Chapter Eight:
I'll Be Home
"You can't go," his eyes begged.
"I have to. I was accepted, aren't you happy for me?" Norah asked Greg.
"Yes, but I don't want you to go," Greg answered honestly.
She shook her head. "I can't work in Vegas my whole life with no career or anything."
"I have an idea," his eyes lit up.
Norah acted interested, although she had her heart set on going to college in New York and nothing was going to change it. Not even her boyfriend.
"You could go to college here for chemistry. And I could get Grissom to give you a job. I mean, you minored in it so-"
She shook her head and cut him off. "I hate science." She saw how his eyes changed a bit in emotion from sadness to offence. "It's just not what I love to do."
"I can't live without you by my side. I need you."
She sighed and thought, 'where have I heard that before.' "I'm not going to be gone forever. It's just four years and I'll be back in Vegas." She smiled. "With you."
He shook his head. "You don't understand."
"Believe me, I do. I'll miss you just as much, but I need to worry about myself and my career too." She was definitely having some second thoughts about going to New York. This sounded too much like her situation with Owen.
"Aren't their any schools you can go to here?" He asked.
"Greg, how am I going to support myself if I don't have a job?" She asked him, ignoring his question.
"You do have a job," he said.
She rolled her eyes, although they were filling with tears. "I'm not making enough there. I want a career."
"You could live with me, then we'll split everything and-"
"I'm going." She told him firmly. She didn't want to hurt his feelings but she didn't want to be stuck working as a cocktail waitress her whole life.
He nodded and swallowed hard. "So nothing can change you mind?"
"Sorry." She said kissing the tip of his nose. She got up off her blue couch and walking to the kitchen. "Want something to drink?"
He shook his head. "I better get going." He left the apartment with a slight slam of the door.
She watched him through her kitchen window. She watched him walk to his car and pull away. She had another three months until she actually started college. She was excited and ready to go back. She was young, why shouldn't she have the chance to be something?
She was going back to be an elementary school teacher. She loved kids and was so excited that she was actually going to work with them. She had babysat Lindsey over ten times since she'd been in Las Vegas. They had a good relationship. Catherine would tell Norah about how Lindsey would talk about her almost nonstop.
But on the other hand Greg was practically her life now. They'd gotten so close and knew each other better than they knew themselves.
She stopped the sympathy from spreading in her brain and called Nick instead. She figured he'd be able to help more than her fighting with herself would. She dialed his number and got his voicemail. "Hey, this is Norah. Give me a call. Bye."
Little did she know a conversation much like her own was going on at Nick's place. Not three days after Norah had helped Lydia and Nick patch everything up, Lydia was also accepted to a college in Washington state and she was leaving in a mere week for orientation and all that other good stuff.
"I'll really miss you."
"I'll miss you too," Lydia told Nick. She picked at her Chinese food that was sitting on a plate in front of her. She had lost her appetite. She wasn't too enthusiastic about leaving Nick, although she was simply delighted with the idea of leaving Vegas. She had barely ever traveled out of Nevada, she saw college as a challenge as well as an adventure.
-------
The days came and went so quickly when it was finally the day before Lydia would leave. It was a Friday and Lydia promised Nick she would spend the whole day with him before leaving. The night was almost done, she had one thing left she wanted to do.
They were making out on Nick's couch when Lydia whispered in Nick's ear. "I'm ready."
He looked at her oddly. "What?"
She raised her eyebrows slightly. "I'm throwing all my morals out the window." She smiled. She was really uneasy with this idea but figured it would be the perfect end to the perfect day with the perfect guy.
He shook his head. "I can't let you do this. I don't want you to go against your religion for me."
She looked him in the eyes. "I want to." She kissed him passionately.
He pulled her closer to him and gently took her clothes off, as if she were some paper doll he was afraid he might rip.
In the end it was a perfect night. She was afraid to wake up in the morning because she didn't want to leave to go all the way to Washington.
-------
Three weeks had passed since Lydia let and no one, no matter what they did, could get Nick out of his funk. Sara became more pissed off at him, if that was possible, for loosing the shoe in a box in the evidence room weeks ago. And for the record, he hadn't done what she asked.
