Evolutionary Theory by LosingInTranslation

DATE: May 2007

AUTHOR: LosingInTranslation (AKA Jennifer, losingntrnslatn)

TITLE: Evolutionary Theory

DISCLAIMER: Don’t own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!

RATING: M – Mature (language and adult issues, not to mention the return of smut)

PAIRINGS: GSR & Yo!Bling pre-established in previous fics of this timeline.

SPOILERS: Sequel to "Displacement", "Transitions" & “Vicissitudes

SUMMARY: Sometimes, the best way the deal with the changes all around you is to stop fighting and evolve in response to them.

A/N: Another installment and I finally found a name for the series, thanks to one of my wonderful readers. I hope this one provides you with all of the things that were missing from the last story (which also means there will be smut in here, so if that ain't your thang, stop now).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: There were many who helped with this one along the way, so my hearfelt gratitude goes out to them all. It was a long process and it found a few casualties along the way, but everyone's contributions really helped to make this an amazing experience. Thank you all for your help and support!

REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.

Evolutionary Theory

Chapter 1

20:45 – 2007.01.07

CSI Lab: “Grissom’s” Office & Break Room

The room looked different. There were fewer specimens, the spider terrarium was gone and the desk was remarkably uncluttered. It was the same office, the same furniture, the same shelves, but it was all different. Warrick would never be able to think of it as anything but Grissom’s office.

Catherine told him to hang a picture, or change the calendar, or get a different chair, anything, but he simply could not do it. As long as things stayed the same, something in his head told him that there was still a chance Grissom would be back. He knew that was not going to happen, but until he saw the papers in front of him, he was not about to completely take over the office.

When the phone on the desk rang, he recited the words in his head once before answering, “Night Shift Supervisor.”

“Are you going to do that for the whole three months?” He smiled at the sound of her taunting voice.

“That would be the current plan… What can I do for you this evening, Madame Assistant Director?” Warrick smirked at the use of his new favorite jab.

“Oh no, I am off the clock, this is strictly personal, buddy.”

“Then, in that case, make it quick, Beautiful… I gotta hand out assignments.” He held the receiver to his ear with his shoulder as he pulled the assignment sheets out of his inbox.

“I was thinking-”

“That spells trouble.” The huff that came through the phone told him all he needed to know.

“Anyway… Since Nicky has his niece trying out the lab this week, what d’you say about throwing a little party for her on Friday? I mean, the kid needs to have some fun while she’s here, right? Plus, it might be a nice little ice breaker for everybody after all the stress from the transitions.” Warrick smiled when he realized that the woman he came home to everyday was absolutely incredible.

“You know what, Babe… That sounds fantastic. What do you want me to do?”

“Nothing… Linds and I’ll handle it. I just wanted to make sure it was okay with you before we did anything.” He laughed at her explanation. “What’s so funny?”

“I’m sorry… It’s just, I guess I’m not used to being consulted about stuff like this. Kinda makes it feel a little more real.” Warrick had been having those little moments of clarity a lot in the last few months. For the first time in his life, he truly felt like he belonged to a real family. He had been an orphan living with his grandmother as a boy, and though he loved the woman dearly for all she gave him, it was not the same thing as a regular family.

“Well, if I can get out of that budget meeting on time tomorrow, you’ll get another reminder of that reality.”

The tone of her voice was all he needed to hear. “Mmmm… And on that note, I better get to work, so I can be well-rested tomorrow. G’night, Babe.”

He hung up the phone after hearing her words of affection and the smile was still spread over his face as Blake Reynolds poked his head in the office. “Now, that’s the way to start a shift… Musta been a good call?”

Warrick stood up with the slips in his hand and nodded. “Better believe it. Everybody ready?”

“Ready and waiting, Chief.” Warrick grinned with the man’s attempt at a show of respect. He knew it would be difficult supervising a guy who had more seniority than himself, and wished he could say something about it. However, with his position as a permanent supervisor still in question, he simply did not feel comfortable confronting a man who might end up being his supervisor if Grissom’s plan failed.

“Sounds good… Let’s get rollin’.”

As the two men walked into the break room Warrick saw the familiar and welcome faces of his friends and the tired face of Ted Shibley from Days. Blake passed him and took a seat at the table with the others.

“Okay guys, I have been assured that we’ll have our new body by the end of next week. And thanks for stepping up this week Shibley. I’ll be sure to keep the coffee flowin’, man.” Warrick waited for the man to nod and Nick reached over to pat Shibley on the back. “The AD tells me she’s got the list down to three candidates and is interviewing them this week.”

“Does that mean we get a nice, fresh rookie to torment?” Greg waggled his eyebrows in a comical gesture and rubbed his hands together, which only emphasized his humorous expression.

“Hate to burst your bubble, Little Man, but nothing under a Level Two this time. We’re short staffed as it is, with all the shifts running at bare bones, so throwing a newbie into the mix was not what she was looking for. You’re still gonna be drawing the short straw for a while longer.” Greg slumped down into his seat and Nick gave him a friendly nudge in support.

“So, we got a light load tonight. Blake, you’re gonna take Greggo out on a home invasion in Sunrise Manor. Nick, you and Shibley are processing a four-four-six down one block off the Strip. Narco needs some help with a bust scene, so it should be a simple process case.” Warrick gave them their slips and then sent them on their way. “And since that’s all we got tonight, be sure to keep your phones handy… We all know how fast that can change.”

When Warrick left the room, everyone stood up and got ready to head out for the night. Greg and Shibley were the first ones out the door, but Blake called after Greg. “Hey man, I’ll meet you at the Tahoe.”

Greg’s reply was quieted by the distance as Nick put his paperwork in order before heading out. When Blake started talking, he treated it like white noise at first. He knew the guy had a decent reputation, but he had no real interest in him either way.

“Hey, Nick… Look man, I just want to clear the air with you.” Nick looked up from the papers in his folder and Blake continued. “I know my transferring in for Sidle had to feel like a slap, but really, you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’m next in line for a supervisor slot, and the only reason Haggarty hasn’t retired already is because of Grissom’s surprise vacation. Ecklie talked him into waiting until Grissom got back, so you only gotta deal with me for a few months, and then I’ll be taking Swings over from Haggarty.”

Nick shrugged and said, “Sounds like you’ve got everything figured out.” He knew the guy was only attempting to keep things on an even keel at work, but he wanted to string him along a while longer.

“Man, if I had everything figured out I wouldn’t be spending my mornings talking to lawyers and my afternoons keeping my son from feeling like the divorce is his fault.” They both laughed at his honesty. “Seriously man, this change is helping me take care of my kid until my soon to be ex-wife finishes her degree and we get this whole custody thing worked out. So, just know that it’s only temporary and not personal in any way. In a few months, you and Warrick can go back to being the big dogs around here and I’ll be there when you come in for shift to get in on the latest action around the lab.”

Blake held out his hand, hopeful that he had put to rest any animosity between the two. Nick gave a sideways smile and took the other man’s hand. “Don’t sweat it, man… I’ve already come to terms over the whole thing, so there’s no hard feelin’s… Honest.”

“I appreciate that, Nick… I didn’t want this to be a struggle for either of us, man. Life’s too short for that, you know what I mean?”

Nick smiled again and nodded his head. “Preachin’ to the choir, brother… Preachin’ to the choir.”

Chapter 4

17:30 – 2007.01.09

McCarran International Airport: Arrivals Deck

Nick was so busy avoiding the careening cabs as he made his second pass around the airport that he almost missed his cellphone ringing. As soon as he had a free hand, he tapped the button on his earpiece, “Stokes.”

“Awright, Stokes… Get yer country butt to the arrivals deck before some down on their luck showgirl tries to lure me into an all night strip craps game.”

Nick had to fight the laughter as he answered his niece, “Yeah, yeah… If you walked a little faster, I’d have picked you up on one of the other two trips I’ve already made through there. And besides, they don’t let the showgirls hawk on the arrivals deck since nine eleven.”

“Damn! You know how much I just love strip craps.”

His truck made it around once again and he could see her standing by the curb with her hand on her hip. “Sorry to spoil your fun, kiddo.” As he came to a stop in front of her he turned off his phone and rolled down the passenger window. “Don’t you know little girls shouldn’t be travelin’ alone?”

She smiled and leaned into the window. “Well, my shiftless Uncle was supposed to be pickin’ me up, but I guess you’ll do.”

Nick chuckled when he took the truck out of gear and set the emergency brake. As he rounded the front of the truck, his niece was already opening the passenger door. “Oh no you don’t, missy.” Nick reached out for the door and held it open further. “You just plant your happy butt in there and I’ll get the bags.”

“I’m perfectly capable of carryin’ m-”

“It’s my job to take care of you this week, so you just better get used to it.” Neeley shook her head and climbed up into the seat. Nick popped open the side door and slid her suitcases into the extra cab space behind her seat before finally going back to the other side of the truck.

As he climbed back up into the driver’s seat and buckled up, he asked her, “So, how was the flight?”

“Flight was fine… The trip to the airport was a nightmare.” Neeley stared off into the Vegas night as they cleared the Arrivals Deck.

She was obviously still frustrated by something so Nick decided he might as well get the ball rolling. “Anything you want to talk about?”

“Oh, just the normal garbage… Momma bein’ an uppity, hypocritical bitch and Daddy not havin’ the balls to stand up to her.” Nick was surprised at her honesty, but he figured she had probably reached her fill by that point, so she would have jumped at any opening to start talking.

“Well, first order of business…do you wanna go to the condo and rest up a little, or would you like to get some dinner first?” Nick had already decided that he was going to do everything he could to make sure Neeley had plenty of choices and opportunities during her visit. He wanted her to at least feel in control of her vacation, since she was feeling such a loss of control everywhere else.

“I haven’t eaten since this mornin’… Can we have dinner first?” Her voice was missing the normal confidence that Nick equated with his niece and he knew that his decision to have her spend the week with him had been the right one.

His mother called him right after he had woken up, letting him know that Neeley got to the airport all right, but that she might have gotten into it with her parents again on the way there. When she told him that things became even more intense between Neeley and her mother after he returned to Vegas, Nick almost wished that he had just brought her back with him. The only problem with that train of thought was that he was still working through his own troubles when he got back home, so he was not entirely sure he would have been able to really be there for her then.

“Well, part of this little vacation is to help you get back on track, kiddo. So, as long as it’s within reason, you’re callin’ the shots this week, Neeley.” Nick smiled when he stole a quick look into the passenger seat to find his niece welling up just a little. “If you want dinner first, then we’re covered, because I already called ahead to the Stratosphere for a reservation… Just in case.”

“Isn’t that the one where you can see the whole city from the tower?!” He chuckled at her obvious excitement over the little revelation.

“That would be the one.”

“Can we go up to the tower?” If it was not for the seat belt, Neeley would have been sitting on the edge of her seat.

“We’re actually havin’ dinner in the restaurant up there.” The squeal that came from the passenger seat after that statement left Nick laughing out loud. He had forgotten just how much he enjoyed making the girl happy. All of the nieces and nephews were gracious, but when he could make Neeley squeal, it made his heart swell with a tremendous feeling of pride.

“So, other than spoilin’ me rotten this week, what’ve you got for me?”

“Well, I’ll be puttin’ you to work in the lab all week. I’ve already cleared it with the AD, and all the techs, so you’re gonna be a glorified gopher for the week; kind of an honorary intern. DNA, A/V, Toxicology, Trace, Ballistics, and QD are all ready to show you the ropes. We can check out some of the cool restaurants, and maybe a club or two while you’re here, and I’m sure there’ll be something goin’ on this weekend with the crew, so you’ll get to meet almost everybody while you’re here, too. How’s that sound?” He glanced over into the passenger seat to find her beaming with pure joy.

“Sounds like Geek Disneyworld, if you ask me!” Nick laughed again at her response. It also confirmed his suspicions; she really was just like Stephanie and Sara with a Southern accent and just a little more attitude.

“Well, think you can make it through tonight? Or do you want to rest up and start fresh tomorrow?”

She blew out a harsh sigh and said, “Hmmm… If I hadn’t been up since six this mornin’ arguin’ with Momma, I think I could handle it. Will it be okay if I just crash tonight?”

Nick smiled as they turned onto the strip and said, “Nah, not at all. I got the couch all setup for you, and I’ll just take you to the condo after dinner. I’ve got the dirt bike, so I’ll leave you with the pickup and go to work.”

“Man, I guess it was a good thing my crazy uncle taught me how to drive a stick when I was thirteen, huh?” She gave him a sly look that made him smirk.

“I bet he was thinkin’ that if you learned the hard way, you’d be a better driver all around.” He paused for a moment and then added, “Or, he was just makin’ sure there was somebody he could call to drive him home from the bar, just in case.”

“Whatever… You always just call a cab when you’re in Texas.” Nick could tell she had finally started to relax, and it made him feel pretty good. It was going to be a really great week.

Chapter 5

08:00 – 2007.01.10

Frank’s Coffee Shop

When the guys walked into their usual diner hangout, they decided that there were going to be too many people for their usual booth, so they had Frank set up a big table for them. Just as they were sitting down at the table, Stephanie came into the diner and they all waved her over.

“Hey, little momma, what’re you doin’ in here?” Nick stood up and pulled out a chair for the tall woman in the scrubs.

“Thomas is still in surgery, and I didn’t feel like cooking anything after shift.” They all smirked at the pregnant woman’s excuses and then she gave them the real story. “That and I’ve been seriously jonesing for some of those really gross hash browns they make here.” The laughter that followed was a great release for everyone involved.

Stephanie seemed to take in the location and finally asked, “So, what’s the deal with the table?”

“Oh, Nicky’s niece is comin’ by and there were gonna be-” Before Warrick could finish, Wendy and Archie came walking in, with Bobby and Henry following close behind.

“And there was gonna be a crowd?” Warrick nodded at Stephanie’s conclusion and they enjoyed another pleasant laugh.

The coffee and juice managed to make its way around the massive table at about the same time that Nick’s black pickup truck came sailing into a parking spot right up front. They all watched as Nick cringed when he saw the truck come to a shaking stop.

When the girl came around the corner of the diner and burst through the front door they were all a little surprised by her slight appearance. After hearing her uncle’s description of her, they all expected a larger than life character to come through those doors.

She instantly spotted her uncle as he rose to his feet and waved her over. She waved back and practically skipped to the table. Once she was within arms’ reach, she and Nick exchanged a comfortable hug, and then he turned them both to face the others, his arm still around her back.

“Everybody, this is my niece, Neeley.” Everyone said a chorused hello and then Nick continued, “Over here on my left is Greg Sanders, former lab rat and trainee for life.”

“Don’t believe a word of it… I’m just pacing myself.” Greg winked at the girl and was a little surprised to not see any kind of reaction beyond the nod of her head.

“Next to him, and don’t you dare stand up and scare the poor girl, is our night shift coroner, Dr. Stephanie O’Halloran.” The red-headed woman nodded and smiled.

“Don’t worry, he’s always been intimidated by women that can kick his ass.” The table erupted in laughter with her and Nick wrapped his arms around his niece’s neck in a choke hold.

“Okay, the kid can stay.” Stephanie made sure to voice her approval.

Nick worked quickly to control the rest of the introductions as he continued, “Next to her is our acting shift supervisor, Warrick Brown.”

Warrick stood up and reached over to shake the girl’s hand. “Glad to have you visitin’ us. Nick speaks very highly of you, even if he’s not real good at describing you.”

Neeley returned the handshake and added, “Yeah, he seems to be stuck on me bein’ twelve for some reason. But, I guess it’s better than still bein’ in diapers and pigtails.”

Warrick nodded as he sat back down, and Nick continued, “Next we have Wendy Simms, who spends most of her time in DNA trying to keep the boys’ club shenanigans to a minimum, the some times leader of which is beside her; Archie Johnson, our A/V expert. Next to him is our toxicology guy, Henry Andrews. And last but not least, the one man you don’t want on the other end of a barrel from you, our ballistics expert Bobby Dawson.” Nick looked around and then asked, “Where’s Mandy?”

“She ah, had other plans today, remember?” Wendy gave him a knowing look and tried to get him to move on before anyone else became curious.

The plan almost worked as Nick winced at the reminder, but then Stephanie had to chime in. “What plans?” Wendy shot her a pained gaze and then Stephanie suddenly caught on. “Oh right, plans… With-yeah, plans.”

Nick decided to help divert the attention, so he went with the one thing that always distracted people like a buzzing insect, “What, no Hodges?”

Wendy was quick to pick up on the diversion and explained, “I ah, think he might have gotten the impression the invitation could possibly be a prank.” She looked to Archie with a suspicious raise of the eyebrow.

“Hey! Don’t look at me, Sanders is the one who started it.” Archie held up his hands in surrender as all eyes fell to him.

“Well, anyway, this is the crew you’ll be workin’ with this week. And they have full permission to abuse you as much as possible.” Nick winked at the techs and they all laughed.

Once again, Wendy was the one to speak up, “Don’t worry, Neeley… They’ve all got a healthy fear of your uncle, so there won’t be any trouble. Besides, as afraid as they are of Nick, they’re more afraid of me, and I’m all about encouraging more women to join the field.”

Neeley raised an eyebrow and responded with, “So, as long I stay on your good side, the rest of ‘em will tow the line?”

Wendy sat back and laughed, “Steph’s right… The kid can stay.”

They all sat down to eat and the conversation moved along swiftly, with each person trying to get stories about Nick out of his niece at every turn. She told them about the trips to the park when he used her as bait to pick up women, and she told them about the pictures of Nick in his little cowboy getup hanging in her grandparents’ home. But the best story was when she told them about how Nick had been the Aunts’ baby doll when he was little, to the point where they dressed him up and took pictures.

With the whole table howling with laughter she did manage to tell them that she only heard rumors of those pictures, because her Aunt Connie had somehow managed to hide them all under threat of life and limb. When Nick explained that it had more to do with him promising to keep his friend Derek away from his sister, Neeley said she finally had something good on her aunt to go home with.

While everyone was talking about a case they were working, Nick noticed that Neeley and Stephanie were having a quiet conversation off to the side. He had known that they would hit it off, but he was quickly becoming concerned with the two of them already talking privately. He had yet to fall victim to one of Stephanie’s little schemes, and if he planned to keep that track record, he would have to limit the time those two had to plot against him.

Before there was a chance to say anything about the situation, Catherine came into the diner. “Well, if it isn’t our illustrious leader.” Greg was the first to notice her arrival. He leaned over to tell Neeley, “Thankfully she works days now, so we can still get away with murder on graves.”

“Keep dreaming, Sanders. I know all about that little stunt with the crime scene tape, and you can expect the deduction in your paycheck.” Catherine sauntered up to the table and waved for some coffee from the waitress. Neeley and Nick both stood up as she reached their table. “Wow… A matched set of popup Texans.”

Warrick stood and grabbed another chair as Catherine made her way around the table to him. “Quit tryin’ to make me look bad, Stokes.” Nick shied away from Warrick’s mock glare. The couple exchanged quick pecks on the cheek and Warrick helped push her chair in as she sat down.

“Probably my fault… I sound and look a little too much like my grandmother. Puts a little starch in his drawers and makes him use all his manners.” Neeley held her hand out to Catherine as Nick took his seat again and blushed a little at her explanation. “It’s an honor to meet you, Ma’am… I’ve heard a lot about you from Uncle Nicky and from my Gramps. And I really appreciate the chance for such a hands on learnin’ experience.”

Catherine nodded at the girl and then gave Nick a glance. “All kidding aside, we’re glad to have you. Nick has told us quite a lot about you and frankly this field sounds like the perfect fit for you. And after a week with this crew, you’ll know it for yourself, too.”

