Title: Alive Again
Summary: Sara and Warrick become closer after he saves her life.
A/N: I actually wrote this chapter twice! I hated the first draft though as it felt unbelievable boring. Basically Nick/Warrick on a case file discussing Sara. I decided to do a complete rewrite so that the chapter included Sara, however I removed the case file. Oh well...there must always be a sacrifice. Once again thanks for the reviews. I could write a whole story on how much I appreciate them. :)
Spoilers: Possibly anything all the way up to Early Rollout.
Rating: PG13 for language and some adult situations.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. If I did I wouldn't be living in this shoddy little apartment dreaming about winning the lottery. :)
Chapter Fourteen:
A few weeks later...
Nick bounded into Sara's hospital room exhibiting more enthusiasm than he actually felt. Whenever he visited Sara these days he forced a happy front on his face for her benefit. She seemed to appreciate people treating her normally.
"Hey Nick!"
He grinned widely. "Holy crap you can talk!"
She chuckled. "Yep they got those damn wires out of my mouth yesterday. So please please please bring me some real food the next time you come. I've been eating through a straw for way too long now."
"Sure thing. How are you feeling?"
She shrugged. "Pretty good. Bored out of my mind. I miss the lab. How is everyone doing? Outside of you and Warrick I haven't had many visitors."
Nick smiled. "They care Sara but since you've been gone we have been swamped. Grissom refused to even accept a temporary replacement for you. He didn't want to give Carvallo an excuse to send you to Ecklie's shift."
"Hehe. I will have to thank him when I see him next. However, honestly it might be awhile before I can hit a crime scene again." She tapped the cast on her leg with her knuckles.
"You know you still haven't let me sign that thing."
She eyed him suspiciously. "Yeah well I am not sure I trust you."
"Oh come on Sara. I even brought a brand new Sharpie marker for this occasion," Nick pleaded.
She sighed. "Alright Nick but if you write anything stupid or embarrassing I promise you that you will see the second coming of Lorena Bobbit," she threatened mockingly.
"Whoa! Sara you are a dangerous woman. Alright just trust me. This will be...perfect," Nick said as he began writing on her cast. When he caught her trying to look he used his other hand as a shield from her prying eyes.
Sara didn't view his snickering as a good sign. "You know Nick I have to wear this cast for several more months. You don't want to piss me off."
Nick continued to snicker before pulling back and sitting well out of arm's reach. He watched Sara as she read what he wrote.
"NICK! I told you..." she growled and glared at him.
"Oh come on you like it. Admit it."
"Nick Stokes how old are you? Seriously. 'Sara and Warrick sitting in the tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G...'"
Nick continued to laugh. Sara couldn't help but join him even as she demanded he give her the marker so she could change what he wrote. When he refused she threw a half full cup of water at him.
"Haha, now who is acting childish?" he teased.
"You are such a dork."
"But you love me anyways." He winked at her.
"Yeah I do. Dork."
"So when do you get out of this cell? I know you must be going out of your mind," Nick inquired.
"Two days! Oh my god I can't believe I didn't mention that right away," she said excitingly.
"Wow. You aren't going home are you? With that cast you will have a hard time getting around. You know you could stay with me, I have an extra bedroom."
She smiled warmly. "I uh, I'm going to be staying with Warrick."
Nick raised his eyebrows. "You know you keep trying to tell me nothing is going on..."
Sara rolled her eyes. "I am not moving in with him. This is just temporary until I can make it back to my place. A month or two perhaps."
They spent the next twenty minutes chatting about the lab, food, movies and any other topic that had the grace to come up. Nick decided to test her good mood and bring up a difficult topic. So far Sara had been completely unwilling and uncooperative when it came to discussing her kidnapping.
"Hey you know the trial date has been set," he said cautiously.
"I don't want to talk about it," she said firmly.
"Sara..."
