Two Days Later
Mercy Hospital – New York
"Why are we stopping here, Dad?" John asked in a confused voice. "David's…"
Bosco sighed as he parked the car and turned the engine off, "David's been wheezy ever since your mother and grandpa went to Miami and I want him checked," he replied calmly, gazing at John, who sat in the front seat of his car while David and Ellie sat in the backseat.
John nodded and got out of the car, watching as Bosco retrieved David from the car and held him in his arms despite David's quiet protests, "Ellie, take John's hand as we cross the road," Bosco instructed in a worried voice. "David, you've been sick for too long and I'm worried."
Silence fell over all three kids as they entered the ER and Bosco promptly deposited David on an exam bed without checking in or speaking to a nurse, "Officer Boscorelli, what are you doing?" he heard Mary Proctor ask in a confused voice. "All patients are supposed to go to triage."
David suddenly broke into a massive coughing fit and started crying anxiously enough that Bosco planted himself on the bed and pulled David against him, "Danielle's in Miami with Sully since she's gotta testify against Tommy Wolfe for assaulting her at a McDonald's, so I'm juggling three kids and my job," Bosco said quietly. "David's asthma has been bad since his mom left."
"Let me see," Mary Proctor replied in a different tone. "I'll see what I can do."
Bosco released David and got off the gurney, allowing Mary to take over and she was very gentle checking David over, "I'll page Pediatrics," she said calmly. "I'll also get him a gown."
David groaned and suddenly puked on the floor, prompting John to turn away and place his hands over his face, "I…I need some air," John spoke in an anxious voice. "Like now."
John dashed outside, "Ellie, will you stay with David?" Bosco asked in a quiet voice.
Ellie nodded and Bosco ran outside, swearing when he saw John huddled in a ball on the sidewalk with his face in his knees, heavy breathing causing him to tremble uncontrollably.
Bosco knelt down next to John and gently rubbed his back, "You've been having these since your mom left, right?" he asked, knowing John hadn't had a panic attack in six months.
John nodded, struggling to control his breathing as he felt his back being gently rubbed.
Miami, Florida
Anxious breathing filled the back of the van that Clavo drove, having been ordered to permanently dispose of Ryan somewhere off the beaten track. Dr. Price was sitting in the front passenger seat and although she understood Bernard's anger, she felt sympathy for Ryan.
"Clavo, what if we just dumped him somewhere and didn't tell Mister Marquez?" Dr. Price asked in a quiet voice, gazing at Clavo. "Do you really have to execute him yourself?"
Clavo shrugged, "It's a waste of good bullets, but I was ordered to," he replied non-chalantly.
"You could just dump him somewhere," Dr. Price replied calmly. "And drive away."
Clavo gave Dr. Price a look and silently pulled over to the side of the road, "If Bernie gets wind of this, I'm blaming you," he replied, drawn to the attractive doctor. "You owe me big."
"Of course," Dr. Price replied, willing to sleep with Clavo if it meant saving a life.
Clavo and Dr. Price got out of the van and Clavo popped open the door, revealing a violently trembling, badly injured Ryan who was bound by ropes, blindfolded, and gagged. Clavo pulled Ryan out of the van by his shoes and ignored Ryan's feeble attempts to thrash free.
Dr. Price quickly donned a pair of rubber gloves, not wanting her prints to be found on the man should he be found alive and then she got a small needle of amphetamines out of her medical bag, promptly injecting it into Ryan's neck, "That will sedate him," she lied, leaving the needle.
Clavo nodded and dragged Ryan across the grass, dumping him in the middle of a dry field face-up before moving back to the van and closing the back doors. Ryan whimpered in pain as they got in and van drove off at a high speed, leaving him alone with numerous injuries.
"…Officer Delko, you're very kind to serve as a CSI escort, but don't you have work?" Danielle asked in a confused voice as she sat in the front seat of Eric's Hummer while Sully and Yelina sat together in the backseat, deep in quiet conversation while Warrick followed in a car behind.
