FIVE DAYS
By: The Madhatter
Chapter 1 (out of 6): Forgiveness
Disclaimer: Never in my lifetime will I own these wonderful characters. Never ever.
Spoilers: Play with Fire
Rating: Probably along the lines of PG and PG-13.
Author's note: I am a G/C shipper, FYI, so this is just a little warning ahead for the bias that may come up. and I couldn't let "Play with Fire" end the way it did. This is my take on what happened during the ep and afterwards. It's picks up right where Catherine talks with Greg in the hospital. Reviews would also be nice. couldn't hurt, right?
She stepped into the small room, glancing at the different tools scattered in various places. The white walls were cold and uninviting, almost glaring at her as she walked through the door. The metal and plastic hospital instruments teased and mocked her as they lay there. Her eyes darted away from the offensive items and rested on the reason she was here.
He looked almost peaceful in his sleep. His boyish looks were of an angel, almost. The content face nearly put a smile on her face, but quickly retracted it, thinking of how that expression would change when she told him the truth. She decided that it was best to enjoy the serene look on the normally joyful face while it lasted.
Turning almost a complete 180 degrees, she found herself looking out the blinded window. The white walls were just as glaring as the ones inside this small room. Men and women, dressed in white lab coats, wandered the halls, talking with each other. Occasionally, a gurney would slip by, carrying an injured person with two to three nurses walking beside it. She always hated hospitals.
The woman turned back to the subject at hand. He lay on his side, keeping his scorched back away from the bed. She walked around to see if she could get a better look at the damage she had done to an innocent man. The bed sheets covered part of the lower back, but what she could see of the upper wasn't as pleasant, no matter how hard the doctors tried to cover it up with different creams. She winced and went back, staring out the window again.
The sheets rubbed against the body beneath it, bringing the woman out her reverie. She spun around carefully and saw the younger man awake before her. He groaned and opened his heavy eyelids slowly.
Greg Sanders, the lab technician, looked at the older CSI in front of him intently. For once, Catherine Willows, second-in-command, looked serious -- the smirk, the sarcasm, and the playful twinkle in her eyes were gone. In fact, she looked remorseful, but Greg thought it was just his imagination.
"Greg, I'm going to be blunt with you - I was the one that blew up the lab."
His eyes widened and jaw dropped. How could this be true? How could one of the best CSIs ever, blow up a lab?
"Before you jump to conclusions, let me explain."
"Cath, if there's anything Grissom taught me, it's to not jump to conclusions."
She gave him a half-smile. "Warrick and I were working on a case, and we found some substance in the crime scene. As the custom is, we put the unmarked evidence in the fume hood. Well, apparently, there was a hot plate in there at the same time. I didn't notice it at the time, so I just walked off. Somehow, the hot plate got turned on and mixed with the substance resulting in the explosion. Thus, creating a big mess and your injuries." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Greg -"
"So, what happens to you?"
Catherine looked shocked. "What happens to me? Who cares what happens to me, I got what I deserved. Greg, I am so sorry about what happened. If I hadn't been so careless, if I had followed procedure, you wouldn't be sitting in here, writhing in pain. I'm such an idiot."
"Cath-"
"If you hate me, I understand. I just wanted to tell you in person what happened and who was responsible."
"Yo Catherine!" he said a bit louder than usual, snapping Catherine out of her ramble. "I appreciate you coming to me and admitting what you did, but don't beat yourself up over it. I'm alive and breathing, it's all good. I'm fine, really. Actually, I'm kinda glad that I'm here instead of the lab."
"You are?"
"Yeah," he smirked. "Grissom's been working me overtime, so at least now I get a break, huh?"
Catherine laughed and smiled. "Well, I guess there's a brighter side to this."
"But seriously Cath, don't blame yourself over this. It wasn't your fault. Someone else left the hot plate in there, where it clearly shouldn't have been. You were doing your job. Besides, these wounds will heal. I'm not crippled for life."
"So, you don't hate me? And I'm forgiven?"
He chuckled. "No, Cath, I hate you for doing your job." Greg rolled his eyes. "I don't hate you, and you're forgiven. But if you'd like to make it up to me."