As she sat back down Neeley said, “Yeah, that’s kinda what I was countin’ on.”

The conversations settled back into the normal friendly banter; stories and cases were tossed around like candy. Catherine looked down at her watch after a while and resigned herself to the fact that she needed to break away from the welcome sight all too soon.

Neeley looked around at all the faces present and realized there was someone missing. “Okay, so I know that Sara and Dr. Grissom are out of town, but ah, when am I gonna meet the Doc?”

Nick nearly spewed his coffee half way across the diner with his niece’s question, but Stephanie was not quite as surprised by it. “Which one?” Nick shot her a look of desperation, in a vain attempt to dissuade Neeley from following that train of thought.

Neeley was being one hundred percent sincere about her question and answered, “Uncle Nicky’s friend the geologist.” That was when the entire table erupted into laughter at Nick’s expense. When she saw her uncle’s embarrassment she was dumbfounded. “What? I don’t get it.”

Nick cringed once more and simply said, “I’ll explain later, okay?” Neeley took the hint and stopped asking.

Catherine took a last look at her watch, in an attempt to let Nick off the hook. “Well, guys… I hate to dish and run, but I’ve got a full calendar of meetings today.” She looked to Neeley and said, “However, we’ve got a whole party thing setup for you on Friday at our place, so make sure you keep that in mind when working out your schedule this week.” Catherine got up to leave and Warrick followed directly behind her, walking her to the car.

As they got a few feet away from the table, someone from the tech side of the group made a quick, but barely audible whip cracking noise, at which he immediately wheeled around to catch the offending party. Everyone put on their best angelic face and looked to the heavens. Warrick had turned back around and was shaking his head when Stephanie decided throw in her own two cents. “Oh, I don’t know… I always thought of Warrick as more of a lace than a leather.” The whole table was shocked speechless, and Warrick looked as though he had lost all the color in his face.

Catherine pursed her lips, shook her head and waggled a finger at the younger woman when she asked, “Is that the hormones talking, or is this something we should all worry about you pondering on a regular basis?”

Stephanie acted as though she was thinking about that question for a moment and then looked around the table, as though she was mentally taking stock of each person present. When she got to Wendy, the tech decided to join in on the joke. “No need to guess with me, you already know.” Everyone was finally given leave to laugh again and then Wendy added, “And Catherine…for the record, it’s not the hormones. Don’t you remember, we all had this conversation months before that was a factor?”

Chapter 6

15:30 – 2007.01.10

Elko County, Nevada (Somewhere off Hwy 93)

The afternoon sun shone through the sparse collection of trees surrounding the rustic looking cabin in the shadow of the rock outcroppings. Little pieces of shade danced along the rooftop of the quiet structure as the wind blew through the trees, shaking the branches to and fro. All was peaceful and tranquil as a single vehicle made its way over the cleared path to the cabin, crunching rock and wood along the way, announcing its arrival to anything within ear shot.

When the Denali rolled to a slow stop, there was no other movement as the engine was cut off. From outside of the vehicle, it was impossible to tell what was going on inside. Everything appeared to be as sedate as the Denali’s surroundings. That was not the case.

The driver had his hands wrapped around the passenger’s head and neck, with his lips firmly enraptured with hers and from the subtle moans and whimpers escaping from their throats, it was obvious there was a lot more than lips involved. After what seemed like an eternity and a half they finally parted as they both gasped for air.

With a sideways smile, Gil sighed, “Riding in the car all that time without being able to do that is absolute torture.”

“Tell me about it.” Sara declared as she reached back and kissed him again quickly.

As she kissed him, he smiled and said, “We’d better get out before we get too carried away.”

She waggled her eyebrows and responded with, “And that would be a problem why?”

He took in a deep lungful of air, steeling himself for a fight. “Because we should make sure that the cabin is operational before dark, I went to all the trouble to secure the place and it would be a shame not to enjoy it…” He could see she was not buying a word of it. “And because after flying all day yesterday and driving all morning, I really don’t think I can handle the strain of trying to keep up with you in the car.” In any other situation, her laughter would have been a deflating act, but between them it was a soothing balm, letting him know that she understood and accepted his reasoning.

“That’s okay… I was only teasing anyway. I’m about to fall over standing up myself.” She kissed him once more on the cheek and opened the door to the Denali as she slid down from the seat.

He snickered when he unbuckled and stepped out of the car as well. Taking in the entire site, Gil put his hands on his hips and asked, “So, what do you think?”

As she looked around, Sara chuckled, “Well, it certainly is out in the middle of absolutely nowhere. How in the world did you pick this place?”

“Well, I’ve been out this way a few times since a case a while back… I like the peace and the people pretty much keep to themselves.” He was putting on his best enigmatic façade as he explained the appeal of the place.

“Yeah, but this is not exactly the highlight of the tourist trade, so where did you find a rental cabin?” Ever the investigator, Sara was not about to let him get away with the mystery any longer.

“It’s ah…not a rental.”

Sara stopped looking around and her gaze bore straight into him at that revelation. “What?”

“I ah…I bought it.” He loved being able to surprise her, and the look on her face made it a perfect one. “I know we said we’d wait until after the wedding to get a house, but this isn’t really a house.” He closed the distance between them and pushed the hair back from her face. “This place came up for sale suddenly last month and I wanted something… Someplace we could go to put it all away and connect and…” She placed a finger over his lips to silence him and he lowered his gaze in response.

She draped her arms over his shoulders and said, “And people laugh at me when I tell them what a romantic you are.” She kissed him and added, “I love it… It’s perfect.”

His smile was back in place when he said, “Well, we should check out the whole thing before making that determination.”

“Wait, you haven’t seen it yet?” That was shocking to Sara.

“Well, I’ve seen some pictures, and my colleague tells me the place is in fantastic shape. Besides, I picked it up for a steal, so, even if you don’t like it, we can always resell it later at a profit.” That was simply too much for her; Grissom the real estate mogul was never a thing she ever expected.

“Promise me that real estate is not part of this new leaf of yours?” He held her tightly as they both laughed at the notion. “Okay, as long as we have that settled, let’s check out this little love nest you bought for us.”

They both went to the back of the Denali and grabbed their bags before making their way up the stairs of the front deck. Once on the deck, Sara took a moment to look around again and gasped at the sight her eyes beheld. The view was simply amazing and seemed to stretch on for hundreds of miles. She stopped him as he unlocked the door by placing her hand on his shoulder. He turned at her touch and instantly knew she had been captivated by the view.

With his arms wrapped around her he said, “Breathtaking, isn’t it?”

Sara looked back at him and smirked as she said, “Whichever way we turned, it seemed that the heavens and the earth had met together, since he enhanced the beauty of the landscape.”

Gil met the quotation with a broad smile and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Feeling a little transcendental today?”

She shook her head as she leaned back into his embrace. “I haven’t read Walden since college, but there’s always been something about that line I couldn’t figure out.” His arms held her just a bit tighter. “Until now.”

Gil looked down at her and said, “Yes, the view is quite spectacular.”

Through her pursed smile, Sara moved out of his arms and said, “We should probably get everything inside before we have to worry about the groceries.”

She was greeted with his half smile and he turned back to the task at hand as he unlocked the door. With the door thrown open Sara moved to walk through it when she found his hands on her arms to stop her.

Gil removed the bags from her hands and made a move as though he was about to pick her up when Sara jumped back, shaking her head. “No way are you carrying me through that door.”

He frowned and said, “But it is customary for the husband to ca-”

“Customary or not… We are hours away from the nearest chiropractor, and I’m not about to have a rescue helicopter hauling you back to Vegas, because you threw your back out trying to carry me anywhere.” She stood firm with her hands on her hips. “That is NOT how I want to spend the rest of my honeymoon, and the first real vacation I’ve had in almost two years.”

Smirking, he nodded his head and agreed, “Point taken.”

Seeing that he was slightly deflated by her comments, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Besides… I have other plans for testing the strength of your back.”

With a sparkle in his eyes, he said, “As you know, I am always up for new methods of experimentation.”

“Mmmm hmmmm… Very much so. Which is yet another reason for us to get inside.” Sara released her hold around his waist and bent down to retrieve the bags from the front deck.

“Right, so, I will get the cooler and the rest of the groceries from the Denali.” He slowly walked down the stairs and then stopped at the bottom to say, “Why don’t you start exploring inside. All I know is that it’s two bedrooms, has a loft and sits on ten acres. We got it as is; furniture and all, but they only had a few pictures. I based my decision on the recommendation of my colleague, and I-”

Sara walked into the cabin leaving Gil to ramble on through whatever it was he had to say. She expected a rustic, somewhat primitive shack, but was stunned speechless as she entered the great room. There was a gorgeous stone fireplace with a rough hewn mantle and a huge overstuffed sofa in front of it. There were two more couches on the other side of the room, along with an easy chair and a coffee table nestled in the middle. In the center of the room was a thick, deep, dark green area rug that was just calling to be rolled on.

She continued to walk through the great room in a daze, barely recognizing that she was carrying anything. When she reached the doorway into another room, Sara bent into the opening to peek through. She found a kitchen, nearly the same size as the great room, with an exhaust hood over what looked like a restaurant grade gas stove. Next to the stove, a full sized refrigerator and a long island counter that practically begged to be used for huge dinners, and baking, and conversations with wine after a long day and the dishes had been done.

When she looked to the left she found an enormous wood table, made in the same rough hewn style as the mantle. Judging from the size and condition, she decided that it had probably been custom made, by hand. There was an odd assortment of chairs and benches surrounding the table giving the whole scene an eclectic and unbelievably comfortable feel. It was the kind of table she had seen in a hundred magazines, with a huge, happy family all around it; the kind of family she had never known. She felt strange to be standing in the midst of such a place, and the feeling had practically paralyzed her as she stood stock still in the entryway to the kitchen.

That was how Gil found her as he came into the cabin with a cooler, stacked with a few bags of groceries. He nearly bumped into her on his way in, which caused him to look over her shoulder, just to see what she was staring at. He looked from the room to Sara and back again, not understanding what was so fascinating about the sight.

“Sara?” She seemed to jump just a little at the sound of his voice. “Everything okay?”

“What? Oh, no, fine… I-I was just looking around.” She moved to allow him entrance into the kitchen.

“Well, it would appear that the reports about the kitchen were true. This could be a lot of fun.” Gil brought the cooler to rest on the counter next to the refrigerator and then pulled some papers down from the appliance. He held them back behind him in the air and asked, “Sara… My glasses are still in the car, can you read this please?”

“What? Oh, yeah, sure.” She set the bags down on the floor and walked toward him until she could reach the papers. She looked down to determine the nature of the papers and said, “Looks like a note from your colleague.”

He was already busy putting the perishables into the fridge as she began to read the note out loud. “‘Hey Doc… The Missus came out and cleaned the place from top to bottom. She took the money you sent for the new mattress and had enough leftover to get all new linens and towels, and stocked the cupboards with the staples. The boys got together and set you up with a cord of wood. They said it was a wedding present, so enjoy. My youngest came out and got the tub running ship-shape, prepped and filled it for you. He finished up over the weekend, so it should be all good to go. Marty came out to check the propane tank and fill it up, and he said the backup generator is working fine. There’s a gas can in the shed and instructions under the cover. Wasn’t sure when you’d get in, so the Missus left you a little something in the fridge and I left you something in the freezer. Enjoy the old place, congratulations, and my condolences to the little lady. –Lt. Alan Brooks… P.S. If for some reason you folks decide to come up for air, I’ve been instructed to tell you to come on in to town so everybody can give you the business.’” Sara turned it over and scrutinized it before she said, “Just how much time do you spend up here?”

Gil looked up from his task in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Well, judging by this, people know you well enough to do an awful lot of work in your name.” Sara gestured around the place and added, “I get the impression from all this that you’ve been up here more than just that one case you worked.”

He smirked as he leaned back against the kitchen counter and shrugged. “A few times…here and there…over the last few years.” He saw the disbelieving look on her face and he finally came clean. “What can I say? I really like it out here. The quiet, the open space, the scenery…the bugs.”

“I knew there had to be a catch.” Sara chuckled at the boyish look on his face with his admission.

“I’ll finish in here, why don’t you keep exploring.” She gave him another smile and picked up the bags as she disappeared down the hall.

He turned back away from the fridge to take in the full spectrum of the big family kitchen. Gil had seen the dazed look on Sara’s face when he walked in, so he knew she had been taken with the room. When Lt. Brooks called him about a good place being available, he knew the man would not be calling him about just any place.

During his last few visits to the Jackpot area he had mentioned that it would be easier if he could find a place of his own. Brooks used the opportunity to tell him there was plenty of land around if wanted to put up his own place, knowing full well that Grissom would never do such a thing. The man’s wife had made it a point on his last visit to grill him about what he was looking for in a place. At that point, he and Sara had not even moved in together yet, so the whole discussion had been a journey into the realm of wishful thinking.

With everything going on in his life after that last trip to Jackpot, Gil never had another thought about the idea of a cabin. When Brooks called him a couple of weeks before Christmas to tell him about the Ramsey place, he was completely surprised. But the moment he described the place, Gil knew that it was exactly what he needed, and everything he had ever dreamed of having. He wanted a shelter from the storm of Las Vegas, someplace he and Sara could leave everything else behind, but at the same time he wanted it to be a place where they could share their lives with the people closest to them. There was also another aspect of the cabin that remained in his mind as a fervent hope when he wired the money for the sale, but even that appeared to be working in his favor as the days passed. His thoughts brought an enigmatic smile to his face which was only removed by Sara’s sudden re-emergence into the kitchen.

“Gil…” She walked right into his arms and began to speak excitedly, “This place is amazing! But there’s no lights in the loft. At least nothing turns on when I hit the switch. Is your kit still in the Denali?”

“You have way too much energy for someone who just spent seventeen hours on a plane, followed by seven hours in a car after only a small amount of sleep. Should I be worried?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“This is what you get when I’ve been cooped up too long and then you turn me loose in a new place to explore. Besides, I napped in the car after you took the keys away from me.” She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and then asked, “Flashlight, please?”

“I took the keys because I wanted to survive the ride without having a heart attack, Maria Andretti.” She scowled at him for a moment, then he kissed her back and smiled, “As for the flashlight, I’ll do you one better.” Gil turned her away from him and reached into the cabinet above the sink, where he retrieved a battery powered spotlight and a box of light bulbs. “Point me in the right direction.”

“Walk this way.” He waited a moment to watch as she walked out of the kitchen. When Sara realized he had not followed her, she stopped and looked back to see him shaking his head.

“Sorry, but I don’t think my hips work like that.” She pursed her lips as she tried to suppress the grin that was threatening to break through. He regarded her with one of his trademarked sideways grins and then motioned for her to lead the way.

As she climbed the stairs to the loft he let the spotlight shine on the stairs at each of her footfalls, lighting her way up the steps. When they both reached the top he brought the light up the wall to find the switch, and as it came into focus he then continued up the wall and across the ceiling, in search of the fixture. There, hanging from the rafters was the dangling fixture, and as he followed along the main beam he found another fixture, both without light bulbs. However, they were both too high up to reach without a step ladder. He would have to dig around in the tool shed to find a ladder in order to light the room. But as he felt her hand on his forearm, he made the decision that it would have to wait until later; much later.

He smiled at her obvious anticipation and began to bring the light down to scan the room. The first thing that the light found was what looked like a lantern hanging from a hook on the wall. He reached out for it and found that it was also battery operated. Turning the switch on it, he was surprised to find it in working condition. He turned it to a higher setting and the glow began to fill the room. That was when Sara’s hand on his arm squeezed. Gil looked up and suddenly realized what had caused the reaction.

The loft was filled with children’s furniture. Three bunk beds lined the one vertical wall, a few feet away from those were a couple of twin beds along the tilted walls, and there were shelves in every available corner. In the space nearest the stair, there were a couple of those fold-up foam couches for children and a few bean bag chairs. The whole loft looked like it was setup to be a children’s nursery, something straight out of “Peter Pan.”

As Sara looked around the room, she suddenly understood why everything seemed to be so open and setup for large numbers of people. This place was a family retreat, a place where a family could come together and share their lives, even when the rest of the world might be pulling them apart. She was struck speechless by the implications the entire cabin had left in her mind, and she just wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his neck as she was overcome with the realization.

Gil held onto her and laid kisses into her hair, relishing in the knowledge that Sara had been moved by the whole nature of his purchase. When Lt. Brooks described the place to him, he had known that it could be the place he always dreamed about during his own lonely childhood. It could be that house he had seen along the beach near his home as a boy. The house where all the kids were in and out of it every weekend. The house with the music and the laughter every night. The house that came alive with the happy families sharing its peace and joining together in celebration. He spent his childhood staring up at that house from the beach, wishing and hoping that he could one day experience that kind of togetherness, at least once in his life.

He wrapped his arms around her a little tighter and laid his head on hers. “So, am I to take it that we won’t be worrying about reselling?” She only nodded into his neck and he chuckled at her state.

It took a while before they were able to leave the loft, but eventually their stomachs reminded them of the need to change locations. Sara finally got all the bags put away and Gil warmed up the vegetarian lasagna that Mrs. Brooks left for them in the refrigerator. They both made note that they would have to send the Brooks’ something nice for all of the things they had done to get the cabin ready.

With a full stomach, Sara was once again feeling the need to explore. When Gil cleared the plates from the table she quickly joined him at the sink to dry the dishes as he washed them. When he handed her the last glass, he quietly laughed at her obvious anxiousness. That was when he was struck with an idea.

As he wiped his hands dry he looked at his watch. “You know, we only have a little bit of time before the show starts.”

He could sense her excitement when she asked, “What show?”

“Well, the back of the cabin is west facing, and I thought we could settle in with some wine to watch the sunset on the deck.” The reaction on her face was not what he had been hoping for, and he tried to explain himself a little better. “I just thought that after all that time in the plane yesterday and then in the car today, it might be nice to just stretch out and relax a little.”

Sara nodded and smiled at him. “No, that’s fine… I’ll just get our coats an-”

Stopping her as she turned to get the coats, Gil took hold of her shoulders and explained, “I was actually thinking of something else.” He walked her to the back door and pointed to the right side of the deck. In that corner was another wooden structure which looked like an open gazebo. In the center of it was a large round tub with a platform on the side of it and a few steps leading to the top. The whole thing was made from the same cedar as the rest of the deck and was equally pleasing to the eye as it blended into its surroundings. “I thought we could watch the sunset from the hot tub.”

Sara hung her head and sighed. “Can I be honest with you?”

“You never have to ask that question.” He pulled her into his arms and waited for the explanation.

“I ah… I’ve never actually… I mean, I’ve not really wanted to, but I also never have…been in a hot tub?” She turned her head to try and see his face after her confession. He only scrunched up his brows and she decided to explain. “I could never bring myself to…you know…sit in a human soup pot.”

Sara shook as Gil laughed with her in his embrace. “Oh Honey, that is such a classic… It’s just so you.” He turned her around in his arms and said, “You have no need to worry about human soup in this case. It won’t be any different than when we’ve shared a bath. It has been scrubbed, the jets replaced and a new filter system put in. It has been filled with water that was trucked in and placed in that water tank on the side of the cabin. And finally, the water has been treated and sanitized in order to be used in the hot tub. So, as you can see, no human soup, and your germaphobic neuroses can rest their weary head.”

“I am not neurotic.” The pout on her face only made him laugh harder. “Okay, well, maybe a little.” She laid her head on his shoulder and he stroked her hair as he chuckled a while longer.

“Why don’t you grab your coat and go check it out while I get the wine? We still have a little time before sunset for you to decide.” He waited for her to look up and then she nodded before heading back for her coat.

