A/N: Thank you for your kind and helpful reviews. KatKnits00- like you I am also a big fan of Nicky-whumping (smile) and I assure you, their problems have just begun…hope you continue to enjoy, as I am pleasantly surprised by how much fun I am having writing this.
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Late afternoon had turned quickly to looming dusk as days do in the spring. Hundreds of birds that had taken to the air when they had been disturbed by the encroachment of a two-ton metal beast were finally settling back down to their roosts. Some of the birds were disgruntled to find that said beast now occupied their former perches. Fate had been relatively kind to the two CSIs; the Denali had rolled several times but its descent had been cushioned and slowed by the thick tree growth on the side of the embankment and it came to rest on its passenger side in the tops of several old knotty pines. The beast had not yet disgorged its occupants.
Nick opened his eyes, expecting to see Grissom to his right. Instead, he found his boss below him. The view disconcerted him to the point that he quickly squeezed his eyes shut and tried to remember what had happened. There wasn't much- just a loud bang and trees and an odd feeling of somersaulting. He slowly reopened his eyes and tried to figure out what was going on. He realized that he was hanging in his seat by his seat belt, his side being cut into by the sharp reinforced fabric. His airbag had deployed and he had the telltale burns on his face to show for it. He quickly did a once over on his limbs and head and realized that except for the pain in his side he was pretty much intact.
I guess the pain in my side is worth it since the stupid belt probably saved my life he thought ruefully.
His next thoughts turned to his mentor. Grissom was also awake and appeared to be struggling with his own belt, the passenger side airbag also deployed and the same small burns on his face. It appeared that the passenger side fender area had been crushed in and the older mans legs were trapped below the glove box.
"Gris? You okay?" Nick asked. He was still hanging from his belt and he almost chuckled as he saw his boss look left - then realize that the voice had come from above him.
"I think I'm okay," the older man replied slowly. Then he amended that when he realized the state of his legs. "I appear to be stuck though, and my right ankle hurts. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. A bit hung up myself, but I think it's all good. Wow. Off roading, huh? Bet you're kicking yourself for that joke now, huh?" he said as a smile worked its way onto his face. The realization that they had survived relatively unscathed was just dawning on him and he hadn't yet been fazed by their current predicament.
"Yes, Nick. Very funny," his boss said, his own dry smile on his face. He quickly put a damper on the temporary humor by asking the obvious. "Any thoughts on how to extricate ourselves?"
"One step at a time, Gris. One step at a time."
First things first, Stokes. Get. Out. Of. This. Friggin'. Seatbelt.
He grabbed the driver armrest and pushed the button, releasing the hated seatbelt. It opened after a few attempts and he clung to the armrest, bracing himself on the center console. He pulled his feet out and planted them on the dash and the passenger seat, suspended over his boss. He scanned the damage to the glove box area and realized that he couldn't fight gravity and pull Grissom up towards him. He'd have to see if he could get the passenger door open and find out if he could get his boss out that way.
He turned about and tried the driver's door handle. It seemed the door would open so he pushed it up and open, holding his breath to see if the movement would jostle the truck. So far so good- the trees seemed to have a firm embrace on the vehicle. He clambered out the door and onto the driver side of the SUV. He scanned their surroundings, first looking up to see how far they had fallen. Holy crap. He then looked down and was gratified to see that they weren't that far from the ground, relatively speaking. The trees grew from the bottom of the canyon and it was the height of the trees between them and the blessed ground. He worked his way over to the nearest tree and was relieved that it was a pine. He remembered climbing trees as a kid back on the Stokes family ranch and pine trees with their radial branch growth were always the easiest to navigate. He stepped off onto the closest branch and lowered himself limb by limb until he was below the Denali. This was the fun part. Stepping onto a branch under the truck he forced himself to climb under the vehicle, two tons of steel hanging precariously above him. He maneuvered himself over to the passenger side door and rapped on the window under Grissom's head.
"You ready?" he yelled through the closed window. "I'm gonna open the door. There is a branch below you but try to brace yourself for when your weight is no longer being supported." He saw the older man nod his head and place his hands on the console and the crushed glove box. Nick then grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open as far as it would go before its movement was impeded by the nearest branch. He reached in and slipped his hands under his boss' armpits. "Gris, do you think you can push yourself out if I help?" The only response to his question was a grunt of assent and the older CSI's grabbing the now open doorframe. The two struggled to pull Grissom out and they each groaned as their respective aches and pains amplified with their efforts. The older man, finally out and balanced on one leg on their branch, allowed himself a sigh of relief and turned to look at his liberator. The younger man's face was pale and covered in small cuts and scrapes from the tree branches, and the aforementioned airbag burns, but it also had a big ole' shit-eating grin plastered on it. He found his own face forming a smile to mirror the other and reflexively found his hand stuck out and offering a handshake to his protégé. "Thanks, Nick."
Nick was surprised by the obviously impromptu offering and returned the handshake, placing his left hand on his boss' shoulder. "No problem, Boss. Remember this next Evaluation Day would ya?" he asked with a chuckle. "Think you can work your way down the tree?" he asked doubtfully while looking at Grissom perched on the branch like a flamingo with his other leg raised above the limb.
"Only one way to find out, Nick," he replied and lowered his foot down to the branch. He winced a little but it looked like it would support him, at least temporarily. "I think it got twisted when the passenger compartment was crushed, but it'll do for now." The older man gamely grabbed onto a limb and began to lower himself down through the tree, the younger man shaking his head at his boss' stubbornness.
The Big Guy still has some surprises left in him.