R2R at the end! Thanks to all that have been with me thus far!
Chapter Fourteen- Helping Hands
Sara let out a sigh as she pushed her way through the endless crowd, standing on her tiptoes in order to see around the crowded joint. She wasn't sure why Nick had chosen this place, the both of them knew it was always busy, even more so at this hour. True, she should've said something while she still had him on the phone, but it hadn't crossed her mind.
"Excuse me," Sara muttered under her breath as a man strolling by knocked her sideways. The man didn't even pause to make sure she was okay, as he continued his lumbering stride towards the door, pushing his way through everyone else.
She supposed that was the only practical way to get in and out of this place. Pulling the strap of her purse over her shoulder, Sara stood on her tiptoes once more, smiling when she finally saw him.
Lucky for her, Nick had chosen the table clear in back, leaving her the only choice to push the rest of the way through, earning questionable glances from everyone else.
"This is crazy," Sara muttered, sitting down across from him. "They need someone in here just to direct traffic."
Nick shrugged, scanning over the menu he held in his hands. "I just used the back door," he stated calmly.
Sara lifted her gaze to meet his. "There a back door?" she questioned lightly, frowning when he nodded.
"You ordering anything?" Nick asked, looking up as the waiter came by. Sara quickly shook her head, waiting as he ordered a light lunch. Sara had forgotten that his shift started in little over an hour.
"What did you want to talk about?" Nick questioned after the waiter had gone. "It's about Greg, isn't it?"
Sara nodded slowly, rubbing her head. "I just don't know what to do," she told him quietly. "It seems the more I try to reach out to him, the further he pulls away. I don't know what I'm doing half the time."
"Give him time," Nick suggested, surprised when she shook her head.
"How much time? It's been months, you'd think he'd come through by now. He's barely even talking to me anymore. It's like…I don't know how to explain it."
"You've given so much more than anyone else has Sara," Nick told her gently, reaching over with a hand to grasp hers. "Don't be so quick to give up on him. The rest of us are here for him too. You don't have to do this alone."
"I just want him to be himself again," she muttered quietly, her gaze drifting downwards.
Nick let go of her hand quickly as his meal was brought, neither saying anything more until the waiter had left once again. "We all do," Nick reminded her, eating a stray fry. He offered her some, but she shook her head. She couldn't eat, not now anyways.
"Just give him some space," he stated, talking with his mouth full. "Greg has always been independent. Let him still have some of that, make him comfortable. Just take it one step at a time, give him what he wants."
If only I could, Sara thought bitterly, but instead she forced a smile. "I'm trying."
"I know you are," Nick nodded towards her, taking another bite. Somehow she wasn't convinced that he was being sincere, but she didn't press the matter. After all, she had been the one to call him.
"It's going to be even harder for Greg since Ecklie pulled the trigger."
Sara lifted her gaze, frowning up at him. "What do you mean Ecklie pulled the trigger?"
Nick met her gaze, a skeptical look crossing his face. "You didn't hear? Grissom said he was going to call you about it."
"I guess he forgot my number," Sara stated sarcastically. "What did Ecklie do?"
"He's refused to let Greg work on any cases. Says that it's too much of a liability. At the most he's only going to let Greg shuffle paperwork, run errands and so forth."
"He can't do that," Sara straightened up, her hands clasping in front of her. "The doctors want him back on routine in order to help jog his memory. If we start switching stuff on him now, how's he ever going to know anything?"
"Hey, don't shoot the messenger," Nick warned. "Grissom's trying to work something out, but I don't where he's gotten with it. Knowing Ecklie it's probably not very far."
Sara shook her head, sighing as she stood up. "I've got to get going," she told him quickly, already heading towards the back door.
"Hey," Nick's voice caused her to turn back towards him, breaking her stride momentarily.
"If you're going to kill Ecklie, I want to be there to see it," he stated, laughing softly.
Sara returned a small smile, before continuing through the doors.
She had been upset when Nick had first told her. Now she was even more so that she was right in front of him, and he was still refusing. Grissom was behind her, backing her opinions. But the answer still remained the same.
Ecklie shook his head, collecting the scattered papers across his desk, shuffling them back into a file folder. "I can't allow it," he told him, reaching across the surface of his desk to grab a loose paper.
"Greg needs all the help he can get," Sara stated defensively. "He hasn't come this far just to be stopped by you."
"It's cute how you put it," Ecklie scoffed, sliding the folder back into a cabinet. "Blame it all on me; I'm such a bad person. I have to protect this lab. If word got out that an amnesiac is working here, you have any idea how the public will take that?"
"His name is Greg," Sara reminded him coldly. "The only way he's going to remember is through here. He can do the work; he just needs someone to teach him."
"And that costs money," Ecklie pointed out, taking a seat in his plush sized chair.
"Not if we train him," Sara argued, taking a step towards him. Grissom's hand on her shoulder held her back.
"You aren't certified to train anyone," Ecklie pointed out.
"I trained him before," Sara continued her argument. "What difference does this make?"
