Three Hours Later

Little Havana, Miami

Grissom had passed out shortly after being taken into the emergency room and hadn't been able to make a complete statement even before that due to shock, so Rick had done what he could before Dr. Stokes and the nurses had kicked him out so Grissom could rest in the ER under close observation. He had reported Grissom's bad state to Tim and Tim had authorized him to go finish his errand before reporting to the lab to help with the evidence collected off of Grissom.

Instead of going to his parents' care home immediately, however, he had paid a visit to Tommy Wolfe to let him know what had happened to Grissom and to request FBI protection for Grissom only to find that Tommy was getting ready to be released from the hospital to home recovery. Diana had given them a moment to talk while she got her husband's papers from his doctor and Rick had managed to tell him what had happened elsewhere in the hospital, but Tommy had told him that FBI protection wasn't available for Grissom because all resources were currently being used elsewhere. Rick had also shared that he was going to his parents' care home and Tommy had called Tony Speedle on the spot to meet him there to provide backup. Tommy had reassured Rick that he was doing the right thing by staying close to the FBI even though the Crime Lab had taken him in. Rick, however, wasn't staying close to the FBI for his sake: he was doing it for the sake of his family and those who he worked with now.

Now, as Rick pulled up to his parents' care home, he noticed Tony Speedle lingering in a car just ahead of him sporting casual clothes and sunglasses while listening to a tune on the radio. He got out of his car, nodded to Tony as he passed, and silently made his way inside the center. He quickly found out from the front desk that his father was taking a nap, but his mother was awake and asking about him, as she needed help with her laundry, so he had gone into the dementia cottage straightaway.

Mary Stetler, of course, had been seated at the table in the common room wearing a bright floral dress and pink slippers and she smiled at Rick as he approached, "Ricky!" she spoke warmly, smiling eagerly at her son as he approached the table where mismatched, unfolded socks sat scattered all over the place. "You're just in time to help me with my laundry!"

"I would love to, Mama," Rick replied softly, smiling at his mother as he sat down next to her at the table and began to look over the mess of socks she was playing with.

The Miami heat beat down on Rocky as he drove through the streets of Little Havana after driving from the warehouse, and he was getting tired. He hadn't felt inspired enough, though, to stop and let Flack go because he wanted to make an impact using the battered cop as his tool of choice, an impact that would throw the Miami-Dade Police off of McKeen's trail.

As Rocky drove by what appeared to be a retirement home for senior citizens, however, he noticed a car parked in front of the center that had a police badge and an ID clipped to the car's sun visor, which was down.

Deciding to go for the center simply to see if he could pop what appeared to be an off-duty cop visiting family and leave Flack's battered carcass in the mess, Rocky slowed and made like he was going to park along the sidewalk before he quickly reversed, turned, sped over the curb, and straight into the side of the building, creating a mess. Before getting out of the car, Rocky popped the trunk and grabbed the machine gun he had taken from the warehouse. As he was getting out of the car, he suddenly noticed Tony watching him suspiciously and so he darted inside the hole he had created.

To Rocky's shock, Rick was there and trying to console a screaming elderly woman in the middle of the floor near a toppled table while nurses ran around them, trying to evacuate other dementia patients from their rooms. As tempted as Rocky was to take Rick and flee, he heard Rick address the elderly woman as "Mama," and his fury surged to the point where he found himself pointing his gun at the elderly woman's chest and firing without hesitation. When Rick tried to argue, Rocky pointed the gun straight at Rick's head, very tempted to pull the trigger and blast his little brother's head into pieces, and the unarmed Rick quickly raised his hands and went silent in response to that action because he had left his own guns in his car so not to scare his parents. Rocky, however, wanted to have fun torturing Rick later on and swiftly left instead of taking another shot.

As he tried to make his way back to his car, Rocky was shot at by Tony, who had jumped out of his car brandishing his gun and FBI badge when he saw the car crash into the seniors' facility, but he hadn't fired immediately because he hadn't wanted to risk hitting any seniors.

When he had heard shots, however, Tony had immediately begun firing his service weapon at the escaping Rocky. Unfortunately for Tony, Rocky was stronger and his weapon quickly made short work of Tony Speedle and while Tony lay in the grass wounded, Rocky moved towards Tony's car and swiftly got behind the wheel. As Rocky took Tony's car from the scene, Eric, who had been nearby enjoying his day off and had heard the crash and subsequent shots, came running and froze when he saw the mess made of what he knew was the center where Rick's aged parents both lived.

Eric quickly called the incident into Dispatch and also called for ambulances on his cell before he ran into the area to see if he could help at all. He first stopped where Tony Speedle lay and was horrified to see Tim's brother there with a gun in hand and an FBI badge on his belt as well as blood pooling on his chest from a wound just above a lump on his shirt that looked suspiciously like a bulletproof vest. Eric quickly put together that Rick had felt uneasy, had asked his handler to be close during the visit, and now his handler was wounded. Tony, however, looked at Eric as Eric tried to help him, tried to say something, and then began to vomit blood. Suddenly, however, a nurse ran outside from the main part of the facility to Eric, "Hey, are you a doctor?" she called out. "We need your help!"

"He needs help too!" Eric called out, frowning when the nurse ran over. "What happened?"

The nurse frowned and quickly got on the ground to help Tony, "There's a guy in there trying to help one of the residents and won't move!" she shouted. "He's covered in blood and he's gonna pass out, but he keeps screaming "Mama!" and we need to get people out of there…!"

"I'm a cop!" Eric replied anxiously, quickly realizing Stetler had been in the space at the time of the accident and was now probably trying to tend to his mother. "I'll go check on the guy inside! Keep helping him!"

The nurse nodded and Eric ran to the scene, realizing that a car had hit the side of the dementia cottage near a sitting area, and nothing had yet collapsed, but there was a big hole in the area. Taking great care not to disrupt anything or touch the car and risk causing further damage, Eric made his way through the hole.

To his horror, Rick was in the center of the mess and his jacket, shirt, and hands were getting covered in blood as he tried to help his wounded mother, who was unconscious, unresponsive, and bleeding out from a bad gunshot wound to the chest. He was also swearing, crying, and begging for his mother to respond while struggling to breathe and all of the nurses were struggling to move patients while trying to approach him, "Stetler…" Eric began grimly, seeing that the man's work was not doing any good. "Rick…"

Rick, however, ignored Eric and continued his futile efforts and Eric found himself moving towards the car to see if the rest of the center was in any danger from it because he knew continuing to argue with Rick would only anger the man more. As he approached it, however, he was shocked to see that the trunk was open and that an unconscious, handcuffed, and heavily battered Detective Flack was laying in the trunk on his stomach in shredded, bloody clothes and socks.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Rick suddenly sobbed in a wheezy, shaky voice. "Stop! What are you doing?! Get off me!"

Eric turned just in time to see two nurses gently pull a heavily wheezing, shaking, weeping Rick off of his mother, "She's gone," one of the nurses said softly. "I'm sorry. We…we need to evacuate the living from the area before the damage gets any worse. We also have to get the other patients…"

Rick, however, wouldn't move and instead sat cross legged in the middle of the mess burying his face in his bloodstained hands to continue sobbing, "Stetler…Rick…your dad's upstairs, isn't he?" Eric asked, suddenly remembering that Rick's parents lived in separate wings of the centre and that he had to do something to get Rick to snap out of his grief, get out of the way, and calm himself because he was now a witness to a brutal crime.

"Daddy's having a nap," Rick replied shakily, sighing heavily as he realized he would now have to explain the accident, the attack, and his mother's brutal murder to his father, IAB, and everyone at the PD who responded to the incident. "Oh, God. How in the hell am I gonna explain…all this?"

Eric nodded, "Your dad probably woke up from the nap cause of the noise and he's going to ask for you," he spoke anxiously. "Maybe the nurses here can lend you some scrubs and you can take my jacket so you can check on him…"

Fighting the urge to throw up, Rick got up and reluctantly moved past the car, the debris, and out into the main foyer. A headache quickly attacked him as several nurses hurried towards him, having seen the accident and working to respond to whatever was there. As Rick struggled to explain the mess he had just witnessed, Eric quickly came out and began explaining what happened and asking the nurses to get Rick some scrubs to wear, as his clothes were now evidence in the disaster that had just unfolded.

Miami-Dade International Airport

Clouds had covered the afternoon sun and blue sky by the time the plane that Horatio and John were on landed at the airport.

Horatio, however, wasn't bothered by the weather and instead focused on getting John off the plane in a wheelchair that the airline provided, not allowing anyone but himself to take the young man from the plane because he knew John didn't trust anyone else. As they sat at the gate, waiting for their specially tagged luggage to be hand-delivered to them as had been promised, Horatio made sure John was warm and comfortable, not expecting the young man to engage in conversation if he didn't feel up to it.

"Horatio," Calleigh's voice suddenly filled the air.

Horatio looked up and saw Calleigh, Frank, and Dr. Loman approach, "Officer Boscorelli, hi…" Calleigh spoke in a warm voice, offering her hand to John. "Do you remember me? I'm…"

"Um, it's just John, thanks," John spoke nervously, feeling weird about being referred to by rank in light of recent events. "I…I…"

Horatio raised an eyebrow, "I think there will be plenty of time for everyone to talk and get to know each other later on," he spoke firmly. "I'll be taking John to a safe place where he can recover from injuries he sustained during a courthouse shooting in New York. I just needed a vehicle to be able to transport him there, which I trust you have brought me?"

"There was a shooting at the trial in New York?!" Tripp asked in a confused, shocked voice. "Who did it?"

Just then, flight crew brought Horatio's and John's luggage over to them on a rolling cart, "Um, Lieutenant Caine, I need to use the bathroom," John spoke shakily, needing to check his blood sugar because it felt low to him. "Is…is that all right?"

"You're not under arrest, John, but I'd prefer if you not walk around too much unsupervised because you are injured," Horatio spoke gently, pointing to a nearby bathroom because he knew why John wanted privacy. "Doctor Tom Loman here is going to accompany you to the bathroom, which is just over there, and he'll re-check your injuries while you're in there checking your blood sugar, all right? He's not going to hurt you."

While Dr. Loman took John and John's bag to the bathroom, Horatio turned his attention to Calleigh and Tripp, "Derek Stokes shot at John just as he took the stand to testify, but Sergeant Boscorelli took two bullets in full force and may be dead, but I don't know for sure," Horatio explained grimly. "One, however, hit John too and he got patched up by a Doctor Hawkes, but as we were leaving to find John someplace to rest, we were met and threatened by a grieving Federal Judge Stokes. John and I mutually agreed it would be best for him to come here for the time being given the judge's anger towards both of us for his son's death."

