Here's the last chapter!

I'll publish a new story soon, hope you'll enjoy it!

Big love,

pikapikatchu

Almost two weeks after Kyle Novak had tried to commit suicide, Greg visited him in the hospital again. Nick was with him to support him. The happy and upbeat aura that had surrounded Kyle most of his life seemed to have faded completely, he looked as devastated as he felt, with empty eyes trying hard to concentrate on the two CSIs, his gaze drifting away several times during their conversation. "What's going to happen to my wife and mother?" he asked with a sad voice even before saying hello to the two. They were sitting in a living room like room in the mental hospital.

"Hey Kyle." Greg was a little surprised that this was his first question, but he decided to go ahead and answer it. "They couldn't connect your mother to any crimes so… she's out again."

"Huh. My wife?"

"She admitted to being present at some of the crime scenes. They're looking further into it, but it's likely she participated in at least some of the murders."

Kyle started to laugh. "Great. I was worried about her infidelity, now I have to worry about the fact that I'm married to a murderer."

"...We don't know that, yet. We don't know how she was involved or… if she really was."

"I guarantee you she was." He put his fingers through his hair. "I ignored the signs, I didn't want to see them. She was way too interested in serial killers, you know? I thought it was just a general interest, lots of people are fascinated by these criminals, right? I thought she just enjoyed documentaries about them, crime shows… that sort of thing." He shook his head. "I always thought the way she reacted to any tragic event, whether she heard it in the news or it impacted the lives of her friends… it seemed a little cold and disconnected."

"Kyle, nobody expects you to have known any sooner. People like her… They know how to trick people into thinking they're normal. She fooled everybody else around her, too."

Kyle wiped the tears away that kept rolling down his cheeks. "Why are you even here?"

"We wanted to see how you were doing. We asked your doctor… you didn't have any visitors and didn't call anybody since you've been admitted."

"So?"

"So… Do you have any friends you'd like me to contact for you?"

"What?" Kyle frowned. "Why would you want to do that?"

"I'm sure they'd want to know that..."

He interrupted the CSI. "No, I mean… Why would you want to do that? You don't owe me anything."

"...I-I know, I just… I worry about you."

He chuckled humorlessly. "You're a little messed up, huh? Why don't you just turn your back and act like you never met me? I don't deserve your help after what I did."

"What did you do?"

"I wanted to shoot my brains out in front of you, remember?" he said sarcastically.

"Hey, what the hell, man? He's trying to help you here." Nick gave him a look. He wasn't thrilled that Greg wanted to help this man, but he felt like he at least should appreciate it.

"And I just said I don't want his help. I don't deserve it."

"Kyle, come on. You know that's not true. I told you I didn't have any hard feelings. I worry about you. You can't do this alone, you need your friends."

"And tell them what? That I lost my damn mind after I found out my mother and wife were sociopaths that both slept with my stepbrother?"

"Tell them whatever you want. But accept their help if they offer it to you. You shouldn't have to go through this alone because your wife and mother betrayed you."

Kyle started crying. "Greg, I… I can't involve my friends. I dragged enough innocent people into this mess."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Nick finally chimed in. "I don't know you well enough to know the reasoning behind your catholic guilt trip, but… I'm sure you don't deserve to suffer because you were born into this messed up family."

He stared at Nick surprised. The whole time he got nothing but hostile vibes from him, but he was now showing genuine compassion. He got off his seat to walk to a sidetable behind him, bringing a notepad and pen back to the desk. He wrote down a phone number, then slipped it over the desk towards Greg. "This is my best friend Ryan's number. Just… don't tell him the whole story, just say that I… had a nervous breakdown or something."

Greg nodded as he put the paper in his pocket with a smile on his face. "I will."

Further investigation would later reveal that Kyle's wife helped dispose of two of Neil Novak's victim's bodies, as well as the fact that she not only helped pick out those two victims, but also watched them getting raped and murdered. Kyle's mother knew of most of the crimes Neil committed but had no active involvement in them. Kyle didn't want any contact to either two women anymore, but learned that he had some great friends who were willing to help him recover from the stressful few days. He was eventually released from the mental hospital but decided to abandon his home and move in with a friend until he got back on his feet. He said good-bye to Greg with a letter he sent to the lab, which the CSI was reading in the locker room.

Nick walked in with a stressed look on his face. "End of shift finally arrived. I'm in the mood for some good breakfast, are you in?" He smiled at his friend, but noticed he wasn't listening. "Hey, Greg, are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh, uhm, yeah. Breakfast sounds fine." He put the letter in his pocket.

"What were you reading there?"

"Oh, just… Kyle Novak sent me a letter. He's out of the hospital and moving to Carson City for a while."

Nick looked quite surprised. "Oh. Are you alright?"

"Sure."

"I mean, he's out and..."

Greg stopped him. "What I said about him or Neil Novak doesn't matter, I'm fine with this. I'm even happy for the guy."

"Are you sure?"

Greg smiled. "I know he's a good guy that doesn't have the slightest interest to hurt anybody, let alone me. What I said about him and his brother… that wasn't reason talking, it was PTSD."

Nick nodded. "I know. Still, those feelings are valid."

"Maybe. But what's important is that Kyle's in a better place and that I'm still save, right?" Greg smiled at him again. "Now, you said something about breakfast. What did you have in mind?"

Nick reciprocated that smile, even though he was left a bit worried about his friend. He decided to give him what he needed right now – some distraction. "Let me buy you breakfast at Jimmy's and tell you about who is probably the most annoying criminal I've encountered in my whole carreer, huh?"

Ende.