"This is taking so long." Sara sounded stressed and tired as she rested
her head against Nick's shoulder. She felt fear welling up again and was
trying to do her best to stifle it.
Nick rubbed her back and tried to make her laugh. "Hey, I bet those guys out there are placing bets on how fast they can get us out of here. In fact I bet the winner gets to ask you on a date."
She chuckled softly. "Thanks for trying to make me laugh, Nick." She let out a deep breath. "I highly doubt though that when they take one look at me that any of them are going to want to ask me out."
"Why wouldn't they? You're beautiful." Nick's was completely serious.
Sara started to laugh. "You're crazy. I smell like death from that decomp, I've got dust all over me, and I'm sure my face is a mess from crying."
Nick smiled. "Sara, in case you haven't noticed, I don't smell very nice either, and ditto on the dust."
"I was going to talk to you about that." Sara tried to quip, the comment falling flat.
They were both quiet for a few moments, listening to the muffled sound of the rescue workers outside.
"Nick?" Sara's voice quivered.
"Yeah?" Nick replied, trying to keep his tone steady.
"I'll buy the lemons." She sniffled as a tear slid down her cheek. "If we get out of here, I'll buy the lemons."
Nick hugged her tightly. "Hey." There was a fierceness in his voice. "Not if, Sara, but when we get out of here. And no, I'm buying the lemons. It's my turn."
Sara started to cry again. "Nick, I hate to tell you this right now, but I really have to go to the bathroom."
"How bad?" Nick queried her gently. "Do you think you can hold it a little longer?" Nick knew that they'd been trapped for hours, but wasn't exactly sure what time it was and at the moment, didn't want to reach for the cell phone to check. He thought it might be around one or two, meaning they'd been under the house for seven or eight hours.
"Really bad. It hurts." Sara continued crying, both from the stress of being trapped and the shame and humiliation of not being able to use the bathroom.
Nick tried to formulate in his mind how they could take care of this delicate situation. "Ok, so we need to figure this out. Do you think you've got enough room to take your coveralls off?"
Before Sara could answer, another aftershock hit, settling the debris around them even closer. She screamed and clung to Nick, digging her fingers into his coveralls, and crying hysterically. "I'm so sorry, Nick. I'm so sorry."
It took Nick a moment to realize what she was talking about, until he realized that she didn't need to relieve herself anymore. "Shh, Sara, it's ok. Don't worry about it. Everything is going to be fine, do you hear me? Everything is going to be fine."
"I'm so sorry." She reached up and wiped her nose on her sleeve.
"Well, at least we don't need to worry about that anymore." Nick was trying to lighten the moment. They were both scared to death, but he was almost more worried about her than he was about himself.
Sara started to laugh through her tears. "Please don't tell anyone that I peed on you. I think this definitely qualifies as my most embarrassing moment."
"Hey, you're secret's safe with me, but I really don't think anyone's going to be paying attention to that when we get out of here." Nick replied softly rubbing her back.
"I'm so sorry, Nick." She was on the verge of crying again.
Nick reached over and cupped the side of her face with his hand. "Hey, look at me." His thumb caressed her cheek.
She lifted her head off of his shoulder and turned to look at him.
"You don't need to apologize. Ok?" He smiled softly at her and then their eyes locked.
Suddenly, all Sara wanted to do was kiss Nick. She began leaning her face towards him tilting her head, trying not to hit him in the face with the rim of her hardhat. Nick leaned towards her, their lips not quite touching, when they were interrupted by the cell phone ringing.
Sara pulled away, continuing to look into Nick's eyes as he reached for the cell phone.
Nick didn't break eye contact as he cleared his throat before he answered the phone. "Yeah."
"Nicky, are you and Sara ok?" Grissom's voice was thick with concern.
"Grissom, we're ok, but what's taking them so long, it's getting smaller in here and I don't know if we can handle another aftershock." Nick's voice wavered.
"We're doing everything we can, Nicky." Grissom let out a deep breath. "How's Sara holding up?"
"We really need to get out of here soon." Nick tried to emphasize without saying her name.
"Not good then. We'll try and get them to step things up. Try and hang in there." Grissom replied. "They're going to start cutting through the concrete."
"Ok." Nick hung up the phone.
Sara searched his face. "What did he say?"
Nick tried to smile. "They're going to start cutting through the concrete. Shouldn't be too long now."
Sara rested her head back onto Nick's shoulder. "When we get out of here, I'll buy you a beer."
"Are you hitting on me, Sara?" Nick knew she'd been about to kiss him, and he had wanted it as much as she did. But truth be told, he really didn't want to kiss her under these circumstances. He'd rather take her out on a date and kiss her properly and thoroughly.
"Maybe I am. You did say that you never had a chance to make me to fall for the Stokes' charm." She replied, playing at the collar of his coveralls with her fingers, as much to distract herself as to flirt.
"Well then, when we get out of here I promise to do my best to charm you over a beer." Nick smiled.
Their conversation was cut short by the sound of a concrete saw cutting through the foundation. As the tip of the saw broke through, light filtered in, and Nick and Sara let out a sigh of relief. They were so close to getting out.
Over the next twenty minutes, an opening large enough to crawl through was formed. One of the rescue workers poked his head in. "Ok, do you think you can crawl out on your own?"
"Yeah." Sara answered for them both.
He smiled and gestured for her to follow. "Alright then, come on out." The worker disappeared into the light.
Nick helped Sara off of his lap and grinned at her as she crawled toward the opening. She glanced back at him with a grin before disappearing into the light. Nick brought himself to his knees and moved to follow when another aftershock hit.
