What's Wrong?

Pouring coffee into her coffee mug carefully Catherine looked over as Greg walked into the break room and smiled at her.

"Coffee break for you too, huh?" Greg said reaching for his own mug.

"Yeah, looks like it might be a long one tonight," she answered.

Catherine sat down at the table and rubbed her temples a bit before looking over at Greg who pulls out a chair and sits down next to her.

"Hey, Greg?" she says slowly.

"Mmm hmmm," he answered as he sipped of his coffee.

"Do you think Nicky is acting right?" she bit the inside of her cheek.

"I don't know, I didn't really think about it…," he paused, "...but now that you mention it,"

"I'm thinking something is up with him. He hasn't been right for the last week," she said turning her chair to look at him.

The two of them sat quietly voicing their concerns about their friend. They were worried about him and they weren't sure if they were over analyzing him or if there really was something going on. They just knew Nick was not acting like the Nicky they knew. They could tell just by the way he hasn't been focused or completely there with them.

"Yeah, he is definitely not on his game," Greg agreed. "Do you think we should ask him?"

"I don't know. I would think he would come to us if he had something bothering him, no?" she questioned as she took her last gulp of coffee.

Greg pressed his lips together in thought as Catherine got up to rinse her mug.

"Yeah, I don't know. I'm not sure. Maybe we're wrong," he questioned their suspicions and washed his mug once Catherine was finished.

"Let's just see how it goes," she said as they walked out of the break room together. "Maybe it will pass…if it's even anything at all."

Greg nodded in agreement and the break room door closed behind them.

Nick didn't mean to just hang up on Jules, but he couldn't physically talk. He was so thrown by her statement he couldn't do anything else but hang up and put the phone down.

Her words continued to echo in his head.

"Emma misses you…We need to figure out a schedule for you and her."

He couldn't stop it from replaying itself over and over inside his head as he cried hard in his hands.

This all just didn't make any sense. He loved them more than anything he had ever felt before. There was no way he would jeopardize his happiness to screw around with anyone, never mind Brooke Latham. He just couldn't wrap his head around it and he just couldn't stop crying from the intense pain in his heart.

Nick could hear voices coming closer to the locker room but he couldn't compose himself even if he tried, and hoped that the people talking wouldn't be coming inside and catch him crying.

Unfortunately for him, they were, and they would be shocked to find their colleague crying his heart out on the bench inside.

Greg opened the door and as he did he smiled at Catherine.

"After you, my dear," he laughed and allowed her to walk in first.

Greg nearly bumped into the back of her when she stopped short from what she saw.

Catherine's heart instantly sank.

"Nicky!?" she gasped. "Nicky, what's the matter!?" she scurried over to him with Greg following behind her confused as to what she saw.

"Whoa, whoa, what's up, Nick?" Greg asked startled when he saw the condition Nick was in.

Nick continued to hold his head in his hands and he tried hard to stop the tears. He was taught from the time he was a boy to keep a stiff upper lip and that men don't cry. But here he sat, on the bench in the locker room, crying like a child.

Catherine put her hand on his shoulder and Greg closed the locker room door tight.

Nick was silent as he wiped his face with both hands pulling himself back together.

"My God, Nicky, what is it? Is Emma, okay? Is it Jules?" Catherine pleaded for answers.

Nick took a deep breath and regrouped.

"No, Emma is fine," he said straightening himself up. "It's Jules…she…she threw me out," he swallowed hard and looked over at them.

"WHAT?!" Greg said loudly, jerking his head back with shock.

"No, no, Nicky," Catherine rubbed his back. "That can't be right, you two just had a great time in Texas a couple weeks ago! Jules and you…you two…no, I don't believe it," she shook her head.

"Dude, what happened?" Greg asked while putting his foot on the bench leaning in.

Nick began to tell them everything.

