Hey y'all!
I'm so sorry for the late updation! I blame it all on my kitten muse, Kiara, cuz she ran away on me! But don't worry, I will strangle and hog-tie her down so we can continue. This story will not be left unfinished! I just got my driver's license yesterday and I am ecstatic! So I decided to share the love with what little I have come up with.
I would like to mention that this story has been nominated for the CSI Fanfic Award of 2005. This is a great honor to me, and I would like to ask if anyone would vote for me. Please go to www(dot)livejournal(dot)com/community/csifanficawards/ for information. Or, if you don't like me at all, go there anyway and nominate/vote for ppl you do like! Thank you!
Geez, like I said last chappie, I remembered a few notes I meant to advise.
1. That is the actual way to perform CPR, but do not use it unless you have been trained in the field. I am taking classes to become a Paramedic, so I wrote the procedure down, as it should be done.
2. You guys have NO idea about how long I sat, bangin my head on the keyboard, deciding whether to kill Chris Jackson or not. I was being pulled both ways for so long! But I finally took the easy way out and just killed the guy; and now I'm sorta kickin myself for it, but I'll live!
Kk, since I had so many great reviews from the last chappie, I'll put em at the end, so we can get straight to the story! I hope that doesn't devastate anyone too much. J/K.
Oh, and quick note, thanx to those who said they like the summary for the other story. I will start that one soon and get it on the site, but it might be a little while yet.
Disclaimer: I can't think of a witty reply; so, anyone or anything you recognize I don't own. But I DO own The Jacksons and all of the victims (I feel so special) Sniffle sniffle
OoO
XxX
Chapter-11- A Rush of Feelings
XxX
Twenty paces. Fifteen long. Twenty-five short.
Catherine had once again found herself pacing, but this time it was in the Break Room. She and Sara had been waiting frantically for half an hour, but no word had come.
Jacqui, Archie and Hodges had all been called away by Ecklie, who was enraged that half his lab techs had left without a word. It wasn't until Catherine had blown up and told him about Greg that Ecklie finally settled down and steered clear of the two women.
"I can't take much more of this!" Sara yelled, throwing her hands up in frustration.
"They found him," Catherine assured her, "They had to have found him. Oh my God, this is all my fault."
Sara snapped around to her, both anger and hurt in her eyes. "This is not your fault Cath. The only one who can, and will, be blamed for this is Chris Jackson. Greg will come back to us, and will be all right."
Sara had started out loud and confident, but her voice became softer and cracked even more with every word.
Catherine's gaze fell to the ground. "My heart knows you're right, now just tell these visions flashing through my head."
The door suddenly slammed open, causing the two females to snap their attention to the new arrival.
"Grissom!" They both scrambled from their places and ran to the door. "How is Greg? What happened?"
Grissom shook his head. "I'll explain on the way to the hospital. Warrick and Nick are already there."
Sara shook her head. "Grissom please. At least tell us Greg is all right, and you caught that bastard, Jackson."
Grissom sighed; the two women wouldn't budge until they had been told something. "Chris Jackson is dead, but we had to resuscitate Greg after we found him."
Sara covered her mouth, while Catherine's hands snapped to her ears. Grissom had a slight urge to chuckle and cover his eyes to complete the well-known "See no evil" scene, but instantly smothered it. "Come on, let's go."
The girls nodded and left without another word. Grissom explained the whole story on the way to the hospital.
XxX
8 A.M. Eleven hours since the forged phone call was made. Seven hours since the box had been found, that plunged an entire team into a living nightmare. Two hours since they found their close friend inside a box, motionless and not breathing. And an hour and a half since they had last seen him, ash gray and covered in his own blood.
Nick unconsciously found himself checking his watch almost every other minute as he sat in the waiting room, anxious for some word on either of his friends.
He and Warrick had made it to the front desk, where Warrick was immediately whisked off to have his hand checked. Now, an hour later, he finally reemerged, he hand tightly bound in white gauze.
