Jackson is my original character, but I don't own CSI.
To all my readers in the US, Happy Thanksgiving!
I still have lots of great ideas and stories :)
This story is kind of inspired by the season 8 episode "Grissom's Divine Comedy," where Greg and Nick are both sick with colds as they investigated a case. A friend of mine suggested a story where Jackson helps Nick if he got sick or hurt, and I thought of this story. Hope you all enjoy...and pretty please review!
Jackson Sanders walked alongside his father Greg through the lab, happily chatting about his day. As they came to the garage, a loud sneeze made Jackson jump. Greg smiled softly as Jackson peered into the garage, wondering who made the loud noise.
They walked in to find Nick sighing in frustration as he pulled off his gloves. Jackson stared at Nick. "Uncle Nicky, did you make dat loud noise?"
Nick sniffed and rubbed his nose. "Yeah," he said as he cleared his throat.
"Why are you still here?" Greg asked. "You sound terrible."
"Gee, thanks," Nick said sarcastically. "I feel terrible."
Jackson gazed at Nick. "Uncle Nicky, do you have a stupid cold?"
Nick smirked as Greg explained, "He had a cold a couple of months ago. He called it a stupid cold."
"Well, he's right," Nick said. "I woke up feeling lousy."
"Well, I see you've gone through a supply of gloves," Greg said as he nodded to the pile of used gloves on the table.
Nick chuckled. "I'm almost done processing this. Then I'll go home."
"Uncle Nicky, you need to get some medicine an' a nap," Jackson said.
Greg and Nick smiled at the sweet little boy. "I tell you what," Greg said. "How about we let Uncle Nicky finish up here, and we go to the store and get him some orange juice and stuff?"
Nick smiled as Jackson said, "Yeah! We can get some orange juice an' chicken noodle soup with extra carrots!"
How could Nick refuse an offer like that? Nick smiled at his sweet godson. "You want to help take care of Sam, too?"
"Okay!"
Nick smiled. "All right. Let me finish up here, and you and your dad can go to the store. Then I'll meet you back at my house okay?"
"Yeah!"
Forty-five minutes later, Nick arrived home after finishing up at the lab. He smiled when he saw Greg's car sitting in his driveway with Jackson chatting happily in the backseat.
As Greg opened Jackson's door, Jackson said, "Daddy, dere he is!"
"Hey!" Nick said as Jackson climbed out of the car and ran to his arms. "Did you guys get everything?"
"Yep!"
"Thanks for texting me what cold medicine you wanted," Greg said as he carried a shopping bag. "We've got orange juice, chicken noodle soup..."
"An' I got extra carrots for da soup!" Jackson happily said.
Nick laughed softly. "All right." He unlocked his door and Sam came rushing up to them. Jackson smiled and happily petted the dog.
"We've even got some treats for Sam," Greg said.
"Yeah!" Jackson said as he patted Sam's head. "We got your favorite, Sam!"
Nick coughed and sniffled as Greg began unpacking groceries. Greg began preparing Nick's dinner. "G, you don't have to do anything..." Nick began.
"It's no problem," Greg assured him.
"Daddy, don't forget da extra carrots!" Jackson called as he and Sam watched him fixing dinner. "You like extra carrots in your chicken soup, Uncle Nicky?"
Nick smiled at his godson's concern. "Sure. And thank you guys. I was just going to get a sandwich or something."
"Uncle Nicky, when I had my stupid cold, daddy made me chicken noodle soup with extra carrots," Jackson happily told him.
Greg smiled at his son and best friend. "And you got better real quick, right Jacks?"
"Right!"
Nick smiled at his godson. "Well, you think you can help me get better?"
"Yep!" Jackson said with a smile. "It no fun when you're sick!"
"No, it's not."
Jackson pulled Nick to the couch. "Uncle Nicky, you need to rest."
Nick smiled as he sat down on the couch. "You know, you and your dad don't have to do all this..."
"We want to," Greg said. "It's the least we can do."
"Yeah, Uncle Nicky," Jackson said. "You need to rest an' den you feel better. An' den you can play with me!"
Nick didn't like being fussed over, but he loved seeing his godson and having him help out his daddy. And he did enjoy being with Jackson and Greg.
