Back at the lab, Nick and Sara went their separate ways without exchanging
a word. Neither of them was completely sure what had just transpired in
the Tahoe at the park and right now there was too much going on with the
case to talk about it.
Sara returned to the computer lab and continued checking into the background of Sam Braun and an unsolved murder of one of his employees. Nick walked toward the break room in search of Warrick. Catherine was seated at the table eating. "Hey, Cath, have you seen Warrick?"
Between bites she replied, "I think he's in talking with Greg about some DNA he collected at the scene." Noticing Nick's hungry gaze at her food, she smiled at him and tossed him an apple. "Here, you look like you could use this."
Nick smiled, "Thanks, Catherine. I'm starving." He bit into the apple and continued his search for Warrick. He found him talking to Grissom. Just as Nick entered the doorway and asked if he could help, Grissom asked Warrick for the pair of scissors in his hand. He then looked at Nick, "Nick, give me that apple."
Nick looked perplexed, he was hungry and wasn't really interested in giving up his apple. "But I didn't get any lunch." Warrick just raised an eyebrow at him because he knew that Nick and Sara had gone to lunch together.
"Nick, give me the apple, you're not supposed to be eating in here anyway." Grissom demanded.
Nick threw him the half eaten apple. Grissom then put the pieces together for them, showing how scissors inserted into the apple made the same marks as on the vic'c body in an unsolved murder that they believed was connected to the bank heist. Scissors were the likely murder weapon. Catherine walked in commenting on the portion of the conversation she had heard. Grissom enlightened her as to their theory as Warrick continued to try and get some resolution in the computer off the scarf fabric. Sara entered and shared what she had learned about the vic and where she was when she had died. She had been in the penthouse of one of the casinos owned by Sam Braun the night before it was demolished. Warrick, Nick, and Sara tossed around theories about how they thought Sam Braun might be connected, directly and indirectly.
Catherine remained silent until the lettering from the scissors became apparent. "Rampart." She whispered and then left the room in a hurry. Grissom was the only one that noticed. He knew she had a close relationship with Sam Braun, and that was the name of one of his casinos. He was really the only father figure she had ever had. The implications of the evidence they had just found were potentially earth shattering for Catherine. Grissom left Warrick, Nick, and Sara and went in search of Catherine. He found her in the locker room where she appeared to be fuming in anger.
"He's not returning any of my calls. It's time I confronted this Sam Braun business once and for all! I'm driving." She banged her locker shut as she put on her jacket.
Grissom stood there calmly, "I'm not going with you."
Startled, Catherine responded, "What? Why?"
He continued with a pleading look in his eye, "I'm scheduled for surgery at Desert Palm."
Her eyes widened first in surprise, then in understanding. "Surgery."
His eyes pleaded for her to understand without him having to say the words. "Yeah."
Catherine came closer, her eyes filled with compassion and understanding. "Your hearing?"
He nodded.
"I'm sorry." Catherine looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"I'm not, it has to be done." Grissom responded so matter of factly.
"Can I do anything?" She inquired.
"Nope. Take care of the case." He answered.
"Take care of the case?" Catherine had a look on her face that was a mix of disbelief and consternation.
"Yeah." Grissom responded, heading toward the door.
"Anything else?" Catherine asked.
"Uh, good luck?" With that he was out the door and Catherine was left to face Sam Braun herself.
The trio of CSIs that remained at the lab continued to work on the evidence. Warrick took a break and wandered down to the break room in search of coffee. Nick was already there pouring himself a cup from a freshly brewed pot.
"Hey, Nick." Warrick greeted reaching up in the cupboard to grab himself a coffee cup.
"Hey, War. How are things going?" Nick inquired sipping his coffee.
"I'm at a stopping point, I need to talk to Grissom." Warrick replied.
"I think he and Catherine left to go talk to Sam Braun," Nick explained, taking another sip of coffee. Nick walked over to the fridge in hopes that someone had left some food behind. "Man, I'm starved!" he exclaimed.
Warrick wore a curious expression, "Nick, I thought you and Sara went and got something to eat at the diner."
Nick froze, still looking into the fridge. "Uh, yeah, we went to lunch."
Warrick wore a bemused grin on his face, "But you didn't eat, did you?"
Nick looked up from the fridge at Warrick. "Uh, no."