Eric smiled, "I don't mind, Mrs. Boscorelli," he replied calmly. "I've got the time."
Danielle nodded and silently looked out the window, a scream erupting from her mouth as she suddenly noticed a battered body lying in a field, "STOP!" she shouted. "There's a body!"
Eric quickly came to a stop, parked, and turned the car off, quickly bolting out of the car towards the body, "Wolfe!" he shouted, recognizing Ryan. "Wolfe, can you hear me?"
Sully swore anxiously from the car and Warrick hurried over to where Ryan lay with an emergency response bag that all Victims Assistance responders carried. He immediately gloved up and removed the gag, quickly pulling back with the gag when Ryan tried to bite him.
"No, PLEASE!" Ryan screamed, feeling Warrick's touch. "Dad…I SWEAR I won't do it again!"
Sully froze as Danielle and Yelina came over, watching as Eric quickly gloved and removed the blindfold, revealing bloodshot eyes surrounded by heavy bruising, "GET OFF!" Ryan screamed.
"He's hallucinating," Danielle said, having seen this in patients before. "Let me try."
Eric nodded and Danielle got on the ground, which was awkward with her big stomach, sighing as she gently touched Ryan's face, "Ryan," Danielle spoke gently. "Ryan, it's all right."
Ryan froze, "Emily, you're okay," he spoke shakily, gazing at Danielle. "They're gonna separate us, but it was done in self-defence, so I don't think we'll go to jail. Dad deserved what he got."
Having gotten a tape recorder from his bag after Ryan tried to bite him to see why Ryan was reacting violently, Warrick continued to hold his finger on the record button while Yelina quietly put in a call to 9-1-1, "Thank you for protecting me," Ryan said in a faint voice. "The social workers are gonna be here soon for you and some cop named Sullivan is gonna come take me to the group home after I go to the hospital. He tried to get them to come before, but…"
Eric looked at Sully, who was looking somber, "…Some cop named Stetler is gonna try to find relatives to take me in while I'm in the group home," Ryan spoke in a shaky voice. "I'll miss…"
Sirens filled the air as an ambulance arrived and paramedics got out, "Ryan, I want you to listen to the paramedics," Danielle spoke softly. "Just relax and let them do what they need to."
Ryan let out a low moan as he passed out and that was when Danielle noticed the needle in Ryan's neck, "CSI Delko, look at this," Danielle said in an anxious voice. "A small needle."
Eric frowned, pulled out his small digital camera, and took a photo before removing it, "Gimme a bag," he ordered, gazing at Warrick. "This might explain why Wolfe was hallucinating."
Warrick quickly got a plastic Ziploc out of the response bag and Eric quickly put the needle in it and Danielle remained where she was, "I'm a paramedic from New York," she explained as the paramedics came over with equipment and meds. "I'll do what I can to help Ryan here."
Deeply shaken by what had happened, Sully moved away and got his phone out.
Miami-Dade Police Department
"Normally, we'd have a very pomp and circumstance ceremony, but given the circumstances, this will do," Chief Burton said in a somber voice as Horatio, Emily, Tim, and Natalia gathered in the office with Emily in full uniform. "Emily Wolfe, I bestow upon you the rank of Detective along with a Miami Police Medal of Honor. The department commends you for your service.
Emily nodded and took the badge and medal from the desk, pocketing them quietly, "Thank you," she replied in a quiet voice, still hurting over Ryan's disappearance. "Thank you…"
Horatio suddenly frowned as Rick came speedwalking down the hallway with a cell-phone to his ear, "Horatio, I just got a call about Ryan," Rick said in an anxious voice. "He was found alive."
Emily gasped, but Horatio noticed that Rick was frowning, "Delko's gone to the hospital to collect evidence," Rick spoke in a shaken voice. "Speedle, Boa Vista, get to work."
