"Love's Burden" - Chapter 4
Chapter 4 - "What's Important?"
Calleigh was asleep on the couch when Horatio made his quiet entrance into the house. He had expected to find the house completely asleep, but instead a single light was on and it looked like Calleigh had been waiting up for him. He sighed, and after gently shutting the door and locking it, he thought a minute about what he should do. Finally, he decided to move her back to bed. He moved the blanket back and stopped when she started to stir. When he saw her eyes flutter open, he said, “I didn’t mean to wake you…”
“What time is it?” Calleigh asked sleepily as she started to sit up.
“Late.”
“What time?”
Horatio sighed, “Three,” he started and then looked around for the clock, “Thirty-seven.”
“Horatio…” she said and then sighed as she turned around so that her feet hit the floor. “Horatio, please do not tell me that you didn’t miss dinner and the whole night with the girls in order to chase after Madison’s mother…” She noticed his quick glance down, and Calleigh closed her eyes before pushing herself up, “They missed you. I told them you were working late. Dinner’s in the container on the top shelf of the fridge,” she told him as she walked past him.
He waited for her to go past him before following her. He felt bad, but he had things he needed to check on… He had promised to care for Ray’s mistakes and Suzie Barton and Madison Keaton were part of them, though the result of the mistake he hardly saw as one. “Calleigh,” he whispered, “I’m sorry… I thought I could find her…”
Calleigh turned around in their bedroom doorway, “And how many dinners are you going to miss to go look for her when she doesn’t even want to be found?” Though tired, Calleigh was quite awake, alert, and knew exactly what she was saying. She rubbed her face and wondered if Horatio had forgotten why they had cut back their work hours… They had agreed to be parents…
“I had to try,” Horatio defended. “I promise…I won’t miss anymore dinners…”
“Promise?”
“Yes,” he told her with a smile and repeated, “I promise.”
Calleigh sighed and wrapped her arms around him, putting her head on his shoulder. “We missed you… I missed you…”
He brought his hand up to her back and lowered his face to her hair. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart…”
“I just want you to see what’s important...” Calleigh pulled back to look at him in the dark. She could see his smile, it wasn’t full…it was just barely there…but she could still recognize it. “Emma, Madison, and I are here now… Horatio, the girls are important… Madison was so excited to help make dinner for you…and you never showed up. Sheryl was even all excited for you to show up…”
“Sheryl?”
“It’s a surprise…so now you haveta wait,” she told him. “Go on and eat your dinner… I’ll see you in the morning…” she told him before leaning in to press her lips against his.
*~*~*
“So, am I going to school today?” Madison asked and then crunched her toast as she bit into it. She looked over at Sheryl, who was typing away on her laptop. Sheryl was supposed to be looking up nearby schools…and she was excited to be part of the everyday in that house hold. It had been a while since she’d gotten to get new things and to take a shower as much as she wanted and to have eggs and toast…
Calleigh smiled as she turned from feeding Emma to look over at Madison, “I told ya that you were… It’s just a matter of finding the right place,” Calleigh told her. She wasn’t sure if Horatio had a certain idea on the situation…public or private, but Calleigh just wanted it to be somewhere Madison would feel comfortable. Sheryl had already said it would be no problem to pick up Madison whenever they needed.
“I’ve got a good list… I even have a chart!” she told them. “You know…like if one school has a special program…we can just see it really quick cuz it’s on the chart.”
“Good organization, Sheryl,” Calleigh said giving kudos. “That’s a very important skill for a police officer or a CSI…even a lawyer…”
Sheryl smiled proudly and then got up and filled her glass up with orange juice. Today was pajama day. Once a week she’d show up in pajamas and just spend the day like that. It was still doable to run around town in them, they were just super comfy. She poured Madison some more juice and smiled down at her, “You’re gonna be great, Kiddo! You’ll see! Now where’s the lieutenant? He’s so running behind schedule,” she noted aloud.
“He should be out soon… Sometimes we have bad days and we run behind,” Calleigh tried to shrug it off. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, even though that was one of the times she liked to make family time…but Sheryl had even beat him to the house and breakfast. But she had gotten to spend some great time with Emma feeding her breakfast and getting her up and then with Madison helping her do her hair and pick out what to wear to school. It was a nice mommy morning. Calleigh liked to know that she was good at things other than being a CSI, guns, and bullets…
“Why don’t Ems and I go and watch our Little Einsteins?” Sheryl offered so that Calleigh could get some breakfast, too. She turned the laptop around, so that Calleigh could have access to the school information she had pulled up.
“Oh, aren’t you pretty this morning,” Horatio said as he leaned down and kissed the top of her niece’s head. He went over and poured himself a cup of coffee and then walked over and sat next to Calleigh kissing her cheek. “What are we looking at?” he asked.
