What A Beautiful Mess
Catherine smiled. She was still sitting by Nick's temporary bed in her guestroom. His embarrassment had been obvious, but she knew he was much more relaxed knowing a friend was nearby. It was why she had offered to sit, and wait for him to fall asleep. His face seemed so much more relaxed than she really remembered seeing it in a long time.
If that wasn't enough to make her smile nothing would ever be enough.
With a soft sigh she stood up, hoping he would be able to rest without nightmares. There was no doubt in her mind that she would do anything for Nick. After all, the man had saved Lindsay. It would be impossible to ever repay him, but she would try.
As she made her way into her own bedroom she couldn't help but wonder what other dreams Nick had given up on. The truth was that he would make an incredible father, and that any woman would be lucky to have him. There wasn't a man alive, perhaps aside from Warrick, that she knew who would risk his life, like Nick had, all for a friend's daughter. It was part of what made her want to do anything for him. The other part was a blend of his kind friendliness, the fact that no matter how bad the hell he went through was he would never really give up, and that she knew he deserved so much more than he got.
"Thank you so much for doing this Nicky- I owe you one." Catherine smiled as she rushed back into her bedroom for a pair of earrings. It had been months since she had even been out for a casual dinner, let alone a date. She missed the caring touch of another person, and though she loved spending time with Lindsay she knew she needed to do this. That was why she had called Nick to babysit.
"It's no problem- really. Now get going- you don't want to be late."
She had smiled kissed Lindsay, and said a brief goodbye and one final thank you to Nick before she was out the door. She had enjoyed the candlelight dinner. The date had gone well enough until they had been walking out of the restaurant and he had been called by his boss. They had shared a quick kiss goodnight before she reluctantly drove herself home.
With a sigh she walked in the front door, and dropped her purse unceremoniously to the floor while taking off her high heels.
"I- uh, I'd ask how it went, but you don't seem too thrilled."
"His boss called after we ate. He took off, and I came home." She smiled briefly. "How was she? Hope she didn't give you too hard a time."
"Not at all- she was an angel."
"Wow- I should get you to babysit more often."
"I'm only a phone call away- anytime… unless I'm working." He flashed a broad smile at her, "Well, I guess I ought to get going." She nodded as he made his way to the front door and slipped his shoes and coat on.
"Thanks again, Nicky."
"I'll see you next shift."
Nick nodded, and smiled before opening the front door and he nearly ran straight into Eddie. Catherine froze. Nick paused and leaned slightly closer to the man.
"Get out of here Eddie." The words had come from Nick, just before Catherine had gotten them out.
"Get the hell out of my way you damn cowboy."
"You're drunk- I'm not letting you anywhere near them. Now go."
Catherine had never heard Nick's voice go so low. There was a definite edge to his voice, and she had a feeling it could make most people back away from him. She definitely wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of the glare he was shooting right at her ex-husband.
"I'll see whoever the damn hell I want to see. Now back off asshole, and let me into my house if you don't want to get hurt."
He moved to get around Nick, but the young Texan stood his ground. "Get the hell out of here now Eddie. Come back when you're sober. Better yet- don't come back at all."
"You know- maybe I don't need to see them right now, I have something else to do."
Nick had never seen the fist flying towards his gut. He had been caught off guard, and before Catherine could do anything Eddie had pulled him out of the doorway and into the yard.
"Nicky! Eddie, stop it! Leave him alone!" She didn't know what to do as the man started to kick Nick who was lying on the ground.
"Catherine- get inside now, and grab Lindsay!" His words had pulled her out of her daze and she raced back inside grabbing her cell phone before locking herself in Lindsay's bedroom. Her daughter was trembling slightly, and she wasted no time in pulling her into a hug. She then went to the window and peered through the blinds just in time to see Nick grab one of Eddie's legs and send him tumbling backwards. Her ex got a lucky jab and hit Nick somewhere in the face. She couldn't see him very well from where she was standing.
