Frozen

by McGeeklover

One-shot Tag to 13x02- "Oh no," Nick whispered as he dragged a shelf over to prop the door open, disregarding Finn's shouts and running further into the room, ignoring the freezing temperature biting his exposed skin. "Greggo? Oh god." Nick choked a sob as he knelt next to his friend…his frozen friend. And when he felt for a pulse, he found none...

Frozen

Another CSI fanfic from me, but it's just a one-shot. And don't worry, I'm still working on the next chapter for TBB (true blood brothers in case you didn't know ;)) and also mauled. Anyways, enjoy and I don't own CSI!

Greg was a bit nervous of going into the walk- in freezer; he was kinda of worried something bad might happen, but he had a job to do and it needed to be done. He just prayed that the door wouldn't shut on him like it did Vincent. Taking a deep breath, he swung open the door and walked inside, lifting his camera to start taking pictures. All of a sudden he heard a creak and he made it just in time to see the door start to close. He caught it with his hand and looked around, finding a crate of vegetables. Propping it against the door and sure that it would hold, he stood up straight, exhaling softly.

"Phew." That had been close.

He resumed taking pictures, moving further and further from the door. Little did he know that the crate wasn't strong enough to hold the weight of a metal door. And the next thing he knew, Greg heard the door slam shut causing all his blood to drop to his feet. That definitely wasn't a good sound. Turning around, dread filled his whole body when he saw the door was indeed shut. And he was locked inside.

"Crap."

He wasn't gonna panic…not yet, anyways. It'd do him no good.

"Hello!" He banged on the door, listening for any signs of movement, even though it was impossible through the thick door. Finn had to have heard him; she was practically right outside. He waited for a few minutes then figured she wasn't coming. Sighing, he dug around in his pockets, hoping to find the one thing that could help him.

"At lease I still have my…" but every single pocket turned up empty. "…phone. Dammit." He must've left it in the car. Nice going Greg; smart thinking. He looked around, rubbing his arms for warmth; he was shivering already and now he was beginning to panic. What if he couldn't get out of here? What if he froze to death? Stop thinking like that, Greg. They'll realize you're gone and come find you…but in time? Hugging himself, he walked around the small space for a few minutes, hoping to find some other way out…though he knew it would never happen. As he walked closer to one of the shelves, he noticed a hidden camera wedged between two crates. If he could only get out, there was probably something on there that could help the case.

Greg cupped his hands to his mouth, blowing warm air into them repeatedly. He was already starting to lose feeling in his fingers. Then he began to pace to try and keep his blood flowing, but it was getting pointless. He didn't know how long it had been, but things were starting to get numb, his breath sounded shallow and he was stumbling into things. And the longer he stayed in here, it just seemed to get colder. God, the team had to know he was missing by now; it had been hours, right? Well, at least it felt like hours. Where was he again? Oh god, he was in a fricken freezer! When the hell did that happen? Great now I'm losing it. Try and stay calm, deep breaths. But it was getting difficult to even take a small breath. He was gonna die!

Desperate, he staggered over to the door and weakly banged on the door once again, croaking for help. If he didn't get out soon, he was going to be laying in Doc's autopsy. He remembered reading something on hypothermia victims after a case and…it wasn't good. After nothing happened, he trudged back over to the far wall and collapsed against it, sliding to the floor. His eyes became wet with tears as he curled in on himself, trying to get as warm as possible. He should've kept his suit jacket on instead of just wearing a thin button up. What was he thinking? The tears began trickling down his cheek, but before they could slip off his jaw, they seemed to freeze on his face. Had it gotten colder in here? He could've sworn it had been a bit warmer than this. Teeth chattering as his shivering intensified, he started to cry and wondering why the guys haven't found him yet. Have they even noticed he was missing? They obviously would've questioned as to why he was taking so long to take simple round of photos. But now he was beginning to doubt that his team even cared. They were more focused on the multiple homicides that happened not too long ago. And he didn't blame them, the case- especially this case- was a lot more important.

