Chapter 5
It was the next day when Horatio and Elena sat on the couch, or rather Horatio was sitting, while Elena was lying on it. It was late afternoon and this meant playtime for them. Horatio loved the time when his daughter was wide awake.
"You're the best, aren't you? Yes you are," he cooed and gently nudged her nose. "You're the most beautiful baby girl I've ever seen," he told her affectionately and leaned down to kiss her forehead. He loved the smell of her, it was so unique. "Do you know what we're going to do now? We gonna have a bath," he told her and even though he knew that she wouldn't give him an answer, he didn't care. He knew that it was very important to talk with babies and he enjoyed that more than he had imagined.
The little cooing sounds she was making were music to his ears. "Nana told me that she didn't bathe you, while you were with her," he explained her and softly stroked her head. "I'm sure you will like it," he continued and looked up confused, when he heard the doorbell. "Did you hear that Ellie? I think there's someone else who wants to have a bath," he chuckled and lifted her up carefully.
Even though Elena couldn't turn around yet, he was too afraid that she might fell from the sofa while he wasn't there and he certainly didn't want to risk that. So he cradled her in his strong arms and made his way to the front door, where he peeked through the peephole. There he saw two of his favorite ladies and smiled to himself. "Oh Ellie, I think we will have some guests for the rest of the day." Slowly he opened the door and grinned at the women. "Ladies…"
Without having a chance to greet Horatio first because Alexx was faster than her, Calleigh stepped back a little and watched her friend observantly. He seemed to be okay, with his daughter in his arms, but Calleigh knew better. It was an eerie moment because they had a difficult task at hand. They wanted to make sure everything was alright with Horatio and Elena, on the other side they didn't want to intrude. Waiting for Alexx to finish, Cal just stood there silently, lost in thoughts.
It was comforting to know that Horatio was at home with his daughter at least, apparently taking care of her. It had been an odd feeling in the lab when he didn't show up the other day even though the reason of his absence was well known. Today was the first chance to see and talk to him since more than a week and she had really missed him.
"Horatio, Sweetie...," Alexx began immediately in her motherly tone and carefully wrapped her arms around him, mindful of the tiny bundle in his arms. "My heartfelt sympathy." She still couldn't believe that Marisol was dead and Horatio was a widower and single father. It had broken her heart when she saw him at the funeral and she had felt so helpless, because instead of coming to her, he had run away.
"Thank you, Alexx," he nodded and tried to give her a smile. It was the one thing of building his world around Elena and trying not to think about Marisol, but situations like these reminded him again that she wasn't there.
Blinking Calleigh realized that it was her turn now, so she took a deep breath and stepped forward. She had never liked such situations, especially concerning close friends and for a second it was like she was thrown back in time and she saw images of Tim's funeral not so long ago. Showing a faint smile briefly, she offered Horatio her hand. "My sincere condolences, Horatio. I'm so sorry for your loss."
"Thank you, Calleigh," he said sincerely and took her hand in his. "What can I do for you ladies?" he asked them, when they had both made a step back. "Isn't it your day off?" It was Saturday after all and as far as he knew, they both had a free day.
"We just wanted to see you and Elena to make sure everything is alright," Alexx answered and then nodded. "And yes, it's our day off."
"So we just thought, we could...," Calleigh added quickly, "we thought we'd stop by. But we don't want to interrupt anything. We can come back later, if you want."
"Oh, no no, it's alright," Horatio quickly shook his head. "Why don't you two come in?" he said and opened the door for them. "Actually, we wanted to take a bath," he explained and saw the ladies looks. "Well uhm..not 'we' as in Elena and me, but 'we' as in..Elena," he rolled his eyes. "And before I'm risking my neck with careless talk..."
Alexx couldn't help but laugh. "I think we know what you want to tell us." It was always a rare view to see him like this. Calm, but not in control. She liked that, though she wished it would be under better circumstances.
"Thanks," Horatio said shyly and smiled down at his daughter. "Do you want to watch?"
Alexx nodded and smiled broadly. "Of course, we want to see this!"
This caused Calleigh to smile, too. "Could be interesting, I guess."
