Thanks for the review! :) Isn't it weird we want something bad happening to our favorite characters sometimes? But I like that, too... ;)
"Is everything alright? You've been very quiet for a while now..." Nick said as he was sitting in the passenger seat while Greg was driving. They were headed back to the lab.
"I'm just a little tired."
"You didn't look tired when we headed out to the scene."
"So? Since when did you become so nosy?" He couldn't help but smile when he said that.
"Probably the day you became a goddamn mystery," Nick replied jokingly. "If you're just tired, that's okay. If something happened and you feel like you can't talk to me about it, you're nuts."
"Thanks, dad," Greg smiled at Nick. "But I'm fine."
Of course he wasn't. He just didn't want to burden Nick with his problems any more than he already did. He also feared he wouldn't believe him. The following days, similar incidences occurred. Many officers let him feel they felt like he turned on Spencer, and the cops stuck together. They had each others back and Greg had to learn this the hard way. It almost felt like some kind of hazing. At first, he almost thought he deserved it. He still felt guilty about Spencer. Sometimes for a second he would think the only way he would stop feeling guilty would be if Spencer would turn out to be the murderer. But of course that's not the outcome Greg wanted from that case.
As he was in the locker room, Russell walked up to him. "You have a minute?"
"Sure," he replied. He opened his locker. A bra was hanging in there. Some officers placed it in there as some kind of mean-spirited practical joke. He quickly closed it again, hoping Russell didn't see it. He didn't.
"These reports need to get to the police station and I can't find Sara anywhere. Would you do me a favor and..."
Greg interrupted him. "...The police station?" He was dreading the thought of going there, especially after this finding in his locker.
Russell nodded. "I need Brass to sign these. You're a big help, thanks!" He loaded the files up on Greg and left.
Just go in there, walk straight up to Brass, don't look at anybody and get out of there as quick as possible! That was his plan. He was feeling stupid about it, but he had no idea how else to deal with this. Avoidance was his only choice, he thought, again.
He made it in without attracting too much attention and knocked at Brass' office before walking in. He wasn't in there. Great,he thought and decided to call him. He wouldn't be here in another 20 minutes, so Greg put the files on the desk and told Brass he'd pick them up later. Walking out of the office, he almost bumped into an officer who was standing in the doorway. "Excuse me..." Greg said sheepishly, trying to walk pass him.
"What were you doing in there?" the officer asked.
"Nothing!" he said almost as if he was being caught doing something wrong. But then he realized, he didn't do anything wrong. Not now, not when he told Brass what he saw. He didn't owe anyone an apology or an explanation. He was fed up with this. "...Now would you please step out of the way?" he asked, trying to sound as confident as possible.
The officer grinned and stepped aside. Greg could feel his eyes as he was walking away. He could also hear people whispering as he was walking through the lobby. He wasn't even sure if he was becoming paranoid or if they were really talking about him. Just ignore it, he thought. He was about to make his way out of the lobby when an officer thrusted his shoulder at Greg's, pretending it was an accident, apologizing with a big mean grin on his face. He stopped. Everyone was quiet now and looked at him. There were about twelve officers in the lobby. Greg took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. It didn't help. "Okay, that's enough! I know you all think I back-stabbed officer Spencer! I know you think it's my fault he's a murder suspect, but it's not! I understand that you're angry with me, but that doesn't give anyone of you the right to treat me the way you do! Stop with the bullying, the threats, practical jokes and anything like that!" Everyone stood there, staring at him. Greg was feeling embarrassed now. This outburst clearly wasn't planned. But now, he thought, he had to make the best of it. "...And stop with the gay rumors about me and Julian! We never were in a relationship! We were just colleagues!" He stormed off.
"Dammit!" Greg was swearing in the evidence room loud enough for Nick to hear it outside. He walked in to check on him.
"Hey, is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I just... I cut my hand with this frickin' scissors!" He threw the scissors against the wall as he turned his back to Nick.
Nick winced a bit. "Whoa, what the hell, man?"
Greg exhaled annoyed. "I'm sorry, I just..."
