Title:Last Drink Tonight
Author:Nicksfriend
Disclaimer:I do not own or have any sort of connection to CBS or the CSI franchise...wish I did though it would be nice to have a little extra cash.
Summary: A trip to a missing person is interrupted by a drunk driver.
Desert Palm Hospital
Grissom and Sara walked into the hospital emergency room,they had received a call that both Greg and Nick were brought back, Greg was now in the emergency room but Nick had been taken back to his room.
"I'll stay with Greg if you want to go be with Nick." Sara wanted to see if Greg was okay,knowing that what had happened to him might really effect him,he was young.
Grissom nodded and walked towards the elevator,he didn't say much,hadn't said much since the trip to Rebecca's house.
Brass and Warrick were sitting in the waiting area,Warrick had dozed off,Brass was talking on the phone,it was about business, about Rebecca.
He hung up the call and looked towards his friend,"You want a cup of coffee?" Brass asked,not really wanting to talk about he night,it had been traumatic, Elizabeth and John were with their mother,their father had arrived also along with several other siblings,it was touch and go for the older woman.
No family was there for Nick, it did not go unnoticed,it was if they blaming him silently,as if somehow it was his fault.
"I need to talk to John." Grissom spoke to Brass in an almost whispered tone.
"Nick knows." Brass returned,"So does Warrick."
Grissom gave him a confused stare,"Knows what?",thinking t hat there was no way that they new about Nick's paternity test,that his DNA was proof positive that Nick was John's son.
"That John is Nick's father, Jillian told Nick,she thought she was dying,well, was dying actually at the time. She wanted him to know the truth." Brass shrugged,seeing what it had done to Nick, knowing that the truth can hurt,it would have hurt him.
"How did Nick, I mean,what?" Grissom was shocked,but more than anything he was worried about Nick's reaction.
"Suicide watch. He begged her to kill him,begged her to pull the trigger but when she couldn't,to all our surprise he tackled her,probably hoping that the gun would go off and kill himself,but she was shot instead,Rebecca's in surgery right now." he took a sip of the hot coffee,wanting to feel something,wanting to have this all over with and everything back to normal.
"But John still doesn't know?" Grissom was now worried about Nick's reaction and wondered how he would have reacted himself.
"No,he doesn't and right now might not be a good time to talk to him, Jillian Stokes is in pretty bad shape,they have her on maximum pressers to keep her blood pressure up and Daddy Stokes just got here a few minutes ago,and he looks rather pissed." Brass pointed towards the ICU waiting area.
"When can we see Nick?" he asked,wanting to change the subject,the family was enduring a lot right now, he would wait to tell John.
"Dr Kasey said he's not doing so well right now, he just went in to be with him." He paused for a few seconds and looked at his friend,"Nick is tough,he'll get through this, I know he will." he walked off,he was hurting for his friend,they all were.
Grissom took a seat to wait with the others, he needed to talk to John.
Emergency Room
Sara walked into Greg's cubicle,she wanted to see her friend,he was laying on his side being very quiet,the lights had been dimmed."Greg." her voice quiet,not wanting to disturb him if he were sleeping.
He didn't respond,it was too dark in the room to see if he were awake or sleeping,but then a small voice answered,"Yeah,I'm awake."
He turned over to see Sara reach out her arms,he sat up and they embraced,it was a while before they let each other loose,they were both crying at the end of the hug,both had seen and experienced a lot in the past few hours.
"You scared us." she pulled up a chair and sat down,still holding onto his hand,still needing that touch after all the horror she had witnessed in Rebecca's house.
"She scared me." he gave Sara a smile.
it was so welcomed,to be able to come out of what he had experienced and still have his sense of humor intact, she felt better knowing htat Greg was doing better.
After a few moments of silence as Sara assessed her friends injuries, a gash to his forehead,new bruises to his face and a new cast on his arm, she knew he had not come out completely unscathed."What happened?"
"She is one crazy woman Sara, I can't even imagine the horrors she put Nick through." he glanced away for a second so he could keep his composure, he would definitely need to talk to someone in psych about this,it was going to be hell sleeping for a while.
"Nick is here,Grissom went to check on him. We just got back from Rebecca's house. You know she was a very sick woman,I can't even imagine what her life was like,severe abuse,sexual trauma, and isolated,feeling as if she had nobody she could trust with what was happening to her at home. It made me sad to see how much her life had been a living hell." her face telling Greg that it worse than he could imagine.
"She had some pretty scary inner demons coming out in that room,she was one person one second and then another person a few seconds later,I was getting confused myself." he shook his head,"But I'm pretty sure it was Rebecca who whacked me in the head, she was pretty pissed that I didn't want to give her information about Nick."
