Highway to Hell

Prompt for: Guest: What if in the ep Appendicitment when Nick rolled the car things turned out a lot worse, especially for Greg?

I have to admit that sometimes it's hard for me to write CSI stories nowadays since I don't have the wonderful inspiration of the show. However, I recently discovered ALL the seasons are on HULU and guess what I've been doing all weekend ;) I'm becoming re-obsessed with it and love it! So enjoy!

It was supposed to be something so simple and straightforward. They were "kidnapping" Henry for his birthday to bring him to a well-known joint called Harry's Hog Hideout; he and Nick had gone there a couple times a few years back, even for their own birthdays. It was only right to continue the tradition.

"Look, what do you want from me?!" Henry shouted from the back of the car.

"You know what we want."

"I don't! I swear to God. I don't know anything."

"That's not what Harry says," a masked Nick replied.

Henry frowned. "Who's Harry?"

Hodges, Greg, and Nick chuckled.

"Don't be stupid Henry," Greg said. "Now's no time to play dumb. Cause Harry don't like it when people play dumb."

"Understand?" Hodges added, taking the knife that Greg had handed him.

"Please, look, if you just give me a hint, I'll tell you anything you want to know." The burlap sack was removed from his head and the knife was brandished in front of his face. "Oh my God! No!"

"Happy birthday Henry," Hodges said in a gruff voice.

"What?"

Everyone except for Henry laughed as they pulled off their masks.

"Happy birthday man!" Hodges said, pulling the man into a hug, only to be pushed away.

"You scared the crap out of me! What's the matter with you idiots?!" He hissed, hitting Nick on the shoulder.

"Hey, hey, come on! I'm driving! It was all for a laugh!"

"God," Henry rolled his eyes.

Greg smirked. "Henry, my friend, you are about to have the best birthday of your life, because we are taking you to the one, the only, Harry's Hog Hideout."

"What's a hog hideout?"

"It's only the best barbecue known to mankind," Nick grinned, turning onto a dirt road. "It's a little bit of a drive, but don't worry, Greg knows where it is."

"I thought you said you knew where it is," Greg frowned.

"It's just a bit of a drive, y'all," Henry mocked in his best impression of Nick's accent after they had been driving for a good fifteen minutes.

"Look, if this place, if it's so great, then how come I've never heard of it?"

"Come on, man," the Texan laughed. "A little trust, baby. Come on. It's your birthday."

"I hate my birthdays," Henry groaned. "They always suck." He looked up at the sky. "Oh great, we got a full moon tonight, too, so every nut job in the state will be out."

"I'm surprised at you, Henry," Hodges said. "There's absolutely no statistical evidence linking lunar cycles to an increase in irrational, careless, or criminal behavior."

Nick frowned as he saw a red vehicle swerving on the road and headed right towards them, making no attempt to remain on the right side of the street. He shared a look with Greg, wondering what he should do. This guy was clearly drunk, high, or both.

"Are you sure about that?" He shouted over the other car's honking.

The car didn't move and before they knew it, their car was being run off the road, dipping into the grassy shoulder. Nick tried to control the wheel, the vehicle went straight into a large bush, pushing the car off to one side and flipping it over. They all screamed at the top of their lungs as it rolled at least three times before ending upside down. All four were hanging from their seatbelts, neither one moving a muscle. Nick suddenly groaned, his vision blurry and his head pounding. He glanced over to his right and saw a glimpse of Greg. He wasn't moving and he was pretty sure he saw red…blood.

"Gr-Greg?" The second he tried to move, white hot pain shot through his chest and everything went black. When he came to, his body was screaming from the abuse; he heard several other groans. "Hodges, Henry, you both okay?"

"Ugh, my whole body feels like it was hit by a truck," Hodges groaned.

"Okay," Henry coughed. "This trumps all my sucky birthdays."

