Buried Alive

Sorry for the lateness; I've been so caught up with making this last chapter really good as well as college stuff! It's been sooo crazy; but anyways, I hope you like this chapter and thank you all for everything! Enjoy!

Chapter 11

The minute he open his eyes, he knew something was wrong. It was completely dark and he felt really...trapped. Swallowing tersely, Greg tried to move around but found out he was limited; his breathing became erratic when he started to sit up. But instead of see a hospital room, he hit his forehead on wood.

"No." He felt like he was gonna be sick. "No, this can't...oh god. Nick? Catherine? S-Sara?" Had it all been a dream? Had being saved just been a fantasy of his fevered brain? "Nick!"

Suddenly, a bright light flickered on, causing Greg to squint and turn his head away. "Nick? Is that you."

"You're friends are dead, kid. I killed them all. Now you are going to die slowly...alone."

"Please...please don't, I'll do anything."

"Anything, huh? Then take the gun and shoot yourself in the head."

"W-What?"

"You heard me. Kill yourself. Your friends are dead and there is no one to save you. Why not end the suffering now?"

"I don't think I can."

"Why, because you're a wimp, little baby? That's why everyone hates you. And you know what? Nick hated you the most; before I slashed his throat, he said this was all your fault and that he wanted you to die."

"No, y-you're lying." This couldn't be happening.

"I'm not lying, kid. It's true. They loathed you Greg, they just didn't have the heart to tell you. Now, be a good boy and kill yourself before the bugs come."

"What? What bugs?" All of a sudden, he heard scratching outside his coffin; before he could do anything else, the wood cracked and ants came pouring in. Almost immediately, pain sparked over his entire body. The ants were eating him alive. He tried shaking them off, but there wasn't any room to do so. "No, please! Oh god, ahhh! Nick, please help! Please!"

The Texan had been dozing in the chair when he heard small whimpers coming from the bed. Sitting up quickly, he looked at his little brother and his heart immediately broke. Greg's pale and pain filled face was covered in a thick layer of sweat while his fists clutched the sheets and thrashed around weakly. Nightmare.

"Get them off me! Nick, p-please...help!"

"Crap." The poor kid had dealt with enough already; he didn't need to endure this. Leaning forward, he placed a comforting hand on Greg's forehead. "Shh, it's okay, buddy. You're okay now, you're safe. We got you out and you're safe. Just open your eyes man."

But it didn't help...it only made it worse. "Shit. G, come on, wake up for me alright? I promise nothing-"

All of a sudden, Greg shot up from the bed, nearly colliding into Nick and breathing like he'd just been close to drowning.

"Greg!" The Texan grabbed a hold of the blonde's flailing arms and held them down. "Greggo, calm down buddy, you're okay now."

Greg's breaths were erratic and wheezing, but looked at his friend. "N-Nick?"

"Right here, man."

Greg's body shivered as he looked away, wiping his face tiredly.

"You okay?"

"Y-Yeah...just...just a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Greg shook his head. "There's nothing to talk about. It was just a bad dream, end of story."

Nick was a little taken aback at how irritated the kid sounded. He frowned, sitting back in his seat. "You okay, bud?"

"Yeah, fine," Greg muttered, closing his eyes. He was exhausted; exhausted from crying, exhausted from being asked if he was okay and exhausted from the nightmares that beat him down with constant insults. He was beginning to wonder if Nick had lied to him about the things he "didn't do" and that maybe he was in on all of his. What the hell are you thinking Greg? You've known Nick for almost six years; and like he said, he would never hurt you.

"Greg? Greg!?"

The young CSI opened his eyes, but once again he was met with darkness. He frowned...hadn't he just been in the hospital? He was feeling claustrophobic and extremely hot...like being in an oven. Coughing, he tried to move...but he was trapped...he was back in the box. These nightmares were never going to end. All of a sudden, the space started to get smaller and smaller; his calm breaths transitioned into frantic wheezes.

"Help! Please!" He chest was starting to get tight and soon enough he couldn't breathe at all. His lungs were burning, pleading for much needed oxygen; it felt like someone was squeezing all the air out with their fists. Something was seriously wrong. He was sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss. "H-Help, I c-can't-" but that was all he could get out before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he knew no more.

