Disclaimer: I own nothing, and the song is What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts. And if you havent heard it, its an awesome song!
Sorry for that little...issueI had. lol. I honestly didnt even notice it! Its fixed now! My bad guys!
P.S: That CSI Fanfiction message boardI was talking about putting up is now up. Links in my profile if you want it! Come join! lol.
"Shit!" Sara cursed when she got outside. "Car keys are only good if you have the damn car that goes with them Sara!" She said to herself. After pulling out her cell phone, she started walking down the road. She scrolled through the names in her phone book to find the number of a cab company. "Crap." It wasn't there. She sat down on the sidewalk and set her purse in her lap. Tears of anger and sorrow and regret started to flow from her eyes as she shoved her phone back in her purse.
She heard the crack of thunder not too far away, and felt the wind pick up. Dropping her head she tried to control the tears streaming from her eyes as the rain started to pour. She stood up and wiped her eyes, not that it changed much. She started walking again, cursing at the weather. She hadn't gotten very far when her cell phone rang, and looking at the Caller ID, she was somewhat thankful to see it wasn't Grissom.
"Hello." She answered
"Hey Sar!" The happy Texan accent sounded way to happy compared the mood she was in.
"Hey Nick." She replied trying to sound happy as she pulled her coat closer to her. The rain started to fall harder now and she picked up her pace.
"Tomorrow were all goin' down to that new bar that just opened on the strip. I can't think of the name now, but would you and Grissom wanna come with us?"
She closed her eyes and let more tears fall down her already wet cheeks. "Um." How was she going to say this? 'Grissom cheated on me with Catherine, and were not together anymore. A whole year and two days down the drain.' Yeah, that would be just perfect.
"Grissom and I aren't um..." she found herself saying in such a quiet voice, she wasn't sure if Nick would hear. "Were not together anymore."
"Sara, I'm so sorry." She heard Nick say. "If there's anything I can do, or if you just wanna talk..." He trailed off knowing she knew what he meant.
"Thanks Nick. And actually, there is something you can do for me." She spotted a bar a little ways down the road. She looked both ways to make sure no cars were coming, and crossed the street.
"Sure, anything."
"Can you come pick me up?" She let out a small laugh.
"Where are you?"
"Um." She read the lighted letters through the rain. 'AKE'S Bar.' "Ake's Bar." She said.
"Who's?"
"The sign says Ake's" She paused. "Wait, the 'J' is out." She laughed.
"Jake's Bar. I'll be there soon."
"Thanks so much Nick." She said and hung up.
She hurriedly pulled the door open to get out of the rain and walked into a smoky room filled with about a half dozen people. Seeing an empty place at the bar she walked up and sat down.
"What can I getcha pretty lady?" The bartender asked when he walked up.
Sara had to smile at the old guy. 'I wonder if he's the real Jake.' She thought to herself. "I'll just have a beer."
Looking around she noticed a radio sitting on a small shelf in the corner under a Bud Light sign. After noticing what song was playing, she gave an evil glare to the radio and turned back around. It was some country song that she had heard on the way to a scene with Nick. She sang along in her after the bartender had given her the drink.
What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was tryin' to do
'Okay, so it's not perfect, but it's appropriate.' She thought as a single tear fell down her cheek.
'Don't you dare Sidle.' She said to herself. 'Not here, not now.' She looked up at the ceiling and urged herself not to cry. 'If I tell them all my story, how many of these guys would want to find Grissom and kick his ass?' A small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth when she imagined the bartender shuffling over with his cane raised to a cowering Grissom. She giggled to herself. 'Great, now they're gonna think you're some lunatic who giggles to herself at random things.' She took a drink of beer.
"Hey." Nick said and sat down.
Sara jumped. "You know how to scare someone."
"Can I getcha anything?" The bartender asked Nick.
"No thanks, I'm fine."
"Do you need anything else?"
"No I'm good." He winked at her and walked away. She smiled remembering the picture she had in her head of him going after Grissom.
"Come on, let's go." Nick took her hand in his exactly the way Grissom did after Sara's DUI.
She closed her eyes and let the tears fall. 'I thought you said you weren't gonna do this here!' She thought as she tried to slow the tears by wiping her eyes. 'Especially in front of Nick, you can't loose it!'
Nick reached up and dried her tears with his thumb. "Come on." He stood up still holding her hand.
After leaving the money for her drink she followed Nick outside and they hurried through the rain to the car. He opened the door for her and she climbed in.
They drove in silence for a while with a country station quietly playing and Nick humming along.
"Where am I taking you?" He asked after realizing Sara didn't have her apartment anymore.
"I have a friend who lives up the road from my old place." She said taking out her cell phone. "Let me call her to see if I can crash at her house tonight." She dialed some numbers on her phone and waited. "Emily? Its Sara." She said. "Hey, do you mind if I crash on your couch tonight?" She paused, then said in a quieter voice "I'll tell you when I get there." Another pause. "Okay, thanks, bye." She hung up. "Go past the apartment complex, and take a right. I'll show you which house is hers when we get closer."
They both fell silent not sure what to say.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked after a while.
"Not much to talk about." She hadn't meant to sound so mean. It's just that there really wasn't much to talk about.
"Okay."
Again there was silence.
"He cheated on me." Sara said after a few minutes.
Nick turned his head so fast she was surprised he didn't get whiplash. "What?"
She shrugged. "He cheated on me. With Catherine."
Nick had no reaction for a second, then he slammed his hand down on the steering wheel and Sara jumped.
"How could they do something like that?" He yelled. "Catherine should know better! She's been cheated on! She knew how you felt after Hank! How could Grissom even think of doing something like that? How could they hurt you like that?"
"Nick?" Her voice was barley above a whisper.
He looked at her as if it was the first time he noticed her sitting there.
"I'm sorry."
It was a rare occurrence for Nick to get mad and yell like that. Sara broke out into a smile.
He saw this out of the corner of his eye even though she tried to hide it. "What?" He asked
"I think its sweet." She laughed. "When I was in that bar, I wondered how many guys would wanna kick Grissom's ass. I don't need them since you're here."
Nick chuckled.
"I had this image of the old bartender shuffling very slowly over to Grissom who's cowering in the corner, afraid of the crazy old man who's going to hit him with his cane." She laughed.
Nick let this image enter his brain, and he broke into laughter too.
Their laughing died down after they got the vision of the beating-bartender out of their heads.
"Take a right here." They had passed Sara's old apartment building. Sara sighed. "I have no idea how I'm going to face him tomorrow at work."
Knowing calling a sick day would be out of the question for her, he said "He wouldn't put you on the same case as him, you probably wont have to face him."
"Anymore I'm not sure what he's capable of doing. Its this house here." She said pointing to a two-story red brick house. As they pulled into her friends drive way, Sara smiled at Nick.
"Thank you so much Nick." She opened the door.
Just before she slammed the door closed, he called her name and she held the car door.
"Can I pick you up tomorrow morning for work?" He asked.
"Sure." She smiled. "I'd like that." She closed the door, and ran through the rain to the front door. Nick sat in his car and smiled as she waved at him from the front porch.
Emily opened the door as Sara waved to Nick. "Hey." She greeted.
"Hey Em." Sara stepped inside.
"That's not Grissom is it?" She asked curiously.
"No." She handed Emily her coat.
"Tell me what happened?"
After grabbing a cup of coffee, they sat on the couch and Sara told Emily the story.