Author's Note: This might get a bit depressing, but it's just an idea I had and the plot bunnies aren't leaving me alone. It will definitely go Snickers! Please let me know what you think.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: You'd think that after playing with these characters for six years, CBS would get bored and hand them over to me, but NOOO! They have to keep them! But God bless George Eads for getting a haircut. Now if only we could go back to the buzz…
"Oh, God," Catherine whispered as she took in what Sara had just told her.
"That's what I thought too," Sara said. "I have an appointment in three days to get it checked out."
"Get what checked out?" Nick asked, just having walked into the break room.
"Nothing," Sara replied quickly. She gave Catherine a warning glance, forbidding her from telling Nick what she'd just confided. Standing up, she took one last sip of her coffee before leaving the room to go get some results from DNA.
Nick looked after her worriedly, then shifted his gaze to Catherine in confusion. "Did I miss something?" he asked.
"Yeah, but I can't tell you," she said. The look on her face suggested she really wanted to, but was torn between keeping her promise to Sara and letting Nick in on it.
"Please?" he said, sitting on the arm of the couch. He now felt that if he didn't find out, he would explode.
"Sorry, Nick. I'll ask her again, and if she says yes, I'll tell you, but if not, you'll have to talk to her yourself, okay?" she said.
Nick nodded reluctantly. It wasn't the best scenario, but at least there was a chance that one of them would give him a clue.
Catherine approached Sara in the locker room after shift. "Nick really wants to know what's going on," she said bluntly.
"You better not have told him!" she exclaimed angrily.
"No, of course not! It's not my news to tell," Catherine said. "But he's really concerned. He's totally in the dark, and –"
"And that's the way it's going to stay," Sara finished for her. "It's not exactly easy to just go up to him and say, 'Oh, Nick, by the way, I found a lump in my breast and I have to get it checked out to make sure I don't have cancer.'"
Looking over Sara's shoulder towards the entrance to the locker room, Catherine said, "Well, you won't have to tell him face-to-face."
The colour drained from Sara's face as she realized what Catherine was saying. She swallowed hard and turned around slowly to see Nick standing there, gaping.
"Oh, my God," she said, as she turned away from him in embarrassment, one arm across her stomach, the other resting on it with her hand on her forehead, covering her eyes.
Nick wasn't sure what to say, or whether he should speak at all. Before he could decide, she angrily pulled her coat and purse out of her locker, slammed it shut, and left the room.
Against his better instincts, he followed her out of the building. "Sara!" he called. "Sara!"
She continued walking towards her car, ignoring him. She rammed her key into the lock and opened it angrily, getting in and slamming it shut. He caught up with her, and resting his hands on the door, he said with a hint of pleading in his voice, "Sara, open the door."
She gave him a look that plainly told him to back off, but he didn't. She rolled her eyes and rolled the window down a little bit.
Nick realized he didn't really know what he was going to say, and stood there stupidly for a minute before saying, "Is there anything I can do?"
"No," she said edgily.
He was getting a bit pissed off with her attitude towards him. "Look, Sara, I'm sorry if you didn't want me to know, but the fact is that it's not my fault that I know. The thing is, I do know, and I just want to help you. I really care about you," he explained.
She looked away from him, knowing he was right. "Get in," she said after a minute.
He came around to the other side, opening the door and sliding in. "You want to tell me what's going on?" he asked gently.
She took a deep breath. "I found a lump yesterday."
"In your breast?" he asked.
"Of course in my breast," she snapped. He looked hurt for a second. She sighed. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm not taking this very well."
"That's okay. It was a stupid question anyway," he chuckled. The look on her face plainly told him that it was not a joke.
"Anyway, I have to go get it checked out on Monday."
"What are the odds that it's cancerous?"
"About fifty-fifty. I have a huge family history of it."
Nick took this like a blow to the chest, although he didn't really know why. He wasn't the one facing this head-on. They sat in an awkward silence until he spoke.
"Do you want me to come with you? You know, for moral support?" She looked away from him, out her window. "Never mind," he said quickly. "I shouldn't have asked."
"No, no, it's not that," she explained. "It's just that…I didn't think anybody would care." She wiped her welling eyes.
"Oh, Sara," he said. His heart broke. "I care so much about you," he said. "I'm here for you, okay?"
She nodded. "I'm just so scared," she whispered.
He reached over and took her hand. "I know, I know."
A tear rolled down her cheek, followed by another and then a third. Soon she was crying silently, try not to let Nick see, but he did. Once she realized he already knew she was crying, she looked up. He moved his hand from her hand to her face and wiped a tear away. She closed her eyes and leaned into his big, strong hand. He brought her to his shoulder and put his arms around her, rubbing her back as she cried herself to sleep.
Sara awoke in a strange bed, and looked around her as she tried to figure out where she was. She focussed on a football trophy on a nearby shelf and read the name Nick Stokes. So she was at Nick's house. She climbed out of the bed and was thankful to see that she was still wearing her clothes. Walking out of the room and down the hall, she found the kitchen, complete with a handsome Texan cooking pancakes. He looked up and smiled when he saw her.
"Mornin'," he said, smiling.
"Hi," she said, looking around in confusion. "Not to sound rude or anything, but…why am I here?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry. When you fell asleep last night in your car, I didn't want to wake you up, so I carried you into my car and drove you here. I put you in my guest room. I hope you don't mind."
"No, not at all," she said. Truth be told, she was overjoyed that he'd take her in like that.
He smiled in relief. "Want some pancakes?" he asked, holding up the frying pan he was using.
"Sure," she said.
"Have a seat," he said, nodding towards the table.
She obeyed and he brought a plate and some maple syrup over. "Thanks," she said, smiling up at him.
"You're welcome," he said, Texas drawl coming through loud and clear.
He sat down with his own plate and they ate together. When they were finished, Sara asked, "So, can you take me home so I can grab a change of clothes and a shower?"
"Yeah, sure. Just let me get ready first. I'll be about ten minutes, is that okay?"
"Mmhmm. I'll just wait out here," she said.
"Feel free to poke around or whatever. Just not in the bathroom. Even though I know you want to," he teased.
"March, Stokes," she said, pointing at the bathroom and trying to keep a straight face.
The two rolled into work together later that day, and when Greg, who had arrived seconds before them, saw them get out of the same car, he immediately jumped to conclusions.
"Were you together last night?" he said bluntly, half accusing.
Nick's face momentarily registered shock, but he figured out what Greg was asking. "Not in that way, Greg. Get your mind out of the gutter," he said, laughing as he and Sara turned and started walking to the building. Greg stood there for a second, trying to figure out what Nick was saying.
"So, you admit you were together?" he pressed.
Nick turned around, a bit angry. "Look, she fell asleep, I drove her to my house, she slept in the guest room last night, okay?
Greg raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, sorry."
"Okay." All three entered the building, and with that, graveyard shift at the Las Vegas Crime Lab began.
Author's Note: So what do you think? Let me know by reviewing! (Oh, and can anyone tell me what season and episode it was that Nick was putting on this butt-ugly shirt and Sara told him it was hideous, and then as soon as she left, he changed it?)