CSI is not owned by me. None of the characters are mine...surprise. Wait, except Jules. She's mine. And so is Jimmy Cole, unfortunately. No copy rite infringement implied or intended.
Rated T for profanity. No sexual situations or connotations.
A little aggravation between friends. (Jules, Nick, Brass & Sara based.)
Sara walked out of Jules' room looking very upset and rattled. It hurt her to see any man abuse a woman. And it especially hurt her deeply to see what kind of damage Jimmy Cole had done to Jules. Jules may have recovered physically, but Sara knew she had an uphill battle emotionally to fight. Jules may not realize it but she could see the fear that she was trying hard to bury within herself.
Sara tried to tell her she would not be able to just sweep it up under the carpet. She tried to explain the emotional side to domestic violence. Sara wasn't sure she was able to get through to her. Jules wasn't ready to look at what had happened completely. She wasn't able to face the reality that Cole had come very close to killing her. Sara was afraid that one day, that realization would hit her and it would crumble like a ton of bricks.
After Sara came out of the room and into the hall, Brass went inside Room 507 to see Jules. He wanted to get a description of the woman who gave her the photos even though deep down he knew they couldn't nail anybody for a crime. He also just wanted to see how she was.
Jules was sitting with her legs pulled up and crisscrossed when he walked in and she seemed to be in much better spirits.
"Hi ya, Jules," Jim Brass said in his fatherly way and he smiled at her genuinely happy to see her looking so well.
"Hey Jim," she said as she clipped her hair up and away from her face.
"Are you up to talking to me?" he tread softly.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I was a little upset there for a minute but I pulled it back together. What do you need to know?" she stared at him willing to give him any answers he needed.
"The usual things...who gave you the pictures, was anything said..."
Jules gave him all the details she remembered about the bleach blond who gave her the photos.
She spoke to him about everything that happened without flinching or blinking an eye.
Jim was able to roll through the mini interview with ease.
He had taken her statement, got a description and even took away the photographs, but they both knew that there was nothing that could be done. Unless Cole came in and confessed to everything, including harassing her, there wasn't a thing they could get him on. Brass told her it was still better have it recorded though, then to not have it documented at all; so Jules told him the answers to whatever questions he asked. No one ever told her about the gift basket Jimmy Cole sent but there was documentation on that harassment too.
Before he headed out, Jules and Brass just sat together talking as friends when they both heard an argument coming from Nick and Sara out in the hall. Jules tilted her head and furrowed her brow. Brass did the same. They were both able to pick up most of what the argument was about.
"Do you want me to tell Nick to come in or tell them to stop arguing?" Jim asked unsure which she would like him to do.
"No." Jules said flatly and got up from the bed and walked to the door.
When Sara had come out of Room 507 and into the hall she asked Nick what happened and how Jules got the pictures. Nick was only able to tell her what he saw when he walked in. He was unable to describe how the pictures got into Jules' hands but only how she was cowering and found it hard to breathe.
"Did you get a doctor in to see her?" Sara asked staring at him.
"What? Oh, no, no," Nick said shaking his head about to tell her it was okay.
"Why Not!? Why wasn't psych called, Nick? Why wasn't her doctor informed that she was cracking from this episode?" she scolded.
"Because I handled it; I talked to her and held onto her until her breathing calmed down. And Jules was able to calm down quickly," he nodded at Sara. "She was still upset, but she returned to her normal breathing and she was okay; she did't "crack".
Sara looked at Nick and rolled her eyes.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked her, taken aback by her sudden look of disgust.
"Because you seem to think that she was able to regroup...able to 'calm down quickly' which is bullshit, Nick," she said.
"What? What are you talking about, Sara?" Nick said confused at where her annoyance was coming from.
"She broke down but she 'snapped' out of it quickly? IS that what you are telling me, Nick?"
"Yeah! Yes, that is what I am telling you! She and I worked through it. It didn't last for hours, Sara!" Nick said frowning. "I held her in my arms until she calmed down," he explained again.
Sara scoffed at him.
"WHAT is your problem, Sara?" Nick was getting annoyed too.
