Disclaimer: I don't own CSI nor the characters involved…just in my dreams.
AN:(1) This is my first CSI fanfic. Please be nice.
(2) BTW, Sara's speech is an actual speech I wrote for my bestfriend and was recited on her 18th birthday.

Sara's POV

It was just a few months after the incident. He still hasn't come back to his old self, though I see more of his smiles lately. The gang, especially I, knew that he has a very strong personality. But there's something that his eyes tell that he could still fall apart anytime.

I'm standing here just behind the crowd, who are greeting him on his birthday and handing him their presents. I set my birthday gift on the table and left. I don't want to take up a minute or so of his time while everyone at the lab is here, cramped in the breakroom, just to greet him.

I may not have the most expensive gift, I may not have the best gift. But hey, it's the thought that counts, right! So before I wrapped up my gift, I put on a small letter about my thoughts for giving him this gift.

You are physically and financially fortunate already, so I thought of something that will make you emotionally and spiritually whole.

I chose something good for the mind and the soul. It's a book with daily passages from the Bible. It's a first-aid kit for the broken heart, lost faith and fading hope. You know when to follow your heart and when to follow what is right, disregarding what your heart wants. Like any other person, you come to a point wherein confusion and doubt grind your good judgment to dust. No matter what your dilemma in life is, this book will give you encouraging and enlightening words 365 days to remind you to hold back on to your faith.

Nick,
When your heart breaks, time will let you heal.
When you're doubtful with your faith, God will find a way.
When your hope slips away, I will catch it and give it back.
When you sense the world is cruel to you, I'll give you all my senses and heart to understand that the world is such a wonderful place.
Just remember that your friend Sara will lend you her shoulders to carry the massive world on your back.
Stand straight, chest out, and put pride on your face.
Because you are Nicholas Stokes, an asset to the human race.

R&R please...