Shot to the Head

Prompt for Doodleidoo. Sorry it's been a while since I updated, finals are coming up and it's been getting hectic. Need more reviews!

Enjoy!

"Who have we got here?" Catherine said, squatting down next to the dead body.

"Drew Bean, 21 years old, star basketball player," stated Brass. "Janitor found him this morning during his rounds. According to him, the kid wasn't as liked as he thought he was."

"Guess the suspect list just tripled," muttered Greg before he snapped a few pictures.

"Yeah; it could anyone at this damn school," Warrick added. "Who knows how long it'll take to talk to all of them."

"We're just gonna have to narrow it down somehow," Catherine replied.

The three of them had been called to a scene at West Las Vegas University where a student had been brutally murdered. Greg took another picture before he noticed a faint blood trail.

"Hmm…it doesn't look like the gym was the primary. I'm gonna follow the blood and see where it leads."

"Alright," Catherine said as she looked up. "Warrick, you go talk to the janitor, I'll start processing the body."

They all went their separate ways, not knowing the danger lurking around the corner. Greg walked slowly down the hallway and into the locker room where the blood drops seemed to get bigger. They were gravitational so maybe their victim had tried walking out but collapsed in the gym. Once he put some tags down and took more pictures, he entered the eerily quiet boy's locker room. The only sound he could hear was the occasion drip from a leaky faucet and his own breathing. He nervously bit his lip, having a weird feeling in his stomach before continuing to follow the path towards the back where most of the lockers resided. When he turned the corner, he saw bloody handprints on a single locker and knew that something had to be up. With a hand cautiously over his gun, he moved over and reached for the handle. Almost immediately, he was knocked backwards by a brutal punch and then pinned against the other row of lockers. He was being attacked! Blinking furiously, he refocused his vision and saw a skinny man that looked to be no older than twenty with blood on his hands…he was the murderer.

"You should've just stayed in the gym."

Greg grunted and tried to push against the force. He was not letting this kid get the drop on him.

"Well maybe…you should've left…when you had the chance." He pushed back, managing to gain control for a brief moment and clocking the suspect in the chin, scratching his cheek in the process. At least if the guy did get the upper hand, he still had some evidence.

"I couldn't…doors were locked and the janitor was coming. Figured I'd hide in here until the doors opened up."

"Big mistake," Greg seethed, but was surprised when the kid punched him again, a lot harder than the last time.

"No…big mistake for you. I'm a wrestler. Captain of my team and I'm not gonna let you throw that all away." He shoved the blonde against a wall, pressing his arm against the CSI's neck so he couldn't breathe.

Greg gasped when his oxygen was cut off but wasn't going down without a fight. A shaky hand started to reach for his gun and he managed to get it out of his holster before the kid noticed and snatched it away. Greg struggled with all the energy that he had left, fearing for his life…he was going to die if he didn't get his gun back.

"S-Stop!" He choked.

"No can do." The kid brought up the gun to his head.

"They're gonna find out it was you," he growled, the lack of oxygen making him lightheaded.

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

Greg's eyes widened and the last thing he heard was a gunshot before everything went black.

~+CSI+~

Bang!

Catherine gasped, shooting up from her crouched position as she heard was a gun go off in the direction of the locker rooms…where Greg was.

"Warrick!" She shouted into the walkie talkie as she and Brass ran out of the gym. "Shot's fired!"

"I heard it!" The second Warrick heard the shot, his heart leapt into his throat, hoping that Greg wasn't on the receiving end of the gun. He bolted down the hallway and pushed through the door. "Greg?! Greg, answer me." He ran through the aisle of lockers and then skid to a stop when he saw the younger man. "Oh god no."

Greg was on the floor in a crumpled heap, face extremely pale and blood pooling underneath his head. Warrick rushed over and fell to his knees next to the CSI, praying to god that the kid was still alive. He pressed his fingers to Greg's neck and let out a small sigh of relief. The pulse was there but it was extremely weak and he didn't know how long it would last. The man was shot in the head for godsakes!

