AN: I had so much trouble writing this, so I hope you'll like it. As always, please read and review...
Chapter 7
Duke watched his son another minute. Ryan just stood there, waiting for something to happen. He didn't know what he was waiting for, exactly. Maybe for the old man to ask him how he was and what he was doing here… Something that showed him his father had forgotten how they had separated so many years ago.
But Duke Wolfe hadn't forgotten. "Ryan Wolfe… So, you're still alive I see… Been living with Ron, right?" He looked around, "So, this is where you work? Local police station? What are you doing here, scraping road kill off the street? That's what you're going to send one of the 'team' for, getting a dead squirrel of the road? I knew you'd end up like this…."
"I…"
"I cannot remember having allowed you to talk. You know, I wonder actually it surprises me so much… I always knew you'd be a failure. I tried my best to form you into a man, but I knew from the beginning on it was hopeless. You're still a wuss. Did you actually try to become a cop? I guess you didn't. You probably just hung around at Ron's flat, living from his money and then took the first job you got, right? Ron always believed in you, and now look what has happened. If you were a cop like you had planned to, you could probably help him. But well… You're worth a damn shit…."
"I…"
"Shut up. I don't want to hear anything from you. What do you want to say? That I'm wrong? I'm not. I just have to look at you and I see that you haven't changed a bit. Just look at the way you're standing there, looking at your feet. You're not even man enough to look into my face. Are you scared of me, or are you just afraid to see all that disappointment in my face? You've got no backbone at all. Look at me." Ryan couldn't. He was too scared. "Yeah, I thought so. Well, I knew it from the beginning. No backbone. You're a shame to the family."
--
Eric and Calleigh stood around the corner, listening closely. Calleigh frowned:
"This must be the worst thing any father has ever told his son…"
"You think we should interfere?"
"No. You know how Ryan hates it when we stuck our noses in his personal stuff…"
Delko shook his head, "But we cannot let this happen. Normally we would interfere."
"Believe me Eric, it's better not to. That bastard is basically telling him he's a wuss, what do you think he will think if we just go there and say something when Ryan doesn't? If this was you and your father, you'd probably punch anybody that comes and tries to help you."
"Yeah, probably…."
--
Horatio Caine was listening too. But he didn't interfere either; mainly because of the same reason Calleigh had stopped Delko from interfering. As much as he wanted to help, he knew this was something only Ryan could stop. And he knew Ryan would eventually. He had watched Ryan over the past few years. Now he had started to understand him a bit more. And from experience he knew one thing: at some point, Ryan would answer. Ryan was generally a calm guy who knew how to hide his emotions, but at some point, he'd freak out. Horatio had seen it happen. It took a lot to make Ryan cross that line, but if he was close enough, one wrong word was enough and Ryan would lose his temper. And, watching Ryan standing there, his fist clenched, trembling, Horatio knew it was only a matter of seconds…
--
Ryan tried to breathe. Calmly. He was scared, yes. To death. After all, who wouldn't? And he truly felt like crap. He knew his whole team was there. And he knew they were listening. And watching. Watching how he didn't do anything. How he didn't say anything. But it was enough now…
"… I just wonder how you can live with this. You could have made a career in the army."
Ryan raised his head, "Yes, well I decided to stay here and protect children from people like you…"
Duke immediately came one step closer and raised his hand, but then he remembered where he was and lowered it again.
--
Calleigh managed to pull Eric back just in time before he could run over to Ryan.
"Eric!!"
"He just wanted to slap him! Now, I don't like Ryan, but this goes too far."
"Eric! This is not our business. Look, Ryan didn't even flinch…"
--
Horatio had noticed it too. Ryan didn't move a bit. He didn't know whether it was because the movement Ryan's father had made was just too quick for him to see or just because he knew what would come and was ready to take it. He actually hoped it was the first possibility.
--
Ryan had seen it coming. If he had learned anything in his life, it was to foresee his opponent's movements. It had failed him once, when he hadn't foreseen somebody would shoot a nail at him. But never before and never again. He had known that what he said would make his father loose his temper, so he was prepared. And he was determined not to step back, not to lower his gaze and not to flinch. And when he saw his father lowering his hand again, he knew he had won this time. He even managed to put a smile on and said:
"And now, I apologize, but I have some work to do." He turned on his heel when suddenly Valera raced around the corner:
"Guys, we have a situation."
Ryan frowned, "I hate this phrase…."
Valera nodded, "You're gonna hate this more. Erika Sikes is on TV. And she knows everything. About your uncle being kidnapped, about the scientist, about… the nerve toxin…" She couldn't even finish the sentence when Ryan, Calleigh, Eric and Horatio ran over to the AV room.
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