Nick smirked. "Greg?" He looked to his right and saw that Greg was still unresponsive and limp. "Greg!" He reached over and pat the blonde's chest. Nothing. "Shit." They had to get out of here. There was no telling if the car would blow up. "We gotta move and quickly."

"Is Greg alright?" Henry asked, carefully unbuckling and landing on the roof.

"I don't know," Nick said worriedly, doing the same while glancing at his unconscious friend. The three clambered out of the smoking car, groaning and gasping in pain, their bones and muscles not happy about being jerked around so roughly. Nick ignored his own injuries, like the shallow gash on his leg and the concussion he no doubt had, and rushed around to the passenger side. He got on his hands and knees, peering in through the broken window.

"Greg, man, can you hear me?"

Silence.

"Come on, kiddo." He quickly scanned the blonde's body for any visible injuries and his heart sunk at what he saw. Blood dripped from a good sized cut on Greg's temple and from his slightly open mouth. He prayed that was from a busted lip or bitten tongue instead of something internal. But as he continued to look, there was a huge rip on the side of Greg's sweatshirt that went all the way down to his skin where an angry red, bleeding gash made an appearance. "Dammit, G." They were all going to need some sort of medical attention, but Greg needed it the most…and fast. "Guys, a little help here. I'm gonna unlock the seatbelt and need you both to catch him."

The two lab techs nodded and within moments, Nick was gently dragging Greg out and away from the vehicle. When they got to a safe distance with thicker grass, Nick laid the blonde down and knelt by his side.

"Greg? Greggo, come on buddy wake up," he pat the man's face but he was getting nothing. God, he already looked so pale and his breathing didn't sound too good either. "One of you, see if you can get into the trunk and grab whatever's in there. Also, check to see if there's any service."

"There's not," Hodges proclaimed, putting his phone away while Henry tried to open the trunk. Nick unzipped Greg's sweatshirt and then lifted up the t-shirt, swearing silently at the damage he saw. Greg definitely needed a hospital. The Texan removed his jacket and pressed it against Greg's wound. He immediately got a reaction, the blonde's eyes snapping open and letting out a cry of pain.

"Easy, bud, easy. I got you, you're okay."

Greg wheezed and looked around in confusion. "Oh god, my stomach is killing me. What…what happened?"

"Car accident. Someone ran us off the road, remember?"

"Oh…right. Shit, everything hurts, Nick," Greg shivered.

"You have a gash on your stomach."

"I found some rags and flashlights in the trunk," Henry said, coming up to them.

"How bad?" Greg hissed, sitting up a little and watching as Nick turned the rags into a makeshift bandage for him.

Nick pursed his lips. "It's pretty bad, but you'll be okay. We just gotta find help. Cellphones don't work, but I know Harry's is about a mile up from where we were. Think you can walk?"

Greg exhaled shakily and nodded. "I can try."

Nick helped Greg to a stand, letting the kid lean on him when he swayed dangerously.

"You good?"

Greg nodded jerkily, wiping the blood from his forehead. He was aching all over and his stomach burned, but he wasn't going to show weakness in front of Nick and especially the lab techs. He gave Nick a forced smile and bobbed his head.

Nick was skeptical that Greg was okay; his face was drained of all color, even his lips were pale. From the moment Nick became friends with Greg, the kid always tried to be tough even if he was hurt. He would hide it. It wasn't a trait Nick particularly liked about the younger man, but he admired how strong he was. Greg wasn't going to admit how much pain he was, but he was going to be close by if something happened. Henry handed them all flashlights and Nick quickly went to grab the revolver he kept in the glovebox. He then removed his belt and made a tourniquet above his own wound to stop the bleeding. "Alright, let's move." The four got onto the road and began limping towards the restaurant. The longer they walked, though, the weaker Greg began to feel. He was hot, sweat soaking his t-shirt and dripping down his dirt covered face. But he had to keep going; he didn't want to slow everyone down. He was so focused on putting one foot in front of the other that he didn't hear Nick calling his name until the Texan was standing right in front of him.

"Greg. Greg!"