Tripp looked appalled, "Why would Judge Stokes blame him?" he asked in a confused voice. "I was watching the trial from the PD, as were a lot of us. John Boscorelli wasn't even armed. He got the rank of Officer back in April when he graduated with his Bachelor's along with a lot of awards cause he passed the National Officer's Test with honors and did a lot in Vegas for you and Ryan and Sofia Wolfe, but I don't think he was assigned to a precinct cause he wanted to pursue his Master's degree under the radar. I think, though, that he was going to start addressing all that stuff with the degree after the trial. He did a lot of interviews the day he got his rank…he and his dad, Sergeant Boscorelli. The sergeant, from what I remember reading in a paper, talked up John a lot and said he was real proud of him…"

Horatio sighed heavily, knowing full well it would not be a good idea for everyone to start hero-worshipping John when the young man was still very much in emotional and physical pain from the shooting and Judge Stokes's angry threats. Calleigh, meanwhile, was keeping watch on the bathroom to make sure Dr. Loman and John came out safely, "…All available units and Crime Scene Investigators please respond to a developing situation at Garden Estates Retirement Castle in Little Havana," Dispatch's voice suddenly filled the air from Frank and Calleigh's radios. "Vehicle crashed into the dementia cottage, shots were fired on scene, two fatalities on scene, officers on scene at time of incident including missing NYPD Detective Don Flack…"

"Oh, my God," Calleigh breathed anxiously, realizing that that Rick had been headed over there after he had been cleared to leave Jackson Hospital since Grissom hadn't been able to give a statement. "Horatio, Stetler's parents live at Garden Estates in Little Havana and we were together at a scene earlier, but Stetler was given permission to go over and see his parents after the victim at our scene wasn't able to give a statement…"

Horatio's eyes widened and Frank swore, "Did someone just say Detective Flack was found?" John's voice suddenly filled the air, as he had overheard bits of the conversation. "My blood sugar's okay, by the way. I…I guess I was just tired from the morgue and the flight…"

For a moment, Horatio was silent before gazing at John, "Um, John, I know you're injured and cannot move very well right now, but I need your help with a situation," he spoke in a concerned voice. "I will explain the situation on the way, but I may need you to sit with a CSI of mine and talk to them about a situation that they're involved in. Do you have your badge on you?"

John was quiet for a moment before opening the front part of his diabetes bag and producing the NYPD shield he had been given upon receiving the rank of Officer, "I was never assigned a precinct yet, though, cause of the trial and everything," he replied nervously. "I just graduated everything…"

"You're still a police officer with crime scene and law enforcement training," Horatio replied. "I just need your communication skills for the moment, which I know you have because it was those skills that saved my life in Las Vegas. Do you understand?"

Swallowing hard, as he knew his duty was to serve and respect the badge he had earned if nothing more than to honor his adoptive father's memory and love for him even though he wanted nothing more than to hide, cry, and scream, John nodded, "Yes sir," he replied firmly. "What do you need me to do?"

Garden Estates Retirement Castle – Little Havana, Miami

Even though he was the Acting CSI Supervisor and had to see what everyone else was doing and who was responding to the call-out and who wasn't, Tim Speedle found himself unable to move from his dead brother's side.

Sirens, talking, and other noises were filling the air, but Tim paid no attention to them as he sat beside his brother, unable to pay any attention to anything else to the fact that his little brother, 13 years his junior, was now gone after being attacked by a random gunman who had also driven into the dementia cottage of a seniors retirement home and killed someone. He didn't know who inside had died, but he had seen coroner staffers go inside, so he knew someone inside had died, but he hadn't the strength to check into it even though he knew he should. His little brother, a man who had just had his first child days ago, was dead and there was no reason for it.

More sirens suddenly filled the air and it was subsequently followed by footsteps, "Speed?" Tim suddenly heard Horatio's concerned voice ask. "What…?"

"My brother was killed by the shooter, H," Tim spoke grimly, gazing up at Horatio with a solemn expression on his face. "I…I don't know why he was killed or why he was even here…"

Shock filled Horatio's face, but he nodded, "H!" Eric's voice suddenly filled the air.

Horatio turned to see Eric running towards him looking frantic as Tim reluctantly got up off the grass, "H, Stetler's mother was killed in front of him…" Eric breathed anxiously. "I showed up just as the shooter got away in Tony Speedle's car and I tried to help Tony first, but then a nurse came and another nurse was yelling for help inside, so I went inside to see Stetler trying to do first-aid on his mom. He was covered in her blood and Detective Flack was unconscious in the trunk of the car…"

Horatio's eyes widened, "I put a call into Dispatch and everyone's arriving or checking in…everyone but Ryan," Eric spoke in a concerned voice. "And someone needs to talk to Stetler. I sent a uniform to keep an eye on him, but…"

Nodding, Horatio suddenly turned towards a Hummer that was just on the other side of the crime scene tape and motioned for someone to come over. Eric and Tim were surprised to see a serious looking John Boscorelli cross the tape with a police badge on his belt and Calleigh at his side, "I believe you both know John Boscorelli," Horatio spoke quietly. "He recently graduated from NYU with a Bachelor's in Criminalistics and Criminal Justice and CSI Level 1 qualifications. I would like for him to help us with this situation. Eric, do you know where Rick currently is? Show us, please. Speed, can you let Doctor Loman see to your brother and go find Detective Flack, please? Thank you."

Expecting that Tim would follow his orders even though he was grieving, Horatio looked at Eric expectantly and Eric nervously led Horatio and John into the damaged care center. Because of his injuries, John walked slow, but made long strides so he could keep up with Horatio and Eric. As they passed by the damaged dementia cottage, Horatio briefly looked at the sight of the car and the mess just past it before looking ahead to where Eric was taking them. Out of the corner of his eye, he could also see John following as he was ordered to do while taking care to be mindful of his healing injuries.

Eric led them into the elevator, to the second floor, and stopped near a room where a uniformed officer with the nametag 'Daniels' was standing and looking uneasy, "Stetler told me to get the hell away," Officer Daniels explained nervously. "He's so crazy right now, Lieutenant Caine. Why did you hire that nutcase?"

"Sergeant Stetler saw his mother shot to death right in front of him, Officer Daniels," Horatio replied in a stern voice, pissed off at the officer's casualness regarding Rick's grim situation. "If he told you to go away, you were obviously making him more uncomfortable than he could tolerate at the moment. You know what? You can go. Officer Boscorelli and I…"

Officer Daniels suddenly gave John a concerned look, "Oh my God, I've read about you in the papers," he breathed in an awed voice, quickly shaking John's hand without asking if it was okay. "A bunch of the patrol squad was watching the trial and we saw your dad get shot. I'm so sorry that happened. Are you okay?"

"Yes sir," John replied firmly although he gave no reaction as he looked at Officer Daniels in the eye.

Officer Daniels nodded, "My God, you're definitely a Boscorelli even if you were just adopted by him a few years ago," he spoke in an impressed voice. "You're tough as nails...just like your dad."

Even though he was uncomfortable with the comments being made about himself and his adoptive father, John remained quiet and unresponsive so to maintain professionalism in front of Horatio and Horatio sighed, "Officer Daniels, thank you," he spoke firmly, catching on that John was uncomfortable. "We'll take it from here."

Clearly annoyed at Horatio's intervention, Officer Daniels nodded and moved off towards the elevators while Horatio and John continued down the hallway to where Eric was standing. Horatio went very quiet when he saw Rick laying on a hospital bed with nothing but paper slippers, blue scrubs, and a borrowed jacket for warmth with his arm around a white-haired man who seemed to be resting next to him wearing a dark sweatsuit and slippers while he was engrossed in something that was playing on the television while a TV remote and other small objects lay on the floor near the door. The older man suddenly whispered to Rick and Rick nodded before getting off the bed and moving to the door, not paying mind to Eric, Horatio, or John until all of them were out of view of Richard Stetler. Only when they were further away from the room did Rick sigh and give them a dark glare, revealing that he was sporting bruises on his face.

Horatio's eyes widened slightly at the bruises and Rick scoffed, quickly looking away from Horatio's concerned gaze, "I startled my father when I arrived in his room and he threw the TV remote at my face on accident because he was just waking up from his nap when I got there," he explained shakily, not willing to share that his father had intentionally thrown the remote at him on purpose before also throwing other objects at him because he wanted answers about the noises that had woken him from his nap and Rick hadn't shared any despite being ordered to. "It's nothing. My father is calm now and he's thirsty. He asked me to go see if I can get him some bottled water from the dining room. Is it still a mess down there?"

"Yeah, but…I saw a vending machine near the elevator that I think had some bottled water in it," John quickly replied, recognizing the tell-tale signs of abuse from his friends' broken homes and his mom's work as a paramedic. "Do you want me to pay for it? I don't mind. I could use some juice myself and maybe a snack. I took my insulin on the way here from the airport, so I actually need to eat. I got diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 16, so my body's on a strict schedule now and I don't like eating alone."

Rick hesitated before nodding and following John down the hall, "H, the last time I was here, Stetler's father was borderline verbally abusive to him," Eric observed in a concerned voice. "I don't think he'll press charges, though. It wouldn't make it to court anyway. Stetler's father has…cognitive issues."

"John managed to de-escalate Rick's anxiety, though," Horatio observed softly, deeply impressed with the young man's talent for connecting with abuse victims who didn't want to admit to being abused, thereby denying themselves access to help. "Eric, tell me more about what you observed…"

Anxious, loud cursing suddenly filled the air and Eric hurried back to Richard Stetler's room, recognizing the voice as the elderly man's, "Rick!" Richard called out in an angry voice as he slowly sat up in bed, no longer entertained by what was playing on the television. "Where the hell is that boy?! He's been as slow as a snail ever since the day he was born! Rick! I swear to God, Rick Stetler, if you don't get in here right now, I'll…"

Eric flinched as Richard Stetler suddenly slammed his fist on the portable table in his room while glaring around angrily, but Horatio looked incredibly sad and silently moved down the hallway to compose himself. As he leaned against a wall to take a deep breath, Rick came speedwalking past him with no bottle of water in hand and a neutral expression on his face. He ignored Eric's attempts to talk to him and quietly re-entered the room acting as if nothing bad had happened.

Horatio returned to the doorway just in time to see Richard Stetler yawn and lie back in his bed while looking at Rick in a childlike manner as if no violence at all had occurred between them, "What happened to your clothes, Ricky, my boy?" Richard asked in a sleepy, weak voice, suddenly squinting at Rick's clothes. "They're…unusual."

"Um, Mandy got a new dog and it jumped on my clothes when I visited her earlier," Rick lied nervously. "I had to change before I came here because I know you're allergic to dogs and I didn't want you to get sick…"

Richard nodded and quickly began to cough in a hacking manner, prompting Rick to get the oxygen tank and tube from the closet and put the tube in his father's nose, "Daddy, why don't you have a nap for a little while?" Rick suggested shakily. "I'll visit with Mandy later on, all right?"

Richard didn't need to be told twice and quickly fell asleep, completely missing Rick covering him with the blankets and Afghan that were on the bed. Before leaving the room, Rick quickly kissed his father on the forehead and shut the TV off and deliberately ignored both Eric and Horatio as he left the room, staying silent as he moved to the visiting area where he had instructed John to wait for him. To Rick's relief, John was still there and didn't seem bothered that he had taken so long.

"Eric, can you supervise John while he talks to Rick?" Horatio asked quietly as they followed Rick and saw him and John talking quietly in the upstairs visiting area while John recorded the conversation on his cell. "If there are any problems, radio for me. I need to go assess the rest of the scene."

Nodding, Eric continued to watch John and Rick talk while Horatio quickly hurried to the elevator.

Garden Estates Retirement Castle – Little Havana, Miami

"…We need to get him out of the trunk so we can help him, but moving him might injure him further…"

"…Donnie!...How did Detective Flack get in the trunk of the car that crashed into this building?!"

Shaky breaths escaped Flack's lips as he slowly came to and was immediately greeted by the realization that he was laying on his left arm, which included the shoulder that had been dislocated back on the boat and was now numb. A click suddenly filled the air and Flack suddenly felt pain shooting up and down his right wrist, pain intense enough that prompted him to hiss in pain.

