Conrad Ecklie looked at the floor, having nowhere to shift his gaze comfortably. The deathly silence in the room lasted only a few moments before the nightshift supervisor found his voice.

Grissom fixed the Assistant Director with his dark eyes. "Absolutely not."

Conrad backed up slightly. "I was only relaying the message."

Grissom shook his head as he lifted his hand in the air, pointing his finger at the other man. "I don't care. It's not even up for discussion."

Conrad held his hands up as if trying to back down an emotionally unstable witness. "I know, Gil. I'm not as heartless as you think I am. But I needed to tell you what the suspect demanded."

Grissom lowered his hand and cocked his head, disbelieving the man's words. He walked past Ecklie, trying to give himself time to think. He paced for a moment, while his superior looked on in confusion.

Gil stopped and voiced a question that he really didn't expect to be answered. "What does he want with Nick?"

Before Conrad opened his mouth, Grissom continued on with his train of thought as if he didn't expect a reply. "No one tells him about this." He looked at his superior; his voice contained a threatening edge. "Nobody informs Nick."

The Assistant Director chewed on his bottom lip. "We have to do something, Gil. We have to at least attempt some sort of operation."

Grissom was shaking his head. "Nick isn't going to be subjected to this man. He's not bait, Conrad!"

"Gil, I wasn't suggesting it."

Grissom's eyes grew even more intense. "He's in no shape to deal with this."

The other man frowned. "I'll consult with some of the detectives on how to proceed. We won't involve Stokes."

Grissom stalked past Conrad Ecklie and slammed the door closed behind his exit.

Warrick and Greg scoured the original dump site for any missing signs or clues. Even though the task had been assigned to him, Warrick wanted Greg to tagalong, so he had something to focus his nervous energy. The rookie had been withdrawn ever since Nick had entered the hospital, and it was clearly evident that the younger man still blamed himself for Nick's attack.

"You know you're going to give yourself an ulcer," Warrick warned, seeing Greg's continued solemn expression.

Greg didn't reply, and only glanced up to give him a dark look. "I'm not sulking."

Warrick grunted in his disagreement, but decided after recent events that ignoring what appeared to be a problem was going to help matters. "If you want, we can go visit Nick- after we drop our stuff off at the lab."

Greg bagged a tiny fiber with some tweezers. "I don't know what to say to him."

Warrick walked down to the end of the alleyway, picking though scraps of trash. "Just hang out. He's been out of sorts, I'm sure he could use some friendly company."

Greg met the other CSI where he stood and sighed, upset. "There's nothing here."

Warrick grabbed Greg by his shoulders. "Look, this has been a tough case. It's been hard on all of us, Greg. When it's over, you'll need to take some time to reflect. This is an example of how bad it can get. And if you can work though it, then you can almost get though anything."

Greg let his body sag. "I've never felt this much under the gun before. If Nick… if he let himself get so caught up like this. I mean... what's to say I can handle being in the field?"

Warrick patted the young man. "Don't doubt Nick. Sometimes we need a support system, one that we can count on." Warrick sighed. "But it's tough when that system lets you down. When we don't know when to make the tough choices."

Greg shook his head. "Now you sound like me."

Warrick snorted. He took one final look around the desolate area. Sara may have been right; everything held such significance in this case. Walker planned every little detail. He glanced at the street sign. They were at a cross roads, just like the case.

"10th and St. Andrew's," Warrick mumbled to himself.

Greg arched an eyebrow. "You got something?"

Warrick smiled. "Maybe."

Grissom had just finished going over the taped demand for an exchange for the eighth time. The recording had been made in a quiet room, absent of any additional noise. Gil sighed and rubbed at his tired eyes. Sara had entered the AV Lab on the seventh replay, her back resting against the wall. Gil got up to leave and was startled at her presence.

"Were you going to tell the rest of us about this?" she asked, not hiding her accusation.

Grissom ignored her statement, recalling a time when she once offered herself up during a federal investigation. "Where's Warrick?'

"Waiting for you. He thinks he has something," she replied, still not backing down.

"Jim and Ecklie are working on some strategies, but we're not considering the demands of the kidnapper."

