Continued from here. @resolutevalor
Horatio gave her a warm smile when she apologized to him, not believing there was any need for it. Sure, she went out to a bar with her friends, with the intention of enjoying herself to the fullest, but there wasn’t anything wrong with that. She was allowed to have fun, she was allowed to enjoy herself, so long as she remembered to take care of herself, too, and not drive, but she knew that already and she was capable of taking care of herself. Fully. She was also in good hands, surrounded other responsible adults. Rooster, especially.
Although he wasn’t the one to bring her home. It was Hangman, much to Horatio’s surprise. But not his dismay. He’s grown to like Jake after getting to know him a little more, his respect for the other pilot growing, though his arrogance and over confidence was still something that desired work. Or less of it, rather, and Horatio admittedly enjoyed the fact - maybe a little too much - that Hangman was sometimes intimidated by the Lieutenant. Phoe seemed to get a kick out of it, too, especially since there wasn’t a lot that could scare or intimidate the arrogant pilot. But the Lieutenant was one of them. He could humble the younger pilot real quick.
However, he was gone by the time Horatio arrived and that was likely due to Phoe’s insistence.
And when she insisted he didn’t have to watch this, Horatio remained. He wasn’t going to leave. “I’m not going anywhere. Alright?” He reassured her, not at all disgusted about the scene in front of him if that’s what she was worried about. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen someone vomit before. Hell, he’s seen much worse, so it didn’t bother him in the slightest. He did, however, move briefly to fetch a wet wash cloth to dab at her forehead with, wiping the sweat and even some of the vomit from her mouth. Her comment about the clams and nerves had him grinning just a little, appreciating that she still retained her sense of humor even while this sick. “No, it doesn’t sound like it, does it?” He chuckled, pulling his hand back when she turned back to the toilet, retching some more.
He hated seeing her like this. Hated the misery she was in, but he knew she’d start to feel better as soon as it was all out of her system. Then came another apology, though she didn’t outright say those words, but she could hear it in her voice. “Tonight is special in its own way, I think.” He responded, offering his own humor in an attempt to make her smile, even if just a little, but then his expression became soft again, his hand still rubbing her back. “Sometimes things don’t happen the way we want them to, and that’s okay. Just having you here is what’s important to me.” Whether they had a romantic dinner or not, he didn’t care. He just wanted her with him, and her being sick didn’t ruin that, he just hated this for her.
When it seemed like she was done, Horatio wiped at her mouth again then reached up to rinse out the rag before wiping her forehead again, then held it there. “Sweetheart, I don’t want you to worry about my day, okay?” He said, in part because the case was a little rough today and he didn’t want to concern her with the details. But more importantly, he just wanted to focus on her. “Do you want to try heading into the bedroom? Or stay here a little longer?”