This was written for the prompt Gun Shot wound off my Bad Things Happen Bingo Card on Tumblr.
This story can also be found on my Tumblr page: Letthewhumpbegin.
The gunshot echoed loudly through the warehouse. The crime scene they were working should have been abandoned apart from Nick, Greg, and a few officers. But this unmistaken sound of a gunshot confirmed that the crime scene certainly hadn't been secured properly.
Nick had never dropped himself to the ground any faster.
Everything around him happened in a blur. People running, people yelling, the crackling of radio calls, and finally the words yelled through the warehouse Nick had been dreading.
"Suspect on location! Shots fired! One man down!"
Man down? Nick hurriedly scrambled to his feet, forgetting all danger immediately. A horrible sense of foreboding had taken a hold of him.
The gunshot had sounded from his left, in between the endless rows of ceiling-high shelving units. The area Greg was working...
"Greg?!" Nick called out, already panicked at the lack of response or sight of his partner.
He sprinted through the aisles in between the shelving units.
"Greg, answer me, buddy!" Nick ran through the maze of aisles, until he was finally met with a sight that made his heart drop right to the bottom of his shoes.
There, halfway down the umpteenth aisle Nick turned into, lay Greg. There was no doubt he had been on the receiving end of the gunshot which had sounded through the warehouse not a minute ago.
"No, no, no, no..." Nick skidded to a halt and dropped to his knees by Greg's side.
The younger CSI lay on his back, trembling hands hovering over an obvious gunshot wound to his abdomen, and the most indescribable fear in his eyes.
"He... he c-came out of nowhere..." Greg stammered frantically, "I- I didn't even have time... have time... to pull my gun..."
He was hyperventilating by now, barely able to get any more words out, and there wasn't a muscle in his body that didn't tremble.
"Calm down." Nick tried to sooth. "You did nothing wrong, calm down."
Running footsteps announced the arrival of someone. Nick was swiftly back on his feet and quick to draw his gun. He didn't know whether or not the suspect had been apprehended and he sure wasn't going to take any chances.
"Whoa!" One of the officers on the scene came to a skidding stop, raising his hands in surrender when he saw the gun aimed at him.
"Sorry." Nick immediately stowed his gun away again. "Call this in. Tell them we have a CSI down and we need an ambulance straight away."
As the officer trotted away to do as he was asked, Nick shook off the jacket he wore. It would at least be a little while until the ambulance was here, and he needed to slow the bleeding.
He knelt down by Greg's side again, placing his folded up jacket over the wound.
"I'm sorry, man, but you're not going to like me for this." Nick dreaded what he was about to do.
Greg's teeth chattered with fear and pain. "I know."
Nick placed his hands over the jacket and slowly increased the pressure. He felt Greg writhe under his hands. The younger CSI whimper loudly, and a single tear rolled from the corner of his eye as his pain even further increased.
"Stop... stop, please..." Greg finally pleaded.
Nick shook his head, swallowing back the lump in his throat. "I can't. I have to keep pressure on this."
"I can't t-take it." Tears now streamed down Greg's face. "P-please... it hurts." He tried to push Nick's hands away, but couldn't find much strength to do so.
If Nick would have thought it was a good idea to release the pressure, he would have done so. But the amount of blood already on his hands and jacket was fairly worrying, so he knew he couldn't.
"I'm sorry, buddy, I'm sorry. You'll be alright." Nick repeated the words under his breath like a mantra.
Finally, after what felt like hours to Nick, Greg lay still. He was somewhere in between consciousness and unconsciousness, but didn't seem quite aware of what was happening anymore. Each of his short, hitched breaths was followed by an involuntary whimper in pain.
It didn't go unnoticed to Nick that his partner was getting less and less responsive.
"Come on, Greg, stay with me." Nick gently tapped Greg's cheek. "Help is on the way. I'm gonna make sure you're alright, but I need you to stay awake, alright?"
Greg's glassy gaze landed on Nick's face. He tried to speak, but no coherent words came out.
It scared Nick shitless to see Greg like this, and it only confirmed to him how serious this situation indeed was.
He was just about to lose his cool altogether, when Nick heard the sound that answered all his prayers: paramedics arriving.
Not a minute later, Nick was caught in a whirlwind of things happening around him. He was gently pushed aside as his hands pressing onto Greg's abdomen were replaced by a paramedic's hands.
He watched as if through a fog while the paramedics cut Greg's shirt open, applied electrodes to his chest for the heart monitor, and read out some statistics on his vitals.
"Heart rate elevated... blood pressure on the low side, but steady... significant bleeding..."
None of these phrases Nick overheard did much to ease his fears. It only confirmed what he already knew: this was serious.
The paramedics wasted no time in moving Greg onto the gurney and readying him for transport.
Greg was completely unresponsive by now. Whether he had passed out or was knocked out by drugs the paramedics had administered, Nick did not know.