"Hey man, how's it looking'?" Nick asked as his friend sat down next to him.
Warrick shrugged. "The gunshot splintered the wood and lodged a piece in my hand. Ten stitches and enough painkillers to knock out a cow. Any word?"
Nick shook his head. "Notta. I've tried talkin' to a few people, but they just keep pushing me away. God, it's been almost two hours, how much longer will it take?"
"These things take time," Warrick said, placing his uninjured hand on the Texan's shoulder. "Don't worry Bro, everything will work out. Greg is strong, he's proven that to us before. He will make it through."
"Nick! Warrick!"
Both men looked up as Grissom, Catherine and Sara ran up. All three looked worse for wear, but they all had worried looks that asked only one thing. "Have they said anything?"
Both men shook their hands, causing a thick silence to fall between the five.
After a minute, Catherine chuckled quietly, catching everyone's attention.
"Mind sharin' Cath?" Sara asked. "I think we could all use a little chuckle right now."
Catherine shook her head. "Just thinkin' bout what Greg was like when he was still in the lab. You know, the crazy shirts, out of control hairdos-"
"And who could forget the rousing games of 'Name That Chemical Compound'?" Nick added with a slight laugh.
Warrick smiled. "Yeah, Greggo was a lot of fun at times in the lab, but he's calm down a lot since he came on the field. He said he needs to look and act more professional now; normal shirts, hair stays flat down. I think we're startin to lose the old Greg."
"He's just worried that he won't be able to handle himself outside of the lab," Grissom explained. "He just needs a little time."
"He might also need a little reminding of who he really is, and what we love about him," Sara added quietly.
The whole group fell silent, each thinking about different things, but they all were based around Greg. They needed to show their friend that it's all right to be himself in his new job, as soon as he heals.
'Which might take longer than everyone might think,' Grissom thought somberly.
XxX
"Mr. Sanders? Who brought in a Mr. Sanders?"
All heads snapped up as a doctor stopped in a room, looking from his clipboard, to the people in the room, and back again.
"Right here!" Nick half yelled, jumping out of his chair in his rush to hear any news.
The doctor's eyes widened slightly in surprise as Nick stopped less than a foot in front of him. "Um yes. I'm Doctor Rowland. I'll…a…I'll be with Mr. Sanders during his stay here. A…please, would you mind moving back a little?"
Nick looked at him in confusion for a few seconds, before he realized just how close they actually were, and jumped back quickly. "Sorry about that."
Doctor Rowland smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it; just a little too close for comfort. Now, back to Mr. Sanders. He has down a Mr. Gilbert Grissom, and a Mr. Nicholas Stokes as his emergency contacts. Am I addressing either of them?"
Nick nodded dumbly, when had he become one of Greg's contacts?
Grissom moved forward when he realized that words had become alien to the Texan. "I'm Gil Grissom, and this is Nick Stokes. And please, anything that is said, can be shared with everyone here."
Rowland seemed wary at first, but slowly nodded. "Mr. Sanders-"
"Greg," Nick suddenly interrupted, "It's Greg. He doesn't like being called that."
Doctor Rowland looked at the man for a minute; the young CSI seemed to be in a slight state of shock, which was understandable in this type of situation. He glanced around at the others, and saw that they too seemed to be in the same state, but not as deeply as Mr. Stokes.
"Greg," he corrected, "Has just gotten out of surgery. He lost a lot of blood and needed a transfusion. His skull was fractured, but we were able to take care of it. The ties on his wrists and ankles caused deep lacerations. We had to set both wrists, but they should be fine in a few days; and his right leg was placed in a cast because the tie had almost cut through to the bone. He has also been filed as slightly malnourished and dehydrated. We have him on fluids, and his condition has stabilized. We'll need to keep him here for a few days to obverse his stats, but I see no reason for him to stay any longer than the end of the week."
There was a gathered exhale as everyone sighed in relief.
"Can we see him?" Catherine asked.