Sam sat at Nick's feet and laid his head in his lap. Jackson patted Sam's head. "Don't worry, Sam. Uncle Nicky gunna feel better soon. Den we can all play fetch!" Nick smiled softly as Sam and Jackson looked up at him with love.
"Jacks, you want to get Uncle Nicky some juice?" Greg called from the kitchen.
"Okay! Sam, you wait right here with Uncle Nicky. I'll be right back!" Nick smiled as Jackson rushed to the kitchen.
Greg smiled as he poured a glass of juice for his friend and Jackson rushed up to the counter. "Hold it with both hands, Jacks."
"I will, daddy!" Jackson held the glass carefully as he walked back to Nick. He handed his uncle the glass. "Here you go! An' I didn't spill any!"
"Yeah," Nick said with a warm smile. "Great job. Thank you." He gratefully drank some orange juice.
"Uncle Nicky, did your daddy ever make you chicken soup when you had a stupid cold?" Jackson asked.
Nick laughed softly. "No, but my mom did. I remember when I was a kid, my dad sat with me one night when I had the flu. He brought me some chicken soup my mom made."
"With extra carrots?"
"There were some carrots, yeah."
"I like extra carrots. One time, I had chicken soup with Papa Eckie, but I wasn't sick, dough."
Nick smiled softly and rubbed his forehead, thankful he didn't feel warm.
Jackson felt Nick's forehead. "Hmm..."
Nick smiled softly. "Do I feel warm?"
"Nope, you feel okay. But you still have a stupid cold."
"Yeah," Nick said as he sniffed softly. "What do you suggest?"
Jackson thought for a moment. "I fink you need some of daddy's chicken soup, an' maybe a nap."
Greg smiled as he watched Jackson watching over his favorite uncle. He loved how Jackson just loved his extended family and wanted to take care of everyone.
Nick smiled. "That sounds like a very good idea."
"And the soup's ready," Greg said from the kitchen. "Jacks, you want to help set the table?"
"Yeah!" He took Nick's hand and pulled him off the couch. "Come on, Uncle Nicky! You need to eat some soup!"
Nick laughed softly as he stood and walked to the table. "The bowls are in the cupboard there," he said.
Greg got the bowls and spoons and served up some soup for everyone. "Jacks, you want to get some juice?"
"I get it, daddy!" Jackson said as he rushed to the kitchen.
As much as Nick didn't like being fussed over, he enjoyed being with his friends and loved how Jackson wanted to take care of his Uncle Nicky.
Jackson carefully took his glass of juice from Greg and sat across from Nick at the table. "I didn't spill any!"
"Good job, big guy," Nick said with a warm smile.
Greg and Jackson served Nick his soup with some bread and sat down. "Don't forget to blow on it!" Jackson said as Nick was about to take a bite. "It hot!"
"I know," Nick said with a soft laugh. He took a bite of his soup and smiled. "Mm, this is really good."
Greg started to thank Nick when Jackson said, "Yeah! My daddy makes good chicken soup! An' he knows I like extra carrots!"
Greg smiled watching Nick and Jackson together. "Jacks picked all the ingredients," he told his friend.
"Mm-hmm," Jackson said as he took another bite of soup. "I told daddy it has to be da bestest, cause it gunna help you feel better!"
Nick smiled at the sweet little boy. "I think it'll help. And you and your daddy did a very good job."
Sam patiently sat at Nick's feet as he ate dinner with his friends. Greg smiled at the dog Jackson adored. "We even saved a little chicken, if Sam would like some." Everyone laughed softly as Sam perked up at the mention of a treat.
"Yeah," Nick said as he patted the dog's head. "You like when Jackson and Greg come visit, don't you?"
"I like coming to see him," Jackson said. "Cause he lets me read him Curious George, an' he plays fetch with me, an' he my guard dog!"
As bad as Nick felt, he honestly loved having Greg and Jackson cook dinner and help take care of Sam. When they finished dinner, Greg volunteered to wash dishes and clean up as Jackson led Nick and Sam to the couch.
"You need to lie down," Jackson said. "When I had my stupid cold, daddy an' me watched a movie an' he let me take a nap!"
Nick smiled as he pulled Jackson onto his lap. "And did it help?"
