Authors note: Thanks to Bola for Betaing this one and for being patient :o)
DISCALIMER: I don't own CSI Miami and i don't make any money from it.
Summary: Valera is having a really bad day, but that can quickly change.
A Very Bad Day.
Valera was not having a very good day. She had managed to mess up some samples, had a fight with her sister over the phone, had been called with Horatio because of her absent and unprofessional way of doing and was in general not feeling all too well as she put another sample into the machine.
As she waited for the result, her phone started to ring. She looked at it and saw it was her sister, and since she didn't want to be yelled at again, she didn't want to pick up, just let it ring.
"Rough day?" she heard Ryan ask from the door.
"You can put it that way, yes," she answered.
"I'm sorry, do you wanna talk about it?" he asked as he felt a bit sorry for her.
"I wouldn't want to worry you with my silly problems," she said.
"It might help talking about it and since I'm gonna be in here for a while," he offered.
"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt..... So I came in really early to get as much as possible done because of all the ongoing cases, only I wasn't feeling too good. I messed up the samples from two different cases and it took me forever to sort it out and Horatio got really mad and then I got in a huge fight with my sister," she said as her hand went to her temple rubbing it.
"Poor Maxi," said Ryan in a sympathetic tone.
She smiled back mostly because she liked that he called her that, but also because of the fact that he was one of the few that knew her first name.
"I'm OK," she lied.
"We both know that's not true, so why don't you let me rub your neck and shoulders as you tell me about your sister?" he suggested.
She doubted for a second before she said, "OK, so as you know, I have a younger sister Elisa that has two children, Leslie and Ronald. Now she wanted me to take care of them this weekend so she could go out of town with her husband, only it's my first weekend off in ages and I'm not, as I said before, feeling too well so I told her it didn't work and she got pissed. And now I feel really bad about it."
"You shouldn't, I mean, if you don't feel up for it, you don't feel up for it. It's as easy as that," he said in an understanding tone rubbing her shoulders a little harder before saying, "And I really think you should ask Horatio if you could take the rest of the day off as you seem to have a fever."
She nodded vaguely knowing Horatio probably wouldn't be so understanding, but she also knew Ryan was right, so she agreed.
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Horatio did however give her the day off, when she asked for it about half an hour later and apologized for being so harsh on her earlier when he understood how bad it really was and she told him it was OK before she left.
On her way home she got a note from Ryan that he would stop by her place later to check on her. She told him that wasn't needed, but he insisted on it, so she, in the end, gave in.
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Once Valera got home she got undressed, took a long hot shower and found something more comfortable to put on. Then she snuggled into bed holding her old and ragged teddy from when she was little and which she had always kept before she fell asleep.
When Ryan came to her place later that day he gently knocked on the door, but since there was no answer he gently pushed the handle to see if it was open. Normally it wouldn't be, but this time Valera's concern had been to get to bed, rather than lock the door, so it was still open.
Ryan smiled a little by this before getting inside and locking up behind him. On the way to finding her bedroom he looked around a little quickly and found it was the kind of place he would have pictured her to live in.
He quietly opened the door to her bedroom, her sanctuary, before entering. For a moment Ryan just stood in the doorway watching her, she looked so peaceful, holding on to her teddy, quietly breathing and it was the first time he saw how beautiful she really was.
He walked over to the bed, sat down next to her and gently stroked her cheek. He doubted a bit before he asked, "Are you feeling any better, beautiful?"
In her half sleep she whispered, "Mmmm, a little, thanks for checking in on me, honey."
"Not a problem," he said and smiled a little.
"Will you please hold me?" she asked, opening her eyes just a little and looking at him. He nodded as he kicked off his shoes and got into bed with her, holding her close and even if he was on top of the cover fully dressed and she beneath, they both knew that moment was the start of their relationship, them as a couple.
Feeback always welcome and very much appriciate :o)