A/N: First of all, thank you so much for the reviews! I really enjoyed reading them. Although I could use some more... ;P Oh, and I definitely WON'T kill Ryan, of course. He's my favorite character! Anyway, I'm sorry for such late update. I wrote this chapter in kind of a haste, so it may be really sloppy...TAT Oh, BTW it's lunar new year on January 31st! I didn't get to say this on the first day of January, so I'm gonna say it now: HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! :D

Chapter 5: We're Gonna Get this Guy

Horatio was standing by the door, looking into the room. Ryan was now surrounded by doctors and nurses. His eyes were closed and he looked lifeless lying there. Although he couldn't hear anything from where he was, it was clear to Horatio that Ryan wasn't in a good condition. No, he was definitely not doing well.

Horatio's face hardened. He was not the kind of man who showed his emotions openly and directly. And although he didn't actually change his superficial expression from his usual one this time either, there were hints of concern, distress, and most of all, anger. He didn't even move. He couldn't move. He just stood there, eyes fixed on the young man, whom the doctors were trying to bring back to life. The familiar scene reminded him of the time when Eric was shot and was fighting for his life. The reminder became a bigger pressure for Horatio to bear for the moment.

While his boss was stiffened in front of the emergency room, Eric was leaning on the reception desk. He was staring at the air with blank expression on his face.

"Eric!" Calleigh called as she half walked half jogged toward Eric. Eric turned to face her.

"Calleigh." Eric's voice was low and quiet. He couldn't say anything other than this. He was unsure how to start. While Calleigh was capable of handling this sort of things very calmly, Eric's mind was all mixed up. He just couldn't get out of the shock he got into when he first saw Ryan practically dying on the floor.

"How is he?" Calleigh asked. Eric just shrugged his shoulders without any words. Calleigh sighed at his response.

There was a moment of silence.

"How are you doing with your case?" Eric asked about a minute later.

"Not so good. We were on a dead end, until Ryan…."

Then something hit Calleigh. I think I found the killer. That's what he had said.

Seeing an expression of realization on Calleigh's face, Eric could easily conclude that something just lit up in her head. "Do you know something?"

She was about to answer when Horatio approached them.

"Calleigh, Eric. I need you to go and process the scene for Mr. Wolfe's incident." Horatio said quietly. Both of them looked at each other and nodded.

"Okay." Calleigh quietly answered. She turned around and walked slowly towards the exit.

"Call us when he gets out." Eric said before turning around. Horatio nodded. He watched him walk up to Calleigh, who was waiting by the door and both of them disappeared through the door. Horatio then headed back to wait for his young subordinate.

Natalia and Walter walked into the living room where they found Calleigh looking around.

"I heard Ryan got shot. What happened?" Natalia said in panic filled voice. Walter seemed concerned as much as his colleague. Calleigh answered with a grim face.

"That's why we're here. To find it out."

"Do you think the one who shot Ryan is our killer?" Walter asked.

"That person is our prime suspect for now. Whoever that is." Calleigh answered.

"Man, we're gonna get this guy." Walter said with anger in his voice.

"Um, don't you have a case?" Calleigh asked Natalia.

"I just wrapped up the one I was working on. And I really wanted to be part of this investigation." Natalia said firmly. "I wanna be there when we catch the guy who dared to hurt him."

"Welcome to the club." Eric said, a sad smile forming on his face. Walter and Natalia got to work along with Calleigh and Eric. Natalia left the living room to take a look at other rooms. Walter was checking the crime scene of the first murder: the murder of Dustin Manson. Calleigh was going through the tools in Ryan's kit, which was left behind when its owner was sent to the hospital. Eric was now entering the kitchen, and the blood pool made him want to vomit. Although he was used to seeing a lot of blood, the fact that it was Ryan's blood just made him sick. He couldn't get the image of the young CSI lying there out of his mind. He stared at the blood for quite a long time and when he finally turned his gaze, he found a gun near the counter. He carefully picked it up with his glove-covered thumb and forefinger.

"Hey, Calleigh. I found a gun." He called out. He then walked toward her, who was heading for him. Calleigh took it and inspected. It was a Beretta, and she has seen it so much.

"Eric. Do you remember if Ryan had his gun with him when you found him?" Calleigh turned her head and looked at Eric.

"No. I only focused on the wounds." Eric shook his head. Then he realized what she was saying. "You- You're saying this is Ryan's?"

"It certainly looks like Ryan's." Calleigh said.

Meanwhile, Walter was looking at some unknown dust on the floor. The dust had created a small gray dune on the floor. It was a powder of some sort. It seemed like….

"Some sort of powder?" Natalia, who just walked in, said next to Walter, bending over him.

"Yeah. I think it's the one we use," Walter answered as he looked up, "for printing."

"Fingerprint powder? How do you know?" Natalia asked, frowning. Walter looked up

"Found the empty container next to Wolfe's kit." Walter answered before he stood up. Walter walked over to his own kit while Natalia scanning around the area.

The four of them found Horatio at the entrance to the emergency room. It's been about two hours or so since they left for the crime scene, and they knew perfectly well that it would be taking at least four or five hours to finally see him out of the surgery. But they just preferred being in the uncomfortable hospital, where Ryan was fighting for his life, rather than sitting in the comfortable couch in the lab, anticipating for Horatio's call. The fact that they have to wait didn't change, but at least they could get the news as quick as possible. Besides, they wouldn't have been able to work anyway. Nobody found the right words to say, and Horatio just nodded in acknowledgement and understanding when he saw them.

Time was flowing so slowly. The ticking of the clock was louder than any other moment in their lives. They either paced around or sat with their heads in their hands, trying to keep the worst possibilities out of their mind.

When it has been 7 hours after Ryan's operation began, the doctor finally came out, looking tired. At the sound of the door opening, Horatio stepped forward to see her, while others stood waiting anxiously a few feet behind him.

"We managed to get the bullets out. We almost lost him a couple of times during the surgery, but he pulled through. One bullet had damaged his left lung a little, so he's been intubated. He's currently unconscious right now, and frankly, we're not sure when he will wake up, but he's expected to be conscious in 4, 5 days at the longest. He's being moved to his room right now, so if you would like to visit him, you'd better do so now since the visiting hour ends in about 40 minutes."

After having a short conversation, Horatio came to the others to tell the news. There was a mixture of grief and relief among them. Calleigh got the news very calmly while Eric just nodded with a grimace, Walter sighed with relief and Natalia clapped her hands on her mouth. They then decided to see him before they went back, and headed for his recovery room.

As the doctor had said, Ryan had a tube that was connected to the respirator. His face showed no emotion at all; he actually looked like he was just sleeping, pale though. His colleagues watched him silently until Walter said, "We are so getting this guy."

"Yeah. We'll show him what he deserves when he tries to mess up with us." Eric growled.

"Do you have any suspect?" Natalia said without breaking her eyes from Ryan.

"We have two, but we don't have a strong evidence to connect him to the crime scene." Calleigh answered in a sorrowful manner. "At least not for now.

"About that," Horatio quietly said, "we don't have to worry so much."

I know I said this before, but I could really use some more reviews. Please Review, and once again, Happy New Year! ;)