As he pulled the cork out of the bottle of wine he heard the back door open and smiled. Gil mused to himself that it was nice to still have those kinds of little surprises between them. He reached into the cupboard to retrieve the two wine glasses he had brought with them to the cabin, not wanting to leave such a thing to chance when he arrived. He had many plans for the second half of their honeymoon, and this was only the beginning.

The trip to Fiji had been the original plan for the honeymoon, but when he found out that the cabin would be ready in time for the second week, Gil quickly rearranged his plans. He shortened the trip to Fiji, opting for only the sailing and the one island resort where he could meet up with another colleague to observe his research for a day. He was certain that Sara would balk at the side trip to see his colleague, but Gil was pleasantly surprised to find her as intrigued with the man’s work as he was. However, his real joy came from her delight in the sailing portion of the trip: three days and two nights on a sailing yacht. He felt it was important to give her that connection to the water, because he knew she had given it up by coming to Nevada to work with and be with him.

The cabin was a last minute addition, but he had been thinking about it for a long time, so the plans came together very quickly. The memories they made there that week would have to sustain them in the two weeks he would be in Washington, D.C. getting his new career in order. As he carried the glasses and bottle to the back door, he hoped that it was one of many sunsets they would enjoy together at the cabin.

Stepping onto the deck, he quickly glanced around to find his bride, but in the dimming light failed to spot her right away. He must have looked terribly confused as he continued to scan the deck for Sara, because he suddenly heard her clearing her throat. Gil immediately turned in the direction of her voice and found that the sound had come from the far right of the deck.

The sight his eyes beheld made him lose his grip on the glasses, and they began to fall from his grasp. He quickly fumbled in mid air to try and catch them, but only succeeded in finding one glass with his fingers. The other crashed into the deck and shattered into a million pieces. When he looked back up, he found Sara leaning over the hot tub with her head resting atop her hands as she giggled at his predicament.

“Leave it…” He looked at her, and she seemed to be lit up with a golden glow as the setting sun cast its dying light over the bare skin he could see up out of the hot tub. When he failed to be moved from the spot where he stood, she scrunched up her face and asked, “Are you gonna leave me in here all alone?”

That was the only prompting Gil needed as his feet began to think for him, closing the distance between them with some haste. When he reached her, she took the remaining glass and the wine from his hands, and set them down on the little shelf beside the tub. His capacity for speech had not yet returned, and it became unlikely to recover when she looked up at him with those warm and welcoming dark eyes as she rose to her feet before him and then pressed her lips into his with a delicate touch.

Gil was so caught up in the feast for his eyes and the feel of her lips on his that he was completely unaware of what her hands were doing. It was not until the rapidly cooling air of the approaching dusk blew over his back that he realized she had removed his shirt. That was when he reached out to wrap his arms around the damp, bare skin of her back as he kicked off his shoes. Fortunately he still had enough control of his conscious to kick the shoes over by the steps of the tub and away from the broken glass.

After that, everything became a blur, and somehow he found himself naked, climbing over the edge of the hot tub. With her in his arms, they lowered themselves into the steaming water just as the sun was about to disappear below the western horizon. When they finally sat back to catch their breaths, Sara leaned her forehead into his cheek and said, “We ah, sort of missed the show, huh?”

He kissed the side of her face that he could reach and practically whispered, “Not by a longshot.” She smiled at the desire that dripped from his words.

As they settled into the relaxing and still water of the tub Sara stretched her arm over his shoulders and let her hand rest at the nape of his neck to play with the dampening curls she found there. Gil leaned back against the tub and sank into the release of tension being provided by the soothing water and her loving touch.

Sara rested her head on the edge of the tub and released a deep sigh. The grin that appeared on his face was automatic, because Gil always took great pleasure from the little things Sara did to show him that she was happy. When he felt her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, he knew something was on her mind.

“So, what about the bubbles?”

He wasted no time with his response. Leaning forward, he reached for the button and said, “As you wish.” It took only a moment before the jets kicked in and the steaming water became a wash of refreshing bubbles and currents. Unbeknownst to Gil, he had managed to position himself with one of the jets at his back. The sensation was exactly what he needed after the many long hours he spent traveling in the last day and a half. He was unable to stop the moan of pleasure that escaped his throat as he leaned back into the stream of pulsing water.

“That good, huh?”

“Mmmm-hmmmmmmmm.” Gil’s eyes closed, and he practically growled with the wonderfully relaxing feelings he was experiencing as he sat beside the woman he loved in the simmering tub.

He felt her pull away from him and he opened his eyes to see what she was doing, but she was already settling back against his side. In her hands, as she returned to him, were the surviving glass and the wine. Gil watched as she carefully poured the deep red liquid into the glass. He prepared for her to move again to replace the bottle, but she only set it on edge of the tub before she returned to leaning up against him, cradling the glass in her two hands.

“What is the deal with people drinking in hot tubs? The two always seem to go hand in hand, and I don’t get it.” She took the first tentative sip from the glass after she asked her question.

“Well, the hot water increases the overall body temperature and therefore speeds up the reaction of the alcohol through the bloodstream. Also, with an elevated core temperature, the human brain receives an additional feeling of dissociative euphoria, coupled with the disinhibition of the alcohol, it is thought that the combination acts in much the same way as an aphrodisiac.” He looked over to see her smirking and then added his own conclusion to the recitation, “Of course, the only thing that is most likely occurring is the disabling of the conscious mind by rendering the brain cells useless and possibly inciting temporary disruption of brain function.”

“So, you wanted to have the wine in the tub…to disrupt our brain function?”

The sly smirk on her face told him that she had just busted him, but he simply could not resist the temptation to tease her further. He reached for the glass and took a healthy sip of his own before setting it down on the ledge and out of their way. “You know how I have to test these theories for myself.”

He pulled Sara into his lap, and bent her down to capture her lips in a rapturous kiss that had her feeling the warm sensations all the way down to her toes. By the time he brought her back up, Sara had become a serious fan of hot tubs. When she sat up, Sara turned and brought her legs around to straddle Gil’s lap.

She was rewarded for her actions by his hands trailing up the outside of her thighs to her hips, and his lips peppering her collarbone with tender kisses. With the sun long past, the only light that could be seen came from the fixtures under the water and cast a luminous glow on their bodies. The watery shadows dancing around them made the whole experience seem surreal to Sara, but the sensations Gil was creating in her body were real enough to keep her grounded in the present.

Gil found himself completely caught up in his own desires as his hands roamed up and down Sara’s back and over her hips while his lips did their best to caress every part of her body they could reach. The lights in the tub left her with the most delightful radiance and it captivated him completely. His hands continued to run over her skin, exploring and touching her in all the ways he had been unable to during their long flight back to Las Vegas. When his left hand dipped down in between her thighs, Sara instantly arched into him and he realized that she too had been missing the glorious contact of their union.

As she began to clutch his shoulders and purr his name the fog created by the heated water, the wine and their overwhelming desire cleared away just enough for a disconcerting thought to enter his mind. “Sara?”

She only moaned, “Mmmmmmmmm,” and obviously missed the fact that he was trying to speak to her.

Moving his hands up to her shoulder blades and holding her close to him, he begged for her attention a bit more intently. “Sara, honey… We need to stop.”

That finally got her attention and she collapsed into him in frustration, “Good God, why?”

He sighed into her neck and reluctantly said, “There’s a matter of logistics I ah, seem to have forgotten.”

“What are you talking about?” She sat up and looked down into his wary gaze.

He glanced down between them and then back up into her eyes, nearly getting lost in the desire he found there. “Ah, well, the ah, condoms won’t re-”

Sara dropped her head to rest against his and laughed. Gil was confused by her response, but she quickly explained to him the reason for her laughter. “Baby, what day is it?”

He brought his wrist into his line of sight and tried to read the date through his fogged up watch. Apparently the waterproof rating did not apply to hot tubs. “I ah, think…” He squinted at the face as he deciphered the numbers there. “The tenth?”

She looked at him with a knowing glance and waited for that information to register in his head. His brow pressed together as his brain sorted through various items of data associated with the tenth of the month. It was the day that the car payment came out of his account for the Denali. It was the day of the month that he typically received his shipment of live crickets for his various specimens, but he made arrangements with Stephanie to take care of that item. The tenth was when he had to have any reviews in for the following month, but that was no longer his problem. It used to be the day of the month that Sara would need her new prescriptio-. “It’s been a month already?!” His eyes instantly widened to the size of baseballs with the sudden revelation.

Sara did not give him a verbal answer, instead she used her lips to kiss the space behind his right ear, and then she used her tongue to trace along the shell of his ear until she reached the lobe. She sucked it into her mouth and held it for what felt like an interminable period of time before she released it with a resounding pop.

With that sound Gil returned his hands to their exploration of her body with a renewed intensity. The entire exchange had been transformed from a simple display of their desire for one another into a pivotal moment in their shared history. This would be a night he would remember for the rest of his days, and he was determined to make it just as memorable for Sara.

Chapter 7

20:30 – 2007.01.10

Stokes’ Pickup

Nick was still chewing on the problem of Neeley’s misunderstanding about the Doc over and over in his head since that morning. He knew he needed to set her straight, but he was unsure how to go about it without sounding too harsh. Nick was also at a loss to figure out how she had come to any kind of conclusion about him and the Doc. He certainly felt that he made it perfectly clear that they barely tolerated each other when he was in Texas, and that was even before the two had come to an understanding of sorts. He simply could not fathom how she had taken from their conversations that there was anything else there, but somehow Neeley managed to make that connection.

He looked over into the passenger seat of the pickup and found her smiling back at him. “You still tryin’ to wake up?”

Nick turned his gaze back to the road and shook his head. “No, I was just tryin’ to figure out where your head is.”

“Hopefully it’s still attached to my neck, but there are days…” When she trailed off, he tried to smirk, but she finally caught on that he was being serious. “Okay, wha’d I do?”

“Nothin’ really… I just can’t figure out where you came up with that thing about the Doc.” Nick decided to lay it out on the table, and see how she reacted. “I mean, the woman’s not exactly on my Christmas card list or anything, and she only recently stopped trying to gut me like a fish whenever we come in contact, so how in the world you’d think there was anything that would warrant you meetin’ her with rest of the crew, is beyond me.”

“Sorry… I only know what you tell me, and outside of Sara and that coroner chick pickin’ on you, and you tellin’ me ‘bout your buddy Warrick bein’ with your boss, the only other woman you’ve ever talked about is this Doc person.” Nick was starting to become uncomfortable with her deductions, and then she continued. “I know you ain’t seein’ Sara, or the married coroner, and you sure as shit ain’t datin’ your best friend’s girl, so that leaves me with only one option.”

Nick sat there in stunned silence for a couple of blocks before he finally became defensive. “Well, then come up with another option. She’s just an expert witness on a case, and nothin’ more, got it?”

“Fine… But you know what they say about protestin’ too much, right?” Nick could hear the sarcasm in her voice and it only made him more frustrated.

“Look, there’s nothin’ there, so just drop it, awright?!” He had not meant to sound so ridiculously defensive, but it was beginning to get under his skin.

“Okay, okay… I got it. No more teasin’, honest.”

They were silent for a couple more blocks when Neeley spoke up again. “So, what’s on my schedule for tonight?”

“That call I got before we left, that was Warrick…” Her question was just the out he needed. Nick wanted Neeley to get away from the tension at home, so it would not do him any good to be angry with her for nothing more than having made a false assumption. “We got a full load tonight, so I won’t be able to babysit ya, since I’ll be out in the field most of the time. But I already called Wendy, and she’s got all kinds of scut work for ya tonight. I hope you’re ready for a workin’ vacation.”

“Well, I saw Hoover Dam when I was nine, I’m no stranger to the desert after summer camp in Arizona, and I’m not old enough to drink and gamble… What else am I gonna do in Vegas?” They both enjoyed a well needed laugh at her obvious joke. “Besides, I think it has something to do with genetics… I can’t even remember the last vacation Daddy took without also checking in at the local Marshal’s office. And we won’t even talk about Gramps.”

“Definitely genetics…” They were pulling into the lab parking lot as he added, “Welcome to the preview of the rest of your life.” Their laughter leaked out of the pickup as they exited the vehicle and headed for the door.

Nick was delighted and proud that he was in a position to offer his niece the opportunity to see inside his world. It also gave him a great deal of comfort to know that he might not be alone as the black sheep in the family. He was the only one they considered to be outside of the professional world, and the only one to have never attended law school. It felt really good to have someone that wanted to follow in his footsteps for a change.

As they walked up to the front desk, he proudly said, “Hey, I need the temp badge for a lab intern… Danielle Stokes.”

The woman behind the desk looked at his badge and then down at the pad on her desk. When she found the name he mentioned at the top of the list she looked back up and said, “Just a minute… Judy has it, and she’ll be right back.”

Nick turned back to his niece and grinned. “Just do me one favor…” He leaned down and whispered, “Whatever you do, don’t laugh when Judy gets here.” Neeley looked back at him in confusion.

That was when the tiniest perky voice in the world started to speak, and Neeley had to bite her tongue to keep from saying anything once Nick turned to speak to the woman. “Hey, Nick… Catherine left me a note about your intern. I have the badge ready, just need to get her picture taken first.” Judy looked around Nick to find the young woman with a pained look on her face. “I take it this is the lucky girl?” Neeley could only nod, for fear if she opened her mouth she would not be able to keep from laughing. “Just follow me over here a sec, and I’ll get that taken care of.”

Neeley did as she was told and looked back at her uncle as she followed the diminutive woman to the other side of the desk and he just smiled, which only made it harder for her not to laugh. “Okay, I just need you to stand on the yellow X and I’ll have your picture ID all set in about fifteen minutes. Someone will bring it back to you to replace the visitor’s badge you’ll need in the meantime.”

Judy moved out of the way and then triggered the camera which took, quite possibly, the worst picture Neeley had ever taken; her face pinched and pale from the effort of trying to keep from laughing her ass off. “Okay… See, that was painless.” Judy held her arm out and dangled a blue card hanging from a string with the word “VISITOR” in large print on the front of it. “Where can we find you when the good one is ready?”

Nick took pity on his niece and spoke up for her. “She’ll be in the DNA Lab with Wendy.” He already had years to build up a resistance to fight off the giggles whenever he came into contact with the night shift receptionist.

The problem came from the fact that she looked just like a younger version of the ancient Sunday School teacher that each of the Stokes’ clan managed to get at some point in their lives. And by the time Neeley had experienced the woman, Nick assumed she must have been in her eighties, at least. The very first time he met Judy, Nick had been unable to make it through the whole exchange without breaking out in laughter a few times. He knew that Judy must have been completely confused by his behavior, but her appearance and that voice was simply too much for him.

With his arm over Neeley’s shoulder, he led her into the doors for the lab. As soon as the doors closed, he leaned down and whispered, “Coast is clear.”

“OH MY GAWD!!!” She actually exploded with the release. “Is she related to Ole Miss Nancy, or somethin’?!”

“I honestly don’t have a clue… I haven’t ever had the nerve to ask, because I just know I’d bust a gut before I even got the question out.”

She was still laughing when the doors opened behind them and Judy called out. “Nick!” Neeley’s face instantly turned to panic as she turned towards a wall to avoid having to look at the receptionist again while she tried to regain her control. “Sorry, the new girl forgot to tell me about your message.”

She handed the message to him and then commented, “Nice to see that doctor woman’s found some manners. She was so rude before. You must be rubbing off on her.” Nick’s face went completely white with Judy’s comment. “Anyway, Jeanie said she mentioned something about needing to see you first thing in the morning, but as you can tell, she didn’t write that part down. I’ll work with her on that stuff. Luckily, I looked at the slip to make sure it wasn’t urgent and saw there was no message. Hope that helps.”

As she walked back to the reception area, Nick suddenly came back to himself and called to her. “Ah, yeah… Thanks, Judy.” She waved at him to show she heard, but kept on moving.

When he turned back, Neeley was looking at the note and smirking. “Hmmm… You’re right, nothin’ there at all.”

Chapter 8

06:45 – 2007.01.11

CSI Lab: DNA Lab

If anyone from outside of the lab had come through her workspace, they would have been hard pressed to determine which woman in DNA was the rookie intern. Wendy had felt ten years younger throughout the entire shift, as she introduced Nick’s young niece to the world of DNA analysis.

It took her less than five minutes to realize that Nick had not been exaggerating about the girl’s intelligence and aptitude for the work. Her questions were direct and concise, and Wendy found herself having to scramble to give her a decent answer every time.

When she agreed to help Nick out with his little career week project, Wendy thought that it would be maybe an hour of talking to the girl about the work and then just getting her to re-stock the drawers and maybe clean a few slides. But once she got into it with Neeley the whole thing turned into a full blown training day. She even put the girl to work preparing some of the control samples just so she could see how everything really worked.

The other thing that made the shift fantastic was how open and honest Neeley was with her. Las Vegas was a city filled with secrets and ever since leaving San Francisco, Wendy felt a little distant from the people she worked with, so the openness that the young woman exhibited delighted her. It was also tremendously rewarding to get some dirt on Nick Stokes to torment him with later. That’s always good for a few laughs, she thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the next question from the girl. “Hey, Wendy?”

She looked up from her report and smiled. “What do you know about this geologist chick over at the university?” Wendy could tell that the girl had been fishing for information all night long, but she was a little taken aback by her direct question.

“Well, I ah, don’t know anything personally…” She could tell that Neeley was hanging on her every word, so she decided to spill what she did know. “But from what I understand, there were some serious words exchanged between those two. Stephanie said it got pretty hot between them, and not in the good way, but that she could definitely see it turning around.”

“How well does Stephanie know my uncle? I mean, I know she hasn’t been around that long, is all.”

“You obviously haven’t had the pleasure yet… Steph is one of those people that you just can’t help spilling your guts to. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s killer smart, and knows a lot more than anyone else her age.” Wendy got a faraway look on her face and then a glint appeared in her eyes. “She’s very…disarming. You won’t run into many people like her. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that all the guys love her for the whole sports god factor, too.”

“Sports god?” Neeley was confused by that reference.

“She’s a former college basketball star, married to a former college football star, and they’re both ridiculous sports nuts. I went to a World Series party at their place last Fall, and I don’t even like baseball.” Wendy chuckled at her own weakness in resisting the couple. “They’re also really great people. I actually knew Steph when she was younger, because I was a TA for her Mom at Stanford. And honestly, she was like that even then. Her Mom refers to it as being an old soul, but I tend to think of it like she’s the embodiment of that golden moment, when all the good stuff just converges in one place, and we all get to benefit from it by knowing her.”

Neeley contemplated her explanation for a few moments before she sighed, “Yeah, that’s kinda what I figured.”

“How so?” Wendy was trying to understand her comment.

“Well, Uncle Nicky doesn’t really stop long enough to get to know somebody unless they’ve got somethin’ real special about ‘em… And when I heard him talkin’ about her at Christmas, I knew she was gonna be one of them real special people.” Then she shrugged when she said, “Besides, seein’ as she didn’t squash him like a bug after that whistle thing, I knew she had to be a real character.”

“Oh yeah, definitely a character.” Wendy watched as she went back to preparing the control sample to process, but her thoughts went back to Neeley’s description of her uncle. “So, is that what you figured about the Doc at UNLV?”

“Pretty much… He talked about that whole thing more than anything else the entire time he was home. Sara and Dr. Grissom are the only other people he talks about that much.” They both laughed at her conclusion and then got back to work.

As Neeley finished preparing her sample she turned to Wendy and asked, “Okay, so how long does it normally take for these things to process?”

