~LATER~
Nick walked into his apartment and flipped on the switch. Jo followed
closely behind him, carrying her jacket in her hands. They hadn't gone back
to her house to get her things for obvious reasons.
"So, do you want something to eat, or do you just wanna crash?" Nick asked, not quite sure what to say.
"Something to eat would be great. Do you have any ice cream and or cookie dough?" She replied, looking hopeful.
"I'll check." He dashed to the kitchen, searching the freezer. He returned a few seconds later holding a pint of Ben and Jerry's and a spoon. "You can have this, if you want."
She smiled, took the spoon and ice cream, and dug in. She polished off the whole thing in about two and a half minutes. "Damn," Nick said. "I'll get you a shirt to sleep in tonight."
"Thanks." Jo got up and threw away the empty pint and put the spoon in the sink. Rummaging through the cabinets, she found a blue tumbler and poured herself a glass of water.
"Here you are. I got you a shirt," he said, holding it up. It was his old Texas A&M shirt. Whoa. He must really care about me if he's letting me wear that shirt, she thought to herself.
"Thanks. I'll go change." She took it from him, laughed at his jumbled pile of video game contollers, and went into the bathroom. As she was changing, Nick began to make up the fold-out couch.
Jo exited the bathroom in the shirt, holding her clothes and jewelry in her hand, her long legs sticking out from beneath the shirt. She guessed Nick had underestimated her height and hadn't thought the shirt would be quite that short. "Thanks Nicky," she said, dropping her clothes by the bed and jumped on.
"Just what do you think you are doing? Get in my room. I'm sleeping here tonight."
"What? I can't kick you out of your bed!" She protested.
"You have had a terrible night. I don't think you should be put under any more stress by sleeping on a lumpy couch," he said, with a don't-even-try- to-argue-you-will-not-win face on.
"Fine." She bounced off the bed and went into Nick's room. Secretly, she was glad for this generosity, but she sure as hell wasn't going to show it. She hated it when Nick actually acted like he was older than her. She always considered him as a friend, not an adult. It didn't feel like he was almost 20 years her elder. And the fact that she had had a crush on him since she was 10 years old certainly added to this feeling.
Jo folded back the bed and carefully slid between the forest green sheets. God, were they comfortable. She probably would've fallen asleep right then and there if it weren't for the fact that Nick stepped into the doorway at this point.
"Now, isn't that better than a fold-out couch?" he said, with an amused look. He quickly crossed the room and sat on the edge of his queen-sized bed, a serious expression now pasted on. "We'll solve this case, you know that, right? We'll find who did this and bring them to justice. It'll be alright." She sniffed and Nick grabbed her in a warm embrace.
"Go to sleep, ok? I'm taking time off so I'll see you when you wake up. I'll take care of you, you know that."
She nodded. "Thank you Nick. 'Night," she answered and laid her head down. He'll take care of me, she thought. It'll be ok.
Nick walked out of the room and ran a hand through his hair. I really need a shower, he said to himself. Ah, whatever. I've got all day tomorrow. He walked into the bathroom and flicked the light on. He brushed his teeth and washed his face, staring into the mirror for a minute. He contemplated just what had happened this night. Two of his best friends were dead. Their daughter was now in his custody. His responsiblilty.
But she's 18. She can go out and live her life now. She hasn't finished college, he reminded himself. She will in 2 weeks. She needs me NOW, he told himself. I have to be there for her.
Walking back into the living room, he collapsed on the bed. He tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. About 10 minutes after falling onto the bed, he realised he didn't have a pillow. Boy, am I out of it or what? he asked himself as he got up. Hopefully he could snag a pillow from his bed without waking Jo.
As he opened the door to his room, he saw the last and worst thing he expected. A man was sitting on top of the girl on her hands, holding her mouth closed, and brandishing a knife. As Nick yelled out, "HEY!" the knife sunk deep into her chest. The man was startled, pulled his knife out, let out a cruel laugh, and jumped through the open window.
"NICK! Help!"Jo called as she lay on the bed. She was bleeding freely and was trying to stop it, to no avail.
"Oh god oh god oh damn," Nick said as he ran over to her and tried desperately to stop the bleeding while dialing 911.
"I have a bleeding victim here. Send an ambulance!" Nick practically screamed into the phone. He gave his address and hung up.
"Nick? Are you there?" Jo called out sleepily. She presently passed out.
"No, Jo, NO! Stay with me!" He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, his voice full of tears. "C'mon, don't leave me now, don't! Hold on, Jo!" Her bleeding had slowed, and she slowly came to. About then the paramedics knocked and Nick ran up to get them. His hands were covered in blood. There were hand prints on his back from where she had grabbed up trying to hold on to him, and little bit smeared on his cheek from holding her hand up to his face.
Nick showed them the room and they rushed to help Jo. Another paramedic started asking Nick questions about her, if she was allergic to anything, her name, age, you know, the basics. He was constantly looking over the EMT's shoulder, trying to see into the room.
"Sir, please. What is your daughter's name?" the paramedic tried to get his answer.
"Joann Morris. She's 18 years old, and not allergic to anything. She was stabbed, I walked into the room and saw a man sitting on top of her. ("You're sure it was a man?") Pretty sure. I yelled, and he stabbed her, and jumped out that window there," he pointed. "I stopped the bleeding mostly."
"That was a good thing you did. If you hadn't, she might have bled out before we could help her. How did you know how to stop it?" the man asked, more out of curiosity than out of need.
"I'm a C.S.I. I know something about human functions. Is she going to be ok?" he replied as they wheeled her out. She had an oxygen mask on her mouth and was breathing shakily.
"I don't know sir. Meet us at the hospital and you'll find out," the man answered the desperate C.S.I. He joined his partner and got into the back of the ambulance. Nick snatched his jacket, slid on his sandles and ran to his car, putting it into drive faster than he ever thought was possible.
