Grissom, Catherine and Brass all join Warrick in the emergency room waiting area. The bullet went cleanly through Greg's shoulder, narrowly missing bone. The doctors are bandaging the young man as his coworkers wait. Brass leaves to take Greg's statement.

Nick and Sara walk in, following the tall, lithe Lila. "How is he?" Nick asks Grissom.

"He's okay. Just a flesh wound, but still…" Grissom replies. The CSI's are officially off the case due to Greg's involvement.

"You guys are worthless," Sara remarks. Warrick, Nick and Grissom are all entranced by Lila's exotic beauty. She is leaning over the information desk, demanding information with a quiet voice.

"Look at her, though. Wow…" Nick replies, as Catherine slaps his arm.

"Saunders, S-A-U-N-D-E-R-S!" Lila yells at the indifferent nurse.

"You think?" Warrick turns to Grissom with raised eyebrows.

Catherine ignores the men and approaches the frazzled women. "Excuse me. Who are you looking for?"

"My boyfriend, Greg Saunders, he called me…" Lila starts.

"We work with Greg, in the lab. He's okay…"

"What happened?" Lila demands, tears streaming down her face now that she knows for sure that her lover is here.

"I think we better let Greg explain it to you," Catherine replies. "We don't even know the whole story…"

"Did the lab explode again?" Lila asks.

"No. He was shot…" Catherine says, pulling the increasingly distraught woman into a corner. She explains the situation with as few details as possible.

"That's Greg's girlfriend? We have obviously not given the kid enough credit," Nick smiles.

"You should read his file," Brass says, returning from his interview with Greg. "He's a survivor with a capital 'S'. He's on his way out, the doctor's just going over how to take care of the wound."

Lila has sat down in an empty chair, talking to herself in French. Catherine returns to the groups of worried CSI's. "Anybody speak French?"

Greg walks out, pale and looking exhausted. "French? Is Lila here?" Catherine hugs the man, impulsively and nods toward Lila.

"Lila?" Greg ignores his concerned coworkers, going to his girlfriend.

"Greg…" Lila cries, embracing him despite his arm being in a sling.

"Je suis si désolé. Je suis désolé, Lila…" Greg murmurs.

"Vous bâtard, vous m'avez promis que vous seriez bien! Vous m'avez promis que rien n'arriverait à vous!" Lila replies, pushing him away in anger. "Je vous ai dit de rester à la maison aujourd'hui! Je vous ai dit, Greg! Pourquoi me blessez-vous comme ceci? "

"Je suis désolé…" Greg repeats, quietly.

Lila's anger fades as she looks at Greg. "What happened? Baby?"

"Will you take me home?" He asks quietly, accepting her embrace again.

"Oui, bébé…" Lila replies.

"Thanks for coming out, but I'm going home. Brass can fill you in on the gruesome details that are my life. I'll call you tomorrow, Grissom." Greg smiles at his worried coworkers, clinging to Lila's arm.

"You going to be okay, Greg?" Sara asks.

"Guys, this is Lila. Lila, these are the CSI's that I work with. I'll be fine, Sara. I'll be back at work before you can miss me…" Greg replies

"... ainsi ils peuvent éclater votre laboratoire encore..." Lila whispers to Greg.

Grissom smiles as the others look on in confusion. Greg winks at him and exits with his girlfriend.

"Greg speaks French?" Catherine asks, awed.

"Apparently. Let's get back to work, he'll be fine," Grissom says, leading them out of the hospital toward their cars.

Lila meets the group in the parking lot. "Greg, he wants to know if someone can go get his car. It is at a hotel?" She looks behind her to where Greg is leaning on her BMW, smoking a cigarette.

"I know where it is," Warrick offers, accepting the keys.

"He is smoking. He quit smoking in high school. This is really bad?" She asks, looking to Catherine for reassurance.

"Savez-vous quelque chose au sujet de sa famille?" Grissom asks the woman.

"No. I know that he hasn't spoken to them in years. He moved away when he was sixteen. They are…evil?" She replies, quietly.

Nick and Warrick join Greg by the car.

"Where did you meet her?" Nick smiles, trying to distract the troubled, exhausted man.

Greg inhales the cigarette smoke before responding. "She was new to the city and we were both drinking ourselves unconscious at the bar one night. I heard her yelling into her phone in French and I struck up a conversation."

"How do you know French anyway?" Warrick questions.

"I speak French, Italian, German and some Russian and Spanish. I was in Europe for over a year when I was working my way through college," Greg replies.

"How long have you been together?" Nick asks.

"She moved in with me in January. We have an understanding."

"An understanding, Greg?" Nick questions, after a beat.

"She understands me. We understand each other. I should have listened to her."

"What?"

Greg stubs out his cigarette with his shoe. "She begged me to stay home today. She was crying because she had a bad dream about me and she begged me to stay. I should have listened to her."

"Greg, what happened today was…" Nick begins, ignoring a warning glance from Warrick.

