A/N: Hey guys! Here is the second part to my Sick Greg, Guilty/Comforting Nick prompt. Sorry it's taken so long, I had four exams this week! But don't worry I remain loyal to my readers too ;) I hope you like. And thanks for the lil' pile of prompts I've got to work on, as well as the encouraging reviews :)

Summary – Nick waits impatiently to hear news about Greg in the hospital, will they get the chance to make up?

Solace

"Mister Sanders has a very severe case of Glandular Fever" the doctor informed Nick.

Nick gave her an incredulous look "Well, what the hell is that? Is it dangerous?" he asked desperately.

"Well in most normal cases, patients suffer from swollen glands in their neck, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, stinging eyes, loss of appetite, an extremely sore throat and a temperature around 39 degrees" the doctor informed him.

"Is that all?" Nick said sarcastically. How was Greg even walking around before? That was a long list of symptoms, and yet Nick had been too much of an ass to notice any of them. He was furious at himself.

"Mister Sander's case is very severe, and it has resulted in a ruptured spleen" The doctor told Nick regrettably. Nick's mouth fell slightly agape. "Greg, will have been suffering from extremely intense abdominal pains"

"Is he…" Nick stuttered, before running a hand down his face to try and calm himself. "Is he going to be okay?" Please, for the love of God.

"It's hard to say. We fixed his spleen in surgery, but it's a very important organ in term of fighting off infection. So until it heals properly, Greg's immune system may be pretty weak"

"Shit Greggo" Nick said placing a shaking fist to his mouth to try and stop himself from sobbing. "When, can I…when can I sit with him?"

"It's best we wait a few hours, just some time for him to recuperate. We don't want him getting infected. And we're giving him some fluids and painkillers too" the doctor said gently.

"Alright, alright thank you doctor" Nick said with a small smile. The doctor smiled back and went off to her next patient.

Nick sighed as he placed his hands behind his head and started pacing up and down. He needed to do it, anything, to keep him distracted. Because if he didn't, then Nick's shaking legs would just give way underneath him, and Nick would just go crashing down, weighed down by the guilt he felt resting upon his shoulders. But he had to stay strong, for Greg, and grovel on his knees to the young man if that's what it took.

"Nick!" a voice suddenly called. The Texan turned to see Catherine and Grissom hurrying towards him. "How is he?" Catherine asked. Nick explained what the doctor had told him. "Oh my God" Catherine breathed after Nick had finished.

"Cath if I… if the last thing I did was yell at him…" Nick couldn't say it. It was all too much. He broke down then and Catherine pulled him into a tight hug.

"Ssh, hey, Greg's going to be alright" Catherine reassured him with tears in her own eyes. It hurt her to see Nick so upset, and hearing about Greg being so ill.

"I just want him to know I'm sorry" Nick whispered. "I just need him to know he's my best friend."

"And you can tell him that" Grissom suddenly spoke up, much to Nick and Catherine's surprise. As always, he'd been hiding his own emotions very well. "Greg will fight this"

Catherine soon led Nick to sit down as she feared he might fall over any minute.

"We could have lost him Cath…we could still lose him if he gets infected" Nick said quietly as he rubbed his stinging eyes. "I've already lost Warrick, one of my brothers, and the thought of losing Greg too… it kills me"

"Nick you listen to me …" Catherine said in a firm yet reassuring manner "Greg wouldn't leave you, any of us. He cares too much. And you know, it's because Warrick's up there, guiding him back to us" it was strange for a woman of science to say such a thing, yet Catherine genuinely believed her words.

"Yeah, I know" Nick said with a small smile. "Warrick wouldn't let Greg get lost"

It seemed like hours before Greg's doctor returned. It was hours. Grissom had been stood impatiently pacing, and Nick had rested his head on Catherine's shoulder, as she stroked his head in a mothering way.

"You can sit with Greg now if you like, one at a time though if you please" she said with a smile.

Nick looked desperately between Catherine and Grissom. "Go on, Nicky" Catherine said giving the younger man a pat on the back "We'll go get coffee"

"Thanks" Nick said quietly, before following the doctor to Greg's room.

"He's still asleep" she informed him "But he may wake up at any moment."

"Okay, thank you" Nick said, and the doctor left. Nick turned and looked at his friend with a sad frown. Greg looked so small and fragile, attached to an IV drip. His neck still looked pretty swollen too, and there was a thin layer of sweat covering him. "Hey Greggo" Nick spoke as if his friend would hear him, and the Texan liked to believe he could. "You scared the hell out of me back there man" he said as he sat down in a chair and cautiously took Greg's hand. "Don't do that ever again, I don't think my old heart can take it" he said with a small smile. It made him feel worse that Greg couldn't smile back.

"Man, I need you to wake up" Nick said with tears in his eyes as he raised Greg's hand and gave it a squeeze. "You, will never, believe, how sorry I am" he said sincerely. "You have done so much for me since Warrick died, and I've just thrown it back in your face." He squeezed Greg's hand in his, and rested his fists against his forehead as he lowered in head. "Please just wake up Greggo" Nick begged, his voice cracking. "Please, just wake up soon"

Suddenly, a light moan escaped from the younger man's lips, as Greg's head started to roll around on the pillow.

"N-Nick?" Greg asked quietly as he opened his eyes slowly. Nick looked a bit blurry to him at first but, then his vision cleared. "What are you doing here?" the young CSI almost sounded scared.

"Looking after you of course!" Nick said with a slightly nervous laugh.

"But you…you yelled at me" Greg said furrowing his brow in confusion. "I called you…and then…don't you hate me?" This broke Nick's heart to hear.

"Hey, of course I don't hate you" Nick said reassuringly. "How could I ever hate you? I'm supposed to be here, because I care about you and I want to protect you. Leggo my Greggo, remember?"

"Yeah but…I just didn't think you'd forgive me" Greg said sounding upset.

"What, why would I need to forgive you?" Nick asked.

"Because what I said…what I called you…it was stupid and I wasn't thinking, I'm stupid, I …."

"Greg!" Nick interrupted him "You are not stupid. I was the stupid one. I shouldn't have reacted to such a small thing in the way I did. You have helped me so much these past few weeks, and I'm so grateful, and I'm really proud of you for staying strong." Nick sighed. "So I'm the one who should be apologising to you. I was a total jerk earlier and you were so ill, I should have realised. "

"Don't…" Greg said "Don't, you weren't to know. I hid it best I could. I just didn't want to be an unnecessary burden."

"That's what you think you are to me?" Nick said raising an eyebrow "A burden?" Greg nodded sadly. "Greg I'm going to tell you this in a very blunt manner in hope you'll understand." Nick told him. "That's Bullshit, and you're my little brother"

Greg gave a weak laugh at this. "So, do you forgive me?"

"Forgive you for what?" Nick said with a wink. "Do you forgive me?"

"I'll think about it…" Nick raised an eyebrow "I'm just kidding!" Greg said with a smile and the pair of them laughed.

"Greg, if you ever feel like ill this again, you have to tell me, promise?" Nick said sternly.

"Promise" Greg said with a soft smile. "It was Warrick you know, he helped me through too."

Nick smiled "Yeah, Catherine had a hunch"

So yeah, should probably say, anything related to medicince and disease and stuff is probably wrong, although I did get it off the NHS website :P (Big British medical thing)

So yeah, really excited to work on more prompts!

Reviews are appreciated :) xx