"So, do you want something to eat, or do you just wanna crash?" Nick asked, not quite sure what to say.
"Something to eat would be great. Do you have any ice cream and or cookie dough?" She replied, looking hopeful.
"I'll check." He dashed to the kitchen, searching the freezer. He returned a few seconds later holding a pint of Ben and Jerry's and a spoon. "You can have this, if you want."
She smiled, took the spoon and ice cream, and dug in. She polished off the whole thing in about two and a half minutes. "Damn," Nick said. "I'll get you a shirt to sleep in tonight."
"Thanks." Jo got up and threw away the empty pint and put the spoon in the sink. Rummaging through the cabinets, she found a blue tumbler and poured herself a glass of water.
"Here you are. I got you a shirt," he said, holding it up. It was his old Texas A&M shirt. Whoa. He must really care about me if he's letting me wear that shirt, she thought to herself.
"Thanks. I'll go change." She took it from him, laughed at his jumbled pile of video game contollers, and went into the bathroom. As she was changing, Nick began to make up the fold-out couch.
Jo exited the bathroom in the shirt, holding her clothes and jewelry in her hand, her long legs sticking out from beneath the shirt. She guessed Nick had underestimated her height and hadn't thought the shirt would be quite that short. "Thanks Nicky," she said, dropping her clothes by the bed and jumped on.
"Just what do you think you are doing? Get in my room. I'm sleeping here tonight."
"What? I can't kick you out of your bed!" She protested.
"You have had a terrible night. I don't think you should be put under any more stress by sleeping on a lumpy couch," he said, with a don't-even-try- to-argue-you-will-not-win face on.
"Fine." She bounced off the bed and went into Nick's room. Secretly, she was glad for this generosity, but she sure as hell wasn't going to show it. She hated it when Nick actually acted like he was older than her. She always considered him as a friend, not an adult. It didn't feel like he was almost 20 years her elder. And the fact that she had had a crush on him since she was 10 years old certainly added to this feeling.
Jo folded back the bed and carefully slid between the forest green sheets. God, were they comfortable. She probably would've fallen asleep right then and there if it weren't for the fact that Nick stepped into the doorway at this point.
"Now, isn't that better than a fold-out couch?" he said, with an amused look. He quickly crossed the room and sat on the edge of his queen-sized bed, a serious expression now pasted on. "We'll solve this case, you know that, right? We'll find who did this and bring them to justice. It'll be alright." She sniffed and Nick grabbed her in a warm embrace.
"Go to sleep, ok? I'm taking time off so I'll see you when you wake up. I'll take care of you, you know that."
She nodded. "Thank you Nick. 'Night," she answered and laid her head down. He'll take care of me, she thought. It'll be ok.
Nick walked out of the room and ran a hand through his hair. I really need a shower, he said to himself. Ah, whatever. I've got all day tomorrow. He walked into the bathroom and flicked the light on. He brushed his teeth and washed his face, staring into the mirror for a minute. He contemplated just what had happened this night. Two of his best friends were dead. Their daughter was now in his custody. His responsiblilty.
But she's 18. She can go out and live her life now. She hasn't finished college, he reminded himself. She will in 2 weeks. She needs me NOW, he told himself. I have to be there for her.
Walking back into the living room, he collapsed on the bed. He tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. About 10 minutes after falling onto the bed, he realised he didn't have a pillow. Boy, am I out of it or what? he asked himself as he got up. Hopefully he could snag a pillow from his bed without waking Jo.
As he opened the door to his room, he saw the last and worst thing he expected. A man was sitting on top of the girl on her hands, holding her mouth closed, and brandishing a knife. As Nick yelled out, "HEY!" the knife sunk deep into her chest. The man was startled, pulled his knife out, let out a cruel laugh, and jumped through the open window.
"NICK! Help!"Jo called as she lay on the bed. She was bleeding freely and was trying to stop it, to no avail.
"Oh god oh god oh damn," Nick said as he ran over to her and tried desperately to stop the bleeding while dialing 911.
"I have a bleeding victim here. Send an ambulance!" Nick practically screamed into the phone. He gave his address and hung up.
"Nick? Are you there?" Jo called out sleepily. She presently passed out.
"No, Jo, NO! Stay with me!" He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, his voice full of tears. "C'mon, don't leave me now, don't! Hold on, Jo!" Her bleeding had slowed, and she slowly came to. About then the paramedics knocked and Nick ran up to get them. His hands were covered in blood. There were hand prints on his back from where she had grabbed up trying to hold on to him, and little bit smeared on his cheek from holding her hand up to his face.
Nick showed them the room and they rushed to help Jo. Another paramedic started asking Nick questions about her, if she was allergic to anything, her name, age, you know, the basics. He was constantly looking over the EMT's shoulder, trying to see into the room.
"Sir, please. What is your daughter's name?" the paramedic tried to get his answer.
"Joann Morris. She's 18 years old, and not allergic to anything. She was stabbed, I walked into the room and saw a man sitting on top of her. ("You're sure it was a man?") Pretty sure. I yelled, and he stabbed her, and jumped out that window there," he pointed. "I stopped the bleeding mostly."
"That was a good thing you did. If you hadn't, she might have bled out before we could help her. How did you know how to stop it?" the man asked, more out of curiosity than out of need.
"I'm a C.S.I. I know something about human functions. Is she going to be ok?" he replied as they wheeled her out. She had an oxygen mask on her mouth and was breathing shakily.
"I don't know sir. Meet us at the hospital and you'll find out," the man answered the desperate C.S.I. He joined his partner and got into the back of the ambulance. Nick snatched his jacket, slid on his sandles and ran to his car, putting it into drive faster than he ever thought was possible.