Warrick raised an eyebrow in question, "You were gone for 45 minutes. The diner is only 5 minutes away. Don't tell me the service is slow at one in the morning." He took a sip from his coffee cup.
Nick raised an eyebrow in return, "Why do I get the feeling I'm being interrogated?"
Warrick chuckled, "Because you are. What's going on with you and Sara?"
Nick tried to suppress a smile, "We're just friends, Warrick."
Warrick took another sip of his coffee, "Uh, huh." He didn't sound convinced.
Nick couldn't hold back his grin. He looked down into his coffee cup. "Seriously."
"You keep telling yourself that, Nick." Warrick continued. "You better be careful though, doesn't she have a thing for Grissom?"
"I'm not sure." Nick replied, dropping all pretense.
Warrick noted the change in Nick's demeanor. "You really like her, don't you, man?"
Nick just nodded.
"So what's going on between you two?" Warrick continued, taking another sip of his coffee.
"I'm not really sure. The other night when I called you and said I had something to take care of, I found her in the parking lot crying." Nick began.
"Sara? Crying? Crap!" Warrick asked with a hint of disbelief.
Nick nodded and continued. "I know. I've never seen her that upset before, man. I mean I've seen her angry. Hell, she's been pissed at me plenty of times, but I've never seen her cry before. It scared the hell out of me. So I took her home. She didn't want to be alone."
Warrick raised an eyebrow of concern that perhaps Nick had taken advantage of the situation.
Nick raised a hand as if to stop Warrick's line of thinking. "It's not what you think. I didn't sleep with her. This is Sara were talking about here. I'm not stupid enough to mess up a good friendship."
Warrick nodded, "But you like her."
A smile crossed Nick's face, "Yeah, I do."
Warrick rolled his eyes, "Nick, you're an idiot. Ask her out." Warrick drank the last of his coffee and placed the cup in the sink.
"It's not that simple, man." Nick defended.
Warrick replied, "Yeah, it is Nick. You ask. She either says yes or no. Then you move on from there."
"What about Grissom?" Nick offered.
"What about Grissom." Warrick replied. "He's not interested in her. If he was then he's just been sitting on his ass for three years. Do you think he's going to all of a sudden do something now? Nick, you're just chicken. If you care about Sara, you need to do something about it." With that Warrick walked out of the break room leaving Nick standing there speechless.
Sara returned to the computer lab and continued checking into the background of Sam Braun and an unsolved murder of one of his employees. Nick walked toward the break room in search of Warrick. Catherine was seated at the table eating. "Hey, Cath, have you seen Warrick?"
Between bites she replied, "I think he's in talking with Greg about some DNA he collected at the scene." Noticing Nick's hungry gaze at her food, she smiled at him and tossed him an apple. "Here, you look like you could use this."
Nick smiled, "Thanks, Catherine. I'm starving." He bit into the apple and continued his search for Warrick. He found him talking to Grissom. Just as Nick entered the doorway and asked if he could help, Grissom asked Warrick for the pair of scissors in his hand. He then looked at Nick, "Nick, give me that apple."
Nick looked perplexed, he was hungry and wasn't really interested in giving up his apple. "But I didn't get any lunch." Warrick just raised an eyebrow at him because he knew that Nick and Sara had gone to lunch together.
"Nick, give me the apple, you're not supposed to be eating in here anyway." Grissom demanded.
Nick threw him the half eaten apple. Grissom then put the pieces together for them, showing how scissors inserted into the apple made the same marks as on the vic'c body in an unsolved murder that they believed was connected to the bank heist. Scissors were the likely murder weapon. Catherine walked in commenting on the portion of the conversation she had heard. Grissom enlightened her as to their theory as Warrick continued to try and get some resolution in the computer off the scarf fabric. Sara entered and shared what she had learned about the vic and where she was when she had died. She had been in the penthouse of one of the casinos owned by Sam Braun the night before it was demolished. Warrick, Nick, and Sara tossed around theories about how they thought Sam Braun might be connected, directly and indirectly.
Catherine remained silent until the lettering from the scissors became apparent. "Rampart." She whispered and then left the room in a hurry. Grissom was the only one that noticed. He knew she had a close relationship with Sam Braun, and that was the name of one of his casinos. He was really the only father figure she had ever had. The implications of the evidence they had just found were potentially earth shattering for Catherine. Grissom left Warrick, Nick, and Sara and went in search of Catherine. He found her in the locker room where she appeared to be fuming in anger.
