Precious Things by SLynn

Spoilers: Up to 'Nesting Dolls'

Rating: R for violence and disturbing content

Disclaimer: Not mine – well, some are mine, just not the ones you recognize.

Chapter 9: Ambush

"Have you seen Grissom?" Greg asked as he walked into the DNA lab that night.

Amy and Hodges were there, both looked up and nearly simultaneously shook their heads.

"Sorry," Amy said stepping away from the microscope, "I haven't. He's not off tonight is he?"

"No," Greg said looking down the hall with a frown.

"Well, it's still pretty early," Amy offered now, "maybe he got called in on a case."

"Yeah, I have a feeling he was called I just don't think it was about a case."

"I'll come back later Amy," Hodges said now, making his way towards the door, "We're not going to get any work done now."

"Okay Dave. Thanks."

Greg didn't even bother checking his glare as Hodges brushed past him and out the door.

"Yeah, he's a swell guy Amy."

"Greg, ninety percent of his attitude is an act. He's really not bad once you talk to him one on one."

"I don't get it," he said throwing his hands up before walking over to her, "Amy, didn't you always hate him. Remember? He made you cry."

"So did you," Amy returned dryly.

"But I was really, really sorry."

"And so was he."

Greg just stared at her like he didn't believe it. And he didn't.

"Seriously," she repeated, "He apologized and everything. Said that we'd gotten off on the wrong foot and that he wanted to start over."

"I bet that's not all he wants to start," Greg mumbled under his breath.

Amy fixed him with a glare of her own.

"It's not like that."

"Maybe not for you but he's… he's… he's a guy Amy."

"I've noticed. So are you."

"But I'm not going to hit on you."

"And neither is he," Amy said sounding exasperated.

"Don't you know anything about guys?" he asked.

Before Amy could do anything more then stare at him in disbelief, Grissom hurried into the lab.

"Greg," he said giving them both a start, "I've been looking for you. My office. Now."

Greg didn't get a chance to respond, Grissom was gone quicker then he'd arrived.

"What'd you do?" Amy asked completely serious their argument completely forgotten.

"I'll tell you later," Greg answered as he turned to go.

Greg made his way out of the lab and to Grissom's office as fast as possible. He didn't bother knocking, Grissom had just arrived there himself. Greg just came in and shut the door behind himself before taking a seat in his now favorite chair.

"Are you sick?"

"Wow," Greg said taken back, "I was expecting a lot of things but not that."

"Greg," Grissom continued sounding completely sincere, "I'd thought I'd hear this first from you, not Ecklie."

"I just have no idea what you're talking about."

"Ecklie said your doctor called him this afternoon to set up a sit down so that you, Ecklie, she and I could all discuss your treatment options. Tomorrow morning."

"No," Greg said briefly covering his eyes with his right hand, "No, but wow she didn't waste any time. I thought I'd get to tell you first."

"So it's not cancer?"

"No, it's not even Dr. Tracey. It was Dr. Jennings my psychiatrist."

Grissom looked at him, watched him even waiting for more.

"I'd been trying to find you and tell you all night. Dr. Jennings wants me to go back on anti-depressants."

"When?"

"As soon as you and Ecklie sign off on it I guess."

"What happened? I thought things were going well for you."

"Not so well lately," Greg admitted with a shrug.

Grissom nodded. He wasn't the keenest observer of human nature but Greg had definitely been changing as of late.

"Do you have a problem with me being on medication?" Greg asked, sounding timid and embarrassed all at once.

He hated sounding the way he knew he did, but this was different. This was Grissom. The last person he wanted thinking less of him was Grissom.

"Greg, if your doctor says you need to take them then why would I have a problem with it?"

"I don't know."

"Everyone needs help. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"So," Greg said standing and trying to fight down the blush that was creeping up on him, "What time is this shindig?"

"Nine o'clock in Ecklie's office."

"Got it," Greg said as he headed towards the door. "I'll be there with bells on. Well, maybe not bells. The point of this would probably be to make me look less crazy."

"Well," Grissom said before he'd left, "Just do what you can."

Greg gave him one more smile before getting to work.


"So do you want the good news or the relatively good news?" Amy asked Nick and Greg as they sat in the AV room going over case photos later into the shift.