"Huh?"

"I called you five times."

Greg blinked and looked around to see Hodges and Henry staring at them and then the bright neon lights of Harry's. When had they gotten there? And when had it gotten dark? He shivered from the cold breeze that came out of nowhere. Wow, he was really out of it.

"Jesus, Greggo," Nick said, placing his hand on the blonde's forehead. "You're burning up."

"I'm fine," Greg choked out, trying not to puke.

"The hell you are, Greg. You can't te-" before Nick could finish, Greg's legs went weak and he fell into the Texan, his breathing raspier than before. "Shit. It's alright, buddy. I gotcha, just hold on. We're gonna head inside so you can sit."

"Uh, guys," Henry called out. "This doesn't look real open, does it?"

Nick draped Greg's arm around his neck, snaking his own arm around the blonde's waist, careful of the wound before they trudged over to the building. Hodges grabbed a paper off the door and read it aloud.

"Notice: 'Closed by the Board of Health. Suspected point of origin: a hepatitis B outbreak. Date of closure: 7-3-09."

"Oops," Nick said, hitching Greg higher on his hip. Well, this really pissed him off; Greg got injured for nothing.

"T-That was five months ago," Greg coughed, trying to regain his footing.

"Nice, you were gonna give me hepatitis for my birthday. Thanks," Henry groaned.

"Still got no reception," Hodges said dejectedly.

"Maybe there's a working phone inside," Nick suggested. "Let's take a look around. You good, Greggo?"

"Y-Yeah."

They started to scale the building, hoping for a way in. For Greg's sake, Nick was really hoping that there was a working phone inside. He didn't like how badly Greg was wheezing or shivering visibly or how the heat literally radiated off his skin.

"Greg, how are you feeling, man? And don't lie to me."

The blonde glanced up at Nick and sighed. "Everything h-hurts. But…but I'll be okay. I promise."

"Why do I have a hard time believing that?"

"C-Can we just focus on calling for help. I'll be fine once I sit down."

They rounded the corner and saw a broken window big enough for them to go through. Nick shone his flashlight into the dark building, scanning the area with the beam until it landed on something he didn't think he would be seeing. There was a man sitting on the floor, gun in hand and a raccoon covering his face. Neither one of them appeared to be moving.

"I think we got a dead body here, boys."

"Best birthday ever," Henry snorted.

Nick shared a look with Greg. "Alright, man, I'm gonna hand you to Hodges and Henry while I make sure the place is clear." He passed the blonde to the lab techs, each putting one of Greg's arms around their shoulders. Once Nick cleared the area, they stepped inside. Nick squatted down next to the body and frowned, trying to understand the strangeness of the situation.

".357 in his hand," he observed. "No blood pool around the body or any apparent entry wounds."

"No signs of decomp," Hodges observed from his stance behind the Texan.

"This is a recent event," Greg breathed heavily.

Nick rolled the body to look for any posterior entry wounds, but there were none.

"Well, I guess we should call it in," Henry said sarcastically, shifting on his feet. "Oh that's right, we've got reception."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Well, it looks like something propelled them both through that window at a high velocity." He sighed, trying to figure out what to. He glanced at Greg who was barely holding it together and then around at the vacant room. "Alright, I'm gonna take a look around and see if I can find a phone." Before he could turn around, though, he heard a cock of a shotgun.

"Hands up!" A gruff voice said.

Without really thinking, they all didn't except for Greg. And when the two lab techs raised their hands in surrender, Greg collapsed to the floor, unable to hold himself up.

"Greg!" Nick shouted. He wanted to go over to the kid, but was stopped by the guy behind him. The Texan slowly turned around, seeing a hillbilly type man pointing a gun at them.

"Put that gun down on the floor," Nick said cautiously.

"And end up like Gomez? I don't think so. You think I'm crazy? I go away and come back, he's dead and ya'll are here!"

"Calm down."

"You calm down!"

"Hey! We're law enforcement, now put the gun down!"

