Forgotten

Prompt for: LovingGinger30 (aka: thewhatzupwriter26): Greg is still a newbie at the lab; it's Greg's birthday is coming up really soon, and the team is planning a surprise party for him. As Greg feels forgotten, he gets beaten up by old high school bullies. When the team realizes that something is wrong, they spot Greg limping into the lab. As Greg tries to tell them, he passed out. The team got Greg to the ER, and they caught their suspects. The team end up throwing the surprise birthday party in the hospital room.

Enjoy!

Thank you so much to LovingGinger30 for finding this prompt; I wasn't able to find it at first. I'm sorry it took so long for me to update, I hope people are still reading!

Greg put another finished DNA sample away and sighed; he still had a lot to go through, but he didn't mind. This was his dream job and he'd been lucky enough to get it. It had been only two years since he started working at the crime lab and at first, he was worried no one would like him since he was a science nerd…but he fit in, because everyone was a science nerd here. He got along great with everybody, except Ecklie- the day-shift douchebag. He especially got along with Nick and Warrick, the two swing shift CSI's. They were like two older brothers and having them, plus the rest of the team, made him feel like part of the family. He was particularly excited for today to be over, because tomorrow was his birthday and he was hoping, that if he could finish his work on time- which wouldn't be a problem for him- he, Nick, Warrick and the girls, if they wanted could all go out for dinner and drinks. He came across Catherine first, but apparently, she was taking her daughter Lindsey to a movie and Sara was going to a lecture about the types of blood splatter.

Though feeling dejected, it was only two out of four…he would rather have a guy's night anyways. They must've forgotten, but it was no big deal, they had only known him for two years anyways and he didn't exactly shout it at the rooftops. However, after going to Warrick, the man said he had dinner plans with his girlfriend. Feeling a little sadder, he went to search for Nick; surely, he must've remembered. They were closer than anyone in this place.

"Hey," he said, finding the older man in the light room. "Are you busy tomorrow? I was wondering if you wanted to go out for drinks and wings, maybe a little gambling?"

"You asking me out on a date?" The Texan joked, raising his head.

Greg rolled his eyes. Typical Nick.

"What's the special occasion?"

Greg's heart sunk. Nick forgot, too. "N-Nothing. Never mind, I just remembered I have to be at my apartment for when my landlord gets there to fix something."

"Oh, okay. Raincheck then, bud. As a matter of fact, I think I have next Friday off, we can do something then."

Greg nodded, forcing a smile. "Sounds good." Before Nick could see the hurt in his eyes, he turned around and left. He couldn't believe it…everyone forgot. Maybe he wasn't as liked as he thought. They probably saw him as an annoying lab rat and was only nice to him to get their results quicker. We're they just using him? Well, he should've known; it was like that all his life. Being the smartest at and obsessed with science in school, girls would only flirt with him to get help with or have him do their work. Then their jock boyfriends felt threatened and beat him up. High school was a nightmare for him, and it was happening all over again. At least this time no one would punch him…hopefully.

~+CSI+~

The rest of the shift went by extremely slowly and he tried his hardest to stay away from the others, not wanting them to ask questions as to why he was being so quiet and then call him a baby. It was just his birthday, he was a grown man, he shouldn't be taking it this hard. But truth was, he never really celebrated his birthday's except with his family. He didn't have a lot of friends as a kid, maybe one or two, but he wasn't a popular person. So, he thought it would be different now that he had friends…but he thought wrong. Once he was done everything, he left right at midnight, wanting to get the hell out before running into the team.

"Think he knows anything?" Nick said as he and Warrick watched Greg clock out for the day. He seemed a lot quieter today, but he also looked tired since he pulled a double the other day. Still, something was up; Nick's big brother senses were tingling.

"No, he definitely thinks we forgot," Warrick smirked.

Nick bobbed his head. "Is everything all set for tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I have all the stuff in my car. We can set it up tomorrow in the break room."

"Cool," Nick grinned. "See you tomorrow."

Before going home, Greg stopped at a bar for a few drinks. He knew it was bad to drink alone, plus having more than two drinks made him pretty tipsy. He had always been a lightweight. He also knew that drinking while depressed wasn't a good idea, but he just wanted to forget that he had no one. He had no friends here, no family; his mom was all the way in California and though it wasn't far, he wanted to prove her wrong that he had made a mistake moving out here. She had always been super protective of him and wasn't too thrilled with the idea of him being away from her. He wondered if he should try again somewhere else, but he felt that anywhere he went, he would be seen as the science freak and no one would want to talk to him.

