Re: Until we meet again
As Yelina’s chin reached her chest, she jerked awake. The sun had yet to rise, and she knew full well that the dream she’d had was only that, a dream. She didn’t really believe Ray was going to make it that easy on her. Not after what he’d done to Horatio in a fit of anger because he thought Horatio had called her back and they were ‘involved’.
It had been a long morning already; she had come into Ray’s room shortly after talking to the doctor, waiting for Ray to wake up. She was surprised she’d even been able to fall asleep, as tied up with worry as she was. She wished that the sun would rise quickly, so she could see Horatio with her own eyes, touch him and let him know she was there.
Yelina walked to window, slanting the blinds open to watch the horizon. It was beginning to blush; the sun was near to rising. Within a handful of hours now, she would be able to see him. She listened to Ray’s breathing; it wasn’t so deep; he would wake soon. Horatio’s would not be so even, she knew.
As the sun began to peek, a nurse entering the room caused her to turn around. It was a different nurse than she had spoken to earlier, signing Ray’s admission papers. Thankfully, the nurse had been helpful in making sure the right papers got filed to keep his presence here unknown, and his room private. As far as she knew, it was still not safe for him to be here in the states. They had filed new papers, new names, for him in Brazil. These were the ones she signed him in with.
She drew herself out of her thoughts as the nurse left. Ray was awake now, and she closed the door behind the nurse.
*****
On the other side of the door, the nurses heard the door lock, and their voices begin. As one hour, and then another wore on, the voices rose occasionally, in the end finally staying low. Just as the breakfast trays arrived, the woman came out of the room, leaving the door ajar and walking down the hallway. As the nurse walked in with the tray, she found the man sitting up against his pillows, looking pensive and red eyed.
*****
Yelina walked back down the hall towards the waiting area, and elevators. She still had over an hour before she could see Horatio, and she needed to get some coffee, and food. She wasn’t sure if anybody from the department would be here, either from last night or new this morning. Either way, she wouldn’t have been surprised. However, as she saw Rick Stetler walking towards her and saw the look on his face, HE was surprised to see HER.
“Yelina?! What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in… I mean, I thought you were on vacation.”
‘Idiot’, she thought, as she said, “ I was, and am, on vacation. I was just getting back home when I heard about Horatio on the radio, and came over to see how he was doing.”
“That’s great, Yelina. Say, can I talk to you for a minute, privately? Maybe in this room here? Would that be alright?”
Yelina humored Rick and followed him into the empty room. She didn’t think that he would be stupid enough to try anything, after the last time. As she walked into the room, and heard Rick lock the door behind him, she began to think she might have been wrong. Turning around and seeing the look on his face settled it. And there was nothing this time for her to use on him. Settling her shoulders she glared at him.
“What do you want, Stetler?”
“Plain and simple, Yelina. Where’s Raymond?”
Even as the shock registered and she began to see how things connected, she scoffed. “What are you talking about? Raymond is in the same place now that he has been since his funeral.”
“Don’t treat me like I’m stupid, Yelina. I know that Horatio found out Raymond was still alive, and I know he got him out of the country. Coincidentally enough, the same time you began your vacation. Now, you’re back, Horatio has shot someone and is the hospital himself. So, where’s Raymond?”
“I don’t know.”
Stetler’s hand came at her too quickly for her to stop it or get out of range. Her ears rang as he struck her face, with great effort she stayed on her feet. In her momentary daze he grabbed her wrist and brought her close to him.
“I said, where’s Raymond?”
Yelina glared at him and shook her head as she told him again, “I don’t know.”
Stetler struck her again, and the only thing that kept her up this time was the grip he had on her wrist.
“Let’s try this another way then, Yelina. I believe that the person Horatio shot was Raymond, and I believe Raymond is the reason Horatio is here. So, which room is Raymond in?”
Yelina shook her head again, as she denied what Rick was saying. Before she could open her mouth to speak, Rick punched her in the stomach.
“Think about it, Yelina, and watch out for yourself. Powerful people are looking for Raymond, and I’ve promised to deliver him to them. Keep out of their, and my, way.”
As she leaned against one of the beds for support, she watched Rick walk out and down the hallway. She rested her head briefly on the rail, catching her breath and swallowing the pain. She stood slowly and walked into the bathroom connected to the room. Looking in the mirror, she dabbed at the blood, cleaning it off her face, and brushing her hair back with her hands. As she walked out, she glanced at the clock. She had enough time to get a cup of coffee, and than she needed to get to Horatio’s room.
She was pretty sure she knew now who had made that phone call to him. And she suspected Calleigh would be close to Horatio’s room as well. She could tell her what she knew; Calleigh and Frank ought to be able to get this sorted out for Horatio. If nothing else, if they could catch up to Stetler, and make things difficult for him for a while.
Yelina walked slowly down the hall, stepping into the waiting room and grabbing a cup of coffee. She noted each person that was there, she recognized one person from the police department and nodded. She took the coffee with her as she headed to Horatio’s room. She would have the luxury later of giving into the pain, but for now, someone else needed her more. She walked through the doors and saw Calleigh and Frank and the doctor standing outside a room. They stopped talking until Yelina was able to join them, and then the doctor continued.
“Like I said, I had hoped for a little more than what we’ve seen this morning. He doesn’t seem to want to fight. The anesthesia should be worn off, but he’s not made any attempts to move or to awaken. I hope he improves some during the day. I should be able to better tell you this afternoon.”
