" Daddy..." Ryan Wolfe heard his young son Jack call him. Part of him was happy to be pulled from his dream. The bigger part wanted to stay asleep.
" Jack..." Ryan began. He switched on the light and grabbed his clock. " What are you doing in here, bud?"
Jack climbed into the bed with his father. " I can't sleep... I'm thirsty," he replied.
He looked at the clock. " Dude, it's three a.m." He got up and pulled his son with him. He brought him into the kitchen, grabbed two cups and made two cups of hot milk.
As the small boy took the cup, Ryan picked him up and carried him in the direction of his room. " Daddy... can I come in with you tonight?" he asked. Ryan changed his direction to his room. The two boys climbed into the bed. Ryan pulled the covers around them and wrapped his arms around Jack. Jack looked up at his father. " Can you read me a story?"
" Jack, I have to be at work by nine a.m., which means waking up at seven-thirty and going fifteen minutes one way to Uncle Ron's and then another half an hour to the lab. I can't read you a bedtime story."
" Can't Carrie take us?" he asked, his eyes wide.
" She's working tomorrow, kiddo... You know that!"
" Daddy, can you tell me about mommy?"
Ryan sighed. " Jack, you know I would, ok? But I have to be up early tomorrow and I'm exhausted and it's three a.m.!" he said exasperated. He looked down and could just see the hurt and tears in his son's eyes. He tightened his arms around his son and kissed him on top of his head. " I'll make you a deal. If we can sleep 'till my alarm goes off, then we can go see Carrie when I get home from work and I'll tell you about Mommy and I'll read you two bedtime stories tomorrow. Sound like a plan?" Jack nodded his head eagerly. " That's my boy. Now get some sleep, kay bud?"
Ryan finally got some sleep. When he woke up again, Jack wasn't in the bed next to him. He grabbed his alarm clock again. It read eight-fifteen. He quickly got out of bed and hurried into the other rooms, which were empty, before running to the kitchen. He found Jack in the kitchen with his baby daughter, Ava. " Hi Daddy..." He looked at his dad. " Your hairs a mess!" he said smiling. The baby giggled.
Ryan walked over to them and picked up his daughter. " Jack, why didn't you waked me?"
" You said you were tired!" Jack answered innocently.
" Yeah... I know I did say that buddy, but I was only tired cause of the thought of having to wake up at seven." Jack stared up at him. " Never mind. Can you just go and get dressed and help you sister get dressed as well.
Ryan hopped into the shower and quickly got dressed. When he went back out to the living room, he found his son and daughter looking at a picture. It was always the same picture that Jack would show his sister. It was the one of Ryan and his wife on their wedding day. Jack was over two years old and Ava was just born when she had died. Ryan had gotten his job at the crime lab a month later and did his best as a single parent. He never refused help from his Uncle Ron, or his best friend Carrie, or his wife's parents. He had never told his colleagues about his children or his loss.
Ryan walked over to them and took the picture from jack. " We have to go buddy."
" But you said you'd talk to me about Mommy."
" Yeah... but tonight, before you go to bed. Promise." He gave his son a kiss on the head. He picked up his daughter and her bag. " Got everything bud?"
Jack nodded. Ryan glanced at his watch: 8. 45. Shit!
He had to bring the kids to his uncle Ron's house which was fifteen minutes from his house and had to make his way to the lab which was half an hour from there. There was no way of being there by nine. " Let's go!" Jack led his father and sister out.
Ryan dropped his kids off at Ron's and got to the lab as fast as he could. The first place he went to was the breakroom and went straight for the fridge. He could never work on an empty stomach and hadn't eaten since five the day before.
Natalia and Delko walked in. " You're late," Natalia stated.
Ryan looked up, glaring at her. Nice work, Nancy Drew. Do me a favour and find me some food?"
Delko smiled. Both men were currently friends, connected for there current hate for Natalia. " Grab something on the way, man... We have a case. Double homicide."