"We're not going to solve this case if we don't find that shoe." Sara said rummaging through the boxes they had filled with evidence from their case.
"I'm sorry, Sara." Nick said before she started mumbling to the point where no one could understand. He was pushing the stuff in the box around to look occupied, even though he was too busy worrying about Lydia that he wasn't really working. Something caught his eye. "I found it." He pulled Jerry Donahue's oversize shoe out of the receptacle.
Sara grabbed it from him and rushed out of the room to God knows where. Nick followed shuffling down the hall like an old, faithful beagle that wouldn't leave his master for fear of losing her. She went to the layout room where she made a copy of the bottom of the shoe and matched it to the cast from the baseball field. She smiled. "Finally."
At that moment she had remembered she had called Jerry in for questioning and she was five minutes late. She left Nick in the layout room alone. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and dialed Lydia's number at the opportunity.
"Hello?"
"Lydia?"
"Nick?" An excited Lydia asked.
"What's going on?" Nick's voice stayed solemn.
"Nothing really."
"Lydia?"
"Yes?"
"Please come back. I can't live without you. I can't." Nick swallowed hard.
She smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Nick raised his eyebrows, although only the light-up table was present with him to witness it.
"I hate it here." She sighed. "And."
There was a pause.
"And?" Nick asked anxiously.
"I'm pregnant." She bit her lip.
Nick's heart stopped. "What?"
She didn't answer for about two minutes. "I don't want to abort the baby and you are the father." she trailed of.
"Of course I will care for him or her," Nick wasn't sure how to react. But, he figured he had to face the consequences.
She smiled. "I'll be home soon." She hung up.
He hung up also. He stared at the floor in disbelief. How could this have happened? He remembered the condom, didn't he? He stopped. The condom. He felt like an idiot and felt bad for Lydia but most of all he felt sick.
Grissom stopped in the doorway of the room. "Are you okay, Nick?"
He shook his head, his face pale.
Grissom called down the hall for help and rushed over to Nick. "What's wrong?"
"I'm going to be a father." He collapsed onto the floor with a questioning Grissom standing over him.
"You can't go," his eyes begged.
"I have to. I was accepted, aren't you happy for me?" Norah asked Greg.
"Yes, but I don't want you to go," Greg answered honestly.
She shook her head. "I can't work in Vegas my whole life with no career or anything."
"I have an idea," his eyes lit up.
Norah acted interested, although she had her heart set on going to college in New York and nothing was going to change it. Not even her boyfriend.
"You could go to college here for chemistry. And I could get Grissom to give you a job. I mean, you minored in it so-"
She shook her head and cut him off. "I hate science." She saw how his eyes changed a bit in emotion from sadness to offence. "It's just not what I love to do."
"I can't live without you by my side. I need you."
She sighed and thought, 'where have I heard that before.' "I'm not going to be gone forever. It's just four years and I'll be back in Vegas." She smiled. "With you."
He shook his head. "You don't understand."
"Believe me, I do. I'll miss you just as much, but I need to worry about myself and my career too." She was definitely having some second thoughts about going to New York. This sounded too much like her situation with Owen.
"Aren't their any schools you can go to here?" He asked.
"Greg, how am I going to support myself if I don't have a job?" She asked him, ignoring his question.
"You do have a job," he said.
She rolled her eyes, although they were filling with tears. "I'm not making enough there. I want a career."
"You could live with me, then we'll split everything and-"
"I'm going." She told him firmly. She didn't want to hurt his feelings but she didn't want to be stuck working as a cocktail waitress her whole life.
He nodded and swallowed hard. "So nothing can change you mind?"
"Sorry." She said kissing the tip of his nose. She got up off her blue couch and walking to the kitchen. "Want something to drink?"
He shook his head. "I better get going." He left the apartment with a slight slam of the door.
She watched him through her kitchen window. She watched him walk to his car and pull away. She had another three months until she actually started college. She was excited and ready to go back. She was young, why shouldn't she have the chance to be something?
She was going back to be an elementary school teacher. She loved kids and was so excited that she was actually going to work with them. She had babysat Lindsey over ten times since she'd been in Las Vegas. They had a good relationship. Catherine would tell Norah about how Lindsey would talk about her almost nonstop.
