slowed his breathing down as he placed his hand over her thigh and looked up at her.
"You're doing really well Horatio, you're going to be fine, it's not hit anything major." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded. The firing ceased as the patrol officers took the rest of the gang members down. Officer Jessop ran around Horatio's car and looked in.
"Lieutenant, Detective, is there anything I can do?" He asked and Zoë shook her head.
"Get onto the ambulance and tell them to hurry." She said and Jessop nodded at her as he ran back to his car.
"You've been very lucky, a few more inches to the left and your artery could have been severed, a few more inches to the right and we wouldn't be having children." Zoë said as she looked up at him.
"I still don't feel too lucky." Horatio mumbled and then gritted his teeth again.
"I know handsome, but the ambulance is on its way, you're going to be fine." Zoë assured him.
"I love you." He said as he looked up at her, she could see the pain in his eyes.
"I love you too." She said softly as she took hold of his left hand with her right. She glanced round and saw two paramedics running over to them.
"Help is here handsome, you're going to be fine." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded at her.
"This is Lieutenant Horatio Caine, he's sustained a gunshot wound to his left upper thigh, it's missed his artery, but is still bleeding. He doesn't have any other medical conditions." Zoë said softly and they nodded as one climbed into the boot with her.
"Hi Horatio, I'm Richard, we're going to stop the bleeding as much as we can and then get you out of here and to hospital, okay?" He asked and Horatio nodded.
"First we're going to give you some pain medication." He said softly.
"I don't need it." Horatio groaned as he shook his head.
"Horatio, take it for me please." Zoë said softly and he then nodded.
"We can try you on gas and air if you'd prefer?" The paramedic asked and Horatio nodded. The other younger paramedic ran back to the ambulance and pulled the bed out along with the gas and air canisters and then ran back over to the car.
"Take some deep breaths on this Horatio, it'll ease the pain." Richard said and Horatio nodded as he took the mouth-piece from him.
"Breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose." Richard said softly and Horatio did just that. They saw him relax a little.
"I'm going to take a look, okay?" Richard asked and Horatio nodded. He removed Zoë's hands and then peeled the gauze back and then quickly covered it again.
"We need to get him in quickly, he's losing a fair amount of blood." Richard said to the other paramedic.
"Okay ma'am, we're going to get him out of here, are you related?" He asked softly.
"Zoë, and we're engaged. I will be travelling in the ambulance with you." Zoë said softly and the paramedic nodded.
"Horatio, we're going to move you now and get you onto the bed and then check your obs before we leave, okay?" Richard asked and Horatio nodded as he took another deep breath of the gas. They moved Horatio onto the bed as Zoë got out.
"I'll be right there, I'm going to move the car off the road." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded while he continued to breathe in the gas. Zoë quickly moved the car and rushed over to the ambulance with her handbag on her arm. She hopped in and then took hold of Horatio's free hand.
"Okay handsome?" She asked and Horatio nodded as they attached the ECG leads to his chest as well as a pulse oximeter to his finger. Zoë pulled her phone out when it started to vibrate in her pocket.
"It's Eric." She said to Horatio and she then answered.
"Zoë, are you okay? I heard that you guys were caught in a cross-fire between two gangs?" He questioned softly.
"Horatio's been shot, we're just about to head over to the hospital in the ambulance, but don't worry. He's not critical, the bullet has missed everything that is vital, he's just losing blood at the moment and obviously in a lot of pain." Zoë said softly.
"Give him my best, I'll be over to see you both as soon as I can. Keep me updated." Eric said softly.
"Will do, thank you" Zoë said softly and then hung up.
"Eric sends his best and he'll see us when he can at the hospital." She said as she took hold of his hand with her other hand. One of the paramedics hopped out and closed the doors. They pulled off as Horatio continued to take deep breaths on the gas.
"You look like you're enjoying that." Zoë said softly and Horatio looked at her.
