Chapter 6
When Horatio stopped his car at the Delkos' about a week later, he and Elena already had had a stressful morning. It was one thing, to have all the time in the world, having a shower when you felt like it and just slipping on some casual clothes, but a whole different when it was your first day of work again and you not only had to get yourself ready but your infant daughter as well. It wasn't only feeding her, changing the diaper and dressing her. No, he also had to pack a bag, with all the things a baby needed and Marta certainly wouldn't have at home. He was still on time, yes, but he also knew that he needed to get up earlier tomorrow, to be ready before Elena would awake. This would make things a lot easier.
Getting out, he walked around the car and opened the backseat door. Then he unbuckled the seatbelt to get the infant car seat out. "So are you ready to see nana again?" he asked his daughter and smiled down at her. He already missed her that was for sure. "I know you'll have a good time with her, baby girl," he sighed and made a small detour to grab the bag from the back seat, before he finally arrived at the front door. There he rang the bell and waited either for Marta or Pavel to open the door and if he could decide, he definitely opted for the former.
Greeting him with a smile, Marta opened the door. "Good morning, Horatio." Then she bent down to look at Elena. "Hi sweetie. You look good." Standing up again, she motioned Horatio to step in. "Come in here, you still have some time." She was relieved that Horatio had found the strength again to return to work. It was a positive sign.
"Well time is relative," he smiled at her and stepped into the house. "I packed you a bag...because I wasn't sure if you still have some things at home," he told her and waited for her to lead the way. "Just the normal things like diapers, milk..," he listed.
"Okay, that sounds good," the older woman nodded and went straight to the living room, where her husband Pavel was sitting and read the newspaper. He had still 30 minutes to get ready to work himself.
Hearing Marta's voice, Pavel looked up from the newspaper and took a deep breath. It was the first time after his Marisol had died that he was facing Horatio again and he still didn't have a clue of how to deal with him.
"You know, I'm still very thankful that you'll babysit her," Horatio told her honestly and entered the living room behind her and saw the last person he wanted to deal with right now - his father-in-law. Not because he didn't like him, but because he still didn't have a good excuse for his behavior, if there was one anyway. "Good morning, Pavel," he said quietly and looked at Marta. "Where do you want me to put her things down?"
"Just give me the things, I'll take care of it," Marta offered and prayed silently that the two men would behave. Then she took her granddaughter and lifted her up. "Wow...you gained quite some weight, Love. Your Daddy is doing a good job, mhm?" she asked the infant playfully though she wasn't expecting an answer from her. Carefully she cradled her in her arms.
"Good morning, Horatio," Pavel said, but didn't stand up at first. Getting a glare from his wife, he frowned and sighed as he finally stood up and walked to his son-in-law, offering him his hand. "So, it's your first day back in the lab?" he wanted to know, because he couldn't think of anything else to start with. He watched Horatio in interest, and tried to figure out if his counterpart was intimidated by the situation or because the native Russian was a bit taller than Horatio.
"Yeah..finally or let's better say sadly," Horatio nodded and felt indeed a bit uncomfortable. But not because of Pavel's height, but because he was pretty sure that Pavel was still mad of him due to his recent behavior and in fact he couldn't blame him for that. "Okay, well I'd better get going. You have my cell number, Marta? If something happens, just call me, no matter when or why, okay?" He was already nervous enough about leaving his Ellie alone, so he needed the reassurance that Marta would call him immediately in case something happened.
"Of course I will," Marta said and was able to stop rolling her eyes. "But there's nothing to worry about, you hear me? She's safe for now."
Pavel nodded. "We already took care of her once," he said and the hint was clear for everyone in the room. Stepping back he eyed Horatio who seemed to be nervous. "Have you been to her grave yet?" he asked him in a low voice, changing the subject unexpectedly.
