It seemed to Grissom that the flight was both the longest and shortest one he'd ever been on. He'd taken the next available flight out of Las Vegas bound for San Francisco. Without any further knowledge of Nick and Sara's conditions, he just stared out the window of the 737, brow furrowed as he hoped for the best but prepared himself for the worst. He pushed aside thoughts of how Nick had misled him about where he was and why he needed the extra time off and concentrated instead on what he would tell Nick's family if things didn't turn out right. The highway patrol and the hospital had not been able to get in touch with Nick's family and so had called Grissom instead. He tried to formulate what he would say to Sara to try and convince her to return to Vegas and how he would live with the regret of their diminished friendship if she wasn't ok.
Before Grissom could fully process that he was on the ground, he was getting a rental car and heading towards San Francisco General Hospital, the only level II trauma center in the Bay area. Heading immediately for the ER he went directly to the reception area and began firing off questions.
"I'm looking for Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes. They came in as victims of a car accident. They were supposed to be in surgery." Grissom looked worried.
As calmly as possible the receptionist picked up the phone and relayed the information Grissom had given her. After replacing the handset, she looked up at him and gestured down the hallway. "Go down that hall, turn left and take the elevator to the fourth floor. The nurses up there can help you."
Grissom barely nodded as he followed her instructions. The elevator seemed to move so slowly that he was sure that he could have taken the stairs faster. When it opened, he burst out and walked directly up to the nurse's stations. "Nick Stokes? Sara Sidle?"
A nurse who appeared to be used to frazzled people asking her questions raised a single eyebrow. "And you are?"
Grissom was immediately annoyed. "Gil Grissom. Las Vegas Crime Lab. I got a call."
She nodded and then pointed toward a row of chairs in a waiting room. "Have a seat and someone will be with you in a few minutes."
Grissom was about to argue, but then realized that he needed to sit down. The weight of his worry was taking its toll on him. He sat down in an orange vinyl covered chair and glanced up at the flickering images on a TV that had the sound off. His brows were deeply knit together and he rested his chin on his laced fingers, his elbows on his knees.
A kind voice interrupted Grissom's thoughts. "Mr. Grissom?"
Grissom swallowed hard and stood up. "How, how are they? Nick? Sara?"
The doctor, a man about Grissom's age, dressed in scrubs stepped forward and extended his hand. "I'm Dr. Franklin."
Grissom wasn't interested in formalities, but he extended his hand anyway.
The doctor gave Grissom an encouraging smile. "Mr. Stokes just got out of surgery. Fortunately, he only suffered a ruptured spleen and a couple of bruised ribs. It could have been far worse."
Grissom felt a wave of relief wash over him, but lack of information about Sara troubled him deeply.
The doctor sensed Grissom's trepidation. "If you'll come with me, you can see Ms. Sidle."
The weight that had been in Grissom's shoulders since he'd first heard the news, began to lift measurably. "She's ok?" His expression implored the doctor as he followed him down the hallway.
Dr. Franklin stopped in front of a room and gestured. "I'll let you see for yourself." He stepped into the room with Grissom in tow. "Ms. Sidle, you have a visitor."
Sara glanced up and surprise registered on her face as she noticed Grissom. "Hi."
"Hi." Grissom's tone was tentative as he stepped towards her bed. "I heard you and Nick were in an accident." The doctor stepped out of the room and left them alone.
"Apparently." She managed to quip and then winced as her ribs reminded her that they were sore.
Grissom noted the cast on her arm. "What happened?" He studied her, wanting to say so much, yet not sure what was appropriate.
She shook her head. "I'm not completely sure. One minute Nick and I were singing along to some stupid song on the radio and the next I was waking up in the ER feeling like hell."
Grissom took a seat in the chair next to her bed. "Your arm?"
She glanced down at the cast. "Compound fracture from the airbag. Couple of pins and I'm good to go, but since they think I've got a concussion they won't let me out." She felt emotion welling in her throat. "Not that I care right now." She began to sniffle. "I just want Nick to be ok." She felt a sob choke her throat.
Grissom reached over and put his hand on her arm in a reassuring gesture. "The doctor told me he just got out of surgery. He's going to be fine, Sara."
Sara couldn't stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks. "I don't know if I could live with myself if something happened to him."
The depth of her confession gave Grissom just one more piece of information to solidify in his mind that his two young CSIs were closer than he'd thought before he'd gotten that call. "Sara, he's going to be fine. Nicky's tough." His expression implored her to believe him.
Sara nodded, her chin quivering slightly. At the moment, though Grissom wasn't who she had expected to walk through that door, she was glad he was there. She had missed his friendship and right now she really needed it, especially until she could see with her own eyes that Nick was indeed going to be ok.
"Do you need anything?" Grissom asked gently. "Do you want me to call anyone?"
She considered his words for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, do you think you could call my parents? We were supposed to spend the night there and I think they might be getting worried. I called them an hour or so before the crash, but it didn't occur to me until now that they don't know that I'm here."
Grissom nodded and then stood, looking at her for a moment and then smiling. "Sara, I'm really glad you're ok. I was really worried."
"Thanks." Sara looked at him, wondering how less than a few days ago his behavior had been the straw that broke the camel's back and made her quit her job and leave Vegas and now, here he was, being the friend she needed. On some level she half expected that she would have renewed feelings for him, but for the first time she realized that she really was over him and she really had moved on. Now she just hoped that who she'd moved on to would be ok.
