Famous Last Words, Chapter 3
Nick sighed and settled into a chair in the lounge, rubbing his forehead in slow circles. Lack of sleep had a tendency to bring on one hell of a headache. He stifled a moan as someone flipped on the light.
"What's up with you?" Nick looked up at the source of the voice and moaned, bending forward to rest his head on the table with a slight thud.
"Greggo, can you not tell when someone has a headache?"
"I didn't know headaches gave off their own pheromones…" Greg trailed off, rubbing his chin in mock-thought. Nick lifted his head to give him a confused look before lowering it back onto the cold table.
"I've gotten an hour of sleep in the past two days. Save the smartass comments, huh?" he moaned. Greg's eyebrow rose.
"Warrick told me you had a date with that Ra chick." Nick groaned inwardly. He had called Warrick on his way to the restaurant to let him know he wouldn't be home in case anything happened.
"And why would he tell you?"
"I tried to call you at home and you didn't answer, so I called him. Thought you might be at his place." Nick nodded. "How'd it go?" Nick smiled to himself for only a second before forcing it to hide as he looked at Greg.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He knew Greg all too well.
"Well, you know… you didn't stay at home very long. I just thought, maybe, you know…" Greg trailed off, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. Nick sent him a look.
"You know me better than that, Greg. We went to breakfast and watched a movie. I fell asleep. She woke me up when Gris paged me and I left. End of story."
"Not even a goodbye kiss?" Greg asked, seeming appalled. Nick sighed and stood, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Not even a goodbye kiss, Greg." Greg just looked at him, not sure whether or not to believe him. He knew Nick had a few privacy issues, and he knew he was stretching the boundaries, but he was also really glad to hear that Nick had finally found someone to tear him away from the Discovery Channel. That just wasn't healthy. "Don't look so shocked, Greggo," Nick said with a wide grin as he sat down again. "We're both southerners. Things move slow where we're from."
"And where is she from?" Greg watched Nick's smile morph into confusion.
"Actually," he said, straining to recall, "I don't think she ever said. She's got the accent though. Kinda nice, really. Southern hospitality is always appreciated." Greg rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah," he groaned, standing slowly. "I'll have those DNA results back in an hour or so." Nick nodded, watching him go, smiling slightly.
***
After what seemed like an eternity, Nick was finally relieved of his duties by the day shift. He moseyed out to his Blazer and climbed in, letting his head fall back against the headrest. His eyes fell on the clock and he shut them quickly, hoping it was a hallucination. No such luck. It really was eight in the morning. He shook his head and jammed the key in the ignition, barely making it home. He practically fell into his apartment, flinging his shoes just inside the doorway and dropping his keys somewhere before shuffling down the hallway toward the bedroom. With a contented sigh, he fell onto his bed, not bothering to change. He'd just have to wear a different pair of jeans tomorrow. He smiled to himself and nuzzled the pillows, sleep just moments away. That is, until his pager went off. His face twisted and he whimpered as he reached out for it, scowling at the number appearing. It was Grissom, of course. Several colorful words escaped him as he reached for the phone.
"Gris. You paged?" he asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide the irritation in his voice.
"Were you asleep?" Nick took a breath, but paused. Should he lie? Nah.
"Almost. Just seconds away, actually."
"Sorry." Nick smirked. Grissom was always gruff, especially when it came to apologies. "I just wanted to let you know you've got the day off tomorrow." Nick's eyebrow rose."
"Yeah?" he asked, thinking this was an illusion, hoping it was like the clock had been – real.
"Yeah. See you Monday." Nick smiled.
"Thanks, man."
"Yeah," Grissom said before hanging up. Nick looked at the phone in his hand and said "bye" before settling under the covers again. He was out in just a matter of seconds, snoring rather loudly.
Nick woke ten hours later, rolling over in slow motion to look at the clock. Six forty-five. He sat up slowly, groaning. The soreness was setting in from lying in the same position for such a long time. It was going to take a shower to loosen him up. He shuffled into the bathroom rather sleepily and turned on the water, letting it warm up before stripping and stepping into the shower. Yep, this would be a long one all right. He just stood there, letting the hot water run over him for a good half hour before finally getting to business. After standing in front of the mirror contemplating whether or not to shave and finally deciding not to, he headed into the kitchen to graze.