“Schools for Madison,” Calleigh told him. “She has to go to school, Horatio… I wasn’t sure if you preferred a certain type…so Sheryl researched a range in the area.”
“Private,” Horatio responded. He pointed to one of the screen. It was Christian, but had heavy academic and arts and he thought that it would help her grow. “That one looks pretty good.”
“That one’s gonna require a uniform,” Calleigh noted.
“Does that mean I can’t go today?” Madison asked disappointed.
Horatio frowned; he knew that they had obviously thought of schools the day before and that Madison could be in school if he hadn’t come home so late. “How about we go and look at the school and you can see if you like it? Then we can get you enrolled and see about uniforms. Maybe you can start tomorrow?” he offered.
“Are you going to take me to school today?” Madison asked.
He could see her eyes twinkling and he knew that he’d have to make it up to her…and Calleigh about the day before. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“Really?”
“Really,” Horatio confirmed. He smiled at her before looking over at Calleigh, “Can we talk?” he asked knowing that he’d messed up with pretty much everyone in the house and he’d been waiting to talk to her about something…and now seemed like the best time. She nodded, and he took her hand and helped her to her feet before leading her back to their bedroom. He shut the door and turned to her, “You got her new things…”
Calleigh nodded, “She was so excited about it…I thought she was gonna burst. It was just some little things, but you should have seen her face, Horatio…”
“She’s happy,” Horatio said. “That’s why you don’t want me to find Suzie…”
“You didn’t hear the things she told me,” Calleigh told him, her tone turning from happy to serious as she took a step from him. She went over what Madison had told her…how soap wasn’t something that she’d used for a while, how she’d only eaten cereal…and with water, and how she hadn’t been to school in months.
Horatio had wanted to believe that Suzie would be able to care for Madison, but now it was their turn…their turn to be the family that Madison needed and wanted… “You’re right…we should focus on our family…” He smiled and pulled her towards him and kissed her forehead, “Family is so special.”
“It’s the most important thing, Horatio.”
Horatio had thought about how to propose to Calleigh…he and Sheryl had picked out the ring…it had just been that the timing had always seemed odd, but he kept it with him. He was about to pull it out and finally propose when he heard knocking and the door swing open.
“Is it time to go to see the school now?” Madison asked excitedly.
Bowing his head a bit, he smiled. “In a minute…” He kissed Calleigh, “I love you.” He told her to make sure she knew that… “I’ll see you at work? I’ll call you when I’m on my way to see where you are.”
“Alright. Good luck with the schools.”
*~*~*
TBC...
Calleigh was asleep on the couch when Horatio made his quiet entrance into the house. He had expected to find the house completely asleep, but instead a single light was on and it looked like Calleigh had been waiting up for him. He sighed, and after gently shutting the door and locking it, he thought a minute about what he should do. Finally, he decided to move her back to bed. He moved the blanket back and stopped when she started to stir. When he saw her eyes flutter open, he said, “I didn’t mean to wake you…”
“What time is it?” Calleigh asked sleepily as she started to sit up.
“Late.”
“What time?”
Horatio sighed, “Three,” he started and then looked around for the clock, “Thirty-seven.”
“Horatio…” she said and then sighed as she turned around so that her feet hit the floor. “Horatio, please do not tell me that you didn’t miss dinner and the whole night with the girls in order to chase after Madison’s mother…” She noticed his quick glance down, and Calleigh closed her eyes before pushing herself up, “They missed you. I told them you were working late. Dinner’s in the container on the top shelf of the fridge,” she told him as she walked past him.
He waited for her to go past him before following her. He felt bad, but he had things he needed to check on… He had promised to care for Ray’s mistakes and Suzie Barton and Madison Keaton were part of them, though the result of the mistake he hardly saw as one. “Calleigh,” he whispered, “I’m sorry… I thought I could find her…”
Calleigh turned around in their bedroom doorway, “And how many dinners are you going to miss to go look for her when she doesn’t even want to be found?” Though tired, Calleigh was quite awake, alert, and knew exactly what she was saying. She rubbed her face and wondered if Horatio had forgotten why they had cut back their work hours… They had agreed to be parents…
“I had to try,” Horatio defended. “I promise…I won’t miss anymore dinners…”
“Promise?”
“Yes,” he told her with a smile and repeated, “I promise.”
Calleigh sighed and wrapped her arms around him, putting her head on his shoulder. “We missed you… I missed you…”
He brought his hand up to her back and lowered his face to her hair. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart…”
“I just want you to see what’s important...” Calleigh pulled back to look at him in the dark. She could see his smile, it wasn’t full…it was just barely there…but she could still recognize it. “Emma, Madison, and I are here now… Horatio, the girls are important… Madison was so excited to help make dinner for you…and you never showed up. Sheryl was even all excited for you to show up…”
“Sheryl?”
“It’s a surprise…so now you haveta wait,” she told him. “Go on and eat your dinner… I’ll see you in the morning…” she told him before leaning in to press her lips against his.