Nick went into a full state of panic when Greg stopped breathing, his oxygen levels plummeting and his head falling limply to the side. At one moment, Greg was breathing fine and awake, the next he went still and didn't exhale. He slammed his palm on the call button before running out in the hallway, shouting for help. When he saw the first two nurses come running, Nick bolted back into the room.

"It'll be okay, buddy," he whispered, running his hands over Greg's forehead and through his damp hair. "The doctors are gonna make you better." He looked down and saw that the man's lips were already tinted blue. "Shit; come on, G don't do this. Don't give up." Pretty soon, he was shoved out of the way while the doctors tried to get Greg breathing again. Nick stumbled against the wall as he watched in horror.

"Windpipe is inflamed, swelling shut. Inject him with epinephrine!"

A nurse grabbed a syringe, pulled back the sheets and within seconds she stabbed it into Greg's upper leg. They waited for a few moment in silent fear and Nick was staring at Greg, praying the kid would breath.

"Come on, kid," Dr. Moorhead whispered, hoping they wouldn't have to shove a tube down the man's throat. And just when she was about to tell the nurse to get the ventilator, Greg inhaled sharply, gulping in vast amounts of oxygen. He sat up quickly, coughing violently and trying to inhale normally.

"Greg! Greg, take it easy," Dr. Moorhead said calmly while placing the oxygen mask over his face.

A nurse came up to Nick, pushing him back and outside the room. "Sir, we're gonna need you to leave for a moment while the doctor assesses your friend."

Before he could open his mouth, the door was shut in his face. Nick sighed heavily, pinching his eyes and collapsing in a chair. "Dammit, Greg." It had been close. Again.

~+CSI+~

Nick watched quietly as Greg's chest bobbed up and down, his breath fogging up the mask. He looked over at Sara who was holding the kid's hand and running her fingers through his hair.

"So what did Dr. Moorhead say? What happened?"

"She said something about a bad reaction to the medicine. They took him off but the healing will take a bit longer."

"At least he's alive; that's all that mattered."

"Yeah." Nick rubbed his face tiredly as he leaned back in his chair. He was exhausted. "Wake me up if something happens."

"I will, Nick, just get some sleep."

The instant he closed his eyes, he felt like he was in a small space; every time he breathed, the air would reverberate back to him. His eyes snapped open and he was met with total darkness; frowning, he put his hands in front of him, trying to move...but he couldn't.

"No...no, no, no." This couldn't be happening again. A bright light flashed on, glaring in his eyes. He turned his head, finding himself looking into the vent that provided air whenever the light turned off. He was in his grave...in the glass box again. "Help, anybody! Please get me out!" He banged on the surface and squirmed around the small space. He was gonna die this time; he was sure of it.

"Help!" Then he remembered the gun...it was right by his hand. It was the only way; he was never gonna get out and he wasn't going through this again. "I'm sorry Greg." And with that, he put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

Nick's eyes blinked open abruptly and the first thing he saw was Greg. The lamp on the nightstand was on, the kid's eyes were open and he was sitting up, staring at Nick sadly and uncertainly. Immediately, the Texan sat up straighter, putting a fake grin on his face.

"Hey, buddy. How long have you been up?"

"Awhile."

Nick nodded as he wiped his face and looked around. "Where's Sara?"

"She went to go get Dr. Moorhead, m'starting to get a headache." Greg settled back against the pillows and squeezed his eyes shut.

Nick pursed his lips in sympathy while leaning towards the lamp. "Do you want me to turn off-"

"No, don't!" Greg shouted, grabbing Nick's wrist. "I mean...it's fine. I'm fine."

"Greg-"

"I said I'm fine! Can you...just get Sara?" He didn't know why he was so irritated all time, but he hated all these questions. It was probably from bottling up his emotions, however pushing his burdens onto someone else-especially one that had went through the same horror- was not what he liked to do.

