Pain and New Hope

Pairing: It's mostly about Nick, but it will be a Snickers story at the end.

Spoiler: Stalker with a slight reference of You Got Male

Nick and Sara share a breakfast. What is the fate of his meds?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI characters or extras

The Safety of Sara Sidle – Part Two

I woke up feeling my good hand was a little lighter and my body still sore from Nigel's first attack. I looked on the side where Sara slept and she wasn't there. I started to panic, but rationality took over. Maybe she went to the kitchen to fix us breakfast or she went for a shower.

"Sara!" I screamed out loud.

"Nick, are you okay?" Sara came running into the room with a concerned look on her face.

"Where the hell have you been?" I asked with a hint of anger.

"Nick, I am so sorry," she said softly. "I was in the kitchen making us some breakfast."

"You should have woken me up and told me," I told her. "I was afraid that Nigel Crane escaped from prison, found out where I was and killed you to get to me."

"I had just called Brass," Sara calmly informed me. "According to him, Nigel is now in solitary confinement in a jail near Reno. He doesn't know you are here and where I live. Does that make you feel any better?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to be alone at this time," I said.

"I promise it won't happen again," she smiled. "You must be hungry! I made some oatmeal with a splash of cream. I hope you like sugar and cinnamon."

"Yum, I love cinnamon," I almost drooled.

"I'll help you up and we'll go to the dining room," she said.

I kicked off the sheets and with Sara's help, I got up from bed. It was when I slowly was getting up, my cracked ribs were acting up again. I gave Sara a grimacing look.

"Nick, what's the matter?" she asked.

"My ribs are sore," I said. "Do you have anything for the pain?"

"What about the meds the doctor gave you at the hospital?" she asked. "She told you have to take them whether you like it or not."

"I think I have left them at my place," I whispered. "Do you know if anyone processed my house?"

"I am sure that someone from Ecklie's team might have gotten a hold of them," she said.

"Whoa, has Ecklie sent his goons to process my place?" I asked almost stammering in my voice.

"Yup, that creep has his people there," she replied with a pained look on her face. "Grissom wanted to do it, but the idiot sheriff didn't want our guys there since it was personal and we would compromise evidence. Brass is pissed off over this and wanted to kill Ecklie."

"I can imagine," I smiled.

"Let's go to the dining room table," she chirped. "I'll give you some Tylenol to hold you over. I want you to take it with food. I'll call Catherine or Grissom to ask if your meds are at the crime lab and have them bring it over here."

"That would be great," I told her.

She gently helped me up and I still felt my ribs act up. Once I was standing, I felt a little better. We walked to the dining room and I slowly sat on the chair Sara pulled out for me. She went to the kitchen and came out with two bowls of oatmeal. The aroma of the cinnamon hit my nose. This is what comfort was and safety was Sara Sidle. She made at least one more trip to get milk, coffee and juice.

"Nick, I am going to bring you some Tylenol," she said. "Don't panic, I'll be back in less than two minutes."

"I'll time you!" I joked.

She returned in less than a minute with a bottle of the pain reliever. She opened it and gave me two pills. She went to the kitchen and gave me a glass of water. I ate a small amount of the oatmeal before taking them. After I took the Tylenol, I chased it down with the water she gave me. She sat down across from me and we ate breakfast.

"So, are you going to work tonight?" I asked her.

"When Grissom found out that I was taking you in," Sara said. "He gave me the next ten days off to take care of you."

"I don't believe this," I chuckled softly. "You, Sara Sidle, are taking time off from work to take care of me!"

"Hey, you were the one that told me that I needed to get out more often," she smirked. "It was when I told you what a pain in the ass processing that radiator cap can be."

"Ah, that's smudge city," I said. "I remember that you made a big deal out of it and you shouldn't have."

"Still, a radiator cap is hard to process," Sara winked at me.

"I know," I said. "By the way, the oatmeal is delicious. Did it come from a box?"

"Thank you," she replied. "No, I bought the oatmeal plain. I put sugar, cinnamon, fruit, maple syrup or chocolate chips in the amounts I want."

"You put chocolate chips in oatmeal?" I asked.

"It's delicious," she replied.

"Maybe I might try it before I return to my place," I winked at her.

She got up from the table and started to carry the dirty dishes. I was looking at her. No, I was flirting with her.

"Stokes, why are you looking at me like that?" Sara asked. "Are you flirting with me?"

"You got me," I smiled. "I am flirting with you! We have probably done it since you arrived in Las Vegas."

Sara laughed as she took some of the dirty dishes to the sink.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Nick, you are an injured man," she pointed out. "You need to rest! I am taking care of the dishes. Then, I'm going to call Catherine to find out if Ecklie's people collected your meds. If so, I'll ask her to bring them here. How are you feeling?"

"Still feeling sore," I replied. "I just took the Tylenol about twenty minutes ago. Ask me in about half an hour or so about how I am feeling."

She just smiled as she started doing the dishes. I just sat there looking at her as each plate, utensil, glass and a pot was washed, rinsed and placed in the drying rack. I often picture her kitchen as barren since she got rid of her take out menus. I guess my advice paid off a little, but she still needed to get out more often. After she finished with the dishes, she went to her phone, dialed a number and put it on speaker mode.

"Willows!" a woman's voice said.

"Catherine, this is Sara," Sara replied.

"Hey Sara, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Catherine said.

"Nick is staying with me for awhile," Sara explained. "When Brass took him to the station, he left his pain pills at his house. I was wondering if someone from Ecklie's team picked it up and brought to the crime lab."

"I thought I saw a prescription bottle with Nick's name on it in the trace lab," Catherine said. "I am going to talk to Grissom about releasing it to Nick. How is he coping with his injuries?"

"When he got up from bed," Sara said. "His ribs were acting up, so I gave him some Tylenol. We'll see how he feels in about an hour."

"Can I talk to him briefly if he is up?" Catherine asked.

"Sure," Sara said. "Nick, Catherine wants to talk to you."

"Hey Catherine," I said after I slowly got up and went towards the speaker phone. "How are you doing?"

"I am okay," she replied. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm still sore," I told her. "I should feel a little better after taking the Tylenol. I heard that I might get my medication back."

"That is if Grissom gives me to okay to bring it to you," Catherine said.

"I know," I said.

"If he allows me to bring it," Catherine said. "I will stop by Sara's place within four hours. If not, expect a phone call from me. Now, get some more rest."

"Sure," I said. "I'll hear from you either way. Later!"

"Bye," Catherine said as we hung up.

An hour later, I was back in bed, but not sleeping. Sara gave me an old forensics journal from the year 2000 to read. I didn't care what I was reading at this point, I didn't want to go stir crazy while lying in bed recovering from my injuries. Unfortunately, there wasn't a television in this room, but reading was a great distraction (Sara was an even better one). It would be another hour until Sara came marching into the room with my medication and smiling at me. It looked like Catherine and Grissom had come through for me after all.

TBC