Hi guys, I'm very excited about publishing this story and seeing people's reactions to it- hopefully they'll be good! It's based (loosely) on the CSI Miami episodes from mid-way through Season 5. I'm not even the biggest CSI Miami fan but loved these episodes and have just recently watched them again, however you can read this without having watched the episodes, and obviously the characters will be replaced. So without babbling on anymore, I hope you guys enjoy this story and please leave a review of your thoughts! X
As he lay on the floor, he could feel his eyes begging to roll into the back of his head. But he willed them not too. He sluggishly moved them towards the running footsteps to where he knew Russell would be coming to his aid.
As Russell reached him he felt his eyes roll again, this time a little further than the last. "Greg hold on, help is on the way, you just have to hold on, bud. Okay? You're going to be fine."
He could hear Russell talking to him, encouraging him that everything would end up okay, but he couldn't focus. He shut his eyes and found that he couldn't open them again.
"Greg open your eyes. Greg! Come on, bud, you need to open your eyes." Russell shouted at him.
But it was too late and Greg fell unconscious.
Russell heard the shots fired from the warehouse he was in, two away from the one Greg was in.
They had been called out to a scene near the desert and it was pretty desolate. The warehouses were the only buildings for miles and other than that it was just a long stretch of road. Russell had just been bagging some evidence when he heard the first shot.
He stood up, drawing out his gun. He stepped close to the warehouse wall and peered his head out. He saw the officer on scene with his gun drawn and heading into the warehouse Russell had last seen him in. Glancing around, he set off to follow until he heard a flurry of gunshots. He ducked behind the outside wall of the warehouse and waited until the gunfire stopped and then proceeded forward, this time with even more caution. As he got closer he could hear the officer yelling into his radio the reg plate of the car that had just squealed off.
Running now he came up behind the officer, "Where's CSI Sanders?"
The officer lifted his head from the radio attached to his shirt. "I don't know, but-"
Russell left him talking to himself as he spotted a hand poking out behind a large piece of machinery. "Greg? Greg!" He yelled as he got closer.
And that's when he found him. He could see that he was quickly becoming increasingly unconscious and saw that there was blood seeping from his leg. But that wasn't what worried him the most, there was blood pooling around his head.
"Greg, hold on for me okay? Hold on, bud." Russell told him, whipping off his jacket and placing it under his head, hoping to stem the blood flow.
The officer was quick to follow Russell and had called for backup and a paramedic before kneeling down and putting pressure on Greg's leg.
"Greg hold on, help is on the way, you just have to hold on, bud. Okay? You're going to be fine." He told his younger colleague. However he didn't quite believe himself what he was saying.
He looked down and saw Greg staring at him quietly with a blank gaze for a split second, before his eyes once again rolled back.
"Greg open your eyes. Greg! Come on, bud, you need to open your eyes." Russell ordered him, but he knew it was no good. Greg's eyes were closed, and Russell had no idea if they were ever going to open again.
Nick rounded the corner of the hospital and jogged up to Russell. "Where is he? Is he gonna' be okay?"
Russell stood to meet him and shook his head, "I don't know, Nick. They've took him for surgery, it'll probably be a few hours until he's out."
Nick let out a long breath and nodded slowly, "So he's still…" He drifted off and looked to Russell who understood.
"Yeah, they're doing everything they can for him. It took them almost quarter of an hour to get him back though." Russell informed him as he sat down next to a dazed Nick.
"He'll be okay, you know that." Russell said after a moment's silence, putting his hand on Nick's back.
Nick nodded unconvincingly but agreed anyway, "I know, I just can't help but think… he might not make it through this one."
Russell nodded in understanding. "I know, but we can't think like that Nick, Greg wouldn't if the roles were switched."
Nick didn't reply and he and Russell sat for a while, waiting for any news on their friend. Catherine arrived about an hour later with Morgan and Sara behind her. "Guys! How's Greg, is he alright?"
The girls gathered around as they waited for either Nick or Russell to answer them. "He's in surgery right now. They don't know if he's going to make it out or not."
Morgan covered her mouth with her hand as she gasped just at the thought that she may never see Greg again. She'd never see him try and flirt with her or Nick picking fault with him over it. The thought of it was just too much.
Sara put her head down and sighed. She knew this was the case. They'd all heard back at the lab that Greg had been shot and most importantly he'd been shot in the head. That alone told her that his chances weren't good, and although she was praying for Greg to make it through, she had mentally prepared herself for the worst case scenario.
