Sara had been silenced by Warrick's comment. She didn't want to believe
that she'd been biting everyone's heads off; in fact she refused to believe
it. She just silently stewed about the situation. If she admitted that he
was right, she'd have to start dealing with the images that constantly
flashed through her mind, the pain she didn't want to face, and she wasn't
ready to do that yet. Between immersing herself in work and being with
Nick, she had not allowed herself to focus on it. In fact the only time
she would talk about it was when she was in Nick's arms, and now that they
were married, she took an extra measure of comfort in the commitment that
he'd made to be there for her for the rest of his life. In fact, it had
been she that had brought up the idea in the first place, and Nick was more
than agreeable to elope.
When she and Warrick got back to the lab, she took some samples into Greg for DNA processing. As she walked in, Greg glanced up with a guarded expression. "Hey, Sara." He remembered how she had almost plowed him down in the hallway earlier.
She put what she thought was a smile on her face. "Greg, I need these processed as soon as possible."
"Just as soon as I finish these up." He replied.
"Thanks." She furrowed her brow. "Hey, Greg, can I ask you something?"
He nodded. "Uh, sure."
She studied him carefully. "Have I been short with you lately?"
Greg looked as if he didn't want to answer the question.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Greg?"
He let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, you have."
Sara's face clouded and she spun on her heals and headed out of the DNA lab in search of Nick. When she found out that he was still at his crime scene, she almost lost it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick thought about what Catherine had said all throughout shift. He knew he wasn't going to be able to shoulder both he and Sara's pain much longer. They could only numb the pain with sex for so long and quite frankly, he wanted to be able to enjoy making love to Sara as an expression of their love instead of using it to avoid dealing with hurt. They had been rather spontaneous in their decision to get married, but he didn't regret it, he'd been in love with her for a long time.
As he and Catherine made their way back to the lab, she studied him, finally saying something. "Nicky, you ok?"
He looked at her and smiled. For the first time in weeks, he didn't snap at her, he was honest. "Cath, I've been thinking about what you said earlier."
She just smiled at him and let him continue.
"I love Sara so much, but you're right, I'm not ok, and neither is she. The only time I can stop thinking about what happened is when we're together." Nick's voice wavered. "She won't want to talk to someone. You know that don't you?"
"Hey, you guys are in this together, but you're not alone. All of us care about you. You have to know that. You don't have to do this alone." Catherine's voice was reassuring.
"Thanks, that means a lot." Nick had tears stinging his eyes, his voice filled with emotion. Catherine was a good friend and Nick was glad that she'd had the courage to tell him the truth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sara holed herself up in the ladies room for a few minutes to try and regain her composure. She knew that she still needed to work her case with the utmost professionalism. The last thing she wanted was for Grissom to have an excuse to send her home.
She went back to the materials lab where Warrick was processing some of the evidence they had collected. "Greg's got a sample ahead of ours; he'll page us when it's done."
"Thanks." Warrick responded without looking up from the lab bench.
"I'm going to go get some coffee." Sara turned and left the materials lab and headed toward the break room. She went to pour herself a cup of coffee and then just set it down on the counter, finding herself putting her head in her hands and just wanting to cry. She heard footsteps behind her and quickly regained her composure as she turned around.
Nick stood there with a concerned expression on his face. He quickly crossed the room and stood next to her, his hand cupping her face. "Hey, babe, what's wrong?"
She looked into his eyes with a pleading expression. "I think I'm just tired."
He searched her eyes. "You want me to take you home?"
Sara shook her head. "No, I still have work to do. I'll be fine." She smiled. "We'll just have to try and get some sleep later."
He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess we haven't exactly been getting a lot of that lately have we?"
She smiled. "Not that I'm complaining." She leaned up and kissed him softly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So you talked to Nick then?" Grissom looked at Catherine over the rim of his glasses.
She nodded. "I think he wants to talk to someone, but I don't think that Sara will. I think that's why he hasn't gone to talk to anyone. I mean, didn't he talk to someone after that whole experience with Nigel Crane?" Catherine replied.
"Off the record, yes, but I didn't tell you that." Grissom let out a deep sigh. "I'm concerned for both of them. Not that I don't approve of their relationship, I'm just afraid that they've rushed things too quickly."
Catherine nodded. "I think we're all on the same page with that one, Gil."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After shift was over, Nick and Sara went home. Sara's admission that she was tired worried Nick; not because she said that she was tired, but because he was pretty sure it wasn't the whole story. They ate breakfast in relative silence and then, lost in their own thoughts crawled into bed, instinctively holding onto each other as they waited for sleep to claim them.
Nick watched Sara as she rested against him. He could tell that she had a lot on her mind and for some reason she didn't want to say anything. Finally, he began playing with her hair. "Sara, honey, are you doing ok? You've been quiet since we got home."
Sara let out a frustrated sigh and propped herself up on Nick's chest. "Warrick told me that I've been biting everyone's head off lately, that he thinks you have too."
Nick wrinkled his brow.
"Are we losing our minds, Nick? Or are they right?" Sara's voice wavered.
Nick let out a deep breath. "I don't know, babe. They may be right, but I don't want them to be." He could feel the emotion welling up in him.
"I mean, there must be something wrong because when you asked me if I wanted to go home, I almost said yes." Sara admitted.
Nick looked concerned. "I wish you'd told me, I would have taken you home."
"And then what? I would have sat here all alone until you finished your shift. Uh, uh. I don't want to be alone." Sara had a slightly panicked tone in her voice.
Nick tangled his finger into her hair. "Hey, you're not alone. I'm not going to leave you alone."
"Nick, maybe we need to talk to someone about all of this." Sara's voice sounded scared.
"Maybe we should." Nick felt tears stinging his eyes.
