Author: Nicksfriend
Rating:k
Spoilers: For Gedda
Disclaimer: They do not belong to me...that is for sure.
Author's note:This is my seventh CSI fic.
Remember guys I am following the Kübler-Ross model which describes, in five discrete stages, the process by which people deal with grief and tragedy. The five stages of grief are: Denial, anger, bargaining,depression and acceptance. A person can go from one to the other but the final will be acceptance but that is a ways off for my friend I'm afraid. Sorry.
A quick thanks to all who have responded, any writer loves feedback, but most of you know I tend to follow my own path but I do listen sometimes and I love to hear from you...And to TPTB...I really hope you give Nick some angsty moments...we love angsty moments for our hero! And to me ...Nick is a HERO!
Desert Palm
Sara was awakened by the sound of the rubber wheels on the IV pole moving against the tiled floor, she opened her eyes to see Nick moving slowly across the floor to the bathroom.
"Nick, you need some help?" Sara asked as he watched the man move towards the bathroom door.
"I think I can handle it." His raspy voice, caused from the intubation during his surgery, called out as he disappeared behind the door.
He locked the door and stood in the quiet bathroom. As he looked into the mirror,his pale coloring a contrast to the bruises that now covered his face and body, he saw a man who had been beaten. He just wanted to go home and now he had babysitters,they would never leave him alone.
His mind was wondering, the funeral would be in a few days and he just wanted to be out of the hospital, he wanted to go home. He needed to mourn his friend's death now, the killer had been captured, he would pay a price for what he had done to Warrick.
"Hey you did a great job." a voice from behind the shower curtain announced.
Nick jumped, the voice jarring him from his thoughts,"What the hell?" he asked as he pulled the shower curtain open to find his friend.
"Nicky, you okay man?" Warrick asked as he leaned against the bathroom tile.
"You left me." Nick accused as he took a seat on the closed commode lid.
"I never left Nicky, I just had to allow you to make a decision on your own and by the way you made the right one." Warrick came over, his head close to his wound,"Wow, that had to hurt." making a face at the large bandage.
"Stop it Warrick, I should have killed the son of a bitch but you had to make me feel guilty and I held back, thinking that the justice system could get the job done." He rubbed his face with his hand and looked up at his friend.
"It's what we've always believed in Nick, I'm sure McKeen will get what he deserves." Warrick sat down on the tub,"Look Nicky, we both know that you did the right thing,and I'm proud of you buddy."
"Don't be, because I still have a desire to kill the bastard and a part of me wishes that you hadn't given such a guilt trip in the car." Looking at his friend in the dim fluorescent light.
Warrick shrugged, seeing that his friend was in a dark place. "I saved your ass Nick, in more ways than one. You aren't like that man. You're better than that."
"Am I Warrick? I thought I was human, with human emotions. I want my friend back and I want that son of a bitch to pay for what he did to you!" Tears were now streaming down his face, his voice loud enough to be heard in the other room, now people were knocking at the door, concerned for his well-being.
"Now look what you've done. You've alerted the big man." Warrick joked as Grissom yelled Nick's name on the other side of the door, accompanied by a nurse and Sara.
"They're going to place me in restraints, thinking that I've really gone over the edge." Nick moaned as he wiped away the tears and reached for the door handle, hesitating to take one more glance of his friend.
"Would you hurry man, they won't wait forever before they kick the door down." Warrick joked, giving a small smile to his friend.
Nick rolled his eyes and clicked the lock off and opened the door,"What?" he asked his friends and the nurse who were now starring at him as if he had lost his mind.
"Who were you talking to Nick?" Sara asked as she looked around the small room.
"Myself." He stood and started back to the bed, pulling his IV pole along, remembering that he had never taken the time to actually do what he went in there to do, but it could wait, he knew that they would be taking the door off the hinges after that little trick and giving him a pee bottle.
"Nick, are you okay?" Grissom asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"I'm fine, just needed to let off a little steam." He looked up at the concerned crowd, giving them a small grin, which put them at rest.
"How's your shoulder Mr Stokes?" The nurse asked as she assessed the bandage on his shoulder.
"It hurts but other than that I feel fine." he lied, knowing that if he wanted to go to his friend's funeral he needed to play the game and that meant he would have to stop with hallucinations of his friend. They were hallucinations weren't they, he questioned himself.
The Lab
Gregg had xrayed the package but it did not contain anything that looked like an explosive, Brass was watching from outside as Gregg process the package.
Gregg carefully opened the package and looked inside, something was wrapped in brown paper tissue, he carefully lifted it, his goggles and shield in place.
"What the hell?" he asked himself as he undid the wrapper after taking pictures of the contents.
A metal container was inside the paper,that was being carefully peeled away. Gregg was shocked as he opened the lid to the container,his mouth gaping open at the contents.
