CHAPTER TWO

"Dude, I said back off," Adam hissed at the well-meaning paramedic who had come through the door at Danny and Flack's behest. The boy in the closet, who Danny tentatively identified as Ryan, the Lewis's son from family pictures, had seen the paramedic come in and immediately clamped onto Adam's vest with an iron grip.

"I need to check him out," the paramedic told Adam again, reaching forward again. Ryan whimpered and buried his face in Adam's shirt.

"Hey, we can do that at the lab," Danny offered. "Thanks, though," he said, giving the paramedic a look that read Back off now, your services are no longer needed. The paramedic got the hint and stalked away in a huff.

Adam gave Danny a grateful look. "Hey, it's okay, h-he's gone," he told the kid.

"Let's take him to Hawkes," Danny suggested. "Flack's trying to find his family. Not sure where Dad's at."

At the word 'dad,' Ryan looked up sharply at Adam, then buried his head in his shirt again.

Adam looked up at Danny. "I don't think Dad's who he wants to see," he deduced.

"Well, he's not gonna want to go anywhere with me," Danny said. "He seems attached to you, though. How about you take him to the lab, I'll finish processing."

"I can give you a ride back," Flack told Adam. He looked at Adam and the boy. Adam couldn't read his expression. Does he think I'm wimping out? That I can't handle the scene on my own? That he needs to babysit me? But he looked at Ryan, and knew that he couldn't leave the kid with Danny even if he wanted to.

"Yeah, sounds good," Adam said, trying to sound as if he was reluctant to leave the scene. He tapped Ryan on the shoulder. "Hey. Buddy. Let's get you someplace safe, okay?" He wasn't sure if the boy could hear him with the music in, so he picked up Ryan and waited for a reaction. Ryan adjusted himself and stuck his nose in Adam's neck with his eyes closed.

"Guess we've got our answer. I'll see you in a few," Danny told Adam.

Ryan fell asleep in Adam's arms on the way back to the lab. The ride was completely silent. Flack stared straight ahead at the road. So did Adam, although every now and then he would glance down at the sleeping kid in his arms.

"Do, ah, you think his dad's the one who killed his mom?" Adam asked finally. He couldn't stand the silence. He couldn't take it anymore.

Flack seemed surprised the tech was talking to him. "Won't know for sure until we find him," he said.

Adam nodded. "Yeah, I knew that," he said quietly, returning his gaze to the boy. He had thick brown hair, his eyes had been green when they were open. Adam leaned his head back on the seat, looking at the roof of the car.

Phoenix, Arizona

"Adam, hurry, put your shoes in your room." The tone in his mother's voice was a pitch above panic, but it was one Adam Ross was used to. He snatched up the pair of tennis shoes and sprinted as fast as his seven year old legs could take him. He threw them in his closet and slammed the door. As he came back down the hall, he heard the car door slam. "Mommy?"

"Go play downstairs, Adam," his mother said. "And don't come upstairs until I tell you to."

Adam had just hit the last stair when the front door slammed open. His father came in, swearing a four-letter blue streak. Adam tried to concentrate on his dinosaurs, but upstairs he could hear his daddy yelling at his mommy. Again. "Where in the hell is that good for nothing son of mine?" his father's booming voice demanded. "Adam!"

Adam closed his eyes. He didn't want to go upstairs. "ADAM ROSS! Get your scrawny ass up here right now!"

And he knew he had to. Because it was worse when Daddy decided to come downstairs after him.

It always hurt more. Better to do what Daddy said.

"Hey," Flack's voice broke through. "We're here."

Adam blinked. "Yeah, okay." He popped the car door. "I-uh...thanks for the ride." He closed the door before Flack could reply. Flack sat behind the wheel for a few moments. He didn't know a lot about Adam Ross, he just realized. Hell. Up until that day at the warehouse, I'll be damned if I remembered his name. He decided to make it a point to talk with the kid more. He'd saved Danny's and two officer's butts that day, after all.

Maybe there was more to Adam Ross than what he was seeing.

Kendall Novak met him at the elevator. "Hey, Danny called us ahead," she said. "Is this him?"

Adam nodded. "Where is...um, where's Dr. Hawkes?"

"Right here," Sheldon Hawkes said, closely followed by Mac Taylor. "He's asleep," he noted.

"It hurts less when you sleep," Adam said softly. Then he looked at Mac and coughed. "Sorry. Yeah."

"Let's put him on the couch in my office," Mac suggested. "Adam, did you see any outward signs of bruising or bleeding?"

Adam shook his head. "No..no. Ryan just looked scared." He realized that wasn't a strong enough word. "Terrified."

"Where did you find him?" Kendall asked, running one hand down Adam's back, the other resting on Ryan's shoulders.

"In the closet. He couldn't get out..." Adam felt his face getting hot. "His mother's body was in front of the door...he couldn't get out."

"Oh, God," Kendall said softly. "That's awful."

Adam brushed past them all, leaving them staring in bewilderment as he placed the boy on the couch in Mac's office, his mp3 player still stuck to Ryan's ears. They didn't get it. None of them could. Truth was, Adam had been Ryan, once. A long time ago. Time he usually tried to forget. He turned the volume down on the mp3 player. Ryan didn't notice.

His mind drifted back to the scene. The car ride here. Silence. Ever since the warehouse bust, he needed noise. Silence was scary. Silence gave you too much time to think about...everything. He was tempted to pull the earphones from Ryan's ears- but no. Ryan needed it more right now.

"Adam," a voice said. Adam straightened. Mac was offering him a blanket for the boy. He accepted it and tucked it around the boy's shoulders. He looked so small. Adam placed a hand on the boy's back.

"Are you okay?" Mac's voice asked.

Adam jerked. "Uh...yeah. Fine." His tone said otherwise.

Mac got the hint. "I'll be back when he wakes up," he said.

"Thanks, Mac," Adam said quietly.

"You can explain it all to me later," Mac suggested.

Adam would...he just wouldn't tell everything.

Some things weren't ready to be told.

Author's Note: I have to apologize for the delay between updates. It's gonna be a long ride, sadly. Add the additional frustration that I have a tempermental 'm' key that depending on the hour, wants Adam's name to be "Ada." I'm trying to get a feel for where this is going, so hang in there. I promise to try to make it worth the wait...