Three to Tango
Chapter Nine: Broken
Disclaimer: Guess what, we still don't own anything
AN: Thank you to all who have reviewed (well except from the rude teenagers who somehow think at 13 & 16 they are better writers than two adults).
I need to point out that Missy and I betad this ourselves. We reread it a few dozen times and changed things around. With that being said, we know we aren't perfect (just because we are teachers, as one of those teenagers so kindly reminded us) doesn't mean we catch all mistakes. Why do you think teachers will tell their students to bring papers back up to them if they missed something? This is why. Grammar and spell check only goes so far. We are also aware of our verb changige (I made a new word, he he), and I try to fix it when I type it up but sometimes I miss things.
Some might think this chapter is sad, so be prepared.
I wanted you to know
I love the way you laugh
I wanna hold you high
And steal your pain away
I keep your photograph
I know it serves me well
I wanna hold you high
And steal your pain
It was raining the day Hank was buried. Nick, who had been staying with Sara, slowly walked to the master bedroom and knocked on the door before cautiously opening it.
Sara was sitting on the bed, still in her funeral attire, tears streaming down her face.
"Sar, some of the guests have started to arrive"
She nodded but made no attempt to move. Nick crossed the room, sat down on the bed and put his arms around her. Sara laid her head on his shoulder.
"Nicky, I don't understand" she whispered
"I know Sara, neither do I"
"How could he leave us like this?"
"I don't know Sar"
"It's not fair"
"I know"
Cause I'm broken
When I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right
When your gone away
Nick couldn't agree more with Sara. The whole situation sucked. It wasn't fair that Hank was taken away from Sara and the baby, especially by a drunk driver. The DA was now pursing a vehicular homicide charge against the driver.
It had taken Nick a long time to warm up to Hank. He was afraid of seeing Sara hurt again, but Hank actually made the first move. Hank called Nick and invited him to coffee. Nick had agreed. They met and talked. Hank explained why he did what he did and how much Sara meant to him and that he wanted to be with her. He promised he would take however long it took to earn her trust back again. After this conversation the two men began to build a slow friendship. At the time of his death, Nick considered Hank one of his best friends. He saw how happy he and Sara made each other.
The worst is over now
And we can breathe again
I wanna hold you high
And steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn
And no one left to find
I wanna hold you high
And steal your pain
After a few minutes of silence Sara announced she was ready. Nick helped her up and led her out to the waiting guests. Sara graciously accepted food and condolences. Nick kept close to keep an eye on her. The guests slowly began filtering out, eventually just leaving the team. Catherine and Warrick began to put the leftover food into the fridge, while Grissom and Greg began to pick up around the house. Sara announced that she wanted to go lay down for awhile and Nick walked her to the room. When he came back they all sat around the dining room table with cups of coffee in their hands.
"How is Sara really doing Nick?" Catherine asked
"She has her good days and her bad days. She's dealing the best she can. The baby really keeps her going." Nick answered
"And how are you holding up?" Grissom asked Nick
"I'm doing fine. I'm just trying to help Sara out the best I can"
"Well you know Nick, one of us can take over and stay with her for awhile and help her out. She's our friend too." Warrick said
"I promised" Nick replied
"Promised? Promised what?" Greg asked
Nick sighed, looked behind him to make sure Sara wasn't in the room, and then started.
"Look, I haven't even told Sara this, so you all need to keep this quiet for now okay?" The team nodded. "At the hospital, after Catherine and Sara left Hank asked to see me. I went in and he wanted me to promise to take care of Sara and the baby. I was shocked. I told him he would be okay and he said he could feel himself dying. He wanted to make sure they would be okay before he did die. So I promised him I would take care of them"
"We had no idea" Catherine said
"Please don't say anything to Sara; I plan on telling her but not right now"
They all nodded. They sat in silence for awhile, drinking their coffee.
"What about the house?" Greg asked
He got some confused faces, so he continued, "What I mean, is can Sara manage the mortgage payments when she is on personal leave right now and will be going on maternity leave pretty soon?"
"I'm moving in" Nick stated "I've already made arrangements with my apartment complex. I'm bringing over minimal stuff and putting the rest into storage. Once Sara is ready, she can decide if she wants to stay here or sell and I'll help her with it"
"I think the best we can help Sara is by trying to eliminate as much stress as possible from her life. Make everything as simple as possible for her and the baby" Catherine said
"I couldn't agree more" Grissom replied
The group finished their coffee and finished picking up the house leaving Nick and a sleeping Sara an hour later.
Cause I'm broken
When I'm open
And I don't feel like
I am strong enough
Cause I'm broken
When I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right
When your gone away
Once the gang left Nick went and checked on Sara, who was sleeping soundly. He then went to the guest room and changed out of his suit, putting on some jeans and a t-shirt. He then wandered into the nursery. He saw that Hank must have started the crib, so Nick decided to finish putting it together. He grabbed the instructions and went to work.
Sara awoke about twenty minutes later. She yawned and stretched. She got out of bed and changed into more comfortable clothes. She heard some clanking coming from the nursery and went to investigate. She walked to the room and stood in the doorway, a smile came to her face.
Nick was attempting to finish putting the crib together. He was almost done with it but seemed to be missing a final screw. He finally found it and screwed it in to place. Sara watched as he stood and smiled, apparently admiring his work. He turned and saw Sara in the door.
"Hey" he said
"Hey…thank you"
"You're welcome"
She entered the room, approaching the crib and touched the railing. "He started putting this together the day he died"
"I'm so sorry Sara"
She gave him a weak smile. He pulled her into a hug and stood there while she cried.
Cause I'm broken
When I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right
When your gone away
You've gone away
You don't feel me here
Anymore
Broken: Seether featuring Amy Lee