Title: The Battle for Everything
Authoress: Nicki
Rating: R.
Warning: Slash. Harsh language (at spots). Pain. (Hints at rape.)
Pairings: (Main!) Nick/Greg and Gris/Greg.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything:Sob:
Dedication: To the over 1200 reads on this story when it was posted on slashfanfiction! You guys rock!
A/N: Hey, everyone! Here's the long awaited second chapter! It's mostly uneventful (compared to the first chapter. )... It's a transitive chapter, more or less... Enjoy! And review! Nicki
(PS: wouldn't let me put an asterix for the breaks, so now there is a lines... Good luck!)
Chapter Two: Hospital Visits
Everything was black. It had been for as long as he could remember. He couldn't move a limb. He could feel however. Oh, how he could feel.
The pain shooting up his torso and head was screaming, "Kill me now!" And that was only his top half. His entire lower body was on fire. Pain flowed through his veins.
"Doc, how long 'til he regains consciousness?" Sara inquired from the third doctor.
"Miss Sidle, as the other two physicians have told you," Doctor Brown said impatiently, "that is not up to us anymore. That's completely up to him." She gestured through the window to the closed hospital room, where Nick's still body had been laying for almost a day.
"Thank you," Sara said, less than appreciatively. The doctor nodded and walked down the hall to her other patients.
Footsteps behind her startled Sara. She turned around to face a somber Catherine.
"Hey, Sara," she mumbled, sipping her coffee with great care.
Sara nodded, "Where's Grissom?"
"Back at headquarters still," Catherine said, obviously hinting at an underlying situation.
"Well, what is he doing there!" Sara growled, "One of his best, most talented, and caring CSI's is lying unconscious in a hospital!"
"I didn't know you and Nick were so close," Catherine observed.
"We're not," Sara grunted. "I found him, Catherine."
"Oh." After an extensive and awkward silence, Sara became her nosey self again,
"So, why ISN'T Gil here?"
"Well, look at the situation from his position, Sara. Nick was late for the meeting and Grissom had been harping on him. Nick rushes into the meeting and doesn't worry about anything besides making sure Gris won't yell at him anymore. Instead of getting chewed out by your supervisor, you get attacked and raped? How would you feel if you were Grissom?"
"But this is NOT his fault...Grissom KNOWS that!" Sara ranted.
"Does he?" Catherine raised a perfect eyebrow.
Heavy footsteps approached the small group outside Nick's room. Sara and Catherine turned around and ended their conversation.
"Hey, Warrick," Catherine greeted the newest visitor.
"How are you feeling?" Sara asked.
"Better than Nick," Warrick answered with a half-smile. Both women glared disapprovingly.
Just then, Nick's hospital bathroom door opened, causing all three CSI's to turn around suddenly. The sight amazed them.
It was Greg---peppy lab rat. Except, without the pep.
Greg's normally bright and gleaming eyes were swollen and red, and his hair was a tangled mess. Shadows of facial hair were visible along his jaw line and upper lip. His clothes from the night before were disheveled and wrinkled. A stranger could have mistaken Greg for a homeless man.
"Greg?" Sara frowned. The lab tech pulled a chair next to Nick and laid his head on the bed.
"Sara," Catherine began, "I think we need to leave Greg alone for a little while." She squeezed her fellow CSI's arm reassuringly. Warrick draped an arm around Sara's shoulders.
"I think Cath is right. Greggo needs to be alone right now..."
"But he's NOT alone! Nick is there," she protested.
"Exactly," Catherine murmured.
Greg sank into the cushioned metal hospital chair with a deep sigh. It had been almost 24 hours since Nick's attack. Greg had to choke back a sob.
Nick's attack.
It was still unbelievable. And Sara had found him. Incredibly, Greg was jealous. 'It shouldn't matter who found him, just that he's safe,' Greg mused, 'But it would've been nice to be Nick's hero...'
Greg laid his head on the bed next to Nick's still body. The lab tech looked completely deflated. Nick looked more alive than Greg did.