Brass watched as Gregg opened the box and was baffled at Gregg's sudden halt of motion.
Gregg turned and motioned for Brass to enter,to see what was inside the box.
"What?" the only word that could from the superior's mouth.
"I have a feeling somebody was trying to communicate with Nick,it's all the files from Lou Gedda's office on McKeen and his dirty dealings." He was going through the stacked files with gloved hands,seeing how deep McKeen was in the underground world of crime and the deaths that he was responsible for in the past." Gregg shook his head, these files alone would make millions in a book but quickly shook that thought of of his mind remembering that this man had also killed his friend.
Brass started to read through the files, they finally had the evidence to connect Gedda with McKeen, but who had sent this to Nicky and how did they know that Nicky was at the motel,not even the team knew. He was getting a bad feeling,the kind that makes you feel as if the world has turned inside out.
"I need to get back to the hospital, I'll lock these up if you want me to." Gregg offered.
Brass shook his head, these files needed to go to a safe place and copies needed to be made,but what if there was someone else in the department that was connected to these two men, it only made sense."Listen, I'll take care of these, I need you to not tell Nick. This is bigger than all of us and I have a feeling we'll be turning this over to internal affairs, this is husge,much more complicated than what we originally thought. There are names in here to other moles and possible murders and murderers,not just here but also in Henderson."
Gregg hesitated for a few seconds, "How did they know where Nick was and how did they get their hands on these files?"
"Looks like we might have a new problem." he hesitated at he looked down at the files," A mole problem." Brass looked at the young CSI,a concerned look now covering his usually stoic face.
Gregg nodded and walked away, he needed to get back to the hospital, he needed to check on his friend.
Desert Palm
Nick had his eyes closed, the pain medication was enough to put him out but he still had too much on his mind to allow sleep to claim his tired body, the crowd was growing in his room, family and friends visiting the man who had captured McKeen, taken a beating for what he had believed in, justice.
Grissom and Sara had left to go home and get some sleep, the wake for Warrick would be held at his grandmother's tonight at her home and then another would be at the funeral home near the station for th e officers and friends from the department.
Catherine had still not returned, Grissom had called her earlier to give her an update on Nick, telling her that Nick seemed to be fine,nothing that time wouldn't eventually heal as far as hte wound was concerned.
Dr Karen Richards entered the room, the crowd disappeared, her strict method of caring for her patients would be enforced, no visitors for the rest of the day, her patient needed his rest.
"You can open your eyes now, they're gone." Dr Richards announced to her patient, seeing that his breathing pattern was not that of a sleeping man's.
Nick opened his tired eyes and looked up at the doctor, whom he didn't recognize, but hell he hadn't remembered too much since he was admitted except for Warrick in the bathroom, that was enough for one day.
"How are you feeling?" She asked as she pulled back the dressing on his shoulder.
"Fine." his answer short and sweet but he couldn't help but to grimace as she messed with the open wound.
"So you're a tough one." She remarked as she wrote a note on his chart.
"No, I'm not, that hurt." He really wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody.
She took in his appearance, his sad brown eyes catching her attention,"Listen, you have a fever this afternoon, we need to start you on a round of antibiotics."
He nodded and continued to stare off in deep thought. He really didn't have anything to say except that he had no plans in regards to staying another night, he needed to take care of Warrick's grandmother and go to his friend's funeral.
"Okay, I guess we'll rebandage this wound and get your antibiotics started," She started to walk over to the door when she stopped,"If you think you'll be able to leave before I release you then you might want to rethink that, I am ordering you a sitter,someone who can keep an eye on you until I write your orders for discharge."
She turned around to take in the surprised look on her patient's face,"And that will be in a few days, possibly even a week, it'll depend on you and how hard you try to get better." She gave him a stern look, then left the room.
Nick felt like throwing the water pitcher at the door, the evil bitch doctor wouldn't stop him from going to his friend's funeral.
He reached down to remove the IV but her head popped back into the door"If you remove my line I will place restraints on you and replace it with something you can't remove." she gave him a small smile and a reprimanding look then disappeared again.That's what she thought.
Nick couldn't control himself, he picked up the water pitcher and threw it against the door, the full pitcher slammed against the wall emptying its contents all over the wall and floor. His anger getting the best of him. He would find a way to go to his friend's wake and funeral.
He attempted to stand when he heard a voice clear behind him, the devil doctor had returned he thought, turning to give her a piece of his mind, instead a young tech was standing in the door with an arm full of towels."I was going to give you a bath but I think we had better clean this up first." Pointing at the mess he had made.
"I don't want a bath!" his voice raised and full of anger, he just wanted to be left alone, he just wanted to be to be left alone, why couldn't anybody understand that simple need.
The tech left to get assistance.
Okay, if you feel the need to speak to me...speak, I honestly love it when you talk to me!