Title: Good Enough
Chapter 14
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Greg's got the thumb of one hand hooked into one of the belt loops of my jeans. With the index finger of the other hand, he's tracing my spine. Considering we're in Greg's lab, him feeling me up probably isn't a good idea.
"Greg," I say, "C'mon. We're in public."
Are you ashamed of me?" Greg asks. There's a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I'm not ashamed of you," I say.
"Good," he says, as he slides one hand under my shirt. "You have nice skin."
Glancing over my shoulder, I whisper, "I'm serious, Greggo. What if someone sees us?"
"Then they see us."
Greg is ready to tell the world about us, and believe me, I'm flattered. But I'm just not ready to go public. I mean, my parents would go nuclear. Sara would be polite—too polite. And there's no telling how Warrick, Brass, and Grissom would react. If I had to guess, though, I'd have to say Warrick and Brass will have a problem with this. We've all gone out together after work, and every now and then, a couple of guys will walk by—obviously together. Warrick and Brass aren't outright mean, but they crack a joke, or make a little dig. Maybe they're just being guys, but I just can't take the chance.
I yank Greg's hand out from under my shirt. "Not here, Greg. I mean it."
Greg takes a step backward. Licking his lips, he says, "Okay."
I've hurt him. I know that. But this is my job, and these are my friends. "We have to set up boundaries Greg."
"Okay."
"Work is no place for…this." I take a step forward. "Grissom would blow if he saw us getting…romantic in the lab."
"I know," he says. He walks to the other side of the lab and starts moving things around. "So, your DNA analysis will be done soon."
After I told him about my conversation with Garret Ames, Gris asked Molly Cooper to come in and give us a DNA sample. Molly wasn't too thrilled about the idea, but her mother brought her in anyway.
"Y'know, Nicky," Greg says. "If it was just about the touchy-feely stuff at work, I'd be fine. But I get the feeling you'll never be ready to tell anyone about us."
"This is moving pretty fast," I say. "I'm sorry."
"It's cool," Greg says, his tone indicating that it's anything but cool.
"You're upset," I say.
"I'm cool. We're cool."
About then, Grissom wanders in. "How's that DNA sample coming?"
Greg flashes a forced, but Greg-like smile. "It'll be hot off the presses in a sec." He points at the machine, and, as if on cue, the printer spits out a piece of paper. Greg rips the paper off the printer and reads it to himself. Then he glances up at Grissom and me. "Any guesses?"
"We don't rely on guess," Grissom says.
"We rely on evidence," Greg finishes. "Molly Cooper is a match."
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I'm in Greg's lab, waiting for Brass. We're going to interview Molly and her mother together. After the incident with the Ames', Brass pretty much barred Grissom from interviewing the kids involved in the Kincaid murder.
Greg is still angry with me. He ditched me at lunch and went out with Catherine. Now, he's just leaning against the counter, his arms crossed, glaring at me.
"Look, Greg," I say.
He sighs wearily. "Nicky, I'm not asking you take out a full page add in the morning paper. I just don't want to hide. It was hard enough for me to hide it from you."
I lean my body forward and rest my weight on the upper part of my arms. "I'm not comfortable doing this in a fishbowl."
"And I'm not comfortable in the closet, Nick."
"You have to give me time," I say. I reach out to take his hand, but he pulls it away.
"We're at work," Greg says. "Boundaries, remember."
I gaze at him for a long moment. As much as I care about—love the guy, I can't let him force me to do something I'm not comfortable doing. And I'm not ready to come out of the closet.
"You're not being fair," I say.
"No, you're not," he snaps.
"Nicky," a voice says from the doorway.
I glance up and see Brass standing there. Oh God. How long has he been there?
If Brass heard anything, he doesn't act like it. He points over his shoulder. "The front desk said the Coopers are here."
"Cool," I say. "Hey Greg, I'll call."
"If you want to," he says shortly.
-----
Brass and I round the corner to the front lobby. Sure enough, Mrs. Cooper is standing there. And she's got company.
"Isn't that Garret Ames?" Brass whispers.
"Yeah," I say.
Mr. Ames and Mrs. Cooper are standing pretty close to each other, talking quietly. Mrs. Cooper is gesturing with her hands, while Mr. Ames stands with his arms stolidly crossed.
Brass and I walk toward them and finally wind up close enough to hear the tail end of the conversation.
Mrs. Cooper runs a hand through her hair. "I just don't see why you have to shut everyone out."
"That's your interpretation, Kim," Mr. Ames says.
"Gary…"
Mr. Ames takes a step forward. "I haven't seen you make much of an effort."
Taking a breath, I say, "Mr. Ames, Mrs. Cooper."
They both jump a little, like teenagers who've been caught smoking behind the school.
"Mr. Stokes," Ames says, holding out his hand. "Could I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure." I glance at Brass. "I'll meet you in the interrogation room."
Mrs. Cooper waves Molly, who'd been checking out the vending machines, over, and they follow Brass down the hall.
"What can I do for you, sir?" I ask.
Ames reaches into his pocket and pulls out a stack of letters. "My son brought these to me. He likes to sneak a peek at Natalie's things. They're letters from Danny to Nat."
"Does your daughter know you brought these?" I ask.
He nods. "She's less than thrilled right now." He hands me the stack of letters. "They're disturbing. But I think you need to see them."
"Thank you," I say.
He nods again, and then turns on his heel and walks out the door.