For some reason furryfurbi can't access her account so I was asked to post the story for her:
Healing Chapter 2 - Worry And Relief
Eric Delko had been pacing from the moment he set foot in the hospital. Four hours had passed since the team had discovered Horatio's prone body on the pier where he and Natalia had gone to find Randy, a meeting that had turned into a nearly fatal setup. He shut his eyes, trying to block out the horrible memory of seeing his longtime boss and close friend sprawled helplessly on the ground, a large blood pool forming around him. But it was useless. Eric knew would never forget this day even if he lived to be one hundred.
The day had been tough and long for everyone involved in trying to track down Jack Toller. The team had been called out early to the airport where Toller had hijacked his flight and escaped, wounding Sergeant Frank Tripp and leaving two dead bodies in his wake. Eric was thankful his boss got out without a scratch. A gunfight in close quarters was always deadly, not to mention at twenty thousand feet above ground.
Then Eric himself had discovered the body of an innocent woman, a mother and wife, attacked and dumped on the side of the road like a piece of garbage. The moment he saw her lifeless form, he knew it had to be Toller. The next several hours passed in a whirlwind, as the entire team raced to find Toller and the young woman he had abducted, Kaylee. Their search eventually led them to the home of Bernard Ashcroft, fat-cat banker and, as it happened, the buyer for Toller's counterfeit plates. They had rescued a hysterical Kaylee, and Eric was happy to say at least one thing had gone right in this investigation, even if Toller had eluded them again.
He hadn't known about Natalia and Horatio's meeting with Randy North, but Eric couldn't help feeling as though he should have been there to back his colleagues up. The patrol officers scheduled to meet them at the pier in case the deal went south had been detained by a multi-car pileup. By the time they arrived and called it in, North and Toller were long gone, Horatio was critically injured, and Natalia was nowhere in sight.
Eric and Calleigh had leapt into their Hummer and driven at breakneck speed to the pier, arriving before the ambulance. Ryan and Walter followed. All held their breath, fearing the worst: they were too late, and Horatio was already gone. When he caught sight of his boss face down, helpless, unmoving, Eric's heart leapt into his throat. All the years they had known each other, first as friends, then colleagues, and finally brothers, all the memories, flashed before his eyes. The second Calleigh slowed the vehicle enough for him to jump out, he did, running towards his fallen comrade, heart pounding, lungs burning.
The two patrol officers jogged up beside him. "We just got here and called it in, sir," the first one panted. "We haven't touched anything and there's no sign of Jack Toller."
Too frantic to listen, Eric gingerly rolled Horatio onto his back. "H?" he called in panic. "Can you hear me?"
Horatio's face was deathly pale, so much so that his freckles had all but disappeared. The lower half of his blue shirt was soaked in bright red blood. Eric was a CSI, not a doctor, but even he could tell that if medical assistance didn't arrive quickly, the man would die. He placed his head on his boss's chest, straining to find a heartbeat. It was faint and erratic, but at least he was still hanging on.
"H, you listen to me," Eric growled, anger, frustration, and fear forming a lump in his throat. "You've got to stay with us, you understand? We can't lose you. I can't lose you." He had to bite his lip to keep from completely breaking down as he ordered one of the officers to take off his jacket and apply pressure to the wound.
Just then, the three remaining CSI's ran up to him. Calleigh was already choking back sobs and Ryan's complexion had turned sheet-white.
"Oh, man," Walter breathed, staring at his boss's limp form. "Eric, is he..."
"He's hanging on - barely," Eric replied, still half in shock. The team heaved a collective sigh of relief. "But I don't know for how much longer. That ambulance better get here soon."
"Where's Natalia?" Ryan interjected.
In his focus on keeping Horatio alive, he had completely forgotten about the other CSI. "I-I don't know," he stammered.
"What do you mean you don't know?" the younger man shouted. "She's not here?"
"Look, man," Eric cried, his voice cracking, "The second Calleigh and I got here, I ran over to help H. I don't know where Natalia is!"
"Walter, Ryan," the blonde CSI said urgently. "Search the perimeter. I doubt Randy or Toller are still around, but Natalia may be in danger. Eric, you stay here and keep an eye on H."
No sooner than ten seconds after Calleigh had issued the order, Eric heard the cry. "She's in the water!"
Ryan was standing on the edge of the pier. He waved his hands frantically, gesturing towards the ocean. "Eric - she's down there! She's in the water!"
"Keep the pressure on!" Eric yelled at the patrol officer. Running to the other CSI's, he was met with a sight he knew would be seared into his soul forever. A battered yellow car was in the ocean, sinking fast. Someone was inside, banging on the trunk, screaming.
"Natalia!" he cried, quickly peeling off his jacket and shoes.
Ryan did the same. Just then, the car gave one finale gurgle and disappeared beneath the surface.
"No!" Ryan yelled, jumping in without hesitation.
"Go, Eric!" Calleigh cried, and the team's master scuba diver flew into the water.
It was chilly and murky. Eric's eyes took a moment to adjust before he spotted the car. His partner was already swimming furiously towards it and pounding on the trunk. The two men struggled with the panel for a full minute before at last, mercifully, it opened. Eric wedged his arms inside and grabbed Natalia, dearly hoping they weren't too late.
When they broke the surface, the first thing Eric heard was the wail of an approaching siren, followed by Calleigh's cry of relief. With Ryan's help, they managed to hoist Natalia's limp body up onto the pier.
"She's not breathing!" Calleigh cried in a near panic. She immediately began chest compressions on her fallen colleague. "Come on, girl! Breathe, Natalia!"
"Please," Ryan begged as he gasped for air. "Come back to us, Natalia. Please..."
"Officer Delko?" He whirled around at the sound of his name, still breathing heavily from the vivid memory.
"What is it?"
"It's about Lieutenant Caine," the nurse said.
Eric nearly ran towards her, eyes wide. "What's wrong? Please tell me he's not -"
"No, it's nothing like that, dear," she reassured. "He's awake."
"Oh..." Eric was lost for words as his heart tried to return to normal.
"Would you like to see him?"
"Of course! Where is he?"
"In the ICU," she replied with a smile. "Right this way."
He followed her, all the while saying a silent thanks to his personal God that his friend had pulled through. Of course, he wasn't completely out of the woods yet, but he knew Horatio was strong. And he'd made it this far.
"Here you are, Officer," the nurse said, ushering Eric into the small room.
"Thanks," he said.
"I'll leave you two alone, but I'll be back soon to give the Lieutenant his medication." Then she left, quietly closing the door behind her.
Eric approached the bed, glancing at the monitor beside where Horatio lay. His heart rate was steady, his breathing even. "H?" he said softly.
The figure on the bed stirred.
"Eric." Horatio's voice was weak, but recognizable.
He sighed in relief. "Hey, H. How you feeling?"
"I've... been better," Horatio croaked. "Eric?" he said, a bit louder.
"Yeah?"
"Natalia."
"She's fine, H," he replied. "She's got a pretty nasty bump from where Randy hit her, but you know Nat - it'll take more than that to keep her out of the lab."
He heard Horatio give a faint exhale. Looking at his boss, he saw tears forming in the older man's blue eyes. "H?"
Horatio was silent for several moments, trying to get himself under control. Eric took his hand. "It's okay, H. I understand."
He clasped Eric's hand tightly. "Thank God," he murmured, gratitude and relief rushing through him.
As his eyes began to close, he heard Eric say, "You just rest, H. Rest."
Soon, he drifted off into a peaceful sleep. He could rest now knowing that his team, his family, was safe.
