Title: Moving On
Author: DarkDreamer56
Archive: If you want it, ask please!
Rating: T
Pairing: some N/S, but mostly Sara and Catherine friendship
Disclaimer: If I owned them, then these three words would be my mantra: NO SPLIT SHIFTS (well, that or MORE SHIRTLESS NICK, take your pick…)
Spoilers: Grave Danger (season finale)
A/N: I would really like to see some resolution to the Sara/Catherine tension this season. I hate that two intelligent, strong women, have to be portrayed as being at each other's throats all the time. This is my take on how I'd like to see it happen. Major spoilers for the finale, so proceed with caution!
Catherine could feel her eyes welling up as she saw Nick for the first time since the paramedics had loaded him into the ambulance. She never thought that Nick, so strong and sturdy, could look so small, lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to IVs and oxygen. His parents had finally gone to get some sleep, after spending the worst night of their lives in Las Vegas.
The team had gotten permission to go in as a group to see him for a few minutes, and then they would all stay with him in shifts. No one thought that he should be alone after the ordeal, and no one was really willing to leave the hospital until they saw for themselves that he was really okay.
Catherine closed her eyes, trying to blink back tears, as she leaned back against Warrick. He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder as she knocked softly at the door.
"Hey Nicky, up for some visitors?"
Nick's eyes shot to the door, where the group had crowded. A small smile crossed his face, but his eyes were worn and red rimmed, the pain behind them palpable.
"Hey guys, come in." His voice was hoarse, and the simple sentence sent him into a coughing fit.
Catherine perched on the edge of his bed, rubbing his back and trying to soothe him, while Warrick, Greg, and Grissom, and Brass arranged themselves awkwardly around the room. When the coughing fit finally subsided, Nick looked around the room through watery eyes.
"Where's Sara?" he asked, rising another coughing fit. Catherine looked around the room, surprised that the brunette hadn't been the first to check on Nick. Warrick and Grissom looked confused as well, glancing at Brass and Greg to explain.
"She just needed a minute," Greg answered. "Nick, she was so together…the rest of us were falling apart, but she…she got us through." Greg's voice wavered, and he paused a moment to regain control. "Anyways, it's all starting to hit her now, so she just needs a minute."
When news of Nick's abduction got out, the boys had completely lost it. Greg walked around in a daze, responding only to direct orders from Catherine or Sara. Warrick was ready to take out anything or anyone in his path, and was only stopped from attacking a suspect by Grissom holding him back. Catherine hadn't felt much better herself, but she had done a much better job at concealing it from the rest of the lab. She used her terror to fuel the investigation, and she suspected that Sara had done the same. It was only natural that things hit Sara a little bit later than the rest, and Catherine knew enough about her to realize that Sara wouldn't want to fall apart in front of everyone.
"I'll go check on her," Catherine announced, squeezing Nick's hand and rising from the bed. She was met with skeptical looks from the entire room. "What?"
It had been no secret that she had harbored some serious animosity since Sara had come to lead the investigation of the Holly Gribbs' case. Catherine had enjoyed being the only woman on a team full of men, and she was very protective of all of her boys. Sara's arrival threatened all of that, and even once the dust had settled and Sara joined the shift, Catherine had not quite been able to let that go. For reasons she never quite understood, she always viewed herself as working against Sara, rather than working with her. They had had their moments of friendship, but Catherine had never made much of an effort to get close to the mystery that was Sara Sidle. Things between them had escalated, and the two women had barely spoken in weeks. However, as soon as Nick disappeared, everything changed. The two women had worked in simpatico, being the ones to hold everything together long enough to find Nick. There was no fighting, no name calling, nothing but two smart women working together to save someone they cared about.
As they sat in the family room of the hospital, waiting for any news on Nick, Catherine had re-evaluated her relationship with Sara, and she had realized some pretty harsh truths. The woman curled up next to Greg on the couch, grasping his hand for dear life, was not the person Catherine had made her out to be for so many years. She thought that checking on Sara might be the first step in rectifying some of the many mistakes she had made when it came to the brunette.
"Be nice to her Cath," Nick whispered hoarsely. Catherine gave him a sincere smile, and turned towards the group and catching each of their gazes.
"Don't worry."
She found Sara in the same place she had been in for most of the night: curled up in the corner of the couch of the family room they had taken over. Her head was turned towards the wall, but the sound of sniffling told Catherine that she was crying.
Catherine sat gently on the couch, alerting Sara to someone's presence. She turned to see who it was, and noticing Catherine sitting next to her, she curled into herself further and turned back towards the wall, tears streaming down her face.
It was definitely an awkward situation. Had it been one of the boys, Catherine would have had no problem reaching out to them, but with Sara it was different. Catherine had no idea how to reach out to Sara, and she doubted Sara would accept it anyway. Not really knowing what else to do now that she was out with Sara, Catherine did the only things he could think of: she patted her arm. Finding that Sara didn't pull away or throw anything in her general direction, Catherine rubbed her arm gently and whispered, "Nicky's asking about you."
"Is he okay?" Sara asked, her voice cracking slightly.