"No!"

Nick looked behind him at Greg who was still on the floor. He wasn't sure if the kid wasn't moving because he had fallen unconscious or because of this crazy guy with a gun. Either way, he really needed to check on him.

"You shoot me, you'll be going to jail for the rest of your miserable life. I'm an officer of the law and no one takes it easy on cop killers."

"You're really a cop?"

"That's right. Now, I'm gonna reach in my pocket and I'm gonna show you my badge." He pulled out his card and the man looked at it intently. "See that? That's legit. Nobody has to get hurt."

"Yeah, tell that to Gomez."

"Just give me the shotgun."

"You're all cops?"

They all nodded.

"Now just give me the gun and we can figure this all out."

It took a moment, but the man finally gave in, handing Nick the gun. Soon after, he went to Greg's side, placing a hand on the kid's shoulder. "Greg? G, can you hear me?"

The blonde blinked up at him and nodded.

"Alright, let's get you up and to a booth where it's more comfortable."

Greg didn't argue; he was feeling extremely nauseous and dizzy and when he sat down, he closed his eyes, trying to take in normal breaths. Once he was sure the blonde was somewhat comfortable, Nick turned to the man and sighed. "What's your name?"

"Slick."

No one commented.

"Alright, Slick, Gomez was dead when we got here. There's a raccoon on his face and his upper body looked singed. So whatever happened, happened not that long ago and most likely was an accident."

Slick looked at the body. "That's Raccoonzilla. In life, he and Gomez was locked into a hatred that surpasseth understanding."

"Uh…Raccoonzilla?" Henry questioned.

"Well, that's the meanest, vilest rodent that ever strode the planet."

"Technically, not a rodent," Hodges murmured.

Everyone, even Greg, glared at the tech. Nick shook his head. Whatever happened, he honestly didn't care at the moment. Greg was in trouble and he needed to find a phone. Either one of them could have internal bleeding without knowing it yet.

"How the hell did you boys get here so fast?"

"We're off duty," Nick replied.

"We came for the ribs…and the hepatitis," Henry added. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the handyman…well, I was the handyman, I'm the night watchman now."

"Do you have a car?"

"Uh-uh, no. A buddy dropped me off."

Nick pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, is there a working phone in here anywhere?"

"No, but there's a ham radio buried in the back. I can show you."

The Texan bobbed his head and then bent down next to Greg, cupping the man's neck. "Hey buddy. You gonna be alright? I gotta go see if I can call for backup, but Henry and David will keep you company."

Greg gave Nick a weak smile. "Yeah…I'll b-be fine."

Nick pursed his lips sadly, squeezing the younger man's shoulder. "Just hang on a little longer man, we'll be out of here in no time."

"'K."

Nick gave him a reassuring smile before following Slick into the back room. Greg watched as the older man disappeared and when he did, the blonde let his eyes close and a few tears drip down his cheeks. He was in so much goddamn pain.

"Greg? You okay?" Henry asked, shaking his shoulder. "I would offer to get you some water, but who knows how safe that is."

Greg chuckled feebly. "Yeah, you got that right." He coughed violently, noticing blood splattering onto his lips.

"Crap," Henry whispered. He got up and looked around, grabbing a napkin from the counter and bringing it to Greg.

"T-Thanks," Greg wheezed, wiping his mouth. "I'm gonna close my eyes for a bit. Wake me up if something happens."

"Sure thing."

Greg closed his eyes for what seemed like a few minutes and when he opened them again it was a bit lighter outside. Squinting, he looked around the room; Henry was talking to some redheaded woman- when the hell did she get here? - Hodges was gone and so was Nick. Probably still trying to call for help. He, then, realized Nick's jacket was draped over his shoulders. He smiled a little before sitting up stiffly; he was feeling a little better, but he had no idea if that was a good or bad thing. He glanced down at his wound and he was grateful that the bleeding seemed to have slowed down. He groaned hoarsely, still tasting blood in his mouth. He didn't know how much longer he had, but it wasn't gonna go any faster with him just sitting here. If they couldn't find a phone, he was gonna make one. Removing the jacket, he pushed himself up to shaky legs and grabbed Henry's discarded flashlight before walking into the kitchen. He noticed a phone on the wall and he picked it up, hoping he would hear the dial tone. Unfortunately, it was dead.

