"H," Speed sighed as he slipped on his bike. "You need to loosen up and have a bit of fun."
"I do?" Horatio countered with an eyebrow quirked in wry amusement.
"Yeah," Speed replied with his trademark cheeky grin. "Nice tailored suits, sensible vehicle and long hours make for a very dull person."
"To each his own, Speed," Horatio quietly replied. "Now, you have a good evening."
"You too, H," Speed said, knowing he may not have convinced Horatio of his argument. He did know that he had given the older man something to consider and that was the true nature of their relationship.
Horatio watched Speed ride away thinking it was time he gave his Trace expert a bit of a shock.
l
The next morning, Speed parked his bike next to an older model Harley silently wondering who it belonged to. He slid off his bike and checked it out since he had a few minutes to spare before work.
He ghosted a hand over it admiring the outline of it. The chrome shined in the early morning sunlight and nicely complimented the black. He would bet a month's pay that it would be an awesome ride.
It looked well maintained, but nothing on it indicated who the owner might be. With his curiosity piqued, he walked into the lab planning to make discreet inquiries until he found the owner.
l
Horatio stood in his office looking out the windows that overlooked the front of the lab. He sipped on his first cup of coffee of the day enjoying the sight Speed presented.
He noted the younger man's admiration of the Harley. But, he was amused by the consternation that twisted Speed's lips into a frown.
It was going to be a good day.
l
Morning progressed into afternoon. The lab was a quiet beehive of activity as Horatio let his team take most of the calls as he caught up on a backlog of paperwork. It was his firm belief that the world revolved on paperwork despite scientific evidence to the contrary.
Horatio was busy reading a report when a quick knock on his open office door followed by a, "Hey H, you got a minute?" caused him to look up.
"Yes, Speed," he replied, looking over the rims of his reading glasses at the young man. He had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from chuckling at Speed's open mouth reaction to his attire. "What can I do for you?"
"Ummm..." Speed stammered. He never thought he would ever see Horatio Caine out of his tailored suits.
"Yes?"
"I did I miss the memo on it being casual day, today?" Speed remarked. He knew he was grasping at straws and sounding really pathetic in the process.
"Not that I'm aware of," Horatio commented, enjoying the conflict of emotions that raced across Speed's face before he got control of himself.
"So…"
"Have you ever tried to ride a motorcycle in a tailored suit?" Horatio asked as his lips twisted into an amused smirk.
"The Harley is yours?"
"Yes."
"Oh, you're good," Speed breathed. His discreet inquiries into the owner of the Harley hadn't born any fruit except a dinner invitation from Alexx, which he had gladly accepted since he was getting tired of take-out.
"Am I?" Horatio quipped as tossed the file folder onto the small table in front of him. He removed his glasses and placed them on top of the folder.
"Yeah."
"How so?"
"In all the years I have known you, I would have never taken you for a Hell's Angel," Speed explained, grasping the first thought that entered his gibbering brain. He was still having a hard time dealing with Horatio dressed in a dark blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal tan forearms, faded jeans and cowboy boots.
"Just because I own a Harley doesn't make me a Hell's Angel, Speed," Horatio countered with a wry chuckle. He had succeeded all too well in giving Speed a shock. "So what can I do for you?"
"Ummm....yeah," Speed mumbled. He scrubbed at his face trying to get his brain to focus on the reason he had come looking for Horatio in the first place. "I've got some conflicting evidence and I needed your opinion on it."
"Certainly," Horatio said standing up, happy to be doing something other than paperwork. "I need to get out of here for a little bit. This stuff is giving me a headache."
l
Horatio followed Speed to the lay-out room where they re-examined Speed's conflicting evidence. Horatio gave Speed a few possible avenues to try before deciding to call it a day.
"Don't stay too late," he advised the younger man.
"I'm not going to," Speed answered. He finished putting the evidence away for the day. He would pick back up on it in the morning. "Alexx invited me over for dinner and it is not wise to miss those."
"True," Horatio agreed. Alexx Woods was a force to reckon with when annoyed. "Have a good time and I'll see you in the morning."
l
Horatio walked out to the Harley with the slight evening breeze teasing his bangs. He slipped on it not bothering to retrieve his helmet from the saddle bag.
The rebellious part of him was secretly grateful that Florida was one of the few states that didn't have a mandatory helmet law. He felt the desire this evening to have the wind whip thru his hair as he rode to the beach to take in another sunset.
l
Speed watched Horatio drive away with the wind blowing thru his reddish-gold mane. He smiled at the unusual sight, but concluded that one should never make assumptions about a person by outward appearance alone.
"Thanks for the lesson, H," Speed murmured as he slipped onto his bike and made his way to Alexx's.
Touch....
It is the simplest of gestures, but the most sought after.
A baby craves it in its first moments in this cruel world.
A mother uses it to sooth a distraught child.
Lovers use it to convey emotions that words can't adequately express.
Without it, we slowly shrivel up and die.
l
"Raymond!" I growled as I crunched the file folder in my hands. I felt my world tilt on its axis as I tried to absorb the fact that Madison Keaton was my niece. Another responsibility to be added to the pile that I carried on my shoulders on a daily basis.
I stared ahead without seeing. I'm lost in a world of betrayal and anger. Mainly anger. Anger at Raymond and myself.
