So, thanks to all of you who gave me positive feedback on the last chapter. I'm not sure how I feel about this one, either, as it's got the boring factor again. I've tweaked it over and over and over, but it just seems like it's missing that edge that I want to achieve with this fic. Add to that that I'm currently on day 9 of 10 straight working, and I'm pooped and loosing my creative touch. Howeverrrrr….trust me when I say that the action will come back very soon. *evil smile* Seriously, folks, just bear with me here. It will pick back up soon. As usual, the feedback is much appreciated!
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The next few days passed without incident. Catherine had caved the night that Sara asked her to be a bridesmaid and had taken a sleeping pill, mainly because of the fact that she knew she wouldn't be called into work. When she awoke the next day at 2 PM, she still felt exhausted and somewhat groggy, but her body had caught up on the sleep it so desperately needed. By the time she went back to work, the pill had worn off, and she felt somewhat better and ready to face the lab. Ecklie had let the issue drop from the previous day and hadn't mentioned anything to his boss, staying true to his word…for once…that it was a "vacation day" that Catherine had taken, not a suspension.
Now, four days later, Catherine sat in her office fifteen minutes before her shift officially started, hurriedly signing off reports that should have been signed off days before. She had come in two hours earlier to do her paperwork, and without interruptions, she was almost done with the task at hand. She wasn't sure what happened, as usually she was sure to keep her paperwork up to date, but the last week had been hell since they were shorthanded and a suspect had decided to challenge her nerves. The door to Catherine's office had been cracked open all night and she worked without interruption, save for Judy stopping in a few minutes ago to give her a list of assignments for the night. A knock sounded on the door, bringing her out of her deep concentration.
Hesitant…light handed…it's probably Greg.
Glancing at her calendar, she knew that she was right, as today was the last day of his and Hodges' suspension. "Come in," she called, looking up from her paperwork as she continued to sign her name, seeing Greg hesitantly walk into the office.
"Greggo. Welcome back," she said nonchalantly, taking off her glasses and putting them on her desk. "What's up?"
Greg shuffled his feet, his hands deep into his jeans pockets as he refused to make eye contact with Catherine. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm back to work tonight, and that I apologize for my conduct last week. It won't happen again," Greg told her, sounding as if he was reciting an apology that he had spent a great deal of time attempting to word.
Catherine wanted to joke about his formal tone, but decided that it wasn't the time or place. While he clearly wasn't the instigator of the situation that had occurred, she could still tell that the young CSI was embarrassed about the altercation that had occurred. He looked up to Catherine like a mother at times, and he felt that he had let her down.
"Your apology is accepted, Greg. Thank you," Catherine chose to say, instead.
Greg finally looked up, his eyes searching her face. The bruise was almost gone, the skin tinged with yellow and green. The cut that had been alongside her nose was healed, a light scar barely noticeable unless you were looking for it. It looked much better than it had before, but…in Greg's opinion, it was something that never should have happened. It was so out of character for him to lose his temper, but something about Hodges had set him off for the last time. If he had known that Catherine was going to end up injured as a result of his actions, however, he never would have shoved Hodges. He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it as he tried to think of something besides 'I'm sorry' to say.
Catherine noticed his hesitation, setting her pen down on top of the list of assignments, clasping her hands in front of her. She thought very carefully as she decided what to say to her CSI . "Greg…I'm not mad at you, or Hodges, even. What happened is in the past, and we can both sit here and dwell on it, or we can move past this incident and become an even stronger team then before. I think that we've all learned lessons. We all need to keep our tempers in check, and if we feel angry or about to blow, then we should take some time to cool off." She paused, then added, "But believe me, if two of my colleagues are fighting again, trust me when I say that I won't be trying to break them up," she said with a small smile.
Greg finally smiled back, relief evident on his youthful face. While it was good to know that Catherine wasn't mad at him, he still felt guilty. She could have been seriously hurt thanks to him…well, and Hodges. Right before Hodges had struck him a second time in the face, he had seen Hodges' elbow strike Catherine in the face, the impact sending her backwards into her desk. Catherine's body stiffened slightly as she slid to the floor, then went limp when she actually did hit the floor. Greg found himself lost in his own thoughts, thinking back to a week ago.
