Greg walked down the street with Henry and Ethen.
"Thanks for going with me." Henry said, smiling down at Ethen. He was holding the small child's hand while Greg carried their groceries.
"No problem. Ethen and I were just going to do some cleaning today while Ally worked. So, running to the story with you sounded like a lot more fun. What do you say?" Greg said.
"Yeah, I don't like cleaning." Henry laughed at the child's response, pointing in front of them.
"There's the car. I tell you, Greg, you always park the car so far away." Greg shook his head.
"How about you and guys wait here, and I'll run over and get the car." Ethen jumped up and down. Making the lights in his shoes flash."
"I think that sounds like a plan," Henry said smiling. Greg hurried down the street. The car wasn't that far away, but he could tell both Ethen and Henry were getting tired. He reached the crosswalked. Shifting the groceries in one hand, he pulled out his keys. The light flashed, and he moved to cross. Glancing down to adjust the bags that were getting twisted around his hands.
"Look out!" Henry screamed out. Greg glanced jerked back just as a car barreled through the crosswalk. The quick movement to get out of the way of the car sent red hot pain up his leg, and it gave out. His hands being caught up in the bags prevented him from bracing his fall. Thankful he had somehow managed to get out of the cross, falling and back on the sidewalk. He shut his eyes, fighting back the tears that were already forming.
"Greg, are you alright." Henry asked from somewhere above him. He could hear Ethen start to cry. He forced his eyes open and smiled at Ethen.
"I'm alright, buddy." He reached over, pulling his son into his arms. He glanced up at Henry, who was looking down the street in the direction the car had gone.
"Thank you."
"That maniac blew right through that red light. I wish I had been able to get his plate numbers. He could have killed up." Greg patted Ethen's back. Glad he was starting to settle down.
"I didn't get it either." He looked at the bag of groceries.
"Good thing you didn't need any eggs." Henry reached, patting Ethen on the back.
"Come on, sport, why don't you and I go get in the car." Ethen, who had buried his head in Greg's shirt, pulled back, blinking back tears. "We can get the car all warm for your dad." Ethen whipped his nose on his sleeve. "Then we can head back to my house and have some hot chocolate and maybe watch a movie." Greg smiled whipped his son's face.
"Wow, what do you think about that? We can get the cleaning done later." Ethen smiled, nodding. He got up walking over to Henry.
"That a boy. Why don't you take one bag, and I'll take the other?" Henry bent down, grabbing one of the bags, and Ethen held the other. Greg handed over the keys to the car. He could feel Henry looking down at his knee. Greg didn't need to look. He could tell that he wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon. "Is there anything we can do," Henry asked? Greg gritted his teeth.
"I have a set of crutches in the back of the car. I hate to ask, but I think I'm going to need them." Henry and Ethen headed down the road without another word. It wasn't long before the car pulled up on the curb, and Henry got out, handing over the crutches. "Thanks." Greg said, using them to help push himself to his feet with a Henry helping as much as he could.
"Don't tell Frances that I drove the car, and we're even. I still can believe that car almost hit you." Greg moved around to the driver's side of the car.
"Yeah, I'm just glad it wasn't you or Ethen." They got into the car. Greg whipped the sweat from his brow, smiling back at Ethen, who was already buckled in his car seat. "Alright, let's go get that hot chocolate."
Alison hurried through the back door to Frank's house. It was dark out, having just got off her late shift. Henry sat at the kitchen table. He held up his hands, signaling for her to be quiet.
"Ethen's asleep upstairs, and Greg is knocked out on the couch." Alison slipped into the chair across from him.
"What happened. Why didn't you call me?" Henry patted her hand.
"Greg had a minor accident on our way back to the car. Ethen is fine, but Greg's knee took a beating. He didn't want you to worry, so he just had me leave you the message about staying here. Now that you are here, we can get him up to the guest room since Ethen is in yours." Alison tilted her head.
"He didn't go up earlier." Henry took a sip of his coffee.
"No, he was just a little too unsteady. Your Dad should be home in a little while if you want to wait." Alison stood up, walking over to the freezer. Opening it, she let out a deep breath. There weren't any ice packs left. She walked into the family room and winced. Greg was lying on the couch with his leg elevated on a stack of pillows and surrounded in melted ice packs. She sat on the coffee table next to him. He cracked an eye open.
"Hey."
"Hey, that's all you have to say." She said. Greg groaned, pushing up on his forearms.
"Ally, that all the energy I have to say." She could see the pain. It was written in the tension around his eyes. She reached out, touching his cheek.
"I wish you could take something maybe since we're staying here. I…" Greg reached over, taking her hand.
"No, I'll be fine." Alison looked down at her hands.
"You shouldn't have to be fine."
"Don't give it another thought, Ally." She nodded, taking a deep breath.
"Do you think you can make it upstairs with my help?" Greg looked down at his knee.
"I think we might need to wait for Frank to get here he's taller than you." Alison nodded.
"Can I take some of the ice packs to put them in the freeze?" It was Greg's turn to wince.
"Yeah, that's probably for the best." Greg laid back down, shutting his eyes. Alison slowly slipped the ice out from around his knee. Greg didn't make a sound apart from breathing a little heavier. She walked back into the kitchen, shutting the door. She covered her mouth, stifling a cry. Henry walked over to her.
"I'm sorry." She hugged him.
"It's so hard to see him like that. in so much pain." Henry patted her on the back.
"I know. Don't worry, Al. He's stronger than you think." Guilt shot through her as she knew that he was reading another letter and had no one to talk to about.
Greg sat next to Alison at family dinner. His leg propped up on a chair next to him with ice all around his knee. He pushed his food around, not paying much attention to Eddie's story. They were comparing who had grosses cases. Considering he and Alison were CSI, they had ruled they couldn't compete as it wasn't fair. Nicky squealed at the last story. She was in town for a surprise visit.
"Can we stop?" Greg looked over at Erin. She hadn't said much the whole dinner.
"Stop what," Henry asked her.
"This this endless accounting of all the horrible, awful things that go on in the world. It just seems like this is all we do at family dinner. Pass the potatoes and bad karma."
"And how exactly is it that we're passing bad Karma?" Danny asked her.
"I don't know, Danny. I guess I'm just not in the mood to hear about your double homicide in Harlem, the 11-year old that Jamie collared, the eyeball that Eddie stepped on, or the burn victim Al worked on, the latest credible threat you have received from Washington. I'm sure you don't want to hear about the four-year-old with cigarette burns up and down her back with a mother that swears she just doesn't know how they got there." Everyone took a collective breath.
"I just."
"Hey." Frank cut her off. "Everyone here's been in your shoes" Erin forced a smile.
"Wearing my heels again." She fidgeted. "I'm sorry, it's just a long week. I'm fine."
"Or you will be. It's okay." Jamie added.
"Most days, I come home from work a blubbering mess," Eddie said.
"I don't even bother to wear mascara anymore." Danny's phone went off.
"Sorry, I got to go. My armed robbery VIC." He got up and walked out of the dining room, answering the phone.
"On a different note, when do you get to go back to work," Jamie asked Greg. He glanced down at his knee.
"I'm back Monday, but I won't be active duty for at least a month."
"I still can't believe that guy almost hit you." Erin looked up at this. Greg shifted slightly, rubbing his knee.
"Yeah, some crazy driver." Greg let out a breath.
"Everything is going to be alright."
"Do you think that it was on purpose," Nicky asked. The table went silent, and a rock formed in the pit of his stomach. He glanced over at Erin, thinking about the evidence they had against the DA.
"No way of knowing."