Greg leaned his head against the cold wall, suddenly feeling tired. His chest felt constricted and even though he knew sleeping was a bad idea, it was getting more and more difficult to keep his eyes open. Drowsily, he lifted his heavy head and frowned when something peculiar caught his eye. It looked like…blood. Using up whatever energy he had left, he pushed himself to his hands and knees, crawling over to the corner to find that this would definitely be the thing that could actually solve the case. He couldn't believe it…now he really needed to stay awake, but darkness was getting the better of him. He could barely breathe or move anymore. He couldn't even shiver- that was a really bad sign. And now he finally knew that he wasn't gonna be rescued…not in time anyways. Images of his life flashed through his mind as he slumped against the wall, falling unconscious, and the blood covered apron clutched tightly in his frozen hand.

~+CSI+~

2 Hours Later

Nick sighed as he let Vincent go see his brother's wife; this sucked out loud. Now he'd never be able to come to Frank's without gory images of friends' dead bodies swirling in his head. God, this whole day had turned to shit; the day that was supposed to be a reunion with his team had turned to a multiple homicide. Nine to be exact. He, Sara, and Greg had catching up to do, and he wanted to apologize to the both of them for his reckless behavior…especially Sara. And Greg- they had been brothers almost since day one and because he almost quit, because of all the shit that had went on, he felt like they had grown apart. He wanted his brother back. Speaking of Greg, where was the kid? He looked around the crowded area, scanning for Greg's scrawny frame and blond spiked hair. The last time he saw the younger CSI, he had been taking pictures in the diner and soon to the freezer and assumed he'd be done by now. He looked at his watch- nearly two hours. Damn, he's been here long!

"You okay, Nicky?" Brass said as he came up, noticing the frown on the Texan's face.

"I don't know." Something was pulling frantically at his gut and it was beginning to freak him out. "Something's not right."

"Nothing has been these days."

"No," Nick said, pulling out his cell, dialing Greg's number and leaning against the car. "I mean Greg should be done by now, right? With the pictures I mean; have you seen him at all?"

"As a matter of fact, I didn't see him inside just now. Do you think-"

A muffled, yet shrill ring came out from the car. His heart beating and dread slowly beginning to crawl into his gut, Nick opened and cursed softly. Greg's phone was in the cup holder and not with his friend.

"Dammit, G."

Snapping his phone shut, he bolted into the diner, searching for his little brother."

"Finn, have you seen Greg since he went into the walk-in?"

"No actually, but he's only been in there for…" she looked down at her watch and frowned. "Two hours ago? Wait, what?"

"He hasn't come out at all?"

The two shared a worried look before they ran to the back, hoping that Greg had wandered out through back door or something.

"Greg?" Nick shouted as they got to the freezer. Oh god, this was not looking good. And even though he was terrified at what he might see on the other side of the door, he slowly opened it and instantly, his heart plunged to the floor. He heard Finn gasp and then run off, shouting in a panic.

"Call an ambulance!"

"Oh no," Nick whispered as he dragged a shelf over to prop the door open, disregarding Finn's shouts and running further into the room, ignoring the freezing temperature biting his exposed skin. "Greggo? Oh god." Nick choked a sob as he knelt next to his friend…his frozen friend. The kid was curled up against the wall, lips blue, frost on the tips of his eyelashes and hair, and his chest…it wasn't moving. He felt for a pulse and his heart stopped when he found none. Trying not to lose his common sense, he remembered that in hypothermic victims you most likely won't find a pulse in their neck. Hurriedly, he grabbed Greg's wrist, hoping that the kid was still alive. Instantly, a rapid thump hit his finger, and he knew, since one of his college friends had gotten hypothermia, that this wasn't a good thing. But the Texan let out a sigh of relief; he was alive…for how long, he had no idea. He didn't want to move the kid yet, just in case Greg was literally frozen and his limbs had become brittle. It was unlikely to happen, but he wasn't taking any chances.

He moved his hand up to Greg's face, and carefully cupped Greg's cheek stroking it with his thumb. His skin was ice cold...corpse-like cold. Suddenly, Finn came up behind him with a thick woolen blanket in her hand.

"Thank you," Nick said gratefully as he took it from her and quickly wrapped it around Greg's small frame. After wrapping it tight, he tried to see if he could wake the man up.

"Greg? Greg, buddy, can you hear me?"

Silence. Suddenly, Greg's eyes flickered open, his glassy eyes seeing right past Nick.

