Several Weeks Later
Horatio sat at his kitchen bar and drank his coffee wordlessly as he thumbed through the morning paper. Bare feet slapped on the hardwood in front of him, announcing Kyle's staggering arrival from the depths of his newly converted bedroom. Horatio grinned. In the first week of living together, he had been initially baffled by Kyle's morning-zombie routine, but had since grown used to it and now rather enjoyed the slightly dazed look on his son's face coupled with the crumpled, spiky hair.
"Good morning Kyle," Horatio greeted as his son weaved behind him to reach for the cupboard containing cereal. He received an unintelligible mumble in reply. Horatio smiled. Sometimes Horatio asked him skill-testing questions in the morning for the benefit of his own amusement and would watch eagerly as Kyle's face screwed up in mild confusion before realizing that he was the brunt of his father's joke. He would then receive a quick glare before Kyle went back to wandering mindlessly through the kitchen in search of food. Horatio decided to give him the morning off today and refrained from asking him what the square root of 5946 was.
Kyle sat down across from his father with a full bowl of cereal and milk and began chewing groggily, holding his tired head up with one hand and spooning cereal into his mouth with the other. Horatio folded up the paper he had been reading and took another sip of coffee. "You need a ride this morning?"
Kyle nodded tiredly.
Horatio stood up. "Well, hurry up. We'll have to leave soon." He was about to pour the rest of his unfinished coffee down the drain when Kyle reached up wordlessly for it. He motioned with his fingers to toss the cup over and Horatio briefly weighed the pros and cons of giving a 16-year-old black coffee for breakfast when he finally decided in favour of Kyle's pathetic state. He passed the cup over and Kyle began downing his father's coffee with vigour.
"Hurry up," Horatio reiterated.
Kyle spooned in the last few mouthfuls of cereal as quickly as he could, still munching as he got up from the kitchen bar and placed the bowl into the sink. He was walking across the hallway when the squeal of tires caught Horatios attention. He had been in the process of securing his gun holster to his belt when he froze. Kyle, upon seeing his father's reaction, similarly stopped in his tracks. Horatio's eyes went wide a fraction of a second before gunfire began peppering his bungalow. Glass exploded inwards; Kyle threw his arms up around his head as small shards laced his exposed skin. The bullets splintered through the wood door as they trailed across the house.
"Get down!" Horatio yelled at his son.
Kyle dove for the floor, face-first. He lay on the ground with his arms covering his head, jerking in pain as glass continued to rain down upon him. Horatio was behind the couch with his gun drawn, listening intently.
The gunfire stopped. But instead of the anticipated sound of the car speeding off in a getaway, Horatio heard footsteps approach his front door. With galvanizing alarm, Horatio realized that Kyle was closest to the door. Horatio leapt over the back of the couch and grabbed his son's arm, sticky with blood from the multitude of cuts covering his body. Kyle yelped in surprise, but followed Horatio's crouching run to the safety behind the couch. The front door was punched open; Horatio had enough time to push Kyle down behind the couch but not enough time to spin and face his aggressor head on.
Ron Saris' bullet caught him squarely in the shoulder. Horatio fell to the floor, feeling as though the air had been completely punched out of his chest. The pain was sudden and excruciating; pulsing fire blossomed from his collarbone through his chest and down to his right fingertips. He gasped with it. He clutched wildly for his gun, but belatedly realized that it was no longer in his hand; his numb fingers closed onto empty air. He had dropped it.
Ron Saris stood over him with his Glock pointed between Horatio's eyes. "Surprised to see me, Horatio?"
"Not really," Kyle's voice answered to his right.
Ron spun quickly, but not quick enough to avoid the vase that Kyle chucked towards his head. He ducked, but the large cylinder still glanced off his temple, making him flinch in pain and stagger sideways.
Horatio used the distraction to reach for his gun and bring it up towards Ron's head.
"This is the last time you ever get the drop on me, Ron."
Ron's eyebrows shot upward in unadulterated shock moments before Horatio's gun went off. The bullet sailed directly above Ron's wide eyes and into his forehead before passing through the back of his skull. The shocked expression never left Ron's face, even as he toppled backwards into a dead heap on Horatio's living room floor.
For a few minutes, neither Kyle nor Horatio breathed. Kyle half expected Ron to rise from the dead like some horror movie villain, but when that didn't happen, he ran over to his father's side. Horatio grimaced and hissed in pain as Kyle propped him up to rest against his chest. Kyle placed his hands on Horatio's wound and pressed down tightly. Horatio used his left hand to pat Kyle gently on the shoulder.
"Nice...work," he panted.
Kyle was breathing hard but tried to shrug nonchalantly. "Seemed like the right thing to do at the time."
Horatio nodded. "You...still owe me...for the vase."
Kyle was staring at Ron's body in disbelief. He absently patted his father on the chest. "I'm gonna have to write you an IOU for that one."
Horatio didn't have an answer for that and in any event, was too exhausted to even think of one. He felt safe in his son's arms and knew that help would arrive one way or another. He began to let his eyelids drift shut.
"It's really over, isn't it?" Kyle whispered in his ear.
"Yes." Horatio nodded. Despite the throbbing pain in his shoulder, his face softened into a contented smile. "It's over now."
THE END
Before anyone asks, I swear I didn't kill off Horatio. He's fine. Recuperating as we speak. He appreciates the flowers and well wishes. Thanks to everyone who read and special thanks to all those who reviewed. Hope you enjoyed!