Before anyone could respond, Rick stormed off to his IAB office and slammed his door so hard the glass cracked slightly, "I'm going to my office to change," Emily spoke as she and Tim left with Natalia, who was bewildered by Rick's behavior. "Horatio, you might want to talk to Rick."
Chief Burton sighed and Horatio silently excused himself, pulling the door shut as he left and sauntered over to Rick's office. Through the door, Horatio could see an open prescription bottle on Rick's desk while Rick sat in his chair, facing the wall with his hands over his face.
Horatio frowned and silently entered the office, pausing when he heard anxious breathing and quiet sobbing, "That horrible case is why I transferred to MDPD," Rick hissed anxiously.
There was a loud sniffle and Rick turned his chair around, his eyes red from crying, "My anxiety meds should kick in any minute," he spoke shakily, capping the bottle. "Have a seat."
Horatio sat in one of the visitors chairs, "Sully called me and said when they first found Ryan, Ryan started hallucinating and brought up past things," Rick said in a shaky voice. "You already know that Emily murdered her and Ryan's dad in self-defence, but you don't know why."
"I'm listening," Horatio replied calmly, unnerved to see such emotion from Rick.
Rick sighed, "Thomas Wolfe took great fun in playing with his youngest son and his daughter at separate times and Emily killed him in a fury one day when she caught him hurting Ryan," he explained in a shaky voice. "Sarah Wolfe took Tommy and moved, abandoning Ryan and Emily to the foster care system and forcing their separation. Emily went to juvenile detention temporarily and then found a foster home with the Speedles. Ryan ended up in a group home, the same home where Carlos Nieto was, and Officer Marquez was the home supervisor."
"Carlos Nieto, the paramedic from New York that Bernard sent men to beat and kidnap two days ago, you mean," Horatio replied calmly. "Father to Kylie, that little girl from last year."
Rick swore, "Carlos was the one who called the cops after Bernard had had his fun and Sully and I were responding officers, as he was my FTO," he replied softly. "By that point, I had located Ryan's uncle in Boston, communicated the situation, and Ryan's uncle agreed to take him. I was given the job of driving Ryan to his uncle's house in Boston and he was a broken kid by that point, so I took it slow and even got him to eat when we stopped at a diner for food. I eventually figured out what became of Carlos and I've been meaning to send him money after I heard about that brutal attack, but I've been too busy to make out a money order."
"I had no idea why you came to MDPD," Horatio spoke quietly. "I'm sorry, Rick."
Rick sighed, "I'm thinking of taking Lenny on a vacation to New York sometime soon so we can both relax and maybe visit Amanda's grave," he spoke quietly. "Catherine got transferred to a better hospital in Boston, so we won't have to worry about her. I just need a little break."
"New York's nice this time of year," Horatio replied softly. "Are you going to be all right?"
Rick shrugged, "Emily prescribed me meds for a reason, Horatio," he replied quietly.
"You'll need to give a statement on what you and Mister Wolfe talked about before he was abducted by Bernard's goons," Horatio commented softly. "When you're ready."
Nodding, Rick put the pill bottle back in a drawer, "Turn the light off on your way out, please," he spoke in a tired voice. "I'm going to have a little rest and I'd prefer the lights off."
Understanding himself to be dismissed, Horatio got up and left the room, making sure to shut the light off and close the door as he left to return to the lab and wait for Ryan's evidence.
Mercy Hospital – New York
"Pneumonia from the change in seasons?" Bosco asked in a shocked voice as he watched Dr. Rusher, a very skilled female pediatrician, put an x-ray on the board in the room where David was now asleep in bed. "Is this crap going to happen every time the seasons change?"
Dr. Rusher sighed, "David's asthma is still relatively new, so it small complications might happen until David gets on a good medication for it," she replied calmly. "He's on antibiotics and breathing medicine and should be fine in a few days, but I want to keep him here."
