Last chapter here, hope it answers some long awaited questions. Not too much angst, but a long post. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter Six: Coming to an End
Grissom was sure to close the door behind him quietly; from the looks of things Greg was asleep, but the older man had his doubts. Certainly he was much calmer now than before, no longer able to feel the pain…at least for now.
He was on one side, his bandaged arm resting on a pillow just below his head. His eyes were closed, and he drew in quiet breaths. Grissom moved quietly, pulling the chair closer to the bed as he sat down, watching him for a moment.
"You care to explain?"
Greg made no move to answer, instead he remained quiet, his eyes closed. Letting out a breath of air, he shifted in the chair, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his knees. "I know you're awake, you can stop pretending."
"Then your obvious conclusion would be that I don't want to talk about it," came Greg's crisp reply. Grissom had to smile to himself, knowing that he had struck a cord. With Greg, all you had to do was get him started.
"Too bad, you don't get a choice."
Greg shifted on the bed, so that he was on his back now, taking care to move his arm as little as possible. His eyes were still closed, but they blinked open, watching the ceiling now. "You can't force me to," he pointed out, a hint of mirth in his voice. It left though, the same moment he grew quiet again.
"True," Grissom nodded, sharing in his thoughts. "We can always investigate, that would cost money, and time. Or you can make it easy, tell me what happened. We need to be able to work together as a team, and know that we can rely on one another. I need to know if you're uncomfortable working with someone, or if we have anger issues that need to be examined."
"Everything's great," Greg muttered dryly. His eyes had closed once again, and he seemed content with his answer. Grissom watched him closely, unsure whether to take him seriously or not.
"I still need to know what happened. The doctor says your arm's been broken for a few days now." There was a pause, were it became silent enough to hear a pin drop; it seemed as though even their own breathing had stopped. "It happened that night, during the accident, didn't it?"
"I didn't know it was broken then," Greg stated quietly after a moment.
"Maybe not," Grissom agreed, nodding his head, which was pointless seeing that Greg still had his eyes closed. It wasn't as though he could hear him nod. He could remember many cases were victims or suspects had received broken limbs, and had continued using them without knowledge. Even though he had heard of it before, he had a hard time convincing himself this was what had transpired with Greg.
"Then as the days went by, and it became worse…you knew then. Why didn't you get any help?"
He could hear the sigh that passed between his lips, and watched as Greg once again opened his eyes, looking towards the far wall. "I don't know."
For once, it was the truth. Waiting here, it had given him enough time to really think things over. He couldn't come up with an answer to why; sure he could make up excuses, but he knew that none of them were true. "I guess I was just afraid."
"Of what?" Grissom asked, surprised by this answer. He had expected the younger man to pin it on Warrick. He knew some of what had transpired between the two men, and knew that when Warrick was angry it could rub off on anyone. Still he considered the question, thinking then that maybe Greg was indeed to referring to Warrick. So in the end, he was completely taken by surprise.
"I'm not sure," he explained quietly. Greg drew in a breath, trying to find the right words to describe it. "I knew what I was doing was stupid, knew that I should have said something. Every time I tried, something stopped me…I don't know…" he paused here, growing quiet.
Before Grissom had a chance to speak however, Greg started up again. "We worked so long on that case, and one small thing happens…we lost it all. Everyone's counting on me to do my part, and I only seem to get in the way. And the more I try, the more things seem to go wrong."
He realized now what the younger man had been trying to say, and he nodded sympathetically, agreeing with him. "That's pretty stressful, isn't it?"
Greg shrugged here, ever so slightly, "I guess so."
Grissom considered his answer, before continuing on. "You still haven't told me what happened."
Greg shook his head, "It was an accident. I mean, it was bound to happen sooner or later, right?"
"Not if you got help," Grissom reminded him, to which Greg shrugged, letting it pass by with little consideration. "Not to mention the danger you could have put yourself in."
"It all worked out fine," Greg hesitated before saying the last part. He knew Grissom was right, but hated to admit that factor.
"If you can call it fine," he continued on, "The lab will probably go under investigation, I'll be reviewed as a supervisor, and Sara, Warrick and Nick will probably be penalized for just being involved."