"I bet it is, since neither me nor Elena have done it before...," Horatio sighed and closed the door behind them.
"It's really the first time?" Alexx asked surprised and slipped out of her shoes, because she didn't want to wear them in the bathroom.
"Yeah, Marta told me, that she didn't want to do it while....while Elena had been with her. She said something about bonding...and...oh well I phoned her today and she explained it to me, but hearing and seeing is actually quite a difference," he sighed and took the lead to his bathroom.
"You're a grown man, Honey. There shouldn't be a problem at all," Alexx reassured him softly and followed him. Once in the bathroom, she let her eyes wander. "Okay, we need towels, the baby bathtub, bath-oil and a thermometer to make sure we've got the right water-temperature," she rattled down her list and opened her arms so that Horatio could give her Elena.
"Uhm...um okay," this was even more difficult than he had thought. Very, very carefully he handed her Elena and took a deep breath. "I...I have to look where Marisol...uhm...where she had stored all the things," he admitted and left the ladies alone in the room, He was pretty certain that all the things were still in the nursery, because he hadn't really used them. Plus, he needed fresh towels anyway.
Sighing, Alexx looked after him. "That's definitely not our Horatio," she said sadly.
Stepping closer, Calleigh gently caressed Elena's head before answering. "Well, it's understandable. He lost his wife and now has to look out for his child alone. At least he came to his senses and accepted Elena," she said quietly. "It would have been a tragedy if he had denied her. She's lovely." Within seconds the baby had a special place in her heart. "And it's good that he also accepts help." Knowing him for years now, she was really happy that he acted that way.
"Definitely," Alexx agreed wholeheartedly. Horatio could be much too stubborn for her liking sometimes, so it was a good sign, that he used his stubbornness for a good thing this time.
"Stop plotting against me, ladies," Horatio said when he saw that the three of them were talking together. Well one lady was rather quiet, but nevertheless he had to be careful when there were three women against one single man. Carefully he put the baby bath into the normal tub and put the towels on the seam. "Will someone start the water while I undress her?"
"I guess that'll be my turn now," Calleigh volunteered and knelt down.
"The temperature should be around 100° F," Alexx told her and then watched Horatio. "Make sure she's as clean as possible before taking her into the water."
"Will do," Horatio nodded and waited till Alexx laid her on the baby's changing-table. He had two of them, one in the nursery and one here in the bathroom. He didn't exactly know why, but Marisol had wanted it and so he hadn't complained. "Are you curious, baby-girl?" he cooed and started to undress her. "You'll be the loveliest girl in town," he grinned and kissed her tummy, which made Elena squeal. "You already are, aren't you? Yes you are," he said and started to undo her diaper. He almost forgot that the others were also in the room. "And oh well, you also gave me a present, how nice of you," he grinned and cleaned her bottom. When he heard a giggle behind him, he turned around and saw the ladies smiling at him. "Uhm...sorry..."
"No need to be sorry," Calleigh chuckled and stood up. "It's funny. And it's good to hear you talking so sweet to her."
Alexx nodded. "Just pretend we're not here."
"No, I won't. I'm quite happy that you are here, because I have no idea, what' I'm supposed to do now," he admitted.
"Just put her carefully into the water and look out for her head," Alexx guided him and gave him some room.
Elena in fact didn't like the fact of being naked at all and shot that off her mouth, which made Horatio wince.
"Uh, it's alright Ellie, it will be warmer in a second, I promise," he tried to calm her down and carefully laid her in the water, her head resting on his wrist and hand. He was absolutely no fan of her crying, it always broke his heart to hear it.
"There you go," Alexx praised him, still checking on his moves. "You'll see once she's used to the water, she'll love it. Babies love to bathe."
"I hope so," he replied and gently massaged Elena's hand. "Isn't this nice sweetie? So warm," he talked to her and was quiet happy when the cries decreased and finally stopped. "There you go, Ellie. It's like...mommy's tummy, hm?" he asked her quietly and reached for the wash cloth.
Those words being said, a sad feeling occurred but vanished ever so quickly as Calleigh watched father and daughter enjoying the bath. "It looks like she's quite satisfied," she confirmed and was still fascinated by these two.