"Hey bud, I'm gonna get you outta here, alright?"

Greg didn't respond and immediately, his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he began slipping back into unconsciousness.

"No, no, no, no! Greg, stay with me, man." But it was too late. "Shit."

He needed to get him out of there…NOW. Cautiously, yet hastily, he maneuvered Greg's stiff body to a position where he could pick him up. And that's when he noticed the bloody apron in his tightly closed hand. He smiled briefly; the kid was so selfless that he cared more about the case than himself….like always. Sighing, he picked the extremely weightless man up and carried him bridal style out of the cooler and out into the front area. He dodged all the blood and evidence and finally managed to make it out into the sun. There was another blanket on the ground nearby and he made a mental note to thank Finn later. He laid the man down carefully, and wrapped the second blanket around the other. He needed to get the kid's temperature up fast; he'd been in the freezer for nearly two hours, no telling what it was now. And now Greg's unconsciousness was starting to worry Nick.

"Come on G, wake up buddy."

All of a sudden, Greg's eyelids flickered and they almost started to open.

"Greg?"

He waited for at least a minute, but nothing happened. The kid's breathing was getting worse and Greg wasn't responding to his voice.

"Come on, say something…please." He rested his hand on the kid's cheek and waited for something to happen.

"N-N-N-Nick?" Greg groaned weakly.

"Oh thank god," Nick breathed.

Greg's eyes squinted open and Nick could instantly see panic. Instead of looking at Nick, Greg looked down at his hand and suddenly his shallow breathing hitched.

"Easy bud; take it easy. You're alright."

"W-W-Wh-Where i-i-i-is i-i-it? T-The a-apr-pron?"

"We got it G. You did a good job; just relax."

"W-W-Wait. C-C-Camera."

"Greggo, that doesn't matter ri-"

"N-n-no, s-s-security c-camera i-i-in f-f-fre-ezer." Greg began coughing violently, pain visible on his graying face.

Where were those damn paramedics?

"Greg, please stop talking."

"F-F-Focus on c-c-case…m-m-me l-l-later."

"Greg-"

Greg's eyes dipped closed all of a sudden and his body went still.

"Greggo?" Nick frowned as he moved the blankets away for a moment and put his ear to Greg's chest. His eyes widened in terror, snapping his head away and turning towards the street and Finn…anyone who would listen.

"Where is that damn ambulance?!"

"They're almost here," Finn said in anxiety, placing a hand on Nick's shoulder briefly.

They weren't gonna get here in time; Greg's heart had already stopped beating, who knows how much time the kid had left. Moving closer to Greg, he positioned his hands on his chest and began chest compressions. After thirty, he moved to Greg's mouth, tilting his head back and putting his mouth over Greg's, blowing air into his unresponsive lungs. Nick put his ear back to Greg's chest and cursed. It hadn't worked. He began again, tears of terror running down his cheeks. Finally, he heard the relieving sounds of sirens and slamming doors in the air and within seconds, he was pushed away from his unmoving little brother, forced to watch from the sidelines.

"Alright, we have a severe case of hypothermia, not breathing and heart has stopped. Use the AED once and then we'll move onto CPR if we have to," one paramedic shouted, taking the defibrillator out of its pack.

"On my mark…All clear?"

"Clear!" The other paramedic stated.

The paramedic shocked Greg's chest, causing the kid's body to jerk up.

"Oh god," Nick whispered. Finn took his arm, weaving her own through his.

"We have a pulse!"

Nick nearly collapsed, but he had to stay strong…for Greg.

"Start him on intravenous fluids as well as oxygen and let's get him on the gurney…On my count: three…two...one, up"

Greg was wheeled into the back of the ambulance and just as Nick was gonna go with them, Finn stopped him. He'll be okay, Nicky. Let's just finish up here real quick and then we'll go to the hospital, alright?"

"Finn-"

"Come on, Nick, he's in good hands."

Reluctantly, Nick turned away from the ambulance as it sped off with his lifeless friend inside…close to death's bitter hands. He didn't know why Finn had made him stay at the crime scene, because even though he felt for the many victims in the diner, he cared more about his little brother's life right now. You can mourn for the dead, but you can't forget about the living.