"Nick! I don't want to talk about it ok? God why do you guys have to keep bringing this up? I am fine. I don't need this to be the defining event of my life. I am ready to move on."
Nick lowered his head so that he was no longer looking at her. "I'm sorry. I guess I am just worried."
"Don't worry. I am fine."
He finally nodded before standing up. "Ok I need to get going. Grissom has us all working overtime."
She smiled. "Say hello to everyone for me."
Nick grinned before kissing her lightly on the forehead. "I miss you there. See you soon." He didn't comment on the fact that she flinched noticeably at his touch.
Nick left her room just as worried about Sara as when he entered. She put on a convincing front but he knew that she simply was hiding her pain very well. Nick knew what it was like to have someone touch you against your will. He knew the inner shame that came from such abuse very well.
*****
Two days later...
"Hey girl you ready to go?"
"Sure am!"
Warrick grinned. "Ok you got all of your things together yet?"
"Things? Oh please Warrick. That is like a hospital robe and a few dead flowers at this point," Sara quipped.
"Ok then let me get your wheel chair."
"Hey I don't need a wheel chair!"
"Sara don't be difficult." He didn't give her a chance to respond before he walked away.
When he returned she glared at him. "I don't need that. I can walk out of here."
Warrick groaned. "Sara you have a broken leg. Get in the damn chair or I am going to carry you out of here."
"I could use crutches," she said even as she sat down in the chair.
Warrick grabbed her things and set them in her lap. "You don't have to be strong all the time you know," he whispered lightly in her ear.
On the way back to Warrick's apartment they made small talk. Warrick decided to let her choose when she wanted to talk about what happened. Nick had expressed his worry over this multiple times, but Warrick felt that Sara needed to deal with this on her own terms. She needed to prove to herself first that she could handle anything thrown at her. He honestly hadn't thought she would agree to stay with him when she was released from the hospital. He had expected Sara to be so stubborn that she would attempt to walk home in a cast, without crutches and wearing a buttless hospital gown just so she could prove that she could do it. The woman was damn stubborn. It was one of the things he admired about her.
The bruises had faded from her skin and the cuts were healing. He knew she was still having a difficult time despite her protests of being 'fine'. The way she flinched every time he tried to touch her was an indication that something was wrong. Warrick didn't try and coax her to talk about it though. Honestly he didn't do this solely for her benefit, he remained quiet for his own benefit as well.
Every time someone mentioned Thomas Mortesen, Warrick wanted to kill the man himself. If Sara talked to him about what happened in her own words, he was afraid he might do something very stupid. Cory still hadn't come through for him yet, but Warrick wasn't worried. Mortesen had only been transferred over to the prison a few days ago. He would wait patiently for his revenge to come through.
"Warrick?"
Warrick blinked. "Yeah?"
"You looked angry there for a moment. Is something wrong?"
"Um, no. Just thinking about a case."
"Well we have been here at your apartment for a few minutes. Think we should go up?" she teased.
He grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. Stay in your seat. I'll help you get out."
Sara groaned loudly enough for him to hear. When he opened her door she was glaring at him. "You know I can handle this myself."
"Yeah yeah," he said even as he gingerly picked her up and pulled her from the vehicle. "Ok lets just go up. We will come back for your dead flowers and hospital robes later."
"I can make it up the stairs on my own."
"Has anyone ever told you that you are a stubborn woman?"
She chuckled. "Yeah all the time."
"Well just relax for once and let someone help you. I am going to carry you."
"Okay okay but if you say anything about my weight I will hurt you. Badly."
"Yes ma'am." Warrick picked her up and proceeded to complain about her weight all the way up the stairs. When he set her down at the doorstep she proceeded to slap his shoulder playfully a few times.
When he opened the door to his home she gasped. He had went and collected various things from her apartment and placed them around his home. Several of her books and movies lined his shelves. He had even went so far as to bring her couch pillows and favorite afghan.
"Warrick..."
