This chapter's gonna have a small tinge of paranormal activity,but just for Horatio's sake.
Horatio thrashed in his hospital bed during his sleep.
He was having another nightmare of his father and his mother.
...
''John,get away from him!''
Horatio felt his mother's arms wrap around him to protect him,and he clung to her.
''Move it,bitch!'' Horatio's grip on his mother tightened as his drunken father came closer.
''...Mommy...''Horatio whispered. The 12 year old boy could feel his mother's grip tighten.
Lyra glared at her drunken husband. Horatio watched the woman reach into her back pocket and pull out her Swiss Army knife.
''Get any closer and you're a dead man!''
John smiled at her and withdrew from his pocket a 45.
''Mommy...!''
Horatio ran towards his father just as the handle became visible,intending to push him so he couldn't pull the trigger and kill his mother.
But he wasn't fast enough. Old man Caine fired his gun,and Lyra dropped dead,a single bullet resting in her chest.
''MOMMY!''he screamed and ran for her.
John saw the boy running and threw a knife at him,getting the child in the back where he'd gotten him just a week before.
''GET BACK HERE!'' Horatio ran farther away from his father,but at twelve years old,he couldn't go very far before his father's hand lashed out and grabbed his arm.
''NO! LET GO!'' Horatio tried to pull himself free,but,his father's grip was stronger and he was instead pulled forward.
Horatio tried one last time,and this time gave the man a good,solid push. Old man Caine fell down the stairs and Horatio could hear his skull crack against each of the reinforced concrete steps.
When the man finally reached the bottom,Horatio took a step back for a moment,expecting the man to get up. When he didn't,he panicked and ran as fast as he could,despite his bloody nose,broken ribs,broken arm,and twisted ankle.
His head hurt,but then again,so did his back,which also had its own little collection of gashes from being beaten and whipped. And as he ran,he left a trail of blood behind.
He ran out of the house and down the sidewalk,completely on autopilot as he headed for the police station.
He burst through the doors and caught the attention of every police officer as he finally collapsed to the floor from blood loss.
As he faded into unconsciousness,he felt multiple hands pressing down on his injuries to stop the bleeding and he could hear sirens in the distance.
''H,wake up!''
Horatio thrashed again.
''H!''
Suddenly he was awake,his heart-beat somewhat out of control.
As soon as he saw the familiar faces of his team,it began to calm down.
''H,relax and breath.''
In the back of his head,Horatio could hear Ryan,and he began to calm down even more.
Finally catching his breath,Horatio sat up and buried his head in his hands. Ryan,being the closest to the man,was the only one to here his quiet sobs.
''It was a lot more than the abuse,wasn't it?''Frank asked.
There was a small nod,almost small enough to not be noticed.
''Where was your mother in all of that?''Eric asked softly
The team could see Horatio's hands dig into his scalp a little as he tried to keep himself from crying. It was that little action that said it all.
''...she was dead by the time it all stopped...I tried to help her,too...just wasn't...fast enough...''
Frank looked at the rest of the team and nodded towards the door. It was time to leave. If they stuck around,they'd find themselves asking more questions and Horatio bawling his eyes out.
They quietly slipped out of the room.
But when Frank noticed Ryan hadn't budged,he tried calling him out,but the younger male just shook his head 'no.'
The bald man shrugged and left.
Ryan wrapped his arms around Horatio,and for a moment Horatio felt like there was still a third person in the room.
He looked over at the corner of the room by the window and thought he saw his mother,still in her jeans and t-shirt,which she was wearing when Old man Caine had killed her.
She approached the bed and sat down next to him. She leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss on his forehead before she stood again and faded from the room,leaving Horatio in the warmth of Ryan's embrace.
The warmth of being in Ryan's arms felt exactly like the warmth of his mother's arms up until the very last moment,and Horatio began to fall apart.
''What happened to her?''Ryan asked after a few minutes.
Horatio finally managed to work up the courage and answer the heart breaking question. ''...he shot her...''
At that moment,Horatio lost all of his self control and buried his face in Ryan's shoulder.
It took several hours of soothing words before Ryan got Horatio to just relax.
''Ryan...I was wondering if you could...live with me until I've figured out how to handle this...?''
''H,I'd be more than happy to. You need it right now,anyway. I'm surprised you haven't blown your own head off yet.''
''I can't bear to. If I go,that lab will fall apart,and I enjoy my job. Don't you think for a minute that I would commit suicide.''
When the redhead finally did fall asleep,Ryan managed to lay him down on the bed. Rest was all Horatio needed. That,and some emotional support.
Horatio had spent nearly three quarters of his life dealing with the death of his mother,even after the painful memories of his father had been locked away in the back of his mind.
Ryan made a mental note to find out more about Horatio's childhood when he got out of the hospital.
Please review!
This chapter was actually a little heart breaking to write,but I managed. :)