Remember, Please?

Summary: When Greg gets hurt on the job, and inevitably loses part of his memory, Sara vows to make him remember. Very clichéd, I know. GregSara.

A.N.: I'm very aware that this plot has been used sooooo many times before but I can resist the good stories that pop into my head when I'm day-dreaming at school. Forgive me. :D

"Sara, you're making me nauseas," Nick complained to the pacing woman in front of him.

"Why won't they tell us anything? It's been three hours and we haven't heard a thing." Sara threw up her arms in frustration and placed them back on her hips. Her bottom lip was swollen from her biting it to stop it trembling. Tears were still cascading down her cheeks, but she was ignoring them, as was everyone else. They knew she wouldn't want to be comforted until she'd heard something from the doctors.

"They'll tell us something when they know something," Grissom said, indicating for Warrick to pull her down into a chair before she fell down. "Now, sit there and I'll go and see what's going on." As he passed Sara, he squeezed her shoulder lightly.

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have left him alone. He wasn't ready yet," Sara rambled.

"You couldn't have known," comforted Cath. "No one knew that the suspect would return to the scene. All we can do know is hope and wait that day-shift find out what happened."

Sara shook her head and leant closer to Warrick, waiting for Grissom to return with, hopefully, something about Greg.

Another two hours had passed before someone came and spoke with them and even when someone did come over; it was only to ask if there was any family present. Grissom immediately told her that he was Greg's supervisor and needed to know any information pertaining to his CSI-in-training. The nurse took him to the side.

Grissom returned with a grim look adorning his face. "The doctor's managed to remove the bullet without doing any more damage to Greg's body. But whilst they were in the operating theatre there were a few complications. He slipped into a coma." Sara visibly paled and sunk further into the plastic chair. Warrick wrapped his arm around her waist to stop her melting into a puddle on the floor. "The nurse said that he's breathing on his own, but they have him hooked up to an oxygen tank to help him a little."

"Can we see him?" Nick asked, catching Sara's eye.

"She said there's no point today, or tomorrow for that matter. Greg's immune system took a battering and is liable to infection. They don't want to take any chances. We'll come on Thursday; maybe they'll let us see him then," Grissom took Cath's outstretched hand and went to walk out of the waiting room but turned back around, "Will one of you boys take Sara home?" Nick offered to take her home before Sara could complain. "Thanks Nicky."

Warrick kissed Sara's forehead, "Get some rest sweetie. I'll call you in the morning." He gave Nick a friendly hug and walked out of the waiting room not long after Grissom and Cath.

"I suppose you're going to take me kicking and screaming out of the room and handcuff me to something in the car so I don't get away?" Sara said, standing up slowly.

"No," Nick replied, sitting back down on the orange plastic chairs and picking up an old newspaper to read.

"What?" Sara exclaimed in disbelief.

"I'm not making you leave. I know you want to stay. And to be perfectly honest, so do I. So we may as well stay for another hour or so." He didn't look away from the newspaper, just continued reading as though he had been for a while.

"Thank you," Sara said, sitting back down on a chair and closing her eyes for a second.

Evidently that second turned into a few hours when Sara was rudely awaken by Grissom at ten-am. "I thought I told Nicky to take you home."

Sara sat up a little more and rubbed the crick in her neck. "Yeah, er…I was stubborn and wouldn't go anywhere. You know what I'm like," she replied, feeling proud at herself for thinking up such a good, and possibly true, cover story so quickly. She looked to her right and saw Nick curled up on the only couch in the room. She smiled slightly.

"Sara…I told you to go home. How much sleep did you get?" Grissom asked, sitting down next to her and placing an arm around her shoulders.

Sara rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Four hours," she mumbled sleepily. "Didn't want…to leave…in case…"

"Shhh, Sara, go to sleep. I'll wake you if anything happens."

As Sara was coming out of her sleep-filled state, suddenly lying on the comfortable couch, she heard voices in the room. She kept her eyes closed so she didn't intrude in the conversation, but kept her ears open; the fate of being a CSI.