Though he tried to hide it, Horatio visibly flinched at Pavel's words. Even though Pavel was just a few years older than himself, it felt like his father would talk to him and that made him always timidly. "Not... since the funeral, Sir," he answered him and averted his eyes. He hated the direction where this conversation was leading, but it had been his own fault that there actually was the need to have such a talk. "I've been.. uhm.. preoccupied with taking care of Elena and finding a routine."
Even though Marta knew that Pavel wanted to talk to Horatio, she was still a bit surprised that her husband did it now, but stayed silent for the moment and sat down on the couch.
"Your behavior...it shocked me," he told him flatly. "In fact, I'm shocked again, hearing that you haven't been there." Pavel had to swallow hard, his emotions visible. "Why? Why don't you go there?" For him, there was no such excuse like Horatio had mentioned.
Actually, it was none of his business. Pavel had no right to know, had no right to ask him such a question, but he could understand why the man wanted to know. "Because I can't, Pavel. I just can't. I couldn't do it in the past, and I can't do it now. I need time....and believe me when I say, that I don't need to visit my wife's grave to realize that she's gone. I realize that every minute in my life. I realize it every morning when I wake up in a lonely bed and I realize it when it's me feeding Elena and not Marisol. So please don't tell me that I need to visit her grave because I can't do that," he whispered and clenched his fist to ease the tension within him.
Judging that gesture wrong, Martas' eyes went wide and she stood up. "Please," she went towards the men, Elena in her arms, "don't overreact. It's not easy. For any of us."
Pavel wanted to reply, but shut his mouth again and took a deep breath instead. He then turned around and walked to the window. Staring outside, he stayed quiet for a few moments before he said, "I'm sorry."
Sighing, Horatio took a deep breath to get his emotions under control. Smiling reassuringly at Marta, he shook his head. "It isn't, you're right." Then he looked at Pavel who was standing with his back towards him. "I can't ask for your forgiveness Pavel and probably not even for your understanding, but believe me when I say, that I'm sorry for my behavior. I ran away, from you, from Marisol and most of all from Elena. I will never forgive myself for doing so."
Seeing images from Marisol as a young 8 year old girl, playing in the garden he was looking at, Pavels' eyes went wet and he fought hard to avoid crying. He listened to every single word Horatio was saying, then turned around and nodded. "Just don't do that again. Run away, I mean. Because if you do, you'd better don't come back at all." He was a simple man, so were his words. "My Mari...," he swallowed the lump in his throat, "...wanted Elena to grow up in a harmonic family. It's her legacy. Now it's our duty to fulfill her wishes." With that, he walked up to Horatio. "We are a family, Horatio. We care for each other. Just keep that in mind."
"I will, Pavel," he said seriously. "And I won't run away again," he added quickly. He had made that mistake once and he wouldn't do it again. Holding out a hand, he hoped that Pavel would accept it as a sign to make peace.
Relieved Marta smiled and looked at Pavel.
The man was also looking at his wife and granddaughter then back at Horatio's offered hand. With a faint smile he took it. "I guess we both need time to readjust, mhm?"
"I think so too," Horatio nodded and shook hands with him. "And I really wish we could start right now, but I need to get going," he sighed when he looked at his watch. "I'm gonna call you, when I finish, okay? And yes, I'll do my best to avoid making overtime."
"You better do that, son," Marta gave him a glare first then hugged him the best she could, with Elena still in her arms. "Drive safe and please be careful at work."
Pavel looked at his watch too. "And I'm going to be late, too." Nodding at Horatio for the last time, he went to leave the room so that he could get ready for work.
"I'll do my best," he smiled at Marta and took Elena from her arms. "And you'll be good," he told his daughter and kissed her forehead. "I don't want to hear any complaints from nana," he laughed. "Daddy will miss you the whole day," he sighed, kissed her again and then handed her back to Marta. "I'll see you in the afternoon. Have a nice day."
"You, too," she told him and walked with him to the door. "Bye."
***
When he pulled into the parking lot about 20 minutes later, Horatio had already stopped himself twice from calling Marta and asking her if Elena was okay. "This is going to be a very long day," he sighed to himself and had no idea how he should actually concentrate on a case when his mind was occupied with thoughts about his daughter. Sighing he got out of the car and gave himself a minute before he wandered to the front door of the lab.
