Sara took a deep breath and another sip of her wine before she turned
toward Nick. "I left the scene. I just walked under the tape, got in the
Denali, and drove away. I'm sure Grissom is still there processing. He
probably hasn't even noticed that I'm gone."
Nick looked at her incredulously. Sara Sidle leaving a crime scene was unheard of. "What's going on, Sar?" He used the nickname he'd given her shortly after he'd met her to try and put her at ease.
She met his gaze and let out a wry laugh. "I know, me leave a scene; unbelievable, huh? You must think that I'm crazy."
Nick shook his head, concern furrowed his brow. "You're not crazy, Sara, I think maybe you hit your limit."
She nodded and took another sip from the wine; the images of that young girl lying there in front of her home in a pool of her own blood haunting her thoughts. There was a hitch in her voice as she continued. "She was so young, Nick, you saw her."
Nick cast a questioning look her direction.
"If she could have identified the man who raped her, he might be behind bars and she might still be alive." It was clear to Sara now why she'd come to see Nick. She knew deep down that the murder of this young girl would affect him almost as much as it affected her. He had been with her when they had responded to the initial call. It was he who had provided the connection between the crime they were sent to investigate and the crime Grissom was working. When it became apparent that the two crimes were connected, she had worked with Grissom and Warrick, and Nick had worked another case with Catherine before he'd gotten this night off. The tears that had begun at the crime scene began to stream down her face again.
Nick didn't recall having ever seen Sara cry before. "Sara, what happened?" He was trying to put the pieces together about the case, but more than that, he was concerned about her.
Sara met his gaze, tears still flowing, and continued. "She was too scared to write down a number; a stupid number in the lineup. You could see it on her face, she was so terrified. It was obvious that he was the attacker, but we couldn't hold him and he walked."
The color drained out of Nick's face as the realization of who she was talking about sunk in. He remember the young girl, he remembered Sara telling him how she'd climbed into the back of her Denali and asked to be taken to the hospital to get a 'morning after' pill because she'd been raped. "Oh, Sara." There was a hitch in his voice.
Sara reached up and wiped the tears from her face with her fingertips. "They shot her in front of her own house. Her parents found her in a pool of her own blood."
Nick's expression was stoic.
"We follow the evidence and it doesn't give us enough. We should have been able to hold him. You should have seen her, Nick. If she could have just written a number on a piece of paper, she'd still be alive." Sara didn't need Grissom-like explanations right now, she needed a friend, a shoulder to cry on, and that's why she'd come to Nick.
"Hey." Nick pulled her into a hug as Sara began to sob. "I don't know, Sara. Sometimes the system sucks. It's supposed to protect people and this time it screwed up."
Nick knew how a case could get to you. He'd been affected by some more than others. He'd seen Sara get angry before, he'd seen her get physically sick working a case, but he'd never seen her cry. Not that he doubted that she had, but he figured it was in the privacy of her own home. Sara was not a person that easily confided in other people, but they had become good friends after working together for over three years. She had shown him that she trusted him, and she'd confided in him more and more, especially over the last couple of months.
He held her for a while and she just clung to him.
Her sobs tapered off and she just let him hold her, she needed comfort and she needed to feel secure and she felt that with Nick. As she rested her head against his shoulder, she whispered. "Don't tell anyone."
A smile played at Nick's mouth. Sara never wanted anyone to know that she was human, that things affected her, but for some reason, she always told Nick. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
She sniffled. "I hope Grissom doesn't call, I don't want to go back out there tonight. I just don't think I can handle it."
Her admission caused Nick to hug her a little tighter. "You don't have to go anywhere."
They sat there like that for a long time; Sara finally falling asleep, drained emotionally and physically from crying and from the case itself. Nick watched her sleep for a while, not daring to move lest she wake up, until he too fell asleep.
And that's how Chelsea found them. Nick's head rested against the back of the couch, his arms wrapped around Sara, while his feet had slid under the coffee table. Sara's head still rested against Nick's shoulder her hands were against his chest, and her legs were tucked up underneath her on the couch. Chelsea smiled. Her intuition had been right on it seemed. Whether he would admit it or not, she suspected that Nick was in love with Sara, and from their proximity and from the fact that she'd show up on his doorstep in the middle of the night, Chelsea was betting that Sara had similar feelings for Nick.
Chelsea reached over and ruffled Nick's hair. "Hey, little brother, wake up."
Nick stirred slightly, tightening his grip on Sara and mumbled in response. "Five more minutes."
