Different tactics
Chapter 9: Return
Nick smiled as he hung up the phone. He'd just finished talking with Grissom about the evidence Warrick and Catherine had found at Greg's house. Grissom was extremely hopeful in getting a warrant to search Crane's house and Brass was working on bringing him in for questioning. The only problem was that they would first have to find him.
Sara had left about ten minutes ago to pick up something for lunch. She had said something about him not having anything healthy to eat and how guys never eat properly when living on their own before heading off to a grocery store. Nick had just laughed and asked her what she expected from a bachelor.
A small thud from upstairs told Nick that Greg was awake and he quickly rose to his feet. He hoped Greg wouldn't flip out when he realized he was in a strange place with no one around. Nick didn't know whether or not Greg remembered that he was staying with Nick for a few days. Nick decided to hurry upstairs- just in case.
***At the same time***
Greg slowly awoke to silence, something he wasn't accustomed to as he usually fell asleep listening to the radio. It only took him a moment to remember Nick saying something about letting him "sleepover" as Grissom had put it, so Greg figured he was in Nick's spare room.
The room wasn't completely dark, as it was probably around two in the afternoon and the sun was shinning through the closed curtains, but dark enough so Greg could only make out shapes. He felt someone watching him and raised his head to see a figure seated in the chair on the other side of the room. The person, who Greg assumed was Nick, hadn't noticed that he was awake yet so Greg cleared his throat to get his observer's attention.
The person jumped slightly when he heard Greg and dropped whatever he was holding. He quickly picked it up and made his way over to Greg's bed. That's when Greg realized that the person wasn't Nick but Nigel Crane.
"What are you doing here?" Greg's voice shook as he remembered his last encounter with the man. "Nick's downstairs. All I have to do is yell and he'll come running up here with his gun and you'll be dead. You just made a really bad move."
"You'll never learn will you Gregory?" Crane actually chuckled as he pulled out a gun. At the same moment the door opened and Nick rushed into the room. "Ah, Nicholas, so good of you to join us. Such a shame we can't stay long. Now poor Gregory will be all by himself."
"Get out of my house Crane," Nick growled and moved toward the bed where Greg was now sitting up. He sat down in front of his younger friend, trying to shield him from view of Nigel's gun. "You cannot expect me to be your friend when you try to kill people I care about, people I consider family. When you do that you make me want to kill you."
"Well I'll just have to make you behave," Crane aimed the gun at Nick. "Gregory, come over here or I'll shoot."
Greg quickly made his way over to where Nigel was standing, despite the protests Nick made that he wouldn't pull the trigger. Nigel grinned and pulled Greg toward him. Crane turned the lab tech so Nick could see the fear on his face and held the gun up to Greg's temple.
"We're going to play let's make a deal," Nigel tightened his gripped on Greg when Nick made a move to get off the bed. "Don't move Nicholas. Let's make a deal. You come with me and I'll leave Gregory here, where Sara will find him before he dies. You refuse and I kill Gregory here and then you come with me."
"Take me, just leave Greg alone," Nick said immediately. His ignored Greg's objections and stood up. "Let's go Nigel. Just don't hurt Greg anymore, please."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Nigel distracted Nick by moving the gun from Greg's temple to his ear. "You see, if I don't show you that I mean business you won't obey me. So I'm afraid I will have to hurt your friend here. That way you will behave."
Nick screamed as Nigel Crane shot the gun and Greg fell to the carpet. Blood was coming from his thigh but that wasn't enough for Crane. He also hit Greg over the head with the gun, knocking him unconscious for the second time in two days. He then motioned for Nick to leave and Nick had no choice but to follow.
***A few minutes later***
Warrick knocked at Nick's door once more and waited. He had told Grissom he would stop by and check on Greg and Nick while Sara was grocery shopping. Right now he was beginning to get worried as no one was answering the door..
"Nicky? Greggo?" Warrick shouted as he gave up waiting and opened the unlocked door. He noticed a few drops of some red liquid on the tiled floor in the entranceway and cursed before running upstairs. He went in the first door he saw and found Greg. "Greg! Shit!"
Warrick took off his jacket and pressed it to the wound, hoping to stop, or at least slow, the bleeding. With his other hand he pulled out his cell and called for an ambulance. He wondered where Nick was and prayed he was all right but he couldn't leave Greg to go off in search for his other teammate.