Nick hurried after them as Greg was wheeled to the ambulance.
"Where are you taking him?" He called after the paramedics.
"Sunrise." One of them called back, before slamming the doors of the ambulance shut.
Nick had never felt so helpless as when he watched the ambulance speed away, lights flashing and sirens blaring. He needed to stay here at the scene, at least until he could hand over the case to someone else, and couldn't go with Greg to the hospital right now.
Nick took a shuddering breath. "Hang in there, buddy."
"Nick?"
Nick wasn't sure how long he had stood there, in the middle of the warehouse's parking lot, staring after the ambulance that had long since disappeared from view.
Nick awoke from his trance to find Russell standing in front of him, looking absolutely shocked and horrified.
"Are you okay?" Russell looked in horror at the blood staining Nick's hands and clothes. "Are you hurt?"
"No..." Nick's voice sounded hoarse and his throat felt like sandpaper. "I'm alright. This is all... Greg's..." His voice faltered on his colleague and friend's name.
Russell sighed heftily. "What the hell happened?"
"The killer was on the scene." Nick slowly shook his head. "Either he came back or he was still here. If you'll go inside, you'll see that the place is like a maze, and there is plenty of places to hide."
"Greg must've stumbled upon his hiding place," Russell concluded.
"He was working out of my line of view," Nick mumbled, frantically all of a sudden, "I only heard the shot, and I... I found him. Oh, god..." Nick clasped his hands over his face.
"Hey, hey." Russell rested his hands on Nick's shoulders. "You did good, you did everything right. Greg's getting the best care there is right now."
Nick took a few deep breaths to steady himself. "Now what?"
"Finn and I will take over processing the crime scene," Russell answered calmly, "I need you to get yourself cleaned up, before giving a statement on the shooting to Brass. Once you're done I think it's best you go home."
Nick minutely shook his head. "I'll be going to the hospital. I'll only be driving myself crazy at home."
"Are you sure?" Russell frowned.
"Yeah." Nick nodded determinedly. "I'm sure."
Nick wasn't sure how long he had sat in the hospital's waiting room. He looked up hopefully at each door that opened and each doctor that passed, hoping they would bring news on Greg.
Just when he felt like going crazy with the waiting and the uncertainty, a doctor approached him.
"Mr. Stokes?"
Nick immediately jumped to his feet. "Yes, that's me. Is he alright? Is Greg okay?" That primal fear he had felt at the crime scene suddenly coursed through his veins again.
"The surgery was successful," the doctor explained, "we were able to stop the bleeding and repair the damage the bullet did."
"That's- that's good news, right?" Nick still worried.
"It is." The doctor smiled briefly. "He lost a fair amount of blood, but his condition is stable. If you hadn't had pressed the wound closed, it could have been a lot worse."
Nick sighed a deep sigh of relief. This really was something he needed to hear. Sure, Greg would still have a lot of recovery to do, but the doctor's cautious optimism on his full recovery was definitely something Nick needed to hear.
"Can I see him?" Nick asked.
"You can," the doctor nodded, "I'll show you to him."
After sending a quick text to both Brass and Russell, Nick stepped into the quiet of the hospital room Greg had been appointed. The noises of the hospital were drowned out the moment Nick pulled the door shut behind him.
Nick sat himself down in the chair by Greg's bedside. He had expected Greg to still be out, but was somewhat surprised when the younger CSI stirred and groggily opened his eyes.
"Hey." Greg sounded exhausted and not entirely lucid yet after the anesthetic and the blood loss.
"Hey, man," Nick said softly, "how're you feeling?"
"Absolutely trainwrecked," Greg mumbled, "but all these painkillers have me high as a kite."
Nick chuckled. He was glad to see Greg already had some of his wit back.
"Nick..." Even though weak, Greg's voice held a serious undertone now. "Thank you, for what you did for me today. Without you there, I..." Greg's voice trailed off as he tried to swallow away the sudden lump in his throat.
"There's no need to thank me," Nick smiled softly.
"Yes, there is," Greg immediately replied, "I know you won't accept anything for it, not even just the credits, but at least let me buy you a steak dinner once I'm up and running again."
Nick chuckled. "Deal."
Nick could see how much Greg needed his rest for now, and he would gladly grant him that. Just seeing Greg and speaking to him, had calmed most of Nick's fears and worries, and he was satisfied about his friend's well-being.
Nick slowly rose to his feet. "Get some sleep. I'll come visit you again first thing tomorrow."
But before Nick could even fully get up out of his seat, Greg's hand wrapped around his sleeve.
"Would you..." Greg hesitated, "would you mind staying? I don't like being here by myself, and... my parents are out of state, they can't be here until tomorrow, so..."
Nick didn't even need to think twice, and immediately sat back down. "Of course."
If that was what Greg needed to be calm and get the much-needed rest, than Nick would stay. Because all that mattered was that Greg got better.