Chapter Three: Returning the Favor

Greg wasn't even sure how he made it home. By the time he had made it in the front door he could no longer fight the nauseated feeling in his stomach. He hadn't eaten since the previous day, so there wasn't much that came up, which probably made things worse. Dry heaves were painful, and it wasn't often that it happened only once.

Greg sat on the bathroom floor, leaning against the cupboards, one foot tucked under him while the other rested against the tub. If it was possible, he felt worse than he had earlier. The cold tile underneath him sent chills through his body, but he was too queasy to try and get up. So instead he just sat there, his arms wrapped around his stomach, head resting against the wood behind him.

He must have fallen asleep there, because the next he knew, someone was shaking him awake, talking to him. Groaning, he opened his eyes, turning towards the figure, frowning.

"Sara?" he muttered, blinking as she turned the lights on.

"Hey sleepyhead," Sara smiled at him as he rubbed his eyes. "Do you always sleep in your bathroom?"

Greg nodded, fighting off a yawn. "Yeah," he answered, closing his eyes as his vision swam. "If I ever need to use the bathroom I don't have far to go."

She laughed, resting a hand against his forehead. "Well, you can't be too sick if you can still crack jokes," she grinned at him. "But you are running quite warm."

Greg shook his head, unable to believe that. "I'm freezing," he complained, letting out a sigh.

"That's because you have the flu," she told him, moving closer. "Come on, let's get you into bed," she wrapped an arm around his torso, pulling him to his feet. Greg leaned on her heavily until he felt able to support his own weight. As they walked out of the room, Greg glanced at her, frowning still.

"How did you get in here anyways?"

"Spare key," Sara told him simply, laughing at the confused expression on his face. "Behind the mailbox," she explained.

"How did you know?" Greg asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. He used his feet to kick his shoes off, hardly protesting as Sara pushed him under the covers.

"I told you where to hide it, remember?"

Greg shook his head before resting it against the pillows. "No actually, I don't."

Sara laughed as she covered him with an extra blanket. "I'll go get you some water, see if you keep that down than maybe you can take some medicine."

Greg opened an eye, watching her walk back towards the kitchen, calling after her. "You don't have too," he said, surprised to see her actually smile.

"It's okay Greg, I want to, it's no big deal," she paused by the bedroom door, leaning up against it as she watched him.

Greg laughed bitterly. "What, are you just going to stay here all day?"

He was even more surprised to see her nod. "Sara, you don't have to, you have better things to do than sit here and watch me get sick."

"Greg," Sara said with a small sigh. She moved over to the bed, sitting down on the edge. "It's okay, honestly. You saved my life; I think I can afford to spend a few hours taking care of you."

Greg rolled his eyes, he didn't quite agree with that statement, but he was too tired to really argue. It was easier to just give in sometimes. "You'll get sick," Greg warned.

She shrugged, "I'll be fine. If I get sick, I get sick. There's nothing much that I can do about that. Where do you keep your cups?"

"Above the sink," Greg muttered, yawning as he did so. Sara nodded, already moving to off the bed.

"Any chances of sleeping with me?" Greg wondered, grinning as she opened the door.

She gave him a grin, "Uhh…no. Sorry, I'm not that anxious to get sick. And I don't think Grissom wants me sick either."

"What did he say about me leaving?" Greg asked, rolling over onto his back.

"Nothing much, just hoped you'd get better soon, and he doesn't want you back until you're better. The last thing we need through the lab is an epidemic."

She left then, returning a few minutes later with a cup of water. Greg was able to drink a little before putting it aside; he had done mostly to satisfy Sara, even though his stomach protested. Lying back down, he sighed as his head sunk into the pillow. He blinked as Sara pressed a cool washcloth to his forehead, realizing for the first time how hot he was actually was.

"I picked up a few things too," Sara told him, "Some soup when you feel like eating. A good thing I did too, you have absolutely nothing to eat in here."

Greg laughed softly, resting his hands on his stomach. "Yeah, about that…I missed my shopping day."

Sara laughed, moving her hair from her eyes, "You actually have a shopping day? I just go get stuff when I need it."

Greg shrugged, "I go once a week, pick up what I need," he said between another yawn.

Sara nodded sympathetically. "Okay, get some rest, I'll be out there watching some TV if you need me."

Greg watched as she got off the bed again, shutting the lights off before closing the door most of the way, leaving it open some in order to hear him. He closed his eyes; a little relieved to know that she was nearby, his stress from earlier already wearing off.

TBC