"Donnie!" a familiar voice suddenly spoke above Flack. "Donnie, look at me! Donnie, it's Bobby!"

Flack shakily moved his head towards the voice and was both shocked and relieved to see Robert standing above him in slacks, boots, a dress shirt, and crime scene gloves with his badge on his belt, "Bobby," he breathed weakly, wincing as he forced his right arm out of the trunk up towards his friend even though it nearly killed him to move any part of his body. "Am…am I dead?"

"Rescue's just having a little trouble getting you out," Robert replied in a worried voice, quickly taking Flack's hand to calm him. "They don't want to hurt you worse by doing it wrong…"

Tears filled Flack's eyes, suddenly feeling claustrophobic because he had already spent time in the cargo hold of a boat, a refrigerated van, and then a cooler before waking up trapped in a trunk, but Robert kept a hold of his hand, "Donnie, just focus on me," Robert spoke in a firm voice, recognizing PTSD flashbacks when he saw them. "Chief Donaldson, what's the situation?"

"We're going to have to remove the roof of the car so rescue can get in there and treat him before moving him," Chief Donaldson replied grimly. "We're getting the tools together now. You'll need to move…"

Flack, however, gripped Robert's hand tighter, "Don't…don't leave me, Bobby," he begged weakly.

"Get me some safety gear, Chief," Robert argued anxiously. "I am not leaving my friend here alone."

As Chief Donaldson ran off to find Robert some safety gear, Horatio came into view and paused when he saw Robert holding Flack's hand while Flack lay trapped in the trunk of the crashed car. Nearby, Walter and Natalia had turned to watch them worriedly, having been alerted by Flack's panic.

"Speedle's outside with his brother," Robert spoke shakily, keeping hold of Flack's hand as he looked at Horatio. "Natalia and Walter are here. I don't know where Rick and Delko are and Ryan is…"

Horatio frowned, "Ryan isn't answering pages from Dispatch," Robert finished grimly. "He responded to Jackson Hospital when Doctor Grissom was nearly taken hostage by Jeffrey McKeen, but…"

"Excuse me?!" Horatio asked in a confused, concerned voice, frowning at his nephew. "Jeffrey McKeen tried to take Doctor Grissom hostage at Jackson Hospital?"

Robert nodded, "And Ryan was at that call, but then he disappeared shortly afterwards," he explained in a concerned voice. "He's been acting strange the entire time you were in New York, skipping call-outs and calling in sick to work at the last minute. I hadn't wanted to say anything to you until I asked him about it, but for him to outright avoid a call-out to a major incident is very unlike him. I do not want to put him on any official IAB report, so I'm leaving it to you to handle him however you want to…"

Deeply concerned, as Ryan's behavior seemed very unusual and concerning, Horatio nodded and silently moved outside to the road as he got his phone out, determined to see what was going on.

Jackson Hospital

The sound of a vibrating phone caused Ryan to stir and sit up in a slight panic, briefly forgetting where he was before he remembered that he was in a chair in a chemo suite after being told by his oncologist that he had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and would need to begin chemotherapy immediately.

A hand quickly came down on his chest to hold him down, prompting Ryan to gaze over at the owner of the hand and see that Tommy was sitting next to him in a soft chair, "You better not be thinking about blowing off the rest of your first chemo session to answer a work call, Ryan James Wolfe," Tommy spoke sternly, giving his brother a mock scowl. "Your oncologist said your first session needed to be today and then no going to work for at least two days. It's not like you can go anywhere anyway since nobody can get in or out right now due to the lockdown. We're just lucky our badges and your appointment got us through Security without trouble. I hope Diana doesn't have too much trouble getting back from the car after she loads my stuff…"

Ryan's phone, which was on a nearby table within Tommy's reach, suddenly buzzed again and Tommy grabbed it, "Someone named Horatio Caine is calling you," Tommy spoke irritably. "Do you want to answer it?"

"Horatio is calling me?" Ryan responded in a confused voice. "He's supposed to be in New York for Jeffrey McKeen's trial today…"

Tommy suddenly got a weird look on his face, "You don't know what happened?" he asked in a concerned voice. "There was a shooting at that trial and it's been on the news for hours, but we're not talking about that right now. It's bad enough you got involved in a fight with Jeffrey McKeen right before your appointment and were almost late because you were watching over Gil Grissom. Why did Nick Stokes even follow you to your appointment, anyway? I'm glad I got there in time and kicked him out before he found anything out. Your health is none of Vegas's business. Especially since they killed your wife and Carlos's mother and didn't care..."

Ryan was about to argue that he was trying to give Grissom grace because Grissom was also struggling with cancer when fatigue suddenly overwhelmed him and he began drifting off unwillingly, something that his brother quickly took notice of, "Go to sleep right now and stop worrying about Gil Grissom, Nick Stokes, or even your phone," Tommy spoke firmly. "If something does happen where you need help, I have my phone, my badge, and my off-duty gun. I'll watch out for you. Do you need a blanket?"

"Mhmmm," Ryan mumbled groggily as he allowed sleep to take him. "I'm so sleepy."

Tommy sighed before looking around for a nurse who could get Ryan a blanket to keep him comfy and warm. As Tommy caught the attention of a nurse, however, his phone rang and he answered it.

Garden Estates Retirement Castle – Little Havana, Miami

A loud whirring noise filled Emily Speedle's ears as she crossed the tape after flashing ID at the uniforms that she was related to Detective Tim Speedle. She had been at home with her children when Tommy had called her and told her that Tony had been shadowing someone in the PD while they visited their parents at a care home and the care home had been driven into, shot up, and Tony was now dead as a result said attack. Emily had been told that Tommy was in the FBI by Tommy himself and was still struggling to accept it, but she hadn't argued with him when he had told her about the incident: she had merely agreed to come to the scene armed when he had asked her to come be there for Tim.

As she approached Tim, who was standing on the grass staring into what appeared to be a very ugly looking mess in the side of the area's care center where she had often come to counsel people in the past, she suddenly felt sad, "Tim," she spoke in a worried voice. "Tommy called me…"

Recognizing his wife's voice, Tim immediately turned towards her and embraced her, "At least the FBI's good for something," he replied in a quiet voice, relaxing in her warmth. "Tony's dead."

"I know," Emily replied solemnly. "And your parents know. They've got Jill and Emma over at the house with James, Julliet and Jesse …"

Tim nodded and exhaled briefly before pulling away and looking at her worriedly, "They could use your help inside, actually," he explained gruffly, nervous about grieving in public too much in case media caught wind of it. "The coroners took Tony and Stetler's elderly mother also got killed…"

Emily's eyes widened in shock, but she said nothing because she could tell Tim was focused on something else of equal importance, "Detective Flack was found handcuffed and beaten in the trunk of the car that crashed into the dementia cottage and Detective Caine's trying to keep him calm, but he's having a hard time because Detective Flack won't let himself be touched," Tim explained in a worried voice. "Can you come help keep Detective Flack calm so he'll let Rescue do their jobs? Delko and Officer John Boscorelli are with Stetler now, but Detective Flack…"

"Officer John Boscorelli?!" Emily asked in a confused voice. "What in the…?"

Tim gave Emily a look and Emily nodded, deciding to save her questions for another time, "Where is Detective Flack?" she asked in a concerned voice. "You said he was trapped in…in a trunk?"

Nodding, Tim led Emily into the wrecked dementia cottage and they approached the wrecked car just in time to hear Flack let out a pain-filled whimper, "Donnie, they're not touching you with the tool," Robert's voice spoke anxiously. "Just try to look at me and don't move."

Tim quickly guided over to a table where a myriad of safety gear had been set and helped her get goggles, a helmet, a jumpsuit, and gloves on before he led her over to where rescue workers were carefully trying to cut the top off of the car so they could get Flack out. Flack, however, was incredibly tense, shaking, and whimpering while keeping his eyes closed and holding Robert's hand. Emily frowned at Flack's closed eyes, "He should be wearing gear," she observed in a concerned voice.

Robert, who was clad in goggles and gloves, frowned at Emily, "Donnie freaked right out when Rescue touched his face to put goggles and muffs on him, saying that he didn't want to be pistol whipped in the face again," he explained in a worried voice. "He promised to stay still and keep his eyes closed, but he's struggling…"

"Who…who's there?" Flack called out shakily. "I can't see and it hurts to move. I hear voices. Is it more Russians?"

Robert froze at the mention of Russians, as it made him wonder if the recovering Pavel was involved, but quickly recovered and sighed, "It's Doctor Emily Speedle and Detective Speedle, Donnie," he replied in a steady voice. "Tim…"

Sensing that Robert was about to offer him condolences, Tim quickly shook his head, motioned for him to be quiet, and gestured to Flack in the truck, signalling that mentioning Tony's death would only make rescuing Flack harder, "Tim brought his wife to help me talk to you because you two used to work together in New York," Robert spoke, quickly shifting gears in understanding of Tim's signals.

"Donald, you're going to be okay," Emily spoke in a concerned voice. "McKeen, he's going to pay…"

Flack scoffed as tears filled his eyes, "Jeffrey McKeen didn't put me in here," he replied shakily. "McKeen's with Carlos…I don't know where I am, but I was brought here by someone else…"

A loud cracking noise suddenly filled the air as the rescue workers lifted the top off the car, creating an opening for Flack to be pulled out, "Top's off!" a rescue worker yelled. "Get EMS in here now!"

"Donnie, I gotta let you go now so paramedics can help you," Robert spoke nervously. "All right?"

Flack, however, didn't respond and his grip on Robert's hand suddenly weakened, "Donnie?" Robert called out, deeply concerned about the fact that his friend was not responding to commands.

Paramedics suddenly swarmed on Flack with a large amount of gear and Robert found himself being pulled back by Chief Donaldson, "The paramedics need to work quickly," Chief Donaldson explained in a concerned voice. "Oh, Detective Caine, you should know that the uniforms and nurses are making noise that your former brother-in-law was on scene during the accident and shooting, but he didn't use his gun…"

Robert suddenly found himself getting pissed that the uniforms and nurses were finding time to gossip about Rick instead of offering the man sympathies for his tragic loss. He glared at Chief Donaldson briefly before exiting the cottage in search of Rick and as he entered the main foyer, he was relieved to see his uncle there talking with a nurse, but his uncle didn't look happy, "Lieutenant Caine," Robert called out.

Horatio nodded at Robert as he approached, which prompted the nurse to move away, "Rescue and EMS are working on getting Detective Flack out of the trunk," Robert explained anxiously. "They had to cut the top of the car off. What…I thought you were in New York?"

