Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who is still reading and who has replied so far. You guys are the best! Thanks for waiting patiently for this next chapter, hopefully this means that my writer's block is gone! Lol.
Special thanks to Emmithar, who helped me transform this from a pile of garbage to a decent chapter. You rock! You guys should thank her too, lol, because without her nagging me about this, it wouldn't be written tonight.
Please let me know what you think!
Jenny
Five:
"I just checked with Christina, and she says that Lyle slept through the night last night, which means he's going to be awake all day." Catherine groaned, leaning her head against Warrick's arm, "I forgot how tiring this 'new-parent' thing really is."
Sara smiled from across the table, "But he's so sweet that it equals out all of the bad things."
"Yeah, I'll take him for the day if you need a break," Nick said with a smile, "I missed watching my niece at this age, I love babies. Sara, you'll keep us company, right?"
Sara raised an eyebrow, turning her head to look at Nick, "You must have fallen on your head if you think I have any idea of how to take care of a baby."
"She struggles with Lindsey, and Lindsey practically watches herself." Catherine teased, "I don't know if I'd want to leave Lyle with her."
Sara's jaw dropped open and her head jerked back to Catherine's side of the table, "That is the most--"
"Relax, we know you're good with both Lindsey and Lyle," Warrick said, grinning at Sara, "At least, when someone else is around."
As the rest of the table laughed, Sara's face grew red with indignation, "What is this? Pick on Sara day?"
"It's your turn." Nick said through his laughter, "Relax, you know we're just playing around with you."
Warrick snickered, "Yeah, we know how you want to just 'play around' with her".
"Hey, now, it's 'Pick on Sara' day, not 'Pick on Nick' day." Nick warned, "If you want to start, I can easily finish it."
Catherine rolled her eyes, meeting Sara's amused expression, "Every time we get together, it's a testosterone battle."
"Warrick's just turning sissy because of that adorable little baby sleeping at home." Sara teased, ducking out of the way as Warrick's slice of toast went sailing for her head. "You know it's true, that's why you're proving yourself by being cruel to others."
"Proving myself, is that it?" Warrick retorted, "What do I need to prove myself for? I'm head-over-heels in love in love with a wonderful woman, I beautiful son and soon-to-be daughter, a fun and challenging job, what left is there?"
"Awww..." Sara sighed, smiling as she refilled her coffee cup, "You're so lucky, Catherine."
"Who said the woman he loves is Catherine?" Nick said jokingly, "It could be anyone."
The rest of the table rolled their eyes at Nick, who flashed them a sheepish grin, "What? It's true!"
"No wonder he's single." Catherine said to Sara, pointing her thumb towards Nick, "Can you imagine having to put up with his attempts at humor all the time?"
"His pathetic attempts at humor." Warrick added, laughing as Nick's jaw dropped slightly, a faux-wounded look crossing his face.
Nick turned to Sara, "I thought we were all picking on you? How did I end up the butt of every comment?"
"That's what friends are for, Nicky." Sara teased, "Better you than me."
Catherine looked over her shoulder, towards the door, "Speaking of being the butt of every comment, where's Greg? He should of been here like half an hour ago."
"He's probably just running a few minutes late." Nick said with a halfhearted shrug.
Sara looked towards the door nervously, pulling out her cell phone, "I'll call to make sure he's left already."
"Yeah, it's hard to get used to these hours when you've gotten accustomed to being awake during the daylight." Warrick laughed, "He's going to be a zombie by the time he goes back to Texas."
Catherine raised an eyebrow as she turned to face Warrick, "Do you really think he's going to go back to Houston once he realizes how much he misses Las Vegas?"
"That's assuming that he misses Las Vegas." Nick reminded, "He didn't seem to thrilled to see us."
"Maybe if you had given him a chance to say hello before ripping his head off--" Sara began, but stopped when Catherine held up her hands. She fell back against the back of her chair dejectedly, unsure of whether or not to be angry with Greg for doing what he did, not to mention being late tonight, or to protect him from the angry jab in Nick's voice.
Catherine raised her hands, pulling them apart while saying, "Calm down, both of you. There will be no fighting at this table, understood?"
"Sorry." Sara muttered, exhaling loudly, a frown on her face.
Nick's lips curved into a small smirk, "Yes...Mom."
Catherine's eyes began to narrow, and Warrick laughed loudly, "Oh, now you've done it."
"You stay out of it!" Catherine hissed, her momentary outburst of anger fading rapidly as she looked at the three smiling faces sitting around the table, "Oh, it's not like I can help it, You'll understand when you have kids." She said, waving her finger at Sara and Nick.
They sat in silence for a moment before Warrick stood, stretching slightly, "I'm going to go order our breakfast...that toast isn't enough to fill up a frog, much less a table of adults. When Greg shows up, we'll just add his order on to ours."
"If Greg shows up." Nick muttered, unable to stop the words before they exited his mouth although he knew they'd get him in trouble from Sara.
Sara whipped around to face Nick, her eyes cold, "Can't you leave him alone for just five minutes? What, are you jealous or something? Can't you find someone else to pick on?"