Greg glanced at his watch and sighed. It was almost one-thirty in the morning, and he had to be at work in twelve hours and he knew he had to walk about two miles home since driving in his condition would not only get him fired, but arrested too. Once he paid the bartender, he left the bar and began the long trek home…however, being out at nearly two in the morning in Vegas and in the not so great part of town- that he had learned- was probably not the smartest thing. When he rounded the corner, he bumped into a group stumbling backwards and stunned by the force.

A gruff voice spoke up. "Hey, watch where you're…hey wait a sec…don't I know you?"

Greg blinked, trying to stop the world from spinning, and looked up. Shit. Of all the people to come across at this time, it had to be the three main people that used to beat him up in high school. Thomas Ryder, Zak Westcott, and Jason Newsom.

"N-No," he stuttered. Could this day get any worse?

"Holy shit…" Thomas' eyes widened before his mouth upturned into an evil grin. "Guys, it's Greg Sanders from high school. That scrawny, nerdy brunette we used to beat up."

Zak and Jason's face soon lit up once they recognized him. "What are the chances?"

Greg laughed nervously. "Small world, huh."

"So you do remember us," Thomas said, towering over Greg.

"Unfortunately," the blonde muttered. "Uh, it's been nice running into you g-guys, but I have to get home."

"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast, geek," Thomas pushed him back. "Come on, let's have some fun for old times' sake."

"Maybe another time, I have to work tomorrow," he tried to pass them again, his heart racing in fear, but Jason and Zak blocked him.

"Work won't miss you. No one misses you. When we put you in the hospital for a week, no one cared. We were only suspended for two weeks and let off with a warning. Perks of being under the age of eighteen."

"Y-You could get arrested now, especially since you'd be assaulting a law enforcement officer," Greg lied, trying to keep his voice steady. He wasn't even close to being an officer, he was a lab tech, but he hoped the information would force them to back off.

Thomas laughed loudly. "Nice try, blondie. No precinct would take skinny loser like you. Besides, we all know you wanted to work in a lab, too scared to be out in the real world."

Damn. It had been worth a try. "W-What do you want with me?"

Thomas shared an eager look with his friends before he grabbed Greg by the collar and threw him into their arms. They proceeded to drag him into an alley and no matter how hard he fought, they were bigger than him, stronger…they always were. He lost track of how long they beat him, the pain being too excruciating to think straight. They kicked and punched him non-stop. Greg tried to fight them off, his arms flailing before he felt his nails scratch someone's skin, followed by an angered shout and more brutal kicks. Maybe he should just give up, no one wanted him around anyways. And just when he thought it would never end, finally, everything stopped.

"You're not worth killing, geek," Thomas spat, the saliva landing on Greg's bruised and bloodied face. "Come on, let's go." Before they left, Tom fisted Greg's hair and yanked back his head. "Not that anyone will believe you, but if you don't keep your mouth shut about this, I will find you and I will kill you." He let the lab tech's head drop to the ground, giving him one last kick to stomach before leaving.

The blonde whimpered, curling in on himself. Through blurry vision, Greg watched Tom disappear around the corner and only then could he sigh in relief. At least they were gone. He closed his eyes, letting the pain consume him and slipped away into darkness.

He wasn't sure how long he had been passed out for, but it was still dark, he was still in the alley, and he was still in so much pain. Greg rolled onto his back, choking a sob as he stared up at the night sky. Why was he so weak? God, everything hurt so much; he wouldn't be surprised if he had some broken bones. He thought for sure he felt one or more of his ribs crack. Once the initial shock began to wear off, Greg knew he couldn't lie here all night; the cold would probably kill him. Groaning, he forced himself to sit up and used the wall to get to his feet; a wave of dizziness passed over him before he was able to start searching his pockets. He almost cried in happiness; at least they hadn't taken his phone, though the screen was severely cracked. He shakily dialed the number for a taxi, knowing full well he wasn't gonna be able to make it home on foot. It took about five minutes for the vehicle to get to him and by then he was about ready to pass out again. The driver's brows rose the second he saw Greg's condition.

"Am I taking you to the hospital?" He questioned.

Greg shook his head, clutching his pulsing ribs. "No, can you just bring me to 756 Raymond Street?"

"You sure, kid? You look like hell."

"I'm sure…thanks."

