"Have you been to see Greg yet?" Sarah asked me as I walked through the door to the break out room, I couldn't bring myself to respond to her. I had gotten the phone call while at a scene and I couldn't believe what I was hearing I was on a case with Sarah at the time and she insisted on going to see him which left me having to finish the scene when all I really wanted was to be by his side.
"Nick? Have you been to see Greg yet?" she repeated herself pulling me out of my thoughts.
"No I haven't" I replied simply which by the look on her face wasn't the answer she wanted to hear.
"What do you mean you haven't, I thought you of all people would have gone by now" she had a clear hint of anger to her voice.
"Well Sarah no offence but I didn't have much of a choice in the matter, I've been at the scene since 12 I've only just gotten in".
"And what's that supposed to mean exactly?" she snapped back, I guess I expected this to become an argument I did after all start it.
"It means Sarah that I should have been the one to leave the scene not you! Greg is my boyfriend and you knew that" I couldn't help myself I had to get it out there, I mean granted Sarah had known about my relationship with Greg she was the first to find out but no one else in the lab had worked it out yet…that and we hadn't actually told them about our relationship.
"Yes Nick I did know that and believe it or not I was thinking about you when I went in your place I went to see if he was…al…ive" she chocked up at the last word, she had put it bluntly which was something I always admired about her.
"Well thank you for your concern but it still should have been me that went, now if you would excuse me I have a boyfriend to visit in hospital"
"Nick you're here!" Grissom was surprised to see me as I walked down the corridor towards the room the woman at the desk had pointed me to.
"Yeah I've come to see Greg how's he doing?" Grissom gave me a worried look, which sent a chill down my spine; it was the look he gave when telling a family their loved one had died.
"Griss, what's wrong?" I had a hint of panic in my voice which I didn't even notice.
"Now don't panic Nick, it's just….you may want to prepare yourself, Greg doesn't really look like himself at the moment, there's something else…Greg suffered some severe head injuries during the attack and well the doctor says he may have some memory loss but we wont know till he wakes up"
I stumbled back at the news it was like someone had thrown a tone of bricks at my chest and was knocking me backwards, I could feel my legs collapsing beneath me, my Greggo memory loss it was all too much to take in. and then it hit me what if he had forgotten me…no surely not he cant have.
"Here drink this" Grissom handed me a cup of water, I hadn't even noticed him move away I must have been lost in my panicked thoughts for longer than I felt because I had noticed the water cooler right back down the corridor it would have taken grissom a few minutes to get down there and back again.
"Nick I know Greg is important to you" I looked up at grissom at this, did he know? How long had he known? "I know about you two, Sarah told me she felt under the circumstances I should probably be made aware of the two of you" I could feel the anger rise within me, but it was suddenly replaced by worry as I saw the doctor approaching us. I rushed to my feet and stopped the man in his tracks.
"Mr Grissom and…" he looked puzzlingly at me. "this is Nick Stokes a CSI on my team" the doctor nodded at me "Mr Grissom, Greg is finally awake and I'm sorry to say our suspicions were confirmed he has no recollection of who he is or how he got here" I could feel my legs going again but something about the look on the doctors face gave me the strength to stay standing.
"There's something else isn't there?" I asked the doctor who nodded at me and began to speak again
"Yes, when we asked him if he could remember anyone in his life anyone in particular he seemed to recall being in a relationship" The smile spread across my face I could feel the hope rushing through me…he remembers me thank god "However when we asked him if he could tell us more about this person he said he couldn't remember much only that it was someone he worked with"
"thank you doctor" Grissom sent the doctor away as I slowly moved towards the window looking into Greg's room, I wasn't really prepared for what I saw. Greg laying upright in the bed that was a good sign at least. He was covered in bandages and his head was wrapped up tightly the bruises formed on his face caused one eye to fuse shut the other was looking down at his hands my heart ached at the site. "oh Greg what have they done to you" as I said this out loud I was suddenly drawn to the beeping of a heart monitor behind me people suddenly rushed past me running into the room and starting CPR on the young man laying in the bed. I watched the proceedings I was drawn to the event so much I didn't notice grissom standing next to me.
"That's Demetrius James he was found in the alley with Greg he had hit him with his car he was part of the gang that attacked Greg" The rage I felt inside at the thought this poor excuse for a human had been involved in Greg's attack, I watched the event till the very end I watched as the doctors put down the equipment they used to try and save him and moved away from the bed an older woman began to weep she was hugging the man in the bed tightly sobbing profusely into his shoulder.
"Let's go see Greg shall we" Grissom lead me away from the window and towards the door. He knocked lightly and entered the room leaving me stood in the doorway looking at Greg; his gaze however wasn't focused on me but on Grissom.
"hello Greg, my name is Gil Grissom I'm a friend" Greg smiled slightly at Grissom I could see the thoughts going through his head as he put the pieces back together in his head.
"Um I think I might know you…you like bugs!" Greg was so happy at the recognition that was uplifting if he knew who Grissom was he might know me.
"Yeah that's right, Greg do you know what I do?" Greg looked confused Grissom took this as his answer "It's ok don't worry, I am a CSI I work at the Las Vegas crime lab with you" Greg's smile returned "I think I remember a little but I don't know, its like…there's pictures in my head of people and places I just cant tell what is real and what's not". A tear came to Greg's eye as he tried his hardest to remember. It killed me to see him struggling and knowing there was nothing I could do to help.
"Hey Greggo" I brought Greg's attention towards me, I didn't even realise I had said anything until he looked at me.
"Do you know who this is Greg?" Grissom asked him he looked back at Grissom for a second then back at me, I noticed Greg reached down and touch his fingers he ran his finger across his left hand as if that was something that would help him remember me.
"There's something…" he started he was trying and it was killing me inside knowing he didn't know who I was.
"Do I work with you?" he asked me I just smiled at him and nodded trying to hide the fact I had tears stinging my eyes.
"Could you excuse me a second I can't…." I ran out the room and broke down before I had a chance to reach the chairs I just crouched by the wall and cried in to my knees. I hadn't cried this much since my grandfather had died. What was I going to do without Greg he was my world my everything…I spent nearly eight years loving him from afar and I finally get up the courage to tell him how I feel and he has to go and forget it ever happened…stop it Nick it's not his fault its those scum-bags that did it to him, they took him from me I have nothing if I don't have Greg. I looked up at Grissom who was crouched in front of me with a hand on my arm.
"What am I going to do Gil? He doesn't remember who I am"