Catherine and Warrick finished processing the scene and packed up their
respective Tahoes to return to the lab. Upon entering the break room they
each got a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.
"So, he hasn't come back yet. Do you think that's a good sign, or do you think we should expect a new crime scene?" Warrick quipped.
"I guess we'll have to wait and find out. He has been gone an awfully long time though, and shifts almost over." Catherine replied.
"I sure as hell hope Grissom doesn't notice." Warrick took a sip from his coffee.
Catherine cleared her throat as she looked toward the door.
Warrick glanced over. Grissom stood in the doorway with a curious expression. Warrick hoped he hadn't heard his last comment.
Grissom pursed his lips slightly and raised an eyebrow. "Have either of you seen Nick?"
Warrick and Catherine glanced at each other for a moment.
Catherine set her cup down on the table and looked up at Grissom. "I sent him over to Sara's."
Grissom furrowed his brow and looked at Warrick. "Didn't I send you over there?"
Warrick nodded and then glanced at Catherine before continuing. "Yeah, but she didn't want me there, she didn't feel well."
Grissom cocked his head slightly. "But she wanted Nick there?"
Warrick wasn't sure what to say.
Grissom lowered his glasses. "What are you two not telling me?"
Catherine narrowed her gaze at Grissom. "Gil, Sara was pretty drunk when Warrick stopped by."
Grissom's eyebrows shot up. "Drunk? That's not like her."
"We know. That's why we didn't think she should be alone." Warrick replied.
Grissom pondered this for a moment. "And she was ok with Nick being there?"
Catherine chuckled to herself. "Yeah, as far as I know she's ok with it. We haven't exactly heard from Nick since he went over there."
Grissom raised an eyebrow. "Have you called?"
Warrick glanced up with a slight roll of his eyes. "We've been working a crime scene."
A half smile formed on Grissom's face as he looked back at Warrick and Catherine. "You're not processing a scene now." Grissom glanced at the clock. "There's still a few more minutes of shift left."
Catherine and Warrick exchanged a slightly amused glance.
Catherine pulled her cell phone out of her purse and punched in Nick's number.
On the other end of the line, Nick had grabbed for the cell phone on his hip in a hurry, so it wouldn't wake up Sara. "Stokes." He pulled himself off of Sara's bed and softly walked out into the living room in his sock clad feet.
"Nick, it's Catherine. Grissom wanted me to check and see how Sara is." Catherine studied Grissom's expression.
"She's still not feeling very well, but she's asleep right now." Nick replied curious that Grissom knew that he was there. "How much does he know?"
"Some kind of hangover, huh?." Catherine queried to give Nick and idea of just how much Grissom knew.
"So he knows that she was drunk?" Nick let out a deep breath. He was pretty sure that Sara wasn't going to like that. "Does he know anything else?"
"Not really, shift was pretty slow. Warrick and I had it under control." Catherine acted as if Nick had asked him how the shift had gone.
"So, he's standing right there then." Nick chuckled to himself. "Just tell him she'll be in next shift, that should make him happy."
Catherine glanced up at Grissom who had been studying her as he talked to Nick. "Sara should be in by next shift."
A satisfied expression came over Grissom's face. He turned his attention to Warrick. "Warrick, I need to speak with you." Warrick glanced at Catherine with a slightly puzzled expression on his face, but followed Grissom out of the break room.
Catherine turned her attention back to the phone. "He's gone. How is she?"
"She's been throwing up all night." Nick replied. "She's pretty dizzy because she's so dehydrated."
"I'm assuming that since you're still there, that either she didn't kill you, she's too sick to care, or you worked things out." Catherine chuckled softly.
"Something like that." Nick replied with a smile etched on his face. "There was a moment I thought she was going to kill me, she really was too sick to care, and we're still working things out."
"It's gonna be ok, Nicky." Catherine's smile was evident in her voice.
"You were right, Cath, she was just scared, but then, hell, so am I." Nick replied.
"Hey, I need to go rescue Warrick from Grissom, I have a feeling he's getting the third degree." Catherine stated.
"Thanks, Cath." Nick ended the call and headed back into Sara's bedroom and crawled back onto the bed.
Sara moved toward him and snuggled up against him. "Where did you go?"
"Catherine called. I didn't want to wake you up." He answered softly.
"Oh, what did she want?" She asked.
"Grissom wanted to know how you were, so he had her call." Nick stroked her hair.
"What did you tell her?" She lifted her head slightly.
