Betrayal

Hey! So this is my first CSI: Miami fanfiction! I've been binging on the series and my favorite character is Ryan. It just came to me while I was working on my current prompt for CSI: LV, but don't worry, I'm still working on it. Here's a little snippet I thought up, kind of an alternate ending to 'Time Bomb' S08E23. Hope you like it!

The team...more so the entire lab watched in shock as Ryan was lead down the hall, hands cuffed behind his back. He had a look of dread and maybe a hint of fear on his face; he didn't do this, he knew someone was trying to set him up, but apparently nobody believed him. And what was worse, they had tore his home apart. His collegues, his friends went through hishome. It sucked and now he was gonna be framed for this crime and put in jail for the rest of his life with a bunch of the people he locked up. He was going to die. His career and his life were over. He let out a shaky breath as Stetler pushed him into the elevator and turned him around so he could see the faces of his team staring pitifully back at him. He searched their faces with some hope that they said 'we're gonna get you out of this Wolfe' but they were just frozen. Were they really hanging him out to dry? Ryan's eyes looked at Walter's...he looked upset. Well, at least one person cares. He closed his eyes and looked down at the ground as the elevator doors closed. His life had been destroyed.

"This isn't right," Walter said after a few moments before turning to stare at Eric and then leaving.

"We-we gotta do something," Natalia stammered. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Well, I'm getting nothing here," Jesse sighed.

"Well, whoever framed Ryan killed Nevins!"

"Yeah, they also knew how to make themselves invisible," he replied. "I mean, there's no prints, no usable trace, no DNA."

Natalia bit her lip and then something came to mind. "There's no human DNA."

Jesse frowned as she came to stand next to him, grabbing the diamonds."What are you doing?"

She began swabbing it hastily.

"Is this a new identification process?"

"Brand new; just read about it in a journal."

"Well, what is it?" He followed her across the lab to the DNA room

"Well, every time we touch an object- anything, from, um, a keyboard to a steering wheel-"

"To the diamonds?"

"Exactly. We leave behind a distinct bacterial signature that's consistent for up to two weeks."

"So, you're saying we can tell who handled the diamonds by the bacteria they left behind?"

"Exactly."

Jesse nodded. "Then lets get to work."

Ryan was walked downstairs to lockup and uncuffed before being shoved inside with a bunch of other convicts. He turned around when the door was slammed shut and pressed his forehead against the cage-like cell. His heart pounded against his chest; he couldn't go to jail. As a cop, he definitely wouldn't survive.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here? Mr. Ryan Wolfe," a gruff voice said behind him. All of a sudden a hand clamped down roughly on his shoulder and spun him around. "Wolfey! Woof Woof!"

Ryan chuckled nervously as he saw the four other criminals start to surround him. "Walt Sullivan...that was cute except wolves don't necessarily bark, they howl." He glanced behind him and noticed that the guard was nowhere to be seen. Shit.

"Don't get wise with me, Wolfe," Walt growled, pushing him against the bars, bunching his collar up in his fist and nearly lifting the CSI off the ground. "So, what are you doing in our neck of the woods, huh Wolfey? They realize you're a scumbag, dirty cop?"

Ryan breathed heavily, knowing that something bad was gonna happen if the guard didn't show up soon. Walt shook Ryan violently before getting up in his face, causing the CSI to shy away.

"I asked you a question!"

"Well, I have a question for you, Walt. Do you ever brush your teeth? I mean, man, your breath smells like skunk."

"Wrong answer, pig."

And before Ryan had time to react, Walt clocked him in the jaw before throwing him to the other end of the holding cell. Ryan leaned against the wall, breathing shakily and trying to compose himself.

"You see, Wolfe, I don't like lip. I don't like cops. And I definitely don't like you. So we're gonna teach you a lesson."

"L-Look, you guys...you don't have to do this. Why don't we just forget about it all and go to our separate corners, huh?"

"This isn't kindergarten...and you're one of us now. We're not taking orders from you." The five guys made a circle around the CSI, cornering him. Walt cracked his knuckles with a smirk. "I hope you've said your prayers, Wolfey, because when we're done with you, you're not gonna be able to taste your own blood." They began to close in on him and Ryan put his hands up in surrender.

"Guys...no...wait!"

Walt brought his fist around and punched Ryan in the cheek, knocking him to the ground. Before he had time to get back up, another one of the convicts kicked him in the ribs. He grunted in pain, unable to catch him breath before he was kicked again. And again. And again.

"P-Please," Ryan gasped for air, weakly crawling away from the group, cradling his pulsing ribs. "P-Please stop."

