Suffocation

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Prompt For: Katie McGee

Set in season five after Greg becomes a CSI

Enjoy!

Greg bounced out of the Denali, camera and CSI kit in hand. He was excited, no scratch that, he was hyper- according to Nick. This was his first scene since he passed his proficiency and he couldn't wait to start really being a CSI. He, Nick, and Warrick were called out to a crime scene in the woods where a dead body was found by a couple of hikers and he was really looking forward to catching the son of a bitch.

"Jesus, Greggo," Nick chuckled as they walked down the short trail to the scene. "How many cups of coffee did you have before you got to work today?"

"I don't know, maybe three, why?"

"Cause you're awfully excited to see a dead body," Warrick laughed. "Are you sure you're not a closeted serial killer or something?"

Greg glared at him. "I don't know, maybe."

Nick rolled his eyes as they got to the clearing. "Okay, it's time to get serious, G. You ready?"

"I was born ready, Nick."

"I'm sure you were." The Texan was proud of his little brother passing his proficiency and he had no doubt that Greg would become one of the best CSI's there were…next to him of course.

"Hey Brass," Nick said, placing his kit down next to him.

"Hey. Not everyday you find a body in the woods. Nice day for a hike…or a murder.

"What do we have?" Warrick asked.

"Steven Ayres, 27 from Carson City. He and three buddies from work went out hiking for some bonding. He went missing the next day and they tried finding him. When they decided to come back and call for help, this is what they found."

"Maybe the bonding didn't work out so well," said Greg. He took a picture of the body and then frowned when something caught his eye.

Nick glanced over at the group of three guys watching the scene from behind the barrier. "Did you get their statements yet?"

"Was waiting for you."

"Good. I have a feeling one of them might be our killer. Greg-"

"Wait, I found a blood trail. Maybe it'll lead to the primary."

Nick nodded, looking impressed Greg had caught that. "Alright, I'll go talk to the witnesses and deal with the crime scene, you and Warrick follow the trail."

Greg's heart sunk a little; he was hoping he could've gone off on his own, but he knew that he was just a level one CSI and it would be a while before Nick or anybody else let him go solo.

"Okay, Rookie, lead the way," Warrick smirked.

Greg nodded and the two headed deeper into the woods and soon the trees seemed to swallow them up, making them disappear. Nick sighed as he watched them leave; he knew Greg could take care of himself and he knew that Warrick wouldn't let anything bad happen, but that didn't keep him from worrying. The kid was like a little brother that he was supposed to protect at all costs…who was he kidding, Greg was twenty-seven years old, and there was nothing to worry about…right?

Fifteen minutes had passed since Greg and Warrick left the crime scene and the trail didn't seem to end.

"Maybe he was dragged," Greg said, snapping a couple photos before moving on. "I mean, could he really walk or crawl this far?"

"Who knows? The human body can do incredible things when it's in danger."

They continued to walk in silence until finally they reached the main scene. And it wasn't hard to miss.

"Shit, that's a lot of blood," Warrick said gruffly. "Whoever attacked him either really hated him or it was an animal. Check the perimeter and see if you can find anything that'll help us. I'll process here."

Greg nodded, setting his kit down, only taking his camera, and headed further into the woods. He was so focused on getting things right that he hadn't noticed how far he'd actually gone…or the unexpected dip in the ground. Greg took another step and gasped in surprise when he lost his balance and fell head first, landing face first in bunch off moss. He groaned when his ribs protested, the camera not being the best thing to land on. As he began pushing himself up, he heard the worst sound that anyone could possibly be close enough to hear…a rattle.

"Shit." Cautiously, he looked up, praying it wasn't what he thought it was. And sure enough he was inches away from bright yellow eyes. A rattlesnake. "Oh god." His heart skipped a beat. This couldn't be happening right now. Swallowing thickly, he called out to Warrick in a wobbly voice, praying that the man was in earshot. He didn't know how far he wandered off, so he could be screwed.