Then Nick was kneeling on Eddie's back, pinning the man's arms to his side with his legs, and rendering Eddie immobile. She watched as Nick said something into Eddie's ear, and after a few minutes his body went limp when he stopped struggling. Her breathing was fast and erratic as she watched Nick finally stand up. Eddie picked himself off the ground and glared back at Nick once more before finally climbing into his car and driving off. Not even minutes after he had disappeared around a corner Nick had fallen back to the ground.
Fear coursed through her, and she squeezed Lindsay's hand before tearing out of the house. She found him lying on the grass clenching his gut with one hand while the other was vainly trying to stop the blood flowing from his nose. Without a word she gently helped him back inside, and seated him on the couch.
"I'll be fine- really. I shouldn't be sitting on your furniture either- don't want to get blood everywhere ya know."
"Nick, after what you just did… there's no way I'd let you just go home and not know how you were doing."
"I-I'm sorry."
"What in the hell are you apologizing for? You did the right thing- I'm the one who's sorry this happened. Just… Eddie is a complete ass, and he's worse when he's drunk."
"Better me than either of you two. He hasn't… gotten violent with either of you- h-has he?"
"No." Catherine answered, grateful that she was being honest. "He just sleeps around."
"Is Lindsay ok?" There was genuine concern in his voice, and she couldn't help but be caught off guard.
"She'll be okay." She smiled weakly, and handed Nick an ice pack to place over his eye where a bruise was already forming. "Got any remedies for a nose bleed- it's already dripping onto your shirt…"
He quickly tried to wipe more blood off his cheek and chin, only succeeding in smearing the blood over his hand and face. He leaned his head back, "get a towel or paper towels wet, and I'll try my best not to bleed all over your couch."
"Alright, I'll be right back." She hurried into her kitchen and grabbed a dishtowel while turning on the sink and soaking the fabric in the cool water. Neither spoke as Nick firmly held it in place beneath his nose while using the rest of the towel to start wiping at the blood that had smeared all over the bottom half of his face. Catherine retrieved another few towels, soaking both of them as well. When she sat back down beside him she immediately started to wipe away the areas where Nick had missed.
After a few minutes of silence she offered him a weak smile. He flashed one back, and she knew it was forced. "Are you gonna be okay? He didn't hurt you too badly- did he?"
"Nah- I'll be fine. Thanks, uh, I'm not really used to someone taking care of me. Except my mom and sisters, but that was years ago."
It had been years ago. Just like that fight had been years ago. That had been the first time anyone had done something so selfless for her and Lindsay. Nick had become one of her best friends that night. It was a position not many could ever obtain. Warrick and Grissom had taken years to be considered even as close friends. Nick had taken one night.
He's one of a kind.
She smiled before lying down on her bed and pulling her sheet up over her shoulders. She thought back to some of the other times the two had spent together. Times when he had lit up an entire room with his smile. Times when his laughter in the lab could erase all her pain and frustration just by lifting her spirits. Times where he was on the verge of tears and she only wished she could take away all his pain.
She shook her head before letting her head hit the pillow. With a sigh her eyes closed and she slowly drifted off to sleep.
Nick sat straight up. He was only disoriented for a few seconds before he remembered he was staying in Catherine's guestroom. His arm and leg were feeling much better and more relaxed than they had been for a while. All that greeted him was silence, and he wondered briefly what had caused him to wake up. Normally he would blame it on nightmares, except all that he had dreamed about was the team going out for breakfast after winning the softball game against the dayshift. It was also unlikely that it was due to a nightmare, because he wasn't even feeling all that hot.
Then he heard her. Though her voice was muffled he could swear Catherine was speaking. He took a deep breath, and tentatively placed his left foot on the floor. When it didn't hurt any more than was usual he allowed himself to stand, and walk slowly towards her room. He thought about knocking, just in case, but in the end he decided to just enter. After all that's what she had told him to do if he had any problems sleeping, or if he needed her for anything.
She had quieted down some by the time he had reached her door. And he found her lying, tangled up in her sheets on her back. Her head turning slowly side to side as if she was shaking her head as if in slow motion. Nick stood back, not really sure of what to do.
