Chapter Three:
The Guy:
He's the big affair I cannot forget
Only guy I ever think of with regret
Gershwin
She smiled when Warrick purposely placed a new "pink" baseball in front of her while the others looked on in confusion.
Grissom tried to cover the smirk.
"What's with the ball?" asked Nick. "Did we miss a memo or something?"
"Our Sara told us last night that she used to play baseball," informed Warrick.
"There's nothing wrong with that," defended Nick as he took a sip of coffee.
"Our Sara played on a guy's team," added Warrick.
"You're kidding?" asked Nick, looking surprised.
"What? You think girls cannot play ball?" she challenged.
Nick cleared his throat and then coughed. "I bet you can do anything you set your mind to, buttercup."
He winked as he took a sip of coffee.
"You're just trying to get brownie points….and pretending that you're sick isn't going to get you any additional points," charged Warrick.
"It might with me," smiled Sara as she returned the wink.
The exchange did not go unnoticed by Grissom.
"Could we get to work?" he huffed.
He glanced at Nick when it came to his turn.
"Nicky, you sure you're up to the field?" asked Grissom.
"A little more coffee and a box of Kleenex and I'm good to go," he lied.
"I'll go with cowboy," offered Sara.
"No cross contamination," warned Grissom.
"Are you talking about crime scene…or Sara?" asked Greg.
Greg quickly shut up at the glare he got from Sara.
"Yes sir…to both," agreed Nick as he gave a devilish grin to Sara.
Grissom's eyes followed the couple until they were out of sight.
Nick insisted on driving while Sara frowned at the constant sneezing.
She handed him a Kleenex.
"It's just a little cold," he admitted.
"And I so don't want you to share," she announced.
He chuckled when she edged closer to the passenger door.
"You and germs," he teased.
"Me and not getting sick because I stay away from germs," she said.
"Then why did you offer to assist me?"
"Brownie points…you earned them."
He grinned, turning up the country and western music.
Sara waved at Vartann as she stepped out of the vehicle grabbing her kit.
Ahead, she caught sight of Doc just as he disappeared into the warehouse.
"I guess we're in no hurry since Doc just got here. I figured the body would have already been moved," sighed Nick as he popped a cough drop into his mouth.
"No germs," Sara warned.
Nick sneezed and she backed away.
"Hey Stokes, haven't seen you out and about," called Vartann.
"Too many hours," he replied.
"Yeah, well, I have a pool game waiting with your name on it."
"Sounds good. I guess you're just glutton for punishment," chuckled Nick.
Sara and Nick stepped into the warehouse.
They followed the sound of voices near the back, circling around stacks of wood and lumber.
"I feel like a rat in a maze," grumbled Sara as they continued through the narrow passageway.
"I love the smell of wood," announced Nick.
"Getting homesick for Texas?" asked Sara.
"All of the time," he admitted.
"You are such a momma's boy. You…"
Sara's words were interrupted by the sound coming from above.
A dark figure jumped across the stack of lumber above them.
Nick and Sara quickly pulled their weapons as shots rained down on them.
Nick pushed Sara against the stack of lumber.
"What the hell!" he yelled.
The figure once more jumped to the other stack of wood, forcing them into the open in order to hide.
A bullet whizzed by their heads, sending debris into Sara's eyes just as she shot off a round.
She stumbled but Nick grabbed her, steadying her.
"Where the hell is backup?" yelled Sara.
"We're sitting ducks as long as…"
The stack of lumber came crashing down on top of them.
Sara's gun slid across the floor as her head connected with the concrete floor.
"Sara!"
She tried to focus through blurry eyes as she saw Nick cover her body with his as the assailant shot once again.
"Nick!" she yelled.
Sounds were muffled as more gunfire erupted.
She gasped when more lumber fell on top of them.
The pressure on her chest was unbearable but she tried to turn in order to see Nick.
"Nick!" she called feebly.
There were footsteps and then the sound of feet running toward them.
The pressure eased as the lumber was thrown to the side.
Moments later she felt hands on her body as the final piece of lumber was removed.
She was relieved to see that it was Vartann and Doc.
"Nick," she managed to get out.
"Sara, it's Doc. Nick is okay. Let me take a look at you," he offered as the medics placed the stretcher on the ground.
"You may have some broken ribs…nasty hit on the head. You're damn lucky you weren't shot."
"How is Nicky?" she begged.
"He's a little worse for wear. A bullet in his shoulder but he's going to be fine."
"He…got shot because of me….covered me with his body," she gasped as she tried to sit up.
"Don't move, Sara. There's blood on the back of your shirt. You may have been shot," he cautioned.
"I'm not…I'm just short winded…from the pressure," she winced when she tried to roll over to face him.
"Slowly," he warned.
Sara sat up once she was thoroughly examined by Doc.
She struggled to stand when she saw the medics working on Nick.
"Nick…Nicky!"
"Sara, I examined him…he's going to be alright," urged Doc.
Her hand held her head, not liking the feel of the rather large knot.
Grissom rushed into the building, slowing when he caught sight of Doc standing beside Sara while they watched the paramedics begin to remove Nick.
She stepped forward, her hand briefly connecting with Nick's as they passed by.
"What happened to being afraid of germs?" Nick groaned.
"Shut up cowboy," she whispered. "You just earned yourself a whole slew of brownie points."
He tried to smile but winced.
"Nick!" she cried.
"It's okay Sar," he managed to get out.
Her eyes followed them until they were out of sight.
She didn't notice Grissom who was trying to make his way to her side.
Doc grumbled when he noticed blood on her hand.
"That goose egg may need stitches," he warned.