Greg felt the bitter taste return as he considered what had been said. He wasn't sure if all of it was true, but he didn't want to push his boss. The last few days, his thoughts had been centered on himself, with little speculation of the others. It wasn't fair to the others to have to go through that, for something that he brought upon himself. Greg was about to voice this concern when Grissom spoke first.
"Get some rest," he nodded towards the younger man. "I'll take you home when the doctor gives you the okay."
He gave him a funny look, watching his boss stand up. "You're not going to leave?"
Grissom returned his perplexed look with a smile of his own, one of amusement, as opposed to comfort. "I want to make sure you get home okay."
Greg frowned at the comment, but was unable to voice his own opinion as he left, wandering out into the hall. He was now left alone to his thoughts, which although he had taken comfort in them before, they now were shrouded in apprehension of what the future would bring.
It had only been a few hours, not even quite half of a full shift, but to Sara, whose nerves were on the end, it seemed quite like forever. Her attention was on her original case, pushing the newest one to the side despite a high-ended argument between her and the victim's sister. She had nearly blown up upon hearing that case had been pushed back, prompting a quick departure out of the building along with several security guards.
Sara made a mental note to check into all that later. Ecklie's demands were fairly unreasonable, and she didn't want to take chances of crossing paths with him again, before it was necessary. It wouldn't take long for word to spread, and he would be poking his nose in the matter. She would be willing to take part of the blame.
Sara knew the matter could have been resolved if she reported Greg that day. Even how much she hated the thought, the truth would have been found out. She knew truthfully that Greg wasn't hooked on drugs, and with that option cleared the only reasonable explanation was that Greg was truly hurting. She should have seen it herself, and perhaps approached everything in a different manner.
It was late by the time she finished the last of the report, closing the cover of the auburn folder. She pulled her hair from her face, standing to her feet with a relieving sigh. With the folder tucked under her arm she headed out into the hall, focused on path in front of her. All she wanted to do now was drop the report off on Ecklie's desk, and head home.
Of course, she had other plans, ones that included stopping by Greg's place. She was anxious to see him; most of her thoughts had been about his condition during the night hours. She would sacrifice hours in order to do so, and work would be hell the next day, but she was willing to trudge through it all.
Up ahead she caught Warrick's eye, and he waved her in the room, a silent motion before turning back to his own work. Sara paused, hesitating, already knowing what he would ask. It probably would be the best to keep on walking, pretend that she hadn't heard him. It was too late for that…she leaned against the door frame, quiet, and composed, watching him work.
"You headed out already?"
Sara nodded, before speaking up, knowing he wasn't watching her. The silence was uncomfortable; Sara hoped he would hurry it along; standing here wasn't something she wanted to do all night.
"You tell him that I hope he feels better?" He glanced up to see if she would follow through or not.
Sara shifted, moving most of her weight to one foot. "And you can't tell him that because?"
"I'm working," he replied bluntly, "I d don't exactly have the luxury to leave like you do, I'm still swamped from this case."
"You wouldn't be if you had let Greg help."
He looked up quickly, his expression becoming stern. "Whatever Greg told you was probably a lie," he stated, in his own defense. It brought a short smile to her lips.
"Greg didn't say anything. Grissom did, it was part of my report." She flashed him the folder, feeling somewhat smug.
"You finished?"
She nodded, taking in a breath. "Faulty equipment; the ropes were fraying, and one of the hooks gave out. Everything should have been pulled through the last rotation. There really wasn't anything Greg could do."
Warrick considered this for a moment, feeling very much like someone had slapped him in the face. Part of him knew he had been wrong from the start, but never really thought about putting an end to it all. He glanced back up as Sara started talking again.
"I also made a note in the report that Greg was hurt in the investigation, and that you failed to take proper action."
"You can't pin that on me," Warrick argued. "If he doesn't say anything, how am I supposed to know?"
Sara shook her head, her eyes shifting down. She had been prepared for a question of some sorts. Her voice was soft as she answered, "Did you ever, once, stop and ask him if he was okay?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but found himself at a loss for words as he realized her point. Slowly he shook his head, clearing his throat. "No…I guess I didn't."