Sara walked towards her boss as he exited the room. "I know that. I didn't expect anything else."

Both CSIs entered the conference room once again.

"How many buildings have we covered?" Warrick asked as he entered the room.

Grissom replied automatically. "The rape crisis center and the YMCA have been cleared. Why?"

Warrick showed him a printout. "Johnny Todd was found on 10th and St. Andrew's street. Well, I ran some info on Saint Andrew."

"He was the first Apostle." Grissom stated, and then his expression got more inquisitive. "He was one of the closest to Jesus. He was present at the Last Supper, witnessed the Ascension, and helped establish Palestine."

Warrick shook his head. Gil's knowledge didn't faze him anymore. Greg stood perplexed, and Sara only smirked.

"Well, he also lived to share the teachings of Jesus. He preached in Greece, Asia, and even Russia. He was martyred on a cross in the shape of an X where he claimed to have preached from for two days before he died."

Grissom pursued his lips at the significance of the number of days. "And you think Walker is obsessed with Saint Andrew?"

"No, but the church that he attended in Tuscan- where he was molested- was located at 11th Street and Saint Andrews."

Sara stalked over at the bulletin board, sheets and charts from the cases pinned to every area. "The church that the Todds attend is off of Clover and 11th Street."

All four criminalists stared at the board. Grissom was the first to speak. "I'll call Brass. Tell him to concentrate his efforts on that church. Make sure he has an entire team assembled."

Grissom informed the Captain of their possible clue. Trent Walker had given them 24 hours for the exchange before he called with instructions and the where it would take place. For once they might be one up on the guy, knowing in advance where he was hiding. It wouldn't take too long for a SWAT team to be assembled. Grissom was bone tired, he'd been working non-stop since yesterday. He ordered Greg and Warrick to go home and rest a little as he knew they had been stretched overly thin from this stressful case.

They told him they would go after dropping by the hospital. Gil glanced at his watch with a frown. Catherine had gone back and forth between her own home and the hospital, staying with Nick often. At first the supervisor didn't really put much thought into it, but Catherine had been overly sensitive when it concerned Nick this time around. His brow furrowed as he wondered if Catherine had sensed something more than what she was sharing with him about Nick's near-obsessive behavior retaining to the case.

Catherine was back at the hospital after a quick nap at her home and a few minutes of quality time with her daughter. She was scrubbing her hands with disinfectant when she spotted Dr. Taylor exiting Nick's room.

Catherine finished rubbing her fingers nearly raw and stopped near the physician.

"How's Nick doing?"

Dr. Taylor stuffed her hands into her lab coat. "He's hanging in there. Right now, his body is sort of at a stand-still. We've got a handle on the septic poisoning. It's not damaging his system anymore, but we haven't quite purged it from his blood stream."

Catherine held herself in a weak hug. "But he'll get better the longer you treat him."

The doctor gave the other woman a soft expression. "The cultures are coming back with less of the bacteria. The treatment is working. We just have to give his body the time and rest it needs. His fever hasn't broken yet, and its draining his weak immune system. I'm still trying to keep him from developing any complications like pneumonia on top of everything else."

Catherine's face crumpled slightly. It just wasn't fair. She wiped at her eyes and felt a gentle hand on her arm.

"His prognosis is very good, Ms. Willows. He's just going to be here for a little while."

"Thanks, Doctor." Catherine replied, entering her coworker's room.

She made her way towards the chair that had been her companion the last day or so. Catherine rested her hand on his arm, and Nick turned his head towards her.

"Hey, Cath," he said rather weakly.

His face was still flushed and his eyes were dull and exhausted. She found his fingers and she stroked them softly.

Nick curled his hand around hers. "You… don't have to stay... ya know."

"Someone has to keep you out of trouble," she teased.

Nick coughed and tried to suppress a grimace. "I didn't mean to screw things up."

Catherine bit her lip and leaned closer. "Nick, you did a wonderful job gathering the evidence."

He looked at her without any emotion, as he tried to adjust his sore body into a more comfortable position.

Catherine knew better to smooth talk him. "I think... I think you didn't step away when you needed to." She couldn't stop her need to mess with the strands of hair that stuck to his forehead. "It must have been hard holding everything in."

