Hey guys! New chapter took me a little longer than usually, sorry! You'll probably get the next one on Wednesday ;)
Hope you enjoy this one!
Nick knew it would not be that easy being the only available CSI that day, but he needed his colleagues to believe he could do it. He didn't want them to worry about him while they needed time for themselves, recovering from the attack. "Henry, where's the tox result from the case Greg and Russell were working on?" he asked as he walked up to him in the lab's hallway.
"I'm sorry, but you told me to..."
"I told you to get the results ready."
"...And to help you work on your case."
"Exactly. I need you to do both. I need these results, man, hurry up!" He walked away from the lab tech and into the DNA lab. "Robin, please tell me you got more for me than Henry did."
"...I'm sorry, Nick. I'm doing my best, but there's so many samples to compare. It'll take me at least another hour. Probably more..."
He rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. You have an hour!" He left the lab and bumped into Hodges. "Hey, did you..."
"I'm on it, Nick, stop asking!" he replied while walking away.
Nick was getting frustrated. Too much had to be done in such a short time frame. "Charlotte!" he said with a smile on his face as he entered the ballistics lab. "Please tell me you're better than the rest!"
She laughed. "Please. Competing against Henry, Hodges and Robin is like racing a Porsche against a bicycle. I have your results." She handed him two files.
"You're the best! I knew I could count on you!"
Most of the work on the three cases - Nick's, the one Greg and Russell were working on and the one involving the two as victims - was lab work at the moment. But on Nick's case, there was a victim lying in a hospital bed and he needed to ask her some questions. "Yeah Russell, don't worry, I got it all covered. We're already making progress in two of the cases. Take all the time you need," he said on the phone to his boss. While walking inside the hospital, he spotted Greg sitting in the waiting room. "Greg, what are you doing here?" he asked while looking at the young CSIs hand. "It started bleeding again?"
Greg nodded, obviously bored. "I've been sitting here for two hours. I hate this."
Nick sat down next to him. "How did you get here?"
"With my car," Greg replied annoyed.
Nick rolled his eyes. "Smart move driving with only one hand. Why didn't you call me? I could've given you a ride."
"Russell called and said he was taking a few days off, too. I guessed you were busy at the lab."
"I was, but..."
"Well I decided to come back to work tomorrow."
"Why?" Nick looked down at Greg's hand. "You've been home for a few hours and it's already bleeding again, you should take it easy for a while."
"The paramedic said it could happen, it's my own fault. I tried to avoid spending hours in this waiting room and ended up here, anyway. But that doesn't mean I can't go back to work." When he saw Nick's doubting look, he went on. "Come on, don't tell me you couldn't use my help."
Nick sighed. "Alright, maybe I could... But you can't, you're injured."
Greg sighed. "How about I stay in the lab for the next few days? No field work. I'm sure there's plenty of work waiting for me."
Greg was right but Nick hated to admit it. "...Maybe I could find something to keep you busy... But only if you really feel like you can do it."
"Hey, how are you holding up?" Nick asked Greg the next day in the evidence room. He was working on some of the clothes the victims in his and Russell's case were wearing when they got shot.
Greg smiled at him. "I'm working slow but detailed." Since his right hand was the injured one, it wasn't too easy for him to do some of the work he needed to get done.
After a short pause Nick had to take to consider whether or not he should ask Greg the following, he went on, "Before I ask you... you have to know it's perfectly fine if you say no. I could ask Hodges if you're not up for it, alright?"
"...Okay, I guess. What's this about?"
Nick sighed. "I could really use a hand out in the field."
Excitement was obvious in Greg's face. "Sure! I'd love to!"
"But you said you wanted to stay in the lab for the next few days."
"Oh come on, I only said that to make it easier for you. I'm fine, my hand's hurt, not my legs."
Nick looked Greg up and down, then smiled. "Alright, but I want you to take your gun with you."
Greg rolled his eyes grinning. "Sure, whatever it takes to get out of here!"
Greg was allowed to get out of the lab, but Nick didn't feel comfortable letting him at the wheel. "I can drive, you know. There's no need for you to drive me to work, back home and to crime scenes..."
"You need both hands to drive and I feel much better knowing you're safe in the car with me."
As they were driving down the strip they made some small talk. Greg was in a great mood, trying to forget about the fact he'd been shot at. He always felt comfortable around Nick and Nick had the ability to take Greg's mind off of the bad things. It didn't take a lot to change his mood, though. "Nick," he said as he put his hand on Nick's arm. "Stop the car. That's her!" He was staring outside the window.
"Who?" Nick asked while pulling over. He could feel Greg's hand shaking.
"T-That's her... The woman who... She shot at us." Greg was getting pale. He was shocked to see this woman out here, approaching two officers right now. He fumbled at the door, trying to open it. He was too shocked, too nervous to get the handle.
Nick was more shocked to see the state Greg was in than to see this woman. He watched him for a moment, then stormed out of the car. He drew his gun and ran over to aid the two officers the woman was approaching. Greg finally managed to open his door and followed. "Freeze!" Nick yelled from a few feet away, surrounded by masses of people, as he pointed his gun at the woman.
The two officers looked confused at first, but then noticed the CSI vests. They both put out their guns as well. "Put your hands up! On the ground!" they yelled.
The woman screamed as she put her hands up. "What are you doing?! I need your help!"
Just now, everybody noticed the blood stains on her shirt. The officers looked rather annoyed at Nick and Greg before walking over to the woman, apologizing and helping her.
"Wha... Where are they going? It's her, Nick!" Greg had a confused and desperate look on his face. "I know it's her!"
Nick sighed. "No, it's not... Come on... Let's get you home."