EyeHeartH
CSI Level One
After a discussion on the DuCaine thread about what we'd like to see, I decided to expand upon one idea offered by EmeraldEyes06. The result lies before you:
“Horatio? Can you hear me?”
Horatio slowly opened his eyes as a blurry image slowly came into focus. The intense pounding in his head, persistent since his transfer out of ICU, came to his realisation once the bright sunlight streamed into the room and pierced through his half-closed eyelids. He moaned, turning his head to face the windowless side of the room. The still-unknown visitor walked over and pulled the shades over the window, blanketing the hospital room with a welcome darkness. Still quite woozy from the morphine, Horatio had a hard time deciphering the voice to put a name and a face to it, but once Calleigh moved close to his bedside and turned on the lamp, a faint creamy light illuminated her worried yet smiling face. To him, however, her face was enough to brighten the darkest of any room.
Horatio mustered up enough energy to smile once he knew who was sitting beside him, gently rubbing his icy hand.
“Hi,” Horatio whispered.
“Hey,” Calleigh replied, quite relieved. “How you feeling?”
“Ugh, like…like a million jackhammers…are running in my head,” Horatio said. “What…what happened?”
“You were shot two times in the chest and fell and hit your head on a concrete floor, which explains the headache; the doctors say you sustained a concussion but you’ll be alright. It was the bullets that put you in ICU,” Calleigh said, still rubbing his hand. “Your hands are cold. Are you okay?”
“I’m…fine…”
“Okay,” Calleigh said, unconvinced of his response. His disheveled appearance worried her slightly; his normally well-groomed red hair was a mess and his eyes, usually a shade of blue that rivaled the bluest oceans, were cloudy and somewhat sad. The emergence of tiny red whiskers dotting his jaw and mouth were quite an unusual appearance considering Horatio had always maintained a clean-cut appearance.
“Well, I’m going to be here until visiting hours are over,” she continued, “and keep you company. I’ve missed you, Horatio.”
“I’ve…missed you too,” Horatio said as Calleigh pulled another layer of blanket over him. I cannot believe I almost lost you, Calleigh said to herself. I almost never got the chance to tell you how I feel.
----------
Horatio’s first day back on the job, although filled with ecstatic hugs and welcome-backs, was otherwise kept low-stress in order to reacclimatize him back to the normal routine. Since her visit in the hospital, Calleigh had assumed temporary leadership of the crime lab and was thus kept away by the responsibilities from further visits, which she deeply regretted, as the others had hardly enough time to visit him either. So when she got to see him again, she was overcome with relief that he was back to his normal self.
“Welcome back,” Calleigh said softly, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.
“Thank you,” Horatio said, returning the hug. “It’s great to be back on my feet.”
Calleigh pulled away slightly to look right into his eyes, which had regained the usual brilliant blue hue. When she realised that she was grinning uncontrollably, she blushed and turned her head away.
“Calleigh? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just…”
Horatio gently guided Calleigh’s head back to face his, and looked at her with a questioning expression.
“What is it?”
“It’s just…it wasn’t the same without you when you were gone. It always was, even before this.”
Horatio tilted his head, clueless as to what she meant. Calleigh looked at him, anticipating words that she had been waiting to hear ever since she first met him when he came to New Orleans, begging her to come work for him in Miami.
An uncomfortable silence fell between the two. Calleigh’s heart sank in disappointment.
Calleigh sighed heavily. “Forget it,” she said quietly, and turned and walked quickly to the gun lab, her haven for when she wanted to get away from it all.
Horatio stood there, in complete shock.
----------
Tears streamed down Calleigh’s face as she shot off round after round, hoping to get her mind off the fact that she made a complete fool of herself in front of the man she loved. After firing off a round, she put the gun down and hung her head in frustration.
“God, why am I so stupid?” Calleigh said loudly, putting one hand on her forehead. After standing there for a beat, she picked up the gun, put another magazine in and continued to pop off one bullet after another. She was thankful for the loud noise of the firing gun to mask her sobbing.
Horatio stood at the doorway to the gun lab, a worried look on his face. It pained him to hear her sobs amid the bangs of gunfire. The words she left him with played over and over in his mind, hoping to clue him in to what she meant. All of a sudden, flashes of images emerged in his mind: her smug grin when he pulled the leech off her leg, her calling him Handsome when they were looking for Stuart Otis’ path in Zany Town, the many times she spoke to him in a tone that she used with no one else. However, two images struck him the most. The first was the time in the locker room on the day of Speedle’s death when he needed someone to mourn with him; when he held her, he felt their two hearts beating at the same time, and her gentle breathing helped soothe his pain. The second was when Walter Resden tried to frame him for murder; as she was swabbing Resden’s blood off his hands, Horatio felt his fingers wrap around her hand, even if she was holding his to swab it.
It was then that he realised why she had been so upset to his silence just then. How could I have been so stupid? he asked himself.
He slowly and quietly made his way over to where she was firing off the rounds. Once he was right behind her, he pulled the hearing protector muffs from off her ears. Calleigh ceased fire, put down the gun and closed her eyes, allowing them to be removed. She was hoping it was the one person she wanted it to be at that particular moment.
Horatio leaned close to her ear. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. Calleigh breathed a sigh of relief.
“I was so stupid not to know,” Horatio continued as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Calleigh folded her hands on his arms and leaned her head to the side so that she could lean it against his.
“Horatio,” Calleigh whispered, “I was hoping it was you.”
“I’m glad,” Horatio whispered back. He delivered a light peck to Calleigh’s cheek. Calleigh smiled.
“Please tell me this isn’t a dream,” Calleigh said.
Horatio turned her around then found her lips with his.
“I wanted to make sure as well,” Horatio said, smiling at the blushing Calleigh.
