Chapter 3: Almost Out Of Time
Horatio was in the middle of running after a crew of Russians who he had witnessed take Eric against his will and ruthlessly proceed to beat him and bloody him, "Eric!" Horatio called out to his comrade. "Hold on!" He told him, reaching to his side arm to pull out his nine training it on the closest target to him firing a warning shot to get their attention. One guy looked at him and grinned wickedly training his own firearm on Horatio himself, "Don't do it!" Horatio warned. The other man just shouted something in Russian as he squeezes the trigger firing a full round at the lieutenant hitting him in the leg, howling in pain and anger he fired two shots one hitting him in the chest the other getting right between the eyes. As this is happening the other mans crew dragged Eric into a waiting SUV, speeding off down the road.
Ryan and Calleigh are ripping through the meadows and shortly after spotting Horatio he collapses screaming in agony, "H!" Ryan and Calleigh call out at the same time. Ryan quickens the pace putting the pedal to the floor skidding to a stop beside their boss. "H! You ok!?" Ryan asked panicked, Horatio slowly gets to his feet and gets into the backseat and looks at Ryan with pain filled eyes.
"I'm fine Mr. Wolfe, but they took Eric!" Horatio said while ripping his new dress pants and putting a shredded piece of fabric around the bullet wound on his leg.
"Who has Eric!?" Calleigh asked her boss with tears in her eyes, looking towards Ryan.
"The Russians do." Horatio replied calmly, grimacing as he tied the fabric tight around the wound.
Ryan glances back to Calleigh, "You don't think that they'll…" he stops to swallow the lump in his throat looking back towards his boss.
"I don't know… I hope not." Horatio mused thinking back to what they did to their youngest CSI, 'Please don't let him get tortured.' Horatio silently prayed. "But get going they went that way!" he said pointing in the direction that they had dragged Eric. Snapping out of his reverie after a few seconds, every second counts as it is ticking away. Suddenly lashing out to take a hold of something to steady himself as Ryan puts the hummer into overdrive with the pedal to the floor. Horatio glances out the window watching everything fly by, 'Well, he's worse than Calleigh when it comes to driving fast… I like it." Horatio thought with a smirk, he finally gets ahold of himself glancing out the windshield.
"Is that them H!?" Ryan asks enraged, his eyes blazing with a fire from deep within as he squeezes the steering wheel until his knuckles turn white, Calleigh notices his mood switch and puts a hand on his arm in a calming gesture. It appears to work because he loosens his grip slightly, smiling slightly at how Ryan feels toward the people that took Eric, the two may have problems every once in a while but he's still family to him because he is one of their own. "H, we're insured correct?" Ryan asked with a look in his eye like he was gonna do something drastic.
Horatio and Calleigh both nod and give him a weird look, "You're not gonna do what I think you're gonna do…?" Horatio had just finished his sentence as Ryan rammed into the back of the black SUV that held Eric. "Good grief, Mr. Wolfe!" Horatio yelped as Calleigh just gave Ryan a glare, sensing two pairs of eyes focused on him he glances to the rear view mirror and grinning sheepishly. "Are you trying to kill us all Mr. Wolfe?" Horatio remarked calmly, half joking.
"Hold on it gets better." Ryan said winking at Calleigh
"It better not…" Horatio warned.
"Hold tight." Ryan grinned into the rear view mirror.
Horatio and Calleigh both duck for cover as Ryan executes a perfect PIT maneuver, the SUV sliding to a stop. Ryan pulls his gun out hopping out the hummer taking two shots, one the front tire on the left and one to the left rear tire, just to be safe. "Miami Dade PD!" Ryan introduced himself and who he represented, .45 trained on the drivers side door stepping to the window peering in to see the passenger side door ajar, 'Great' He thought but was startled from someone groaning in the backseat, looking in the direction that the sound had come from eyes widening at who he found.
"Eric! Hold on man!"
Calleigh and Horatio's heads shoot up at the name, each getting out the hummer and rushing to the SUV. "Oh My God!" Calleigh gasps in horror at the scene in front of her, Eric was barely recognizable his face was practically covered in blood his shirt was torn and he had a single gash going diagonally across his chest no shoes and tied up with a thick rope. "Eric... I'm so sorry." Calleigh mutters to herself.
Ryan's voice startled her out of her reverie, "I need an ambulance at 103 Hoffman, I've got an officer down! I repeat officer down!" Ryan practically screamed into his phone. "Make it quick!" he finished hanging up, glancing over to Horatio who had remained silent for the entire time. "H, we don't have much time what do you want to do?" Ryan asked out of breath.
Horatio stood silent for a few seconds longer before replying, "Get him into the Hummer, we'll get him there the old fashion way." He responded with a sigh placing his shades onto his face limping toward the vehicle in question, "With your driving we'd make it in record time." Horatio added with a smirk, "Now let's move people." he ordered opening the back door of the hummer.
Ryan grinned slightly thinking back to when Eric had rushed him to the hospital when he was shot in the eye with a nail gun, 'Oh and Eric, thank you for getting me to the hospital... that was some crazy driving.' Ryan added with a smirk, to have it returned with equal feeling. "Now I get to pay you back my friend." Ryan muttered to his injured friend, lifting him carefully and throwing Eric's arm around his neck and carrying him to the open door. Once Eric was settled into the seat Calleigh sat beside him putting his head in her lap and pushing a stray hair behind his ear. Horatio sat up front with Ryan, grabbing the radio he began speaking into it.
"This is car 546, clear all traffic to Miami General, we've got an officer down!" Horatio ordered.
"Here we go again." Ryan stated to himself mostly, with a smirk putting the hummer into gear and the pedal to the medal.
Author's Note: Oooh! new side of Ryan we've never seen before and I like it lol! R&R tell me what you guys think!