"Damn." He searched the cabinets and fridge, but he had absolutely no food, besides a tub of margarine and half a loaf of bread. "Not even beer?" he asked his kitchen. Nope. Nothing. "Well, shit." He slammed the refrigerator door and shuffled back into the bedroom to dress. Without thinking twice (if he did, he'd change his mind), he picked up the phone and dialed Kaylee, cradling the phone between his shoulder and his ear to pull on his shoes. She answered, and something in her voice told him something was wrong. Just a feeling.
"You okay?"
"Look, Nick. This really isn't a good time." He heard a voice in the background – male – but couldn't make out what was being said.
"Kaylee, is everything okay over there?" She paused, which Nick didn't interpret as a good sign.
"I have to go. Can you call me in an hour?"
"Uh…" he looked at his watch. Seven thirty. "Sure." The look on his face was that of concern, and from the sound of her voice, he had good reason.
"Thanks. I'll talk to you later." She hung up. Once again, he looked at the phone in his hand and said "bye." That really irked him. He shook his head and went back down the hall, searching under the table for his keys. Finally, he found them and drove to a fast food restaurant. He wasn't even sure which one it was – he just ordered and ate in the parking lot, watching the time pass slowly.
"Might as well go to the store, I guess," he muttered to himself. After making several wrong turns, he finally found a grocery store (it had obviously been a while since he'd gone), and bought the basics, just to get him through for a while. Finally, after eating, shopping, and admiring the food in his fridge, it was eight thirty. He picked up the phone just as it rang. His eyebrow rose, but he answered it.
"I'm sorry." It was Kaylee.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." She paused. "Well, not really, but I will be."
"What happened? What's going on?" His mind was racing, imagining all sorts of horrible things. He pushed the thoughts out of his head – in his line of work, he always saw the worst scenarios.
"I'm okay. Don't worry about it." He started to say something, but she interrupted. "Can I meet you somewhere?"
"Sure. Where?" he asked.
"I don't know. I just have to get out of here for a while." That confused him. Out of her house? Why would she be so desperate to get out of her own home?
"Well, uh," he stammered, trying to think of something quickly. "My place?" He realized how that sounded and instantly kicked himself for that, just as she agreed. Directions were relayed, and he hung up, running around the apartment to pick it up a bit. Thank God he'd gone to the store. His doorbell rang just as he finished doing a quick clean-up job on the bathroom. He glanced in the mirror. "Shit," he muttered. Now he wished he'd shaved. Too late now. He ran down the hallway and stopped just before smacking into the door, his socks making him slip just a little on the tile. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before pulling the door open. "C'mon in," he said, scratching his head as he glanced around. This was a really bad idea, he thought, scolding himself. She lives in Spanish Trails and you invited her here? Christ, you're dense. Why does she still have sunglasses on? He managed a wry smile at her, watching her take in his humble… make that very humble abode. She smiled slightly. "What?" he asked, nervousness growing in the pit of his stomach. She had a tendency to do that to him, and he wasn't used to it. She shook her head.
"Nothing." He just looked at her, obviously not believing her. Her smile widened and she took a breath. "Bachelor's pad." He smiled unconsciously.
"Uh, yeah. My, uh, decorator cancelled at the last minute and I didn't get around to finding another one."
"Smartass," she laughed, shaking her head.
"Yeah, so?" he demanded with a grin. She held up her hands. His smile fell. "What's going on?" She looked at him quickly before turning away.
"Nothing. I just…" she trailed off, and his eyebrow rose as he walked around her to face her. "I just wanted to get out." She glanced up at him before dropping her eyes again.
"How 'bout the truth this time?" Her eyes met his again and held this time. He wasn't too sure if that was a smooth move or not.
"What is this? The grand inquisition?" Definitely not a smooth move. Another mental swift kick in the pants. "You met me, what, three days ago, and all of a sudden you know me? Please," she spit, throwing herself down on the couch. "Where do you get off questioning me like that? God." He sat down across from her.
