I changed the song again. It's "In Your Honor" by the Foo Fighters. Very fitting for this chapter if I do say so myself. Enjoy.

Warrick stared in at Nick through the tiny glass window on the door. Nick had been in a coma for 3 days, and he hadn't left this hallway yet. Dr. Kahys was checking on him, and it didn't seem to be going so good. He ripped his eyes from Nick and looked down the hall at the rest of his team waiting as patiently as they could. Sara was pacing up and down while Grissom, Greg and Catherine watched her. Brass was pretending to read a sign. Warrick sighed and walked over to them, shaking his head when they looked hopfully at him.

"How does he look?" Grissom asked.

"I...I don't know...he definitly doesn't look like Nick. He's so pale..." Catherine rubbed his arm as he looked down at the floor. Sara stopped pacing when Kahys walked out of Nick's room queitly and started walking towards them .The walk was only a few yards, but seemed to take forever. Warrick hoped he was imagining the look every doctor on TV has before he gives out bad news.

"I have some bad news." Fuck. "Mr. Stokes' condition is getting worse. He's completely and utterly exhausted and is very likely to stay in the coma, if he doesn't die."

Tears started to fall from Sara and Catherine's eyes, and the guys just stared blankly. Brass was the only one who could find his voice. "There's gotta be something we can do." He said.

Dr. Kahys sighed. "There is. Pray that he makes it through the night. If he makes it that far, there's still some hope, even though he may not wake up. But I'd suggest you get your goodbyes in while you still can. Visiting hours are almost over, and I could only manage to talk my way into allowing one of you to stay with him past those hours. We couldn't give him morphine for the pain, but I'm pretty sure he's not aware of what's happening to him. I'm sorry, I wish there was more I could do." He turned and walked away slowly and into another patient's room. The CSI team stood in complete silence for what seemed like an eternity before the youngest member couldn't take it anymore.

"What are we gonna do?" Greg asked, his voice squeeky from exhaustion and fear.

Grissom sighed heavily. "We do what the doctor said. We pray...and we go say goodbye in case it's our last chance, no matter how much we don't want to think about."

"We can't just give up!" Warrick nearly yelled at his supervisor.

Grissom remained calm, he knew Warrick wasn't really mad at him. "We're not giving up, Warrick. This is the only thing we can do. What if we don't take this chance and end up regretting it later? How bad do you think we'd all feel? Would Nick want that?"

Warrick closed his eyes tightly. Damn Grissom, why does he always have to be right? "No." He shook his head. "No, he wouldn't." They stood in silence for a few more minutes, lost in their own thoughts.

"I'll go first." Sara finally said, turning slowly and walking towards Nick's room and quietly entering. She walked over to the right side of the bed and smiled sadly down at her friend. "Hey Nick." She said quietly. "I'm sorry this is how it has to be...but just in case..." She wiped the tears from her cheeks and continued. "I know we weren't best friends or anything...but I still really care about you. You're a good friend, and a great CSI. Hang in there..." She bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I'm gonna miss you Nick. Goodbye." She walked slowly out of the hospital room, not looking back. She walked back over to her team and let Grissom hug her as she cried against his shoulder.

Brass didn't say a word, he just walked into Nick's room silently. He walked over to where Sara had stood minutes before and didn't try and be a tough cop, he just let the tears come. "Hi Nicky." He said, trying to ignore the tubes running in and out of Nick. "I'm sorry I didn't do a better job to prevent this from happening to you...this is my fault, and I hope you can forgive me. You've always been like a son to me Nick...it's gonna be tough without you..." He smiled slightly and very gently ruffled Nick's hair. "You're a great guy...I'll see ya later kid." Brass wiped the tears from his eyes and took a few deep breaths before going back to his friends in the hallway.

"Guess I'm up." Greg said as Brass returned to them. His hands were shaking as he reached for the door handle, pulling it down slowly and stepping inside. He took Brass and Sara's spot on the right of Nick. He took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady. "Hey man..." His voice trailed off and he laughed lamely. "Sorry...I just don't know what to say...I wanna thank you for being such a good friend, like my older brother. I've learned so much for you, I wish I could have done more for you. Thanks for everything...I'm really gonna miss you man." Greg left the room as quietly as he had come in and let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding when he got back to his team.

Grissom sighed and released his hold on Sara. He forced himself to walk into the comfortably small hospital room and approach the side of Nick's bed. He looked down at his CSI Level Three and felt sadness overwhelm him. "I'm sorry Nicky." He whispered. "I never told you how proud I am of you. I never gave you half as much credit as you deserve. You're a helluva CSI, and the best person I've ever been lucky enough to meet and get a chance to know. What you've done for me...this team...you made us a family, and I can't thank you enough for it. We'd just be co-workers forced to get along if it weren't for you. I can't tell you how much I'm gonna miss you around the lab and making me go to breakfast with you guys. I'm really poud of you for everything you've done. I'll see you soon Nicky." Grissom wasn't as surprised as the rest of the team would have been if they had saw the tear roll down his cheek. He lightly brushed it away before leaving the room.