The guys laughed hysterically. "Look at that! He's begging, how pathetic!" They watched as Ryan grasped on to the bars and pulled himself up, hunched over in pain. "Wittle Wolfey's gonna cry?" One of Walt's friends came up to Ryan and started mock crying, but wasn't paying attention and the CSI striking him in the nose, causing it the bleed.

"Argh! You fucking bastard!" The man stumbled back, covering his nose as the blood dripped down his face

"Get him!"

They all came at Ryan at once, punching and kicking and pinning him to the ground. Walt sat on top of him while the others held down his hands and feet. He balled up his fists and beat the kid's face left and right, blood splattering onto the floor. One of the other convicts bent back two of his fingers, snapping it easily. Ryan shouted in agony, tears running down his bruised, aching face; he tried bucking the man off, but the more he got punched, the weaker he got. He could feel his nose break and his eyes start to swell. He was gonna die...he was gonna die with people believing he was a dirty cop. He was innocent and not even his team thought that was true.

"Alright, Wolfe, time to finish you off," Walt chuckled darkly. He wrapped his big meaty hands around Ryan's neck and squeezed. "Say goodbye, narc."

The CSI gasped frantically, his oxygen immediately getting cut off...he couldn't breathe. Black spots were dancing in front of his blurry vision and his lungs burned. This was it. He was a goner. The last things he heard before blacking out were running footsteps, a few people shouting, the word 'medic' and the weight from his chest being pulled away. He didn't have the energy to see what was happening and his body went limp, wondering if it would be the last time he heard or saw anything. He had never imagine his death to be like this.

"Frank, you can get Wolfe out of lockup. The bacterial DNA wasn't a match to his. He's innocent."

"Uh, actually Horatio, you're gonna wanna come down here. We have a problem."

Horatio frowned when he heard shouting in the background, but said okay and hung up.

"What was that, H?" Eric questioned.

"No idea. Call Stetler. I'll be right back."

Nodding, Eric went off, dialing Stetler's number while Horatio went down to lockup. What he saw was shocking. Officers were subduing struggling inmates, Tripp was yelling at the guard and there was...there was blood on the floor. And worst of all, there was no sign of Ryan. He walked up to the Sergeant, hands on his hips as he waited for the man to finish with the guard.

"...know why you even put him in with the others! And do not leave your post next time, if there will even be a next time! A man may die and it will be on your hands. Now get out of my sight!"

"Yes s-sir." The officer left and Frank turned around running a hand over his head.

"Frank, what's going on? Where's Wolfe?"

"He was brought to the hospital, H. Apparently, the guard put Ryan in with the other lock-ups and then left to go to the bathroom. He was only gone two, maybe three minutes and when he came back, the guy over there- Walt Sullivan- was on top of Ryan, beating the crap out of him while the others helped. They got there just in time to see the bastard strangling the kid."

"How bad?"

Tripp rubbed his forehead. "Pretty bad. He stopped breathing when the medics got here. His face was battered and I'm sure I heard them say something about broken fingers."

"Dammit." All this because Ryan had been framed. He was gonna kill Rick.

"Did you get the guy who actually took the diamonds?"

"Yeah...Stetler."

"What? You've gotta be kiddin' me."

Caine shook his head. "Now Ryan got hurt because of him. I'm sure once the team hears, there will be no mercy."

"I hope so," Tripp scoffed.

"How long ago was Wolfe taken?"

"About half an hour."

"You deal with Stetler, I got Eric up there with him. I'm going to the hospital."

"Will do, H."

The red-head bobbed his head and waited for Tripp to leave before going up to the cell. Blood puddled on the floor and he knew it had to be Wolfe's. "I'm sorry Ryan," he sighed.

"I'm not," a voice cackled.

Horatio looked up with a scowl and saw Walt leaning against the bars with a smile on his face. He was wearing a straight jacket and he had a twinkle in his eye. A twinkle saying 'I fucked your boy up and he's gonna die.'

"What did you say?" Horatio said lowly, walking over to him.

"He squirmed like a bug...he begged for us to stop...but we didn't. I beat him to a pulp. The pig deserved it." Walt stared into Horatio's eyes, the only thing keeping them separate was the cell bars. "The look in his eyes was priceless when his fingers were snapped...when I strangled him. Oh and so much blood. One last final act before I go away for five years.

Horatio chuckled. "Try life, Walt. If he dies...you're going in for murder. You attacked an officer."

"Ha! He's a dirty cop and you care if he dies?"

