A/n this chapter contains spoilers for the episode "Overload" please read and review! -------

Slumping back against the wall Dacia whimpered the morning sickness had slammed into her like an oncoming train. Nick's sleepy voice called to her.

"Daish, you okay?"

"Yeah, go back to sleep," she answered weakly. Hearing the weakness in her tone Nick dragged himself from bed and walked over to the bathroom door.

"Honey, let me in."

"I'm fine, just go back to sleep." She stopped arguing when the next bout of nausea hit and she was forced to lean back over the toilet. Ignoring his wife's request Nick opened the door and nelt down behind her pulling her hair out of her face. Remembering what had helped his sister's when they were pregnant he gently rubbed her back while whispering soothing words in her ear. After another moment of nausea she leant back into his arms weak and exhausted.

"Better now?"

"I think so, can I have a glass of water, please?"

"Sure, here you go."

"Thanks," she said softly.

"No problem. Why didn't you wake me up when you got sick?" Nick asked.

"One of us needs sleep," Dacia protested.

"Yeah, but I can't sleep knowing your in here getting sick," Nick replied sweetly.

"Okay, next time I'll wake you. What time is it anyway?" she asked pulling herself to her feet. Looking at the clock through the bathroom door, Nick said,

"It's 5:15 we have about 45 more minutes of sleep. Come back to bed with me?"

"Yeah right after I brush my teeth."

"I'll be waiting," Nick said kissing her cheek before making his way back to their bed and climbing under the covers. -------

"Nick, you I and Dacia have a sexual assault case. Warrick, you and Greg have a homicide at the Rampart, and Catherine you and Sara have a body found just off I-15. Okay, let's get to work people," Grissom commanded.

"I'm driving," Nick declared grabbing the keys and heading for the Denali. Laughing Dacia and Grissom followed in his wake.

"How are you feeling?" Grissom asked the young woman as they walked down the hall.

"I'm doing okay. The morning sickness is kicking my ass, but other than that and being totally worn out I'm doing just fine."

"Your what, three months along?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"Usually the morning sickness abates after the first trimester"

"I hope so," Nick interjected.

"Me, to," Dacia said in agreement as the three of them climbed into the car.

"What've we got, Brass?" Dacia asked as the detective met them in front of the house they were standing in front of.

"Patrick Robison, age nine. The parents found him curled up on his bed badly beaten and bleeding. The was being watched by a babysitter but she was no where to be found when the parents got here. All the little boy will say is I feel dirty. The parents could see signs of sexual assault, bleeding and so on. That's all I know."

"Nick, why don't you go talk to the boy and Dacia and I will talk to the parents.

"You got it, Griss," Nick said entering the house and heading for the boys room. Dacia could see the angry posture of her husband's body and she couldn't help but think this case had hit to close to home for him. ------------

"Hi, Patrick, my name is Nick Stokes, and I'm a CSI. I work for the crime lab. Do you know what a CSI does?"

"No," the little boy mumbled.

"We catch bad guys and put them in jail. I'm here to catch the bad person who did this to you, but in order to do that I need to ask you some questions, is that okay?"

"I guess so," Patrick said.

"Did your babysitter hurt you?" The boy nodded but didn't speak. "What was your babysitter's name?

"Jenny, she said we were just playing house and that she was the mommy and I was the daddy. I said I didn't wanna play and that house was for girls but she got mad at me and hit me several times cause I didn't wanna play."

"Then what did she do?"

"I fought her some more but then she yanked off my pants and my underwear then took hers off and climbed on top of me. She made me touch her then she said she'd make me feel better and she started touching me there," Patrick broke off pointing between his legs. Nick could see the fear in the young boys eyes.

"Keep going, your doing great, kiddo."

"I begged her to stop but she didn't. She climbed on my lap and started bouncing up and down on me. It hurt. After a while she let out a loud scream and after a moment of squeezing really tight around me she climbed off and left the house. I felt so dirty so I just curled up and cried. Then Mom and Dad came home and found me," the boy finished.

"Okay, I need to take some pictures and take some DNA samples will you let me do that?"

"Yes."

"First of all, have you taken a shower since she left?" Looking at him Nick thought he hadn't due to the dryness of his hair but he had to make sure.

"No, but I want to, I can still feel her on me. It feels like she'll never go away," Patrick declared sadly. Twenty minutes later all the evidence and photos Nick needed had been taken and he was packing up his kit. Just before he left the bedroom the turned to the small boy on the bed as the asked a question.

"Will I ever be normal again? Will I have nightmares?" Placing his kit by the door Nick walked over to the bed and dropped to his knees beside it.

"I'll be honest with you, Patrick. You'll never feel quite the same again, but eventually you work through those feelings and it becomes easier. As for the nightmares, you will probably have them, but they'll fade in time. You'll be okay in time."

"How do you know?" he challenged.

"Because I was you at age nine," Nick said softly.

"You mean your babysitter hurt you like Jenny hurt me?" Patrick asked incredulously.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

"And your okay?" the young boy confirmed. Nick nodded as he got up from his spot on the floor and after grabbing his kit headed down the hall to meet up with Daish and Grissom determined to put this perp behind bars where she belonged.

TBC?