Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, I'm glad so many people are enjoying this. I know I made Grissom seem like an ass, but it's going to be important later on, so trust me. I've tried to redeem Catherine a bit in this chapter...again, important for later chapters.

Not to much N/S until the end, but we all must endure the in-between to get to what we want.

-Bugs'n'Suds-

Chapter Three:

"Really, guys, I'll be okay. I'm just really tired." Sara insisted, struggling against Grissom, who was preventing her from rising into a sitting position, "Guess now you know I wasn't faking, right Gris?" she asked with a half-smile.

Grissom's eyes narrowed, "I never once accused you of faking, now lay back and rest, we're going to call for an ambulance. You need to go to the hospital."

"No I don't!" Sara interjected, finally able to push his hands away and sit, trying not to let the dizziness and unsteadiness show, "Grissom, really, I'll be okay. I just want to go home."

Catherine held her hand up, "Fighting won't do any of us any good. Sara, Nick and Warrick will help you downstairs, Greg and I will get the evidence loaded up, and I'll drop you off at home on my way to the lab."

"You can't just go roaming through town with evidence in your backseat." Grissom said, his expression showing the obvious shock he felt at the breach of procedure, "I'll call Brass and see if he can drop her off, you head back to the lab."

Sara's eyes shot daggers in Grissom's direction, "I'm still here, you know. I'll be fine to ride with Catherine, she can log in the evidence, I'll even help her, and she can drop me off at my place. It's not like I'm on my deathbed, it's just the flu."

"She wouldn't even be here if someone would have listened to her good judgement a few hours ago." Nick said, anger still laced in his words, "But work always comes first, right Grissom? Maybe if you hadn't run her ragged with all of the overtime--"

"He didn't run her ragged!" Greg interrupted, his loyalty to his team showing as he took a step closer to Grissom, "Sara works as many or as little hours as she wants to. She's dedicated, she'd do anything to finish a case, on or off the clock. You can't blame Grissom for her being sick, you can blame him for making her come in, but you can't pin everything on him."

"I don't need you to defend me, Greg," Grissom said softly, placing a hand on Greg's arm, "I don't need to be defended at all. One day, if you become a supervisor, you'll see the position I was in. I don't have enough employees to cover what needs to be covered, sometimes we all make sacrifices."

Nick's eyes shone with anger, and after a few moments of silence, he spoke with a cold voice, "Well, I'm not going to sacrifice Sara just so this house gets processed. I can't believe you, of all people, would."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Grissom asked, his own voice cold.

Sara cleared her throat, accepting Warrick's hand as he pulled her to her feet, "Hello, guys? I'm still here! Remember me, the one you are fighting over? If you two are done with this show, I'd love to get out of here."

"I'll walk you downstairs." Nick said softly, putting his arm around her, "Do you want me to carry you?"

Sara's head, despite the throbbing, whipped quickly around to look at Nick, and she fought a groan that threatened to escape as the room swayed slightly, "I'm perfectly capable, Nick, sorry to deflate your precious male ego."

"I was raised to help a damsel in distress, that's how us gentlemen are in my part of the country."

Sara smirked, "Well, in my neighborhood, my brother and his friends raised me to kick the asses of guys like that." She coughed weakly, her chest burning. A cool sweat broke out over her body, and she leaned against Nick, allowing her eyes to close for a moment, "Should have got a flu shot."

"Catherine, take her to see a doctor." Grissom ordered, "We all know she won't go on her own."

"Catherine's got a case to solve!" Sara protested, a frown crossing her pale face, "I'll go tomorrow."

Grissom's eyes narrowed, "I'll call an ambulance to take you to one. I'm your supervisor, I can do that."

"Whatever." Sara replied, too tired to argue, and accepted Nick's hand as they began to descend the staircase. By the time they reached the bottom, she was exhausted. Sinking to the bottom step, she rested her head in her lap and waited for Catherine to be ready to leave.

15 minutes later, they were on their way to the lab, Sara's head resting against the window as she allowed her eyes to shut, fighting sleep as hard as she possibly could. In the drivers seat, Catherine was being deliberately quiet, partly because she could see the pain in Sara's eyes when there was the slightest bit of noise, and partly because she knew that no matter what she would say, it would cause a fight between the two of them. They hadn't been able to get along well in ages.

She stole a glance in Sara's direction, a frown on her face. She was definitely going to take Sara to see a doctor, it was abnormal for Sara to be so ill, sure, they all had their colds and viruses, but she had never seen anyone look so pale and miserable before.

"I'll log in the evidence, and we'll go to the Urgent Care clinic, they're open 24/7, and they take our insurance," Catherine said softly, "I know you don't want to go to a doctor, but--"

Sara held up her hand, stopping Catherine's sentence, "No, it's okay, that sounds fine."

"You must be feeling really bad then." Catherine observed, "Have you taken anything?"

