Author's Note: I was happy to see that this story was so well received. Here's chapter two and I hope I don't disappoint.
v.v.v
Only
for the one he loves would Nick touch barf buckets and clean their
faces of traces that they had up heaved everything ingested in the
past two hours. But he doesn't just wipe away barf from Greg's face,
but tears as his stomach betrays him and all he can do anymore is dry
heave and gag.
When Greg isn't throwing up, he's sleeping in
their bed or on their couch, cuddled up in Nick's arms, head resting
on his chest or in his lap. Nick watches Greg breathe and runs a hand
through the young man's hair.
Greg doesn't remember Sara and
Catherine coming over one day before shift. He doesn't remember Sara
holding his hand and telling him how lucky he was to have Nick by his
side through the entire treatment and telling him how upset Nick has
been because he is so scared of losing his Greggo.
He doesn't
remember Catherine consoling a crying Nick in the kitchen because
Nick is so scared of what might happen to Greg is the chemotherapy
doesn't work. How to deal with Greg being too weak to walk and Greg
waking up to find locks of his hair on his pillow. How he is supposed
to stay strong for Greg and himself as well.
Grissom calls
every day to talk to Nick about how Greg is feeling, what he looks
like, what his complaints are, how much he is sleeping, how many pain
meds he has taken and Grissom always asks Nick if he needs anyone to
help him.
Warrick stops by every three days and calls on the
days in between. He brings movies that him and Nick watch and
occasionally Greg wakes up for a few minutes to watch with the boys.
But soon he falls back asleep and Warrick watches in awe at how much
love and care Nick gives Greg as he gets him situated on the couch
next to him, wrapping him in a blanket and kissing him lightly on the
forehead.
"You really love him, don't you?"
Nick
gives Warrick a smile of pure pride. "With all my heart."
He
even loves to hear Greg snore.
v.v.v
Greg
isn't sleeping as much any more and he goes out with Nick to the
Strip at night to see shows and pouts like a child when he realizes
that he will never be able to see Siegfried and Roy show. Nick has to
explain to Greg that the FBI is currently investigating the attack
and Greg suggests they go to a magic show instead. Nick tells Greg
the story of a magician's murder he investigated a couple of years
ago and Greg decides to not risk being chosen as a volunteer from the
audience.
Nick scoots closer to Greg in the booth and runs his
hand along the inside of Greg's thigh, getting dangerously close to
his crotch. Greg tries to hide the rising blush on his face as he
looks at Nick with an expression that falls between 'cut that out'
and 'God, I want you so bad' and Nick laughs, backing off a little
and wraps an arm around Greg's shoulders and Greg lets out a sigh as
he rests his head on Nick's shoulders.
The night would have
been perfect until Greg felt a dull pain in the small of his back. He
tries hiding the discomfort from Nick, not wanting to worry him but
when his face screws in pain from what felt like someone stabbing him
in the same place as the pain from before, Nick noticed and began to
panic.
Nick grabs Greg's hand and his lover squeezes back as
another jolt of pain hits his back. "I want to go home,"
Greg whines and tries to walk away as Nick drops $100 on the table,
but doubles over in pain and drops to his knees as the pain courses
down his legs and up his spine to the base of his neck.
"Call
911!" Nick yells and drops to the ground beside Greg, scooping
his boyfriend into his arms as Greg begins to cry.
v.v.v
Round
two of the chemotherapy started yesterday and Greg is back to
sleeping all the time. But when Nick has to wake him up to take his
medication, they talk for a few minutes. Greg declares one day that
as soon as he was able to, him and Nick are going to go out and buy a
huge fish tank and buy colorful fish and a little scuba diver
too.
When Greg can finally stay awake for a few hours and can
walk without assistance from Nick, the two venture to Pet Smart and
buy whatever fish Greg wants and they even get the little scuba diver
with a pink wetsuit and Greg watches the diver float up and down more
than he does the fish.
At night, him and Nick sit and stare at
the fluorescent light in the darkness of their family room. Greg
falling asleep in Nick's arms and Nick watching the reflection of the
water from the tank bounce off Greg's pale face and he smiles because
this is how things should be - - Greg smiling and Nick smiling and
the happy couple sharing private moments like these that make their
relationship special.
Nick feeds the fish for Greg when he's
sleeping and even when Greg wakes up, he feeds the fish no matter how
long ago Nick did. He has named them all after the other people on
nightshift - - Greg let Nick pick his fish before he claimed his own
and dubbed the ugliest one Hodges.
Greg calls Grissom to tell
him the great news and Nick laughs because he sounds like a little
boy, telling Grissom all about his new pets with plenty of "ums"
and "likes" to satisfy everyone.
Greg is going in
for his third round of chemotherapy out of seven and the night
before Nick has to bring Greg to the hospital for the next couple of
days, Nick tucks Greg into their bed like his own little boy. Greg's
still too weak for any sex and Nick is afraid to push him even if he
is.
Nick stays awake and watches Greg sleep, twisted up in the
sheets that fall loosely around hips. Greg rolls over and Nick sees a
patch of Greg's hair stuck to the pillow.
My hair is going
to fall out.
Nick picks up the lock of hair and rubs it
between his fingers before slipping the strands of hair into a drawer
on his nightstand. He can start to see patches on Greg's head where
his hair is falling out.
That night, Nick cries himself to
sleep.