Catherine looked shocked. "You slept with Nick." She restated Sara's
statement as if to clarify what she was hearing.
Sara let out a deep breath and turned away from Catherine crossing her arms in front of her body as if to form a protective shield. "Yeah."
"It sounds like you think that was a mistake." Catherine queried.
Sara turned back around and furrowed her brow. "Isn't it? I mean how in the world can this be a good thing. We're friends. We work together."
Catherine chuckled softly. "Sara, have you talked to him?"
Sara looked like the color had just drained out of her face. "I don't think I can do that."
Catherine let out an audible breath. "You're going to have to at some point if you're going to be able to work together." Catherine turned and looked over her shoulder as she walked away. "I'm going back to the lab. I'll let Grissom know you have everything under control here." With that she walked away and left Sara with her thoughts.
Sara finally headed back to the lab well over an hour after shift had ended. She logged in the evidence and headed to the locker room, which she expected would be deserted. It wasn't.
Nick stood in front of his locker and as he glanced up and saw her enter, a myriad of emotions crossed his face. Tension was evident in his jaw, but his eyes held something else. A concern, a sadness, perhaps even hurt. His voice was tentative. "Sara."
She couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. Instead, she hurriedly opened her locker and stowed her gear. She bit her lower lip and didn't respond to his tentative greeting.
"Sara, we need to talk." Nick's voice was soft, but insistent.
She glanced up at him, but averted her gaze immediately. "I can't do this right now." She could feel tears threatening to spill.
He reached out for her arm. "Sara, please." If she'd looked up and met his gaze she would have seen the hurt etched on his face.
She just shook her head, fighting back tears. "Nick, I need to go." She pulled her arm away from him and quickly exited the locker room, heading for the parking lot and the refuge of her Tahoe.
As soon as she'd shut the door, tears began to cascade down her face. She wiped them away and drove as quickly as she dared to her apartment. She didn't even bother to undress, instead she crawled on top of her bed and curled up in a ball and cried herself to sleep.
As she woke, she was aware that her phone was ringing, but the last thing she wanted to do was talk to anyone, so she ignored it, instead laying on her bed afraid to move, afraid to feel. She wasn't sure how long she'd been like that, it must have been a while, she finally forced herself to move, but wasn't sure where she was going to go. She made it to the kitchen and found a bottle of Scotch that someone had given her once. She didn't drink much except when she went out, which wasn't often. She took the Scotch and went and slumped on the couch, staring off into space.
The next coherent thought she had was that she was pretty drunk and there was a loud noise coming from the general direction of her front door. She managed to stumble to the door and open it to reveal a stunned Warrick staring back at her.
"Girl, you are some kind of drunk." He had concern etched on his face.
"What are you doing here?" Her speech was slurred.
Warrick's eyebrows shot up. "You didn't come to work, everyone was worried. That's not like you."
She just opened the door wide and allowed him to come in.
That's when he noticed the half empty bottle of Scotch and Sara's tear stained face.
She staggered back toward the couch and Warrick helped her sit down. "What's going on?"
Drunk out of her mind and her inhibitions shot to hell, she started to spill the whole story. "I slept with Nick."
"You slept with Nick?" Warrick clarified.
"Yup." She pointed at Warrick. "Just another notch on his belt, that's what I am."
"Damn. Have you talked to him, Sara?" Warrick was sure if the two of them would sit down and talk that they both might be a little surprised.
"I don't wanna. He's just gonna tell me he's got some other girl, and here after I've gone and fallen in love with him." Sara was babbling.
Warrick tried to hide his amusement. "You're in love with Nick?"
She started to giggle incoherently. "Oops. Did I say that? That was my secret. Don't tell Nick."
"Uh, yeah. Uh, Sara, I think you need to sleep this off, and no offense, I'm getting rid of this." Warrick picked up the Scotch and poured it down the sink, throwing the empty bottle in the trash. He returned to the couch and chuckled as Sara had already laid down and fallen asleep. He pulled a blanket around her and softly left, closing the door behind him. As he made his way to his Tahoe, he pulled out his cell phone and called Grissom to let him know that Sara was sick and wouldn't be in.
As he climbed behind the wheel of his Tahoe, he pulled his cell phone out again and punched in another number. "Nick, we need to talk. Now."