Horatio reached through the bars, grabbing the collar of the straight jacket and pulling him forward. "Dirty or not, he's still an officer of the law. He is still a human being. And you're going to pay for it."

"Whatever," Walt smirked. "It was worth it. Ryan Wolfe was a sorry little bastard and got what he deserved."

Horatio clenched his jaw before letting the man go. He couldn't waste his energy on this son of a bitch. Ryan needed someone right now; he didn't deserve to be alone. "Ryan Wolfe is a great cop and you will never amount to anything like he will." And with that he put on his sunglasses and walked away.

He got to the hospital fifteen minutes later, but they had no information on Ryan yet. Another fifteen minutes went by and the entire team came rushing into the waiting room.

"H, what's going on?" Eric breathed. "Tripp said Ryan was attacked."

"Yes, that is correct."

"Well, is he okay?" Calleigh asked worriedly.

"Not sure. Frank said he stopped breathing when the paramedics got him."

"Damn," Walter cursed, rubbing his mouth. "When can we see him?"

"There is no news yet. I guess we're going to have to...wait."

Forty-five minutes later, Dr. Joyce Carmel emerged from the double doors, clipboard in hand.

"Horatio, I assume you're here for Ryan Wolfe?"

"Yes. How is he, doctor?" The team gathered around, eager after waiting for so long.

"He's alive, but is in bad shape. Four broken ribs, slightly cracked skull, moderate concussion, a broken nose- which we fixed- two black eyes, left one nearly swollen shut, two broken fingers on his left hand and a bruised larynx."

"He was strangled?" Eric said angrily. And this was all because of Stetler.

"Unfortunately, yes. But he got off easy; one of the broken ribs could've easily punctured a lung. Thankfully they didn't. He also had to have a small surgery to set his fingers back with some pins and he had to get a cast to keep them immobilized. In four to six weeks, he'll be able to have it removed and have some short rehab sessions to make sure things are working correctly. He has a lot of bruises on his face and torso so he will be in a lot of pain for the next week or so."

"Is he awake?" Walter asked.

"No and he probably won't be for awhile. Ever since we got him breathing again, he's been unconscious. But he is responding to the antibiotics and we have him on a heavy pain medications."

"Can we see him?" Natalia asked.

"Of course. Like I said he's sleeping, but I'm sure he'd enjoy your presence. Room 112."

Horatio nodded and they walked down the hall to see their fallen friend. When they came up to the room, they were angered to see an officer standing next to the doorway. And they knew it definitely wasn't for protection. It's stupid; the guy was unconscious and he was still being treated like a guilty person. What was worse was when they looked in the window they could see that Ryan's wrist was cuffed to the bed rail.

"That's just ridiculous," Walter seethed.

"God, he looks horrible," Natalia whispered.

She was right. His face was scattered with ugly, different colored bruises, his nose was crooked with cast taped over it and a nasal cannula running behind his ears. His eyes were sunken and had black shades underneath them. His shirt had been removed and they could see a wrapping of bandages that offered some support for his broken ribs along with more bruises coating his chest and neck. There was some dry blood still left on his split lip and in his nostrils and the cut on his forehead blossomed a spot underneath the bandage. Two of his fingers were encased in a large cast that went all the way to the middle of his forearm. All in all he looked like shit.

"God, Wolfe," Eric sighed. "Can we get those goddamn cuffs off him?"

Horatio nodded and went up to the guard. "Officer, may I have your handcuff keys; Mr. Wolfe is no longer a criminal. He never was."

"Yes, sir." The man gave Caine the keys and the lieutenant went into the quiet room, besides the beeping heart monitor making a small noise, and went up beside Ryan's bed. He gently grabbed the cuff and unlocked it, removing it from the man's small wrist. He gently took the CSI's hand and placed in on the bed before squeezing it and rubbing Ryan's knuckles with his thumb. His cut up knuckles. Horatio smiled. Kid, put up a fight; good for him. "I am sorry, Ryan. This never should have happened. I just want you to know that...we never doubted you. We got the guy who did this...it was Rick. You just focus on getting better, alright?" He knew the younger man wouldn't respond, but he bet deep down that maybe Ryan could hear him. "Just...get better." With that, he grabbed the cuffs after taking the other side off the bed and exited the room, handing them to the guard. "You are relieved from your duties, officer...thank you." He turned back to the team and put his hands on his hips.

"I'm going to talk to Frank. This whole thing with Rick is really causing a fuss. Natalia, Jesse, I need you guys back at the lab."

