Issues by SLynn

Disclaimer: I own only the thoughts in my head and the characters you don't recognize.

Chapter 9: Day Shift

While one half of the team spent their Friday night at a club, Catherine and Warrick were still hard at work compiling a list of potentials. Despite bringing Greg's record back with her, Catherine hadn't even touched it. She couldn't. It felt like invasion of privacy. Instead, they worked off of the others.

Soon enough they had at least three to four candidates that fit the general profile and were not Greg. Catherine was already leaning towards a guy with mommy issues while Warrick was keeping his mind open.

They still didn't have much to go on. Tonight they'd planned to look through some of the more recent unsolved murders in the area. Who ever had done this, it was obviously not their first time. Catherine had just been ready to suggest a break when Warrick started to laugh.

"What is it?" she asked, interested as to what he could find funny about any of this.

"Ah, man. What are the odds on this?"

Catherine looked over his shoulder. He was re-reading Dr. Sanchez's appointment book, making sure they hadn't missed a patient.

"What?"

"I mean, how many shrinks are there in the city, hundreds? Got to be hundreds."

"I still don't see what's so funny," Catherine said.

Warrick shut the book before she could see what he had and positively grinned at her.

"Good?" she asked.

"So," he said, leaning back to really relish it. "What are the odds that our Dr. Sanchez not only treats one person from this lab, but two?"

Catherine looked puzzled.

"Even better," he continued still smug, "but how much greater are the odds that those two people are on the same shift?"

"Who?" she asked at a loss.

"I'll give you a hint," Warrick said, leaning in towards her a bit. "Dr. Sanchez's other patient just about got Greg fired today."

Catherine's grin now matched Warrick's. Sometimes life was good.

Two minutes later they'd arrived in his lab.

"I told you," Hodges said without looking up at either of them, "that I don't have it yet. When you get me something decent to compare it too, maybe. But as it is, half of a natural fiber isn't enough to go on, even for me."

"Oh, we're not here about that." Catherine said smoothly.

"Do you have anything new for me?" he asked, finally meeting their gazes.

"In a way," she continued. "Care to tell us why you never mentioned that you were also a regular patient of Dr. Sanchez's?"

"I don't have the privilege of understanding you."

"We came across your name in her appointment book. David Hodges, like clockwork every third Wednesday." Warrick supplied for him.

"That," he said, getting to his feet and looking nervously down the hall "is not your business. I have rights. Besides, unlike persons who shall remain nameless, I have informed my supervisor of these visits which are only for anger management."

"Did Grissom know?" Catherine asked, knowing for certain he didn't. Hodges wouldn't be anywhere near the evidence if he had.

"The senior lab tech did."

"But not Grissom," Warrick added.

"I didn't think it was necessary to inform him."

"You're working, right now even, on a case where you had regular contact with the victim. You didn't think that might not be grounds for dismissal during a trial? Might not bring into question the validity of the evidence?" Catherine asked in disbelief.

"Sanders was first onto that scene, I don't hear you talking about him compromising…"

"Greg is not who we are discussing right now. Greg had enough sense to realize that his presence might be constituted as a compromise and removed himself from the scene immediately and then he went straight to Grissom." Catherine said visibly angry.

Hodges had nothing to say to it.

"I'll be letting Grissom know about this tonight," she finished "you might want to start getting ready for your review board."

Greg arrived two hours early to his first shift on Monday morning. He hadn't been able to sleep, years of graveyard shift taking its toll, and he decided to just go in. Amy was glad to have the company, but there wasn't anything for either of them to do.

After several cups of coffee and stifled yawns between them, Greg finally just told Amy to go home. She looked exhausted.

"But you're going to have to stay all day."

"I'll be fine," Greg said feeling really anything but. His body was normally slowing down about now, getting ready for sleep. Not trying to function.

"Are you sure?" she asked again, although Greg saw she'd already taken off her own lab coat.

"Go. Get some sleep. I'm planning on leaving as much work as possible for you anyway."

"Ah," she exclaimed, "but we have swing shift between us."