"That you didn't feel good." Nick smiled at her.
"Does Grissom know that I was drunk?" Sara asked with a grimace on her face.
Nick let out an audible sigh. "Yeah, I think Catherine or Warrick told him."
Sara swore and splayed her hand out on his chest, playing at the buttons on his shirt, which Nick had refastened.
Nick chuckled softly.
"What's so funny?" Sara pouted.
"You." Nick enveloped her hand with his and glanced down at her. "Do you think you're ready to try eating yet?"
She smiled. "I think so."
"Ok, I'll go get you something." Nick started to get up.
"I can do it." Sara protested lifting herself up.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Sara, no offense, but every time you've tried to stand up to throw up, you've almost fallen over. You're a little dehydrated."
Sara looked at him and cocked her head to the side. "Will you at least help me out to the couch then?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I will." He pulled himself off the bed and when Sara started to stand he put his arm around her waist and helped her out to the couch. He then moved into her kitchen to see what she had in her cupboard. He let out an amused chuckled. "Do you ever eat, Sara?"
"I haven't been to a grocery store in a while. I usually eat out." She answered.
"I can tell. Fortunately for you, I make a mean Top Ramen." Nick grinned at her as he pulled some out of her cupboard.
She just giggled.
"Ah, signs of the old Sara Sidle. You must be feeling better." Nick teased. He made the ramen noodle soup and brought it to her in a large mug, handing it to her as he sat down next to her on the couch.
She glanced at him with a smile. "Thanks." She leaned against him and slowly ate the soup. She set the mug down on the coffee table and looked at Nick. "I still feel pretty awful, but I have a feeling part of it's because I've been in these clothes for far too long. I think I'm going to try and take a shower."
"Ok." Nick just smiled at her. "Let me know if you need any help." An embarrassed expression came over his face. "I mean, if you feel dizzy."
Sara studied him for a moment and then reached over and squeezed his hand. "Thanks for everything, Nick."
He squeezed her hand in return. "Any time, Sar."
She pulled herself up from the couch and slowly padded into her room to find a change of clothes before heading into the bathroom to take a shower. It was only then when she looked in the mirror that she realized how awful she looked with her bloodshot eyes and tear streaked face. In spite of that, a smile formed on her face. Nick had seen her absolute worst and he hadn't left.
"So, he hasn't come back yet. Do you think that's a good sign, or do you think we should expect a new crime scene?" Warrick quipped.
"I guess we'll have to wait and find out. He has been gone an awfully long time though, and shifts almost over." Catherine replied.
"I sure as hell hope Grissom doesn't notice." Warrick took a sip from his coffee.
Catherine cleared her throat as she looked toward the door.
Warrick glanced over. Grissom stood in the doorway with a curious expression. Warrick hoped he hadn't heard his last comment.
Grissom pursed his lips slightly and raised an eyebrow. "Have either of you seen Nick?"
Warrick and Catherine glanced at each other for a moment.
Catherine set her cup down on the table and looked up at Grissom. "I sent him over to Sara's."
Grissom furrowed his brow and looked at Warrick. "Didn't I send you over there?"
Warrick nodded and then glanced at Catherine before continuing. "Yeah, but she didn't want me there, she didn't feel well."
Grissom cocked his head slightly. "But she wanted Nick there?"
Warrick wasn't sure what to say.
Grissom lowered his glasses. "What are you two not telling me?"
Catherine narrowed her gaze at Grissom. "Gil, Sara was pretty drunk when Warrick stopped by."
Grissom's eyebrows shot up. "Drunk? That's not like her."
"We know. That's why we didn't think she should be alone." Warrick replied.
Grissom pondered this for a moment. "And she was ok with Nick being there?"
Catherine chuckled to herself. "Yeah, as far as I know she's ok with it. We haven't exactly heard from Nick since he went over there."
Grissom raised an eyebrow. "Have you called?"
Warrick glanced up with a slight roll of his eyes. "We've been working a crime scene."
A half smile formed on Grissom's face as he looked back at Warrick and Catherine. "You're not processing a scene now." Grissom glanced at the clock. "There's still a few more minutes of shift left."
Catherine and Warrick exchanged a slightly amused glance.
Catherine pulled her cell phone out of her purse and punched in Nick's number.
On the other end of the line, Nick had grabbed for the cell phone on his hip in a hurry, so it wouldn't wake up Sara. "Stokes." He pulled himself off of Sara's bed and softly walked out into the living room in his sock clad feet.