"Hey I just want you to be comfortable here. You can stay as long as you want. Listen I need to run back down to the car to get your crutches and a few other things. Be right back."
Sara nodded. She looked around the apartment and smiled. She realized that Warrick was compromising with her. Something that many men would have a hard time doing. He turned his apartment into a blend of both of their tastes. When he returned she smiled at him.
"I thought you might be mad that I did this. Your reactions are difficult to judge."
"I like it. Thank you Warrick."
He moved close to her but she turned her head away when he tried to kiss her. Warrick felt a pang in his heart but didn't blame Sara.
She took several deep breaths. "I, I'm sorry Warrick I didn't mean to do that. I still want you its just..."
He cut her off with a gentle 'shhh'. He used his hand to lift her chin up so she could look him in the eyes. "Its ok. Take as much time as you need Sara. I am here."
She nodded and pulled away to put some distance between them. "So whats for dinner?" she said as a way of changing the subject.
"Pasta. Vegetarian pasta." Warrick proceeded to make a few gagging noises and the mood was once again lightened as they joked with each other throughout dinner. After dinner they played a game of chess and Sara was surprised to find that Warrick was a very good player.
"Hey how did you get this good! I was expecting to smoke you!"
He gave her a playful wink. "Grissom taught me how to play. And like any skill of value it takes practice," he said salaciously.
"You are too much for me Warrick Brown," Sara said as she conceded defeat.
He sighed. "I wish I didn't have to go to work tonight. Listen, you will be sleeping in my bed. I'll be sleeping in the guest bedroom. I'll probably be working a little late so don't feel like you have to wait up for me."
"Warrick you don't have to give up your bed for me."
"Hey there is a connecting bathroom right next to the bed. If you stayed in the guest room you would have to get up and go down the hall. Do you think I am cruel or something? I mean you are a cripple now," he joked.
She eyed him seriously. "I know that you probably thought that we could um share a bed, but I unjustly just need some time."
"Sara I have everything I want right here with me now," he replied warmly. "Make yourself at home. I am going to go shower and get ready for work." He smiled at her and walked to the hall bathroom and closed the door. Once inside he sat on the edge of the tub and allowed his mask of acceptance to slip away. Sara wouldn't even let him touch her without cringing or flinching away. He hadn't lied when he told her to take as much time as she needed, but that didn't mean it would be easy to deal with either.
He spent thirty minutes in the shower letting the nearly scalding hot water wash the tension out of his shoulders. Finally when he couldn't stand the heat any longer he stepped out and dried off. Wrapping a towel around his waist he left the room and went into the bedroom to get some clothes.
After he got ready he went into the living room to say goodbye and head to work.
"You look good in a towel." She said as she turned the page of a magazine she was reading.
Warrick looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah so I was looking. Want to make something of it?"
Warrick laughed. "You say that as I am about to go to work. You are an evil evil woman Sara Sidle."
"I get that a lot. Strange."
He laughed as he picked up his things and left the apartment. After double checking that the door was locked he started down the stairs when his cell rang. He checked who was calling before lifting the phone to his ear.
"Hey Nick whats up? I am just heading to the lab."
"Damn Warrick! Have you heard?"
Warrick tensed. He thought he knew was what coming. "Heard what?"
"Thomas Mortesen is dead!"
"No shit."
"Thats all you've got to say? 'No shit'? I can't believe you aren't freaking out over this. Someone needs to tell Sara...."
"Don't say anything to her Nick. I'll tell her later. Hey listen someone else is calling in. I'll catch up with you at the lab."
Warrick switched lines. "Brown."
"Warrick this is Grissom. You need to get to the lab asap."
"I am on my way now Griss. Whats up?"
"Warrick do you know a man named Cory Parks?"
"Uh yeah. Why do you ask?"
"Well he was involved in the murder of Thomas Mortesen earlier this morning and there are a few people standing in my office right now who seem to think you had something to do with it."
To be continued....