"Stitches?"
Sara glanced down at the concrete floor.
There was a large pool of blood on the floor.
"Nick…Nick lost a lot of blood," she whispered.
Brass and Doc exchanged glances.
"Sara…I think we need to get you to the hospital too," urged Doc.
She nodded, letting him guide her away before Grissom could get near her.
She woke later in a stark white room.
Greg sat beside her, with a smile on his face. "Sleeping beauty wakes."
She winced from the pain in her side.
"You have a couple of bruised ribs and a goose egg on your head…only three stitches."
"Thanks Greg."
"The good news is that they're going to release you in a couple of hours if you're feeling okay."
"How's Nick?" she asked quickly.
"In surgery. Grissom just left a few minutes ago to talk with his parents who flew in."
"How long have I been…here?"
"About six hours."
She touched the back of her head and winced.
"Told you so," he quipped.
She started to get up but then realized her clothes had been removed.
Greg grinned.
The door opened and eyes turned to the entry.
Grissom sighed in relief at seeing her conscious.
"Nick?" she asked anxiously.
"Surgery went well. He's going to make a full recovery. I had to leave for a moment so…"
"Greg told me. How are Nicky's parents?"
"Upset…but relieved."
"Did they get the guy?" asked Sara.
"Yes. Both of you were lucky…as well as Doc."
Hours later she sat in the waiting room, hoping to see Nick before being forced to leave by Grissom and the others.
Her head felt like it was going to explode but she didn't dare complain.
She needed to see for her very own eyes that Nick was recovering.
His parents stepped out of the room and she stood on wobbly legs.
"He threw us out," whined his mother.
"Now, darling, he knows you're tired and he just needs a bit of shut eye so he can get some color back…we'll check back in a few hours," assured her husband.
The Stokes spoke briefly with Grissom and Catherine giving her an opportunity to slip into the room.
Finding her seat empty, Grissom knew what she had pulled.
Quietly Sara slipped her hand into Nick's.
"Hey there Sar. They told me you were at home," he said.
"I'm headed there but I needed to see you," she whispered. "I needed to thank you for protecting me."
He grinned. "Be sure and tell my Momma that so she doesn't tan my hide for getting shot."
"Yeah well, I would have been shot if you hadn't covered your body over mine after the lumber landed on me."
Nick groaned when he attempted to move. "I don't remember much."
"Get some sleep. I'll check on you tomorrow," she whispered, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.
"That should have brought some color back into my cheeks," he drawled. "And you didn't even worry about catching my germs."
"You're impossible. You know that?" she teased.
"Go home Sara. Hey, you are okay, right?" he asked.
"Just some bumps and bruises."
He closed his eyes, smiling at that. "Not every day I can rescue a ball playing damsel in distress."
Sara grinned as she slipped back into the waiting area.
Greg was there waiting for her.
"I am supposed to take you home," he announced.
Sara's eyes dashed briefly in Grissom's direction.
He was knee deep in conversation with Ecklie and Brass.
Greg boldly wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Greg, I don't need help," she chided softly.
"Pretend you do so I can have something to dream about later," he teased.
She purposely leaned into him and he grinned fully.
"Hey, did I ever tell you about the time I single handedly rescued two girls from a rat in college?"
"Oh this should be good," she teased.
"It is. This was no ordinary rat. It was a sewer rat…the size of a cat," he beamed.
Grissom's eyes caught sight of them. It worried him how Sara leaned on Greg.
He had wanted to say something to her before she left but Ecklie was being impossible.
In less than an hour, she unlocked her door, stepping inside.
Greg placed her medication and release papers on the counter.
"I could stay," he offered.
"Greg, I'm just going to sleep," she replied.
"Sleep is good. You want the right or the left side of the bed?" he asked.
She opened the door and he reluctantly stepped back into the hallway. "Nice try."
"I make a mean bowl of cereal," he announced.
"I bet you do. Night."
She quickly closed the door before he could protest.
She leaned against the apartment door.
Her head did not ache as much but she decided to take her medication to ward off any further pain that might hinder her ability to sleep.
Sleep was something she wanted to do more than anything despite the fact that she had been unconscious for quite some time.
She gulped down the medicine with water and then grabbed a piece of fruit.
Her laptop sat where she had left it.
She started to turn it on but turned toward the bedroom.
She showered, cursing at the pain it caused to wash her hair and then cursing when she tried to dry it, no longer finding the energy to stay up.
Her side was now hurting and she popped another pain pill for good measure.
No bad dreams…
Nick is fine…
You saw for yourself…
He risked his life for me…
She swiped at the tears viciously, not able to contain them any longer.
Nick had almost died tonight.
She had hoped that Grissom would have been the one to bring her home but she knew it would be hours of interviews, debriefing and mounds of paperwork before he would be able to shut down for a few hours before shift.
Shift…
She had hoped to work, not wishing for the others to work over because they were going to be down two.
The tears slowed as she felt the effects of the pain medicine and she welcomed it.
Her body stiffened when there was a slight dip in the mattress and then warm arms encircled her body.
"Just sleep, Sara," he whispered, placing soft kisses on her temple.
A soft hiccup escaped her lips.
"Nick is going to be fine," he assured her. "Just sleep. Let your body heal."
She leaned back into the warm body.
"Sleep while I watch over you."
"I didn't think you would be able to come," she whispered.
"I'm here. I've always watched over you. Just sleep," he whispered into her ear as he pressed his lips against her temple.
Note from author:
So...the suspense is building...you'll soon know what's going on...and then...well, I'm just going to say...nope, I said I wouldn't give any clues so I won't...LOL
Take care!
Penny