Happy Enough by SLynn

Disclaimer: Any character you recognize, not mine.

Notes: Thank you, thank you, and thank you for all the reviews. BabyAlyx96 and szhismine I'm glad you're enjoying it. Hopefully, as the title suggests, I'll be able to give you all a happy enough ending, but the evil earwigs in my head haven't quite decided.

Chapter 8: Break

It was nearly five in the morning on Sunday.

Sara and Greg had been back less then an hour, having thoroughly retraced every inch of the house. They hadn't come up empty handed either. Found a few more fibers and a definite print on the outside ledge of the master bedroom.

It had been a good night but neither one had brought up the trip.

Greg sat in the break room doing just that, taking a break. He'd realized two things. One, he hadn't worked a full night in nearly a week. And two, in a little over twenty-four hours his whole life could change.

Being in the field had helped. Work had helped. It let him forget for awhile. And he most definitely needed to forget.

"We're going to grab breakfast soon, are you in?" Warrick asked from the doorway.

"Yeah, sounds good. Who's picking?"

"I think its Cath's turn, so it'll be somewhere halfway decent at least."

Greg nodded and yawned all at once, not even bothering to cover his mouth.

"Just let me know before we go, okay?"

"You got it," Warrick said as he left.

Alone again, Greg got up and stretched. Break time was definitely over. If he stayed on the couch any longer it was going to turn into nap time. As he got up Nick walked in.

"Ah, hard at work," he said with a somewhat goofy grin.

"I'm a glutton," Greg said as he finished his stretch and stifled a fresh yawn.

"I heard you and Sara found some good stuff."

"We didn't do too bad. Okay, well she didn't do too bad. I just basically go where she points and then sit there until she tells me I can move again. I've been upgraded from lab rat to blood hound."

"You'll be collecting soon," Nick said with a laugh, "Although I think you've just earned a new nickname."

Greg laughed too, but knew it was to be short lived. He'd chickened out with Grissom, made a complete fool of himself with Sara, but he had to tell Nick no matter what the cost.

"Hey listen," he started, "do you got a minute?"

"Sure," Nick said hearing the seriousness that had crept into Greg's voice.

"This is just going to be easier to tell you now then it will be tomorrow, so I'm just going to try and say it."

Nick had a feeling where this was headed.

"Where you picked me up today, I'm not diagnosed yet. I don't know if I have it. I will soon, I'll know tomorrow. It's why I've been so different this week."

Nick almost told him that he was 'different' every week, but held back. Greg was having a hard time spitting all of this out and didn't need the distraction.

"I wanted to tell you sooner. You're the best friend I've got; I just haven't been adjusting to the idea very well."

"It's cool. I knew you'd tell me eventually."

"So you knew?"

"No," Nick said honestly, "I mean yes, I knew something was wrong and that you might be, well…"

"Sick?"

"Yeah, sick," Nick repeated feeling the weight of the word. "But I didn't know, I didn't think it was cancer. Not until Friday."

Both men looked around the room for a distraction. For the moment not able to look at each other.

"What are the odds?"

The voice caught them both off guard. Neither had noticed that Warrick had slipped back into the room.

"Um, not to good. The doctor told me that I probably had ALL, that it was all pointing to acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Normally adults don't get it, but for me it wouldn't be a new occurrence, just a relapse."

"For recovery?" Warrick clarified, sitting on the nearest table, "What are the odds for recovery?"

Greg sat back down on the couch.

"I'd have between a thirty to fifty percent chance of event-free survival."

"But you've been through this before, right? You said relapse." Nick asked trying to sound hopeful.

"Yeah, but that's not exactly event-free is it?"

"How old were you?" Warrick asked.

"Four. Almost four. I've been in remission for nearly seventeen years."

A whistle escaped his lips before Warrick could stop himself. He'd never known. Greg must have spent half his childhood in a hospital and he'd never known. Till he was at least ten or eleven, that's a long time. Made him kind of understand how come Greg could act a bit childish every once in a while. He must not have had much of a chance back then.

"Did you tell your folks?" Nick asked.

"No, I'm waiting till tomorrow. If I have to that is."

"When would you start treatment?"

"I didn't ask. I guess immediately. Well, after I find a new apartment."

Nick and Warrick both laughed. They couldn't help it. It had to be the oddest thing for anyone to say considering the subject matter. Completely unrelated and very much like the Greg they knew.

"What?" Greg said even as he joined them.

"Only you man," Warrick said, still laughing, "Only you."

"It's a valid concern," Greg said in mock defense.

"It's like you're fifth apartment this year."

"Fourth," Greg corrected Nick. "I think I'm on some kind of 'Do Not Rent' list."

"Can't imagine why," Nick said sarcastically.

"Hey, I pay my bills. I'm only occasionally late with rent, but that's mainly because I work nights and can't keep my days straight. And I'm relatively quiet."

"Greg, there isn't nothing about you that's quiet." Warrick put in.

Greg just sort of shook his head in agreement. It felt so good to laugh, even for a second.

"Seriously though," Warrick said after they'd all settled back down. "You talk with Griss yet?"

"No," he said flatly. "It's not the easiest conversation to start."

"Well you should. He'll want to know," Warrick said as he stood up again. "Help if he can."

"Yeah, I know." Greg said standing as well.

"Us too man," Nick said clapping him once on the arm. "We're here for you."

"Thanks," Greg replied, his emotions starting to get the best of him again.

"Hey," Catherine said from the door way, having just walked in.

The three of them must have looked suspicious judging by the look she returned.

"Breakfast, remember?"

"Sorry Cath," Warrick said, "we got to talking about something else. I completely forgot why I came in here."

"Sara and Gil are waiting in the lobby," she replied, not sure what had been going on. None of them looked too good at the moment. Rattled almost, but she shook it off. She knew like the rest of them that eventually Greg would make his way to her.