"Do you think Greg's going to be okay?" Warrick whispered to someone in the room.

"He's a young, strong guy with everything to live for," Cath replied, equally quiet.

Sara realised then that someone was stroking her head, just didn't know who.

"Sara's taken it pretty rough. Do you think there's anything there?" Sara almost smiled at Warrick's meaning of the question. She'd always thought there had been and she knew others would have picked up on it; it was what they were paid to do.

"I don't know. They certainly have grown closer in the last few months. Did you know they go to the movies every other night together?"

"Yeah, Greg hasn't shut up about his 'dates' with Sara since they started going to the movies. I just always assumed she was humouring him." The tone of Warrick's voice made Sara feel sick. Did they really think that? Did they really think that little of her?

"Okay you two. That's enough," Sara silently thanked that Nick had come to her rescue, "It's none of your business if they go to the movies outside of work; it's none of your business if Sara likes Greg or Greg likes Sara; and it's certainly none of your business if Sara's just humouring him. It's your job as a CSI to look at the clues; have there been any to indicate that Sara's playing Greg?" Sara didn't need to see Cath and Warrick's faces to know that they were shaking their heads. "Are there any that there's something more than solid friendship between them?" More shaking. "Then leave it alone."

Sara waited ten minutes before opening her eyes. She had her head in Nick's lap. Warrick and Cath were sitting quietly on the orange chairs opposite.

"Hey sleepy-head," Warrick greeted.

"Hey," Sara mumbled in reply, sitting up from her lying position, but still leaning into Nick. "Has there been any news?"

"Not yet, but the nurse said she'd stop by in a little while with an update," Cath answered.

"I hate this!" Sara exclaimed, abruptly standing up and starting to pace again. "Why won't they tell us anything? What could be so bad that I, his best friend, can't see him?"

"Sara, I don't think they're doing it to spite you," Grissom said from the open doorway, "Greg's immune system has taken such a battering since he's been training that its level of fight has dropped to that of a cancer patient on their fifth round of chemotherapy. Now can you understand why they're not letting anyone see Greg till Thursday?"

"What?" Cath exclaimed from behind Sara, but Sara barely heard it. It was as if someone was suffocating her. She couldn't breathe all of a sudden and her limbs felt heavy. Black spots formed in front of her eyes, clouding her vision. She felt strong arms wrap around her and guide her to the couch before unconscious overtook.

"She's going to be fine, Mr. Grissom. Just the shock, dehydration and hunger have been playing havoc on her body. I seriously recommend that she's given a few days to recuperate and the option of vacation whilst Mr. Sanders is unconscious," the nurse explained to Grissom.

"Thank you," he shook his hand and walked over to Sara's sleeping form in the bed. "Nick, when she wakes up take her home, and I mean it this time. Okay?" Nick nodded and took a seat on the edge of the bed next to Sara. When Grissom had gone, Nick placed one of her hands in one of his and with his free hand; he brushed her hair away from her face. Sara's eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," Nick said barely over a whisper. "You gave us all a fright."

"What happened?" Sara asked, sitting up slightly.

"You collapsed in the waiting room." He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Oh. That's just what I need. How long?" Sara asked, wanting to know how long she had off work.

"Just a few days," at Sara's surprised look he quickly added, "For a start, then the nurse wants you to take a vacation until Greg wakes up at least." Sara dropped her head back against the pillows and closed her eyes. "Come on Sara. It isn't that bad. You won't be able to concentrate whilst you're working anyway."

"Yes, I will!" Sara shot back, anger flared in her eyes. Nick, who wasn't scared of Sara's temper, cocked his head to the side, giving her a 'yeah-right' look. "Fine. I'll agree to the stupid vacation. Happy?"

"Very," Nick said, standing up. "And I'm taking you home right now." He helped Sara up off the bed. She took a few unsteady steps before she was able to walk relatively normally. Nick still had an arm wrapped around her waist. Sara was glad for the help; her legs felt like jelly. "I'll bring you back tomorrow," Nick said, as he helped her into the Denali.

