Sara just sat there for a moment, her mouth gaping open as she looked at Nick. "Where the hell did that come from?" She was incredulous that after being in a car crash that required emergency surgery that the question he was dying to ask her was why she knew the lyrics to some stupid country song.
He smiled softly, giving her hand a squeeze. "I don't know. I just couldn't get it off my mind." He was quiet for a moment and then his expression turned a bit more serious. "It just made me realize that even though I know a lot about you, there's a lot more that I don't know that I still want to know."
Sara felt her chin quiver as tears slipped down her cheeks again, and she just nodded, not trusting her voice momentarily.
"Don't cry, Sara." Nick furrowed his brow and reached over to brush the tears away again.
She shook her head and looked into his eyes and finally managed to choke out her words. "I'm so glad you're ok. I didn't know what happened to you and I was so scared that I'd never see you again."
"I'm here." There was a reassurance in his words that implied a great deal. "Shh, I'm here, Sar." He stroked her cheek with his fingertips.
She nodded. "I know." She sniffled loudly. "I'm so glad you're ok."
Nick looked at her as if he was trying to memorize every curve of her face. "I'm glad you're ok too." He was quiet for a few moments and then smiled. "So when do you think they'll let us out of here?"
She smiled. "I'm pretty sure I'm getting out before you are." She sniffled again, her chin quivering. "This is all my fault." She choked on a sob.
Nick cupped her face with his palm, his thumb caressing her cheek. "Sara, this is not your fault." He looked at her insistently. "Someone hit us, ok. This is not your fault."
She had a pained expression in her eyes. "But if I hadn't quit my job in Vegas, we wouldn't have been driving on that road in the first place."
"Sara, don't second guess, you did what you thought was right for you, I decided to come with you on my own free will. I wanted to be with you." He searched her eyes as he spoke. "Besides, the spleen is a spare part." He winked at her. "I really didn't like mine anyway."
She laughed in spite of herself, wincing at the pressure it put on her ribs. "We are quite the pair, aren't we?"
He nodded with a smile, reaching for her hand again. "Yeah, we are." There were so many things he wanted to say to her just then, but they'd already spent their few minutes together in an emotionally charged atmosphere and so he thought he'd save what was on his mind for another conversation. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare her away by laying his cards out on the table too soon.
The door creaked open and a nurse walked in followed by Grissom. The nurse softly cleared her throat. "I'm sorry to break up this reunion, but you both need to get some rest." A smile tugged the corners of her mouth upwards as she read the expressions on both of their faces.
Sara looked at Nick, giving his hand a squeeze before letting go so that the nurse could take her back to her room. "I'll see you soon." There was a longing expression in her eyes.
Nick felt emotion welling in his throat as he smiled. "You'd better."
The nurse gave Grissom a stern glance. "Just a few minutes, Mr. Grissom." She pushed Sara towards the door.
Nick watched her go until she disappeared into the hallway and then glanced over at Grissom who still stood there.
"How are you feeling, Nicky?" Grissom looked genuinely concerned. He had been there when Nick woke up asking for Sara and he was just glad that the young man seemed to be doing well.
Nick let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Like hell."
"We finally got in touch with your parents, they're flying up in the morning." Grissom informed him.
Nick opened his eyes and looked at Grissom. "Thanks." He knew he owed Grissom an explanation and he figured that he might as well get it over with. "Gris, I'm sorry."
Grissom looked at him quizzically.
"I shouldn't have let you think that I was still in Dallas." Nick felt his brows knit together. "It's just that when I found out that Sara had quit, I needed to see her. I just couldn't let her go without saying goodbye."
Grissom smirked knowingly. "And you needed three or four days to do that?"
Nick looked embarrassed, but nodded. "Yeah, I guess I did."
Grissom studied him for a moment. "Does she know how you feel?"
Nick reacted in surprise. He hadn't told anyone that he had feelings for her, but if he was being honest, especially in those last few moments with Sara, it was obvious that he did. He shook his head. "Not exactly."
Grissom gave Nick a pained expression. "Don't wait too long. She won't wait forever." There was a sadness around the edges of his eyes that belied his own emotions. There was a part of him that thought that Sara would wait for him, would wait until he could figure out how to have a life with her and not lose his entire career because of it. He had spent far too much time calculating the risks that he'd never ventured to take what he considered the biggest risk, even if it meant that he'd miss out on the possibility of the greatest reward. Nick on the other hand, hadn't spent time rationalizing his feelings, he had just followed his heart, and his heart had followed Sara.
Nick knew that this whole situation must be difficult for Grissom. He appreciated his candor in making it clear that he knew that any possibility for a romantic future between himself and Sara was over, and he was making it clear that he wouldn't stand in Nick's way if he chose to pursue her. Nick nodded in understanding. "I won't."
Grissom nodded and then turned to leave, pausing at the door and turning back. "And, Nick, we'll be looking forward to having you back once you've had a chance to recover."
Nick nodded, feeling emotion choking his throat as he watched Grissom go. He appreciated that the unspoken question about the future of his job was answered.
As he lay there, he closed his eyes and his thoughts turned to Sara. He knew almost the instant he had suggested to her that he drive to Seattle with her that he wanted more than just friendship with her. Her leaving had served as the catalyst to make him admit to himself that he'd harbored feelings for her for a while. He suspected that she felt the same way about him, especially after their brief exchange a few moments before, but at the same time, he wanted to be careful that he pursued her slowly, so that neither one of them would look back and question if the accident had caused them to rush things. He felt sleep overtaking him and he willingly gave in, feeling at peace since he knew Sara was ok.