Sliding open one eye, Sara responded, "Just about every type of over the counter cold, allergy, and flu medicine they make. Nothing works." Sara started to cough again, pressing one hand against her chest and the other over her mouth. Was this ever going to stop? After a few seconds, the coughing stopped and she was left wheezing for breath, trying to calm her body down and not worry Catherine.

Catherine was already worried, though. As they pulled into the parking lot, she had second thoughts about logging in the evidence, and was almost tempted to drive Sara straight to the doctor. She watched as Sara's coughs subsided, leaving her pale and clammy, gasping for breath as she held onto her chest, her eyes shining with tears.

"Do you want to go straight to the doctor?"

Sara shook her head, unfastening her seatbelt, "I told you I'd help you log in evidence, I'll get some water, take some more aspirin, and then we'll go."

"If you change your mind, I'll take you, no matter what I'm doing."

"I'll be fine!" Sara exclaimed, woozily stepping out of the Tahoe and slowly walking to the sidewalk. Seconds later, Catherine was by her side, taking her by the arm and slowly leading her to the building. The last thing she wanted was Sara to pass out again and bust her head open on the cement.

The first sight they were met with was Ecklie's frowning face. "Willows, Sidle, a word please?"

Sara audibly groaned as they followed Ecklie into his office, sitting side by side on the uncomfortable chairs he had facing his desk. Catherine glanced from a miserable Sara to an obviously unhappy and angered Ecklie, and pointedly asked, "Do you have a reason for this meeting?"

"It was brought to my attention that there was an incident at the crime scene tonight." Ecklie said cooly, looking from Catherine to Sara, then back to Catherine, a frown on his face.

Catherine's eyes darted in Sara's direction, surprised to see Sara staring at the floor, embarrassment staining her cheeks pink. "Sara is ill, her supervisor didn't quite anticipate the extent of her illness until forcing her to work the scene."

"Are you telling me that you told Grissom that you were unable to come to work tonight?" Ecklie barked in Sara's direction.

Sara silently nodded, her head throbbing unpleasantly as Ecklie's voice rose slightly, "And after he forced you to meet him at the crime scene, what happened?"

"I printed the entry points, I went to assist Warrick with processing the bedroom of two of the victims, but I felt ill so I went into the hall." Sara said softly, her own voice echoing loudly in her head, causing her to wince slightly.

Ecklie's voice rose a little louder, "Catherine, are you telling me that both yourself and Gil saw the appearance of CSI Sidle and you forced her to process the scene anyway? Do you have any idea what kind of risk you're taking with possible contamination of evidence? Not to mention the liability suit that we would receive if something happened to her on the job, after being coerced by her supervisor to work?"

"With all due respect, it isn't my position to send Sara home. That's up to her supervisor, who felt she was able to perform her job without restriction." Catherine said, her voice tight, her eyes narrow. She glanced at Sara, who was now coughing again, her red cheeks contrasting heavily with her pale face. "If you have any problems with her management, speak to Grissom."

Ecklie shook his head, his voice still growing louder, "You are the swing supervisor, your shift was called to the scene. Graveyard was there for backup and assistance, therefore, you were responsible for every CSI employee present. Even though Gil has seniority, you were in charge. Do you handle your own team this irresponsibly?"

"It's not Catherine's fault, Grissom told me I had to tough it out for a few hours then I'd get to go home early. I should have refused to come in, I'm sorry, can you please stop yelling?" Sara moaned, her face contorted in pain. Her head felt like it was being pounded on like a bass drum, her chest felt as if it were on fire, and her stomach was tied up in so many knots that she wasn't sure if she'd be able to stand up and follow Catherine out even with assistance. Maybe going to the doctor first wouldn't have been such a bad idea.

She began to cough again, gasping for breath and doubling over, her chest muscles seizing up as she worried her lungs would crack from the pressure of her incessant coughing. She shut her eyes for a few seconds, trying to take a deep breath, but unable to do so, and she suddenly longed for her bed, anywhere to lay her aching body down and sleep for the next week or so.

"Go get her some water." Ecklie snapped at Catherine, who was already halfway out of her chair. A few moments later, Catherine returned and handed Sara the cup of tepid water, which only slightly lessened her coughs and wheezes.

Ecklie turned back to Catherine, his voice lower, but still lethally angry, "I also heard that she passed out, and you didn't call for a medic. You are aware of the operating procedure in this office, aren't you?"

"Sara insisted she was going to be fine, Greg and Nick were confident her dizziness and weakness were because of dehydration, I was--am--planning on driving her to the doctor as soon as I brought the evidence back. Sara agreed that business needed to be handled." Catherine said defensively, looking towards Sara to back her up, and receiving a nod from the younger woman.

Ecklie held his hand up, "Give me what you have and get Sara to Desert Palm, I will not have a lawsuit brought up against CSI for neglect of our employees well-being. Catherine, I plan to see you and Grissom in my office at 8 A.M. tomorrow morning to discuss this. No case is more important than our CSI's health, without our employees, there would be no lab, correct?"

"Yes sir." Catherine grumbled, taking Sara by the hand and pulling her to her feet, instructing her to finish the water and get her equilibrium straight before leading her out the door and into the hallway. Once out of earshot, she muttered, "Jerk."

