From what he was later told, Nick learned that he passed out shortly after his brief conversation with Ryan. The exhaustion, dehydration, sun stroke, and near broken heart finally got the best of him and his body just shut down. He didn't remember any of it; the Coast Guard helicopter coming to their (well, really only his) rescue and airlifting him to the hospital in San Diego. Apparently, there was fear that Nick wouldn't make it to the hospital. He was fine one minute, as Ryan recounted to the medics, and then the next he was out and couldn't be awakened. His pulse and breathing were dangerously slow. But when he arrived at the hospital and was hooked up to a few IVs and stabilized, the doctors assured Nick's new friends that he was going to be okay. Greg's health, on the other hand, was touch and go at that point. It would be a few more hours before they knew for sure how exactly he was doing.

Nick awoke with a start, and was completely unaware of where he was. His mouth was extremely dry and he instantly received a head rush once he opened his eyes. The room he was in was very dimly lit; once he heard the beeping machines and smelled the sterility of his surroundings, he realized he was in the hospital. It all came rushing back to him, the parts he could remember at least. He didn't know how he had gotten to where he was, or how Greg was doing, but he was determined to find out, especially the latter. He ripped the IV out of his arm, not even noticing the pinch of doing so. He did notice, however, that he was wearing scrub pants and a t-shirt. This only barely registered in his mind as he sat up and put his bare feet on the cold floor. It wasn't until he tried to stand that he realized just how weak he actually was.

His shaky legs and the high pitched beeping of his machine did nothing to slow his movements though. He crossed the room as quickly as he could and opened the door. He had to wait for his eyes to adjust because the light in the hallway was much brighter than that of his room. But he didn't even need his sight, not at that very moment at least. He wasn't even in the hallway for five seconds before he heard a familiar voice call out to him. He didn't need to turn around to identify whom it had come from, but he did anyway, because he wanted to see her. He needed to see her.

Sara was embracing him in a tight hug before he even got a full look at her face. She almost knocked him over when she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight. He immediately felt her warm tears run down his neck and she began sobbing against him. He smiled as he rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes, welcoming the familiar embrace of an old friend.

"I thought you were dead," Sara choked out. "For so long we held out hope, but then it was too hard. I can't believe..." she trailed off as the lump in her throat refused to give any more.

Nick pulled away from her, wiping her tears while fighting back his own. "I'm okay," he said reassuringly. "I know it must have sucked, but I'm okay. I'm here now. It's almost over."

Sara nodded as she composed herself, which didn't take long. It was an art she had mastered over the years. "Your parents are going to be here in about three hours," she reported. "I just got off the phone with them when I got here myself. They can't believe it either, they don't think it's really you."

Nick felt his throat thicken as he thought about his parents and siblings and what they must have went through the last seven months. His hands start shaking and he can't tell if it's from fear, adrenaline, exhaustion, or all of the above. "Is anyone else here?" he manages to ask as his brain starts swarming with too many unanswered questions.

"DB and Brass are in the waiting room with Hodges and Morgan. Catherine is on her way out here too. Greg's parents should be getting here any minute."

Nick's head was spinning with the realization of what was going on. They were finally back home, for the most part, but they weren't completely safe yet. At least, Greg wasn't. Nick kept seeing flashes of how Greg looked when he had last seen him. All he could do was hold out the very last amount of hope that he had left, willing that Greg would pull out of this okay.

"Have you seen Greg?" Nick asked. "Is he going to be okay?"

Sara bit her lip as it began to quiver. "They don't know yet," she replied, her voice soft and on the verge of breaking. "They said they'll know soon, we just don't know when exactly 'soon' is."

Before Nick could retort, they were interrupted by a very upset nurse. "What the hell are you doing?" she barked. Before either could reply, she was between the two, grabbing Nick by the arm to escort him back to bed. "Here we all are, thinking you died, but no, you ripped everything out and are strutting around the hallway."

Nick looked at Sara, who was actually forcing back a smile. She followed them in and allowed her smile to emerge as the nurse with the nametag reading "Jane" tucked Nick back into bed. "Now, I know you've been through quite the ordeal," she said, her words now changing to that of a motherly tone. "But you have to rest. You can't be up and running around. You could collapse at any minute, you're nowhere near strong enough yet. I'll send the doctor into see you immediately. Everything looks fine, you just need to rest. I know about your situation; your friends can come and go as they please as long as they don't get you all riled up."

Nurse Jane looked at Sara as she said this with a little smirk before she disappeared to find the doctor. Sara took a seat next to Nick as she was texting the others on her phone to let them know he was awake.

"I can't just sit here and wait," Nick said when Sara looked back up at him.

She sighed heavily. "You're going to have to, we all are. It's been seven months Nick. Seven months. What's a few more hours of waiting?"

That's the last comment Nick can remember of that conversation. He's sure that he and Sara talked more before he passed out again. He even vaguely remembers the others coming into his room, tear filled hugs, and a few words with them, but it's all dripping into one big blur for him. When he can force his eyes to stay open for longer than a flutter, he can just barely make out the images of his parents, but he doesn't remember when they got there. For all he can tell, he hasn't even gotten the chance to talk to them. He drifts off again, for how long there's surely no way of knowing, but this time when he opens his eyes he feels much different. He feels more rested than he has felt since he woke up on that island. He doesn't have to wait for his eyes to focus on the figure sitting in the chair next to him. He can tell simply by the feel of the hand that is holding his. Nick can tell from the dryness of his throat and mouth that he won't be able to speak much, so to get her attention he squeezes her hand gently. The sleeping woman suddenly wakes, and her eyes immediately find his.

Catherine smiles as she stands and kisses Nick on the forehead. Her green eyes are filled with tears by the time it takes her to sit back down. "I never thought that I would ever be this happy to see you," she jokes, eliciting a laugh from the Texan. She places her other hand over his and holds it tightly. "I knew you would make it."

Nick swallows hard in order to speak. "Did Greg?" is all he can manage to force out.

The tears spill from Catherine's eyes, but she nods her head slowly. "He fought off the infection. They patched him up. He has a bad concussion, doesn't really remember anything, but he's going to be okay. We've all been taking turns. I finally convinced your parents to go get some food and some rest; Greg's too. Morgan's with him."

Nick felt as if an enormous weight was lifted off of him. Knowing that Greg was going to be okay was the only thing that would have been able to make him feel even remotely okay himself, and now that was finally happening. He wanted to get up and run to his room, but knew he couldn't. It was time of them to be with their friends and family. Besides, from the sound of things, Greg didn't remember what had happened on the island. Will he remember anything, or will it all slip from his mind like a bad dream?

Author's note: I know. An extremely long wait for a short chapter. I sincerely apologize, as I always do when this happens. Being a student takes away from hobbies. Again, apologies. I will have the next chapter up quicker than this one!