Catherine, being a motherly figure to Greg, closed her eyes in pain. She couldn't imagine her life without Greg, he was like a son she never had, and she'd be damned if that was going to be taken away from her.
She moved to sit next to Nick and put her hand on his leg. He looked over to her and suddenly stood up, walking quickly down the hall.
"This has hit him really hard." Russell said as they watched him go. Catherine stood and left to follow him, leaving Sara, Russell and Morgan waiting for any news.
Catherine wondered through the halls looking for Nick and after a long search found him sat in the religious part of the hospital, where he sat alone on one of the benches.
She stood close to the door as she observed him and listened carefully to what he was saying.
"I know I'm not really religious, or the biggest fan of yours, but…" He put his head down and Catherine watched him sadly. "I'm beggin' you God, I'm beggin' you, don't take Greg away from me. Alright? Call me selfish, I don't care, I can't lose him. You took Warrick and I'll hate it if you take Greg too.
"So just… just listen to me, just this one time and… help Greg, please help him." He said as he broke down in tears, and Catherine finally walked in and sat next to him, pulling him into her embrace where he sobbed into her shoulder, praying for his friend.
Nick and Catherine met up with the others, who Brass, Al and David had now joined, both with red eyes.
"Any news yet?" Nick asked them with hopeful eyes.
"The doctor's coming in a minute, Greg's got out of surgery and he's being taken to the ICU." Sara told him with a small yet sad smile.
Nick nodded in response and wiped a hand over his face in exhaustion. "Doc?"
Al looked up in surprise and nodded, "Yeah Nick?"
"Is Greg going to be alright, if he you know… if he wakes up?" He asked him doubtfully.
The others shared the same look and empathized with Nick, seeing how this had affected him.
Al cleared his throat. "He probably won't be the same Greg we all know. There's no way of telling how much trauma he's endured, but there could be a lot of problems he could face short term and long term." He stopped and carried on after a moment. "But with the right help, he can be back to his old self before any of this happened."
Nick nodded in acknowledgment and lifted his head as a doctor walked towards them, and the others saw and looked up too.
"Family of Greg Sanders?" She asked.
They all nodded and before anybody else had chance, Nick asked straight away, "How is he?"
The doctor stepped a little closer to them and then began talking, "The surgery went well, we managed to get some of the bullet out however the rest is still lodged inside. He should wake up within the next 48 hours and hopefully there won't be too many problems we face during his recovery."
"Will there be any major problems for him when he wakes up?" Russell asked her.
"For now, we're not too sure. However, from where the bullet hit in his brain, there could be a number of problems; memory loss, blurred vision, clumsiness, it really can't be known until he awakes." She told them with a sad smile.
"We have a great team of therapists here who can help Greg with any problems he could face when he wakes up. Whatever it is, we'll be here to help him get back on his feet." She added once she let the previous information sink in.
Catherine spoke up, "Thank you, Doctor. When can we go and sit with him?" She enquired.
"Now is just fine, however I'd like to keep it at just a few people at one time for this moment. When he wakes we'll see about you all going in together."
The team looked at each other and Catherine spoke again, "Nicky, you want to go first?"
Nick looked up and at the rest of the team who smiled at him, "You guys sure?"
They all nodded and Catherine stroked his arm, "We're sure."
"I'll show you to his room." The doctor told him.
Nick took a deep breath and followed her, smiling to Catherine as he went by her.
"Poor Nick." Morgan said sadly, however she was relieved Greg was going to be 'alright'.
"Yeah, don't worry though, he'll be okay." Russell told her as he grabbed her hand.
"Yeah", Sara said, "Just like Greg will be."
As Nick entered the hospital room he closed the door and stood by it for a while. He looked at his friend, his best friend, lying in the hospital looking deadly pale and very vulnerable. He had a thin layer of sweat covering him and his gown stuck to him slightly. Nick stepped forward slowly and gingerly pulled a chair up next to the bed.
He grabbed hold of Greg's hand, careful not to aggravate the IV in his hand. "Hey man, don't scare me like this again, you hear me? Otherwise we're gonna' fall out." He told him with a smile.
"You've no idea what's been going on with everyone, we've been stressing out to the max, worrying about you. But you're gonna' be okay. You just need to wake up so that we can help you get better. Just wake up… That's all you gotta' do, man.
"That's all you gotta' do."
The girls decided to go in together. None of them wanted to see Greg in this state alone. They went in and all sat around him and on the bed.