"If you were really mad, you would have left by now," he said quietly. She sighed, sinking further into the cushions. He was right.
"David dropped by. I told him I was selling the house and he got a little…" she paused. "Perturbed."
"Perturbed? He didn't hurt you, did he?" She shook her head quickly, and his frown deepened. "Why are you still wearing your sunglasses?" She didn't answer. "Kaylee?" He watched a tear slide down her cheek, and he sighed heavily, getting up and sitting next to her. "If you don't take them off, I will," he warned gently. Her lip quivered as she reached up and pulled them away from her face. The side facing him was fine, so he reached over, his fingers settling under her chin, gently turning her face toward him. As the opposite side of her face revealed itself, he sucked in a deep breath. Her left eye was purple, starting to swell slightly. "Kaylee," he started to say, but she shook her head, pulling out of his grasp. "You've got to get that taken care of."
"I'm fine. I'll put some ice or something on it later."
"What are you going to do about him?" Her gaze shifted from the window to her hands in her lap as he waited for her answer.
"Nothing."
"Kaylee—"
"Don't," she interjected. "He won't do it again." He watched her intently as she tried to convince him, but it wasn't working.
"This isn't the first time, is it?" He was well aware his statement was more of a demand than a question, and she answered it with her silence. "You have to do something about this." She shook her head, fighting the tears as he reached out and pulled her against him. He noticed her tense up when his fingers ran down her back, and he pulled away slightly. "Back hurt?" She nodded against his chest. With a sigh, she stood. She knew he was going to ask, so she might as well volunteer. He was confused at first when she pulled away from him and stood, her back facing him, but he quickly got the point. She pulled her shirt up slightly, revealing a dark bruise right along her spine. It was in a perfectly straight line – had to be a doorframe or wall corner or something. "Kaylee, you've got to do something." She fixed her shirt and sat down, shaking her head.
"That would just piss him off even more." She wiped a cheek with the back of her hand. "He's not coming back. It's not going to happen anymore."
"Would you tell me if he'd said that before?" Nick asked. He knew he was pushing it, but he couldn't stand to see her like this. She deserved so much better than this. He almost didn't recognize her. She wasn't the confident businesswoman he'd seen at the club a few days previously. No, she was a broken down, scared little girl. She nodded slightly. "Has he?" Another nod.
"I'm moving out next weekend," she said quietly.
"Do you have someplace to stay?"
"I'll find something," she returned. "I can stay with Lyndsey until I find something else."
"I'd feel better if—"
"I stayed here?" she interrupted. "Let you take care of me?"
"I wasn't going to say that," he insisted. "I'd feel better if you stayed with a guy you trust. He's not going to be intimidated by another woman, Kaylee." She was quiet. "Promise me that." She nodded, but he wasn't convinced. "Look at me and tell me you'll stay with a guy until you get back on your feet." She looked in his direction, but he lifted her chin again, making her meet his eyes.
"I promise," she said. It was then he realized he probably seemed as controlling as this David guy.
"Thanks." He took her hands in his. "I don't want anything to happen to you, Kaylee. I just…" he paused, searching for the words. "I just want to protect you as much as I can." She nodded, smiling slightly. He reached out and stroked her cheek, watching her eyes close, a tear breaking free. He stopped it with a brush of his thumb. "Promise me something?" he asked.
"More?" she asked with a light laugh. He knew she didn't mean it the way he took it, but it still hurt.
"I'm sorry." She shook her head.
"Promise you what?"
"You'll tell me if anything happens. If you need anything." She looked up at him.
"You'll be the first to know everything," she said. He smiled slightly, nodding as he pulled her to him again. She leaned against him, listening to him breathe, taking in his scent, everything about him. True, she'd been a little ticked off that he'd been so demanding, but now she was glad he had. There was no denying he cared about her, and really did want to protect her. She smiled in spite of the situation, letting her arms wrap around his waist as she pressed closer to him. "I'm so sorry, Nick," she whispered. He shook his head and shushed her, kissing her forehead lightly as she started to cry. His heart broke as he held her, listening to her sobs. If she didn't do something about this guy, he sure as hell would.