"No. Nick. You don't know anything about what happened today. You'll read the report but you will never understand what went down today," Greg states coldly.

"Greg." Lila is standing beside Warrick.

"I'll bring your car over after the shift, Greg. Heart Street, right?"

"286 Southern Boulevard. Just page me," Greg replies, his eyes glazed.

"Come on, baby," Lila urges, opening the door for him. He sits down in the passenger seat. She nods to his coworkers before climbing into the driver's seat and driving away.

"She's worried about him," Sara comments.

"I didn't even know where he lived," Warrick states, stunned.

Brass is looking through the manila folder as they stand in the parking lot of the hospital.

"So, Brass. What happened today? Greg lost his whole family today…" Nick starts.

"I don't think he's considered them family in a long time," Brass replies, quietly.

"What do you mean?" Catherine questions.

Brass leans against his car with a long sigh. "Greg has been on his own since he was sixteen. His parents, according to his medical file and police reports from Seattle, were not very loving people. He was hospitalized several times due to his parents and his older brother's abuse. When he was sixteen, he moved away and finished high school while living out of his car. He worked two jobs in high school and three jobs in college. He knows French from living in Europe where he was stranded after his tuition ran out while he was studying abroad."

Everyone waits patiently for the older man to continue.

"He's moved six times in the last four years and his parents have tracked him down every time. Joseph tracked him down this time and followed through on a threat that Greg remembers from their childhood. Joe used to tell him that he would kill their parents with their silver letter opener, a talisman for their parents when they were kids. When Greg saw that today, he knew that Joe was in town. Joe told him that he did it so Greg would be free of them. He said he did it for Greg. Greg didn't really appreciate the gesture as much as Joe had hoped."

"I don't really think that there's anything to say. Let's go home," Grissom says, after a long pause.

"Hey, Warrick. I want to go with you to Greg's. Even with Lila, I think he might need a friend right now," Sara offers, climbing into his car.

"You can follow me while I drop off his car."

Sara and Warrick get some breakfast before heading over to Greg's during the early dawn hours.

They are surprised to see that Greg lives in a very upscale apartment. Lila is standing on the sidewalk with Greg standing behind her on the grass. They are in a very heated discussion as the two CSI's pull into a parking spot.

"I can't do this if you won't talk to me! I thought we were over this! I thought we were together now!" Lila cries.

"We are, baby! I love you more than anything! What do you want me to say? Tell me what to do and I'll do it!" Greg responds, reaching for her with his good arm.

"I want you to not have to ask, Greg!" She screams, turning around to face him and batting his hand away. "I know you're hurting, I know you're all fucked up inside, but I can't take this!"

"Lila, this has nothing to do with you! Give me two days, and I'll be fine again! You can't give me two days to pull myself together?"

"Non. Il est fait. Il est fini," Lila says, spinning away from him and bolting down the street.

"Damn, he's having a bad day," Warrick comments.

"Stop staring and come in the house," Greg says, walking over to the cars where they are standing.

"Greg…"

"Don't 'Greg' me. It's not a good time. But you're here, so you can come in. Come on," Greg says, his voice empty of any emotion.

"You should be getting some rest, Greg…" Sara says.

"I know. I'm exhausted," He sighs, leading them into his well-furnished apartment. Nick notices the steaming pot of coffee and the bottle of whiskey standing beside it. "The painkillers and lack of sleep has really knocked me out. But I can't sleep. Now, Lila's pissed at me…"

"Why? What happened? I mean, at the hospital, she was frantic with worry…" Sara replies, trying to cover her nosy question.

"Same old bullshit. Coffee?" Greg pours himself a half-cup of coffee, filling it to the brim with whiskey.

"Are you sure you're okay, Greg? I thought you didn't drink…" Warrick questions, walking over to the counter and taking the cup from Greg's trembling hands. Warrick gently pushes Greg into a chair and then sets the cup of coffee in front of him.

"I don't drink. I stopped a long time ago. I started to regret that decision, though. I seem to have forgotten how rock bottom feels. Needed a little reminder," Greg sighs, drinking the coffee.

"Greg? What can we do for you?" Sara asks, quietly.

"Honestly?" Greg responds. "Nothing. I learned a long time ago that shit like this…no one can get me through it except myself." He is quiet. After a long pause, he speaks. "My sister, Elizabeth…she died when I was fifteen. Joey, the guy that shot me today, he ran over her with the family van. He said he didn't see her, but…" Greg's voice fades. "I know he saw her. After all these years…I know he saw her."

Warrick and Sara are silent, unsure of what to say.

"I knew then that there was nothing I could do about my family except leave. It was hard, but I had to do it. I drank, used drugs, battled my demons with all I had until I beat them. I made it out, on my own and I have a good life. I have a good life," He repeats.

"Greg?"

"I'll be okay, guys. I promise," Greg says.

"I don't believe you," Sara replies, quickly.

"You don't have to. It doesn't make it any less true. I'll get through this," He says, quietly.