Disclaimer: I own nothing of CSI
Understanding
"What is with you today? You've grabbed the oh shit handle like five times and we've only been driving for ten minutes. Am I really driving that bad?" Jackie asked Nick.
(the oh shit handle is what Nick and Jackie jokingly call the handle on the passenger side of their van)
"No, sorry you're not driving bad, I'm just a little on edge today." Nick told her.
"Did something happen at work last night? You've been acting weird ever since you got home."
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Well, you came in and just grabbed me and gave me that big kiss, I just thought it was odd."
"I can't kiss you?" Nick asked sounding surprised.
"Yes you can, I prefer that you didn't though." Jackie replied with a playful grin.
Nick laughed.
"Seriously though, did something happen last night?"
"No nothing happened." He lied.
In truth the nearly fatal car ride he had taken the day before had scared the hell out of him and he was really on edge. He hated lying to Jackie about it but he saw no sense in scaring her, the wreck had been avoided and no one had gotten hurt.
"Jackie, slow down." He demanded suddenly.
"What the hell is wrong with you? I'm only going about two miles over the speed limit." She said as she brought the van to a stop for a red light.
"I'm sorry." He told her.
She just looked at him oddly.
"Would it be alright if I drive?" He asked.
"Alright Nick, what is going on?" She demanded, no longer believing that something serious hadn't happened.
"Alright the truth is, last night on my way to investigate a suspect I almost got in a car accident, the accident was avoided and I'm fine but I guess it just shook me a little." He told her.
He didn't really consider that a lie, that is what happened, he just left off the terrifying details so she wouldn't freak out.
"That's all that happened?" she asked as she looked at him.
"Yes." He told her.
"Ok, I'm so glad you're ok." She told him as she reached over and laid a hand softly on his shoulder.
"Thanks." He told her with a smile.
The light turned green and so she started driving again but just a couple blocks down the road she turned into a strip mall parking lot. Nick looked at her oddly.
"Why are you stopping here?" He asked her as she pulled into a parking space.
"I'm letting you drive." She told him as she unbuckled her seatbelt.
He smiled at her as he too unbuckled his seatbelt.
The couple then traded places.
After Nick had gotten into the driver's seat and put on his seatbelt he backed the car out of the parking place.
Although Jackie had not been driving bad he felt much more secure in the driver's seat.
"Hey?" He said to Jackie as they were driving along.
"Yeah?" she responded.
"Thanks for being so understanding." He told her with a smile.
"Aren't I always?" She asked with a grin.
"With work stuff yes, with some other stuff not so much." He said with a playful scowl.
Jackie laughed.
Nick looked over at Jackie and smiled at her. Since getting married, thanks to Nick's job the couple had been faced with more horrifying ordeals than most couples ever have to face and Jackie has always been right there next to him, she's never wavered and for that he is very grateful to her.