Warrick and Catherine leaned over the layout table. Warrick's hunch was
far fetched, but stranger things had ended up being pivotal pieces of
evidence in cases in the past and at the moment they had nothing else to go
on.
Grissom stopped in the doorway. "Anything?"
Warrick glanced up and nodded. "Yeah, none of the guests at Brenda Sutton's party owned a cat, especially not a white cat."
Grissom raised a curious eyebrow. "Warrick, do you mind telling me where you're going with this?"
Warrick flashed him a grin. "Give me a little while longer and I think I may be able to give you something a little more concrete."
Catherine glanced up at Grissom with a slightly amused expression. "Not all CSIs are just like you, Gil."
Grissom flashed her a half smile and then wrinkled his brow momentarily. "Have either of you seen Nick or Sara?"
Warrick and Catherine glanced at each other curiously before looking over at Grissom again. Warrick looked a little confused. "I thought Sara was already here, her Denali is in the parking lot."
Grissom looked momentarily worried.
Catherine stood up straight. "Uh, I have a feeling she's with Nick."
Grissom and Warrick both looked at her as if asking for a further explanation.
She shook her head. "It's not what you think, at least it's not what I think you think."
"Well?" Grissom queried.
She glanced between the two CSIs who just stood there waiting for information. "Apparently, Sara's been sleeping at Nick's. I'm not sure why, Nick wouldn't tell me, but I overheard a conversation between them in the locker room, and he was worried about her. From the sound of things, she's been coming over there for a while."
Warrick's mouth hung agape and he glanced at Grissom. "The way she reacted when I woke her up on the couch last night."
Grissom nodded. "I think it's time to talk to Nick and Sara." He glanced at the clock, shift had begun thirty minutes prior. "If you see them before I do, send them to my office."
Catherine glanced at Warrick with an arched brow. "What happened when you woke her up?"
Warrick had concern etched on his face. "She screamed and acted like I'd just attacked her. She played it off that I'd just scared her and that she hadn't had enough sleep."
Catherine furrowed her brow. "She needs to talk to someone."
Warrick nodded. "Yeah, and soon."
In the Parking Lot:
Nick pulled his Denali into the parking lot and set the parking brake before turning off the ignition. "We're almost an hour late, Sara."
She looked over at him with a worried expression on her face. "Think anyone will notice?"
He chuckled softly, "Well the fact that neither of our cell phones have gone off is a mark in our favor, but I wouldn't count on it."
A look of fear crossed Sara's face. "I have a feeling we're in for a bit of an interrogation."
Nick reached over and touched her arm. "Hey, whatever you need, I'm there for you."
A faint smile played at her lips. "I know. You're a good friend. I don't deserve that from you."
He squeezed her elbow. "No, you do deserve that." He gave her a warm smile before climbing out of the vehicle.
They made their way into the lab and were almost to the locker room when Grissom walked into the hallway and saw them. "Nick. Sara. My office." Grissom turned on his heals and headed into his office.
They glanced at each other and Nick reached over and squeezed Sara's shoulder to offer her support before they entered Grissom's office.
Grissom peered at them over the rim of his glasses and gestured for them to close the door and sit down.
Nick closed the door and they both sat in chairs opposite Grissom's desk.
Grissom let out a deep breath and took off his glasses before he spoke. "I know that you both know that you're almost an hour late. But that's not why I want to talk to you. You both have enough overtime logged to more than cover it."
"What is it, Gris." Nick queried their boss, hoping that perhaps he wouldn't ask exactly what he knew he was going to ask.
Grissom looked directly at Nick before turning his attention to Sara for a moment.
Sara tried to hide the fear that welled up in the pit of her stomach.
Grissom replaced his glasses. "I know that neither one of you wants to talk about whatever is going on, but it's affecting the rest of the team, and it's obviously affecting your ability to get to work on time."
"We both overslept." Sara offered in explanation.
Grissom narrowed his gaze softly at Sara. "Sara, I know you were with Nick, and before you tell me that your personal life is none of my business, let me just say that normally I'd say you're right. If it was just that I thought that maybe you and Nick were dating, I wouldn't be worried. What worries me is that I heard you almost took Warrick's head off last night just for waking you up in the break room. I'm worried because I understand you've been sleeping at Nick's for weeks because you can't get to sleep at your own house."
