Nick had lost all sense of time in the darkness, he wasn't even sure if it was still the same day, all he knew was he really wanted out of this room, it was dark and cramped. His heart pounded like a jackhammer and sweat ran down his arms and back. He could feel the panic trying to take hold he fought against it, taking deep, even, and calming breaths. But they did very little for him, he pulled his knees to his chest hissing when they gave and very painful protest to the close contact, banded his arms around them and tried to think of something other then the cramped space in which he sat.
"Alright thank you I'm on my way now." Grissom put the phone down and looked up at his worried colleagues.
"That was the sheriff apparently Nick incited a riot they want me to go talk with him..." Grissom paused for a tense moment before relaying the rest to them.
"They have him in Isolation." Eyes went wide, mouths feel open.
"Oh my god is he okay?" Sara asked.
"he hasn't made a sound since they put him in there." Grissom explained, after another five minutes of putting the pieces together., he left for the jail.
Nick jerked an opened his eyes, 'when the heck did I fall asleep?', When he heard the bolt being shoved back, he stood shakily and waited for what was to come. The door was flung open and an officer came in and cuff him, Nick blinked momentarily blinded by the light, and allowed himself to guided down the hall to a familiar door,'oh goody more fun with Cavalier'. But to Nicks surprise a friendly face awaited him, he sat down and looked across the table at Grissom.
"What happened, they said you incited a riot." Grissom questioned.
"Not me my bunk decided it might be fun to use me for a pinata." Nick explained trying to make himself comfortable in the hard chair.
"Yeah well our favorite detective is waiting to question you about, thats you got of that room in the first place." Grissom warned him just a second to late as the door swung open again to admit a very steamed Cavalier.
"Shall try again, are you ready to talk now or are you claiming innocence?" Cavalier asked , Nick just glared in reply.
"Now tell me about Deanna Smith." Cavalier laid down a picture and Deanna and It was all nick could do not to crumble it and toss it away.
"I met her at a Diner after work I was having breakfast, she sat next to me ordered and orange juice, I finished my beer and got up to leave she grabbed my arm and asked me out, I turned her down gently, and left I just put the key in the lock when she came up behind me I turned around and she pushed me against the truck, asked me again for a date I turn again turned her down, and got in my truck to leave, that last time I saw her until that same night at a crime scene." Nick stopped to look at Grissom and then back up at Cavalier.
"Don't stop now." He told him, Nick rolled his eyes.
"Catherine had called me in to help her with a B&E at a jewelery store off strip, i was processing the scene while she went back with the body. I heard some one call my name and when i turned around she was standing as close to the tape as she could get, she apologized for the incident at the diner, said she was drunk and that she wanted to make it up to me, I told i was working and couldn't, I went back to processing the scene and when i was done i went back to the lab, and i haven't seen her since." Nick finished.
"The how did your semen get inside her?" Nick groaned in frustration, Cavalier was an unstoppable force of nature, this stupid bull crap was getting really old, really fast, he was sore and tired and right now even that crummy little dark room sounded like heaven compared to this.
"I...don't...know." Nick pronounced each with deliberate slowness just so Cavalier was sure to get it this time.
"I think it's time you Boss left." Cavalier opened the door to make his point, Grissom took one look at Nick and frowning left him there to tango with the devil. Once he was gone Cavalier struck like a snake he grabbed nick by the neck and shoved his face into the table.
"let me tell you what i think happened, she followed you around asking for your attention and finally you had enough so you gave what she wanted but you went to far you lost control and took what she would give to you." Cavalier growled pressing harder on Nicks head .
"AHH I didn't touch her, give the hell off of me!" Nick screamed struggling to lift his head which was now pounding, just one more ache to add to the list.
"Not until you admit to raping that girl!" Cavalier screamed back, Nick just flailed his arms and tired to yank his back, with no luck, finally Nick had had enough he didn't the only thing left in his power to do, he screamed at the top of his voice.
"HELP ME!" He screamed until his throat went dry, but no one came Grissom was gone, Nick stopped fighting and went limp against the table, he was finding more and more difficult to breath now, he vision grayed out at the edges.
"Hey whats wrong with you Stokes." Cavalier asked releasing his head, but nick didn't move he slide to the floor and laid there his eyes closed his breathing ragged.
