A/N: I know I keep leaving you hanging, but there's always a method to the literary madness. Thanks for sticking with this story! You guys are great!
Chapter11
Technically, Ryan's probation should have extended another week. In some twisted way, the man wished he was still suspended. Not only had Horatio arranged for him to return to full duty eight days early, but he'd been thrown straight into the fire. And by fire, I mean hell, he thought grumpily as he walked down the hall of the Crime Lab, evidence bag in hand. How the crap are we supposed to function with two CSIs?
That wasn't entirely true, he reminded himself, because H had stepped in to pick up some slack, and a few days ago he'd finally broken down and brought in a few swing shift CSIs to cover the current deficits in their team.
Eric and Calleigh's long weekend had turned into five days, then a week. Now, ten days later, Ryan was starting to panic. Horatio remained mostly mum about his conversations with their two friends, save a swift comment here and there to keep Ryan abreast of the situation. "Abreast" was just a euphemism for "completely in the dark." He sighed as he thought about the implications of their extended absence.
For one, the team was barely keeping up with its workload. Their LT was the best criminalist from Florida to Virginia, and his added presence in the lab was probably the only thing preventing a semi-breakdown in their normally-seamless operation.
Second, the rumor mill was spinning so hard Ryan feared it might blow off its axle soon. The lab had ears, Wolfe knew full well, and not just those of snooping techs. Maintenance workers, lab techs, detectives, support staff—everyone was constantly tuned into the latest gossip, and more often than not, the rumors turned salacious and salacious turned to seriously dangerous. Accreditation problems, IAB investigations, federal spies… the list went on and on, because the Miami-Dade Crime Lab was excellent at its job, and anyone who is excellent at anything inevitably becomes a target in someone's eyes.
Ryan liked to think that they could keep functioning just as well without Delko and Duquesne, wonder team extraordinaire, but it simply wasn't true. Morale was down, productivity was down… something was just missing. The two oldest members of this team, that's what's missing. From Horatio down to the cleaning ladies that Calleigh greeted every morning, everyone missed them. The feeling was palpable, everywhere.
It wasn't just the fact that two senior CSIs took off for mysterious vacations at the same time; it was the fact that it was Eric and Calleigh, two people whose contributions were never fully appreciated until they were suddenly gone. Not to mention that rumors of romantic entanglement had followed behind them in whispers for years. The veteran detectives and staff could remember when the two first started at CSI, could recall the quiet insinuations that were inherently espoused about two young, attractive cops who spent so much time together. Back then, no one really voiced the occasional suspicions.
That had changed drastically over the years. Maybe it was the loss of Tim Speedle and the precipitous reduction of their world to two. Perhaps it was everything that happened after that, before Eric's run-in with the Mala Noche, before a fateful trip to Brazil. Ryan tended to agree with the majority of the lab, that Eric's shooting was the tipping point. The roots of the gossip didn't matter in the long run. What mattered was that the gossip existed in the first place.
The stories ran the gambit: Calleigh had taken a new job with the feds, Eric was dealing with another family emergency, P.D. tasked them for some kind of undercover OP, they'd finally flown the coop in passionate abandon. Ryan had heard it all, and he'd personally taken it upon himself to quell the more ridiculous suppositions.
Some of them actually bore some credence. Calleigh, for instance, received job offers routinely, from all over the country. And Eric, of course, was a dedicated family man. The one about Las Vegas and an Elvis chapel was a little far-fetched. Like Calleigh would ever go for Elvis, Ryan chuckled to himself. The Desert Sunset package, definitely.
As for the official story put in circulation by both CSI Wolfe and his lieutenant, Calleigh was in Louisiana visiting her brother, and Eric had been sent to Orlando to help an old friend of Horatio's investigate a string of murders. Truthfully, Cal had talked about visiting Derek for some time, and H did have an old colleague working a major case in Orlando. The facts checked out.
Unfortunately, even the best formulated cover stories could not deter the doubts. Why just pick up and leave? Why not contact anyone? Besides, Horatio rarely—if ever—outsourced his manpower, and certainly not at such a cost to his lab. Ten days? It was almost unheard of.
The coup de grace: there was no end in sight. No one could give any indication when the CSIs would return, at least nothing definite. Horatio hedged when asked, and all Ryan knew to do was shrug and repeat his song and dance. I'm not their keeper, for God's sake.
He was frustrated. Frustrated from his immense workload, frustrated because he had no answers, frustrated out of concern for his friends. That was the crux of the issue for Ryan. The longer Eric and Calleigh were gone, the greater his fear grew that they would stay gone. The 'what ifs' plagued him, because not only did he face losing two of the best people he'd ever worked with, he was staring at the harsh reality that he might just lose his two closest friends. And what if they come back? What if they work things out? That would change things, too.
As he turned the corner, Wolfe spotted Horatio talking to Frank down the hall. His boss caught his eye and motioned for him to join them, and as Ryan walked up Tripp took his leave, nodding a stiff greeting as he went. Even the unflappable Texan was feeling the effects of the strain coursing through the lab.
