Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Alex bolted upright in bed. Her breathing ragged as she gasped for air. She wiped at the moisture on her face with her hand, but whether it was sweat or tears, she couldn't tell. Her heart pounded against her chest like a child on his mother's pots and pans. And all this from the nightmare she hadn't had in years.

She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm herself, trying to let go of the emotions the nightmare brought back. But her fight was futile, and she broke down in tears.

"Jill," she sobbed the name of the star of her nightmare.

Alex's memory took her back to the last time she saw Jill. It was a beautiful fall Las Vegas day. Nick had taken the day off and they had taken the twins, Jill and Oliver, to the park. She used to love the days they'd spend together as a family.

Alex had taken Oliver over to the slide while Nick was pushing Jill on a swing. After a few moments, Jill didn't want to swing anymore and Nick got her out of the swing. As he set her on the ground, he noticed his shoe was untied. He bent down to tie it and when he looked up, she was gone.

Alex would never forget the feeling in the pit of her stomach when she heard Nick call Jill's name. She could never erase the look in his eyes when he told her Jill was missing. And she would never be able to replace the piece of her heart that broke when Jill wasn't found.

Her body shook with her cries. Her sadness was compounded when she started to think of Nick. He had been just as shaken, if not more so, by Jill's disappearance, feeling responsible for not watching her. And then, a year to the day Jill went missing, Nick disappeared. If it hadn't been for Greg, Alex never would have made it through.

Alex stopped crying when she was startled by a knock on her hotel room door. She didn't know anyone who even knew where she was staying. She didn't think Greg would try and track her down. The knock came again.

Alex got out of bed and over to the door. She peered out the peephole to see a set of very familiar eyes. She wiped her hands over her face then down her sweat pants. She opened the door.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

Nick grinned from ear to ear at just the sight of her. Even the old t-shirt and sweats couldn't diminish how beautiful she was to him. "I had to see you again."

"How did you know I was here?" she questioned, a little suspicious, but she still let him come in.

Nick shrugged, the smile not leaving his face. "You could be in the middle of the Sahara and I would find you."

"Then why did it take you twelve years to find me when I haven't gone anywhere?" The hurt was evident in her voice.

Nick moved to embrace her, but she put a hand on his chest to stop him. They stood for a few moments, staring at each other. Nick was searching Alex's eyes for some answer, the right words to say to make it better. Unfortunately, all he could see were the tears about to spill out.

"Alex, there isn't anything I can say to give you back the last twelve years. All I can say is I had to find Jill. And in trying to find her, I lost myself," he told her.

Alex's bottom lip started to tremble. "You don't know?"

"Don't know what?" Nick had no idea what she was talking about.

"They found Jill," it was barely a whisper.

Nick's eyes lit up. "Where is she? You didn't mention her before."

This time it was Alex who initiated the embrace. "Oh Nicky, she's dead."

Nick felt his heart stop at her words. All these years and Jill was dead. "When?" was all he could think to ask.

"It was about four years ago, shortly before my dad died," she answered him.

"Grissom's dead?"

Alex pulled him towards the bed and sat the both of them down. "He died of an aneurysm. It was unexpected to say the least."

"And I wasn't there for you." Nick sounded disappointed in himself. "I…I…" He just couldn't find the words.

Alex patted him on the leg. "You couldn't have known."

"I should have been there," he whispered, not sure his voice wouldn't betray him if he tried to speak louder.

Alex didn't know how to respond. He should have been there, but he wasn't, and for that, she was angry. But seeing him, sitting in front of her, it almost seemed liked he'd never been gone. Her thoughts drifted to Greg. He had been there for her and yet she was the on who left him. She was so torn up inside.

Alex's cell phone rang, pre-empting whatever it was she was going to say. She looked at the caller ID and saw it was Ollie. She took it as a sign and answered.

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Fifteen-year-old Oliver Edward Stokes Sanders walked up to the front door of his house. He didn't think his parents would be home so he didn't knock. They had some special weekend planned, which was why he was staying with his best friend, Dylan. The only reason he was home was because the boys had changed their plans and decided they wanted to go swimming. Of course, Ollie had forgotten his swim trunks and there was no way Dylan's, who was a few inches shorter than the 5'10" Ollie, were going to fit.

Ollie opened the door and walked in to the darkened foyer. He flipped a light switch on then went up to his room. As he got to the top of the stairs, he noticed light coming from under the door to his parents' bedroom.

"Mom? Dad?" he called, not wanting them to think he was a burglar.

He didn't receive a response and that concerned him. It wasn't like his mom or dad to leave a light on. He walked towards their room, again calling to them, "Mom? Dad?"

He pushed the door open slightly and peeked in. Then he pushed the door open wide and rushed to his dad's side. Greg lay with one arm hanging off the bed, empty pill bottles sitting on the bedside table.

"Dad? Dad? Can you hear me?" Ollie asked, voice shaking. "Dad, please answer me!"

Greg's eyes opened then shut again. "Ollie?" he whispered.

"Dad, I'm right here," he replied, grabbing his dad's hand. Then, Ollie pulled out his phone and dial 9-1-1. "I'm getting help," he told his father as the phone rang.

Ollie stayed on the phone with the operator and did everything he was told to do until the ambulance arrived. Once the EMTs took over care of his father, Ollie called his mom.

"Ollie?" his mom answered her phone.

"Mom, where are you? Dad's in trouble," Ollie's voice was still shaky.

"What's happened?" she asked.

"Dad's on his way to the hospital. I think," Ollie's voice broke. He didn't want to be the one to tell his mom this, but there was no one else.

"What is it Ollie?" Alex was extremely worried. She hadn't heard her son sound this way in a long time.

"I think he tried to kill himself," he said it quickly, trying to make sure he got it out.

Alex's heart stopped. This most definitely was not what she wanted.

"What's wrong? What's going on with Oliver?" Nick asked Alex seeing the look on her face.

Alex was startled, having forgotten Nick was even there. Then she shook her head. "It's Greg," her voice was quiet.

"Who are you talking to mom? Where are you?" Ollie was getting very apprehensive about where his mother was.

"No one, Ollie. Ride with your father to the hospital. I'll meet you there," she hung up, knowing Ollie would do what she asked.

"The hospital?" Nick questioned.

"Greg's tried to kill himself," she cried.

"I'll drive you," Nick stood.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she said through her sobs.

"You're in no shape to drive and if I don't drive with you, I'm just going to go up there anyway," he tried to reason with her.

She was in no mood to argue. Her brain was so scattered she couldn't come up with anything logical anyway. "Let me change. Then we'll go."