Finn sighed as he glanced at the Texan once again. She could tell his mind was on Greg and less on the crime scene and she felt bad that she stopped him from going into the ambulance. Biting her lip, she pulled out her phone and dialed Sara's number; the woman had left for the crime lab earlier but maybe she could get her to replace Nick.

"Hey Sara."

"Hey, what's up?"

"I'm gonna need your help over here, we had an accident and-"

"Accident? What happened?"

"Greg, he was trapped in the freezer for too long and he stopped breathing."

"What? Well, how is he? Is he gonna be okay?"

"I don't know, the last time we saw him he had just been resuscitated."

"Oh my god…w-who found him?"

"Nick."

"How's he doing?"

Finn looked over at the Texan who was staring at the lifeless body of Owen…a brother to Vincent. No telling how much it reminded Nick how he almost lost his own brother…maybe not even an almost.

"Not too good; could you come help me finish up so he can go to the hospital?"

"Already half way there."

Finn smiled. "Thanks." With that, she hung up and walked over to Nick.

"Hey."

The man looked up at her from the ground as he was collecting some evidence. His face was pale and his eyes were filled with worry. "Go; I called Sara so she should be here soon."

This seemed to brighten Nick's mood as he finished what he was doing and stood up.

"Thank you," he whispered to Finn before heading towards the door.

Finn turned to watch him leave, smiling sadly. "Hey," she called out.

Nick looked at her, his hand on the door, really wanting to leave.

"Let us know how he's doing."

Nodding, Nick smiled and burst out the door, disappearing into the sea of onlookers. Jumping into the Denali, he revved the motor before taking off towards the hospital. As he was driving, he glanced down at Greg's cell phone. The kid should've been carrying that while on the scene; then maybe none of this would've ever happened. But he didn't blame Greg; he blamed himself for not noticing soon enough. He was a trained investigator for god sake! His lips tightening into a thin line, he grabbed the device and held it tightly in his hand. Right now, it was closest thing to Greg he had.

~+CSI+~

Nick paced restlessly in the waiting room; he couldn't take it anymore. Why were they taking so long to tell him what was going on? Not even the goddamn nurse would tell him. He glanced at the double doors for the hundredth time, hoping for a doctor to come out and tell him Greg's condition; tell him that he was going to be okay. But nothing…like the many other times. Groaning in frustration, he ran a hand through his hair as he resumed pacing. Suddenly, he heard someone call his name and he looked up to see Russell walking over to him.

"D.B. What are doing here?"

"I heard what happened. Have you heard anything?"

"No," Nick sighed in weariness, rubbing a hand down his face. "Nothing, they won't tell me anything!"

"Hey, calm down. I'm sure he'll be okay."

"But you didn't see him, D.B. He…when I found him, I thought he was dead…and then he did die."

"Nick, take a deep breath; Greg is tough, he'll pull through this."

"D.B-"

"Family of Greg Sanders?"

The two turned around to see a doctor with long blonde hair spilling over her shoulders, piercing green eyes, and a clipboard in her hands. Nick instantly strode over to her, wanting to know his brother's condition…right now.

"That's me, Nick Stokes and this is D.B Russell. We both work at the Crime Lab with Greg." The CSI's shook hands with the doctor and she nodded to them.

"Why don't we go have a seat?" She gestured to the nearby chairs.

Nick agreed, but couldn't help but feel worry climbing into his chest. Normally, the doctor wouldn't ask them to sit down unless it was serious.

"Alright my name is Dr. Kerri Wells and I've been attending to Greg. First off, is there any immediate family that I can call?"

"Umm, I don't know," Nick spoke. "Greg's mom is all the way in Chicago and I don't think he has any local family."

"You said your name was Nick Stokes, right?" Dr. Wells flipped a couple papers.

"Yeah."

"We'll it looks like you're next of kin anyways."

Nick frowned. He was? When had that happened? "O-Okay…so how is he?"

"Greg sustained severe hypothermia of which brought his body temperature down to about 80° Fahrenheit, which is extremely dangerous. When he got here, his heart was beating irregularly causing us to shock his heart twice to get it back to a normal rhythm. It seems okay now, but we're gonna keep a sharp eye on it for a while. He sustained a minor case of frostbite on his fingers and nose, but it's been handled and it's nothing to panic about. We are also treating him persistently with ACR, or active core rewarming, therefore we have him on warmed humidified oxygen with the mask just to aid his breathing and at the same time get his body temp up to a safer level."