"What's up, H?" Ryan asked, coming to a stop in front of the CSI chief.
He simply turned and said, "Follow me."
The two men made their way to an empty lab. When Horatio perched himself on a tall stool, Ryan followed his lead, depositing his evidence bag on the table and leaning against its edge, arms and legs crossed.
Horatio relying on Wolfe? That was a change in and of itself, especially after the serious compromise in their trust over the last months. But with Eric and Calleigh gone, Ryan had seniority, and he'd become H's go-to man overnight. At least one good thing was coming out of this debacle.
"I talked to Eric this morning."
Ryan gave a small sigh of relief. He'd received a total of three updates from Horatio, equal to the number of times the man had talked to either Eric or Calleigh in the last ten days, and at this point, any news was good news. They'd effectively gone incommunicado.
Normally, Horatio might think twice about involving another co-worker in these kinds of inter-office (in this case, extremely outer-office) situations. But Ryan had made the discovery which served as the impetus for all this, he was there when all hell broke loose, and he was the main component keeping things together at the moment. He needed to be kept in the loop.
"That's good," Ryan said hopefully.
When Horatio didn't immediately respond, Ryan started re-considering his earlier position on 'any news is good news.'
"I wish that was the case, Mr. Wolfe." He looked down at his lap, where his careworn hands rested, fingers interlocked, and he twiddled his thumbs a few times before continuing. "I'm, uh, I'm not sure how this will turn out."
The remainder of Ryan's hope failed him as he saw the worry on his LT's face. "Is it that bad?"
"I'm afraid so," Horatio sighed, compassionate blue eyes traveling up to meet Wolfe's. "Eric sounded…he sounded defeated."
Damn it. "So he's just given up?"
"I'm not sure. But things don't look good. I'm considering my options, here."
"You're options?" Ryan asked, eyebrows hiked in alarm. "H, they've got enough time on the books to last for weeks."
"I know, Mr. Wolfe, but I have a crime lab to worry about. I can't afford to lose them both indefinitely."
"So…what are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking that I may need to bring them back on rotating schedules. They won't be working together, but they will still alleviate some of the pressure on the lab."
Ryan chewed his lip and pondered the possibility of bringing Eric and Calleigh back to work before they'd resolved whatever the hell was going on between them. Bringing them back distracted. "H, I'm…not questioning your thought processes here, but…do you really think that's the wisest thing to do?"
"No," he chuckled wryly, chagrin rather than mirth written in his eyes. "However, my hands are tied. We can't keep borrowing CSIs from other shifts."
H was right. This wasn't working, and they would need to re-vamp their game plan soon or their performance would begin to suffer. So far, they'd managed. But long term? Not happening.
"They're not talking at all?" Ryan asked despondently, uncrossing his arms to shift his weight to his hands against the table behind him.
"Eric said he's giving Calleigh space," Horatio informed his criminalist, sounding dejected himself. "So I think it is safe to assume that, no, they are not talking."
Ryan pushed himself off the table and ran a hand rough-shod over his head. "I wish I'd never opened that box."
Somehow, a twinkle managed to find its way into Horatio's eye. "Don't say that, Ryan. This was probably just what they needed."
"What? An excuse to throw away nearly eight years of friendship? A chance to throw the lab into a tailspin? Yeah, exactly what they needed."
"We've got to trust them to work this out," Horatio answered wisely, although he sounded much more confident than he felt. "Whatever happens, it will happen for a reason. They're our friends, Mr. Wolfe, and they've battled worse. Let's not forget that."
Ryan prayed Horatio was right.
Half an hour after the two men parted ways, Natalia walked up on Ryan in A/V, sitting in one of the lab's swivel chairs and staring off into the distance. He didn't even notice her presence until she pulled another chair up beside him.
"Penny for your thoughts," she inquired gently.
Wolfe scrubbed his eyes and blinked away the fog in his brain. "Ugh. Nothing, Natalia. I'm just tired. It's been a long week."
No kidding, the woman thought as she studied her friend. He had dark circles under his eyes and his shoulders were slumped. The two of them couldn't carry on like this forever, even with backup from the other shifts. It would take four night shift CSIs to replace Eric and Calleigh, and they still wouldn't come close to having the same field experience.
She definitely commiserated with Ryan. "So…taking a break?"
"Something like that."
Natalia paused for a moment. "I, um, I saw you talking to Horatio earlier."
Ryan sat back in his seat and crossed his arms. "And?"
"And this has gone on long enough!" Nat exclaimed without thinking. She surprised herself with her own ferocity, but forged on nonetheless. "Eric and Calleigh have been gone for ten days. Neither of them is answering their phone, and you and Horatio seem to be the only ones who know where they are. We can't keep doing this!"
Wolfe abandoned his chair to pace in front of Natalia, squeezing his temples with one hand and gesturing with the other as he spoke. "I've told you, Nat. I can't talk about this. I'm sorry."