"Greg?" He said, gathering the limp body in his arms and cradling his head to stop the bleeding. "Greg, man can you hear me?" The blonde's head fell to the side and Warrick grabbed his face, trying to see any sign of acknowledgement. But Greg's face was completely emotionless. "Oh god. Greg!" He patted the younger man's face harshly, trying to do anything to wake him up, but his efforts were going unheeded. "Catherine! Call for help!" He screamed at the top of his lungs when he heard footsteps.

"Warrick, what's the- shit." The blonde pulled out her phone and called for an ambulance. "Yes, I have an officer down, he was shot in the head! I need someone here immediately!"

She looked down at the kid she considered a son. He was too pale and too quiet, Greg never stopped moving and seeing him so deathly still scared the crap out of her. "Is he…is he alive?"

"Barely," Warrick choked, pressing hard on the wound, blood squelching between his fingers. "Hang on, man. Hang on. Damn, Nick isn't gonna be happy about this."

Catherine swallowed. She couldn't even imagine how the Texan was going to react to this news. Greg was like a little brother to the man and this…this might kill him. "You let me deal with Nick. You just go with Greg to the hospital and make damn sure that he fights. We're not losing him today."

Warrick pursed his lips and nodded as he looked down at his friend. The kid was barely breathing and the color seemed to have drained completely from his face…making him appear dead. And there was blood everywhere…so much blood. "Jesus." He rested his chin on Greg's cold forehead and prayed. Today was not the day Greg Sanders was going to die. He refused to let him.

At the Lab

Sara, Grissom, and Nick returned to the lab after their scene. It was a B&E gone sour, but it seemed pretty cut and dry…and to Nick that meant possibly going home early. Relaxing on the couch watching the football game with a beer sounded pretty good right now. They filed into the layout room just as Grissom got a call.

"Grissom…"

Nick looked up and the second he saw his supervisor's face go pale, he knew that something was up.

"When?" Gil said, making eye contact with the Texan…his eyes filled with fear and sorrow.

"What is it?" Nick breathed.

"Alright…I'll said Nick over, Sara and I will go to the scene…how is he?"

He? Who was 'he' and why did Grissom look so sad? Nick's heart was racing, knowing that once Grissom got off the phone, the inevitable was coming.

"Okay, thanks Catherine." Gil hung up and bowed his head, pursing his lips.

"Gris, what's going on? What happened?"

The older man looked up and sighed. "Greg…he was shot."

Nick felt all the air rush out of his lungs. He couldn't breathe and his body felt numb. Greg was shot. Greg was shot. Greg was shot. He felt extremely sick. "Oh god." Greg was his little brother and he was supposed to be protecting the kid and now he could be dying.

"Breathe, Nicky," Grissom said, appearing by his side with a hand on his arm. "Sara is going to bring you to the hospital where Catherine and Warrick are."

He didn't argue and everything after was a complete blur to him.

When he got to the hospital, Warrick was coming out of the emergency room…and Nick's heart stopped. The man was covered in blood. It stained his clothes, his face and his hands. His stomach rolled and he swallowed thickly, trying to hold down the bile.

"Nick," the man smiled grimly, walking up to him.

"How bad?" He whispered, forcing himself to remain calm.

The man hesitated, looking at the Texan sadly, sharing a look with Catherine who came from the bathroom.

"How bad, 'Rick," choked Nick. He needed to know.

Warrick exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "Really bad, man. They aren't sure if he'll even make it past surgery. He was shot in the head."

Nick swore and ran a hand over his hair. "What happened?"

"Whoever it was, possibly the murderer of our victim at the school, must've been hiding in the lockers or something and came out when Greg was following the blood trail," Catherine began.

Warrick nodded. "The kid put up a fight, though. There were bruises on his knuckles and face; maybe he has DNA underneath his fingernails that we can get. I asked, that once out of surgery, that they let him be processed."

"I'll do it," Nick blurted out. "I wanna see him."

Catherine frowned, putting a hand on the Texan's shoulder. "Nick, I don't think that's a good idea."

"I don't care," he seethed. "He's my best friend; I need to see him."

The woman sighed. Nick wasn't going to let this go…she somehow knew that this would be the case. "Okay. Go get your kit; the surgery will probably take a while. Warrick, why don't you go home and get cleaned up, drop off your clothes at the lab since its evidence. I'll stay here. I sent Grissom and Sara to the crime scene, so we're gonna get the bastard who did this."

