Back to Chad Kroeger's "Hero" for this chapter.

"Nicky! Wake up man...come on, stop messing around..." Warrick pleaded with Nick to open his eyes. He's just kidding...he's tired and resting, that's all... Warrick was snapped from his thoughts when he heard the slow, steady beeps blend into one long one. He looked over at Nick's heart monitor and felt his own heart stop beating when he saw the single, flat line running across the screen. He looked over at Dr. Kahys, who was no longer across the bed from him. He had moved to the closet and grabbed the defibulator paddles. A few nurses, along with Dr. Ralik, ran into the room. Ralik gently pulled Warrick away from Nick.

"Sir, you're gonna have to step back so we can get to Mr. Stokes, okay?"

Warrick shook his head weakly and allowed Ralik to lead him to the foot of the bed. Warrick kept his eyes on Nick the entire time, unable to tear his eyes away as Dr. Kahys placed the paddles onto Nick's now exposed chest. He still had a lot of cuts and bruises around the large, deep one in the center from where the wooden beam had cracked against him. Warrick couldn't hear what the doctor's were saying or really see who they were. All he could see was Nick's back arch as he was trying to be shocked back to life. Warrick didn't know how many times they did that to him, but he was sure it was too many to count. When they finally stopped, Warrick was almost certain that Nick had died. They all just looked down at him, and he didn't seem to be breathing. Warrick forced himself to look at the monitor, and sighed in relief when he saw the little spikes in the line return. He can barely hear Kahys and Ralik giving instructions to the nurses, but he isn't interested anyway. He snaps out of his trance when Ralik gently puts his hand on his shoulder, causing him to look down at the younger man. He gestures for Warrick to follow him out into the hallway.

"Sir, we-"

"Warrick." He cut him off. "Please, you can call me Warrick."

Ralik nodded. "Okay. Warrick, we're gonna need to run a lot of tests on Mr. Stokes so-"

"Nick."

"On Nick." Ralik smiled easily. "We need to see the extremeties of the damage done and make sure he doesn't have another heart attack. He stopped breathing for quite some time, so brain damage is also a possibility. These tests are going to take a long time, probably around 5 or so hours. While he's being tested, he has to remain in intensive care and can have no visitors." Warrick nodded in understanding. Ralik continued. "You should go home and get some rest, and probably eat something."

Warrick shook his head and started to protest. "I can't...if I leave and he...I promised him I wouldn't..."

"I assure you that you'll be notified right away if Mr...Nick's condition changes in anyway." Warrick still wasn't budging. "You're no good to him if you're wiped out. You can barely stand up you're so tired, and when's the last time you ate something?" Warrick nodded slowly. He had a good point. "Come back in a couple hours, around..." Ralik quickly looked down at his watch and did the math in his head. "9 o'clock. We'll know more by then."

Warrick sighed. "Alright. Thank you very much doctor." Ralik smiled reassuringly before turning and following Kahys down the hall to where Nick had been moved for the tests to be run. He sighed heavily again before turning and leaving the hospital for the first time in over a week. He exited out into the cool Vegas night, thankful it was 4 o'clock in the morning and not in the afternoon. The cold air felt refreshing and the fresh air tasted good. It took him a minute to realize he didn't have a car because he had come with Nick in the ambulance. He pulled out his cell phone to call Catherine, but put it away again and decided to walk. It wasn't a long walk, and he could use to exercise and chance to think. He shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking in the direction of him and Nick's house. He was glad he didn't even think about where he was going, he just let himself go where he needed to. He looked around at the bright lights and unsurprising amount of people still on the streets considering the time. He let his mind wander away from his surroundings and onto the events of the last week.

He remembered some parts of being held hostage more vividly than others. He kept replaying over and over when he had let go of Nick's hand and run in the other direction. Everytime he thought about standing in front of Nick as Sam held the gun against his head he could swear it was happening all over again. He remembered every second of watching Nick pull himself up and break the wooden beam. He remembered the entire ambulance ride and staying with Nick. He just couldn't remember anything he had done to help.

Before he knew it, he had turned onto his street. He replayed Ray holding Nick up against the wall with the gun in his best friend's mouth over in his head as he unlocked the door and stepped inside the dark house. He flicked the lightswitch on and dropped his keys on the small table next to the door. The house being so queit was weird. Him and Nick were usually playing video games or watching a movie. It was only this queit when they were sleeping. He wandered over to the couch and collapsed into it, picking up the remote and flipping through the channels. It took him a few minutes to realize that nothing is on TV at 4:17 a.m.

