Author's Note: Thank you SO MUCH to those of you who have been kind enough to leave me reviews! It means a lot to know that you've taken the time to read my story and comment on it. I started that prologue a while ago, immediately after "Sleepless in Miami" aired on television actually. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I had to put it on hold… and though I've picked LBS back up now, I don't remember where I'd originally planned to take the story. (So you might have to bear with me while I try to figure it out!) I do know one thing about LBS, though: this is my way of finally giving Natalia the closure she very much deserves. (Because I'm tired of waiting for TPTB over at CSI: Miami to get around to it!) I hope you'll stick out the journey with me and Natalia, as she gets a little bit stronger each and every day.
Little Bit Stronger
Chapter One
Ryan Wolfe stole a glance at the shaken woman sitting in the passenger seat of his car. He'd offered to drive Natalia home after the ordeal she'd gone through earlier today, and the CSI had accepted without hesitation. She had also been quick to assure her friend that she was okay, but the Miami-Dade officer of six years remained unconvinced.
The ride to Natalia's house in the picturesque Miami neighborhood of Coconut Grove had been a fairly quiet one. The brunette had always been a rather social individual, but even she fell silent after only a few minutes of small talk. The quiet unnerved Ryan and every so often he found himself looking over at his friend and coworker, just to make sure she was alright.
When they finally pulled into the driveway of her two-story home, Ryan shifted the gear into park and cut the engine. Having made the decision back on the road to walk Natalia up to her door, he reached for the release on his seatbelt but was interrupted by the sudden admission she made. "I shot at you."
Surprised, the CSI's hazel eyes widened as he abandoned his seatbelt to focus on his friend. "What?" he asked, not quite sure he'd heard her right.
"At the warehouse. I shot at you and Horatio, didn't I?"
Once again, silence filled the car. 'Shit,' Ryan thought to himself. So much for his pact with Horatio. It wasn't often the officer went against the demands of his boss, but there wasn't a way around this one. Sighing, he looked at Natalia, noting just how tense every muscle in her body appeared to be, and nodded his head. "You did."
Immediately following his response, Natalia's façade began to crumble. Her lips curled down into a frown as tears welled up in her chocolate brown eyes and Ryan suddenly found himself in a panic. "But it's okay!" He rushed to reassure her, scrambling for words to calm his fellow CSI. "We're okay, you didn't hit us. You weren't yourself… hallucinating from the Datura that Elena drugged you with…"
It took a moment, but Ryan's gentle reassurances of his and Horatio's well-being seemed to help Natalia regain some control. With a sigh of her own, she ran a shaky hand through her hair as her friend decided to pose his own question. "How did you know?" he asked, eager to learn how Natalia had come to that conclusion.
"I-I've been trying to piece everything together. At the lab – when I thought I was at the lab – I didn't just see Nick." Ryan watched silently as Natalia's face paled and a look of terror flashed in her eyes. "I saw two of him."
Things suddenly made more sense for Ryan as he got a small glimpse into what Natalia had been seeing at the warehouse. No wonder she'd been so terrified, so hysterical when he and Horatio had taken her down and disarmed her… she'd thought that they were her abusive ex, preparing to hurt her again. His heart suddenly ached for the woman next to him.
The DNA expert continued on. "At the hospital, when you said that you and Horatio found me… I made the connection." Natalia looked away from her friend in shame. "You two… two of Nick… God, I'm so sorry, Ryan." With that, the brunette buried her face into her hands, overcome with emotion over what she'd done.
"Natalia, look at me," Ryan spoke, gentle but firm. He coaxed her hands into his as he locked eyes with her. "You have nothing to be sorry about. You were drugged with a very strong hallucinogen. You had no way of knowing what was really going on."
Much to his satisfaction, Natalia nodded, resigning to his reasoning. "I know… I know…" she whispered, multiple times as if to try and convince herself.
When silence settled once more over the interior of the car, Ryan smiled. "Now how about we get you inside?" It was more of a rhetorical question, and the two extracted themselves from the SUV before walking up the stone pathway to Natalia's front door.
Ryan watched quietly as his friend retrieved her keys from her purse and shakily inserted the correct one into the lock. Once the great oak door was opened, the woman turned back to her coworker and smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Ryan. For everything."
Having never been able to resist one of Natalia Boa Vista's smiles, the CSI smiled back before wrapping her in a solid hug. "Do you need anything?" he asked, not wanting to leave until he was sure she'd be okay for the remainder of the day.
"No, I'm good." She let out a soft laugh under her breath as they separated. "Gonna take some Xanax and call it a night, I think."
Ryan nodded. It sounded like the best thing for her at the moment. "If anything changes, or you need anything at all… give me a call, okay?" He received a forced nod from Natalia, and then watched as she stepped inside her house and closed the door behind her.
As he started back down the walkway toward his car, Ryan Wolfe could've sworn he heard a woman's sobs… sobs that would stay with him for the remainder of the day.