Nick walked back outside to his Denali and opened the back door, leaning forward to rest his head on the seat so he could compose himself. Warrick had been covered in so much blood and it made him wonder how much was at the scene. He closed his eyes, telling himself not to cry, because it wasn't an option. He had to be strong for his brother. After a couple more minutes, he stood up straight and grabbed his kit and headed back inside.

Two excruciating hours later found Nick staring down at Greg's pale, skinny, motionless form. He really couldn't believe this was happening right now. "God dammit Greg." He chewed on his bottom lip, staring at the machines surrounding his friend. The ventilator helping him breathe, the tube coming from his head to drain the extra fluid, and another one transfusing blood back into his body. Worst of all, the surgeon was unable to get the bullet out, because it was too dangerous, especially during his surgery. And to add to the misery, the kid was in a fucking coma. Wanting to get this over with, Nick set the kit on the ground and pulled out his camera. The nurse in the room lifted up the bandage that was covering the bullet wound on Greg's head. It hadn't been stitched up yet so he was just looking into a dark abyss. He put a ruler next to it before taking a picture and then moved down to Greg's hands. His knuckles were bruised and it made Nick's chest swell with pride knowing that Greg had gotten a couple punches in himself. Once he was done with the pictures, he grabbed tweezers and an envelope before gently lifting the blonde's fingers one by one, collecting whatever evidence he could get

"He'll be okay," the nurse said with a smile when Nick paused. "You got yourself a fighter here; he pulled through surgery and made it this far."

Nick forced a small grin at the woman before she left to get the things to stitch up the bullet hole. The Texan looked at Greg silently, trying to take it all in; after a few moments, he lightly squeezed the kid's cold and then left without another word. Time to get this son of a bitch.

~+CSI+~

A week went by and Greg's condition barely changed. Sure, the color in his face was returning and he had a better chance of surviving, but no matter what, the coma still claimed him. And Nick was afraid the kid would be stuck in his own mind forever. They had gotten the guy that had attacked him and also murdered Drew since his prints were all over the lockers and his skin epithelial that had been recovered from underneath Greg's nails. And he was going away for a very, very long time…sporting a black eye and broken nose courtesy of Nick's fist. The boy, Michael Reid had killed Drew because the basketball player had tormented him day after day until he finally snapped.

"Greg man," Nick said quietly, watching the blonde breathe in and out slowly…on his own thankfully. "You gotta wake up. We all miss you." He glanced around at the get well cards on the nightstands and the balloons floating in the corner. The kid didn't know how loved he was. Nick brushed back a stray blonde strand from Greg's forehead and chuckled weakly. "And you missed out on the sponge bath." His smile faltered as Greg's face remained emotionless. "God." Nick bowed his head, running both hands through his hair. They had tried calling Greg's mom earlier this week but apparently she was on a cruise and wouldn't be reachable for another five days. But Nick was fine with that; it meant he wouldn't have to leave because he technically wasn't family.

"Any change?"

Nick looked up at the gruff voice to see Warrick coming in with two cups of coffee.

"Thanks," Nick said when the man handed him one. "And no…what if he never wakes up?"

"He will, man," Warrick huffed, taking a seat on the other side of the bed. "He's still fighting like hell. But his injuries were pretty bad so I don't blame him for being in a coma this long."

Nick stood up and turned to look out the window.

"I'm sorry Nick, I know that's not what you want to hear."

"No, no, you're right," the Texan breathed facing Warrick again. "I don't blame him either. It just sucks you know?"

"Yeah." Warrick looked down at the pale CSI and wondered if there could've been a way to prevent all this. Because right now, he felt guilty as hell for not watching out for the man he considered a goofy little brother. They were all a family and losing one of their own- especially to carelessness- was never easy. He already lived through it once with Holly Gribbs and he really couldn't do it again.

Another day went by and Nick was coming back from a coffee break. When he turned into the room, he saw something that made the cup nearly slip from his fingers. Greg was awake! His eyes were fluttering open and his face was scrunched up in confusion, his feet moving around underneath the blankets.