"Warrick?" Greg moaned as he regained consciousness. "Nick.Nigel.kidnap." That was all he managed to get out before he lost the battle to stay conscious and surrendered to the darkness overwhelming him.
"Just hold on Greggo," Warrick closed his eyes in relief when he heard the paramedics coming up the stairs. They quickly took charge of the situation and put Greg on to the gurney. From there they moved him down to the ambulance and told Warrick to meet them at the hospital before taking off, sirens blaring.
***At the hospital***
"Warrick!" Grissom and Catherine ran up to him. They could both see the strain and worry on his face and Catherine quickly wrapped her arms around the younger man. "Has there been any word yet? What exactly happened?"
"Crane somehow got into Nick's house," Catherine lead Warrick t some chairs and made him sit down before he collapsed. "I found Greg in the spare room. He was shot in the leg. He was conscious for a second and said that Crane took Nick. Then he passed out again. The doctor hasn't come out yet. They took him down to surgery to remove the bullet and said he should be out around four. What time is it?"
"It's almost four now," Grissom took a seat on the other side of Warrick. "He's going to be all right War. He's going to wake up after surgery and demand that we bring him some of that bad music he listens to in the lab. And we're going to find Nigel Crane and bring him to justice before he can hurt Nicky. Everything's going to turn out all right."
"Are you the family for Greg Saunders?" a doctor asked as he approached them. "I'm looking for either a Nick Stokes or a Gil Grissom."
"I'm Grissom," Grissom stood up and shook hands with the doctor. "These are some of Greg's co-workers and he considers them family also. They can stay for the news. How is he doctor?"
"Greg will be just fine," the doctor smiled at the collective sigh of relief that came from the three people in front of him. "He'll have to stay off his leg for at least two weeks and he'll need to take some medicine for the pain but there's nothing that will inhibit him from returning to work next week, depending on how his leg is healing. He's lost quite a lot of blood so he's weak at the moment but we're giving him a transfer as we speak. Right now he's in recovery but I'll let you know once he wakes up and is moved to a room. Once he's in a regular room you can visit him."
"Thank you doctor," Catherine smiled and held one of Warrick's hands in hers. She felt Grissom's hand on her shoulder and together they waited for Sara to arrive, Brass to call with news on the warrants, and Greg to awaken.
Nick smiled as he hung up the phone. He'd just finished talking with Grissom about the evidence Warrick and Catherine had found at Greg's house. Grissom was extremely hopeful in getting a warrant to search Crane's house and Brass was working on bringing him in for questioning. The only problem was that they would first have to find him.
Sara had left about ten minutes ago to pick up something for lunch. She had said something about him not having anything healthy to eat and how guys never eat properly when living on their own before heading off to a grocery store. Nick had just laughed and asked her what she expected from a bachelor.
A small thud from upstairs told Nick that Greg was awake and he quickly rose to his feet. He hoped Greg wouldn't flip out when he realized he was in a strange place with no one around. Nick didn't know whether or not Greg remembered that he was staying with Nick for a few days. Nick decided to hurry upstairs- just in case.
***At the same time***
Greg slowly awoke to silence, something he wasn't accustomed to as he usually fell asleep listening to the radio. It only took him a moment to remember Nick saying something about letting him "sleepover" as Grissom had put it, so Greg figured he was in Nick's spare room.
The room wasn't completely dark, as it was probably around two in the afternoon and the sun was shinning through the closed curtains, but dark enough so Greg could only make out shapes. He felt someone watching him and raised his head to see a figure seated in the chair on the other side of the room. The person, who Greg assumed was Nick, hadn't noticed that he was awake yet so Greg cleared his throat to get his observer's attention.
The person jumped slightly when he heard Greg and dropped whatever he was holding. He quickly picked it up and made his way over to Greg's bed. That's when Greg realized that the person wasn't Nick but Nigel Crane.
"What are you doing here?" Greg's voice shook as he remembered his last encounter with the man. "Nick's downstairs. All I have to do is yell and he'll come running up here with his gun and you'll be dead. You just made a really bad move."
"You'll never learn will you Gregory?" Crane actually chuckled as he pulled out a gun. At the same moment the door opened and Nick rushed into the room. "Ah, Nicholas, so good of you to join us. Such a shame we can't stay long. Now poor Gregory will be all by himself."
"Get out of my house Crane," Nick growled and moved toward the bed where Greg was now sitting up. He sat down in front of his younger friend, trying to shield him from view of Nigel's gun. "You cannot expect me to be your friend when you try to kill people I care about, people I consider family. When you do that you make me want to kill you."