"Where is it at now?" D.B. spoke up.

"The last time I checked, it was still about 82°. However, the intravenous fluids that we're pumping into his bloodstream as we speak should bring that up little by little in addition to warming blankets. He's very lucky; if you had found him just three minutes later, it might've been too late."

Nick felt sick to his stomach. Greg had been three minutes away from death; if he had been preoccupied about the case for three extra minutes, they'd be in autopsy rather than the hospital waiting room. Three minutes; those two words would be imbedded in his brain for the rest of his life.

He cleared his throat, trying to keep himself composed even after hearing this dreadful news.

"How is he? I mean, is he gonna be okay?"

Dr. Wells nodded. "We'll keep monitoring him for a few days, make sure there are no surprises; as for his neurological state, we can't be sure until he wakes up."

"What do you mean neurological state?" Nick said, wringing his hands nervously.

"Hypothermia as severe as Greg's can disrupt the normal duties of the brain as well as his organs. That's why his heart stopped beating like you mentioned in the papers here. If blood is unable to get to the brain, it stops telling the major organs what to do, therefore causing them to shut down. Once again, Greg is extremely lucky that he's alive. It could've taken a different route instantly."

Nick blew out a silent breath as he washed a hand across his face. Greg was going to be okay, he had to. He wouldn't let Greg not be okay.

"Can we go sit with him?" Russell spoke for Nick. The younger man was as pale as a ghost and even though the news was, somewhat, good, it still scared the crap out of the Texan…and himself. He had only known Greg for two years, but he was a good kid and things like this shouldn't happen to him.

Dr. Wells smiled sympathetically, standing up and nodding. "Absolutely, he's just down the hall in the ICU."

Both men stood up and before Nick could follow the doctor, Russell stood in front of him, looking the Texan in the eye.

"You gonna be alright?"

"I think so," Nick voice wavered. "It's just all catching up to me."

"He's gonna be alright, Nicky. Greg doesn't give up, just like to leave us in suspense, remember?"

Nick smirked. That was true; the little shit had always left them hanging with evidence and then at the right moment, he'd come out with an amazing discovery. Not so much now unlike he did when he was in DNA, but he still liked to do it from time to time.

"Now come on, let's go see how he's doing."

He couldn't agree more; he had to see- with his own two eyes- that Greg was gonna be okay. They walked behind the doctor, wondering which door was gonna lead to their teammate. They turned down a hallway and to the large room across from the nurse's station. The doors were shut but Nick could see a glimpse of his friend through the blinds. He was able to hear the muffled beeps of the heart monitor and thankfully it was at a normal pace; not too fast, not too slow, but normal. Thank you God.

"Here you are; now, he's not under sedation, but when he wakes up, just let Nurse Debbie know so she can check some things. She's going to be right outside the door."

"Wait, you mean he's unconscious?" Nick said fearfully. "Is that normal?"

"Yes, Nick, I promise you it's completely normal with hypothermic patients. Though, it may take a couple more hours before he wakes up; his body will probably wait until its warm enough before showing signs of activity."

"Thanks doctor," D.B. said, patting Nick on the shoulder.

"You're welcome and don't be afraid to ask for anything."

When the doctor left the way had come, D.B faced Nick and saw him staring through the glass doors, hesitant about going in.

"Go on Nick; I'm gonna get some coffee, you want some?"

"Umm, no thanks, I'm good."

"Alright. I'll see you soon."

Nick nodded to no one as D.B. had already disappeared for the cafeteria. He stood at the door for what seemed like hours. Why was he so afraid to go into the room? Was it, because he felt guilty or that Greg was so fragile that he feared one touch may break him? Come on, Nick, stop being a wuss and go sit with your brother. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the doors open and he could immediately feel the heat in the room. Had it been that bad that they even turned up the heat in his room? Dammit Greg. Nick moved closer to Greg's motionless body as he sat down in a chair next to the headboard.