"Nick," the tousled lab rat moaned, "you need to wake up. You can't die on me now. The graveyard shift needs you. I need you!"
"What do you think is going on in there?" Sara continued her pacing in the waiting room where Catherine had moved the three of them until Greg left the hospital room.
"I think Greg is grieving for Nick," Catherine said from her spot on the stiff couch next to the coffee machine.
"Yeah, they have been getting closer, haven't they?" Warrick noted.
"They have dinner at the lab all the time. I can smell Greg's fast food a mile away!" Sara grinned, taking a place in a chair.
"I think it's good...for both of them. Greg never talks about his family, so I don't think they're that close. And Nick left all of his family in Texas so he could pursue forensic science. It's good that they're friends. They both need someone they can rely on." Catherine said matter-of-factly.
"It's amazing how much you DON'T know about the people you work with," Warrick said nonchalantly.
"Hi, I'm Doctor Jane. Are you three the ones with Nick Stokes?" A young female doctor had appeared from around the corner. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail at the base of her neck and her blue eyes looked as though they normally shined---when not at the end of a long shift.
Sara stood, "Yes. Do you have news?"
The doctor nodded, "Now, normally I'm not supposed to share this information, but since you're obviously close, and he has no family locally... not to mention that you guys are probably going to need the basics in your investigation... I think it's important to disclose the facts."
"Get on with it," Sara snarled. She added a fake smile and a quick, "please."
Doctor Jane grinned, oblivious to Sara's tone, "Okay. Your friend Nick has a concussion and a broken rib, probably from a strong force to his back. He also has suffered severe shock from the attack. There seems to be signs of a sexual assault in his childhood, but we can't be sure until he wakes up and can talk to us. Other than that, we're just waiting for him to regain consciousness. Any questions?"
Catherine tuned out the others to think about Nick's attack. 'It must've been horrible for him,' she thought somberly. 'This could only have brought back memories of his childhood assault. He's tried to forget about Joe, but this must have brought everything back... Poor Nick, he---'
"Cath? Cath?" Warrick tapped her shoulder.
"Huh?" she snapped out of her reverie. "Oh, sorry."
"Doctor Jane said Nick can have visitors in his room now," Sara said.
"But what about--" Catherine couldn't finish her question. Sara shook her head and shrugged it off. "Oh."
The three CSI's shuffled in silence to Nick's sterile room.
Greg heard the door open before he heard the footsteps. He jerked his head up from Nick's bed just in time to see Catherine, Warrick, and Sara walk into the room.
"Hey, Greggo," Warrick grinned. "How you holding up?"
"Fine," he mumbled, trying to smooth out his clothes.
"How's Nick?" Catherine wondered.
"Fine," Greg seemed to enjoy that response. "The doctors say all we can do is wait. The rest is up to Nick." The lab tech glanced over at the still body next to him.
"Greg," Sara finally said, not looking directly at either men.
"Sara," he greeted with little enthusiasm. Greg thought back to when he and Sara first met. He had had a massive crush on her, and her dedication to work. However, after being turned down time after time, he gave up on his crush and settled for just being friends. It suited them better, Greg believed.
An awkward silence passed over the room, only broken by the entrance of Doctor Smith.
"Hello, everyone," the elderly doctor addressed the group. His greying hair mixed with his deep brown eyes, and easy smile reminded Greg of his grandfather. "I'm here to check on our friend, Nick."
"Greg, you might want to get out of the nice doctor's way," Warrick said with a smirk. The lab tech glared at him and slid his chair back from the bed.
"Thank you," Doctor Smith grinned. The aged man stepped next to the hospital bed and checked Nick's stats. "BP is fine. Breathing is regular. He just needs to wake up now."
"Thanks, Doc," Greg muttered sarcastically, "We already knew that..."
If Doctor Smith heard the lab rat, then it didn't bother him, because he showed no reaction. Catherine, however, was very shocked at Greg's new demeanor. "I'll leave you folks for now. I'll come check on him in a few hours. Give a ring if he shows any progress."
