A/N-Sorry this is taking me longer to write than I thought, mostly due to real life being way too busy. Here is the next chapter. I am curious to what you all will think by the possibly revelation in this chapter. Reviews are helpful. Thanks!
Greg sat at the PCR machine waiting for some DNA results from some swabs from their crime scene. The lab was quiet. It was an early Sunday morning and only minimal staff was working which meant a lot of the CSI's were left to do their own lab work, which was fine with Greg. He still kept up in practice with the latest DNA techniques. Plus it left him without the curious eyes of others wondering if he was okay or not. He knew the gossip would get out that they were working a case involving too close to home for him and everyone would wonder how he was handling it.
He wiped his brow, he felt hot in the lab, which was usually cold. He heard the printer go off and turned in his chair to pull the results. He smiled when he saw he found a match.
"Hey, you got anything on our guy? I just came back from Autopsy." Greg spun around towards the door and saw Nick coming in. He was startled by his entrance and tried to play it off by quickly looking at his results and start giving out information of what he found.
"Yes, I just got the results now. Our dead body is Jason Carbone. I'm about to pull up his record now," Greg told him. He turned back to the computer and felt Nick come up behind him. He felt Nick place his hands on his shoulders and rub them a little.
"Are you sure you are okay with working his case? You feel tense," Nick said to him with genuine concern. Greg nodded. "I'm fine, Nicky." He then pointed to the screen.
"Look, Jason Carbone has been arrested for illegal drug possession twice, last in January 2010. He also has an aggravated assault charge that was dropped against him in 2008." Nick looked at the results over Greg's shoulder.
"So the drug usage is probably recurring. We should ask our party hosts if they are aware of their party members being drug users. We didn't find any drug paraphernalia in the house though, so maybe this guy was the only one and tried to push it off on someone else and they got upset with it and killed him," Nick speculated.
"Drug use can be prevalent with some of the S&M scene. I know Jasper did some drugs before he met me, he had told me. I don't know what made him stop," Greg said quietly. He remained silent for a moment and Nick had a feeling he was remembering something again.
"But you said Jasper was using drugs again when he held you captive," Nick said to him, hating to remind him.
"Yeah, he was and he had forced some on me too. I wonder now if he hadn't spiked my water and that liquor he forced me to drink with some drugs, since there are some things I just don't really remember, like when Mask Guy was there." He felt his own hairs on his arms stand up just talking about it. He was fearful of what he didn't remember of those times. What more could they have made him do that he just couldn't clearly remember?
Not wanting Greg to wallow in painful memories again, Nick brought it back to their case. "Well in autopsy Doc confirmed suffocation as form of death. He had some old bruises on his back and shoulders from some heavy whipping perhaps. He did send in for toxicology results though, due to all the needle marks. Drugs could have increased him being susceptible to suffocation quicker. Plus we did find lots of used liquor bottles in the trash. Catherine called Wendy in to help with all the DNA samples we have. Between the bottles, condoms, and blood samples it'll take a while to find suspects. I have a feeling we will have lots of them."
"Yeah, there is a lot of work here to do. I guess we'll be stuck here a few more hours at least," Greg sighed as he wiped his brow again. Nick came around to stand in front of Greg. He noticed he looked pale and yet was sweating.
"Hey, are you feeling okay?" He asked him in concern. Greg was about to lie to Nick but decided he would read through his lie anyway. "No, not really. Is it hot in here? My throat has been bothering me too," he said as he rubbed at his throat again.
"No I don't think it is hot in here. Let me feel your forehead," Nick said as he placed his hand on Greg's forehead like a parent would check a child. He frowned in concern. "You are warm. Perhaps you are getting sick from that other night we got stuck in the rain. Why don't you take something for the fever and see if it goes down. If not then you need to go home and get some rest."
"I'll take some Tylenol and stay here in the lab. If it doesn't go down in a few hours I'll let you know. We have too much work to get through here first to just go home. I'll get started on some more of these samples until Wendy gets here," Greg told him.
"If you get to feeling worse, let me know," Nick told him. Greg looked up at him and gave a small smile. "I will, I promise. Let's get cracking on this case. I'm hoping we don't have to visit that creepy place again to get more evidence."
"Ditto. I'll be in the trace lab working on some things if you need me."
Greg waited for Nick to leave before going to the locker room and grabbing a bottle of Tylenol out of his locker. He also grabbed another Xanax to take. It had been a few hours since he last took one and he felt he was due. He grabbed a soda on the way back to the lab to take down his pills with. Then he got ready to start on the all the condoms they had found. Maybe a killer was among them.
A couple hours later Wendy was working with Greg in the DNA lab getting results from the condoms. So far most matched people that had admitted to being in that room during the party.
"Hey I think I found someone not on your list," Wendy called out to Greg. Greg came over and looked down at what she had found. He looked at the print out.
