Chapter Text
Ryan walked out of the locker room, thankful that another day of work was over. He felt people staring at him all day; ever since he froze in the chop shop warehouse he had felt their eyes on him.
Calleigh had tried to make it better and he appreciated her attempt to show him that she cared, that she understood. He still felt depressed and at fault however.
Horatio. His boss had protected him both at the scene by taking the shot that Ryan didn't, couldn't make, and then with Stetler, insisting that Ryan did not have a clear shot. Ryan had known that Horatio Caine was protective of his team, had experienced it in someway himself when Eric muscled his way into Ryan's road trip last summer when the lab was closed. Ryan had never had Horatio protect him like this though. He had not really expected it. His boss still called him by his last name while calling everyone else by their first names. Ryan had thought that meant that Horatio valued him less. Now he knew that wasn't the case.
Ryan continued walking towards the reception desk and the building's exit. He needed to check for his messages one last time before leaving for the night.
Maybe he should call Tony or Ezra. He knew both men had been involved in situations where they had fired their weapons, in some cases fatally wounding the suspect. He could call Vin too. Ryan knew the quiet Texan had killed people; he was a sniper after all. Ryan knew he could count on any one of those three to answer his questions and allow him to voice his fears without possible ridicule. He thought of Dan Cooper's reaction which caused Ryan to wince.
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Eric was standing at the reception desk talking with Horatio. He noticed Ryan walking up to the desk lost in thought. Eric saw the wince cross Ryan's features and his heart contracted painfully. Eric was pretty sure the younger CSI was thinking about the chop shop shooting. Ryan had been more quiet than usual since that day. Eric knew that Calleigh had spoken to Ryan, to try and put the incident into perspective for the young and relatively new CSI. To assure him the team understood. That they respected him. Looking at Ryan now Eric wasn't sure she had been successful.
Eric had tried to bring up the topic with Ryan and each time he did Ryan either changed the subject or found someplace else he had to be. Eric knew he would just have to start trying harder. Maybe now would be a god time to start.
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Ryan stopped at the reception desk for his messages and was about to leave when the receptionist called him back.
"Ryan, you have a package here it came earlier today."
The receptionist placed a Fed Ex box on top of the desk.
Ryan had not ordered anything so at first he was suspicious, concerned the package might contain a bomb or a biological agent similar to the one in the envelope that Tony opened last year and landing him in Bethesda with the plague almost killing him. Then Ryan noticed the sender's name A. DINOZZO.
Tony had his home address Sending this package here to the lab was done for a specific reason. It could be related to a case. Tony literally kept personal files on dozens of cases that he had been unable to solve. The there were his court notes for the cases that were solved and were either gone to trial or were in the process of going to trial. Since he had no idea if it was pertinent to some ongoing case Ryan decided to open the box here.
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Eric watched as Ryan was handed a package by the receptionist. Watched as initially Ryan regarded it with wary and suspicion and then curiosity. Eric's own curiosity was piqued and he moved closer to Ryan abruptly ending his conversation with Horatio who at this time also noticed Ryan and his package.
Calleigh walked down the hallway on her way home and noticing her coworkers clustered around the desk went over to investigate.
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Ryan meanwhile was oblivious to the attention he was garnering. He took his car keys and used them to open the box.
The first item he saw when he opened the package was what he thought at first was a blank piece of paper. When he lifted it to look at the other contents of the box he noticed the handwritten note on the underside.
GO TO THE RANGE
DON'T MAKE ME COME THERE AND TAKE YOU
Ryan put the note to the side and pulled an NCIS baseball cap out of the box. A baseball cap with a huge bullet hole above the I and S of NCIS.
Ryan smiled at that remembering when Tony told him about Gibbs taking Tony to the outdoor Marine firing range and forcing him to use his favorite cap to hone his aim... If Ryan remembered correctly Gibbs forced Kate to use her PDA for the same purpose.
Ryan looked into the box and sure enough there was a ruined PDA in there too. Seeing this Ryan's visage took on a sad sentimental, reminiscent smile, thinking of Tony's dead coworker.
She would have killed him if she knew he had rescued the ruined PDA from the garbage, or at least elbowed him in the ribs.
Ryan gently touched the PDA with reverent fingers. He would have to find a place of honor for it.
Under the PDA Ryan found another piece of paper.
CALL ME TONIGHT
Ryan had no idea how Tony knew what happened. There was a mole in the lab but it appeared that Tony DiNozzo had a personal mole and they only reported on Ryan to Tony.
Tony was right in a way he had not been to the range in months. When he was in patrol he made sure that he and Speed went at least once a month or if for some reason they missed then at the very least every other month. Even if he had to drag his lover there. Thinking quickly he couldn't remember the last time he had been to the range.
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Eric watched Ryan open his box, saw him read a short note that was on top of the contents of the box. Watched as his sometimes lover pulled out a baseball cap with a bullet hole in the crown. Eric looked into the box and saw a ruined electronic device that also looked as if it had been shot. Eric felt his temper rising. Someone was rubbing Ryan's face in the shooting the other day and as soon as Eric figured out who it was they were going to be sorry. Then Eric noticed Ryan smiling at the hat and a sad sentimental smile given to the pile of wires and plastic still in the box.
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Ryan did remember now the last time he had gone to the range. About a week before Speed had died the two of them had gone. Ryan had personally cleaned both his guns and Speed's when they returned home. He was positive of that. He now knew that Tony's contention that Ari had somehow gotten to Speed's gun had some merit. There should have been no way it misfired due to it being dirty.
Ryan was started out of his introspection by Calleigh who asked, "What do you have there, Ryan?"
Ryan looked up then seeing he had become the center of attention for his coworkers. Not used to having all of their attention blushed slightly and said, "A care package DiNozzo style." With that he picked up the NCIS cap and placed it on his head, bullet hole prominently displayed. He turned towards Eric who was looking at him with an incredulous look on his face.
"Wolfe, you have a strange, strange family."
Ryan grinned at him and inclined his head in acknowledgment.
He started towards the exit with Eric following; the last thing that Calleigh and Horatio heard was Ryan asking "So, think you might wanna go to the range with me sometime this week?"