CSI Miami Fan Fiction "Raymond's Christmas Carol" (Fanfic format)

Chapter 7—"Christmas Present"

The evening of December 12th was another cool evening. School was in session for another week; Raymond wasn't overly concerned about homework. He looked forward to the break. He laying on his bed again, listening to his IPod. He eventually drifted off to sleep, forgetting all about the visitor his father had warned him about.
Just as the house clock chimed midnight, a large motorcycle rolled almost noiselessly into the room. The second visitor shut off the engine and let the bike roll through the window. Once stopped, he took off his helmet and dismounted, leaning the bike on its kickstand. Then he walked over to Raymond and tried to wake him, getting no response. Then the visitor saw what the problem was and smiled, shaking his head in amusement. After carefully removing the IPod and setting it on the desk, the visitor slipped to the head of the bed, tipping the mattress sideways just enough,….
KER-THUMP! A startled Raymond woke up in a jumble of blankets on the floor at the other side of the bed. He looked around in confusion—then he saw the bike and wondered how THAT got in his room. Seeing the rider in front of him, Raymond looked up and thought he recognized him. "Tim Speedle?" Raymond asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, you were expecting the Tooth Fairy?" Speedle answered as he pulled Raymond to his feet and handed him a helmet. "Here, get on behind me. We've got some places to go to." Raymond started to protest, but Speed warned him as he mounted the bike, "Look, your dad told you to do what you were told. Now put the helmet on and let's go!" Raymond reluctantly put the helmet on and got on behind Speedle, who rolled the bike out through the window. He started the engine only after clearing the windowsill.
Once aloft, Raymond thought that he wasn't going to live to see morning-Speedle was flying like a madman through traffic! Looking in the bike's rear-view mirror and seeing the look on Raymond's face, Speed asked him, "What are you worried about? I'm not going to hit anything!" Raymond wasn't exactly convinced of that after Speedle zoomed between a couple of large delivery trucks.

Their first stop: the home of Susie Keaton and her daughter, Madison, Raymond's half-sister. "Why are we here?" Raymond asked as he watched Madison and her mother curled up on the couch.
"Because," Tim replied, "I wanted you to remember something good you did." Raymond thought for a few minutes; Speedle soon saw the light of recognition in the young man's eyes. "Yeah—the bone-marrow transplant. YOU," Speedle pointed at Raymond, "saved Madison's life—you were the only one who could do that. No one else could do that—your dad wasn't there; Susie, your mom and your uncle didn't match."
Raymond continued to watch as Susie carried a sleepy Madison—who was doing much better-off to bed. Speedle nudged him, saying, "We've got a few more places to go." Back on the bike, and it was off to the home of David and Katie Graham. Here, the scene was considerably different.
David and Katie were home. Their son and daughter-in-law, Ian and Rose, were also there. Raymond's attention was drawn to a twelve-year-old boy. The boy was very quiet and sad as he looked at a picture of his family. Ian watched the young man with concern; the young man simply looked up at Ian and smiled. Then he ran over and gave Rose a hug—but there were a sadness in her eyes that she tried to hide.
Raymond was confused. "Speed, where are we? Why are we here? How come the people the boy lives with now aren't the people in the picture?"
"Duncan," Speed explained, "lives with his uncle and aunt because his father beat his mother to death. His family tries their best to help Duncan deal with the grief, but it's hard for them and him. Duncan knows what happened, but he hasn't been able to even talk about it. You've lost your father, but you still have your mother—he's lost both father and mother." Speed let Raymond think about that as they watched the family for a short while longer, then the two took another ride.

This ride was back to Raymond's house, but the time and perspective were different—the day of the last argument with his mother. Raymond and Speed watched as Yelina told Horatio and Marisol about what had happened. Raymond tried to tell his mother not to cry—but no one in the room could hear him, except Speed. Speedle put a hand on Raymond's shoulder when he saw tears in the young man's eyes. "Ah, I think the light's coming on here: the choices you're making can help—or hurt—those around you."
Fast-forward again, and Raymond was back in his own room; Speedle was about to leave. "I suggest thinking about what we've talked about while you're waiting for your last visitor," Speedle said as he got on his bike. "He's coming at midnight tomorrow." Speedle rolled the bike out through the window, revved the engine, and was quickly gone.
Raymond ran over and closed the window-he didn't want any more visitors. It was just as he was going back to bed when he noticed something on his nightstand: a small white paper bag. Raymond looked at it: Graham's Goodies; the bag was full of their little chocolates. He didn't remember buying anything from there. Then he saw the heart-shaped note taped to the bag: I love you, mi hijo. I want to talk about what happened. Love, Mama."