Crisis Mode

Spoilers: Living Doll and other episodes are fair game.

Meanwhile Sara is still in a coma, Nick is confiding with his parents about Sara.

A/N: I am in no way a GSR shipper, but a proud Snickers (or NSR) shipper. This will start off as GSR, but it will most likely end up as a Snickers story. By the way, this was a challenge that was too sweet to pass up.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of CSI, but I would love to own Warrick and Nick. If I did own them, Nick and Sara would be hooked, hitched and already have at least two kids. I only own my original characters.

Nick and his Parents Visit Sara

Desert Palm Hospital Cafeteria

Nick and his parents were having lunch at the cafeteria. Judge Bill Stokes and Nick each had a hamburger with lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Jillian had a Caesar's salad with grilled chicken.

"Pancho, your mother and I understand you are in love with that poor girl," Judge Bill Stokes said. "What we don't get is why she is with someone else?"

"He is our boss," Nick explained. "He cares more about his creepy crawlies than he does about Sara. She has been in a medicated coma for about two weeks and Grissom refuses to visit her. I have taken the time to visit her almost every day."

"Maybe he is scared of seeing Sara lying in a coma," Jillian said.

"Okay, let me tell you a story and decide for yourselves. About two years ago, Sara and Grissom were at a mental institution processing a crime scene. Grissom, for some reason, leaves her alone at that crime scene. She was collecting evidence inside a nurse's station and just minding her own business. A patient joins her and locks up the room. He started talking to her and holds a makeshift ceramic knife to her throat. She was rescued, but she shouldn't have been left alone there."

"Did Grissom finally return?" Bill asked.

"He did in time to prevent a tragedy from happening," Nick continued. "However, if I was working that case with her, I would not have left Sara alone, not even for a moment."

"I guess he is not much of a people person," Jillian surmised.

"No, like I said before he is all about his bugs, creepy crawlies and any experiment he does with them," Nick confirmed. "He even has an irradiated fetal pig in a jar of formaldehyde that he probably favors over Sara."

Bill took the trays with the dirty utensils to the designated area for dirty dishes and trays. He went to get three cappuccinos from the coffee kiosk and a huge cookie to share. He rejoined his wife and son with the drinks and treat.

"Sara came from an abusive environment," Nick blurted after taking a few sips of his cappuccino. "When she was eleven or twelve, her mother stabbed her father to death. Her mother was sent to prison for life. As a result, Sara and her brother were in the foster care system until they each turned 18. Cases that involve battered women greatly affect her."

"Oh that poor woman had been through so much in her young life," Jillian gasped in horror. "Nicholas, I probably know the answer to this question, but I am going to ask anyway. Was it Sara that found out where you were buried alive?"

"She did and she saved me," Nick winced and smiled. "I returned the favor by finding and saving her. I am not sure if I returned it completely since she is in a coma."

"You saved her from possibly dying in the desert," Jillian reassured her youngest child.

"I know and she will survive."

"Pancho, do you want us to come with you to see Sara?" Bill asked.

Nick slowly nodded and took the empty cups to the garbage. His parents waited for him outside the cafeteria. They walked toward the elevators and Jillian called one. When an elevator arrived the three of them entered and Nick pressed the button for the fourth floor. They got off at their requested floor. Nick led his parents to room 419. Just as they were about to enter the room, Hodges was about to leave.

"Hey Goose, what are you doing here?" Nick asked.

"Can I visit Sara without dealing with accusations of ulterior motives or questions?" Hodges countered with a question of his own.

"I think you are probably the last person in the world I expect to visit her."

"Guys, let's keep the peace for Sara's sake," Jillian intervened. "By the way, I am Nick's mother and this is his father."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Hodges said. "I have to get going, there is a mandatory lab tech's meeting in a half hour. Nick, I'll see you later."

Nick waved as Hodges sprinted towards the elevator. Bill and Jillian were the first to enter the room and Nick followed. When his parents saw Sara lying in the bed, their hearts broke for her.

"Talk to her," Nick said calmly.

"Hey Sara, I am not sure if you remember us," Bill said. "We are Nick's parents and we remember you as an angel and hero to everyone in the Stokes family."

"If it weren't for you," Jillian added. "We all would have lost our Nick forever."

"We are all grateful for what you did. Whoever did this to you would have either been sentenced to life or gotten the death penalty in Texas."

"Cisco, the woman that did this to Sara is a mental case," Nick interrupted. "She needs to be committed for life."

"Pancho, I understand, but I am just saying what I would have done if I met that woman on the streets of Dallas or Austin," Bill said. "Sara didn't deserve what had happened to her!"

"Sara is a beautiful and decent woman," Jillian agreed. "She didn't deserve this at all."

There were a few minutes of silence that filled the room with the exception of the beeping noises of the machines.

"Hey Sara, it's your pain in the ass friend Nick, again," Nick broke the eerie silence. "My parents are here to visit. They like you a lot! Please wake up soon for everyone that loves and care about and for you. I know that it will be a tough road ahead and I am going to be there for you every step of the way."

As it was the routine, a nurse would come in and tell Sara's visitor or visitors that their visit was over. Nick gently kissed Sara on the cheek while his parents gave her a pat on her good arm. The three left the room hoping that she would soon be okay.

TBC