"I guess everyone is when they have a bath," Alexx nodded and felt incredible sorry for these two.
***
10 minutes later, he was once again dressing Ellie in a Babygro and was quite pleased with himself of having succeeded in this task and also because Ellie had enjoyed it so much, that she had fallen asleep. Taking a deep breath, Horatio just starred at the sleeping beauty in front of him and couldn't help but draw similarities between mother and daughter. "She really looks like her, don't you think?" he turned to the ladies.
Quietly, with a hint of sadness because the mother wasn't here, Calleigh answered. "Yes, she does. She's a beautiful girl and Marisol...was...a beautiful woman."
"That she was...that she was," Horatio mumbled mostly to himself and then shook himself to get out of this sorrow. He needed to be strong for Elena's sake and couldn't allow himself to grieve. Elena needed him. "I'm gonna bring her into the nursery, I'll be back in a minute," he told them and disappeared again.
With a head shake, Alexx looked after him and sighed. "I guess we should clean up here and then... see if he wants to talk.. or wants to have some company."
"Sounds good," Calleigh agreed and looked around. It wasn't messy, but still the room looked like it hadn't been cleaned up in while. Picking up some clothes she looked for Alexx. "Do you know where the laundry room is?"
"I think it's the small room next to the kitchen downstairs," Alexx answered and poured away the water.
Inside the nursery Horatio leaned onto the crib and just watched his daughter sleep. Seeing her like this, made him happy and tired himself. A baby was stress, but being alone with a baby was even more stressful in his eyes. "Sleep with the angels, Ellie," he whispered.
Calleigh just came around the corner back to the bathroom the same time Horatio walked down the stairs. "She's asleep?" she wanted to know.
"Like a rock," he smiled and ran his hand through his hair. "Seems like the warm water did its magic with her..."
"Are you sure, she's the only one?" Alexx appeared behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Honestly, no..I don't think so, but she'll probably wake up and...," he shrugged.
"...and therefore you should take a nap yourself," Alexx finished the sentence for him. "And that means, we should be going, what do you think?" she asked Calleigh then.
A bit uncertain she looked between her friend and Horatio who really looked beaten. "I could stay a bit longer, in case Elena wakes up," she suggested.
"That's fine Cal, you don't have to. I'm not that..," a yawn hindered him to talk any further.
"Mhm, you aren't tired, no...I have no idea why we could even consider that possibility," Alexx rolled her eyes. "I think this is a very good idea, Calleigh." Eyeing her adopted son she gave him a look that didn't allow any excuses.
Relenting, Horatio held up his arms in defeat. "I'm not saying anything..."
"I'm not staying overnight, but I could watch out for her, so you can take a nap," she repeated her words so that Horatio knew what she was up to. "Besides Alexx has someone waiting at home and I'm....not," she smiled shyly, "...I have all the time in the world. No problem."
"I know better than to argue with two stubborn ladies," Horatio smiled amused.
"Good boy," Alexx praised him jokingly and made her way to the front door. "Keep an eye on him, Sweetie," she said to Cal.
"Will do," the blonde woman nodded slightly. "Drive safe, Alexx. Have a nice day."
"You do realize that I'm older than five, now do you?" Horatio mocked and sighed when he got a motherly warning glare from Alexx. "I guess I'll better get into bed."
"Sounds good to me," Alexx smiled and hugged him. "You three have a nice day," she waved goodbye and closed the door behind her.
***
When Horatio opened his eyes about an hour later, he didn't exactly know why he had woken up. He had been really tired, since he had fallen asleep the second his head had hit his fluffy pillow and nothing on earth would have woken him. So what exactly had managed to do that? Turning on his back he looked up at the ceiling and rubbed the sleep off his eyes. Normally he wasn't able to sleep that deep, because his sub consciousness hindered him. He was too afraid of not hearing Elena's cry, so there was no way for him to have a relaxed sleep.
Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes and suddenly stopped in his motion. "Huh?" What was that? It smelled like...well it smelled like food. So this was what had woken him. Someone was cooking in the kitchen and since he had been asleep and Elena was much too young for that, Cal was the only other option. Groggily, he sat up and ran a hand over his face and through his hair. Even though he could easily get back to sleep again, he didn't want to. It had already been very nice of Cal to look out for Elena, so he didn't want to force her to spend here all of her free time. Without looking he fumbled for his jeans but all he found were his sweatpants. "Well they must be enough," he said to himself and slipped them on. On his way to the stairs, he made a quick stop at Elena's nursery and assured himself that she was still asleep.
Downstairs he wandered straight into the kitchen, where he had expected to see Calleigh, but instead he just saw some boiling pots. Curiously he lifted a lid and inhaled the flavor of whatever Calleigh was cooking. "Mhm...," he mumbled to himself and suddenly felt very, very hungry.
Surprised to see Horatio standing in the kitchen, Calleigh stopped dead in her tracks and watched him while he inspected the pots. Seeing him in casual clothes, his hair uncombed and his face unshaven was also unique and so she just smiled and waited another moment before she stepped into the room. "I hope you like pumpkin soup?" she asked him and put the baby phone, which she was carrying, on the counter top.
Jumping in surprise he almost dropped the lid he was holding. Turning around he let out a deep breath. "Don't scare me like that, Cal," he chided her and tried to calm down again. "To be honest, I don't know. I've never had it before," he told her and put the lid onto the pot again. "You know that you...didn't have to do that, right?" he asked her sheepishly and looked down on the floor.
She nodded. "Yes, I know. But I wanted to," she smiled softly and stepped next to him. "I also made some roasted butternut squash, they should be ready in less than 10 minutes," she said pointing to the oven. "You can create almost anything with pumpkin and since your stocks are very low I had to improvise. Thanks to Tim I have some really great recipes," she explained. "And I'm sorry I scared you. It wasn't my intention."
"It's okay, guess I'm already not used to sharing my space with someone who can sneak up on me anymore," he shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile. "But I definitely can't wait to try out your cooking." Since Marisol's death he hadn't had a good home cooked meal. "Did Elena sleep the whole time?"
"Like a rock," she answered. "You can set the table, if you want to. I haven't had the time to get used to your kitchen and I guess it's faster if you do that."
"That's only fair since you slaved yourself in the kitchen for me," he chuckled. "Are you staying here for dinner?" he asked her, since he had no idea if she had cooked for them or just for him. He wouldn't mind eating with her, he missed sharing dinner with someone else than the television.
Stirring the soup, she hesitated. "Uhm, I...don't want to disturb. It's okay for me if you want me to go. You just have to look for the laundry after dinner, since I put tons of clothes into the washing machine," Calleigh told him quietly, not sure how he would react to her actions.
"You did what? Oh..." Well this was really embarrassing and it definitely made him look like he couldn't take care of himself and Elena. But he couldn't deny that he lacked doing the housework for days now and this was the result. "I'm sorry you felt like you had to do that, Cal. I apologize," he murmured and reached for the dishes. "I wouldn't mind you staying here..uhm...I mean...you cooked this meal and so...I think you also must have the chance to eat it," he tried his best in telling her, that he didn't want her to go without telling her.
"There's no need to apologize. It's just...I had some idle time while you two slept and I...," she stopped. "If someone has to apologize then it's me. I...didn't want to be invasive." Silence followed when she thought about his words. "I would like to stay, if it's okay with you."
"It is...it is," he quickly answered her and set the table. "And you don't have to apologize, Cal. I'm grateful you did that, it seems like I still need some time to adjust so...," he shrugged.
"You really helped me, don't be sorry for that." Wanting to change the subject, he reached for something to drink and asked, "So is the lab still standing? I hope the boys don't give you a hard time?"
Relieved that he wasn't angry, she smiled again and put the hot soup onto the small kitchen table. "The boys never give me a hard time. They're too afraid of my babies," she chuckled, but then grew silent again. After a few seconds, she looked up at him. "We're doing the best we can, but it's not the same without you, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," he nodded and sat down at the table, while Calleigh was serving the soup. "I asked the chief to give me one more week....and then I'll be back again I think..," he sighed. He was torn between missing work and missing his daughter plus caring for her. He was her father after all and it was his duty to be there for her, yet he couldn't and had to ask his mother-in-law for that. He just didn't want to fail her.