Inside he walked straight to the lift and got in. It was a weird feeling somehow. He had only been away for two weeks and it almost felt like he didn't belong here. The last time he had spend more than two days away from the lab, had been in his honeymoon, which was also over a year ago.
And maybe it was true and he really didn't belong here, not now at least. He should be with his daughter, but the chief had told him in no uncertain terms that he could understand his situation but that he needed a supervisor in his lab and if it wouldn't be Horatio, he had to choose someone else for that. And that was the main part why Horatio was here now and exited the lift when its doors opened.
"Lt. Caine, it's so good to see you back. I'm very sorry for your loss."
"Thank you Paula, it's good to be back," he smiled at her. He had liked Paula from the beginning. There wasn't a better person for the registration desk than her. He was very fond of her work and he knew that he could trust her and her instincts. "Do you have something for me?"
"Well, actually yes," she nodded hesitantly and rummaged in the different piles. "Since most people don't know your home address, a lot of them send…cards to the lab," she said quietly, not sure if this had been a good idea at all. "I can..I can keep them a bit longer... well as long you want anyway."
Sensing her distress, Horatio shook his head. "It's okay, I will get them later, after shift, if that's okay with you."
"Sure, Sir, no problem," she sighed in relief. "Otherwise there hadn't been any calls..." Seeing his raised eyebrows she chuckled. "Well of course there had been, but Calleigh took care of them. She's actually in your office right now."
No one knew better about the whereabouts of his team than Paula. This was also a fact why he liked her so much. "Well then I'll better have a look if my office is still in one piece" he joked lightly and took off into the right direction.
On his way he passed the DNA lab, where he could see Valera and Natalia working together on some case. When they looked up from their work, he waved at them and should have known better.
"Horatio," both stepped out of the hallway and looked uncertainly at him. Natalia was still new in the lab and Valera had always been a bit nervous around Horatio.
"We...we just wanted to tell you how sorry we are," Natalia said and Valera joined in.
"Yes, we just wanted to let you know, that we will have your back, always."
Horatio smiled lightly and ducked his head. "That's very nice of you, thank you both," he said softly and then looked up again. He had never been completely comfortable with such situations and started to fumble with his sunglasses. "All I need for now is a functioning lab and it seems like you two have everything under control. Now I need to check the others," he chuckled.
Taking the hint, both women nodded in unison. "Calleigh is in your office and Ryan is in the Trace Lab. I'm not sure where Eric is, though," Natalia thought out loud.
"That's fine, Ma'am. I'm sure I will find them," Horatio nodded in response. "I'll see you later so you can update me in our current cases," he told them and left without waiting for a reply.
A few moments later he was cornered by Ryan, who had just exited the Trace Lab when Horatio had turned around the corner.
"Horatio," Ryan called which made him stop.
"Yes, Mr. Wolfe?" he asked politely, even though he knew what the young man wanted to tell him.
"I..uhm..I'm not very good at such things," Ryan started hesitantly and shifted with his feet.
"Neither am I, Mr. Wolfe, neither am I," Horatio said and waited for him to continue. He knew that it probably was his fault, that the youngest part of his team was still acting hesitantly around him due to the fact that he didn't call him by his first name, but he didn't see any reasons to change that.
Marisol had confronted him once about it and had tried to talk some sense into him, but she hadn't succeeded. It was his way to put some distance between him and Speed's replacement. He had lost one part of his team and it still hurt badly. Now, with the distance, he hoped that it would hurt less.
Though there was no way of saying that Ryan wasn't part of the team. He was. Definitely. He just became a member at the worst of time. When they mourned one of their own.
"I just wanted to express my condolences," Ryan said and stopped Horatio's inner musings. "And when you need one of us, we'll be there," he sighed and was very pleased with himself, that he actually had the courage to say that.
