Title: Dimming of the Day
By: Monkey Dom
Pairings: Horatio/Speed
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I don't own them. If I did, I wouldn't be so bloody poor.
Summary: Horatio watches the sun go down.

***

Horatio held on tight to the railing attached to his hospital bed and gingerly made his was to the window. He wasn't supposed to move around after his surgery, but Horatio could care less. He was the one who'd been shot at the airport, screw people telling him what he couldn't do.

Alexx came around at least once a day to make sure he was eating, especially after the nurses had complained to her. Calleigh had been here a few times, along with Eric and Natalia, though mostly it was to ask him if he knew who would want him dead. The only person who hadn't visited had been Wolfe. Like Horatio cared, there was only one person he wanted to see anyway.

"Lieutenant Caine, please get back in bed."

Horatio turned to glare at the nurse in his doorway. "I will, I'm just watching the sunset." Horatio turned back to the window, dismissing the nurse.

Sighing, he rested his head against the cool glass and watched the sun begin it's decent for the day. Horatio didn't actually like sunsets. Yeah, they were pretty, but they led to nighttime.

Horatio hated the night; he had horrible nightmares and could never sleep afterwards. Sometimes he dreamed of his team being injured, of victims and of his father. They had gotten so bad that Horatio had been too scared to sleep.

But then Speed had come along. Whenever the sun had begun to go down, Speed would take Horatio to the window, wrap his arms around Horatio and together they would watch the sunset. At night, they would lie on the couch, Speed stroking Horatio's hair and just talk through everything until the nightmares slowly disappeared.

Speed would then patiently wait while Horatio would make sure that all possible ways into the house were locked, checking every door and window he could find. Speed would wait until he was done before taking his hand and leading him towards the bedroom. He made Horatio feel safe, in his own special way. Speed and sunsets had always gone together.

"Lieutenant, please!"

Horatio rolled his eyes at the nurse. "Fine."

As he stumbled his way back to bed, Horatio saw the last rays of the sun disappear as night began to set in.

But Speed wasn't here.

Horatio was going to make that nurse's life a living hell.

***