Thank you all for reading and reviewing! This chapter contains spoilers for "Brain Doe."
I was going to wait to post this chapter, but I decided to share it with you all and wish you all a happy Sunday :). Hope you like it.
CSI001, Eric And Nell's Oreos, We Love Neville, and everyone who's read, reviewed and are following this story, you all are awesome! Thank you so much!
We finally find out what was in the letter...and does Morgan know the whole truth about what Greg went through? Read on and review please!
And I still don't own CSI.
Later that day, while Morgan was in autopsy with Doc Robbins, Greg and Catherine returned to the lab. When Sheriff Liston found them in the break room and asked to talk to Catherine, Greg made his way to the break room. He was pouring himself a cup of coffee when Nick walked in.
"Hey, how'd court go?"
"Ugh, lawyers suck."
Nick chuckled. "Preaching to the choir."
Greg took a sip and turned to face Nick. "We really have a brain with no owner?"
"Yeah, looks that way. Morgan's in autopsy with Doc Robbins now, looking at the brain we found at the scene."
Greg chuckled. "That must've been what Doc texted her about earlier."
Nick smiled as he made his way to the coffee machine to get his own cup. "So, you talked to her, then?"
Sighing, Greg said, "Yeah. I told her about Demetrius James."
Nick stared at Greg, concerned. "What did she say?"
"Not much," Greg said with another sigh. "She told me that it wasn't my fault."
"It wasn't. Greg, I'm not going to pretend I know what you went through, but I know you did nothing wrong!"
Greg looked at Nick, feeling comforted by his best friend's words and presence. "Thank you."
Nick smiled slightly and patted Greg's shoulder. "So, what was that letter yesterday?"
Holding Nick's gaze, Greg answered, "A copy of the letter Marla James wrote to the Vegas Globe after Aaron was caught up in that club shooting with Drops."
Nick nodded. "Yeah, I remember. Said she was wrong to blame you, and she was." Greg looked down and the floor. "And she said she was sorry for any damage she or her sons had caused." Taking a sip of his own coffee, Nick added, "Of course, having the victims of the beatings and their families file their own lawsuit against them after they got all that money from the settlement might have had something to do with her change of heart."
"Yeah," Greg said softly without looking up from the floor.
Placing a supportive hand on Greg's shoulder, Nick asked, "What else?"
Glancing up at Nick, Greg sighed. "She wanted me to know that she's forgiven me." Nick's eyes widened slightly as Greg chuckled sadly. "She said she'll never forget her son's death, but she was wrong to come after me, thinking he was...perfect."
"No parent wants to admit their child can do anything wrong, I guess."
Greg nodded. "She said that Aaron has, so far, stayed out of trouble. And she talked to a former professor of Demetrius' at the university that told her his grades went down about the same time he began hanging around with 'Pig'."
Nick nodded, remembering how when he and the police arrested Cole Tritt, a.k.a. Pig, and his gang, he had no remorse for what he did. Nick looked away thinking of how Greg had been through hell just because some jerk and his teenage friends were bored. Looking back up at Greg, Nick said, "I've always wished that had never happened to you."
Greg looked in Nick's brown eyes, realizing he was right. "Thank you." Greg placed his hand on Nick's shoulder. "Really, thank you for everything. I don't know...I don't know how I would've come through that without you and Sara and everyone."
Nick smiled and pulled Greg into a hug. "You're one of the strongest people I know, G."
Greg smiled. Pulling away, he patted Nick's shoulder. "I was going to say the same thing about you."
Both men shared a smile. Just then Sara walked past the break room.
"Hey, guys. Russell wants us to go through Clegg's car. Care to join me?"
"Sure," Greg answered. Setting his mug on the counter, he looked at Nick. "Thanks again."
Nick patted Greg's shoulder and smiled. "Anytime."
A few hours later, Sara was getting a snack in the break room when Morgan walked in.
"Hey," the younger CSI said as she walked to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water.
"Hey, Morgan."
"So, you and Greg got through the stuff from Clegg's car?"
"Mm-hmm," Sara said as she chewed on her fruit salad.
Morgan sat down at the table across from Sara and began to drink her water. "Greg okay?"
Sara smiled. "Yeah, he's good." Morgan smiled and shyly looked down at the table. "So he talked to you?"
Morgan nodded and slowly looked up. "He told me about what happened five years ago."
