A/N: Promise I am working on the next chapter, but I took ChaseROCKS' advice and wrote a one-shot for you all! (I've been outta town and didn't have a chance to give CQ my all, but I know my plan! Swear!)
Set immediately after 10x07, Sinner Takes All.
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:Miami or its characters. Teresa and Dr. Huber are my own characters, however.
The young woman's eyes squinted as she looked around the police station distressfully. Her short-statured body swayed from foot to foot to relieve the pressure her four-inch heels lovingly gave with every step.
Glancing down, the woman polished between the fingers of her left hand before glaring back up. Though, to her dismay, her focal point was nowhere to be found. Slumping her shoulders, the female rubbed her eyes vigorously and then stroked her long, brunette locks.
"Can I help you with something?" Natalia Boa Vista quietly asked from behind. She had been watching the disconcerted woman from afar for some time now.
The woman jumped instantly from her reverie, circling around to face the unfamiliar, yet sweet, voice. Peering into Natalia's eyes, she sighed gravely.
"I'm looking for someone?" the female asked more than stated. "An 'Evelyn Bowers.' She was booked this morning, and I wanted to see if I could post her bail."
"What's going on?" another voice announced suddenly. Ryan meandered next to Natalia and crossed his arms determinedly. He stared down at the woman's odd fidgeting. WherehaveIseenthatbefore?
"Oh, Ryan," Natalia gently smiled, "this is… I'm sorry," she turned to the woman sheepishly, "I didn't get your name."
"It's Teresa Miles," the female chimed lightly.
"Are you related to Ms. Bowers?" Natalia inquired.
Smiling, Teresa relaxed a little. "No," she responded, "just a friend. Her son and I grew up on the same street." Quickly, her eyes shifted back down to her stirring hands.
"Really?" Ryan scoffed, glancing at the young woman in front of him. "Excuse me for say so, but you look more like a former babysitter than his childhood friend."
Mouth agape, the woman in her late 20's attempted to speak, her mind grinding away at her thoughts. "Well, yeah," Teresa stuttered, "that's what I meant," she smiled.
The two CSIs darted their eyes in each other's direction suspiciously. "Ms. Bowers has already been released from custody," Natalia quickly answered. "That's the only information I can give you, though."
Teresa's shifty composure died down as her focus met with the floor. "Oh," she replied in defeat, a single tear dripping down. MaybeIcantryherphoneagain… "Thanks anyway." Pivoting on her heels, Teresa scurried for the exit of the building.
"What was that about?" Natalia questioned rhetorically, her brow scrunching in curiosity.
"I don't know," Ryan falsely retorted under his breath. He actually had a pretty good idea.
"James, please," Teresa cried into the cell phone hysterically. Pacing the steps outside of the Miami-Dade Police Department, she attempted to keep a low profile. "I promise I'll get it back."
Ryan remained at the entrance, his arms crossed against his chest as he listened to the one-sided conversation. Though, it wasn't difficult for him to imagine what the receiving end was saying.
"Please, James," she begged once more, "you have to give me more time." She desperately inhaled as she tried to keep the tears from appearing. "I love you… James?" Noticing the silence, Teresa looked down at the cell phone; the called had ended.
Teresa's knees instantly collapsed as she found comfort in the pavement below her. Knees pressed against her chest, Teresa rested her head in her lap, the tears soon cascading down.
"What am I going to do?" she asked herself, her voice muffled through her clothes.
"You can first admit that you have a problem," Ryan interrupted from above.
Her head shooting up, Teresa's water-ridden eyes came in contact with a gentle face. "Excuse me?"
"You have a gambling addiction, don't you?" Ryan affirmed.
"Why would you say that?" Teresa huffed, openly offended.
The CSI bit the inside of his mouth and peered down at Teresa's sweaty palms. "Your hands. The way you fidget with them as if they can't sit still."
Teresa looked down with wide eyes before shoving the nervous hands into her pockets.
"You've been rubbing your ring finger the entire time," Ryan continued. "I'm guessing you pawned your wedding ring?"
"My-," she barely uttered, "my engagement ring."
"And I'm pretty sure it's safe to assume that's how you really know Evelyn Bowers."
"I know her from the meet-ups," she sighed. "I was hoping she knew when and where the next game was. I tried her cell phone, but Kevin answered and said she was here!" Massaging her head once more, she bit the bottom of her lip. "James is going to hate me forever… if he doesn't already."
Slowly, Ryan sat next to the remorseful woman and smile once more. "I'm Ryan, by the way," he greeted with an offered hand.
Teresa stared at the hand but didn't return the gesture. "How did you know all of that?" she asked with a sniffle.
"I'm good at what I do," Ryan joked, quickly shrugging and smiling. "But it helps that I was in the same position as you at one point."
"Really?" Teresa jeered in disbelief. "You? A cop?"
"I know," Ryan answered with a rise of his brows. "My life was really fucked up when I was gambling."