Sara managed to crack a small smile, "Well, he almost showed signs of having a heart."

"He needs to try harder." Catherine smirked, putting her hand against Sara's forehead, "Jesus, girl, you're burning up. After I get you home, I'll have to get back to the lab, but I think I'll send Nick to stay with you, you look like you'll need some help. Shift's almost over anyway. I should have let him stay with you in the first place."

Sara barely nodded, her eyelids heavy as she sat back down in the Tahoe, using the remainder of her limited energy to fasten her seatbelt. She listened to Catherine quietly talk, although her voice seemed miles away, the movement around her seeming jittery and slow. The last thing she remembered was them pulling out of the lab's parking lot.

The next time she opened her eyes, she was laying in a hospital bed, changed from her black jogging pants and tank top into a bland hospital down, surrounded by four white walls, a blood pressure cuff on her arm, a tube in her nose, an IV in her right arm, an oxygen mask on her face, and a dark brown haired head on her abdomen.

She shifted slightly, fumbling with the oxygen mask and whispering, "Nicky?"

"Oh, Sara, you're awake. Thank God!" Nick exclaimed, stroking her hair gently as he instantly became alert. "Honey, you've got to leave the mask on, you need it, okay?"

Sara shook her head, questions in her eyes. He squeezed her hand, "Hold on a sec, let me go get your nurse, then we'll explain everything to you."

Moments later, Nick came back, a relieved smile on his face, "Angie, your nurse, will be in soon. I was so worried about you, Sara, we all were."

"What happened?" Sara asked, moving her oxygen mask to speak, but replacing it quickly as Nick gave her a stern look.

Nick squeezed her hand gently, "Cath took you to the hospital, you passed out in the car, you were barely breathing. When you got to the emergency room, they took a chest x-ray, did some bloodwork, and found out you've got pneumonia, and it's a pretty bad case."

"It's bacterial," The nurse said, walking in the room and finishing Nick's explanation, "We've got you on antibiotics," she gestured to the IV, "And we've been keeping you sedated. Actually, we only sedated you for the first 24 hours, the last 12 has just been your body trying to heal. It seems your friends and supervisor thought you would protest the oxygen and the ng tube."

"Why do I need a tube?" Sara asked groggily, pulling the oxygen mask away, "And why do I need this stupid thing?"

The nurse chuckled softly, sticking a thermometer under Sara's tongue and preventing any further questions, "You're very underweight for your height, and the doctor thought it wouldn't be advisable to have you on an 'IV diet' while you were here, and it's suggested that your medication is taken on a full stomach. They've been feeding you through the tube, and will, until you are well enough to feed yourself. The oxygen mask is to make sure you're getting enough oxygen, you were having difficulty breathing, your lungs are very inflamed. Your friend here told us that you were a very, very sick young woman for quite awhile before you came in."

"I was only really sick for a day or so." Sara corrected her, shooting Nick a glare.

Nick held his hands up in protest, "I got my info from Greg, who said you'd been sick for nearly a week."

"And by the rate of your infection, you'd probably been feeling run down and ill for closer to 3 or 4 weeks. You should have seen a doctor sooner," The nurse said sternly, "Your fever is starting to lower, which is a good sign. Dr. Forrester will be in shortly to do a full examination. You can remove the oxygen mask, as long as you're not having any trouble breathing, only while you have visitors."

Sara pushed the mask aside and gave Nick a tired smile, "How long have you been here?"

"Since Catherine called us from the emergency room and told us they were admitting you. I was worried sick, Sara! If you ever let things get so bad before seeing a doctor again, I'll kill you myself!" Nick exclaimed, squeezing Sara's hands, "It was just plain awful seeing you like that, it still is, promise me that the next time you've got a cold or the flu that keeps getting worse, instead of better, you'll get yourself checked out."

Sara struggled to sit, her hand touching Nick's face gently, "I'm sorry, Nick, I didn't mean to worry you. I honestly didn't think it was that serious. I'm sorry I scared you."

"Sara, I just don't know what I'd do if I lost you, you're my best friend, this could have been so much more serious." He pushed her gently back against her pillows and poured her a glass of water, "The nurse said this wouldn't interfere with your tube, and in all actuality, they'll probably take that out today. It's not coffee, but it's a start. I took some vacation time, I'm going to see to it that you're back up to your 100 percent mark as quickly as possible."

"Oh, a man on a mission, aren't we?" Sara asked with a tired smile, "Can your plans to get me back up and running wait until I've taken a nap? You should go home and get some sleep yourself, you look like crap."

Nick's jaw dropped open with a playful smile, "I'll forget you said that, you're as beautiful as always, Miss Sidle."

"Stop flirting and let the sick woman get some sleep." Sara muttered, lacing her fingers with his, "Honestly, flirting with someone who can hardly move, you're desperate."

As she drifted to sleep, she didn't hear him whisper, "Not desperate, in love."

TBC