"Ugh, David hates hospitals," John grumbled as he sat beside Ellie, who was reading a book.
Bosco sighed and nodded, "Thank you," he replied calmly. "Can I get a cot in here so I can stay overnight and stuff? David will stay, but he'll feel a lot better about it if I stay with him."
"Of course, Officer Boscorelli," Dr. Rusher replied calmly. "I'll arrange it right away."
Bosco sighed, "John, Ellie, stay here," he said in a tired voice. "I have to go find a phone and see if I can get paid leave for the next few days. If David wakes up, make him have some water."
Dr. Rusher followed Bosco out, "There's a phone at the desk down the hall," she said.
Bosco nodded and trudged over to the designated desk, frowning when he suddenly heard anxious mumbling coming from the room he knew to be Carlos's. Concerned that he didn't see any police bodyguards around, Bosco wandered into the room and immediately froze.
"…No, no," Carlos mumbled in a pained voice as he strained as much as he could without moving his head. "I swear on my grave that I won't talk back again, Mister Marquez…"
Scowling, Bosco moved over to the bed and gently poked Carlos's arm, prompting Carlos to gasp softly as he woke up, "What…?" Carlos asked in a shaken voice. "Did I fall asleep?"
"NYPD promised you daily bodyguards," Bosco said quietly. "Where are they?"
Carlos sighed, "Ty went to the bathroom and to get me some gingerale for nausea," he replied in a shaky voice. "Holly's off running errands and getting the kids. Did you hear me mumbling?"
"Yeah," Bosco replied quietly, taking a seat. "I get it, though. My old man used to beat on me."
Carlos scoffed, "That's a little different than sexual abuse, Bosco," he spoke shakily. "I'm supposed to talk to a therapist about the attack, but I really don't want to yet."
"It's a rough thing, but you can't bottle it up," Bosco spoke softly. "And you can't go running to substances or sex and expect to heal. I deal with people who do that on a daily basis."
Carlos nodded, taking care to minimize his head movement, "I'm on sick leave for like three months," he replied quietly. "Jimmy's on disability too, so he's gonna help me with my rehab and Holly's going to go be a trainer for EMS for a little while so we don't end up starving. I'm going to try and be a stay at home dad for the summer because the kids will be out of school."
Bosco frowned, "At least we own the house," Carlos spoke in a tired voice. "Small blessings."
Just then, Ty came into the room carrying a bowl of pudding and a big bottle of gingerale, "Davis, where have you been?" Bosco scoffed as he stood up. "Carlos had a nightmare."
Ty gave Carlos a look of concern and Carlos sighed, "I brought you some pudding," Ty said.
"I'll try and eat it, but it might not stay down," Carlos replied quietly. "Food hasn't been."
Bosco immediately became concerned, "You're not keeping food down?" he asked.
"It's part of having a concussion," Carlos replied tiredly. "Holly said she'll bring me a smoothie."
Bosco nodded and silently left, deciding to call about his leave and then return to his kids.
Miami-Dade University Hospital – Miami, Florida
"You helped Ryan a long time ago, didn't you, Dad?" Danielle asked softly as she and Sully sat together in the waiting room, deciding to wait for news on Ryan. "You looked upset."
Sully sighed and nodded, "I was an FTO to Rick Stetler back then and the whole situation literally broke him emotionally," he replied softly. "He demanded a transfer to Miami PD after that and it was given to him without question. He's probably angry about it right now."
Danielle's stomach growled mercilessly, "Looks like you and those babies need to eat," Sully said in a kind voice, helping her stand up. "I'm sure this place has a cafeteria somewhere."
Sighing, Danielle followed her father out of the waiting room and paused when she saw Eric standing outside of a trauma room, silently stacking filled evidence bags into a storage bin, "Officer Delko," she said in a concerned voice. "Any update on Officer Wolfe?"