"Derek Stokes shot up the trial, and he's now dead while Sergeant Boscorelli might be dead, and I brought John Boscorelli with me to Miami after Judge Stokes threatened both of us," Horatio explained in a grim tone, frowning at Robert worriedly. "John has the rank of Officer, a Bachelor's in Criminalistics and Criminal Justice, and his Level 1, so I had him come talk to Rick while Eric supervises. Ryan…Ryan did not answer my call either, by the way, but now is not the time…"

Robert nodded grimly, "Apparently, the uniforms and nurses are saying that Rick was here when the accident and shooting happened, but he didn't use his gun," he explained worriedly. "I have heard his mother lived in the dementia cottage, so maybe he didn't use his weapon cause he wanted to keep her calm…"

"I believe the inquest can wait until Rick's mother is in the ground," Horatio replied firmly, sighing softly. "Rick's father was also physical with him earlier, Bobby, but did not remember it, so…"

Robert suddenly looked solemn, "Yeah…Amanda…she used to tell me that Richard Stetler had a violent temper when it came to Rick," he admitted in a pained voice. "We tried to help him, but Rick was very defensive of his parents and denied it. Wouldn't file any reports. He even threatened to beat me up if I didn't stop pressing him about it. As much as I dislike Gil Grissom, the man was a godsend…it got Rick out of that situation for a while. When his parents started having issues, though, Rick was in Miami by that point and insisted on bringing them to Miami into the cheapest, prettiest home he could find. Amanda was off the rails by then, but I offered to help pay for the home anyway. Rick, however, got really mean about it, told me to mind my own business, and said he had it handled. Since Rick admitted to Natalia that he did favors for the FBI, though, she and I have been doing some digging and the FBI paid for Rick's parents to live in the centre, held Lindsey Stetler as collateral, and did a lot of other very nasty things in exchange for Rick doing favors, including trying to rescue those girls from Devil's Mansion in 2004…"

Horatio's eyes widened slightly, "Well, that's stopping," he promised firmly. "I'll be personally filing papers with the department for Rick to get a carers allowance so his father can get somewhere new and safe to live and so Rick doesn't have to take anymore stipends from the FBI. Rick probably called Tony Speedle to be here with him today because Tony's his handler. I also want to talk to Tony's supervisor…"

"Rick and Tony got into it at the lab while you were away and Detective Tripp figured out that Tommy Wolfe is Tony Speedle's supervisor, something Tony didn't deny and Detective Flack even confirmed it," Robert explained grimly. "It's safe to assume that whatever Ryan Wolfe is doing, he and Tommy are together. I thought about asking Tim Speedle's wife where Tommy and even Ryan are, as she came here to comfort Tim and I last saw her when she helped me talk to Detective Flack…"

Nodding, Horatio silently made his way into the damaged dementia cottage just in time to see Tim help Emily return several pieces of safety gear to a table, "Speed, Doctor Speedle," he spoke in a concerned voice. "Robert mentioned that you might have information about where Ryan and Tommy are. It turns out that Tommy is part of the FBI and Tony's supervisor…"

Tim frowned, "Tony's not in the FBI," he replied in a confused voice. "What…what are you…?"

"It's already been confirmed," Robert spoke firmly. "And Tommy Wolfe is his boss…or was."

Tim went very quiet, as did Emily, "Is that what our father's involved in too?" she finally asked in a cold voice, suddenly looking angry. "Ryan tried to tell me, but I didn't want him talking about our father because his health came first…"

Worry suddenly filled Horatio's eyes, "What are you talking about?" he asked in a concerned voice, suddenly feeling that something was very wrong with Ryan that had not been shared with him.

"Can we take a walk, Lieutenant?" Emily asked in a nervous voice, suddenly realizing that she couldn't keep Ryan's secrets for him because he needed more support than she was capable of giving him. "I'll tell you what I know, but in private…"

San Gabriel Valley Medical Center - San Gabriel, California

"Greg, thank you for letting me know that I have a new granddaughter," Tommy's voice filled the phone that Greg held in front of him on speaker as he sat in the surgical waiting room because holding it to his ear was too difficult with his shaking hands. "How's Jenny?"

Greg sighed heavily, "I don't know yet," he admitted shakily. "I just barely got told that Jenny had a girl and that the girl was being put in the NICU cause she's too little. Jenny's still in surgery…"

A tired sigh filled the phone, "Thank God you're using your mandatory leave from work to visit your parents," Tommy's voice spoke softly. "You won't be overwhelmed with Jessica and Matthew while your is baby in ICU and Jen is recovering cause you've got help from your family. I just got out of the hospital today, so I can't travel just yet, but I'm gonna talk with Jenny's mom and see if she can't get some time off in a couple of weeks. I know she was just in Vegas with you all, but she owns the firm, and so she can do whatever she wants…"

Greg sighed, "Um, Mister Wolfe…Tommy, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor?" he asked nervously, feeling guilty that he was worried about Grissom so much when his wife and newly born child were in such great need. "Could you…could you check on Grissom for me? Please? He's sick…and he's my birth father. He gave me up for adoption a long time ago and he texted me before he got really sick. Can you just tell him I got his text and I…I'm thinking about it? Please?"

"I'll think about it, but Greg, I want you to focus on taking care of yourself and let your family help you, Jenny, and your kids," Tommy's voice filled the phone. "Promise me you'll do that."

Greg exhaled tiredly, "I promise," he replied quietly, unsurprised that Tommy Wolfe had pretty much blown off his request about Grissom because he knew Tommy didn't like Grissom at all. "How are you doing, anyway?"

There was a click, but Greg wasn't bothered by it because Dr. Martinez suddenly arrived wearing her surgical scrubs and sporting a solemn expression, "Doctor Martinez," Greg spoke tiredly, quickly pocketing his phone as he stood up. "How's my wife?"

"Your wife had to have a complete hysterectomy due to bleeding that wouldn't stop after your daughter was delivered," Dr. Martinez explained in a solemn tone of voice. "She's in Recovery now and asking for you. Normally, we wouldn't allow you to be with her there, but she says you keep her safe and warm and she'll be a lot calmer with you there and her staying as relaxed as possible can only help her recovery…"

Greg nodded and followed Dr. Martinez into the Post-Op Recovery ward. Jenny was laying in a bed near the wall looking tired and solemn, but she brightened considerably when she saw Greg, "Greg…" Jenny spoke weakly, reaching out for him. "Did…did the doctor tell you…?"

"Yeah, honey, she did," Greg replied gently, taking Jenny's outstretched hand in his own hands as he sat down in a chair beside her bed. "It's okay. It's really okay. I love you."

Jenny exhaled softly before giving him a sad look, "I was getting ready to do some last-minute studying for my exam when I got a text from Jillian Stokes out of the blue," she explained in a pained voice. "Jillian told me that Derek died in a shootout at Horatio Caine's trial and left Jessica some things in his will. My body just reacted before I could stop it…"

Greg's eyes widened, but his shock quickly turned to concern as tears filled Jenny's eyes and he gently stroked her hair, "Don't…don't think about Derek," he spoke firmly. "It'll only make you sick again. Why don't you get some rest? It's been a long day for you…"

"I need your arms around me," Jenny replied softly, giving Greg a pleading look. "You keep me safe."

Without hesitation, Greg lowered the bedrail and carefully settled himself on the bed next to his recovering wife, taking great care to be gentle as he wrapped his arms around her, "You're freezing," he whispered worriedly, quickly drawing her close to him before he rearranged the hospital blankets to cover both of them up. "I've got you."

Jenny immediately relaxed, "I'm so tired, honey," she replied softly, feeling safe in his warmth.

"I've got you," Greg promised softly. "Get some sleep if you need to. I've got you in my arms."

As Jenny fell asleep in Greg's arms, Dr. Martinez moved to the door with a small smile on her face, deeply amused and awed about Greg's protectiveness over his wife.

Jackson Hospital – Miami, Florida

A solemn expression filled Tommy's face as he listened to Robert solemnly explain to him a masked man had driven into Garden Estates Retirement Castle in Little Havana, had shot up the placed, killed Sergeant Rick Stetler's mother, and then had killed Tony Speedle before stealing Tony's car to escape.

The news had been horrible and shocking enough for Tommy to hear, but what had sent him over the edge was hearing that Detective Donald Flack of the NYPD, who had been missing for days, had been found cuffed and beaten in the trunk of the car that had crashed into the retirement facility.

While keeping an eye on the sleeping Ryan, Tommy had quietly phoned his father and had reported everything he had been told. Thomas Wolfe had been quietly infuriated about the random attack on the seniors' facility that had resulted in the death of Rick's mother and Field Agent Tony Speedle, as he had no knowledge of any of it and barely knew anything about the abduction of Detective Flack and Carlos Nieto that had recently happened despite calls from former agent Jo Danville asking him for information on it and someone named Rocky Stetler-Valence.

Thomas had ordered Tommy to keep in contact with the Miami PD about the attack on the seniors' home, especially given that Flack had been found there and he might have met up with some very wanted federal criminals, including Jeffrey McKeen and Russian mafia members who had escaped the area without a trace after torturing Ryan Wolfe, Sofia Wolfe, and John Boscorelli in Las Vegas.

The problem, however, was that Tommy was trapped at the hospital with Ryan until the lockdown relating to the attack on Gil Grissom by Jeffrey McKeen was lifted and even when the lockdown was lifted, he also didn't plan to leave until Ryan's chemo was done. Tommy had also not shared about the attack on Grissom, however, as his father was already not fond of Grissom because of what had happened to Ryan and Sofia in Vegas and Tommy didn't want Grissom to end up in further trouble in case his father decided to pay a personal visit to Grissom. Tommy knew that their father, despite the physical challenges that he now had to deal with because of Emily's self-defense attack on him years ago, would find a way to retaliate on anyone who crossed him or the children he actually loved and so he was very selective on what information he passed along the chain of communication.

A nurse suddenly came up to the sleeping Ryan carrying a blanket and Tommy quickly moved back to Ryan's side, putting his arms out to stop the nurse before she could drop the blanket on Ryan, "If you touch him while he's sleeping, he'll freak out," Tommy explained in a concerned voice. "He was hurt when he was sleeping back when he was a kid…"

A sad look of understanding came over the nurse's face as she realized what Tommy meant and she nodded, watching silently as Tomy gently shook Ryan awake, "Huh?" Ryan asked groggily, immediately opening his eyes and looking at his brother worriedly. "Oh, Tommy. Is it over? Or did Horatio call again?"

"No," Tommy spoke softly. "A nurse came with a blanket for you. I thought I'd wake you and tell you."

Ryan immediately looked at the nurse, "Hi," he spoke softly. "Is that for me?"

The nurse nodded, "Is it okay I cover you with this?" she asked softly, unfolding the blanket. "You look a little cold and you should be as comfortable possible during your chemo."

Ryan nodded silently and the nurse gently covered him with the blanket before lowering the back of the chair a bit so he was laying down more and adjusting the pillow that was underneath Ryan's arm, "You're looking a bit pale, so try to stay down as much as possible during the rest of your treatment," she spoke softly. "By the way, there's talk around the hospital about the lockdown being lifted soon. The gunman who attacked that patient wasn't caught, but there's another major incident in Little Havana where they're sending all units, so we're going to re-open soon with strict hospital security protocols in place because the PD can't watch us anymore…"

"What…happened?" Ryan asked in a tired, slightly shaky voice, struggling to stay awake because he was beginning to get alarmed that he was needed even though he was in no shape to respond to any scene. "Did…did McKeen go after somebody else?"

Tommy scowled, "We're not talking about it now, Ryan," he replied firmly, pissed off that the nurse would even drop hints about the incident in Little Havana to the point where Ryan would mention Jeffrey McKeen. "You're going back to sleep for the rest of your session and then we're going home so we can both get some rest. Jason and Diana can make sure Carlos and Emilio stay out of your hair and we can get takeout…"

Even though he could tell Tommy was upset about something that had nothing to do with him and wanted to help his brother, Ryan nodded and obediently closed his eyes to sleep. Tommy nodded his thanks to the nurse, who quickly left so that Ryan could continue his session unbothered.