The man looked skeptical but didn't question any further and drove off towards Greg's apartment. It took all the tech's energy not to black out in the back of the vehicle and by the time he finally got up to his apartment, he couldn't hold back the urge to vomit. The bile splattered on the floor before he stumbled to the bathroom. When he flicked on the light, Greg gasped once he saw himself in the mirror.

"Shit." How was he gonna be able to pass this off tomorrow? Wincing, he began wiping off the blood from his face, but not before taking a Q-Tip and collecting the spit from his cheek. He then took tweezers and shakily scrapped the skin cells from underneath his nails, letting them fall into a small envelope. It was his job to take samples, and even though Thomas threatened to kill him if he told, it wouldn't hurt if the team somehow found this stuff. When he finished, placing the evidence in individual plastic bags, Greg unbuttoned his shirt tenderly. "Oh god…" This was bad…this was really bad. His whole torso was black and blue…there was barely an inch of his white skin showing. Whimpering, he bandaged the cuts on his body, grabbed a few ice packs and choked down a few Tylenol. He knew it would do very little to mask the pain, but he hoped it would be enough to let him sleep. The second his pulsing face hit his pillow, Greg was out cold.

1:45pm

Greg awoke to unbearable agony and a pounding headache. He wondered if he had a concussion, he was still feeling pretty sick and dizzy…maybe he should've gone to the hospital. Hissing as he raised his sweaty face from the pillow, he glanced blearily at his clock.

"Fuck!" He rasped. He was almost an hour late for work! Dammit, he was so gonna be fired for this. As much discomfort as it caused him, Greg limped around the room, quickly getting dressed. He was in such a rush that he didn't see that the bruises on his body had gotten darker, indicating internal bleeding or that he left his phone on the floor with several missed calls. When he got outside, looking for his car, it didn't hit him that he had left it at the bar last night. He didn't have time to worry or wonder if someone had stolen it, instead catching the city bus even though he knew it would make him another half hour late. The whole ride there he got weird looks from the other passengers and he tried not to let it bother him. This was such a great way to start his birthday; maybe he should just cut his losses and go home. He probably didn't have a job anymore anyways. He would just go in, grab his things and leave.

Nick tapped his fingers on the table, glancing at the clock. He was worried…well, the whole team was worried, but Greg was like a younger brother to him and the fact that he was nearly two hours late and not answering his phone began to freak him out. He had left countless messages, Grissom called, Catherine called, hell even Warrick, but it just kept ringing before going to voicemail.

"Do you think we should go check on him?" Warrick questioned.

Nick bit the inside of his cheek. Was Greg so hurt that they "forgot" his birthday that he decided not to show up at all? No, the kid wasn't that petty. What if something bad happened to him? What if he was hurt? "Maybe. If he doesn't show up in the next ten minutes, we'll go to his apartment."

"I'm sure he's fine, man. Probably just slept in, he did pull a double the other day."

"Yeah, you're probably right." He stood up from the chair, taking a deep breath. He was just about to go to the evidence room when he saw Greg, well, the back of him, round the corner…and something was different. Was he limping?

"Greg!" He shouted as the man disappeared into the locker room. He walked down the hall and when he got to the doorway, he was ready to berate the man for being late. "Greg, where the hell have you been, we've all been…" his sentence trailed off, however, when he got a look at the kid. Bruises littered his face, there was what looked like dried blood in his hair, he had a black eye and split lip, not to mention he was hunched over, hugging his body and wheezing. It almost looked like he could barely stand. His stomach twisted and his blood boiled; who the hell would do this? Whoever it was, he was going to murder them. "Jesus Christ, Greggo, what the hell happened?! Who did this to you!?"

Greg turned around, his body shaking like a leaf. Sweat was beading on his pale face which was scrunched up in pain, however it looked like he was trying to hide it.

"Uh…n-no one, I'm fine. I just…I f-fell down the stairs this morning."

"Greg, I know you're lying. There's no way you fell down the stairs."

"Yes, I did," Greg laughed nervously, grabbing something from his locker, trying not to look Nick in the eye. "I…I tripped on a loose floorboard."

"Greg," Nick said sternly. "Just tell me what happened." He went to grab the blonde's arm and the second he did, he regretted it. Greg cried out and jerked away, falling against the lockers.

"Greg? What's wrong?"

"N-No…just leave m-me alone," he started limping away, his wheezing becoming more noticeable. He felt dizzy and couldn't breathe, why couldn't he breathe?

"Greg, stop! Please just tell me."

"Hey, guys," Catherine said coming up after hearing the shouting. "What's going on. Greg, Hun, what happened to you?"

