Pt 5

NOV- 12TH 2004 11: PM

CSI ROOF TOP

Catherine was squatting beside a really shaky Nick putting pressure on the wounds. "Nicky listen to me. Listen you were shot twice once in the shoulder and another in the leg. Can you tell me if anything else hurts?" Grissom asked.

Nick nodded. "He hit me with that pipe in the ribs." Nick said trying to stop the shaking.

Warrick came over. 'Hey Buddy it's ok. I'm gonna lay this jacket over you and it'll keep you warm." Warrick said. Nick was breathing shallowly when the paramedics came up. 'Where's our vic?" One asked. Warrick waved them over and told em what happened.

"Ok we need room to work." They said. Grissom Catherine Warrick and Sara all stood back and watched em rip Nick's clothes off and get vitals. No one was prepared for this.

Warrick nudged Catherine. "Someone needs to call Greg." Warrick said.

Catherine nodded. "I'll call him." Catherine said watching as they pulled the Gurney up and wheel Nick by them.

Catherine walked by the Gurney. "Nicky I'll call Greg and let him and your sister know to come to Desert palm." Catherine said taking his hand.

Nick closed his eyes. "Tell him I love him." Nick said losing his battle with the blackness taking him over. Catherine heard one of the men say.

I LOST HIS PULSE." He yelled. After that everything seemed to go in slow motion as they shocked him back to life.

"We got his pulse back. We need to get him to the hospital. NOW!" One of the medics said. The team watched as they wheeled Nick through the roof door and out of site.

NICK AND GREG'S HOUSE

Greg was laid out on the bed when the house phone went off. He moaned and said something incoherent. When he heard Daisy scream and then something drop and he ran into the living room. "Daisy what is it?" Greg said. Daisy was on the floor rocking back and forth. When she looked up Greg seen tears running down her face. Greg took the phone from her clenched hand and heard Catherine.

"Cath wait it's me. What's going on?" Greg asked.

"Greg Nick was shot. We need you to bring his sister down to Desert Palms. I'll fill you in when you get here." Catherine said.

Greg nodded numbly. "Ok. We'll be there in 20 minutes. Catherine is he ok?" Greg asked dreading the answer.

"They're working on him now." Catherine said.

Greg nodded. "Ok. We'll be there in a few minutes." Greg said hanging his phone up and wrapping his arm around Daisy.

"Come on let's go and see how he's doing." Greg said helping her to stand and moved to his truck.

DESERT PALM

Catherine Warrick Grissom Sara and Brass were all sitting in the waiting room when Greg and Daisy came through the door. "Where is he?" Greg asked.

Catherine held her hand up. ""He's in surgery. They just took him in. Surgery should last about 3 hours from what doctors said." Catherine said.

Greg nodded and looked at Daisy who was standing behind him. "Come on you need to sit down and relax." Greg said and helped her sit down in a chair.

Catherine sat down beside her. "So how long you in town for?" Catherine asked.

"Um I guess longer seeing as my brother is gonna be out of commission." Daisy said.

Sara smiled sportively. "When is your due date?" Sara asked.

Daisy smiled. "February - 18th ." Daisy said. Greg smirked and sat down a little farther down and rested his head in his hands. When he sighed he felt someone rub his back he looked to see Warrick.

"Nick will make it." Warrick said.

Greg smiled. "Sure he will." Greg said.

"Does anyone know what happened?" Greg asked finally.

Warrick sighed. "Nick was up on the roof. And I guess our suspect came up there and threatened him. He was shot in the shoulder above the heart and in the left thigh. Not to mention the guy picked up a pipe and hit him with it. Why not just shoot him again?" Warrick asked pondering the situation.

Grissom shrugged. "He couldn't risk us hearing another gunshot wound. So he used the only available piece to hurt him." Grissom said.

Greg bowed his head. "He wanted to stay and find that kid." Greg said.

Catherine nodded. "Yeah he did. Nick's always been this way." Catherine said.

"I remember when we worked this child's death case. The boys mother and therapist decided it would be a good idea to do a rebirth." Catherine said.

Daisy looked at her confused. "A rebirth? What pray tell is that?" Daisy asked.

