Astarcsi -Thanks for your review. I am glad someone is enjoying my story at least. LOL It is getting closer to the end now.


Aaron was poised to make his death swing when the door burst open behind him.

"Police! Freeze! Drop your weapon now!" Aaron looked back at the two uniformed officers and Nick Stokes, guns drawn, ready to shoot. Then he looked back down at Greg, whose head was down as he was still finding it painful to breathe.

"Put your weapon down now or we will shoot," The officers warned him again.

Aaron lowered his arms and dropped the bat to the floor. The officers quickly came up to him, cuffing him and reading him his rights. All the time, Aaron stared with hate at Greg. Greg could feel Aaron's eyes on him. He glanced up at him. "No matter what happened, you would have been caught," he said through short breaths. Aaron just sneered at him as the officers moved him towards the door.

Sara came running in behind them, going to Greg. Grissom came in behind her.

"Greg?" Sara's voice was laced with concern, seeing Greg holding his side and his head down.

He meekly looked up at her. "Hey," his voice sounding weak.

"Someone call the paramedics," she yelled out.

"They should be here soon," Grissom said in response.

Nick came over and just glared at Aaron as he passed him being led out by the officers. Then he bent down next to Greg.

"Can you get up?" Greg nodded his head and slowly stood up, wincing in pain. They helped him over to the sofa to sit down. Nick grabbed his left shoulder, not knowing he was injured. Greg groaned in pain.

"Sorry, didn't know," Nick apologized.

Greg just leaned back onto the sofa pillows. "That's okay."

Grissom came over to them. "Can you tell us what happened, Greg?"

Greg nodded. He spoke softly and slowly, trying to, but failing to, ignore the pain he was in.

By the time the paramedics had brought in a stretcher for Greg, he had finished recapping what went down.

"I'm going to meet you at the hospital." Nick said to Greg as they wheeled him out if his apartment.

Grissom and Sara stayed for a few minutes at Greg's place collecting some additional bits of evidence from the confrontation.

Grissom went over to LVPD to meet up with Brass about Aaron James, while Sara headed back to the lab to take the evidence in.

Greg hated being stuck in the hospital bed, a floor down from Eve. He told the doctor he would be fine, but the doctor wanted to keep him under observation for 24 hours, since he was still having trouble breathing.

Nick walked in and saw Greg's left shoulder and arm all bandaged up and in a sling. He was sitting up in the bed, but his eyes were closed.

Nick was about to leave, not wanting to wake him up with Greg opened his eyes and saw him.

"Where do you think you are going," Greg asked him. Nick sauntered over and sat down in a chair next to the bed.

"Well I thought you were asleep, so I did not want to wake you."

"Nah, I am awake, just resting my eyes. Although they have given me some pretty nice painkillers so I apologize in advance for my responses."

"I am sure it won't be nothing that I would not be expecting to come from you, anyway." Nick grinned at him.

Greg frowned. "So how come it took you all so long to get to my place?"

"Hey, we got there in time, just be thankful for that. So how long are they keeping you here?"

Greg frowned some more. "Overnight observation due to my cracked ribs poking at my lungs, but I told them I spent all my time here anyway, just not as the patient. Doctor said he did not care. He wanted me to lie still for at least 24 hours. So I am stuck in this bed until sometime tomorrow. I really wanted to check on Eve, but he would not let me even do that."

"Sorry man. I am sure they will let you know if anything changes in her condition though."

Greg sighed heavily and then winced in pain. "Damn, this sucks."

Nick could not help but really sympathize with him. "Maybe you should just try to get some sleep, Greg. It would probably be best for you at this point."

"Perhaps. I am just glad Aaron is being put away now. I told you he was after me. I just knew it."

"Yeah you were right all along. Sorry we were not able to put him away before he got to you too."

Greg shook his head. "No, I am just sorry he dragged Eve into this. She did not deserve this. I can only hope that she makes a full recovery."

