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Chapter 16:

Greg walked around acutely aware that Archie's eyes were still on him. He wasn't sure what to say to Archie to make him go away, but he figured Archie would leave when he was satisfied that Greg was okay or at least as close to okay as one could be in a situation like the one Greg was in.

Archie had driven Greg here remaining calm, eyes on the road as he tried to get Greg into a conversation. He was the best drive Greg knew. Followed all the rules and never lost his temper. Archie was the most laid back person Greg knew, but Greg thought that went without saying to anyone who knew Archie.

"You can stop watching me like that. I'm not going to do anything drastic." Greg said deciding to flop down on the couch.

His hand moved to his head slowly massaging his temples to keep the pounding at bay. He didn't even need to look to see Archie shrug and look nonplussed.

"Sorry, habit of the job. You know I gotta sit in my lab for hours on end watching for the smallest piece of evidence. It's a good thing I don't take after my mom's side of the family. All of them have the heaviest prescriptions for glasses. Blind as bats." Archie said in his light conversational voice.

Greg was beginning to think he didn't have any other kind of voice.

"Yeah, I guess... you need good eyes for your job."

"You need even better ears for the audio part. Not that you CSI don't just love to handle that sort of evidence on your own, but you know sometimes it's a treasure to work with it."

"That's mostly Sara you know."

"Yeah, if she could do everything, she would. Scares me sometimes."

Greg nodded in agreement. Sara did let the job draw her in sometimes. Too much so that it was her whole life. Didn't help that when she did try to make outside connections, most of the time they blew up in her face as evidence by the whole Hank fiasco.

"Are you going to be alright... you know with me leaving you here. It's just that... I don't really want to... leave you here that is and I just... Jacqui would kill me if I left you here and you actually weren't feeling all that great with being alone." Archie babbled.

Greg smiled. Figured that Jacqui would have her people scared out of their wits at the mere thought that they'd disappoint her.

"I'm fine. I just... I need to get clean. And may try and sleep some."

"There's nothing I can get you?"

"No... not really. I just... I need some time to process all of this."

"I know you skipped out against doctor's orders so I'm not going to pretend like you've been medically cleared. You and I both know what happened in there." Archie said. Greg knew he was referring to the lab.

"So I'm not going to pretend that you can't be seriously hurt. You inhaled some pretty heavy chemicals and got cut up pretty bad. You feel the slightest bit wrong you call one of us or Jacqui really is going to have to give you the neck break speech and possibly pull out some tweezers." Archie finished.

Greg turned around to look at him and smiled slightly.

"I'm fine. If I feel like I'm not doing so hot I'll call one of you. The numbers are on Nick's fridge." Greg said.

"Good, now if you'll excuse me. My break isn't really that long and I want to at least see Nick before I have to go back into the hornets nest." Archie said.

Greg nodded and watched as he hesitantly walked out of the door. Greg let out a big sigh and closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep, but he smelled way beyond funky and his clothes were really starting to irritate him.

He slowly got up from the couch and made his way to the bathroom. He saw his reflection in the mirror, face pale, dark circles under his eyes. He looked like the walking dead. Some how his hair had managed to stay perfectly styled and that made Greg let out a little hysterical giggle before he took a deep breath and went about taking off his clothes.

It was made a bit more difficult by the fact that he had bandages wrapped around his arms and legs where he had to have stitches. The doctors had informed him to try and not get them wet the first day, but Greg didn't really see that as an option. He was sure Nick probably had gauze bandages lying around somewhere. He was prepared like that.

His back was killing him and he really wished he had taken that prescription that the doctor had tried to give him. Seemed that the pain killers they had given him on arrival to the hospital were slowly fading out of his system. He was acutely aware of how irritated his cuts were starting to get. Just the mere thought of them were making them itchy.

Greg turned on the shower spray as low and as hot as possible. He needed to wash away the dirt and grime and dust and blood he could feel on his skin and the best way to do that was to make the shower hot. He stepped in under the spray and let the water cascade down his skin. It felt good, soothing.