"You were so wrapped up in finding someone to blame, you could no longer see what was really there," she told him quietly, "That's part of your job as the lead, it's not always easy. Next time something happens, think about what you're going to do before it's done."
She didn't wait for him to answer, keeping a steady, yet slow, pace as she made her way to Ecklie's office. His door was ajar, and she found the small space empty, which didn't really surprise her. Everyone was pulling overtime, and instead of offering a hand in anything he had just gone home. It was a brief smile, one that didn't last long, and she slipped the folder on his desk, making sure to close the door behind her.
There had been no answer when she first knocked, and the absence of lights inside would suggest that no one was there. Sara tried again, knowing where he had hid the spare key, if things came to that. There was a wind blowing, ruffling her hair as she strode out to the railing and back, a sort of pacing. As tired as she was it was the only thing that was keeping her awake.
Frowning she made her way back, slipping her fingers inside the broken wall light, brushing the metal that was inside. In order to accomplish this, she had to stand on her tiptoes, with her one arm stretched above her head. It took a few tries, but she finally managed to grab the small key inside, pulling it free.
She muttered a few brief curses as she unlocked the door. Greg would need to find a better hiding spot. It was almost as dark inside the apartment as it was outside; the only light source was a small lamp, sitting on the counter near the couch.
Sara had been to Greg's place a few times before, and knew her way around well enough. Although she had to stop and survey Greg's place before moving on. It was no cleaner than hers, with newspapers and bills piled on the counter, something he would take care of when he got the time. Several shirts lay strewn across the sofa, his shoes tossed against the side of the wall.
Sara made her way cautiously down the hall, one hand along the wall for balance until she reached Greg's bedroom, peeking in cautiously. In the darkness she could see his sleeping form, encased in blankets up to his shoulders. His back was towards her, but there wasn't enough light to see much else. She wondered then what Greg slept in exactly, faltering when a thought crossed her mind.
Praying that he was at least halfway dressed she made her way into the room, fumbling for the lamp she knew Greg kept near his bed. She let out a breath, her fingers wrapping around the small cord, easing herself down on the bed behind him as the light filled the room.
He was fast asleep, and she watched him, taking note of the cast on his arm, and the bottles that sat on the nightstand just beyond him. Sara placed a hand on his forehead carefully, before reaching over him to grasp the bottles. Grissom had told her something along the lines of an infection, but he didn't seem to be doing to bad.
She felt the bed move, and she glanced down as he shifted, coughing as he moved around. For the first few minutes he was quiet, his eyes blinking open as he glanced around, before finally settling on her.
"I must be dreaming," he said warily, reaching up with his good arm to place a hand on her arm. He let out a breath, as she wrapped her hand around his. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see how you were doing," she answered simply, "make sure you're okay."
He raised an eyebrow, fighting off a yawn. "Grissom sent you, didn't he?"
"No," she shook her head, "But he did want me to make sure you took your medications," she shook the bottle in her hand, the pills rattling inside.
His response was a groan as he let go of her hand, rolling over once again to face away from her. "You woke me up for that?"
"Actually, I had planned on letting you sleep longer, but since you're up now." Without waiting for an invitation, she slipped off the bed, striding into the bathroom across the hall. From here she could hear the muttered curses that came from Greg, watching from the corner of her eye as he worked on sitting up.
This was how they found themselves facing one another, with Greg leaning back against the headboard and Sara supporting her own weight, silent as he finished the rest of the water she had brought him earlier.
"How are you doing?" she pressed, her arms crossed on her lap as she leaned forward.
Greg shifted, moving his legs to the side so that she could move in closer, and not be so close to the edge. "I've had better days," he said calmly, maybe a bit groggily, "other than that, not too bad. I can't really feel anything."
"Not yet," Sara nodded towards him. "What did Grissom say to you?"
He laughed, a short huff more or less, "A lot of which I won't repeat." Indeed the conversation had gone on, and though Grissom hadn't exactly raised his tone, it wasn't needed. The man had a way of getting under your skin easily.
Greg waited until she finished chuckling at his last comment, grateful for her company. "He wants to put me in therapy."
