All the chapters now are relating to the past, to clear up confusion. I'm loving what you guys have to say, to keep on reviewing :D

Chapter Three: Secrets

Grissom kept him very much to his word, getting on him if he even worked a handful of minutes over the clock. Working every other day threw his schedule off quite a bit, but at least it was better than only working a few short hours a day. Greg saw less and less of the team, and when he did chance to see them he was face with a barrage of questions, ones that he would answer the best he could.

He spent most of his time working with Grissom, his boss wanting to keep a closer eye on him, not like he couldn't take care of himself, that was. Today, however, Grissom would be busy with meetings, and his supervisor had already arranged for him to work with Sara. Needless to say he was excited, out of everyone he missed Sara the most, seeing her only on occasion in the last few weeks now.

That was how he found himself sitting at the table, doing his best to stay concentrated on what she was saying. Sara herself was in the midst of a case, and instead of letting Greg read the case file himself, she found it more…efficient if she read it aloud. Letting out a sigh Greg nibbled on the end of his thumbnail, watching Sara pace back and forth in front of him, her eyes fixed on the report she held in her hand.

"Have you been short of breath lately?"

"A few times…but only when I was sick."

"It says here that you had pneumonia a while back, and then the flu right after that?"

"Yeah…the doctor told me it was a side effect from the pneumonia, that my immune system couldn't keep up with everything…why?"

The doctor hadn't answered, only looking through his reports. "Is there any other times you were sick that you didn't come in?"

Greg had thought about the answer, quietly. There were several times he had dealt with a cold or a common cough, a few times where he had ran a fever, but none of which were serious enough to warrant a visit to the doctors. He voiced this concern, becoming more worried as the doctor remained silent.

"Hey, sunshine!"

Greg glanced up quickly, much to the dismay of Sara, who now was frowning. "Why does that always work?"

He raised an eyebrow in question, frowning in return. Sara shook her head, now giving him a smile. "Have you paid even the slightest attention to what I've been saying?"

"Of course," Greg defended himself quickly, scooting up in his chair.

"Tell me then, what did trace find out about the fibers Nick and I collected?"

Greg cleared his throat, racking his brain to try and remember what the case was even about. "They were…um, they had…they're some kind of fabric, obviously important to the case."

Sara smiled smugly, setting the folder down on the table. "There were no fibers Greg."

He grumbled quietly, resting his head in one hand. "Trick question, completely unfair."

"If you had been listening, you would have known that," Sara reminded him sternly, before taking on a more settle voice. "What's on your mind?"

Greg looked up quickly, but his response was delayed. "Nothing…"

"You've been distracted all night," Sara told him gently, "Something's bothering you."

Greg shrugged, tracing imaginary circles on the table with his index finger. "It's nothing really, I'm just tired, and I zone out easy."

"Yeah…" her remark carried hints of sarcasm as she continued to watch him. Greg did his best to ignore her continuous stare, wanting more than anything to change the current topic, but remained silent for fear of accusation that he was trying to divert the conversation.

"We haven't really had much time to talk lately, have we?"

Once again Greg shrugged, letting out a silent prayer. It seemed that she had taken his settle hint, and had gone on her own to get the two talking once again.

"I mean, with you taking off extra days now, and the two of us working separate cases…the only time we really see each other anymore we don't even have enough time to say hello."

Greg said nothing to matter of fact, but he knew it was true. They had been close friends for the last few months now, and it seemed all the sudden that it had been ages since their last chat, though realistically it couldn't have been more than a week or two.

"You want to get something to eat?"

Greg looked up at her suspiciously. "Are you on crack?"

Sara laughed, a heart warming tone to his ears, though the effect of her rolling her eyes seemed to downplay the moment. "No…I was just thinking it would be nice to just get out."

"What…now?"

She nodded, reaching over to grab him by the sleeve. "We still need to take break anyways, and you said so yourself that you can't concentrate right now. Let's get out while we can."

He gave her a warm smile, pushing his chair back as she tugged on his sleeve. Sure, they had eaten together a few times, but someone else was almost always with them; Grissom, Nick, Warrick, sometimes Catherine. It was never just the two of them. Greg had to admit, as much as he was looking forward to it, he was also regretting it as well. Time alone meant more time spent talking, and not just everyday matters, but more personal secrets. Secrets he wasn't ready to share.