"Well I'll just have to make you behave," Crane aimed the gun at Nick. "Gregory, come over here or I'll shoot."
Greg quickly made his way over to where Nigel was standing, despite the protests Nick made that he wouldn't pull the trigger. Nigel grinned and pulled Greg toward him. Crane turned the lab tech so Nick could see the fear on his face and held the gun up to Greg's temple.
"We're going to play let's make a deal," Nigel tightened his gripped on Greg when Nick made a move to get off the bed. "Don't move Nicholas. Let's make a deal. You come with me and I'll leave Gregory here, where Sara will find him before he dies. You refuse and I kill Gregory here and then you come with me."
"Take me, just leave Greg alone," Nick said immediately. His ignored Greg's objections and stood up. "Let's go Nigel. Just don't hurt Greg anymore, please."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Nigel distracted Nick by moving the gun from Greg's temple to his ear. "You see, if I don't show you that I mean business you won't obey me. So I'm afraid I will have to hurt your friend here. That way you will behave."
Nick screamed as Nigel Crane shot the gun and Greg fell to the carpet. Blood was coming from his thigh but that wasn't enough for Crane. He also hit Greg over the head with the gun, knocking him unconscious for the second time in two days. He then motioned for Nick to leave and Nick had no choice but to follow.
***A few minutes later***
Warrick knocked at Nick's door once more and waited. He had told Grissom he would stop by and check on Greg and Nick while Sara was grocery shopping. Right now he was beginning to get worried as no one was answering the door..
"Nicky? Greggo?" Warrick shouted as he gave up waiting and opened the unlocked door. He noticed a few drops of some red liquid on the tiled floor in the entranceway and cursed before running upstairs. He went in the first door he saw and found Greg. "Greg! Shit!"
Warrick took off his jacket and pressed it to the wound, hoping to stop, or at least slow, the bleeding. With his other hand he pulled out his cell and called for an ambulance. He wondered where Nick was and prayed he was all right but he couldn't leave Greg to go off in search for his other teammate.
"Warrick?" Greg moaned as he regained consciousness. "Nick.Nigel.kidnap." That was all he managed to get out before he lost the battle to stay conscious and surrendered to the darkness overwhelming him.
"Just hold on Greggo," Warrick closed his eyes in relief when he heard the paramedics coming up the stairs. They quickly took charge of the situation and put Greg on to the gurney. From there they moved him down to the ambulance and told Warrick to meet them at the hospital before taking off, sirens blaring.
***At the hospital***
"Warrick!" Grissom and Catherine ran up to him. They could both see the strain and worry on his face and Catherine quickly wrapped her arms around the younger man. "Has there been any word yet? What exactly happened?"
"Crane somehow got into Nick's house," Catherine lead Warrick t some chairs and made him sit down before he collapsed. "I found Greg in the spare room. He was shot in the leg. He was conscious for a second and said that Crane took Nick. Then he passed out again. The doctor hasn't come out yet. They took him down to surgery to remove the bullet and said he should be out around four. What time is it?"
"It's almost four now," Grissom took a seat on the other side of Warrick. "He's going to be all right War. He's going to wake up after surgery and demand that we bring him some of that bad music he listens to in the lab. And we're going to find Nigel Crane and bring him to justice before he can hurt Nicky. Everything's going to turn out all right."
"Are you the family for Greg Saunders?" a doctor asked as he approached them. "I'm looking for either a Nick Stokes or a Gil Grissom."
"I'm Grissom," Grissom stood up and shook hands with the doctor. "These are some of Greg's co-workers and he considers them family also. They can stay for the news. How is he doctor?"
"Greg will be just fine," the doctor smiled at the collective sigh of relief that came from the three people in front of him. "He'll have to stay off his leg for at least two weeks and he'll need to take some medicine for the pain but there's nothing that will inhibit him from returning to work next week, depending on how his leg is healing. He's lost quite a lot of blood so he's weak at the moment but we're giving him a transfer as we speak. Right now he's in recovery but I'll let you know once he wakes up and is moved to a room. Once he's in a regular room you can visit him."
"Thank you doctor," Catherine smiled and held one of Warrick's hands in hers. She felt Grissom's hand on her shoulder and together they waited for Sara to arrive, Brass to call with news on the warrants, and Greg to awaken.