"Great." He wiped the sweat from his forehead feeling extremely nauseous. Greg clutched his stomach and doubled over, retching violently which made the pain flare up even more. Once he was finished, he noticed it was not only vomit, but blood too. Even better. Wiping his mouth, he disconnected the phone and saw a toolbox on a rack in the corner. When he opened it, a small grin formed on his lips. Wires.

~+CSI+~

Nick wiped his brow as he left the backroom. Fixing that ham radio was a bust and it was already morning. He had checked on Greg half an hour ago; he definitely hadn't been looking better. His skin was cold, yet sweaty, the bleeding slowed down- though that probably wasn't a good thing- and his breathing was weak. He covered the man with his jacket before going back to the radio, but he knew that wouldn't help much. When he got out front, he noticed Greg was not there.

"Henry, where's Greg?"

The tech turned around, along with the woman known as Shirley who had shown up not long after Greg passed out. "He was right there five minutes ago."

"And now he's not; where could he have gone?" He peered out the window and suddenly saw the familiar blonde hair standing by the telephone pole. Frowning, he rushed out the door; the kid must've gotten some strange burst of adrenaline if he was able to walk on his own.

"Greg, man, what are you doing up?" He breathed, trotting over.

The CSI pointed to a phone and some wires in his trembling hands. "I f-found this in the…the kitchen," he coughed. "All we gotta do is go up the p-pole and clip these taps into the main line."

Nick raised his brows, impressed with the guy; even feeling like death and being close to death, Greg was still very smart. "Okay, give them to me, I'll do it."

"No, I can do it. Besides, I feel a lot better now. I think I just needed some rest." Once he got this done and knew help was coming, then he could tell the truth that he felt like absolute shit.

"Greg, you don't look better. Come on, just let me do it."

"Nick," he chuckled. "I'm fine. And no offense, but would you know what to do when you got up there?"

Nick sighed through his nose. "Point taken. Fine, just be careful, okay?" He didn't like this one bit, but there was nothing he could do about it, plus neither Hodges or Henry would volunteer. He let Greg put a foot in his hands. "Alright, on three: one, two, three." He lifted Greg up so he could reach the first climbing spike and watched nervously as the man continued upwards. Please don't fall, please don't fall.

Once Greg finally reached the box, he was winded and feeling a little dizzy. Maybe he should've listened to Nick. Well, there was no point in backing down now; clutching the pole with one arm, he used his other to attach the clip to the main line. The first attempt didn't work, some woman jabbering about something he didn't understand. When he tried again, he heard the dial tone. The sweetest sound he had ever heard. He grinned and dialed Catherine's number.

"Willows."

"Catherine, hey it's Greg. You're not gonna believe what happened." He quickly recounted the story and said they would need backup and a couple ambulances, but leaving out that he was seriously injured. Once he hung up, he sighed in relief. They were saved.

"They on their way?" Nick shouted from below.

"Yeah!" He looked down and realized that was a huge mistake. His vision doubled and everything began spinning. "Oh god." He clutched the pole tightly as his legs got weak. If he fell, he was really screwed.

"Greg, you can get down now!"

He blinked a few times, hoping it would help, but that just made it worse. He really fucked up. "I-I can't. Nick, m'sorry. Feel like m'gonna p-pass out."

"Dammit. Alright, just take a few deep breaths. Don't think about where you are, just close your eyes and breathe for a moment."

Greg tried to do what he was told, but his heart was beating too fast and his eyes were threatening to roll to the back of his head. The only thing keeping him conscious was the fact that he was eight feet off the ground. "I messed up Nick."