It was Catherine's turn to roll her eyes. "I'm afraid to ask."
"You wanna sleep with me?"
"Greg." she warned. "Don't."
"Go there, I know," he finished, grinning. "I was just kidding, anyway. I don't know how long I'll be in here, so ya think you could bring me some of my music? I'm gonna go insane in this place if I don't have anyone to talk to or listen to something."
She grinned, picturing Greg trying to flirt with the nurses and singing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall". "Yeah, I can do that for you. Is that all?"
"My first offer still stands."
Catherine rolled her eyes again. "Hey, ya know what? If you want some company, Lindsey and I can drop by and hang out with you for a while. I was put on five-day unpaid leave suspension and Lindsey is has home suspension tomorrow, too. You want us to come?"
Greg's famous bright smile lit his face. "Yeah! That'd be great! I haven't seen Lindsey in ages!" His smile turned into a mischievous grin. "Lindsey was suspended? Why?"
She returned the grin. "Oh, she got into a fight, that's all."
"A fight? Lindsey? Your Lindsey got into a fight?" Greg asked incredulously. "Well, she definitely takes after her parents."
"Ugh, don't remind me," Catherine said, putting a hand to her head. "She certainly knows how to pick her fights."
"Who'd she pick on?"
"The most innocent kid of the class - the teacher's pet."
"Oh no."
"Yeah, tell me about it. Those are the worst. So, when do you want us to stop by tomorrow?"
Greg half-shrugged with his good shoulder. "Whenever you feel like it. I've got time."
"Okay. We'll stop by around lunch time then, and sneak somethin' in for ya, sound good?"
"Please. I haven't been in here for 24 hours yet, but the food here sucks."
"I know. Any favorites?"
"How about Mexican? Tacos or something."
"Sure. Taco Bell sound good? Sorry, I'm cheap."
"No, no. That sounds wonderful compared to the food they have here, if it can be called food."
She laughed. "Okay. We'll see you around 12:30, Greg. Get some rest. The others might come in before shift, so you might want to be awake for that. 'Night."
"Yeah, 'night, Cath."
By: The Madhatter
Chapter 1 (out of 6): Forgiveness
Disclaimer: Never in my lifetime will I own these wonderful characters. Never ever.
Spoilers: Play with Fire
Rating: Probably along the lines of PG and PG-13.
Author's note: I am a G/C shipper, FYI, so this is just a little warning ahead for the bias that may come up. and I couldn't let "Play with Fire" end the way it did. This is my take on what happened during the ep and afterwards. It's picks up right where Catherine talks with Greg in the hospital. Reviews would also be nice. couldn't hurt, right?
She stepped into the small room, glancing at the different tools scattered in various places. The white walls were cold and uninviting, almost glaring at her as she walked through the door. The metal and plastic hospital instruments teased and mocked her as they lay there. Her eyes darted away from the offensive items and rested on the reason she was here.
He looked almost peaceful in his sleep. His boyish looks were of an angel, almost. The content face nearly put a smile on her face, but quickly retracted it, thinking of how that expression would change when she told him the truth. She decided that it was best to enjoy the serene look on the normally joyful face while it lasted.
Turning almost a complete 180 degrees, she found herself looking out the blinded window. The white walls were just as glaring as the ones inside this small room. Men and women, dressed in white lab coats, wandered the halls, talking with each other. Occasionally, a gurney would slip by, carrying an injured person with two to three nurses walking beside it. She always hated hospitals.
The woman turned back to the subject at hand. He lay on his side, keeping his scorched back away from the bed. She walked around to see if she could get a better look at the damage she had done to an innocent man. The bed sheets covered part of the lower back, but what she could see of the upper wasn't as pleasant, no matter how hard the doctors tried to cover it up with different creams. She winced and went back, staring out the window again.
The sheets rubbed against the body beneath it, bringing the woman out her reverie. She spun around carefully and saw the younger man awake before her. He groaned and opened his heavy eyelids slowly.
Greg Sanders, the lab technician, looked at the older CSI in front of him intently. For once, Catherine Willows, second-in-command, looked serious -- the smirk, the sarcasm, and the playful twinkle in her eyes were gone. In fact, she looked remorseful, but Greg thought it was just his imagination.
