Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: Miami, nor do I own any of it's characters. I borrowed them for the purpose of this story.
Horatio sat at his desk looking haggard. Last night was the worst night he and Eric have had since Speeds death. Yes, Eric was angry and distressed, he was too, but he couldn't get that look out of his head. That look that Ryan had given him just before he dumped him. The pleading in his voice, and the longing sadness in his eyes. That sadness is what kept Horatio up all night. Well, there was that, and Eric smashing everything he got his hands onto.
Horatio was brought from his thoughts, as his office door opened and Alexx stepped in.
"God Horatio, you look worse than some of my bodies downstairs." Alexx gave as a greeting.
"Good morning, Alexx. How may I help you?" H, 'greeted' back.
"I was wondering what happened to Ryan? Someone gave him a nasty bruise. Is he alright?"
Horatio was silent for a moment. He was wondering the same thing. The last he had seen Ryan, was last night in the locker room.
"I don't know, Alexx. Ryan is no longer my responsibility, other than boss/employee. I haven't seen him since end of shift yesterday." H answered.
"What? Horatio what happened? Everything seemed fine yesterday."
"It came to Eric and my attention yesterday, that…Ryan…has been engaging in other relationships, as well as ours." H informed, the M.E.
Alexx was shocked. "You mean he cheated on you?" She asked, sinking down into a chair. "For how long? How did you find out?"
Horatio went through the events of the previous day, along with their encounter in the locker room.
"Horatio, I am so sorry." Alexx sympathized.
"Thank you, Alexx."
After a few more questions, Alexx informed Horatio that she didn't find anything on their attorney and that he did indeed die from blood loss, caused by four stab wounds to the abdomen.
Alexx then left the lieutenants office, closing the door behind her. On her way to autopsy, non other then Ryan Wolfe himself steps out of the elevator accompanied by Detective Tripp. Ryan looked just as worn as Horatio, but uniquely sporting a purple and blue bruise that covered his left cheek and a puffy eye.
"Welcome back, Frank." Alexx greeted, while stepping into the elevator. She then cast a glare in Ryan's direction as the doors closed. You deserve much more then you got, my friend. She thought to herself.
"It's gonna be a long day." Ryan sighed.
"Yeah, well. The way gossip travels around this place, I can imagine everyone already knows about your split up."
"Listen, Frank? Thank you for letting me crash at your place last night. I really appreciate it, but if your at all worried about the rumormongers…we can avoid each other." Ryan said.
"Look, I could care less about what everybody else thinks, alright. You're my friend, and if you need a place to crash, my couch has got your name on it." Frank consoled, the CSI.
Ryan just smiled in thanks, and makes his way further into the lab.
In the trace lab, Ryan was going over the evidence again and Calleigh was swabbing blood samples off of the knife found at the scene.
The silence was starting to get to Ryan. Usually he would welcome the quiet, but this time it was different. He could almost hear Calleigh's mind accusing and berating him.
"Cal-"
"I've got to get this to Valera." She interrupted, and quickly left the lab.
Ryan let out the rest of his question in a sigh. As he watched Calleigh walk down the hall, Ryan noticed a few techs passing trace, trying to not look obvious as they whispered to each other looking in at him.
"This is getting old." Ryan said, to himself.
As he started bagging the evidence back up, an envelope fluttered to the floor. Picking it up, he noticed his name neatly written on the front. Inside was a hand written letter that read:
My Dearest Ryan,
You have to know that I still love you. Even after finding out you have been cheating on me. You have to know that I love you more then anyone else ever could. I know you still love me, too. You can prove it by having lunch with me today. 12 PM at the Sunny Day Café. If you don't come, then I'll take the hint.
I did this for us,
Thomas Ross
Ryan immediately wanted to throw up, after reading his name. This entire mess was all his doing! Who the hell is this guy, and why does he think I'm in love with him!
Ryan is startled from his thoughts by his ringing phone.
"Yeah, this is Wolfe."
"Mr. Wolfe, Eric has finished processing the finger prints found at the scene, and I need you and Frank to pick up the suspect for questioning." Horatio ordered, threw the phone.
"Sure, H. I'm on my way."
Ryan heard a hasty thank you and a click signaling the end of the call.
I guess I'm back to Mr. Wolfe. Ryan thought.
Before leaving, Ryan crumbled the letter and threw it into the trash, hoping that Ross will get the hint when he doesn't show up.