"You think you can hold her and everything is gonna be all right, Nick? Your arms are going to make evvvverrrrything disappear? Wow, I didn't know you were a magician, too," she turned and walked a few steps before turning around and pointing at him.
"She was beaten within inches of her life, Nick! She was beaten. Do you hear me? She was brutally beaten by that man!"
"I KNOW, SARA, I WAS FUCKING THERE, REMEMBER!?" Nick was furious at her reaction.
"Well, you are a professional Nick. You should fucking know that she needs more help in order to get though this than a fucking bear hug from her boyfriend. You are looking at the physical picture. What about the emotional one? Is annnnyone looking at that?" she said with her face steely and cold.
"I AM NOT THE ENEMY HERE, SARA!" Nick was getting louder and angrier.
Sara threw her arms up in the air and walked away.
"Sara! Why are you mad at ME?" Nick asked as he kicked the wall in frustration.
Sara felt tears in her eyes. It was bringing up a lot for her.
Nick decided to not let her get away with her outburst so he called after her.
"Answer me, Sara! Why are you mad at me?" he implored.
Sara turned around and walked back to Nick.
"Because YOU should know better than to even think about letting her leave here without a session with a therapist. Because you..."
Sarah couldn't finish her sentence because the door to Room 507 flew open and an angry Jules stood in the door way. Both Nick and Sara looked over at her.
"SARA!" Jules stepped into the hall to look at her directly. Jules was pissed. She was mad because she didn't need a psych evaluation and it was ridiculous for anyone to even imply that Nick hadn't been beyond attentive to her needs.
"Sara, that man," she said pointing toward Nick. "... has done nothing but sit by my side for over a month. Why are you treating him like he hasn't done what he should have or isn't doing enough? That is just simply untrue and it's unfair," she stared defensively.
Sara closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. She knew Jules was right. She was letting her own emotional experience cloud her thoughts and made her rattle off her opinions and judgments. Sara realized she was being harsh to the wrong person.
"Don't worry about it, Jules," Nick turned and said to his girlfriend. "Just go back inside!"
He wasn't trying to protect Sara from Jules as much as he just wanted her to go back inside and to let him handle it. HE had it covered and didn't need her protection.
Jules looked over and gave him a dirty look.
"I'm not fighting your battle, Nick!" saying his name with disgust. "She is talking about me, and MY needs, TO you. And I want to address it!" she frowned.
"Fine! Go ahead then! Do what you want!" he flipped his hand upward with annoyance and walked to the opposite wall and leaned against it.
The truth was the two of them needed out of the hospital. The walls were closing in. It was wearing on their nerves and they were getting testy with one another needlessly.
Sara quickly stepped up and disregarded Nick's comment to Jules. Instead she admitted she was out of line.
"No Nick, she is absolutely right," Sara said nodding at Jules before turning toward Nick.
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Nick. I shouldn't take this out on you. You did nothing wrong," she said feeling genuinely sorry.
Nick just nodded with a pissed off look, annoyed by the whole issue.
Jules reached over and hugged Sara tightly. She was truly grateful that she came to help her through her fears. Sara was a big help to her even though she didn't agree with her thoughts on her mental well being. She just had a bad moment, but she would be fine. Sara hugged her back and once they let go Jules explained her thoughts.
"I really do appreciate all you have said to me in there. I appreciate it, Sara, I do. I just don't think Nick deserved to judged on his decision regarding me," she nodded as she spoke. "He has been incredible throughout this whole thing but I am capable of deciding if I need to reach out for help. I know what is going on inside my head. I promise you, I will get help if I need it, okay?"
Jules looked over at Nick, who was still leaning against the wall across the hallway, and just stared at him. She didn't smile. She just looked at him expressionless but she was not feeling angry, she was actually feeling admiration and crazy love. True, she wished he hadn't tried to shoo her away with disregard and tell her to go inside, but she understood him. He was used to handling everything on his own.
Sara nodded in agreement with Jules.
Nick said nothing.
Brass came out to say his goodbyes.
And Jules walked back inside her room alone.
