Oh for the love of God! I don't own CSI and for this many hits can someone please take a minute to tell me their thoughts on my story? Is it not worth reviewing? (crying)

Rated T for a minor sexual flashback. *** Fluffy dribble…hope it isn't boring….

Chapter 38: Tiki Bars & Trail Mix

Nick shook his head at Warrick when he saw him sitting in the same position he was in when he left. Nick was able to get him to move though when Warrick had to lean forward in order to catch a bag of Trail Mix that Nick threw at him as he walked past, along with a bottle of water following close behind.

"Thanks, Nick.," Warrick said catching both items with one hand. Looking at the bag of nuts, Warrick squinted his eyes.

"Why Trail Mix, Man? I don't eat this shit…" Warrick said reading the back of the package.

Nick didn't answer him. He knew Warrick would eat just about anything Nick gave him. He also knew Warrick would like it, whether he would admit it or not was a different story.

"And a People Magazine…latest issue, of course…Jules would want nothing less." he smiled as he handed it over to Trista.

Nick knew damn well that Jules wouldn't care about any of the articles Trista had been reading to her for the last three weeks. Although, if Jules was able to hear Trista's narration, he knew she would definitely appreciate People over Cosmopolitan Magazine any day. Nick began to smile inwardly thinking that if Trista really wanted to entertain Jules, she would be better off choosing any of the reading material Nick had put in the pink duffel bag for her. Nick smiled just thinking that Trista and Jules were an unlikely pair but they sure did have a great friendship.

As Nick was about to sit in the chair he saw something hanging crooked over Jules' bed. Nick squinted his eyes.

"Trist? What the hell is that?" Nick's face was confused as he leaned over and looked at a picture taped up to the wall above Jules' head.

"I didn't have a frame like you did," she didn't even look up, she was leafing through her People magazine.

"So she asked the nurse for tape…" Warrick tattled from across the room.

Nick got up and walked up to the photo.

"You stuck a picture of you and Jules at a Tiki Bar up on the wall above her head with tape?" Nick closed his eyes and just shook his head with a smile.

"Well yes, Mr. Neat and Organized, I didn't have a frame and I know she liked that picture."

"At a bar? In bikinis?" he crinkled his face up at her.

"Yeah, why? We had a great time that night." Trista said grabbing the Trail Mix Nick left on his side table.

"Trista! You two are in bikinis! You have it taped up like a poster you ripped out of one of those magazines your reading!" Nick was still shaking his head.

"I already told her it was ridiculous, Nick. You're wastin' your time on her," Warrick looked back as he shoveled Trail Mix in his mouth.

Nick leaned in even closer to the picture.

"Well, I must say, she sure does look hot in that little swim suit," Nick said making a swooshing sound. "She is one sexy, little…"

"I'M EATING!" Warrick said giving him a dirty look.

"You need to relax, Warrick!" Trista said as she ripped open Nick's Trail Mix. "Jules is hot…and she knowwws howww toooo worrrrk itttt," Trista sang it out to him and shimmied her chest at him at the same time.

Warrick gave her an absolutely disgusted look and said something back to Trista making Nick laugh at how the two of them bickered. While shaking his head at them, he pulled the little stuffed polar bear out of the red and white plastic bag from the Gift Shop. Without looking at either one of them, he leaned over Jules, tucked it under her arm by the side of her belly, and kissed her on her forehead.

Jules was laughing. No one could see her laughing. No one could hear her laughing, but she was laughing. She could hear that Trista actually taped a picture of the two of them up on her hospital room wall, as if she thought it was a dorm room or a locker. And Jules knew that both Nick and Warrick, who are both trained to be organized and not haphazard about anything they do, would find that just bizarre. Jules found it hysterical and true to Trista form. Jules didn't have to actually see the guys' faces to know exactly what they looked like.

And Jules also knew exactly what picture Trista had slapped up on the wall with tape. It was a pictures of when the two of went to the Tiki Bar together in New Jersey. Trista had come to visit and she and Jules hit all the boardwalks and bars they could. The Tiki Bar was a favorite because they would come up off the beach for Happy Hour. Of course, there were many favorites at the Jersey Shore. Jimmy had been in Vegas or else he would have given her a hard time about going. She could feel some heat rise to her head when she thought about Cole.

"STOP!" Jules yelled at herself. "There is no way Jimmy Cole will follow me here into this darkened, healing room. No, I will not allow him to take up space here." and Jules flushed his memory away.

Jules began silently laughing again, because she could hear Warrick and Trista bickering back and forth with Trista purposely trying to aggravate him. She knew exactly what she was doing, too, and it was typical of her.

Jules heard Nick checking out the picture and she knew he liked what he saw. She heard him begin to call her a "sexy, little,…" He didn't have to finish the sentence for her to know that the last word would be "Minx". She knew because it wouldn't be the first time he called her a "sexy, little, minx". She invisibly smiled remembering him calling her a dirty one, too.

The first time he ever called her that was when she had torn open her blouse for him and ripped off all the buttons. He loved it. And she loved watching him love it.

Another time was when they went to one of Nick's college friend's wedding. Nick had rented a limousine to take them since he would never even dream of drinking and driving. And, as he told her that night, since he would be getting hammered, he wanted a limo to take them home. Jules loved to catch him off guard; get him when he didn't see it coming. So, when the two were on their way home and Nick had his head leaned up against the darkened window with his eyes closed, Jules called his name. And, when he opened his eyes to look over at her, she shocked the hell out of him when he saw she had lifted up her dress, revealing a black sequined thong and garter belt. Jules smiled to herself as she could hear him all over again, growling out the words… "Ooooh, you dirty, little minx" as she straddled him all the way home.

Jules wanted to go home with him again. She missed him. She missed her brother. She missed her friends. It was time to see them now. She needed to make fun of Trista's attempt at decorating her hospital room. She needed to tell her brother who she saw when she was sleeping. She needed a bag of her own Trail Mix. She needed to rip the picture of herself half naked at a Tiki Bar off the wall above her head. And she needed to show Nick the new pair of panties she bought before all of this happened.

Yes, it was time, and Jules needed to go back home.