"She actually had six total personalities,each different, It was so sad Greg." she had found herself empathizing with the victim,something she had scorned Nick for so many times.
"Well, she sure does have a mean baseball swing,she kicked my butt," he tried to joke to lighten the mood, he had been through enough darkness for a while,enough to actually last a lifetime.
"Are you hungry?" she asked sitting up a little bit in the chair,knowing that Greg wasn't wanting to talk about the woman who had kidnapped him and beat him.
"Always,how about a large supreme pizza?" he asked,already tasting the meat.
"Vegetarian and I'll pay." she smiled.
"That's just nasty,I'd rather eat hospital food." he grinned giving her his best pouty face.
"Okay, just because you are in the hospital though, but next time I choose." she smiled as she stood and started to exit the room.
"Extra cheese!" his eyebrows went up,knowing he would never get to have his way again,might as well take advantage.
"Don't push it Greg." she remarked as he walked out into the hallway, she would order the pizza and while she was waiting she would go and see Nick.
Nick's Room
"How long has he been this way?" Dr Kasey asked as he examined a now very despondent Nick.
"He was upset with the restraints and he was yelling,then all of a sudden he just went fetal on me." Charlie explained,worried about the man in the bed,he was no longer rocking but just staring forward,almost looking catatonic.
"Nick,can you talk to me?" he asked,wanting his patient to respond,in any manner, he reached down and removed the restraints.
Nick's eyes moved,glancing down at his now bruised wrists,"You sure?", a sadness that was so painful to watch emerging from the man in the bed.
"Nick,I'm sure. Do you feel safer with them on right now." he asked as he pulled up a chair and sat down,never taking his eyes off the distraught patient.
He looked down and thought for a minute,wanting to feel safe but finding it hard,finding it difficult to ever think he could be or feel safe again.
He held out his wrists,"I'm not for sure,right now all I want to do is to not feel anything,because all I'm seeing are bad things,I can't remember my birthdate but I can tell you the first time my dad hit me with a belt,the first time he kicked me with his boot and the first time he told me I was a bastard child."
Dr Kasey took Nick's wrists and held them tight enough for him to feel secure."This isn't going to be easy,it's not going to be a journey, not without some bad days and some emotional roller coasters rides,you're dealing with so much now,you've been through hell and I can't tell you how long the journey back to normal will take but I will tell you this Nick,I know you will be okay,you have too many people who love you,who care."
Nick nodded,he was fortunate,he had made many friends here in Vegas,a place where friendships are rare.
"Nicole loves you and when that red headed woman sees you she will tie you down,she has a temper when it comes to you," he gave his patient a small smile,"She loves you Nick and you love her,I just don't know why you two can't get it together."
"I don't want to hurt her,I don't want to disappoint her." Nick said it in a soft,thoughtful voice.
"The way you think you disappointed Cisco,Grissom,Catherine,your friends? Nick,if anything it is the very opposite,they care about you and you have proven your friendship a million times to them." he wanted Nick to understand what he conceived as disappointment was not actually disappointment but admiration for a job well done.
"I can't see them right now. I don't want them to see me like this." Nick attempted to close his eyes,to shut down again.
"Listen to me,right now you need them the most and I know it's hard to believe but they need your strength to get through this too. They are all going through this with you,it's a team event." Dr Kasey gave Nick's wrists a gentle squeeze.
"It hurts too bad,and I don't want them to see this pain." its was honest and he really felt as if he needed to be alone.
"Well, as your doctor, I can't allow you to crawl away and hide for a while,you have to face your past to move forward and I am going to assist you this time Nick,no running away." his voice had taken an authoritative tone and he meant it,Nick had to face the abuse of his past,to move forward.
"We'll see." he rolled over,looking up at his doctor,"I'm afraid. That doesn't sound so manly,does it?"
"It sounds honest Nick,that's what I've been waiting for,you to be honest with yourself." He gently laid Nick's wrists down on the bed,his patient too tired to talk anymore,the talk had done him good,he was closing his eyes,but he would also give him something to make sure he slept the rest of the night,the morning would get rougher,Nick needed to let it go,all the pain this time,and to not cover it up with an "I'm fine.".
Charlie took his spot back and sat down,the restraints were tossed into the trash can. He would watch over his patient and keep him safe.
Dr Kasey walked out the door, he had a long day ahead of him tomorrow, and Nick's day would even be longer.
Please stay with me,we are going to get there but we are going to take it one step at a time.
