Sorry about the rhyme in the last chapter, poetry is not my strong point ;-)
He was woken by a soft knocking at the door, running a hand over his face he croaked a, "Come in."
As the door opened he saw the young Cuban man smiling at him. "Hey man, you up for a visit?"
He gave the younger man an awkward smile, "Sure. It's Eric, isn't it?"
The smile on Eric's face faltered, he hoped somewhat ruefully that Horatio would remember him and the years they had spent together working at the lab and in the field. "That's right, I've got someone here to see you," he said as he walked further in to the room.
Horatio's face registered his relief as Andy stood awkwardly in the doorway. "You came back."
He shuffled in to the room and shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. "Yeah. Maybe I was a little hard on you before."
Horatio tried to lift himself higher in the bed and growled in frustration as his body failed him, still weak from the fever. He smiled his thanks at Eric as the young man adjusted the bed for him. "Andy, I'm so sorry. I still can't remember most of it but I've had a few things come back to me." His head dropped in shame as he recalled the fateful day at the abandoned building, "I remember pulling a gun on you, I have no idea how I ended up there but I swear I would never hurt you."
"I know, John. We've been doing some digging; you weren't on the Malucci payroll, were you?" He sat down in the chair by the bed and studied his old partner intently, he heard him take a shuddering breath. The pained look on his face was not an expression even the most talented of actors could fake.
"They threatened you, everyone I cared about. I realised I couldn't keep you all safe. Some guy from the FBI came to visit me in hospital, said he'd make sure you were all protected if I did what they wanted. I didn't want to do but I didn't have a choice." His eyes were pleading with Andy to understand.
"Why didn't you come to me, or Fancy? We could have dealt with it together." His voice was barely a whisper.
"After the whole Marino situation I knew it would be safer to keep my mouth shut. The Malucci's took over what was left of their empire; they had twice as many people on their books. Getting anyone else involved would only have got them killed."
"But the things you did, John. You made me believe you were dirty, how could you do that?"
He searched his mind but couldn't force the forgotten memories to return; he shook his head and closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath of frustration. "I can't remember what I did, I was hoping that maybe you could help me with that." He looked at Andy, bracing himself for the rejection he knew was to come.
Andy shifted in his seat, "I'm not sure raking up the past is such a good idea. Maybe it's better you don't know the finer details."
He was taken by surprise at the vehemence in the red head's voice. "No. I have to know what I did; I have to know why the Malucci's are after me. Maybe when this is over I can make it up to the people I hurt, starting with you."
His old partner's piercing gaze was beginning to make him feel quite uncomfortable; he couldn't deny the sincerity in the other man's voice. "Let's just deal with the Malucci's first and we'll figure the rest out later, okay?"
After taking the package that had been delivered this morning and handing it to Ryan, Calleigh made her way back to Horatio's office. Her colleague had given her a puzzled looking when she instructed him to dust the cardboard and packing tape for prints or DNA, not understanding why he was being asked to study an empty box. Calleigh had taken the photos and placed them in an envelope in Horatio's desk drawer figuring that it would be best not to get anyone else involved for the time being.
"This is getting to become a habit," she told herself as she made herself comfortable behind Horatio's desk. She had often thought about promotions and one day becoming the head of the crime lab, "Not like this, I'm only running the lab until Horatio comes back." He was the focal point of the lab and the person that everyone looked to in the team for guidance, a crime lab without him in it seemed unthinkable. She knew that he would be reluctant to give up his position when he eventually reached retirement age, this building and the people in it were his life. He would not be a man who would take to retirement easily, somehow she had a feeling he would rather have been killed in the line of duty than grow old gracefully on a golf course out on the Keys. The thought of anything happening to him sent a shiver down her spine, he would be very old and quite possibly very cranky by the time he eventually met his maker if she had anything to do with it.
Knowing that it would probably be pointless she pulled out her cell phone and rang the reluctant FBI agent, after a number of rings he eventually answered.
"This is getting quite tiresome, Miss Duquesne."
"Well maybe if you answered my questions I wouldn't have to keep ringing you."
Agent Collins sighed dramatically, "Would it stop you ringing if I did?"
"That depends on if you give me the answers that I want." Her voice was stern, not wanting to show him how desperate she was for a good solid lead on Horatio's case.
"I can answer your questions but I can't promise you'll like the answers."
"Will you come to the station and meet with me?"
He laughed derisively, "All that would do is paint a target on my back too, I know the Malucci's have eyes on your building. I'm not willing to take that risk."
"But you let Horatio take it! He stuck his neck on the line for you; you can't just leave him hanging like this." She could feel her frustration begin to get the better of her.
"He knew what he was getting himself into, Miss Duquesne. He knew the risks that were involved. Anyway, we're deviating from the point. If we meet it will be on my terms, not yours."
"And what are your terms, Agent Collins?" she spat his name in disgust.
"I will call you with a time and location; you're to meet me there. Alone." His tone signalled that the terms were not up for debate.
"You're just going to leave me hanging too? Horatio had a delivery today, a package full of photographs of everyone at the station. I know it was from the Malucci's, they left a message for him."
"That's why I need to make sure the location for our meeting is secure, if I get even the smallest inclination that you've been followed or you haven't come alone then all deals are off, you'll never see or hear from me again. Is that understood?"
She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her long, blonde hair. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
"No." With that the line went dead, leaving Calleigh to work out exactly what she was going to ask the indifferent agent when they finally met face to face.