Eric ran a hand over the back of his neck, as if rubbing the aching area would relieve some of the stress of the day that he had endured. His shift had finished nearly an hour ago and yet he found himself unable to leave the lab just yet. It had been a long and mostly unpleasant day, he found himself repeatedly distracted by thoughts of his brother in law and his reluctance to acknowledge that the incident yesterday had even happened.
He'd met Horatio in the Trace lab in the morning, surprised to find that the older man had arrived for work earlier than he had. He'd asked him to accompany him on a visit to Chico's Bar and was dismayed when Horatio had turned him down and advised him to take Ryan or Walter instead.
He'd pleaded with Horatio to see sense, to convince him that all he needed was to get back out in the field to prove to himself that he was still capable of doing his job. His words fell on deaf ears as Horatio looked at him with those haunted blue eyes, the depth of sadness clear for all to see.
"I shouldn't be out there," Horatio had told him quietly as he fiddled with his sunglasses, avoiding making eye contact with Eric.
"I think you're making a mistake, H."
"I appreciate your concern, Brother, but I think the best place for me to be right now is here."
Horatio had pinned him with those eyes again but it was obvious that the fire in him had been extinguished.
"Check out Fernandez's alibi and let me know what you find."
He had opened his mouth to say something but Horatio had already turned his back on him, signalling that the conversation was over.
The ride to Chico's Bar was unpleasant as a prickly atmosphere descended upon Eric and his partner for the day as they kept their eyes straight ahead for the duration of the journey.
"Quit glaring at me, Delko," Ryan snarled as he took a right turn in the Hummer. "I didn't mention what happened yesterday to IAB if that's what you're thinking," he added a moment later.
"You expect me to thank you?" the Cuban retorted as his voice rose.
"Of course I don't!" Ryan took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing, "I don't get why you're treating me like crap, I'm not the one who choked yesterday."
It wasn't the wisest thing he'd ever said and Ryan once more found himself cursing his big mouth.
"We're a team, Wolfe. We look out for each other; we have each other's backs."
"Only when it suits you it seems," he muttered as he concentrated on the task of driving, something that was becoming increasingly difficult as his anger increased.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"How many times have you all left me hanging out to dry, I got fired for God's sake!"
"And who was it that took you back?"
"That's not the point. The point is that Horatio has covered for you in the past, ignored things that he should have dealt with but when it comes to the time when I mess up, I either end up getting suspended or fired."
"That's because you're stupid enough to get yourself into those situations in the first place, Wolfe."
"He treats you differently, what makes you so special?"
Eric picked up on the insolent tone in his colleague's voice.
"Wait a minute, you're jealous?"
"No," he lied.
"So you're gonna sell Horatio out to IAB because he likes me more than you?"
Eric laughed incredulously. "That has to be the most ridiculous thing that I've ever heard."
"I haven't said that I'd tell them yet."
"And you better not, or I swear to God that I'll make you pay," Eric barked.
Ryan wasn't sure if things could get any worse as he found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. In normal circumstances he would have sought advice from Horatio and it was clear that was not an option at the moment.
Flashback. Miami 7 weeks ago:
"Hey, Sugar," Alexx greeted her patient warmly as she entered his room, her smile faltering when she saw the scowl on his face.
She ignored his pale imitation of a glare and set her bag down on the bed before perching down next to it.
"I've come to check on your wounds, I need to see if they're healing. Can you sit forward for me?"
He had tried his best but found his weak and feeble body would not obey his commands, he felt even more ashamed when Alexx took him gently by the shoulders and helped him to move into position.
It shocked him at how hard it seemed to maintain his current position, he had never found sitting up in bed this hard before and if it weren't for the steadying presence of Alexx's firm grip he would likely have sunk back down to the bed in an undignified heap.
He kept as still as he could as the doctor ran her hands over his injured body but could not help the grunts or small gasps of pain as she pressed on one tender area after another. He was grateful when her inspection was completed and she helped him to lie back down on the mound of pillows at the head of the bed.
"Have you been taking the meds I gave you?" Alexx asked as she applied a cuff to his right arm and began taking a reading of his blood pressure.
"Yes, Calleigh has been making sure I take them with military precision," he muttered as he closed his eyes briefly.
"And how is the pain?" she asked as she placed a thermometer in his ear and waited for the beep that would signify the results.
"Tolerable."
Satisfied that the reading was within the normal range, she placed the thermometer back in her bag and gave her friend a long, hard look as if assessing his level of recovery by sight alone.