“Well, first you have to consider the number of contaminants that could be present within the sample, the time it takes to isolate the genetic material from any other elements, and then the integrity of the genetic material itself.” She noticed that Neely was once again taking notes as she spoke, which made her smirk at the young woman’s voracious appetite for knowledge. “A good clean sample, no contaminants, strong DNA… Once you’ve prepped the sample, you can get a basic result in like fourty minutes with the new Applied Biosystems 3130xl Genetic Analyzer that Dr. Grissom got us a grant for last year. Oh my god, I LOVE this machine.”

She looked up to find Neeley laughing in response to her gushing about the piece of equipment. “Sorry, but I don’t see many women get that excited by a piece of electronics… Well, at least not one that isn’t dishwasher safe, anyway.”

“Oh Man! That reminds of this case Greg was telling me about before I got here… I guess this neighborhood was filled with all these swingers, and they had these parties where everyone got together to… You know, get together.” Neeley listened intently to the story as Wendy rambled on. “Anyway, the last tech had to run tests on like a whole horde of condoms, doing inner and outer samples, cataloguing each one and comparing the samples with all the other ones. Then she had to run tests on all the toys from the party. And from what Greg says she was a real tight ass, had this whole germ thing and everything, so she was totally not thrilled with the whole case.”

“That’s wild… So, what was the weirdest thing you ever had to process?” Neeley was still taking notes and Wendy had to smirk at her zeal.

“Wow… That’s a tough one.” Wendy thought about her answer for a moment, and then thought back to one of her biggest cases from San Francisco. “Oh… Well, there was this one really weird case back in San Francisco. This fetish club that setup shop in the Castro, thinking they could get away with their kink by hiding in among the gay community. Anyway, I guess somebody got a little carried away one night and this banker ended up dead at the club. Whole place cleared out, leaving the body there until the neighbors complained about the smell. When the inspectors found him, he was covered in feces, wearing one of those leather bondage masks, with a foreign object lodged in his rectum.”

“So, you had to process the foreign object?”

“No, I had to process all of the fecal matter…” She saw the disgusted look on the girl’s face and then continued. “Turns out it came from six separate donors; five human and one equine. The inspectors were then able to track down the owner of the club through the equine feces, because it was a registered stud owned by the same husband and wife, who were partners in that club and most likely killed our DB.”

“Man, I have really led a sheltered life… I get squicked out when Gramps sells the manure from the barn to the university agriculture department for research, because I know that some student is gonna be playing in the same stuff that I had to muck away from the horses to keep ‘em healthy.” Wendy chuckled at the look of complete disgust on the girl’s face. “But to purposely have someone or a group of people cover your naked body in human and equine feces just to get off…makes me think I ain’t got it so bad after all.”

“Trust me, kid… If you’re anything like Nick, you’ve got nothing to complain about.” Wendy finished preparing the sample she had been working on and loaded it into the machine.

“Yeah, we just get to be the black sheep in our family.” Wendy thought that statement was funny, because she always figured Nick would be considered any parent’s perfect child.

“No way! I can’t even imagine Nick being anything but the ideal son.”

“Well, we’re the only two people in the family who’re NEVER goin’ to law school… Believe you me, he’s caught a lot of hell for that one.”

“Sounds to me like your family’s business is all about shoveling manure.” Wendy worked to inject a little humor into the conversation.

“Oh yeah… But thankfully, they only shovel the shit, and not bathe in it.”

That was the moment Nick chose to walk into the DNA lab in his search for Neeley. “I know I came in on the wrong end of that conversation.”

Both of the women laughed at the look on his face. “Don’t worry, it was actually a lot more harmless than it sounded.”

“With you two involved… I highly doubt that.” Nick enjoyed the shocked look on Wendy’s face, because she was not easily caught in a joke. “Anyway, she wasn’t too much of a pain, I hope.”

Wendy shook her head and put a hand on Neeley’s shoulder, “Nah, she was great… Got all the drawers stocked, reorganized my control samples, and asked lots of great questions. Hell, I even let her run some control samples to see the whole process.” Neeley looked at Nick and relished in the pride that was beaming from her uncle. “You got a pretty smart girl here, Stokes.”

“Yeah, I think she’s got some promise… Must be them good genes.” Nick winked at his niece. He looked down at his watch and realized he needed to get a move on. “Well, if you’re done abusing her for the night… We really gotta get movin’ so I’m not late for that meeting at UNLV.”

Wendy and Neeley looked at each other for a moment and then shared a small giggle. Nick found it strange, but he was in a hurry, so he did not have time to analyze or question the exchange. “Come, on, Neeley, I don’t wanna be late.” Nick turned out of the room and started down the hall.

Wendy laughed that time and said, “You know, I think you’re right.” Neeley laughed and got up from the counter to follow after her uncle. With who and what he was headed for, she was not entirely sure he would wait.

Chapter 9

08:00 – 2007.01.11

UNLV Earth Science Building: Offices

During the whole ride over to the campus, Nick tried to come up with a convincing reason for Neeley to stay in the car while he ran in to see what the Doc had to say. The last thing he needed was for Neeley to come to any more wrong conclusions, and him groveling to convince the woman to testify was rife with possibilities in that venue.

The moment he pulled into the parking spot Neeley pulled her seat belt off and was nearly out of the car before Nick could grab her arm to ask her to stay. “Nuh-ah… No way am I staying in the car and miss my one and only chance to meet the woman who put you in your place.”

Nick sunk down into his seat and ran his fingers over his brow hoping to push away the headache he could feel coming to the surface. He sat there for a moment, until Neeley pounded her hands on the hood to shake him out of his funk. “Oh well, I’m sure there’s some quote about meeting your death with a smile on your face. Might as well get it over with.”

The ride up to the office level of the building was quiet. When the doors opened, Neeley got behind her uncle and pushed him out onto the floor. He decided to try one last time to leave her behind, hoping to appeal to her sense of loyalty.

“Neeley, look, I have no idea what she wants, and typically, these meetings get ugly… So, how ‘bout you hang back until I know what the situation is, okay?” With a feeling of dread hanging over him, Nick waited for her answer.

She smiled and then let him off the hook. “I understand… Go ahead, but if it’s cool, I still want to meet her. She sounds like a real trip.”

Nick breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head. “Yeah, a real trip… Be back shortly.”

He quickly crossed the corridor and knocked on the door to the Doc’s office. Nick thought he heard some rustling and then he nearly came out of his skin when he felt something tap at the back of his knee. “WHAT THE H-…” He turned to find the Doc standing with her keys in hand. “Oh, hey.”

“Hey, yourself… When I said first thing, I didn’t expect you to beat me here.” Nick moved out of the way as she carefully unlocked the door to the office and limped inside. “Don’t stand on ceremony… Come on in.”

Before doing as requested, he cast a quick glance back at Neeley to make sure she was still waiting for him. When she winked at him, he shook his head to keep the blush from rising to his cheeks. Nick took a step inside and watched as the Doc dropped the sling pack from her shoulders and then started going through the messages that sat on top of her phone.

Without looking up from the slips of paper she said, “Tsk tsk tsk…”

“Bad news?”

“She must be awfully patient, in addition to being awfully young, to put up with that.” She shook her head a little and the corner of her mouth turned up with the remark.

“What?” At first Nick had trouble understanding her comment and then it hit him. “You mean…out in the hall…no, it’s ah-”

“No need to explain to me. I just didn’t expect you to be in to undergrads, that’s all.” She dropped the messages and then took her seat. “So, the re-”

“Before we go any further, you need to know… That’s my niece; nothing else… I swear.” Nick suddenly grew very concerned about her misconception.

“Look, that’s your business and I’m not in any position to judg-”

Nick held up his hand to stop her and then called out into the hallway. “Neeley, come in here for a sec, would ya please?”

He waited for the girl to poke her head in the door and then she took that final step inside. Nick gestured to her and began the formal introductions. “Neeley, this is Dr. Desmaiseaux, that geologist I told you was helping us with the drug case.” He waited for Neeley to nod her head at the woman, and then he continued. “Dr. Desmaiseaux, this is my niece; Danielle Stokes, visiting me from Texas for a week, and doing a little internship at the crime lab. She seems to think she’s some kind of scientist and I wanted her to get some hands on experience, so that she could make an informed decision.”

Neeley decided to take the initiative and moved past her uncle to other side of the desk to shake the woman’s hand. She showed no hesitation when she took the mangled appendage into her grasp. “Dr. Desmaiseaux, I’ve heard lots about you and the work you do and I gotta say that it’s a real honor to get a chance to meet you. Uncle Nicky told me about you and I did a little research before I came up here, since I was hoping to run into you. I was very impressed with the construction initiatives you got through the legislature last year. And I gotta tell ya, that took some serious guts to go up against those ol’ boys and to make ‘em follow the EPA standards, let alone gettin’ the government to enforce ‘em.”

When Neeley released her grip on the woman’s hand Nick was completely taken aback. He watched the smile forming on the Doc’s face. “So, is that charm thing in your blood, or do they give you lessons?”

Nick had to work to stifle the laugh, but Neeley was ready with the quip, “No, Ma’am… They beat it into us with a brandin’ iron at the age of three. After that, we can’t eat with the normal folks lessen we show our proper table manners.”

That time the Doc laughed outright. “Nice!” Nick enjoyed the comfortable exchange. He had no idea that Neeley’s brand of sarcasm would ever be well received outside of the Dallas Metrocenter. “Well, it’s nice to know that it’s definitely a family trait.”

“We try… But I’ll let you folks get back to business.” Neeley turned to her uncle and held out her hand. “I’ll take those keys now.” Nick smirked as he withdrew the keys from his pocket and dropped them in her hand. Before she turned to leave the office, she winked at her uncle and spirited out into the hallway.

When Nick turned back to the Doc, she was still smiling and said, “Nice kid… How old is she?”

“Ah, seventeen goin’ on thirty. She’s a freshman down at Texas A&M.” Nick sat down in the guest chair and continued, “She been havin’ a rough go of it with her parents, and my folks and I thought she could use the diversion before startin’ back to school next week. So, I put her to work down at the lab.”

“How’s she liking it so far?”

“Very much… She was running DNA samples by the time we left the lab today.” Nick chuckled at the reminder of how well she managed to fit in with Wendy. “Anyway, I’m givin’ her a chance to try out all of the labs while she’s here, and some friends are givin’ her a little party this weekend. All in all, I’m doin’ my level best to cheer her up before headin’ back to the grind.”

“Sounds like she’s a very lucky girl. Having an uncle willing to go that far for her.” Nick did manage to blush slightly at the comment, but fought to keep it from being too noticeable.

Before the conversation went any further, he watched her pass him a sheet of paper. “I went through my schedule with the director, as well as Sandi and Boone.” Nick looked down at the sheet and realized it was her itinerary for the next few weeks. “If they change any of the dates, they’ll have to work around my schedule, because I can’t exactly tell Congress to wait.”

Nick shook his head excitedly and said, “No, not at all. This is great, and if you have any questions or any problems at all, please feel free to bug me about it, and I’ll do what I can.”

She was about to say something else when Neeley poked her head back in the door. “Hey… Sorry to interrupt, but some security guy says you’re parked in the wrong place.”

“Well, I guess we better get goin’… Thanks again for agreein’ to do this, Doc… It really does mean a lot.” Nick got up and shook her hand from over the desk. “And, if all goes well, I’ll see you on the twenty-second.”

“Sounds like a plan to me…” She turned to Neeley and said, “It was very nice meeting you, Miss Stokes, and I certainly hope your trip is rewarding.”

Neeley nodded her head and remarked, “Thanks… It was great to finally have a face to go with the stories Uncle Nicky’s been tellin’ me for weeks.” Neeley bounded out of the room before she could witness her uncle turn a ghostly shade of white, or to see the red that rose in the Doc’s cheeks.

Chapter 10

15:00 – 2007.01.12

Willows/Brown Home

The kitchen was alive with activity. Lindsey was busy making pinwheels with cream cheese and different deli meats, while Catherine was hard at work basting the chicken wings for Warrick to cook once he woke up. The refrigerator was already filled with different trays of food; vegetables, cheeses, meats and dips. The whole scene gave promise to the success of the evenings festivities.

“So, Mom… What’s Nick’s niece really like? She’s totally like Nick, huh?” Lindsey asked as she sliced through the rolled up food, making the pinwheel appetizers.

Catherine shook her head and said, “She’s as much like Nick as you’re like me…” Lindsey looked back at her mother in shock and then the two started to laugh.

“Shhhh… You’ll wake the beast.” Lindsey joked with her mother.

“You’re right… I know he was still at the lab around ten, so he’s probably exhausted.” Catherine craned her neck trying to hear if their fit of laughter had disturbed her sleeping partner. “Anyway, she’s like Nick in manners and appearances, but she’s more blunt than Stephanie, and has a wicked sense of humor.”

“No one is as blunt as Steph.” That statement led to more giggles and admonitions to keep the noise down. “Has she been having fun at the lab this week?”

“All I know for sure is that she’s got half the lab accessing the knowledge databases to answer her questions, and Wendy’s already trying to get her to apply for the Summer Internship at the lab. She came to get the applications from me this morning.” Catherine pulled out a strip of aluminum foil and sealed up the wings before tucking them into the fridge. “In general, it sounds like Nick was right to get her in there. She fits right in with the techs, she’s really bright, and she’s got this thing… I can’t really put a finger on it, but she’s got something that just makes you want to take her home and make her part of the family.”

“Are you trying to tell me I’m being replaced?” Lindsey turned to her mother with her hand on her hip and an indignant look on her face.

“Oh, don’t give me that… One teenager is bad enough, I don’t need two of you making me old before my time.” Catherine knew from the grin on her daughter’s face that she was only kidding and she shook her head as she began to laugh at the situation. “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

“Very much so, yeah.” That was when the next giggling fit ensued. “Shhhh…” The request would have been better received had Lindsey not also been laughing.

“Okay, how much more do you have there?” Catherine worked to stifle her own laughter, once again looking to the hall for any signs their laughter had disturbed the sleeping man.

“Just one more… And you’ve got the wings ready, and the taco stuff is ready for throwing into one of those dishes Grandpa left here this morning.” Lindsey called off the list as though she was the caterer for the event.

“I was just getting ready to call him… Where are they?” Catherine looked around the room for the electric chafing dishes she asked her father for earlier in the week,

“I had the guys leave them in the garage, so they’d be out of the way. I figured we’d need the room to get everything else ready.” Lindsey continued to work at the last roll of pinwheels as she explained.

Catherine walked to the door leading to the garage and opened the door. “Oh good… I hadn’t heard from him, so I was wondering if he’d made it over.”

“Yeah, he got here right after you left this morning, and gave me a lift to rehearsal after he helped me cook the taco meat and chop veggies.” Lindsey talked as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Wait a minute… Sam, our Sam, Sam Braun, my father…helped you cook?!” Catherine stood at the door looking back into the kitchen in complete shock.

“Mom! You need to cut him a break.” Lindsey once again had her hand on her hip for emphasis, and even through her shock, Catherine recognized that her daughter was definitely picking up on some of her traits. “He asked if I needed help, and he wanted to know when my next rehearsal was, so he helped me finish up so I could make it there.” Lindsey turned back to slicing the pinwheels and added. “He even skipped work so I wouldn’t have to miss today. He said that since Grams was busy and you were at work, he’d take his turn helping out. Sam even showed me how to chop up onions without crying so much, it was really cool.”

“Okay, obviously I need to re-think my opinions about what he will and won’t do.” Catherine was still reeling from that little epiphany when Lindsey spoke again.

“Okay, all done… Everything else has to wait for Warrick, or for it to be closer to the party.” She looked at her mother and asked, “Now what?”

Catherine looked around the disaster that was her kitchen and cocked an eyebrow at her daughter. Lindsey took the clue and checked around her as well. “Oh yeah… I guess we kinda need to clean up, huh?”

“Yeah, something like that.” Catherine threw a sponge at her daughter and the two fell into another fit of laughter.

As they set about getting the kitchen back into proper order Lindsey had another question. “So, if his niece goes for that internship this summer, won’t that cut into Nick’s dating habits?”

“Probably!” That led to them both laughing again and just as quickly trying to quiet each other for fear of waking Warrick.

“It’s just weird… Nick’s always really cool around me, and you know, everyone else we know, but he’s kinda never grown up when it comes to his dates.” Lindsey’s analysis of her friend had surprised Catherine, even though she knew it was no surprise that her daughter was bright. “I mean, look at that girl he brought to the last Halloween party… Could she even say a three syllable word? ‘Cause I know she couldn’t understand them.”

“Lindsey!” That was simply too much for Catherine, and she burst out laughing, quickly joined by her daughter’s giggling.

They continued, unbound until the appearance of a tall, rumpled, ruffled and possibly half asleep Warrick was found standing at the end of the hall. When Catherine looked up from her bout of laughter to find him standing there she was instantly sorry for having woken him. “Oh god… Warrick, did we wake you up?”

Warrick rubbed at his face as Lindsey was suddenly shocked silent. “Nah… I always-” His answer was interrupted by his yawning, “always sleep through two giggling females in the next room.” Lindsey stood stock still, worried about having woken him up far too early. His next words gave her reason to relax, “Don’t worry about it… I can think of much worse ways to wake up than hearing two beautiful women laughing in my kitchen.”

“Awww…” Catherine walked up to him and gave him a hug, which he gratefully accepted. “How about some coffee, or do you want to try and sleep a little longer now that we’re done trying to bring the house down?”

Warrick closed his eyes for a moment, sucked in a deep breath and then said, “Nah, I should get those wings started for tonight. I made the sauce when I got home, but I just couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.”

Lindsey smiled proudly and said, “Then you’re in luck! Mom already got the wings ready, so all you’ve got to do is cook ‘em later.”

Warrick was unable to resist the urge to smile as he looked down on the beaming teenager. “Well, then… How about somethin’ to eat? I could fix us up som-”

“No way… We woke you up, so I’ll fix something… You want eggs, or a sandwich, or-”

Warrick held up his hand to stop the girl and said, “If you think you can handle it… How about those eggs?”

“Comin’ right up! And I’ll start some coffee, too.” Lindsey instantly went to work as Catherine led Warrick into the living room.

Once they were seated on the couch, Lindsey called into the room, “Mom, do you want any, too?”

“Ah, coffee, yes… Eggs, no.” Catherine turned to Warrick with a smile on her face, but when she saw him leaning his head back with his eyes closed she found a lump rising in her throat.

She had spent a lifetime trying to squeeze in as much life as possible, doing everything she could think of to fill her life, but it had all been an exercise in futility. All of the best things in her life had come from sitting still and letting life happen to her. Her daughter, her father, her love had all come to her in the guise of an accident that made her stop and see the truth. And as she snuggled into Warrick’s side, listening to her daughter singing to herself in the kitchen, Catherine felt truly content with her life.

Chapter 13

19:00 – 2007.01.15

O’Halloran Home

A few dozen product brochures were scattered across the coffee table as Thomas leaned back into the sofa while reading one of them. He was about to make a major purchase and wanted to be absolutely certain he got the best product for both value and reliability. He was still in awe that his pregnant wife even suggested he do such a thing, but it was just one more reason why he knew she was the one for him. They had been in sync with one another almost since the first moment they met, but it never showed in grand ways, just those little gestures that told him everything he needed to know.

Stephanie was busy in the kitchen, making a huge dinner, because she expected her uncle to drop in on his way back to town. She said that the newlyweds would have been on the road all day and she wanted to make sure that they had a good hot meal before they got home. Thomas told her that they probably just wanted to get home after being on the road all day, but his wife had once again shown him the error of his thinking when she said that she wanted to make sure they kept up their strength, otherwise Sara was likely to miss her first day back to work.