Nick walked over to check on Greg's wound. "Wow, that looks bad. Might need some stitches."
"I'm fine!" He got up annoyed and grabbed a tissue, pressing it against the wound.
"I'm afraid that won't do it," Nick said rather sarcastically as he saw blood dripping on the floor.
"How about you take care of your own goddamn business?"
Nick rolled his eyes. He didn't even take Greg serious when he was cranky like that. "Come here." He grabbed some tissues, too, and pressed it on the wound as well. "What's going on with you?"
He sighed. "I almost contaminated the evidence with my own blood!"
"Almost. No need to be mad about it, isn't it? So what's wrong?"
Greg rolled his eyes. "It also hurts like hell."
Nick gave him a look. He knew this wasn't the only reason Greg was acting that way. "Come on now, let's get you to the hospital before you bleed all over the lab."
"How'd that happen, anyways?" Nick asked as he was standing there with his arms crossed, watching the doctor stitching Greg's hand up.
"Things like that happen, Nick," he replied annoyed.
"You're not the clumsy kind, I could probably count the times something like this has happened to you on one hand."
"Disappointed I'm not Superman?" Greg rolled his eyes again.
"You're also not the moody, grumpy kind." Nick laughed a bit. It was kind of funny seeing Greg like that. When he was grumpy he was a bit like a child.
"Well I decided to start being the grumpy kind when people wouldn't stop asking me stupid questions."
Nick laughed again. "Touché."
As Nick kept on talking, two officers walked by the room Greg was in. They looked through the window, grinned and pointed at him when they saw him being stitched up.
"...Don't you think? ...Greg?" Nick asked. He was talking for a minute and Greg kept on staring behind him. "What is it?" He turned around, but the officers were already gone.
"Okay, as good as new," the doctor said and walked out.
Nick closed the door. "Okay, come on. Tell me. What's bugging you?"
"Don't worry about it." Greg put his jacket on.
"But I already do. Maybe I can help you."
"You can't hel..." Greg's phone rang. "Sanders. No, he wasn't there so... Yeah, I'll pick'em up. Okay... okay, sure. Yeah. Bye." Greg sighed. "I need to pick up some files for Russell..." He got off his seat with a look on his face as if he was about to walk into a cage full of hungry lions. That's how it felt to him.
"You're not going anywhere before you tell me what the hell's going on with you." Nick received a rather desperate look as Greg sighed and just walked out. Nick followed. "Is this about Spencer? Did they find new evidence or something?"
"No it's not that..."
"But it has something to do with it?"
Greg was slowly caving in. "Well, it's..." They walked by three officers. Two of them were looking through the window earlier. Greg gulped.
"That doesn't look too good, hope everything's alright," one of them said mockingly.
Nick didn't sense the sarcasm behind it, he just kept on walking. "It's what?"
Greg didn't say anything until they were in the car, but the second the car doors closed, he said quite angrily, "Didn't you just hear that?"
"Hear what?" Nick asked confused as he started the engine.
" 'That doesn't look too good,' " he repeated, imitating the officer.
"So?"
"Jesus, Nick, for a guy who wants to know everything that's going on you sure don't get subtle undertones."
"Subtle undertones? I... What are you talking about?"
Again, Greg rolled his eyes. "They're bullying me."
"What? Who?" Nick said a bit amused.
"Pretty much the whole police department. They're blaming me for Spencer."
"Greg..." Nick still refused to believe him. "You're being too sensitive about this. Nobody's blaming you but yourself. This isn't high school. They're grown ups, they don't bully."
"Oh yeah? How would you take it if one of them told you to watch out because they can't have your back anytime there's trouble at a scene?"
Nick looked at Greg. "Seriously? One of them said that to you?"
Greg nodded as he looked down.
"I'm sorry, Greg... I... Who's taking part in this?"
"That doesn't matter. They're just trying to make me feel bad, but their threats mean nothing."
"Tell me their names, I want to talk to them."
"No way. I'll just wait until this all is over. They'll get off my back once Spencer is cleared."
"Maybe. But... What if he's not?"
Greg didn't answer. "...Just promise me you won't talk to anyone about this."