Yelina saw the concern on her face mirrored on Calleigh and Frank’s face as the doctor continued his rounds. She sacrificed a few precious minutes to update Calleigh and Frank with what had occurred and what she knew. As she promised to let them know how Horatio looked, and they promised to take care of things, they parted ways.
Yelina steeled herself as she opened the door to Horatio’s room. The room was dim; the machines attached to him silenced or quiet. The pump and hiss of the respirator was a faded background noise as she stared at the figure on the bed. His back was to her, covered in white bandaging freshly changed, his shock of red hair stood out boldly on the pillow. She walked slowly around the foot of the bed to look at his face. His eyes were closed, his eyebrows red slashes against a pale background, his lips barely pink.
His hands were above the neatly folded cover, as pale as his face. She pulled a chair close so she could sit by him and gently took hold of the nearest one. She bent her head and kissed the top of it, then rested her cheek on it as she allowed the tears to flow quietly. How she wished he was awake so she could talk to him, she could tell him Raymond was alive, that things were being taken care of, she loved him and wanted to be with him. She chose the things that seemed most important and whispered them to him, not wanting to break the quiet anymore than that, and not sure he could hear her, anyway.
*****
Horatio had found a place to sit, and was watching for the gates of hell to open up for him. There was nowhere else he deserved to go. He looked up in the sky as it looked like a storm was brewing. Lightning raced across the sky, the wind whistled, sounding like whispers. As he contemplated this, he began to realize this was no storm. There was only person who could make his nerves race, the lightning flashes if you would. Yelina. He backed into a cave. He would hurt her no longer. Did she know he’d killed her husband, his brother? There was little way she couldn’t.
As the rain began to fell, he bowed his head as his own tears fell. God only knew how she was cursing him as she cried over the second loss of her husband, this time by his hand.
He’d gone over it in his head time and again. He’d taken a killing shot; he’d thought he’d been left no choice. He perceived a threat that he didn’t see any other way to stop.
Even if she found it somewhere deep in her to forgive him, even if she was even now whispering that forgiveness to him, he could not forgive himself. Of all people, he should have recognized his brother. To take that shot at him was unforgivable, to actually kill him even more so.
He stood and walked deeper into the cave he’d entered. If hell wasn’t going to come to him, he’d go and find it himself.
*****
The hour she’d been given to visit Horatio this morning was over. At least she knew he breathed, his heart beat and he was alive. She stood, her tears dry, and gave the machines a passing glance as she began to go out. Their read outs gave her pause. She had not looked at them when she had come in, but somehow it seemed to her that his heartbeat had slowed. She muddled in her head whether that was good, okay, or bad. She tucked it away as something to ask the doctor about when she saw him this afternoon.
Yelina left the hospital to go home, take a quick nap, change her clothes and get a bite to eat. On the way, she called Calleigh, keeping her promise. She knew there was still someone from the department at the hospital, and they would call her if anything happened.
Her thoughts wandered as she took a shower, and lay down. She found they wandered with enough specificity to keep her from sleeping. She’d seen up close the shot Raymond had taken. She knew that for all intents he should have been dead. The shot looked like it had meant to kill, a last resort. The momentum of his body toward Horatio must have changed the path enough to keep it from killing. Amazing, really. But if you had taken a shot like that, you would really believe you had killed the victim. She had to let Horatio know somehow that Raymond was alive. A part of her believed that if he wasn’t fighting, that was why. She shook her head; she’d see what happened this afternoon.
She shut her eyes, and slept. It was short and troubled, riddled with glimpses of possible futures. Graveside services for Horatio. Days spent by his side at hospital until she couldn’t stay anymore, as he never awoke. Raymond at Horatio’s grave, and then killing himself because He had killed His brother. Explaining to Ray Jr. what had happened to his father and his uncle.
*****
Morning moved into afternoon, and Yelina arrived at the hospital again. She had to know if his condition had improved. She approached the waiting room and saw Calleigh and Frank already there. Together they went to I.C.U, and located the doctor. The grim look on his face gave them a preview of what they faced.
“I’m sorry, detectives”, the doctor said as he should his head sadly. “Lieutenant Caine is not getting any better. In all honesty, he is getting worse. His vital signs have deteriorated. I’m not going to be able to allow any visitors but family, and them only for a short while.”
“Really”, he continued, “It’s a little surprising. I’ve met the lieutenant before, when he’s been in for different reasons, different people. He always seemed quite determined, a fighter. It’s almost like he doesn’t have anything fight for.”
Yelina’s insides jumped as she heard him say this. “Doctor, I’m family, I really must be able to go in and see him.”
The doctor looked at her carefully, and slowly nodded his head. “ I won’t need to remind you, just for a short while. And he can hear what you say, even while unconscious. Don’t say anything to upset him. There’s a delicate balance in there right now.”
Yelina nodded her head and thanked him as she moved past him and into Horatio’s room. There was a nurse in the room who left as Yelina sat in the chair. She picked up the hand she’d held this morning; it was colder to the touch. Tears filled her eyes as she held it close in both her hands, warming it. She leaned closer, gently brushing her lips across his cheek before putting her mouth close to his ear.
“Horatio”, she quietly spoke, “Horatio, if you can hear me, please listen. Raymond didn’t die, he’s fine, and he’s going to make it. We need you to fight to get better, Horatio, please. I need you here with me. Please, don’t leave me, Horatio.”
Tears fell as she spoke, she gently wiped his face dry of them as she stood up. A quiet knock sounded on the door, signaling that her time was up. She gave his hand one final squeeze, placing it gently on the cover, and forced herself to walk out of the room. From this point, she had to be strong no matter what happened, he would want her to be.