"He looks so small in this bed." Catherine said with a smile as she stroked his hand.
"He does, I didn't think he would look… like this." Morgan told them with a sad frown. "He looks worse than I thought he would." She told him truthfully.
"It always looks worse than it actually is." Sara commented. "I remember when he was beaten up, he looked awful but he still had his sense of humour."
Catherine and Morgan smiled, "I don't think he could ever lose that." Catherine replied.
Then there was silence, as they all thought that this was what could actually make Greg lose his great sense of humour.
"He'll be okay," Catherine told them, as if knowing they thought the same thing as her, "Greg's a strong person."
Sara nodded her head and Morgan smiled, and then they sat there in silence, praying that Greg would be okay."
"Hey bud." Russell said as he sat down, much like Nick had when he first went in. "I hope you can hear me. You're going to be fine. I know it." He told him confidently. More confident than he was back at the scene.
"The sooner you wake up, the sooner we can all rest. Nick's really worried about you, you know that?" He asked, looking closer at his face and the oxygen tube running under his nose.
He sat quiet for the rest of his time there and then stood, heading back to the lab.
They had to catch the person who did this to Greg.
The team had agreed the next day to go and sit with Greg at 7:00p.m. when their shift finished. It was rare but they had worked it out so that they all managed to get away at the same time. Once they arrived at the hospital they headed to Greg's room where there was a few nurses stood outside chatting and one writing on a clipboard.
"Excuse me, are we alright to go and sit with Greg?" Russell asked them.
The nurses look up and smiled, and then one left the other as she began to talk. "Greg woke up about a half hour ago, the doctor has had a look at him and he's doing okay. He's been asking to see all of you." She told them with a smile.
The team sighed in relief and grabbed each other in happiness. "Thank you, so much." Russell told her.
"It's okay; you can go and spend as much time as you wish with him, he should be able to keep his eyes open for a few hours." She told them as she turned to leave them.
They all smiled at each other as Nick opened the door. "Hey man, nice to see you."
Greg smiled as he watched them all come in, his head resting on his pillow. "Hey guys."
"How you doing, bud?" Russell asked him as he pulled up one of the chairs in the room. It looked like the staff knew they would all be coming so brought more chairs in for them.
"I'm alright." He told them with a raspy voice. He gave them a reassuring smile but inside he was hurting. His head hurt really badly, but he wasn't about to tell his friends that, the look on their faces showed how relieved they were to see him. His leg hurt too but his doctor had mainly focused on his head, so he assumed his leg must have been healing okay.
Catherine grabbed his hand and held it in hers. "You had me worried for a while." She admitted to him.
He smiled at her and gave her hand a soft squeeze, "You don't need to worry about me."
He looked around the room and frowned, "Where's Warrick? Didn't he come with you guys?"
At that moment, everyone's faces dropped, Nick's especially. "What, honey?" Catherine asked him, unsure if she had heard correctly.
"Where's Warrick?" Greg asked again.
The team looked to each other and Nick moved his chair closer to him, "Greg, the doctor said you might have some memory loss. Warrick… Warrick died a few years ago." He told him, telling himself to keep composed.
Greg frowned and looked at the others and immediately saw that Nick was telling him the truth. "He died?" He asked confused.
Nick nodded and sighed. "He was shot in the head, like you. Except he didn't make it."
Greg closed his eyes and screwed them tightly shut. "So that's why I'm in here?"
He opened his eyes to see everyone nod sadly. "So Warrick's gone?" He asked upset, a few tears forming in his eyes.
Sara stood and started towards the door, "I'll go and fetch a doctor."
Greg closed his eyes and let a tear roll down his face. Catherine reached up and wiped her thumb over his cheek. "Oh Hun, everything will be alight." She comforted him.
Catherine leant in to him and let him lean on her shoulder as he let out some more tears, and the rest of the team sat there sadly, worrying about their friend.
Not long after Sara had left, she returned with a doctor following. "Hi, Greg. I'm your doctor, now I know another doctor has already come to see you when you first came to, but I just need to talk to you about your memory loss. Your friend tells me you were asking about someone who died a little while ago, is that right?"
Greg pulled away from Catherine and nodded his head slightly as he rested it back on the pillows.
"Okay, I was told that your friend died quite a few years back, are you aware of that now?" The doctor asked him with warm eyes.
Greg shook his head.