"That's Horatio speak for, 'I'm in agony'"
He said nothing and instead tried glaring at her again.
"I'll up the pain meds, which should help."
He continued to glare at her; she could see the muscles in his face twitch with barely controlled anger.
"It seems as if Calleigh and Kyle have been taking excellent care of you, those wounds are healing nicely and there's no sign of infection."
She failed to hear his mumbled response clearly as his uninjured hand covered his face, experience had taught her that whatever he had uttered it was likely to be some sort of castigation of himself.
"Quit whining, Horatio," she said firmly as she clicked her bag shut and placed it on the floor.
His head shot up to look at her incredulously.
"Excuse me?"
"I said quit whining. Those two out there have been working round the clock looking after you, the least you could do is show them some gratitude."
"You think I'm enjoying this?" he asked as his voice rose.
"No, you hate every minute of it but your making sure that everyone else Goddamn knows about it too!"
Both of them sat there in dumfounded silence, never in all the years that he had known her had Alexx ever raised her voice to him.
She took a couple of deep breaths in order to calm herself.
"Come on, I'm getting you out of here," she said as she pulled the cotton sheet away from his body and held out a hand to him.
Still stinging from the way she had spoken to him, he wasn't sure he wanted to go anywhere with Alexx right now.
"Where are we going?" he asked warily as he accepted her hand and pulled himself into an upright position with her support, he stopped and sat on the edge of the bed as he tried to regain his breath.
"You need a change of scenery, Sugar," she told him as she helped to raise him from the bed and guided him gently to the bedroom door.
Together they shakily made their way across the landing and down the stairs. The short trip had all but exhausted Horatio and he was glad when Alexx had finally settled him out on the balcony in Calleigh's back yard.
He gave Alexx a shy smile once she had helped him to lower himself to the comfy chair that was surrounded by a mound of cushions. Just breathing in the fresh sea air seemed to lift his spirits a little and he found himself relaxing as he watched the gulls on the beach, flying up into the sky and then darting back down to the sand below as they hunted their unsuspecting prey.
Happy that her patient was settled, Alexx made her way back into the kitchen where she found Calleigh and Kyle nursing a cup of coffee each, both of them looking exhausted.
"He ok?" the young boy asked as he nodded his head towards his father.
"He's healing well, looks like things are on track," she smiled back.
"That's not what I meant," Kyle replied, frowning.
She smiled at him sadly, "I know, Hun. I think being stuck indoors for so long is not helping his bedside manner any, I'm hoping that spending a few hours outside might cheer him up a little."
"You think it will work?" Calleigh asked quietly as she took a sip of coffee.
Alexx shrugged her shoulders in response.
"It certainly can't hurt. Just make sure that he stays in the shade and has plenty to drink, we don't want him getting dehydrated again."
The three of them looked at each other as the unspoken memories of Horatio's battle to survive came vividly to mind for each of them.
"It's important that we start getting him up and about each day now, he'll get stronger the more he moves around. The last thing we want is for him to be stuck in that bed any longer than he has to."
"Encourage him to do as much for himself as he can and try not to coddle him, it's only making him feel worse than he already does. If we keep treating him like he's fragile he's going to believe that's how we see him," she continued.
"We did the wrong thing?" Calleigh asked nervously.
It took a moment for Alexx to realise the manner in which the blonde woman had taken her comments and she acted quickly to rectify her mistake.
"No, you've both done great. He's healing well and doing better than I expected he would, physically speaking. Horatio's never been a good patient at the best of times but I think this has taken more out of him than we all realised."
"What do we do then?" Kyle asked as he picked nervously at his fingernails.
"Well, don't take any crap from him for a start."
Alexx smiled as they both looked at her, the shock clear to see.
"He's bitter and angry, trying to push us all away so that we don't see how much he's hurting. Isolating himself is what he wants, you need to stand up to him even if he screams and shouts at you to leave him be. Make him channel that anger into getting back on his feet."
"That's easier said than done, Alexx," Calleigh murmured.
The doctor smiled at her friend. "You'll get the hang of it."
It had been one of the most pleasant days that Calleigh could remember recently. Sitting Horatio out on the back porch had been a masterstroke as she saw how much more relaxed he looked enjoying the gentle heat in the shade on a warm summer's day. The lines that aged his face seemed much less pronounced as he spent time with his son; he had even let out a small laugh at one point.
It amazed her to see how wonderful Kyle was with his father, he had most certainly followed in his Horatio's footsteps as he treated him with gentleness and respect, never taking it personally when Horatio became disheartened or lashed out at those around him.