He closed his eyes and let the sound of the water lull him. He couldn't quite understand what had happened. The day seemed like a blur. He could feel more sobs wracking through his body, but he took a few deep breaths and they passed. He quickly himself, not stopping to savor the water again.

When he was done he quickly dried himself and walked into Nick's bedroom. He didn't have any clothes there that were clean so he threw on some of Nick's old sweats before flopping as gently down on the bed as possible.

The bed still smelled faintly of Nick and the things he and Greg had done in it not only a few hours ago. Greg buried his nose into a pillow and inhaled the sweet scent of Nick. It lulled him to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In reality, Nick knew this was coming. Hodges had warned him that this was coming. And this was Jacqui they were talking about. Of course this was coming. Nick just didn't expect this to be coming in the large form of a basket of cookies. The biggest basket of cookies Nick had ever laid eyes on.

"I hope your family doesn't mind us barging in like this." Bobby said belatedly.

It wasn't like Jacqui hadn't already kicked them out. His parents had been a little miffed. He could hear his sisters screeching in the hallway.

"No, I think they're fine. They're just glad I've got friends like you guys to take care of me." Nick said, eyes focused on the door.

"Nick, I already told you I sent him home. He isn't going to come barging through that door so just stop staring at it." Jacqui said as she went about checking everything out in the hospital room.

"I know. He needed some sleep and to get cleaned up and I know that, but he's stubborn. If no ones watching him and Grissom calls him in... he'll go. I just don't think he's up to working right now." Nick said.

"If he does come in, we'll make sure we kick his ass straight back home." Jacqui said with a smile.

Nick smiled back at her. It was easy to forget he was in a hospital room lying on his side, drowsy from the millions of drugs and painkillers running through his system, when he had friends like these to cheer him up. He just wished Greg was with them.

"He'll listen to me if he's here." Nick said.

"Yeah, well, he smelt. I'm not gonna lie to you Nick he smelt something fierce. I mean I ain't never smelt anything quite as bad as how he smelt." Bobby said crinkling up his nose as if he could smell it just by thinking about it.

"I know. He said that the doctors hadn't even given him the okay yet. I guess I'm just scared that there was something wrong with him and he's not telling me." Nick said.

"Nick, he's not the one in need of surgery." Jacqui said.

"I don't even know what I'm in need off. I mean the doctors haven't told me anything. They come in here and all they do is hem and ha about things and then tell the nurses to give me more drugs. Like they don't think I know something. I'm the best DNA tech in one of the best crime labs in the country." Nick said with a pout.

Bobby and Jacqui quirked their eyebrows at him.

"Channeling your inner Hodges there, Nick." Jacqui asked.

"And a little bit of Greg." Nick said with a shy smile.

"Well, ain't like it ain't the truth. I mean you are the best DNA tech in the whole lab. Just thought you didn't know that." Bobby said.

"I'm starting to realize it. Now all I need to do is get back into the swing of things and I'll be fine." Nick said.

"Don't strain yourself too hard. From what I read on the file you've got some third degree burns. Most are second, but it's going to take awhile before everything is perfectly fine." Jacqui said as she took a seat next to Bobby. Nick was glad she stopped moving around.

"You looked at my file?" Nick asked.

"Well they just leave it hanging at the edge of the bed like that for everyone to see. What they don't expect me to take a peek at it." Jacqui said.

"That's classified stuff, Jac." Bobby said.

"Nick's our friend. It's not like he wouldn't tell us if we asked so there's no reason to keep it a secret." Jacqui said.

"So I'm going to be in here for awhile?" Nick asked.

"Seems like. Probably a week. That's not so bad. They'll keep you here, give you some medications, send you on your way." Jacqui said.

"Only think of it as a little more seriously than Jacqui's flippant attitude is leading you to believe." Bobby said.

"Still... I'm gonna miss time from work. I just took vacation time too." Nick said.

"Well this shouldn't eat into your vacation time. They're mandated to give you this time off... and whatever cash you can squeeze out of them." Jacqui said.

"It's not about the money. I just want to be able to do my job again." Nick said.

"You will. Remember you're the best DNA tech in the second best crime lab in the country. That says something. You'll get better and we'll but this whole mess behind us." Jacqui said.

