My thanks to Gooniegirl3333 for beta-reading and to CSIMiamiFan for reviewing the previous chapter. As always, I don't own this and any remaining errors are mine. Note: I am not a doctor. If you think Ryan needs better medical care, let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading!
A pounding on the door woke Ryan, and he jerked his head from Natalia's shoulder in surprise. I fell asleep again? On Nat? He could feel the blush creep into his cheeks.
The woman in question squeezed his shoulder as she stood up. "I need to get that, Ry." As she walked to the door and opened it for the doctor, Ryan mused that his apartment hadn't seen this much activity, well, ever. The only regular guest, besides Ryan and a handful of plants, was his pet rat Henry. Ryan felt a fleeting sense of relief that the animal was currently at the pet sitter's; his schedule had been so crazy lately that he had wanted the rat to have some company. It was a stroke of good luck in an otherwise bad day; he was in no way capable of caring for anyone or anything else right now.
"Baby." Alexx was kneeling in front of him, shining a penlight into his unbandaged eye. She stuck an ear thermometer in his left ear; when it beeped, she frowned at the results. "Your fever's lower, but it's still too high. Have you been able to keep anything down?"
Natalia called from the kitchen. "I got him to eat some jell-O."
The doctor sat next to Ryan on the sofa. "I need to check your eye, honey." She pulled the gauze from his face slowly. The sudden influx of light brought a sharp pain, and Ryan gasped before he could stop himself. "Oh, Baby," Alexx whispered. "Why do you do this to yourself?" In a louder, more composed voice, she said, "Natalia, honey, go get a washcloth and soak it in warm water. He needs a compress for this eye."
Ryan lay back on the sofa cushions, fighting a wave of vertigo and a tsunami of panic. Dr. Medby said this might not work. And if it doesn't work ...
Alexx had a trash can at the ready, doubly lined with fresh bags, when Ryan threw up again. Her hand rubbed circles of comfort on his back before propelling him into a reclining position. He felt something warm and wet cover his right eye and the relief was immediate. "Thanks, Alexx," he mumbled.
"Don't thank me yet, Baby. Open your left eye for me, please." He did, and a large glop of goo entered his field of vision. "Close it now, Sweetie. Okay, Ryan, I'm going to remove the compress for a minute. I need to get the ointment into your right eye. I know it hurts to open it, tough guy, so I'll be as fast as I can. But I need you to keep your eye open for me, okay?"
Ryan felt a warm hand in his and he knew that Natalia was seated on his other side. As much as he hated feeling this vulnerable, it was a comfort to have her close. She was his best friend, even closer than Walter, and that was saying something. Ryan tried to think about Walter's jokes as he opened his right eye. The pain that followed wasn't quite as blinding this time, but he could feel his eye tearing. He felt a dollop of ointment enter that eye as well, and he was feeling better about everything when it occurred to him that he was seeing very little out of that eye. His entire body shuddered. Natalia squeezed his hand and he felt Alexx replace the compress. It was a relief to have both eyes closed.
"Alexx?" Ryan hated the weak and whiny sound of his voice.
"Yes, Baby?"
"I ... " He hated to say it, but he had to tell her. "I can't see much with my right eye." He swallowed over the lump in his throat and he heard Natalia sniff.
"I'm not surprised, Ryan. Your eye is very red and swollen. I'm going to call Dr. Medby now. If you don't show some improvement very soon, you are going straight to the hospital." Her tone brooked no argument. "I need your permission to discuss your medical status with her. I want to talk with her about your medication."
"Okay." Ryan's voice was small. He heard Natalia sniff again, and this time, he squeezed her hand.
"Horatio? Our baby's in trouble."
The redheaded lieutenant stopped pacing the halls of the crime lab and focused all of his attention on his cell phone. He didn't have to ask whom she was talking about; the only member of his team unaccounted for was Ryan. "Talk to me, Alexx."
"It's not good, Horatio. He's got another infection in that right eye. Even if he clears it, he might be left with corneal scarring. Or worse."
Horatio winced. Ryan already had scarring in that eye, a fact that the young man had managed to keep hidden from his co-workers by using a specially modified contact lens. "Where is he now?"
"He's resting at home. Natalia's with him." Alexx chuckled. "She'll keep him in line."
Despite the gravity of the situation, Horatio found himself with a small grin. "I thought it was odd when she called in sick today."
He could hear the smile in Alexx's reply. "They're good for each other. I only hope they don't wait as long as Eric and Calleigh did." There was silence on the line as the two old friends pondered the star-crossed lovers of the Miami-Dade crime lab.
"Is there anything you need from me, Alexx?"
"I should get back to work, Horatio. I've spoken with Dr. Medby and we're going to try adding a corticosteroid drop to see if we can get that eye to calm down. I'd send him to the hospital now if I didn't think it would trigger a panic attack. He needs to stay quiet and rest more than anything. Can you send someone over to Delgado's to pick up his medication?"
"I'll take care of it myself. Thank you, ma'am."
"Call me if anything changes, Horatio. Keep a close eye on his fever. His temp's around 100 degrees right now. If it goes up at all, I want to know immediately."
After ending the call, Horatio strode into Ballistics to inform Calleigh that he needed to head out and that she was in charge for the day.
The blond woman stood in her lab, staring blearily at a bullet with her head to one side. She yawned and nodded. "Okay."
The redhead tipped his head at her. "Are you all right?"
Calleigh straightened and blinked at him. "I'm fine, Horatio. Just tired. I had to ... uh ..." She tucked her hair behind her ears and turned away before continuing. "A friend of mine needed my help last night."
H folded his arms and regarded her. "And how is Mr. Wolfe?"
Her green eyes widened in surprise as they met his steel blue ones. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I've never seen him that sick before, Horatio."
H nodded, absorbing that information. "I'm headed over there now. Alexx wants me to pick up some new medication for him. If I can convince her to leave, I'll send Natalia your way."
Calleigh's smile brightened her entire face. "I wouldn't count on that. Nat's pretty stubborn where Ryan's concerned."
He returned a faint smile. "So I've heard."