"Hey some one call an ambulance!" Cavalier called out some body listened to that one two minuted later a pair of EMT's were rushed back to the room where they loaded Nick onto a wait gurney and hauled him right out of the building into the wait ambulance and off the hospital.
Nick came around some time later to the sound of hushed voices, apparently his many bruises were the topic of conversation.
"...and look at his face it looks like some one rammed his face int a wall." Catherine's voice sound worried, but Nick didn't feel like lifting his lids to find out why.
"or a table, Cavalier told me he just collapsed during questioning, and the doctor said it exhaustion and his ribs punctured a lung." Grissom voice informative, he didn't sound worried, but nick knew he must be, okay may now he could make the effort to let them know he was awake, he groaned as he forced first one eye, and than the other open.
"Hey Nicky, you gave every one quite a scare." Catherine told him her voice going soft and maternal, poor Nick just started to cry, he couldn't help it he hated hospital usually, but this was pure heaven compared to the hell he'd been living in for who knew how long.
"Shh it's okay, your going to be okay." Catherine wiped his face with some tissue and then helped sit up enough to blow his nose she sniffled and bit but managed to hold back the tears.
"Sorry, don't mean to be a basket case." Nick lay his head back against the pillows.
"It's alright, you don't need to apologize, given the circumstances I think your allowed to wallow a bit." Grissom pointed out and Nick oped his eyes again to look at the man.
"Your were right Cath my face was rammed into a table." Nick pointed out rubbing said face.
"Cavalier?" Grissom not sound at all surprised, Nick nodded.
"yeah, guess he thought he could bully me into confessing to a crime i didn't commit." Nick explained.
"Did you guys get any where on the case?" Nick asked.
"Well, i had that may have payed off, i ran a test of your semen from the rape kit, all heads no tails. Like the semen from the Hopkins case remember?" Catherine asked, nick took a minute to file through his memory.
"Yeah you told Grissom that it takes seven hours for the tails to be eat away." Nick remembered Catherine smiled.
"Yup, which mean you didn't ejaculate when Deanna said she was raped you ejaculated seven earlier." Grissom pointed out. Nick looked hopeful.
"Wait so does that mean I free and clear?" Nick asked dreading the answer to that question.
"I handed my finding to the Sheriff and we'll know some thing in the morning till then we have asked that you remain in the hospital and away from the jail, until you at least resemble something human," Nick grinned not minding the insult he knew he must look awful and he was beginning to smell kind of ripe.
"Oh and I thought you like to know, the doctor said if you up to it you can take a shower." Grissom smiled when all but flew out bed and was doing well until his feet hit floor, the rest of him threatened to follow if he hadn't grabbed to the bed first.
"Whoa Nicky okay I'll take that as a yes, let me help to the show and well get you cleaned up." Grissom said taking his arm Catherine dug into a bag on the chair by the bed and brought out a pair of sweats and a familiar Texas long horn t-shirt. He let a few tears fall at the sight of his cloths no more jump suit, and real shower, wow amazing things he used to take for granted, were making shed tears. He stood leaning on the wall while Grissom started the shower let the steam roll over him before shedding the flimsy gown and stepping under the spray. Grissom left with instructions call is need help to call for him Nick heard the door close and let the tears fall. He stood sobbing under the hot stream for what must have been a few minutes at least, when he manged to calm done again he started to wash his hair and bath. When he finished he opened the shower door and grabbed the wall as a dizzy spell threated to floor him. He called for Grissom who came in and shut the door, he helped Nick dress and then helped back to the bed, where mother Catherine ready and wait with razor brush, toothbrush and toothpaste.
"The peach fuzzy on your face has got to go." Catherine explained as he lay back in he now up right bed first she let him brush his teeth and comb his hair back before proceeding to lather his chin and cheek and turned on the razor. When she finished she wiped away the access and stood back to admire him smiling.
"There now you look more like yourself." she put everything away and sat down one side of the bed and Grissom took the other. They spent to day talking and laughing and nick never felt so free, by the late after thought he feeling tired again and lay his bed back to rest while Grissom and Catherine kept watch. He closed his eyes and in a few minutes was snoring softly.
"So think the sheriff will let nick go?" Catherine asked Grissom across the bed.
"For Nicks sake, I hope so." Grissom answered, silence filled the room as the occupants in the room let themselves relax enough to doze.
Okay there the next chapter. Will Nicky be set free? Will they finally find out the truth? Read the next chapter(when i post it) and find out.