The woman scoffed as she attempted to dry her tears. "Oh, yeah? Did you lose your engagement ring, you family, your friends? And the one person you thought you could always count on?"
Sighing, Ryan rolled his eyes up to recall the fateful memories. "I lost my job, my friends, my self-respect, their respect," he mentioned pointing to the building behind him, "and I didn't really have a family base to count on in the first place." He shrugged again, chuckling slightly.
"Wow," the brunette whispered.
"Yeah," he replied just as quiet. "But it was my own fault. And I paid for it," he stated, inhaling deeply. "Oh, God…did I ever pay for it."
Relaxing her shoulders, Teresa looked down at her black heels. "How did you get out?" she timidly questioned, "cause I don't even know how to begin getting myself out of this mess."
Silence ensued before Ryan spoke again.
"I want to show you something… well, somewhere," he stated with an eager confidence. "I think you could really benefit from it."
Teresa quickly shook her head. "I don't know. I think I need to worry about getting my ring back right now."
"Just trust me," he said.
A couple chairs just short of a dozen were situated in a circle as the people in the hallway drifted lively into the room. A man around his 40's in a pale green sweater vest stood at the door way, his hands in his pockets, with a caring, sweet smile evident.
"Welcome," he chimed to every member of the group as they entered the conference room. His eyes widened brightly at the instant sight before him. "Ryan Wolfe!" the man greeted in a loud, delighted voice.
"Dr. Huber!" Ryan greeted back as both men clasped their hands together in a shake. "Long time no see."
"But in this case, that's probably a good thing," the doctor joked. "So, what brings you by to group? Good things, I hope? You know, I could use a triumphant story like yours."
"5 years next May," Ryan chuckled, barely believing it himself. "But that's beside the point." Gesturing to the woman behind him, Ryan lowered his voice to a more appropriate level. "This is Teresa Miles. Teresa, meet Dr. Huber."
"Please, call me Jacob," he insisted to Teresa as they shook hands. "Though, I could never get Ryan to call me anything but Dr.," he smiled.
"This man," Ryan began, "helped me when I thought I was a lost cause. My bank account was completely emptied, and for a moment… I even wanted to kill myself."
"Then how did you end up with Dr., uh… I mean Jacob?" Teresa inquired.
As his eyes lowered, Ryan grinned at the memory. "A good friend helped me see what I was doing to myself…brought me here one day."
"Oh, so she's still just a good friend," Jacob joked with laughter.
Ryan quickly rolled his eyes and turned back to Teresa. "Shall we?" He presented his arm to the room, allowing the female to enter first.
"Hi, my name is Ryan, and I'm a compulsive gambler," the CSI announced to the group. Teresa noticed his posture as he stood before the audience: his self-assurance was dignifying.
"Hello, Ryan," the group chanted in unison.
"But I haven't gambled in almost 5 years," he praised. A thunderous applause consumed the room.
Teresa sat quietly in the uncomfortable chair, her eyes darting around to every member of the group. It was hard for her to believe the difference of each person. There were young women, older women, men of all ages, mothers, fathers…teenagers. This disease wasn't prejudice in anyway.
"I remember how I felt when I was gambling," Ryan began. "The feeling was amazing. When I was winning, I was euphoric almost. I didn't even need drugs. When I was losing, it gave me reason to continue. And there was not a single person in my life who could tell me I couldn't do it."
Ryan peered around at his audience, taking note to the ease of his nerves. "Then one day," he continued, "I got caught. Without going into too much detail, I gambled while on the clock. I remember blaming everyone else but myself. It was theirfault I lost my job. It was theirfault I had no one to turn to."
"But it wasn't their fault. They didn't force the cards in my hands. They didn't drain my bank account. It was my problem. I made the mess, and I needed to fix it."
Teresa questioned Ryan's words. Thinking back, how big of a problem did she actually have? Did she have a problem at all? Maybe so, but was that problem worth all of the heartache she had already caused?
Definitely not.
"The day I turned away from gambling was probably the best and worst day of my life," Ryan explained with a chuckle. "But since then, I got my job back, my peers finally respect me again, and I can even see myself with… uh, someone in the future." Quiet giggling caused a red blush to glow against Ryan's normally tan face. "Thank you," he grinned, slightly embarrassed.
Watching Ryan finish his speech, Teresa felt a surge of fire beneath her feet. He looked so relaxed in life, so confident. She wanted that feeling… she needed that feeling.
Another thunderous applause absorbed the air as Ryan sat down. His eyes peered gently over to Teresa and smiled.
"Anyone else want to share?" Dr. Huber inquired.
Slowly, Teresa pushed herself to a standing position. "Hi, my name is Teresa, and I'm a compulsive gambler."
"Hi, Teresa."
She closed her eyes and saw James, her fiancé. His warm smile captivated her, granting her the motivation she needed.
"I have a serious problem with gambling," Teresa sighed, tears streaming down her face. "And I don't know how to stop."
A/N: Yay, Ryan finally saved a damsel in distress! lol...