One Of Us 4/?
------------------------------
THIRTY MINUTES LATER
"Your hand isn't badly damaged, Mister Stokes, but you did break two of the small bones." The nurse informed Nick as she finished drying his cast. He flexed the fingers cautiously and was grateful to find that the pain was more than bearable.
"Yeah, not to mention your wall."
"Not a big deal. Everybody working in the ER tonight understands your motivation, believe me. You'll have to wear this for the next two weeks, but it should heal fine." She told him, gently turning his hand over and checking her work.
"Do you know if they've taken him upstairs yet?"
"A few minutes ago. Your friend went with him. She asked me to tell you that she'd be back down in a little while to let you know his room number."
"Have they scheduled his surgery yet?"
"That I don't know, but I can find out. Hang out here for a minute and get used to that cast. I'll be right back, okay?"
Nick nodded distractedly, studying his hand and flexing the fingers again. When someone stepped in a few minutes later, he looked up in anticipation, but it wasn't the nurse.
"Damn. Hey Gris."
"Nick. What happened?"
"Punched a wall. Twice. Go on, I know you wanna say it. I can see it in your face."
"Say what?"
"That it wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done."
"Why restate the obvious? Any more information on Greg?"
"Yeah. That's why I punched the wall. The tox report said he was drugged. GHB."
"Any alcohol in his system?"
Nick frowned, kicking himself for not checking that. Realizing his friend had been so fundamentally betrayed had driven all other considerations out of his mind. He reached for the sheaf of papers beside him and searched them quickly, holding them in his injured hand and turning the pages with the other.
"Not a drop. No booze, no other drugs."
"I didn't expect there would be, but...."
"I didn't even think about it. He may be a little flaky, but he's the best at what he does and he loves doin' it. He'd never risk his job by drinkin' before he came on shift."
"I don't think so either. He's also a veteran at the clubs. He knows the rules."
"Never put your drink down and walk away. Yeah, he does.... God. You're sayin'...."
"Whoever did this was someone he trusted."
"But... he was found by the janitor before the club opened. So it's likely nothing happened there."
"Which means he was moved after he passed out. Since Greg can't help us just yet, it's up to us to find out his point of origin."
"Gris.... I'd feel like crap doin' that. He can't consent...."
"We'd do it for any other victim, Nick. Searching his apartment is just another step. It may lead us to who did this."
"He's right, Nicky." Catherine agreed, stepping in to join the other two. "I don't like it much either, but we have to. If he has a day runner or an address book, maybe he wrote something down.... I'll take any lead right now."
"No. What you'll take is eight hours of sleep." Grissom corrected her, touching her arm lightly. "You both need to rest. I'll stay until Sara and Warrick get here. You two go home."
"Gris..." Nick started to protest. His boss shut him down.
"You've done all you can and more than I should have asked of you. Go home."
Nick's expression said he wanted to ruin his good hand in the same manner he'd broken the other one.
"It's not right. We can't leave him alone...."
"He won't be."
"But you can't be in there with him." Catherine reminded him.
"I have a theory about that. I need to talk to the doctor before I test my hypothesis, but I'm hopeful."
"Okay. So, give. What's this theory?"
"It may not be all males that set him off, just ones he isn't familiar with. If even one of the rapists was a stranger to him, he'd consider all male strangers a threat."
"But faces and voices he knows might not trigger the extreme reaction. It makes sense." Catherine agreed.
"I'm glad you think so. Now go home, both of you and get some rest."
Nick chuckled wearily.
"That an order, boss-man?"
"I can make it one, if you like, but it's more like advice."
Nick sighed heavily before looking up at Grissom.
"Soon as the nurse gets back, I'll take it."
She returned just then, smiling gently as she handed Nick a short page of instructions.
"You probably know most of this, but I'm required to give it to you anyway."
Nick favored her with a small smile and recited the two most important parts of the litany an energetic, athletic child learns by heart.
"Don't get it wet, don't use anything too sharp to scratch underneath it. I remember. So when's Greg's surgery?"
