I do not own CSI: Miami. If I did, Ryan and Natalia, Calleigh and Eric, and Horatio and Marisol would all be happily married, Sam would be in jail, Walter would have more screen time, and Alexx would come back and boss Tom around.

This piece is set after 10x14, and contains a non-spoiler reference to a scene in that episode. But the scene nagged at me, and this story is the result. I have quite a bit written and waiting to be posted, but I am still searching for a plot, so bear with me.

My thanks to Gooniegirl3333 for beta-reading. Any remaining errors are mine.

Note: I am not a doctor. If I have mistreated the lovely Ryan Wolfe, at least I was nicer to him than the writers of the series were. Oh, wait. I mean, let me know in the comments. :P

Calleigh Duquesne stepped into the break room and savored the quiet. The wall clock read 7:10 am and she was eager to start her workday. The southern blond loved mornings at the crime lab, the anticipation of catching criminals by following the clues that they invariably left behind. Her fingers itched to pull a trigger, to trace a bullet back to its source by studying its striations. The truth was always out there, just waiting to be discovered.

Deep in thought, she walked toward the sink to fill her small hot pot with water. Unexpected movement caught the corner of her eye; she whirled to face it.

"Ryan! What are you doing here so early?"

The younger man looked at her blearily from where he was sprawled on the sofa. He wore yesterday's clothes, now wrinkled: a light plaid button down shirt and tan slacks. When he spoke, his voice was raspy. "I worked a double. Never went home." He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and blinked at her. Stifling a cough, he ran a hand through his hair in a vain attempt to tame it.

Her gaze narrowed as she set the pot on the hot plate. "You should go home and get some sleep." Her eyes raked over him, taking in the pale skin layered with a thin sheen of sweat. Ryan was absently rubbing his right temple; he stopped when he noticed her studying him.

He stood up and stretched. "I have to go to court this morning." Yawning, he added, "I'd better hit the shower."

Calleigh caught his eye as he walked toward the door. "Do you want me to make you some tea?" She waved a lemon tea bag at him.

He stopped and squinted at her as if she'd asked him a difficult question. "You know, I'd-" Ryan paused to clear his throat. "I'd like that." He graced her with a genuine smile, the look of relief on his face almost palpable.

She smiled warmly back at him. "Two sugars, right? I'll leave it steeping for you on the bench in the locker room."

Her smile lasted until he said thanks and left the room. Once he was gone, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Natalia.

"... And then Ryan warned me that the riding crop might bite!" Standing in the break room of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab, Samantha Owens could barely contain her laugher.

Walter Simmons found himself chuckling too. "So, you're telling me that Wolfe's afraid of riding crops AND snakes?" He nodded at the pretty, newly-promoted CSI. She smiled back at him before heading toward the door. "Good to know," Walter called from his spot at the break table, where he was eating his lunch. "Bye, Sammy."

The large man completely missed the worried glance that passed between Calleigh and Natalia. Walter gestured happily at his co-workers. "You hear that? Wolfe can't tell a riding crop from a snake. Some outdoorsman he is! I've got enough ammo to tease him with for a month." He leaned back in the chair, expecting his wide smile to be returned. When no such mirth was forthcoming, he studied the two women standing stoicly across the room from him. Cocking his head to one side, Walter asked, "Am I missing something here?"

Natalia folded her arms and stared at the ground. Calleigh looked at her, sighed, and addressed Walter. "You might be. Walter, have you noticed anything different about Ryan lately?" It was her interrogation voice, and Walter's senses immediately went on high alert.

"No," he replied hesitantly, his voice stretching out the short word. "Should I have?"

Before Calleigh could answer, Eric burst into the room, eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring. "Where's Wolfe?"

Natalia caught his eye. "He and Horatio had to go to court. What's wrong?"