The jig was up; he never should've come here. Opening his mouth, Greg tried to tell them, but he couldn't speak, couldn't think, couldn't breathe. He started coughing violently and suddenly could taste blood on his tongue. Wiping his lips, he looked down at his fingers and gasped.

"N-Nick," he choked. "I think…I think I n-need the hos-hospital." He watched the Texan's mouth move, turning to someone before looking at him, but he didn't hear him say anything. All he could hear was the blood rushing through his ears and his heart beating frantically. The pain in his side spiked and before he knew it, he was descending into darkness.

"Greg!" Nick leapt forward and caught the younger man before he hit the ground. Cradling him in his arms, Nick tried to wake him up, but nothing happened. "Cath, he's burning up, how far is the ambulance?"

"Three minutes, what happened?"

"I don't know," Nick replied. "Oh god, it looks like someone beat him bad. He told me he fell down the stairs, but I knew he was lying."

"He's gonna be okay, Nicky."

"I hope so. Just stay with me, Greggo," he whispered. "Stay with me."

~+C+~

A concussion, a ruptured spleen, five broken ribs, a cracked sternum, a punctured lung and lots of bruises not to mention an infection and a lot of lost blood. Greg had almost died. After the medics got him into the ambulance, he stopped breathing, going into severe shock. Nick freaked; he had never had to care for anyone since he was the youngest of seven, which made him all the more protective of Greg. It was his chance to be a big brother…and he failed. Worst of all, they didn't even know the real story. The whole team was worried; someone had hurt their kid…to the point where he needed a ventilator to breathe.

Sara and Warrick had gone by the blonde's house to see if they could get answers and what they found made everyone proud. There was a Q-tip in a bag and a small envelope of what they knew was skin cells on the kitchen table. Nothing seemed to stop the crazy lab tech from doing his job, even if he was dying from internal bleeding. Nick had to take pictures of all his injuries once the doctors finished their operation, though he felt uncomfortable doing it. Greg was his best friend and he never thought he would have to call any one he cared about a victim. He just prayed they could get something with the evidence…and that Greg would tell them the truth about what really happened. Poor kid…this shouldn't be how he was spending his birthday.

"I think we underestimate the guy sometimes. Never pegged him as someone to fight back," Catherine chuckled sitting on the opposite side of Nick in Greg's room. "He's too nice a guy."

"But he did," Nick smiled sadly. After the nurses finished cleaning him up and got Greg settled into a private room, they were able to sit with him. He was still unconscious, and they weren't sure when he was going to wake up. The trauma to his body was severe, the doctor estimated at least a day or two. But even when he did wake up, he would probably be recovering in the hospital for another week. He reached over, enveloping the blonde's clammy hand in his.

"I'm proud of you, buddy. I just wish you trusted me enough to tell me the truth."

"He's gonna be okay. We just have to show him that we're here for him."

"Yeah I know," Nick replied. "Any luck with finding the bastards that did this?"

"Not yet, Mandy is running the DNA as we speak, but the second she gets something she'll let us know. Sara and Gris are putting together a timeline, trying to figure out where he was when he got attacked. You said he went home right at twelve the other day?"

Nick nodded.

"And did he say anything about his car being in the shop or something?"

"No, why?"

"It wasn't here today; when we asked the security guard if he checked him in, he said Greg got dropped off in a taxi."

"So, where's his car?"

Catherine shrugged. "I guess that's another question we have to ask him."

Nick let out a heavy breath and stared at his battered friend, trying to ignore the large tube that was sticking out of his mouth and connected to a large machine. What the hell happened to you, G?

A day and a half went by before Greg regained conscious, albeit very out of it from the lingering fever. Not to mention he was exhausted and sore. At least they had taken him off the vent.

"Hey buddy," Nick grinned. "How are you doing?"

"N-Nick?" Greg frowned, blinking up at him. "Where m'I?"

"The hospital. Jesus, man you scared the hell out of me."

Greg's head rolled on the pillow and he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. Then everything came flooding back to him. Ugh…he didn't realize it had been so bad that he needed a hospital.

"Greg, what the hell happened? And please…don't lie to me. You have a tell and it will definitely show since you're drugged up."

"Oh yeah?" Greg smiled weakly. "What is it?"

"Your voice shakes, not to mention you won't make eye contact."

The smile fell from Greg's face. "Oh."

"So, you gonna tell me, man? Like I said, you really scared me…you scared all of us. When you passed out in the lab, I thought…and then you stopped breathing."

"I did? Oh god."

