Nick near miss

Greg walked over to Sara. Taking a deep breath, he started to tell her what Morgan had said. She looked like he had hit her. "What's going on, Greg? Why is this happening?"

"I don't know, Sar, but we will find him. I promise."

"I don't know what to do. Should I stay here in case he shows up or go help Morgan?"

"You don't need to be here. Go...go help Morgan. And we should call the lab, in case he goes there."

"Let me do that. I'll call Russell and tell him to stay with you. Or do you want Brass instead?"

"Russell's in Seattle. And Brass is retired," she reminded him, still having trouble remembering that. As Nick had been saying for years, there was no one left, just the three of them.

"I can still get Brass."

"I want everyone looking for Nicky. I want them to find him. The desert...he shouldn't be left alone in the desert." She remembered being lost and alone, hurt and frightened. She remembered Nick being the one to find her.

"Okay."

"I know someone needs to be at the house, but I...I want to help."

"No."

"He was the one to find me..."

"I know. But it's still no."

"You did with Morgan." She hated playing that card, but at the same time hoped it worked.

"You're stubborn. Fine, but you stay with me."

She nodded. "I will." It turned out that she called Brass and asked him to stay at the house and asked Robbins to let her know if Nick showed up at the lab.

*****

All in all, it took four excruciating hours before Greg and Sara found Nick.

"Nicky!" Sara yelled.

He groaned, trying to get up. He could hear Sara, the fear in her voice, but she sounded so far away. Sara dropped next to him and wrapped her arms around him. He held onto her, ignoring the pain in his shoulder.

"What happened?"

Nick started to tell her but felt the world going black. Greg handed his friend his bottle of water. "It can wait, Sar."

"He needs a doctor."

Greg nodded, walking slightly away to use the radio to inform the others and the medics that Nick had been found and his location.

"I won't leave you. I promise."

"Love you," Nick whispered, kissing into her hair.

"Love you too." Nick smiled.

"Ten minutes," Greg said as he returned.

"I'm going with him."

"Of course you are. We'll meet you there. Russell should be in by then."

"He was in Seattle," Nick said.

"Finn called him home when Morgan found the ambulance."

"Where is Morgan?"

"She and Finn are coming." The two girls had paired together when Sara and Greg had.

"Okay. Greg, thank you."

"I'll give you two some breathing room. Nick, finish that water." He scolded before walking slightly away.

"I'm so glad that you're okay, Nicky."

"I just want to go home," he said, breathing her in.

"When the doctor says you can."

"I can't believe Brass is helping. And Russell's coming back."

"Why couldn't they? Brass is family. And Russell still works with us."

"I think...somewhere along the line...we gained family, not just lost them," he said, thinking of how protective Morgan was and the fact that Russell was giving up his vacation with his family because of him.

"Yeah. I just wish Cath and Warrick were still here."

He nodded. "I miss them. I miss the old Grissom, the one he used to be before he had his head up his ass. But I don't know that I'd trade Russell, Finn, or Morgan if I could."

"I wouldn't trade either, but I don't want Grissom back in my life." He knew it was a sore subject and didn't argue, but the Grissom he'd known when he first came to Vegas had been different, had been a friend. Grissom had left the team long before he had actually quit.

Nick could hear the ambulance coming closer. Sara closed her eyes when the sirens finally arrived and she hugged Nick tighter, like she was afraid they would take him away without her.

"Hey. Sara, I'm right here."

"I know."

"It'll be okay, peanut," he whispered, resting his head on hers.

"I don't want to leave you." He was her family.

"You won't have to. You're coming with me, remember?"

"Okay."

He held her hand even when he couldn't hold her, letting the medics poke and prod him in the disguise of making him comfortable. He remembered seeing Morgan and Finn join Greg, but his focus was on the medics and on Sara.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Good as new," one of the medics told her.

"Good. Let me go home," Nick said.

"No. He has a bullet wound in his shoulder." Nick bit back a sound as the medic found it.

Sara watched the medic peel away clothing to get to the wound.

Nick hissed as the air hit the open wound.

"Hurts," he admitted, a rarity for him to admit that anything actually hurt.

"It's okay, Sar. Really. It just stung a bit."

"It's a bullet wound, babe. It's going to hurt a little bit, but it's okay. Don't worry, okay?" He was more worried about her than he was himself.

"Why would I? I have you." He grinned his Texas grin at her.

"Sara!"

"Would it make you feel better if I were?"