"What do you think?" Nick asked Greg.

"Flip a coin?" he asked in return.

"Forget it," Amy said cutting them off, "Hair on the back of Cynthia Haas, definitely cat. Fibers found on her body, definitely carpet. Berber in beige. Skin under her nails is male, but it doesn't match the fathers."

"And I don't imagine it hit anything in CODIS did it?"

"Actually, it did. That the relatively good part. It hit, but it came up to another unknown suspect in an assault three years ago."

"So he's done this before," Nick said.

"Not exactly," Amy returned walking further into the room with a case file in hand, "I looked it up. Completely different scenario. Guy carjacked the victim, drove her out to the desert, then according to the report just left her there. Alive."

As Amy handed the file off to him he smiled up at her.

"Aren't you two sweet," Greg commented.

"I'm still mad at you," Amy said without missing a beat.

"Be mad. I'm right."

"What's going on?" Nick asked, looking from one to the other.

"Nothing, he's being paranoid is all."

"I just think that your new found friendship with Dave is a sign of the coming apocalypse. I'm entitled to my opinion."

"Nick, tell him he's overreacting," Amy said turning his way.

"No, tell her that Hodges is a snarky bastard," Greg said also turning his way.

"I'm not telling anyone anything," Nick said flatly. "Work it out yourselves."

Greg and Amy both got quiet leaving Nick uncomfortable.

"Sorry," Greg said turning to Amy briefly, "be friends with whoever you want."

"Thank you. And I promise to not try and force you into a liking anyone you obviously can't."

"Thank you," Greg returned.

"Good," Nick said noting that Greg seemed a little less then sincere.

"I've got to get back to my lab," Amy said before saying goodbye and going.

"Man," Nick said as soon as she was gone, "Don't get me into this."

"But he is a snarky bastard. She should be warned."

"I know," Nick agreed, "but do really expect me to take sides in this? Sara and I don't put you in the middle of our fights."

"But your fights are stupid."

Nick rolled his eyes at him.

"Fine," Greg said getting to his feet, "but you remember this the next time your out in the field all night, three nights in a row, and she's back here with that thing cozying up next to her."

"Greg," Nick said warningly.

"I'm just trying to do my part to protect you both."

Greg didn't say any more, just turned to find Warrick and update him on the progress. He didn't have to say any more. Nick had already heard enough.


Dr. Jennings was in the lobby at a quarter to nine that morning waiting just as Greg arrived back from a scene.

"Sorry," he said as he took her up to sign her in.

"Who's your friend?"

Greg smiled briefly, more to himself then at Gretchen the receptionist.

"I thought you got off work at eight," he said in return.

His tone indicating he'd wished she had so she wouldn't be here now. Gretchen just glared back at him before turning her gaze to Dr. Jennings. Greg knew what she was thinking. Dr. Jennings was an attractive woman. She was fairly tall, thin and blond with alert blue eyes behind rather basic frames

"Here's the pass," she said holding it up, her voice and movements sharp.

"Thanks," Greg just managed to return and then moved away as quick as he could without breaking into a run.

Gretchen probably assumed that since she was a doctor, Dora Jennings was not here just to see Greg and decided to save her usual barbs. But he wasn't going to risk it.

"She's pleasant," Dr. Jennings remarked with a small smile as they made it into the hallway.

"It's a long story," Greg said, "and before you ask, no, we don't need to bring it up again."

Her smile turned into a laugh as they made their way to Ecklie's office.

"So exactly what are you going to say to him?" Greg asked as they stopped outside the door.

"I'm just going to lay out the facts."

"You have a briefcase," Greg noted, "That's not my file in there is it."

"Don't worry," she said calmly.

"Ready?" Grissom asked coming up from behind them.

"Yeah, I guess," Greg answered.

For a moment they both looked at him expectantly.

"Sorry," he said shaking his head. "Gil Grissom this is Dora Jennings."

He shook her hand with a smile and then moved to knock on the door. Ecklie met them at it and more introductions were made. After they'd all settled into seats, Ecklie sure to keep his spot behind the desk, Dr. Jennings broke the subject.