"No hits in CODIS or matches to our party goers. I have a feeling this DNA belongs to our killer. Only problem is who is it and where did they disappear to so fast?" Greg wondered.
"I'll go through the rest of the stuff here and see if anything else matches to this one sample. You look a bit pale. Nick said you were running a fever. Perhaps you should go home." Greg looked over at Wendy and only saw concern in her eyes. He sighed heavily. He was still feeling rotten, he hated to admit.
"I suppose I should. I've already been here at work 14 hours. I'll go find Nick. Thanks Wendy for coming in. You're the best," he told her with a smile.
"Anything for the former DNA king," she smirked. He grinned. "And don't you forget it," he laughed before he walked out of her lab. She was glad to see him smiling again. When he had originally returned he had been so solemn and everyone tried to act like things were normal but they knew it wasn't for him. But lately she had seen a lot of the old Greg back. When she heard about this current case it upset her though to know he had to get thrown back into that world so soon. It wasn't fair. She hoped he was strong enough to pull through it.
He walked slowly into the lab and stared fondly at the man he loved leaning over the table studying the computer analysis. He still wondered what he did to deserve him for sticking with him through all his hell. He cleared his throat to get the older man's attention. Nick turned his head around and saw him. He stood up straight and frowned as he approached Greg.
"You don't look good, G. I think you should go home," he said to him. "I was coming to tell you I need a ride. I'm still feeling hot. I think I want to go home, take a cool shower and go to bed," Greg responded to him.
"Okay, give me five minutes to let Catherine know that we are heading home. We've put in 14 hours already. I'll head home with you for a few hours and catch some sleep too. I'll meet you in the locker room, okay?"
"Sure, see you there soon," Greg said to him.
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At home Greg did just as he said and went straight to bed after he showered and took a couple more Tylenol. Nick watched him as he slept. He was concerned about him. His body and health took a beating in those four months that he had been gone and since he had been back his energy level was not what it used to be. He had gained most of his weight, but he could swear that in the last month he was starting to lose weight again. He wondered if there was more going on with him that he was not telling him.
Nick still wished with all his heart that Greg had never gone through what he did. It changed him so much and it hurt Nick to see those changes. There was a lot of the man that he fallen in love with still there but there was always an underlying sadness that he could see but wouldn't let Greg know that he could. Greg already had so many doubts about himself and he didn't want to add to that.
He settled down in bed and wrapped his one arm over Greg gently to not wake him. "I would give everything to take away your sadness, your pain because I love you so much," he whispered before he shut his own eyes and went to sleep.
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A few hours passed before Greg opened his eyes. He felt Nick's arm wrapped around him and snuggled closer into it. He still felt a bit sick and wished he felt better. He wanted to work on the case with Nick but was not sure he could go back into the lab today feeling the way he was. He just wanted to stay in bed with Nick's arms wrapped around him. He always felt comfortable and safe in his arms. He had waited so long before he let Nick hold him but once he opened that door back up he didn't close it.
"You awake?" He heard his lover whisper to him. "Yeah, sort of," he mumbled in return.
"Are you feeling any better?" He felt Nick's hand go to his forehead. He shook his head. "You still feel warm. You should see the doctor if it does not go down soon."
"I know. I'll stay home and try to set up an appointment," Greg said to him.
"I should probably get up and try to get into work early, since we are shorthanded," Nick said to him.
"I'm sorry I am not able to go in tonight. I feel guilty," Greg sighed. "No, don't. Your wellbeing is more important. I'll see what Wendy has discovered out of the remaining samples we collected. I'll keep you filled in," Nick told him before getting out of bed to get dressed for work.
Greg waited for Nick to leave before calling the doctor's office. He wanted to talk to the doctor alone without Nick getting overly worried. The more he thought about his symptoms, the more worried he got. He picked up the phone and dialed his doctor's office. "Dr. Smith, please," he asked the receptionist. He was placed on hold. Surprisingly enough his doctor was available to take his call.
"Greg, is everything okay?" his doctor asked him right away. "No, actually, I've been running a fever for a couple days and have a sore throat. I know I am due for my 6 month blood test again." He detected his own quiver in his voice.
"You're afraid when you take the HIV test this time you might come out positive, aren't you?" Dr. Smith asked him, understanding his fear.
"We never found the fourth man and never found out if Jasper had HIV, so yes, I am nervous," he admitted to his doctor. He hadn't talk to Nick about these symptoms possibly meaning he had HIV simply because he didn't want him to worry anymore. They had discussed the possibility of him contracting it since he wasn't fully aware of what the men who raped him over four months might have. He knew his last test came back negative but it still didn't rule it out completely. The six month test was the true one that if it came out negative he was pretty much in the clear. Now with the onset of these symptoms he worried more.
"You could just simply be sick, Greg. It is rare for someone to come out positive after the first tests, but since you are sick and it is about that time, can you come on down in about an hour? I have a cancelled appointment I could squeeze you in."
