Chapter Nineteen: Not the Way

It was earlier than he had wanted it to be, but Nick knew the earlier they set off, the sooner they would make it back to Vegas. Since the urgency of the situation had left, no one was paying for their flight back, leaving them with the only option of driving. It was an option he wasn't looking forward too.

Sara was still in the hospital, with hopes of being released soon. Nick had been unable to visit with her again, not since the first time he had seen her. The hospital was very keen on sticking to visiting hours, and no one had been allowed back in, and wouldn't until later on that day. They had already talked about transferring her to Vegas, where she would be much closer to home, but the cost to do so wasn't approved, seeing she would be out just as soon.

He let out a sigh, closing the small suitcase he had brought before pulling on his jacket, careful not to wake the other occupant of the room. When he was certain he had everything, he left the room, the door closing behind him quietly.

Catherine was already waiting for him in the hallway, her own suitcase packed and ready to go. She raised an eyebrow as he came out alone, nodding towards the door. "I don't want to hear a single word on how long it takes women to get ready. I've been waiting for almost twenty minutes now."

"I'm sorry," Nick apologized as he came up to her. "I didn't want to wake Greg up."

"Greg can sleep in the car," she reminded him with a frown. "I'd like to get going sometime today."

"Greg's not coming."

He could see her flinch, and he watched her as she shook her head, knowing what she was thinking, and he was prepared. After all, he hadn't been to happy with the idea the night before, but Greg had talked, rather pleaded, with him until the Texan had given in.

"He wants to make Sara's okay, and I don't blame him," he pointed out for starters. "They're going to keep Sara for at least another day, and then she's going to have to drive back to Vegas as well. I'd rather have someone with her."

"Greg's not in the best shape to be left alone," Catherine pointed, remembering well what the hospital had told her. She could see Nick's reasoning, but it was best to keep in mind what was best for everyone.

"He ate again last night, and went to bed early," Nick pointed out. "Plus he's still sleeping now. I'll be the first to admit, he's not one hundred percent yet, but he's making an effort. And between him and Sara…them being together, I'll feel much safer than Sara trying to make it back on her own."

Catherine let out a sigh, closing her eyes. "Have you talked to Grissom about this yet?"

Nick shook his head, embarrassed to admit he hadn't gone over that small detail yet. It was a flaw, he knew, but he could see that Catherine was giving in. She grabbed her bag, nodding towards him as they headed down the hall. "Fine by me," she stated, "But you're the one calling Grissom."

The door closed behind him with a click and he paused for a moment, studying the other occupant of the room. The officer barely looked at him, his arms crossed over his chest, a scowl set deeply on his face. It wasn't the first time they had him in here, and Grissom had a strong feeling it would be the last.

"You better have a damn good reason for bringing me in here," he stated angrily as Grissom sat down across from him.

"We had a friend do a little search for us," he started, taking his glasses off to eye the man. "On officers that have purchased disposable cell phones recently. You were one of them."

"There's no law saying I can't," Fromansky huffed, "Sometimes I need my own personal line."

"Do you happen to have it?" Grissom wondered. He wasn't surprised to see the officer shake his head. "Funny, isn't it?"

"I haven't done anything illegal," Fromansky pointed out, moving to stand. "So I'll be going."

"Hiring for murder is illegal," Grissom commented, smiling almost as the officer turned, one hand resting on the door knob. "We need to know what you did with your phone."

"I didn't need it anymore," the officer replied quietly, still standing where he was. "Hence the fact it's a disposable phone, I'm not exactly required to keep it."

"We've traced calls from Oregon back to here, to an Officer owning a disposable cell phone. So far there's only three. We've already talked to the other two, both still have theirs. And they've been cleared."

"You have nothing against me," Fromansky replied, still not moving. "If you did, this would be an arrest."

"You're free to go," Grissom stated coldly, his gaze still on him. "But don't go far. I'm sure we'll be meeting again."

The man wasted no time in departing, leaving Grissom sitting there rubbing his head. He didn't need to look up as the door opened again, knowing already that it was Warrick who sat down next to him.