“Oh Horatio,” Calleigh said, falling into his arms.
“Horatio? Can you hear me?”
Horatio slowly opened his eyes as a blurry image slowly came into focus. The intense pounding in his head, persistent since his transfer out of ICU, came to his realisation once the bright sunlight streamed into the room and pierced through his half-closed eyelids. He moaned, turning his head to face the windowless side of the room. The still-unknown visitor walked over and pulled the shades over the window, blanketing the hospital room with a welcome darkness. Still quite woozy from the morphine, Horatio had a hard time deciphering the voice to put a name and a face to it, but once Calleigh moved close to his bedside and turned on the lamp, a faint creamy light illuminated her worried yet smiling face. To him, however, her face was enough to brighten the darkest of any room.
Horatio mustered up enough energy to smile once he knew who was sitting beside him, gently rubbing his icy hand.
“Hi,” Horatio whispered.
“Hey,” Calleigh replied, quite relieved. “How you feeling?”
“Ugh, like…like a million jackhammers…are running in my head,” Horatio said. “What…what happened?”
“You were shot two times in the chest and fell and hit your head on a concrete floor, which explains the headache; the doctors say you sustained a concussion but you’ll be alright. It was the bullets that put you in ICU,” Calleigh said, still rubbing his hand. “Your hands are cold. Are you okay?”
“I’m…fine…”
“Okay,” Calleigh said, unconvinced of his response. His disheveled appearance worried her slightly; his normally well-groomed red hair was a mess and his eyes, usually a shade of blue that rivaled the bluest oceans, were cloudy and somewhat sad. The emergence of tiny red whiskers dotting his jaw and mouth were quite an unusual appearance considering Horatio had always maintained a clean-cut appearance.
“Well, I’m going to be here until visiting hours are over,” she continued, “and keep you company. I’ve missed you, Horatio.”
“I’ve…missed you too,” Horatio said as Calleigh pulled another layer of blanket over him. I cannot believe I almost lost you, Calleigh said to herself. I almost never got the chance to tell you how I feel.
----------
Horatio’s first day back on the job, although filled with ecstatic hugs and welcome-backs, was otherwise kept low-stress in order to reacclimatize him back to the normal routine. Since her visit in the hospital, Calleigh had assumed temporary leadership of the crime lab and was thus kept away by the responsibilities from further visits, which she deeply regretted, as the others had hardly enough time to visit him either. So when she got to see him again, she was overcome with relief that he was back to his normal self.
“Welcome back,” Calleigh said softly, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.
“Thank you,” Horatio said, returning the hug. “It’s great to be back on my feet.”
Calleigh pulled away slightly to look right into his eyes, which had regained the usual brilliant blue hue. When she realised that she was grinning uncontrollably, she blushed and turned her head away.
“Calleigh? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just…”
Horatio gently guided Calleigh’s head back to face his, and looked at her with a questioning expression.
“What is it?”
“It’s just…it wasn’t the same without you when you were gone. It always was, even before this.”
Horatio tilted his head, clueless as to what she meant. Calleigh looked at him, anticipating words that she had been waiting to hear ever since she first met him when he came to New Orleans, begging her to come work for him in Miami.
An uncomfortable silence fell between the two. Calleigh’s heart sank in disappointment.
Calleigh sighed heavily. “Forget it,” she said quietly, and turned and walked quickly to the gun lab, her haven for when she wanted to get away from it all.
Horatio stood there, in complete shock.
----------
Tears streamed down Calleigh’s face as she shot off round after round, hoping to get her mind off the fact that she made a complete fool of herself in front of the man she loved. After firing off a round, she put the gun down and hung her head in frustration.
“God, why am I so stupid?” Calleigh said loudly, putting one hand on her forehead. After standing there for a beat, she picked up the gun, put another magazine in and continued to pop off one bullet after another. She was thankful for the loud noise of the firing gun to mask her sobbing.
Horatio stood at the doorway to the gun lab, a worried look on his face. It pained him to hear her sobs amid the bangs of gunfire. The words she left him with played over and over in his mind, hoping to clue him in to what she meant. All of a sudden, flashes of images emerged in his mind: her smug grin when he pulled the leech off her leg, her calling him Handsome when they were looking for Stuart Otis’ path in Zany Town, the many times she spoke to him in a tone that she used with no one else. However, two images struck him the most. The first was the time in the locker room on the day of Speedle’s death when he needed someone to mourn with him; when he held her, he felt their two hearts beating at the same time, and her gentle breathing helped soothe his pain. The second was when Walter Resden tried to frame him for murder; as she was swabbing Resden’s blood off his hands, Horatio felt his fingers wrap around her hand, even if she was holding his to swab it.
It was then that he realised why she had been so upset to his silence just then. How could I have been so stupid? he asked himself.
He slowly and quietly made his way over to where she was firing off the rounds. Once he was right behind her, he pulled the hearing protector muffs from off her ears. Calleigh ceased fire, put down the gun and closed her eyes, allowing them to be removed. She was hoping it was the one person she wanted it to be at that particular moment.
Horatio leaned close to her ear. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. Calleigh breathed a sigh of relief.
“I was so stupid not to know,” Horatio continued as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Calleigh folded her hands on his arms and leaned her head to the side so that she could lean it against his.
“Horatio,” Calleigh whispered, “I was hoping it was you.”
“I’m glad,” Horatio whispered back. He delivered a light peck to Calleigh’s cheek. Calleigh smiled.
“Please tell me this isn’t a dream,” Calleigh said.
Horatio turned her around then found her lips with his.
“I wanted to make sure as well,” Horatio said, smiling at the blushing Calleigh.
“Oh Horatio,” Calleigh said, falling into his arms.
