A/N: Hello everyone. I'm so delighted to see that some of you haven't
given up all hope on me that I've decided to post another chappy. Sorry
again for the delay between postings, I've been a busy little bee. Anyhoo,
just so you know, I have no medical knowledge or scientific basis for my
information whatsoever, it's all fictional. Please enjoy.
***
"Nick, can I talk to you for a second?" Grissom asked, motioning for the CSI to join him in the hall.
"What's up Griss?" Nick asked quietly, his hands resting on his hips. His eyes were full of a bizarre mix of eager anxiety.
"Nick, your sister was pregnant," Grissom told him softly. "I'm very sorry."
Nick stood very still for a moment, his eyes unfocused as they stared at the carpet under their feet. When he finally spoke, he didn't raise his eyes.
"Why didn't Doc Robbins say anything?"
"Because he didn't know. They only found out once the results came back from toxicology."
Nick nodded slowly, still staring at the floor.
"From the sound of things, I don't think Jonathan knows either," Grissom said, studying Nick's body language intently. "Do you want me to-"
"I'll do it," Nick said, finally meeting Grissom's eyes. He looked at the door. "I have to tell him," he whispered.
Nick pushed the door open and moved to stand in front of John and Brass, who had continued his questioning while the CSIs were having their discussion.
"I think I have all I need Mr. King," Brass was saying. He got up and shook the other man's hand. "Thank you very much for your cooperation."
"Of course. I greatly appreciate all that you're doing," John replied. He turned to Nick anxiously. "What did you find out? Do you think you know who did it?"
Grissom and Nick exchanged glances.
"Jim there are a few details that I'd like to go over with you," Grissom said smoothly. "Excuse us Mr. King, and thank you for your time. We'll be in touch."
The two men left leaving Nick and John alone.
Nick pulled the chair that Brass had just vacated over so he could sit directly across from his brother-in-law. "Johnny I have to ask you something."
John remained silent, waiting for him to continue. Nick licked his lips, trying as hard as he could to keep his emotions in check.
"Johnny did you know that Rache was pregnant?"
John stared at Nick silently. Nick held the other man's gaze, thinking he already knew the answer to his question.
"No, no she wasn't," John finally said, his eyes dropping to the floor before settling on Nick again. "She couldn't have been."
Nick dropped his head. "I'm so sorry John. Our lab just called and-"
"Well I'm telling you they made a mistake," John interrupted sharply, standing suddenly.
"John," Nick said patiently, rising to his feet. "I'm sorry man but it's true. There are several tests that we run and there is just no way that these results are wrong."
"No, you don't understand!" John continued, now almost desperate to explain. "I'm-I'm not able to. I couldn't get her pregnant."
Nick's jaw slacked and his eyes quickly dropped, one of his eyebrows raised slightly.
"My doctor says I have an abnormally low sperm count," John explained quietly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "He told me I'd never be able to get her pregnant. I was heartbroken but Rache, you know her she never let it get her down. We were looking at adopting."
New tears began coursing down his cheeks as a sad smile crossed his face. "So you see she couldn't have been pregnant," John continued, wiping his eyes. "I mean not unless. unless."
Their wide eyes met as a cold hard realization struck them both.
"Oh God," John sat back down heavily on the bed, his fingers coming up to his temples. "Oh my God. She was having an affair."
Nick stood speechless, his mind reeling. Could his sister really have been seeing another man? Was she really capable? That he was even having these thoughts sickened him but what was worse was the fact that that they were likely true.
"Jesus I am so stupid," John whispered, his eyes falling shut. "So fucking stupid."
"Hey man, we don't know anything for sure," Nick said too quickly, hoping that his statement didn't sound as unconvincing as it felt. "She may not have been-"
"Of course she was!" John snapped, his fists coming down to pound the mattress at his sides. "The 'girls weekends', the 'teacher's seminars' the 'conferences'. All of them right under my goddamn nose. How could I have been so blind?"
Nick was silent for a moment, staring sadly at the heartbroken man before him. Finally he softly spoke. "Because you loved her."
John looked up and met his eyes for a moment before nodding slowly. His face slowly crumpled and he covered it with his hands as sobs began to wrack through him.
Nick felt his own eyes water. His heart was crushed, the flawless image he had of his sister shattered into a million pieces. He needed to get out of there.
"Johnny, I've got to get back to the lab," he managed, voice wavering. "Call me if you need anything okay?" He waited until he saw the older man nod before making his way slowly to the door.
"Nick?"
He turned, another stab of pain hitting his chest at the pained and broken look on his brother-in-law's face.
"Let's keep this between us okay?" John requested weakly through his tears. "I mean I don't want the family to know. I don't want anyone thinking any less of her."
"Yeah, of course. I'll see you around," Nick promised and left. He found Grissom and Brass waiting for him in the lobby.
"Everything alright Nicky?" Brass asked noticing the other man's red- rimmed eyes and deeply troubled expression.
"Not a goddamn thing," he muttered brushing by them briskly. He pushed through the glass doors and climbed into the passenger seat of the Tahoe.
Grissom joined him moments later and looked at him questioningly, waiting patiently for his explanation.
"John wasn't the one who got her pregnant," Nick said roughly, staring straight ahead. He watched through the windshield as Brass gave a small worried wave and climbed into his sedan.
"I see," Grissom said softly. He sighed deeply and reached to start the ignition. "Well as. troublesome as that is Nick, it at least that means that there's a good chance that-"
"Whoever did may have been the one who killed her," Nick finished grimly.