"I'd first like to thank you both for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice. I'd like you to know that this was entirely my suggestion and should have no negative impact on Mr. Sanders."

Greg tried to remain calm but a beginning like that did not bode well. That and the fact that Dr. Jennings was now calling him mister was just weird.

"As you both know I've been treating Mr. Sanders for the last several months."

"Yes, we're all familiar with the circumstances," Ecklie said in a tone that indicated he didn't quite see things as Grissom did. This was going to be a tough sale.

"Great," she said cutting right to it. "Then let me skip to why I'm here. My diagnosis is that Mr. Sanders needs to start taking anti-depressants again. There's a new drug…why are you shaking your head at me I haven't finished."

"Because," Ecklie said leaning forward, "that's just not an option. Not if Mr. Sanders wants to continue working in the field."

This was the point Greg was maybe expecting Grissom to speak up. But he didn't. He seemed perfectly content watching the exchange. Almost amused. It was as if he'd known what was about to come.

"I see," Dr. Jennings said also leaning forward, "Then we have a problem. Are you familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act?"

Ecklie stared at her like she'd grown a second head.

"Here," she said opening her case and tossing a bound pamphlet onto his desk, "I've brought you a copy. You'll see I've highlighted the pertinent parts."

Ecklie scanned the document before him, eyes growing bigger by the moment.

"Mr. Sanders is not disabled."

"Yes but under the act he doesn't have to be, he just has to be perceived that way. And if you didn't see him that way, we wouldn't be having this discussion."

Ecklie gave her a hard look before returning his eyes to the document. Dr. Jennings ignored it and continued talking.

"You see that legally you can't move him out of the field. Mr. Sanders, on medication, will be completely capable and competent to perform his job. I know that you probably view him as a risk or liability, but honestly he is probably more of one off of the medication then on."

"This sounds like you're accusing me of…"

"Discrimination?" she finished, "Well no, not yet. But I've also included a couple of court cases you might find interesting to ensure it doesn't come to that."

Ecklie looked up at her once more before flipping back through the papers. Greg at this point was biting his cheeks so hard he'd thought he'd draw blood. He was either going to jump up and tell Ecklie that he had no idea who this woman was or just start laughing. Neither option was good.

"Have you heard of Jennings, Jennings and Howe?" she asked now.

Ecklie shook his head that he had not as Grissom cracked a smile. He obviously had.

"They just won a rather large settlement against the city of Reno. Three officers there were put on probation and given desk jobs after it was found that they were taking prescribed doses of Zoloft. Now those officers don't need their jobs, I imagine they've retired to Hawaii, but their supervisors are out looking for new ones."

It was the first time Greg had seen Ecklie actually speechless.

"Now," Dr. Jennings said smile still in place, "Mr. Sanders has agreed to try Lamictal. It's not as heavy of an anti-depressant as he was on the last time but should present no problems. He's also agreed to keep seeing me at regular intervals. I am also going to put him in contact with the offices of Jennings, Jennings and Howe in case he experiences any problems here at his place of work but I trust he won't. What he really needs is the support of his supervisors to get through this, not their ridicule."

Dr. Jennings didn't wait for him to say any more, didn't even wait for Ecklie to dismiss them with any parting words, just stood to go. Greg, somewhat in shock, followed her out.

"You shouldn't have any more problems," Dr. Jennings said as he walked with her back down the hall.

"Well, yeah," Greg agreed, "if he didn't fire me on the spot I guess he isn't going too."

"Oh he won't," she said almost laughing, "Trust me. After the case my dad just won, he'd be a fool to do that."

"Your dad?"

"Jennings, Jennings and Howe."

Greg smiled at his own stupidity.

"My father, brother and cousin have a law firm in town. Handle mostly these types of cases. Do some pro bono work as well."

They stopped in the buildings foyer.

"Here's your prescription," she said taking a slip of paper out of her purse and handing it over, "Once a day with food. Call me if you have any type of reaction."

"Thanks," Greg said shaking her hand.

"So I will see you on Tuesday, regular time?" she asked.

"Are you kidding? I think you're my new hero. Of course I'll be there."

"I'm not a hero Greg," she said with another laugh, "I'm just doing my job."