Elise, the second needle reversed the effects of the first needle. Grissom is fine, physically. Thanks for catching that.
Beth had fallen into a fitful sleep and Grissom had remained by her side. He couldn't leave her now. She needed someone to lean on, and Greg was still unconscious. He was watching her sleep when his phone vibrated. He picked it up and flipped it open.
"Grissom."
"Grissom, it's Catherine. I just wanted to check up on Beth. How's she doing?"
Grissom arose from his seat and walked to the far corner of the room. "She's sleeping at the moment. I'm worried about her, Catherine. I wish there was some way that I could take her pain away."
"Gil, she's strong. If anyone could pull through this, it would be her."
"I hope so." There was a short pause.
"So how's Greg?"
"He's still sleeping. But I'll call you when he wakes up."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"Well, I should probably get back to work. You take care Gil."
"I will." Grissom shut his phone and returned to his bedside vigil.
Grissom awoke with a start. He had fallen asleep in his chair, and something had woken him up. He looked at Beth, but she was still sleeping. He turned around to see Greg lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Grissom approached the young man slowly, not wanting to disturb him.
Without turning his gaze from the ceiling, Greg spoke. "All I wanted to do was protect her, and I failed. I…" His voice trailed away as tears welled up in his eyes. Grissom waited for him to continue. "I waited for him to come tie my hands. I knew that he would have to put the gun down if he wanted to tie the ropes tight. I waited until the rope touched my skin, and then I jumped him. If only I had been a little faster, the whole thing could have been over before it started. But he grabbed the gun before I had the chance, and he…" Greg paused again. Grissom knew what happened next, even though he had not seen it. Grissom understood what Greg was feeling. Greg needed to voice the wild thoughts chasing each other through his mind. The older man waited patiently for Greg to go on with his recollection. "He shot me in the shoulder. I didn't even feel the initial pain. The only thing that I could think about was Beth. A few seconds later, the pain hit me, and I couldn't even get up. All I could do was lie on the floor and bleed." At this point, Greg turned his gaze from the ceiling to Grissom. "I tried to protect her Grissom, but I ended up almost getting her and myself killed. Do you have any idea what that feels like?"
Grissom didn't know how to respond. He had an understanding of what Greg was feeling. The difference was that Greg had a chance to protect his friends, while Grissom did not have that chance. The older man had been forced to watch, unable to do a single thing.
Grissom chose his words carefully. "Greg, I may never know exactly what you feel, but I feel part of it. I wanted nothing more than to be able to protect both of you, but I couldn't. I couldn't even move." Grissom's voice faded out as his mind wandered back to the incident. A silence fell over the room as both men relived the evening.
When Beth awoke, she found that Grissom was gone. She looked over at the small table and found his phone and a few other items that belonged to him, so she assumed that he had stepped out momentarily, possibly to get food. She was about to go back to sleep when something caught her eye. Greg shifted in his bed. She looked at him to find him staring at the ceiling.
"Greg?" He turned to face her. She saw an emptiness in his eyes that scared her. She wanted to go to him. She wanted to throw her arms around him and take refuge in his embrace, but her injury wouldn't allow her. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she couldn't speak. She finally managed to utter three simple words, words that she was afraid she might never have had the chance to say to him. "I love you." The tears that had been brimming in his eyes now fell down his cheek.
"I love you, too, Beth." Those simple words diffused the tension that had been building in the air, and Beth and Greg were able to momentarily release the mental anguish that they had been feeling. There were no more words said between the two, but the silence spoke volumes. They had begun the healing process. And they had begun together.