As Tommy leaned back in his chair to relax, his phone went off, but he ignored it and continued to watch Ryan sleep.

Garden Estates Retirement Castle – Little Havana, Miami

"Great, Tommy's not answering his phone," Emily grumbled irritably, sighing as she gave Horatio an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant Caine. I know that Tommy was set to get out of the hospital today and Ryan probably went to help him and Diana and ended up side-tracked. I was supposed to go too, but James and Julliet had a bad night, so I got up late today, as did they…"

Horatio frowned and Emily knew she owed him an explanation, "I think they're starting to remember what happened to them when they were younger," she stated grimly. "When Bernard had them kidnapped and tortured…"

Sadness filled Horatio's eyes, and he nodded, but didn't say anything, "It's left them both with delays that they'll probably have for years to come, but Tim is very patient with both of them," Emily explained softly. "He got the service puppy for the whole family and we are looking into specialized schools for James and Julliet. He's even encouraging me to use Bernard's money…as much as I don't want to…to get them into a good school because it will help them get what they need."

Before Horatio could reply, Tim came over to them, "H, paramedics have Detective Flack out of the car, but he's refusing to let paramedics take him out of the dementia cottage," he spoke in a concerned voice. "He's asking about Carlos Nieto. Oh, and Walter just showed up from class."

"Speed, can you go check on Rick, please?" Horatio asked softly. "John Boscorelli is talking with him and Eric is supervising. They're in the second floor visiting area. Emily, can you come with me?"

Even though Tim looked as though he would rather leave and go sit with his grieving family, he nodded and moved off in search of someone who could tell him where to go.

Emily, meanwhile, led Horatio back to the damaged dementia cottage and froze when they saw Natalia, Walter, and Calleigh watching Robert kneel next to Flack in an attempt to calm him. Flack, meanwhile, was strapped to a backboard that was laying on the floor in what little space that hadn't been damaged by the crash or the shooting and was weakly trying to fight his way off the board as paramedics worked to assess his injuries. His torture and injuries, however, had made him too weak to do much besides tense up at even the gentlest of touches, an act that was making the paramedics' job very difficult.

"Detective Flack?" Horatio spoke calmly, frowning at Flack's feeble attempts to resist help. "I understand you don't want to go to the hospital…"

Tears filled Flack's eyes, "Is anyone doing anything to find Carlos Nieto?!" he asked shakily, wincing as he felt hands suddenly touch his left leg, which was broken. "I had to lay there and watch as that sicko McKeen gave Carlos drugs before raping him over and over and that sociopath recorded it!"

Horatio frowned, "Calleigh, can you call up to New York and see if there was any footage?" he asked in a concerned voice, gazing worriedly at Calleigh before kneeling at Flack's side so the injured detective could see him better. "Were you…?"

"No," Flack replied shakily. "I just got beaten up a lot. McKeen personally drugged and raped Carlos, though. Wouldn't let anyone else touch him. Treated Carlos as if he were a personal plaything and also mentioned a Bernard…"

Emily paled at the mention of Bernard, but she didn't say anything because she felt sick that Carlos had been kidnapped by Jeffrey McKeen as revenge for Bernard's death, "…Lieutenant, there's something in his pants pocket," a paramedic suddenly spoke. "Looks like a flash drive."

Quickly whipping on a pair of gloves, Horatio took the flash drive from the paramedic and looked it over before handing it to Calleigh, "Bag that and get it to the AV lab immediately," he ordered firmly.

"I…I wonder how many copies of our torture were made," Flack spoke in a pained voice, suddenly struggling to breathe because he felt pain in his chest. "My chest…it hurts."

Paramedics moved in quickly, forcing Robert and Horatio back, both of whom were unaware that Emily had stepped out into the foyer to process her anger against her ex-husband privately. Horatio, however, quickly noticed that Emily was gone and he quickly went looking for her.

To Horatio's surprise, Emily was lingering at the desk in the foyer looking anxious and angry, "Carlos Nieto was kidnapped from New York because Jeffrey McKeen was seeking revenge for my ex-husband's death!" Emily exclaimed angrily. "Carlos euthanized Bernard while held hostage by him and Dimitri LaRusso and others, and I never blamed Carlos, but obviously Bernard's buddies did! Donald was an innocent bystander in all this and I can't even look at him right now because this is my fault!"

"You didn't make Bernard Marquez what he was and you certainly did not prompt Jeffrey McKeen to seek revenge for Bernard's death," Horatio replied in a concerned voice. "I am quite sure Detective Flack does not blame you for what happened to him…"

Emily scoffed, "My God, Horatio, look at what's happened to Donald!" she replied in an upset voice. "And look what's happened to Tim's brother and Sergeant Stetler's mother! Jeffrey McKeen…!"

"Detective Flack said that Jeffrey McKeen was not responsible for this particular incident," Horatio reminded her firmly, unsure of how to reason with Emily when she was so unusually angry. "He said there was an accomplice, and that Jeffrey McKeen was with Carlos Nieto…wherever they are."

Before Horatio could reply, Tim came down the hallway with Eric and behind them, John was helping a shaken looking Rick, who looked completely emotionally drained, walk straight, "…I appreciate you talking to me, I do, but you really ought to be getting some rest yourself," Rick was saying in a worried voice. "You barely look older than Lenny and you've been through hell today…"

"My responsibility is to serve, sir," John replied softly, determined to honor his adoptive father by pushing through his own discomforts away and honoring the badge above himself. "I'll rest when it's appropriate."

Rick looked concerned, but continued letting John help him walk because he had a migraine, rapidly dropping blood sugar, physical pain, and emotional and mental exhaustion from the events of the day and probably wouldn't make it to the door, let alone his car without collapsing, "Sir, perhaps you should sit a minute," he suddenly heard John say in a concerned voice. "You're a little too pale for me to feel okay about keeping you on your feet."

Before Rick could argue, he felt John sitting him down, "If you need a paramedic, I'm sure I can find one," John spoke softly. "I'm Type 1 and I don't think my medication will do you any good…"

Rick eyed John warily, watching as John slowly sat down beside him, "Your movement's a little slow," he observed in a quiet voice. "What happened at that trial today?"

"Derek Stokes tried to shoot me cause Emily Yokas was looking at me, but I was pulled to the floor by my dad and he was shot, but I took a bullet too and also broke two ribs," John explained softly. "Detective Messer and Lieutenant Caine got me to the New York Crime Lab and Doctor Hawkes patched me up, but as we were leaving, Judge Stokes showed up with his son's body and another coroner. Judge Stokes blamed me for his son's death and started threatening me and Lieutenant Caine. Lieutenant Caine decided to bring me down here to keep me safe. I let him cause I got scared about what Judge Stokes could do to my family. My family doesn't have any spare money for a lawsuit, especially now. My dad was working, but a Sergeant's pay isn't that much, my mom was on unpaid leave from FDNY after a home delivery went bad and she got blamed, my grandpa's a retired cop, but his pension doesn't do much, and my grandma teaches at NYU, but only part-time cause she had a baby. And my mom has David, Ellie, Mikey, and Emily…they had Maritza too, but she was kidnapped…"

Rick's eyes went wide, "For goodness sake, John, take a breath," he interjected firmly before he sighed. "I think it's good that you left considering all that, but you also gotta take care of yourself. Do you got any place to stay here yet?"

John shook his head as Horatio approached them, "Gentlemen, is there a problem here?" Horatio asked in a concerned voice.

"I just needed to sit down for a minute," Rick replied shakily, unwilling to share his conversation with John. "It's been a long day for me, Horatio. I have a lot to deal with…"

Horatio looked thoughtful, "You look like you need an ambulance right now more than you need to deal with your mother's death, Rick," he stated in a concerned voice. "Can you make it downstairs?"

"I'm not pressing charges on my father, if that's what you're hoping I'll do," Rick replied firmly, glaring at Horatio. "He's cognitively impaired and doesn't even remember doing it. Even if I tried, the charges wouldn't…"

Horatio sighed, "You were on scene at the time of the crash and the shooting and it's important to ensure that you weren't injured by those events," he spoke firmly. "Your mother was taken by the coroners, and she will be quite well cared for, but the living also need to be taken care of."

Rick gave John a firm look, "Call your mother, John," he spoke firmly. "Let her know you're okay. Your mother is still alive and well and you need to appreciate what you have…"

A pained sob escaped Rick's throat and he quickly covered his eyes with his hands as tears began to flow from them. Horatio quietly moved back to Emily, who was talking with Tim and a paramedic, who seemed to have appeared out of thin air with a medical bag, "The nurses were all worried about Stetler and they grabbed a paramedic for him," Tim explained quietly. "He does not look well."

"Has Detective Flack been taken from the scene yet?" Horatio asked in a concerned voice.

Tim sighed, "More ambulances came to check on the seniors who got evacuated from the cottage to the dining area down there," he explained in a tired voice. "One of the nurses down on the first floor mentioned that Stetler was visiting with his mother at the time of the incident and said that he got thrown by the impact, as did she, but he recovered right before a gunman got out of the car and came up to them, heard Stetler call for his mother, and then the gunman shot her before pointing the gun at him briefly. The gunman, however, didn't shoot him and instead left…"

Horatio looked sick, but motioned for the paramedic to follow him over to Rick, who was wheezing slightly while continuing to cry. John, meanwhile, had dialled his mother's cell-number, but hadn't made the call because he was watching Rick carefully, as was Eric, who was taken aback by Rick's show of pain, "Rick, this paramedic wants to take a look at you…" Horatio spoke softly.

"Only if Boscorelli calls his mother," Rick spoke firmly, giving John a look. "And I hear it."

Taken aback, John nodded and pressed 'CALL' as he sat there, "It's ringing," he promised softly.

Manhattan, New York

"You sent John to Miami, Danny? I thought he was just in the Crime Lab's morgue getting treated!"

Danny cringed at Danielle's upset, angry tone as he sat with her and Sully in the surgical waiting room explaining what had happened after he had taken John from the courthouse at Bosco's order, but quickly recovered before nodding, "We were there and Hawkes had just fixed him up," he explained in an anxious voice. "Lieutenant Caine had just helped him off the table when Judge Stokes came in with his son's body and Sid and Judge Stokes freaked right out when he saw John and Horatio. The judge started screaming at John that Emily Yokas was looking at John just before Derek started shooting and told John he was the one who killed Derek, so he was going to pay for it. He also screamed a bunch of crap at Lieutenant Caine, so we got John out to my car. Lieutenant Caine then suggested that it might be safer for John to go to a safehouse in Miami for a while and I asked John if he wanted to go and John nodded. I think he was too scared to speak…"

"Crap," Sully muttered worriedly. "Of course he would do that. He's terrified of his family being hurt cause he knows Judge Stokes is a federal judge and has money and power and is angry…"

Danielle sighed as her phone suddenly rang in her hands, "Oh, it's John," she spoke in an anxious voice, forcing herself to calm down as she answered the call. "John? Are you okay?"

"Hi Mom," John's tired voice filled the phone. "I…I'm okay. Are you okay? Is Dad okay?"

Danielle exhaled, "I'm all right, but your father is in surgery and I don't know anything yet," she explained in a quiet voice. "Your Uncle Danny says you're in Miami with Lieutenant Caine?"