He realized that his current thoughts probably made him a little too old fashioned, but he took great comfort in the sounds of his expectant wife making a meal in their kitchen. Despite all of their rhetoric, he and Stephanie were horribly traditional people. While Thomas was perfectly at home in the kitchen, his wife always handled most of the duties in that arena, leaving Thomas to tend to the traditionally male roles around the house. When they first started living together back in medical school, he questioned her about the way they had fallen into certain roles, and once again she surprised him with her answer. She told him that she never considered anything to be woman’s work or a man’s job, but that in a real partnership, everyone had the things they were more suited to performing, and that as long as the work was evenly distributed, she saw no reason to change how they worked together. On looking back at the discussion, he had to agree that however it happened, they worked well together.

After reading through the brochure in his hands, he tossed it into the “no” pile, and reached for another, only to find a glass of juice instead. Thomas turned his head from his reclined position on the couch and figured that Stephanie had managed to slip into the room with the drink without him even noticing. He decided he must have been deeper in thought than he realized.

“Hey Steph?”

Instead of calling out from the kitchen, she walked to the entryway, wiping her hands on a towel, “What’s up?”

He turned to look at her and asked, “Are you sure we want to spend this kind of money on something like a TV? I mean, there’s other stuff we cou-”

“Thomas, you have worked really hard to get this far, and you’ve never spent a dime on yourself. So, yeah, I really think you need to do this.” She gave him a look that told him the debate was already decided, but that was not about to stop him from trying.

“But with the babies coming, I just thought that maybe we should put the money into something more practical. There’s all kinds of stuff we need to get and I just think-”

Shaking her head, she finally decided to put a stop to the discussion. “Which is exactly why I’ve never touched any of the money from my other stuff, outside of investing it here and there. Uncle Gil has been helping me with that stuff since I was ten years old, and you know full well that we are not hurting in that area.” She crossed the distance between them and he scooted in to keep his back to the couch and allowed her room to sit beside him. “Just because you don’t like to think about that stuff, doesn’t change any of it. That whole ‘for richer or poorer’ thing goes both ways, babe. And I’ve known since I was a little girl that I wanted a big family, so just because it’s gonna happen faster than we anticipated is no reason to think we aren’t ready for it. You can rest assured that we have more than enough money for you to buy the TV that we’ll both enjoy, buy all the items we need for the twins, send them and any other’s we have to college and still get to take some vacations. Of course, something like the end of the world could come along and mess that up, but then I’m pretty sure we’ll have bigger things to worry about.”

Thomas smiled up at his wife and took her hand. “You know I’m not good at this money thing, right? So, when I start freaking out about spending it, it’s got nothing to do with male pride. I just don’t know how to deal with the whole concept of having enough money to go around.”

She nodded at his explanation and smiled back. “Which is yet another reason you deserve to get this TV. You made attending, and you need to celebrate something like that. And I know you will get a lot out of this little purchase for a long time to come, so it’s also important to me. I want you to experience the rewards of your accomplishments, and this is such a small way to do it.”

He pulled her down into his arms and held her tight. “I knew there was a reason I picked you.”

“Picked nothing… We were set up.” Thomas laughed at their private joke. For years they suspected that their friends had conspired to get them together, and it was confirmed on their wedding day with his Best Man’s speech. Carter finally revealed that he and her roommates worked for months to introduce the couple, because they were convinced the two were a perfect match for each other.

“So, I guess I don’t have a choice… I’m getting a great big, kick ass, HD plasma screen TV.” He was rewarded for his statement with a kiss from his wife. “And if I can quit being a wuss about this thing, we might even have it in time for Superbowl Sunday.”

When he waggled his eyebrows at her she laughed and pulled away, “Football nothing… I just hope you figure it out before March Madness.”

Their teasing banter was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Stephanie looked at her watch and smirked, “Wow, they either left earlier than I thought, or Uncle Gil let Sara drive again.”

Thomas laughed as they both got up from the couch. “Yeah, well, I bet it’s the former… I doubt the man’s heart could handle that after the last two weeks.” He pushed her towards the kitchen and went to get to the door. “Better get that food ready… Who knows how long we can keep them here.”

Thomas walked straight to the door and opened it on the happy couple. “Well, we were beginning to think you two changed your minds and ended up becoming hermits up in that cabin.”

“Not hardly!” Sara exclaimed as Thomas moved to allow them entrance into the house. “I can only take that kind of thing in small doses.”

As Gil walked in behind her he added his own perspective, “Don’t let her fool you… If she’d had access to her email, we could have stayed another two weeks.”

Thomas laughed at the easy banter between them, and it only confirmed what his wife always told him about the couple; they were also a perfect match.

“So, was everything okay while we were gone?” At first Thomas had trouble understanding his question and then it dawned on him.

“Ah!.. No loss of life or limb on a single critter or plant. Although, Steph did end up bringing the spider and that plant from the bedroom back with her after the first week. Seems they weren’t happy being left alone, and so she brought them here.” Thomas shook his head at his wife’s explanation for her actions.

“Oh yeah, I probably should have warned her about the plant. It’s always been a little temperamental.” Sara said.

Gil added, “And Archimedes never liked being alone for too long, that was why I always kept him at the lab with me.”

Stephanie came back around the corner and laughed, “And you thought I was bad… At least I don’t do pets.”

She walked straight to Gil and they quickly embraced. “You guys had a good time, I hope?”

“Fiji was spectacular, and Martin wanted me to pass on his congratulations. And the cabin was absolutely perfect.” Gil held her back to get a good look at her. “Well, you still look the same… I was expecting to come back and find you starting to show.”

She chuckled at his remark and said, “Camouflage.” She let go of him and pulled open her outer shirt to reveal the beginnings of that undeniable bump showing through her t-shirt.

He took her hand and squeezed. That was when she looked in his eyes and saw the emotion building up in them. “Uncle Gil? Are you okay?”

Gil worked to choke back the emotions as Sara came to his side. “I ah, it’s just that… I just realized how real all of this is, and ah, it hit me that your father isn’t here to share it.”

She smiled at the depth of his loyalty to her father and said the only thing that had been getting her through those same thoughts. “But he is here… He made sure I still had you to speak for him.” That was the right thing to say, because her uncle’s face suddenly split with a smile. “Now, before we go and get anymore mushy…how about some dinner?”

Sara spoke for them when she said, “Sounds good, what’ve you got?”

“Fettuccine Alfredo Portobelli, some broiled asparagus, a nice salad and something special for dessert.” Stephanie paused as she watched for her uncle to question her choice of menus. “Don’t worry, Uncle Gil… I also have some herb grilled chicken for the carnivores among us.”

“I wasn’t worried, per say… Just mildly concerned.”

They all laughed as they migrated to the kitchen table, with Sara joining Stephanie at the stove. “You need any help?”

“If you want, you can help take it to the table. Everything else is done.” Sara picked up the salad and the asparagus and turned towards the table.

When she returned to the kitchen, Stephanie was tossing the fettuccine in the sauce. “That smells amazing.”

“Thanks… Though I’m surprised you’ve never had it before.” Sara’s confused look told her she needed to explain, “This is one of the first things me and Uncle Gil learned how to cook. I think I had a version of it at least once a week for two years until we finally perfected it.” They walked the rest of the food to the table and Stephanie bumped her uncle’s shoulder. “What’s this I hear about you never making this for Sara?”

Gil looked up at her with a puzzled expression. “I guess it just never really came up. I don’t really think about it being vegetarian, since I’ve always made it with the chicken.”

“Figures.” Stephanie laughed and shook her head. He was the only man she knew who was capable of having such amazing blinders. “Anyway, dig in… I’ll be right back.”

Stephanie walked down the hall to the bathroom as Gil and Sara exchanged worried looks. Gil was at a loss as to how to ask about their concerns, but Sara was quick on the draw. “Thomas… Is everything okay?”

Thomas looked up from the salad he just dished out with a confused expression. “Huh?” Sara gestured down the hall and Thomas understood her question. “Oh! That’s nothing. She’s just being really careful, is all.”

That was too much for Gil and he asked, “Careful about what?”

“Just with her family history and all, Steph is keeping a close eye on her blood sugar to spot any inconsistencies right away.” When he saw their perplexed expressions, Thomas explained further. “Her Mom got gestational diabetes in both pregnancies and her aunt died from undiagnosed diabetes when she was in college. Steph’s always been careful about getting tested every six months, just in case, but with being pregnant, she and the OB thought it would be a good idea to chart her glucose levels before and after eating.”

“And you need to stop worrying about me, so much, Uncle Gil…” Stephanie had returned from the hall and put a hand on her husband’s shoulder as she came to sit beside him. “I am perfectly capable of handling these things calmly and rationally. Besides, this is only a precautionary measure since I have never shown any indication that I would be prone to diabetes other than family history.”

“I never meant to imply anything else. I was simply concerned by the need for caution.” Gil tried to carefully deal with the situation. “Was there a reason you hadn’t shared this with us before?”

Stephanie and Thomas looked at each other a moment and then they both shrugged. “Never came up… We talked about it with Dr. Fraser on a follow-up appointment after the ultrasound.”

“Well, then I guess you can just chalk this up to my still being a little overprotective.” Gil blushed slightly at his own error.

As they began to eat and talk about the wedding, and the locations of their honeymoon all of the tensions melted away. Sara looked around the table and experienced a new feeling, one she had come to recognize as something that had been missing from her life for far too many years; home. Looking at their faces, softened by familiarity and love, she felt the warmth of their affections and found that she truly felt like she had a family again. Not since she was a very little girl had she felt such closeness with a group of people.

She was drawn back into the conversation the moment Stephanie mentioned Nick and his niece. “You really missed out on this one, Sara. I mean really, when she tore Hodges a new asshole I thought for sure the rest of the techs were going to declare her their queen. If she’d have been of age, they’d have gotten her drunk after that one.”

“What in the world did he do to get reamed like that?” Sara quickly rejoined the conversation.

“She wouldn’t say, at first, but Wendy and Mandy got it out of her at the diner. I guess the little rodent actually tried to put a move on her.” Stephanie’s face showed all of the disgust that her statement implied.

“Wait, isn’t she only like seventeen?”

“Exactly!” Stephanie punctuated her statement by slamming her hand into the table.

Gil shook his head and added his own perspective, “He’s just lucky Nick didn’t witness that little insanity. I’m not entirely sure what would have happened.”

“Nick didn’t get a chance… Bobby and Blake had to pull Wendy off of him.” Stephanie retold the events, but it was obvious she was still aggravated by the whole thing. “Luckily, Nick was out in the field with Greg, and Vartann was able to run interference until they could get Hodges out of the lab.”

“Alex is good with stuff like that.” Gil looked at Sara in confusion, but she just played it off. “So, I take it that means he got called by-”

“Yeah, that’s it.” Stephanie cut her off quickly, and Sara realized they were still under a gag order. “But despite the drama on that one night, it was really great having Neeley there. Wendy is even trying to talk her into coming back for the summer internship program.”

“Sounds like the girl made quite an impression last week.” Gil tried to get back into the conversation.

“Oh yeah… And if she does come back, I think Wendy and Henry will be fighting over her the whole time. Plus, I can bet she’ll be spending her down time playing with Bobby in Ballistics.” Stephanie laughed at her final thought. “Those two were like a couple of kids when someone from PD brought in some kind of sniper rifle to be cleared.” The comfortable laughter that followed her comment signaled the end of that part of the conversation.

When they finished with dinner, Thomas stood to clear the dishes and Gil joined him. As they reached the counter Thomas asked, “So, when do you leave for D.C., Uncle Gil?”

“Unfortunately, tomorrow afternoon. I have to meet with the director of the institute first thing the following morning before he leaves for Europe.” Thomas could tell that it was a delicate subject.

“Well, if you need a lift to the airport, don’t hesitate to call. And if you need any help while you’re in D.C. I can give you the number of a buddy of mine from UCLA. He’s a great guy, and he knows the city inside and out.” Thomas was trying to help as best as he could.

“Yeah, Uncle Gil…” Stephanie called from the table, “Matthew is really fantastic. His partner is the one that works for that publishing house where your book came from. He works for one of the lobbying groups setting up events and stuff, so there really isn’t anything he can’t find, or doesn’t know about.”

“Sounds like a pretty handy guy to know.” His abrupt answer told them that the subject needed to be dropped.

“So, where are the pools at now?” Sara did her part to change the topic of conversation.

“What pools?” Gil’s question shocked both women.

“The marriage pools, of course.” His face showed his shock with Sara’s answer.

“Last I checked, they’d finally dropped half the pool, because more than half the money wouldn’t bet against you, and lets face it, who wants to wait that long to collect on a bet.” Sara and Stephanie laughed at the notion and then Stephanie continued, “So, the current money is on you throwing him out in under six months, or the both of you quitting and taking off for Brazil or something in under a year.”

“There are people actually betting on that?” Gil was taken aback by the audacity.

“Uncle Gil… It’s Vegas. They’ll bet on anything around here. Just be glad it hasn’t made it to the bookies yet.”

Chapter 14

21:00 – 2007.01.15

CSI Lab: Reception

Judy was tidying up the reception counter again. She was beginning to think that the swing shift receptionist was messing up her area on purpose. It was hard for her to believe that one person could possibly be that disorganized and still keep her job.

Just when she was about to put away the last thing that had been left out, the new trainee for the weekend job came up with a few message slips in her hand. “Judy? I just found these in the outbox. What should I do with them?”

Judy’s face went white when she saw the familiar pink sheets of paper. Messages at CSI were not something to be taken lightly; they could be as vital as someone’s life. So, to have found even one message mislaid was a mistake of epic proportions, but five meant the whole lab could be in jeopardy. “I DON’T BELIEVE THIS!”

As Nick was about to walk past the reception desk he was shocked by Judy’s outburst. She was not a woman given to shouting, so he figured it had to be important. “Trouble?”

She spun in Nick’s direction upon hearing his voice. “There will be!” She took a deep breath with her eyes closed for a moment, in order to regain her composure. “Sorry… We just found a bunch of messages that the swing shift receptionist misplaced. I just hope it’s nothing too import-” She stopped upon reading the first two messages. They were both for Nick, and neither one was properly filled out, or sounded too happy. When she looked at the name of the person who left them, she found a bastardized version of a name she instantly recognized and cringed. “Oh Nick… I am soooo sorry.”

“What’s the matter?” Nick looked confused as Judy handed him two of the message slips. When he looked down at the first message, he cringed as well.

“I’m gonna take care of the receptionist problem… I promise.” Nick shook his head as he walked into the lab and Judy hung her head in frustration. As she looked back up, she turned to her trainee and said, “So, didn’t you say you wanted to work more than just weekends?”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nick hitched up his backpack onto his left shoulder again and shook his head as he walked to the Evidence Vault. If he was going to make the call, he knew he would need a little privacy. As he rounded the corner and entered the room, he looked at his watch and sighed. If a decent receptionist had taken the message, they would have sent it through to dispatch for them to call Nick and give him the urgent message, but this one let the messages pile up since three o’clock that afternoon.

He noticed some hash marks on the second message, and could only assume that meant she probably called back that many times, and the receptionist had been too lazy to take the information down again. And as badly as he had mangled the woman’s name the first time he met her, the receptionist tripled the damage on the first message and then did an even worse job on the second one. If he had not recognized the woman’s phone number, he never would have known who the message was from in the first place.

Pressing the numbers on his phone, Nick took in a deep breath before hitting the send button. This is not gonna be good.

“IT’S ABOUT FUCKING TIME!” And true to his prediction, she was not happy. “Do you people even understand the concept of urgent? Call me back right away? ASAP? For Christ’s sake how the hell do you get anything done around there?”

Nick grabbed the bridge of his nose and fought the urge to yell back. One of them needed to remain calm if anything was going to be accomplished, and if their past experiences had proven anything to him, it was not going to be the Doc. “Look, I understand… I just walked into the lab and our night shift receptionist found the messages buried by the previous one. As soon as I got them, I called. And I’m sorry for it bein’ so late, and all, but I figured it was better than waitin’ it out ‘til mornin’.”

“Damn right! You would’ve gotten voice mail. In fact, another half hour and you wouldn’t have gotten me tonight.” Her voice was still aggravated, but Nick could tell she had calmed down a little.

Processing what she said, Nick deduced that she must have been on her way to the research site. “Is everything okay out at the site?” He decided that showing concern for her work would be the ideal way to distract her from her anger.

“What? Oh, no… Everything’s fine at the site. I just needed to get out of town to get some work done.” He heard the pause in her voice and figured she must have been taking a breath. “Which is why I have been calling you… I’ve been fielding calls, non-stop since the moment you told that sniveling, self-centered, self-important, moronic freak of an ADA I would testify in his fucking grand jury trial. I DO NOT have the time for this kind of shit. I have a huge report due in Washington in a few weeks and I CANNOT spend every waking moment answering that imbecile’s insipid questions.”

Nick heaved a deep sigh, understanding her aggravation in dealing with Sinclair. The man could worry the bronze off a statue. “I know the guy is a little…enthusiastic about his-”

“He’s not enthusiastic, Nick… He’s a fucking idiot! And I swear to God, if that asshole doesn’t leave me the fuck alone, I’m going to be in D.C. for the next three months! Then he can see how his precious fucking case pans out.” Nick could tell she was ramping up once again, and he knew that sometimes it was just better to let the fire burn out before stepping into dangerous territory. “I have been studying in this field since he was still downing beers through a tube at the frat house, and I DO NOT appreciate some fucking asshat condescending to me about concepts and theories that I freaking discovered and proved!”

“He didn’t?” Nick shook his head as he chuckled at the Doc’s rant.

“He most certainly did! Mealy mouthed little rodent can eat shit and die for all I care.” Nick could not help but laugh at the situation. However, he did try to keep the Doc from hearing him. When she stopped talking all of a sudden, he knew he had failed. “Are you laughing at me?”

“No! Not you… I’m just feelin’ a little sorry for Sinclair right about now. I can only imagine how bad you went off on him. Maybe I should check up on him to see how much tail he’s got left.” Nick heard another pause and then the Doc’s quiet laughter.

“Would that be the voice of experience I hear?” That time Nick laughed outright. “Okay… Message received. But I’m still going to hide out at the site for a few days. I’ve got to put a dent in this report if I’m gonna waste a couple days testifying in this stupid grand jury thing.”

“No problem… Look, I’ll talk to Sinclair and get this whole thing cleared up, okay?” Nick did his best to smooth her ruffled feathers.

“Yeah, that’s fine. If anything changes before I get back, just get me a message through the ranger station, okay?” He was happy to hear that she had finally reached the reasonable stage.

“Sounds cool... Just enjoy the time out there and I’ll square everything away back here.”

“Thanks… I really appreciate your help with this mess.” Just when he thought she was going to end the call she had one more surprise for him. “Hey, how’s your niece doing?”

“Neeley… Ah, yeah, she’s fine. Just put her on a plane back to Texas this afternoon.”

“Did she have a good time on her visit?” Nick was surprised that the Doc was taking the time to ask him about her, but he had to admit that he found the interest intriguing.

“Yeah, she did. As a matter of fact, the folks at the lab want her to come back this summer and take a real internship. And I wouldn’t mind havin’ her around either. We were pretty close when she was growin’ up, but since I came to Vegas, it’s been kinda hard to keep close.” Nick wondered why he shared that last part, but it felt so natural to open up like that, that he just let it go.

“Well, it sounds like you both got a lot out of that trip.” Nick thought that would finally be the end of the conversation, but then she said, “If she makes it back out this way, you should have her give me a call and I can arrange a visit out to the site… If she wants, that is.”