*~*~*
“So, am I going to school today?” Madison asked and then crunched her toast as she bit into it. She looked over at Sheryl, who was typing away on her laptop. Sheryl was supposed to be looking up nearby schools…and she was excited to be part of the everyday in that house hold. It had been a while since she’d gotten to get new things and to take a shower as much as she wanted and to have eggs and toast…
Calleigh smiled as she turned from feeding Emma to look over at Madison, “I told ya that you were… It’s just a matter of finding the right place,” Calleigh told her. She wasn’t sure if Horatio had a certain idea on the situation…public or private, but Calleigh just wanted it to be somewhere Madison would feel comfortable. Sheryl had already said it would be no problem to pick up Madison whenever they needed.
“I’ve got a good list… I even have a chart!” she told them. “You know…like if one school has a special program…we can just see it really quick cuz it’s on the chart.”
“Good organization, Sheryl,” Calleigh said giving kudos. “That’s a very important skill for a police officer or a CSI…even a lawyer…”
Sheryl smiled proudly and then got up and filled her glass up with orange juice. Today was pajama day. Once a week she’d show up in pajamas and just spend the day like that. It was still doable to run around town in them, they were just super comfy. She poured Madison some more juice and smiled down at her, “You’re gonna be great, Kiddo! You’ll see! Now where’s the lieutenant? He’s so running behind schedule,” she noted aloud.
“He should be out soon… Sometimes we have bad days and we run behind,” Calleigh tried to shrug it off. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, even though that was one of the times she liked to make family time…but Sheryl had even beat him to the house and breakfast. But she had gotten to spend some great time with Emma feeding her breakfast and getting her up and then with Madison helping her do her hair and pick out what to wear to school. It was a nice mommy morning. Calleigh liked to know that she was good at things other than being a CSI, guns, and bullets…
“Why don’t Ems and I go and watch our Little Einsteins?” Sheryl offered so that Calleigh could get some breakfast, too. She turned the laptop around, so that Calleigh could have access to the school information she had pulled up.
“Oh, aren’t you pretty this morning,” Horatio said as he leaned down and kissed the top of her niece’s head. He went over and poured himself a cup of coffee and then walked over and sat next to Calleigh kissing her cheek. “What are we looking at?” he asked.
“Schools for Madison,” Calleigh told him. “She has to go to school, Horatio… I wasn’t sure if you preferred a certain type…so Sheryl researched a range in the area.”
“Private,” Horatio responded. He pointed to one of the screen. It was Christian, but had heavy academic and arts and he thought that it would help her grow. “That one looks pretty good.”
“That one’s gonna require a uniform,” Calleigh noted.
“Does that mean I can’t go today?” Madison asked disappointed.
Horatio frowned; he knew that they had obviously thought of schools the day before and that Madison could be in school if he hadn’t come home so late. “How about we go and look at the school and you can see if you like it? Then we can get you enrolled and see about uniforms. Maybe you can start tomorrow?” he offered.
“Are you going to take me to school today?” Madison asked.
He could see her eyes twinkling and he knew that he’d have to make it up to her…and Calleigh about the day before. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“Really?”
“Really,” Horatio confirmed. He smiled at her before looking over at Calleigh, “Can we talk?” he asked knowing that he’d messed up with pretty much everyone in the house and he’d been waiting to talk to her about something…and now seemed like the best time. She nodded, and he took her hand and helped her to her feet before leading her back to their bedroom. He shut the door and turned to her, “You got her new things…”
Calleigh nodded, “She was so excited about it…I thought she was gonna burst. It was just some little things, but you should have seen her face, Horatio…”
“She’s happy,” Horatio said. “That’s why you don’t want me to find Suzie…”
“You didn’t hear the things she told me,” Calleigh told him, her tone turning from happy to serious as she took a step from him. She went over what Madison had told her…how soap wasn’t something that she’d used for a while, how she’d only eaten cereal…and with water, and how she hadn’t been to school in months.
Horatio had wanted to believe that Suzie would be able to care for Madison, but now it was their turn…their turn to be the family that Madison needed and wanted… “You’re right…we should focus on our family…” He smiled and pulled her towards him and kissed her forehead, “Family is so special.”
“It’s the most important thing, Horatio.”
Horatio had thought about how to propose to Calleigh…he and Sheryl had picked out the ring…it had just been that the timing had always seemed odd, but he kept it with him. He was about to pull it out and finally propose when he heard knocking and the door swing open.
“Is it time to go to see the school now?” Madison asked excitedly.
Bowing his head a bit, he smiled. “In a minute…” He kissed Calleigh, “I love you.” He told her to make sure she knew that… “I’ll see you at work? I’ll call you when I’m on my way to see where you are.”
“Alright. Good luck with the schools.”
*~*~*
TBC...