Title: In Shock
Author: Nicksfriend
Rating:k+
Spoilers: For Gedda
Disclaimer: Bottom line...they belong to CBS and to those who make millions
Author's note:This is my fifth CSI fic. I actually jumped when the Undersheriff shot Warrick; I did not expect it...but I could see that it could have been survivable.
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Catherine watched as Doc Robbins did his thing,knowing that it had to be done,it would have to appear that Warrick actually died. She also would have to face the inevitable truth, she wouldn't be able to see him for a while, at least not until the killer was caught. She could not risk his life.
How long had she been quiet about her feelings for the green-eyed man? How long had she felt that she wanted to tell him her true feelings, a kiss almost shared,a moment lost.
Doc Robbins started packing up his equipment and he pulled out his paperwork. It stated that Warrick's cause of death was a gunshot wound to his throat, which caused an ineffective airway,therefore he suffered brain damage which led to cardiac arrest.
"He will be cremated, correct Catherine?" Doc Robbins was writing on the forms for his deceased, well his pretend deceased victim. He really hadn't done this before.
"Catherine." He repeated himself seeing that she was focusing her attention on the man in the bed.
"Sorry Doc, what?"Catherine was watching the machine assist Warrick's breathing, each time the machine gave him a breath he seemed to struggle against the tube that assisted his breathing, fighting to somehow do it himself.
'You do want him cremated, correct?" he asked again. Seeing that she had her mind elsewhere,because even with his tough demeanor he felt his own tears well up and his heart ached for the man in the bed.
"Yes, Cramer's mortuary will handle the body." She had arranged for a casket to be delivered to the hospital so they could place the plastic manequin she had acquired from the lab, wanting the sealed casket burned, the mortuary had agreed. They would never know that there wasn't a real body in the wooden casket. It would happen tonight, the memorial service would be tomorrow evening.
"You ready to go?" he asked packing up his bag and finishing up the paperwork.
"Can I have a moment?" she asked as she continued to hold Warrick's hand.
"Sure, I'll be waiting outside." he picked up his bag and the death certificate and stepped outside the door.
She bent down low; as close as she could to his ear and she whispered softly,"Listen, I have to leave for a while but I need you to hang on for me and fight. You are the best part of my world and I never told you that,but if you hang in there I promise Warrick Brown, I will let you know how much you mean to me. I will never let another second pass without telling you how much I love you."
She pressed her lips gently against his and allowed them to stay that way for several seconds permitting herself the pleasure of feeling the warmth of his skin against hers. The feeling of being one with the only man she had ever dreamed of being with since Eddie.
As she slowly pulled away, the pain in her heart was ripping her apart. Wiping away the tears that were rolling down her cheek she stood upright and turned,"I will be back as soon as we find the man who tried to kill you. We will get you justice." She picked up her purse and walked out of the door.
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The pounding in his head is what actually woke him up; then it hit him,his hands and feet were bound and his eyes were blind folded. He hadn't felt this way since his abduction three years ago. Panic feeling his mind,he wanted to scream but he held back. He had to stay in control.
"Who's there?" He asked as he felt the jarring of the car.
"Daniel Pritchard." The man replied. "You're fine, but I need to talk to you."
"Well you might want to take off this blind fold before I have a melt down back here,because I have a real problem with closed in places." Attempting to stay calm and in control of his emotions. He could kick this man's teeth out right now but he knew that he wasn't the man who had shot Warrick but he could possibly lead him to the man who actually did pull the trigger.
"Have you figured it out yet?" Pritchard asked as he pulled the car off the road.
"What? That you're not the one who shot Warrick? He would've never let his guard down with you, he would have pulled his weapon." Nick tried to calm himself as he felt the car come to a stop, 'Don't piss off the crocked cop.' he warned himself.
Pritchard reached back and removed the blind fold,"I was told to do a job and I did it, it was nothing personal against Brown, I value my life and I just didn't want to die. I still don't want to die."
"You sold your soul to the devil man,you became the opposite of what were,you became a killer." Nick was still trying to focus but his vision was still blurred, the signs of a nasty concussion from the explosion evident but he needed to give his attention to the man in the front seat, he could possibly give him Warrick's killer.
"You don't understand Stokes." Pritchard seemed agitated suddenly, the thought of his boss trying to kill him made him angry. "Listen, the son of a bitch tried to kill me, I was just one of his damn pawns."
"Well tell me who he is and I'll make sure he pays for what he did, I'm sure we could cut you some kind of deal." Nick attempted to win the man's trust over,wanting him to give him the name of the man who killed his friend."I promise, you give me a name and you will be given a deal." Hoping that Jim Brass and the Undersheriff would feel the same way.
"Stokes,it's not that easy, men like him don't tell people his name, he just hides with all the other cockroaches and only comes out when it's dark." He slammed his fist into the passenger seat,angry at how he had been used.
"I want you to get him,I want him to pay for what he did to my life. I want him to die Stokes,and if you are really honest with yourself you want him dead too." Wanting Nick to do the dirty work that he did not have the guts to do himself, his weakness was his own fear of death.
Nick could not lie to himself, the thought had crossed his mind, revenge for his best friend's death, but he wasn't a killer,he had always believed in justice. The evidence would lead him to the killer he just needed to listen to it talk to him."How did he communicate with you?"