After serving out the soup, she sat down at the other side of the table so she could face him. "Don't get me wrong, Horatio. It's not my right to say that you have to come back. What I meant was...it's different in the lab...like we expect you to round the corner every second but you don't. This feeling is odd, like it was with Tim. Luckily we all know that you're alive and that there's a chance that you come back again."
"There's not only a chance Cal," he said and stirred his soup. "I definitely will be back, because I have to...well no let me rephrase that, I want and have to. It's just that it feels like I abandon Ellie again," he sighed and carefully tasted the soup. "Mhm, that's pretty good, Cal. Really good," he praised her.
Flushing a bit, Calleigh looked down at her soup. "Thanks, I'm glad you like it." Putting a strand of hair behind her ear, she began to eat as well. "That decision isn't easy, I understand that. Are you...gonna employ a Nanny?" she wanted to know, since she knew that Horatio's parents were already dead.
"I thought about that, yes..but I don't think I can trust some stranger with my daughter, to be honest. She's everything I have so...oh well, Marta offered me to babysit her while I'm at work and I agreed to that. I mean she's her grandmother and she raised four kids, so I'm sure that she knows what to do," he smiled faintly. She definitely knew it better than he did, that was for sure. "She just told me that I need to decrease my overtime and I'll gladly do that. That's also something I already talked about with the chief. He wasn't happy and told me that if it was absolutely necessary I had to work overtime, but he understands the situation I'm in, so he's okay with that."
Again, Calleigh nodded. "That's good to hear. Marta and Pavel are the best choice, I'm happy that they gonna take Elena. It's good for her to be raised within the family," she said convinced. "And it's also good to hear that you'll be coming back." The beep of the alarm clock let her turn her head towards the oven. "The roasted pumpkin is ready," she stated the obvious and stood up in order to get it. When she opened the oven door, the smell of the food immediately filled the air. "Perfect, they're ready and they're even looking good," she teased herself and carefully pulled the roasting tin out after she put on some gloves. Then she returned to Horatio and put the tin in front of him. "Careful, it's quite hot."
"Well I bet they're not just looking good," he grinned at Calleigh and enjoyed it a lot to have some conversation over dinner. "And you're right; it's the best for her to be raised within the family. I mean… who else but the Delko's can tell her about her cuban origins? And..I mean... they can tell her so much about Marisol…something I'm never able to. So I think it's the best choice for now. If and only if Pavel will forgive me for my behavior. I'm not so sure about that right now," he pulled a face about his own actions.
"Well," she said and sat down, "...everyone was shocked, deeply shocked to hear from Marisol. And...," she carefully searched for the right words to say, "...we were wondering why you didn't take the chance to talk to us. Alexx was down and I guess so were Marta and Pavel. But I'm sure he will forgive you. After all you're his son-in-law and father of his granddaughter," she tried to lighten up his mood a bit. "It just takes time to cope."
"Yeah.. I think so...," he nodded and then tested his pumpkin in silence. He hadn't even known that he had something like this in his refrigerator, but assumed that Marisol had bought it for some recipe. She had been a very good cook after all. "Delicious Cal, really delicious. I think you never told me about your cooking skills, huh?"
Waving her hand, she said, "Nah, I'm not so good at cooking. I know just the basics. After work, I'm often in no mood to cook, so I tend to convenience food too, I'm afraid. Though I like cooking for others, like when it comes to one of our beloved barbeques."
"Oh yeah, your famous shrimp cocktail...don't remind me of that or I get even more hungry," he chuckled and dugged into his dinner. "But please believe me when I say, that you're indeed a good cook." Just when he wanted to call her on her blush, they heard a cry. "Well, I think my part of the dinner is over. Will you wait here, while I get her?"
"Okay, I'll wait. In fact I put the clothes into the tumble-dryer while you're gone," she suggested and also stood up in order to leave the kitchen with him. She hated nothing more than to waste time and liked to combine different tasks. "I'll be right back."