He got up and went into the bathroom, deciding to take a nice, long, hot shower. He stayed under the hot spray until it was cold before getting out and putting sweatpants and a dark blue t-shirt he was pretty sure he stole from Nick on. He went out into the kitchen, opening the fridge and looking for anything worth trying to eat. The frozen pizza was the only thing that hadn't gone bad yet, so he pulled that out and put it in the oven. He sat on the counter with his head resting against the cabinets for the 20 minutes it took for the pizza to cook. He stared at the picutre of him and Nick on their mantle in the living room that Catherine had given them for Christmas or something last year. They were at Lake Mead for a team party. They were standing on the beach with their sunglasses on, playing catch with an old football. Warrick smiled. He preffered the picture inf front of him now with Nick's dark skin abd broad shoulders over the one he had just left in the hospital. He jumped slightly when the buzzer on the oven went off. He hopped off the counter and took out the pizza. He cut a couple slices and put them on a plate that he put in the freezer for a couple minutes. Nicky's little tricks really come in handy.

He took the cold plate out and sat down on the couch, taking a few bites of the pizza before he was full. He set the rest of the pizza down on the coffee table before getting up and heading to his room. He stopped when he reached his door, and looked across the hall and into Nick's room. Warrick couldn't remember a single time when either of their doors had been closed the entire time he had been living with him there. He walked away from his own room and into Nick's, not realizing what he was doing until he flicked the light on and looked around. Nick's room was how it always was, neatly unorganized. His bed was never made, and random pairs of jeans, t-shirts and sweatshirts were here and there, but his room never looked messy. Warrick smiled at how similar it was to Nick's office. He took one last look around before turning off the light and going into his room, falling into his welcoming bed.

He stared up at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, sleep plaguing his mind and body, but never actually coming. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to clear his head. He pulled his blankets up to his chin and rolled over on to his side, thoughts about what was happening to Nick right now the last thing passing through his mind before he finally fell into a light sleep.

Someone told me

That love would all save us

But how could that be?

When look what love gave us

Catherine looked through the thick crowd of people, scanning everyone until she saw Jenn. The attractice, dark brown haired woman was walking towards her carrying a single duffle bag, a sad smile on her lips. She finally reached Catherine, dropping her bag and hugging her as tightly as she could. They stayed like that without saying a word for a few moments before they pulled away.

"Jenn...I'm so sorry this is happening again..." Catherine said through the tears that were now falling from her eyes.

Jenn wiped away her own tears and shook her head. "It's not your fault. He's gonna be okay, I can feel it."

Catherine just matched her sad smile, praying she was right. Her cell phone rang and her heart rate increased when she saw the hospital's caller ID displayed across the screen.

"Hello?" She answered. She looked up and Jenn as her mouth hung open, listening to Dr. Kahys on the other line. She nodded slowly after a few moments before finally responding. "Okay...l-let us know..." She slowly closed her phone. "He...stopped breathing for a few minutes but they brought him back...they're running tests on him right now..."

Jenn choked back a sob. She nodded slowly. "Do they know anything?"

Catherine shook her head. "Not yet, but they will soon...come on, let's get you back to my house so you can get some rest."

Jenn followed Catherine out to her car and threw her bag in the backseat before getting into the passenger seat. They rode in silence all the way back to Catherine's house. Jenn let Catherine take her bag into the guest room. Catherine made some coffee for them to drink while they sat in the living room. She was relieved when Jenn finally broke the silence.

Jenn smiled as she recalled a memory from her and Nick's childhood. "When we were younger, we had this horse that used to kick and bite everyone except Nick for some reason. It was a real pain the ass, and after it almost hurt one of our friend's my dad decided we had to put it down because it was such a hazard or something. The night he told us that, Nick snuck out to the stables and took it out, riding it out all the way to the pasture that had to have been 3 miles away, and let it go. He came back inside when I was downstairs getting a drink. He was only...no older than 10." She smiled wider. "My dad still to this day has to idea what happened to that horse."

Catherine smiled as well. Nick had always been willing to help others, no matter what the consquences were to him. It's what made him such a good CSI and friend. She knew in her heart that if there was truly any justice left in the world, Nick would make it out of this.

A world full killing

And blood spilling

That world never came

Warrick watched Nick's blood soaked body lay on the cold floor in front of him. The bruises and cuts covered his entire chest and face. His head slowly rolled to the side, his eyes only half open. He mouthed the words "I'm sorry." before his eyes closed.

Warrick looked down at his hands and shirt that were covered in blood. He tried to wipe it off, but it wouldn't go away. He closed his eyes, but he kept seeing Nick lying there, covered in blood. He screamed, trying to make it go away. It was instead replaced by the image of Nick surrounded by the green glow, screaming his lungs out for someone to help him. Then Nick was falling backwards out of a window, down into the bushes below. Warrick squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as he could, but the picture of Nick lying motionless in the hospital bed wouldn't subside. I lost Nicky...I really did...

Warrick woke with a start and sat upright, almost falling out of his bed in the process. He looked around frantically, calming when he realized where he was. He quickly got up and ran into Nick's room, his heart sinking when he remembered he wasn't there. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before looking at the red glow of the numbers on Nick's alarm clock. 9:02 a.m. Ralik said to come back at 9... Warrick thought to himself. He went back into his room and quickly changed into a clean pair of jeans, leaving Nick's t-shirt on. He went into the kitchen and turned the coffee maker on, letting his cup fill as he tied his shoes. He grabbed his cup when his coffee was done and grabbed his keys, locking the door on his way out. He got into the Denali in the driveway, wether it was his or Nick's was always up for debate.