"Nick, it's Catherine. Grissom wanted me to check and see how Sara is." Catherine studied Grissom's expression.
"She's still not feeling very well, but she's asleep right now." Nick replied curious that Grissom knew that he was there. "How much does he know?"
"Some kind of hangover, huh?." Catherine queried to give Nick and idea of just how much Grissom knew.
"So he knows that she was drunk?" Nick let out a deep breath. He was pretty sure that Sara wasn't going to like that. "Does he know anything else?"
"Not really, shift was pretty slow. Warrick and I had it under control." Catherine acted as if Nick had asked him how the shift had gone.
"So, he's standing right there then." Nick chuckled to himself. "Just tell him she'll be in next shift, that should make him happy."
Catherine glanced up at Grissom who had been studying her as he talked to Nick. "Sara should be in by next shift."
A satisfied expression came over Grissom's face. He turned his attention to Warrick. "Warrick, I need to speak with you." Warrick glanced at Catherine with a slightly puzzled expression on his face, but followed Grissom out of the break room.
Catherine turned her attention back to the phone. "He's gone. How is she?"
"She's been throwing up all night." Nick replied. "She's pretty dizzy because she's so dehydrated."
"I'm assuming that since you're still there, that either she didn't kill you, she's too sick to care, or you worked things out." Catherine chuckled softly.
"Something like that." Nick replied with a smile etched on his face. "There was a moment I thought she was going to kill me, she really was too sick to care, and we're still working things out."
"It's gonna be ok, Nicky." Catherine's smile was evident in her voice.
"You were right, Cath, she was just scared, but then, hell, so am I." Nick replied.
"Hey, I need to go rescue Warrick from Grissom, I have a feeling he's getting the third degree." Catherine stated.
"Thanks, Cath." Nick ended the call and headed back into Sara's bedroom and crawled back onto the bed.
Sara moved toward him and snuggled up against him. "Where did you go?"
"Catherine called. I didn't want to wake you up." He answered softly.
"Oh, what did she want?" She asked.
"Grissom wanted to know how you were, so he had her call." Nick stroked her hair.
"What did you tell her?" She lifted her head slightly.
"That you didn't feel good." Nick smiled at her.
"Does Grissom know that I was drunk?" Sara asked with a grimace on her face.
Nick let out an audible sigh. "Yeah, I think Catherine or Warrick told him."
Sara swore and splayed her hand out on his chest, playing at the buttons on his shirt, which Nick had refastened.
Nick chuckled softly.
"What's so funny?" Sara pouted.
"You." Nick enveloped her hand with his and glanced down at her. "Do you think you're ready to try eating yet?"
She smiled. "I think so."
"Ok, I'll go get you something." Nick started to get up.
"I can do it." Sara protested lifting herself up.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Sara, no offense, but every time you've tried to stand up to throw up, you've almost fallen over. You're a little dehydrated."
Sara looked at him and cocked her head to the side. "Will you at least help me out to the couch then?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I will." He pulled himself off the bed and when Sara started to stand he put his arm around her waist and helped her out to the couch. He then moved into her kitchen to see what she had in her cupboard. He let out an amused chuckled. "Do you ever eat, Sara?"
"I haven't been to a grocery store in a while. I usually eat out." She answered.
"I can tell. Fortunately for you, I make a mean Top Ramen." Nick grinned at her as he pulled some out of her cupboard.
She just giggled.
"Ah, signs of the old Sara Sidle. You must be feeling better." Nick teased. He made the ramen noodle soup and brought it to her in a large mug, handing it to her as he sat down next to her on the couch.
She glanced at him with a smile. "Thanks." She leaned against him and slowly ate the soup. She set the mug down on the coffee table and looked at Nick. "I still feel pretty awful, but I have a feeling part of it's because I've been in these clothes for far too long. I think I'm going to try and take a shower."
"Ok." Nick just smiled at her. "Let me know if you need any help." An embarrassed expression came over his face. "I mean, if you feel dizzy."
Sara studied him for a moment and then reached over and squeezed his hand. "Thanks for everything, Nick."
He squeezed her hand in return. "Any time, Sar."
She pulled herself up from the couch and slowly padded into her room to find a change of clothes before heading into the bathroom to take a shower. It was only then when she looked in the mirror that she realized how awful she looked with her bloodshot eyes and tear streaked face. In spite of that, a smile formed on her face. Nick had seen her absolute worst and he hadn't left.