Catherine was crying even before she went in. She took deep breaths to try and calm down, but it didn't work as well as she hoped. A lump formed in her throat when she saw Nick, and she had to choke it down so she could talk. "Nicky...I can't tell you enough how thankful I am to have met you." She managed to control her sobs and went on. "What you've done for me over these years...I wish I could repay you. That night after Kelly died...I know this is gonna sound stupid and weird...but it meant a lot to me. You mean a lot to me. I'm sorry I never did a good job of letting you know that. " She leaned over and gently brushed her lips against his. She smoothed his dark hair and smiled through the tears. "I'm gonna miss you so much...I love you Nicky, you're the best friend I could ever have asked for." She gently squeezed his hand and left, closing the door softly behind her. She started walking slowly back to her friends, but was running by the time she fell against Warrick and buried her face against his chest, the tears taking over. Sara was once again crying on Grissom's shoulder, and Brass and Greg were standing against the wall, staring at the floor.

Grissom's beeper went off and he swore under his breath. "You've got to be kidding me Ecklie..." He shoved the beeper back into it's clip on his belt. "He needs his graveyard shift back...they're overloaded on cases." The members of his team nodded slowly in understanding. They still had their jobs they had to do.

"I'm gonna stay...here...with Nick..." Warrick choked out, still clinging to Catherine.

Grissom nodded. "Yeah, I know...let us know if anything changes." He said softly.

Warrick slightly nodded. "Yeah...I will..." He watched as his family left before walking down the hall and reclaiming his place outside of Nick's room, staring in through the window. I can't do this... He said to himself, closing his eyes and resting his head against the door. How am I supposed to say bye to my best friend? For good? He pushed himself off of the door and opened his eyes, taking several deep breaths. This isn't about me. It's about Nick. He's gonna make it. He has to make it. Help him make it. He reached out and opened the door, hesitating slightly before walking inside. He closed it slowly behind him and kept his eyes on Nick as he pulled up a chair to the left side of Nick's bed. He had somehow gotten paler and his fingers felt colder. Warrick's voice was barely above a whisper. "Hey bro."

Can you hear me

Hear me screaming

Breaking in the muted skies

Nick found an odd comfort in the bright, white light that was now surrounding him. Nothing hurt anymore and he wasn't tired. He had decided that he was most likely dead, and wasn't too mad about that. He enjoyed the feeling...or lack thereof. He stayed like that for quite a long time before he heard faint voices, but couldn't tell what they were saying. They sounded upset, but he couldn't be sure who they were or what was wrong. Then it all came rushing back all at once. The bright light seemed to have been suddenly switched off, and he was now covered in darkness. The pain coursed through his body and intensified with each passing second. He tried to move, but couldn't. His eyes refused to open, and the harder he tried to scream, the more his chest began to ache. The pain was unbearable, and he had no idea what was going on. The first thought that rushed through his mind was that he was back underground. It was so similar. He couldn't see anything, couldn't move, breathe or scream for help, except the pain was worse. He felt like he had been hit by a very big truck and run over a couple of times before being thrown off of a cliff. The silence was deafening. The darkness around him was scaring the hell out him. All of the very little amount of energy he had was being put into trying to move and breathe. He felt whatever grip he had slowly fading away. It felt like everything inside of him was being drained out, and it hurt like hell. He wanted to stop fighting so he could go back to feeling nothing, but something wouldn't let him. His body was screaming at him to give up, but his heart just wouldn't stop beating. Then, through the pain, he felt something warm on his hand. The voice that followed was faint and sounded distant, but it was there. The warmth on his hand and soothing voice was keeping him sane...keeping him alive.

This thunder heart

Like bombs beating

Echoing a thousand miles

Warrick carefully put his hand back into Nick's. It was limp and felt like ice. The oxygen mask that had been covering his mouth was now gone, so he took that as a good sign. His skin was paler, and even his hair looked lighter. Warrick prayed he couldn't feel anything.

"Hey bro." He said again, not wanting to continue. He gently ran his thumb over a scar on Nick's hand and tried to imagine Nick's brown eyes staring back at him. "I hope you can hear me man. I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you..." His voice cracked when he thought about the fact that Nick had actually died a number of times before they were able to keep him alive. "I was with Catherine even though I should have been here, with you. I asked her to marry me like you said. She said yes. Thanks for giving me the courage to do that Nicky." Warrick was well aware of the fact that he was rambling, but he didn't care. He didn't want to get to the part where he would have to say goodbye to his best friend 'just in case.' He had no idea what he was gonna say, and even though is heart told him Nick was gonna be alright, his realistic mind and experience were telling him he should say what he has to. He gripped Nick's hand a little tighter, hoping he could help him hold on. "Everyone else came and saw you earlier. They're all really upset. I still can't believe this is happening...I should have been able to help you...I'm so sorry."

