He sat there holding her for a long time. Her breathing now deep and even.
He was worried. Crying was very un-Sara-like. Not that he didn't suspect
that she cried now and then, he just knew that it was out of character for
her to do it in front of someone else. He knew that the events of the last
few days had to have been overwhelming for her. She always tried to
maintain a strong front, and usually she was successful. Even when she got
emotionally involved in a case, he'd never seen her cry. Yell maybe, but
not cry.
He knew what an on the job trauma could do to you. He'd had a gun pulled on him twice and he'd been pushed out of a second story window. He fell apart each time. It scared the hell out of him. The explosion though, that was something else altogether. It affected all of them to a degree. Greg was seriously injured. Thirteen cases were compromised. Hours of work gone. Sara had been injured in the blast, but refused to take time off, refused to acknowledge how it was affecting her. Now on her first night off since the blast she was falling apart. He knew how it could be. Keep yourself busy so you don't have time to think about what happened. He suspected that there may be more going on, but for now, he just sat there and held her, stroking her back, stroking her hair.
His phone rang, he reached for it hoping not to disturb Sara. "Stokes. Yeah, Warrick, I'll be there in 10 minutes. Ok. Thanks." He ended the call and Sara stirred.
"That Warrick?" She asked eyes blinking open.
"Yeah." He replied still holding her.
She started to sit up, her hands on Nick's chest as she yawned, "You should go. Sorry to have kept you here so long, Nick."
He gave her a reassuring smile, his hands on her shoulders, "Sara, it's no trouble. I do need to go though. We've got a couple of people from days filling in, but I'm still on the schedule." He helped her sit the rest of the way up, giving her knee a reassuring squeeze.
"Hey, Nicky?" Sara leaned back into the couch with a tired smile and looked up at him as he stood.
"Yeah, Sara?" Nick replied as he gathered his jacket and looked back over at her with a smile.
"Thanks." With that she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
Nick wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the hug. "Any time, Sara, anytime."
She released the hug and walked with Nick over to the door. With a smile still showing concern, Nick asked, "Are you going to be ok, Sara?"
She smiled at him, "I think so, Nick."
He reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, "Hey, I'll come back by after shift so we can get your Tahoe, ok. Promise you'll call me if you need anything."
"Yeah, I will. Bye, Nick." She assured him as he walked through the door. Closing it behind him, she realized she felt more peaceful than she had in weeks. For some reason, Nick Stokes had a calming effect on her. Not that he couldn't irritate her with the best of them, he loved to tease her and she gave it right back, but this night when her world had fallen apart, he had stepped in no questions asked and had just been there for her. Something Grissom certainly would never have done, something that she didn't even think he'd be capable of. She found herself smiling at what Nick had done for her. It had come so naturally to him. She liked to be independent, didn't want to have someone take care of her, but tonight Nick had done just that, and it didn't feel too bad. Somehow she had let this Texan get close to her without realizing it, and it didn't scare the hell out of her.
Sara decided she needed to eat something, so she ordered Thai. They'd deliver in 30 minutes guaranteed. The Panang Curry Tofu and rice was delicious. Now that her stomach was full, Sara realized just how exhausted she was. She couldn't go anywhere since her Tahoe was still at the lab so she decided to just go to bed. She drifted off to sleep, with a contented smile on her face thinking about how Nick had held her as she cried herself to sleep on the couch.
He knew what an on the job trauma could do to you. He'd had a gun pulled on him twice and he'd been pushed out of a second story window. He fell apart each time. It scared the hell out of him. The explosion though, that was something else altogether. It affected all of them to a degree. Greg was seriously injured. Thirteen cases were compromised. Hours of work gone. Sara had been injured in the blast, but refused to take time off, refused to acknowledge how it was affecting her. Now on her first night off since the blast she was falling apart. He knew how it could be. Keep yourself busy so you don't have time to think about what happened. He suspected that there may be more going on, but for now, he just sat there and held her, stroking her back, stroking her hair.
His phone rang, he reached for it hoping not to disturb Sara. "Stokes. Yeah, Warrick, I'll be there in 10 minutes. Ok. Thanks." He ended the call and Sara stirred.
"That Warrick?" She asked eyes blinking open.
"Yeah." He replied still holding her.
She started to sit up, her hands on Nick's chest as she yawned, "You should go. Sorry to have kept you here so long, Nick."
He gave her a reassuring smile, his hands on her shoulders, "Sara, it's no trouble. I do need to go though. We've got a couple of people from days filling in, but I'm still on the schedule." He helped her sit the rest of the way up, giving her knee a reassuring squeeze.
"Hey, Nicky?" Sara leaned back into the couch with a tired smile and looked up at him as he stood.
"Yeah, Sara?" Nick replied as he gathered his jacket and looked back over at her with a smile.
"Thanks." With that she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
Nick wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the hug. "Any time, Sara, anytime."
She released the hug and walked with Nick over to the door. With a smile still showing concern, Nick asked, "Are you going to be ok, Sara?"
She smiled at him, "I think so, Nick."
He reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, "Hey, I'll come back by after shift so we can get your Tahoe, ok. Promise you'll call me if you need anything."
"Yeah, I will. Bye, Nick." She assured him as he walked through the door. Closing it behind him, she realized she felt more peaceful than she had in weeks. For some reason, Nick Stokes had a calming effect on her. Not that he couldn't irritate her with the best of them, he loved to tease her and she gave it right back, but this night when her world had fallen apart, he had stepped in no questions asked and had just been there for her. Something Grissom certainly would never have done, something that she didn't even think he'd be capable of. She found herself smiling at what Nick had done for her. It had come so naturally to him. She liked to be independent, didn't want to have someone take care of her, but tonight Nick had done just that, and it didn't feel too bad. Somehow she had let this Texan get close to her without realizing it, and it didn't scare the hell out of her.
Sara decided she needed to eat something, so she ordered Thai. They'd deliver in 30 minutes guaranteed. The Panang Curry Tofu and rice was delicious. Now that her stomach was full, Sara realized just how exhausted she was. She couldn't go anywhere since her Tahoe was still at the lab so she decided to just go to bed. She drifted off to sleep, with a contented smile on her face thinking about how Nick had held her as she cried herself to sleep on the couch.