Catherine smirked. "The therapist puts the boy in a blanket and the mother and Therapist held the blanket and made him push out of it. Like when a woman gives birth. Any ways at first we thought the therapist were doing it. Or the therapist was making him have sex with her. Nick worked so hard that I had to call him on it." Catherine said.

Daisy looked down at her hands. "He tell you?" Daisy asked barely above a whisper.

Catherine nodded. "Yeah he did. Swore me to secrecy." Catherine said. Sara Brass Warrick Grissom and Greg all looked at them.

"What's the secret?" Sara asked.

Daisy closed her eyes. "When Nick was 9 I was 12 our father's cousin got married for the 12th or so time. Well because there were so many kids they cut the age limit to 12." Daisy said closing her eyes remembering Nick's face when she came home.

"We found a baby sitter that was nice. Jared the oldest of us kids. His friends girlfriend offered. Melinda was her name. Any ways we got home and Nick was in his bed. Mom and Dad decided to go to bed. So I went into his room. It was a known fact around our house. If Nick wanted to tell someone something. He would tell me. Well when I went into his room I sat on the bed and pulled him into hug. I asked him what the matter was and he told me that Melinda had forced him to do stuff. He told me she told him to take his clothes off. And where she touched him he had to touch her in the same exact spots." Daisy said through a numb voice. Remembering that was like remembering the guy in senior year trying to hurt her.

"I told him I would tell mama and Daddy. "

Warrick who was quiet like the rest of the bunch found his voice. "Did they file charge?" He asked.

Daisy shook her head. "No. Told me I was lying. That Melinda had said Nick was misbehaving and she punished him how she seen fit." Daisy said a little bitterly.

Sara gasped. 'My god. How could parents do that to their child?" She asked.

Daisy shrugged. "Me and Nick relied on each other in school. When we were in high school. He was a freshman I was a senior. This guy I was dating was on the football team. He was telling everyone about how he was hoping to score with me. Well Nick was listening on the other side of the locker room. He told me the next day and told me if I needed him to just come find him." Daisy said. Everyone smiled.

"That Friday night was the football game and I went to cheer him on. Dexter I believe the guys name was came up and tried to push me into doing something. When I wouldn't and told him I heard about what he said he slapped me. It was like out of nowhere Nick was there. He and his friend Matt pulled him off of me and Nick slammed him into the wall. Told him to get lost and if he ever seen him near me. Well Nick threatened him." Daisy said. Everyone smiled.

"Nicky is that kind of guy. He helped a girl named Kristy Hopkins. She was a known prostitute and Nick helped her better her life. Well he saved her one night and the next morning she was found dead." Catherine said.

"It tore Nick up inside. Said that she was going to school. And it turned out that she was recruiting women to be in her business." Catherine said. Daisy smiled and noticed a Doctor coming their way.

"Nick Stokes Family?" He asked. Everyone stood.

"I'm Doctor Merner. I worked on Nick in the OR. I have to say it was touch and go. We lost him on the table about 3 times just working in the shoulder area. We fixed the shoulder. With some therapy he should be able to come out of the sling and brace in about a month or so. We wanna wait on the leg and let the swelling go down before we operate on it see how bad the damage is. To much swelling for us to x-ray it. Any questions?" He asked.

"Can we see him?" Daisy asked.

"He's in the recovery ward right now. So probably in an hour maybe more. Bearing no complications he'll likely be moved to a regular room in the morning." He said. Everyone nodded.

"Um Doctor he was beat with a pipe in the side. What about that injury. No one told us when they informed us he was going into surgery." Sara said.

Dr. Merner nodded. "The ribs are just really bruised. Nothing that some ice and an ACE bandage won't cure. And we'll wrap em for him in a while. If there are no further questions I'm gonna check on him." Dr. Merner said leaving the room. Daisy sank back into the chair she was sitting in and smiled softly.

Greg walked over and sat down beside her. "Still want us to raise this kid?" He asked softly. Daisy laughed. "Nick was right. You can make anyone laugh." Daisy said. Greg smiled and everyone joined them in the laughter.

TBC