Nick nodded as much as he could. He didn't tell them that the doctor had come by and was checking his vitals along with his extremity movement. Didn't tell them that he could barely keep his hands from shaking.

The doctor hadn't seemed to shocked by it. He had said that it would go away eventually. His body was still in shock and the fact that his hands were shaking was just a physical manifest of that shock. He seemed more surprised that Nick wasn't puking up bile. Apparently that was a good sign and his hands shaking was a good sign.

Nick didn't know all that much about medicine, but he knew about the human body considering he was a DNA tech. You didn't get that title without knowing some biology. And to Nick shaking hands weren't a good sign.

They were a very bad sign.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Greg wasn't sure why he was in a drug dealer's house shaking him down for information. Grissom had called, as predicted, but not to order Greg into work. No he had wanted to see if he was alright and Greg had just slipped it in that he wanted to work. Grissom protested, but Greg protested louder. With a sigh, Grissom had let him come back for a shift.

So he had went to the apartment of one Miguel Durado where Sara and Brass were going over the crime scene. Apparently Mr. Durado had some ties to what happened in their rape/homicide case and Greg's presence was needed there.

"You... you look like shit." Greg turned to see Brass staring at him.

Greg causally took of his sunglasses and perched them on the top of his head. He let out a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm fine." Greg said.

He'd gotten ready in a hurry. No time to style his hair just right or put on anything other than some dirty clothes he had lying around and Nick's, black pants and a black shirt. He'd left as quickly as possible.

"Because you look fine. How bad did you get banged up?" Brass asked.

Greg was grateful he'd grabbed a long sleeve shirt. His arms were practically wrapped in white gauze some of which had thin lines of red blood staring through. Greg shook his head.

"Not too bad. A few stitches here and there." Greg said.

"Well you CSI just think you're superheroes now, don't you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Sidle barging in without a weapon and taking down a suspect. I'm talking about you walking around in black clothes with let's face it crappy hair and thinking your fine. You know your place of employment just blew up with you in it. If it were me, I'd be taking days off on the city. And if I were you I'd be at the hospital." Brass said.

"Are you done? Or do you have more of that fatherly wisdom to disperse, because if you do I'm really hoping you can find someone who gives a shit." Greg said testily.

"Don't get pissed off a me Sanders. If I had a say in the matter you all would be at home. Not like my detectives can't do a little detective work now and again."

Greg sighed. He hadn't really meant to get mad at Brass. He liked the guy. He really did. He remembered playing conflict mediator between him and Warrick a few times in the past. He just didn't want to hear that he shouldn't be doing his job for the thousandth time.

"Look, I appreciate the concern. I do. I'm glad I got people caring for me, but if I sit in that hospital room or in Nick's house for one more second I'm going to go insane." Greg said.

Brass nodded.

"Just because I understand what you're saying doesn't mean I approve. And if you ask me Nick's going to be pretty upset that you were working."

"How do you know?"

Brass smiled, eyes twinkling a bit.

"I was married before kid. Got hurt on the job loads of times and bounced back like I thought I was Superman. My wife got pretty pissed." He said with a smile.

Greg smiled back.

"Guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I get to it." Greg said.

"Sure, you do that. Better go in there and help Sidle before she tries to cure cancer or something." Brass said.

Greg nodded and walked into the apartment. The suspected was apprehended and in police arms. Greg noticed Sara intently ignoring everything and working. It was a little innerving how she could throw herself into her job like that.

"So should I call you Superwoman now. Maybe by you a cape."

Sara looked up at him, confusion clear in her eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"Brass told me an interesting story about you storming in confronting suspects without weapons and all that. You got a protective force field I know nothing about. Cause really I'd like to sign up for one of those."

"It wasn't like that. And it's not like we didn't get the guy. We did."

"Yeah at the risk of you life."

"I'm fine." Sara said eyes wide, jaw set.

"Yeah, I've heard that line before. Look were all still reeling from what happened in the lab, but..."

"I'm fine. I got one cut. You got injured more than I did. You shouldn't be here."

"I shouldn't be here... you shouldn't be here."

"Why aren't you with Nick?"

"Because Nick doesn't need me right now."