"What do you think?"

Grissom let out a sigh, "He's right. We have no connection without the phone."

"We could get a warrant. Search his locker, his car, his house," Warrick suggested, but Grissom was quick to cut him off.

"Lead's not strong enough. For all we know it could be someone who used to be a cop, or even someone who has experience with them. There's no telling if Mckinely is telling the truth, or if he's using that as a cover up to keep himself from getting into trouble."

"So…" Warrick frowned, clearing his throat. "That's it?"

Grissom nodded solemnly. "Sometimes that's all you can do."

Sara smiled tentatively as he walked in, grateful for any company other than the hospital staff. It wasn't just that either; she had worried about his condition. No one was able to give her a clear response to where he was, or what had happened. To be truthful, she was still fuzzy on the details of what had happened, and how exactly she ended clear up in Portland.

"You look like shit Greg," she stated flatly, scooting up in her bed in order to allow herself to give him a hug. She breathed a sweet breath of relief at the feel of him in her arms, and suddenly found herself crying as she held him close.

"What's wrong?"

He hadn't pulled away, but she knew he could her silent sobs. Sara hastily shook her head, reaching up with a hand to wipe away the fallen tears. "Nothing," she stuttered hastily, cursing under her breath as she continued to cry. She was stronger than this, she could handle it…then why couldn't she stop?

Greg had finally pulled away, leaving Sara to her own defenses as she dropped her head into her hands, drawing in one ragged breath after another. She flinched, startled as she felt his hands on her face, one hand under her chin to tilt her gaze up. With the other he wiped away the wet streaks, watching her closely.

"Do you need a doctor?" he asked quickly, the worry evident in his voice. Sara shook her head, angry at having made him worry. "It just seems so unreal," she whispered.

Greg smiled in understanding as he sat down on the edge of the bed, one hand slipping around her own and giving it a small squeeze. "We made it," he whispered. "We're going to be okay."

Sara nodded, she knew this much, of course. She suddenly found the same ache in her heart she had felt before, the knowledge that they were just friends, and nothing more. She knew with all that had happened, they were certainly closer, but that was only for now. What would happen later on when they got back to Vegas? When they went back to their same places? Would life just simply continue on as though nothing had even happened?

"The doctors say by this afternoon," Greg started, nodding as Sara understood what he was talking about. "Grissom has a car already rented for us; it's at a nearby car lot. He wants us to take it easy coming home."

"Figures," she whispered sarcastically. "One mistake and he never trusts us again. I'm afraid we won't be going on extended assignments anytime soon."

"Good," Greg laughed, a grin breaking across his face. "I could do with the easy cases for a while. My head hurts just trying to think about this one."

Sara smiled uneasily as he laughed, knowing that he meant no harm, but she was hopeful he would be bitter about it. Even though this trip here had been little more than downright miserable, Sara had enjoyed being with him. There wasn't anyone else she would have chosen.

Greg squeezed her hand, bringing her from her thoughts. He was watching her closely, and so she presented a false smile, even if was for his comfort, and not hers. "I'll be back later on to get you. Once the doctors give you the okay to leave, I mean."

Sara nodded, half heartedly, watching as he left. Out of all the chances she had to say something, she was upset with herself for not even trying. But in the back of her mind she knew this wasn't reasonable. She was in a hospital bed, and Greg looked like he should be in one as well. If she wanted to know the truth about his feelings, she needed to wait, and not insert pity into the situation. Yet that wasn't all; Sara wasn't sure she could handle the blow of rejection right now either.

She let out a short breath, leaning back into the pillows as she stared up at the ceiling, unable to help but wonder when life became so complicated. Life was just a game, and how it turned out depended on how you played it. And for Sara, she felt as though she was not only on her last life, but down by a hundred points as well. For her…there was a long way to go yet.

The End

Ah yes, the end of another. I do have a sequel in planning that will explore Greg and Sara's 'relationship', but no ideas to when it will be posted. This story was sort of stop and go for the most part, I appreciate everyone that stuck in there with me. I love reviews, so make sure to comment!