Never Giving Up
Horatio heard faint voices around him as he felt disoriented and seemed to be in a dream. He tried to sit up, only to feel an extreme shot of pain in his head and there were hands holding him down. Opening his eyes, he was almost blinded by the bright light above him and he quickly closed them again, then he softly called, "Calleigh…Patty…."
A strong male voice called to him, "Lieutenant Caine…can you hear me?"
He shifted his body and tried again to open his eyes and instead of looking straight up his eyes looked in the direction of the strong voice. A man's face came into his view and he saw he was in blue scrubs…he was in a hospital.
"Lieutenant, you are in the Tulane Medical Center trauma department, you have been injured…is there anyone we can call for you?"
Horatio croaked, "Ben Duquesne," then he attempted to sit up again.
"Sir," the doctor said, "you need to lie back down…you should not try to move around yet."
Horatio ignored the man and gritted his teeth to the pain and began trying to take the blood pressure cuff off his arm.
The doctor called for a male nurse to help him hold the redheaded man down, "Sir, you are going to injure yourself further…please stop trying to get up." The men gently pushed Horatio back down on the bed attempting to calm him down, but the doctor thought he better give the patient a light sedative.
Horatio grabbed the doctor's arm and growled, "Don't put me out…I need to find…my wife…my children. I need…to go."
The nurse approached the doctor's side and told him that the man his patient requested for them to call was in the waiting room.
"Lieutenant, Mr. Duquesne is here, let me go talk with him…I will be right back. YOU stay right where you are…I called NOPD and they are sending a detective here to see you, alright?"
"Hurry…" was all Horatio was able to say as his head was hurting worse with all his activity.
The doctor entered the trauma waiting area and immediately recognized the well-known man of the city. He saw the extreme concern showing on his face and began to wonder if somehow the Lieutenant was related to the Duquesne's.
"Mr. Duquesne," the doctor said softly extending his hand to the tall man, "I'm Dr. Forqua."
"Doctor, someone from this hospital called my office and told me Lieutenant Horatio Caine was here…what happened?"
"Sir, are you part of his family?" Dr. Forqua inquired.
"Yes…he's my brother-in-law. Is he alright?"
"Mr. Duquesne…"
"Call me Ben please doctor."
"Uh Ben, Lieutenant Caine was found unconscious in a restroom at the New Orleans airport. He has a bad concussion from an attack it seems." The doctor noticed the shock on Ben's face to the news.
"He was with my sister and their two children…are they here as well?"
The doctor looked at Ben and asked, "Would your sister's name be Calleigh or Patty?"
"Calleigh is my sister, Horatio's wife and Patty is their little girl. Is Austin their son here?"
"No one else was brought in but the Lieutenant Ben. He keeps calling their names and wants badly to leave the hospital…he says he must go find them. I am very reluctant to let him leave just yet as a head injury can be very dangerous. I informed him that the police have been called and someone should be arriving soon that can hopefully sort everything out."
"Can I see him doctor?"
"Yes, since you are next of kin, perhaps you can persuade him he needs to stay overnight at least."
The doctor led Ben back into a trauma room where Horatio was lying in a bed with blood on the front of his shirt.
"Horatio…its Ben, how are you feeling? What happened?"
Horatio opened his eyes and tears began to slowly escape and he managed a weak, "Ben…I…am so…sorry. I walked into the restroom…after hearing Patty scream…a man…was holding Cal," Horatio put his hand to his head a paused a few moments then continued saying, "he had a knife…at her throat. I…ran toward them and, um…then I felt something hit…my head and went down…then I was hit again and…I woke up here."
Ben put his hand on Horatio's shoulder and told him he was so sorry and he would help in any way he could.
Horatio then said, "You can help me get out of here…" and he slowly sat up in the bed, swinging his feet over the side, then began attempting to pull the IV line out of his arm.
"Horatio…I don't think that would be a good idea…you need to stay overnight," Ben tried to help steady him.
The nurse entered before Horatio could take off the tape completely and quickly said, "Sir, you don't need to be doing that…you need to lie back down." As she rushed to his side and pushed the taped back down.