"Will do," Sara promised. The doctor smiled and left, closing the door behind him.
As soon as the doc was gone, Greg was back at Nick's side, "Well, wasn't that an informative conversation..."
"Greg," Catherine started. "We know how hard this is on you, but you have to calm down. Antagonizing the doctors is NOT going to make Nick wake up any faster. And you know that."
"You're not my mother, Cath. So, don't lecture me about what to do," Greg snarled. "Imagine if Lindsey was unconscious and the doctors just kept telling you 'oh, oh, just wait patiently...she'll be awake before you know it!' I can't see you just standing around going 'okay, I'll just be sitting here', can you?"
"Greg," Warrick sounded upset.
"No. You guys don't get it. Nick is everything I've got. You guys have your family, and your friends. Well, Nick is it for me. He's my best friend, and I can NOT lose him." Everyone in the room was surprised by Greg's outburst, Greg most of all. The lab tech glanced at the ground and then Nick's unconscious body.
"Catherine, Warrick, I think we'd better leave Greg alone," Sara warned quietly. The grieving lab tech turned his stare to Sara.
"Why's that? Nick's important to you guys, right?"
"Well, yeah, Greg, but you're very...emotional right now. And, I, uh, think it's best to just...umm... leave you alone with Nick..." Sara was choosing her words very carefully.
"Well, Sara, if you think it's best..." Greg said sarcastically. The dark-haired CSI nodded gravely and walked toward the door.
"Come on, Catherine, Warrick. Let's get out of here." The other two CSI's followed like two lost puppy dogs.
Nick could hear their voices. First the doctor's. Apparently, he was okay. Just unconscious.
And then Greg's. He was crying, and telling Nick that he couldn't die. 'Who's dying?' Nick wondered.
And then Catherine, Warrick, and Sara. They were all fairly quiet, until the doctor came back. He just told them the same thing he had told Greg earlier. That had made Greg angry.
Greg had said some...things. 'Am I really all he has? That must be the worst feeling in the world. At least I always have a family back in Texas, even if they were a little angry I left to study forensic science. Greg sounds so lonely...'
And now he and Greg were alone. Together. 'What an oxymoron...'
Greg had been sitting with Nick since the doctor and CSI's had left. A whopping 6 hours. He sighed and got up from his chair, heading for the door.
"Excuse me," he said, looking for a nurse or doctor, "Excuse me!"
"Yes?" A young woman doctor peeked out from her office.
"Hi. My friend, Nick Stokes, is unconscious. Everyone keeps telling me to just wait around...but... Is there ANYTHING I can do to maybe help him WANT to wake up?" Greg emphasized every other word to dramatize the already dramatic situation.
"Umm... mostly we just have to wait. I'm sorry, Mr. ...?"
"Sanders," Greg supplied. "And what do you mean, mostly?"
"Well, most doctors don't believe in these recovery techniques, but you sound... desperate. So, I assume you'll try anything."
Greg furrowed his brow at the doctor, "What kind of techniques?"
"Well, there is 'Shock Treatment'. That's probably the most popular. And 'Induced Trauma'..."
"What is 'Shock Treatment'?" Greg asked, torn between wanting Nick to wake up and potentially harming him.
"It's a pretty simple procedure. Just hook him up to an electric charge and send a small voltage to his heart. It kind of like jumpstarting a car," Doctor Jane grinned.
"I... I'm not sure I want to, uh, 'jump start' my friend..." Greg sounded very worried.
"Well, then there is always 'Induced Trauma', but that's usually pretty complicated.
"How does it work?"
"Well, this only works if the patient is unconscious due to a traumatic event...which Mr. Stokes is..."
"Okay?" Greg raised an eyebrow.
"Well, 'Induced Trauma' simply reenacts the traumatic event, which induces shock throughout the body. Then, the patient can be reached with a medicine called 'thebutine' which should wake them up. It's a 50/50 chance, but the thebutine erases the patient's memory of the induced trauma."
