Chapter 24 :
Nick walked back into the CSI building, dropped off the evidence in the lab, and went to go find Sara. Worried that maybe Grissom had let her leave the lab on some case, he stopped by his office first.
"Nick – what are you doing here?" Grissom asked, his brow furrowed, a look of concern fleeting across his face.
"Just dropping off some evidence from our burglary. This case will be over in no time. Actually, I was wondering if you've seen Sara?" Grissom didn't know how to answer, since he had not seen Brass yet, nor knew if he had caught up with her. Telling Nick she had gotten a little bit angry and left definitely would have caused him to panic. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Jim walked in.
"Nick – you looking for Sara?" He nodded. "She's in the break room."
"Thanks – I'll see you both later." Nick said, as he quickly hurried out of the room. Brass and Grissom both watched him leave, before Jim closed the door.
"So?" Gil asked his friend.
"She told me all about her past. Seeing her father killed, once her mother found out he molested her, social services taking her away. Apparently, from what she told me, Daniel and her went to the same foster home. He did some bad things, told Sara not to tell on him, she wouldn't. Then the day came when he was old enough to leave, and that was the last time she has seen him." Grissom sat in thought. It still didn't answer their question. Was Daniel Sidle a threat, or just another ghost from Sara's past?
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Nick hurried down the hallways and froze as he stood in the doorway to the break room. Sara sat, unmoving, on the couch, staring off into the distance. Barely breathing, barely blinking, she looked a thousand miles away. Nick immediately panicked, the memories of her catatonic state flooding back. He went over beside her and took her hand.
"Sara?" He said. No answer. "SARA?" He said louder, his heart racing.
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"Any leads on where Daniel might be right now?" Grissom asked as he handed Jim a cup of coffee.
"It is confirmed that he had a flight booked out of Vegas to Los Angeles, just like Catherine told us. Whether he got on that flight, or still in LA, is still a mystery. He could be long gone. He could even be innocent. I don't know if there's anyway to tell…"
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Warrick finished gathering all his supplies, strewed about the liquor store. He heard the footsteps of what he assumed was the officer outside.
"I'll be out in a moment Officer Davis." He said, without turning around. The footsteps kept drawing nearer, with no reply. Warrick finally turned around and looked up in shock, as 2 bullets rang out and he dropped to the ground.
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Sara's head finally turned to face Nick's. His hand reached for her cheek, as she gave him a small smile.
"Sorry, what did you say? I was kind of out of it for a moment." Nick anxiously tried to catch his breath. He never wanted to be scared like that ever again.
"Are you sure you're okay?" She nodded.
"Just a little tired."
"Should I take you home?" She shook her head no.
"I've still got plenty to do here, and I'd rather not sit at home all alone. The shift is almost over anyways." She replied.
"You sure?" She nodded again. The new Sara was definitely less vocal than the old Sara. Not that that was a bad thing, but it was a change that they had all noticed.
"How's your case with Warrick going? Where is he, by the way?" She asked curiously, Nick responded,
"He's still at the crime scene. I just brought back most of the evidence. Won't take long to process. I really should get back to DNA; Warrick should be here any minute. You absolutely sure you're okay?" Sara rolled her eyes, but smiled genuinely.
"Nick, how could I not be okay, with you looking out for me?" This brought a smile to his lips, and though slightly irrationally, he leaned forward and kissed her gently and quickly on the lips. It wasn't an awkward kiss, and after they stared into each other's eyes, Nick knew that he move hadn't been too fast.
"See you later." He said as he smiled and headed down the hall to DNA.