It took a moment for Nick to regain the ability to speak after that shock. “Um… Yeah, I’m sure she’d like that. She’d like that a lot… Thanks, Doc.”

Chapter 16

13:00 – 2007.01.16

Lost Gringo Mountain State Recreation Area

Originally intending to be on the road shortly after leaving the lab, Nick was frustrated with the late hour when he glanced down at his watch, as he pulled up in front of the ranger station. He had gotten called with a complaint about a leak as he was leaving the lab, and it forced him to swing by his condo and check on the plumbing. By the time they found out it was the unit next to his and the guy from the HOA finally cleared his place, Nick started to feel the late hour and fell asleep in his living room. When he woke up from his short-lived nap it was after eleven and he felt like crap.

Nick knew that there was no way he could have driven the dirt bike all the way to the park, so he loaded it into his pickup and headed for Lost Gringo. He promised the Doc he would take care of the trouble with Sinclair, but to do that he had to promise Sinclair that he would make sure the Doc was prepped for the grand jury on Monday. Nick knew that it would be an easy task to get her ready for the trial, but he decided after Sinclair had gotten her so worked up it probably would not hurt to try and smooth a few of those ruffled feathers in person.

As he walked up to the ranger station, Nick reached for the radio from his backpack. One of the rangers came out to meet him before he had a chance to reach the door. “CSI Stokes… Never thought we’d see you out this way again. What can I do you for?”

Nick smiled at the man’s greeting. “Please, it’s Nick, and I need to get out to the research site, so I was hopin’ you fellas could give me the frequency the team is usin’ today?”

“Huh… The team uses the same frequency all the time, but Rox usually sticks to thirteen.” The ranger’s comment confused Nick.

He squinted and asked, “She uses a different frequency from the rest of the research team? How does that work?”

The man laughed at Nick’s conclusion, “Nah, man… We know she’s out there on her own when she’s usin’ thirteen. We don’t even scan for seventeen when the team’s out there, because it’s nothin’ but a bunch of college kid chatter. But when we know she’s out there, we always keep a unit open to thirteen, just in case.”

“Wait, she’s out there by herself?!”

The ranger’s laughter increased with Nick’s shock. “Stokes, there’s nothin’ Rox can’t do out there. And believe you me… She can hold her own on pretty much any front, that one can.”

Nick nodded his head, knowing that the man was probably right. “Awright… Thirteen it is. Thanks for the heads up, Dan.” The man waved Nick off and shook his head as he went back into the station house.

Back in his truck, Nick had a chance to think about the exchange with the ranger. The man appeared to have a pretty fair opinion of the Doc, and he also seemed to have a familiarity with the woman he never heard from anyone else. Nick only ever heard her referred to by her last name or her title, but he also noticed that no one else used her first name. The only other thing he ever heard in reference to her were her initials when Sandi or David talked about her. He wondered if there was some kind of relationship between the two that would have prompted such familiarity. Nick himself had been forced to do a search in order to even find out what her first name really was, so he wondered how the park ranger had gotten that kind of intell without anything else going on between them.

When he reached the parking area for the cabin site Nick carefully got his dirt bike out of the back and prepared it for the bumpy ride out on the trail. As he got the bike ready his thoughts drifted back to the Doc and the ranger. The more he thought about it, the more he became convinced that at the very least the two shared a history. He was curious as to why that would bother him, but for some unknown reason the thought made him more than a little uncomfortable. As he dropped the helmet on his head he let out an amused chuckle when he thought, Damn, Neeley… You’ve got me all turned inside out with your nonsense.

About halfway to the research site Nick noticed something in the trail up ahead of him. As he got closer, the object began to come into focus, and before long he was able to tell that it was actually one of the off-road golf carts the Doc borrowed from the USGS when they went looking for the primary scene. When he finally reached the cart, he found that not only was the Doc not with the cart, but that the vehicle was listing to one side.

He got down from his bike and went to inspect the cart. Nick discovered that the front tire was blown and it had caused the front end of the vehicle to trench into the hard scrabble surface. It looked like it had taken a really hard hit, so Nick inspected the whole area surrounding it for any indications that the driver was hurt. He breathed a small sigh of relief to have found no signs of injury in the area, but he was still very concerned when he failed to also find any evidence as to where the Doc could be.

Nick pulled the binoculars out of his pack and scanned the area for even the slightest hint of a clue as to her location. He focused intently on the trail ahead, because he thought she would likely try to make her way to the site, since it was the only place with radio signal access. In amongst the rocks and canyons of the trail, a person would be lucky to even have the ability to broadcast more than a hundred yards out, so Nick was well aware that his handheld two-way radio would be perfectly useless.

Just as he was about to give up looking and get back on his bike to go forward where he could radio in to the ranger station to get some help, he thought that he spotted something over near the rocks on his right. Nick decided that it was better to check it out than not and he hopped back on the bike to investigate before racing to radio range with the lookout station.

Reaching visual range with the object, Nick found that it was waving something at him and thus confirmed his earlier suspicions; the Doc must have set off on foot after the cart took a dive. As the bike neared the woman’s location on the rocks Nick could see that the Doc was seated up on a rock with her jacket thrown over her head and shoulders in an effort to minimize her exposure to the sun.

Nick stopped his bike and threw it up on the kickstand as he shook his head and pulled his helmet off. Looking over at her, his face broke out in a sideways grin and he said, “Well, Sundance… It ain’t the Hole in the Wall, but I still think I’d rather be in Bolivia.”

“Right now, I’d take the worst you’ve got instead of right here.” Nick was still laughing as he made his way over to where she was sitting. “This just hasn’t been my day.” She dropped the jacket to the rocks and shook her head in disgust. “Got a flat, forgot my handheld, broke my crut-” Nick had reached her position by that time and immediately noticed the bloodstain on her ripped right pant leg, which caused him to drop to his knee to examine the injury. “Got that when the crutch gave out.” He looked up from the leg and winced to show that he was not pleased with its status. “Yeah, apparently I’m not as smart as I thought I was.” That was enough to finally make Nick laugh at the situation. He figured that at least her spirits were still good, even if she was a little worse for the wear.

“Well, you think you can make it up and onto the bike?” She nodded at his question and Nick held out his hands to help her up. Being careful not to cause her anymore pain, Nick made sure he let her choose how to use his assistance to make it to the bike. She held onto his arm as they walked. With her right arm, she steadied herself against his chest and threw her left leg over the top of the bike to eventually rise up enough to rest on the seat.

Nick strapped his backpack onto the back of the bike directly behind her in an effort to give her a little more support. He stood there trying to figure out the best way to get her back to the cabin on his dirt bike. It would be a rocky ride back to the main road and he was worried she would get bounced off the seat along the way. With his hands on his hips he tried to formulate a plan, and that was when his fingers made contact with the leather of his belt.

Smirking to himself, Nick unbuckled his belt and pulled it out of the loops. As he prepared it to sling over his shoulder like a bandolier, he heard the Doc say, “That’s the kind of gesture that could seriously be taken out of context… Depending on the situation.”

Nick looked from the Doc to the belt and suddenly blushed at the implication. He never even considered how the act might have looked to anyone else.

It took him a moment to regain his composure as the Doc’s laughter filled in the silence. “All right, laugh it up.” He shook his head as he tried to get his grip again, “Look, it’s gonna be a lot bumpier on the bike than those carts, or even the ATV’s, so you’ll need somethin’ extra to hold onto, okay?”

Nick slipped onto the bike and held the front of the belt as he waited for the Doc to settle herself in. He felt the back of the belt lift up as she slid her right arm through it. With her left hand on his shoulder, she had to work to snake the right arm all the way through the belt and along his side to the front so that the belt supported her entire arm and held it to him. Once that was done she wrapped her left arm around to rest her hand on his chest so that she could hold on tight.

Taking in a deep breath to push back the nervousness that settled over him, Nick did a quick visual inspection to insure that everything was ready to go. As he kicked on the bike and revved the engine, he tried to take one last calming breath only to be reminded of the presence of the Doc against his back. He struggled to shake off the strange sensation of discomfort and headed back for the road. It was going to be a very long ride.

Chapter 17

13:30 – 2007.01.16

Grissom Home

Standing over his suitcase with a look of utter disgust on his face, Gil was not happy about being called to D.C. a week early. With his suits carefully arranged in the caddy, he was left to put in his more casual attire and the resulting socks and undershorts. He had always hated packing, and was practically thrilled when he discovered that Sara actually enjoyed the ridiculous exercise as they were getting ready for the honeymoon. While he stared intently at the open case, he wished more than ever that she was there to help him.

“Staring at it never solved the problem…” The familiar voice came from behind him and he turned to see Sara leaning against the door jamb with her arms crossed over her chest, and a delighted smirk playing over her face. “Besides, the clothes tend to see it as a sign of weakness and they’ll get all messed up as soon as you close the lid. You’ll spend your whole trip trying to get the wrinkles out.”

“Is that so?” He answered her with the cock of his eyebrow. “Then I suppose you had better get over here and keep them in line.”

She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his midsection. “I don’t really think that would be the best use of my time.”

Gil hazarded a glance at his watch to see the time and frowned. “Just what are you doing here, anyway?”

Through a pursed smile she said, “I’m waiting for some trace evidence to process before I can finish up some cases for Andrew. They’re supposed to page me when my results come back.” She brought her right hand up to rest in the center of his chest. “And since I didn’t have any paperwork to keep me occupied, and I missed lunch in order to cover the lab for my boss, I thought I might as well…” She began to run her hand along the side of his neck as she spoke. “Come home for a…bite.” The moment her lips made contact with his neck, Gil no longer remembered what it was that he had been doing.

With his arms wrapped tightly around his wife, he was knocked backwards a step and nearly knocked his suitcase down onto the floor. The racket managed to shift Sara’s attention away from her assault on his neck to see the results of her actions. “Well, that was almost a mess, huh?”

“Ah, yeah… And not that I’m complaining, but-” He held her tight in his grasp as he asked, “What prompted this little visit?”

She frowned for a moment and then rested her head into the crook of his neck. “I was feeling a little guilty about not being able to take you to the airport, and things were quiet at the lab, so-”

“So, you swung by to help me pack?” Sara laughed at his awkward question and then pulled away.

“Not exactly.” He watched as she sauntered over to the dresser and withdrew an armful of socks and undershorts. She carefully tucked them into the corners of his suitcase and then laid his pants over top of them, followed by some shirts and the two sweaters he picked out earlier. Sara then closed the lid to the case and sealed it shut before turning to Gil with a salaciously dangerous smirk on her face. She deliberately looked at her own watch and asked, “Hmmm… With so much time left until you have to be at the airport, whatever shall we do?”

That time it was his turn to smirk. He reached around her and took the suitcase out of the room. She was left standing in the middle of their bedroom wondering just what he was up to, but she did not have long to wait. Gil had returned and was standing in the doorway drinking a bottle of Gatorade. The sight of him chugging down a bottle of anything was enough to reduce her to laughter.

Gil finished the bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand when he shrugged. “Sorry, but I’ve seen that look before… And I have a connecting flight at O’Hare, so it wouldn’t do for me to collapse on the way from one terminal to the other from dehydration, or utter exhaustion.”

She raised her eyebrow in response to his declaration. “That’s a heck of a reputation to live up to.”

He started to advance towards her and tossed the bottle over his shoulder as he said, “I have total faith in your abilities.”

She chewed on that idea for a moment before she said, “Hmmm… I have at least an hour before my results could be ready, and you still need to clean up before the cab gets here.” She looked up into his waiting gaze and asked, “Should we take this into the bathroom?”

“Well, if you’re going to take all the romance out of it.” The mock pout on Gil’s face was enough to bring a smile to Sara’s face.

“I’m afraid that romance has little place in this. You’re gonna be gone for at least two weeks, and I need to get my hands on enough of you to last me all that time. So, quit stalling and let’s get in there and take care of business before you have to leave, or I get paged.” Sara began to pull him into the bathroom as he laughed at the situation.

“Be still my heart.” Gil continued his good natured laughter until Sara halted pulling him along, and instead launched forward to wrap her arms around his neck and assault his mouth with a kiss that would have stopped traffic on the strip. When she finally released his mouth to gasp for air, Gil found that all the oxygen had been removed from his body, and all the blood had quickly moved south. “Well… When you put it that way…”

The desire that flooded his senses instantly changed his mood, but it also brought into focus the truth of Sara’s words. They were about to spend two agonizing weeks apart, and it would be the first time since the night of Stephanie’s engagement party that they would be apart. In that moment of realization, his ache for her became his all consuming need.

Whereas Sara had started out as the aggressor, the tables were soon turned as Gil took her into his arms and began his own assault on her mouth. He could feel her hands reaching for every inch of his back, and then he found her nimble fingers running over his chest. The next thing he felt was his shirt being pulled over his shoulders, and he released his grip around Sara long enough for her to finishing removing the garment.

As her hands explored his bare skin, he took the queue to begin removing her clothes as well. Fortunately for him, Sara had worn a sweater, because he was not entirely sure he had enough functioning brain cells to operate that many buttons. He pulled the back of her sweater up over her head and once again managed to break contact just long enough for the garment to be removed.

Sara was not about to waste a moment of the time she managed to steal away from her day. When her boss returned to the lab to find her anxiously waiting for some evidence to process, he had taken pity on her and mentioned that they could page her when the tests were done. Andrew proclaimed that she would be of no use to him if all of her attention was sitting at home anyway. She did not wait for him to change his mind, but instead quickly gathered up her things and headed straight for the place where her thoughts resided.

As soon as Gil removed her sweater, Sara immediately went to work on his pants. With his mouth firmly attached to her neck, she unfastened his pants and dropped them to his feet. She could feel his hands as they struggled to remove her bra, so she took the initiative to undo and remove her own pants, kicking them to the side. Gil finally managed the fastener on her bra as she slipped her hands into the waistband of his shorts and feverishly pushed them out of the way.

The moment he tried to take a step forward, Gil realized too late that Sara had effectively managed to strip him in record time. The realization came just as he tripped himself in the clothes puddled around his feet and nearly knocked them both into the shower door. With their combined laughter he proclaimed, “Well, at least we haven’t lost our sense of humor, yet.”

Sara leaned her head into his shoulder and said, “Tell ya what… I’ll get the towels, you start the water.” As she turned out of his reach she called back over her shoulder, “And do something with that mess.” Gil laughed again as he looked down in the direction of her gaze to see his pants and shorts tangled around his stocking feet.

“Yes, Dear.”

He proceeded to make quick work of his clothes, placing them and Sara’s clothes into the hamper before he reached into the shower to turn the knobs. By the time the steam began to fill the stall and seep out into the rest of the room Gil found himself standing in front of the shower still alone.

He turned to the door in time to see Sara walk back into the bathroom. “Sorry… I forgot I hadn’t finished with the laundry this morning, so I had to get them out of the dryer.” She moved past him to hang the towels on the bar outside of the shower stall and when she turned back to him, she found that he was smirking. “What?”

Gil reached out and drew her into his arms as he said, “I think it is safe to say that the honeymoon is over.”

Sara’s pinched smile as she held onto his waist showed her amusement with his analysis of the situation. “I think I can live with that…just so long as we can have the ‘ever after’ part of the equation.”

As he pulled her into the shower he whispered into her neck, “I think that can be arranged.”

Chapter 18

15:30 – 2007.01.16

Desmaiseaux Cabin

Nick maneuvered himself and the Doc up the steps to the cabin’s porch, the whole time listening to the woman grouse about not really needing his help, but her wobbly legs told him otherwise. Each step was a challenge, because he worried about causing her any further harm with his actions, but he knew that she needed his assistance to make it inside without her crutch. He was also still very worried about the tear he had seen in her pant leg, so he was glad when they finally reached the cabin where they could call the rangers.

“It’s really not necessary for you to-”

“Stop like that and complain one more time, and I’m just gonna pick you up again. Consequences be hanged.” Nick gave her a look that let her know he was only kidding and she took it for what it was; some good natured ribbing.

As they entered the cabin, she reached inside the door and found a spare cane, chuckled and asked, “Is it really so awful to say what you really want?”

Nick stood back and tried to understand what she was asking. “I don’t get it.”

She began to work her way to the radio stand when she answered. “Cussing, Stokes… You seem to have an unnatural aversion to using a single curse word.”

“Well, not everyone can make a San Diego sailor blush, ya know.” That got him a good laugh just as she switched on the transmitter.

She was still shaking her head when she called into the device, “RJD-Niner to Ranger Control… RJD-Niner to Ranger Control, come in Ranger Control.”

There was a short burst of static and buzz, and then a voice came back with, “RJD-Niner, this is Ranger Control… Had a visit from that crime scene fella, Roxanne. Was he able to find ya, cher?”

“Roger that, Danny… And a good thing, too.” The Doc looked back at Nick and smirked.

“Why for? Over.” The voice on the other side was filled with concern.

“Had a little trouble with the cart… Get a hold of the USGS guys and have somebody take them out on the alpha trail to pick it up. Over” She turned back to the radio, leaving Nick to wonder again about her relationship with the ranger.

“What kind of trouble, cher? You okay?” All pretense of formality was gone from the other man’s voice at that point.

“I’m fine, Danny… C’est bon… But the cart is probably toast, so make sure somebody can tow it back to the trailer, okay?” Her tone was meant to ease his worry, but Nick got the impression that the man would not be satisfied with her verbal assurances. He would have to get some visual confirmation of his own. Nick understood the need, because if Sara or Neeley ever said anything like that to him, he would have felt the same way.

“Affirmative… You need anything out there? Over.”

“I got what I need… Just doing a little hiding out this week, so souci pas, mon ami.” Nick felt like he was missing most of the conversation, and not all of it was because of the French. He decided that there was a whole other layer to the conversation that he was not privy to, but that obviously carried a great deal of meaning to the two of them.

“Yeah…okay. Look, you be safe, cher. And you need anything, you just holler, now, hear?”

“Affirmative, Danny… RJD-Niner, over and out.” Nick watched as she took in a deep breath and tried to exude a façade of calm when she turned back to him. “So…”

“So, why is it that you didn’t tell him to bring the cavalry down here?” Nick did his best to keep his brow furrowed, but it was no use as the mirth quickly took over.

“Danny worries too much about me as it is… The last thing I need to do is give him a reason.” She started to hobble toward the kitchen, but Nick moved in to intercept her.

“No way… You need to get off that leg, and at least let me help you look after that nasty gash.” He took charge and guided her to the couch to sit down.

“Maybe I should’ve let Danny swing by… I didn’t know you’d be such a girl over a little scraped knee.” Nick laughed, but was not deterred in his course of action.

“Whatever… Insult me all ya like, but I ain’t leavin’ until I know that thing is okay.” She chuckled at his calm response and followed his lead.

“Seriously, I’m fine… I’ll just get out the first aid kit and patch myself up. Kind of like a bike tire. Clean out the hole, scrape it up, slather it in goo and slap on a fresh piece of rubber.” She carefully took her seat on the couch, letting out an involuntary groan to show just how much the day had taken out of her. “So, there’s nothing left to worry about.”

“You really think I’m buyin’ that one?” He gave her a discouraging frown and then he asked, “So, where’s the first aid kit?”

She shook her head and he watched her give in. “Behind the door.”

“And the water?”

She blinked deliberately as she changed gears in her mind. “Ah, there’s a stack of bottled water right inside the kitchen.”

Nick nodded and headed straight for the kitchen. He immediately returned with two bottles of water; one he handed to her and the other he placed on the table beside the couch. His next move was to retrieve the first aid kit. He was suddenly very grateful that

Sara had forced him to attend the emergency preparedness classes for the lab. At the time, he had been frustrated by the interruption in his pursuit of a certain meter maid, but in the years since, he was able to rely on those skills in many times of crisis to get him through. At least this time he would be using the training under less stressful circumstances.