From outside, Sara looked back to see debris covering the opening from the inside. She sank to the ground and screamed. "Nick!"
Nick rubbed her back and tried to make her laugh. "Hey, I bet those guys out there are placing bets on how fast they can get us out of here. In fact I bet the winner gets to ask you on a date."
She chuckled softly. "Thanks for trying to make me laugh, Nick." She let out a deep breath. "I highly doubt though that when they take one look at me that any of them are going to want to ask me out."
"Why wouldn't they? You're beautiful." Nick's was completely serious.
Sara started to laugh. "You're crazy. I smell like death from that decomp, I've got dust all over me, and I'm sure my face is a mess from crying."
Nick smiled. "Sara, in case you haven't noticed, I don't smell very nice either, and ditto on the dust."
"I was going to talk to you about that." Sara tried to quip, the comment falling flat.
They were both quiet for a few moments, listening to the muffled sound of the rescue workers outside.
"Nick?" Sara's voice quivered.
"Yeah?" Nick replied, trying to keep his tone steady.
"I'll buy the lemons." She sniffled as a tear slid down her cheek. "If we get out of here, I'll buy the lemons."
Nick hugged her tightly. "Hey." There was a fierceness in his voice. "Not if, Sara, but when we get out of here. And no, I'm buying the lemons. It's my turn."
Sara started to cry again. "Nick, I hate to tell you this right now, but I really have to go to the bathroom."
"How bad?" Nick queried her gently. "Do you think you can hold it a little longer?" Nick knew that they'd been trapped for hours, but wasn't exactly sure what time it was and at the moment, didn't want to reach for the cell phone to check. He thought it might be around one or two, meaning they'd been under the house for seven or eight hours.
"Really bad. It hurts." Sara continued crying, both from the stress of being trapped and the shame and humiliation of not being able to use the bathroom.
Nick tried to formulate in his mind how they could take care of this delicate situation. "Ok, so we need to figure this out. Do you think you've got enough room to take your coveralls off?"
Before Sara could answer, another aftershock hit, settling the debris around them even closer. She screamed and clung to Nick, digging her fingers into his coveralls, and crying hysterically. "I'm so sorry, Nick. I'm so sorry."
It took Nick a moment to realize what she was talking about, until he realized that she didn't need to relieve herself anymore. "Shh, Sara, it's ok. Don't worry about it. Everything is going to be fine, do you hear me? Everything is going to be fine."
"I'm so sorry." She reached up and wiped her nose on her sleeve.
"Well, at least we don't need to worry about that anymore." Nick was trying to lighten the moment. They were both scared to death, but he was almost more worried about her than he was about himself.
Sara started to laugh through her tears. "Please don't tell anyone that I peed on you. I think this definitely qualifies as my most embarrassing moment."
"Hey, you're secret's safe with me, but I really don't think anyone's going to be paying attention to that when we get out of here." Nick replied softly rubbing her back.
"I'm so sorry, Nick." She was on the verge of crying again.
Nick reached over and cupped the side of her face with his hand. "Hey, look at me." His thumb caressed her cheek.
She lifted her head off of his shoulder and turned to look at him.
"You don't need to apologize. Ok?" He smiled softly at her and then their eyes locked.
Suddenly, all Sara wanted to do was kiss Nick. She began leaning her face towards him tilting her head, trying not to hit him in the face with the rim of her hardhat. Nick leaned towards her, their lips not quite touching, when they were interrupted by the cell phone ringing.
Sara pulled away, continuing to look into Nick's eyes as he reached for the cell phone.
Nick didn't break eye contact as he cleared his throat before he answered the phone. "Yeah."
"Nicky, are you and Sara ok?" Grissom's voice was thick with concern.
"Grissom, we're ok, but what's taking them so long, it's getting smaller in here and I don't know if we can handle another aftershock." Nick's voice wavered.
"We're doing everything we can, Nicky." Grissom let out a deep breath. "How's Sara holding up?"
"We really need to get out of here soon." Nick tried to emphasize without saying her name.
"Not good then. We'll try and get them to step things up. Try and hang in there." Grissom replied. "They're going to start cutting through the concrete."
"Ok." Nick hung up the phone.
Sara searched his face. "What did he say?"
Nick tried to smile. "They're going to start cutting through the concrete. Shouldn't be too long now."
Sara rested her head back onto Nick's shoulder. "When we get out of here, I'll buy you a beer."
"Are you hitting on me, Sara?" Nick knew she'd been about to kiss him, and he had wanted it as much as she did. But truth be told, he really didn't want to kiss her under these circumstances. He'd rather take her out on a date and kiss her properly and thoroughly.
"Maybe I am. You did say that you never had a chance to make me to fall for the Stokes' charm." She replied, playing at the collar of his coveralls with her fingers, as much to distract herself as to flirt.
"Well then, when we get out of here I promise to do my best to charm you over a beer." Nick smiled.
Their conversation was cut short by the sound of a concrete saw cutting through the foundation. As the tip of the saw broke through, light filtered in, and Nick and Sara let out a sigh of relief. They were so close to getting out.
Over the next twenty minutes, an opening large enough to crawl through was formed. One of the rescue workers poked his head in. "Ok, do you think you can crawl out on your own?"
"Yeah." Sara answered for them both.
He smiled and gestured for her to follow. "Alright then, come on out." The worker disappeared into the light.
Nick helped Sara off of his lap and grinned at her as she crawled toward the opening. She glanced back at him with a grin before disappearing into the light. Nick brought himself to his knees and moved to follow when another aftershock hit.
From outside, Sara looked back to see debris covering the opening from the inside. She sank to the ground and screamed. "Nick!"