Twenty Five

Ryan just couldn't sleep. He was constantly tossing and turning, and huffing in frustration. No position was comfortable. The baby liked to kick, too. He was also extremely hungry but it seemed like no matter how much he ate, he just couldn't get full. And the constant getting up to use the bathroom because his baby was resting comfortably on his bladder was incredibly frustrating, too. Ryan was so miserable. And to top it off, Horatio was sound asleep in the bed next to him without a care in the world.

Bastard.

Ryan knew that Horatio needed to be up in the morning for work. But he couldn't help but to want him to wake up and be miserable with Ryan. And he knew that was probably selfish, but he hated being up alone. Ryan hated being alone period.

He sighed as he got out of bed for the umpteenth time that night. He quietly crept out of the room, and down the stairs and into the kitchen. Ryan glanced at the clock. It was only four o'clock in the morning. Horatio would be up in 3 hours but that wasn't soon enough. And he would have felt bad if he woke Horatio up just because he didn't want to be bored alone. Especially since Horatio needed to work. It just wasn't fair to him. But it also didn't seem fair to Ryan either.

Ryan opened the refrigerator and grabbed two oranges, a bottled water and then made his way into the living room. He turned the TV on, planted himself firmly on the couch, and instantly regretted not grabbing the bottle of chocolate sauce that Horatio had bought for him. He whined a bit because he wanted it, but Ryan didn't feel like getting up to get it.

He watched countless infomercials until Horatio came downstairs and found him sleeping on the couch. His mouth was wide opened and he snored loudly. Horatio laughed quietly and approached Ryan. He placed a few kisses to his forehead and cheek. Ryan abruptly stopped snoring and his eyes popped open. He stared at Horatio and then looked around. "Did I fall asleep?"

"I think you did." Horatio smiled. "But you should really sleep in the bed. You'll back will hurt even more if you don't."

Ryan shook his head. "I don't want to move. The baby hasn't kicked in hours now and I'm afraid if I move, it will start again."

"Oh, you poor thing. Just lay down in bed and try to get some sleep." Horatio answered. "It's a half-day at work for me anyways; I just have some meetings. But I'll be right home after okay? And we can just hang out together."

Ryan smiled. "I like that. Okay go in, so you can hurry back. And I'm going to bed."

Horatio helped Ryan up and off of the couch. He then guided him up the stairs back into their shared bedroom and helped him lay down. Then, Ryan placed a very passionate kiss on Horatio's lips before he left. Horatio left in a very great and positive mood. Hopefully the meetings wouldn't take too long and he could hurry home to Ryan.

When Horatio got to the lab, he wasn't surprised to see Dave there. He was already told that he would be rejoining the day team. And Horatio had no problem with that. He gave Dave a very cordial hello and went past him to his office. He had a stack of resumes from potential applicants on his desk that he needed to go through. He also had to interview a few people today. Then after, there was a team meeting.

After interviewing ten applicants, Horatio needed a break. He stepped outside in the peaceful, fresh air and breathed in and out deeply. Horatio was ready to go home and just relax, spending the day with Ryan to prepare for their babies arrival.

Initially, Horatio had been scared of having a baby- terrified, even. But he didn't let it show. He saw how freaked out yet happy Ryan was. He didn't want to make him lean toward being more afraid because of Horatio's reaction. So he put on a brave face and told Ryan that he would be there for him and their child. And of course, he meant it. And for weeks, Horatio was constantly worried about it.

He was too old to be having kids, he thought. And he had very little experience in taking care of babies and toddlers. He had been involved in Ray Jr's life, but not by a lot, or as much as he would have liked to be anyways. And Horatio hadn't been there for Kyle growing up. Not by his own choice though; in Horatio's defense, he had no idea Kyle even existed. The point being, Horatio had no idea how to raise a child. But Ryan didn't really either, not since a teen. He said he used to babysit for the neighborhood families but other than that, nothing. So, they were to experience it together. The thought of that both made Horatio excited but anxious at the same time.

But Horatio was happy. He liked the thought of having a little one running around the house.

His peace didn't last long when he breathed in the obnoxious scent of body spray and mints. He frowned and his face scrunched up. "What do you want?"

Rick Stetler glared and laughed mockingly at him. "Excuse me for wanting to step outside for a moment. I wasn't aware you owned the outdoors."

"I 'own' the outdoors?" Horatio sneered. "I wasn't aware we were back in middle school."

Rick just shook his head. He decided not to stand next to Horatio. Instead, he stood on the opposite side with his back facing him.

"Have you found anyone to replace Ryan?" Horatio heard Rick say. He didn't even bother to look at the man.

"I've interviewed a few people, yes. None as good as him, but I suppose I can find someone that will do." Horatio answered.