"No you didn't, you did good. Just breathe; I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." Nick was staying calm on the outside, but internally, he was freaking out. If Greg fell, he could attempt to catch him, but it wouldn't help their situation. He continued to soothe the younger man until Greg was able to slowly make his way down. When he reached the last climbing spike, Nick help him jump to the ground.

"Greggo, you okay, buddy?" Nick questioned, holding the man's shoulders so he wouldn't fall. Greg's eyes were unfocused and glassy and his face was tinted gray. "Greg?"

"Ni-Nick…I…I lied. I don't feel good," the blonde mumbled.

Before Nick had a chance to respond, Greg threw up and then slumped in the Texan's arms, out cold. "Greg? Greg!" Nick felt the kid's pulse and it was going way too fast. "Fuck." He really hoped help was close. Greg didn't have much longer.

With Hodges' help, they brought Greg inside and gently laid him down on a bench, using Nick's jacket as a pillow. "Henry, get me a cloth and soak it in water so we can put it on Greg's forehead. It still looks like he has high fever," Nick ordered while he lifted Greg's shirt to check how worse the gash had become. And saying it had gotten worse was an understatement. The wound appeared to be bigger than before; it was inflamed, no doubt infected with pus and blood seeping out of it. "Jesus Greggo."

"Is he gonna be okay?" Henry asked, handing the Texan a wet hand towel Shirley had given him. Nick placed it across Greg's forehead before running his fingers through the blonde's hair. "I don't know." He glanced at his watch. That ambulance needed to hurry.

He told Shirley and Slick that everything had been called in and that highway patrol was on the way. They were also going to have to go to station to answer a few questions. It should hopefully all be cleared up soon.

"It's a good thing, too," Hodges muttered to Henry. "This guy is getting pretty ripe. I'm sure he wasn't too good in real life either, but now…"

Henry sniffed his hands in disgust. "I need to wash up."

"See if you can find an air-freshener," the tech added.

Nick pressed his lips together and looked down at his friend. This trip had really gone to the dogs. "This puts a whole 'nother definition to 'highway to hell' huh, bud." Of course the blonde didn't reply and that troubled him. Greg's skin was clammy and there were deep, dark circles underneath his eyes. And even though his breathing was barely existent, it was quick and raspy. "You're gonna be okay, man, just hang on. We're gonna be out of here soon, I promise."

All of a sudden, there was glass breaking and Henry cried out in pain.

"Aah! Oh my God!"

Nick rolled his eyes, but got up to see what the man was whining about. "What happened?"

"It's sulfuric acid! Aah!"

"Alright," Nick said, turning on the faucet. "Put your hand under cold water." He then went over to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of charcoal and then went back to Henry, pouring it over the burn. "Here, here. The charcoal will neutralize the acid."

Henry sighed in relief, but it still burned. "More. More charcoal!"

"Just keep it underwater," Hodges said, watching the scene unfold."

Nick limped back to the fireplace and sifted through the ashes…until he found a skull. His heart leapt. If these two goons were murderers, one: why weren't they dead yet and two: Greg was extremely vulnerable and anything could happen. He had to play this right.

"What do we have here?" He said, standing up and putting a hand over his gun for safety measures. "Y'all want to tell me who this is?"

"Who?" Shirley said, looking genuinely baffled.

"Well, I don't know. You tell me, Shirley."

"I got no idea. Slick?"

"I don't know."

Nick frowned. Either these two were extremely good at acting dumb or they really didn't know, but he had a feeling there was a story behind Harry's disappearance. The real story. Sirens were suddenly heard in the distance, approaching fast and Nick relaxed a little. He pulled out his gun and put it on the two while going to sit next to Greg. "You know what, that's okay. Just sit tight. We're gonna figure this out." He cocked the gun and glanced down at the younger CSI. He was getting worse with each passing second. They were getting out of this hellhole. He just prayed it wasn't too late for Greg. His own wound was flaring up and there was no doubt an infection, but until Greg was safe in the hospital or at least in the ambulance, he didn't care about himself right now.