But on the other hand Greg was practically her life now. They'd gotten so close and knew each other better than they knew themselves.
She stopped the sympathy from spreading in her brain and called Nick instead. She figured he'd be able to help more than her fighting with herself would. She dialed his number and got his voicemail. "Hey, this is Norah. Give me a call. Bye."
Little did she know a conversation much like her own was going on at Nick's place. Not three days after Norah had helped Lydia and Nick patch everything up, Lydia was also accepted to a college in Washington state and she was leaving in a mere week for orientation and all that other good stuff.
"I'll really miss you."
"I'll miss you too," Lydia told Nick. She picked at her Chinese food that was sitting on a plate in front of her. She had lost her appetite. She wasn't too enthusiastic about leaving Nick, although she was simply delighted with the idea of leaving Vegas. She had barely ever traveled out of Nevada, she saw college as a challenge as well as an adventure.
-------
The days came and went so quickly when it was finally the day before Lydia would leave. It was a Friday and Lydia promised Nick she would spend the whole day with him before leaving. The night was almost done, she had one thing left she wanted to do.
They were making out on Nick's couch when Lydia whispered in Nick's ear. "I'm ready."
He looked at her oddly. "What?"
She raised her eyebrows slightly. "I'm throwing all my morals out the window." She smiled. She was really uneasy with this idea but figured it would be the perfect end to the perfect day with the perfect guy.
He shook his head. "I can't let you do this. I don't want you to go against your religion for me."
She looked him in the eyes. "I want to." She kissed him passionately.
He pulled her closer to him and gently took her clothes off, as if she were some paper doll he was afraid he might rip.
In the end it was a perfect night. She was afraid to wake up in the morning because she didn't want to leave to go all the way to Washington.
-------
Three weeks had passed since Lydia let and no one, no matter what they did, could get Nick out of his funk. Sara became more pissed off at him, if that was possible, for loosing the shoe in a box in the evidence room weeks ago. And for the record, he hadn't done what she asked.
"We're not going to solve this case if we don't find that shoe." Sara said rummaging through the boxes they had filled with evidence from their case.
"I'm sorry, Sara." Nick said before she started mumbling to the point where no one could understand. He was pushing the stuff in the box around to look occupied, even though he was too busy worrying about Lydia that he wasn't really working. Something caught his eye. "I found it." He pulled Jerry Donahue's oversize shoe out of the receptacle.
Sara grabbed it from him and rushed out of the room to God knows where. Nick followed shuffling down the hall like an old, faithful beagle that wouldn't leave his master for fear of losing her. She went to the layout room where she made a copy of the bottom of the shoe and matched it to the cast from the baseball field. She smiled. "Finally."
At that moment she had remembered she had called Jerry in for questioning and she was five minutes late. She left Nick in the layout room alone. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and dialed Lydia's number at the opportunity.
"Hello?"
"Lydia?"
"Nick?" An excited Lydia asked.
"What's going on?" Nick's voice stayed solemn.
"Nothing really."
"Lydia?"
"Yes?"
"Please come back. I can't live without you. I can't." Nick swallowed hard.
She smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Nick raised his eyebrows, although only the light-up table was present with him to witness it.
"I hate it here." She sighed. "And."
There was a pause.
"And?" Nick asked anxiously.
"I'm pregnant." She bit her lip.
Nick's heart stopped. "What?"
She didn't answer for about two minutes. "I don't want to abort the baby and you are the father." she trailed of.
"Of course I will care for him or her," Nick wasn't sure how to react. But, he figured he had to face the consequences.
She smiled. "I'll be home soon." She hung up.
He hung up also. He stared at the floor in disbelief. How could this have happened? He remembered the condom, didn't he? He stopped. The condom. He felt like an idiot and felt bad for Lydia but most of all he felt sick.
Grissom stopped in the doorway of the room. "Are you okay, Nick?"
He shook his head, his face pale.
Grissom called down the hall for help and rushed over to Nick. "What's wrong?"
"I'm going to be a father." He collapsed onto the floor with a questioning Grissom standing over him.