Tati I love your new avatar of H. He looks hot. Dress up like a gator
Luna? Funny plan.
Glad to know I got you guys hooked.
Horatio reached for the door, pushing it open slowly.
"Horatio?"
He heard Yelina call to him. Horatio bowed his head, he returned to her side. What ever plans he had made would have to wait. He couldn't let her know hwat he had planned.
"I thought you were asleep." He smoothed her hair gently, careful to avoid her eyes.
"Where're you going?"
"I er... I was going to get some coffee."
"You're hiding something from me, I can tell." Yelina said. She knew he'd avoid her eyes whenever he couldn't tell her something. Horatio remained silent, but she detected a strange detachment in his expression, and it all clicked in her head. She was grateful she could still read her husband so well.
"You're going after him, aren't you?"
Again she was confronted with silence.
"You can't do this Horatio." Yelina said. "He's killed 3 other women, he's going to get the maximum sentence." They both knew the state upheld the death sentence, and that was what the DA was pushing for.
"He..." Horatio took a breath choking back his anger and tears. "He deserves a punishment worse than that, after what he did to you."
"And he will get what he deserves, but it's not up to you to do it." Yelina took his hand and squeezed.
"It's all I can do for you now. I failed to protect you... I failed - "
"You didn't fail, Horatio, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm having trouble dealing with it, I don't need you going off and destroying your career and life like this."
Horatio clenched his fist, he knew she was right. "You're right. I'm, I'm sorry. I wanted to, I wanted to hurt him, like he hurt you."
"It's over now. You said so yourself."
"I'm sorry." Guilt stabbed at him, he shouldn't have added to her troubles. "I hate this feeling . There's nothing I can do to right this."
Horatio gazed into her eyes and he knew instantly he was hurting her instead of helping. The guilt intensified, and his anger subsided. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to hurt you."
"Promise, you're not going to do anything stupid." She said. her eyes watering.
"Yeah." Horatio took her into his arms again, holding her tightly to himself. He had to convince himself to let it go no matter what. His family needed him, and revenge wasn't going to help anything.
Horatio fell asleep uncomfortably on the chair in Yelina's room, his exhaustion getting the best of him. Morning came and the doctors checked on Yelina, informing her that she was making good progress and she could go home in a couple of days. She convinced Horatio to go home to get some rest and to look in on their sons.
Horatio returned in the afternoon, with a get well card from Matt. It wasn't much but illegible doodling, but for a three year-old, Horatio thought it was a work of art. He knew Yelina would love it.
He pushed open the door to Yelina's room. She was now sitting up in bed, looking stronger than when he'd left her. But there was an unwelcome visitor in the room. He knew he shouldn't have left her.
"Rick," Horatio glared, "What are you doing here?"