"Thank you, Mr. Wolfe. This means a lot to me," Horatio nodded and was indeed proud of him. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Good," the younger man nodded and looked around, not sure of what to say. "Uhm, do you want to see what we're working on at the moment?"
"Ah, no," H shook his head. "At least not now. I was on my way to my office and talk to Calleigh. But I'm sure that I'll summon a meeting, so you can update me on everything."
"Sounds good, H. Okay, then I'm gonna head back to my traces, the mass spectrometer should be ready any second."
"You do that, Mr. Wolfe. I'll talk to you later," Horatio said his goodbye and climbed up the stairs to his office. Arriving there, he took a moment where he just watched his second in command through the glass door for a few moments. Calleigh was absorbed in some file lying in front of her and he wondered if she actually enjoyed doing paperwork. Tilting his head, he grinned when he saw her rolling her eyes. "Well, I guess this answers my question," he thought amused and entered the office with his typical "Knock, knock."
Calleigh looked up in surprise and gave him a broad smile. "Horatio," she drawled and immediately stood up from her, well his chair. "It's so good to see you back. Is it really Monday already?" Time just flew away.
"I'm afraid so, yes," he nodded and closed the door behind him. "I see that you had fun with paperwork?"
Calleigh gave him a disapproving glare. "Yeah, fun for a masochist probably. I have no idea how you stay sane with this bureaucratic stuff. It's so annoying," she stated and was happy that this was over now. "But let's talk about more important things. How are you? How is Elena?"
"We're both fine. I guess Elena is keeping Marta on the run, but otherwise we're doing fine," he said and couldn't hide the touch of sadness in his voice.
Calleigh noticed it immediately and rested her hand on his upper arm. "I know you miss her, but you will see her again in a few hours. I can imagine that it's hard, but I'm sure you'll get used to it."
"Yeah," Horatio sighed. "It's just a weird feeling, not having her around, you know?"
"Mhm, but I'm sure it will get better. You two will just be fine, believe me." And since she didn't want him to sink in a bad mood, she continued immediately. "And the best way to push such thoughts to the back of one's mind, is some highly interesting paperwork, don't you think?" she laughed and ignored his light grumbling. "And because I'm in such a good mood, I'll see if I can get you a nice, hot cup of Cuban coffee. What do you think?" Well she knew them inside out.
"You're too good to me," he smiled and squeezed her hand.
"I know, but I can't help myself," she drawled and winked at him. "Black as night?"
"Black as night," he confirmed with a nod and walked to his desk where he sat down on his black leather chair.
"I'll be back in a few," she announced and left him alone. She would use the time to call Alexx, because she was sure that their mother wanted to make sure that her oldest son was doing okay. "Poor Horatio, he will be at the receiving end of her mothering, but lord knows that he needs it."
"Okay," he called after her and let his eyes roam over the opened case file. It probably was a good thing that he didn't have to go out in the field for now, since his mind was not totally focused. He was thinking about Elena, hoping that she'd be alright and she got along well with her grandma. Of course, he knew that Marta was a good mother, but he guessed that no parent liked to leave their child alone. "This is going to be a very long day," he sighed to himself and started to read; his mind already 8 hours further, where he would be able to see his daughter again.
***
Two hours later, after reviewing the latest cases in his office, Horatio stood outside of the break room and watched his team, which had already gathered up inside. He could see that they were joking around, since they either had a big smile on their faces, or they were laughing. He liked it when they had a good time, because only a relaxed team could do its job efficiently.
Of course it wasn't only his CSI Team waiting for him, no Alexx was also there, which didn't surprise him at all. She was their mother and as far as Horatio was concerned, she was psychic. There was no other explanation for the fact that she always knew what was going on. Sometimes he wondered if her ancestors probably had had some supernatural powers and she had inherited those, but he would never dare to ask her, because he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear her answer.
