Sara woke to a throbbing sensation in her ankle. Nick had not rewrapped it
before he went out into the living room and somehow while Sara slept she'd
managed to twist it again. She leaned over the bed in search of her
crutches, only to realize that they were out in the living room with Nick.
She didn't want to wake Nick, so gingerly she stood up on her good leg and
began hopping toward the bedroom door. Unfortunately for her ankle she was
unfamiliar with Nick's bedroom in the dark and she tripped on something and
went sprawling, letting out a stream of curses. Tears of frustration
welled up in her eyes as she just lay back on the floor and started crying.
A few moments later, the bedroom door slowly opened. A concerned Nick
slowly made his way into the room. "Sara? Are you ok?"
She gave up any pretense of being fine, letting the tears continue to fall as she sniffled.
Nick sat on the floor and pulled her up into a sitting position and into his embrace. "Hey, what's wrong?" He rubbed her back and made soothing noises as he held her. She rested her head against his shoulder.
Through her sniffles she let her frustration out. "I feel so damn helpless, Nick. It's just a stupid sprained ankle and I can't even walk across the damn room because my flipping crutches are in the other room. I didn't want to wake you up." She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and pushed herself away from him slightly.
Nick reached up and caressed her cheek with his fingers. "I'm sorry, I should have brought them in to you. And for the record, I wasn't asleep." He rested his forehead against hers, his arms slid around her waist.
Sara smiled in spite of herself. There was just something about Nick that did that to her. "Why weren't you sleeping?"
It was a good thing the only source of light in the room was filtering in from the hallway because Nick's face turned slightly red. "Uh, honestly?" He let out a deep breath. "I was thinking about the case, and, uh, I was thinking about the fact that you were sleeping in my bed."
Sara chuckled. "Nicky, Nicky, Nicky."
"Uh, what?" Nick was a little embarrassed.
"I told you I didn't want to kick you out of your bed. You could have slept in here. I would have slept on the couch." Sara replied as she trailed a finger along his jaw.
Nick chuckled nervously. "Uh, and then I would have been thinking about you sleeping on my couch."
"Hmm." Sara cupped his cheek with her hand, caressing it with her fingers. "I seem to be giving you insomnia."
Nick leaned in a placed a lingering kiss on her lips. "Something like that."
Sara gently pressed her lips against his for a moment, murmuring, "Are you still tired?"
Nick nodded and leaned in to kiss her again. "Yeah, a little."
"Would you sleep better if you were with me?" She tasted his lips again.
Nick broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm not sure I can trust myself to just sleep, Sara."
She chuckled. "Well, you're not getting any sleep as it is." She leaned in and kissed him again.
Nick murmured against her lips. "I don't want to take advantage of you."
Sara giggled. "I'll let you know if I think you're taking advantage of me."
Nick rested his forehead against hers again. "How is your ankle. That's why I came in here, remember."
"It hurts like hell." Sara replied, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.
"Damn, I forgot to put the wrap back on, didn't I?" Nick sounded apologetic.
"It's ok." Sara leaned in and kissed him briefly.
Nick let out a deep sigh. "You need ice and your crutches." He pulled himself out of Sara's embrace and lifted himself up off the floor. He helped Sara up and helped her over to the bed. "I'll be right back."
Sara leaned over and turned on a lamp at the side of the bed, visible now that light filtered in from the hallway.
A few minutes later, Nick returned with an ice pack and Sara's crutches, setting them within easy reach. A smile was etched on his face as he rewrapped her ankle and propped it up on a pillow, putting the icepack on top of it. He grinned at Sara.
"Nick, stay with me for a while, ok?" Sara smiled at him, concern furrowing in her brow.
Nick let out a deep breath. "Ok, but promise me that you'll kick me or something if I do anything to make you uncomfortable."
Sara rolled her eyes. "Nick, I only have one good leg right now, the last thing I'm going to do is kick you. I might call Warrick and have him kick you though."
Nick chuckled and crawled onto the other side of the bed, not touching Sara.
She glanced over at him and chuckled.
His eyebrows shot up. "What?"
An amused expression crossed her face. "You."
He rolled over on his side, facing her. "What about me?" He had both eyebrows raised.
Sara reached up and traced the line of his jaw with one finger. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't trust you, Nick."
He let out a deep breath as he looked down at her. "What if I don't trust myself?"
She smiled and caressed his cheek with the palm of her hand. "I trust you."
"Maybe you shouldn't." Nick searched her face.
She chuckled. "Nicky, we've known each other a long time. We both know that we're attracted to each other. We both know that we care about each other. If you do something that makes me uncomfortable, I'll let you know. We have to work in a few hours and you sure as hell aren't getting any sleep out there." She reached up and trailed her fingers over his lips, and then leaned up and kissed him briefly.
Nick brushed the hair off of her forehead allowing his fingers to trail down her cheek. He gently cupped her chin and leaned down to kiss her softly. Sara parted her lips and deepened the kiss. Before they knew it, they were lost in a fervent kiss, exploring each other's mouths thoroughly. Nick's fingers tangled in Sara's hair. By the time they broke the kiss, Nick rested partially on top of Sara. "Uh, I don't think I'm going to get any sleep doing this either." A lopsided grin spread across his face.
Sara chuckled. "Well, you have to admit it's a lot more fun that sitting out in your living room thinking about being in here."
Nick chuckled and a bit of color infused his cheeks. "Damn, Sara, you sure know how to bust a guy."
She giggled. "Shut up and kiss me, Nick, I'm trying to tire you out so you'll go to sleep."