"We should get some for home." Horatio said softly and Zoë laughed.
"I will admit, it is good stuff" she smiled at him.
"Have you got to the 'green' stage yet?" Zoë asked softly and he looked up at her confused.
"When I've had it previously, my vision goes all green, then peoples voices echo." She smiled.
"Not quite there yet." Horatio smiled and she nodded.
"You'll get there soon, just keep breathing it in, you'll feel so much better." She smiled and then kissed the back of his hand.
"You're doing really well, we're almost there." Zoë said softly and he looked over to her.
"Got the green stage now?" Zoë asked and Horatio nodded.
"I think it's to do with the colour of the ambulance." The paramedic said softly and Zoë nodded.
"We're nearly there." The paramedic said softly. "How are you feeling?" He asked Horatio.
"Marvellous." Horatio exhaled with a smile as he looked at Zoë.
"You look like you feel marvellous too." Zoë grinned and he laughed. They arrived at the hospital and Nathan was waiting.
"Nathan?" Zoë questioned a little shocked when he opened the back of the ambulance with the help of the other paramedic.
"Eric phoned." He said softly and Zoë nodded. The paramedics updated him as they wheeled Horatio in.
"Enjoying the gas?" Nathan asked and Horatio nodded at him with a smile.
"I can see that." He smiled at Horatio as they took him through to resus.
"Zoë just stand back for me please." Nathan said as nurses began to walk around Horatio. She quickly backed off.
"Zoë" Horatio gasped as he looked over to her and let go of the mouth piece.
"Zoë, go and wait in my office sweet." Nathan said softly as he threw her the keys. She looked back to Horatio.
"I'll be fine sweetheart." Horatio said as he looked at her. Nathan moved the nurses away quickly. Zoë quickly came forward once they were away.
"Are you sure? I can stay." She said as she placed her hand on the side of his face as Nathan pressed on his wound.
"I'm sure, go to his office sweetheart. I love you." Horatio said as he looked up at her and placed his hand over hers.
"I love you too, you're going to be fine. I'll see you soon." Zoë said softly and she then gave him a loving kiss.
"Thank you." Zoë said as she looked up at Nathan who nodded at her. She backed off and the nurses quickly swarmed around Horatio again. Horatio took a few more breaths on the Nitrous Oxide.
"I'll go and check up on her in a moment, don't worry Horatio." Nathan said softly and Horatio nodded.
"She's really stressed, be gentle with her." Horatio said as he exhaled and Nathan nodded.
"I will Horatio, don't worry." Nathan said softly and Horatio nodded.
"Okay, this bullet keeps moving, causing more blood loss, we're going to get it out and then stitch your leg, okay?" Nathan asked and Horatio nodded.
"Keep taking those deep breaths." Nathan said softly.
"The bullet has moved a little, it's near the surface so you don't need to have surgery." Nathan said softly and Horatio nodded as he took a deep breath on the air as Nathan played around with the wound. He quickly pulled the bullet out and put it in a pan.
"We need that for evidence." Horatio said softly and Nathan nodded.
"Then it's all yours." He said with a smile.
"I'm going to clean the wound and then put some stitches in okay? The bullet hasn't fragmented so you're lucky." Nathan said softly and Horatio nodded.
"Can we get some local anaesthetic please?" Nathan asked one of the nurses who nodded at him and then walked off.
"I'm going to numb the area so you won't need the gas, okay?" Nathan asked and Horatio nodded.
"I think you need to invent some sort of body armour that you can wear constantly, then I wouldn't see you here so often." Nathan smiled at Horatio and he laughed. The nurse came back with the injection and Nathan administered it to his thigh.
"You probably won't feel your thigh for a few hours after this, and you won't be able to use anything else down there until the anaesthetic has worn off. I shouldn't think that would be a problem though, as you'll be discharged when everything is working properly." Nathan said softly and Horatio looked up at him with raised eyebrows.