Nick was about to say something but decided against it. He knew exactly what Greg was doing and why he was acting this way. He had been the same after he was...after what happened to him. He just didn't know how to get through to the man without causing too much distress.

"Alright, I'll get her." He stood up and placed a hand on Greg's arm. "You're gonna be okay, G. I'll be here when you're ready to talk." With that, he walked out of the room before the kid was able to respond.

Greg watched with his arms crossed and when the Texan disappeared out the door, his facade fell. Tears trickled down his face and he slumped back. He was barely keeping it together; he was not fine and he felt extremely bad that he was being rude to his best friend and brother. The man who was trying as hard as he could to get him through this. He started sobbing unbeknownst that Nick didn't go far; the man was actually standing right outside the door, leaning against the wall. His heart was breaking at the tortured cries of his little brother and he wanted to be there. But Greg wasn't ready. Softly hitting his head on the wall, he reluctantly walked away, going to find the brunette.

By the time he, Sara and Dr. Moorhead returned, Greg was fast asleep but neither of them missed the tear marks on the kid's cheeks or the pained look on his face.

"What happened?" Sara asked as Dr. Moorhead injected more pain meds into Greg's I.V.

"He's...He's having a hard time with all of...with what happened and it's taking a while to get him to talk about it."

"He'll get through this," Sara said, rubbing his arm. "You'll get him through this." They watched as Greg's body seemed to relax once the drugs were administered. "I know he's got the team, but he doesn't have alcohol to turn to like...like you did because he doesn't drink. He needs you, Nick, before something bad ends up happening. I know what it's like to bottle up all the feelings, the emotions, the horrors that he faced and I know you do to. It will take awhile, but just ease him through it."

"I know, Sara." It had take Greg a long time to get Nick to open up, but Greg wasn't the type to be the center of attention- well, when it came to something serious. The kid was selfless- he put petty things before his important things. He just hoped he could find a way to talk to his little brother without upsetting him. It wasn't gonna be a cake walk.

"He should be all set now," Dr. Moorhead smiled warmly. "If you need anything else, you know where to find me." With that, she disappeared down the hallway, leaving Sara and Nick standing by the door.

"You wanna go in right now?"

Nick forced a smile and shook his head. "No, you sit with him for a while, I need to clear my head."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah...Greg seems bothered by me anyways." Before Sara could answer, Nick turned his back and left down the hall, slapping the double doors and walking away. Pursing her lips sadly and hesitating a little, Sara went into Greg's room and sat down. She hoped everything would be okay and that things would go back to normal. But that might never happen.

"Just talk, Greg; talk to us. We're here for you," she whispered, kissing him on the forehead.

"S-S'ra?"

The brunette's eyes went wide, leaning closer to her friend. "Greg?" His eyes were still closed, but he seemed to be somewhat between lucidness and sleep. "You awake?"

Suddenly, his hand slid up her arm, searching for a hand. Realizing what he was doing, she grasped his, squeezing it gently. "Greg?"

"D-Don't go," he said in almost a broken voice that tore at Sara's heart. Biting her lip, she smiled. "I won't, Greg. I'll stay right here. Just go to sleep, okay?"

"'Kay...S'ra?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't t-turn the lights off."

Poor kid. "I won't, don't worry; now go to sleep." When she didn't get a response, Sara smiled weakly and relaxed, never letting go of the young CSI's hand. "You'll be okay; I know you will."

~+CSI+~

When Greg opened his eyes five hours later, he was feeling a lot better...didn't change the thought about talking, however. Nick had returned a few hours earlier and fell asleep on the recliner in the corner while Sara stuck to her word; she didn't let go of Greg's hand- though only on occasion when her hand got sweaty- and she stayed by his side. Groaning weakly, he moved his fingers a little, jerking Sara awake from her doze. When she saw him up, a tired grin formed on her face.

"Hey."

"Hey...what time is it?"

"It's late; you've been asleep for pretty long."

"Hmm."

"How're you feeling."

Greg shrugged. "No worse; no better."

Sara looked behind her at the slumbering Texan, smiling sadly and then returned back to Greg. "You know, talking about it always helps."