"First off, Sanders knew how to do most of the work, you were just supervising, secondly Grissom was the one who trained him."
"Sara did as much as the work as I did," Grissom spoke up quickly before Sara could fire back a response. He stepped in closer, taking one of the smaller chairs as a seat. "If we all took turns training him, in various areas of the lab and out in the field, I don't think that it would take long for him to remember what he is doing."
"And if he screws up, who is there to take the blame? We can't have criminals running loose because of some incompetent employee can't remember a single thing."
"How can you blame this on Greg? This isn't his fault, we could have been killed, hell, he was supposed to die, but he's here against all odds. He's done more than any of us could have, why do you continue to downgrade him?"
Sara's outburst was met with silence, and a steady glare from Grissom. He was able to speak without words, and right now the glare was telling her that she was treading dangerous waters.
Ecklie however, didn't respond to her comment right away. Slowly he lifted her head to meet her gaze, frowning at her. "The reputation lab needs to be protected. We are the finest crime lab in the state. I won't have that going to waste because of one person."
"And it won't," Grissom argued quickly. "Greg won't be left alone in anything, and if something happens, I'll take the blame for it. But I know Greg, he's a fast learner, we won't have any problems."
Ecklie let out a long sigh, shaking his head. He was quiet for a moment, speaking up right before Grissom was about to continue. "Fine, but only because I'm such a nice guy. The first mistake, either by his fault or yours, he's gone. Do I make myself clear?"
Grissom nodded, glancing over his shoulder at Sara. She was still unhappy, but there was little he could do about it. At the moment all they were doing was scraping the surface of a shell. When time passed, they would be able to break through; all they needed was the time.
TBC
R2R-
Unlikely-to-bear-it
Yep, she did call Nick :D Greg faking it? Hmm…maybe, maybe not. He's going to be going through a lot more before….:D that's enough said.
CatherineLouise
Smiles will be coming next chapter, I promise. Greg needs some smiles, needs to feel better, before the angst starts up again.
LuvinNickyStokes
Glad you're still here with me :D
I had a hard time writing some of this, and still will, trying not be influenced with all the tv shows and cartoons of ppl having amnesia, and it is really hard. I'm trying to make it realistic, but since I've never seen it happen in RL it's been hard.
Sugar Pill
Of course nothing ever settles down for them! Where would all the excitement be, lol. Greg's going to be doing a lot of adjusting throughout the story. Still have a lot more planned. I'm glad you're liking the story, and that you've started your own, I love it, lol. Interested to see where you're going with it
Austin B
I miss the old Greg as well, and that will start to become evident with the others as time passes. Will he come back? Hmm….
And I'm glad you like all the stories so far. Funnily enough I started off with one, now I have…too many to keep up with :P
LocoGreggo
Yes, I will keep going, I'm glad you're liking the story. Keep reviewing!
jewelbaby
I was debating to have her call Nick or Grissom, but I choose Nick on two reasons, one- for more emotional support, two- for more character interaction. There's been some heavy focus on Greg, Sara, and Grissom. I want to get some of the other characters in the story now.
Lizzy Sidle-
Lol, no stalker, not yet anyways. That would be Greg watching her go, after her telling him she would be right back, and he sees her leave…a bit of angst. Lol, don't shoot him!
And yes, you've been with me since the start, so you get extra thanks! hands out cookies
Does Greg still remember how hot he is? That one I don't know, lol!
frickangel
Greg will be hurting for a while more, but that's all I'll say for now.
Gator-Girl
I'm glad you like the story so far! Don't forget to review!
candy
Thanks for the nice comments, please keep reviewing, I love reading them all!
wdbydoglvr
From what I've read, hitting someone on the head doesn't reverse. But since I'm not a doctor, I don't really know. I've never have used an iPod before, pretty scary huh? I wouldn't know how to use it either.
shadowwind
Well, the reviews certainly inspire me to write faster :D
Keep writing though, if you stop, then you ever get done
Jenny70529
Hey girl, hope you're feeling a little better. I'll have the next part in next chapter, that I told you about. I'll have to thank you again for all your help so far. Thanks for all your support and reviews as well! Though I'm anxious to see your next update, hint, hint
kitsune07
Thanks for the comment! That means a lot to me. I haven't read any other stories where he loses his memory though. I don't know what stories are my favorite, sometimes I feel like doing a poll to see who likes the best of them all. I try to keep all the characters in character, it's on of my biggest pet peeves when they're not. I'm not saying I keep them in character all the time, but I do try.
Lalenna
It really does have to be hard on Sara, which is a great angst feature, of course. Thanks for all the reviews!
Ria Erif
Thanks for your comments! I love Greg/Sara being together, and I hope to see more reviews from you, I love reading your thoughts.
Tripp3235
I love doing Sara and Greg interaction, but you already knew that, didn't you? I miss seeing your reviews, they're so thoughtful!
Of course, thanks to everyone else that is reading and reviewing, I love reading what you guys have to say!