"W-Warrick?"

The snake was glaring at him…it looked pissed. Its mouth was open, fangs out and dripping with saliva and possibly venom. Greg tried to move back, but it hissed and its head expanded threateningly, waving its thick neck in the air. Great, just great.

He closed his eyes briefly, feeling the sweat drip down his forehead and the blood drain from his body. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Warrick!" Please hear me. Through his heart pounding in his ears, he heard the man's footsteps behind him.

"Greg, I've been looking for you man, don't-" But when the CSI man saw what was going on, he froze. "Fuck. Greg, move back…slowly." He began pulling out his gun from the holster.

"I-I can't…I've tried that already. He got even madder."

"Well, try again."

Greg took a deep breath and started to push himself to sit on his heels…big mistake. In a swift movement, the snake struck, sinking its fangs into Greg's neck. The younger man cried out and fell backwards and Warrick wasted no time putting a couple rounds into the reptile. I went limp and Warrick ran over to Greg who was wheezing in a panic, already pale and in shock.

"Don't move, alright? I'm gonna pull it out and then we're gonna get you to the hospital."

"O-Okay," Greg replied tautly. He was already in so much pain…and breathing was getting difficult.

Carefully, Warrick grabbed the head of the snake and pulled on it, extracting the fangs from Greg's neck. And he knew what the consequences might be if he had…Greg's artery had been hit and now he was bleeding. Bad. He had to get him out of here now.

"Greg, man, open your eyes. I need you to put pressure on the wound, can you do that?"

Greg blinked furiously, his vision already doubling. He could hear Warrick, he could see Warrick, but it was all distorted. He suddenly felt his face sting and he came to the realization that the man had slapped him.

"Greg! Don't quit on me, kid. Can you put your hand on the wound?"

"Y-Yeah," Greg gasped, whimpering in pain as he shakily placing his hand over gushing bite mark.

"Good. Now can you stand up? I can help you, but you're gonna have to work with me here."

"Mmhmm," Greg mumbled.

As Warrick wrapped Greg's arm around his shoulder and his own around the kid's waist, he felt that something was seriously wrong. He knew about Western Rattlesnakes and their bites; the venom wasn't supposed to take effect this quickly, right?

"Okay, lets get the hell out of here." They started heading back to the clearing quickly, Greg stumbling more than actually walking. His breath came out in strangled gasps and when Warrick looked over he could see a blue tint coloring his lips. He swore underneath his breath, willing himself to go faster. Greg was dying.

"You're doing good, kid. Just one foot in front of the other. Don't take your hand away from that wound." He looked forward again, following the blood trail back out of the woods. Nick was going to flip shit when he saw this. Greg puffed heavily and Warrick noticed in the split second he looked away, the younger man had gotten even worse. His eyes were drooping, the blue tint was darker, and his face was void of any color, coated by a thick layer of sweat.

"Greg," Warrick panted, tightening his grip on the man's waist as he started to sink. "Are you…are you allergic to snake bites?"

"I don't…I don't think so. M-Maybe? Can't…can't remember. M'tired."

"No! No sleeping, Greg!" The older man growled, hoisting him up higher. "We're almost there. The kid had to be having an allergic reaction and if they didn't get him to a hospital in the next fifteen minutes, Greg was as good as dead.

Greg couldn't focus. He was tripping over his own feet and his heart was pounding frantically against his chest. He was going to die because he messed up once again. The blood on his now swollen neck was seeping through his numb fingers and he was beginning to feel extremely cold. He could hear Warrick shouting at him to stay awake, but it was challenging. He was so goddamn tired…and thirsty. He needed water. He wanted to stop running.

"Wanna…st'p," he slurred, his eyes almost rolling to the back of his head.

"We can't stop, Greg. You're gonna die if we stop."

"Tired." His legs were tingling until he could no longer feel them. In seconds, he was paralyzed and he slipped from Warrick's grip collapsing to the ground.

