Chapter Two
Three days, Greg thought as he groggily made his way into the crime lab an hour before the start of his shift. He had been staying in the secluded area he had found near the desert for three days. He came into work early to take a shower before his shift started. He could only hope that the shower would help to wake him up since he had not been sleeping very well. His car was not the most comfortable place to sleep and he had become paranoid that he had been followed despite his efforts to make certain no one had followed him. He had even started to check every inch of the outside of his car for any tracking devices that may have been put on it in an attempt to track him from work.
He knew he was being paranoid. It was most likely a coincidence that he kept seeing a vintage blue Lincoln Continental, the same type of vehicle that his girlfriend had warned him about, following him around town. And that the same car was often parked in parking lots at coffee shops, and stores that he frequents as if the person knew his routine was another coincidence. He was beginning to miss his usual routine. He had given up his favorite coffee spot while hiding from his stalker, who may or may not be actually stalking him.
It had crossed his mind several times over the past week that his girlfriend could have made up the story as an excuse to leave him and/or scare him. Perhaps she had seen the vehicle parked in the parking lot of one of his favorite restaurants or at his apartment and told him that was her Ex's car. The fact that the car had Utah plates and she claimed that her ex was in Utah was probably just another coincidence, or she had made it up because the car she saw had Utah plates. There were too many possibilities.
After finishing his shower, Greg walked back into the locker room to find Nick sitting on the bench in front of his locker. Nick looked up at him as he entered. "Greg," the older man began, "why have you been showering in the lab?"
"There's a problem with mine right now, should be fixed in a few days," Greg told him hoping Nick would not push the issue and ask him exactly what the problem was. He walked to his own locker to throw his dirty clothes in his backpack and grab his stuff to do his hair before beginning his shift.
"That sucks man," Nick said. "If you don't want to shower here, you can always use my shower."
"Thanks, but I think I can survive for a few days," Greg told him.
"Well I'm going to go and get a cup of coffee and relax before shift starts," Nick started walking toward the doorway of the locker room. Before walking out of the door, however, he turned and looked at Greg again and said. "Oh, I almost forgot, you remember that DVD that I lent you last week?"
"Yeah, it's in my apartment. It's on the shelf with all of my DVDs," Greg told him.
"Do you think you could get it for me and bring it in tomorrow?" Nick asked.
Greg looked at Nick with wide eyes. He couldn't go back to his apartment yet, it was too soon. "I was actually not planning on going home," he spoke quietly. "I'm going to stay at my girlfriend's place. She... she doesn't have a shower, just a bathtub, and I prefer to take showers."
"Ah," Nick said. "You see I promised another friend of mine that I would lend them the movie. I actually forgot to ask you to bring it in a few nights ago. Do you think we could stop by your place in the morning before you go to your girlfriend's place and get it? I promise not to keep you away from her for too long."
Greg bit his lip; although, he did not want to go back to his apartment he assumed that having Nick with him would be safe enough. If he was really being followed, his stalker wouldn't try to do anything while Nick was with him. "Yeah, we can do that."
"Great, thanks man. I will follow you to your apartment after shift then," Nick smiled before turning and walking away from the locker room.
Greg closed his eyes and tried to reassure himself that everything would be alright. He hoped if his stalker was waiting for him in the parking lot he would not follow him to his secluded spot near the desert. He did not know where else he could go. Taking a deep breath, he began to style his hair using the mirror that hung on his locker door.
Nick parked his car beside Greg's, surprised that the lab tech had parked in the back of the apartment complex. Nick got out of his car and joined Greg near the back door of the building. "Why are we parked around back?" Nick asked.
"The elevator was making strange noises yesterday; I don't want to ride in it. The stairs are closer to the back door than the front, so I thought it would save us time to just park here," Greg explained.
"Maybe you should talk to your landlord about how everything in the building seems to be breaking down," Nick suggested. He still felt as if something was off about Greg's excuses. They seemed like flimsy excuses.
"Yeah, I know," Greg said as they entered the building and started to walk up the stairway. Their voices echoed through the narrow stairwell.
"So Greg, you've been dating your girlfriend for a while now," Nick spoke as they reached the second floor and Greg slowly opened the door. Nick did not fail to notice the way that Greg looked up and down the short hallway before he slowly stepped out of the stairwell.
"Yeah, almost five months," Greg said walking toward his apartment a few doors down.
Greg seemed uncharacteristically quiet since they left the lab. Usually if someone asked Greg about his girlfriend, he would talk their ear off about her. He had told them about their dates, which Nick had to admit sounded far more romantic than his usual ideas for dates. His dates were at typical date locations like movies or a restaurant for dinner. Listening to the younger man talk about his unique dates had made his crush on the younger man grow more. He wondered what Greg would come up with for him. But despite his suspicions that Greg's girlfriend had been fabricated, Nick knew that Greg was not gay and pretending to be someone he was not like Nick had been doing for most of his life. It was not in Greg's character to pretend to be straight, if he was really gay. Greg would most likely announce it proudly to anyone willing to listen just like when he talks about his girlfriend.