Horatio broke down into sobs and said, "NO…please let me leave…I need to find my family."
She pushed a button by the bed and called for the doctor to come and approve a mild sedative. Dr. Forqua entered immediately with a syringe and quickly injected the serum into Horatio's IV line and told him he would still be alert, but it would help relax him.
"Nooo, please let me go…I…have to…find them…" Horatio pleaded as they gently laid him back down in the bed. Ben stood by, shaken himself at the thought of what had happened to Calleigh and the children. Then he walked out the door momentarily and pushed the button on his phone to connect him to Frank Tripp.
"Tripp," the man answered abruptly.
"Frank…it's Ben."
"Ben, what the hell is going on there? I am standing here at a gate at Miami International and there is no Caine family on the flight!"
"Frank…there has been an incident here in New Orleans, that's what I'm calling about. Horatio is in Tulane Medical Center…and Calleigh, um, Calleigh and the children are missing."
Silence was all Ben heard at the other end of the phone. Frank was trying to process what Ben just told him and was running through several different scenarios in his mind as to why something like this had happened. Had Vogel found a way to retaliate, was the first thing that popped into his mind. Couldn't be he thought, he was now kept in seclusion without contact to anyone, but the guards, who were hand selected by the warden. What the HELL then was going on!
"Ben, how is Horatio…how badly is he hurt?"
"Doctor says a bad concussion…they want to keep him here overnight, but Horatio is fighting them."
"Humph…very few people, doctors included that can make Horatio Caine do something he doesn't want to do. I wish them luck. Ben, has the NOPD been brought in yet or FBI?"
"The doctor told me they called the police and someone should be here shortly…wait this may be detectives coming now…hold on." Ben continued keeping the line open as he approached the two men in suits.
"Are you from the police department?" Ben asked one of the two men.
"Yes sir, are you the doctor?"
"No I am the victim's brother-in-law."
"Do you know if we can speak to the victim right now?" Just then the doctor emerged from Horatio's room and he heard the detective's question.
"I am Dr. Forqua, Mr. Caine's doctor, you may talk with him for a few minutes…he may be a little drowsy, but he will be able to answer a few questions."
The two men began walking toward the door when Ben heard Frank's voice booming from his phone.
Ben quickly brought the phone up to his ear and Frank asked if he could have a word with the detectives as he wanted to give them his cell number and have them call him when they were through interviewing Horatio.
Ben stopped one of the detectives and handed his phone to him telling him a policeman who was on Horatio's team in Miami wanted to speak with him.
The New Orleans detective talked to Frank for a few minutes and he wrote down Frank's cell number and assured him he would call him back in a few minutes.
After the detective handed Ben's phone back to him, Ben went back to talking to Frank.
"Ben, I'm going to be on the next flight out to New Orleans…I may arrive tonight or in the morning, it just depends on what I can get on."
"Frank, don't worry about the costs, I will pay for your trip," Ben told his friend.
"Thanks Ben, but MDPD will pick up the tab…Horatio and Calleigh are two of our own and we take care of each other. I am headed back to the crime lab now and will call the chief and bring him up to date and hopefully see you later tonight. Call me if anything happens on your end, ok?"
"Sure will Frank…and either me or one of my brothers will meet you at the airport when you arrive, just let me know when you expect to get here and you stay with us for as long as you need to. I plan to stay with Horatio to make sure he is not alone right now."
Frank thanked him and as they hung up, the detectives walked out of the room and one of them said, "I'd hate to be the guy who took his wife and kids…he's tough and rightly so, I did not know who he was when I was given his name, but after talking with him I realized he is legendary in the field of law enforcement."
Ben was taken aback by the detective's words and said, "I know one thing he is a great guy."
Horatio was kept sedated enough to where he could not manage to get up on his own, but he was seeing Calleigh being held with a knife to her throat over and over and the look of fear ingrained on her face and that of Patty's, and he could do nothing to help them. He lay there in bed and began to cry, not for himself, but for his family.