For the next week or so, Sara sat at Greg's beside for as long as she was allowed to. Her abrupt vacation meant she could spend most of her free time at the hospital. She stepped out of the room whilst the nurse changed the bandage across Greg's chest where the bullet hit him. It was whilst she was getting a cup of coffee from the vending machine that the nurse called out to her. "Ms. Sidle!"

Sara raced back to the room, her coffee long forgotten. "What's going on?"

The nurse simply said, "He's responding," before going out of the room to find his doctor.

Sara sat down on the edge of Greg's bed and held onto his hand. His eyes fluttered in their sleep. Ten minutes later, Greg's eyes started to open properly. By this time, the doctor was standing on the other side of the bed measuring Greg's pulse rate.

Greg's gaze darted around the room. Sara recognised the spark in his eye; fear. "Greg…Greg…its okay. You're safe. You're at Desert Palm hospital." She squeezed his hand gently.

"He's pulse is 100. That isn't right. Mr. Sanders," the doctor said from his side. "My name's Jeff Knowles. I'm a doctor here at Desert Palm hospital. Last Tuesday you sustained a bullet impact to the chest. You've been in a coma ever since."

Greg continued to look alarmed. The doctor pulled his oxygen mask off. "Who are you? Where am I? Who am I?" Greg asked quickly, fidgeting on the bed.

"Ms. Sidle, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room for a moment," the doctor asked.

Sara shook her head in protest. "No, I'm not going anywhere. Greg, listen to me…"

"Who's Greg?" Greg asked, not knowing who his was or who she was.

"Greg?" Sara said in disbelief.

"Would you stop calling me that?" He pulled away from her. "I want to be alone."

The doctor guided a teary Sara out of the room. "I'm sorry Ms. Sidle. It appears during the coma; Greg lost some of his memory. Right now, I'm not sure if it's permanent or how much he can't remember, but I must ask you to keep him calm. I'm going to give him a mild sedative for tonight, just to keep him calm, but he will be responsive and alert if you would like to sit with him." The doctor walked back into the room with the injection the nurse had given him.

Sara stood in the doorway, watching as Greg took in his surroundings. His eyes landed on her, not a look of recognition in them. "Whose she?" she heard him ask the doctor. Sara felt a tear fall down her cheek.

"Her name is Sara Sidle. She works at the Las Vegas Crime Lab where you are employed. She's a colleague of yours from the CSI team," the doctor replied, motioning for her to come closer. "Now, I want you, Mr. Sanders, to stay absolutely calm. Don't try to make sense of anything tonight. I'll see you in the morning." The doctor squeezed Sara's arm on the way out.

Sara took a seat on the edge of the bed and held Greg's hand in her own. He pulled his hand away. Sara dropped her head in defeat. "I'll see you tomorrow." She left the room quickly, only stopping once in the doorway to look back at Greg, and then she fled the hospital.

"He's doesn't know who I am," Sara said. She'd gone straight to the Crime Lab. The gang would want to know what was going on, so that's where she'd ended up. "He doesn't know who he is." She nursed the coffee in her hand, not drinking it, just staring at it.

"Sara, you can't let that get you down," Cath said from the other side of the table. Nick kissed Sara's forehead.

"He looked so scared," she cried, burying her head in Nick's shoulder. He whispered comforting words and rubbed her arm lightly. "What are we going to do?"

"Sara, we're gonna help him. We'll help him remember as much as he can. Like the doctor said, they don't know if it's permanent yet," Grissom said. He was leaning against the counter by Warrick.

They sat there for a while, thinking about their friend, alone in the hospital, scared and confused out of his mind.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Nick whispered in Sara's ear as her eyes slid shut.

She shook her head. "I want to go back to the hospital. Be with Greg so he's not alone when he wakes up," Sara replied, loudly enough for the rest to hear.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Grissom said. Sara shot him a look as if to say 'don't-tell-me-what-to-do'. "Sara, he's awake now. You can stop worrying about him, he's in capable hands. The last thing he needs is more confusion."