Sara let out a deep breath and turned away from Catherine crossing her arms in front of her body as if to form a protective shield. "Yeah."
"It sounds like you think that was a mistake." Catherine queried.
Sara turned back around and furrowed her brow. "Isn't it? I mean how in the world can this be a good thing. We're friends. We work together."
Catherine chuckled softly. "Sara, have you talked to him?"
Sara looked like the color had just drained out of her face. "I don't think I can do that."
Catherine let out an audible breath. "You're going to have to at some point if you're going to be able to work together." Catherine turned and looked over her shoulder as she walked away. "I'm going back to the lab. I'll let Grissom know you have everything under control here." With that she walked away and left Sara with her thoughts.
Sara finally headed back to the lab well over an hour after shift had ended. She logged in the evidence and headed to the locker room, which she expected would be deserted. It wasn't.
Nick stood in front of his locker and as he glanced up and saw her enter, a myriad of emotions crossed his face. Tension was evident in his jaw, but his eyes held something else. A concern, a sadness, perhaps even hurt. His voice was tentative. "Sara."
She couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. Instead, she hurriedly opened her locker and stowed her gear. She bit her lower lip and didn't respond to his tentative greeting.
"Sara, we need to talk." Nick's voice was soft, but insistent.
She glanced up at him, but averted her gaze immediately. "I can't do this right now." She could feel tears threatening to spill.
He reached out for her arm. "Sara, please." If she'd looked up and met his gaze she would have seen the hurt etched on his face.
She just shook her head, fighting back tears. "Nick, I need to go." She pulled her arm away from him and quickly exited the locker room, heading for the parking lot and the refuge of her Tahoe.
As soon as she'd shut the door, tears began to cascade down her face. She wiped them away and drove as quickly as she dared to her apartment. She didn't even bother to undress, instead she crawled on top of her bed and curled up in a ball and cried herself to sleep.
As she woke, she was aware that her phone was ringing, but the last thing she wanted to do was talk to anyone, so she ignored it, instead laying on her bed afraid to move, afraid to feel. She wasn't sure how long she'd been like that, it must have been a while, she finally forced herself to move, but wasn't sure where she was going to go. She made it to the kitchen and found a bottle of Scotch that someone had given her once. She didn't drink much except when she went out, which wasn't often. She took the Scotch and went and slumped on the couch, staring off into space.
The next coherent thought she had was that she was pretty drunk and there was a loud noise coming from the general direction of her front door. She managed to stumble to the door and open it to reveal a stunned Warrick staring back at her.
"Girl, you are some kind of drunk." He had concern etched on his face.
"What are you doing here?" Her speech was slurred.
Warrick's eyebrows shot up. "You didn't come to work, everyone was worried. That's not like you."
She just opened the door wide and allowed him to come in.
That's when he noticed the half empty bottle of Scotch and Sara's tear stained face.
She staggered back toward the couch and Warrick helped her sit down. "What's going on?"
Drunk out of her mind and her inhibitions shot to hell, she started to spill the whole story. "I slept with Nick."
"You slept with Nick?" Warrick clarified.
"Yup." She pointed at Warrick. "Just another notch on his belt, that's what I am."
"Damn. Have you talked to him, Sara?" Warrick was sure if the two of them would sit down and talk that they both might be a little surprised.
"I don't wanna. He's just gonna tell me he's got some other girl, and here after I've gone and fallen in love with him." Sara was babbling.
Warrick tried to hide his amusement. "You're in love with Nick?"
She started to giggle incoherently. "Oops. Did I say that? That was my secret. Don't tell Nick."
"Uh, yeah. Uh, Sara, I think you need to sleep this off, and no offense, I'm getting rid of this." Warrick picked up the Scotch and poured it down the sink, throwing the empty bottle in the trash. He returned to the couch and chuckled as Sara had already laid down and fallen asleep. He pulled a blanket around her and softly left, closing the door behind him. As he made his way to his Tahoe, he pulled out his cell phone and called Grissom to let him know that Sara was sick and wouldn't be in.
As he climbed behind the wheel of his Tahoe, he pulled his cell phone out again and punched in another number. "Nick, we need to talk. Now."