"Talk about what?" she asked, exasperated. When Ryan moved closer to where she sat, Natalia swiftly stood to block his path. "None of us even knows what's going on. I mean, are they on assignment? Is one of them sick? All I know is that your story is bull."
"I don't know where they are! Okay?"
"You know what happened, Ryan!"
"Yeah, and that's all I know. Natalia, please just let this go."
The sight of Wolfe and Horatio talking in the hallway was etched at the forefront of her mind. The way H looked at Ryan when he spoke—she only ever saw that sad look in his eyes if something grave happened. Like when someone dies. When he loses someone…
Horror filled Natalia's features as understanding dawned on her, swift and strong. "They're not coming back, are they?" she asked fearfully. Actually, she wasn't really asking; she knew.
Ryan wished he could tell her it wasn't true, but he couldn't. "I…don't know. I don't know, Natalia." He collapsed against the edge of the desk and crossed his arms, assuming his thinking position.
Across from him, his partner's eyes went wide. She covered her lips with a shaky hand and slowly sank back to her chair. It's not true. It can't be true…No Eric and Calleigh?
"If you don't know, then…then that means there's a possibility—"
Ryan sighed. "Don't jump to any conclusions yet, okay? We're not sure what's going on."
"Not even Horatio? They don't show up to work for ten days, and Horatio just lets it fly? I don't buy that."
"H is the one that told them to leave, Natalia. I mean—not leave, leave. He told them to take some time off."
"How much time?" Natalia pressed.
But the man in front of her only shrugged for the millionth time that week. "As much as they need, I guess."
Nat shook her head. "See, that's the thing. As much time as they need for what? Why would Calleigh and Eric just up and quit their jobs?"
"They didn't quit their jobs, Natalia. Slow down."
"What am I supposed to think when you won't tell me anything?"
"Nothing! You think nothing, because it's none of your business. It's none of our business." That was ridiculous, and Wolfe knew it. He expected Natalia's comeback before it ever left her mouth.
"They're our friends, Ryan. We care about what happens to them."
He pushed himself off the edge of the glass table and resumed pacing. He'd expected his two friends to be out of the office for a few days, not ten. She deserves an explanation, Ryan sighed internally. She deserves to know. He was walking a treacherous line, just by acknowledging that Eric and Calleigh were, indeed, missing for the same reason. Giving that reason away was out of the question. Explaining the consequences? I can deal.
So with a deep breath, Ryan told her as much as he could. "They got in a fight, Talia. And when I say fight…I mean, yeah, they might not be coming back to CSI."
Natalia gasped. "What?" They're best friends. What could they possibly be fighting about?
In that moment, something began to niggle in the back of Nat's racing mind, something she'd heard in passing a few days ago. It didn't mean anything to her at the time, but now she was putting together all the pieces of the puzzle.
She cleared her throat and fixed Ryan with a look of rapidly-developing wisdom. "You know, I went to talk to Tripp the other day and overheard some guys talking."
"Okay…"
"I didn't think anything of it, then. But now it all makes sense."
"Natalia," Ryan sighed, wishing they could just move on, "what're you getting at?"
"They were talking about a detective who transferred out, just like that." She snapped her fingers. "He handed in his resignation and left. Ten days ago."
A guilty look spread across Ryan's face that he couldn't hide from Natalia's ever-observant eyes. When he averted his gaze, Nat knew she was right. "So, that's it. Berkeley left because of Delko."
The room remained silent for a minute before Ryan finally responded, quietly and reluctantly. "Yeah. Kind of."
"And Calleigh and Eric?"
"Have a lot of baggage to deal with. And that's all I'm saying. Conversation closed." Wolfe stood up abruptly, cumbersomely gathered his things, and hurried out of the A/V lab, leaving a disconcerted Natalia in his wake.
The man didn't make it far down the hallway before he felt a hand close tightly around his upper arm and spin him around roughly. He came face to face with an irate woman.
"So you're just going to leave it at that?" she hissed. "Tell me Eric and Calleigh are leaving, and walk away?"
Ryan jerked Natalia to the side of the hallway and lowered his voice to a furious whisper. "Shh! Do you know what kind of panic you could start if you're not careful?" His eyes darted from side to side to ensure no one was listening.
"But you just said—"
"I said they've got a lot to consider."
Natalia's eyes narrowed and she struck a defiant pose with her tall frame. "You know more than you're letting on."
"And I've said enough," Ryan growled softly. "If you're so damn worried, take it up with Horatio." Anger flashed across Natalia's face and he backtracked. "Look, Talia, I'm sorry. I don't mean to take all this out on you. But you have got to let this drop. Stop calling Eric and Calleigh, stop asking questions. Talk to Horatio if you want to, but I'm done discussing it. I'm sorry."
Ryan huffed tiredly and sent Natalia one last, pleading glance before he turned to leave without looking back. Nat watched him as he walked away, a sick feeling growing deep in her stomach. She could feel it; something was coming.