"As soon as they can get everything ready and the surgical team arrives. Less than an hour, if it all goes as planned."
"It's that serious, then." Grissom asked tensely.
"I'm afraid so. The doctors don't want to wait much longer to repair the internal damage. Mr. Sanders is stable right now and there's no sign of infection yet, so it's a good time."
"That means he'll be asleep until tomorrow morning at least."
"Probably longer."
Gazing up at his boss, Nick could almost read what his next statement was going to be. He thought about fighting him, but his hand was beginning to ache faintly and he knew Catherine was wiped out, so he surrendered.
"You think we should all go home, right?" he asked Grissom.
"We can't do anymore good here."
"Maybe.... okay. But I'm comin' back soon as I wake up tomorrow."
"That's your choice, but I'd rather have you in the field helping us look for the men that did this to Greg."
"No. I already told Cath I can't risk that. When we find 'em my ancient history could get dragged up again. I don't want that clouding my judgment or... or makin' me do somethin' stupid that lets the SOB's walk."
"I understand. We'll talk more about it once you've gotten some sleep. C'mon. I'll drive you both home."
"I have my car..." Catherine began, but her sentence drifted into silence when a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her and she came very close to passing out. Nick was on his feet instantly and had one arm around her back and a hand on her elbow, supporting her weight until she recovered a little. "On second thought... I'll take you up on that offer."
"Good."
Somberly, the three friends trudged out to the parking lot side by side.
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THE CRIME SCENE
"Okay. Yeah, that's probably for the best. Alright. Hey, he's got reason.... I know. I'll try, but no guarantees. Nick knows better than we do what he can and can't.... Okay. I'll talk to him tomorrow. Tonight? He's that bad off? Oh.... yeah, that sounds right. Room 521. Got it. We're about done here. See you back at work after you drop Nick and Cath off. Bye."
Warrick folded up his phone and stored it back in his pocket, gazing sadly at Sara as she approached him.
"Grissom?"
"Yeah. He says not to bother with the hospital tonight. He's takin' Catherine and Nick home to get some sleep and he'll meet us back at work."
"Not bother? Why?"
"They're doin' Greg's surgery tonight so he'll be out of it 'till sometime tomorrow."
"Is he okay? He's not going downhill, is he?" Sara asked anxiously.
"Nah. Actually he's pretty stable so the docs figured it was better to do it now instead of waiting. Look, I've been ready to jet for ten minutes. Let's get outta here, okay?"
Sara smiled and stared at Warrick curiously. "What?"
"I've never actually seen you anxious to get outta the field. Guess there's a first time for everything."
"Yeah, well the sooner we get this case cleaned up, the sooner Gris will let us in on Greg's."
"True. I want that. I wanna be the one who finds the one piece of evidence that locks up those pieces of garbage for the rest of their lives."
"You an' me an' the rest of CSI."
Sara laughed darkly.
"For once... I don't think I'll begrudge anybody else a little competitive spirit."
"Hell, there is a first time for everything." Warrick teased. Sara smacked him on the shoulder and shoved him lightly toward the SUV.
"You wanted to get going, so go."
----------------------------------
1 HOUR LATER: TRACE
"You got something?" Warrick asked brusquely, striding into the lab.
"Kind of. I can't exactly tell you what the glass off your vic is, but I can tell you what it's not. It's not from a car. It's way too thin, and it isn't polarized. Maybe hand blown. Also, it's covered in... something. Looks like wax, but I can't be sure yet."
"Wax... okay, that's weird."
"Gets weirder. You've got three distinct colors of glass in the samples you brought me. Red, green and violet. The red and green are probably dead ends, but the violet might just get you somewhere. More difficult to create, not as commonly seen."
Warrick held still, thinking deeply, then looked at the tech again.
"When'll you know if the substance is wax or not?"
"Another half hour. Maybe a little more."
"I'll be here. Page me the minute you get the results."
"Will do. Hey.... is it true? Is Sanders really..."
"Yeah. He's gonna be okay after a while, but he was hurt pretty bad."
"Again? Damn. Not fair."
"My sentiments exactly."
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TBC.......
