Sara Sidle walked into the break room in search of coffee. This was the
twelfth straight night she'd worked and somewhere in those twelve nights
she'd worked three double shifts. She needed coffee right now like she
needed air. As she approached the coffee machine she realized that the
last person to have a cup had left about a quarter inch in the bottom of
the coffee pot to just bake on the burner. The remnant resembled sludge.
"Crap! That's all I need tonight." She swore under her breath as she banged around the break room in search of a clean coffee pot and hopefully Greg Sanders' favorite stash of Blue Hawaiian coffee.
A voice from the doorway of the break room broke through her reverie. "I'd hate to be the coffee machine right now." Catherine Willows stood there grinning.
Sara glanced up and just glared; irritation clearly showing in her voice. "I'm really not in the mood right now, Catherine."
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Just trying to lighten the mood in here, Sara."
Sara didn't comment and continued looking for Greg's coffee, a new stream of curses escaping her mouth as she slammed her finger in one of the cabinet doors.
Warrick Brown sauntered into the break room. "You'll never find his secret stash. I think he keeps it in the DNA lab."
Sara stood up straight and glared at Warrick. Without a word she marched past Catherine and Warrick and headed toward the DNA lab in search of Greg.
Catherine raised a curious eyebrow at Warrick. "Any idea what's got her in such a foul mood tonight?"
Warrick shook his head. "Just tonight? No, but I'd place my bet on sleep deprivation."
Catherine chuckled wryly. "Sounds like somebody needs a little more than coffee."
The distinct Texas drawl of Nick Stokes interjected. "You must be talking about Sara."
Warrick chuckled sarcastically. "Yeah, how'd you guess?"
Nick just rolled his eyes and then glanced at Catherine. "What are our assignments, Ms. Temporary Supervisor?"
The team had only found out a few days before that Grissom had not been out of town as they assumed, but had actually had surgery to arrest a progressive hearing loss. He had been out for two weeks already and was expected to be out another two.
Catherine glanced at the two younger CSIs. "Well, first order of business, I've tried to get Sara to take a night off. She won't. Maybe one of you can talk some sense into her before she bites the wrong person's head off. I've got people from days itching for the overtime."
Warrick raised his hands. "Hey, you saw how she glared at me. That's becoming a regular thing with her." Warrick glanced at Nick.
Nick just chuckled. "Oh, so you want me to talk to her. Alright, I will. I'm not afraid of a sleep deprived Sara Sidle." He walked out of the break room in search of Sara.
A few moments later, Greg walked into the break room looking a bit frazzled. "Uh, I'd watch out for Sara if I were you. She's on the warpath today."
Warrick chuckled. "Yeah, we know. What did she do to you?"
"Let's just say that I told her where I hide my coffee rather than risk my manhood." Greg grimaced as Sara made her way back into the break room. All eyes were fixed on her.
"What are you all staring at?" Sara looked at them with annoyance clearly etched on her face.
Greg just handed her the bag of coffee and turned around and walked out of the room. Warrick raised his eyebrows and followed Greg.
Catherine leveled her gaze at Sara. "You need a night off. Take it before you get put on leave." Catherine walked out of the break room and headed down the hallway toward Grissom's office which was temporarily hers until he returned.
Sara wasn't quite sure what had just transpired. She felt like a freight train running out of control and wasn't sure how to stop it. She stood there looking a bit shell shocked when Nick walked back in.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Sara?"
It took her a moment, but then she glanced up at him. "What?"
Nick stepped a little closer to her, his voice was tentative. "Are you ok?"
She looked at him, but it didn't really register what he was saying. "What?"
Nick walked over and took the bag of coffee out of her hand and placed it on the counter. "You need some sleep."
She looked at him with a slightly perplexed look on her face. "I can't"
Nick sounded firm. "You need to."
She shook her head. "No, you don't understand. I can't sleep. I've tried, I just can't."
Nick chuckled softly. "Maybe it's because you've been drinking coffee the way you breathe air, Sidle?"
Finally, a hint of smile broke through. "Very funny, Nick."
Nick's tone changed to one of concern. "Seriously, Sara, you've been biting people's heads off. You need to take a night off."