"Yeah you are right about that. I am sure you and her will be your happy little selves again soon, Greg." Nick smiled at his friend. Greg did not return the smile.

"I better let you get some rest. I am going back to the lab for a couple more hours to finish up some stuff. I'll be by tomorrow to see you and fill you in on everything."

"Okay, tell the others I am going to be fine. See you tomorrow then." Greg smiled at Nick as he got up and left.

Greg sunk his head back into his pillow, closing his eyes. His mind replayed the events leading up to his own stay in the hospital. He found himself really hating Aaron James more and more, thinking about how Aaron was upset that Eve had not died; that he had not been successful in killing her.

Greg's mind began to drift with random images of his time with Eve before he fell asleep finally.

It was around 7 pm and Greg had been awake for a little while. He had been flipping through the TV channels and had stopped on Court TV, on a forensics show. Watching it only made him realize how much he missed working the last few days. Someday soon he would have to though. He could not wait at Eve's bedside forever for her to wake up, especially since he did not know when that would be. It was getting harder for him to hope for her recovery.

He turned his attention to the door as Chad Dunn walked in.

"Wow, I heard that you were admitted to the hospital, when I asked Eve's doctor if he had heard from you. What happened?"
Greg clicked off the TV, since he really was not paying attention to it anyway and began to brief Chad in on what happened. He did not feel a need to give all the details to him; he just gave him the basics.

"So this Aaron James is the one who hit Eve, then," Chad asked after Greg finished telling him his ordeal.

"Yeah. I had him pegged all along but they did not have anything to prove at the time that he did it."

"So hitting Eve was his sick way of exacting revenge on you?"

Greg felt the guilt rising in him about Eve. "Yeah." He avoided looking in Chad's direction.

Chad was a good reader of people, just like his sister and he could see Greg was feeling responsible for what happened to her.

"Greg, I know and Eve knows it is not easy working in law enforcement. Even as a CSI, you still are at risk. Heck anyone in this world these days are at risk. You cannot be responsible for what someone like Aaron James does. You couldn't have known he would go after Eve instead of you at first. Don't blame yourself for what happened to her. She would not want you to."

Greg's eyes were sad as he looked at Chad. "I miss her. I really miss her." Then he grinned at Chad. "It is amazing how much you two think alike."

Chad smiled back. "Well we were always close, but when we lost mom, it really brought us closer together. My dad was very grateful he had us around. Now it is just the two of us and we hardly see each other, but keep in touch well via the Internet."

"So how is she doing anyway? No change yet, I suppose."

Chad sighed a little. "No, still the same. This Aaron guy who did this to her, he'll be put away for life, right? I mean he attacked you too, now."

Greg nodded. "Believe me, I will make sure there is enough evidence to make sure he is locked up for good. And I am sure my co-workers are gathering it all right now."
"Good, good. I wouldn't mind a piece of him myself," Chad declared.

"Get in line. I am sure Eve would too if she could."

Chad laughed. "Yeah she can be a little firecrackers when she wants too."

"You're telling me," Greg laughed but then immediately regretted it when the pain shot through him.

Chad could not help but notice Greg wince in pain. "Sorry, didn't mean to cause you pain."

"Nah, it's not that bad. I will be fine. I've had worse," Greg said reflecting on the beating he took after hitting Demetrius James. So much had happened in the last few months. He just was hoping it was all coming to an end now, with Aaron James finally being put in jail.

Chad noticed that Greg's mind seemed to be elsewhere and decided it was time for him to go. "Well, I am going to get a few hours rest, since visiting hours are about to end. I will let you know when I get back so you do not have to worry about Eve being alone for too long."

"Thanks. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to see her."

"Take care. Hope you feel better tomorrow. I'll see you then."

Greg said goodbye to Chad and then closed his eyes as his pain medication was taking effect on him. He said a silent prayer for Eve before he faded into sleep.