------------------------------
THIRTY MINUTES LATER
"Your hand isn't badly damaged, Mister Stokes, but you did break two of the small bones." The nurse informed Nick as she finished drying his cast. He flexed the fingers cautiously and was grateful to find that the pain was more than bearable.
"Yeah, not to mention your wall."
"Not a big deal. Everybody working in the ER tonight understands your motivation, believe me. You'll have to wear this for the next two weeks, but it should heal fine." She told him, gently turning his hand over and checking her work.
"Do you know if they've taken him upstairs yet?"
"A few minutes ago. Your friend went with him. She asked me to tell you that she'd be back down in a little while to let you know his room number."
"Have they scheduled his surgery yet?"
"That I don't know, but I can find out. Hang out here for a minute and get used to that cast. I'll be right back, okay?"
Nick nodded distractedly, studying his hand and flexing the fingers again. When someone stepped in a few minutes later, he looked up in anticipation, but it wasn't the nurse.
"Damn. Hey Gris."
"Nick. What happened?"
"Punched a wall. Twice. Go on, I know you wanna say it. I can see it in your face."
"Say what?"
"That it wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done."
"Why restate the obvious? Any more information on Greg?"
"Yeah. That's why I punched the wall. The tox report said he was drugged. GHB."
"Any alcohol in his system?"
Nick frowned, kicking himself for not checking that. Realizing his friend had been so fundamentally betrayed had driven all other considerations out of his mind. He reached for the sheaf of papers beside him and searched them quickly, holding them in his injured hand and turning the pages with the other.
"Not a drop. No booze, no other drugs."
"I didn't expect there would be, but...."
"I didn't even think about it. He may be a little flaky, but he's the best at what he does and he loves doin' it. He'd never risk his job by drinkin' before he came on shift."
"I don't think so either. He's also a veteran at the clubs. He knows the rules."
"Never put your drink down and walk away. Yeah, he does.... God. You're sayin'...."
"Whoever did this was someone he trusted."
"But... he was found by the janitor before the club opened. So it's likely nothing happened there."
"Which means he was moved after he passed out. Since Greg can't help us just yet, it's up to us to find out his point of origin."
"Gris.... I'd feel like crap doin' that. He can't consent...."
"We'd do it for any other victim, Nick. Searching his apartment is just another step. It may lead us to who did this."
"He's right, Nicky." Catherine agreed, stepping in to join the other two. "I don't like it much either, but we have to. If he has a day runner or an address book, maybe he wrote something down.... I'll take any lead right now."
"No. What you'll take is eight hours of sleep." Grissom corrected her, touching her arm lightly. "You both need to rest. I'll stay until Sara and Warrick get here. You two go home."
"Gris..." Nick started to protest. His boss shut him down.
"You've done all you can and more than I should have asked of you. Go home."
Nick's expression said he wanted to ruin his good hand in the same manner he'd broken the other one.
"It's not right. We can't leave him alone...."
"He won't be."
"But you can't be in there with him." Catherine reminded him.
"I have a theory about that. I need to talk to the doctor before I test my hypothesis, but I'm hopeful."
"Okay. So, give. What's this theory?"
"It may not be all males that set him off, just ones he isn't familiar with. If even one of the rapists was a stranger to him, he'd consider all male strangers a threat."
"But faces and voices he knows might not trigger the extreme reaction. It makes sense." Catherine agreed.
"I'm glad you think so. Now go home, both of you and get some rest."
Nick chuckled wearily.
"That an order, boss-man?"
"I can make it one, if you like, but it's more like advice."
Nick sighed heavily before looking up at Grissom.
"Soon as the nurse gets back, I'll take it."
She returned just then, smiling gently as she handed Nick a short page of instructions.
"You probably know most of this, but I'm required to give it to you anyway."
Nick favored her with a small smile and recited the two most important parts of the litany an energetic, athletic child learns by heart.
"Don't get it wet, don't use anything too sharp to scratch underneath it. I remember. So when's Greg's surgery?"
"As soon as they can get everything ready and the surgical team arrives. Less than an hour, if it all goes as planned."