Eric rolled his eyes and threw a sheaf of papers on the break table, narrowly missing a collision with Walter's sandwich. "This." Walter picked up the top few sheets of case notes. The printer ink was faded, making the text almost impossible to read. "I wanted to review his notes on Reynolds case over lunch but I'm going to have to reprint the whole set." Eric grabbed the remaining pages from the table and dumped them into the recycling bin. "I don't have time for this! Ryan said he'd print this out for me. He should have checked to make sure the type was legible." Eric huffed and folded his arms across his tight-fitting aqua T-shirt.

Calleigh's green eyes grew thoughtful. "Maybe he did."

A look that Walter couldn't interpret passed between Calleigh, Eric, and Natalia. Eric swore. His eyes dropped to the floor and he shook his head before returning to meet Calleigh's gaze. "Not again, damn it!" He sighed unhappily and ran a hand through his hair. "That would explain a lot. Did you say anything to him?"

She shook her head. "I just realized it this morning. Natalia and I got to talking and-"

"Hello!" Walter cut in, worry rapidly spreading across his features. "What are we talking about here?"

Natalia chewed a fingernail and Eric resumed studying the floor. Calleigh gave Walter an appraising look but didn't say anything.

Walter could feel his heart rate accelerating. "Hey, if something's up with Ryan, I need to know. We're a team, right?"

His co-workers flicked glances at each other before seemingly coming to a silent agreement. Natalia walked across the room, locked the door to the break room, and returned to stand by Calleigh's side.

The blond dropped into a chair opposite Walter. Eric and Natalia sat on either side of her. The Cuban spoke first. "What we're about to tell you doesn't leave this room, Walter."

The large man nodded, apprehension clear in his expression. "Okay."

"What do you know about Ryan's eye injury?" Calleigh asked.

Walter shrugged. "He got hit with a nail from a nail gun a few years back. There were rumors flying around this place that he had keratitis, nerve damage, or worse, but it turned out H was just using him to find the mole. Ryan's damned lucky there was no lasting damage." As the words left his mouth, Walter tasted an unhappy sense of foreboding. Before Calleigh could continue, he added, "Wolfe wasn't that lucky, was he?"

As she shook her head, Natalia continued. "Ryan's prone to getting infections in that eye. It's his dominant eye. And when it's acting up ..."

"He makes mistakes in the field," Eric supplied.

"Like mistaking a riding crop for a snake," Walter breathed, feeling incredibly guilty that he had laughed at his friend just moments before. He looked at his co-workers. "How often does this happen?"

Calleigh replied, "Two times that we know about since his initial injury. Ryan isn't exactly forthcoming when his eye is bothering him. He's as bad as H at admitting when he's got a problem. The concern is that one day he's going to wait too long and pick up an infection that antibiotics can't cure."

"And then what?" Walter bit the inside of his lip as he waited for the answer.

"He might need a corneal transplant. Or go blind."

Walter shuddered at Calleigh's words and put a hand to his face. "So, all those times I've seen Wolfe squinting at evidence I should've been concerned." His shoulders slumped forward as he stared at the ground.

Natalia patted Walter on the shoulder as she shook her head. "Ryan always does that when he's concentrating. But if he starts squinting all the time-"

"Or if his eye looks red and swollen-" Eric added.

"Or if he misjudges distances and starts dropping things in the lab-" Natalia supplied.

"That's when we start to worry," Calleigh concluded.

"Like now," Walter said, and three heads nodded back at him in unison.

"We need to get him to the eye doctor," Eric said. "Today."

The determined looks on his friends' faces puzzled Walter. "But if Ryan knows he has a problem, then that should be easy, right?"

"Wrong, Walter," Eric said. "It only makes it harder."

Natalia's voice was soft. "Ryan's in denial about his eye. He'll just ignore the problem until things get really, really bad."

Walter ran a hand down his face. "I ... I had no idea."

"And we want to keep it that way," Eric warned. "If Internal Affairs picks up on this ..." He shook his head and stood up. "We need to find him. When does he get out of court? I'll drive him over there myself."