Meanwhile…Calleigh was crying too, crying for Horatio, sure that he was dead and he would not be coming to find them. She looked at her children who had finally fallen asleep against her in the small bed they had in a dimly lit, locked room somewhere away from New Orleans. Their captors had given them a small amount of food to share, but it was not near enough for the three of them. Thankfully, they had a case of bottled water in the room for them to drink, but a toilet behind a low wall in a corner was their only luxury. She didn't know where they were being held, but it was some distance that they had ridden in the van, but it would help to know in what direction they had driven when they left the city. Calleigh thought about the security cameras in the garage…at least the police would see what vehicle to look for and hopefully the camera captured a good enough image of their captors as well.
Horatio knew hours had passed since the incident, making it even more difficult to find his wife and children. If I could have only left the hospital earlier…I could have at least been about 2 hours behind them. Surely the security footage has been seized by the police and viewed, maybe that will give them the vehicle information and a physical description of the kidnappers. But I need to be with them looking. I'm glad I sent Ben home he needs to be with Samantha and their children.
As Horatio lay in his bed, lost in thought, the door opened and he saw Frank Tripp slowly walk into his room. For a moment a wave of confusion swept over Horatio's face because he knew Frank had flown back to Miami days ago.
"Horatio," the big man softly called out. "Are you awake?"
"Frank…you came back?"
"Yeah Horatio…I came back to help find Calleigh and the children. Everything is fine at the lab in Miami and everybody there is just heartbroken and extremely concerned about you and Calleigh and the kids. Horatio, we are going to find them…the police have begun a massive search using information from the parking garage cameras and the cameras New Orleans has in place on all the major streets within the city limits. The footage shows they headed west out of the city and that is the direction the police and FBI are concentrating on."
"Did the cameras give a clear shot of the kidnappers Frank?" Horatio asked as he held his breath waiting for his answer.
"They did man…clear view of two men putting Calleigh and the children in the back of a white van and driving away, exiting onto the street. The NOPD crime lab is pretty good, of course not as good as your lab, my friend. I kept in touch with them until I arrived here and they are frantically working on this case. All of them are pissed about this happening and are determined to find them Horatio."
"Frank…will you help me up and get out of this place? I NEED to be out there looking for them too, instead of lying here all cooped up in a hospital."
"Horatio, I know you want to be with the search more than anything, but do you think this is wise with your concussion?" Frank asked knowing what his friend's answer was going to be.
"Probably not my friend, but I've got to. Now help me get this IV line out and get my things over there in the closet."
Just then the floor nurse came in making her rounds and found Horatio beginning to remove the IV line from his arm. "Sir, you can't do that…" she said as she swiftly walked over to him as he was sitting on the side of the bed.
"Ma'am…I need to get out of here…my wife and children are missing. I've got to go find them…bring me a form I can sign saying I'm responsible so you won't get in trouble."
The nurse looked at the redheaded man knowing she shouldn't do it but she began helping him take the needle out, figuring it would be better for a trained nurse to do it rather than him.
Seeing Frank standing in the room waiting, the nurse turned to him and asked, "You gonna be with him?"
"Ma'am…I am going to stick like glue to him." Frank assured her in his Texas drawl.
"Let me go get that form…don't you leave until I get back, you understand?"
"Yes ma'am, I won't," Horatio promised.
As Frank and Horatio made their way to NOPD headquarters, Horatio was battling some dizziness and nausea, but he wasn't going to let it stop him. Walking into the station and securing their visitor tags, the men rode the elevator to the third floor where the detectives and FBI agents were working on the case.
A captain who had known Horatio for a number of years was shocked, but not really surprised to see the man walk through the door.
"Horatio," the captain greeted.
"Tom," as the two men shook hands. Horatio introduced Frank and then asked, "What have you found so far?"
"Horatio…we got a hit on the images from the camera that showed your family being loaded into the van. The two men have a long record of petty crimes and have been connected to a couple of felonies, but their involvement in those has never been proven. The men's names are Ron Jackson and Bret Dixon."
"No violent offenses in their background?" Horatio wanted reassurance.