"He's not returning any of my calls. It's time I confronted this Sam Braun business once and for all! I'm driving." She banged her locker shut as she put on her jacket.
Grissom stood there calmly, "I'm not going with you."
Startled, Catherine responded, "What? Why?"
He continued with a pleading look in his eye, "I'm scheduled for surgery at Desert Palm."
Her eyes widened first in surprise, then in understanding. "Surgery."
His eyes pleaded for her to understand without him having to say the words. "Yeah."
Catherine came closer, her eyes filled with compassion and understanding. "Your hearing?"
He nodded.
"I'm sorry." Catherine looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"I'm not, it has to be done." Grissom responded so matter of factly.
"Can I do anything?" She inquired.
"Nope. Take care of the case." He answered.
"Take care of the case?" Catherine had a look on her face that was a mix of disbelief and consternation.
"Yeah." Grissom responded, heading toward the door.
"Anything else?" Catherine asked.
"Uh, good luck?" With that he was out the door and Catherine was left to face Sam Braun herself.
The trio of CSIs that remained at the lab continued to work on the evidence. Warrick took a break and wandered down to the break room in search of coffee. Nick was already there pouring himself a cup from a freshly brewed pot.
"Hey, Nick." Warrick greeted reaching up in the cupboard to grab himself a coffee cup.
"Hey, War. How are things going?" Nick inquired sipping his coffee.
"I'm at a stopping point, I need to talk to Grissom." Warrick replied.
"I think he and Catherine left to go talk to Sam Braun," Nick explained, taking another sip of coffee. Nick walked over to the fridge in hopes that someone had left some food behind. "Man, I'm starved!" he exclaimed.
Warrick wore a curious expression, "Nick, I thought you and Sara went and got something to eat at the diner."
Nick froze, still looking into the fridge. "Uh, yeah, we went to lunch."
Warrick wore a bemused grin on his face, "But you didn't eat, did you?"
Nick looked up from the fridge at Warrick. "Uh, no."
Warrick raised an eyebrow in question, "You were gone for 45 minutes. The diner is only 5 minutes away. Don't tell me the service is slow at one in the morning." He took a sip from his coffee cup.
Nick raised an eyebrow in return, "Why do I get the feeling I'm being interrogated?"
Warrick chuckled, "Because you are. What's going on with you and Sara?"
Nick tried to suppress a smile, "We're just friends, Warrick."
Warrick took another sip of his coffee, "Uh, huh." He didn't sound convinced.
Nick couldn't hold back his grin. He looked down into his coffee cup. "Seriously."
"You keep telling yourself that, Nick." Warrick continued. "You better be careful though, doesn't she have a thing for Grissom?"
"I'm not sure." Nick replied, dropping all pretense.
Warrick noted the change in Nick's demeanor. "You really like her, don't you, man?"
Nick just nodded.
"So what's going on between you two?" Warrick continued, taking another sip of his coffee.
"I'm not really sure. The other night when I called you and said I had something to take care of, I found her in the parking lot crying." Nick began.
"Sara? Crying? Crap!" Warrick asked with a hint of disbelief.
Nick nodded and continued. "I know. I've never seen her that upset before, man. I mean I've seen her angry. Hell, she's been pissed at me plenty of times, but I've never seen her cry before. It scared the hell out of me. So I took her home. She didn't want to be alone."
Warrick raised an eyebrow of concern that perhaps Nick had taken advantage of the situation.
Nick raised a hand as if to stop Warrick's line of thinking. "It's not what you think. I didn't sleep with her. This is Sara were talking about here. I'm not stupid enough to mess up a good friendship."
Warrick nodded, "But you like her."
A smile crossed Nick's face, "Yeah, I do."
Warrick rolled his eyes, "Nick, you're an idiot. Ask her out." Warrick drank the last of his coffee and placed the cup in the sink.
"It's not that simple, man." Nick defended.
Warrick replied, "Yeah, it is Nick. You ask. She either says yes or no. Then you move on from there."
"What about Grissom?" Nick offered.
"What about Grissom." Warrick replied. "He's not interested in her. If he was then he's just been sitting on his ass for three years. Do you think he's going to all of a sudden do something now? Nick, you're just chicken. If you care about Sara, you need to do something about it." With that Warrick walked out of the break room leaving Nick standing there speechless.