Greg raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"I know it's hard, but Nick dealt with the same thing you did. He understands what you're going through and he's the best person to talk to. You helped him after his ordeal; let him help you now."

The two siblings stared at each other for a split second before Sara got up. "Just promise me you'll think about it okay?" After resting a hand on Greg's shoulder briefly, she left the room, saying something about getting coffee.

The blonde sighed heavily and looked at his friend who was out cold. The poor guy; it didn't take a genius to see that he was overtired...or to know that the moment he went missing, Nick didn't do anything but search. Pressing his lips together, Greg picked at his sheets, debating on how he should go about this. Sara was right, he needed to talk...but he didn't know how. And he didn't know how to wake the Texan up either. He searched the area within his reaching, wondering if he could throw something at him. He suddenly spotted a container of straws on his nightstand and a slight grin formed on his face.

"Bingo." In a couple minutes, he ended up making a dozen spitballs, the extra straws strewn out on his bed. Carefully and quietly, Greg managed to land a few on Nick's chest and hair, even with his damaged lungs. And just as he was at his last one, he landed the spitball right on the corner of Nick's open mouth. It slowly rolled from his lips and inside his mouth; immediately, the man jolted up straight, spitting the paper out while brushing off the ones on his chest.

"What the..." And when he heard chuckling, he knew it could've only been one person...and to hear the laugh come from Greg made the weight on his chest lift. He looked over at his friend, shaking his head. "You think that's real funny, don't you G."

"Hey, gotta entertain myself somehow."

Nick laughed, pushing himself off the chair and heading over to the less comfortable one by Greg's bed. "How're you feeling?"

"Eh."

There was a few moment of awkward silence before they both spoke at the same time.

"Look Greggo-"

"Nick-"

Greg ducked his head, "You go."

Nick sighed. "I'm really sorry for pushing you into talking about...about what happened. I should just let you tell me on your own. I know you aren't like me...so, when you're ready, I'm here."

Greg nodded. "Well...I'm ready."

Nick's eyebrows rose quickly. "Really? You don't have to be on my behalf, Greg. I can wait."

"No, I'm...I'm ready to do this."

"Alright, kid. Take it slow and if you want to stop talking, I'll understand."

"Okay." Here goes nothing. "Every time I close my eyes I...I'm back in that," Greg paused, swallowing thickly. "I c-can't breathe, it's hot, and...and then the voices start. I hear Craig's voice in the microphone saying he killed all of you and that...umm." Tears were making their way to the brim of Greg's eyes.

"Greg, you can stop if you want."

"N-No, it's okay. He kept saying that...you wanted me dead and that everything was my fault. He wanted me to kill myself...and I was going to. Nick...if you hadn't come on the microphone I would've killed myself."

"God, G. I'm so glad you didn't. Man, you don't know what I would've done if we found you like that. For one, I probably wouldn't be able to live with myself; it would've been my fault...it is my fault. I never should've yelled at you or left you alone back in that alley. If I hadn't, none of this would've happened. Nothing is your fault; it never was. I'm so sorry."

Greg stayed silent, feeling bad about all of this. "It's not your fault; I screwed up...big time. And I got kidnapped and buried alive, I..." and then it hit him. He never really thought of it that much before now, because he was really trying to block it out but...he had been buried alive. Things like that don't happen normally. His body started trembling with fear as he was propelled back to his grave. The darkness, no oxygen, the ants...no space. Can't breathe. I can't breathe!

"Greg!" The kid was hyperventilating and Nick knew that he was finally coming to terms with what happened. "Greg, breathe!" He grabbed the man's shoulders, shaking them gently. After a few seconds, Greg's terror filled eyes met Nick's and he stopped short.

"N-Nick...oh god, I was...I was buried alive."

The Texan frowned sadly. "I know, G."

