Calleigh let out a deep breath as she leant back on her sofa, as soon as they had returned home Horatio had made his excuses and retired to her guest bedroom. She had tried to offer him her en-suite but he had politely declined, telling her that he was tired and wanted to rest. She took a long look at his face and nodded her head; he looked exhausted and was no doubt not ready to have spent as long on his feet as he had today. She berated herself for taking him out of the hospital so soon but in reality she didn't really have a choice, at least here she and the team could protect him, there were too many variables and risks if he'd stayed at the hospital. The attack on the crime lab only served to strengthen her conviction that she had made the right choice, hopefully the Malucci's had left something behind that would lead the team to their whereabouts before anyone else got hurt.
She knew that she would need to head back to the lab tomorrow, not only were the team working tirelessly to track down the people threatening Horatio's life they also had other cases piling up. Crime never sleeps, she though bitterly to herself as she yawned. It hit her then how tired she felt, she realised that she had been pushing herself beyond her limits recently and it was beginning to take its toll on her. Worrying about Horatio and trying to keep the lab running smoothly was becoming more than she could cope with, Eric tried to help her out as best he could but she knew that ultimately the responsibility was hers. The Captain had already started asking questions, being Horatio's second in command she was responsible for reporting to her superiors in his absence. Her cell phone had chirped earlier in the evening and she had reluctantly answered it only to be told that her attendance at a meeting with the Captain was required in the morning, despite her protests that the lab was under pressure and understaffed Hernandez would not take no for an answer.
It was lucky then that she managed to get hold of Horatio's old partner, Andy Sipowicz who was planning to return to New York the day after tomorrow. She and Eric had tried to convince him to stay, arguing that it would help Horatio to have at least one person around him that he remembered but the gruff former detective declined telling them that he could better serve his friend by making enquiries back in New York in an attempt to shake up some leads for the team to follow. Calleigh was relieved when Andy agreed to spend tomorrow at her house, hoping that it would help to lift Horatio's dark mood.
Andy's stance had certainly softened towards his former partner since their first meeting in the hospital earlier in the week but Calleigh was aware that it would take more than an explanation and an apology to make up for the years of hurt Horatio's undercover mission had caused the older man. Both men were in a state of shock from the recent revelations about their shared past and it would do them both good to talk to each other and make up for lost time with tomorrow being the perfect opportunity to do that.
Mustering up the energy to move, Calleigh dragged her weary body into the kitchen to make herself one last coffee before retiring for the night. The plate of food that she had put by for Horatio sat on the counter and had long since gone cold, when she had crept up to his room earlier she had found him lying on his side deeply asleep. He had looked peaceful and his face had taken on an almost boyish look, the worry lines and permanent frown that he seemed to be wearing recently were no longer evident. She placed the tray of food down and walked over to the bed to study him more closely, the urge to reach out and touch him became too much as she stroked an errant lock of his auburn hair away from his forehead. She froze as he mumbled and twitched and let out a sigh of relief when he did not wake, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead she picked up the tray and closed the door quietly.
Shaking the thoughts from her head she went through the motions of making herself a drink, it was then that she saw her purse lying on the kitchen table and a familiar-looking photo frame peeking out of the top of it. She had sat with Horatio as he looked through the photos that he had kept in his office drawer but she had not got round to showing him this one, knowing that there was only so much a person could handle in one day. Normally a man in complete control of his emotions Horatio had shown today how disorientating and unsettling it was to lose the memories of almost half of your life, trying to find his way in a world that he didn't understand had made his moods irrational and unpredictable, snapping at the people around him in anger and frustration. She could tell that Eric was struggling to come to terms with the changes in his brother in law, they had grown so close, especially in the years since Marisol's death and to be treated like a stranger by the redhead cut him to the bone, rational thinking went out of the window when matters of the heart were involved.
The jealousy that Eric had shown towards her cut her deeply too, although their romance had died out some time ago Eric could not help the bitterness he felt whenever he saw his former flame getting close to Horatio. In a cruel twist of irony he found himself jealous of both of them and the closeness they shared and even though Horatio had no recollection of her he had trusted her almost from the first moment he set eyes on her. Being pushed away to the side had been a bitter pill to swallow after everything he had done for his late sister's widower.
Taking the picture of out of her bag she ran a reverent finger over the gold frame, inside was a picture of Horatio and his son, Kyle who was dressed in his Army uniform. As they stood arm in arm and smiled for the camera it was clear to see the likeness between the two of them, especially those deep blue eyes that they shared. She knew how deeply it had hurt Horatio to find out that he had a son that he hadn't known about for so many years and he had done everything in his power since then to forge a relationship with Kyle. The road had been rocky at first but Horatio had never given up on his son, it was yet another trait of his that Calleigh admired, his tenacity and unwillingness never to give up no matter the personal cost to him. His patience had paid off as Kyle slowly became a much larger part of his life, the path they had travelled together had not always run smoothly but a deep bond of trust and respect had grown between them. She could see the similarities in their personalities too; Kyle had inherited his father's stubbornness which had often led to arguments between the two of them, especially when it came to Kyle's insistence on returning to the frontline in Afghanistan. His father had wanted him close by to be able to protect him but Kyle had made up his mind not to desert his fellow 'brothers' in the Army. Fierce loyalty to those around them was yet another thing they shared, each would willingly give their lives to protect others and although she feared for the young man's safety she knew Horatio was proud of the man his wayward son had become. Telling him can wait until tomorrow; right now he needs to rest. She placed the photo on the worktop before casting one last glance around the room and turning out the light.
The shrill ringing of the telephone woke him up, he quickly ran his hand over the passenger seat as he groped for and picked it up before answering.
"Any movement yet?"
Shit, Gianni. He ran a hand over his face a couple of times in an effort to wake himself up fully, his boss would kill him if he found out he had been sleeping on the job. "It's all quiet, boss," he replied as he saw the lights go out on the first floor of the building. "Looks like they're calling it a night."
"And what about the men guarding the house?"
He grabbed his binoculars and focused in on the officers in their patrol cars, "Still there, I've been keeping an eye on the times of their shift changes."
The man on the end of the phone let out a smug chuckle, "Good, soon it will be time to make our move."