~+C+~

When the ambulance finally came, two in fact, one stayed behind to take care of Henry and Hodges while Greg and Nick went in the other. Nick watched as the medics cut off Greg's shirt and cleaned the wound. It was really infected, he just hoped the kid didn't get some kind of disease from it. What really unnerved him, though, was the fact that Greg hadn't regained consciousness in a while.

"How long has he been like this?" One of the medics, Kathy, questioned, inserting an I.V. into the crook of Greg's arm as well as putting an oxygen mask over his mouth.

"Well we crashed the car about nine hours ago. I tried to staunch the bleeding and it stopped eventually. He passed out an hour ago, is it normal for him to still be unconscious?"

"He lost a lot of blood, so yes, it makes sense." She lifted Greg's eyelids, shining a penlight in his eyes. "Pupils are dilated, signs of a concussion. Severe blood loss, dehydration and a 103° fever. Wound is also severely infected."

"He's gonna be okay, right?" Nick asked, hissing when the other medic, Rick, began pouring antiseptic on his gash.

"His condition is critical at the moment, but once we get him antibiotics and make sure there are no other areas of concern, he should hopefully recover with no issues."

Nick sighed and leaned forward, grabbing Greg's cold hand, stroking his bruised knuckles lightly. "You're gonna be okay, Greggo." Please be okay.

Nick didn't even remember passing out when he woke up an hour later. Hodges and Langston were sitting by his side and he realized he was in a hospital bed.

"What happened?" He groaned, his head pounding. In fact, his whole body was aching.

"You had a concussion, some blood loss and you were dehydrated," Ray replied. "The medic said you passed out once Greg was taken away."

Greg? Greg! "Where is he? Is he okay?" He remembered now; just as they had reached the hospital, Greg's blood pressure dropped and he stopped breathing. It was the worst thing he had witnessed and he wanted to follow Greg's gurney as long as he could, but was stopped in the waiting room. After that, it was all a blur.

"He's fine," Ray said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's upstairs in ICU. Catherine and Henry are with him."

"ICU? That doesn't sound okay," Nick grunted, sitting up.

"He was low on blood and his temperature is still pretty high from the infection so they want to make sure it doesn't get any worse."

"But…"

"He's still unconscious," Hodges said. "They don't know when he'll wake up. He was really dehydrated, too. We all were, but not as much as him."

Nick sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Dammit."

"Good part is, though, he's breathing and on his own," Ray added.

"I want to see him."

"Nick, you should probably stay lying down. You lost a good amount of blood, as well."

"I don't care. I just need to see if he's okay. With my own eyes."

Ray pressed his lips together but sighed. "Alright, but the doctor wants you off your feet so you're going up in a wheelchair."

Nick complied, knowing arguing would get him nowhere. When they got to the intensive care floor, Greg's room with right across from the nurse's station.

"Hey, Nicky," Catherine smiled as he was pushed into the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he said quickly, more focused on the form in the bed.

Catherine smirked. "We'll leave you two alone."

Nick waited until the four left before wheeling to Greg's bedside. The kid still looked unnaturally pale and slightly bruised, for his liking and there was a nasal cannula snaked behind his ears, but his breathing was still pretty scratchy. Nick smiled sadly, brushing some blonde strands off of the man's forehead. Greg was wearing a gown, as well, but he was sure the kid's body, besides the huge gash, was littered in bruises, too. They were all gonna be hurting for the next couple of weeks.

"I'm sorry this happened, G," he said quietly, grabbing the blonde's hand and squeezed it. The last time Greg was stuck here was, because of the beatings three years ago. This wasn't as traumatizing at that incident, but he knew the kid didn't like hospitals. He vowed to keep Greg out of harm's way, but clearly getting hurt could happen outside the job, too. Sighing, he sat back in the wheelchair and stared up at the monitor, watching Greg's heart beat slowly and his temperature fluctuate. It was gonna be another long day.