Sara watched him skeptically, as if she hadn't heard him correctly. Greg laughed, nervously this time as he went on to explain. "He thinks I'm self-doubting myself, and straining my mind…his words, not mine."
Sara nodded, considering the issue lightly. "I think it'll help."
"Don't tell me you agree with him," Greg frowned, irritated now. "I was hoping you would convince him otherwise."
She gave him a gentle smile, not wanting to start a fight here and now. "You'd be surprised what it can do. You don't have to be crazy Greg, just sometimes; you need someone to talk to."
"Like you've ever gone to a shrink," he kidded lightly, rolling his eyes.
"We all have our secrets," Sara shrugged at his surprised gaze, moving quickly to change the topic. "How come you didn't say anything?"
His eyes drifted down, no longer watching her as he fingered his cast gently, tugging at the edges. "I thought about it…I really did try to say something a few different times. I guess every time I tried, I was just reminded that I screwed up…"
He took a breath here, pausing as he regained his voice. "I could have really hurt you, and maybe if I was paying better attention, then maybe, I don't know, none of it would have happened."
"Greg…" Sara's voice faltered, as she reached across, grasping his hand that was pulling at his cast. She held it firmly, as she moved up along side of him. "It wasn't your fault."
She was quick to explain what had happened, watching his expressions as she related the story. He didn't reply when she finished, and they found themselves surrounded by the silence. She gave his hand a quick squeeze, more than ready to break the stillness. "You did all that you could; your broken arm shows that. If it wasn't for you, I could have been seriously hurt. You stopped the rope, without once thinking of your own well being. That's pretty brave if you ask me."
Greg rolled his eyes, laughing softly. "I wouldn't say that it was brave, more of stupid. I wasn't even thinking, I just was trying to do something."
She smiled, brushing a finger over his red cheek, one that was flushed from more than a slight fever. "I'm going to head home now; I'll stop by tomorrow though."
Standing up she found that she could not go far, as Greg still had her by the hand. His look was almost pleading, as he pulled her back down on the bed. "Stay?"
Although it was tempting, she wanted to argue. She was exhausted, and it didn't take much to tell that he was very much the same. Neither of them would benefit if she remained here. Still, how could she refuse the innocent look he was playing on her?
"Just for a bit longer," he pleaded, "we haven't really talked in a while."
Sara cursed herself mentally for giving in, for being so weak, as she made herself comfortable one more time on the end of the bed. They found themselves talking, throughout most of the night, and by morning, all that could be seen was the sleeping pair.
"I understand why I'm gone for a day, for not reporting what I found," Sara said slowly, her arms crossed as she faced the wall, "What I'm still trying to figure out is why Warrick was suspended for three days."
"Are you disappointed?" Grissom inquired, not taking his eyes off the computer screen.
She glanced at him wryly, without really turning around. Several days had passed since she had handed in the report, and Ecklie hadn't waited long to dish out the consequences. She was gone for a day, Warrick for three, and Greg for a week, though it was on medical leave, and not suspension. Grissom had been able to convince Ecklie that Greg had gone through enough of a punishment already.
"I thought I would be happy if he was, but now that I really think about it, I can't really blame him. I thought he would get a warning, maybe a day…but three? He's right, you know, it isn't really his fault that Greg didn't say anything about being hurt."
"If it makes you feel any better, that's not why he was suspended," Grissom told her, "It was how he handled the situation. Giving Greg a hard time wasn't the solution to the problem. Greg's reaction to that may be what caused him to remain quiet, but that was his own choice."
She drew in a breath, turning towards him now. "I think we expect too much out of him. We push him, and he's not willing to stand up for himself."
"Are you saying he can't do the job?" Grissom wondered, curious now.
"I think he does a fine job," Sara interjected, "but I think we forget that he's just a rookie. We've known him for years, so we think he's on the same level as us, but he's still learning. He's learning the hours, and the work…that's a lot to take in at once. And we make it harder by asking more out of him, more than he can really give."
Grissom nodded, impressed by her observations. He hadn't stopped to really think of it in that way, but realized that she was right. Exiting out of the programs, he made sure his computer was shutting down before standing, gathering his things. Sara had already left, giving him these thoughts to mull over. He already had enough worries on how he was going to handle the next several days.