"What about the original situation?" Greg asked.
"What about it?"
"Would the patient forget it?"
"No," Doctor Jane frowned, "they would remember the original incident, but they would have no memory of the induced trauma."
"I think I'd feel better with the 'Shock Treatment', if only for the fact that he seemed pretty bent up over the first trauma."
"I understand. However, there is one problem... We need consent from the family. Unless you're the 'significant other', or the entire family is dead, you are not authorized to approve this, Mr. Sanders."
Greg grunted. "Are you kidding me!"
"No, I'm afraid not. Is there any way for you to get a hold of his family?" Greg nodded slightly. "Then, I will be waiting in my office when you're ready."
"Thank you, Doctor."
Greg groaned. 'How am I supposed to get in touch with Nick's family? How does he get in touch with his family..?'
Cell phone.
Greg took off in a sprint back to Nick's hospital room. 'His stuff has to be around here somewhere,' Greg pondered. Spotting Nick's forensics jacket draped across a chair, he searched the pockets frantically. 'Come on, baby. Come to mama...Yes!' Greg pulled out Nick's cell phone, waving it around.
Pressing a few buttons, he found the phone number for "Mom" with an area code Greg didn't recognize. "Must be Texas," Greg muttered. Dialing the number quickly, Greg took a deep breath while it was ringing.
"Hello?" a Southern drawl flowed through the phone line, relaxing Greg a little bit.
"Hi, yes... Is this Mrs. Stokes?" Greg asked carefully.
"Why, yes, dear... It is. May I ask who is calling?"
Greg took another deep breath and concentrated on the sweet, mellifluous sound of Nick's mother's voice. The drawl was soothing and it made him think of Nick's faint accent. "This is Greg Sanders. I work with your son, Nick."
"Oh, Nicky! You're a friend of his?"
"Yes, Mrs. Sanders... I am."
"Well, what's on your mind, Mr. Sanders?" Nick's mom was very pleasant, Greg decided.
"Mrs. Stokes, I'm sorry that I have to inform you of this, but I need your permission for something."
"Did something happen to my Nicky?" she sounded very worried. Her voice lost that tranquil touch.
"Mrs. Stokes, your son is unconscious right now. He was attacked and...sexually assaulted."
"Oh, my--" Greg could hear Nick's mother break down into sobs, muttering something that sounded like 'Joe', but he couldn't quite be sure.
"Mrs. Stokes, the doctors have an idea to help wake him up, but they need your permission."
"My, God, was it Joe who did this?" Obviously, Nick's mom was in her own little world, and she hadn't heard a word Greg had said after 'your son is unconscious.'
"We're not sure who did this, but we're hoping to find out soon." Greg frowned. 'Who's Joe?'
"It had to have been Joe," Mrs. Stokes was still stuck on this mystery man. "Who else would've done this to my little boy!" She was on the edge of hysteria and Greg had to bring her back long enough to get permission for the 'Shock Treatment.'
"Mrs. Stokes. I'm sure we'll look into this Joe, but for now, I need your help. To save Nick."
This must've reached her, because she answered immediately, "What do you need, Mr. Sanders?"
"I need your permission to have a treatment plan performed on your son," Greg said calmly.
"Sure, whatever it takes. Just make sure my Nicky is okay, please," Mrs. Stokes seemed to have regained her composure and her drawl was back. It was a reassuring sound.
"Let me get the doctor so that you can tell her, okay?"
"I'll wait." Greg ran to Doctor Jane's office and handed her the phone.
"Doctor, Nick's mother is on the phone. She's ready to give you permission." Greg thrust the phone at her, almost frenetically.
"Mrs. Stokes?" There was a pause. 'Nick's mom must be talking,' Greg considered. "Yes, thank you. We'll keep you informed." Doctor Jane hung up and handed the phone back to Greg.
"Thank you, Doctor," Greg murmured.
"Mrs. Stokes said to have you call her after the therapy."
"I will... Can you perform the 'Shock Treatment' now?" The doctor nodded and stood slowly.