Chelsea grinned mussing his hair again. "Nick, wake up."
"Not time yet." Nick mumbled again.
Sara began to stir, her eyes fluttering open. She felt disoriented for a moment and then the events of the previous night began to filter into her consciousness.
"Morning, Sara." Chelsea's voice was cheery.
Sara blinked at her, taking a minute to get her bearings, and then feeling slightly embarrassed at being found asleep in Nick's arms. "Hey, Chelsea."
Chelsea had a mischievous glint in her eye. "Want to help wake Nick up?"
Sara smiled softly. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, I could give you a little dirt on Nicky here. I remember one time when he was in high school, there was this girl, a cheerleader." Chelsea moved her head closer and closer to Nick's ear to make sure he heard every word she said. "She had a little thing for Nick here and after one particular football game, she wanted to show her appreciation for him running in the winning touchdown, so she walked in on him in the showers in the locker room and well, let's just say that when the coach walked in a little bit later, he saw quite a bit more than he bargained for."
Nick's eyes opened. "I'm up. No more stories, Chels."
Sara started to laugh then stopped, locking eyes with Nick for a moment as they both realized their proximity. They smiled at each other, and then Sara pushed away from Nick and sat upright.
Chelsea noticed the slight awkwardness of the situation and decided not to say anything about it, at least for the moment. "Well, Sara, we'll have to chat another time. I've got plenty of stories I could tell you about Nick. Unfortunately, I need to catch a plane."
Sara grinned, glancing over at Nick who was running his fingers through his hair. "I could just give you my phone number; just in case you feel the need to share."
"That's a great idea." Chelsea smirked at Nick who was shaking his head.
Nick looked over at Sara. "And you wonder why no one ever meets my family."
Sara tried to swallow her smile. "So far I like your family."
"You'd fit right in." Chelsea commented.
Nick and Sara both stopped talking. Nick got up from the couch and smiled at Chelsea. "What time is your flight, Chels?"
Chelsea feigned an innocent expression. "Now, Nick, don't we have time for breakfast?"
Nick grinned at her. "I wonder if Mom and Dad are up yet."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Ok, no more stories, but breakfast is my treat, but only if Sara comes too."
Nick glanced over at Sara who was watching the sibling interaction with interest and amusement. "What do you say? Want to come to the airport?"
Sara smiled. "Sure, who knows what else I might learn."
Nick looked at her incredulously. Sara Sidle leaving a crime scene was unheard of. "What's going on, Sar?" He used the nickname he'd given her shortly after he'd met her to try and put her at ease.
She met his gaze and let out a wry laugh. "I know, me leave a scene; unbelievable, huh? You must think that I'm crazy."
Nick shook his head, concern furrowed his brow. "You're not crazy, Sara, I think maybe you hit your limit."
She nodded and took another sip from the wine; the images of that young girl lying there in front of her home in a pool of her own blood haunting her thoughts. There was a hitch in her voice as she continued. "She was so young, Nick, you saw her."
Nick cast a questioning look her direction.
"If she could have identified the man who raped her, he might be behind bars and she might still be alive." It was clear to Sara now why she'd come to see Nick. She knew deep down that the murder of this young girl would affect him almost as much as it affected her. He had been with her when they had responded to the initial call. It was he who had provided the connection between the crime they were sent to investigate and the crime Grissom was working. When it became apparent that the two crimes were connected, she had worked with Grissom and Warrick, and Nick had worked another case with Catherine before he'd gotten this night off. The tears that had begun at the crime scene began to stream down her face again.
Nick didn't recall having ever seen Sara cry before. "Sara, what happened?" He was trying to put the pieces together about the case, but more than that, he was concerned about her.
Sara met his gaze, tears still flowing, and continued. "She was too scared to write down a number; a stupid number in the lineup. You could see it on her face, she was so terrified. It was obvious that he was the attacker, but we couldn't hold him and he walked."
The color drained out of Nick's face as the realization of who she was talking about sunk in. He remember the young girl, he remembered Sara telling him how she'd climbed into the back of her Denali and asked to be taken to the hospital to get a 'morning after' pill because she'd been raped. "Oh, Sara." There was a hitch in his voice.
Sara reached up and wiped the tears from her face with her fingertips. "They shot her in front of her own house. Her parents found her in a pool of her own blood."
Nick's expression was stoic.