"Well, you did tell him you didn't want to be picked on." Catherine said lightly, trying to ease the mood a bit, but seeing it was impossible as Sara's glare shot to Catherine's direction, "Don't you give me that look."
Sara sighed, slamming her purse down on the table and standing, "I'm going to just head home. Greg obviously isn't going to show up and it's been a long night."
"Be careful." Catherine said softly, knowing when not to push the younger woman. This was definitely one of those times to just leave her alone. She gave Nick and Warrick stern looks, hoping they'd keep their mouths shut.
"Bye Sar." Warrick said as Sara brushed past him, her shoes slamming angrily against the tile, "Hey! Be careful, you're leaving stomp-marks on the tile!"
His response was a certain finger lifted in a silent gesture.
Warrick motioned towards the counter, "I know this breakfast sort of stinks, but I'm starving. What do you guys want?"
"You know, I really should go check on Sara." Nick sighed, standing and shooting a worried look towards the door, "I don't want her to be alone if Greg's pulled another stunt like his last disappearing act."
Catherine shook her head, "Nicky," She warned, "Don't push her with this anti-Greg kick you're on, you'll just drive her farther away."
"I know what I'm doing." Nick said over his shoulder, as he made his way towards the door.
"Anytime a man says he knows what he's doing, he's just setting the stage for a major disaster."
"That's not true!" Warrick exclaimed, turning to face Catherine, who rolled her eyes in response. Shrugging his shoulders, he sighed, "Okay, it's a little true."
Seeing Catherine's disbelieving look, he sat back down across from her, "Okay, it's very true."
Sara walked into her apartment, setting her keys down on the counter and calling out, "Greg? Are you here? Greg?"
The apartment was quiet in response, and Sara sighed worriedly, flipping on the kitchen light. She had driven the route Greg had been most likely to take on his way to the diner, and there hadn't been any accidents, so it was unlikely he was hurt. She had even called the PD and local hospitals to see , but there had been no luck finding Greg at either. That left one other possibility, one she was not willing to face...he had left. Again.
She had known it was too good to be true. She had never been able to find happiness easily, and this was just going to prove it once again. Finding him in Houston, so easily, after wallowing in misery for months? Having him agree to come back with her without having to get on her hands and knees and beg? All of it was too easy, the walls were bound to come crashing down sooner or later. She had hoped for later.
Could he really be leaving her again? After all they had been through, all of the pain she had felt, the tears that had been her only companion through the dark, lonely nights? How could he just pick up and leave again, without as much as a 'goodbye'?
Since he had left, only the echo of her voice broke the silence of her lonely apartment during the dark, quiet hours where she needed his presence more than ever.
She finally received the second chance she had been dreaming of, and how he was nowhere to be found. Could she had dreamed up the last couple of days? Could it had been a figment of her overactive imagination? Shaking her head sadly, she knew it couldn't be true. If her imagination was that convincing, she'd still be hallucinating him in her apartment. The truth was, he had walked out on her again.
She went to the fridge to get a beer, but stopped when she spotted a piece of paper pinned to the fridge with a large magnet, Greg's handwriting sprawling out "Sara" on the outside. Her insides began to tremble slightly, dread sinking to the pit of her stomach like anchors to the bottom of the sea. If this was another letter like the one he had left her in his New Orleans hotel room, it would be the last thing she ever accepted from him.
With anxiety and apprehension filling her chest, she pulled the note out and began to read softly,
Sara-
I know you're probably sick of getting these letters from me, and I don't blame you one bit. I'm getting sick of writing them.
I know you meant well by bringing me back here, you probably thought they'd be happy to see me. Now, I hope you see that you were wrong. It will never be like old times, I won't be reaccepted to the group with open arms and welcomed back by everyone I abandoned months ago. The confrontation in the locker room only proved my point.
I'm not sure where to go from here. I don't want you to spend your life waiting for me in case I am unable to return to Vegas, but I love you so much, I don't know if I can bring myself to fly back to Texas and leave you again.
I need some time to think before I face everyone. I'm sorry if I seem like I'm being a coward, but I'm just trying to make the right decision. When I have made up my mind, I will let you know what I'm going to do from here.
I have never stopped loving you, nor will I ever stop loving you. I have thought of you every day since I left, and I have missed you more than you will ever know. Please don't be upset with me, I just need some time.
Love,
Greg
Folding the paper and placing it on the counter, Sara sank to the floor, sobs taking over her body as she grieved over Greg, again.
Greg took a swig of water, enjoying the cool relief it gave him as he slowed down his pace a bit, going from a steady run to a jog. Sliding the water back into his backpack, he focused on breathing deeply and trying to clear his mind. If nothing else worked, a long run usually helped him focus.
He stopped, jogging in place as he tried to fish out a new CD from his backpack, taking the completed Incubus CD and replacing it with Hoobstank. It wasn't that he was really listening to the music, it was just noise to fill the silence that had taken over his life. The noise helped to distract him from the inner pain he was feeling, allowing him to focus on just the facts, much like when he was working with his stereo booming loudly.