Sara glanced at Nick with an expression of hurt on her face.
His voice was a whisper as he looked at her with concern. "I swear, Sara, I didn't say a word."
Grissom glanced over at Nick. His expression was a bit harder and there was an edge to his voice. "Maybe you should have, Nick."
Nick looked a bit shocked.
"Don't blame Nick, Grissom, I made him promise not to say anything." Sara looked at him with a pleading expression.
Grissom looked truly concerned. "Sara, what is going on?"
Sara looked down at her lap and took a deep breath before she glanced back up at Grissom. "I'm having nightmares."
Nick reached over and squeezed her arm.
She glanced at him for a moment before continuing. "After that girl was murdered because she was too afraid to identify the bastard that raped her in that line up, I just can't get the image of her lying there out of my mind and it just gets worse when I close my eyes."
"Sara, perhaps you should talk to the department psychologist." Grissom knew he wasn't good with people, and he hoped that it didn't sound like he wanted to pass her off to someone, but he really felt that she needed help.
Sara shot him a glare. "I am not talking to a shrink."
Nick squeezed her arm, concern etched on his face. "Maybe you should, Sar."
Disbelief crossed her face and tears threatened to spill as she jumped up from her chair. "No." She turned and rushed out of Grissom's office and headed down the hallway.
Nick remained seated as he watched her go, fairly certain he knew where she was headed. He turned back toward Grissom who wore an expression of confusion.
Grissom met Nick's gaze. "What is going on, Nicky?"
Nick shook his head as he closed his eyes for a moment. "That's about as much as I've gotten out of her in three weeks." He let out a deep breath and then looked back up at Grissom. "I have a pretty good idea though of what I think is going on."
Grissom looked at him curiously.
Nick explained what he had observed and explained why he thought what he did.
Grissom's expression went from shocked to worried and then filled with compassion as Nick talked. When Nick was finally finished, Grissom let out a deep breath and nodded. "You may be right, Nicky, you may be right."
Grissom stopped in the doorway. "Anything?"
Warrick glanced up and nodded. "Yeah, none of the guests at Brenda Sutton's party owned a cat, especially not a white cat."
Grissom raised a curious eyebrow. "Warrick, do you mind telling me where you're going with this?"
Warrick flashed him a grin. "Give me a little while longer and I think I may be able to give you something a little more concrete."
Catherine glanced up at Grissom with a slightly amused expression. "Not all CSIs are just like you, Gil."
Grissom flashed her a half smile and then wrinkled his brow momentarily. "Have either of you seen Nick or Sara?"
Warrick and Catherine glanced at each other curiously before looking over at Grissom again. Warrick looked a little confused. "I thought Sara was already here, her Denali is in the parking lot."
Grissom looked momentarily worried.
Catherine stood up straight. "Uh, I have a feeling she's with Nick."
Grissom and Warrick both looked at her as if asking for a further explanation.
She shook her head. "It's not what you think, at least it's not what I think you think."
"Well?" Grissom queried.
She glanced between the two CSIs who just stood there waiting for information. "Apparently, Sara's been sleeping at Nick's. I'm not sure why, Nick wouldn't tell me, but I overheard a conversation between them in the locker room, and he was worried about her. From the sound of things, she's been coming over there for a while."
Warrick's mouth hung agape and he glanced at Grissom. "The way she reacted when I woke her up on the couch last night."
Grissom nodded. "I think it's time to talk to Nick and Sara." He glanced at the clock, shift had begun thirty minutes prior. "If you see them before I do, send them to my office."
Catherine glanced at Warrick with an arched brow. "What happened when you woke her up?"
Warrick had concern etched on his face. "She screamed and acted like I'd just attacked her. She played it off that I'd just scared her and that she hadn't had enough sleep."
Catherine furrowed her brow. "She needs to talk to someone."
Warrick nodded. "Yeah, and soon."