"Thankfully, none, we are fairly certain after looking at the camera footage from the Interstate system that they took I-10 west to Baton Rouge, then made a change as cameras showed a van of similar description exiting off of I-10 at the Highway 190 exit. The FBI has a team out on 190 stopping at stores along the highway interviewing clerks who might have waited on the men if they made any stops."
The phone rang at his desk and Tom said, "Excuse me Horatio."
Frank looked at Horatio and was concerned about him, his face was pale and he was slightly unsteady, he even opted to sit down which he almost never did when talking about a case.
"Horatio…that was your man back in Miami, a CSI Delko…he just informed me that word came down from the penitentiary in Florida that a Randy North escaped this afternoon as they were transporting him to a hospital, supposedly for treatment of an ailment. He also told me North is the biological father of the children you and your wife adopted so I think there is a definite connection to your family's abduction."
Horatio and Frank looked at each other and then Frank remembered North's parents lived in Leesville and said, "Tom…North has family in Leesville, LA. Is that west of here?"
"It damn sure is and you would take 190 to get there." Tom then picked up his phone and called the FBI agent in charge and gave him the updated information.
Frank muttered to Horatio, "Bastard's parents must have helped with this Horatio."
"Might be they are connected…we will have to see," Horatio answered.
"C'mon Horatio and Frank, we have a bird that will get us to Leesville quick!" Tom informed them.
As the helicopter was making its way to Leesville, Horatio thought this was not doing his nausea any good. He had to use a barf bag twice and he hated seeing the look of sympathy on Frank's face.
Frank finally asked, "You gonna make it Horatio?" Frank thought Horatio looked like death warmed over.
"I've got to my friend…for my family." Horatio answered as he thought he had not felt so miserable in his life.
Finally the helicopter touched down and Horatio had never been so glad to get his feet on the ground.
FBI agents met them at the local airport in Leesville and took them to the sheriff's office. The agents informed him they had found out the two men they were looking for had been spotted at a local café and they had positioned two agents outside of the location to wait on the men to leave. After a few minutes, the agents informed the three men that they had just received word that agents were following the two and were going to call in when they reached the location where they were staying.
Horatio asked, "Are these men used to doing surveillance work Agent Smith? I don't want them to spook the two men."
"Sir, I can assure you they are among the best at performing surveillance," Smith answered, understanding the redheaded man's concerns.
Horatio still knew a lot could go wrong, but all they could do now was to wait for the agents call.
Smith's phone chirped after five minutes and he looked concerned. Horatio watched intently and was feeling sick to his stomach again, praying nothing had gone wrong.
Smith finally turned to them and said, "The agents said two more men arrived at the location which is a house with an outbuilding in the back."
Frank turned to Horatio and said, "You think North could be here already?"
"If he had access to a plane he could be," Horatio answered.
Agent Smith said FBI SWAT was on their way to the location and they themselves needed to leave now to be there when it went down. Horatio felt he couldn't get there fast enough.
With everyone in place, Horatio asked if he could go in with the lead group. Thankfully, Frank brought his badge and gun with him when he flew back last night.
Tom wondered if it was kosher to allow Horatio to participate, but as a husband and father himself, he understood why he had let him.
Horatio and Frank accompanied the first group to the front of the house and when SWAT used the battering ram on the door, Horatio made sure he was the first man to go inside after the SWAT officers.
"POLICE…EVERYBODY ON THEIR KNEES…HANDS IN THE AIR NOW!" Horatio and all the men screamed. Randy North was the most startled of all…he glared at Horatio after spinning around and the glare was returned with the iciest look Horatio could give.
"Well Randy, another payback time, but it won't go as well for you as the first time," Horatio growled.
Randy made the fatal mistake of suddenly raising the gun in his hand toward Horatio providing Horatio the opportunity to fire. He hit Randy dead center of his chest and the startled look Randy gave him said it all before he hit the floor dead.
Horatio's head felt as if it would literally crack open and he suddenly felt the room spin, but Frank realized the look and stepped up and grabbed his arm to help steady his friend.
"You need to sit down my friend," Frank suggested.
"I can't Frank, my family is here somewhere."