"Hodges! You asshole, you just nailed Catherine!" Greg had yelled, shoving the older man off of him.
Hodges whirled around, the sight of Catherine on the ground, unconscious, breaking him out of his rage. He had felt his elbow strike something, but he never realized that it had been Catherine.
Greg scrambled past him, his knees next to Catherine's head as he called her name. "Catherine! Cath! Oh, God…"
"What the hell is going on in here?!" Greg looked up to see Nick in the doorway, Riley, Brass, and Ray behind him. Nick's gaze immediately went to Catherine's unconscious form lying on the ground and he whirled around. "Riley, go get Doc Robbins," he told Riley as he made his way next to Catherine. "Cath? He said softly, patting her cheeks. "Come on, Cath, open your eyes for me?" She moaned but refused to open her eyes. "What the hell happened here?" Nick asked again, looking between Greg and Hodges. There was a welt on Greg's jaw, and Hodges appeared to be favoring his hand.
"We…Hodges and I… we were…well, we were arguing…" Greg stammered, the events of the last few minutes finally catching up to him.
"Oh, please, tell me that you two did not just get into a fistfight! What is wrong with you two?" Nick looked down, trying to keep Catherine's head still as she subconsciously moved her head. He wasn't sure how she had been injured, nor was he sure if she had some sort of neck or spinal injury. "What happened to Catherine?" Nick asked. "Please tell me that one of you assholes didn't slug her!"
While Nick knew that his anger wasn't helping the situation, he couldn't help it as he dressed the pair down verbally. He looked up to Catherine, not only as a boss, but as a mother figure, too. He was overly protective of her. When Warrick had died, he had made a silent vow to his friend that he would watch over the blonde just like his friend had for so many years.
So far he had failed.
"I…that was me," Hodges admitted. "I apparently nailed her in the face. I…I didn't realize that…what I had done…"
"What is going on here?!" All noise in the room stopped as they looked to the door, Ecklie walking into the room, Doc Robbins, Riley, and a police officer behind him. He looked between Greg and Hodges, then down at Catherine. He barely moved as Doc Robbins brushed past him, limping over to where Catherine laid, patting her cheeks rapidly in an attempt to wake her up. "Well?" he asked when no one spoke up.
"We…" Hodges finally spoke up. "We got into an argument."
"And how did that argument wind up with Catherine knocked out on the floor?"
"I…I shoved Hodges, and he punched me. Somehow, we ended up on the floor, and Catherine tried to break us up," Greg recounted.
Hodges sighed, shaking his head as he finished, "I accidentally elbowed Catherine in the face. When she fell back, she hit her head on the desk."
Ecklie closed his eyes briefly before reopening them. "Fighting in the workplace is unacceptable," Ecklie finally said. "I won't tolerate it, and you are both on a one week suspension without pay. Brass, Officer Akers, would you please escort CSI Sanders and Hodges out of the building?"
Brass and Akers stepped forward, the two leading Greg and Hodges out of Catherine's office. Hodges stared ahead, not making eye contact with anyone in the room. Greg, however, looked down, his eyes watering slightly as he came to grips with all that had happened. He looked up before leaving the room and met Nick's gaze, the Texan shaking his head in disappointment before looking back at Catherine.
Doc Robbins broke a set of smelling salts, shaking Catherine's shoulder as he waved the salts under her nose. "Catherine…Catherine?" Doc Robbins smiled slightly as she moved her head, her eyes fluttering as she brought up a hand to irritably swat at the offensive smell near her face. "I think she's coming to. Cath? Can you hear me?"
Greg looked up as a knock sounded at Catherine's door. He nearly groaned when Hodges walked in the room. "Catherine. Greg," he said stiffly, standing next to Greg as the pair looked at Catherine.
If this isn't déjà vu, I don't know what is, Catherine thought. She cleared her throat softly, looking between the two men. "I…welcome back, Hodges," she finally stated. "I trust that we've settled down, and we can get back to work without any issues?"
"Yes, Catherine. I'd like to apologize to you and Greg for my actions the other day. I was out of line, and it will not be happening again," Hodges answered, not making eye contact with Catherine or Greg. Like Greg, he sounded as if he was reciting an apology.
