What's Wrong With Wolfe?

'You took your time getting back here,' Alexx said when Ryan walked into the morgue.

'Sorry,' he said shortly. 'The scene took longer to process than I thought it would.' He looked at the body on the table. 'Can you tell me anything yet?'

'Only that our boy died of a head injury,' she said. 'I sent blood for tests, though.'

'Tell me something I don't know,' he muttered. He looked over to the bags on the table. 'These his clothes?'

'Sure they are.'

'I should take them up to the lab.'

'Okay, I'll let you know when I find anything.'

'Thanks, Alexx.' Ryan left the morgue, Alexx watching him, slightly worried. She glanced at the table and raised an eyebrow in surprise. He'd left two of the bags behind, something of an oversight for someone as organised as Ryan. She wondered what was worrying him.

Alexx wasn't the only person who had noticed that Ryan was acting strangely. Calleigh and Eric saw him coming up with the bags into the lab.

'You all right, man?' Eric asked him as they both entered the lab.

Ryan looked up, irritated. 'Yeah. Why?'

'Because there should be two more bags,' Calleigh said, pointing at the evidence bags. 'That's Mr Moore's effects, right? You're missing two bags. I saw them in the morgue earlier.'

Ryan frowned.

'And,' she continued, 'I borrowed your flashlight yesterday and the batteries are dead. And your kit isn't fully stocked.'

'So?' Ryan snapped.

'So you're obsessive compulsive,' Eric said helpfully. 'You never forget things like that, Wolfe. Never. What's eating you?'

'Nothing,' Ryan said, gritting his teeth as he set down the first evidence bag he was been about to open. 'I'm just tired, okay? Hopefully the Moore case is going to get solved quickly so I can go home and get some sleep – '

'Nice try,' Eric said, grinning. 'Come on, you're hacked off about something. Fess up, Ryan.'

He shook his head angrily. 'I don't want to talk about. It's nothing, anyway.'

'It's serious enough for you to be missing sterile gloves, swabs and no new batteries in your kit,' Calleigh said. 'You're worse than me over that.'

'It's hardly going to screw up my work, is it?' Ryan said, rather coolly. 'Now if you don't mind, I have to go and get the stuff I missed from Alexx.'

'No need,' Horatio's voice said from the door. He held out the two evidence bags. 'Alexx sent these up to you. You all right, Wolfe?'

For a moment Ryan looked like he was going to explode. Eric and Calleigh watched his face change expression several times with some interest, then he said calmly, 'No, Horatio. I'm fine, just a bit tired.'

'Okay,' Horatio said quietly. He exchanged a knowing glance with the other two first over Ryan's obvious lie and then the fact that the CSI hadn't noticed the first knowing glance. Eric bit back a smirk and exchanged a grin with Calleigh as they left Ryan to work on the evidence.

'How's the foot?' Calleigh asked Eric as they went down the corridor.

'Fine,' he said, using his crutches easily. 'Just means I'm stuck in here for a while.'

'You could have offered to help Ryan,' she said.

He laughed. 'Not in the mood he's in. I'll run away as fast as I can when he's that annoyed. Did you see him almost yell at H? I was almost hoping he would.'

'It would get to the bottom of what's wrong with him,' she agreed, tapping the button to the elevator. 'I wonder what's eating him? He's been in a bad mood for days and he never forgets stuff like that.'

Eric was about to reply when a woman pushed out of the elevator past them. She hesitated, looking a little intimidated by the size of the lab. 'Excuse me,' she said to them, 'can you help me?'

'Sure,' Calleigh said, smiling. 'How can we help?'

'I'm looking for Ryan Wolfe,' she said.

'Why?' Eric asked. 'He's busy.' He gave her a polite smile. She was pretty, small, and with dark hair and large green eyes.

'I'm his sister,' she said. 'I've been trying to get hold of him for days but he's never in and he won't answer his cell – '

'I'm afraid he's busy right now,' Calleigh said. 'Perhaps if you could wait – '

'No,' the woman said coolly. 'I can't wait. I've been waiting to speak to Ryan for over a week and I'm tired of it. So I want to speak to him now.' She gave them both an icy glare, as if the fact Ryan hadn't been taking her calls was their fault.

They looked at each other.

Eric gave her an evil grin. 'Sure. Come this way.'

'If any evidence gets ruined, it's your fault,' Calleigh muttered to him under her breath.

When they saw the expression on Ryan's face when he saw his visitor, they instantly regretted bringing her. His face fell and he didn't look at angry, just miserable.

'Sandy,' he said very quietly. 'What are you doing here?'

She set her hands on her hips. 'Is that all you have to say to me?'