"Come on- Catherine… you gotta wake up." He moved closer, and gently shook her shoulder. Fear coursed through him, and he felt a pang of guilt shoot through him when he realized how he had probably made them feel so many times. Just one more thing I need to change. I hope that it never hurt you to see me having a nightmare… and I'm sorry for putting you through so much.
They were merely thoughts; ideas that would never be spoken out loud. The truth was that Nick had learned how to act at a very young age. He had spent so much of his life convincing other people that he was okay. In the end it had become routine. Nick liked the man he acted out around others. It was his chance to pretend he was still innocent, even naïve, to make jokes, but most importantly to pretend no one had ever tried to ruin his life. It was who he wanted to be more than anything in the entire world. Who he might have been had certain events never taken place.
He gently shook her shoulder again, hoping desperately that she would wake up. Nick almost jumped out of his skin when her eyes shot open, and he was glad that she hadn't sat upright.
"Nick?"
"Are you ok?" Nick show off immediately.
"Y-yeah- I'm fine." She rubbed her eyes a bit to clear her sight. It was another few moments before she noticed how fazed Nick seemed. "How about you?"
"Huh? Wh-what do you mean?"
"Are you okay? You just look really… rattled."
Nick looked down at his hands, and let out a quiet chuckle. "Yeah- I'm fine."
Catherine had to keep from wincing at the word. It was a word that was really only used when the person saying it didn't truly mean it. She knew, there had been plenty of instances where she had used it to make others think things were okay. And, she knew Nick only used it when he was really hurting. She had heard him say those words too many times in the past.
"You can talk to me, Nick- it's okay to let people know how you feel."
"Look… I just- usually I'm the one who has the nightmares. It's weird… being on the other side, ya know? I can't believe I put you guys through all that. I- I'm so sorry…"
"Nick- you've got nothing to be sorry for. We were there because we wanted to be, for you. Yeah, seeing you have nightmares scares the hell out of me, Warrick too, but it doesn't mean we're going to let you go through it by yourself. We're your friends." Catherine smiled warmly, and Nick couldn't hold back his own smile as his rigid body visibly relaxed. She pulled him into a hug and literally felt his tense muscles slowly loosen.
Grissom stared intently at the picture he had framed and placed on his desk. It was a picture of the whole team, sitting together in the diner. Only the picture was new. They had started going at least once a week, and he had to admit that he was glad Nick had started the whole thing. While he often found himself at a loss of things to say to Nick, the man took it in stride, and the Texan had a way of goading him into talking.
That was part of why he was looking forward to informing Nick about the promotion he'd soon be receiving. They would hopefully be wrapping up the homicide at Butterfield Academy, and he hoped it would be a good way to end what he suspected would be a hard shift. He was also looking forward to the chance of letting Nick know just how much he meant to the lab, and to the team. Of course it wouldn't be a walk in the park, and he had a feeling it would take some convincing for Nick to believe he hadn't received the promotion to Lead CSI out of pity.
"Ah, go figure… knew I wouldn't be the first one here."
He looked up from his desk to see Warrick watching him from the doorway. "Nope, I had some things I wanted to think about- I think more clearly here than at my house."
"When don't you think clearly?"
Warrick's disarming grin made him smile. "I'm going to tell Nick about the promotion tonight at the end of shift."
"Nice, it'll mean a lot to him. I'm glad you recommended him."
"Me too." He paused, looking at Warrick before he decided to say something more. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine- why wouldn't I be?"
"I heard Tina filed… I guess I just wanted to make sure you were okay with everything there."
"Oh…" Warrick paused, slightly surprised. "Uh- yeah, I'm fine. Shouldn't get messy or anything, ya know. Thanks, though- for, uh, asking." He shot Grissom a smile, before turning and heading for the locker room. The man always did something unexpected. He supposed it was in order to keep them on their toes, but still it just didn't quite fit. Grissom was an enigma that Warrick highly doubted anyone would ever unravel, one so complex he wondered if even Grissom himself could make sense of it.
Sara was already waiting in the break room. Greg and Paul followed Warrick in and they situated themselves around the table.