"Can you feel that?" Nathan asked as he touched Horatio's thigh and Horatio shook his head. Nathan then turned the gas off.
"Don't mention anything about Wolfe and don't call him over here for comfort." Horatio warned and Nathan looked up at him as he sat on the stool beside Horatio and picked up the things to clean the wound with.
"Don't even ask." Horatio said as he sighed and Nathan nodded.
"Why's she stressed?" Nathan asked softly.
"A few reasons" Horatio said softly.
"Not going to enlighten me about what I'm up against then?" Nathan asked.
"I'm not at liberty to say, but just be gentle with her and try not to upset her in anyway, please." Horatio asked.
"I do try my best not to upset her and I always try and be gentle with her Horatio, you know that. Don't worry about it." Nathan said softly and Horatio nodded. Nathan exhaled when the wound continued to bleed.
"We might have to keep you in overnight to keep an eye on this." He sighed as he tried his best to stem the bleeding.
"Nurse, can we get FBCs sent off please?" Nathan questioned and she nodded then took some of Horatio's blood.
"We might have to hook you up with a blood transfusion, you've lost a large amount of blood." Nathan said as he tried cleaning the wound again. He then stitched it up as best he could but blood continued to ooze out slowly.
"Okay Horatio, we will be keeping you in overnight, is that okay?" Nathan asked and Horatio nodded as he put his head back.
"We'll take you up shortly, just need to keep an eye on you for the time being down here. I'm just going to go up and check up on Zoë, okay?" Nathan asked and Horatio nodded.
"It's probably a good idea to keep her up there instead of down here." Horatio said softly and Nathan nodded.
"How long will I be down here for?" Horatio asked softly.
"Only about an hour, we need to make sure that you're stable and that you're not bleeding profusely inside." Nathan said softly and Horatio nodded.
"Okay, well just assure her that I'll be up in an hour then." Horatio said softly and Nathan nodded.
"What's gone on? You know I know how to handle her, what's changed?" Nathan questioned as he frowned.
"I'm not going to discuss that, but she just needs to be reassured about a few things at the moment okay? Don't touch her right hand, try and avoid bodily contact." Horatio said as he looked up at Nathan and he nodded as he looked at Horatio confused.
"I'll be back down soon." Nathan said softly as he backed off and left Horatio to get changed into a gown under supervision from a nurse as she wrote down his obs.
"Hey sweet, everything okay?" Nathan asked as he walked into his office. She turned around as she stood at the window and nodded at him. Nathan closed the door and slowly walked over to her.
"Are you sure?" He asked and Zoë nodded again.
"Is Horatio okay? How's he doing?" Zoë asked.
"He's okay, I've stitched his thigh up, but we'll be keeping him in overnight." Nathan said softly.
"Why? Is there something wrong?" Zoë questioned.
"No, nothing's wrong as such, it just seems to be bleeding quite a bit, I think we'll have to give him a blood transfusion." Nathan said softly.
"I can donate some blood if it makes it easier, we're both the same blood group, O-." Zoë said softly.
"I've already ordered for the blood, so there's no need to worry about that sweet." Nathan said softly and Zoë nodded. He reached out to place a gentle hand on her shoulder as he could see that something was bothering her. She flinched and moved away quickly.
"I'm sorry Zoë." Nathan apologised as he took a step back from her when he could see that she was panicking a little.
"No, I'm sorry Nathan." She apologised as she looked up at him.
"Can I go and see Horatio? Are you bringing him up here?" Zoë asked.
"He's going to stay downstairs for now as we need to keep an eye on him, once I'm happy, I'll be bringing him up here, is that okay? I suggest that you wait up here for the time being as there's a critical case downstairs at the moment and there's lots of doctors and nurses everywhere." Nathan said softly and she nodded as she looked at him.
"I want to see him though." Zoë asked as she looked up at him.
"It's not a good idea sweet." Nathan said softly.
"What are you hiding from me?" Zoë questioned as she frowned at him and crossed her arms.