Unexpected

Chapter 2: No one knows

Chemotherapy is a pain the ass!
She had started 2 months ago and she still had ... too many treatments to think about.

Hey, that's Ryan, she thought, What is he doing sitting on the small wall in front of the hospital?
Actually, sitting sounded really good right about now. Who knew chemo took so much out of you?
Dragging her feet Marisol made it where Ryan was.

"Hey Ry. Why are you sitting here?"

"Hey Mari. How are you? And to answer your question, I was waiting for you? Thought maybe I could give you a lift home?"

"You came all the way here to give me a ride?"

"No, I went to my eye appointment and I decided to wait for you so I could drive you home. I know how exhausted you must feel."

Marisol gave Ryan a big kiss and a bear hug.

Marisol loved Ryan like a brother.
They'd met a year ago. Ryan hadn't started as a CSI yet.

She had gone to her doctor for a checkup and she was talking to one of the nurses when a man grabbed her purse and made run for it. Luckily for Marisol, Ryan had been coming out of one of the rooms after having been treated for a small wound. He had heard her yelling (some might even say it was like a banshee) and had tackled the thief.
He'd taken her statement and they'd each gone their separate ways (after Mari thanked him of course).
She befriended him a few days later. She had seen him sitting alone at a table when she went to get her coffee and he'd politely asked if she would join him.
Okay.... she's lying! She'd already been sitting down when he suggested it! There, happy? That's when they started talking. They discovered they had a lot in common.

That had happend a year ago. Right now, he was her best friend.

He was there when she found out about her cancer. He was there for her and with her when she got her first chemo. He was the one to push her into telling her family the awful news.
When she was feeling crappy after her chemo, she would call him. He would never ask her how she was doing, he knew. He made her smile. He didn't tiptoe around her (a lot of people do that after you tell them you have cancer).

He did this all, and so much more.

In return, she was there for him too.

She was there when his childhood friend died. His ONLY friend. She held him while he cried himself to sleep. She consoled him when things didn't go well at work, when he screwed up. She was there after he got shot in the eye with a nailgun.
(Well, she was there after her chemo and all the others were gone)

Let's put it this way; they'd exchanged emergency keys. You know, the key you give to your best friend for when something happens. Like when you locked yourself outside of your place butt naked (that never happend to her, really, you don't have pictures do you?!?) or when you leave home but left the key inside.
It's the key you will never give your mother or siblings because your scared they'll start appearing all times of the day or night. You won't give in to them, despite the whining and the blackmail material they have on you (But really, who has a picture of her son/daughter when they wake up after a night of partying? You know, where you haven't taken off the make-up, you've got mascara everywhere, one half of your hair is still like you styled it last night because of all the hair products you put in it, the other side's flat, the mark of your pillow is on your right cheek... you know the one!).

The weird thing was, nobody knew about their friendship. Not Eric, Horatio or anyone from her family.
Ryan had asked her to keep it quiet. At first she didn't understand but later on she did.
He didn't want anyone to know because he didn't want others to judge him by it. Not that it would be a bad thing. No. If Eric had known Ryan was her friend, he would have made more of an effort to befriend Ryan. But Ryan didn't want that. He wanted people to like him and respect him for him. Not because he happend to know the right person. It's for the same reason he hadn't told others who his childhood friend was. Telling them would have made his life a lot easier.

That showed what kind of charcter he had and Mari respected him all the more for it.

"That's so sweet of you Ry"

"You know me, I'm always sweet."

She knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to put on a brave front. Too bad for Ryan, but he was failing. Miserably. His wavering smile gave him away.

"Come on querido. What's up? What did the doctor say?"

Ryan's smile fell.

"She told me that the anitbiotics didn't work as well as she had expected. She said I had to have surgery as soon as posible. It's tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh Ry, I'm so sorry! I'm sure all will go well. And I'll be there! Scout's honor!!"

"No Mari, you don't have to come. I'll be fine. I get out the next day anyway. Plus you never were a scout, you went once. You stayed 10 minutes, refused to sing the song, called them freaks and left!"

"I just knew I shouldn't have told you that! And I will come, I'm not leaving my best friend alone when he's going to have surgery!"

It was comments like these and the surprise on his face right now that she knew. Ryan had been denied happiness for too long. He had been denied family and friends.
But no more! She was going to change that. She might need a litle help.
Who could she ask for help? Maybe that Alexx woman... She likes to moter him, she was sure she would love to help her make him happy.


"Ry, stop it! I WILL be there when you go in and when you wake up. End of story! Now, did you call Horatio?"

"Yes I did. He gave me four days leave."

"Well that's good. When do you have to be in?"

