A/N: OMG I'm alive! Guys I'm so sorry for the hiatus but I'm afraid exam revision has to take priority at the moment (I know I hate it too) but I promise I'm going to get through all your stories although things may be a little slow for now. Anyway, this one is for mirdaishan who asked for some Finicky involving a sick Sam. I hope you find this cute :)

Summary – Nick is worried about Sam when he appears to be sick, so Finn steps up to support them both. Finicky!

Needed Support

Finn was finally heading to the locker room after a double shift and she was more than ready to head home and get a decent night's sleep. However, when she spotted Nick in the break room looking miserable as he stroked Sam who was resting in his owners lap, Finn went in to see what was up.

"Bonjour" She said in a well-practised accent and Nick looked up at her with a slightly forced smile whilst Sam yapped weakly. "Oh dear, isn't he usually much more lively than this?" Finn asked with a frown as she knelt down beside Sam and started stroking his fur too.

"Yeah, I'm worried about him" Nick mumbled as Sam rested his head on the CSIs lap and looked up at him with sad eyes. "He hasn't been right the past few days"

Finn pouted sadly and continued to affectionately stroke Sam's fur and then placed a delicate hand of comfort on Nick's knee; the male CSI didn't seem to mind.

"What indicators have there been that something's wrong?" Finn asked; she didn't know a lot about the health of dogs but she wanted to be of any help she possibly could.

"Well he's been having awful coughing fits and he vomits sometimes" Nick explained. "I know I have to take him to the vet but… I know he hates that place and I'm worried about what they'll say. I promised I'd take care of him and obviously I've done a pretty poor job of it" he said sadly.

"Hey, this isn't your fault" Finn said as she took Nick's hand and ran a gentle thumb across the back of it. "You fought for Sam and you gave him a home, you take such good care of him, Nick, really, you're a great owner"

Nick managed a small appreciative smile "Thanks, Russell said I could leave early to get him looked at, but I'm scared for him…"

Finn smiled sadly at him; she forgot how Nick could be so sensitive sometimes beneath his hard exterior and it upset her to see him that way. Clearly he needed someone to be there for him, and he clearly loved Sam; he'd given the dog a home when no one else would and Sam was great company for Nick. So, Finn decided that despite being tired being there for her friend was far more important, so she made a proposal.

"How about I come to the vets with you?" she suggested.

"Didn't you just get off a double shift?" Nick asked. Finn nodded. "Then it wouldn't be fair for you to do that, you should go home and rest" he said, although Finn could tell there was a part of him which wanted her to come.

"It's okay, I'm really not that tired" she insisted "besides, I want to know Sam's okay too, you guys are going to need a woman to help you out" she said with a smile and Nick let out a short laugh.

"Yeah, I think we might" he said "Okay then, if you're sure?"

"Of course I am" Finn said sincerely "You're my friend, Nick, and I love Sam too, so I want to be there for you guys and it's no trouble at all"

"Thanks" Nick said with a genuine smile this time "That means a lot. Come on then, boy" he said to Sam as he stood up and Sam hopped down onto all fours "Let's go get you better"

"You're going to be just fine" Finn said confidently, more for Nick's benefit than Sam's.

Nick wanted Finn to go in with him and Sam when they got to vets. The wait was long and Finn could see Nick was getting more fidgety and anxious as time went on. Eventually, Finn took hold of Nick's hand and gave it a tight squeeze and a smile of reassurance. She understood, Sam was Nick's friend who had given a home and grown to care for, he had every right to be worried and it didn't matter if Sam was a dog. Nick had smiled back at her a little shakily, but it was clear that he was grateful for Finn simply being there.

Finally, they got called in to see the vet; Doctor Grey. Nick immediately asked if Finn could come too; Finn had already decided even if they said no she wouldn't take that for an answer as she was determined to be there for Nick and Sam, but luckily the vet made no fuss and so Finn entered the examination room too.

The vet greeted them with a warming smile and set Sam up on the examination table; the poor canine was still coughing relentlessly. It made Nick feel even sadder and more of a let-down as an owner, but when he looked at Finn's warm, reassuring smile he felt that it alone was enough to help Sam get better.

After Nick explained all of Sam's symptoms to Doctor Grey, the vet got to work giving Sam a few simple tests. The dog was very obedient and Nick was allowed to stay near him and keep him calm.

"Okay what your dog has here is kennel cough, it's sort of like the flu for dogs" Doctor Grey said after his examinations were done. "It's not life threatening, so don't worry" he added with a reassuring smile and Nick let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, that's such good news" Finn said, relieved too; Nick looked a lot happier already.

"I'm going to prescribe Sam some antibiotics which you should get him to take daily, but it should clear up in a few days and there don't appear to be any complications" Doctor Grey said as he scribbled some things down on a chart.

"Ya hear that boy? You're going to be just fine" Nick smiled as he stroked Sam's head caringly, and the dog relaxed contently into his owner's touch.