Danny looked touched at being referred to as 'Uncle Danny,' but he didn't say anything, "Yeah, Lieutenant Caine is making sure I'm safe," John's voice replied softly. "Mom, I love you a lot. Thank you for caring about me so much and loving me even though I haven't always been easy to take care of. I just wanted you to know that I appreciate you. You know, after today happened…"

Tears filled Danielle's eyes, John's words providing healing balm to her breaking heart and tired mind, "You have not been a difficult child to raise, my love," Danielle replied in a tired voice. "Ever. I love you so much, John. And I am so grateful that God gave you to me along with your brothers and sisters."

A sad sigh filled the phone, "I don't want this to get too expensive, and I'm getting tired, so I'll call you later," John's voice filled the phone. "I love you, Mom. Give my love to everyone else. Bye."

Danielle exhaled as the call ended and she put her phone away, "That was John," she revealed softly. "He's fine, just a little tired. He says Lieutenant Caine is making sure he's safe."

Sully, of course, sensed that John was lying to protect his mother from any more pain, but he nodded silently and Danny exhaled weakly, "Um, while I'm here, Danielle, can I talk to you about Ellen?" he asked nervously. "I said she wasn't well, but I didn't tell you how sick she is. She has HIV, Danielle."

An uneasy silence filled the room as Sully looked at Danny in horror and Danielle looked disgusted, "From drug use," Danielle replied in a disgusted tone, scoffing when Danny nodded grimly. "I wish to God I cared, but I don't have energy left to care about that. Thank you for letting me know, Danny, but I don't have any energy left to care or to give her attention. Not when my husband…"

Danielle fell silent as Ty suddenly came into the waiting area, "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked coldly, glaring at Ty. "And why did you pull me to the floor when the shooting started? You should have given Maurice backup."

Ty shrugged, but Danielle glared at him, "Your duty was to support your fellow officer!" she yelled.

"You're my best friend," Ty replied coldly. "I didn't want you to get hurt! I've already lost enough!"

Danielle's eyes widened in anger, "You're still angry about losing your unborn child to that accidental shooting Maurice was involved in, aren't you?" she realized angrily. "That's what this is about! That's why you didn't provide him backup in the courtroom! My God, Ty, you have to learn to forgive eventually! Maurice could be dead right now because he…"

"And I could be a father right now if it wasn't for him!" Ty yelled angrily before he could stop himself.

Sully's eyes widened in shock, he got up, and quickly hustled Ty into the hallway before more damaging words could be said. He knew that Ty hadn't meant what he said, but he also knew that the situation involving Ty, Sasha, Bosco, and Ty's unborn child had never fully resolved itself even though Ty and Sasha had reconciled with each other, eventually married, and Sasha had been getting counselling for her grief. Ty, however, had never gotten counselling for his grief, instead choosing to bury it and not talk about it or bash Bosco as a person and cop to colleagues every chance he got.

"Davis, what the hell was that?!" Sully snapped, finally pinning the much taller Ty against the wall as they reached the elevator. "You have to get counseling for that loss! You have to! Did you really not help Bosco today because you're still mad at him for that?! If IAB finds out…"

Ty scoffed, "I was protecting Danielle, Sully," he replied coldly. "She's my best friend. Has been since we were kids…"

"I know you were in love with her, Davis, and I know that's why you helped Doc jump Edward Addison back when John told Doc that Edward was molesting him," Sully spoke sternly. "That's why Edward only got cashiered out of the NYPD and a couple of years at Riker's. And that's why she fled to Miami and Vegas with John, David, and Ellie shortly after that and I didn't see her again til John was 16. She knew you loved her, but she was too overwhelmed by everything going on in her life to deal with it. Leaving was easier. My point is that she's overwhelmed now and your behavior is only making it worse…"

Ty exhaled anxiously, "I'm having trouble being around Bosco right now, yeah, but fully not for the reason you think," he replied anxiously. "I'm trying to look more into Maritza's disappearance to see if I can find her and I don't want to get his hopes up in case I can't. What I said…it was bad, and I know I need counseling and I'm on a waiting list, but I've been so busy trying to see if I can't do something for Holly and her kids too. People aren't talking about Carlos getting approached by DCFS, though, at least not in a good way. There's a lot of bad gossip about him right now and I'm also running interference for him with everyone, including the media, as is Sasha."

Sully immediately backed off, "Is this because of the stuff the media's been saying about Tara Price's DNA and Dr. Vatelli's DNA being found on that bag Ellen was found in?" he asked quietly.

Ty nodded, "Don't tell Danielle or Bosco," he replied softly. "Or your wife. Maybe if I can find some sort of answer about Maritza…maybe it can help me feel better…and help me be less sad and angry at Bosco about the baby I lost. I'm barely sleeping as it is right now, Sul, but the Carlos thing has just made it impossible and Sasha is trying to get me in to see someone using her connections with the city, but even she can't force my name up the waiting list any faster…"

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Sully asked in a concerned voice, deeply worried about how tired Ty seemed. "You look exhausted, Davis.

Ty sighed tiredly, "Just make sure Tommy Nieto keeps going to the health care aide classes Carlos and Holly put him in, as Carlos would want him to finish those and get into Nursing school in the fall," he replied in a concerned voice. "I know that they were all talking about it before Carlos got taken and Carlos didn't know how he was going to find the money after getting booted off FDNY disability, but he was going to do it even if he had to go work as a janitor at Kylie's school year-round. Jimmy and Kim were talking about starting a collection for Tommy so he could go to school, but everyone is freaked out about the DCFS thing Carlos and Flack missing and there's just not a lot of hope right now.."

Sully's phone suddenly rang and when Sully got it out of his pocket, he frowned when he saw Robert Caine's name pop up. He quickly answered the phone, "John Sullivan," he spoke in a concerned voice.

"Sully, it's Detective Caine," Robert's voice filled the phone. "I tried the house and Aunt Yelina told me what happened and to call you. What happened?! Is Bosco okay?"

Sully sighed, "He's still in surgery, Bobby," he explained solemnly. "Were you looking for Bosco?"

"I need someone to find Detective Flack's family and I figured Bosco might have that info since Bosco is Detective Flack's boss," Robert's voice replied anxiously. "Detective Flack was found beaten and cuffed in the trunk of a car that crashed into a retirement home in Little Havana, Miami where Rick's parents live. A gunman who was driving the car shot up the place, killed Rick's mother…"

Sully swore, "How is Flack doing?" he asked anxiously. "Was Carlos also there?"

"Detective Flack said that Carlos is still with Jeffrey McKeen, but nobody knows where they are," Robert explained in a distressed voice. "Detective Flack is in the care of paramedics and on the way to whatever hospital is closest, but is highly distressed, in a lot of pain, and will not stop worrying about Carlos. Something very bad happened to the both of them…"

Sully sighed, "I'll let Anti-Crime and the Crime Lab know and get back to you once I have Detective Flack's family reached," he promised anxiously. "Thanks for letting me know, Bobby."

The call ended and Sully exhaled anxiously, "That was Bobby and he said Detective Flack was found beaten and cuffed at a disaster scene in Miami," he wept shakily. "Carlos is still with McKeen and Bobby wants me to find contact information for Flack's family…"

Ty was silent for a moment, "I think Flack has a grandma, a dad who's a retired NYPD officer, and a sister, and a brother, but I don't know how to get a hold of them," he replied shakily. "The information might be with Detective Taylor or at Flack's precinct or with that Danny Messer guy who's sitting with Danielle…"

"Go get some rest, Davis," Sully spoke firmly. "I'll talk to Detective Messer myself."

Understanding himself to be dismissed, Ty nodded and left while Sully returned to the waiting room and found Danielle crying in Danny's arms, "Um, Detective Messer, do you know how to get a hold of Detective Flack's family, by chance?" Sully asked nervously. "I just got a call from Detective Caine in Miami and Detective Flack was found injured and cuffed at a disaster scene in Miami…"

Danny's eyes widened, "Flack's dad is retired from the NYPD cause he got sick from responding to 9/11 and his health isn't that good, so he won't be able to go see him," he explained in a concerned voice. "Flack's grandma takes care of his dad and she doesn't travel much cause of that. Flack's siblings don't have much to do with Don cause they think Don's a stick in the mud for his job. Bobby and I and Mac are Flack's family…have been for a long time. Did you call Mac yet?"

Sully shook his head, "I can do that now," Danny spoke anxiously, pulling his phone out as he got up and moved into the hallway. "Sorry, Danielle. Don…"

Nodding, Danielle looked at her father expectantly, "Any word on Carlos yet?" she asked nervously.

"He's still with McKeen," Sully explained solemnly, lowering his head as tears came to his eyes. "Wherever they are."

Miami, Florida

Still full of adrenaline and anger, Rocky drove Tony Speedle's car into the warehouse and parked it where McKeen's stolen car had been earlier. He got out and froze when he found Carlos sitting against the wall with closed eyes, trembling hands, sweat-drenched skin, and faint breathing as his only company while McKeen sat on a chair nearby, silently patting down what looked like a fresh bandage on his thigh. McKeen looked at Rocky, frowning when he saw that Rocky looked energized.

"I finally filled a hole in my heart," Rocky breathed softly, a smile filling his lips. "I killed my mother."

McKeen's eyes widened in shock, "What are you talking about, Rocky?" he asked in a confused voice.

"I took Detective Flack for a little ride and we ended up finding my dear elderly mother and the idiot baby brother who got me removed from my childhood home," Rocky explained in a dark voice. "Ricky made it so easy and I was so tempted to kill him too, but I still need him. I also popped off some kid FBI agent that was in the area…"

McKeen's mouth dropped open briefly before he composed himself, "Um, Carlos is paralyzed from the waist down and he's sick…" he spoke nervously, suddenly feeling very sorry for Carlos because Carlos had removed the bullet from his leg and had treated his wound with care despite everything that had been done to him. "I don't know if we can get much more out of him before…"

"Let him die," Rocky replied coldly. "I made a mess of his life in New York anyway…a mess that absolutely nobody can make right. Do you think anyone up there actually cares about him now that the media's painted him a murderer, he's wanted by the police, and DCFS has restricted his access to his kids? Thomas Wolfe has been so angry about Bernard's murder that he had absolutely no problem helping me plead a case to Federal Judge Stokes about how much of a danger to society Carlos Nieto is. Just let Carlos die. When he takes his last breath in a few days, we'll dump his body in a public place and then get fresh hostages for the next stage of the journey. Now, I need to go analyze some maps on our computer for the next stage of our plan. Try not to get into trouble in the meantime."

As Rocky walked off into another part of the warehouse, McKeen silently looked at the security camera monitoring the area, a camera that had no sound. He then looked at Carlos and frowned when he saw a single tear slide down Carlos's left eye and rest on Carlos's pale left cheek. McKeen realized that Carlos had heard every word that Rocky had spouted and it was killing him inside because he knew there was no escape for him and feared that Flack was also dead.

What Rocky did not know, however, that McKeen was using a pen recorder to record all the audio of their activities in Miami because he had stopped trusting Rocky after the man had poisoned their Russian accomplices in North Carolina for no reason at all. Even though McKeen had no issue with kidnapping Carlos to avenge Bernard, he was feeling uneasy about the extremes Rocky was going to and was secretly impressed that Flack had stood up to Rocky to the point that Rocky had gotten rid of him. Flack, McKeen reasoned, might have a chance at survival because of his fighting spirit.