"I'm just going to sit with him," she replied quietly. No one argued with her when she stood up. They could tell from the determination and tension in her body that they wouldn't get through to her. Nick held her hand and they walked out to the Denali and back to the hospital.

Greg awoke the next morning at six-am. He tried to move his hand but couldn't. He looked down and saw Sara holding his hand. She was resting her head on the side of the bed as she slept. He couldn't hide the smile that grew on his face. He wondered what her eyes looked like when it was light and she wasn't crying.

As if by magic, Sara opened her eyes slowly and looked up to see Greg watching her. "Hey," she greeted, yawning and smiling sleepily. She stretched out her muscles and yawned again. "How'd you sleep?" Greg shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry if I scared you last night."

"It's okay," Greg replied. He pulled his hand out of Sara's and started to fiddle with the bed sheet. "Who are you? How old are you? What are you doing here?"

"The doctor told you last night."

Greg shook his head. "I want to hear it from you."

"Okay." Sara sat on the edge of his bed. "My name is Sara Sidle. And I'm 34. I'm here because I'm friends with you. I know you from work."

"And me?" he asked, a blush creeping over his cheek. She brushed his cheek. Greg recoiled from her touch.

Sara pulled her hand away, willing the tears to stay back behind her eyes. "Sorry," she muttered quietly. "Your name is Gregory Hojem Sanders and you're turning 30 next month."

Greg cringed, "I'm old."

Sara chuckled, "Hey. If you're old, what am I?" Greg stayed silent. "Okay, seeing as you can't remember you're name, you won't remember you have sense of humour."

Greg looked down to his hands and sighed. "Why am I here?"

"Try and keep it positive," the doctor had warned Sara before she'd come into the room the night before.

"I'll tell you some other time." Sara watched as Greg yawned. "Why don't you go back to sleep? You need it." Sara made to leave him in peace, but Greg's hand enclosed around her wrist. Sara turned back to face him, a questioning air about her.

"Stay…please," he begged. His brown eyes darkened over. Sara nodded. Greg scooted over as carefully and pain-free as he could so Sara could lie next to him on the bed. She attentively did so, settling into his outstretched arms. "You're the only one I trust right now," he quietly confessed. "I don't want to be alone."

"It's okay. I wasn't planning on going far anyway. Now, get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

Sara watched as Greg's eyes closed and she, too, fell asleep.

Sara was shook awake a few hours later by Nick. "Hey," he whispered, not wanting to wake Greg and inevitably frightening him.

"Hey," she replied, sitting up slowly and climbing off the bed. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought you and Greg some food." He pointed to the Starbucks bag in his hand. "Hospital food isn't exactly edible." He looked over Sara's shoulder and smiled sheepishly.

Sara followed his line of vision and turned to face Greg. He looked slightly apprehensive about the 'new' person in the room. "Hey sleeping beauty," she greeted, smiling her infamous 'Sidle-Smile' to set him at ease. "This is Nick Stokes," she explained, pointing over her shoulder at Nick who waved. "He works with me at the Crime Lab. You will see more of him whilst you're here." She sat back on the edge of the bed and held Greg's hand. His gripped tightened as Nick took a step closer. She indicated for Nick to stop where he was.

"It's nice to see you again Greg. You scared us all," Nick said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Us?" Greg asked looking at Sara.

"People at the Crime Lab," Sara replied, squeezing his hand gently.

"Ah. The infamous Crime Lab." Greg tipped his head back and closed his eyes again. Sara heard his breathing even out.

"He's done that a lot. It's the drugs." Sara still had her hand in his.

"How are you coping?" Nick asked, taking a step closer now Greg could no longer see him.

"Okay. Just coping." Sara brushed the hair away from Greg's forehead and kissed it. "I have to…for him."

Nick stood there for a moment, taking in the new affection between Sara and Greg. "I'm gonna go…" he finally said "…so you can spend some more time with him. I'll see you later." Nick kissed her cheek and left the room.

Sara looked back at Greg and could hardly believe he was the same guy who she'd been going to the movies with non-stop for the last six months; hell, Greg wouldn't know what movie they last went to see and he'd been talking about it for months.