Pritchard reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a disposable cellphone and held it up,"He never told me his name and I doubt seriously that he'll attempt to call me again, he did try to kill me. I think our friendship is over." Sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"When he talked to you, did you ever hear any background noises, traffic, office noises, machinery?" The CSI in Nick kicking in, he knew that there had to be something.
Pritchard thought about the conversations, trying to remember anything that would help," No, I can't remember anything." He paused as if he was trying to recall a conversation,"Wait, he called me last night, but I had no service on the phone I was too far out. He left a message."
"Can you remember anything, any noises in the background?" He pulled himself up in the seat causing a wave of dizziness to wash over him. He tried to shake it off and attempt to hear what Pritchard was saying but he was finding it very difficult." Can you remember the message?" Hoping that the killer could give him a clue.
" I can't remember anything really unusual about it, but last night when he left me the message, I swear I heard dishes and someone calling out names." he was trying to remember the conversation.
"Come on Pritchard, try to remember." Nick wanted something else from the man,he needed a clue. "He left a message? Is it still on the phone?"
"No, I was instructed to erase any messages immediately after I received them but there was a name, someone he was talking to at the end, he called out to a Stephane." Remembering the man calling out the name just before he hung up at the end.
Nick's aching head started to work, the man was at the diner last night, Stephane talked to him. Was it a possibility? "We need to get to the diner where Warrick was shot." He commanded as he attempted to shift around more in the seat, the searing pain in his head having to take a backseat for now so that he could deal with his friend's possible murderer.
Pritchard reached back with a pair of cutters and cut the ties around Nick's hands and feet, "I killed Gedda and I did attempt to frame your friend, but remember I need a deal out of this, this man would have killed me if I didn't comply,he wields that type of power."
Nick rubbed at his wrists trying to get the circulation going again,"I promised, just get me to the damned diner."
Pritchard turned around and eased the car back out on the road towards town,"You'll have to show me which one."
"It's Mel's, down the street from the police station." Nick laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes and tried to wish away the nausea that was brewing in his stomach; remembering when he was pushed out of the window by Nigel Crane and the concussion he had received,and how he threw up for two days.
He could not help but to process the how and the why of the case. How was Stephane involved? He had waited ten minutes and she had not returned,where was she and did she have something to do with his friend's death?
The nausea finally won out,"Pull over man, I need to vomit." He called out to Pritchard. The man quickly complied, having noticed the gash on Stokes's head earlier. Nick opened the door, and retched until nothing was left on his stomach, his head pounding and the feeling of darkness quickly overcoming him again.
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Sara looked around for Grissom, the chaos of the crime scene continued,she had been unable to find Nick. Suddenly she saw him across the road looking up at the apartment building again.
"That's twice today." She called out to Grissom but he could barely hear her voice above all the sirens and voices.
"The body wasn't Pritchard's." Grissom remarked as he started to walk towards the complex.
"How do you know, there wasn't much left for an ID." Sara was now following Grissom into the building.
"Pritchard wasn't gray headed. The hairs at the crime scene were not a match to Pritchard's hair color." He continued talking as he walked up the stairs.
"Did you find any sign of Nick?" Worried more about her friend than the crime scene.
"No, but I found his gun and a pool of blood behind the trash can where several officers said they saw Nick jump right before the explosion." He answered as he opened the door to the third floor and walked into the hallway, Sara still following.
"Nick was taken to the hospital?" her voice now panicked for Nick.
"No, he was taken away by a man who fit the description of Pritchard." Grissom was staying calm working his way down the row of closed doors when they came upon one that was open.
"So what you're saying is that someone matching Pritchard's description took Nick from the Crime scene and we're not looking for him?" Sara was now very upset at Grissom. She watched as he placed his gloves on and walked into the room, turning and stopping her before she entered.
"You don't work for the police department anymore Sara, sorry but you will have to stay out here,we can't risk compromising any evidence." His voice calm, his facial expression serious."And Sara, I am looking for Nick,by looking at the evidence."
She nodded,"So I assume you have put out a missing officer's call for Nick and a BOLO on Pritchard."
He stuck his head back out the door and nodded, a little perturbed that she would even ask that question, then went back inside,"Pritchard was watching from this room, evidently he doesn't trust his boss either." Grissom walked out carrying a jacket,he reached into the pocket with his gloved hand and pulled out a folded piece of paper, a rental contract for a car.
"Well, that helped." She looked at the tag number typed on the sheet.
"Actually it helps a lot." He pulled Nick's cell out and made a call to Brass, giving him the information.
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The Undersheriff cursed as he walked behind the building,"Damn Pritchard!" He cursed under his breath. He had shot the wrong guy but they would never be able to tie his gun into the death of the man lying scattered into many pieces in the parking lot, he hadn't even used his own weapon,and he was the lead investigator on the case, evidence unfortunately could get lost.
Nick Stokes might be a problem though, especially if he was with Pritchard now. He would know some of the truth, that Pritchard took orders from someone else,other than the disposable cellphone there was nothing else that could tie him in with the murder of Warrick Brown. Then he remembered,the red-head at the diner.
He had overlooked one tiny detail, he never covered his tracks at the diner,the waitress, Stephane he recalled. I have to take care of the red head.
He knew he could not leave the crime scene but he would take care of Stephane soon. Real soon.
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Because you made the writer very happy...with all that great feedback this is my thank you!! And a little something for those Brillows fans...hope you liked!