"Greg!" He laughed in relief, putting down the coffee and striding over to the bed. "Hey buddy." He placed a gentle hand over Greg's chest as the kid blinked a few times. But when the blonde looked up at him, there was no recognition in his big brown eyes.

"Greggo, do you know where you are?" Nick said, worry starting to grow in the pit of his stomach.

Greg shook his head, looking scared.

"Do you…do you know who I am?" And when Greg spoke, Nick knew there was something seriously wrong.

"Are you…are you my dad?" Greg said in a child-like voice.

Oh god. "W-What?"

"Where's mommy?"

"Greg…how old are you?"

The man stared at him suspiciously before counting on his fingers. "Seven."

Nick rubbed the back of his neck and stood up straight. "Shit."

~+C+~

Nick was forced to wait outside while the doctor did a couple tests on Greg. He was scared…Greg's memory had basically been wiped and even worse, he was back as a little kid.

"Nick! I got your text!" Catherine panted, running up behind him. "What happened?"

"He lost his memory, Cath."

"Well, Dr. Rivera said that was poss-"

"I mean…he doesn't know that he's an adult, he thinks he's seven years old."

Catherine paled. "Oh no. Has the doctor said anything?"

"No…she's in there doing a few tests. What if he's stuck like this?"

Catherine pursed her lips and placed a hand on Nick's shoulder. "Then we'll take care of him; we'll do anything and everything to get him back on his feet, alright?"

The Texan didn't reply and they waited for the doctor to finish up. When she finally came out after a couple more minutes, she had a grim look on her face.

"Why is he thinking that he's seven?" Questioned Catherine.

"The bullet lodged in the hippocampus which is where memory and thinking is stored. He knows his name, the age he last remembers and all the other basics. He just doesn't know that he's really 27 and works as a crime scene investigator."

"Is he ever gonna remember?"

"My guess is that it's the bullet that's still in his head that's causing this issue. It's not completely definite, but it's a high possibility. However, the risk is still too high for us to put him through another surgery. If we try anything, Greg will have to wait a couple weeks."

Nick rubbed his eyes and nodded. "What do we do until them?"

"Well, since he's "seven" I don't feel comfortable letting him be by himself; he can be released into someone else's care or he can stay here for the time being."

Nick cleared his throat. "He can stay with me. I think I'm one of the emergency contacts in his file anyways." Seven or twenty-seven, Greg was still his little brother.

"Alright, keep a close eye on him, try and get him to remember some things if you can. This will be a very confusing and frustration process for him, so he needs all the support he can get. I'm going to take him to get an MRI in an hour just to see what we're dealing with and then he can be discharged tomorrow morning."

"Thank you Dr. Rivera," Catherine smiled

"Your welcome. And you can go back in the room until we have to take him. He fell asleep shortly after I was done with the tests, but I'm sure he's just exhausted. If you need anything before I come back, the nurses are right across the hall." The woman smiled and turned to leave and get things set up for Greg.

"He's gonna be okay, Nick," Catherine said.

"I hope so," Nick replied, looking through the window at a slumbering Greg. "I really hope so."

~+CSI+~

When Nick brought Greg home, it was a little weird at first. He didn't really know what to say or do…Greg was seven. Nick had been the youngest in his family, not having anyone below him to look after. Sure, Greg was like a little brother, but he still knew how to take care of himself.

"Do you, uh, wanna watch a cartoon?" Nick asked when Greg sat on the couch.

The blonde looked up at him. "When can I go home? I want my mom."

Nick tightened his lips. "Soon, buddy. We're still trying to get ahold of her."

Greg nodded and bit the inside of his cheek, hesitating for a moment. "Who are you again?"

"My name is Nick," the Texan said, sitting down next to his friend on the couch. "I'm…I'm your brother." He sort of was.

"Oh…I always wanted a big brother…why do I look like this? All old?"

Nick swallowed. He wanted to tell the kid everything, but the doctor said to take it slow and not stress him out. "Uh…I'll tell you later." He flicked on the TV. "What shows do you like?"

"Do you have the science channel?"

Nick smirked. He wasn't surprised Greg was into science at this age. "Yeah man." He pressed a couple buttons before turning up the volume. He handed Greg the remote before standing up. "Want something to eat?"

"Grilled cheese?"