Nick remained silent as Greg pulled out his keys and began to unlock his apartment door. As they entered, Nick noticed the apartment was just as neat and organized as it usually was. He wondered what their co-workers from the lab would think about the lab tech's apartment; since most of them would likely suspect that he was messy like he had before he first came to the apartment.
"Your DVD's over there on the shelf with the rest of them," Greg pointed to the large shelves near his large bay window. "If you don't mind getting it while I grab some more clothes from my bedroom before we go."
"Sure no problem," Nick said and walked toward the shelves. He watched Greg walk toward his bedroom from the corner of his eye before he started looking through the movies to find his. He was not surprised to discover that Greg had put his DVD amongst the others in alphabetical order. He wondered if Greg's organizational skills and nearly psychotic neatness was a result of the way he was raised or something else.
After finding his movie, Nick looked around the living area of the apartment while he waited for his friend to return. The bay window overlooked the parking lot and a large playground across the street. Nick could see several young kids, too young for school, already playing while their mothers or fathers looked on.
"Did you find it," Greg asked as he walked back into the living area.
"Yup, in alphabetical order just like everything else," Nick said still watching the children playing across the street. He noticed a couple of pre-schoolers running around the playground. He remembered he used to chase his sisters like that through their large back yard, but because they were older and taller at the time he was unable to catch them unless they allowed him to.
"Yeah, sorry I put it with the rest of them, but it just didn't look right to have it anywhere else," Greg explained as he walked toward him and glanced out the window. "What's so interesting outside?"
Nick glanced at the lab tech; he had not failed to notice the sudden nervousness that had invaded the younger man's tone of voice. Greg was staring at something in the back of the main parking lot where the only vehicle was an old powder blue Lincoln Continental that faced the direction of the play ground. Nick could just make out the outline of someone sitting in the driver's seat. Being a Criminalist, he could not help but wonder if the man was watching the children playing.
"I was just watching the children playing in the playground. It kinda reminded me of playing with my sisters when I was a kid," Nick said.
"I wouldn't know about that," Greg shrugged his shoulders.
"Do you know whose Lincoln Continental that is man?"
"No. Why?" Greg asked too quickly.
"I was just wondering. It seems suspicious. It's separated from all the other cars in the lot and there's someone sitting in it. It looks like they're watching the children at the park."
"I don't know," Greg said quickly. "I've never seen it before. I'm hungry, do you want to stop and get some breakfast before I go to Lisa's place?"
"Uh, sure man," Nick nodded turning to look out the window again. Greg's answers had been too quick, as if he knew more than he was willing to admit about the old car.
"I was surprised you wanted to go to breakfast before going to see your girlfriend, you seemed eager to go to her apartment when we were at the lab," Nick commented.
"When we were at the lab I thought I would want to go right home and go to sleep so I'm awake when she gets home from work. But I was hungry and I didn't want to lie in bed listening to my stomach growling," Greg explained.
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, we all know how annoying your stomach can be if you are not fed regularly," he teased. Greg ate like a teenager, eating whatever he wanted without gaining any weight.
"You should hear it when I'm in bed and everything else is quiet," Greg commented taking a drink of his coffee.
Nick's eyes widened at the comment, and he had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from making a comment. "I can imagine," he spoke quietly after several seconds of hesitation where some appealing ideas of being in bed with Greg invaded his mind.
"Well, I guess I should be going now," Greg said as he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and sat a couple of dollars on the table for a tip. He then grabbed the check off the table and turned to walk away.
"Hey wait," Nick said quickly getting up and following Greg. "I can pay half of that."
"Nah, I got it," Greg told him and handed the waitress at the counter nearest the exit the check and some money.
A few minutes later they were both leaving the diner together walking toward their cars. "You have work tonight," Nick asked.
"Yup, I'll see you tonight," Greg said.
"Yeah, see you later," Nick said as Greg climbed into his car.
Greg sighed as the car that had been following him passed by his location. The car had not been close behind him, but it had unnerved him regardless. Greg closed his eyes and berated himself for being such a scared baby. He could not help but wonder how long he was going to let his fear over Lisa's words rule his life. He was spending his days sleeping in his car in the desert, if Grissom saw him he would send him to the Psyche Ward at Desert Palms Hospital.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. He needed to stop thinking about his supposed stalker so he could get more than a few hours sleep. Greg slowly removed his seatbelt and climbed into the backseat of his car. He placed his pillow against the rear passenger side door and laid down. His car was not made to be slept in. He could not stretch out in the seat as he would like to and the seat belts constantly dug into his back while he tried to sleep. He really missed his bed.