Shaking his head about his unusual thoughts, he entered the room and greeted them with a friendly, "Ladies and Gentlemen", before he got himself a good cup of coffee. The one Calleigh had brought to him earlier hadn't been enough for long, so he needed a replenishment. "Thank you for taking your time," he continued and filled his cup. "I don't think it will take long, but I do have some questions about our current cases."
The team just looked at him and nodded. It wasn't unusual for them to meet here. There had been several mornings in the past years, where they had met in the break room to sift through the cases. Of course, most of the times they did it in one of the labs, the layout room for example, but the mood was much looser in here. And the only time when they met in Horatio's office was, when it was about something personal or private.
"Okay, let's start with the Sharp Case," Horatio announced and sat down at the head of the table. "Did I understand it correctly, that we do have two potential eyewitnesses, but their stories had huge discrepancies?" he asked no one in particular and waited for an answer.
"Yes, that's about right, H," Eric nodded and pulled out the case file. It was his and Ryan's case, like most of the current ones, since Calleigh had had enough work in her ballistic lab and being in charge for the lab for the last two weeks. "For now, we already wonder if there were actually two perps and not one, as we originally thought. I mean..one eyewitness is talking about a black man wearing a white hoodie, while the other swears that he had seen a white man with a red hoodie. I seriously doubt that they're colorblind so..," he shrugged.
"So are there any signs for two suspects, instead of one?" Horatio asked intrigued.
"Well there are," Ryan joined in and looked into the file. "For example…"
***
"Okay, "Horatio nodded and closed the last file in front of him. "Thank you again for taking your time. As far as I can see, you did anything you could. Good work anyone," he smiled proudly. He didn't say it often, but his team was definitely the best in the States. He had handpicked them and even though he wasn't the type for self-praise, he was very pleased with his decisions. They all had different characters, but they just matched, which was highly unlikely with so many people. No wonder that they referred to the 'family' phrase, because it fitted perfectly and Horatio was very proud of being a member of this special family, especially in these days. They had told him with their actions towards him, that they would have his back and would support him as much as they could and that made him incredible happy, even in these sad days.
"We're glad that we could help you, Horatio," Calleigh said and stood up like her team mates. "I think I can speak for all of us, when I say, that we're happy to see you back and you'd better not hesitate to ask us if you have further questions about the cases," she winked.
"I wouldn't have thought less of you," Horatio ducked his head in response and watched them leave the room; everyone, except of Alexx of course, who had been quiet during the whole meeting. "Alexx, is there something we need to talk about?" he asked her and took the last sip of his coffee.
"No, Sweetie. I just wanted to ask you if you're okay?" she asked in her motherly tone.
"Yeah, I am…," he nodded slowly. "I just miss Elena…," he added, because Alexx would ask him anyway.
"Aww, that's normal, Sweetie. I missed my babies too the first time I had to leave them alone, but I promise you that it's getting better and better. The lab work will be good for you."
"It will definitely keep me occupied and prevent me from thinking about other things," he agreed and stood up from his chair.
"That's true, Horatio. But don't forget that overtime is no option any longer," she gave him a stern look which made him chuckle.
"I know, I know and to be honest, I don't want to. There's a little lady waiting for me to pick her up, so no…no overtime."
"That's my boy," Alexx cooed and touched his cheek. "Don't forget that you have a family and friends, who will be there for you. No matter when, where or why, right?"
"Yeah, I know. Thank you," he said sincerely.
"Very good and now shoo, so you can finish on time," she laughed and patted his cheek lightly. "And don't you dare to stay longer."
"Never, Ma'am," he smiled lightly and before Alexx could think of other threats, he quickly left the break room. He knew that Alexx would keep an eye on him for the next days or even weeks, but he knew better than to argue with her about that. You didn't argue with mother Alexx; that was a rule they all had learned quickly.
Tbc
A/N: Actually, I'm not sure if I should continue this story here on , because it seems like no one is interested in it. That's sad actually, because the story is already finished on my computer and I hate leaving stories unfinished, because it's unfair to my readers. But then again…if there are none…it's not unfair, right?