"We follow the evidence and it doesn't give us enough. We should have been able to hold him. You should have seen her, Nick. If she could have just written a number on a piece of paper, she'd still be alive." Sara didn't need Grissom-like explanations right now, she needed a friend, a shoulder to cry on, and that's why she'd come to Nick.
"Hey." Nick pulled her into a hug as Sara began to sob. "I don't know, Sara. Sometimes the system sucks. It's supposed to protect people and this time it screwed up."
Nick knew how a case could get to you. He'd been affected by some more than others. He'd seen Sara get angry before, he'd seen her get physically sick working a case, but he'd never seen her cry. Not that he doubted that she had, but he figured it was in the privacy of her own home. Sara was not a person that easily confided in other people, but they had become good friends after working together for over three years. She had shown him that she trusted him, and she'd confided in him more and more, especially over the last couple of months.
He held her for a while and she just clung to him.
Her sobs tapered off and she just let him hold her, she needed comfort and she needed to feel secure and she felt that with Nick. As she rested her head against his shoulder, she whispered. "Don't tell anyone."
A smile played at Nick's mouth. Sara never wanted anyone to know that she was human, that things affected her, but for some reason, she always told Nick. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
She sniffled. "I hope Grissom doesn't call, I don't want to go back out there tonight. I just don't think I can handle it."
Her admission caused Nick to hug her a little tighter. "You don't have to go anywhere."
They sat there like that for a long time; Sara finally falling asleep, drained emotionally and physically from crying and from the case itself. Nick watched her sleep for a while, not daring to move lest she wake up, until he too fell asleep.
And that's how Chelsea found them. Nick's head rested against the back of the couch, his arms wrapped around Sara, while his feet had slid under the coffee table. Sara's head still rested against Nick's shoulder her hands were against his chest, and her legs were tucked up underneath her on the couch. Chelsea smiled. Her intuition had been right on it seemed. Whether he would admit it or not, she suspected that Nick was in love with Sara, and from their proximity and from the fact that she'd show up on his doorstep in the middle of the night, Chelsea was betting that Sara had similar feelings for Nick.
Chelsea reached over and ruffled Nick's hair. "Hey, little brother, wake up."
Nick stirred slightly, tightening his grip on Sara and mumbled in response. "Five more minutes."
Chelsea grinned mussing his hair again. "Nick, wake up."
"Not time yet." Nick mumbled again.
Sara began to stir, her eyes fluttering open. She felt disoriented for a moment and then the events of the previous night began to filter into her consciousness.
"Morning, Sara." Chelsea's voice was cheery.
Sara blinked at her, taking a minute to get her bearings, and then feeling slightly embarrassed at being found asleep in Nick's arms. "Hey, Chelsea."
Chelsea had a mischievous glint in her eye. "Want to help wake Nick up?"
Sara smiled softly. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, I could give you a little dirt on Nicky here. I remember one time when he was in high school, there was this girl, a cheerleader." Chelsea moved her head closer and closer to Nick's ear to make sure he heard every word she said. "She had a little thing for Nick here and after one particular football game, she wanted to show her appreciation for him running in the winning touchdown, so she walked in on him in the showers in the locker room and well, let's just say that when the coach walked in a little bit later, he saw quite a bit more than he bargained for."
Nick's eyes opened. "I'm up. No more stories, Chels."
Sara started to laugh then stopped, locking eyes with Nick for a moment as they both realized their proximity. They smiled at each other, and then Sara pushed away from Nick and sat upright.
Chelsea noticed the slight awkwardness of the situation and decided not to say anything about it, at least for the moment. "Well, Sara, we'll have to chat another time. I've got plenty of stories I could tell you about Nick. Unfortunately, I need to catch a plane."
Sara grinned, glancing over at Nick who was running his fingers through his hair. "I could just give you my phone number; just in case you feel the need to share."
"That's a great idea." Chelsea smirked at Nick who was shaking his head.
Nick looked over at Sara. "And you wonder why no one ever meets my family."
Sara tried to swallow her smile. "So far I like your family."
"You'd fit right in." Chelsea commented.
Nick and Sara both stopped talking. Nick got up from the couch and smiled at Chelsea. "What time is your flight, Chels?"
Chelsea feigned an innocent expression. "Now, Nick, don't we have time for breakfast?"
Nick grinned at her. "I wonder if Mom and Dad are up yet."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Ok, no more stories, but breakfast is my treat, but only if Sara comes too."
Nick glanced over at Sara who was watching the sibling interaction with interest and amusement. "What do you say? Want to come to the airport?"
Sara smiled. "Sure, who knows what else I might learn."