The tears returned and flowed from Warrick's eyes and down his face. "The doctor said we should say our goodbyes while we still can. I don't want to...so I'm just gonna keep on talking, and you can listen if you can hear me." He paused and waited for a response, even though he knew he wasn't going to be getting one. "I've never known anyone like you before. You're impossible to hate, no matter how hard anyone tries. You have got to be the strongest person alive. After everything you've been through, and you're still here...I wish I could be more like you. I never had any friends in high school or even college. But that doesn't matter. I could have had tons of friends, and not one of them would be half as good a friend as you are. I've never been able to trust anyone like I can trust you, with anything. I know we've had our fair share of stupid little fights...but I don't care. They just go to show how close we've gotten over the years. No matter how hard things get, you've always been there, and I hope you can say the same about me. You really are like a brother to me man. I don't know if I can make it without you..." The thought of actually losing Nick hit Warrick like a punch to the gut. He had been able to not think about it a lot over the past couple of days, but the reality was starting to sink in. "You've gotta be okay Nicky. You're too strong. Don't give up now, I know you can do this...I'll be right here the whole time, just hang on. Please." Warrick fell silent. He glanced over at the heart monitor next to Nick's bed every few second to make sure he was really hearing the beeps. He took a deep breath and rested his head in his free hand and smiled slightly as the memories of him and Nick started flashing through his head.

Can you feel me

Feel me breathing

One last breath before I close my eyes

This offering for receiving

Deliver me into the other side

At the price of the voice becoming clearer, the pain got worse. Nick didn't care anymore. All he wanted to do was wake up. He knew he was alive because he could feel the warm hand in his and hear a voice...Warrick's voice. Nick struggled harder to open his eyes and forced more air into his lungs. His ribs and lungs weren't liking the idea too much and surges of pain coursed through his body with even the slightest breath. He tried to squeeze the hand in his, but his fingers refused to move, as did the rest of his body. His eyelids felt like they weighed a ton, and more air seemed to be going out than coming in. What the hell is going on? Why can't I move? Why does everything hurt so much? Nick tried to calm down. He was so confused and frustrated. He decided to focus all his energy on opening his eyes. It took way too much effort, and once they were slightly cracked, he began to regret it. He thought the pain before was bad. This was ten times worse. Each little ache stung like a knife being twisted into his flesh. He couldn't control it when his body started shaking lightly, and even that hurt. His vision was blurry and clouded, but all he was interested in was the shady figure next to him. He knew right away it was Warrick, but he wasn't looking at him. His head was in his other hand, covering his eyes. Nick opened his mouth, but couldn't get enough air into his lungs to speak. He was actually glad when he started shaking harder, causing Warrick to look up at him.

Warrick thought he was dreaming when he saw Nick's eyes were slightly open and looking into his. He's not...he's not supposed to be... Warrick shook his head and cleared the lump from his throat. "Nicky?"

Nick tried again to say something, anything, but just couldn't, so he settled for a small smile. His lips were cracked and chapped, but he didn't care. It was the only part of him that didn't hurt unbelieveably bad.

Warrick couldn't have stopped the smile from spreading across his face if he had wanted to. He wasn't imagining this, Nick had woken up. His smile slowly started to fade when he watched as Nick struggled to breathe and winced in pain every few seconds. He felt so helpless when he saw the pain reach Nick's eyes. He slowly reached forward and wiped the sweat from Nick's forhead and was surprised to see that Nick had a very high fever. Fear started showing in Nick's eyes along with the pain, so Warrick decided it was best to try and keep him calm.

"It's okay Nicky. You're in the hospital...you had a heart attack." Nick frowned in confusion, so Warrick elaborated. "You were hurt pretty badly when we were held hostage, do you remember that?" Nick nodded slowly. "Well...you had some trouble breathing, and your heart had a lot of strain on it and you ended up having a heart attack..." Warrick thought about how much he should actually tell his best friend. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear that he had actually flat lined and been brought back a couple of times.

Nick could tell there was something more that Warrick wasn't telling him, and even though he was scared, he wanted to know everything. "What else?" He managed to choke out painfully.

