Ryan sat in the morgue, staring at the sheet. He didn't want to believe it. He knew. H had told him, and Natalia had told him, so he knew...but he just wanted to wake up and have it be a dream.
He didn't want to like Jesse. Eric was his best friend...but Jesse's personality was infectious. He grew close to Jesse and Walter, and now Jesse was gone. So Ryan just sat there, staring at the sheet, tears streaming down his face.
"Ryan.", H said from behind him. He came and placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder. Tears were flowing down Ryan's face, and upon Horatio's arrival they flowed faster.
"Everyone else is fine. We have some sore throats and all, but other than that, we're fine. Jesse...he had to hit his head. He had to fall and hit his head on the floor."
"Fate can be a cruel bitch." Horatio said.
"H, he was protecting me. I feel, and he caught me, and then we both fell. I landed on him. I crawled for a bit...and then I just...fell. He screamed out something about Natalia, and then I lost consciousness."
They both stared at Jesse for a while, and were joined then by Natalia. Tears were streaming down her face.
"Oh, God.", she said quietly. Ryan reached out to grab her hand, and she gripped it fiercely.
She placed her head on his shoulder and began to cry uncontrollably. Ryan turned and held her with both arms, comforting him. In this moment, he loved Natalia more than he ever had before. This woman, this incredible woman, had the capability of so much caring, and so much love, in her heart. Ryan wasn't an idiot. He knew there was something between her and Jesse. He'd seen the way she reacted when Jesse stood her up, and the way she was around him. Yet in this moment, they could share comfort in each other.
Horatio stared at his two CSIs, wondering how the world became so screwed up. People were always trying to break him and his tream up. He was a likeable enough guy, or so he seemed to think. Sure, closed off, kept his emotions in check, but...likeable. Yet still he seemed to be targeted. He would always like Jesse. As a boss he tried not to pick favourites. He had a special, almost fatherly place, for Eric, being that he'd almost married Marisol, and that they'd been through so much together...yet Jesse was one of the good ones, and Horatio had grown quite fond of him.
"Goodbye, Jesse.", he said. Then he put on his shades and walked out into the Miami sunshine.