"Nick, I w-was really s-stuck down there and...I couldn't breathe or move and I thought no one was gonna find me. I thought I was really gonna die. Oh god Nick-"

"Shh, Greg. It's okay, man, you're okay now." He wrapped his arms around the small body and carefully brought the sobbing Greg to his chest. "It'll be okay, kid. I promise; everything will be okay and I'll help you get through it...just like you did with me. You are definitely not alone in this; you got the team and I'm gonna be with you the entire way." For nearly half an hour Greg cried, letting out all the pain and horror through his tears. And Nick; he continued to hold his little brother while rubbing circles on the kid's shivering back and offering comforting words. After a ten minutes, Greg pulled away, sniffing and wiping his face with an embarrassed smile.

"S-Sorry...ruined your shirt."

"You have nothing to apologize for...and anyways, it's just a shirt." He squeezed Greg's arm before he relaxed as did the younger CSI. "So what next?" The Texan asked.

"I think you should go home for a while...you look like hell. No offense."

Nick chuckled. "None taken; but, you don't look so hot yourself."

"I'm an exception; I'm sick and injured." Silence. "Come on, Nick, go home. Get some rest, shave; Sara's here so I'm not alone. I'm feeling a lot better now, just go take care of yourself."

Nick looked uncertain. "How about I just stay here until she comes back...or until you fall back asleep."

Greg smiled weakly. He knew Nick meant well, but the guy looked like he was about to keel over. Even with the short nap he seemed to have taken. However, he was starting to get extremely tired due to the drugs they put in his I.V. Before he knew it, his eyes were starting to droop close.

"Guess I'm falling asleep now...promise me you'll leave a-after I do? I don't want you to end up here...this place s-sucks."

He felt something warm grab his hand and he knew it was Nick's confirmation. "I promise, buddy. I promise." Everything will be okay; you'll see.

Three Days Later

Nick had only been able to stay away from the hospital for the next forty-eight hours before a nightmare scared him to death and caused him to drive back over and make sure his friend was okay. It was around seven in the morning and Nick was reading a magazine while Greg was fast asleep. The kid finally looked peaceful and it made the Texan feel tons better. Smirking slightly, he flipped the page when he suddenly heard a knock on the door. Afraid that whoever was there was gonna wake his little brother, he discarded the magazine and jumped out of the chair, heading for the exit. He gave a quick glance to Greg who had stirred a little in his sleep but thankfully settle back down, before stepping out. It was Dr. Moorhead.

"Hey, is everything okay?"

"Better than okay; Greg is recovering amazingly and I believe that he's all set to go home."

"Really?" Nick beamed widely. It was about time. Greg was gonna be so happy.

"Yes; he's just gonna have to sign some forms as well as the person who is gonna stay with him for at least three days."

"Me. It's gonna be me." Obviously; he was never letting Greg out of his sight again.

"Excellent; I'll go get the papers and Greg will be out before noon." Dr. Moorhead smiled warmly before leaving.

Nick let out a huge breath, wiping a hand down his freshly shaven face and then heading back into the room. He smirked when he was met with Greg, who was just waking up. When their eyes locked, Greg gave him a lopsided grin while rubbing his eyes.

"Hey," he said in a raspy voice.

"Hey, bud; how are ya?"

"Tired. And sore from being in this bed for so long."

"Well, fret no more, because doc said you can go home."

This seemed to lighten the kid's mood. "Seriously?"

"Yep."

Greg collapsed against the pillows, relief on his face. "Thank god. This place is like a prison."

Nick laughed; the first time he truly laughed in days. He missed this; he missed the old Greg and he was glad that he the kid he knew wasn't too far gone. Some people- after what had happened- might've gone crazy; had so many nightmares that they'd do something drastic. But not Greg; his little brother was strong as hell and never again would he doubt his abilities.

"You're gonna be okay, you know that right, G?"

The young CSI smiled. "I know. Like you said, it's you and me against the world."

"Damn straight, man. Forever and always."

FINIS!

Wow! Finally finished! Ending was kinda sucky but I loved writing this story and I hope you liked reading it as much as I did! Thanks a bunch for all the reviews, favs, alerts, and follows. It means so much to me that people love my writing. So now I need to continue Summer of Hurt Greg and the prompt giving will be til the end of August (last day will be Sept 1st) so if you want a story done, get them in! Once again, thanks and stay tuned for the next story! REVIEWS!

-McGeeklover