"I've handled it fine before." He swallowed. "It's not like I dwell on it, Cath."

"I know."

Nick moved further up in the bed, so he could sit up a little straighter instead of being flat on his back. Catherine helped as she kept him from pulling on his IV. Nick bit back any comments at her motherly intentions.

"Do you, really, Cath?" He cleared his sore throat. "It's not like I could ever forget. But, I don't think about it either."

Catherine smiled. "You moved on, Nick. But it doesn't change the fact that it can still effect your emotions, you wouldn't be human if didn't."

Nick rubbed at his middle softly. "No, I could become like Trent Walker," he said dryly.

"Walker never learned how to cope. He let what happen to him sicken and twist up his mind. He probably didn't have a support system, but you always will have one, Nick. Even if you never use it," Catherine explained.

Nick breathed heavily, taking in the fresh oxygen being delivered to him. He closed his heavy eyes as his mind began to shut down again. He vaguely heard Catherine's cell phone ring and pretty much didn't care as his thoughts drifted back to image of Jason, showing him his Gameboy with so much awe and excitement. A little science geek with glasses and an untainted view of the world, until a few days ago.

Catherine walked to one end of the room, cell phone to her ear. "Willows." The female criminalist sighed in relief when her supervisor filled her in on the operation to try to rescue the Todd boy. The SWAT team was assembled outside the church and several members were preparing to enter the newly built wing after a recon sweep.

Catherine was so engrossed with the details of the operation that she didn't notice the phone ring inside the room.

Nick opened his eyes at the noise and turned his head towards the soft ringing sound. He looked over to see Catherine at the other end of the room, intently focused on her conversation. Thinking that it might be important, Nick twisted over towards the small table near his bed.

Hissing in pain, his fingers brushed over the phone and he managed to pick it up without dropping it. He placed it to his ear, "Uh... Stokes," he answered.

"Do you think I don't notice the SWAT Team, Nick?" a voice mocked.

The CSI gripped the phone tightly. "Walker?" he asked, his voice hoarse and sore.

He heard a light chuckle. "Knew you were a smart guy, but then again we have a lot in common, don't we."

Nick tried to remain calm. He noticed how Catherine froze when she saw him on the phone. He ignored her. "Where's Jason?"

More laughter. "I've kept him alive longer than normal. I guess you didn't get my earlier message."

Nick felt his heart beat faster. Catherine started coming over to the bed, but he disregarded her questioning glance.

Nick turned away from her. "No, I didn't." He tried to keep his voice from failing him.

"Yeah, I heard you had one foot in the grave. Hmmmmm, sorry about that."

Nick was sitting straight up in his bed; his left hand had a death grip on the railing. "The boy," he urged.

"He will be returned unharmed, if you simply exchange yourself for him."

"No problem. Where and when," Nick replied without hesitation.

He heard laughter again. "It seems your boss knows where, Nick. Please tell them I have the doors of the church rigged to explode if they bust in, killing me and little Jason along with them. It was my expertise ya know."

Nick's eyes went wide in fear. He looked over at Catherine, placing his hand over the phone.

"If you're talking to Grissom… tell him … that Walker has the church wired with explosives," he said between ragged breathing.

Catherine quickly relayed the message to the other person on the phone. "Nick! Is that Walker?" she asked desperately.

Nick continued to ignore her. It was becoming harder to concentrate on the conversation, with his mind reeling from the situation.

"Now that's better. Since you're kind of occupied, I'll give you exactly six hours to get over here, Nick. Go to the side door of the west wing. Come alone or the boy dies."

"Wait!" Nick begged before being greeted by a click.

Catherine hovered over him, a sickened sense of alarm on her face. "Nick, talk to me."

Nick let the phone drop on the bed and looked back up at her. He stared at the IV and shifted around at the other tube that he was connected to. "You better tell Dr. Taylor to come back in here and unhook me from these damn things, or I'm going to rip them out."

"You better get over here," Catherine said on her cell insistently and closed it shut. She put her hand on Nick's shoulder. "Calm down, Nicky and tell me what's going on. I'm not a mind reader."

"I'm going to bring back Jason from that monster."

tbc...

Notes at my bio-