"Yes! I felt better, an' daddy let me have extra orange juice!"
"That's very important," Nick said with a warm smile.
"Yeah, cause da medicine is so yucky!"
Nick laughed softly. "Yeah."
Sam and Greg came in and sat down. Nick smiled when he saw Sam happily licking his mouth after eating the chicken Greg and Jackson saved for him.
"I told Jacks it's yucky because you want to remember how bad it tastes, so hopefully you stay well," Greg explained.
"Hmm, I think you're right," Nick said.
"Yeah," Jackson said as he laid his head on Nick's chest. "So when I think I'm getting a stupid cold, I try to remember how da medicine tastes yucky. Den I try to feel better!"
"Yeah," Greg said softly as Nick hugged Jackson.
"Well, I'm glad you guys did this," Nick said. "Hopefully, I'll feel better real soon, with you guys taking care of me."
Greg smiled as he watched Nick with Jackson. Seeing his friend's eyes drift close, he said, "How about we let you get some sleep, and we'll see you tomorrow?"
Jackson frowned. "Do we have to?"
"Your dad's right," Nick said softly. "I need to get some rest, and you should probably get some, too."
Jackson pouted, but knew his uncle was tired. "You feel better soon, Uncle Nicky. Den we go to da park with Sam."
"That sounds like a good idea," Nick said with a warm smile.
"The dishes are done," Greg said as he stood. "And there's plenty of soup left."
"Thank you," Nick said honestly.
Jackson hugged Nick. "I hope you feel better soon, Uncle Nicky. It not fun when you sick."
Nick couldn't help but smile at the sweet little boy. "No, it's not. And I'm glad you and your dad stopped by and made dinner. That was very sweet of you."
"Our pleasure," Greg said with a smile.
"An' you need your rest," Jackson said with a smile. "I told Sam not to worry, cause you gunna feel better soon."
Nick smiled as Greg petted the dog's head. "Yeah, I will. And when I do, we're going to go to the park, okay?"
"Yes!" Jackson happily agreed.
They said goodbye and Nick settled on the couch to watch a movie with Sam at his side. Just having his friends care about him made Nick feel better, and he smiled thinking of how Jackson wanted him to feel better. He and Greg loved how the little boy always seemed to know what to say to make them feel better. Nick breathed deeply, allowing the medicine to start working as he drifted off to sleep.
The next day, Nick did feel a little better. He was ready to come back to work, and Greg was happy to see him back.
"Jacks will be happy," Greg said as he and Nick looked over evidence in the layout room. "All he could talk about this morning was you."
Nick smiled. "Well, I'm not a hundred percent, but I am feeling better. Tell him I said thanks."
Greg smiled when he saw Jackson walking with Barbara down the hall. He gestured to the happy boy. "Tell him yourself."
Nick turned and smiled as Jackson saw Greg and happily rushed to him. "Daddy!"
"He's had a good day," Barbara said as she rubbed his back. She said goodbye to them and headed to her husband's office.
Jackson looked over at Nick and smiled. "Uncle Nicky! You here!"
Nick smiled as Jackson wriggled out of Greg's arms and into his. "Yeah, I'm here."
Jackson looked Nick over. "You feel better?"
"Yeah. I'm not totally better, but I feel better. How'd you and your dad know what I needed?" He asked with a grin.
Jackson giggled. "Daddy always makes chicken soup with extra carrots when I have a stupid cold, so I told him he better make some for you. It help?"
"It sure did," Nick said with a soft laugh. "Thank you for that. And Sam's happy, cause we can go to the park soon."
"Yeah! I bet he happy you feel better too!"
Nick smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Thank you." He hugged the sweet little boy.
"You welcome! It no fun to have a stupid cold!"
Greg and Nick both softly laughed. "No, it's not," Nick said.
"How about we take a break and you tell us about your day?" Greg asked.
"Okay! You come have some chocolate milk, Uncle Nicky!"
How could Nick refuse an offer like that. "Of course. And thank you for helping me feel better."
"You welcome!" Jackson said with a wide smile. "I glad you don't have da stupid cold!"
Nick set Jackson down and the little boy walked between his father and godfather to the break room. "Me too," Greg said.
"Me too," Nick said with a warm smile.
The End.