She looked at him and his words seemed to register. "Did Catherine put you up to this?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah, she did, but she's right. You need to take a night off and relax."
"I don't even have cable." Sara just stared out the window of the break room watching people as they walked by in the hallway.
Nick chuckled and directed her over toward the couch, pulling her down next to him on the couch. He casually put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a hug. "Sara, take the night off. Go to my house and use my hot tub and cable and just relax. Make yourself at home, ok."
She looked at him slightly bewildered. "You have a hot tub?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah. What's the big deal?"
She crossed her arms in front of herself and raised an eyebrow at him. "You've been holding out on us, Stokes."
Nick chuckled and shook his head. "No, I haven't. I had it installed a few weeks ago, and none of us has exactly had time to do much socializing."
A semblance of a grin crossed Sara's face. "Ok, you're on."
Nick raised an amused eyebrow. "Alright. Here is the key to the front door. There are towels in the bathroom, and the universal remote for the home theater system is on the coffee table. Help yourself to anything in the fridge, but don't open the blue container, I went out for ribs the other day."
Sara wrinkled her nose. "Thanks for the warning."
"I'll see you after shift. Go relax." He handed her the keys and got up off the couch, pulling Sara up with him.
For the first time in over a week, Sara had a smile on her face. "Thanks, Nick." She quickly left the lab to run by her apartment to pick up her swimsuit before heading over to Nick's.
Nick sauntered down the hall toward Grissom's office. He knocked softly and then poked his head in and grinned at Catherine; a smile firmly etched on his face. "Mission Sidle accomplished."
Catherine looked at him mystified. "What did you do?"
He grinned. "I sent her to my house to use my cable and hot tub."
Catherine narrowed her gaze at Nick. "Since when do you have a hot tub?"
Nick chuckled. "I just had it installed recently, I just haven't had a chance to invite anyone over to use it yet."
"Way to go, Nicky." Catherine handed him a slip of paper and grinned. "You've got a strange one out on I-15. Couple of body parts, the highway cleanup crew thought it was road kill at first. Brass will meet you there. Call me if you need help, I've got to finish this paperwork."
Nick headed off to meet Homicide Detective Jim Brass somewhere out on I-15 and Catherine went back to her paperwork shaking her head and chuckling at how easily Nick took care of the Sara situation.
"Crap! That's all I need tonight." She swore under her breath as she banged around the break room in search of a clean coffee pot and hopefully Greg Sanders' favorite stash of Blue Hawaiian coffee.
A voice from the doorway of the break room broke through her reverie. "I'd hate to be the coffee machine right now." Catherine Willows stood there grinning.
Sara glanced up and just glared; irritation clearly showing in her voice. "I'm really not in the mood right now, Catherine."
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Just trying to lighten the mood in here, Sara."
Sara didn't comment and continued looking for Greg's coffee, a new stream of curses escaping her mouth as she slammed her finger in one of the cabinet doors.
Warrick Brown sauntered into the break room. "You'll never find his secret stash. I think he keeps it in the DNA lab."
Sara stood up straight and glared at Warrick. Without a word she marched past Catherine and Warrick and headed toward the DNA lab in search of Greg.
Catherine raised a curious eyebrow at Warrick. "Any idea what's got her in such a foul mood tonight?"
Warrick shook his head. "Just tonight? No, but I'd place my bet on sleep deprivation."
Catherine chuckled wryly. "Sounds like somebody needs a little more than coffee."
The distinct Texas drawl of Nick Stokes interjected. "You must be talking about Sara."
Warrick chuckled sarcastically. "Yeah, how'd you guess?"
Nick just rolled his eyes and then glanced at Catherine. "What are our assignments, Ms. Temporary Supervisor?"
The team had only found out a few days before that Grissom had not been out of town as they assumed, but had actually had surgery to arrest a progressive hearing loss. He had been out for two weeks already and was expected to be out another two.
Catherine glanced at the two younger CSIs. "Well, first order of business, I've tried to get Sara to take a night off. She won't. Maybe one of you can talk some sense into her before she bites the wrong person's head off. I've got people from days itching for the overtime."
Warrick raised his hands. "Hey, you saw how she glared at me. That's becoming a regular thing with her." Warrick glanced at Nick.