Greg's head was turned to towards Nick, but the oxygen mask he was wearing was basically eating the kid's face. The parts of his face that he could see was extremely colorless…so uncommon to a guy that was tan all the time. The only color he could see, though, was the blue tint on his eyelids. Pursing his lips, he assessed the rest of Greg's form; his entire body up to his shoulders was consumed in both thick woolen and heating blankets. His breathing was raspy and slow, but Nick knew that it would go away in time. And worst of all, Greg's face was emotionless…peaceful. Now it would've been a good thing had it not been for this certain situation. If Greg was sleeping or sedated it might not have mattered, but the kid was unconscious. But he almost looked dead.

"Please get better, G." This would really suck if Greg took a turn for the worse; the team just got back together. He was laughing again with his younger brother and sister. He couldn't lose any of them. Hadn't Warrick's death enough?

Nick reached out and took Greg's small hand out from underneath the covers. It was bit cold and the tips of fingers were also blue tinted, so he enveloped the limp hand in his own to try and warm it up. He glanced around at all the wires and monitors; he could see the I.V embedded in Greg's other arm, inserting warm fluids into his chilled body.

"Take your time, bud," Nick whispered, rubbing his thumb over Greg's knuckles. "I'll be right here when you wake up." Just wake up soon. He ran a hand through Greg's blonde curls before leaning back his chair, still holding Greg's hand tightly, as he drifted off into a restless sleep. And he prayed that when he woke up Greg would be wide awake, smiling his goofy smile.

~+CSI+~

He felt so disconnected from his body…maybe that's because he was dead. He knew he was dead, because he felt warm. He had died in a freezer, therefore if he was still alive, he'd be freezing his ass off. Well, at least he made it to heaven. He was so disappointed in himself; he was a freakin' CSI for god sake and he was taken out by a freezer. What a way to go, Greg. But the worse feeling he had in his stomach was how his friends were taking his death. And just when he, Nick, and Sara were becoming a family again. Sighing sadly, he noticed for the first time, that it was completely dark. Isn't heaven supposed to all bright and peaceful? All he could feel was fear and death. He began walking, hugging himself tightly when he began to shiver. He could, all of a sudden, see his breath and he could hear the low hum of…a fan…like in the cooler. A sense of dread overcame him as a thought came to mind; maybe he was still alive- just barely- stuck in the freezer. No one had found him yet? He couldn't blame them, though; this'd be a tough case to get through and they all must extremely busy. Well, now he was gonna have to wait until death reclaimed him…for good this time.

"Greg, come on bud, you gotta wake up."

That voice; it sounded so familiar, but he couldn't place the voice with a face. And why did he have to wake up? He was dead wasn't he?

"Nick, give it time."

Another person? That voice sounded very familiar as well.

"Russell, he's been asleep for almost two days; the doctors are beginning to think he's in some type of weird coma!"

Russell? And all the talk about doctors and comas? It was starting to freak him out. He heard someone sigh heavily before beginning to speak.

"I'll go talk to Dr. Wells and see what she plans on doing."

"Fine," the other voice huffed, sounding tired.

God, he was imagining things now. What more could…then there was a light at the far end of the dark space. It sounded cliché, but he felt like he shouldn't go towards the light…but then again, dying would be a lot better than waking up still trapped in that death prison. Taking a deep breathe, he began slowly walking to the bright spot and supposedly heaven. With each step, a sensation of cordiality replaced the timid feeling that had engulfed him earlier. Though he felt remorseful that he was leaving his friends like this, he knew he'd be in a better place.

Once he reached the light, he closed his eyes with a smile and stepped in…he couldn't wait to see his Papa Olaf.

~+CSI+~

Nick sat down heavily in the chair next to Greg. The kid had been unmoving in the hospital for the past couple days and it was clearly worrying the doctors, not to mention himself. Why wasn't Greg waking up His health was improving, on the bright side; the oxygen mask had been removed and replaced with a nasal cannula. He looked around the room with a faint smile; there were a bunch of get well cards, flowers, balloons, stuffed animals, even Sara had brought Greg's old music player along with his Blue Hawaiian coffee from the kid's apartment so that when he woke up, he could have some. And most of the cards that Greg received had 'great job for solving the case' or 'congrats on putting a killer away, Greg.' And why was that? The apron that Greg had found had blood matching a few of the victims. Also, the security camera that Greg found showed the Vincent had changed aprons. So without even being awake, Greg had managed to solve the case. Nick smiled down at his unconscious little brother, brushing a hand over the kid's hair.