"Multiple layers of bruising, seven broken ribs, pneumothoraxes in both lungs, a fractured sternum, a badly broken left wrist and hand, facial fractures and bruising, severe bruising to the kidneys and liver, neck and throat damage from strangulation, wounds on the back most likely from whips or waterboarding, a dislocated left shoulder, bruised kneecaps and a broken left foot, ankle, and toes along with a stress fracture in the left leg," Eric replied in a concerned voice. "Wolfe's throat was swollen, so they had to do a tracheotomy and the bloodwork detected numerous drugs in his systems; mostly basic painkillers and some amphetamines."
Sully frowned, "Ryan's got an allergy to all recreational drugs including amphetamines because of what his father did to him," he replied in a worried voice. "That's why his throat's swollen."
Eric frowned and nodded, "He's currently in surgery," he replied. "Prognosis looks good."
"Delko, let's get that crap back to the lab!" Tim shouted as he came down the hallway looking tired, but calm. "My parents are upstairs with Emily, James, and Julliet and they're going to wait for news, but H called me and said they need the evidence like right now. Are you done?"
Eric nodded, "Yeah, I'm done," he replied worriedly. "I can't believe he tried to bite that guy…"
Tim frowned in confusion, "There was a guy from Victims Assistance there and when he removed the gag from Ryan's mouth, Ryan tried to bite him because he was already hallucinating," Eric explained worriedly. "He was tied up, though, so I understand it was the only way for him to defend himself if he felt threatened. He was beaten up pretty badly."
Nodding, Tim helped Eric pick up the crate and carry it out of the emergency room. As Danielle and Sully walked off to find a cafeteria for food, Danielle's cell-phone began to ring.
Miami-Dade County Pre-Trial Detention Center
"Ryan is indisposed," Bernard spoke in a cold voice, having paid the guards a substantial amount of money to erase his presence at the prison and leave him alone with Tommy.
Tommy smirked, scratching the sleeve of his prison blues, "I suspect Ryan's terrible accident will push back my hearing for some time since he was supposed to testify," he replied smugly.
"You're more sadistic than I could ever be," Bernard replied, grinning. "Why is that?"
Tommy scoffed, "Ryan made my mother take me away from my home and all my friends in New York and we lived poor until I grew up and became a race car driver," he snarled. "Even behind bars, I still have control of my money and I thought you would be a good investment."
"What about Diana and your brats?" Bernard asked coldly. "They live off of your money."
Tommy sighed, "Diana has her own money from an inheritance and a law degree," he replied in a bitter voice. "I am, however, worried about Jenny because I hear she's taken up with some crazy diabetic who works at his father's restaurant. He's Officer Speedle's brother, I think."
"I'll have my guys keep an eye on it," Bernard promised. "I have a bad heart, so I should rest."
Tommy nodded as Bernard got up and silently left the meeting room, slipping a hundred dollar bill to each guard as he left. The guards pocketed the money and went to collect Tommy.
Victims Assistance Safehouse
Danielle sighed heavily as she poured herself another cup of tea, "…Maurice said it's just a simple case of pneumonia," she said in a concerned voice. "David should be fine in time."
Sully nodded as he and Yelina sat at the table with a plate of egg salad sandwiches in front of them, "Maurice managed to finagle a week of paid leave out of his CO so he could be there for the kids," Danielle continued in a tired voice. "However, I highly doubt that Officer Wolfe will be available to testify in any less than a week and he was the officer who responded to the…"
There was a heavy silence and suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Sully silently got up and walked over to the door, checked the peephole, and silently opened the door wide.
"Court decided that Ryan's statement at the time and the evidence he collected can stand in place of him actually testifying due to the circumstances," Warrick spoke calmly. "The hearing will take place day after tomorrow and it'll be a closed session to provide better security."
Miami-Dade University Hospital – Miami, Florida
Night had fallen by the time Ryan was out of surgery and in a bed within ICU with a tired Frank Tripp guarding the door. The Speedles had convinced Emily to go back to their home with James and Julliet and rest, promising that they could come back tomorrow to visit Ryan.