"Greg, I'm going to be blunt with you - I was the one that blew up the lab."
His eyes widened and jaw dropped. How could this be true? How could one of the best CSIs ever, blow up a lab?
"Before you jump to conclusions, let me explain."
"Cath, if there's anything Grissom taught me, it's to not jump to conclusions."
She gave him a half-smile. "Warrick and I were working on a case, and we found some substance in the crime scene. As the custom is, we put the unmarked evidence in the fume hood. Well, apparently, there was a hot plate in there at the same time. I didn't notice it at the time, so I just walked off. Somehow, the hot plate got turned on and mixed with the substance resulting in the explosion. Thus, creating a big mess and your injuries." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Greg -"
"So, what happens to you?"
Catherine looked shocked. "What happens to me? Who cares what happens to me, I got what I deserved. Greg, I am so sorry about what happened. If I hadn't been so careless, if I had followed procedure, you wouldn't be sitting in here, writhing in pain. I'm such an idiot."
"Cath-"
"If you hate me, I understand. I just wanted to tell you in person what happened and who was responsible."
"Yo Catherine!" he said a bit louder than usual, snapping Catherine out of her ramble. "I appreciate you coming to me and admitting what you did, but don't beat yourself up over it. I'm alive and breathing, it's all good. I'm fine, really. Actually, I'm kinda glad that I'm here instead of the lab."
"You are?"
"Yeah," he smirked. "Grissom's been working me overtime, so at least now I get a break, huh?"
Catherine laughed and smiled. "Well, I guess there's a brighter side to this."
"But seriously Cath, don't blame yourself over this. It wasn't your fault. Someone else left the hot plate in there, where it clearly shouldn't have been. You were doing your job. Besides, these wounds will heal. I'm not crippled for life."
"So, you don't hate me? And I'm forgiven?"
He chuckled. "No, Cath, I hate you for doing your job." Greg rolled his eyes. "I don't hate you, and you're forgiven. But if you'd like to make it up to me."
It was Catherine's turn to roll her eyes. "I'm afraid to ask."
"You wanna sleep with me?"
"Greg." she warned. "Don't."
"Go there, I know," he finished, grinning. "I was just kidding, anyway. I don't know how long I'll be in here, so ya think you could bring me some of my music? I'm gonna go insane in this place if I don't have anyone to talk to or listen to something."
She grinned, picturing Greg trying to flirt with the nurses and singing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall". "Yeah, I can do that for you. Is that all?"
"My first offer still stands."
Catherine rolled her eyes again. "Hey, ya know what? If you want some company, Lindsey and I can drop by and hang out with you for a while. I was put on five-day unpaid leave suspension and Lindsey is has home suspension tomorrow, too. You want us to come?"
Greg's famous bright smile lit his face. "Yeah! That'd be great! I haven't seen Lindsey in ages!" His smile turned into a mischievous grin. "Lindsey was suspended? Why?"
She returned the grin. "Oh, she got into a fight, that's all."
"A fight? Lindsey? Your Lindsey got into a fight?" Greg asked incredulously. "Well, she definitely takes after her parents."
"Ugh, don't remind me," Catherine said, putting a hand to her head. "She certainly knows how to pick her fights."
"Who'd she pick on?"
"The most innocent kid of the class - the teacher's pet."
"Oh no."
"Yeah, tell me about it. Those are the worst. So, when do you want us to stop by tomorrow?"
Greg half-shrugged with his good shoulder. "Whenever you feel like it. I've got time."
"Okay. We'll stop by around lunch time then, and sneak somethin' in for ya, sound good?"
"Please. I haven't been in here for 24 hours yet, but the food here sucks."
"I know. Any favorites?"
"How about Mexican? Tacos or something."
"Sure. Taco Bell sound good? Sorry, I'm cheap."
"No, no. That sounds wonderful compared to the food they have here, if it can be called food."
She laughed. "Okay. We'll see you around 12:30, Greg. Get some rest. The others might come in before shift, so you might want to be awake for that. 'Night."
"Yeah, 'night, Cath."