It was almost two in the morning, and Greg found himself fighting to stay awake as he poured over the records that were strewn about the table in front of him. He had been in the lab all day, had done little physical activity, but it felt as though he been running continuously. Of course, the simple fact that he didn't get any reasonable sleep within the last few days didn't help either.

He wasn't an insomniac, not yet anyways, but lately he had been to worried to sleep, far to restless to even settle down. The lack of sleep was quickly catching up with him, and at the moment he longed for nothing more than his own bed. Driving home would be a pain…

There was no need to look up when the man sat down across from him; Grissom had already called ahead of time to have Greg remain at the lab. It really wasn't a surprise what he had to say either.

"I talked to your doctor," he stated quietly, even though he had closed the door upon entering the room. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I thought those files were confidential," Greg remarked dully, flipping to another page.

"Not when I'm your supervisor," he took a breath, "So I ask again, why didn't you say anything?"

Greg let out a huff, his brows knitting as he turned yet another page. "I'm sorry, I couldn't exactly think of a creative way of telling you that I was dying."

The silence was unnerving, and Greg knew he had gone to far with the last line, but he honestly didn't care. Grissom, however, kept his tone steady, a quiet hush as he spoke. "No one's death is avoidable Greg," he reminded the young man. "We're all dying, some faster than others…"

"And I'm one of those lucky few."

Grissom ignored the comment, knowing that the younger man was dealing with a lot in a little amount of time. When he had last asked Greg about the doctors, he had been brushed off. It was enough to get him thinking. Part of him was grateful for calling in, knowing that Greg probably would have never told him anything, and yet he felt guilty. Greg was right in a sense, this was all personal, and he had little say in it.

"You get your medications?" he asked instead, wetting his lips.

"Dropped of the papers this morning," Greg answered sullenly, "The wait was two hours too many. I'll get them tomorrow."

Grissom nodded, somewhat satisfied. There was no need to remind Greg how important they were, no need to press the matter. Surely his doctor had explained enough, and to be frank, the medications would only slow the process, not stop it entirely. "People can go on for years…" he said quietly, hoping to encourage him.

"We're scientist Griss, you know and understand the odds as much as I do. I'm not going to play, I'm not going to pretend…it is what it is." He looked up for the first time, meeting his gaze. "I'm not going to say that it's easy, because that would be lying, but I can handle it."

"You sure?"

It took a moment, but nodded confidently. "What other choice do I have?"

Grissom gave him a small smile. It was hard to sit here, to see him look so healthy, and to know that he was slowly wasting away. "I know it doesn't mean much, but if you ever need someone to talk too…I'm here."

Greg nodded slowly, his attention turning back to his work. "Means more than you think," he stated quietly, thankful that there was at least one person he could talk to.

"You go ahead and head home, I'll finish up," Grissom told him, motioning to the paperwork.

Greg glanced up at him, then back down. "You sure?"

Grissom nodded again, shooing off newest CSI. He could tell easily that Greg was tired, noting how easily Greg gave in compared to a few days prior, where he nearly had to twist the former lab rat's arm off to get him home on time. Saying his goodnights Greg slid his hands into his pockets, heading out the door.

"I don't understand," Greg said slowly, "I'm healthy, but my heart's bad? How can it be both?"

"Physically your heart is healthy, it's just giving out. It happens, just not that often. Your heart just can't keep up the physical demands of your body."

"But I feel fine," Greg said in disbelief, shaking his head. This all had to be a dream…

"Now," the doctor gave him a nod, "Slowly your heart will wear down, you'll find everyday tasks becoming more and more difficult, until your body just can't take it anymore."

"There's nothing I can do to strengthen it, or something?" Greg knew he was stretching, but at the moment, he was in complete shock.

"There are medications you can take to help, as well as several other activities you can participate in. It's hard to explain, we see this condition mostly in older people…this has been going on for a while now."

"But I would have noticed…"

The doctor shook his head, taking a seat next to the distraught man. It was never easy to tell someone the truth, but it was better than feeding them a handful of lies. "Not necessarily…"

Greg let out a hefty sigh as he climbed in his car. It had taken him days to accept the fact, and he was still trying to digest all the information given to him. It was ironic how something so small could be so big at the same time…and he though asthma was the end of the world.

TBC