At the lab …

Warrick stormed into the CSI building, determined to take action.  He couldn't sit back and wait on word that Nick would be okay.  He had to do something or go insane.

Ecklie sighed when Warrick slammed into his office.  He had been expecting this sooner or later.  "What do you want Brown?"

"What evidence to you got on the bastards?"

The day shift supervisor took a sip of his coffee, and then set his mug down.  "You know I can't tell you.  We can't risk the evidence becoming contaminated."

"Damn it!  We're talking about cop killers!  Nicky is lying in the hospital because of these punks!"

"All the more reason to make sure the case is air-tight."

Warrick open his mouth to say more, but Ecklie held up a hand to stop him.  "Get out of here Brown.  You can't work this case.  It's personal for you."

"Fuck yeah it's personal!  Nick is my best friend!"

"I promised Grissom I keep him in the loop.  Now go do both of us a favor and leave the building.  Don't get in my way, or any of my people.  If you really want these sons of bitches to pay let us catch them.  You'd just get everything thrown out of court."

Ecklie flinched when Warrick stormed back out, causing his mug to tip over when the door banged behind him.

Warrick was moving down the hall like a demon ready for the kill when he spotted O'Riley and a uniform bringing in a Hispanic teen.  The boy was dressed like a gang member.  In a few long strides he caught them.

"Is he one of them?" he shouted grabbing the kid by the collar.  "Is he one of the fuckin' shitheads from the shooting?"

"Hey man!  I know my rights!" the kid insisted.  "Let me go!"

"Brown, let him go!" O'Riley warned.  "We're handling this!"

"Are you on crack, dude!" the kid yelled when Warrick slammed him up against the wall.  "I don't gotta take this!  This is police brutality!"

"If my friend dies because of you and your punk ass friends, you're gonna have a helluva lot more than police brutality," Warrick growled.  "So if you're smart you're gonna roll over on your friends and plead guilty."

"Fuck you!"

Warrick pulled the boy back them slammed him back against the wall.  "Don't fuck with me!  I am not in the mood!"

O'Riley pried Warrick's hand away from the kid, allowing two officers to take him away.

"You need to watch it!  Shit like that can blow the whole case!" O'Riley insisted, voice sharp.  "I know you're worried about Nicky, and I am too.  But if we want to get the assholes we're gonna do it all by the book.  Even the paperwork is gonna have all the i's dotted and the t's crossed.  We're not gonna let them walk on a damn technicality."

Warrick sighed, anger simmering just under the surface.

"Now," O'Riley continued.  "Why don't you head on back to the hospital and see how things are going with Nick."

Warrick nodded tiredly.

Desert Palms Hospital …

Brass looked weary as he rolled his wheelchair into the Solarium where the rest of the CSIs where waiting.

"Breyerson didn't make it," he said softly.  "I just ran into his partner."

"Oh, man," Greg moaned.  "I played pool with him just three nights ago."

"The goddamn punks are lucky I'm in not condition to go after them right now," Brass said with deadly calm.  "They went after me and my boys."

"Yes," Grissom snapped.  "And Nicky was caught in the crossfire when they went after your boys."

Anger flared in Brass' eyes as he rolled straight up to Grissom.  "Nicky is one of my boys, and don't forget that.  I was in your shoes once and you don't just walk away from that.  You understand me?"

Grissom looked exhausted suddenly.  He nodded.

Nick and Kristy were walking along an endless stretch of highway.  He was still confused as to what he was doing there.  A part of him understood it was some strange dream his subconscious created, but it was unsettling.

Nick hadn't thought about Kristy in some time.

Yes there was the occasional nightmare about her death.  For a long time he blamed himself for her death.  If only he had stay over.  But he hadn't, so he was forced to face it.

Then there was the occasional dream she starred in.  He could feel himself blush just thinking about that.

"I always knew you had a dirty mind," his companion teased suddenly.

"Huh?"  He looked at her in shock, and then his features soften.  "Right.  Subconscious.  So you know what's goin' on in my head."

"Kinda weird, huh?"

Nick chuckled.  "Everything about this is weird."

"Yeah."  Kristy leaned toward him as if she were going to tell him a secret.  "You see dead people," she whispered with a teasing smile.

He couldn't help but laugh at that.  "Man, I do have some lame jokes laying around in there, don't I?"

"They would put Greg to shame."

Nick sobered, thinking of his friends.  "They're probably worried about me."

"I know they are."

He stopped walking and she was forced to turn and face him.  "What do you want, Nicky?"

"I don't know.  I guess I want to be awake and doing fine.  That everything that happened is a dream and when I wake up I'm gonna go to work and tease Greg, and make bets with Warrick.  Sara's gonna be giving me a hard time about that witness last week who grabbed my ass.  Cath's gonna be mothering me and Grissom is gonna tell me again about how bugs establish time of death."  He threw his hands up in the air.  "This is bullshit!  I'm on an operating table apparently fighting for my life, but my mind is playing games with me while I'm unconscious!  I am one seriously fucked up individual!"

"I'm not going to argue with you on this Nicky," Kristy said softly.

He stood and stared at her, angry, confused and hurting.  He didn't want to be here, torturing himself with her image.

"Come on, there's more to see."  She took his hand and started to pull him down the road once more.

************************************************************************************************************

AN:  Here it is!  Another installment of this drama!  Yay me!

Anyway, I guess it's kinda short, but at least it's something.  And I gotta keep my readers happy!  You all have been so wonderful and generous with your reviews!  So this is my thank you.  I'm starting to slowly get back into the groove.  But I'm making no promises.