Greg had just closed his eyes to try and sleep when he heard a noise outside of the car. He bit his lip and kept his eyes tightly closed hoping that it was just an animal outside the car. Several seconds passed and he began to relax again when suddenly he heard a knock on his window. He immediately reached for his cell phone in his pants pocket and opened his eyes hoping it had been a branch or something hitting the windshield. He doubted it. Upon opening his eyes he saw someone standing outside of his car and screamed.
Several more seconds passed before the shadowy figure of the man outside his car spoke. "Greg," Nick's familiar voice said. Greg closed his eyes and released the breath that he had been holding. His heart seemed to pound loudly in his chest like the rapid drum beats of his favorite songs. "Greg, could you please unlock the door?"
Taking a deep breath Greg sat up and reached up between the driver's side seat and the door to push the button to automatically unlock the doors. Nick immediately opened the passenger side door and climbed in. "Jesus Nick, you almost gave me a heart attack," Greg complained as the older man turned backward to face him.
"I'm sorry man, but what are you doing out here? Why aren't you at your girlfriend's place," Nick asked.
"She's away right now; I don't like staying in her..."
"Damn it Greg," Nick raised his voice, "stop lying to me. Is this about the stalker you told me about the other day? Did you lie when you said it was a prank?"
"I... Lisa's gone. She got another job; she left Vegas." Greg felt slightly relieved that he could at least tell the truth about that aspect of his situation.
"I'm sorry man, but why couldn't you tell me?"
"Nick, do you think I'm stupid? I know you have bets with Warrick and probably half the lab by now about whether Lisa was even real or if I just made her up. If I told you that we broke up before you got the chance to meet her you would have never believed that she was ever real. You talk about girls all the time. You practically have a different girl every night you have off. We don't meet them and no one accuses you of making the girls up. Why is that Nick," Greg questioned. His own voice was now raised. "It's because you are perfect Nick Stokes. The true ladies man, while I am just the strange geeky lab rat. Is it so hard to believe that a girl would agree to go out with me?"
"Whoa, now just a minute Greg."
"No Nick, don't try to tell me it's not true. Just leave alright."
"No," Nick said. "Look I admit it was wrong to assume that you made up having a girlfriend but you have to admit that you do exaggerate the truth quite a bit man."
"Oh come on," Greg said.
"No, Greg. You told Warrick that you surf; last I checked Lake Mead was lacking large enough waves. And you always talk about latex and pretend to know about all kinds of kinky sex things."
"You know Nick, you are an idiot. How can you be such a great CSI, but be blind to everything else? Do you know where I am from? I'm from California, last checked there were plenty of waves there, some are ideal for surfing. Just because I can't surf whenever I feel like it while I'm in Vegas doesn't mean I don't surf every time I go to visit my parents or just decide to go to California for the weekend."
"I... I'm sorry," Nick said. "You're right. I guess I shouldn't say anything without knowing more about you. But you still haven't told me why you are sleeping in your car in the dessert. What's wrong with your apartment?"
"Nothing is wrong with it aside from the shower; my landlord is refurbishing the apartment next to mine. Apparently my old neighbors damaged a lot. They work when I'm trying to sleep. It's quiet out here. I can't afford to stay at a hotel and like I already told you, Lisa left Vegas."
"Man, why didn't you say something? You know I would...."
"Feel sorry for me. I don't need your...."
"Stop that. I was going to say I would have helped you. Look, I know I haven't been acting like it lately, but you're my friend, Greg. I want to help you. I have a guest bedroom at my house and I would enjoy the company. We could play games; we could even call Warrick over and have a video football tournament. Come on, stay at my place till your apartment is quiet again."
"Nick, I'm fine here. I have food in the cooler, I usually go out to eat or I just pick up something, you don't need to burden yourself with me," Greg told him.
"Greg, you are not a burden and I'm not taking no for an answer so get your ass in the front seat so you can follow me to my place. You will stay in my guest bedroom. I'm sure my guest bed is much more comfortable than the backseat of your car and you can at least stretch your legs out."
"Fine," Greg conceded with a sigh. "I do know where you live, you know."
"Good then I will follow you, to make sure that you don't get any crazy ideas to go somewhere else," Nick told him.
Greg rolled his eyes and said, "Fine." Looking behind him he noticed that the other man's car was not parked behind his own. "Where's your car," he asked.
"It's parked on the side of the road across the street," Nick replied.
"Alright, go get your car and you can follow me again," Greg told him. After Nick walked away to go to his car, Greg sighed. He silently berated himself for not noticing that Nick had obviously been following him. What if it had been his stalker and not his friend? He shook his head and climbed into the front seat not wanting to think of the possibilities of that thought.
to be continued...