Sara had spent the least amount of time in there with Nick. She was never the one to show emotion. As she walked down the hall, the tears suddenly began to leak from the corners of her eyes. She used the cuff of her jacket to wipe away the tears. She took a deep breath, attempted to relax, and walked back into the lobby where a carpenter was sealing up the hole that Warrick left in the wall. Another frown came to her face as she remembered Warrick, rocking back and forth in the corner; the most vulnerable he had ever been before.

Sara barely sat down in her seat next to Catherine, when Greg got up and sprinted to Nick's room. Sara and Catherine looked at each other in shock that Greg was that excited to go and talk to Nick.

Greg wasted no time skipping through the petty crying and the "holding Nick's hand" game.

Greg wasn't sure of what to say yet. He stood in the doorway staring at Nick as he fought back the tears. He looked around the room, observing what remained of a great man.

Greg took his attention form Nick and focused it towards the window. The lights of the casinos were flashing and were just a sample of what was going down on the streets. Something about the sight, made Greg really think about what was happening.

No more breakfasts at the diner down the street. No more beers at the Belagio Bar. No more talks about who was cuter, blondes or brunettes. Something about it made Greg's blood boil.

"Get up," Greg said angrily. "Get up now. We need you here. Stop being selfish and think about us. If you go now, you will tear this team apart," Greg said as the tears slowly formed in his eyes.

"What am I saying?" Greg asked himself out loud. "What am I talking about? This isn't your fault, it's ours. It's our fault you're here right now." Greg said, as the words got caught in his throat.

Greg held his head in his hands trying to straighten up for Nick's case. Nick wouldn't want them crying over his empty body. He would have never wanted to be at the pity of everyone. Having everyone look at him with their sympathetic looks.

He grabbed the last of the tissues from the box and blew his noise. He used his hands to wipe the tears from under his eyes.

"Well, Nick, all I got to say to you is, I…..we need you to come back. Without you, there is a chunk missing. Bottom line is, we need you to recover from this and come back to all of us. Warrick, and Sara, Catherine and Grissom, and I will come to see you everyday until you wake up." Greg wiped his eyes and walked to the doorway. "Everyday. I promise."

Greg walked down the hall looking as if he was hit by a truck. He just didn't care anymore. If he cried, he cried and he didn't care if it made him look weak.

Everyone shifted the eyes towards Grissom. It was his turn, and he wasn't showing any interest in talking to Nick.

"I, ahhh…" Grissom started before he was interrupted by Warrick.

"No excuses man. You need to see him. And I mean really look at him. Talk to him, I swear it helps." Warrick said trying to reassure Grissom that it was OK if he was affected.

Without another word, Grissom stood up and walked to Nick's, room looking at the ground.

Grissom stood in the doorway, watching Nick's chest move up and down, at the same rhythmic pace it would always be at.

Grissom looked at the monitors, once knowing what they said, but now looking like a bunch of numbers and letters representing how Nick was functioning. He looked at Nick's face and something about it, tugged at Grissom's heart.

Was it that the skin didn't hold the same tone it always had? Was it that the skin was a cold and plain texture, one the CSIs had never seen before? Grissom wasn't sure what it was, but it just wasn't right.

"Hey Nicky," Grissom said as he walked by the bed, staring at the man on the bed. His stomach turned as he really thought about it. Nick was gone.

He took a deep breath into his dry throat. He swallowed and tried to think of what to say. He rubbed the scruff on his chin and closed his eyes.

"We've been thinking about you Nicky," Grissom said to himself more then to Nick. It's as if he needed to hear those words in order to remember why he was there. He walked on his toes to the window, as if the slightest sound would wake Nick up. But everyone knew the truth.

"Everyone's been worried. The doctors say that you're not gonna wake up. But you know me," He said with a smirk on his face, "I hate doctors." He looked at his watch.

3:14a.m.

Nick had spent 74 hours in the hospital. 3 days, 2 hours, and 8 minutes.

Grissom had spent 29 of it straight. The rest of it was spent attempting to sleep at his house.

He glanced back over to the window. He'd seen the strip a thousand times before but something about it this time, took Grissom's breath away. The lights caught his attention and he stayed there for what felt like hours.

3:18 a.m.

"4 minutes? This is gonna be a long talk." Grissom thought to himself.

He turned around to face the man in the bed. The man he once knew. He held back tears as he lowered himself down into the seat next to Nick's bed. He grabbed the man's hand and held it in his. He took of his top hand to look at the bites on Nick's hand. The bites were now swollen and they were leaking a type of puss. Grissom didn't mind. He picked the man's hand back up, trying to keep it warm. He sat there for a while just looking at Nick. Trying to figure out what to say that wasn't already said by the others. Nick's face was sheet white and pasty, except for the bloody bites on his face and neck.

Grissom bit his lip as he started to talk. "I'm sorry. If only they had gotten you to the hospital sooner. You don't deserve to breath on machines for the rest of your life. You deserve to live and experience life," Grissom gripped Nick's hand and held on to it tight.

"Your parents are here. I think they're taking it the worst out of everyone. Warrick's pretty torn up about it. He punched a hole in the waiting room wall. Catherine's taking it pretty hard too. She blames us but herself the most. Greg and Sara are trying to be strong but are failing…miserably," He laughed at the statement.

"Please wake up Nick. We….I need you." Grissom said, as a tear streamed down his cheek.

He sat there trying to regain his composure when he heard a beep in the machine.

He glanced at it, studying it, attempting to figure out what the beep meant. He felt a twitch in the hand he was holding.

The twitch caught his attention and he drew his eyes over to Nick who was staring at Grissom straight in his eyes. Nick's breathe sharpened and his chest started to move rapidly. His eyes wandered around the room, trying to remember where he was

Grissom was in shock. He didn't know that if Nick staring at was a dream or reality. Grissom stared back at him not knowing what to say.