"I have to remind you, this is a painful experience to watch. I recommend waiting with your friends in the waiting room."
'My friends!' Greg had completely forgotten about the other CSI's at the moment. With all of the excitement of the last hour, it had slipped his mind. "Thank you. Will you page me when the procedure is over, and I can see him?"
"Of course." Doctor Jane's grin was friendly and reassuring.
"Good luck, Doc," Greg smiled for the first time in a long time.
"Greg!" Warrick was the first to notice his arrival in the waiting room a few minutes after leaving Nick in the hands of Doctor Jane.
"Hi, guys." He sounded kind of sheepish. "Look, Cath, I want to apologize. I was totally out of line earlier."
"Greg, I understand. You're upset and worried. I forgive you, don't worry," Catherine grinned and put an arm around the lab tech.
"Sorry, to you too, as well," Greg looked at Warrick and Sara. "I was a little out of control in there."
"We get it, Greg," Sara smiled stiffly. "Nick means a lot to you."
"Speak of the devil, what's goin' on with him, Greg?" Warrick mentioned.
"Oh! I forgot to tell you. He's getting a therapy right now... It should wake him up... The doctor is gonna come get me when it's over."
"That's good news, Greggo!" Warrick smiled. Nothing ever seemed to get him down for long.
"Yeah," Greg glanced back at Nick's room. "Actually, I think I'm gonna go check it out, if no one minds. I'd like to be there when he wakes up."
Catherine smirked, "Why don't you come get us when he's up for company, okay?"
"Thanks, guys. For everything." Greg sighed. "You made this a lot easier for me."
"No problem, Greg. Now go get'm," Warrick joked.
Greg took a deep breath and began walking toward Nick's hospital room.
'What if he doesn't wake up, Sanders?'
'Don't think like that! He's GOING to wake up... and everything's gonna go back to normal. Just you wait and see!'
'You better be right...'
By the time he was done arguing with himself, he was at the large window of Nick's room. Glancing inside, he saw Doctor Jane and a few nurses bent over Nick. A large battery was hooked to two tubes, connected to Nick's chest.
Greg pushed the door open and walked as calmly as possible over to the bed, or at least as close as he could get with the medical staff crowded around the patient. Doctor Jane handed a remote to one of the nurses and turned to Greg.
"Mr. Sanders... Couldn't stay away?"
"No, Doc," Greg smiled. "Couldn't."
"Just as well. He should be awake soon."
Greg had to hide his happiness. He felt like hopping and singing, but he had to control himself. He had to restrain. There would be a time for hopping and singing, but not right now.
A groaning from the bed broke Greg away from his celebration plans. "Nick?" Greg rushed over to his friend's side, pushing a couple of nurses to the side. "Are you awake?" The remaining nurses stepped to one side, allowing Greg full access to Nick's bedside.
"Greg?" Nick's voice was hoarse. His eyelids began to flutter and Greg grabbed a hold of the Texan's hand.
"Yeah, it's me." Greg had to suppress his tears. 'I can't believe I almost lost him... what would I have done without him?'
"What happened?" By now, the nurses had all left and Doctor Jane was just monitoring Nick's vitals.
"How much do you remember?" Greg asked quietly.
"Too much... Some guy attacked me, and..." Nick broke eye contact with Greg and the lab rat could see tears forming in his eyes.
"It's okay, Nick. It's all over now..." Greg soothed, smoothing Nick's hair back.
"Okay," Nick's eyelids closed slightly and he moved closer to Greg. "If...you say so..."
"Go to sleep, Nick. We can talk when you wake up, alright?" Nick nodded and closed his eyes.
"Good night, Greg."
" 'Night, Nick..."
TBC...
A/N: Second chapter! Longer than I expected actually. I couldn't find anything to add and I was afraid that it would be REALLY short... Then I just went with it. Now it's longer than Chapter 1! YAY! Well, I'm done!
REVIEW! (Hope this was worth the wait!)
Nicki!