Nick waggled his eyebrows at her and leaned down to kiss her again, wrapping an arm around her waist and rolling them over so that Sara was sprawled atop him. As they broke the kiss, Nick rested his head back on the pillow wrapping his arms around her waist. Sara molded her body against his and rested her head on his shoulder as she drew lazy circles on his chest. Nick slowly drifted off to sleep and Sara followed shortly thereafter.
She gave up any pretense of being fine, letting the tears continue to fall as she sniffled.
Nick sat on the floor and pulled her up into a sitting position and into his embrace. "Hey, what's wrong?" He rubbed her back and made soothing noises as he held her. She rested her head against his shoulder.
Through her sniffles she let her frustration out. "I feel so damn helpless, Nick. It's just a stupid sprained ankle and I can't even walk across the damn room because my flipping crutches are in the other room. I didn't want to wake you up." She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and pushed herself away from him slightly.
Nick reached up and caressed her cheek with his fingers. "I'm sorry, I should have brought them in to you. And for the record, I wasn't asleep." He rested his forehead against hers, his arms slid around her waist.
Sara smiled in spite of herself. There was just something about Nick that did that to her. "Why weren't you sleeping?"
It was a good thing the only source of light in the room was filtering in from the hallway because Nick's face turned slightly red. "Uh, honestly?" He let out a deep breath. "I was thinking about the case, and, uh, I was thinking about the fact that you were sleeping in my bed."
Sara chuckled. "Nicky, Nicky, Nicky."
"Uh, what?" Nick was a little embarrassed.
"I told you I didn't want to kick you out of your bed. You could have slept in here. I would have slept on the couch." Sara replied as she trailed a finger along his jaw.
Nick chuckled nervously. "Uh, and then I would have been thinking about you sleeping on my couch."
"Hmm." Sara cupped his cheek with her hand, caressing it with her fingers. "I seem to be giving you insomnia."
Nick leaned in a placed a lingering kiss on her lips. "Something like that."
Sara gently pressed her lips against his for a moment, murmuring, "Are you still tired?"
Nick nodded and leaned in to kiss her again. "Yeah, a little."
"Would you sleep better if you were with me?" She tasted his lips again.
Nick broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm not sure I can trust myself to just sleep, Sara."
She chuckled. "Well, you're not getting any sleep as it is." She leaned in and kissed him again.
Nick murmured against her lips. "I don't want to take advantage of you."
Sara giggled. "I'll let you know if I think you're taking advantage of me."
Nick rested his forehead against hers again. "How is your ankle. That's why I came in here, remember."
"It hurts like hell." Sara replied, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.
"Damn, I forgot to put the wrap back on, didn't I?" Nick sounded apologetic.
"It's ok." Sara leaned in and kissed him briefly.
Nick let out a deep sigh. "You need ice and your crutches." He pulled himself out of Sara's embrace and lifted himself up off the floor. He helped Sara up and helped her over to the bed. "I'll be right back."
Sara leaned over and turned on a lamp at the side of the bed, visible now that light filtered in from the hallway.
A few minutes later, Nick returned with an ice pack and Sara's crutches, setting them within easy reach. A smile was etched on his face as he rewrapped her ankle and propped it up on a pillow, putting the icepack on top of it. He grinned at Sara.
"Nick, stay with me for a while, ok?" Sara smiled at him, concern furrowing in her brow.
Nick let out a deep breath. "Ok, but promise me that you'll kick me or something if I do anything to make you uncomfortable."
Sara rolled her eyes. "Nick, I only have one good leg right now, the last thing I'm going to do is kick you. I might call Warrick and have him kick you though."
Nick chuckled and crawled onto the other side of the bed, not touching Sara.
She glanced over at him and chuckled.
His eyebrows shot up. "What?"
An amused expression crossed her face. "You."
He rolled over on his side, facing her. "What about me?" He had both eyebrows raised.
Sara reached up and traced the line of his jaw with one finger. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't trust you, Nick."
He let out a deep breath as he looked down at her. "What if I don't trust myself?"
She smiled and caressed his cheek with the palm of her hand. "I trust you."
"Maybe you shouldn't." Nick searched her face.
She chuckled. "Nicky, we've known each other a long time. We both know that we're attracted to each other. We both know that we care about each other. If you do something that makes me uncomfortable, I'll let you know. We have to work in a few hours and you sure as hell aren't getting any sleep out there." She reached up and trailed her fingers over his lips, and then leaned up and kissed him briefly.
Nick brushed the hair off of her forehead allowing his fingers to trail down her cheek. He gently cupped her chin and leaned down to kiss her softly. Sara parted her lips and deepened the kiss. Before they knew it, they were lost in a fervent kiss, exploring each other's mouths thoroughly. Nick's fingers tangled in Sara's hair. By the time they broke the kiss, Nick rested partially on top of Sara. "Uh, I don't think I'm going to get any sleep doing this either." A lopsided grin spread across his face.
Sara chuckled. "Well, you have to admit it's a lot more fun that sitting out in your living room thinking about being in here."
Nick chuckled and a bit of color infused his cheeks. "Damn, Sara, you sure know how to bust a guy."
She giggled. "Shut up and kiss me, Nick, I'm trying to tire you out so you'll go to sleep."
Nick waggled his eyebrows at her and leaned down to kiss her again, wrapping an arm around her waist and rolling them over so that Sara was sprawled atop him. As they broke the kiss, Nick rested his head back on the pillow wrapping his arms around her waist. Sara molded her body against his and rested her head on his shoulder as she drew lazy circles on his chest. Nick slowly drifted off to sleep and Sara followed shortly thereafter.