Kyle had taken care of his father's most basic needs, providing physical support when required and emotional stability when it was desperately needed by the older man. Calleigh could clearly see that Kyle idolised him and his father's current predicament had done nothing to change his opinion of him.
She listened in as Kyle told his father the plans he had made for the both of them to go fishing and the things they would do together as father and son, seeing the hopeful look on the boy's face gave her hope that Horatio would finally find his way out of this.
The three of them had enjoyed lunch and supper on the porch, chatting and sharing a laugh or two. Calleigh could see that Horatio was beginning to tire and had offered to take him inside several times but he had refused, it was as if he viewed his bed as a prison and wanted to stay a free man for as long as possible. She had granted his wish and allowed him to stay on the porch as they watched the sun set over the crashing waves of the beach below. She had insisted that his legs were covered with a blanket as the temperature began to drop and was surprised when he agreed without argument; it was a testament to how much good a day in the sun had done him.
She heard a knock at the front door as she was busying herself with tidying away the dishes from earlier, she made her way to the door, intrigued as to who would be visiting at this time and was surprised to find Ryan standing there.
"Hey, Cal," he smiled, the poor man looked exhausted.
"Rough day?"
He gave her a wan smile.
"Something like that. Just wanted to see how H was doing?"
"He's good thanks, wanna come and see him?"
She smiled at the excited look her young colleague gave her.
"Really?"
"Sure, he's out on the back porch."
Horatio's whole body stiffened as he heard Ryan's voice making its way nearer to him, suddenly feeling embarrassed to be surrounded by cushions and blankets, it made him feel like a weak old fool in front of his subordinate.
"Hey, H. Nice to see you up and about," Ryan smiled as he sat down on a free chair.
"Mr Wolfe," he replied as he kept his gaze out towards the beach, his ever-present sunglasses covering his eyes.
Ryan felt disheartened by the other man's lacklustre response to his arrival; he had hoped that Horatio would have shown a little more enthusiasm for seeing him. It had been over a week since he'd seen him last and he had still been in the hospital at that point.
Calleigh had kept all of the team away during that time; the only people who had been granted permission to visit were Eric and Horatio's old partner, Andy. As much as he tried to hide it he was hurt that he had been kept at arm's length for so long, he'd hoped that the years he had spent under Horatio's tutelage had brought them closer together yet the older man seemed to be treating him as nothing more than a passing acquaintance as each time he tried to make decent conversation he was rewarded with succinct answers.
"I'll let you get some rest," Ryan said finally as he got up to leave, disappointed in Horatio's response to his impromptu visit.
"The team all miss you, they send their love," he added a few moments later.
He watched as Horatio's body tensed once more as he refused to look at the younger man.
"Thank you, Mr Wolfe," he replied quietly.
Present day. Miami:
Jesus Fernandez's alibi collapsed as Eric and Ryan questioned Cherry, the head waitress at Chico's Bar. She had denied ever seeing him on the night in question and when asked if she could be mistaken she had replied with some ferocity that she would have remembered if a 'low-life' like Jesus had been there that night.
It seemed as if there were few people who held a high opinion of their suspect, even his girlfriend seemed to treat him with a certain level of disdain and had not stood in their way when they returned to Jesus' home to question him further and eventually arrest him on suspicion of murder.
Jesus had complained all the way back to the Department that he was innocent but his pleas fell on deaf ears as Ryan dragged him from the back of the Hummer in a less than gentle manner.
It was fate that his eyes met those of his superior as he stood across the street with a Styrofoam cup in his hand. Horatio had been wearing his sunglasses but Ryan could tell by the way the man held himself that he wanted to say something. He felt unnerved by Horatio's continued gaze at him and looked away, busying himself with hauling Jesus closer to the building.
He and Eric had questioned Jesus for hours but their suspect steadfastly refused to answer any questions about the double murder at Coral Springs, claiming his was innocent and that he'd been set up. After taking with Frank, he and Eric decided that a night in lock-up might loosen Jesus's lips a little, they would let him stew overnight and question him again in the morning.
Ryan had departed the lab as soon as the shift was over without speaking another word to Eric, neither man willing to reach out an olive branch to the other after their harsh words earlier in the day. They had been civil to each other but Eric was under no illusion that the others in the team had not picked up on the frosty atmosphere between the two of them.
Eric rubbed a tired hand over his face, the team were falling apart, much like their leader, and there seemed to be nothing he could do to stop the inevitable from happening. Something would have to give, and soon.