"It's that serious, then." Grissom asked tensely.
"I'm afraid so. The doctors don't want to wait much longer to repair the internal damage. Mr. Sanders is stable right now and there's no sign of infection yet, so it's a good time."
"That means he'll be asleep until tomorrow morning at least."
"Probably longer."
Gazing up at his boss, Nick could almost read what his next statement was going to be. He thought about fighting him, but his hand was beginning to ache faintly and he knew Catherine was wiped out, so he surrendered.
"You think we should all go home, right?" he asked Grissom.
"We can't do anymore good here."
"Maybe.... okay. But I'm comin' back soon as I wake up tomorrow."
"That's your choice, but I'd rather have you in the field helping us look for the men that did this to Greg."
"No. I already told Cath I can't risk that. When we find 'em my ancient history could get dragged up again. I don't want that clouding my judgment or... or makin' me do somethin' stupid that lets the SOB's walk."
"I understand. We'll talk more about it once you've gotten some sleep. C'mon. I'll drive you both home."
"I have my car..." Catherine began, but her sentence drifted into silence when a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her and she came very close to passing out. Nick was on his feet instantly and had one arm around her back and a hand on her elbow, supporting her weight until she recovered a little. "On second thought... I'll take you up on that offer."
"Good."
Somberly, the three friends trudged out to the parking lot side by side.
------------------------------
THE CRIME SCENE
"Okay. Yeah, that's probably for the best. Alright. Hey, he's got reason.... I know. I'll try, but no guarantees. Nick knows better than we do what he can and can't.... Okay. I'll talk to him tomorrow. Tonight? He's that bad off? Oh.... yeah, that sounds right. Room 521. Got it. We're about done here. See you back at work after you drop Nick and Cath off. Bye."
Warrick folded up his phone and stored it back in his pocket, gazing sadly at Sara as she approached him.
"Grissom?"
"Yeah. He says not to bother with the hospital tonight. He's takin' Catherine and Nick home to get some sleep and he'll meet us back at work."
"Not bother? Why?"
"They're doin' Greg's surgery tonight so he'll be out of it 'till sometime tomorrow."
"Is he okay? He's not going downhill, is he?" Sara asked anxiously.
"Nah. Actually he's pretty stable so the docs figured it was better to do it now instead of waiting. Look, I've been ready to jet for ten minutes. Let's get outta here, okay?"
Sara smiled and stared at Warrick curiously. "What?"
"I've never actually seen you anxious to get outta the field. Guess there's a first time for everything."
"Yeah, well the sooner we get this case cleaned up, the sooner Gris will let us in on Greg's."
"True. I want that. I wanna be the one who finds the one piece of evidence that locks up those pieces of garbage for the rest of their lives."
"You an' me an' the rest of CSI."
Sara laughed darkly.
"For once... I don't think I'll begrudge anybody else a little competitive spirit."
"Hell, there is a first time for everything." Warrick teased. Sara smacked him on the shoulder and shoved him lightly toward the SUV.
"You wanted to get going, so go."
----------------------------------
1 HOUR LATER: TRACE
"You got something?" Warrick asked brusquely, striding into the lab.
"Kind of. I can't exactly tell you what the glass off your vic is, but I can tell you what it's not. It's not from a car. It's way too thin, and it isn't polarized. Maybe hand blown. Also, it's covered in... something. Looks like wax, but I can't be sure yet."
"Wax... okay, that's weird."
"Gets weirder. You've got three distinct colors of glass in the samples you brought me. Red, green and violet. The red and green are probably dead ends, but the violet might just get you somewhere. More difficult to create, not as commonly seen."
Warrick held still, thinking deeply, then looked at the tech again.
"When'll you know if the substance is wax or not?"
"Another half hour. Maybe a little more."
"I'll be here. Page me the minute you get the results."
"Will do. Hey.... is it true? Is Sanders really..."
"Yeah. He's gonna be okay after a while, but he was hurt pretty bad."
"Again? Damn. Not fair."
"My sentiments exactly."
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TBC.......