After that, Doctor Grey handed them the medicine and Nick and Finn left with Sam.

"Do you wanna come back to my place?" Nick asked as they reached the car. "I mean, I have a pizza in the fridge I can offer you, it's not much but it's the least I…erm we could do for supporting us" he said looking nervously down at Sam.

Finn gave a lopsided smile, she didn't remember the last time she had seen Nick so flustered; she thought it was kind of cute, not that she thought Nick would appreciate being described that way very much.

"Sure, I would love to" She said, and Nick seemed to physically relax.

"Good, awesome" he said with a shrug as he tried to appear very casual about the situation, but Finn could tell he was excited; so was she. Even Sam barked happily.

"Oh, you seem to have cheered up" Finn addressed the canine with a gentle smile.

"He likes spending time with you" Nick explained "We both do" he added, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Well I love hanging out with you guys too" Finn assured him.

Nick positively beamed and then remembered he was supposed to be playing it cool so quickly looked back down at Sam.

"Come on then buddy; let's get you home, you deserve some rest"

Sam started panting with his tongue lolling out in agreement.

"Just make yourself at home" Nick said as stepped aside to let Finn into the house first.

Finn immediately started scouring the room and decided the calm atmosphere and cool décor greatly reflected Nick's personality.

"Nice place you got here" She commented as she studied the shelf and smirked; of course most of Nick's albums belonged to country bands.

"Thanks" Nick said as he headed through to the kitchen, Sam following loyally. "Yes, I'll feed you first" he smiled at the canine and rubbed his head.

Finn continued to look around Nick's sitting room and was greatly amused by some of the photos he had hanging up on the wall. She smiled as she recognised Nick, Sara and Greg in some of them back in their younger years as well as the man she recognised to be Warrick. Finn smiled sadly, but thought it good Nick was still trying to keep the memory of his friend alive.

She then came across a somewhat faded photo proudly positioned in centre place. The image contained seven children ranging from about 4 to 16 Finn would guess, as well as what appeared to be the family dog; a German Shepard, like Sam.

"There aren't your kids are they?" Finn asked teasingly as Nick came back into the room and handed her a beer.

"Oh, no" Nick laughed. "That's my brother…" he said pointing to the tallest and eldest boy "And those are my sisters" he said tracing a finger across the five girls "and, that little short stack is me" he said, a little embarrassed as he pointed to the small boy giggling as he was licked by the dog.

"Wow, I didn't know you had such a big family" Finn said.

"Yeah, I don't really get to see them a lot" Nick said a little sadly "we're much better now, but I didn't really get on with them when we were little. I was youngest so obviously I was the main prank target" he said with a roll of his eyes and Finn giggled. "Gunner was my favourite" he said, pointing at the dog and smiling fondly.

"He's just like Sam" Finn said with a smile, as she looked back at Nick's current dog who had gone to lounge on the sofa – only because he's sick, Nick had said.

"Yeah, he was so full of energy" Nick said "I took him to the park every Saturday and trained him to steal food off my brother's plate" he laughed at the memory, but then his expression grew solemn. "He died of cancer when I was nine; I was devastated." He looked down at the floor "I know I was a kid but even now…"

Finn understood what he was trying to say "You were worried you'd get similar news about Sam today?" she prompted.

Nick slowly nodded "He's a dog, but he's like one of my best friends"

"Yeah, I know how that feels" Finn said as she thought back to her own past. "When I was about eight, Tommy was my favourite guy to hang out with. I used to read to him, talk to him, and carry him around the house. He didn't judge me. I cried for two days straight when he died"

Nick held back a comment about how cute he thought that was. "Tommy was your dog?" he asked instead.

"No, my goldfish" Finn replied, and Nick couldn't help but laugh; he didn't know if she was being serious or not. "Hey! I loved that fish" Finn said mocking offence and thumping Nick's shoulder playfully.

"Okay, I know, I'm sorry" Nick said as he finally managed to calm down.

"You will be" Finn said with dangerous but spirited smirk which made Nick's heart feel like it had skipped a beat.

"I erm… I better go check on the food" he stuttered nervously and dashed off.

Finn tried to make nothing of it as she went and sat on the sofa with Sam. The dog immediately shuffled over and rested his head in Finn's lap, whining contently and closing his eyes as he went to sleep. Finn just smiled and stroked his head affectionately. When he returned, Nick too grinned at the comforting sight.

"He really likes you" Nick commented "I think he feels better just having you around"

Finn looked up at him "Well, I'm glad to help"

"Maybe erm…maybe that means you'll have to come around more often" Nick said a little nervously as he looked down at his shuffling feet.

"Yeah" Finn said with a soft smile, which Nick returned "I would like that very much"

Aww I actually really love Finicky as a ship, more people should support it! XD More from this pairing later on, but Morganders is back next!

I think I'm going to have to freeze prompts for now because I have a lot to get through and I'm not doing them at a very fast rate right now, but I will open them again later, promise!

Let me know what you thought :) xx