-- CHAPTER TEN: Therapy --

Disclaimers: Refer to Chapter One: Breathe

Author's Notes: Against my better judgment, I've decided to post this chapter, and I'm in so much trouble for doing so. Sorry in advance to my beta; sorry Steph. *Fingers crossed* I hope that to this point, you absolute understand what has happened in the last several chapters. Also, I've tried a new narrative technique; I hope it's not too horrendous. Well, read on and send me some comments/complains – whatever.

~*~

- One Week Later -

DOCTOR: "So, how long have you been married? Do you have any children?"

SARA: "Two years," she replied. "And we have one daughter, Jessica; she just turned five."

DOCTOR: "I see, and who decided to come to therapy?"

NICK: "It was my wife's idea."

DOCTOR: "And how do you feel about that?"

NICK: "I don't really see the importance of discussing out private lives in therapy, when she can just talk to me."

SARA: "Oh, and it's my fault that you can't spend time with your family."

NICK: "I didn't say that, all I'm saying is that if you want to talk things through, we can just sit down, have coffee and talk. Besides, you spend as much time in labs as I do."

SARA: "I-"

DOCTOR: "Mr. Stokes, the first step to resolving a problem is to be less defensive. I can tell that you're very reluctant to be here, but the question is, do you want to save your marriage?"

NICK: "Yes, of course, I want what's best for my family."

SARA scoffs and checks her watch.

NICK: "You know, it's kind of funny how you recommend coming here, and yet you're itching to leave. Waiting for some test results?"

SARA: "Look, the DA is breathing down our necks and I'm on call. But I'm here."

NICK: "Yeah, until that pager goes off," he said bitterly.

SARA: "Listen-"

DOCTOR: "Okay, this is progress. We're setting some things out in the open. Um, since this is about your jobs, why don't you tell be about what you do for a living?"

SARA: "Nick works nights and I days. We both work at the Las Vegas Crime Lab."

DOCTOR: "If you both are working different shifts, how do you spend time with each other?"

SARA: "We see each other…sometimes."

NICK: "Try seldom."

DOCTOR: "Hmm, Mr. Stokes I see that you are upset with the situation, tell me, do you have anything else to add?"

NICK: "Well, we just don't see each other often, between work, our daughter, and our relative – we just don't have the time."

SARA: "And yet you have time for other 'extra-curricular activities'."

NICK: "Sara-"

SARA: "I don't even want to hear it."

DOCTOR: "Wait, do you think your husband is having an affair?"

SARA: "Well, when your husband is seldom at home, misses his daughter's field trips, and when he does come home, he comes smelling like cheap perfume, what would you think?"

DOCTOR: "We're not looking to make assumptions here, pointing fingers isn't the way to deal with this situation,"

NICK: "We already went over this."

SARA glares at her husband.

NICK: "I swear Sara, you drive me up that wall. One day you want me to do something, I do it, and then you change your mind. I've done everything I can, what more do you want?"

SARA: "What I want? I want you to be honest with me, look I know that this isn't what you wanted. And you know, if you want out, just say so. But don't ever lie to me!"

NICK: "Don't pull that holier than thou bullshit on me. Tell me what happened the other night with Grissom."

SARA looked mortified, maintaining her intense stare at NICK.

NICK: "Yeah, I saw you - with Grissom. I always knew that you had feelings for him, but I cannot believe that after all these years-"

- FLASHBACK -

- One Week Earlier -

- NICK'S POV -

'I hope they still have my wallet, I can't believe I left it here this morning.'

I parked the Tahoe close to the pancake house and hopped out. I rushed to the other side; I opened the door to pick Jessie up from her slumber. Although she looked better, I could still hear the light wheezing as her chest rose and fell. She was undergoing a minor asthma attack, and she needed the new inhaler that Sara forgot to pick from the pharmacy. After rushing to the pharmacy, little did I know that I had misplaced my wallet, and after checking the car, the house, and the lab, it led me back here.

Cradling Jessie in my arms, I walked towards the pancake house. I passed numerous shops before stopping in front of the Irish tavern that Sara and I used to frequent. I looked through the crowds of people before I saw two familiar faces.

I felt a sharp stinging sensation surge through my chest with my eyes deeply staring at my wife and my boss moving closer. Suddenly, my breathing seemed to have stopped, as I watched her reaction to their kiss. But as I looked on, she barely moved an inch -- and one second too slow.

Quickly, I ran towards the pancake house before I did anything brash. I couldn't let Jessie see me like that, or either of us fighting, it just wasn't right.

- END FLASHBACK -

SARA: "Oh? And how about Mia? What you think I didn't know, you think you can hide that from me? The whole lab knows, if you didn't notice, we're the laughing stock of the break room, the topic of the day around the water cooler. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have your husband cheat on you with someone you work with, prancing around like nothing's happened? 'Oh there's Sara, pulling another double, I pity her' they all say. So don't you dare-"

NICK: "This is ridiculous!" He proceeds to get up off the couch. "You know what? I've already had taken enough of this-"

SARA: "Sit!"

Both the DOCTOR and NICK stare at SARA.

NICK: "No, I'm not going to sit here arguing about this, believe what you want to believe, do what you want."

DOCTOR: "Mr. Stokes, I think you should sit down, this isn't being productive."

SARA: "I want a divorce!"

NICK: "Whatever you want!"

His chest heaved as he spoke such words; his eyes fixed on the woman before him. He turned to walk out the door, leaving behind his weeping wife. He walked towards his black jeep and slammed the door shut.

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A/N – So, is everything fitting together now? Is anything becoming clearer? Anything? – oceanwave