Happy Enough by SLynn
Disclaimer: Any character you recognize, not mine.
Chapter 12: Overprotective
By the next day Nick had called twice, both times receiving no answer. Sara had called as well, still avoided. Even Catherine had tried to reach him on both his home and cell phones.
Greg just wasn't answering. He knew he should, knew he needed to at least tell him he was okay, but couldn't do it. He didn't want pity any more. Instead he called Grissom knowing he'd be at lunch and left a message on the machine saying he'd be in the next night.
'Besides,' he'd reasoned 'I am picking up my mom today. I should spend her first night in town with her.'
Jeff and Maggie Sanders had never wanted their only son living in Las Vegas. They wanted him no further then San Francisco where he'd gone to college. His father worked in the city as a software engineer and his mother taught second grade at a private school in the suburbs. They were well to do but not fabulously wealthy.
The also hadn't wanted him to work for the crime lab. It's not that they completely disagreed with their son's decisions in life. They respected that he was old enough to decide on his own, they just wanted him safe. After years of watching him suffer they didn't want to see him hurt again.
Seeing him at the airport confirmed Maggie's worst suspicions. He looked tired and the medicines, although only in him a few days, already appeared to have drained some of his color.
Despite the cold afternoon weather they were experiencing, Greg blasted the air conditioner all the way back to his apartment. She knew that he would combat all attempts at what he termed her 'coddling', but she couldn't help but run a hand past his forehead. It was very warm.
"My body's just adjusting to the medication," he said as he pulled back from her touch. "In a few days I'll be fine."
She doubted it, but held her tongue.
Arriving at his apartment she couldn't contain the sigh.
"How do you live like this?" she asked, as she stepped around the boxes he'd been packing.
"It's not normally this bad," was his short answer.
"Every time I come here it is."
Greg didn't respond. He didn't want to fight with her so soon, not over something so stupid. Instead he offered to take her bag into his room and like it or not, they had their first fight.
She didn't want to inconvenience him, he needed his rest, and she'd sleep on the couch.
It wasn't an inconvenience, he hardly slept anyway, and he'd sleep on the couch.
It was exactly why he hadn't wanted her to come.
Deciding to drop the subject all together, he asked about his dad, her job, anything to keep her from smothering him with attention. She seemed to have caught the hint and they sat down and had a very nice conversation about everything but Greg and his cancer.
Then Greg's cell phone went off.
After three rings Maggie asked him if he wanted her to answer it. He declined and picked it up.
"Greg Sanders," he said into it as he watched his mother get up and begin to tidy up his kitchen.
"No, I've got a minute."
He peeked around the corner and saw his mother checking the contents of his fridge. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the call.
"I'm sure you can save it, no, if you just…"
Greg stopped and listened to the panicked voice on the other end. The new lab tech seemed to think that she'd destroyed all the evidence, had completely freaked out and then called him.
"Put it under the hood immediately," he said as clearly as he could.
"No," he said shaking his head and looking up as his mother walked back in, curious at the exchange taking place. "No, do not tell anyone yet. Not until we know if it's really gone."
Greg sighed. 'God was I ever this clueless.'
"Amy, there's no point in … Are you listening? Okay, there's no point in telling Griss that you've wrecked evidence unless we're sure."
Greg smiled up at his mom momentarily, feeling a bit too grown up. She'd been thinking the same thing.
"Stall them. Say anything you'd like, just stall them. I'm coming in."
Maggie looked at him surprised.
"I know I don't work there anymore, but it'll be fine. It will. Calm down, it'll take me less then ten minutes to be there."
Greg was already going for his coat and keys.
"Thank me after we fix it," he said with a smile. "Bye."
Maggie was still giving him that look.
"I've got to go in," he said as he pulled on his coat and then grabbed his medications. He'd be there at least past his next dosage.
"Can't some one else go?"
"No," he said truthfully. Hodges would just yell at her or make her feel stupid, and Greg kind of felt responsible for her. Amy was new and nice and didn't need the grief.
"What did you mean when you said you didn't work there anymore?"
Greg had hoped to avoid this topic. While he personally was thrilled to be promoted, he didn't think either of his parents would feel the same.
"Can we talk about it when I get back?" he asked, hoping she'd forget.
"Okay, but please don't stay long. You really shouldn't be working at all."
"You can reach me by cell," was his way of avoiding it as he ran out the door.
Fifteen minutes later he was in the lab and looking over what had been done. Amy had explained it all, again, and wasn't nearly as frantic as she'd been on the phone.
"This isn't that bad," he said looking through the microscope. "I think it'll be fine."
"Really?" she asked, leaning up near the door frame. Greg had told her to keep watch.
"Yeah, come look."
Amy walked over and peered into the scope. There was still enough viable to get a good DNA match. Apparently Amy had accidentally spilt one of the chemicals in the lab onto the only blood stain found at the latest crime scene that hadn't matched the victims. A good eighty percent was destroyed, but they'd be able to work with what remained.
"Thank you," she said looking up at him in relief. "Thank you so much. I thought for sure I was going to get fired."
"Are you kidding? If I didn't get fired for all the crap I've done, there's no way they'd fire you for an accident."
"I'd be lying if I didn't say it was hard living up to the standards you've set."
Greg actually blushed. Amy was a few years younger then himself, not but a year out of college at least. She wasn't what he typically thought was attractive, but she definitely had his attention.
"The only standards I set around here were in decibel levels."
"If only," she smiled. "No, the way everyone talks about you around here, I think you'd be surprised."
"Well, I'm not too surprised if they're talking about me at the moment," he said somber again.
Amy's smile had gone too.
'Of course she knows,' Greg figured. He'd hoped maybe she hadn't.
"So, what do I do now?"
"You have to file a report," Greg continued, shrugging off the uneasiness. "and tell Grissom. Trust me, he responds well to honest confession. If you try to hide this, he'll know. He's omnipresent, kind of like Santa, only no reindeer. Or presents. And he doesn't laugh a lot."
"So the stories about the elves are true?"
"Every word."
Greg smiled again.
"You're going to be fine," he said as he headed out of the lab towards the break room.
Glad he didn't have to go far to find who he was looking for, Greg sat down across from Nick at the table.
"Did I mention that one of the side effects of the numerous drugs I am now taking was that I might become a complete ass to my friends and co-workers?"
Nick looked up at him and laughed.
"That would have been good to know sooner."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about yesterday."
"No problem. Any particular reason you braved the stares and whispers of your co-workers today and graced us with your presence?"
Greg looked at him oddly.
"I saw you in the lab with Amy."
"That?" Greg asked, unable to fight the blush he felt rise in his cheeks, "No, she just needed some help with something. It's nothing."
"Ah," Nick said, not relenting. "So you're going the subtle route. I get it."
"Greg doesn't know where the subtle route is," Sara said walking in on the two.
"I'm wounded. I thought I was very subtle when I was wooing you."
"Okay, wooing? No one woos anymore. And subtle? No."
Greg gave her a look of shock to which she laughed.
"Seriously, what brought you back so soon?" Nick asked again. "Griss said not to expect you in tonight."
"I might have overreacted a bit," Greg conceded.
Nick and Sara both fixed him with a gaze that clearly showed they knew there had to be more to the story.
"And my mom is in town, at my apartment now probably re-arranging my sock drawer and looking for porn."
"Ew," Sara said, standing up to leave.
"That bad?" Nick asked with a laugh.
"You have no idea."