"You and Ryan are pretty close, right?" Rick questioned. "Do you know if he's going to be coming back to work or not? If he's not, you should probably hire someone who's capable and not someone that will 'do', as you put it."

Horatio almost rolled his eyes. "I know that he wants to come back to work. But things change and so do people. I wouldn't hire someone I didn't deem capable, Rick."

Rick snorted and turned to face Horatio again. "I didn't say you would, Horatio. I'm just saying. Better to be safe than sorry."

They didn't say much of anything else. Rick asked Horatio if he knew who the other father of Ryan's baby was. Horatio said it wasn't his business while Rick questioned why everyone was being so secretive about it. He just didn't see what the big deal was. He just simply didn't even know that Ryan was seeing someone. Most people had no problem letting that information out.

Calleigh opened the door, and looked around. She spotted Horatio and ran over to him. "Horatio, there's an emergency."

"He can't go out on a call, Ms. Duquesne." Rick informed her, though she wasn't speaking to him. "We have a meeting in a few minutes."

"This doesn't concern you." Calleigh told him. She approached the lieutenant. "Ryan just called me; he said he's been trying to call you for a while now."

Horatio nodded. "My phone is in my office. What's wrong? Is he okay?"

Calleigh answered yes immediately, as to not scare him. She glanced back to Rick, who was staring openly at them; listening to their conversation. She dropped her voice down to a whisper. "Yeah he's fine. But um, you might want to go meet him at the hospital."

"The hospital? As in…?"

"Yes. As in 'go now'. Like, right now."

"He didn't drive himself did he?" Horatio questioned.

"No, no. Just go, I'm sure he'll explain it to you." Calleigh told him. "I'll meet you guys up there later."

Horatio agreed and started making his way back inside the building to grab his phone before he left. But then he remembered he was supposed to be going to a meeting. What would he tell Rick is his reason for just taking off the way he was?

Calleigh had already reentered the building, and she was holding the door open for Horatio, waiting for him. Horatio looked back to Rick but he wasn't sure exactly what to say. "Rick, I have to-."

"Just go, Horatio." Rick said.

He didn't need to be told twice. Horatio bolted for the door past Calleigh. He jogged down the halls of the lab and into his office. Walter, Valera, Natalia and a few others watched as he did so, probably wondering what was going on unless Calleigh had already told them. He grabbed his phone, placed it in his pocket, and collected the rest of his things. After Horatio was sure he had everything he needed, he left the building, saying bye to Calleigh and passing Rick as he made his way back up to IAB. Horatio got into his car and was off.

He made it to the hospital in just under 20 minutes. When he went inside, he spoke to the receptionist who guided him to the maternity ward of the hospital. He saw Alexx, when he got into the elevator, she slipped in with him.

"Horatio, Ryan's not quite ready to have the baby. They say it'll be about another 2 or 3 hours." She told him. "I've been going back and forth since I'm not a maternity nurse. But I should warn you- he's a bit testy right now. Actually, Eric brought him in and had to leave because he was getting a bit annoyed with Ryan."

"That's understandable." Horatio told her.

Alexx shook her head and grinned. "Good luck."

Horatio and her both stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall together. They made it to Ryan's room and peered inside. There was a nurse in there, talking to the other pregnant couple in the room. Their curtain was open, while Ryan's was shut. Alexx put her hand out, silently telling Horatio to stay where he was. She pulled back Ryan's curtain and she smiled. Now Horatio couldn't see Ryan, but he was sure that he was making a face since Alexx's smile went away instantly.

"How are you feeling, baby?"

"I feel like my stomach is going to explode. This is literally the worst feeling in the world." Horatio heard Ryan snap. "But other than that, I'm just freaking great."

"I'm sorry, they can't give you the epidural yet, because-."

"Okay, where the hell is Horatio?" He interrupted her.

Alexx shot the redhead a look, and he came over and opened up the curtain all the way. Ryan lay on the hospital bed dressed in a gown. He had a scowl on his face that Horatio hadn't quite seen before. When Ryan laid eyes on Horatio, it got worse.

"You!" He exclaimed. "You did this to me. This is all your fault."

Horatio shook his head. "If I recall correctly- and I do, by the way- you were the one who insisted it would be fine if we didn't use a condom."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Details that aren't important! This is still your fault. And you weren't even there when my water broke. Poor Eric- he came over to bring some stuff for the baby that he bought and my water broke. He had to rush me to the hospital."

"Where is Eric?"

"He left to get food. He said I was 'too angry'." Ryan sighed. "I don't care."

Alexx covered her mouth to suppress her chuckle as she exited the room. Horatio almost envied her. If he tried to leave, Ryan would have his head.

One more chapter left!

-V