He smiled softly, giving her hand a squeeze. "I don't know. I just couldn't get it off my mind." He was quiet for a moment and then his expression turned a bit more serious. "It just made me realize that even though I know a lot about you, there's a lot more that I don't know that I still want to know."
Sara felt her chin quiver as tears slipped down her cheeks again, and she just nodded, not trusting her voice momentarily.
"Don't cry, Sara." Nick furrowed his brow and reached over to brush the tears away again.
She shook her head and looked into his eyes and finally managed to choke out her words. "I'm so glad you're ok. I didn't know what happened to you and I was so scared that I'd never see you again."
"I'm here." There was a reassurance in his words that implied a great deal. "Shh, I'm here, Sar." He stroked her cheek with his fingertips.
She nodded. "I know." She sniffled loudly. "I'm so glad you're ok."
Nick looked at her as if he was trying to memorize every curve of her face. "I'm glad you're ok too." He was quiet for a few moments and then smiled. "So when do you think they'll let us out of here?"
She smiled. "I'm pretty sure I'm getting out before you are." She sniffled again, her chin quivering. "This is all my fault." She choked on a sob.
Nick cupped her face with his palm, his thumb caressing her cheek. "Sara, this is not your fault." He looked at her insistently. "Someone hit us, ok. This is not your fault."
She had a pained expression in her eyes. "But if I hadn't quit my job in Vegas, we wouldn't have been driving on that road in the first place."
"Sara, don't second guess, you did what you thought was right for you, I decided to come with you on my own free will. I wanted to be with you." He searched her eyes as he spoke. "Besides, the spleen is a spare part." He winked at her. "I really didn't like mine anyway."
She laughed in spite of herself, wincing at the pressure it put on her ribs. "We are quite the pair, aren't we?"
He nodded with a smile, reaching for her hand again. "Yeah, we are." There were so many things he wanted to say to her just then, but they'd already spent their few minutes together in an emotionally charged atmosphere and so he thought he'd save what was on his mind for another conversation. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare her away by laying his cards out on the table too soon.
The door creaked open and a nurse walked in followed by Grissom. The nurse softly cleared her throat. "I'm sorry to break up this reunion, but you both need to get some rest." A smile tugged the corners of her mouth upwards as she read the expressions on both of their faces.
Sara looked at Nick, giving his hand a squeeze before letting go so that the nurse could take her back to her room. "I'll see you soon." There was a longing expression in her eyes.
Nick felt emotion welling in his throat as he smiled. "You'd better."
The nurse gave Grissom a stern glance. "Just a few minutes, Mr. Grissom." She pushed Sara towards the door.
Nick watched her go until she disappeared into the hallway and then glanced over at Grissom who still stood there.
"How are you feeling, Nicky?" Grissom looked genuinely concerned. He had been there when Nick woke up asking for Sara and he was just glad that the young man seemed to be doing well.
Nick let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Like hell."
"We finally got in touch with your parents, they're flying up in the morning." Grissom informed him.
Nick opened his eyes and looked at Grissom. "Thanks." He knew he owed Grissom an explanation and he figured that he might as well get it over with. "Gris, I'm sorry."
Grissom looked at him quizzically.
"I shouldn't have let you think that I was still in Dallas." Nick felt his brows knit together. "It's just that when I found out that Sara had quit, I needed to see her. I just couldn't let her go without saying goodbye."
Grissom smirked knowingly. "And you needed three or four days to do that?"
Nick looked embarrassed, but nodded. "Yeah, I guess I did."
Grissom studied him for a moment. "Does she know how you feel?"
Nick reacted in surprise. He hadn't told anyone that he had feelings for her, but if he was being honest, especially in those last few moments with Sara, it was obvious that he did. He shook his head. "Not exactly."
Grissom gave Nick a pained expression. "Don't wait too long. She won't wait forever." There was a sadness around the edges of his eyes that belied his own emotions. There was a part of him that thought that Sara would wait for him, would wait until he could figure out how to have a life with her and not lose his entire career because of it. He had spent far too much time calculating the risks that he'd never ventured to take what he considered the biggest risk, even if it meant that he'd miss out on the possibility of the greatest reward. Nick on the other hand, hadn't spent time rationalizing his feelings, he had just followed his heart, and his heart had followed Sara.
Nick knew that this whole situation must be difficult for Grissom. He appreciated his candor in making it clear that he knew that any possibility for a romantic future between himself and Sara was over, and he was making it clear that he wouldn't stand in Nick's way if he chose to pursue her. Nick nodded in understanding. "I won't."
Grissom nodded and then turned to leave, pausing at the door and turning back. "And, Nick, we'll be looking forward to having you back once you've had a chance to recover."
Nick nodded, feeling emotion choking his throat as he watched Grissom go. He appreciated that the unspoken question about the future of his job was answered.
As he lay there, he closed his eyes and his thoughts turned to Sara. He knew almost the instant he had suggested to her that he drive to Seattle with her that he wanted more than just friendship with her. Her leaving had served as the catalyst to make him admit to himself that he'd harbored feelings for her for a while. He suspected that she felt the same way about him, especially after their brief exchange a few moments before, but at the same time, he wanted to be careful that he pursued her slowly, so that neither one of them would look back and question if the accident had caused them to rush things. He felt sleep overtaking him and he willingly gave in, feeling at peace since he knew Sara was ok.