Warrick sighed. He wasn't sure how to say it. "You...uh..." Nick squeezed Warrick's hand as hard as he could, even though Warrick barely felt it. "You died, Nick. They lost you a couple times, but were able to bring you back. You were in a coma for a few days..." His voice trailed off and he looked away from Nick, who made no hint that he had understood what Warrick had just told him. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Warrick not being able to bring himself to look at Nick. He was afraid to see the pain and fear in his brother's eyes and know there was nothing he could do to make it go away, no matter how much both of them wanted it to. Nick felt all the energy quickly leaving his body and fought off the urge to let himself slip away. Instead, he forced air into his lungs so he could talk again.

"Why did they...save me?" He asked, his voice barely audible.

Warrick looked up at Nick. He tried to give him a reassuring smile, but didn't think it would work as well as he hoped. "I wouldn't let them let you go. They said your chances weren't too good...but I didn't and still don't care. Heroes don't die. You can do this Nick."

A few tears fell from Nick's tired eyes. There was no better feeling in the world than knowing Warrick cared so much about him. It was, however, countered by the worst feeling in the world. Nick wasn't stupid. He could feel himself dying. He understood there was very little chance that he had the strength left in him to pull off this miraculous recovery. He smiled and shook his head. "Thanks bro...but I think the hero dies in this one."

Warrick leaned forward and put his other hand on Nick's uninjured wrist, gripping it firmly, but gently. He looked his best friend right in the eyes and spoke with more confidence than either one of them had ever heard. "Nicky...listen to me man. I don't care what the doctors say, what Grissom says, or even what you say. There's no way in hell you're going out this way. Don't even think for a second that you're giving up on me now. I know it hurts like hell...but you have to hang on." Warrick coulnd't keep the desperation from his voice. He was begging and demanding Nick to keep fighting at the same time.

Nick tried to take a deep breath, but his ribs and chest protested painfully. His breath was ragged as he exhaled slowly. His eyes were threatening to close and never open again, but he focused on Warrick and managed to keep them open. "I'm not...giving up..." He said breathlessly. "Just...promise me something."

"Anything." Warrick said softly.

"If I'm not...gonna make it..." Warrick started shaking his head, so Nick repeated himself a little louder and squeezed Warrick's hand a little harder. "If I'm not gonna make it...please don't...don't leave me alone..." Warrick opened his mouth to answer, but Nick continued. "And don't get all depressed if I die...just marry Catherine and move on."

"Nicky...you're not gonna-"

"Just...promise me." Nick choked out, trying to swallow the pain in his throat.

"I promise Nicky."

Nick nodded slightly and sighed as heavily as he was allowed to without any more pain. He let his grip on Warrick's hand loosen as his hands started shaking more than the rest of his body. Nick hated the fact that he was starting to get used to the pain. He tried to move, but it was like his brain had been cut off from the rest of his body and he was no longer in control. He wished someone would just punch him in the face so he could go back to sleep.

Dr. Kahys stopped dead in his tracks when he walked into the hospital room and saw that Nick was awake. He opened and closed his mouth a couple times, like he was mimicking a fish. He finally closed his mouth and walked over to the side of the bed opposite Warrick and stared down at Nick like he had eight heads. "Mr. Stokes...I'm glad to see you're awake." Nick craned his neck slightly and looked up at the doctor, offering a small smile. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better." Nick said with his usual sarcasm.

Dr. Kahys sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't be able to feel anything...you had an allergic reaction to the morphine we gave you before and don't want to risk it. I expect you've already been explained your current situation?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah..." He said quietly, noticing Warrick tense.

"It's still too early to tell if you're going to make a full recovery or not. But I'll be honest with you...the fact that you were actually able to wake up and speak was beyond my expectations. You could still have another heart attack, or one of your lungs could collapse...but there's no way to be sure. We'll have to monitor your progress over the next few days and see where we can go from that."

Nick seemed to disregard everything the doctor had just said. "Can I sleep?" He asked.

Dr. Kahys shook his head. "You'll have to stay awake for at least 48 hours. After that, you'll need to eat something and see if you get sick to your stomach to be able to tell if you can sleep again. If you fall asleep, you may never wake up again."

Nick groaned and looked at the wall. He seriously doubted he had the strength to stay awake for 48 hours, maybe more. He was quiet for a minute before asking, "What are my chances?"

"Like I said...it's still to early-"

"You've got to have some idea. Right now, at this point in time, what are my chances?"

Dr. Kahys looked back and forth between Warrick and Nick before answering in almost a whisper. "Not very good...with my experience...I'd say 1 in 100,000." Dr. Kahys' last statement added to the pain already weighing down on Nick's chest, but Warrick just nodded confidently.

"That's good enough for me."

Mine is yours and yours is mine

I will sacrifice

In your honor

I would die tonight

For you to feel alive

Sorry it took so long to update, hope it was worth the wait. I have the next chapter alomost half done, so it'll hopefully be up by the middle of the week. Thanks for the reviews.