Profile

Eric Delko is the fingerprint and drug identification expert of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab, as well as their underwater recovery expert. He was Horatio Caine’s first hire when promoted to supervisor. The youngest of four children behind three sisters, he has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Miami and is fluent in Spanish and Russian. He is Roman Catholic.

His original family name was Delektorsky; his father, a Russian national who had been assigned to Havana during the 1960's, married a Cuban woman, with whom he had three daughters. While Eric's mother was pregnant with him, his parents decided that they wanted a better life for their family, and he moved the clan to Miami. Upon arrival the family name was shortened to Delko in an effort at Americanization.

Until 2009, Eric had believed he made the treacherous journey from Cuba with his family while in his mother’s womb. It was a story that never set well with him since the details had changed numerous times over the years which ultimately prompted him to investigate his birth. He discovered that he had in fact not arrived as told and had been born in Cuba. Furthermore, the man who had given him a last name was not his biological father.

Searching into his birth flagged the man who had contributed to his genetic makeup –Alexander Sharova. A man who his mother explained was ‘a very bad man’ and urged Eric to leave things alone. However, it was too late. His inquiry had made him the target of a hit until he met Sharova face to face and explained why he had been looking into him.

Delko’s citizenship was in question shortly after and was in route to be deported when he learned that his biological father wasn’t necessarily who everyone thought him to be. Sharova happened to be a native U.S. born citizen which aided Eric in obtaining legal naturalization papers unlike the ones doctored for him upon arriving 32 years earlier, for Sharova was a native born U.S. citizen.

He has a close relationship with colleague Calleigh Duquesne. They care very greatly for each other. Calleigh was consistently by his side while Eric was in the hospital, gravely injured while on duty. When he returned to work, she continued to be supportive. Eric looked after her even though their relationship never moved beyond friendship which he conveyed wanting. He clearly expressed not knowing what he would do if anything were to happen to her.

Delko also maintained a close friendship with fellow CSI Tim ‘Speed’ Speedle, who was killed in the line of duty. It had been Speed that 'welcomed' a rookie Delko to the lab with a friendly hazing. Eric was at first deeply resentful of Tim's replacement, Ryan Wolfe. There was a measure of verbal sniping between the two initially though they eventually settled into an easy, if competitive, camaraderie.

Eric was involved with a number of women over the years to include co-worker Natalia Boa Vista (who at one point even thought she might be pregnant with their child). Despite any appearance of womanizing on his part, Delko remained protective of women in general. He stood up for them against abusive men even when it put him in harm’s way. Though older than him, he took great care of his youngest sister, Marisol, while she struggled with breast cancer.

For a brief moment, he was Horatio Caine's brother-in-law when Marisol married him. But their family connection was tragically severed when Mari succumbed to a gunshot wound suffered at the hands of a Mala Noche sniper. Together, Delko and Caine pursued the man who had ordered the hit (Antonio Riaz), all the way to Brazil. There, Eric engaged Riaz in hand-to-hand combat, which ended when Horatio arrived and stabbed Riaz to death with the man's own knife.

Not long after the family tragedy that Delko was also shot. –First in the leg and then the head. He was rushed to the hospital where he flat-lined. After every other attempt to resuscitate him failed, an epinephrine injection to the heart brought him back. Eric remained in critical condition following a tense surgery. Most of the bullet stayed lodged in his temporal lobe which is revealed to possibly cause permanent damage to motor skills, speech and memory.

His return to work several weeks later were formidable with the slow steps he had to take relearning basics of the job and the side effects he suffered from his injury. Eric experienced such difficulties as double vision and memory lapse that seemed to cover the six months or so prior to his injury. He also suffered a vivid hallucination of Speed. Notes that he kept to aid his memory on the job caused Calleigh to retake proficiencies when she was reported having them after he had accidentally left them behind at a crime scene.

Every step forward felt as if it came with two steps back. But Eric Delko would not quit. He didn’t know how. It was the one thing his mentor never taught him. And he was grateful for that. As long as he was able to do the job, he would.

Note: This is a role-playing journal.

Mun and muse well over 18.

mood theme credit to _instant_karma