When he returned to the couch with the first aid kit, the Doc held out her hands to take the kit from him and he simply shook his head. “Drink your water.”

She pulled her hat off and slapped it down next to her as she exclaimed, “I think I can handle a couple of banda-”

“Drink your water… You obviously have heat stroke if you think I’m gonna let you double over to patch up that leg after bein’ out in that sun all day.” He knelt down in front of her and laid the kit down beside her feet.

As he took stock of the condition of her pant leg he looked up at her to say, “Are we agreed the pants are a lost cause?”

The Doc tilted her head down and to the side to get a quick look at the offending pant leg. “Ah, yeah, they’re pretty well shredded… Why?” Her answer came as he flipped open the knife that was clipped to his waistband and sliced through her pant leg, all the way up past her knee, in one swift movement. “And they’re pretty much shorts now.”

“Sorry, but I gotta get a good look at the damage.” He reached for the bottle of water from the table and twisted it open. Nick held the rag he retrieved from the kitchen at the base of the injured area and tipped the bottle over to wash away the crud that had accumulated in the wound. Once he had a clear view of the gash, Nick cringed at the sight.

“What?” The Doc tried to look down at the side of her leg, but Nick’s head was in the way.

“Well, most of it is just a nasty scrape, but you got a heck of a rip here, just below the knee.” He glanced up again to look her in the eye when he asked, “Are you sure I can’t talk you into going to the hospi-”

“No way! Not for a little blood. So, you can ju-”

Nick held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay… I get it, okay? I just think this could get ugly if you don’t get it looked at.”

“I’m only gonna be here for a few days, and if it gets nasty I can always call Danny to come haul my butt out of here.” Nick stared into her eyes as he looked for the sincerity of her claim and tried to decide what to do. “Honest… I’m really not a glutton for punishment, and you can bet if I let it go there’d be hell to pay from all kinds of sources for doing something that stupid.”

Nick finally accepted what she had to say and went back to work cleaning out the wound. It took a few more doses of the water bottle to wash away all of the grime from the area. As he pulled the first piece of gauze from the package and poured some antiseptic onto it, Nick thought about the interactions between the Doc and the ranger he witnessed earlier that day.

It was even more obvious after the exchange he heard over the radio that the two obviously had something together. While he had no idea what any of that French was about, it struck him as odd that a park ranger out in the middle of the Nevada desert would not only know French, but also speak with a great familiarity to the Doc, if they were not involved in some way. Finally, Nick discerned that the man had referred to the Doc by her first name and an obvious term of endearment, and that pretty much clinched it for him.

The realization made him sigh a little as he continued to clean the wound, but he was not entirely sure why that notion bothered him. When she flinched, he returned his focus to the task at hand. With his attention once again in the present, it suddenly clicked in his head what he was looking at; the Doc’s torn and battered leg. There were a whole host of faded scars trailing up and down the limb, intersecting, dividing and mapping the evils of her life.

Nick had been hurt many times over the years; pushed out of a second story window, bashed and bruised, knocked around and down more times than he could hope to count, and finally he was locked in a box and forced to suffer through the agony of isolation and passive torture. But through everything that ever happened to him, he knew that his pain, his torment, his struggle was nothing compared to the things the woman in front of him lived through every day of her life, let alone that day out on the highway when her life was changed forever. As Nick gently applied the last of the antiseptic to the Doc’s leg, he silently thanked whatever forces kept him safe over the years, and asked that they keep an eye on the woman in front of him from there on out.

After closing up the gash with a couple of butterfly strips, Nick slathered some antibiotic ointment onto the entire area and then reached for a large pad of gauze to put over the whole thing. When he ripped open the roll of gauze to wrap around the leg it dawned on him that the Doc had been strangely silent throughout the whole ordeal. As he started to wrap the gauze around her leg, Nick looked up into the Doc’s face. He finally saw the flushed and mottled skin on her face and after he secured a small strip of paper tape on the gauze, Nick reached up to hold the back of his hand to her forehead; very hot and unnaturally dry.

Her reaction was slowed, but she was still taken aback by the contact. Before she could offer any kind of protest, the room seemed to spin a little more than she was used to and her eyes rolled up into the back of her head for a moment. Nick’s reaction was swift and definitive; reaching a hand behind her head to keep her from striking it as she nearly fainted. Guiding her backwards, he helped her to lie down as he pulled her legs up and turned her around to lie flat on the couch.

“Okay, that obviously took a little more outta you than ya thought, huh?” Nick put the bottle of water back in her hand before he made for the kitchen. “Drink your water… We gotta get you cooled down now.”

As she sipped at the water and struggled to regain the capacity of speech, Nick was busy rummaging around in the drawers. When he came back out he was carrying two bags of ice and was looking at the two doors off the main room. “Which one is the bathroom?”

She lazily pointed to the one closest to the kitchen with a slightly trembling arm and he nodded quickly to show that he understood and disappeared behind the door. After a short period of rustling through the room, the Doc heard the water cut on and then off. When he came out of the bathroom door he carried a bundle of soaking wet towels.

She tried to lean up from the couch, but was met with his firm hand on her shoulder to keep her in place. “Lay back… You gotta relax and try to cool down.” He stuck the towels between his knees and held out the ice bags. “So, I’m gonna put these in your armpits, and then I’ll take this towel and wrap it around your neck, okay?” When she failed to respond, he took that as a passive approval and lifted each arm before tucking the bags into the space. Then he draped the cool, wet hand towel over her throat, careful to make sure it rested solidly on the large vessels in her neck before wrapping it around to sit at the base of her head. Then, he folded the dripping wet washcloth over and laid it across her forehead. “Okay, just lay still, and relax… It’ll help you cool down a little faster.”

Nick watched as her legs fidgeted a little and he realized that maybe he should prop them up, so he grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and folded it into a cushion that he slid in under her calves to elevate her legs properly. After a few minutes, he noticed that she seemed to be more comfortable, and he decided that it would be a good time to clean up all the mess from his bandaging job.

Once he had all of the trash properly dealt with Nick took a moment to chug down a bottle of water as well. The last thing he needed to worry about was two people suffering from heat exposure. When he returned to the couch to check on the Doc he watched as her chest slowly rose and fell in that all too familiar rhythm of deep sleep. He gingerly pulled the washcloth from her face and checked her temperature once again with the back of his hand. The skin was still warm to the touch, but no longer had that hot, flushed and dry feeling to it. Careful not to wake her, he slid the ice bags out from under her arms and took them into the kitchen.

After dumping the remaining ice out into the sink, Nick found himself overcome with one of those yawns that started in his toes and worked its way all the way up his body, causing him to stretch involuntarily until he was forced to stifle the sound that came from the same place. He glanced at his watch and realized that he had already been up for more than twenty four hours, which perfectly explained why he was suddenly so tired.

When he went back to the couch, he decided that since the Doc was resting, he would just sit back in the easy chair and catch a quick nap before he headed back to the city. He figured it would only last an hour or so, and he leaned back in the chair, stretching out the foot rest as he did. Another yawn enveloped his consciousness and soon he drifted off to sleep as well. To dream of better things, better times and a better tomorrow.

Chapter 19

20:00 – 2007.01.16

Desmaiseaux Cabin

With the darkness of sleep fading away to a soft orange glow that surrounded him, Nick began to wake from a tenuous slumber. The sounds of a popping and crackling fire flooded his senses as the warmth of the fireplace finally registered in his sleep addled brain.

As he took a deep breath he felt the restriction of something around his shoulders and pulled it back to see exactly what it was that covered him. He found the blanket that he had folded up and used as a cushion for the Doc. That discovery reminded him of exactly where he was, and he looked over at the couch to find it empty.

Nick dropped the footrest of the easy chair and removed the blanket before he slowly rose to his feet. Like a hibernating creature woken early from its repose, he stretched and yawned with a sound that was half way between a groan and a growl.

From behind him, in the direction of the kitchen, a response to his verbalization came. “Huh… I could have sworn there weren’t any bears in this part of Nevada.”

Nick dug deeply into his college studies to find the right words. He only hoped that he got close. “Ursus erratus? You know how us cowboys like to travel.”

The Doc’s laughter told him that he either got the joke right, or horribly wrong. “Nice! Wandering man-bears are probably something the anthropologists should be looking into. I think they’ve become a new species or something.”

Shaking his head at her take on his little joke, Nick turned and grabbed the blanket to fold it up. “What’s that I smell?” He folded it in half and tried to discern the aroma that was assaulting his nostrils.

“Definitely a bear… It was the food that woke you up, wasn’t it?” Nick shied away from her question and she chuckled at his reaction. “I just whipped up some shepherd’s pie, so I hope you’re hungry. Otherwise, I’m gonna be eating this stuff all week.”

Nick smiled as he dropped the folded blanket onto the chair and said, “No trouble there… I haven’t eaten since this morning at my place. I’m practically starving.”

“Perfect… Should be ready in about five minutes. If y-”

“I’ll get cleaned up… Be right back.” Nick quickly disappeared into the bathroom.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

For a cabin out in the middle of nowhere, cooked by a woman who spent all of her time with rocks and dirt, Nick had to admit that it was a fantastic dinner. They chatted casually about nothing in particular, simply enjoying the food and the comforts of companionship. They were well into the meal before a single word was uttered as to why Nick had come looking for the Doc.

“What in the world possessed you to come out here anyway?”

Nick wiped his mouth with the paper towel and smiled as he finished up the food in his mouth before he answered. “Well, see…there’s this ADA who’s about to lose his mind with this cantankerous expert witness he’s got testifying for him, and it would seem that the expert has something of a temper. So, somehow, I managed to get myself appointed translator, messenger boy and conflict mediator between these two characters.”

She smirked from the left side of her mouth, and Nick was fairly certain there was a hint of blush in her cheeks as she said, “Wow, sounds like you’ve got your hands full with those two, huh?”

Shaking his head he said, “You have no idea!” They shared the laughter of understanding and then Nick explained in earnest, “Seriously though… Sinclair’s got some stuff he wanted you to go over for his presentation before your testimony. He’s concerned that he needs all of his ducks in a row, and he’s afraid a loud goose has slipped in to muck the whole thing up. Think you can take a look at what he’s got and give me a few notes to take back to the little rodent?”

The Doc screwed up her smile momentarily and then nodded her head. “Deal… But only if we drop the barnyard analogies.”

“I’ll do my best…” Nick punctuated his agreement with a quick wink and then he got up from the table to retrieve his backpack. When he returned, he had a series of folders and graphic printouts from the attorney’s presentation. “I decided it would be easier to bring these out to you then it would be to get you to come in and see them. And the only other way to deal with it would have been to tell Sinclair where to find you.”

“Thank God you didn’t do that! There’re obviously too many people who know where this place is already. I’d never get any peace if that insufferable little toady came out here.” Nick was a little surprised at her honesty, but he also realized that he probably needed to stop being surprised by anything the woman did anymore. “Which reminds me…I still need to smack Sandi for giving you the location.”

Nick chuckled at her response as he watched her methodically perusing the information he had given her. He decided that humor was probably his best course of action. “Well, considering where I found you, I’d say it’s a good thing I did come all the way out here. I imagine you’d still be sittin’ out on that rock, if I hadn’t.”

“Keep dreaming, Butch… By now I’d be sitting inside the shed at the site and waiting for daylight, so I could use the solar powered radio system.” Nick deferred to her explanation and let it drop at that. He was still convinced that she really needed his help, even if she was not willing to admit it.

“Whatever you say, Sundance.” He nodded in the direction of the materials when he asked, “So, what’s the verdict?”

“Not bad, for a lay person. So, I think it’ll work for the average jury.” She was about to stand up from the table, but before she could move Nick was on his feet and gathering up the dishes.

When he was on his way to the sink she questioned him. “Just what are you doing? I am perfectly capable o-”

“Capable? Of that I have no doubt… But you cooked dinner, so that means I clean up after, and it’s just the way it is, Doc. So, sit back, keep reading and enjoy the slave labor, okay?” Nick heard no further objections, so he set to work filling the sink with soapy water and started washing the dishes as the Doc went through all of the papers he brought with him.

As Nick dried the last of the dishes he remembered something he wanted to mention to the Doc. “Hey, I took my niece out to that Moroccan restaurant when she was in town, and it was a huge hit.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yep… I even got her to try that beet salad thing, so I figured it was a success. She told my folks all about it, so I think she was actually more impressed with that place than she was with the Stratosphere.” Nick stood at the sink with a hand on his hip, and coupled with the slightly disgusted look on his face, the sight was simply too much for the Doc to let slide and she started laughing.

Nick looked around to figure out what she had found so amusing, but soon realized it was only him. “What?”

“I’m sorry… But you really are just a big girl, aren’t you?” The hurt look on Nick’s face was enough to make her explain. “Really, it’s nothing personal, but you have a serious connection to your feminine side, Stokes. Just how many sisters do you have?”

He finally understood what had sparked her laughter and demurred to her question. “Five… All older.”

“That explains so much!” Her giggling continued and Nick had to admit it was slightly infectious, so he joined in. He also noted that when she was not trying to show just how independent she was, the woman was actually fun to be around. It started to help Nick understand just how she was able to draw so much loyalty from the people in her life.

“Okay, so this would be the punishment phase for the unforgivable sin of bringing all this paperwork out to you and saving your butt from a night in the desert?” Nick decided to address her issues with him being there with a little humor of his own. Because no matter what she might have said in the open, he knew that she would have been much worse off had he not arrived on the scene that afternoon. However, he also knew all too well how much pride played into various coping mechanisms, so he was perfectly happy to allow her that saving grace.

“That would be correct.” She gave him a crooked smile and returned her attention to the paperwork. “Okay, I need to sign this one, right?”

Nick moved to stand beside her and looked over her shoulder to see the document in question. “Ah, yeah, and I just have to witness the signature, then you’ll be free until Monday.”

“Sounds great to me… I really need to finish this damn report for Defense, otherwise I’m gonna have a bunch of whining generals hounding me.” She got out her pen and placed it in her right hand with the ease of repetition, but Nick could tell it was no easy feat as he watched her sign the document.

However, he was intrigued by her comments. “Defense?”

“Yeah, an environmental impact study on this quarry they operate in North Carolina. They’re trying to find another use for it so they can divert resources elsewhere now that the quarry is depleted. It’s a serious nightmare.” She slid the paper in his direction and handed him the pen with her left hand.

Nick leaned over the table and signed the document. He could feel her stare as he dragged the pen across the paper, but he tried not to let it get to him. He had learned that she used the stares as a way of keeping people from looking at her, so he once again allowed the tactic in the name of maintaining the peace.

When he was finished, he started to gather up the paperwork and organize the folders in his grasp. He stepped away from the table and went to put the items into his backpack again. Nick turned back to the kitchen to give his thanks and say his goodbyes just as the Doc painfully stood up from the table. He could tell she was in pain from the events of the day, but his attention drifted down to her torn pant leg and the bandage.

“Hey, let me take a look at that thing.” Nick went to stand beside her and offered her his arm for support. She stared at it for a moment, and then up at him, before finally acquiescing.

Nick grinned when he realized that he just witnessed a milestone; the Doc had not fought against his help. He tried to suppress the grin, because he did not want to draw any attention to the incident, but he delighted in it, none the less.

He helped her across the room and eased her onto the edge of the chair. When he knelt down to look at her leg, he stopped halfway as soon as he got a glimpse of the bandage. It was seeped through and in dire need of changing. “Yeah, we need to get this thing changed before it gets ugly in there.”

“I’m sure I can figure it out…just hand me the k-”

“Look, I might not’ve been an Eagle Scout, but I have a little training here. Besides, it would make me feel better to make sure it’s all right…okay?” Nick figured that if she thought it was about someone else’s insecurities that she would be more willing to go along. The fact was that Nick was genuinely concerned about the wound becoming infected, if it was not already there. When she nodded her agreement, he knew he had taken the right tack.

He made quick work of the soiled bandage and then set about to clean the area once again. It took him a few minutes to do the job, but when he finally sealed the bandage he was happy with his work. Nick looked up into the Doc’s face with a satisfied smile on his own face. “That’s better. You just gotta keep it clean and the bandage fresh for the first twenty four hours. It really is the best way to prevent infection.”

“So, you can go from cowboy to Dr. House in the blink of an eye?” He could see the humor gleaming in her eyes and it made him chuckle.

“I do what I can.” Nick stood up and took a survey of the room. He realized that he had done what he came to do, and the only things left were the pleasantries of departure and hauling the stuff back to town. “Well, thanks for the dinner and the little adventure.” He looked down at his watch and saw that it was well after ten. He had already arranged with Warrick to have the night off so that he could take care of the loose ends on the heroin case before the grand jury the following week, and he was looking forward to a quiet night at home in front of the television. “I should get moving, so you can get some rest. I really do appreciate your takin’ the time to go through the paperwork and I’ll be sure to keep Sinclair on a short leash from here on out.”

Nick picked up his pack and moved toward the door when he was stopped by her voice. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”

He turned to face the woman to address her comment. “Sorry?”

“You got maybe two hours sleep after being up all night and all day, and you think I’m gonna let you drive back, in the dark, alone? No way, Butch.” She stood up and went to the trunk next to the couch. After lifting the lid, she retrieved a pillow and a big blanket that she tossed onto the couch. “You are more than welcome to crash out on the couch here, because there’s no way I’m letting you ride the roads with those bags you’ve got going there.” The look on Nick’s face resembled that of a puppy trying to figure out a noisy toy as he twisted his head to the side. “That matched luggage under your eyes, Stokes. You look like you’ve been up for days, and a lonely desert highway is no place for tired eyes.”

Nick hung his head as he understood what she was saying. He was tired, and it probably was a bad idea to make the long drive back to Vegas at his current level of exhaustion. He also knew in that moment that his friends were right; he really was a lightweight when it came to pulling the occasional double shift. He was practically useless when it came to pulling the triples that Sara and Grissom were known for over the years. Nick was simply a man who needed his sleep to function.

However, he still felt compelled to grouse at the suggestion from the Doc, “Are you su-”

“No arguments, Stokes. I expect to hear the sounds of your grumbling and growling all night, so just settle in for the hibernation.” The woman turned to head toward her bedroom. “Help yourself to anything in the fridge, there’s some books on that shelf over there and one of those portable stereos in the trunk. I think there’s even some tapes in there somewhere.”

Nick spied a small television in the corner and asked, “That thing work?”

She looked in the direction of his question and chuckled. “There’s no reception out here, and cable hasn’t made it this far yet… We used to use it for replaying some of the video for the project, but now it’s all digital. I can’t even remember the last time we turned the thing on. But, if you’re jonesing, I guess you can turn it on and watch the static for a little while.”

Nick blushed at the implication of her quip and shook his head. “Nah, I think I can make it another night. I was just looking for the scores anyway.”

“Try the shortwave… I’m sure Danny has the whole field covered. He got the satellite dish installed at the station out of his own pocket, because he couldn’t bear to part with his LSU games since he was stationed out here in the middle of nowhere.” The mention of Louisiana State University helped put the pieces of the puzzle together in his mind. The man’s subtle accent had been plaguing Nick’s subconscious, and it was a relief to finally have the answer. It also dawned on him that it was probably the source of the man’s use of French when he talked with the Doc. Well, at least one reason, anyway.

“Not necessary, but thanks.” After she disappeared into the bedroom Nick walked over to the bookcase and started looking through the titles.

