Horatio woke to someone shaking him quite violently.
Through blurry vision he looked up.
''What the...''
''Thank god! I've spent the last ten minutes trying to wake you up!''
''...Ryan...?''
''Are you feeling okay? You're at least a half hour late for work.''
Horatio's ears picked up the sound of Frank's voice.
He turned his head slowly,too slowly for either of the men's liking.
Frank looked at Horatio. He was ghostly pale and sweating. His eyes were barely open,and his hair was a mess. It looked almost as if he'd spent the whole night tossing and turning.
''...I feel a little...dizzy... Is it hot in here...or is it just me?''
Ryan and Frank shared a concerned expression. Horatio didn't even blink when Ryan sat down on the bed and pressed his hand against Horatio's forehead.
Frank watched Horatio's eyelids close as he sighed. ''Can you move?''
''No...can't feel anything...''
Ryan cringed. ''You're running a fever.''
Frank disappeared to the bathroom and located a thermometer. He handed the item to Ryan,who forced it into Horatio's mouth.
Horatio glared at the younger man as he waited for the damn thermometer to go off so he could roll over and go back to sleep.
It beeped after a few minutes,and Horatio all but spit the object out of his mouth.
Ryan looked at it,and stared wide-eyed at his boss.
''How are you even awake?!''
''What's it at?''Horatio slurred.
''103.1. Any other person would have been passed out.''
''I was...you woke me up...Now go away...''Horatio slurred as he curled up into a ball while muttering ''freezing'' under his breath.
Ryan sighed and looked at Frank. ''He's gonna need someone to stay here. He can barely talk.''
''I already clocked in,so I can't.''
Ryan looked at the redhead,who was already asleep again.
''What are you lookin' at?''Frank asked quietly.
''Nothing...just...never seen him sick before.''
''We all get sick,Ryan.''
''Yeah,and this is the first time in years I've seen Horatio sick.''
Frank watched the redhead sleep for a bit more.
''I'll stick around and make sure he's okay,''Ryan said after a minute.
''Fair enough. Call me if anything happens.''
It was much to Ryan's dismay that he soon met the requirement to call Frank.
He had only been with the redhead for about two hours before things started going wrong. Horatio started having trouble breathing before it quickened,then he started coughing,and what he coughed up was mixed with blood. Then nausea,and when the chest pain set in,Ryan decided he'd seen enough and sent the man to the hospital.
''What happened?!...What do you mean you sent him out?!''Frank yelled on the other line.
''I sent him to the hospital,Frank.''
''What are you thinking is wrong with him?'' ''Pneumonia.''
Frank was quiet on the other end for a minute,and Ryan understood why. Horatio wasn't exactly young,and pneumonia at his age could often turn into serious problems.
With a sigh,Ryan hung up and continued to follow the ambulance,
He drove for about fifteen minutes before he reached the hospital. Getting out of the car,he watched the crew bring Horatio out on the stretcher. Horatio wasn't looking good at all. His head lay on one side and he was lying completely still with an oxygen mask on his face. His eyes were open,in fact they were wide open,as if in shock or trauma.
Ryan examined him more and saw restraints on his wrists. As soon as he spotted them,he immediately flew into a fit of rage.
''Why the hell is he restrained?!''
''It was the only way we could get him out. We take them off,and he's gonna go berserk.''
Ryan glared. That was not the answer he really wanted to hear,but it was an answer none-the-less.
''You're traumatizing him!''
Horatio looked around him,not really understanding what was going on. Suddenly a needle pierced his arm and Horatio started thrashing on the stretcher.
''What'd you just do,give him morphine?!''
One of the EMT's looked at him with a guilty expression.
''...As if you didn't learn from the last time...''Ryan muttered.
Horatio lay still and silent in the hospital bed. His fever that had turned into pneumonia was now under control.
Ryan was sitting by the bed,just watching the man rest.
The rest of the team was there,and they were staring at Horatio in utter disbelief. They'd never seen him sick before. Not even with a cold.
Yet there they stood in a hospital room,watching their boss sleep with an oxygen mask.
''When was the last time he got sick?''Calleigh asked quietly.
No one answered. No one had an answer.
It was well after midnight when Horatio stirred. Everyone but Ryan had gone home for the night,but then again,Ryan had fallen asleep.
Horatio looked down slightly and found Ryan curled up on the bed and using his chest for a pillow. He found it quite annoying when he realized that the oxygen mask was still on his face.
But at least he could breath.
Horatio reached a hand up and gently ran his fingers through Ryan's hair. The younger male needed to cut it badly. His bangs were hanging in front of his eyes,and he brushed them out of the way.
But it also disturbed him that Ryan had stayed behind,and had even fallen asleep when he knew he had to work in the morning.
'Why neglect your job for me?'Horatio asked himself,'I'm nothing special.'
The redhead just didn't understand it. The doctor came in,interrupting his train of thought.
''I see you're awake,''the man stated.
Horatio shrugged and looked down at Ryan.
''Ah,him. Yes,he refused to leave when the others piled out for the night. That's quite a team you have.''
Horatio just stared for a moment,and while he was recovering from shock,the doctor checked him over and removed the oxygen mask.
''Feeling any better?'' Horatio nodded,his mind still fixed on Ryan,who was still curled up next to him and didn't even twitch when he raised the bed a little.
The doctor left,and Horatio shook Ryan's shoulder gently to wake him.
''...What...?''
''Sleep enough?''
''Yeah,why?''Ryan asked,still lying on the bed,but he was smiling,now.
''Because I'm awake and it's not very comfortable having someone laying on my side.''
''Sorry.'' Ryan got off of the bed and sat down in a chair.
''Why did you stay here? You have to work in the morning,''Horatio stated.
''I didn't want to leave. I thought maybe you'd like someone to talk to when you wake up.''
''Now I know there's more to it than that,''Horatio smirked.
''Yeah,I guess there is. I kinda got worried when I called the ambulance and couldn't resist going along...''
''And? Come on. What's the real reason you're here?''Horatio nagged,''I'm not worth much.''
''Not worth much?! H,you're worth more than you give yourself credit for!''
''Really,now?''
''Yeah. That and I...well I...''
''You what?''
Ryan leaned over and pressed his lips against Horatio's,shocking the redhead a bit.
''You get it now?''
Horatio smiled. ''You stayed because you like me.''
''Yup...You got a problem with that?''
''No. Not at all.''
Ryan smiled and crawled back onto the bed,and Horatio pulled the blanket up over both of them.
They fell asleep that way to be found by the rest of the team in the morning.
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