How could he betray his family and not feel remorse for his actions? How could he not tell me what he had done? How could I not have seen that he was in trouble? What clues did I miss?
l
It was a light touch on my hand that brought me back to the present. I have to blink my eyes a few times so that I can focus on the person standing before me.
Rhonda had slipped into the evidence room without me noticing, but she was getting good at sneaking up on me.
"It's dead, Jim," I heard Rhonda quip. I watched her take the crumpled file from my hands and place it on the table. "Whatever crime it has committed it has paid for in spades."
"What can I do for you, Rhonda?" I quietly asked.
"I'm hungry and you promised to feed me," she replied with her trademark wicked grin.
"Rain check?"
"No," she said emphatically. "You need to get out of here and out of your head. I happen to know the perfect spot to do both."
"You do?"
Rhonda nodded. She held out a slim hand.
For a brief second, I found myself hesitating.
Rhonda saw this and asked, "Trust me?"
"Implicitly," was my automatic response. It was the truth. I trusted her with everything I possessed.
"Then come on," she said, gesturing with her hand for me to follow her lead. "We're burning daylight."
For the first time all day, I felt like smiling. Rhonda smiled back and took my hand. She led me out of the room and the lab not caring who saw us.
Sunny days seem to hurt the most
I wear the pain like a heavy coat
I feel you everywhere I go
See your smile, see your face
I hear your laughter in the rain
I still can't believe you are gone
Rhonda Morgan walked into the cemetery with the words of a country song running through her tired mind. It had been a song about losing a friend and wondering what the friend would be like if they had lived. It had brought tears to Rhonda's eyes and made her decide that it had been too long since she had paid Speed a visit.
She quietly walked up to his grave silently reading the words on his tombstone.
Timothy Daniel Speedle
1973 to 2003
Son, brother and friend
"Hi, Speed," she spoke in a reserved voice. "It's been awhile."
Rhonda sat down on the lawn and leaned against Speed's tombstone.
"I see Cal's been by," she said with a dry laugh as she picked up the pink carnation. Speed's dislike for flowers and the color pink had been a running joke with the team and Calleigh always left a pink flower when she came to visit her best friend. "You are probably sitting on a cloud grousing about her choice of flower."
It ain't fair you died too young
Like a story that had just begun
Your death tore the pages all away
"I heard this song on the radio today and it made me realize that I've become remiss in my visits. I'll have to get the words sometime and read them to you. I think you would like it even if it is a tad sad."
God knows how I miss you
All the hell that I've been through
Just look, no one could take your place
Sometimes, I wonder, who you'd be today
A gentle breeze blew just then through the cemetery and Rhonda believed it was Speed's way of connecting with her. She smiled through the tears that pricked her eyes.
"I miss you," she remarked. "I'm sorry I haven't been by in awhile. Work has me traveling all over the place. I was in Dublin last week and bought a pint in your honor. Before you start growling about me slipping up, I gave the pint to a fellow who looked surprisingly like Horatio."
Rhonda sighed. She put the carnation down.
Would you see the world
Would you chase your dreams
Settle down with a family
I wonder what would you name your babies
"It's was rather uncanny," she told Speed. "His name was Dean and he came from New York. He was in Dublin because a friend was getting married. He even sounded like Horatio, but I think that had been my tired mind playing tricks on me."
Some days the sky's so blue
Feel like I can talk to you
And I know it might sound crazy
"I was good," Rhonda retorted as if Speed had been there giving her grief. "We had a few drinks. Talked about a few things we had in common. We had a good laugh at his friend's poor attempt to sing Johnny Jump Up. We went our separate ways at last call, so keep those lightening bolts chained up."
It ain't fair you died too young
Like a story that had just begun
Your death tore the pages all away
"I guess Cal caught you up with everything happening at the lab, so I won't rehash things. I must say it takes me by surprise every time I go there to visit. The redesign just stinks, but when you get money from the government they think they have the right to tell you how things are going to look and be for the next fifty years."
God knows how I miss you
All the hell that I've been through
Just look, no one could take your place
Sometimes, I wonder, who you'd be today
Rhonda reached into her pants pocket and pulled out the rosary with the silver cross she had picked up in a small shop in Dublin that had been off the beaten tourist path. "It's not much, but I figure even guardian angels need a little help every so often," she commented. She placed it next to the carnation.
Sunny days seem to hurt the most
I wear the pain like a heavy coat
The only thing that gives me hope
Is I know, I'll see you again someday
"Well, I've to go," she said with a sad smile. "I have to stand up for Horatio. He's getting married today."
Rhonda stood up and straightened out her pants.
"He's marrying Eric's sister, Marisol, but I figure you know that since you probably spend more time looking after him than the rest of us together. He is a trouble magnet."
Rhonda placed a hand on Speed's tombstone and patted it in reverence wishing for the tenth thousandth time she was patting Speed's shoulder instead. A wave of intense sorrow washed over her and it was all she could do not to give into the desire to breakdown and weep. She missed Speed so much, but knew he wouldn't want her or anyone else that he loved to obsess over his loss.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped back and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Mari is a lovely woman and she loves our Horatio so much. They deserve some happiness, so put in a good word for them."
Someday, someday…
She felt the gentle breeze on her face again and smiled.
"Goodbye, my friend," Rhonda said. She placed a kiss on the tombstone and walked away.
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