"So, I hear the Undersheriff might be looking for a new job soon. The Sheriff hasn't been too pleased with many of his decisions lately." Paul offered after a few moments of awkward silence.
"Yeah, let's hope so." Greg answered. He stifled a yawn as best as he could before wearily standing up, and starting to make some coffee.
"You okay there, Greg? Usually you're the one who's all hyped up- not me." Sara smiled before standing and moving to help him.
"Yeah, I didn't really get much sleep."
"Yeah, let me guess- you stayed up playing video games?" Warrick was answered by Greg casting him a sarcastic smile.
"Oh yeah- it was the games that kept me up…"
"So, then what was it?"
"Not really sure, just couldn't fall asleep, so I pretty much just laid on my bed the whole time."
"Sounds like a bit of insomnia to me." Warrick answered, "You got my sympathies, man- I hate not being able to sleep."
"Well, aren't we the lively bunch today?" Catherine smiled from the doorway. Greg immediately glared at her while Warrick and Sara grinned.
"Oh, come on Greg, you can't be that tired." Nick picked up as he moved past Catherine and took a seat next to Warrick.
"Alright- we've got a busy night ahead of us. Sara- you know what you guys have to do, so get going. Catherine, you're in the lab with me. We'll try to get some of this stuff figured out. Nick, Warrick get back to the scene, and take a look around. I'll send Catherine over after a while, all right? Now let's move."
"Sure thing boss." Nick answered quickly, as each of them got to go. He was determined to find whatever evidence they needed to solve the case. Though he tried to stop it, the images of the little boy kept coming back. A few minutes later he was waiting impatiently in the car as Warrick made another turn. He was looking forward to getting this shift past him, and hopefully getting some answers.
When the car stopped they all quickly made their way up the stairs to the front entrance. Nick couldn't help but shudder when he saw it. The previous shift they had been forced to take a side entrance to get in due to the mass of people there for the basketball game. It was his first look at the now practically empty parking lot where just six months ago he had been shot twice. His mind replayed the entire scene as if he was right there. He could clearly see Lindsay being held by a masked man. He could see himself turning partially away before lunging at the man, and taking all three of them to the ground.
Warrick stopped a few steps past Nick. He had been walking alongside his friend, allowing Nick to set the pace in order to keep from putting any more stress of his best friend. The distant, pained look in Nick's eyes was enough to let him know exactly what Nick was reliving. After successfully holding back a sigh he broke the silence. "You okay, bro?"
His voice immediately brought Nick back to reality. He flashed a weak smile, and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Let's get this show on the road."
Three hours later they were scouring the entire building looking for anything that might have been used to take the poor boy's life. Except the problem was that the bruise was nothing unique. There were no slight patterns, no real way of telling what shape the object was, or enough dimensions to rule out any items they found. It was just a large massive bruise that was caused by something rectangular in 2D and was at least wide enough to cover the child's entire chest. Of course that could narrow the possible weapon to any piece of wood, bar, or essentially any other myriad of objects in the school.
"I'm gonna go take a look out around the track and stadium. There's probably some storage sheds out there too."
"Alright, I'll keep looking around in here- make sure an officer is nearby though."
"Yeah I think I saw Peterson hanging around here somewhere, I'll go grab him."
"Cool, good luck."
"Yeah, let's just hope we can find some evidence before it's too late." Nick answered. He wasn't stupid. The odds of them finding the murder weapon was unlikely, added to that fact they had hundreds of suspects thanks to the game in the gym. Nick hoped with all his heart that they'd be able to find just that one clue to break the case wide open.
One clue that could mean justice for an innocent child who should've been at home in his bed while his parents told him goodnight.
To Be Continued…
Notes: Sorry this took so long to update, but I hope it was worth the wait. Some action coming up in the next chapter as the plot deepens. And I'm still not sure about something, so I'll give you guys the question- I'm leaning towards starting a dating/relationship between Nick and Catherine, but I'm not sure that's a direction I want to take. It probably won't be an issue for the next few chapters, but I'd appreciate your input. And thanks for all the reviews so far!
