-Nick-

He slammed his bare fist into the wall. "THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

"Nick, calm down!" Mandy said, grabbing his arm. "We'll find him."

Nick turned on her. "By who?" His anger seethed in his voice. "Ecklie lost the trail! We lost the trail!"

Catherine grabbed Nick's shirt and turned him around. She slapped him so hard he stumbled against the wall. "We'll find him! Now, either get a hold of yourself or you're off this case." She had her finger right in Nick's face when she said that. Nick's demeanor changed and she lowered her hand. "Ecklie, we need to put a notice out so we can find Greg. He's been through a lot already."

"His mental state won't be easily contained." Ecklie shrugged. "So, I'll alert people who handle him in the police departments and CSIs to be sure not to frighten him."

"Greggo."

Everyone looked at Nick. "Tell them to call him 'Greggo' rather than his name." He was rubbing his sore hand. "I called him that and he said his nana used to call him that." He sighed and looked at them. "It's like Grissom called me 'poncho' once."

"Right." Ecklie turned around and left them.

Nick looked away. "Now what do we do?"

"We can't do anything but wait." Catherine touched Nick's shoulder. "We don't have a choice." She gently squeezed his shoulder. "Nick..."

Nick put his face in his hands.

"Lemme talk to him, alone."

Mandy agreed and Nick felt his shoulders start to quiver just so.

"Nick, tell me..."

Nick leaned back and looked at Catherine. "I've seen him go through a lot." He laughed before he gave a little sniff. He looked away from Catherine and at his clenched hands. "I've seen him through the worst and the best of his life here. I watched him grow up and become the man he is."

Catherine touched Nick's hands and they unclenched from each other. "Nick, is it possible..."

Nick nodded. "I am over more than just liking him." He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. "I only realized it when he was in the hospital. I sat beside him for hours hoping he'd wake back up." He lowered his hands again. "I held his hand. I watched him suffer through his sleep." He looked at Catherine. "I watched him fall in love, over and over. I fell for him."

"Hard," Catherine commented. "Nick, listen, we'll find him. I know it's hard, but you have to keep this between us."

"Shouldn't I be telling you that?"

Catherine smiled. She patted his knee. "We'll find Greg. He's been through so much already."

Nick nodded.

"I'll give you a minute." Catherine left him be.

The hallway of the hospital seemed to desert Nick then. There wasn't a soul around.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He was flipping through all his unsent messages to Greg. All the things he kept inside. This was just another thing to-

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Nick lunged out of his seat and ran after Catherine.