He carefully set down the evidence bag. 'You don't have anything to say to me, then?'

Sandy stared at him. 'Like what, Ryan? Why the hell aren't you taking my calls? Why haven't you come home for several months? And why didn't you come to my engagement party? You're my brother, you should have been there.'

'I was working,' he said calmly.

'Working? You were too busy to come to my engagement party?' She laughed. 'Typical Ryan. So wrapped up in your precious work – '

'What have you been doing for the past few months?' he cut in sharply.

'Preparing for my wedding,' she snapped.

Ryan nodded slowly. 'So, you've been busy.'

'Very!'

'I call that even, don't you?' Ryan's voice dropped even lower, his eyes fixed on hers, his fingers tightening into fists on the table.

'For what?'

'For you not coming to visit me or even calling me after I got a nail in the eye.'

'Don't you dare throw that at me!' she shot back angrily. 'I was out of the country, you were fine! We were all on holiday, do you know how much Caribbean cruises cost for three weeks? On a luxury liner?'

Eric heard Calleigh stifle a gasp.

Ryan didn't answer for a moment. Then he said, 'This is why I wasn't answering your calls. You have your life, I have mine. I guess neither of us like to cross them over.'

'There is a dinner tomorrow,' she said. 'You're going to come. Be at Mom and Dad's house at seven. You're expected, a seat is reserved for you and for a guest.' She smirked at him. 'If you can find a date, that is.'

'I can't come,' Ryan said. 'I don't have a suit smart enough and I won't have a guest by then – '

'There's a surprise,' she said, smiling nastily at him. 'Never mind, you'll have an empty space to keep you company – '

'Just go,' Ryan said.

'You're going to come,' she said.

'Hey,' Eric said suddenly. 'Look, Ryan has to get on and process this evidence. You're in the way, so please leave.'

Sandy turned on him. 'I beg your pardon?'

'You heard,' Calleigh said quietly. 'Ryan is working a case and you're holding up an investigation into a possible homicide. Please leave now.'

'Before we ask security to remove you,' Eric added.

Ryan shot them both looks of gratitude as Sandy stalked out. 'Thanks, guys,' he said, looking relieved that she had finally gone. 'I didn't think she'd actually show up at my work place.'

'Your sister?' Eric said. 'You're not close, I take it.'

Ryan gave a short laugh. 'Close? We hate each other. Let's just say most of my family don't agree with my deciding to join the police force and then become a CSI.'

'Sounds heavy,' Eric said with some sympathy. 'You going to go to this dinner?'

Ryan groaned. 'I have to or else I'll have more irate relatives showing up here. That will not be good. Damn, I haven't got time- '

'You want to talk about it?' Calleigh asked gently.

Ryan didn't look up. 'You know,' he said, 'you're really lucky your dad approves of you, Calleigh.'

She frowned. 'You don't get on with your family?'

He straightened. 'I really need to back onto this work,' he said.

'You serious?' Alexx said. 'You think that's what's eating Ryan?'

Calleigh nodded. 'I don't think he gets on with his family. Has he ever mentioned them to you?'

Alexx considered. 'No,' she said eventually.

'And,' Eric added, 'he accused his sister of not even calling him after he took that eye injury. She said they were all on a cruise.'

'Sounds like none of his family bothered to come see him when he was off work with that injury,' Calleigh said.

Alexx looked angry. 'You're kidding.'

'Didn't sound like it was a joke,' Eric said. 'I had no idea Ryan didn't get on with his family. Apparently they don't agree with his choice of career.'

'I expect that's why he's been less than his usual focused self recently, either,' Calleigh said. 'He was probably expecting a visit like this some time soon.'

'He said something about his family not approving of him,' Eric said. 'He said Cal was really lucky her dad approves of her.'

'Nothing wrong with his career,' Alexx said. 'And he's good at the job.' She shook her head. 'Poor kid.'

'That's pretty rough,' Eric agreed. 'Think we need to give the guy some moral support.'

'Looks like he's gonna need it,' Calleigh agreed.

'Going to need what?' Horatio looked around the door with interest. 'Is there something I should know about?'

'Ryan seems to be having family trouble,' Eric said. 'His sister came here and had a go at him. He wasn't happy.'

Horatio nodded. 'Yes, Wolfe hasn't been his usual super-efficient self recently.'

'He knows not to let it affect his work,' Calleigh said.

'It already has,' Horatio said. 'Maybe I should talk to him.'

'I don't think that would be such a good idea,' Alexx said. 'Horatio, family matters have to stay family matters. I would have thought you would understand that.'

Horatio smiled. 'Point taken. Just keep an eye him, team.'

'Understood,' Eric said.

Horatio nodded and left.