Warrick had waited in his car for the longest time, trying to muster up the courage, and an excuse. Whatever he came up with only sounded worse than what had before, and it took this long for him to realize that he only had the truth to give. It hadn't been easy, to get the courage to come out here, not only did he not know where Greg lived, but it wasn't easy for him to admit that he was wrong.
Taking in a deep breath he pushed the door open, stepping out into the warm air. It was going to be another scorcher today, and it was only in the morning. He glanced down at the slip of paper he held in his hand, reading the address, one more time, make sure he had the right door.
Still, he waited, once standing there. He shuffled from one foot to the other, before fisting his hand and knocking. When no answer came at first, Warrick was ready to take the moment to leave. Before he could, the door eased open, and he found himself face to face with Greg, who seemed somewhat surprised to see him there.
"Hey man," Warrick muttered, lifting a hand in a small wave.
Greg returned his greeting, still watching him, as if waiting for him to speak. Warrick felt like an idiot now, standing there, his mind completely blank as opposed to before. "I um...I need to talk…"
"That depends," Greg returned, his voice flat. "Are you going to talk, or yell?"
Warrick nodded briefly, glancing down towards his feet. "I deserved that."
Greg backed away, leaving the door open as invitation. Warrick followed after a moment's hesitation, closing it after passing through. He took a moment, to survey the place. Although it was small, it seemed nice, comfortable he supposed. Treading inside further he found Greg in the kitchen, working with one hand to pull a cup out of the cupboard above his head, his other arm resting easy in a sling.
"You want some coffee?"
"No…I'm okay," Warrick shook his head. "How are you doing?"
"I should carry around a sign that reads 'I'm fine'," Greg joked lightly, grasping the coffee pot. "Everyone sounds like a broken record."
Warrick gave a brief smile, amazed at his attempt at humor. He figured quietly that Greg couldn't be too bad off if he was able to joke around. It was what he was good at. Leaning against the counter he watched him, though the younger man refused to meet his gaze.
"I'm sorry, about everything that happened," Warrick told him, feeling somewhat better now. "I was wrong."
Greg shrugged, taking another sip. "Is that all you have to say?"
Warrick nodded, knowing that Greg not only needed an explanation, but deserved one as well. "Sometimes you make a mistake, and no matter what you say or do, you can't change it."
"Holly Gribbs," Greg said quietly, earning another nod from Warrick.
"It was a mistake, I didn't follow procedure, it was more of a game I guess. I gambled with a life, and I lost. I'd hate to see the same thing happen again."
Greg didn't respond this time, leaving Warrick to continue on. "I realized that I was wrong, but I was too proud to admit it. Things got out of hand…I know I failed you as a supervisor. But I also failed you as a friend…if I had looked closer, I could have seen what was really going on. I'm sorry I didn't figure that out sooner."
"I wasn't much help either," Greg admitted, watching him now. "I guess we were all a little too proud."
Warrick nodded, meeting his gaze. "So…you think we can call a truce, start over again?"
He considered it for a moment, before nodding. "That sounds nice…" he lifted his arm a little, "I wish we could take everything back."
"You'll be okay," Warrick told him, "In a few months; it'll be like nothing ever happened." He gripped the counter gently, the silence stretching between him. Greg made no move to say anything, only sipping at his coffee, and Warrick was out of words to say.
This went on for a while longer, until Warrick shifted, spreading his hands out to his side. "I guess I'll be headed out now…get my rest while I can. Catching up is going to be rough."
Greg only nodded, placing his empty cup down next the sink as the other left. He waited until he heard the door close, before lifting his gaze, watching down the hall as she came out. Returning her smile he nodded, giving her the okay sign with his fingers.
It hadn't taken long to figure out that it was Warrick at the door, to which Sara had decided it was best to leave the two men alone. She had, as promised, returned the next day, as well as the one after, spending her evenings with Greg. There wasn't anything going on between, at least not yet. Tonight…tonight would be a different story. With her 'day off' the lab wasn't expecting her in anytime soon.
Whatever happened tonight, would be a different story to tell.
The End