He explained who Brooke was and how drunk he was that night. He told them about the pictures sent to his house and about them being posted all over Jules' Facebook page. He insisted though, that there was no possible way it could have happened. It made no sense. He shared a crazy love with Jules; he had been from the start. He was happily married and lived for her and their daughter. Nick felt his tears rising but pushed them back down inside.

"Wait, what do you mean there were pictures sent anonymously?" Catherine asked. "Who would do that?"

Nick hadn't thought that far ahead. He had been dealing with the sadness of losing his wife over it to even think about where the pictures came from and who would be so sick to not only take them but to then send them to his wife.

He looked up at his friends.

"I have no idea."

"Nick, who has it out for you like that?" Greg asked confused. He wasn't understanding this whole debacle either. After all, Nick was a likable guy. He and Jules had no enemies, and yet this was a wicked thing to do to someone.

"I think you should call this Brooke chick and see what the fuck is up," Greg frowned.

"In the meantime, Nick, I think you should go home," Catherine said softly with concern, "you can't work like this."

"Yeah, man, I can cover you," Greg offered.

"Yeah Nicky, we got your back, trust me," Catherine gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I'm going to tell Grissom you're sick."

"Yeah, tell him Nick has a stomach bug," Greg looked over at Catherine, "if Griss thinks you could spread that around he will throw you out of here himself!"

Nick normally would have protested and insisted he was strong enough to carry on with his job, but he was too devastated to concentrate on anything but the realization that Jules was moving forward. He could hear in her voice how hardened and numb she had made herself become. He could feel it; it was only a matter of time before she would shut him out and turn him off completely. He knew her. She would never put up with him cheating on her; even though he was sure it couldn't be true.

He looked down at the floor and nodded. He was taking them up on his offer; he needed to get out of there.

"Where are you staying, Nick? Do you need a place to stay?" Greg asked him sincerely. "You can stay at my place if you need to, man."

"You wanna know where I am?" Nick looked over at him. "I am staying at Warrick's. His house is empty with him in Hawaii. I knew I could crash there, but once he gets home… Oh God, just wait until he hears about this," Nick looked down again, twisted his wedding band around and around and shook his head feeling sick.

"Well, he'll be gone another week," Catherine reminded him, "…let's hope you get this all figured out."

"Call that chick, Nick. I'm telling' ya, call her and ask her what the fuck went on," Greg insisted.

Nick nodded as he removed his vest and put it back in his locker. Grabbing his duffel bag from his locker, he threw it over his shoulder and walked toward the door.

"I owe you guys for this," he tried to smile.

"No you don't, Nick," Greg shook his head.

"No, you really don't Nicky. We want to see you get this worked out too. We care very much about all three of you, you know that," Catherine said walking over to him and giving his a heartfelt hug.

Nick nodded and looked at the floor ashamed.

As the locker room door closed behind him he heard Greg yell out…"If you need anything, let us know."

Once Nick was gone from the locker room, Catherine and Greg looked at each other shocked.

"Never saw that coming," Greg said feeling bad for his friend.

"Me neither, but Greg?" Catherine closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Yeah?"

"I gotta tell you what is really frightening me right now..." she stared off.

"What? What?" he asked unsure.

"The wrath of Warrick," she said and took a deep breath exhaling loudly.

The two of them remained silent and in deep thought as they walked together to Grissom's office.

Walking through the parking lot on his way to his truck Nick got a text.

Stomach bug? Take 2 days plz.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Catherine and Greg got to Grissom and played the stomach bug card. The last time Grissom got a stomach flu, it was so bad he swore he would rather be dead than to get something like that again.

Obviously Catherine and Greg knew the right thing to say to Grissom to make him not even want Nick to come to his office and ask to leave. Grissom wouldn't want that shit anywhere near him.

Nick clipped his phone back onto his side and clicked the alarm to open his truck before throwing his duffel bag into the back seat.

He was really happy to be able to just go home….even if it meant the only home he had to go to was Warrick's empty one.