Frank and Ryan were returning to the lab with their suspect, when Ryan caught sight of Eric and someone else he didn't recognize moving file boxed from the back of a hummer. He quickly told Frank that he would meet him in interrogation in a few minuets.
"Eric, can we talk?" Ryan asked, when he reached the silver hummer.
"There's nothing I wanna hear you say." Eric replied, without looking up from the box he was handing to the unknown tech.
"Look this guy Ross? He thinks I'm in love with him. I'm telling you Eric, I've never met the-"
Ryan was cut of when Eric grabbed the nape of his shirt, and slammed him into the side of the hummer, hurting his right arm tenfold. Eric seemed to realize what he was doing and quickly back off when the lab tech returned.
"You know what Ryan?" Eric asked, backing away. "You're not even worth it. You are the biggest mistake H and I have ever made! I told him…I told him from the start that it wouldn't work out. You've ruined everything, Ryan! Just do us the favor, and stay the hell away from us, unless you absolutely have to."
Ryan could only stand there and watch, as Eric returned to the lab. Only then did he notice the presence beside him.
"Hey man. Are you alright?" The tech asked.
"I've had worse." Ryan answered. "Would you believe that I've been shot in the eye once?"
Ryan was obviously trying to make himself feel better by thinking of worse times. It wasn't really working.
"I'd believe anything, after the stuff I see. I'm the new A/V Tech by the way, Matt Tucker."
"Welcome to the crime lab." Ryan said. "Well, I have an interrogation to get to. I'll see you around."
Ryan entered the interrogation room just as the suspect was sitting down. He quietly moved to stand next to Frank near the window over looking the parking lot.
Calleigh had started asking questions starting with, "Mr. Spacing, do you know Russell Edmond?"
"Call me John please, I hate being called Mister." John ordered. "And yeah, I know Edmond. He's the lawyer that screwed me over."
"How so?" Frank asked.
"I hit some kid with my car. I swear that little shit jumped right in front of me on purpose! Edmond's a shitty lawyer. I still got five years."
"You were released two weeks ago, am I right?" Calleigh asked, receiving a nod. "Didn't you want to get back at him? Maybe get revenge for not defending you?"
"I never saw him again after my hearing."
"Really, cause we found your blood and prints on the knife used to kill him." Ryan stated.
John looked between the three officers looking a little nervous.
"Do I get a deal if I tell you who paid me five hundred-thousand bucked to kill him?" John asked.
"Somebody paid you to kill the guy that put you in jail?" Frank asked, skeptically.
"Do I get a deal?" John asked, again becoming angry.
"That's up to the D.A." Calleigh answered.
"That's not good enough!"
John quickly stood up, shoved himself away from the table and pulled a gun that was tucked in his belt. He reached out even quicker and grabbed Calleigh before she could upholster her own gun.
John then pushing the gun to her head, and told her to put her gun on the table. It seemed then that he noticed, Frank and Ryan had taken aim on him.
"Put you guns down." John order, calmly. "Or I blown a big hole in her pretty head."
Frank and Ryan were a little reluctant, but did as they were told.
"You don't want to do this." Frank tried to reason. "You're in a building full of cops. You'll never get out of here with her."
"You're right. I wasn't paid to kill her."
John pushed Calleigh away and pointed his gun at Ryan and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet into his side. John then ran out into the hall, Calleigh hot on his trail after retrieving her weapon from the table.
Ryan now lay bleeding on the floor, while Frank put presser on the wound.
"Hang in there Ryan!" Frank yelled, while calling 911.
Ryan knew Frank was talking to him, he just couldn't make out the words. Everything was jumbled together. The pain in his side and arm. The dizziness from blood loss. The fatigue caused from not sleeping last night, and not eating anything today. Before Ryan could begin to process Franks words, he fell into unconsciousness.
Meanwhile, Horatio and Eric were going over the files from Mr. Edmonds office in a lay out room just down the hall when they heard a gun shot, immediately followed by shouting. They abandoned their files and followed the herd of officers running toward the interrogation rooms.
When they pushed their way threw the hoard, they found Calleigh handcuffing Mr. Spacing. Once she handed him over to another officer, Horatio asked what had happened.
"Ryan's been shot!"
Letting everyone know, this chapter hasn't been bataed. Thank you for your reviews, and I hope you enjoyed.