Grissom put the truck in drive. "Let's go find out."
***
"Nick, can I talk to you for a second?" Grissom asked, motioning for the CSI to join him in the hall.
"What's up Griss?" Nick asked quietly, his hands resting on his hips. His eyes were full of a bizarre mix of eager anxiety.
"Nick, your sister was pregnant," Grissom told him softly. "I'm very sorry."
Nick stood very still for a moment, his eyes unfocused as they stared at the carpet under their feet. When he finally spoke, he didn't raise his eyes.
"Why didn't Doc Robbins say anything?"
"Because he didn't know. They only found out once the results came back from toxicology."
Nick nodded slowly, still staring at the floor.
"From the sound of things, I don't think Jonathan knows either," Grissom said, studying Nick's body language intently. "Do you want me to-"
"I'll do it," Nick said, finally meeting Grissom's eyes. He looked at the door. "I have to tell him," he whispered.
Nick pushed the door open and moved to stand in front of John and Brass, who had continued his questioning while the CSIs were having their discussion.
"I think I have all I need Mr. King," Brass was saying. He got up and shook the other man's hand. "Thank you very much for your cooperation."
"Of course. I greatly appreciate all that you're doing," John replied. He turned to Nick anxiously. "What did you find out? Do you think you know who did it?"
Grissom and Nick exchanged glances.
"Jim there are a few details that I'd like to go over with you," Grissom said smoothly. "Excuse us Mr. King, and thank you for your time. We'll be in touch."
The two men left leaving Nick and John alone.
Nick pulled the chair that Brass had just vacated over so he could sit directly across from his brother-in-law. "Johnny I have to ask you something."
John remained silent, waiting for him to continue. Nick licked his lips, trying as hard as he could to keep his emotions in check.
"Johnny did you know that Rache was pregnant?"
John stared at Nick silently. Nick held the other man's gaze, thinking he already knew the answer to his question.
"No, no she wasn't," John finally said, his eyes dropping to the floor before settling on Nick again. "She couldn't have been."
Nick dropped his head. "I'm so sorry John. Our lab just called and-"
"Well I'm telling you they made a mistake," John interrupted sharply, standing suddenly.
"John," Nick said patiently, rising to his feet. "I'm sorry man but it's true. There are several tests that we run and there is just no way that these results are wrong."
"No, you don't understand!" John continued, now almost desperate to explain. "I'm-I'm not able to. I couldn't get her pregnant."
Nick's jaw slacked and his eyes quickly dropped, one of his eyebrows raised slightly.
"My doctor says I have an abnormally low sperm count," John explained quietly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "He told me I'd never be able to get her pregnant. I was heartbroken but Rache, you know her she never let it get her down. We were looking at adopting."
New tears began coursing down his cheeks as a sad smile crossed his face. "So you see she couldn't have been pregnant," John continued, wiping his eyes. "I mean not unless. unless."
Their wide eyes met as a cold hard realization struck them both.
"Oh God," John sat back down heavily on the bed, his fingers coming up to his temples. "Oh my God. She was having an affair."
Nick stood speechless, his mind reeling. Could his sister really have been seeing another man? Was she really capable? That he was even having these thoughts sickened him but what was worse was the fact that that they were likely true.
"Jesus I am so stupid," John whispered, his eyes falling shut. "So fucking stupid."
"Hey man, we don't know anything for sure," Nick said too quickly, hoping that his statement didn't sound as unconvincing as it felt. "She may not have been-"
"Of course she was!" John snapped, his fists coming down to pound the mattress at his sides. "The 'girls weekends', the 'teacher's seminars' the 'conferences'. All of them right under my goddamn nose. How could I have been so blind?"
Nick was silent for a moment, staring sadly at the heartbroken man before him. Finally he softly spoke. "Because you loved her."
John looked up and met his eyes for a moment before nodding slowly. His face slowly crumpled and he covered it with his hands as sobs began to wrack through him.
Nick felt his own eyes water. His heart was crushed, the flawless image he had of his sister shattered into a million pieces. He needed to get out of there.
"Johnny, I've got to get back to the lab," he managed, voice wavering. "Call me if you need anything okay?" He waited until he saw the older man nod before making his way slowly to the door.
"Nick?"
He turned, another stab of pain hitting his chest at the pained and broken look on his brother-in-law's face.
"Let's keep this between us okay?" John requested weakly through his tears. "I mean I don't want the family to know. I don't want anyone thinking any less of her."
"Yeah, of course. I'll see you around," Nick promised and left. He found Grissom and Brass waiting for him in the lobby.
"Everything alright Nicky?" Brass asked noticing the other man's red- rimmed eyes and deeply troubled expression.
"Not a goddamn thing," he muttered brushing by them briskly. He pushed through the glass doors and climbed into the passenger seat of the Tahoe.
Grissom joined him moments later and looked at him questioningly, waiting patiently for his explanation.
"John wasn't the one who got her pregnant," Nick said roughly, staring straight ahead. He watched through the windshield as Brass gave a small worried wave and climbed into his sedan.
"I see," Grissom said softly. He sighed deeply and reached to start the ignition. "Well as. troublesome as that is Nick, it at least that means that there's a good chance that-"
"Whoever did may have been the one who killed her," Nick finished grimly.
Grissom put the truck in drive. "Let's go find out."