Nick just chuckled. "Oh, so you want me to talk to her. Alright, I will. I'm not afraid of a sleep deprived Sara Sidle." He walked out of the break room in search of Sara.
A few moments later, Greg walked into the break room looking a bit frazzled. "Uh, I'd watch out for Sara if I were you. She's on the warpath today."
Warrick chuckled. "Yeah, we know. What did she do to you?"
"Let's just say that I told her where I hide my coffee rather than risk my manhood." Greg grimaced as Sara made her way back into the break room. All eyes were fixed on her.
"What are you all staring at?" Sara looked at them with annoyance clearly etched on her face.
Greg just handed her the bag of coffee and turned around and walked out of the room. Warrick raised his eyebrows and followed Greg.
Catherine leveled her gaze at Sara. "You need a night off. Take it before you get put on leave." Catherine walked out of the break room and headed down the hallway toward Grissom's office which was temporarily hers until he returned.
Sara wasn't quite sure what had just transpired. She felt like a freight train running out of control and wasn't sure how to stop it. She stood there looking a bit shell shocked when Nick walked back in.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Sara?"
It took her a moment, but then she glanced up at him. "What?"
Nick stepped a little closer to her, his voice was tentative. "Are you ok?"
She looked at him, but it didn't really register what he was saying. "What?"
Nick walked over and took the bag of coffee out of her hand and placed it on the counter. "You need some sleep."
She looked at him with a slightly perplexed look on her face. "I can't"
Nick sounded firm. "You need to."
She shook her head. "No, you don't understand. I can't sleep. I've tried, I just can't."
Nick chuckled softly. "Maybe it's because you've been drinking coffee the way you breathe air, Sidle?"
Finally, a hint of smile broke through. "Very funny, Nick."
Nick's tone changed to one of concern. "Seriously, Sara, you've been biting people's heads off. You need to take a night off."
She looked at him and his words seemed to register. "Did Catherine put you up to this?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah, she did, but she's right. You need to take a night off and relax."
"I don't even have cable." Sara just stared out the window of the break room watching people as they walked by in the hallway.
Nick chuckled and directed her over toward the couch, pulling her down next to him on the couch. He casually put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a hug. "Sara, take the night off. Go to my house and use my hot tub and cable and just relax. Make yourself at home, ok."
She looked at him slightly bewildered. "You have a hot tub?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah. What's the big deal?"
She crossed her arms in front of herself and raised an eyebrow at him. "You've been holding out on us, Stokes."
Nick chuckled and shook his head. "No, I haven't. I had it installed a few weeks ago, and none of us has exactly had time to do much socializing."
A semblance of a grin crossed Sara's face. "Ok, you're on."
Nick raised an amused eyebrow. "Alright. Here is the key to the front door. There are towels in the bathroom, and the universal remote for the home theater system is on the coffee table. Help yourself to anything in the fridge, but don't open the blue container, I went out for ribs the other day."
Sara wrinkled her nose. "Thanks for the warning."
"I'll see you after shift. Go relax." He handed her the keys and got up off the couch, pulling Sara up with him.
For the first time in over a week, Sara had a smile on her face. "Thanks, Nick." She quickly left the lab to run by her apartment to pick up her swimsuit before heading over to Nick's.
Nick sauntered down the hall toward Grissom's office. He knocked softly and then poked his head in and grinned at Catherine; a smile firmly etched on his face. "Mission Sidle accomplished."
Catherine looked at him mystified. "What did you do?"
He grinned. "I sent her to my house to use my cable and hot tub."
Catherine narrowed her gaze at Nick. "Since when do you have a hot tub?"
Nick chuckled. "I just had it installed recently, I just haven't had a chance to invite anyone over to use it yet."
"Way to go, Nicky." Catherine handed him a slip of paper and grinned. "You've got a strange one out on I-15. Couple of body parts, the highway cleanup crew thought it was road kill at first. Brass will meet you there. Call me if you need help, I've got to finish this paperwork."
Nick headed off to meet Homicide Detective Jim Brass somewhere out on I-15 and Catherine went back to her paperwork shaking her head and chuckling at how easily Nick took care of the Sara situation.