Chapter Ten: Waiting to Die, Longing to Live

She had become so used to answering her phone as 'Sidle' that she no longer inserted a hello. Not that it really mattered, no one besides work called her, and there was no need for formal greetings there. Even in a daze, as she was now, half asleep her mind still worked in the same manner.

"Sidle."

She fought off a yawn, her eyes still closed. How much sleep had she gotten? Apparently not enough.

'Hey Sara its Nick, we have a 419, possibly a suicide. I know it's your day off, but Greg hasn't made it in yet…'

"I can make it in," she replied, sitting up slowly. With the back of one hand she rubbed both eyes, before hugging her knees to her chest, still wrapped up in the light blanket. "Did you try calling his place? His cell was dead last night."

'We tried, but no answer,' Nick commented quietly. There was no real worry in his voice, lately Greg had been coming in at odd hours, with little to no excuse. Sara however shrugged it off, smiling.

"He's probably sleeping; he was tired when he left…"

'I can imagine,' came the Texan's voice, full of laughter, 'you sound tired as well, what have you two been up to?'

Sara could feel herself blush, even as she moved to get out of bed. "I'll…be right in," she told him instead, an ending to the conversation. She left the phone on the covers, as she searched for pants in the darkness, already pulling on a new shirt. Greg could have easily stayed with her, but he had muttered something about not being able to sleep if he stayed there.

Maybe she should be worried, or at least concerned. He was having constant mood swings, not to mention the variety of colds and fevers he had picked up over the last few months, and with him being tired most of the time…She would have to talk with him, convince him to go in to get checked out. As for now, she would just let him sleep.

"I can never understand it," Nick said quietly as she came up. He lifted his eyes briefly to watch the brunette as she crouched down next to him. His gaze turned back to where the body was stretched out, the gun on the floor. "How can someone just kill themselves, leave behind their loved ones…" he trailed off, reaching over to pick up the envelope.

"We don't know that it's suicide for sure," Sara reminded him. She was skimming over the man's driver license.

"No indication of foul play, a fair well note…easy in, easy out," Nick shrugged his shoulders.

"So who did you leave at your place?" Sara questioned, taking a few generals. At Nick's surprised look she continued. "You're so eager to get this over and done with."

"Well, I waited an hour for Greg to come in, and then another hour before I came out to the scene so that I wouldn't be too far ahead of you…I'm a little testy. We're two hours behind. Other than that, I'm just stating the obvious."

"It could be staged," she countered, "It's been done before. Once the victim's drugged, it's hard for them to fight back."

Nick nodded, with a slight sigh, knowing she was right. "I'll check into it," he muttered. Sara seemed content with the answer as she moved to her feet, doing a general sweep of the area. David had yet to show up, so there was little more he could do with the body now, and he let out a bitter sigh. That's all he needed, more waiting.

He barely noticed as Sara's cell phone rang, focusing on his task at hand. Cases like these reminded him that life was too short to deal with unnecessary interruptions. He snapped a picture of their vic, a sad expression on his face as he lowered his camera. He was about to tell Sara to hurry up, when he noticed her voice was beginning to rise. Glancing towards her, it was obvious something was wrong. He watched, concerned, as she stopped talking, and took a step closer towards her.

While he couldn't make out what the other person was saying, it was clear that they were upset. Sara hadn't looked at him, but her grip was tight on her phone, a clear look of panic in her eyes. It was quiet now on the other end, and Sara met his gaze for the first time.

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

Sara shook her head, there were no tears in her eyes, but it was obvious she was close. "Greg…" she cleared her voice, "I think Greg's in trouble."

"Where is he?" Nick asked slowly, hoping she had at least gotten that much out of the conversation.

Sara swallowed, "His place."

Every possible scenario had gone through her mind, starting with the bad and shifting quickly to the worst. Several times she had tried to call him back, each time she only ended up with his voice mail. What if he was hurt? She could only imagine some cloaked figure breaking into his place, whether it be robbery or something else…what if Greg saw something someone didn't want him to see?