3 ½ hours later

Nick jerked awake when he heard a small groan. He hissed in discomfort, cracking his neck and then sat up when he saw Greg's eyes groggily flicker open. His forehead creased as he tiredly skimmed the area before landing on Nick.

"Ni-Nick?" He rasped.

"Hey buddy," the Texan grinned, leaning forward to rest his hand on Greg's arm.

"Where…where are we? Harry's?"

"Hell no. We're far away from that place. We're at the hospital; you've been out for a good six hours or so. You passed out after you climbed up the telephone pole to call Catherine. Remember?"

"Not…Not really. I remember," he paused to chuckle a little. "'Member Raccoonzilla."

Nick laughed. "Yeah, that was pretty unforgettable. That's it?"

Greg pushed himself a little, grimacing when his stitches pulled. "Uh…Slick pulling a gun on us. After I fell asleep in the booth, it's all blank."

"Well, long story short, you climbed to the top of a telephone pole and connected some wires to the main line and managed to get ahold of Catherine. You passed out shortly after that. You were in pretty bad shape, Greggo."

The blonde wiped his face and yawned. "M'gonna be okay, though, right?"

"We'll all be sore for a few weeks. You may feel sick from time to time and your side is gonna be really sensitive for a while. It'll be desk duty for a while when you do come back, but the doctor said at least a week of rest."

Greg nodded silently and glanced out the window. "Where are the others?"

"Probably getting something to eat."

"Are they okay? Are you okay?"

Nick smirked. "We're all fine. Nothing a few stiches and bandages couldn't fix up. Like I said, we'll be sore, but we'll recover."

Greg smiled tiredly before letting his eyes slip close. Nick didn't blame the kid for being so exhausted. He fixed the sheets so that they were up to Greg's shoulders before wheeling out of the room to go find the rest of the team.

The next time Greg woke up, he was more alert and it was almost dinner time. The nurse insisted he have something small to eat like crackers and jello even when he said he wasn't hungry. Henry and Hodges joined as well. Henry had a sprained ankle and a bandage wrapped around his hand where he had burned himself with acid and Hodges just had a few cuts and a couple cracked ribs; but most importantly, they were all gonna be okay.

"So did you figure out how that guy was killed?" Greg coughed, now sitting up with the help of more pillows.

"It was an accident," Hodges said. "There was a pipe out back and we think he used it to lure the raccoons. He filled it with ethylene gas and then tried to ignite it. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that the gas was pooling at the bottom, so when he resorted to shooting the animal instead, it literally blew up in his face."

"And get this," Nick added. "I went to get charcoal for when Henry spilled acid on his hand-"

"Ugh, don't remind me," the younger man groaned.

"There was a skull in the fire pit. Shirley, Harry's girlfriend or whoever, said that he had run off with someone younger, cleaning out her accounts. But really, he was there all along. Gomez had killed him and I found his remains among the ashes. But here's where is gets weirder. When we got all his bones in order and confirmed it was Harry, I noticed that his ribs were missing, cut along the sternum and the spine. Remember when we saw the restaurant was closed due to a hepatitis outbreak…a month after Harry disappeared? Harry had hepatitis B."

Greg's eyebrows rose in awe. "Which has an incubation period of roughly four weeks."

"What does that mean?" Henry questioned.

Nick and Greg looked at the man with a grin before he finally caught on.

"Oh, gross! They fed him to the customers?! You guys were gonna make me eat a person?!"

The two CSI's rolled their eyes. "Relax, Hop-Along," Nick continued. "He was probably all gone the first night anyways."

"It's still disgusting…but you know, this birthday didn't suck after all. Solved two mysteries, had some interesting conversations with Shirley and learned a lot. It was fun."

Greg beamed and looked at Nick. "Yeah, but the next time we do something for someone's birthday, maybe it'd be best to stay in town."

Nick laughed as did the others. "No argument there, buddy. No argument there."

FIN

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