"Dammit," Warrick murmured. "Greg, get up." The kid was barely conscious and his gasps for air were longer and weaker. Licking his lips, he slipped his arms underneath Greg's back and behind his knees, picking up the weightless man bridal style and continuing the journey out of the woods. It wasn't long before he heard Nick's voice and saw the man running towards him with his gun out.

"Warrick! Greg! Are you guys okay? I heard a-" And then he saw an extremely pale and limp Greg in Warrick's arms, blood spilling out from somewhere on his neck and soaking the collar of his shirt. "Holy shit." He could barely breathe. Greg was hurt. "Was he…was he shot?"

"No," Warrick huffed, trying to catch his breath. "He was bit by a rattlesnake; call an ambulance, I think he's having an allergic reaction to the venom. He's not gonna last much longer, Nick."

Nick paled, his throat feeling dry. "N-No. No forget the ambulance, it's gonna take too long to get out here and back. Get in the car and drive."

Nodding silently and informing the officer of the situation, Warrick passed Greg off to Nick and they both ran to the Denali, Nick getting in the back cradling the younger CSI and Warrick getting in the front. In moments, they were tearing out of the lot towards the nearest hospital.

Nick stifled a sob as he looked down at his best friend. "Oh god." He brushed back the strands of sweaty blonde hair from the man's forehead. He grabbed a towel from the seat pocket and pressed it up against Greg's bleeding neck. "How did this happen?"

"We were following the trail," Warrick said, turning the corner onto the main road and pressing harder on the gas. He flicked on the siren, knowing they had absolutely no time to be pulled over. It was life and death right now for the young CSI and they were not going to lose him. "And we found the primary. I guess Greg wandered off when he was searching the perimeter and the next thing I know he's face to face with a pissed off snake. He tried to move but it attacked him."

"Jesus." Nick cupped Greg's freezing cold cheek and suddenly the kid gasped, his eyes flying open…as much as the swelling would let him. "Greg, oh man, this is so bad. Greg, buddy can you hear me?" He seemed to be deteriorating with each passing second; his lips were a grayish blue whereas his face was transparent besides the patches of a red rash that seemed to spread on his neck and cheeks. This was no doubt an allergic reaction. "Greggo, stay with me, alright?"

Greg was like a fish out of water, gasping periodically for air and not exhaling at all. His dull brown eyes looked up at Nick in fear. He was dying…he wasn't going to make it. He was going to die in Nick's arms. A tear slipped out of the corner of his eye and Nick smiled sadly, wiping it away. "You're gonna be just fine, G. Don't you think otherwise. 'Rick drive faster!"

"T-Tir'd Ni…" Greg managed to whisper faintly, shivering uncontrollably.

"Greg, please don't give up. Please. You can't sleep yet." He ran his fingers through Greg's curls, hoping to relax the man a little.

"M's-sorry…sc-screwed…up. L-Let…down."

Even in choppy sentences, Nick knew what Greg was saying. "No, buddy, you could never let me down. You've been doing so great. Just keep breathing." I don't want to lose you. Unexpectedly, Greg's cheeks bulged and he retched violently and Nick swiftly grabbed the kid's chin, turning it away from him, careful of the bite wound. Not because he was disgusted, but he didn't want Greg gagging on his own vomit. He was already in enough pain. While his thumb was under Greg's chin, his brow creased worriedly at the rapid pulse…and then no pulse at all. His frown deepened as he turned Greg's head up again and saw that his eyes were closed and his mouth was slack…no air coming out.

"Greg?" He brushed his hand down the kid's face as his heart beat frantically. "Greg! No, no, no." This couldn't possibly be happening, right? He slapped Greg's cheek roughly but it did nothing. "Warrick, how far?!"

"A couple minutes!"