Carlos, however, was drugged, suicidal, and barely holding on and McKeen was beginning to feel remorse for the way things were turning out, especially since Carlos had patched him up with care.

Ignoring the pain in his healing leg, McKeen moved himself and his chair close to Carlos. He gently touched Carlos's sweaty face and brushed the tear off of Carlos's left cheek, "Holly," Carlos spoke in a weak, but clear voice, exhaling as he began to cry softly. "Holly, I'm so sorry…I'm not coming home…I love you.."

As Carlos cried quietly, McKeen sat there in silence and full of remorse as he silently dried Carlos's tears with his hands.

Jackson Hospital – Miami, Florida

The lockdown at the hospital had lifted by the time Rick's ambulance arrived at the hospital with Horatio's Hummer right behind it. Horatio watched as paramedics took Rick inside before approaching John, who had ridden to the hospital with Rick and had remained sitting in the ambulance even after paramedics had left. John was beginning to look tired, but determined to keep working as needed.

"After we look in on Rick, I think I'm going to have a doctor look at you and make sure all this excitement hasn't aggravated your injuries," Horatio spoke softly. "You've done well today considering what you've been through…"

John nodded, "My father will be pleased to hear that, sir, if he survives surgery," he replied as he slowly climbed out of the ambulance. "On the phone, my mom said he was in surgery…not dead."

Relief filled Horatio's face, but John sighed, "I can't go home, though," John spoke shakily, a pained expression on his face. "I don't want Judge Stokes to sue or hurt my family or my girlfriend in other ways cause he's pissed at me. If my dad survives, he won't be able to work for a while, so they do not need the extra stress. I still have money from Ryan Wolfe that he gave me for my education, so maybe I should just rent a place and work as a janitor down here while I try for my Master's down here. It's gonna be expensive and lonely, but I think it might be best…at least for a while. I think most places require investigators to be at least 21, though, so I can start my Master's while I wait…"

"Actually, John, applicants for the PD down here only have to be 19 years old and also fulfill some other requirements, and I remember reading that your birthday is in September, so you'd only have a few months to wait if you want to consider applying to work for the PD down here," Horatio replied in a calm voice. "That discussion, however, can wait until you're well. Why don't we go inside for now?"

Nodding, John slowly followed Horatio inside with his diabetes backpack in hand. The ER was in chaos, Rick was nowhere to be seen, and Flack's panicked screaming could be heard above all of the other noise. Alarmed, Horatio quickly led John towards the screaming, and both were shocked to see Flack laying on a gurney in the trauma room, using one arm and leg to try and fight off medical staff who were trying to cut his bloodstained clothes off and also provide him with medical help. He looked in pain and terrified at the same time. Alexx was one of his doctors and she was doing his best to try and talk him down, but he was trying to move despite his injured body not allowing him to do it well. Natalia, meanwhile, was nearby with her kit after being removed from the scene by Robert so to protect her and her pregnancy, and she needed to get in there to process Flack, but she knew she wouldn't get near Flack until he was a lot calmer.

"Detective Flack," John called out, alarmed that the older man seemed to be struggling so much.

Flack suddenly paused, recognizing the voice, "Wha…John Boscorelli?" he asked groggily. "Sergeant Boscorelli's kid? That…that's not possible…"

John looked at Horatio nervously, wondering if he had spoken out of turn, but Horatio nodded his approval and John slowly moved so Flack could see him. Flack stared at him, deeply confused as to what he was doing there, "These doctors and nurses aren't going to hurt you, Detective Flack," John spoke in a tired voice. "They just want to help you."

Flack's eyes narrowed, "What…what are you doing here?" he asked weakly. "I…I'm confused."

"I promise, Detective Flack, we will talk about that," John replied firmly. "You just have to let the doctors and nurses help you first, all right? You're hurt and they're going to take care of you, but they can't do that unless you trust them and relax. They are not going to hurt you. Trust me."

Flack nodded and went quiet, his gaze travelling to the ceiling. Exhaling softly, John silently excused himself from the trauma room before anyone could offer him thanks because he was already overwhelmed by the hero worship he had received earlier from the day and didn't need any more. He silently made his way over to a row of chairs and sat, wondering if he had done the right thing by outright lying to Detective Flack about his presence in Miami. "You did the right thing by not telling him what happened," Horatio's voice suddenly filled the air. "It would have only made it harder for him to accept help for himself if he would have known about what happened to your father."

John nodded, "I told Sergeant Stetler," he admitted softly. "He told me to get some rest."

"Once we find out where Rick is, that is probably a very good thing for you to do," Horatio replied firmly. "And as I said, I want someone to make sure you haven't aggravated your blood sugar or injuries…"

John sighed tiredly, "I don't have a problem with that as long as I can get some sleep in a place where I don't have to worry about some federal judge threatening me," he spoke tiredly. "And some diabetic friendly food…"

"…Candace, what are we doin' down here?" Nick Stokes's voice suddenly filled the air

Horatio watched as John slowly stood and looked around for the exit, "I need to get out of here," John spoke anxiously. "Judge Stokes probably told Nick...Oh, God…I cannot be here and face him."

Instead of responding, Horatio silently followed John through the ER, completely understanding why John was upset. John finally took a seat near the waiting room, but continued watching Nick. Horatio sat next to him and together, they watched Candace settle Nick on a bed and talk to him while checking his vitals. Nick and Candace both looked sad, but they seemed at peace as they talked with each other.

"I was Nick's roommate in Vegas when I was out there for the pilot program," John spoke shakily, lowering his head so he didn't have to look at Nick anymore. "He was undergoing cancer treatments and trying to raise a kid and work and my parents didn't want me living in the university dorms. Nick helped my mom and us escape Las Vegas when Warrick Brown got violent with her…cause Warrick wanted a sexual relationship, and my mom didn't. I think, though, that my mom and Nick actually had a thing with each other cause Nick seemed to always be over at our house when he wasn't working. I was a lot younger then, but I knew a lot more than I told my mom about. I'm sure Nick's gonna be pissed if he sees me now, though, cause his judge father probably told him that I was the last thing his older brother saw before initiating a shootout in a courtroom…"

Horatio frowned at John worriedly, noting that the young man was beginning to sweat profusely and was also trembling from fear, "I think it's time for you to get seen by a doctor and get a little rest," he determined in a concerned voice. "I'll stay with you the entire time, all right?"

John nodded and remained quiet and still as Horatio went to the desk to ask for someone to come see to John. A few moments later, a female nurse came over to John with Horatio and offered her hands, which John took. The nurse and Horatio led John over to a nearby bed and Horatio took John's backpack while the nurse helped John sit on the bed. As Horatio began to draw the curtain so John could have some privacy, he suddenly noticed a frazzled looking Diana Wolfe wander into the ER and off in the direction of the hospital's cancer centre. Horatio knew the directions to the Oncology ward well because he had spent time sitting with Marisol there when she had undergone her cancer treatments…

"Lieutenant, I need to do a physical exam," the nurse suddenly spoke in a nervous tone.

Horatio turned towards the nurse and saw John giving him a look, "Sir, if you want to step out, it's okay," John spoke softly. "Um, I have some scars from some past things I'd rather keep private…"

"I'll be right outside," Horatio promised softly, determined to follow after Diana Wolfe while he waited and see if her journey to the cancer centre would explain Ryan's absence from the scene in Little Havana.

Once he was outside the privacy curtain, Horatio silently made his way into the cancer centre, flashed his badge at the desk, and then promptly froze in his tracks when he reached the doors to the chemotherapy suite. He blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but what he was seeing through the transparent doors was indeed very real, very sad, and explained a lot of the behavior that Ryan's colleagues and even Robert had been mentioning lately.

Ryan was laying asleep on one of the treatment chairs with a blanket covering his body while a chemotherapy machine sat next to the far side of the chair. Meanwhile, Tommy and Diana Wolfe sat together on plastic chairs on the other side of the chemo chair and talked quietly with each other while cuddling together. Suddenly, Horatio noticed, Tommy looked over at the door, noticed him, and quietly made his way to the door while Diana watched worriedly.

Horatio raised an eyebrow at seeing an FBI badge on Tommy's belt as well as an ID identifying Tommy as a Special Agent, but Tommy sighed irritably, "Save your judgment, Lieutenant Caine," Tommy spoke coldly. "I'm still very much on medical leave and I'm currently in crap with my bosses because of Tony Speedle's death, as I'm the one who sent him to shadow Rick Stetler before all the crap went down in Little Havana and I should have sent both Speedle and Adams, but Adams just had a baby. Figured I'd let her stay on maternity leave. And now I'm facing an inquest after I get off leave, which is something my brother does not need to know about. He's got enough on his plate right now."

"I can see that," Horatio replied firmly. "In fact, a lot of Ryan's colleagues sensed something was wrong, but he kept everyone in the dark about it while I was in New York…"

Tommy sighed, "Ryan and I actually argued about him lying to his colleagues, but lying is what he's good at doing when he's scared," he stated with a sigh. "His doctor gave him the news and then we were just headed to the chemo suite when the hospital got put into lockdown, so we've been stuck here. Ryan did get calls, but I told him to ignore them and sleep. He's had cancer before, but he got through it cause he was able to work and keep his mind off of it. If he loses his job, though…"

"I don't want you to worry about that," Horatio interrupted in a concerned voice. "That's not going to happen. I just don't want Ryan lying about his health anymore…to anyone."

Tommy gave Horatio a look, "Ryan's never been able to lie to me," he replied firmly, offering an amused look. "Even when he tries his very best to lie to me, he sucks at it. He has not, though, told Emily about the results of his appointment yet, so don't tell her if you see her. They'll talk in a day or two, but she's smart. I think she already knows that the news isn't good."

"Well, I'll let you get back to Ryan," Horatio spoke softly, determined to help however he could. "I'll reach out in a few days to talk to him."

Nodding, Tommy silently returned to the chemo suite and Horatio quietly dismissed himself back to the emergency room, determined to get Ryan the support he needed while also helping the young man preserve his dignity and employment.

As Horatio returned to the curtained area where he had left John, he noticed that John was now asleep on the gurney covered by a blanket and his hooded jacket while the nurse was writing on a chart, "Excuse me, nurse, how is he?" Horatio asked in a quiet voice. "How was the exam?"

"He's all right, other than what he explained to me, but his blood sugar was low and he was a little dehydrated and tired, so I'm going to keep him for observation and get him on an IV of fluids," the nurse explained in a kind voice. "I also helped him give himself some insulin and he'll need to wake up for a meal in about 20 minutes. His ribs are healing and his gunshot wound are also stable…"

Horatio nodded, realizing that John had simply lied about eating just to get Rick to open up at Garden Estates, "Thank you," he replied, taking a chair beside John's bed.