Catherine opened her mouth to reply, only to have Nick stick his head in the door. "Hey, boss, we're all here," he said to Catherine.
Catherine waved them in, taking in her staff as they stood in front of her desk. There was Ray, the newest member of the team on one end, looking immaculate in his suit as he eagerly looked at Catherine, prepared for his assignment for the night. Whether he carried an enigma about him or not, she had to admit that Ray was incredibly dedicated to his job and one of the fastest learners she had ever worked with. Next to him was Greg, the recently promoted CSI looking somewhat more relaxed then what he had when he entered Catherine's office minutes before. Greg had a determined look on his face, one that told Catherine that he wanted to regain her trust and prove himself. Hodges stood next to Greg, a look on his face that Catherine had a hard time putting her finger on. While he looked somewhat humbled, there was still that trademark smirk on his face that irked Catherine to no end. She couldn't help but compare him to Greg, who looked like he would do anything to get back in Catherine's good graces. Hodges looked like nothing had happened, and like he had nothing to apologize for.
She brought her gaze to Nick, keeping her smile in check as she looked at him. He had grown from a young man to a mature adult in the time she had known him, and she couldn't be prouder. This was her second time supervising him. Catherine shuddered slightly, thinking back briefly to the day they nearly lost him. She had felt so guilty about what had happened to Nick, and she still did at times. In addition, as painful as Warrick's funeral had been, she was somewhat relieved when she and Nick had been next to each other, grieving. When her tears could no longer be held back, Nick had grasped her hand, pulling her to him as they cried together. If she had to pick an absolute favorite on her team, it was Nicky. They had been through so much together, and just like Grissom had looked at Catherine as his second hand for so long, Catherine looked at Nick as her second hand. Still, she respected Riley as well, her eyes moving from Nick to the young woman next to him. Riley stood there almost as eagerly as Ray, ready for whatever Catherine assigned her. While the youngest member of the team had yet to really shine, she was proving to be a strong asset to the team. It was obvious that the younger woman looked up to Catherine as a mentor, and wanted to prove herself even more.
The supervisor shook herself from her thoughts, picking up the stack of papers underneath her pen. "Alight, apparently the criminals are taking off tonight, so there's not much going on. We're going to be splitting up in pairs for now, unless something major breaks. Nicky, you and Ray have a break in," she handed Nick the slip. "Riley, you and I will be looking into an attempted kidnapping," she told Riley, smiling slightly at her. "And Greg, I want you and Hodges to investigate this robbery," she finished, handing Greg the slip. She ignored the shocked looks on her team's face at her pairing Hodges and Greg together, alone, and asked, "Okay?"
Everyone nodded and filed out of the room, Nick last in line. He paused before turning back to Catherine. She smiled slightly, donning her glasses. "I'll meet you in a minute, Riley," she called, determined to sign off the last few reports quickly. "What's up, Nick?"
"I…Catherine, you know that I respect you and all, but are you sure that it's a good idea to have Greggo and Hodges work together? Alone?" he asked.
Catherine smiled at Nick. "Oh, they'll be just fine," she told him, winking. "Don't worry about them."
"If you say so, Cath," Nick answered with a shrug. "See you later."
Catherine chuckled as Nick left, looking befuddled. She signed her name with a flourish to the last paper, standing up and glancing at her watch. Ha! Done with two minutes to spare! Her goal had been to get done the reports before her shift officially started, and she had done so.
She gathered up her kit and camera, and walked out of the office. Everything seemed to be going back to normal, thank God.
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Nine hours later, the team sat at their favorite diner, finishing up breakfast. It was Saturday, and while criminals obviously didn't take a break, the team was still allowed to have days off. Catherine, however, was 'fortunate' enough to be on call for the weekend. This basically meant that while it was her weekend off, she was expected to back up the other teams if they needed her. It was one of the downfalls of being a supervisor, but it was one that Catherine really didn't mind. She just hoped that she would be able to go shopping with Lindsay at some point this weekend.
Catherine stifled a yawn, pushing her egg beaters around on her fork. She wasn't really that hungry, but she knew that Nick would lecture her about eating healthy if she didn't at least pretend to be eating. All she wanted to do at the moment was curl into a ball in the corner and take a nap.