"I'm going as fast as I can," Nick told her, sensing her worry. She nodded dully, already knowing that he was. It didn't make things any easier. What if he needed help, should she call for an ambulance? Greg wouldn't answer hardly any of her questions; his voice had been stretched thin, masked by sobs. It was disturbing, she had never seen Greg cry before, let alone sob. He became withdrawn whenever he was upset, and even more so when he was depressed…what would set him off so?

She rubbed her head, leaning against the window. They were close to his place now, and with the light being red Sara considered jumping out of the vehicle. Perhaps she would get there faster. The notion was dismissed however as the light changed, and Nick wasted little time in punching it. Obviously he was just as concerned.

It was hard to be quiet, at the hour they normally were awake, most people were sleeping. With the fear coursing through her veins Sara didn't even try, already moving up the stairs before Nick could even park.

"Greg?" she turned the handle to his door, frustrated as it didn't open. Slapping it with her palm she called his name again, pressing her head against the door. She could hear someone inside, but it didn't do anything to settle her fears.

"What's wrong?" Nick breathed, coming up behind her.

"Locked," she knocked again, this time pleading with Greg to open it.

"You have keys?" Nick asked. He assumed that since the two were dating, she would carry a spare to his place.

"At the lab," she answered, biting her bottom lip.

Reaching over her Nick knocked on the door, calling out to his friend with his nickname. There was no response, which only escalated the worry. Sara was holding his arm all the sudden, turning to him. "You have a pocket a knife?"

He nodded, curious now as he removed it. Sara could only pray the bottom was locked as she slid the knife open, pressing the blade into corner of the door. If the locks were anything like that at her place she wouldn't have a problem. She got it on the second try, hardly soaking in the comment Nick gave her.

She wasn't sure what to expect, what to find, but it didn't slow her down at all. The darkness only added to the dreariness of the situation. Sara found him in a corner, dressed in the same clothes from the previous day. His arms were wrapped tight around his legs, his face red from obvious crying. Yet as soon as he saw Sara he raised his hands, as an expectant toddler waiting to be picked up.

"What happened?" she asked, fear and worry making her voice tight as she moved to her knees, wrapping him in a heartfelt hug. She was surprised at how tightly he grasped her, leaning into her hold as he buried his head against her chest, his body shaking as it was wracked with sobs.

She only glanced up as Nick cursed, kicking the fallen gun away from the pair. Her entire stomach turned in on itself, shaking her head as she denied it. Greg's chest heaved as he tried to talk, all his words running together.

"I couldn't do it," he cried, trying to pull her closer. "I couldn't do it, I couldn't…"

"Shh," she calmed him gently, rubbing his back as Nick paced behind her. She had never seen Greg like this, and never thought she would. She felt beyond sick, something she couldn't even describe as she held his shaking body. "It's okay…"

"Sara," Nick caught her attention, flashing the notes in her direction. One was blank, but the other had her name printed on it neatly. She turned away, resting her head on top of Greg's.

"Why?" she breathed quietly, "Tell me why."

He didn't answer, only shook his head, trying to catch his breath but failing to do so. Sara caught Nick's gaze again, a mournful look crossing his face. "We need to get him to the hospital," she told him quietly.

"No," Greg's response was quick, clouded by his strained voice. He shook his head to add to the effect, but made no move to pull out of her grasp. "No…"

"Call someone?" Nick wondered, ignoring his pleads.

"We can take him," she replied, confident that whatever had happened wasn't in need of immediate attention. He was obvious in a state of distress, but even medical attention would cure that. It was what worried her the most.

Greg had been shaking his head the entire time, his sobs only increasing. "You can't" he breathed, "You can't."

It broke her heart, watching as he tried to pull away even as she pulled him to his feet. He wasn't really fighting, not in a physical sense, but nor was he cooperating. So much energy had been spent in his own downfall he no longer had anything left.

"It'll be okay," Nick reassured her, already moving out the door. It took a little more convincing on Sara's part to get Greg to even cooperate, the only reassurance she had that everything would be okay once reaching the hospital. Little did she know that things would be coming to an end, much sooner than she anticipated.

TBC