"You've been unconscious for almost two days, Greg, what happened? You had a concussion, broken ribs, for Christ's sake, your spleen ruptured, and your lung collapsed."

Greg sighed, his hands shaking. "It was Thursday night and I went to the bar after work."

"You? To the bar on your own?"

"I know…weird, huh? Anyways, I had a few drinks and then I had to walk home. That's when I ran into some…some guys from my high school…guys that used to beat me up. I was a nerd, obviously, and no one likes nerds, right?" He laughed humorlessly. "They actually put me in the hospital once- well, I guess twice now- but they never got arrested, because we were all under the age of eighteen. I tried to get by, but of course they're a lot bigger than me. They brought me into an alley and…well, you know the rest. I passed out, but I'm not sure for how long, I don't even remember how I got home or to work."

"Damn Greggo. I wish I've been there to kick their asses." He still would once they were in custody. He was furious this happened. "Pretty shitty way to spend your birthday, huh? Even though it was two days ago."

"Wait…you knew it was my birthday?"

Nick chuckled. "Of course, I did…we all did. Did you think we forgot?"

Greg pressed his lips together and nodded silently. "I mean, it's not what it sounds like…it's just, like I said, I was pretty much a loser in school, and I thought all these people liked me…jocks, but then I realized they were just using me. When they got what they wanted, they treated me like I didn't exist. I was worried that it was happening with you guys too."

"Geez, I'm sorry, bud," Nick said, placing a hand over the younger man's arm. "I promise you it's not like that; we definitely care a lot about you. I don't think I've ever told you this, but you're like a brother to me and I'll do anything I can to protect you. You're the baby of the family after all."

Greg shook his head but grinned before a yawn escaped him mouth.

"Why don't you go back to sleep, G. You need rest to recover; I'll be here when you wake up."

"Thanks, Nick."

~+CSI+~

Greg woke up three hours later and when he opened his eyes, what he saw was the last thing he expected…especially in a hospital room. Get well and birthday cards, balloons, streamers and the whole team along with five other lab techs.

"Surprise!" They yelled. "Happy birthday!"

His eyes grew wide. "What the…"

Nick came over with a wide grin on his face, pressing the button to raise the blonde's bed. "Happy belated birthday kid. I told you we didn't forget."

"We just all pretended to have plans," Sara smirked. "I'm surprised you believed us."

"We were just planning your surprise party and we were gonna do it Friday night before you got off shift," Warrick added. "But, you know, this happened. We're glad you're okay, man."

"So, we brought the party here instead," Catherine finished, kissing Greg on the forehead. "Don't scare us like that, I mean it. And if something like this happens again, you tell us."

"I'm sorry," Greg answered sheepishly. "I won't hide things from you guys."

"Alright, time to celebrate," Nick said, patting Greg gently on the shoulder. "Your first present is just some good news. We found the guys who did this, and they've been arrested, thanks to you."

"M-Me?" He vaguely remembered being threatened with death if he told anyone.

"You don't remember, sweetie?" Catherine questioned. "You collected DNA at some point. We found an envelope of skin cells and a Q-Tip with Thomas' saliva on it."

Greg frowned. "I t-think he spit on me."

Nick clenched his jaw, trying not to get angry. He had plenty of time to do that once they were trapped in a jail cell and the guard just happened to leave for a couple minutes. "Well, it's over now. They're gonna be in jail for a long time."

Greg sighed in relief. "Good." They all celebrated for about half an hour before Greg's energy began to fade. They all said their goodbyes until the only one left was Nick.

"You can sleep now, bud. Everyone's gone."

Greg blinked sleepily. "Okay…when am I gonna be able to go home?"

"Probably not for another week; you're recovering from a major surgery. Besides, each one of us volunteered days to keep you company here. I know it can get pretty boring."

"Oh, thanks…you guys don't have to do that."

"Greg, you're our friend…my best friend, not to mention we're all a family and we take care of each other. Don't forget that, alright? And don't worry about work, we got you covered."

"Thanks, Nick, that means a lot."

"You're welcome and once you get out of here, you me and Warrick will celebrate for real; wings and beer style."

The blonde grinned. "I'd like that." He finally had people he could count on. Maybe Vegas wouldn't be so bad after all.

FIN

Last prompt for: Marymel!

Thank you so much for sticking with this story! All your reviews mean so much to me! I will be focusing all my attention to my Suits fanfiction after this, but I'm sure I will do another Hurt!Greg series again, or feel free to shoot me some story ideas.

Thank you again!

-McGeeklover