Sighing, Sara said, "I can't believe it's been that long."
Looking at Sara, Morgan said, "He must have been so scared."
Sara looked away, remembering seeing her friend after he was attacked. "Yeah, he looked...well, he looked like hell. He came through..."
Morgan stared at Sara, confused. "W-what do you mean, he looked like hell?"
Sara blinked in surprise. "I thought you said he talked to you."
"Apparently, not about everything."
Taking a deep breath, Sara said, "He told you about how he stopped the gang from beating up that man in the alley?"
Morgan nodded. "And he killed...Demetrius?"
"Demetrius James," Sara finished. Looking down, she continued. "He hit Demetrius with the SUV. And then the gang returned."
Morgan listened intently as Sara took a breath to steady herself. "They broke the windows out of the SUV and...and yanked Greg out. Then they...they beat him."
Sara found herself fighting to stop tears as Morgan just listened. "They nearly put him into a coma."
Morgan looked away, trying to take in what she'd just heard.
"I-I remember Sofia...you remember Sofia Curtis? Used to work with your dad on day shift?" Morgan nodded. "Well, she was the detective on the scene. She called me and told me what happened. I don't even remember hanging up the phone." Sara sniffled back tears. "When I saw him..." Sara looked down at the floor, remembering seeing someone she loved like a brother so hurt and helpless. "His eyes were swollen shut, there were bruises everywhere."
Morgan blew out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She had just found out in one day that Greg Sanders, who she thought was an almost carefree guy, had killed someone in self-defense and was nearly killed himself.
Sara looked up at Morgan, who was now staring off into space. "I'm so sorry...I thought he'd told you..."
Morgan blinked as Sara's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh, that's okay. I-I mean, I hate that that happened to him."
"Like we said, Greg went through hell. A few months later, Demetrius James' brother was involved in a shooting with a club promoter."
"Yeah, Greg told me about that," Morgan said.
"Anyway, I was with Greg when Mrs. James barrelled into the lab and confronted Greg. She held him responsible for the fact that her son was arrested, shouted that Greg owed him." Sara chuckled sadly. "Greg followed her. I heard him tell her that Demetrius was a killer, and her other son made the decision to do drugs and to be in the limo involved in a double homicide. He said that it wasn't on him, it was on them."
"And she said that her other son was all she had left," Morgan continued, looking down at the table.
Sara sighed and took Morgan's hand. "I am so sorry I had to be the one to tell you that."
Morgan looked at Sara and smiled slightly. "Thank you." She looked back down at the table.
Sara released Morgan's hand. "I think Greg's always been stronger than some people give him credit for."
"Certainly more than I did," Morgan said softly without looking up from the table.
"Morgan?" Sara waited for the younger woman to look up at her. "I wish that it had never happened. But Greg's proven that he is one of the bravest people I know. And I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you about that, but...well, maybe now you see why we're all so protective of him and of each other."
A soft smile crossed Morgan's face. She nodded. "Thank you, Sara."
Sara smiled and gently squeezed Morgan's shoulder. As she got up to throw her trash away, Sara said, "You guys going to get together later?"
"Yeah," Morgan answered with a smile.
Sara smiled and left.
Morgan let out a heavy sigh and wrapped her hands around her water bottle. She had wanted to know what Greg had been through, why her father and Catherine had said he knew what she was going through. Now she knew, and instead of feeling a weight lifted from her shoulders, it felt like a ton of bricks had fallen on her. Now she knew why Greg had been so protective of her after finding out about her hijacking.
Taking her hands off the almost strangle-hold she had on the water bottle, Morgan debated about texting Greg. She wanted to tell him that he shouldn't blame himself, and that she wished she could've been there for him during his own ordeal. As she stood up, she saw Russell walk into the room.
"Hey, you okay?" her boss asked when he saw her somewhat dazed expression.
"Yeah," Morgan answered. "Do you know where Greg is?"
"Yeah, I sent him home. He has tomorrow off." Russell filled up his mug with coffee.
Morgan asked, "Do you need me for anything else?"
"Hmm? Oh, no. You did a good job with everyone on the case. See you day after tomorrow."
"Thanks," Morgan said as she left the room. She wanted to see Greg again. She wanted him to know that she was grateful for him being there for her. She just wished she could've been there for him.
TBC...