HoratioAndMe
Captain
I wanna be inside your heaven
Take me to the place you cry from
When the storm blows your way
I wanna be the earth that holds you
Every bit of air you’re breathing in
A soothing wind
I wanna be inside your heaven...
Yelina has been watching the men talk from the screen door that lead to the backyard. She can only see Raymond’s face; Horatio’s back is to her. She can’t hear exactly what they’re saying, only the raising and lowering of tone and pitch. Things have already gone better than she had expected. At least no punches had been thrown yet.
Horatio had always had a way with dealing with Raymond that she couldn’t pretend to understand. She didn’t think she could ever have that close of a relationship with him. That was one thing the two brothers had in common: that wall built up around them.
“Mommy?” says a small voice.
Yelina looks down to see her son tugging on her skirt hem. He has not even reached three feet yet and she thinks he is too skinny. Only a few days before she had expressed her concerns about him to Horatio.
“He’ll be fine. He’s only three. He’ll grow,” Horatio had laughed.
Now she lifts Ray Jr,. into her arms and placing him on her hip. It amazes her how much this toddler resembles the two men out in the yard.
“Did we wake you sweetie?” she asks.
Yelina attempts to adjust his disarranged hair with her fingers as the boy rubs his eyes with his balled up fists. She thinks that he needs to get his hair trimmed. It hadn’t been cut since Horatio cut it at the beginning of the summer.
“I heard Daddy,” the boy yawns.
Yelina is surprised that he still remembers who his father is. It’d been weeks since they’d been together. Even when Raymond had called, that one time, he hadn’t asked to speak with his son.
“Daddy’s in the backyard with Uncle Horatio right now. See?” Yelina says, pointing out to where the man stood.
The little boys face beams and Yelina knows that his father is just going to disappoint him again. Ray Jr,. was just setting himself up for another let down.
****
“I can’t even leave for a few days without you trying to steal my family out from under me,” Raymond is saying.
Horatio can’t believe his ears. Didn’t his brother know how long he’d been away this time? Did he not care enough to even remember that?
“I think you mean weeks? You were gone for weeks,” Horatio starts. “Yelina didn’t even know if you were alive.”
Raymond stares blankly at him. He doesn’t like his brother invading his territory. Everything is always like this. He makes a choice and big brother comes along to give his judgement. It seems, to him, that Horatio only wants to criticize his decisions.
“Listen, if I wanted your opinion I’d ask. Alright?” Raymond says angrily.
Horatio steps a foot closer and raises his hands to his hips. What was it going to take to get some sense into his younger brother? He didn’t realize how much his actions were affecting his wife and child.
“Raymond, you have a family here,” Horatio begins.
Raymond scoffs.
“Yelina understands what I’m doing and so should. Both of you are cops. Sometimes you just have to sacrafice,” Raymond tries to explain.
Horatio nods quickly.
“I do understand that, I do,” Horatio agrees. “But sometimes you need to sacrafice on the other end. Quit narcotics, come work at the Crime Lab.”
Raymond gives a small laugh.
“And do what? I’m not you Horatio. I can’t take that kind of job and I’m sure as hell not going back to being on patrol. I’m making good money where I’m at,” Raymond argues.
Horatio sighs and looks at his feet for a moment.
“You’re distancing yourself from your family, Raymond. They need you here,” Horatio spoke slowly.
Raymond was getting annoyed with all of this.
“We’re fine, Horatio. Yelina and I will work things out. Stop trying to make everyone else miserable just because you are,” Raymond frowns.
Horatio sighs. Behind him Yelina steps out onto the porch with Ray Jr,. She watches them for a moment before walking over.
“I want you to stay away from my family, Horatio,” Raymond sums up.
Yelina hears this steps between the two.
“Raymond stop this,” Yelina says.
Raymond looks past her at Horatio.
“I have,” he nods.
Horatio doesn’t say anything and Raymond starts to walk away.
“Horatio is your brother. I won’t let you do this,” Yelina says, setting the boy down.
Raymond turns with a slight sneer on his face and walks back to her. Yelina stands her ground. Below them, Ray Jr,. is stretching his arms out to his father. The boy goes unoticed by him.
“You want him take him,” Raymond smiles.
Yelina blinks several times and Raymond turns to leave again.
“There you go! The part of you we always see, the back!” Yelina calls after him.
Yelina follows her husband into the house.
Horatio lifts Ray Jr,. and hurries inside himself. He needed to be there to keep his brother at bay. Raymond was clearly upset and there was no telling what his wild temper might get him.
“It’s okay, buddy,” Horatio speaks soothingly to the boy. “Everything’s okay.”