"He looks better than before, but not by much," Catherine admitted. "I think he'll feel a little better once he sees you."
Sara turned to Catherine, sniffling, and a lost look in her eyes that nearly broke Catherine's heart. The years of tension between the two women melted away as Catherine realized exactly how much Sara cared for Nick. The two had always been close, but Catherine detected something more than just friendship in Sara's eyes. Sara had held it together so well, but now that Nick was safe, Sara was falling apart.
"Sara, he's okay," Catherine murmured as Sara began to sob. Sara buried her face in her hands, and Catherine rubbed her back, the same way she had for Lindsey whenever she had had nightmares; only this was a nightmare that had occurred in reality.
It took several minutes for Sara to calm down, but Catherine continued to rub her back until Sara's sobs turned back to sniffles and she lifted her head, hastily wiping away tears.
"I'm sorry, I know in my head that he's okay…but I just keep seeing those images." Catherine closed her eyes, blinking back a few of her own tears. She knew Sara was referring to the horrible live feed images they had received throughout the night.
Catherine grasped Sara's hand and squeezed for emphasis. "Hey, it's okay. You were great, you found him. And he's alive. That's all we can ask for right now. So it's okay to cry Sara, to let yourself feel something again."
"I was so scared Catherine…what if we didn't find him? What if we'd been too late? I don't know what I would have done…"
"Sara, stop that right now. We did find him, and it wasn't too late. He's scared, and he's banged up, but he's alive, and he's in that hospital room asking for you." Catherine's tone was firm, but she spoke carefully, her voice devoid of the usual tone she addressed Sara with. It was time to turn a new leaf with her female coworker. "Now, why don't you go wash your face, and then we'll go see Nicky."
Sara sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Thanks Cath…" She paused awkwardly. "I know things haven't always been civil between us…"
Catherine interrupted with a small smile. "Hey, if you're willing to get past it, then so am I. We've both said things we probably shouldn't have."
Sara looked at her skeptically, and Catherine could tell that Sara was confused. She decided to try a different approach. "You remember, when you tried to put in for that leave of absence?"
Sara looked surprised. "I didn't know anyone knew about that."
"In our lab? Please. Well, anyway, I told Grissom that we were all like family around here…I guess somewhere along the way I forgot that." Catherine paused and took a deep breath. "Sara, when you worked that case with us…I should have realized that there was probably a reason why certain cases bother you. I shouldn't have pushed you, and I'm sorry."
"Catherine, you don't have too…"
"No Sara, I do. With everything that we've been through, we're family, and Nick is going to need both of us. We need to put all of this behind us, once and for all."
"Okay," Sara whispered, with the first smile Catherine had seen on the woman's face in weeks. "A fresh start for all of us."
Sara hurried to the bathroom to wash her face as Catherine waited. A few minutes later, Sara returned, looking much more presentable. Her face wasn't as splotchy, and the only evidence of her tears was her red eyes. Catherine stood up, and the two women quickly made their way to Nick's room.
Sara paused for a moment at the door, turning back towards Catherine. Warrick and Greg's laughter rang out as Sara whispered, "Thanks Cath," before entering the room.
The room became quiet as they noticed that the girls had returned. Sara's eyes were locked on Nick as she looked him over, and Catherine noted, with a smile, that Nick's eyes lit up the minute he realized Sara was there. Warrick moved out of the way so that Sara could take his place. She gingerly sat on the bed, reaching out to grasp Nick's hand as Catherine leaned against the wall next to Grissom.
"How're ya feelin?" Sara asked, barely loud enough for the room to hear.
"Better now," he responded softly. Catherine felt awkward, like they were all viewing what should be a private moment. She was about to clear her throat and suggest they leave, when Warrick spoke.
"You would have been proud of our girl, Nick. She kept her cool, and she cracked the case."
"I am," Nick replied, his voice thick with emotion. "Thank you for finding me."
Catherine's eyes welled with tears, and she heard both Greg and Jim sniffle as Sara choked out, "Always." Beside her, even Grissom was tearing up.
"We'll give you guys some time, okay?" Catherine suggested, wiping away a stray tear. "We'll be back later." Sara shot Catherine a grateful look as the Brass, Grissom, Greg, and Warrick gathered to say good bye, trying to hold back their tears. Greg finally broke the tension, whispering theatrically, "You can so use this to get Sara to give you a sponge bath." The comment served its purpose, clearing the air and filling it with laughter as Sara's face turned an interesting shade of pink.
Catherine hugged Nick close, careful of his IVs. "I'm so glad you're okay Nicky. I'm here; we all are."
"I know." Tears shown in his eyes as they all exited the room. Catherine glanced back before shutting the door, seeing Sara once again settle on the bed as Nick played with their entwined fingers. The last thing that Catherine saw before Warrick gently pulled her away, was the look on Nick's face. Surprisingly, it was a peaceful look, the first in days, as he looked up at Sara. At that moment, Catherine knew that Nick would be okay; they all would be. It wouldn't be easy, but they would all get through, and come out on the other side.
It was time to move forward.
FIN.
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