Nick began to hyperventilate and he looked down at his basically dead friend…brother. He was supposed to protect him and he failed. "You didn't let me down, Greggo. I let you down." He pressed the now blood soaked towel firmer to the man's neck. Greg didn't need blood loss above the allergic reaction…though he had already lost so much. The Texan hugged Greg tighter, letting a few tears drip down his face. All he could do now was hope and pray. He desperately prayed that today wouldn't have been the last day he saw his best friend smile…or alive.

~+CSI+~

The Texan hugged himself as he paced the waiting room anxiously. Greg had died in his arms. Something he never thought would happen in his entire life. The kid didn't deserve this. The second the doctors took the man away from him, they shoved a tube down his throat and started CPR.

"He's gonna be okay, man," Warrick said before looking down at his watch. It had been nearly two hours and they haven't heard any news. While Nick was throwing up in the bathroom, he had called Catherine and Grissom, telling them where they were and what happened. They were gonna come after their scene; they knew Nick had it all under control and that Greg was in good hands.

"I know, I know," Nick whispered as he looked up at the double doors. "Dammit, what's taking them so long?"

"It was bad Nick, it's gonna take some time."

The Texan groaned in frustration, running a hand through his hair. He just needed to know if Greg was going to be alright…if he was going to live. Warrick had his own demons spinning through his mind; he shouldn't have left Greg go off on his own. He was supposed to be watching him. The kid was his little brother, too, and now he might die. No, he wasn't going to die; Greg was a strong person. He scrubbed a hand across his face and sat back in the uncomfortable plastic chair.

"I'm about to punch a fucking wall," Nick muttered.

Warrick opened his mouth and stood up to calm his friend down when he saw the doctor that had taken Greg away. "Nick look, its Greg doctor. Take a deep breath."

The Texan spun around and when he saw the woman in the white lab coat, he briskly walked over to her.

"Nick Stokes, right? Gregory's emergency contact."

"Yeah," Nick breathed. "Is he okay?" Please tell me he's okay.

"He's doing perfectly fine."

"R-Really?" Nick looked baffled. It had been so bad. How can Greg be "perfectly fine"?

"Yes, if you'll follow me, I'll take you to his room; we can walk and talk."

The three went through the doors and started walking down the hall. "Greg had a severe allergic reaction to the venom from the snake bite; otherwise it probably wouldn't have been this bad so quickly. A couple minutes after he was brought in, we managed to revive and get him breathing again. We've given him the anti-venom along with epinephrine for the anaphylaxis. It wasn't long before the swelling started to go down and his breathing became easier. Actually, he's able to breathe on his own, but we have him on an oxygen mask just until he's stronger. The blood loss, however, had been a little more complicated. The bite had hit the artery and he lost nearly two pints of his blood; he was lucky enough to not go into hypovolemic shock. When you see him, it's not going to be pretty; he's extremely pale and he still had some of the rash on parts of his neck and face. He'll also be very worn-out for a while and nauseous from time to time."

"Is he awake?" Warrick asked when he saw that Nick was speechless.

"No and he's probably not going to wake up for another twelve hours or so mostly because of the anesthesia and the fact that he's no doubt exhausted. I'm sure he'll enjoy the company, though." They stopped outside a small room and the doctor smiled warmly. "We're going to keep him here for the next couple of days to monitor his vitals, but if everything goes well, he'll be able to go home in no time. He's a very lucky kid."

"Thank you. For everything," Warrick bobbed his head.

"Of course. The nurses are out here if you need anything at all."

When she left, the two boys went into the quiet room and Nick swore under his breath. The doctor was right; Greg looked horrible. Even underneath the oxygen mask you could still see small red bumps on his cheeks and parts of his neck. Thick white bandages curved around the right side of Greg's neck to the front, speckled with blood in places. His face, like the doctor had said, was colorless with a sheen of sweat beaded on his forehead. Dark shadows underlined his eyes and his breathing still sounded scratchy. Nick pursed his lips as he went over to sit in the chair next to Greg's bed.

"Good God, man. You really know how to get hurt, don't you? And give me a heart attack. But I'm really glad you're okay." He placed a hand on top of Greg's cold one and squeezed it lightly. Thank god you're okay.

