Author's Notes: Wow, almost 2 months with no update. I'm so sorry for the delay, guys! I hope someone's still reading this, raise your hand if you are. I'm embarrassed to see that over the last year I've only managed seven chapters. Eeks! I hope that the horrible writer's block that always seems to manifest itself with this story has now crumbled to pebbles, and I want you all to know I'm going to try to get these chapters out faster.

Thank you to all who's still reading!

Jenny

Chapter Seven:

Greg eased himself onto the break room sofa, taking a sip of his hot coffee as he waited for the others to trickle in. Although six months had passed since his accident, he still found himself stiff and uncomfortable if he remained in one position too long. It wasn't interfering with his work, but it was mildly irritating to say the least. A light flickered above him, and he closed his eyes, inhaling the wonderful odor of his overly expensive coffee blend. He hoped it would be a slow night, he had been having trouble focusing since coming back to work a week prior.

He had to hand it to Grissom, the man may not seem like a friendly guy, but he had been a lifesaver for Greg while the younger man was recovering from his injuries. Grissom had kindly offered to stay with him until he was released from the hospital, and had driven him back to Vegas, where he made sure Greg's medical needs were taken care of. Now that Greg was back at work, Grissom had been keeping a close eye on him, keeping his hours abbreviated and his work load light. Although Greg would have never asked for the break, he was relieved that Grissom had seen he needed the time to ease back into things.

Physically, he was as healed as he was going to get. After a 2 week stint in the hospital, the majority of it lying in a coma, he had been released bandaged and bruised to return to Vegas, where his medical care had remained steady and painful. The physical therapy and battery of testing hadn't been nearly as challenging as the intense emotional pain he had been subject to as more and more days passed with no word on Sara.

Grissom had informed him that she refused to go to the hospital to see him while he was under the care of San Francisco's finest neurological team. He patiently waited, wondering if she had been too nervous, too ashamed, too angry to stop by or call, but as the days slowly passed, his curiosity had bloomed into bitter resentment. He couldn't believe she had abandoned him when he needed a friend the most, separated from the others by the Nevada/California border. He couldn't fathom what was going through her mind, the concept of forgetting one of her best friends existed. Even during his most violent and angry spats with friends in the past, he couldn't imagine not feeling anything if they had been hurt.

Still, he held on to the hope that things would change when he returned to Vegas. Maybe she didn't know what hospital he was in? Maybe she was already on her way back home? Maybe she had somehow gotten lost between the hotel and the hospital and couldn't find her way back? All were as improbable as the next, and as he nestled back into his apartment for a long recovery, he had started to give up hope that she'd bother to contact him.

The couch shifted as someone sat beside him, alerting Greg that the room was now bustling with activity. Turning his tired eyes to Nick, he managed a slight smile, "Hey."

"You look awful, man, rough night?" Nick asked, his voice the epitome of concern, "Are you having trouble sleeping?"

The truth was, Greg hadn't managed a decent night's rest in months, but he wasn't about to tell that to any of his friends. Instead, he shrugged with a half smile, "Nah, I'm fine."

Nick looked as if he wasn't sure he believed Greg's statement, but shrugged it off with, "Well, if you ever need anything, you know where to find me."

Greg nodded glumly, staring down into his coffee once more. He was sick of people walking on eggshells around him, he was sick of the whispers as he lagged behind the rest of the group while walking because of his hip injuries, he was sick of Hodges asking him daily if he was ready to move back into the lab. The one stupid decision to try and get through to his friend, the woman he was in love with, had cost him not only that friend, but his dignity, self-respect, and full mobility as well.

As Grissom walked into the room, Greg stiffly stood, his hip sore from the angle he had been sitting. He knew better than to sit on that damn sofa, while comfortable at the time, it always wreaked havoc once it was time to move around once more. Standing beside the table, he waited to see if Grissom had anything new for him, or if it was back to one of the secluded labs to work on his previous case in peaceful, quiet solitude.

"Catherine, Warrick, B&E in Henderson. Nick, I need a progress report on the Antoinelli case on my desk within the next hour. Greg, continue with your homicide from last night." Grissom instructed, handing Warrick a slip of paper, "I'll be in my office if anyone needs anything."

With a heavy sigh, Greg made his way towards one of the small labs he had claimed as his own the night before, a headache forming as he realized what a long shift awaited him.

--

Sara pulled her key out of the ignition, taking a steadying breath as she stared at the familiar building before her. Her hand trembled slightly as she tried to remember exactly what she'd tell Grissom when she walked through those doors. She wanted her job back. She needed her job back. The last six months in San Francisco with her brother had made it clear that she belonged in Vegas with the people she had come to recognize as her family.

She had enjoyed spending time with Jaysen, spending the majority of her time living with him in his home, but it was painfully clear that the two would never be able to fully recapture the close relationship they had shared as children. It hadn't taken long before she started going stir-crazy, but without officially resigning from her position in Vegas, she hadn't been able to get a job with the San Francisco Crime Lab. She wasn't even sure she wanted to. Vegas was her home now, it was where she had finally distanced herself from her past, from her demons which seemed to flourish under the California sun.

With a trembling hand, she stepped out of her car, locking the door with a quiet beep as she stepped away. It was just Grissom, she had talked to him thousands of times before. She could do it again.