"House clear," yelled a SWAT officer.
Horatio was able to make his way outside when he saw officers approaching the outbuilding to the rear of the property. Horatio joined them and after the lock was cut off the door, he entered with his gun raised.
In the dim light he made out Calleigh and the children huddled on a bed against the wall and he shouted, "CALLEIGH, SWEETHEART," as he began walking across the room toward the group.
Calleigh thought her mind was playing tricks on her because she thought she heard Horatio then as she looked up, she saw him unsteadily walking toward them.
"HORATIO…then two young voices screamed DADDY." Horatio reached them and fell to his knees on the floor in front of them and all three grabbed him and held on for dear life.
Horatio and his family were sobbing and holding each other for a few minutes before Calleigh pulled back and cupped his face and started kissing him all over as she began saying through her sobs, "Oh Handsome…they told me you were dead!"
Through his tears he answered, "I couldn't die…I had to find my love…and my children. They didn't…hurt you did they Sweetheart?" Calleigh shook her head no. He then put his head down on her shoulder as they continued sobbing. Horatio took a moment to lean down and kiss the tops of his children's heads and held them tight against his body as they had wrapped their arms around his shoulders.
Frank stood in the room as he watched the touching sight with Tom and a few officers who all had tears welling in their eyes as well.
When they had recovered enough, Horatio said, "Let's get all of you out of here." He helped Calleigh up off the bed and as he did, dizziness overcame him and he sagged slightly into her.
"Horatio…are you alright?" Calleigh asked concerned.
Frank stepped over and took Horatio's arm and told her, "He has a bad concussion Cal…they couldn't keep him in the hospital. You know how he is."
"I'm fine…the dizziness has passed," Horatio managed to say. "C'mon, the paramedics need to check all of you out," Horatio added.
Calleigh also said, "You included." Horatio didn't respond he only wrapped an arm around Calleigh and took hold of Patty's hand, while Austin kept his arm around his mother's waist and they began walking out into the morning sun.
Calleigh insisted Horatio go back to Tulane Medical Center and be checked once they arrived back in New Orleans. Horatio tried to get out of it, but Calleigh didn't give him an option.
Dr. Forqua entered the trauma room and told them that Horatio was improving and that was a good sign, but he needed to take it easy for a few days and he would not give an ok for travelling back to Miami until he rested for that time. Come back to see me at the end of the week and I will probably release you.
Horatio had sent Frank back to Miami with many thanks for his help during their ordeal and told his friend they would be home as soon as the doctor released him.
It seemed the stay back at the Duquesne house helped Austin and Patty recover from the ordeal as well as Calleigh. Calleigh and Horatio agreed that their children needed to be watched carefully for any sign they might need professional help, but they had been sitting down with them and talking over the incident as a family and the children seemed to be recovering without too many problems. The first couple of nights, Patty had to sleep in their bed, afraid of being in bed in another room even with her cousin. She exhibited the normal separation fear and she worked through it with their help and had moved back to her room with her cousin and had no problems.
As Horatio and Calleigh lay in their bed on the last night before going home to Miami, Horatio went back to their discussion they had been having since the incident, "Cal, I've made up my mind that I am retiring from the lab when we get home. Would you be ok with my decision Sweetheart?"
"Handsome, I told you it would be up to you…but what happened to us had nothing to do with who you are…Randy was just determined to get his children back."
"I know Cal, but it hit home how things can change so fast and you know I have a lot of enemies who would like nothing better than to hurt me through my family. I can't put my family in that situation."
"I have been thinking as well…how would you feel if I taught forensics at the Institute instead of continuing on at the lab?"
Horatio sat up so quickly, he felt a little lightheaded, but grinned and said, "I would love it…if that is what you really want to do Sweetheart."
"I have been thinking about it ever since we were awarded Austin and Patty. Now we have another child on the way and it just seems to make sense. I love my job at the lab, you know that, but I love my family more."
Horatio grinned, "I understand…oh Cal I love you so much."
The Caines flew home without incident and the entire team was on hand at Miami International to greet them.
TBC….