In the Parking Lot:
Nick pulled his Denali into the parking lot and set the parking brake before turning off the ignition. "We're almost an hour late, Sara."
She looked over at him with a worried expression on her face. "Think anyone will notice?"
He chuckled softly, "Well the fact that neither of our cell phones have gone off is a mark in our favor, but I wouldn't count on it."
A look of fear crossed Sara's face. "I have a feeling we're in for a bit of an interrogation."
Nick reached over and touched her arm. "Hey, whatever you need, I'm there for you."
A faint smile played at her lips. "I know. You're a good friend. I don't deserve that from you."
He squeezed her elbow. "No, you do deserve that." He gave her a warm smile before climbing out of the vehicle.
They made their way into the lab and were almost to the locker room when Grissom walked into the hallway and saw them. "Nick. Sara. My office." Grissom turned on his heals and headed into his office.
They glanced at each other and Nick reached over and squeezed Sara's shoulder to offer her support before they entered Grissom's office.
Grissom peered at them over the rim of his glasses and gestured for them to close the door and sit down.
Nick closed the door and they both sat in chairs opposite Grissom's desk.
Grissom let out a deep breath and took off his glasses before he spoke. "I know that you both know that you're almost an hour late. But that's not why I want to talk to you. You both have enough overtime logged to more than cover it."
"What is it, Gris." Nick queried their boss, hoping that perhaps he wouldn't ask exactly what he knew he was going to ask.
Grissom looked directly at Nick before turning his attention to Sara for a moment.
Sara tried to hide the fear that welled up in the pit of her stomach.
Grissom replaced his glasses. "I know that neither one of you wants to talk about whatever is going on, but it's affecting the rest of the team, and it's obviously affecting your ability to get to work on time."
"We both overslept." Sara offered in explanation.
Grissom narrowed his gaze softly at Sara. "Sara, I know you were with Nick, and before you tell me that your personal life is none of my business, let me just say that normally I'd say you're right. If it was just that I thought that maybe you and Nick were dating, I wouldn't be worried. What worries me is that I heard you almost took Warrick's head off last night just for waking you up in the break room. I'm worried because I understand you've been sleeping at Nick's for weeks because you can't get to sleep at your own house."
Sara glanced at Nick with an expression of hurt on her face.
His voice was a whisper as he looked at her with concern. "I swear, Sara, I didn't say a word."
Grissom glanced over at Nick. His expression was a bit harder and there was an edge to his voice. "Maybe you should have, Nick."
Nick looked a bit shocked.
"Don't blame Nick, Grissom, I made him promise not to say anything." Sara looked at him with a pleading expression.
Grissom looked truly concerned. "Sara, what is going on?"
Sara looked down at her lap and took a deep breath before she glanced back up at Grissom. "I'm having nightmares."
Nick reached over and squeezed her arm.
She glanced at him for a moment before continuing. "After that girl was murdered because she was too afraid to identify the bastard that raped her in that line up, I just can't get the image of her lying there out of my mind and it just gets worse when I close my eyes."
"Sara, perhaps you should talk to the department psychologist." Grissom knew he wasn't good with people, and he hoped that it didn't sound like he wanted to pass her off to someone, but he really felt that she needed help.
Sara shot him a glare. "I am not talking to a shrink."
Nick squeezed her arm, concern etched on his face. "Maybe you should, Sar."
Disbelief crossed her face and tears threatened to spill as she jumped up from her chair. "No." She turned and rushed out of Grissom's office and headed down the hallway.
Nick remained seated as he watched her go, fairly certain he knew where she was headed. He turned back toward Grissom who wore an expression of confusion.
Grissom met Nick's gaze. "What is going on, Nicky?"
Nick shook his head as he closed his eyes for a moment. "That's about as much as I've gotten out of her in three weeks." He let out a deep breath and then looked back up at Grissom. "I have a pretty good idea though of what I think is going on."
Grissom looked at him curiously.
Nick explained what he had observed and explained why he thought what he did.
Grissom's expression went from shocked to worried and then filled with compassion as Nick talked. When Nick was finally finished, Grissom let out a deep breath and nodded. "You may be right, Nicky, you may be right."