Rowland nodded. "He's still drugged from the operation, but he should be awake within the hour. Just do not crowd him too much, he needs to understand his surroundings now that he is safe."
Grissom nodded and the doctor walked down the hall, leaving the five CSI's to themselves.
Warrick immediately snapped out of his stupor. "Let's go." He started toward the doors, but stopped when he realized Nick wasn't following. "Come on Bud, let's go see him."
Nick shook his head, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm comin." He quickly walked through the doors of the ward, closely followed by the others."
OoO
Well, I'm sad to say I think this is my worst chappie so far. It just doesn't sound right to me. Oh well, the next one will have Greg and some other feelings will arise.
So, here are to my reviewers new and old:
AcidOverRideChic: Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it! And see, I didn't kill poor Greggo, I could never do that!
Cheelalaucha: Sry I took so long! I really didn't mean to! And yes, poor Greggo will endure much as he restabalizes his life, but he doesn't want to see his friends suffer also. I also really liked that quote!
CrimsonBlackRose: Thank you very much! I feel honored to have those kind of comments. And if you need any help with your stories, my e-mail is in my profile; I'd be more than happy to help! And that goes for anyone who would like help with their stories, or who just have a question.
Rehgai: Well, I can't recall ever hearing of "The Body", but I hope my story doesn't come out exactly like it. And you know I'd LOVE for ya to write a poem for that one too! Can't wait! I'll start that story soon.
Daisyangel: Yea, poor Greg just needed that little anchor in life to show him he was okay, but it was taken from him so soon. But now you see he'll be okay, maybe. And thanx, I'll start my other story very soon!
Ze Queen Of Bleu: I know this wasn't very soon, but here it is! And thanx, I really like that line too.
Sherlock's Sparrow: Yea, we all have our own twisted little minds huh? I coulda made a very neat ending outta that outcome, but this way, the story is much longer (and ppls won't try and kill ME for killing GREG. Lol) Glad you are enjoying it!
NothingWithoutYou: Thanx, Greg is my favorite too!
Lins: Thanx, I'll get on my new story soon.
Sprite Sweetheart: Well, Greggo isn't totally okay yet, but he is safe! Only time will tell of his condition!
James' Grl: Well that sux, sry I didn't get it out sooner. And sry you didn't really like that chappie, I think this one turned out a little worse than that one.
Korona123: Hey I added!
Hyperactive Forever: Thanx very much, you wouldn't believe how long it took me to decide to kill the git! And yes, Greg's character isn't getting a lot of time in the spotlight, including how close he is to his teammates. I believe out of all of them, he seems to be closest to Nick in personality and stuff.
GreggoAddict: Thanx, keep up the great work on your story too!
Kagii: THanx. I love Greg-angst too. You just seem to have a greater sense for your fav character when they are the one getting hurt.
dagdrommer: Well, I can give ya moments as best buds, but I don't do slash. I read a lot of stories like that, but I don't think I could write any like that. But I promise, there will be MUCH more of Nick and Greg as the story unfolds!
Stormchilde: OMG Stormchilde Thanx so much! Lol. I've never been told my story is top notch; I like it!
Espina Oscura: Thanx, and tell your friend thanx too. I know Greg seems vulnerable, but I just thought about what I'd feel like, locked in a box for eight hours, and being teased by only being able to hear my friends and not see them. And like I told dagdrommer, I won't be writing any slash stories, but these two will be very close as the story unfolds.
new creation: Well thank you very much! I will start my story very soon. And I WISH they would take some ideas from me, that'd be so awesome! But a girl can only dream I guess. Sigh
lovesdigsdmanded: Yes, I'm afraid Greg's problems are far from over. But with his friends close by, I'm sure he'll have a better chance of making it through!
OMG! 20 reviews! Thanx y'all! You're all the greatest! And apparently I need to start up on my new story soon. So I will!
Thanx all! And please check out the CSI Fanfic Awards!
C ya!
Kittyluv