He's sitting next to her. I'm not sure if he's even bothered to move after Sara got out of surgery. Jim is sitting in the corner snoring. If Nick hears him, he doesn't say anything. Nick's gaze is so far beyond the wall he has been staring at for the last few minutes.

I tried to prepare myself to see Sara like this. It's nothing like in the movies or on television. Her skin is really pale; it's a white that is impossible to describe. The tubes are so much more invasive than I imagined. There was a ventilator, multiple intravenous lines, and other plastic invading Sara's body. Her brother says something to me, but I only hear the noise. I'm so shocked by the condition of her body. It's hard to think about anything else.

I gently tapped on the window. I wasn't sure if Nick wanted me in there; this was such a personal time. It was time that he needed to spend with his family. For as much as I wanted to be there, I wasn't sure if this would be over stepping my boundaries. I always had a crush on Sara; I always called it just a crush because I knew Sara wouldn't return my feelings. I would never be anything more than something of a little brother to her. It's okay though; I would take her friendship over nothing.

Nick looked up. He waved us in to her room. The look on his face was so lost. It was a raw despair.

"James . . . hey," Nick said as James surveyed his sister's ravaged body.

"She's going to be okay?" James asked with disbelief. It was the same thing that I was thinking. I was hoping that it looked much worse than it actually was.

"The doctor said that he'll know more when some of the swelling goes down. Sara is going to have her brain activity measured in a few hours . . . when the anesthesia begins to wear off," Nick said.

"Wow . . . do you mind if I have some time alone with Sara and the guy sleeping in the corner?" James asked. He tried to smile; James tried to crack jokes the entire drive from the airport. He was so much like Sara when she was nervous. James and Sara had so many of the same features; huge brown eyes, a slight gap between their front teeth. They had nearly the same personality; it was easy to feel comfortable around them.

"Jim Brass is the detective working her case . . . he's a good friend. He didn't want to leave until Sara wakes up," Nick said.

"Oh, I'm sure Sara appreciates that. I promise I won't hog her for too long," James replied. I followed Nick out into the hallway.

"How are you doing?" I ineptly asked. I already knew the answer. He wasn't doing well; his wife of only three months was involved in a car accident that could have easily been fatal.

"Not well . . . Greg . . . I'm sorry . . . I don't even know what to say," Nick said as he watched James talk to Sara through a small window.

"It's okay . . . you really don't need to apologize. I'm just glad that she made it this far," I replied.

"Thanks for picking James up at the airport," Nick replied.

"I'm picking your sister up in a few hours. She called the crime lab when she couldn't get you on your cell. Grissom asked me to pick Jacqui up," I said. I had actually spent the greater part of my lunch break trying set up some kind of lodging for his sister, his mother, and Sara's brother. I figured it was the little things that would make his life easier right now. I knew Grissom wasn't thinking about those little things right now; I knew that Sara's family wasn't thinking about that stuff either. I remember those things made the passing of my grandmother a little easier. A friend of the family made sure that there was someone there to pick me up at the airport; it was nice to not have to worry about having my basic needs met . . . it gave me more time to concentrate on the important things.

"Oh . . . Jacqui . . . or Ellen . . . or Gayle . . . which one?" Nick asked; his brow furrowed a little bit. He asked it so seriously, but I wanted to laugh. It was hard to remember that he was from such a large family; I don't think anyone other than Sara had met any of his family. I wasn't prepared to be presented with so many options.

"Jacqui . . . your mom's flight is coming in later this evening," I replied.

"I should go home to get the townhouse ready . . . it's a mess. Sara and I have been working so much lately," Nick tried to explain.

"I already reserved rooms at the Palms for them . . . it's taken care of, Nick," I replied.

"Thanks, man . . . you know . . . Sara really appreciates this . . . I really appreciate this," Nick stammered.

"Hey . . . don't worry about it . . . you know what they say about family," I replied.

"Yeh . . . we're lucky . . . we're luck to have so many people. Could you go back to my house? My wedding band in on the dress drawer . . . I'm not sure where Sara hides hers, but could you find them?" Nick asked.

"Yeh . . . do you need anything else from home?" I asked. I was glad that he was talking . . . Grissom said that there was Nick's ability to be so stoic was unnatural. Grissom said that he had never seen Nick shut down; Nick had always been so vocal about his disappointment, frustration, and anger. I knew that I would have preferred to see Nick yell rather than hold it all in.

"I don't know," Nick replied.

"Well, if you think of anything," I replied as I accepted his key chain. There were easily thirty keys on chain . . . I was sure that I would be entertained up until I got back on shift.

"Thanks," Nick replied.

"I bet Sara made a beautiful bride," I replied.

"She was wearing hiking boots," Nick said.

"I'm sure they looked lovely," I said laughing.

"She did look good . . . we hiked up into the mountains. It was a good day," Nick replied. His face softened a little bit.

"That sounds like Sara . . . Nick, she's going to be okay. You guys are going to be okay . . . you'll go home . . . I'm sure Sara will take a few weeks off to boss you around while recuperating, but it will work out," I said.

"How do you know?" Nick asked.

"You two always reminded me of my grandparents . . . just not as old . . . and not as eccentric. They had a good life together . . . over fifty years. You and Sara . . . you'll have that," I replied as I began to walk down the hallway.

"Thanks, Greg," Nick said. I could see the tears fall down his cheek. I was happy that it wasn't me. I hoped Sara would wake up soon . . . she needed to wake up soon. I hated to watch him suffer; I hated to watch Sara suffered. They both had suffered so much over three years. I hoped that they could seek some solace in each other.

I couldn't believe that the CSIs hadn't noticed the change in Nick and Sara. I knew something was up. The way they lingered together; the way they moved together. It was beautiful to watch. I saw the tan line on Nick's finger. I wasn't about to ask; if they wanted us to know, they would tell us. I was just happy they finally found each other.