"You did good, buddy, now just wake up so everyone knows- so that I know- you're gonna be okay." When he receive no response once again, he stood up and groaned turning his back to Greg, and running an agitated hand through his hair.

"Where am I? Am I dead?"

Nick's heart leapt into his throat when he heard a rough sounding voice behind him. Spinning on his heels, he was faced with a very confused, very fearful looking Greg Sanders.

"Greg," Nick grinned, striding over to the younger man's side. "It's alright, buddy; you're at a hospital."

"I'm not dead?"

Nick pursed his lips; he didn't want to scare the kid, but he was sure Greg didn't want the sugarcoated version either. "For a few minutes you were but…you're alright now. We've just been waiting for you to wake up."

Greg looked around the room and smiled tiredly when he noticed all his gifts.

"How ya feeling, bud?" Nick asked.

"Not sure," Greg shrugged. And before Nick could respond, a nurse came inside the room.

"Mr. Sanders, it great to see you finally awake. How are we doing?"

Once again, Greg shrugged as he slumped further into the pillows, beginning to feel exhausted…and confused. How had he gotten out of the freezer? He looked around the room, wondering where Nick was. He had to know what was going on.

"N-Nick?"

The Texan was instantly by his side with a comforting hand on his arm. "Right here, buddy. It's okay."

His panic eased as he answered a bunch of the nurse's questions sleepily.

"Well, Mr. Sanders it seems like everything looks okay; you're very lucky man, we almost lost you. You must feel blessed to have a friend like Mr. Stokes."

Greg frowned as Nurse Debbie patted him on the shoulder before leaving. Yeah, he was grateful to have friends like Nick and the rest of the team, but why was she singling the Texan out?

"What is she talking about?" Greg asked as Nick sat down.

"You don't remember?"

"All I remember is being trapped in the freezer, feeling terrified, but after that…nothing."

"Well, after you left to go check the walk-in, I went out to talk to Vincent and Finn was preoccupied with the blood. Sara had left and we were both so busy that we didn't notice you hadn't come out yet. It took me almost two hours to realize you still hadn't come out and I knew it'd never take you that long to find something. I tried calling you, but your phone was in the car; it was the most terrifying feeling I had in my life and when Finn said you hadn't come out of the freezer, I knew what'd happened."

Greg watched Nick's expression with sadness in his eyes. The man had been scared and Nick was the bravest person he knew, so him being frightened was rare. And then he figured it out; Nick must've found him.

"You found me, didn't you," Greg stated.

Nick looked him in the eyes. "Yeah, I did and… it was the worst sight I saw since the murders this morning. You were completely still and pale…it almost looked like you were dead and I thought we lost you. And what's worse, I should've been smart enough to realize you hadn't come out yet. I'm sorry, buddy."

Greg frowned weakly, his exhaustion starting to get the better of him. "Nick…s'not your fault…I promise it's not; I don't blame you, please don't blame yourself"

"Greggo-"

"Please, Nicky."

"Alright, bud…get some sleep okay? I'll be right here when you wake up."

But Greg was already out cold causing Nick to chuckle. He squeezed Greg's limp hand before exhaling shakily. If Greg really didn't want to blame Nick, than he wouldn't blame himself. But he'd still feel a bit guilty no matter what. He almost lost his little brother and he swore to himself that he'd never let something like this happen again. He listened to Greg's steady, deep breathing and felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

"I heard he was doing okay," a voice said behind him.

Nick turned around with a small grin. "Yeah…it was close."

"Too close," D.B added.

"Yeah, but I'm gonna make damn sure it'll never happen again."

D.B smiled; this family of his. "Greg's lucky to have you as a big brother."

Nick smirked as he looked back at his peacefully sleeping brother. He definitely felt like a big brother once again and he vowed that he'd never let that bond break again…ever.

"I love you little brother."

The End.

The end was kinda sucky, but I hope you liked the whole story and that it wasn't too OOC for Nick or anyone else. I researched like crazy for all the medical stuff, so don't go hating if I got something wrong :) Now onto the next chapter of Mauled and TBB! :) REVIEWS!