Grissom turned and stepped out of the room, letting out a sigh of relief that Sara was ok. He moved towards the waiting room to make a few phone calls. First he'd call Sara's parents, then Nick's and then finally he'd call Catherine so that she and Warrick and the rest of the lab would know that Nick and Sara would be ok.
Before Grissom could fully process that he was on the ground, he was getting a rental car and heading towards San Francisco General Hospital, the only level II trauma center in the Bay area. Heading immediately for the ER he went directly to the reception area and began firing off questions.
"I'm looking for Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes. They came in as victims of a car accident. They were supposed to be in surgery." Grissom looked worried.
As calmly as possible the receptionist picked up the phone and relayed the information Grissom had given her. After replacing the handset, she looked up at him and gestured down the hallway. "Go down that hall, turn left and take the elevator to the fourth floor. The nurses up there can help you."
Grissom barely nodded as he followed her instructions. The elevator seemed to move so slowly that he was sure that he could have taken the stairs faster. When it opened, he burst out and walked directly up to the nurse's stations. "Nick Stokes? Sara Sidle?"
A nurse who appeared to be used to frazzled people asking her questions raised a single eyebrow. "And you are?"
Grissom was immediately annoyed. "Gil Grissom. Las Vegas Crime Lab. I got a call."
She nodded and then pointed toward a row of chairs in a waiting room. "Have a seat and someone will be with you in a few minutes."
Grissom was about to argue, but then realized that he needed to sit down. The weight of his worry was taking its toll on him. He sat down in an orange vinyl covered chair and glanced up at the flickering images on a TV that had the sound off. His brows were deeply knit together and he rested his chin on his laced fingers, his elbows on his knees.
A kind voice interrupted Grissom's thoughts. "Mr. Grissom?"
Grissom swallowed hard and stood up. "How, how are they? Nick? Sara?"
The doctor, a man about Grissom's age, dressed in scrubs stepped forward and extended his hand. "I'm Dr. Franklin."
Grissom wasn't interested in formalities, but he extended his hand anyway.
The doctor gave Grissom an encouraging smile. "Mr. Stokes just got out of surgery. Fortunately, he only suffered a ruptured spleen and a couple of bruised ribs. It could have been far worse."
Grissom felt a wave of relief wash over him, but lack of information about Sara troubled him deeply.
The doctor sensed Grissom's trepidation. "If you'll come with me, you can see Ms. Sidle."
The weight that had been in Grissom's shoulders since he'd first heard the news, began to lift measurably. "She's ok?" His expression implored the doctor as he followed him down the hallway.
Dr. Franklin stopped in front of a room and gestured. "I'll let you see for yourself." He stepped into the room with Grissom in tow. "Ms. Sidle, you have a visitor."
Sara glanced up and surprise registered on her face as she noticed Grissom. "Hi."
"Hi." Grissom's tone was tentative as he stepped towards her bed. "I heard you and Nick were in an accident." The doctor stepped out of the room and left them alone.
"Apparently." She managed to quip and then winced as her ribs reminded her that they were sore.
Grissom noted the cast on her arm. "What happened?" He studied her, wanting to say so much, yet not sure what was appropriate.
She shook her head. "I'm not completely sure. One minute Nick and I were singing along to some stupid song on the radio and the next I was waking up in the ER feeling like hell."
Grissom took a seat in the chair next to her bed. "Your arm?"
She glanced down at the cast. "Compound fracture from the airbag. Couple of pins and I'm good to go, but since they think I've got a concussion they won't let me out." She felt emotion welling in her throat. "Not that I care right now." She began to sniffle. "I just want Nick to be ok." She felt a sob choke her throat.
Grissom reached over and put his hand on her arm in a reassuring gesture. "The doctor told me he just got out of surgery. He's going to be fine, Sara."
Sara couldn't stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks. "I don't know if I could live with myself if something happened to him."
The depth of her confession gave Grissom just one more piece of information to solidify in his mind that his two young CSIs were closer than he'd thought before he'd gotten that call. "Sara, he's going to be fine. Nicky's tough." His expression implored her to believe him.
Sara nodded, her chin quivering slightly. At the moment, though Grissom wasn't who she had expected to walk through that door, she was glad he was there. She had missed his friendship and right now she really needed it, especially until she could see with her own eyes that Nick was indeed going to be ok.
"Do you need anything?" Grissom asked gently. "Do you want me to call anyone?"
She considered his words for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, do you think you could call my parents? We were supposed to spend the night there and I think they might be getting worried. I called them an hour or so before the crash, but it didn't occur to me until now that they don't know that I'm here."
Grissom nodded and then stood, looking at her for a moment and then smiling. "Sara, I'm really glad you're ok. I was really worried."
"Thanks." Sara looked at him, wondering how less than a few days ago his behavior had been the straw that broke the camel's back and made her quit her job and leave Vegas and now, here he was, being the friend she needed. On some level she half expected that she would have renewed feelings for him, but for the first time she realized that she really was over him and she really had moved on. Now she just hoped that who she'd moved on to would be ok.
Grissom turned and stepped out of the room, letting out a sigh of relief that Sara was ok. He moved towards the waiting room to make a few phone calls. First he'd call Sara's parents, then Nick's and then finally he'd call Catherine so that she and Warrick and the rest of the lab would know that Nick and Sara would be ok.