"Comin' right up," he smiled and went to the kitchen. Once he started getting the things together, he saw Greg had gotten off the couch and was now sitting in front of the TV, legs crossed and staring at the screen in awe. Nick shook his head with a chuckle. Maybe this would be fun after all.

Throughout the week, Nick slowly began to ease Greg into the reality that he was really a twenty seven year old man and that he had some brain trauma to make him think he was seven. But they had fun together, too; Nick took some time off and brought Greg to a football game and it was like he had never been to one before because he was super excited. By the time they got home it was late and the kid had tired himself out, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

It wasn't long before that time came…they had a decision to make. The surgery, like Dr. Rivera said, was extremely risking, having a thirty-three percent fatality rate and sixty percent success rate. Sara and Catherine were with Greg in the play room while Nick and Grissom were talking to the doctor.

"Now the surgery will take about four hours and again, it's extremely risky. Mr. Grissom, you're Greg's next of kin after his mother, so you have the decision to make."

Nick looked at his boss nervously chewing on his lip. He wanted this for Greg, but what if things went wrong…what if he died? What if it didn't even work? Sure, it would be weird having a guy thinking he was seven around, but at least he would be alive. Then again, he really wanted the old Greg back.

"However, the longer we wait the more difficult and dangerous it'll be to get the bullet out. So we need an answer soon."

Grissom looked at Nick first…Greg was a valuable member of his team and his family, but he wasn't really connected to the kid on a personal level as Nick was. He didn't really know what would be good for him. The Texan pursed his lips, nodding slightly before Grissom looked back at the doctor.

"Do the surgery."

"Alright," Dr. Rivera said. "I'll need you to sign a few things at first and then we'll get Greg to a post-op room shortly."

While the supervisor finished up with the doctor, Nick got up and headed towards the playroom. He looked into the window and saw Sara and Catherine laughing while Greg was stacking up blocks even though they kept falling down. A small smile crept on his mouth. He liked taking care of his kid brother, but not so much this way. He wanted the Greg who talked about girls, who played loud music and was just a crazy person in general. He prayed that this would work. Twenty minutes later found Greg and Nick alone in the pre-op room, the blonde lying on the bed and Nick in a chair. Greg was frantically looking around, fidgeting and breathing heavily.

"Greg, you're gonna be okay buddy. Just relax."

"But I'm scared, Nicky. What if…what if something bad happens?"

"Nothing bad will happen."

"Promise?"

Nick smiled, ruffling Greg's hair. "I promise little man."

Greg returned the grin and took a deep breath. When the nurse came in to give Greg the anesthesia, the blonde gripped Nick's hand tightly until he fell asleep. Nick stroked the kid's knuckles with his thumb before standing up with a sigh. "He's gonna be okay, right?" He asked the nurse.

The woman smiled. "He'll be fine. He's a lot stronger than he looks, I bet."

Nick chuckled. "Yeah, you're right about that." But when Greg was wheeled out of the room, Nick's smile fell and he collapsed back in the seat and washed both hands over his face. He could tell that the nurse was probably lying to him…that she didn't know if Greg would be okay or not. And if he didn't make if, Nick would never live it down.

Six Hours Later

Nick was fucking scared and he couldn't stop pacing. He was fine, yet nervous, until he heard on the intercom that there was a code blue in the operation room. Yes, it could've been any number of patients that were going under the knife, but he had a gut feeling- a big brother feeling- that it was Greg. After that, it was quiet.

"They would've come right out after that, right? If Greg had, you know?" Nick asked Catherine with a shaky voice.

"Yes, Nick, they would've I'm sure. He's going to be okay, you just gotta believe that."

"I'm trying." He really was. But it was difficult; he may or may not see his best friend alive again and it was the worst feeling. The Texan bit his lip and glanced at the double doors for the hundredth time. Come on kid, what's going on in there?

A little over another hour passed before the doctor came out giving them the news.

"The surgery was a success, we got the bullet out and he's stable," Dr. Rivera smiled. "However, I won't lie that there were complications during his surgery."

Nick swallowed. He knew it.

"Greg flat-lined shortly after we opened up his skull and we almost had to put the surgery on hold, but we got him back. We won't know until he wakes up if the surgery actually did anything to help him with his memory. The effects of the anesthesia are still wearing off right now, but he should wake up within the next hour or so."