Take me to the place you cry from
When the storm blows your way
I wanna be the earth that holds you
Every bit of air you’re breathing in
A soothing wind
I wanna be inside your heaven...
Yelina has been watching the men talk from the screen door that lead to the backyard. She can only see Raymond’s face; Horatio’s back is to her. She can’t hear exactly what they’re saying, only the raising and lowering of tone and pitch. Things have already gone better than she had expected. At least no punches had been thrown yet.
Horatio had always had a way with dealing with Raymond that she couldn’t pretend to understand. She didn’t think she could ever have that close of a relationship with him. That was one thing the two brothers had in common: that wall built up around them.
“Mommy?” says a small voice.
Yelina looks down to see her son tugging on her skirt hem. He has not even reached three feet yet and she thinks he is too skinny. Only a few days before she had expressed her concerns about him to Horatio.
“He’ll be fine. He’s only three. He’ll grow,” Horatio had laughed.
Now she lifts Ray Jr,. into her arms and placing him on her hip. It amazes her how much this toddler resembles the two men out in the yard.
“Did we wake you sweetie?” she asks.
Yelina attempts to adjust his disarranged hair with her fingers as the boy rubs his eyes with his balled up fists. She thinks that he needs to get his hair trimmed. It hadn’t been cut since Horatio cut it at the beginning of the summer.
“I heard Daddy,” the boy yawns.
Yelina is surprised that he still remembers who his father is. It’d been weeks since they’d been together. Even when Raymond had called, that one time, he hadn’t asked to speak with his son.
“Daddy’s in the backyard with Uncle Horatio right now. See?” Yelina says, pointing out to where the man stood.
The little boys face beams and Yelina knows that his father is just going to disappoint him again. Ray Jr,. was just setting himself up for another let down.
****
“I can’t even leave for a few days without you trying to steal my family out from under me,” Raymond is saying.
Horatio can’t believe his ears. Didn’t his brother know how long he’d been away this time? Did he not care enough to even remember that?
“I think you mean weeks? You were gone for weeks,” Horatio starts. “Yelina didn’t even know if you were alive.”
Raymond stares blankly at him. He doesn’t like his brother invading his territory. Everything is always like this. He makes a choice and big brother comes along to give his judgement. It seems, to him, that Horatio only wants to criticize his decisions.
“Listen, if I wanted your opinion I’d ask. Alright?” Raymond says angrily.
Horatio steps a foot closer and raises his hands to his hips. What was it going to take to get some sense into his younger brother? He didn’t realize how much his actions were affecting his wife and child.
“Raymond, you have a family here,” Horatio begins.
Raymond scoffs.
“Yelina understands what I’m doing and so should. Both of you are cops. Sometimes you just have to sacrafice,” Raymond tries to explain.
Horatio nods quickly.
“I do understand that, I do,” Horatio agrees. “But sometimes you need to sacrafice on the other end. Quit narcotics, come work at the Crime Lab.”
Raymond gives a small laugh.
“And do what? I’m not you Horatio. I can’t take that kind of job and I’m sure as hell not going back to being on patrol. I’m making good money where I’m at,” Raymond argues.
Horatio sighs and looks at his feet for a moment.
“You’re distancing yourself from your family, Raymond. They need you here,” Horatio spoke slowly.
Raymond was getting annoyed with all of this.
“We’re fine, Horatio. Yelina and I will work things out. Stop trying to make everyone else miserable just because you are,” Raymond frowns.
Horatio sighs. Behind him Yelina steps out onto the porch with Ray Jr,. She watches them for a moment before walking over.
“I want you to stay away from my family, Horatio,” Raymond sums up.
Yelina hears this steps between the two.
“Raymond stop this,” Yelina says.
Raymond looks past her at Horatio.
“I have,” he nods.
Horatio doesn’t say anything and Raymond starts to walk away.
“Horatio is your brother. I won’t let you do this,” Yelina says, setting the boy down.
Raymond turns with a slight sneer on his face and walks back to her. Yelina stands her ground. Below them, Ray Jr,. is stretching his arms out to his father. The boy goes unoticed by him.
“You want him take him,” Raymond smiles.
Yelina blinks several times and Raymond turns to leave again.
“There you go! The part of you we always see, the back!” Yelina calls after him.
Yelina follows her husband into the house.
Horatio lifts Ray Jr,. and hurries inside himself. He needed to be there to keep his brother at bay. Raymond was clearly upset and there was no telling what his wild temper might get him.
“It’s okay, buddy,” Horatio speaks soothingly to the boy. “Everything’s okay.”