"But I don't think I'm ready yet." She whispered.
"It's ok, babe." Nick sniffled.
Sara turned towards Nick and began to kiss his neck as she nestled her body next to his. "Make love to me, Nicky."
Nick rolled her onto her back, his weight pushing her back into the mattress as he complied with her request as they both sought escape in the pleasure of each other.
When she and Warrick got back to the lab, she took some samples into Greg for DNA processing. As she walked in, Greg glanced up with a guarded expression. "Hey, Sara." He remembered how she had almost plowed him down in the hallway earlier.
She put what she thought was a smile on her face. "Greg, I need these processed as soon as possible."
"Just as soon as I finish these up." He replied.
"Thanks." She furrowed her brow. "Hey, Greg, can I ask you something?"
He nodded. "Uh, sure."
She studied him carefully. "Have I been short with you lately?"
Greg looked as if he didn't want to answer the question.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Greg?"
He let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, you have."
Sara's face clouded and she spun on her heals and headed out of the DNA lab in search of Nick. When she found out that he was still at his crime scene, she almost lost it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick thought about what Catherine had said all throughout shift. He knew he wasn't going to be able to shoulder both he and Sara's pain much longer. They could only numb the pain with sex for so long and quite frankly, he wanted to be able to enjoy making love to Sara as an expression of their love instead of using it to avoid dealing with hurt. They had been rather spontaneous in their decision to get married, but he didn't regret it, he'd been in love with her for a long time.
As he and Catherine made their way back to the lab, she studied him, finally saying something. "Nicky, you ok?"
He looked at her and smiled. For the first time in weeks, he didn't snap at her, he was honest. "Cath, I've been thinking about what you said earlier."
She just smiled at him and let him continue.
"I love Sara so much, but you're right, I'm not ok, and neither is she. The only time I can stop thinking about what happened is when we're together." Nick's voice wavered. "She won't want to talk to someone. You know that don't you?"
"Hey, you guys are in this together, but you're not alone. All of us care about you. You have to know that. You don't have to do this alone." Catherine's voice was reassuring.
"Thanks, that means a lot." Nick had tears stinging his eyes, his voice filled with emotion. Catherine was a good friend and Nick was glad that she'd had the courage to tell him the truth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sara holed herself up in the ladies room for a few minutes to try and regain her composure. She knew that she still needed to work her case with the utmost professionalism. The last thing she wanted was for Grissom to have an excuse to send her home.
She went back to the materials lab where Warrick was processing some of the evidence they had collected. "Greg's got a sample ahead of ours; he'll page us when it's done."
"Thanks." Warrick responded without looking up from the lab bench.
"I'm going to go get some coffee." Sara turned and left the materials lab and headed toward the break room. She went to pour herself a cup of coffee and then just set it down on the counter, finding herself putting her head in her hands and just wanting to cry. She heard footsteps behind her and quickly regained her composure as she turned around.
Nick stood there with a concerned expression on his face. He quickly crossed the room and stood next to her, his hand cupping her face. "Hey, babe, what's wrong?"
She looked into his eyes with a pleading expression. "I think I'm just tired."
He searched her eyes. "You want me to take you home?"
Sara shook her head. "No, I still have work to do. I'll be fine." She smiled. "We'll just have to try and get some sleep later."
He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess we haven't exactly been getting a lot of that lately have we?"
She smiled. "Not that I'm complaining." She leaned up and kissed him softly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So you talked to Nick then?" Grissom looked at Catherine over the rim of his glasses.
She nodded. "I think he wants to talk to someone, but I don't think that Sara will. I think that's why he hasn't gone to talk to anyone. I mean, didn't he talk to someone after that whole experience with Nigel Crane?" Catherine replied.
"Off the record, yes, but I didn't tell you that." Grissom let out a deep sigh. "I'm concerned for both of them. Not that I don't approve of their relationship, I'm just afraid that they've rushed things too quickly."
Catherine nodded. "I think we're all on the same page with that one, Gil."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After shift was over, Nick and Sara went home. Sara's admission that she was tired worried Nick; not because she said that she was tired, but because he was pretty sure it wasn't the whole story. They ate breakfast in relative silence and then, lost in their own thoughts crawled into bed, instinctively holding onto each other as they waited for sleep to claim them.
Nick watched Sara as she rested against him. He could tell that she had a lot on her mind and for some reason she didn't want to say anything. Finally, he began playing with her hair. "Sara, honey, are you doing ok? You've been quiet since we got home."
Sara let out a frustrated sigh and propped herself up on Nick's chest. "Warrick told me that I've been biting everyone's head off lately, that he thinks you have too."
Nick wrinkled his brow.
"Are we losing our minds, Nick? Or are they right?" Sara's voice wavered.
Nick let out a deep breath. "I don't know, babe. They may be right, but I don't want them to be." He could feel the emotion welling up in him.
"I mean, there must be something wrong because when you asked me if I wanted to go home, I almost said yes." Sara admitted.
Nick looked concerned. "I wish you'd told me, I would have taken you home."
"And then what? I would have sat here all alone until you finished your shift. Uh, uh. I don't want to be alone." Sara had a slightly panicked tone in her voice.
Nick tangled his finger into her hair. "Hey, you're not alone. I'm not going to leave you alone."
"Nick, maybe we need to talk to someone about all of this." Sara's voice sounded scared.
"Maybe we should." Nick felt tears stinging his eyes.
"But I don't think I'm ready yet." She whispered.
"It's ok, babe." Nick sniffled.
Sara turned towards Nick and began to kiss his neck as she nestled her body next to his. "Make love to me, Nicky."
Nick rolled her onto her back, his weight pushing her back into the mattress as he complied with her request as they both sought escape in the pleasure of each other.