"Yeah I can make it in. Thanks, Dr. Smith." Greg finished the phone call and placed the phone down. He held out his hands and noticed they were shaking. He felt an oncoming panic attack. He stood up and went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. He took a few swigs and set the bottle down on the counter. He took a few calming breaths to ease his nerves.
The phone rang, startling him. He walked over and saw that his mom was calling. Now was not the time to talk to her. He knew he would breakdown if she started asking too many questions but he had not talked to her in a couple weeks and knew she deserved to hear from him. She would start worrying if she didn't hear from him soon. He sighed heavily and picked up the phone.
"Hey Mom," he greeted, trying to hide the anxiety in his voice.
"Hey honey, how are you doing? I hope everything is okay with you. I haven't heard from you in awhile, I was getting worried," Mrs. Sanders said to her son.
"I'm okay. How are you and dad?" He asked, deflecting the attention off of him. His mom didn't fall for it.
"We're fine but why do I get the feeling you aren't telling me something," she commented.
Greg silently cursed. He wished she was so perceptive at times. "We caught a case yesterday that is a little rough for me. It involves a lot of sexual perversions," he said, trying to make it sound not as bad.
"I see. And how are you handling that? It can't be easy."
"I'm doing okay, Mom. Really and Nick is working with me on the case so he is there for me," he told her
"Well I am so grateful you have him. You got yourself a wonderful man there," she told him.
"I know, believe, I know. I hate to cut this short, but I have somewhere I have to be going. I promise to call you in a couple days. Send Dad my love," he said.
"I shall. Now have a good day and tell Nick we send our love. Take care, my son. I love you," she said to him.
"Love you too, Mom. Goodbye!" He was grateful when the call ended and thankful she didn't ask any more questions. He hated lying to his mother but after all he had been through he was good at keeping things to himself so not to worry others. His current health issue would have to be kept secret until he knew the truth.
He showered, got dressed and headed over to his doctor's office. Upon arrival his nerves were getting the better of him as he started hyperventilating. He sat in his car, trying to concentrate on his breathing. He kept thinking what was he going to do if he found out he had HIV. How would it affect his work and most importantly his relationship with Nick?
His hands still shook but he had managed to calm his breathing down. He got out of his car and went into the doctor's office. The receptionist recognized him and told him Dr. Smith would be out with him in a moment. He took a seat and waited, folding his hands in his lap to keep the shaking hidden.
A few minutes later a nurse came out saying they were ready for him. The nurse led him to an office and took his basic vitals. "You have a fever of 100.7ยบ. Have you been taking anything for it?"
"I've been taking Tylenol and that is about it," he told her. "And are you still taking Xanax?" He nodded yes that he was.
"Okay, Dr. Smith will be in soon to see you. Just sit tight." Greg thought that was easy for her to say. His life could completely change with this visit.
A few minutes later Dr. Smith came in. The dark-haired, bearded man came in with a look of concern. "Hello Greg, nice to see you again. How long did you say you discovered you had this fever?"
"I really only paid attention to it yesterday but I was kind of feeling warm for a few days. Yesterday it hit me harder when I was at work. Plus my throat has been bothering me."
The doctor felt his neck for his glands. He frowned. "Your glands feel a bit swollen too. Okay what we are going to do first is draw your blood. Then we are going to give you a rapid HIV test. If that gives us a positive result we will confirm it with the blood test." He saw his patient nod his head but also saw the shaking in his hands.
"Greg, if you do test positive, it is not a death sentence these days. There are plenty of people living healthy lives these days with the drug protocol available for HIV positive patients."
Greg felt tears prick his eyelids. "I know, it's just after everything I've been through I'm not sure I am strong enough to deal with yet something else."
"Does Nick know you are testing for this? I'm surprised he's not here right now," his doctor said.
"No, he only knows I was not feeling well. I didn't mention to him what I thought might be causing it," Greg admitted.
"Well you do plan on telling him no matter what the outcome, correct?" His doctor asked him.
"Yes, I will. Sorry, Dr. Smith, but can we get on with this? My stomach is a mess of nerves right now," Greg chuckled nervously.
"Sure." The doctor took him in another room to have his blood drawn and then brought him back into the examination room. He left him alone a moment before coming back and bringing in the rapid HIV test.
"With this test, we will have results in about 20 minutes. I'll just have to take a prick of your finger," Dr. Smith told him. Greg nodded and let the doctor do what he had to.
"Okay, now I'm going to leave you in here while I get the results." He walked over to a drawer and pulled out some pamphlets about HIV. "You can look at these while you wait to see that it is not the boogie monster it used to be. I want you to read these and see that if the results are positive, you have many options and can still lead a normal life. And if the results are negative, well then you have nothing to worry about at all. I'll see you in about 20 minutes."
Greg remained silent as the doctor left him sitting in the examination room. He looked down at the pamphlets in his hands, not believing this was happening. It felt surreal. In about 20 minutes he would know if his life would be changed forever or not.