Chapter 5

Sara was walking down the hall, stretching her legs, when she noticed two people in the lobby who were asking about Nick. She knew Nick's parents were coming down to discuss the ransom and had been hoping to talk to them. She wanted to meet the people who had raised such a nice guy.

She went over to the now sitting couple and introduced herself as a CSI working on his case.

"You know where my boy is?" Nick's father said with his Texas drawl.

"No, no im sorry, we don't, but I can tell you that not one person has left since he went missing and everyone in this building is working on his case."

"Am I supposed to talk to you about the money?"

"No, actually I just wanted meet you…um…nick has always said nice things about you," Sara said looking at her feet.

Just then Grissom walked up behind Sara. "Mr. and Mrs. Stokes?" he asked, making Sara jump. He led them toward the meeting room, glancing back at Sara, wondering why she was talking to Nick's parents.

"She got the money?" Sara asked, bewildered.

"Yep." Was Warrick's simple answer.

"…How?"

"Her dad."

"I see."

"Yep."

They both sat in silence for a moment. Then, "So what are we doing now?" she asked.

"Waiting." She looked at him, waiting for him to go on. "Grissom is doing the drop off." He said in a monotone voice. "Alone."

"Alone?"

"Alone."

"Why?"

She was answered by a shrug of his shoulders. Again they fell into silence. They both were anxious to find Nick but they had also been up and working for more then 14 hours. Suddenly, Sara and Warrick's pagers beeped at the same time. Looking at the display, they looked at each other and got up in a rush, Warrick grabbing his car keys on the way.

"What the hell happened?" Warrick yelled at Catherine.

"Drop off went nasty," she said, annoyance apparent in her voice, "We're waiting to get in."

About 5 minutes later they were led into the crime scene, past a scratched, dazed Grissom into a bloody mess smelling like dust and the smell that Sara had come to know as dead body. Doing a quick walk through, they decided Warrick and Greg would get the car, Catherine and Sara the body. Catherine was busy with the largest piece of body while Sara did her own walk through of the bloody, money scattered floor. She was looking at pieces of flesh when she spotted it. A thumb. They worked the scene a while longer and realized that the day was not over yet. This nightmare was nowhere near done.

Nick, completely oblivious to the people who had already come to see him, was sweating bullets in his plexi glass box. He wasn't aware why the light kept torturing him, but his scientific mind had put it together; the fan was connected to the light. The fan reliving him while the light was off was being turned off every time that damned light turned on.

Knowing he had to stop that light from torturing him, he decided to take action. He took some gum out of his pocket and made some makeshift earplugs. He used the gun too shoot out the light, not know he nearly sent his best friend into cardiac arrest miles away.

After Warrick calmed down watching Nick shoot the light out, he went to the locker room. He sat down and tried to stop the emotions from flooding forward. He let out a huge sigh just as Sara walked into the door. She had come in for the same reason he had and knew it when she saw the look on his face. She didn't really know what to say so she said the simplest thing she could, "You ok?"

Warrick gave her a half a laugh and a shake of the head as an answer, but that was all she really needed.

"Yeah, me too."

"This really sucks, you know?" Warrick said after a moment. She just looked at him

"My best friend is….well he's not doing well and I can't do anything, all because some random dick decided to have a little fun."

She looked down at her knees. "Yeah I know," was all she managed.

"I just," Warrick's voice began to crack. He cleared his throat. "I just want him back." He said. With that he got up, "I need more coffee," was his explanation.

Sara sat a moment and then got up and opened her locker. She was looking for something to occupy her when she felt the tears. She willed them back but it was useless. She put her arms on the shelf and cried. Her arms fell on something soft. She looked up and wiped the tears with one hand while she looked at what she was touching.

She pulled the little white teddy bear that Nick had won her only a day ago. When she looked at the little plush's eyes she smiled. They were the exact same color as Nick's. She let out a sob while smiling. Suddenly she had the sudden urge to go see Nick. She took the bear, slammed the locker shut with her foot and headed for the room she had been avoiding for about a day.

She stood at the door, trying to get up the courage to go into the room. She took a deep breath and went in, arms crossed but still holding the little bear. Archie looked up from the computer screen. "Hey Sar."

She didn't answer. She didn't even look at him. She just walked up to the TV screen, eyes fixed on the poor man displayed there. The tears came down but she didn't care. She just walked up the screen until she was almost touching it with her nose. She was digging her fingernails into the bear so hard she thought she was going to rip it, but she didn't care. She just watched the screen, waiting for something to happen.

She watched him for a few minutes then realized that he was talking. She looked closer. She couldn't tell what he was saying, but she could tell he was smiling. Somehow, watching him smile like that gave her strength. All the tiredness and weakness and scared that she was feeling lifted, and she knew she would be able to do this. To help Nick until he was safe at home. And Right then and there, that is what she promised…that she would not rest until nick was safe at home.