She choked back a sob at the thought of Greg never being the same again; of them never having the same intense friendship. But as more and more thoughts of Greg not being Greg anymore sailed through her mind, she couldn't stop the tears falling down her cheeks and the sobs racked through her body.

She saw Greg wake up and open his arms for her. "It's okay Sara. It's okay babe," he said comfortingly in her ear and rubbing her back.

A while later Sara sat back up. "I'm sorry," she said, wiping her cheeks furiously. "Here I am breaking down when you don't even remember your own life; let alone me!"

"Tell me…" he started, cupping her cheek, "…tell me about you. Help me remember."

"Okay…we met five years ago when I was called in to investigate one of our own…"

Nick knew after Greg's reaction to him being in the hospital room the week before, that Greg probably wouldn't want to see anyone, so it was a shock when Sara came into work that night and said that Greg wanted to see them all the next day.

Sara smiled when everyone quickly agreed. "Great, but don't give him too much information at once. I learnt that the hard way."

Everyone nodded in understanding. Sara had told him about one of the cases that she had been working on with him and she still didn't know what she had said to set him off but he'd asked the nurse to ban her from the hospital. It was two days later that she'd got a call from the nurse saying that Greg had had a nightmare and was calling out for her. When she'd got back to the hospital, he'd cried in her arms for an hour, apologising profusely for banning her from the hospital.

"Tell him we'll be there after shift," Grissom said. "Now get out of here; you're still on vacation."

Sara got back to the hospital in record time. She'd promised Greg she'd only be an hour and she'd been gone nearly two. She was still spending day and night at his bedside; the nurse had put up a guest bed for her.

She walked into Greg's room and was shocked to find it empty. She walked back outside and asked the nurse. "The doctor came by and said he was allowed to go for a walk. He was pretty adamant that he wanted to go alone."

"That sounds about right," Sara muttered.

"Do you want me to go find him?" the nurse asked.

"No, it's okay. I think I know where he is."

Sara left the bemused nurse in the hallway and walked along the corridor to the elevator. She reached the top floor and proceeded to the doorway that led to the roof.

When she opened the heavy door and turned the corner, she saw Greg standing by the edge wall and approached him cautiously.

"How'd you know I would be here?" He didn't turn around.

"You always liked the outdoors," Sara said, standing behind him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned around.

"I want to know."

"Greg, it's really not a good idea. You knowing could do more harm than good."

"Sara, I want to know. I need to know. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is losing part of your life? I woke up one day and couldn't remember my own name. Everyone knows more about me than I do." He started to sob lightly in frustration. Sara enveloped him in her arms and started to cry with him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Why didn't you tell me all this before?"

"Pride…dignity…self-preservation. Call it whatever you want." Greg looked at her intensely causing her to be rooted to the spot. "Sara, I want to know."

Sara took his hand and led him back to the door of the building. "Not here though." She found the courage to reach up and lightly kiss him. He raised his eyebrows in question at her actions; but he didn't look scared. "Just because…come on." They walked back through the hospital to Greg's room, checking in with the nurse along the way. When they had settled down in the middle of Greg's bed, Sara started. "It was supposed to be a normal B&E…"

"Sara…Greg needs the experience on B&E cases so can you take him out on this one?" Grissom asked her before shift had started.

"Sure Griss…" Sara smiled brightly at him.

"You two had better work. I've heard rumours around the lab that you two have been plaguing Hodges non-stop for the last three weeks."

"Us Grissom? Never!" Greg said from behind Sara's back. Sara turned around and blushed when he winked at her.

"Greg, will I really have to confine you to the lab tonight?" Grissom warned. Greg shook his head. "Good. Now go!"

Sara elbowed him on the way out. "Nice going Greg. Oh, and are we still on for the movies tonight?"

"Of course," Greg replied, putting his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Sara pulled up in the car park of the jewellery store. "Okay Greg. You know the drill. Photos, print, lift…"

"Sara. I'm not a kid who forgets things. I know what to do." He got out of the Denali and grabbed his kit out of the back. Sara joined him in the foyer of the store where he was being briefed by the first officer.