"That's bull shit and you know it."

"I'm just saying if you wanna feel your mortality, do it in a less life threatening way." Greg said.

Sara stared at him with a puzzled look on her face.

"Wait..."

"That didn't make any sense Greg."

"I know."

"There's no way you can actually feel your mortality without their being life threatening circumstances."

"I know."

"So it didn't..."

"Yeah I got that Sara. Look you know what I'm saying." Greg said shaking his hands in the air.

Sara let out a small smile and a choked off laugh. She placed her hand in front of her mouth to keep the giggles from escaping, but was unsuccessful. She started to giggled and Greg joined her, even if the detectives were giving them weird looks and muttering things about crazy CSIs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nick woke up in stages. It didn't help that all the pain medication he was been given kept him practically half asleep all the time. He was drowsy and it was hard to keep his eyes opened. When he finally did manage to open them, he saw Greg sitting silently across from him, eyes opened and hands folded in his lap.

"Hey sleep head." Greg said.

Nick moaned a little. He tried to shift around, but remember his back. He really hated sleeping on his side.

"Hi."

"So I cam over as soon as I was rested."

"Liar."

"What?"

"You went into work."

"How... did someone tell you that?"

"No, I can see it written all over your face. It's amazing how you suck at the cool nonchalant trying to lie thing." Nick said with a yawn.

"I only went in for a little while."

"After you promised you weren't going to."

"I know, but... don't you get it... I have to keep busy or I'm going to go crazy. Simple as that." Greg said.

Nick squinted at him and rolled his eyes.

"I know it's scary... this whole thing is scaring the crap out of me, but I need you here Greg. I think about you going into work and I've never really dwelled on all the bad stuff that could happen, but now..."

"Did Hodges come here and tell you everything that went on in the lab tonight?" Greg asked.

"He told me some things. About how Sara almost got herself shot. She's okay right?" Nick asked.

"She's fine. We... I don't know if you can necessarily call it talk, but we definitely had words."

"That's nice."

"What did you and Hodges talk about?"

"He was just keeping me in on the investigation. He hasn't heard anything new, but apparently it wasn't his fault. Not that I would blame him if it did turn out to be that heater, but he just seemed so... upset about it. And he doesn't really let his emotions show very often."

"Try not at all."

"He's been burned a few times. It's a thing, Greg. Besides he's my friend and I get him... strangely enough."

"Did he get along with your parents?"

Nick smiled slightly.

"They think he's too arrogant. Course this is David we're talking about. Worse things have been said... by you half the time."

"Ah, he knows it's just jokes. How did your sisters take to him?"

"Actually I think Maryann liked him. They started talking about something for a little while before he left. The others... well it's hard to get them to like anyone. That's just the way they are. If it makes you feel better most of them like you."

"Let me guess... Christina is the one that thinks I'm not good enough for you."

"She's my older sister Greg."

"I know. I'm the oldest in my family so I know how that goes. Doesn't stop her from being scary as hell though." Greg said.

"Yeah, she's got that affect on people. She means well though. I just feel sorry for all the boyfriends and girlfriends her kids are going to bring home." Nick said.

Greg smiled and moved his chair closer to Nick. He took Nick's hand in his own and started to stroke it. Nick noticed it was probably the only time the whole day his hand hadn't been shaking. He smiled softly at Greg and closed his eyes.

"It doesn't hurt as much anymore. Guess that could be the drugs talking. They got me on so much stuff that I can't even stay awake half the time."

"They just want you to get better."

"I know, but I hate not being able to move around or move much of anything. My body's never felt this tired before."

"It'll get better. Trust me they're doing everything they can for you and if they're not I'm going to make them do everything they can for you."

"Yeah, I know."

They were silent for a little while before they heard a soft knock on the door. Greg looked up to see Catherine standing in the door way, posture screaming uneasy.

"Hi Greg, Nick. I was wondering if I could talk to Nick alone for a second." She said.

"If it's about the case, Greg can be here too Catherine. In face I'd rather have him here than anywhere else." Nick said.

Greg watched as Catherine took a deep breath and shook her head.

"Okay, well..."

Chapter 17

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