"And swing shift has never done anything useful since I've been here."

"Point taken," Amy said with a smile and a wave. "I'll rest up."

"See you," Greg called out as she left.

As soon as she was gone Greg started rearranging the lab. It had nearly driven him crazy the last time he worked in there earlier that week. Nothing had been kept where he was use to it, and if he was going to have to stay in the lab for at least six months then some things were going to have to change. Sorry Amy.

"What are you doing?"

Greg looked up from behind the counter he'd been busy resorting. He knew he looked ridiculous, he must have. He'd dragged have of the contents out onto the floor and was nearly inside of the cabinet to his waist.

"Hey Grissom," he said managing to bump his head lightly as he got out of the cabinet "I'm just doing a little cleaning."

"The lab is clean Greg."

"I know I'm just not use to where everything is so I'm putting things back."

"To where they belong."

"Exactly. Well, back to where I think they belong."

Grissom just continued to fix him with a stare.

"Okay, so I took psych 101 and I know I'm probably just doing this to put some order back into my own life. Like nesting, but without the baby."

"Greg…"

"I've got to spend a lot of time in here so I just want things to be where I left them. Neat."

"Greg…"

"And is it really too much to ask for anyone to throw out the empty boxes of gloves. They shouldn't even keep the gloves down here anyway."

"Greg," Grissom finally said loud enough to stop him.

"I'm babbling aren't I?"

"A little."

"Sorry."

"It's fine."

"I just want to get this day over with," Greg said with a sigh as he tossed the empty box into the trash can beside the desk.

"I know it."

"That and I'll probably fall asleep in a blood sample around ten. I'm just not a morning person."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Grissom said with a smile on his face. "Don't worry though, not everyone on day shift is hard to work with."

"I'm sure they're all swell."

"That's the spirit."

Greg watched Grissom leave, not sure if he'd caught his sarcasm. Sara stopped in briefly before leaving for the day. She and Nick had been out at a scene for most of the night and got back well into the start of day shift. She'd only stayed long enough to tell him goodnight, morning he'd reminded her, and say that she'd be waiting for him when he got home.

Two hours officially into his first day shift and Greg thought he might die of boredom. Absolutely nothing was happening. Worse, the other lab techs avoided him like the plague. It was as if they thought that by talking to him or looking him in the eye they'd be psycho by association. Amy had been right about the gossip mill behind the scenes at the crime lab, because they were working full tilt on him now.

Greg thought idly about what they might be saying about Hodges. Probably nothing. Sometimes it takes awhile for karma to catch up. As near as anyone could tell Hodges got off with a slap on the wrist for doing almost the same thing Greg had done. The big 'almost' being that Hodges wasn't on any type of medication for his therapy visits and that he had in fact informed his supervisor, just not the right supervisor. Greg had seen the arrogant bastard that morning, smiling without a care in the world.

It was nearly eleven-thirty before anyone came into the lab. It was a woman he recognized from his review board. The one whose name he couldn't remember.

"Greg Sanders right?"

"My fame precedes me."

"Sofia Curtis," she said offering her hand to him. He shook it once and asked what she had for him.

"Skin samples from an investigation this morning. I'll have the swabs from the suspects for you to match in a few more hours."

"I'll have this ready by then," he answered, glad to have something to finally do. He needed the distraction to keep him awake.

She nodded but didn't leave. Greg was already starting work and at first hadn't noticed she was still there apparently waiting for something more. He finally looked up at her expectantly.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about this."

"About what?" he asked, "There's plenty here for a good sample."

"Not the sample," she shook her head "For this." As she said it, she indicated the lab. "You shouldn't have been forced back into this job. I wanted you to know that I thought you were handling yourself fine and that I hadn't voted against you."

"Grissom said there was another hold out," Greg said smiling back at her.

"Well, the biggest thing in your favor was his. He thinks you can be a great CSI and weren't getting a fair enough chance. I trust his judgment."

"Thanks," he said.

"I just hope this whole experience hasn't made you change your mind."