"Alright, well it seems that the memory loss has affected you more than we would have thought. However, it could just be some of the more significant events that have happened that you may not remember. There's no cure for this Greg, but you could get your memory back a little bit or even all of it. Okay, so there is still a chance it could return."
Greg just sat there and nodded, taking in what she had said. It was weird not remembering things people talked about, or almost forgetting that Warrick had died.
"If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer them for you." The doctor told him. "Here," She scribbled something down on a piece of paper, "This is my pager, let me know if you need me."
Catherine looked up and thanked her and they were all quiet as she left.
"Did they say anything about my leg?" Greg asked in an even quieter and raspier voice than before.
"It's going to be fine, the nurse said within a few weeks it should be healing nicely, you might need to have a few physical therapy sessions to help, but it'll be fine." Morgan told him with a smile.
Greg nodded his head slightly and smiled at her, "Thanks."
She smiled back at him, glad to have him smiling.
"You know, we can probably sneak some food in here for you. I know you'll get fed up of the hospital food after just today so what do you think? I can go grab you something." Nick asked him.
Greg thanked him but declined, "I don't think I'm going to be eating much today, maybe tomorrow."
Nick nodded, "Alright, but hopefully you can get out of here soon anyway."
Greg smiled, "I hope so."
It had been just under three weeks and Greg had already returned to work. He had gone over the basics with Russell last week and after another week Russell allowed him to come back.
"Hey, it's nice to see you back." Sara said to him as he arrived at the crime scene where Sara and Morgan already were.
"Hey, thanks. What have we got?" He asked, trying to quickly get the conversation away from himself as he set down his kit.
"DB is in the kitchen, 21 year old female; neighbours say they heard them yelling with each other, what sounded like a gun shot and then silence. Nobody called it in until this morning when they saw him walk around his garden with blood on his hands." Sara told him, nodding towards a tall man, who looked to be in his late 50s.
Greg looked over to him just outside the front door, "Is that her father?" He asked Sara, picking up his case.
Sara looked up from her crouched position. "Try boyfriend."
Greg's eyes widened. "Boyfriend? He looks three times her age."
"I know, but I suppose it's legal so…" Sara said and drifted off.
Greg nodded. "Well I'll go and talk to him, see what I can get."
"Hey." Greg said as he went in the room Morgan was in when he had gotten back to the lab, a few hours after they had got back from their scene.
"Hey, you can just put your case down there." Morgan said to him with a small smile, hardly looking up to him.
Greg frowned as he put it down, "Why do you need it?"
She glanced up to him as she pulled it closer to herself. "We just need to go over everything, we have no reason to believe her 'boyfriend' didn't do this to her except the GSR test. I ran another one and it came up positive."
Morgan didn't say anymore and Greg figured what she was saying. "I did the test."
"You did a test, I'm not sure you tested him for GSR though." She told him lightly.
"I might be a little slow but I know what I'm doing, alright?" Greg argued.
Morgan pursed her lips, "Your kit shows that you didn't test at all for gunshot residue." She told him quietly.
Greg stared at her, his mouth slightly agape.
"You know it's okay, it was a mistake." Morgan told him sympathetically.
But Greg shook his head, "I'll go and tell Russell what I've done." He said, about to turn and walk out.
"Greg wait!" Morgan called, "We can keep this between us. I checked him so it's okay."
"It's not okay Morgan. Because you knew I'd mess up and did the test anyway, so I'm obviously not ready to be here yet and you think so too." Greg told her and then left.
Morgan was about to reply but he had already gone.
Greg knocked on Russell's door and waited for him to shout.
"Hey Greg, how's your first day back going?" He asked him as Greg came forward to sit down.
"That's why I came here. I messed up." Greg admitted and Russell sat forward in his seat.
"What do you mean, Greg?" He asked him with a puzzling frown.
Greg sighed, "The suspect at our scene, I didn't run the GSR test, Morgan did one and it was positive. So I almost let him get away."
Russell nodded in understanding. "Well, as long as the test was done we have no problem."
But Greg shook his head, "Yes we do, or I have a problem. I think I came back too soon. I shouldn't have made that mistake." He told his boss in an almost apologetic tone.
"Okay, if you feel you need more time you can have it." Russell told him. "But Greg, remember this, you're good at your job and nothing will change that."
Greg nodded and got up, thinking about what Russell had told him.
He was good at his job, and he was going to make sure he didn't make a mistake again.
There we go, I think it went alright? I know it's not very long but it's enough for me :) Please let me know if you enjoyed it! X