"I was called to the scene where I saw a guy about 6' sprinting away from the scene with a small bag. I gave chase but lost him about ten minutes from here. I came back and immediately called you guys."

"Thanks," Sara said, walking into the store. She gave a low whistle when she saw the extent of the damage. "There's glass everywhere, so be careful. Pay particular attention to the metal rims around the glass cases and collect spent bullet casings."

Greg huffed at her, "Sara…"

"I know I know. You're not a kid, but I still gotta do this." She squeezed his shoulder and moved to the shaken up employee who was drinking coffee in the back room. "Hello…Shelly?"

The employee nodded. "Shelly Mallone."

"Would you like to tell me what happened here, Shelly?"

"Sure. I was in here taking my break. I heard a commotion in the foyer of the store. I went to have a look and saw this guy dressed in all black attack the security guard, knocking him out cold. I was told to drop to the floor and stay there. I heard shattering glass and that's it. It went silent. Only when I thought it was safe did I move from the floor. Someone else must have called the cops because they were here like two minutes after I got up."

Sara nodded and thanked Shelly. "We have your details in case we have to get in-." She was cut off when there was shouting coming from the front of the store. "Excuse me."

Sara stepped back into the front of the store to witness Greg receiving a blow to the head with a fist and a gun being pulled on him. "No, please don't!" She heard Greg beg. It was no use.

A shot rang out then the attacker was gone again. "Dammit. Call an ambulance," Sara screamed, running to Greg's side and cradling his hand in her lap. "Greg, stay with me please," she sobbed.

"…I can't remember much after that. It was all a blur the ride here. First thing I remember is Nick pulling me into his arms when he arrived." Sara brushed away the few tears that had fallen during the story.

Greg sat there shell-shocked for a few minutes before speaking again. "That all happened to me?" He lay back on the bed, his eyes still wide in shock.

"Yeah," Sara mumbled, placing her hand on his leg. "I didn't know at the time that the officer had stepped outside to take a phone call from his wife." She sat there for a few moments before standing up abruptly. "I should have been there!"

"You couldn't have known he was going to come back. And it sounds like the officer was being completely careless. What happened to him?" Greg said, getting up off the bed.

"Grissom made sure the PD fired him," Sara replied, jumping when Greg turned her around so she was facing him.

"And my attacker?" He was looking at her intensely again.

"Brass and his team picked him up on Fremont Street. He was trying to sell the jewellery," Sara chuckled.

They stood staring into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever until a cough was heard from the doorway. Both turned around but didn't move from each other; Greg had ended up with his hands on Sara's hips and she had her hands resting on his arms.

"Hey guys," Sara said. She was slightly surprised when Greg smiled warmly at them instead of recoiling in fright. He shrugged at her glance.

"Hey Sara. Greg, how you doing?" Nick said, coming over to them and shaking Greg's outstretched hand.

"I'm good. Bit confused, but good all the same," he smiled as Cath came over and hugged him. Grissom and Warrick shook his hand. Greg looked at Sara.

"Oh," she said, moving away from Greg, who still had a hold on one of her hips. "This is Nick Stokes. Warrick Brown. Catherine Willows. Gil Grissom. The boss," she whispered.

Greg nodded his head. "It's nice to be able to put faces to names for once."

Everyone chuckled lightly. "He's still got it," Nick said, referring to Greg's sense of humour.

"Okay, let's say we go to the cafeteria and grab some coffee," Cath said. Everyone nodded.

"We'll meet you there. I need to change." Greg pointed to the flimsy hospital gown and sweats he was wearing.

Nick, Warrick, Grissom and Cath left. Sara went to go with them, but Greg pulled her back. He kissed her lightly.

"What's that for?" she asked.

"Just because…I'll see you downstairs."

Sara smiled as she went to meet the others in the cafeteria. "He's back," she said to herself.

END

A.N.2: Sequel? Yes…no…?