01:00pm The Next Day

Nick was reading a magazine while Warrick had gone back to the lab to bring back the kits and whatever evidence they managed to get. The Texan was just about to flip the page when he heard a small whimper come from the bed. Heart jumping into his throat, he tossed the booklet onto the nightstand and sat up quickly.

"Greg? G, buddy can you hear me? It's alright, man. You're safe now." He placed a hand on the blonde's forehead and waited.

His head and ears felt like it was filled with cotton balls; his mouth tasted really disgusting and his throat was dry. As he started to regain consciousness, pain in his entire body made itself present. He moaned softly and when he tried to turn his head, it just felt stiff and made the throbbing worse.

"Easy, Greggo. Just relax." Something cool and soft was on his feverish forehead and it felt good. Wait, he knew that voice. Who else had a Texan accent?

"Nick?" He rasped, still having a hard time opening his eyes. He needed water.

"Right here, bud. Open your eyes."

It took a couple moments, but soon Greg's big brown eyes were staring back at him. The Texan grinned and sat back so he wasn't in the man's face. "Hey dude."

Greg's forehead wrinkled as he blinked a few times while looking at his surroundings. "Where m'I?"

"The hospital. You had an allergic reaction to a snake bite do you-"

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Greg mumbled. Nick's eyes widened and he grabbed a bowl from the nightstand and helped the younger CSI sit up just in time for him to start puking violently.

Nick pressed his lips together sadly as he rubbed his back soothingly. "Let it out, buddy."

After a minute or so, Greg finished and wiped his mouth, resting back into the pillows. Nick gave him a small cup of water and he gulped it down immediately.

"The doctor said you would be nauseous for a little bit."

Greg nodded and took a deep breath.

"Did you know you were allergic?" Nick questioned.

"N-No," Greg blinked sluggishly. He was already so tired and he hadn't even been up for more than three minutes.

"Jesus. You scared the shit out of Warrick and me. Don't ever do that again, okay?"

The blonde looked over at Nick with sad eyes. "M'sorry."

"It's fine. Just stay away from snakes. I don't ever want to feel as helpless as I did the other day. I have to tell you…you died in my arms. I did everything I could, but I let you down."

Greg lifted his hand and placed it over Nick's. "No you didn't…saved me." These goddamn drugs. Why couldn't they just let him be awake? "Thank you."

Nick smiled weakly and squeezed the man's fingers. "You're welcome. Hey, and Warrick saved you too. Had it not been for him carrying you out of the woods and driving to the hospital like a maniac…well..." he didn't even want to think about it. "I'm just really glad you're alive, G. I don't know what I would've done if I had lost you."

Greg hummed with a weak smile, becoming too tired to even speak anymore. "Not…leaving…easy."

"Of course not, buddy. You're a beast…though you should probably eat more so you're not so scrawny."

Greg gave him a weak glare. "Shuddup."

Nick chuckled, finally feeling like he was able to relax. "Go to sleep dude, I'll be here when you wake up."

"'Kay…an' Nick? Next…time you're going…in the w-woods."

"Alright, deal. Now go to sleep."

"Mmhmm." Greg's eyes slipped close and he was out like a light.

Nick smirked and ruffled Greg's blonde hair before getting up to close the shades. Greg needed all the rest he could get if he wanted to get out of here, because he was sure the younger CSI wanted to get right back to work. He sat back down and sighed in content. He hadn't slept for two nights because he wasn't letting Greg wake up alone. But now he could; Greg was going to be just fine. He always knew that deep down.

"You're gonna be a hell of a CSI, G. I can already see it." If Greg could survive a snake attack slash allergic reaction, he could beat anything.

FIN!

A/N: Thanks for reading! Kind of ironic that the episode after 'Who Shot Sherlock,' where Greg passed his test, is called 'Snakes.' PROMPTS AND REVIEWS!

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