"Okay," he grinned and quickly made his way upstairs into the nursery. "Ohh there's no need to cry, Ellie," he wandered to the crib and looked down at his crying, redfaced daughter. "Daddy is here...," he said and carefully lifted her up. "Are you hungry? I bet you are and oh...," he pulled a face, "I think we need to change your first," he chuckled. "Shh...stop crying sweetie," he tried to soothe her and started to walk around, before he decided to just change the diaper and hope that she would stop crying then. Hope died last after all.
"You know," he said when he dressed her again after a few minutes, "you look so lovely when you aren't crying." She was still a bit red-faced and some sobs could still be heard, but she had calmed down more or less. "And now, we're going downstairs. I bet Calleigh is already waiting for us and you get your dinner, young lady," he smiled at her and lifted her up, so her body was resting against him. He dearly loved this closeness to his daughter.
With the tumbler running in the laundry room Calleigh started to wash the used items she had needed to cook and also put the soup back on the counter top. Horatio could store it later in the fridge after it would have cooled down. When she heard footsteps, she turned around and sighed at the sight of father and daughter. She was already falling in love. Still, she was unsure what was going on since she had no experience with infants at all. "Everything okay? You were up there pretty long," she asked.
"Well it seems like little Miss Elena here had a surprise for her daddy, so it took a bit longer than I thought," he grinned at Calleigh. Noticing that she was washing-up he rolled his eyes playfully. "You know one of these days, someone will ask me, if I hired you because you're such a good housewife and all I can says then is yes," he snickered and laughed when Calleigh flushed in front of him. "Never mind, Cal...thank you for doing so," he then told her sincerely.
"You're welcome and...," she smiled at Elena, "...hi there, sweetie. So you woke up, mhm? She's such a cutie."
"Mhm, it's time for her dinner," Horatio nodded and thought for a second. "Have you ever held her before? Because I need both of my hands to prepare her dinner."
A bit surprised she looked first at Horatio then at Elena. "Me? No. I hadn't had the chance to do so. Do you...? Do you mean I should hold her?" The last thing she wanted was to do something wrong with the baby. "Even if I make a fool of myself, but I don't know what to do." She had nieces and nephews, but she had never had the chance to hold a newborn before.
"That' okay, it's pretty easy.. you just have to be careful with her head," he smiled at her and slowly handed her Elena. "There you go...," he said and showed her how to hold Elena. "Perfect," he grinned at an amazed Calleigh. "Is that okay for you? It won't take long."
Amazed Calleigh looked at the baby in her arms. She never had those feelings before but right now she was full of pride and love for that tiny little bundle. Gently she cradled her, while Elena eyed her intently. "Poor thing, you have seen so many strangers in your short life," Cal mumbled, "including me. But I'm sure everything will turn out well for you, sweetie."
"I think it's kinda normal, when you grow up in a big family," Horatio shrugged a bit helplessly and started to heat the water for the dried milk. "But I can only guess, it's not like I have many experiences with a child," he added then and turned around to Calleigh. "It's an amazing feeling, isn't it?"
"It's...it's like...," she answered, "...I don't even know how to describe. It feels good, though a bit unfamiliar. But still good. I know that makes no sense," she quickly added. "But I'm lost for words right now."
"I can relate, believe me," he chuckled in response. "You're looking good with a baby, it suits you. Ever thought about having your own one?" he asked curiously and measured the milk powder.
That question baffled her, so she needed some time to react. "Uhm, well...I...I never considered something like this before and uhm, someday maybe."
Chuckling he apologized. "Sorry, Cal. I didn't want to offend you..." Shaking the bottle, he walked to the ladies and smiled down at his daughter. "Do you enjoy being in Calleigh's arms, hm?" he talked to her and gently ran a finger over her cheek and let her suck on his finger. "Now now…only a minute or two and you will get your dinner, Elena..." Looking at Calleigh he nodded towards the living room. "Why don't we sit down on the couch? I'm sure Elena won't mind."
"Whatever is best," Cal answered and carefully walked towards the other room where she sat down on the couch after Horatio had taken the lead. Curiously she watched him as he positioned himself next to her.