She looked up as everyone laughed, the group looking at Riley as she blushed. Catherine hadn't been paying attention to her company, but she chuckled lightly nonetheless. Nick looked at her, smiling slightly. He thought that Catherine looked exhausted, but never would he point that out to her in front of the rest of the team.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm worn out," Nick spoke up instead, tossing his napkin on the table. "I need some sleep."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Nick reached for the check, only to have Catherine snatch it out of his hand. "I've got it, Nicky," she told him. This was met with a chorus of thank you's, and Catherine smiled. "Get out of here, guys, I'll see you Monday night," she told them.
The group dispersed, save for Nick. "Thanks, Cath, I'll wait up for you," he said, smiling at her.
"Okay," Catherine agreed, making her way to the counter to pay for breakfast. Nick stood next to her, the two content in their silence as the waitress ran her credit card. She added in a generous tip and signed her name quickly. "Thanks, see you later, Kristen," she told the familiar waitress.
"Bye, Catherine," she replied.
Nick and Catherine made their way out of the diner, Catherine pulling her sunglasses over her eyes. She and Nick made their way to their cars, which were parked next to each other. Catherine hit the button to unlock her door, turning to Nick.
"I can tell you have something on your mind, Nicky," Catherine told him. "Talk to me."
Nick was slightly taken aback by Catherine's straightforward comment. He thought that he was being subtle. Smiling bashfully, Nick shook his head. "I'm…I'm worried about you, Cath."
"Why?" Catherine asked.
"You look like you haven't been sleeping, you come in early and work late, and you're not really eating that well…I guess I'm just afraid that you're going to burn yourself out," Nick admitted.
Catherine looked up at him, surprised for his concern. She wasn't really used to anyone displaying affection or concern for her since Gil left and Warrick had died. She felt as if it was her against the world sometimes, but she supposed she had at least one ally. "I uh…" Catherine trailed off, digging the heel of her boot into the ground. "I don't know, Nicky. I'm tired, but it's nothing I haven't dealt with before. And as for my crazy work hours…I suppose it's just a part of being the supervisor. It's more responsibility, and it's easy to get behind. I use that time to catch up," she explained.
Nick looked her over, finally nodding. "Just…be careful, Cath. I don't want to have to take over for you for a week or something because you've exhausted yourself," he replied.
Catherine nodded back at him, standing on her toes to wrap an arm around his shoulders and give him a kiss on the cheek. "I appreciate it, Nicky. Thanks," Catherine said.
Nick squeezed her shoulder, then reached over and opened her door for her. "Have a good day, Catherine. If you need a hand this weekend, just give me a call," Nick told her.
Catherine stepped up into her Jeep, setting her purse and phone on the passenger's seat before turning back to Nick and patting his hand. "I appreciate it, Nicky. Take care of yourself and stay out of trouble, would you?" Catherine answered with a wink, moving her hand so that Nick could shut the door.
She watched as Nick got into his car, sighing as he pulled away. Catherine was hoping that her façade would trick everyone in the lab, but if Nick had picked up on the fact she was a worn out workaholic, then…well, she wasn't sure what she'd have to do in order to make sure that the rest of the lab didn't realize.
Catherine's cell phone rang, and for a moment she wondered if the day shift needed help already. Seeing Sara's name on the display screen, however, she flipped it open, and asked "Yeah?"
"Hey, Cat, what are you up to?" Sara asked.
"Nothing, just had some breakfast, and I was getting ready to grab some sleep. I'm on call this weekend," she explained. "What's up?"
"Well…my friends and I were going to go bridesmaid and wedding dress shopping. We were hoping that you'd want to come with us," Sara said hopefully. "But I know how tired you must be…"
Catherine closed her eyes briefly before looking at her clock. "It's…it's fine Sara," she finally relented. "Where should I meet you?"
"We were doing to meet at David's Bridal," Sara said. "Is that okay?"
No. "Yeah, it's okay, Sara. I can be there in fifteen minutes," Catherine relented.
The relief was evident in Sara's voice. "Thanks, Cath, see you soon," Sara told her.
"Later," Catherine answered, groaning after she flipped her phone shut. She laid her head against the steering wheel for a long moment.
Why was it that she couldn't think of herself for once?
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End Part 6/?