Different Tactics
Chapter 15: Family
"Gregory," Greg could hear Nigel Crane calling him but he couldn't see him. "Nick asked me to deliver a message to you. He says you're a coward for letting me shoot you and for letting me kidnap him. He also says that you're not worthy to be his best friend. I'm his new best friend. You're just yesterday's news. No body cares about you. You're parents killed themselves to get away from you. Grissom, Catherine, and Warrick pretend to like you so you'll give them their labs results. Nick chose me as his best friend over you and Sara will do anything to keep Nick happy so she'll turn on you too. You have no one Gregory."
"No!" Greg shouted as he shut his eyes to try to keep his tears from flowing. Unfortunately it wasn't working. "You're lying! Nick would never want you for a friend. You're manipulative and a killer. You're the complete opposite of Nick Stokes! I refuse to believe anything you have to say!"
"Everything he said was true Greggo," Greg involuntarily opened his eyes when he heard his best friend's voice. "If you hadn't gotten yourself shot then I would be with the team investigating a crime. At least I was lucky enough to find a true best friend in all this mess. Nigel, here, would give his life for me and I'd do the same for him."
"Glad to hear that Nicky," Nigel grinned as he shot Nick, point blank, in the stomach. "He died my best friend Gregory, not yours."
"Greg," Greg groaned as someone shook him. The person kept shaking him and saying his name until he slowly opened his eyes to find Catherine and Warrick looking at him, concern written all over their faces. "You were having another nightmare. Are you all right?"
"I think so," Greg managed to gasp out. He was still trembling from his nightmare and his breath was coming out in fast gasps. Catherine held a cup of water to his lips so he could take a sip and he smiled gratefully at her. He didn't trust his own hands at holding anything at the moment. "Aren't you guys still on duty?"
"It's a slow night so we came here to let Sara get some sleep in her bed," Catherine explained as she sat down in one of the chairs by Greg's bed. Warrick sat down in the chair on the other side of the bed. "She looked about ready to drop when we came in here so Grissom drove her home. He's staying with her to make sure she sleeps and doesn't try to sneak into work or something."
"Greg," Warrick said gently when Greg looked down at his hands. He looked over at Catherine and signaled for her to leave. He needed to have to talk with his "little brother". "Greg, look at me. None of this is your fault. Sara wanted to stay with you all night. No body forced her to. We're here because we cared about you Greggo. You're an important part of this family. If it were anyone of us in your place you'd be doing the same thing we are, you know you would. Why don't you try to get some more sleep? We'll still be here when you wake up."
"If I go to sleep then I'll dream," Greg's eyes filled with such fear that Warrick wondered what exactly was in his dream. He asked Greg and, after a moment's hesitation, Greg began to tell him. "Nigel Crane told me Nick thought I was a coward and that no body really cared about me. He said my parents killed themselves to get away from me and you guys just put up with me."
"Greggo, that's not true," Warrick was shocked at the new information the young man had just revealed. He hadn't known Greg's parents were dead or that his nightmares were so vivid. "Would Nick have protected you from Crane if he just puts up with you? Would Sara have stayed here all night if she just puts up to you? Would Grissom, Catherine and I be working our asses off to find this guy if we just put up with you? You're a part of our CSI nightshift family. You're our Greggo."
"Gregory," Greg could hear Nigel Crane calling him but he couldn't see him. "Nick asked me to deliver a message to you. He says you're a coward for letting me shoot you and for letting me kidnap him. He also says that you're not worthy to be his best friend. I'm his new best friend. You're just yesterday's news. No body cares about you. You're parents killed themselves to get away from you. Grissom, Catherine, and Warrick pretend to like you so you'll give them their labs results. Nick chose me as his best friend over you and Sara will do anything to keep Nick happy so she'll turn on you too. You have no one Gregory."
"No!" Greg shouted as he shut his eyes to try to keep his tears from flowing. Unfortunately it wasn't working. "You're lying! Nick would never want you for a friend. You're manipulative and a killer. You're the complete opposite of Nick Stokes! I refuse to believe anything you have to say!"
"Everything he said was true Greggo," Greg involuntarily opened his eyes when he heard his best friend's voice. "If you hadn't gotten yourself shot then I would be with the team investigating a crime. At least I was lucky enough to find a true best friend in all this mess. Nigel, here, would give his life for me and I'd do the same for him."
"Glad to hear that Nicky," Nigel grinned as he shot Nick, point blank, in the stomach. "He died my best friend Gregory, not yours."
"Greg," Greg groaned as someone shook him. The person kept shaking him and saying his name until he slowly opened his eyes to find Catherine and Warrick looking at him, concern written all over their faces. "You were having another nightmare. Are you all right?"
"I think so," Greg managed to gasp out. He was still trembling from his nightmare and his breath was coming out in fast gasps. Catherine held a cup of water to his lips so he could take a sip and he smiled gratefully at her. He didn't trust his own hands at holding anything at the moment. "Aren't you guys still on duty?"
"It's a slow night so we came here to let Sara get some sleep in her bed," Catherine explained as she sat down in one of the chairs by Greg's bed. Warrick sat down in the chair on the other side of the bed. "She looked about ready to drop when we came in here so Grissom drove her home. He's staying with her to make sure she sleeps and doesn't try to sneak into work or something."
"Greg," Warrick said gently when Greg looked down at his hands. He looked over at Catherine and signaled for her to leave. He needed to have to talk with his "little brother". "Greg, look at me. None of this is your fault. Sara wanted to stay with you all night. No body forced her to. We're here because we cared about you Greggo. You're an important part of this family. If it were anyone of us in your place you'd be doing the same thing we are, you know you would. Why don't you try to get some more sleep? We'll still be here when you wake up."
"If I go to sleep then I'll dream," Greg's eyes filled with such fear that Warrick wondered what exactly was in his dream. He asked Greg and, after a moment's hesitation, Greg began to tell him. "Nigel Crane told me Nick thought I was a coward and that no body really cared about me. He said my parents killed themselves to get away from me and you guys just put up with me."
"Greggo, that's not true," Warrick was shocked at the new information the young man had just revealed. He hadn't known Greg's parents were dead or that his nightmares were so vivid. "Would Nick have protected you from Crane if he just puts up with you? Would Sara have stayed here all night if she just puts up to you? Would Grissom, Catherine and I be working our asses off to find this guy if we just put up with you? You're a part of our CSI nightshift family. You're our Greggo."