Thanks for the reviews Matt143, Marymel, InsaneMembrane, csiwannabe99 and danita3! They mean a lot, sorry for the loooong wait! But here's the next chapter :) x
The team were in silence as they sat around the hospital bed Greg was in. His face was discoloured and his right cheek was swollen, forcing his eye to stay shut. His jaw had been dislocated and a large gash ran from his head, over his right eye and onto the swollen cheek.
His ribs had been cracked, broken and bruised. His neck was black where hands had been wrapped around it. Luckily no arms or legs were broken, but there was something much worse.
When the team were told, none of them could believe it. Catherine had cried and so did Morgan. Sara managed to keep herself composed, just like Nick and Russell, but the look on their faces was all the same. Remorse, sadness and concern.
At least they'd used a condom.
Nick sat closest to Greg's head, watching the mask over his face fog up as he breathed heavily. He felt awful, after what he'd done when he found out Greg was gay.
Why did he do it? Why had he been so… so offended? Nick had no idea why he reacted the way he did; he wasn't homophobic, was he? No. Nick wouldn't allow himself to be. God, he was so mean to Greg.
Greg stirred in his bed and everybody's heads snapped up. His eyes moved underneath their lids and soon enough, his left eye cracked open. Everyone smiled down at him, including Nick. "Hey man."
Greg frowned and winced as he looked around the best he could. "Danny?"
X
Greg's landlord was going down the corridor when he noticed a door open. Wide open.
He knocked on the open door, "Mr. Sanders?"
When he got no answer, he cautiously stepped inside and looked around. "Mr. Sanders?" He called again. He went further through the place looking in each room. When he got to the end one, the bedroom, he stopped.
Greg was unconscious on his bed, naked, with blood covering his sheets. His landlord rushed forward and felt for a pulse, sighing in relief when he saw one "Don't worry; help is on its way." He whipped out his phone and dialed 911. Whilst on the phone, he grabbed a blanket he found over a chair and draped it over Greg's body, and then waited for help to arrive.
X
The team had been informed as soon as the paramedics had left the flat, Brass finding out first and breaking the news to the team. He'd seen Greg and the kid was a mess. He wasn't even that close to Greg, but Russell had told him about Greg and Danny and he just thought it was so unfair. The poor boy had been through enough without being attacked himself. But unfortunately it had happened and now, it was their job to find the men responsible.
X
Nick looked around to the others at a loss.
"Greg, it's us, the whole team's here." Catherine told him, scooting closer to Nick.
Greg frowned again. "Where's Danny?" He asked, in a whisper, underneath the mask.
The team exchanged sad glances with each other.
"Danny's not here, Greg. Don't you remember what happened?" Russell asked him.
Greg shook his head on the pillow. "Where is he? I want him here."
"I'm sorry, buddy, but he can't come." Russell answered him softly.
"Why not?" Greg asked and looked up to him. His speech was slurred slightly from both the damage to his jaw and the drugs in his system.
Russell took a deep breath in. "He's not with us anymore, Greg. He…" He sighed. "He's dead."
Greg shook his head gently. "No, where is he? I need him." He whispered and tears crept into his eyes.
"Greg…" Catherine began.
"I need him." Greg interrupted her and his voice shaked.
"Greg, come here." Catherine said and stood up to sit on the edge of Greg's bed and pull him into her. "I'm sorry Greg." She spoke again when he cried into her shoulder.
The rest of the team sat there, not knowing what to do. It was ten minutes later when Greg finally dropped back to sleep and the team were left in silence.
X
"Hey man."
Greg looked either side of him and saw no one else in the room. No one except…
"Nick."
Nick smiled down at him tentatively. "How you feelin'?"
Greg shrugged a little. "I'm okay." He told him quietly, looking down.
Nick swallowed. "You know… I'm really sorry. About how I acted when you told me…" He took a deep breath. "Really I am.
Greg kept his head down. "It's fine. You don't like me being gay, I get it."
"No, man. I don't mind, you're my best friend. I don't care what you like or want, I'm here whatever." Nick argued.
Greg laughed slightly, huffing through his nose. "Yeah? Then how come you humiliated me in front of all my friends at the lab?" He asked quietly but sternly.
"Look Greg…"
"No Nick, you look." Greg told him with a raised voice. "How can you say that I'm your 'best friend' when you, you shout and yell at me when I'm at work, after I told you something that's so, so… personal?
"I'd never told you or anyone except my parents about that until yesterday and, and, and you think you can just shout that out?" He asked shakily, messing up his words. "That's not fair. I didn't want everyone to know! If I did, I would have told them already. Do you know how much shit I'm going to get because of this? Huh, do you?" Greg spat at him, sounding angry, however it was out of sadness.
Nick looked down. "Greg, you've no idea how bad I feel because of how I acted. And I know that you'll probably hate me for it forever, which it is totally fair. But I honestly want you to know that this changes nothing between us, you're still my best friend, and I don't care that you're gay."
Greg looked at him skeptically. "So there's not a little bit of you that minds me being gay?"
Nick shook his head. "No."
"Then look at me whilst you say it." Greg told him.
Nick looked up and opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't.
"Well," Greg started, "at least I know what you really think."
"No. There is a little part of me that's bothered, but it's only because I wish you'd have told me sooner." Nick told him, looking at him the whole time.
Greg sighed. "Really?"
"Really."
Greg nodded once, unsure whether to believe him. "I thought you were gonna' hit me."
Nick felt a smile tug at his lips. "Why'd you think that?"
Greg shrugged. "That's what a lot of people seem to do."
Nick's small smile soon went. "Why? Who?"
"My Dad, he kind of disowned me after I told him.
"I didn't even tell anyone at school, they just knew somehow and liked to you know, rough me up a little when they could. That's one of the reasons my mom didn't want me doing sports, all the kids would beat me up in the locker room."
"Did you tell anyone about it?" Nick asked him concerned.
"No, there was no point. I'd rather just get on with it rather than getting anyone else involved. It would just cause more trouble."
Nick nodded in understanding.
After neither of them said anything for a while, Greg spoke up again quietly. "Will you find the guys who did this?"
Nick looked at him and nodded. "Of course, man. I can do that for you."
Greg shook his head. "Don't do for me. Do it for Danny."
X
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