At first, Horatio grabbed the cloth and laid it on his shoulder. Then he tested the warmth of the milk on his wrist and nodded. Noticing Calleigh's look, he smiled at her. "Marta showed me this trick. It's the best way to see if the milk is too hot," he explained her and put down the bottle onto the couch table. "So.. let's see if you still want to be held by your daddy, Ellie," he joked and cautiously took her from Calleigh's arms. Reaching for the bottle he started to feed her and leaned back, so they were both comfortable. "It still amazes me that she can eat so much...well, much for such a little charmingness. But Marta already said that she's a good eater and that's a very good thing. Guess that's the only thing she inherited from the Caine side of the family."
Leaning close to him, Calleigh watched intently. "So far, maybe. You don't know how her character will develop. But I'm sure she's in good hands and she already is Daddy's girl."
"Daddy's little girl? That she is," he agreed amused. Winking at Calleigh he continued, "well she has a big, loving family which is watching out for her. So yeah, she's in good hands." He would have loved to spend such peaceful evenings with his wife. Just the three of them together on the couch, while Marisol would feed little Elena. Instead he was feeding Elena and couldn't be more far away from the so called perfect family in reality. Sighing he stopped feeding his daughter for a moment, so she wouldn't choke on her food. "Don't be so hasty..."
With every minute Cal loved seeing the two of them more and more. "Do you mind...if I take a picture?" she softly asked and held a foot of Elena in her hands so that she could caress the little toes through the fabric of the babysocks.
"No. Why should I?" he asked back and shook his head. "Feel free to take as much as you want to," he offered her and looked down at Ellie. "We don't mind, now do we? Nah, we had a good day so far...so go for it aunt Calleigh," he grinned.
"Too bad I don't have my camera with me," she smiled and stood up to get her cell-phone with its mini-camera. Within seconds she was back and kneeled down in front of them and chuckled at the term. "Aunt Calleigh...that sounds weird and a bit funny." A few seconds later she had taken at least four pictures and stored the phone away. "If you like we can take some with the real camera sometime. You'll look good with her," she said and sat back on the couch. Again, she held one foot from Elena. This time she didn't even notice that she was doing so. It just came naturally.
"Oh I'm quite sure that Alexx will come back and will take a lot of pictures of her. Not to forget her uncle Eric, her grandparents...," he rolled his eyes. "But we will find a day where you can take some, promise," he chuckled and was satisfied when he saw the empty bottle. "Already finished baby girl? A bath can make one really hungry, huh?" he laughed and lifted her up for the burp. "I'm really happy that you stayed here, Cal. It means a lot to me."
"Don't mention it, Horatio. I'm glad I could help you. More or less. Besides you would have done the same," she said and gently laid a hand on his upper arm. "That's what friends are for."
"You helped me, Cal. That much I can tell you." Hearing the burp he smiled and stroked Ellie's back. "Good girl...you made your daddy really happy." He was always relieved when he heard that sound.
"Then I'm happy," Calleigh smiled at him and the smile grew even wider when she saw Elena yawning. It was absolutely adorable. "I guess someone is ready for the bed again."
"Huh?" Horatio turned his head in question.
"Elena, she's yawning and with all due respect Mr. Caine, you also look like you could need a good night's sleep."
Blushing, Horatio averted his eyes and cradled Elena in his arms. "I guess you're right," he admitted.
"Good. And this is also my cue to leave you two alone. The laundry should be ready any minute, don't forget it, okay?"
"I won't thanks again Ma'am," he nodded and was about to stand up when Calleigh shook her head.
"Stay here, we don't want to her to wake up again. I'm sure I can find my way out alone, Horatio." With that she patted his shoulder and stood up in order to leave. "You do know that I'm just a call away?" she used his phrase she had heard so many times before.
"I do," he answered amused.
"Good. Have a nice evening Horatio and you too sweetie," she leaned down and caressed the baby's hair. "I'll see you, Horatio. Bye."
"Take care Cal and drive home safely," he quietly called after her and grinned when he heard her "Will do." Smiling down at the sleeping beauty in his arms he said. "Well I guess we should follow her orders, don't you think?" And with that he stood up and made his way upstairs.