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Putting her fear for Horatio's safety to one side Calleigh immediately assessed the scene before her. The orderly she had seen enter the room earlier had his hands around Horatio's throat and was attempting to squeeze the life out of him. Already weakened by his head injury he feebly attempted to grab at his assailant's hands but was unable to gain any purchase. As his body became deprived of oxygen his struggles weakened.

The orderly had paid no attention to Calleigh's warning and instead kept his focus on the struggling red head, making sure her target was in her sights she fired. The orderly screamed and held his left shoulder with his right hand as he stumbled backwards towards the equipment in the corner of the room, cursing as he fell. Kicking the suspect further to the floor she placed the heel of her boot on his crotch, "Don't move or the next one will go right here." He winced as she ground her boot in to his genitals.

His face reddened, "The Malucci's send their best. We're gonna keep coming til your boy is dead!" he spat through gritted teeth.

The sound of a gunshot had alerted the hospital security who came swarming in the room moments later, Calleigh held up her badge and let the guards drag the suspect from the room as he yelled about police brutality. Only when he was out of sight did Calleigh return her attention to Horatio, a doctor and two nurses were standing over his bed working on him. As the adrenaline dissipated fear took over as she saw him lying still on the bed, not moving as the doctor called his name in an effort to wake him. Re-holstering her gun she took a few tentative steps towards the bed, "Is he ok?" she asked nervously.

One of the nurse looked up and smiled at her kindly, at the doctor's nod she led Calleigh from the room. "Let us work on him, someone will come to find you as soon as we know anything."

Still in a state of shock she dropped into the nearest chair in the waiting area, were the emails from the same people who had just tried to carry a hit out on Horatio? She had no idea, she needed to speak to Eric but put that thought to the back of her mind as the doctor left Horatio's room and walked over to her. "How is he? Is he ok?"

He held his hands up, trying to placate her. "Whoever that was managed to do some damage before you restrained him. Mr Caine's airway was compromised as he was asphyxiated, there will be some bruising and swelling on his throat. We've put him on an oxygen mask and we'll monitor his SATs closely but at the moment we're happy with his respiratory functions. Your friend's oxygen supply was cut to his brain and so we're sending him for a CT and an MRI to see if any further damage has been caused. He's physically exhausted from the incident but he's quite lucky the damage wasn't more severe."

It took her a few moments to process the doctor's comments, "Is he awake? Can I see him?"

He glanced at his patient's room and then back to Calleigh, "I don't see why not, we won't be taking him for the scans for another twenty minutes or so. He'll be groggy so don't expect too much from him."

She nodded as the doctor walked away to continue his rounds, she took a few deep breaths and entered Horatio's room. She closed the door and walked over to the bed, wincing at the already-purpling hand marks around his throat. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be asleep, it made her jump when he groaned and his eyes flickered open. His eyes found her, "You're back." he slurred in a croaky voice as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

"Where else would I be?" she smiled at him as she reached for the chair and pulled it closer to the bed. She picked his hand up and held it as she sat down.

"You saved my life." his vocal cords protested at the movement as he tried to speak, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask.

"Of course, I'll always have your back. We're a team."

He fought against the exhaustion, trying to keep his heavy eyelids open by pure force of will alone. He turned his head in her general direction, "I wish I knew who you were." A stray tear ran down his face as he made a feeble attempt to remove the mask from his face before she stopped him.

She felt her heart breaking, how could he not know her or any of the team? That had been together so long, each having the other's back and now here their fearless leader was, laying in hospital and a stranger to them all, she felt her own tears well in her eyes and she willed herself to remain strong for him. "My name is Calleigh; we've worked together for ten years."

He sighed and raised his shaky free hand to his head, his gaze towards the ceiling. He stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity, "I don't remember," The monitors beside the bed began to register his distress as his heart rate increased, "You're a beautiful angel, how could I not remember someone like you?" he asked more to himself than her. He was too wrapped up in his problems to notice the effect his words had on her.

"You shouldn't be here," he croaked, his voice barely audible. He had been quiet for so long that she thought he had fallen asleep. "Somebody's after me, it's too dangerous for you. You need to leave." He looked at her panicked as he feared for her safety.

Despite herself she smiled at his actions, how typically Horatio to put everyone else before himself. He didn't know who he was and yet he was more concerned for her safety than his own. She gripped his hand tighter, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Please, I don't know who these people are or what I've meant to have done but it's too dangerous for you," his words started to slur again as his body began to lose the fight with exhaustion. Two nurses came into the room and began tending to the agitated but weak man in the bed, Calleigh stood back as they began to wheel the bed from the room. His blurry sight fading again he reached out blindly for Calleigh's hand as she grabbed it, he tried to look at her but the blackness was approaching fast and pulling him closer to oblivion. "Call Andy, I need to speak to….Andy." his battered voice trailed off as his hand went limp in hers.

Eric had only just made it back to his hotel room thirty minutes before, grabbing a quick shower and another cup of the rancid coffee he'd had earlier before his phone rang. "Hey Calleigh, how are things going down there? You kind of hung up on me earlier."

His tone was light but his words stung, "I'm sorry, we had a…..uh…situation here that I had to deal with."

His mind raced, had something happened to Horatio? "What happened?" he asked with some trepidation already expecting the worst.

He could hear her sigh deeply, "Someone tried to carry a hit out on Horatio."

"What? Is he ok?"

"I managed to get to him in time, the guy tried to strangle him. He's bruised and battered but he seems to be relatively ok. They've just taken him for more scans." She sat heavily in hard and unforgiving plastic chair in the ICU waiting area.

"Do you think it's connected to the emails?" Eric's mind began working overtime trying to figure out a connection that would explain this whole sorry situation.

"I'm not sure, Dave couldn't trace the sender." the tiredness was evident in her voice, the stress of the last few days eating away at her.

"Did the suspect say anything? Anything that could give us a clue as to who is after H?"

She thought for a few moments before she remembered what both Horatio and his assailant had said, "He said 'The Malucci's send their best' Horatio mentioned the name earlier too."

"He did? When?"

"I thought he was having a bad dream but he seems sure it was a memory, he mentioned the name 'Malucci'" It was starting to fit together now; at least they had a name they could work with. Calleigh became concerned with the stony silence on the other end of the phone, "Eric, are you still there?" she asked, fearing they'd been disconnected.

"Yeah, uh sorry. It's just that name, it's the same name Horatio's old partner gave me."

"The crime family?"

"Yeah, I've got a feeling H is in a whole world of trouble here. These Malucci's must have tracked him down to Miami."

"But he has no idea who is or what he's meant to have done." the realisation of the gravity of the situation was beginning to set in.

"Calleigh, I need to pay someone a visit. I'll call you as soon as I can." With that Eric abruptly ended the call as he grabbed his wallet and room key and headed for the door.

The thumping on the door was insistent, he thought about ignoring it but after the fifth thump he gave in, "Ok, ok. Keep your hair on," he growled as he shuffled towards the door. He opened it and scowled, "You again. What the hell do you want this time? I've told you all I know."

The balding man went to close the door again but was stopped by Eric's hand, "Wait, I've got to talk to you." He heaved, looking as though he had run the ten blocks from his hotel to Andy's apartment.

"Look, kid, I really wish I could help but I've got nothing more to say."

"Please," he begged as his breathing started to level out, "I've just had a phone call from my colleague, they've put a hit out on him."

"Who?"

"Our mutual friend. The Malucci's know he's in Miami."