He picked up the pace once more, trying to reason with himself, trying to decide what he wanted to do. He was starting to think it was impossible, he wasn't even sure of what his actual choices were, how could he make such a hard decision? He would have to talk to Sara, see where they stood, before he could even begin to make plans for the future. The thought frightened him to the core, how could he ask her if they could resume their relationship when he had cut her off completely for the last several months?
He had made it another few blocks, still trying to talk himself out of going back to Sara's to confront her, although he knew he had to do it. How was he supposed to talk to her about his fears and emotions if he wasn't even quite sure what he was feeling?
A familiar tune began to flow through his headphones, and Greg moaned, pulling his backpack back to the front as he once again began to jog in place. The last thing he needed to hear was "Running Away". He replaced the CD with Linkin Park, hoping he had grabbed a CD that wouldn't stress his already troubled mind with more ironic songs. Why is it that whenever you already feel awful, everything you listen to just makes the feeling even worse?
Nearly a mile later, he tore the headphones off of his ears and threw them into his backpack, fed up with the entire music industry. "In the end, it doesn't even matter." He mumbled, his feet angrily hitting the pavement, "We stay together, we drift apart...it all turns out the same way. We both get hurt in the long run."
Angry tears filled his eyes as he remembered everything he and Sara had been through over the last few years. Although he knew they had plenty of happy points in their relationship, all that he was able to remember was the
misery and heartache he had suffered as a result of their relationship.
And now, Nick was involved. As if they needed to have that fight again. He wasn't even sure if they were involved now or not. He wasn't sure of anything.
Of course, the only way to answer his questions would be to talk with Sara, and he couldn't do that if he was running in the opposite direction of her apartment.
With a new resolve to at least level with Sara and see what his chances were, he began to jog back in the direction of Sara's apartment, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had to focus on the positive and hope for the best; if he didn't face her now, he never would be able to summon up enough courage to do it again.
The closer he got to Sara's, the more uneasy he felt. He had a good reason for leaving, his mere presence had hurt so many people, he had done so much damage, how could he face these people after all this time had passed?
How could he look at Catherine and not see her in a hospital bed, hooked up to fetal monitors, doctors and nurses scrambling to save her son's life? How could he look at Nick and not feel like he betrayed his friend when he needed a friend the most? How could he look at Sara and not feel like the world's biggest jerk for leaving?
All of his worry, however, gave way to resentment and jealousy as he saw Nick's SUV in the parking lot of Sara's apartment complex.
Nick ushered Sara to the couch, worried by the fact that she had opened her door in tears, her eyes already red and swollen.
"What's wrong, Sar?" Nick asked, concern lacing his voice, "Do you want me to get you something? Water? Coffee?" Beer?"
Sara shook her head, trying to stop the tears that continued to stream down her cheeks. Sometimes, it felt like the tears would never stop, that she'd be feeling their warm, salty path on her face for eternity. She shut her eyes, trying to take calming breaths, but the end result wasn't much better than the start. Instead of steady tears, she was left with gasps for breath and shaking hands.
Nick's concern grew with each moment she remained unable to speak, his mind racing through a list of everything that could be wrong. Of course, the most obvious problem had to do with Greg, and that thought alone made him want to hunt the young man down and teach him a few lessons on how to treat a woman you supposedly love.
Other possibilities raged through his mind as well, varying from a death in the family to an accident with injuries he just couldn't see on her. Every possibility, however, was far-fetched, and he always seemed to end up at the one thing he knew could cause her to break down like this. Greg Sanders.
"He left," Sara whispered, "He left me a letter, he doesn't know what to do, he needs time. I'm losing him again. I can't lose him again, Nick, I can't. I'm not strong enough to do this again."
Nick wrapped an arm around her tightly pulling her close to his chest as she began to cry once more, her need to be comforted suppressing his urge to hunt down his former friend.
"You're the strongest person I know, Sara. You've gone through hell and back, and I know you can do it again. It's going to be hard, it always is, but you're a fighter. If Greg can't see you for the wonderful person you are, he doesn't deserve you," Nick whispered soothingly as he gently rubbed her back, "Any man would be lucky to have you, you could have any guy you want."
Sara pulled away from Nick, tears making her eyes glisten in the moonlight that streamed in from her window.
Looking back, he wasn't quite sure what he had been thinking, or if he had been thinking at all. All he could focus on was how beautiful she was, and how he wanted to make her feel special, show her how amazing she was, prove to her that she just hadn't found the right man to care about her.
Their lips had met in a brief, unexpected kiss, which had been instantly broken by a gasp from the doorway. Nick hadn't had to look up to see who was there, it was fate's cruel irony that Greg would show up at this one moment.
Sara sprang to her feet, her eyes wide and horrified, struggling to find the right words to tell the two men in her apartment. Before she was able to grasp the right words, however, Greg turned and fled from the apartment in silence.
Nick watched helplessly as Greg sprinted from the apartment, his face pale and shocked. He felt a wave of guilt wash through him as Sara's lip started to tremble and she took off after him, yelling for him to wait.
They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and Nick was definitely getting warmer by the day.
TBC