Nick grinned in relief. "Can we sit with him?"

The doctor nodded. "But only one at a time."

And now Nick was sitting with his unconscious friend watching him breathing steadily. The rest of the team had gone home to get some rest, but promised to be back when they could. Greg's face was still a little too pale for his liking and the thick white bandage that was wrapped around his head made it appear like he had a big hat on.

"I'm proud of you bud. I knew you could pull through." He grasped the kid's cool hand and squeezed it gently. "Please come back to us, G. I need my partner in crime again. And Warrick…he feels super guilty and I don't blame him. I mean, I would be too." He smiled sadly and sat back in his chair. "I'll always be here for you, Greg. Don't ever forget that. Even if you don't get your memory back, I'll remind you that every day."

Greg didn't wake up until the next morning and Nick barely got to say anything before he was pushed back by a nurse as she and Dr. Rivera checked the blonde over.

"Glad you're back, Mr. Sanders. Do you know what your name is? How old you are?"

Greg blinked tiredly. He wanted to sleep and wanted these people to stop asking stupid questions. Of course he knew what his name was. "G-Greg," he whispered. "And twenty-seven."

Nick's heart leapt when he heard Greg speak, no longer in a child's voice but in a man's. He knew he was an adult. Thank god.

"Do you know where you are?"

Greg rolled his eyes to scan the area, but that just hurt his already pounding head. He felt like he'd been hit by a mallet. "The…h-hos…pital?" And why was his voice all slurred? Maybe he was on drugs…the hospital was the place to get them especially if you were a patient.

"That's right," the doctor smiled before waving someone over.

Greg frowned, but then someone came into view.

"Hey buddy," the man grinned, speaking with a Texan accent. "Do you remember me?"

Greg frowned, trying to piece things together, but he had no idea who this guy was. Maybe a friend? A colleague? "N-No…who are you?"

The man frowned. "Greg…it's me, Nick."

Greg tried remembering again, but he came up blank. He shook his head, feeling nervous. Why couldn't he remember? This guy obviously knew him. "I-I really don't know who you are."

"Alright, Nick, you're gonna have to leave for a moment while we finish up here," the doctor said.

Nick hesitated, but cooperated and waited impatiently. When she came back out of the room, she informed him that Greg had retrograde amnesia.

"So…he won't ever remember me?"

"I wouldn't say ever. It will definitely take time to ease him back into his normal life. The trauma to the head plus both surgeries might have jumbled things around, but with help, he could get his memory back."

Nick sighed. The key word being 'could' not a definite 'he will get his memory back.' "Okay…thank you."

"You're welcome. Don't give up hope, Nick. He's a miracle; not very many people would be this lucky and make it this far."

When the doctor left, Nick went back into the room to see Greg staring out the window.

"Hey man."

Greg looked up. "Nick, right?"

"Yeah." The team was not going to like this. "Do you really not remember me?"

Greg shook his head. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's alright, man. It's not your fault."

The blonde smiled weakly and looked down at his hands.

"What if I never remember?"

Nick pursed his lips before resting a hand on Greg's shoulder. "You will, it'll just take time. But I promise I, and your other friends, will do whatever it takes to get you back on your feet."

Greg's smile broadened. "Thank you."

"No problem, buddy. Now, if we're gonna get your memory back, let's start with which football team is the best. No one is better than the Vikings," Nick smirked. If he could Greg on his side that would be awesome even though he sort of liked the rivalry.

Greg scoffed, raising his eyebrows. "Okay, I may have lost some of my memory, but at least I have enough sense to know that the Vikings suck and the Falcons rule."

"Yeah?" Nick laughed and turned to flip the TV on to the football game. "We'll see about that."

"How about we raise the stakes and bet on it. Hundred bucks the Vikings lose."

The Texan laughed again and shook Greg's hand. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad; it was like getting to know Greg all over again…though he didn't change much at all. "You're on, kid."

FIN
I apologize if this seemed a bit rushed/unrealistic. It was a little weird to write something like this since I'm not really used to it, but I hope you liked it anyways! Stay tuned for more hurt Greg!

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