He quickly glossed over the top shelf, as the spines foretold of the hours he could spend learning about the wonders of dirt. The second shelf boasted a host of titles in other languages and collections of poetry, which he was as interested in as he was a new hole in his head.

Hope was beginning to fade when the Doc’s voice called out from behind him, “There’s an interesting piece on desert wash patterns for large debris in the academic journal sitting on top of the bookcase. And there’s some other stuff on the bottom shelf, too.”

Just as fast as she had interjected her voice into his space, she was gone, leaving him with better prospects on the reading front. The first thing he did was grab for the journal she had recommended for his education. He decided it was only right that he at least try it out. After all, the worst that would happen was a little boredom, but the best might mean that it made him a better forensic investigator.

He crouched down to check out that lowest shelf and was instantly shocked at the titles he found there. There were a few books bearing the trademarks of some legendary science fiction franchises that stood out against everything else. He looked them over, but he never was terribly fond of the genre, so he kept looking. His next discovery nearly knocked him over: three novels by the popular and accomplished southern writer Pat Conroy. The first one made sense, because “The Water is Wide” had always been well received in all academic circles due to its portrayal of the evils of the public education system in the U.S. But the second title seemed odd, based only on what he knew about the Doc. He simply had a hard time figuring out how she would be able to connect with a story about a young man dealing with an overbearing Marine Corps father while living in the deep south. However, the last book really felt like a surreal choice for the Doc. It was Conroy’s tale of his time on the Citadel basketball team as a young man.

Nick picked out the copy of “My Losing Season” and stared at it as he walked to the couch. He dropped the journal on the side table and sat the book down beside him. Reaching down, Nick untied his boots and then pulled them off, setting them up beside the couch. He grabbed the book and then stretched out over the couch as he tucked the pillow in behind his head.

He read the book when it first came out, but also several times since then. It was a really poignant depiction of the bonds created among young men on an athletic team, and it always struck a tender chord for Nick. He was not quite ready to sleep, and the words in that book would be just what he needed to relax. He would take a nap a little later and then head off on the road back to Vegas.

After a day that started out filled with stress and tension, he had to admit a good book, a warm fire and a comfortable couch after a pleasant meal with great company was the perfect end to the long day.

Chapter 20

06:30 – 2007.01.17

Desmaiseaux Cabin

Long a fan of the avian world, Nick was surprised to find himself rudely awakened by the successive battering of the metal tower outside the cabin by what was obviously a woodpecker fervently announcing his claim to the territory. He rose to his feet and went to look around outside in the pre-dawn light of day.

His eyes caught a flash of movement heading away from the electrical tower and he followed it to the closest tree branch. There he spotted the familiar brown bird with the black bars on its back and wings. When the Northern Flicker fluttered its wings, Nick also found that it was one of the red shafted varieties common to the area.

Stepping out onto the porch, Nick leaned over the rail to watch the woodpecker go about his business. When the bird jumped down to the ground and started feasting on the ants it found there, Nick remembered that the birds used the ants as not only a primary food source, but also the acid from the ants helped them to fight off parasites and aided in their grooming.

Soon, the chill in the air reminded Nick that it was early morning, so he abandoned the flicker’s happy little feeding dance and went back inside the cabin. His mission was clear; coffee. After a few false starts he finally had the coffee, the maker and the cups ready to go.

He looked down at his watch and realized he had just enough time before the coffee was ready to get himself cleaned up, so he went to his truck to retrieve his emergency bag. Not long into his career as a CSI, Nick learned to always keep a spare set of clothes and toiletries in his truck for all of those times when he might not see his home for a couple of days, or his present clothes had gotten dirtied by the work.

Nick made his way to the bathroom and worked to quietly clean up for the day. His plan was to get back out on the road just as soon as the Doc woke up and he could thank her for the hospitality. I can’t just leave without talkin’ to her…for propriety’s sake.

That thought made Nick pause for a moment. He had to wonder why it came to mind with everything else that was going on. But, eventually he shrugged it off and finished up in the bathroom.

By the time he re-entered the kitchen, the coffee was just finishing up and he poured himself a cup. As the warm brown liquid of life heated a path down to his stomach, Nick started to fully wake to the dawning day. After the sigh he released dissipated, he could make out a new sound on the morning air. In order to hear the full breadth of the sound, Nick walked back out onto the porch.

Over in the bushes Nick could hear a mechanical tinkling sound, the high bell-like call of the Black-throated Sparrow. From the sounds of it, there were at least three or four of the desert sparrows over in those bushes. He leaned over the railing once again, sipped from his coffee cup and simply relished in the sounds of early morning in the desert. It was the kind of thing that never ceased to lighten his heart.

As the bottom of his cup became visible, the sun was also making its presence known. Nick was just about to head back into the cabin to see what was in the kitchen for breakfast when a park service truck came riding up and rolled to a stop in front of the porch.

Nick stood up and went to greet the man behind the wheel. Stepping down from the pickup was a dark haired man with the palest complexion he had ever seen in a desert dweller before. Nick nodded as the ranger approached the porch.

“Hey there, CSI Stokes…” The ranger called up to the porch, “What’s it keepin’ you out so long?”

Nick shrugged and said, “Ended up crashing out here last night. Doc was worried about me out on the highway after bein’ up all day.”

“All day? Ain’t that the way it’s supposed to work?” The ranger was obviously questioning him, so he just played along.

“As long as you don’t normally work the night shift. I came out here right after work yesterday, so I hadn’t slept in quite a while.” Nick thought for a moment about telling the man that he also stayed longer than intended because of the Doc’s injuries, but after his conversation with her, he decided that was probably not a wise thing, so he kept silent about it. “By the time we got done runnin’ through the case file it was pretty late, so I just crashed out here.”

“Oh yeah that… Good thing, then. Lonely desert highway is no place for tired eye.” Nick remembered that the Doc said something very similar to him the night before, which only further confirmed his suspicions about the two and their relationship. The ranger nodded up at the house and asked, “So, where she at?”

Nick turned involuntarily and looked back at the door when he answered, “Ah, still asleep, I guess.”

The man looked at his watch and nodded, “Yeah, okay… So, we got that cart, and them boys at USGS are takin’ it in. It won’t be runnin’ for a while, so would you let her know she’s been grounded for a bit, okay?”

“Yeah sure… No problem.” Nick watched on as the man seemed to have become fascinated with the dirt bike in the back of his pickup truck.

“This yours?” Nick nodded that it was and the ranger climbed up onto his tailgate to get a closer look at the bike. “Two fifty?”

“Ah yeah… I haven’t ridden anything smaller since I was a kid.” Nick stepped down from the porch and closed the distance between them. He thought the volume in their voices had the possibility of waking the Doc, and he wanted no part of having irritated her so early in the day.

“Yeah… Hobby bikes, those are. This is nice though.” He went over the tailgate and came in for a closer inspection of the engine. “Looks like you got a good mechanic on this, huh?”

“Ah, well, mostly I just keep it up, but a buddy of mine is real good with engines. So, I can usually count on him for a hand.” Nick was always glad to have Warrick around, but even he had to admit that the man was a damn good mechanic. The only one who had more fun in the CSI garage was Sara, but that was only because she liked tearing things apart to see how they worked. Warrick liked being able to put them back together, and it made him a real talent in the garage.

“Yeah… Andy, me spent lotta hours turnin’ wrenches on our first bikes. Makes for good friends, when you can do that, yeah?” The faraway look in his eyes made Nick wonder what he meant. “Andy loved them bikes… And I think they loved him back. Me? I was too much in my head about the animals to stick with the bikes.”

“Animals?” Nick attempted his own subtle interrogation.

The ranger looked up from the bike. “Huh? Oh, yeah, my background’s in biology. Small mammal biology, mostly. This ranger thing is so I can do half my field research and get my Ph.D.”

“Oh, wow… That’s great, man. What’s your study?”

“Ah, I’m comparin’ the habit behaviors of a small class of rodents between different environments.” As the man explained his area of study, Nick was suddenly aware that he was far more than he ever appeared before. He began to wonder if the good old boy image was just a front that he used with people he did not know. “What’s the same, what’s different, what’s a necessity of the environment and what can be connected to a kind of learned community behavior. That kind of thing.”

“Sounds like a pretty interesting way to spend the time. How long have you been workin’ on this?” Nick tried to keep Danny engaged in the conversation, because he had to admit he enjoyed finding out more about the man.

“Too long… I’m no over-achievin’ genius like them two. I’m just the simple minded step child in comparison.” His comment was innocent enough, but it confused Nick completely.

“What two?”

The man gave Nick his own confused expression and responded as though Nick asked him the color of the sky. “Andy and Roxanne… They’re the only two I know got their degrees like they was in a race or somethin’.”

The name sounded familiar to him, but Nick had trouble placing it. “Andy?”

“Oh! Sorry ‘bout that… I always forget.” He jumped down out of the truck and removed his hat, showing Nick a thick, full head of wavy black hair as it fell down in front of his face. “Andy was the guy what helped her get this place going. Them two was inseparable from the moment they met, so I forget not everybody thinks of them in the same breath.” The ranger leaned back against the side of Nick’s truck and replaced the cap on his head, with the bill sitting up high. “One of them things, I guess, but it still take me a minute to remember ole Andy’s gone sometime. I half expect to pull into this place and see him throwin’ the ball around with them college kids, and thinkin’ up new ways to play jokes on the other rangers. He was a practical joker, that one.” The ranger smiled and Nick could see his eyes light up for a moment. “I remember one time, we couldn’ta been more than ten, but he got it in his head he wanted to see just how fast that little buggy we had would go, so he needed to get him some grain alcohol to make his plan work. He conned this ole boy into lettin’ him haul corn for him, in exchange for a jug of his recipe, on account his grandpappy was feelin’ poorly and needed the recipe to get his spirits up. That ole boy sends his ole lady down to Andy’s place to offer their support, in that time of sadness. Andy, me didn’t sit down for a near a week after that one, I tell you.”

Nick and the man laughed heartily at the old story. When they were done, Nick felt compelled to ask the man another question. “So, you knew the Doc’s fiancé, then?”

“Knew? No way, we was closer than that, for certain. We grew up on the same bayou, both moved to big dirt when our Daddy’s started working for the chemical comp’ny. Me and him is practically blood. He was the one told me ‘bout putting in for this job, sose I could start my research and have some money in my pocket.” Danny looked toward the cabin and nodded. “And he’s the reason I’m still here, yeah. He always told me to watch out for what’s his, you know. Just like I would tell him, too. He took care of my parents after they both took sick, and I was away in the Navy… And now that he’s away, it’s my turn to take care, you know. But like always, somehow I think Andy got the easier way.” Danny winked at Nick as he tried to lighten the mood. Nick stayed quiet, not truly understanding what had happened, or what he had been told.

Danny moved away from Nick’s truck and back over toward the driver side of his. “She ain’t no picnic, friend. But she’s worth every painful moment.” He opened the creaky door and added, “You just let her know she ain’t taking anymore buggy rides for while, and make sure she take care of whatever she hurt out there. And tell her she ain’t so smart, neither.” He climbed up inside the cab of the truck and smoothed his mop of pitch black curls back as he brought the hat squarely down again. Leaning out the window he called back, “Thanks for picking her up, Stokes… And make sure you remember what I said; I’m watchin’ out for what’s his, friend… Always watchin’.”

Nick watched the ranger as he pulled away from the site and wondered what the man meant with his parting words. He stared after him for a while as he tried to put all of the pieces together. What may have started out as a simple errand for a case, had turned into so much more and he was still attempting to understand it all. The ride back to town promised to be full of highly intriguing analysis.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The morning sun had always been an issue at the cabin, but over the years she developed a resistance to it, waiting until the last possible moment before finally succumbing to its beckoning call. When her last corner of darkness was burned away by the sunshine, she carefully opened a single eyelid, and then the other followed shortly after.

The whole experience of waking had been terribly disorienting to her in the years since her accident. When she slept, she was whole, she was happy and she was never alone, but in the waking it would all come flooding back with the reality of the day. Some days she was able to awaken with no memory of the dreams, or the day before, and it was oddly comforting, that blanket of nothingness. However, like most delusions, it would be short lived, and the world would soon engulf her in its pain, its suffering, and its ever demanding need for her attention. To say she was not a morning person was probably the understatement of the millennium.

With her left arm she threw back the quilt and waited for the motivation to crawl out of bed for another day in the glaring reality. That motivation came in the form of the scent of coffee wafting in from the kitchen. The moment she took in a deep breath through her nostrils she was intrigued by its presence. Having found the reason to rise, she clumsily rolled out of the bed and dropped her feet to the floor with a thud. When she sat up on the edge of the bed, her left arm immediately went to the surface to brace her in the upright position. The other hand rubbed over her face and eyes in yet another attempt to fully wake for the day.

When the sound of a truck coming to a squeaky halt in front of her cabin came in through the open window she looked over at the clock on her dresser. It was nearly seven in the morning and she had no idea who would have been there to see her so early. Of course, she was still wondering how the coffee had been made, but that was why she got up in the first place.

She rose to her feet and winced at the sudden pain in her right leg. She was no longer used to feeling a great deal in that leg (years of surgery and the initial damage managed to have killed off much of the nerve tissue), so the pain was unique. She glanced down at her leg and saw a large swathing of bandage and was instantly reminded of the events of the day before. It was simply a testament to the ability of sleep to rob one of their senses, and she was glad that coffee apparently waited for her in the next room.

The walk into the main room was slow and painful, but that was nothing new for her. She had been experiencing those walks for nearly ten years, and she was grateful for each grueling step. The pain was nothing more than a reminder of what she almost lost; her freedom and her life. She may have lost many things in her life, but as long as she was still alive, she considered herself ahead of the game. And it was a game she intended to win, even if it was the last thing she did.

Before she could head into the kitchen and find that coffee, the sound of voices out front drew her sleep fuzzied attention away from the kitchen. As she glanced over the room on her way to the front door she noticed the pillow and blanket on the couch. The sight, the coffee and the voices all added up to the fact that she probably had a visitor or two.

She changed course and went straight for the front door. As her hand reached for the handle, she could hear a truck start up and she pulled open the door to look out the screen for a clue as to who was there. The familiar sight of the bright green and yellow truck backing off the property greeted her and she wondered why Danny had come by just to make coffee, but then her eyes drifted down to the bottom of the steps and the whole thing instantly came back into focus: the blowout, the crash, the walk, the fall, the rescue, the dinner. And Nick Stokes was in the starring role of the whole ridiculous nightmare that compromised her previous day.

His back was turned to her as he watched Danny’s truck motor away, and that was when she looked down at herself and realized what she was wearing. There she stood in the doorway in a lavender, satin, spaghetti strap, tank top and matching shorts. It was a fairly standard choice in night clothes for her, but not something she ever wore in front of anyone (not for a very long time). She knew that other people felt perfectly fine wearing even less than that in public, but she had never been one of them, and certainly not in the last ten years.

She was used to the sight of the criss-crossed lines and the jagged ridges, the darkened divots that spread out over her skin in large patches, the many reminders of the event that changed her life forever. But outside of her family, and a few medical personnel, no one else ever saw that much of her body in the last ten years, and she tended to like it that way. It was hard enough for her to look on the image of her battered and torn body, and she could only imagine the torment it would cause someone else.

She stared out at the man’s back for a moment too long, because he instantly turned around and began to bound up the steps to find her in the doorway. “Oh hey! You’re up, I see.”

There was still a screen door between them and she held onto it with a death grip as she attempted to use it as a shield. He continued to talk, “You just missed Dan… He came by to let you know the cart was seriously crunched, and it’s gonna be a while before they can fix it. So, you won’t be goin’ out to the site for the rest of the week.”

Her mind only allowed her one word and it was, “Okay.”

“He’s a pretty interesting guy. Sounds like he’s pretty devoted to you, huh?” His question was just the thing she needed to break through the stupor.

“Ah, yeah… I kind of inherited him, but yeah, he’s very loyal.” He made a motion to show that he wanted to get back inside the cabin and she finally released her white-knuckled grip on the screen door handle. “Oh… Sorry.”

She stepped back from the door and Nick walked right in. On his way past her he looked down at her exposed leg and saw that the bandage had been seeped through again. “Hey…have a seat and I’ll grab the kit so we can get that changed again.” He walked into the kitchen and paid no attention to her nervousness or anxiety.

She quickly grabbed the flannel shirt off of the coat rack and wrapped herself up in it. The shirt failed to cover her completely, but it was something she could hold onto and that was important. She sat down in the first available chair which happened to be next to her desk and waited for him to come back into the main room.

“I had some stuff in my truck, so you’re stocked up on rolls of gauze and some more telfa pads.” He started talking before re-entering the room and continued as he knelt down in front of her to get straight to work redressing the wound after he handed her a cup of coffee. “The telfa pads won’t stick to the wound as it scabs over, so it’ll be the most comfortable to use...you know, when you go to get some more of these. You’ll need to keep dressing it for at least week, okay?”

She held the shirt closed with her right arm draped over her lap and clutched at the cup as though it were a weapon as she nodded her understanding. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

She could instantly see the concern in his eyes and she felt bad for having made him question himself with her insecurity. “No…not at all.”

“Okay.” He did not sound like it was, but she had nothing she could offer him; not while she still felt so exposed.

He sealed off the bandage once again and stood up. He started talking again and she fought to remain in the conversation, instead of dwelling on her own paranoia. “Well, I just wanted to thank you for the use of the couch, the Conroy and that article. You mind if I take that back with me? I’m pretty sure my friend Sara would like to read it, too.”

“Um, yeah… That’s fine. You can always have Dr. Grissom return it when he’s on campus.” She tried to make the whole thing sound as casual as possible, because she was quite certain that under the circumstances he was most likely just being polite.

“No problem, really. I don’t mind either way.” He folded up the blanket and took it as well as the pillow back to the trunk. “I ah, never pictured you as a fan of Conroy’s work though.”

Her self-consciousness gone for a moment, she answered, “I got hooked on ‘The Great Santini’ because my mother told me it was the perfect description of her life growing up as a Marine Corps brat. Apparently my grandfather was not exactly a nice man, and their family life was oddly similar to the one in the book. After that, I just loved the way he described people and places.” She had no idea why she told him that, because she never told anyone about her family anymore, it was just too painful.

“I love the way he tells a story. Just makes me feel like I can understand what everyone is thinking and feeling and seeing. Like I’m really there. It always makes me feel more connected when I read his stories.” She was shocked at the depth with which he described his interest in the author’s work.

He looked down at his watch and whistled, “Man! I really need to get going. I’ve gotta work tonight, and I’m already gonna have to pull on-call duty for two Saturdays just to make up for last night.” He grabbed his backpack and walked over to her again as he reached for something in the front pocket. “Look, if you need anything, you should try me at this number.” He handed her a card with his mobile number first and the main lab number below it on the front, along with “CSI-3 Nicholas Stokes” in big bold letters. “I work nights, so leaving me a message at the desk can take forever, plus the turnover there is a nightmare, so who knows if I’ll actually get the message.” His mention of the missed message incident refreshed her memory, but it was the shy smile on his face that truly had her attention. “Anyway, I’ll see you on Monday for the Grand Jury testimony, but if you need anything before then, please don’t hesitate to call.”

He thanked her again and said his goodbyes before he headed out the door. She remained seated in the desk chair until she heard his truck as it pulled away from the cabin. She felt a strange pull to follow and got up to walk to the door, just in time to watch the truck exit onto the forest service road.

As she continued to stare at the vacant space in front of the cabin she felt a slight twinge in her right leg. Looking down at the leg, the shirt fell open and she was overcome with an ache she had long thought abandoned.

It was the strangest thing she had witnessed in a very long time. And her reactions to the whole incident surprised her even more.