"At four in the afternoon."

"Okay. First: you are not driving to the hospital, take a cab. I'll be here waiting for you at 3.30."

"Yes mother."

Marisol carried on as if she hadn't heard him (though she did glare at him).

"Second: don't worry about making food for the next few days. I will stop by your place and leave some homemade meals for you to heat up. And last but not least, be prepared to see me a lot! I will come by every day for surprise visits. And if I don't do that you'll get surprise phonecalls, surprise e-mails, surprise everything! I'm sorry to tell you this Sparky, but for the next 5 days I'll be
your shadow."

That made him laugh. When she looked into his eyes she saw gratitude!

(Okay, she might need a lot more than a litle help in her make-Ryan-happy-plan!)

"Mari, you're beautiful and funny. Having you stalk me would be a straight man's dream!"

"Anyway, could you leave me some of your home made ice cream too, please?"

"No need to bring out your puppy eyes for me! I will leave you some and if you're good I'll even teach you how to make some yourself."

And then he smiled. She loved his smile. Too bad he didn't smile more often. Especially lately.

Almost a month ago he changed, he became more ... she didn't know exactly. Sad, she would say, was the best word for it. Something had happened, something that destroyed his faith and his hope. She didn't know what it was but she did know it had something to do with her brother. She wondered what hell he had done now. Men!

First Marisol thought Ryan had finally declared his love for Eric. But from Eric she gathered that he didn't. Not that she had asked Eric. She couldn't! She'd promised Ryan she wouldn't. Must be something else then. Maybe Ryan had seen Eric with his new girlfriend/boyfriend?

She really didn't know. This sucks! Maybe Alexx knows?
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Ryan was nervous.

It was his last chance. If this didn't go well he could kiss his job goodbye (and his sight). That would be awful, he'd worked hard to get it.

Oh there's Marisol. It's too bad Ryan's gay. Marisol is beautiful, funny, intelligent, caring and she makes great ice cream (she could put Häagen-Dazs to shame!). Really, what more could a guy ask for?

If only her brother would like him half as much as she obviously did. No Ryan, he scolded himself, let's not go down that road again! After all, that could never happen. Eric had made it plenty clear!

Ok Ryan, time to put on a happy face. Well ... a not so depressed face then.

"Hey Mari."

"Hey Ry. You nervous?"

"Let's just say I will be telling the surgeon to triple the dose of anaesthesia."

Chukling sofly Mari replied "You know you're supposed to come out of it in a few hours not sleep for several centuries. Especially if you want to get out tomorrow!"

Sleeping for centuries sounded a lot beter all of a sudden.

Before he knew it, he was laying on the table waving at Mari while the nurses drove him off.
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Okay. Now that Ryan was taken care of she could start her plan. She even named it, and to make sure no one would understand she gave it a weird name: The plan was called Furby!

Why Furby, you ask? It has to do with a photo she has of Ryan. (This photo had been taken the same morning as hers. Only she's the one who took it. It's of Ryan when he opened the door. His hair was standing on all sides, and he had been sleepy, blinking his green eyes at you. All that had been missing was him saying 'feed me'!) Plus it was that or Yoda.

She liked Furby beter. It sounded more ridiculous!

First: she had to get Alexx on her side. That would have to wait until tomorrow.

Second: she had to work on Eric. She couldn't tell Eric about Ryan but if he somehow saw it... then it wouldn't be her fault!

Don't you just love loopholes??
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"Let me get this straight; you didn't call me this morning to take you to your chemo, you didn't call me afterwards to take you home. But you did call me after work to help you go to your friend's house?"

Eric wasn't amused, he was annoyed. His sister had gone crazy!

Don't get him wrong, he would do anything for his sister (hell he almost got fired for her). Still, this was too much for words.

"Eric, don't get your panties in a twist. I needed help with a few things so I called my wonderful big brother. Where's the problem?" Eric didn't find this flatering. At all.

"The problem is that I haven't been sleeping much for the past few weeks. And now with Wolfe on his last minute vacation, me and Cal will have to work even more to make up for his absence."

"You think he's on vacation? his sister asked with disbelief in her voice. "Do you think that poorly of him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about but seeing what happend in the past I wouldn't put him past him to ask for a few days so he could take that blonde bimbo with him on vacation."

Eric really hoped Marisol wouldn't think he was jealous. Because he wasn't. Really. Oh crap. She has that quirky lip thing going on. That means she knows something. ...Or she's up to something. Either way, it can't be good.

"You can park the car here on the right side. Come on let's go." Eric made a mental note to himself: 'Don't forget to make will...
And leave Marisol nothing or maybe my socks.'


TBC