The two nodded and went ahead of Horatio. Before the red-head left, he looked at Eric. "If anything changes, let me know."

"Alright." Eric turned back towards the window and stared at his partner. They had been growing their brotherly relationship and they sometimes butted heads, but that's what brothers do and when someone hurts a sibling, it made his blood boil. Calleigh could sense Eric would want time alone, so she cleared her throat.

"Uh, hey Walter, let's go get some coffee. We'll be right back, Eric."

The man only nodded, not breaking his gaze. The blonde smiled sadly before she and Walter went to go look for the cafeteria. When the two disappeared, Eric took a deep breath as he entered the room quietly and sat in the provided chair next to Ryan's bedside. For a couple minutes he didn't say anything, just watching the man breathe.

"Hey man...geez, you really look like shit. Listen...I never doubted you, you know. I couldn't believe you would do something like that. We all couldn't believe it...but it's okay now. We got the guy that really did it. It was Rick...God, can you believe that? Actually, I'm pretty sure the guy had it out for you since that gambling thing." Which made Ryan the perfect target. Shit, Stetler really had it all planned out. "Anyways, I'm glad you're okay. We all are." He placed his hand on top of Ryan's briefly before sitting back in the chair and taking a deep breath. It was gonna be a long night.

Four Hours Later

Eric sat up when Ryan stirred and groaned in pain. His forehead scrunched up- as much as it could with all the tender bruises- and he coughed harshly.

"Wolfe, easy man," Eric said, placing a hand on top of the guy's chest. "Easy."

Ryan coughed again before his eyes fluttered open, or more like eye since his left one was still a little swollen. He glanced around sluggishly before his gaze landed on Eric.

"D-Delko?" He said in a strained voice before coughing again.

"Here," the older man said, handing Wolfe a small cup of water. Ryan took it gratefully and sipped it slowly. When he was finished, he slumped back into the pillows and closed his eyes for a moment to compose himself.

"Wh-Where m'I?" He questioned wearily.

"The hospital."

Ryan glanced around and sighed. He hated hospitals. And what was worse, every movement made him want to cry...but he wasn't crying in front of Eric. Hell no.

"How're you feeling?"

Ryan shrugged...but even that hurt. "Like crap. Feels l-like I was hit by a wrecking ball."

"That bad, huh?" Eric smirked.

"Yep...m-maybe even worse but my head hurts too much to think of another thing that could be painful." He shifted a little and his ribs protested angrily.

Eric smiled sadly. The kid was in pain. "Do you...do you remember what happened?"

Ryan frowned and looked up at Delko. "Not really I...I remember you guys going through everything in my condo...and you th-thought I t-took the diamonds." He began to get agitated, his breathing intensifying and his heart rate accelerating. "Eric...I s-swear...I swear to you guys. I didn't take them. Someone...someone is trying to s-set me up...you...you gotta believe me. I would never...do anything like that." He started to sit up, but stopped and cried out when the pain in his ribs flared up.

"Wolfe...Ryan! Ryan stop! Take it easy! Calm down, okay? I believe you; you're innocent!" Eric placed gentle hands on Ryan's shoulders trying to keep him from getting up.

Ryan stopped. "W-What? You believe me?"

"Yeah," Eric grinned. "Now breathe and calm down. You don't wanna hurt yourself even more, do you?"

"Who was it?" Ryan said urgently, ignoring the question, but starting to relax.

"Stetler. He set you up; GPS, bomb car, diamonds, everything. Too bad he didn't think about bacterial DNA. It matched his not yours."

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. "That son of a bitch."

"You're telling me," Eric chuckled.

Ryan glanced up at the older CSI, the corner of his mouth flicking upwards. "Thanks...you know, for having my back."

"Hey, what are brothers for?"

The smile grew and Eric squeezed Ryan's arm comfortingly. Ryan sighed heavily and his eyes started to slide close. They sat in silence for a few moments before Eric spoke up.

"So, uh, those guys really roughed you up, didn't they Wolfe?"

Ryan huffed, keeping his eyes shut. "Yeah...well five against one isn't exactly fair you know."

Eric smirked. "True." He noticed Ryan's breathing start to deepen and he knew the drugs and exhaustion were kicking in. "Go to sleep, man. I'll be here along with the others when you wake up."

Ryan barely grunted as he fell asleep, darkness dragging him away.

Eric took a deep breath as he stood up to stretch before going to look for Calleigh and Walter as well as call Horatio. Things were finally getting back to normal...well as normal as you could get with a job like theirs.

Fin

Hope you liked it! Now back to working on my other story!