He tried to take his time driving to the hospital so he wouldn't get into an accident or get there before the doctors knew anything else. His coffee was long gone by the time he spotted Dr. Kahys and Ralik leaving the room Nick had been moved to. They saw him before he saw them, so they were almost in front of him by the time he realized it.

Dr. Kahys extended his hand and Warrick shook it weakly. "Good to see you got some rest."

Warrick shook Ralik's hand before asking, "So how's Nick?"

Ralik turned to Kahys, letting the older doctor answer the question. "When he stopped breathing, the lack of oxygen caused brain damage to an extent we can't be sure of until he wakes up again, which should be very soon. As far as everything else goes, he's gotten better over the last couple of hours. His condition has improved, and we should know a lot more when he wakes up." Warrick sighed with relief.

A nurse poked her head out of Nick's new room. "Dr. Kahys...Mr. Stokes is waking up."

Warrick jumped with excitement and looked hopefully at Kahys. "You can go in and see him, but you need to stay back while we check on him quickly." Warrick nodded in understanding. "Also..." Kahys continued hesitantly, "There is a chance of short term memory loss because of the lack of oxygen he sustained ealier. Situations like these can be very difficult, just to give you a heads up."

Warrick nodded once before following Ralik and Kahys into Nick's room. Hope overtook his heart and mind when he saw how much better Nick looked. Some color had returned to his skin, and he wasn't shaking. Warrick slowly walked over to the left side of the bed and stood 3 feet or so away from Nick. He restrained himself from running over to him when Nick's eyes opened and he slowly looked around.

Kahys was to Nick's right next to Ralik, and two nurses were checking Nick's vitals. "Mr. Stokes, do you know where you are?" Kahys asked.

Nick nodded slowly as he took in his surroundings. "In...a hospital." He said softly.

Kahys smiled. "Yes. I'm Dr. Kahys, and I'm going to ask you a few questions you have to try and answer, okay?" Nick nodded once. "Do you know what year it is?"

"2006." Nick's voice was raspy and quiet, but that didn't matter. He was awake and doing better.

"What state do you live in?"

"Nevada." Nick said, seemingly unsure of why he was being asked such easy questions.

"Who is the President of the United States?" Kahys asked.

"Gil Grissom." Nick said, then frowned. "No...wait...George Bush." He corrected himself. Warrick couldn't help but smile as Nick answered a few more questions.

Kahys tentatively looked from Warrick and back to Nick, hesitating to ask the next question for fear of what would happen. "Mr. Stokes...do you recognize the man standing over there, to your left?" He said, pointing over to Warrick.

Nick turned his head and looked at Warrick, and the look in his eyes turned Warrick's heart to stone. Nick stared at him for a couple of seconds before slowly shaking his head. "No...I don't know who that is..." He said softly.

Warrick's heart jumped into his throat. What? Why doesn't he know who I am? He remembers Grissom and not me? What the hell...

Kahys was asking Nick a few more questions, but Warrick didn't stick around to listen. He quickly left the room and made it to the bathroom just as he got sick to his stomach. He took several deep breaths before slowly standing and splashing cold water on his face. He wiped his face dry with a paper towel before stumbling out into the waiting room and falling into a chair. His entire body felt like jell-o. He closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands, not looking up when he heard someone sit down next to him.

"I'm sorry." He recognized the voice as Dr. Ralik's. "If it helps any, the memory loss is only temporary."

Warrick sighed and he looked at the young doctor that reminded him of Nick. "It actually does, thanks."

They were joined by Dr. Kahys, who had a solemn expression on his face. He stood in front of the two younger men sitting down, looking down at Warrick. "We gave Mr. Stokes another dosage of morphine for the pain, but he got violently sick to his stomach. His condition has improved a tremendous amount, but I'm afraid he may be to weak to fully recover."

Warrick nodded slowly. He hated himself for the fact that he was starting to get used to bad news. "How long until he remembers who I am?"

Kahys sighed. "That's hard to tell. He's fallen back asleep, and I'd say that by the time he wakes up he should be back to normal memory wise. If he gets a recuperative enough sleep, he may very well make a full recovery."

"I can stay with him, right?"

Kahys shook his head and started to say something, but Ralik stood and cut the older man off. "Of course you can. Just let him rest, okay?"

Warrick stood next to them and shook their hands again. "Of course. Thank you very much." He left before Kahys had a chance for a rebuttle. He quickly went into Nick's room, but stopped once he was inside. He took a few deep breaths before grabbing a chair from the other side of the room and pulling it up to his spot next to Nick. He sat down slowly and somehow managed to stop his hands from shaking as he took Nick's in his once again.

"I don't care if you remember me or not, bro. I'm still here."

And they say that a hero can save us

I'm not gonna stand here and wait

I'll hold on to the wings of the eagles

Watch as we all fly away