Sorry it's been so long. .. Well. Here you go! D!
I shrugged off my white lab coat without trying to move as many muscles as possible, or for that matter, move at all. My eyes were failing to open so when I tried to chuck the lab coat into my locker, I ended up hitting the bottom of it and it slumped down to the floor. I groaned, due to frustration and the overcoming sleepiness brought on from work. I had never been so close to actually fainting and falling asleep than right now.
I had worked double shifts, thanks to a spontaneous decision by Grissom. There had been a serial killer on the loose and was killing by the hour so everyone was on duty till this guy was caught. He didn't want someone new to be on the case and have to be refreshed of the news that was occurring. I was constantly moving and everyone was being pushed to limit. He wanted everyone's full attention and, to be quite honest, he sucked the life out of me.
Not only had I gotten no sleep this past week, adding this double shift hadn't helped. My mind hasn't been functioning right lately and my attention span has been steadily decreasing. Not only was this completely and utterly aggravating considering that I needed to focus on my work, I had slightly been avoiding Nick.
And by slightly avoiding, I mean completely.
Why? Why in the world would I do such a thing? Well. I didn't know. Ever since I saw that stupid car at Nick's house a week ago, during the thunderstorm, I've been a wreck. I couldn't remember where I put my car keys, I left my wallet at work multiple times, I've even forgotten to close the front door of my house when I would leave. I felt isolated and I couldn't shake off the feeling of anxiety and paranoia everywhere I went.
I was so sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I closed my locker, shut the lock, and was almost out of the room when I realized I didn't have my purse. I had to hold myself back from screaming at myself.
I angrily pounded my feet as I made my way back to my locker, put in my locker combination, and threw open my locker. I yanked my purse from the back, but did it too quickly and the contents of my purse spilled out, spreading across the floor, and I could have swore they were all mocking me. My face flushed and my fists curled together tightly. I was going to burst.
I dropped down to my knees and began shoveling everything that had fallen out into my bag. I didn't care that it wasn't organized and didn't even acknowledge the lipstick that had somehow found it's way to the end of the room. I just grabbed whatever was in arm's distance and closed my bag shut.
I picked myself up, brushing my bangs out of my face, turned sharply, I found myself eye level with a chest. A man's chest. Not what I had wanted or expected, which was, y'know...the doorway. Some sort of exit. Some sort of way to the outside.
"Jesus, Nick," I huffed, surprised that he had maneuvered his way behind me so quietly and anonymously. I took a step back so I wouldn't talk to his chest. "You can't do that to me."
He just looked at me with a curious expression and raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"
I crossed my arms defensively. "Yes," I said. "Why?"
He looked over to my locker, to my purse, and then to my chaotic face. "You can't possibly believe that I'd think you're okay."
I sighed. "Well, you're wrong."
Look. I didn't mean to be mean or to be a jerk to him. But I really had been working so hard all day and all I wanted was to fall down on my bed and fall asleep for eternity. I was so deprived and Nick was standing in my way of reaching the heavenly goal that was my bed. He was like an obstacle and I figured this was the quickest way of getting home. I really, really wanted to crash and I was about to any second if he kept this up.
I could tell he didn't like what I said. "You need a ride home?" he asked, tonelessly.
"Yes," I said, trying to hold some dignity for myself and clutching my bag fiercely.
His face remained emotionless as we walked outside together, then into his car. I closed the car door shut, put on my seat belt, and had to hold my eyelids open so I wouldn't fall asleep in the car's leather chairs.
I remember it was two minutes into the car ride and we stopped at a red light. And then I passed out.
Only to be shaken away by Nick in what only seemed like a half a second later. I hated how sleep seemed to pass by so quickly...
"Hmm?" I said, shooting my head up quickly when he shook my arm. My eyes were blurry but I could see we had managed to be outside my apartment building. I yawned and stretched my arms, feeling like I gained no ounce of sleep, even feeling a tad more tired. Like that was going to help at all.
"Thanks," I said to Nick, and I didn't even give him a kiss goodbye. I opened the passenger door as quickly as I could and almost pictured my bed in my mind, with it's big giant pillows and large comforter where I could cover all my body--
...I was tasting cement. Apparently my legs hadn't gotten the message that we were going to need to walk and I fell out of the car. I was so groggy that I almost considered just staying on the disgusting sidewalk and calling it a night.
But I heard another car door open, close, and footsteps by my body. Nick helped me up and when I tried to make my way to my apartment again, my legs failed and I would have fallen again if he didn't have lightening fast reflexes and catch me.
"Hey hey," he said steadily and he wrapped his arms around my waist, turning me around to face him but still holding me in his grasp. "Mae, what's wrong with you?"
I clung to his shirt and closed my eyes. "I'm so tired."
"C'mon," he said and he helped me make my way to my apartment door. I mean, he literally did all the work because I don't recall even using a muscle to move my body to my door. He even got the key from my purse and inserted in my front door, opened it, and locked it behind him.
He took my jacket off of my shoulders and threw it on my couch, then led me back to my bedroom. He helped me fling off my shoes and laid me down in my bed.
I was comfortably inside my covers when he leaned down, planted a kiss on my forehead and turned to walk away. But, I'm guessing it was the guilt I felt, I reached out my arm and grabbed his hand. He looked over his shoulder and down at me, half asleep in my bed and probably looking like I got run over by a car. Or at least face-planting a sidewalk.
"Stay," I mumbled out so groggily that I almost didn't understand what I just said.
He looked at me for a couple of seconds and he was deep in thought. He let go of my hand, and when I thought he was going to head for the door and dismiss what I said as something my sleep depravity had uttered out, he turned and made his way to the other side of the bed.
He put his car keys and wallet on the nightstand, untied his shoes, then made his way into my bed. I turned around to face him and closed the space between us. He wrapped his arms around my waist, I cushioned my head on his chest, and I automatically fell asleep.