"Nick," He whispered as the words caught in his throat. "I'll be right back. I have to get a doctor."

Grissom began to get up but Nick's hand gripped onto his and it didn't appear that he was letting go anytime soon. Grissom looked back at his hand, and then at Nick whose eyes were enlarged as he put his free hand on the tube that was in his throat.

Nick tried to talk but the lack of liquid his throat only cause him agonizing pain.

"Nick just relax," Grissom said in his reassuring tone.

"Nurse? Nurse?" Grissom yelled from Nick's room. He was yelling for anyone who could hear him. He looked back at Nick who was fiddling with the tube in his throat.

"Nick, stop it," Grissom demanded. "Nurse!"

Nick was attempting to unscrew the tube from his throat.

"Stop it Nick!" Grissom shouted at Nick causing him to jump. He stopped but just long enough to pull the tube out of his throat.

Nick pulled his hand away from Grissom's and gripped the sheet as his lungs gasped for air.

"Nurse!" Grissom yelled as he grabbed the tube from off of the top of Nick's chest and tried to insert it back into the hole. Nick began to push Grissom's hand away from his neck.

"What's going on here?" the doctor shouted as he tilted the monitor in his direction.

"He woke up and unscrewed the tube from his throat," Grissom said as he was pushed aside as nurses and doctors flooded the room.

"We're gonna have to ask you to leave," a nurse said as she pushed Grissom outside and closed the door.

He stood attentively at the door as he watched them restrain him. I took 3 doctors to hold Nick still as he thrashed on the bed as the nurse re-inserted the tube in to his throat. Nick's legs were kicking at doctors. His right fist found its way into one of the male nurse's jaw. The nurses' tried to hold Nick's forearm still as the doctor injected him with a sedative to keep him from attempting the stunt again. Nick breathing slowed and he his heart beat returned to normal. By this time Mr. and Mrs. Stokes at found their way back to Nick's room.

"What's going on here Mr. Grissom?" Mr. Stokes yelled as he and his wife approached Gris.

Grissom stood there in shock as he stared into Mr. Stokes eyes. He was in shock of what just happened.

Mr. Stokes was getting more and more furious by the moment. "I said I want to know what's going on, and I want to know now!" Mr. Stokes shouted as his wife tried to calm him down while at the same time trying to get answers from Grissom.

"He woke up," Grissom said as the words finally escaped his throat.

Just as he said that, the door opened and the doctor looked at the three.

"Well, we have good news and bad news," The doctor stated as he looked into the 3 sets of eyes that were staring at him. "The good news, he woke and it looks that he will recover. The bad news is that we have to restrain him. Not only to protect the staff, but you as well." Grissom's eyes wondered over the ground. Why were they sad? Nick was alive and the doctor said it looked like he would have a full recovery.

"He asked to see you Mr. Grissom," said the doctor while looking at Mr. and Mrs. Stokes for their response.

"No. You put him here, I don't want you anywhere near him," Mrs. Stokes said with fury in her eyes.

Grissom's heart sank as the words came from Mrs. Stokes mouth.

"Mrs. Stokes….," Grissom started but was cut off by Mr. Stokes.

"All you've done is cause him pain. And we don't want you anywhere near him. Do you understand me Mr. Grissom?" Mr. Stokes said with a cold tone.

"Well, actually Mr. and Mrs. Stokes, Nick is a grown man, he can ask for whomever he wants to visit, whenever he wants," The doctor stated while he received a cold stare from Mr. Stokes.

"Nick's not fully with it. It's up to us to make the decisions that are right for him," She said while a single tear ran down her cheek.

"Nick knows exactly what he wants," Grissom stated looking into Mr. Stokes cold eyes.

By now the whole team including Brass had collected at Nick's door and was listening to Mr. and Mrs. Stokes argue with Grissom.

Grissom placed his hand on the knob but felt a strong pain as Mrs. Stokes hand had grabbed his, and removed from the knob.

"No. I won't allow it," Mrs. Stokes said removing her hand from Grissom's.

"You have no choice," Grissom said, "And you said that we were his family too."

She realized that she had said it and that it was partially true. She didn't say a word, but her eyes spoke all the emotion her mouth couldn't. She backed up and allowed Grissom access to her son's room even though Mr. Stokes disagreed.

Grissom walked into Nick's room to a delirious and bruised man. Nick had received a man handling experience as the nurses and doctors restrained and sedated him.

Nick's eyes were rolling to the back of his head. His eyes were glazed and color was returning to his skin. His hands gripped at the restraints and the veins in his neck were defined. In between the struggle of restraining and sedating Nick, they re-inserted the tube into Nick's neck and were getting the materials to remove the tube completely, allowing Nick to talk, eat, and breath on his own. Grissom sat in the chair as Nick tried to focus on him.

Grissom held Nick's hand and held it in his.

"Well, the good news is you awake," Grissom said attempting to lighten up the situation.

7 sets of eyes stared at them through the window which Grissom found a little uncomfortable, but tried not to think about it.

"I'm really glad you're back, Nicky," Grissom said wiping a tear from his cheek.

"I…we were a mess without you. We never lost faith. We knew you we're gonna come back. We just waited for you to decide when a good time for you to come back was," Grissom said looking into Nick's glazed eyes. "I'll be here for you Nicky. Whenever you need me to be."

As Grissom backed the chair up to leave and let his parents have their time with him, he felt a slight tug on his hand. He turned back around to see Nick staring at him, a tear streaming down his face. Grissom wiped it with his hand and gave Nick a deep, heartfelt look off assurance. Assurance that every thing was going to be OK.