Rick swallowed hard as he came down the hallway, having left Lenny with Robert, BJ, and Adam with the intention of visiting Ryan. Tripp frowned as Rick approached, but didn't stop him.
"How's Ryan doing?" Rick asked in a concerned voice. "I heard he was out of surgery."
Tripp nodded, "He's wavered in and out of consciousness," he replied in a tired voice. "MDPD thinks that whoever did it might try again, so they're setting up a guard rotation for him."
Rick looked through the window and frowned as he noticed that Ryan was awake and trying to make motions with his right hand, "He's trying to communicate," he said in a worried voice. "He can't talk with the trach right now."
Tripp frowned and followed Rick into the room, watching as Rick handed Ryan a pen from his coat and held a pad of paper out. Ryan's write hand shook as he wrote, but he managed to fill most of the sheet with readable writing before his hand gave out and he dropped the pen.
Deeply exhausted from the effort, Ryan fought to relax his shaking hand and Rick silently took it, applying a gentle massage to it before resting it on Ryan's blanket. Ryan sighed tiredly.
"Go to sleep, Ryan," Rick spoke gently, putting the pad of paper and pen in an evidence bag that he had brought with him because he figured Ryan might remember important things.
Ryan nodded and drifted into a deep sleep, "I'll be paying a visit to CSI," Rick said in a quiet voice as he followed Tripp into the hallway. "I'm sure the night shift can process this."
"Why didn't you just call the nightshift over here?" Tripp asked in a confused voice.
Rick sighed, "Detective Tripp, I sincerely doubt that Ryan would respond to an interrogation in his current condition," he replied calmly. "Ryan saw me and he feels safe talking to me."
Crime Lab - Miami-Dade Police Department
The lab was mostly dark, but Rick sighed heavily, crossing his arms as he watched Horatio carefully remove the notepad from the evidence bag with gloves, "I know darn well that Bernard wouldn't send guys to snatch his brother-in-law up simply out of boredom," Rick said in a tired voice. "Bernard may not like Ryan, but his health is declining and he knows it."
Horatio set the notepad on the table and frowned, "I don't understand," he replied.
"All that time I spent at Devil's Mansion, I was doing undercover work for Victims Assistance and I decided to go to jail rather than expose my mission," Rick explained. "Grissom told me not to do it, but I didn't have any real reason to divulge my status within the organization. This was before Lenny was found and I thought both he and Lindsey were dead, so I simply decided to sit and jail and pay the price. Grissom's still upset about it and he's not letting me do anymore undercover stuff since I came out of the last mission with permanent trauma and hypoglycemia."
Horatio sighed and silently read what Ryan had written, "Mister Wolfe wrote that Bernard did apologize for sending goons to grab him and said that Tommy was very desperate for his assault hearing to be delayed," he said in a quiet voice. "He offered Bernard good money."
Rick didn't respond and Horatio looked up from the letter, frowning when he saw that Rick was trembling and had his eyes closed, "I need to go and eat something, so hurry up and analyze that note," Rick spoke in a trembling voice. "I missed my scheduled supper time to do this."
Horatio silently removed his gloves and walked over to Rick, "The CSI's always keep food and drink in the break room," he replied calmly. "Can you walk or do you want some help?"
Rick responded by slowly leaving and Horatio followed him, locking the door to secure the evidence. They made it to the break room and Rick sat on the couch, trying to stay calm.
"Robert tried to tell me to wait until after supper, but I figured it wouldn't get done today if I waited too late," Rick replied, watching as Horatio raided the fridge. "You don't have to…"
Horatio sighed and handed him a bottle of juice and a wrapped sandwich, "You've done plenty more than you need to," he replied calmly. "No sense in you collapsing from hypoglycemia."
"Thank you," Rick replied as he unwrapped the sandwich and slowly began to eat it.
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