Nodding, the nurse walked off to get John's IV and as Horatio leaned against the bedrail to watch John sleep, he didn't notice that he and John were being watched. Across the ER, while resting in a bed that he had been given after being evacuated from his long-term care room by his sister while hospital security searched the floor for safety, Nick Stokes frowned as he studied Horatio watching over the sleeping John. He had noticed a nurse talking to John just a few minutes before Horatio had arrived and he then knew something bad had happened in New York, more than just the tidbit about Derek's death that their mother had given them over the phone, as Nick was fully aware that both Horatio and John had been scheduled to testify at McKeen's trial that day and if they were both there in Miami…

"Hey, Candy, what's John Boscorelli doing in Miami?" Nick asked in a quiet, but worried voice. "He was supposed to testify at McKeen's trial today along with Lieutenant Caine. I tried to watch that on TV, but I fell asleep again after breakfast and missed it…"

Candace paused before joining Nick on the bed, "Mama's gonna kill me for telling you, but she said there was a shooting at the courthouse that Derek initiated cause according to Daddy, Derek caught Emily Yokas checking out John Boscorelli when John was taking the stand to testify," she explained in a quiet, concerned voice. "Daddy noticed Derek getting jealous and that's when Derek pulled out a gun and started shooting at John Boscorelli, but Sergeant Boscorelli took the bullets…"

Nick's eyes widened, "Anyway, Nicky, don't tell Mama I told you the details or she'll get mad cause she wanted you to rest without worries," Candace spoke nervously, gently rubbing his back. "She's mad enough about the hospital being in lockdown cause Jeffrey McKeen tried to get in here. And she's sad enough that she had to tell us about Derek in the first place. Why did you go after McKeen, anyway?"

"Ryan Wolfe was protecting Grissom by himself and he didn't look too good, so I thought I'd help him out," Nick explained worriedly. "I took him to Oncology afterwards, but his brother chased me off. I hope his cancer's not back. He's got a baby he's raising alone, Candy…"

Nick suddenly trailed off as he watched the nurse return to John's bed with an IV bag and begin putting it in John's hand while talking with Horatio, who looked tired and worried about the younger man.

"Nick, just try and relax," Nick suddenly heard Candace say softly. "I'll see what's going on and when you can go back to your room for rest. Don't worry about why he's here. It'll only…"

Nick, however, couldn't keep his eyes off of the sleeping John. He had a feeling that something else had happened, something so terrible that had prompted John to leave his life behind in a hurry despite the chaos in New York.

Quiet weeping was the first thing Grissom heard as he slowly came to and found that he was staring at a tiled ceiling, "…Let me just take it off," he suddenly heard Rick wheeze. "Clothes cost too much money to just cut them off all the time!"

Frowning, Grissom slowly turned his head and saw Rick sitting on a gurney across the room, wincing and swearing as he painstakingly removed what appeared to be a jacket and a blue scrub top for a nurse and a frustrated looking, baby-faced doctor who had a supply cart and a hospital gown with them, "If you're just going to stare at me, get out!" Rick snapped, glaring at the doctor and nurse for staring at his bruised torso. "And you can get out too, Bobby, if you're just going to hide in the hallway instead of doing your job! I know you're there, so you might as well get in here or go the hell away!"

Grissom raised an eyebrow as a nervous looking Robert suddenly wandered into the room, "Rick, you know IAB's gotta investigate this cause it's an officer involved incident and the PD's letting me handle it personally and off-site cause of the circumstances involved," Robert spoke in a concerned voice. "There's been talk from the nurses about you not using your gun…"

"I never take my gun into the dementia cottage and I left my ID and badge in the car too," Rick replied coldly. "I clipped it on my visor and locked the car while my gun was in the glove box. My mama would get upset if she saw my gun, as would the other residents in the cottage, and I definitely do not wear my badge while I'm at the centre because it would bother people to see a cop on site. I also made Field Agent Tony Speedle wait in his car after I called him to shadow me cause I didn't expect anything to happen while I was visiting my parents. They told me at the front that Daddy was taking a nap and had a bad morning, so I just went to Mama straightaway…"

Robert nodded and Rick suddenly winced, the constant talking taking its toll on him, "Does that bad morning have something to do with your face?" Robert asked curiously. "We've had this discussion before, Rick…"

"Well, then, you already know how it ends," Rick replied weakly, scowling at Robert. "We're not talking about Daddy right now, Bobby. My mama just got killed right in front of me after a freaking car plowed into her and Daddy's retirement home and a gunman decided to have a field day! The nurses and uniforms are probably having chats in the hallways about how I didn't use my gun while the cottage and Detective Flack get processed! They don't care about the fact that she's dead…"

Grissom suddenly rose from his bed as Rick's eyes briefly rolled into the back of his head before Rick steadied himself, "I think everyone just needs to take a breath for a minute," Grissom spoke firmly, quickly deciding to come to his very distressed friend's aid even though he personally felt groggy.

"Gil, my mama got killed right in front of me," Rick replied in a pained voice, gazing mournfully at his friend. "I don't feel good. I think I almost passed out and I've got a bad headache coming on…"

Grissom gave Robert a stern look, "Get whatever pictures of his bruises you need to and then let him get medical treatment!" he snapped firmly. "He probably sustained a head injury and broken ribs and is having a hypoglycemic episode too. This isn't the appropriate time or place for a police interrogation!"

Robert, however, gave Grissom a look, and was about to speak when Rick suddenly grabbed his head and laid down with his hands over his ears and his eyes closed because the arguing between Robert and Grissom, the grief, and the pain he was feeling was becoming too much for him, "All right, that's enough!" the doctor snapped, quickly shoving Robert aside. "Detective Caine, get your pictures and then go sit in the hallway! And Doctor Grissom, go back to bed! You're still under observation! We can handle Sergeant Stetler! The two of you are law enforcement professionals, right? Act like it!"

Glaring at Grissom, Robert quickly took photos of all of Rick's bruises on the extra digital camera he had put in Natalia's kit before coming to the scene, "I'll need a copy of the medical report, Doctor…" he began firmly.

"Doctor Richards," Dr. Richards replied firmly, giving Robert a stern look. "You'll get it. You done?"

Robert nodded and silently left, realizing he had crossed a line by fighting with Grissom while he was supposed to be investigating Rick's part in the incident. Grissom, meanwhile, silently returned to his own bed and sat down as he had been told to do, but he kept his eyes on Rick because he knew Rick wasn't well and had also gone into defense mode simply because it was easier than trying to make anyone listen, something he had probably learned long before they knew each other. Dr. Richards also eyed Rick with an expression of great concern, as he had heard Detective Caine mention the sergeant possibly having an abusive father, but he didn't want to spook his patient, so he chose not to mention it straightaway, but he would speak to the police about his concerns once the sergeant was taken care of.

"It's clear, Sergeant," Dr. Richards spoke in a worried voice. "Can we take a look at you now?"

Rick exhaled weakly, but slowly removed his hands from his ears, "I don't feel too great," he spoke softly. "On top of everything else, it's cold…"

"Well, let's see what we can do about that," Dr. Richards spoke in a gentle voice. "Can we help you sit up so the nurse can put this gown on you?"

Rick, however, didn't move and Grissom quickly found himself getting up again, "He doesn't like strangers touching him," Grissom explained as he approached. "He's endured some bad violence. Maybe it would be better if I helped you. He'll respond better to me since he knows me…I think."

Hearing Grissom's voice prompted Rick to open his eyes, "Hey Rick, how about we get this hospital gown on you, okay?" Grissom suggested gently. "Can I help you sit up and we take care of that?"

"Yeah," Rick replied softly, exhaling softly as he looked at Grissom. "I'm glad you're here, Gil."

Pissed off at himself for nearly losing his temper with Grissom and acting unprofessional while on the job, Robert had left his camera in Natalia's kit before making his way through the hospital to the room on the Recovery floor where Pavel LaRusso had been healing since his encounter with McKeen in New York. Felisa LaRusso had been busy caring for the heavily pregnant Anya, who was now on bedrest due to stress, and had phoned him repeatedly to check on Pavel for her, but Robert hadn't been able to due to work, family, and his promise to Rick that he would stay away from the LaRusso Family.

After his fight with Grissom in front of Rick, Dr. Richards, and a nurse, however, Robert felt a need to keep away from everyone and do something that would do some good for not only himself, but for someone else. He also felt guilty for not checking on Pavel because above all else, he and Pavel shared a father who was no longer with them. Maybe if he had shown more compassion to his blood father and reached out to the man when he had been old enough to make his own decision about the matter…

Exhaling softly, Robert pushed that depressing thought from his mind, as his blood father was gone and there was nothing he could do about it now, and silently entered Pavel's hospital room. There was nothing there and it looked absolutely cheerless, which made Robert kick himself mentally for not checking in sooner because Pavel's things were obviously still in Evidence at CSI and nobody had cared to check on him or talk to him, so Pavel was obviously in great need with no help being offered.

McKeen, Robert knew, was obviously still on the loose after attacking Pavel and it seemed like nobody cared to the point where the uniforms who had been asked to guard Pavel's room were no longer there and that pissed Robert off. He knew some of the officers who had been asked to guard Pavel and was tempted to blow the whistle on their negligence, but he wouldn't do that now and instead would take a guard shift himself to give himself time to cool down from his fight with Grissom.

Pavel himself was laying in bed asleep with a gown and blankets covering his body and a tube in his nose. Machines and IV's surrounded the bed, making Pavel look a lot smaller and unwell than he might be. Robert entered the room and sat beside the bed. Pavel immediately stirred at the noise and immediately looked scared, but Robert cleared his throat, prompting Pavel to look over at him.

"Bobby," Pavel spoke in a faint voice, a relieved expression crossing his face. "I sot…"

Robert sighed tiredly, "Your mama asked me to look in on you, Pasha," he replied softly, hoping the use of Pavel's nickname would calm the nervous younger man down. "How are you feeling?"

"Wery tired," Pavel replied softly, exhaling weakly. "I am wery happy to have zome company, zo."

Robert nodded, "Is there anything you need while you're here?" he asked in a worried voice.

"I heard zat McKeen vas at ze hospeetal," Pavel spoke groggily. "Vhy vas he here?"

Robert sighed, "He tried to kidnap a patient, but a security guard shot him, and he ran away without the patient," he replied softly, purposely leaving details and names out to keep Pavel from worrying. "I wasn't here when it happened, but I was told. It wasn't you, so you don't need to worry about it."

"I vish Jeffree MeecKeen vas dead," Pavel admitted in a groggy voice. "Am I bad for vanting zat?"

Robert shook his head, "He almost killed you, Pasha," he replied softly. "You're not bad for being angry at Jeffrey McKeen as long as you don't act on your bad feelings. Do you understand?"

Pavel nodded and yawned, "I am on too much pain medeecation right now to stay avake for long, let alone do anyseeing about Meeckeen," he said in a quiet voice. "And ze poleece do not care about helping me eezer. Except for you. I am glad you are here, but I vas told you are not allowed to be."

Irritated that Rick had been sharing his concerns about the LaRussos with others, Robert sighed, "What people don't know won't hurt them," he replied in Russian. "Besides, you are my brother and I care."

Pavel looked surprised at that response, but he silently nodded and sighed tiredly, "I am glad someone does," he said in Russian. "Mama cannot even call me because my phone broke when MeecKeen shot me and I cannot remember her number cause of concussion. I am scared zat she and Anya are een trouble and ze police are not showeeing up anymore to talk to me. I am so scared, Bobby."

Concern filled Robert's eyes and he silently pulled his phone from his pocket and offered it to Pavel, "You can use my phone to call your mother," he spoke softly. "Do you want me to dial her number?"

Pavel nodded and Robert accessed Felisa LaRusso's number, sighing as he held the phone up to Pavel's left ear. He smiled as he heard Felisa's voice on the other end, but Pavel's eyes filled with tears.

"Hello Mama," Pavel spoke in a quiet, but clear voice. "Zees eez Pavel. I am safe. I lowe you."