Her stomach fluttered with nervous anticipation as she made her way to the door. What if she ran into Nick? Warrick? Catherine? How could she possibly begin to explain her extended absence? What if they had already replaced her? What if Grissom had no desire to let her rejoin the team after she so coldly abandoned Greg in that lonely San Francisco hospital? Worse, what if she ran into Greg? What would she say? How could she begin to explain how sorry she was for failing him, how ashamed she was to even show her face after so long?

She had bumped into Grissom at a small Italian restaurant a week after Greg's accident, and her supervisor had informed her of Greg's improving condition. She had been surprised to learn he hadn't died in the crash, but too embarrassed to admit that she had been too scared to see him in that state. Instead, she had excused herself and hid at Jaysen's until it was clear that she had to move forward. After behaving like a child, there was no way he'd take her back, but the stubborn investigator side of her had to try.

She opened the doors, the familiar sterile smell filling her nostrils as the cold air hit her in the face. Judy's smiling face recognized her immediately and she called out, "Sara! Welcome back! Do you want me to let Mr. Grissom know you're here?"

"I know my way." Sara replied with a smile, and Judy motioned her forward. As Sara moved down the empty hallway, she could almost hear the gossip line zipping past her as Judy spread the news of her return to each of her lab tech friends.

She had only made it halfway to Grissom's office when she collided with Nick, who was carrying a stack of papers, just as distracted as Sara had been. Falling backwards onto the floor, she looked up to see a shower of papers raining over her, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry."

"Sara!" Nick exclaimed, ignoring his papers as he pulled her to her feet and into a tight embrace, "When did you get back? How have you been? Look at you!"

Sara blushed, returning the embrace with a slight smile before pulling away and bending to retrieve his papers, "I'm doing good, I was just coming to talk to Grissom..."

"You don't know how great it is to see you again!" Nick said enthusiastically, helping her gather his paperwork, "I've been so worried...you left without a word to any of us."

Sara looked down, her cheeks tinted an embarrassed red, "I'm sorry about that..."

"Don't apologize, I'm just happy to see you're okay." Nick replied, his eyes lit with excitement, "Are you coming back to work?"

"That's what I've got to talk to Grissom about." Sara said softly, "Where is everyone?"

Nick's response was cut off by Warrick's loud voice, "Well look who decided to grace us with her presence! Sara Sidle."

Sara turned to see Warrick and Catherine walking down the hallway, and her gaze immediately dropped to the floor. She hadn't expected to run into everyone before even getting a chance to talk to Grissom. What was she supposed to tell them? She had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown, she abandoned her best friend in a time of crisis, and now she was back to beg for her job back?

Accepting Warrick's hug and returning Catherine's slight smile, Sara whispered, "How's it going?"

"Busy." Warrick replied, stepping back to survey Sara's appearance, "Let me guess? Los Angeles? Miami? Where else could you disappear to and come back with such agreat tan?"

"San Francisco." Sara murmured, not too surprised to see three familiar faces make the connection with her location and the location of Greg's accident. Before anyone could ask questions, she cut them off, "I really need to talk to Grissom."

"He's in DNA." Catherine supplied, "Saw him as we passed."

Sara nodded, going to walk in that direction, but stopping as she felt Warrick's hand on her arm. Looking up to meet his gaze, she smiled softly.

"It's great to have you back, Sara." he said firmly, watching her eyes darken slightly by his words, "It hasn't been the same without you."

"Tell me about it," Nick laughed, "All of the overtime we've had to pull to pick up your slack? What did we ever do before you arrived?"

Sara shrugged slightly, her hands trembling slightly as her nervousness came back in full force. How would they feel once they knew what she had done to poor Greg while he was hurt, stranded away from home? Would they be happy to see her? Would they welcome her back with open arms? Seeing how much trouble she had fitting in with Warrick and Catherine when she first started, she found it hard to believe that they'd forgive and forget something like this. Taking a deep breath, she murmured, "I really should go talk to Grissom..."

--

He heard the commotion before he actually saw her. The lab techs were buzzing about someone returning, but he hadn't been able to eavesdrop enough to find out who it was. Nick, Catherine, and Warrick were gathered in the hallway, animatedly talking to someone...coming across the four in the hall, he had instantly known it was her.

He found it hard to breathe as he caught a glimpse of her long brown hair flowing over her tanned shoulders, her normally fit body now well toned. Her cheeks were blushed slightly as his colleagues spoke to her, and more than anything he wanted to run over to her, ask her where she had disappeared to, why she had neglected him, why six months had passed with no word. At the same time, he wanted to just pull her into an embrace and welcome back the friend he had missed so greatly.

She spotted him before he was ready to make himself known, and he watched as her face rapidly paled, her eyes wide and her body trembling slightly. She made a move to walk towards him, but as anxiety and apprehension filled his tired, aching body he only turned and walked away. He didn't fail to notice that despite his slowed pace, she never caught up to him. Once again, he was leaving her, and she wasn't making the slightest move to stop him.

She called out his name, but he only shook his head, turning the corner and moving towards the parking lot. He wasn't going to be the one to beg this time, the ball was now in her court. If she wanted to talk to him, she'd have to search him out this time. He threw open the door, the warm air hitting his face as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

TBC