Drowning in the Rain

Chapter Info: For Macberly: Can you write something based on the scary moment from last weeks, episode (Under the Cloud) when Greg gets served? Or, the flooding, or Sara and Morgan's request that he stop and get them food? LAST CHAPTER! I'm sure a lot of people wanted a fanfiction for this episode as much as I did! Enjoy!

Las Vegas had its moments and today was one of those bad moments. It had been raining...more like pouring for two days now and the town was near being flooded. Greg groaned as he squinted through the windshield past the pattering water. He hated this but he guessed it came with the territory. He sneezed violently into his sleeve and sniffed; he was already starting to feel a cold coming on with all his aches and sudden shivers. And he more than wished he could stay at home, watch TV, make his mom's homemade chicken noddle soup and sleep for days. But Russell needed him today and he didn't want to let the man down. Taking a deep breath and wiping his nose, he leaned forward to turn up the heat when his phone rang, Sara's face coming up on the screen. Great, probably telling me I'm late. Sighing, he pressed the green button and answered.

"Hello?"

"I heard you cleared the scene, nice work...would you mind, um, picking up a veggie burger from RJ's on your way back?"

Seriously? Was she trying to get him killed. It's hell out here! "I guess, they do have the drive through." And before he could say anything else, another voice spoke through the speaker.

"Hey, it's Morgan. Uh, mind picking up me a veggie burger, too, and Finn a grilled cheese?"

Greg scoffed with a smile. Unbelievable. "Alright, but you ladies are gonna owe me."

"Thanks," Morgan said and hung up.

Greg huffed and looked warily out the window again. Guess it was going to take longer to get out of this storm. He just hoped he didn't get killed along the way. It took fifteen extra minutes to get to the restaurant and another ten minutes for the order.

"You're lucky I love you girls," he muttered, grabbing the bags of food and placing it on the passenger seat before driving off once again. He just prayed no one else would call him...though he wouldn't mind doing things for Morgan. She was the love of his life (she just didn't know it) and he would die for her if the time ever came, Her blonde, wavy hair, her bright smile and blue eyes, her lips, oh sweet Jesu-

He was so caught up in his day dream that he almost didn't see the red-light. He slammed his foot on the break, stopping inches away from the camaro ahead of him.

"Shit." Boy, that would've been a disaster. He wiped his face before looking to his right to see that the food hadn't necessarily survived. "Just my luck." Sara's bag had ended up on the floor. Sighing in frustration, he reached over to go grab it, and his fingers were nearly touching the paper when horns beeped, causing him to sit up straight. The light had already turned green. Pursing his lips, he pressed on the gas and turned down the street to get to the crime lab. It was dangerous, but no one else was on the road with him plus the food was probably near spilled and he was more worried about Sara having his head right now. Once again, driving slowly, he leaned over, occasionally looking at the darkened road, and reached for the bag. After a moment of struggling, his fingers clutched the top of the bag and he picked it up, making sure nothing had dumped onto the ground. Greg smiled in relief when everything was intact and put it back on the seat.

"That was-" but before he could finish, a deer suddenly popped out of nowhere, standing in the middle of the road.

"Crap!" He jerked the wheel to the left, swerving badly and loosing control. His tires spun wildly, loosing friction due to the rainwater. He couldn't see anything, which was really bad; everything was spinning. The seatbelt was barricading him to the seat so he could barely breathe and before he knew it, he heard a loud crash. The Denali was jerked forward before he was airborne; the steering wheel put pressure on his legs and crushed his chest, causing air to leave his lungs. In another jerk of the car, his head smashed against the window with a crack, blood already dripping onto his face. His gasped weakly and blinked furiously, fighting to stay awake, but in one last moment of consciousness that was filled with panic and pain, blackness sucked him under and he knew no more.

~+CSI+~

Pain!

Wet!

Cold!

Freezing cold!

Greg jerked awake, his eyes snapping open and his breaths coming out in panicked and painful gasps. Where was he? What happened? Everything was cold, dark and wet. He blinked through the immense pain in his head and chest, finding out that he was in his car...and his car was slowly immersing under water. Now he remembered: the deer. The fucking deer. He lost control and then he crashed before flying into the river. And now he was stuck...he was gonna die. His breathing hitched as he frantically tried to pull himself from the steering wheels grip of death on his legs. It didn't even budge.

"No, no, no. Please, God no." This couldn't be happening. He reached for his phone, but stopped short. It was already under water. Greg coughed with a wheeze, splashing in the water as he tried to move again. It was quickly rising up his chest as the rain water poured violently into the river and flowing through the vents. Water ran down his face- or was it tears- as he realized this was it. He was going to die and no one would know. No one would be able to find him and he wouldn't be able to tell Morgan he loved her. Why didn't he say it sooner? Dammit Greg, you're so stupid. He shivered as his car sunk deeper, the water level up to his chin. He closed his eyes and prayed; prayed that his friends and family would move on, prayed that Nick, Morgan and the rest of the team stay safe and are able to forget about him. He and Nick were practically brothers and after they lost Warrick, the man had been distraught and withdrawn. He didn't want that to happen again. And Morgan, he hoped- as jealous as he'd be- she'd find someone to love her since he wouldn't be able to.

"I'm s-sorry, Mor-Morgan," he shivered as the water splashed over his mouth. "I'm so s-sorry." And at that moment, the car sunk another few inches until he was under water. He panicked and clawed for air even though he knew it was pointless. He shifted in his seat for one last try to escape, but it didn't do a thing. His chest burned, lungs yearning for oxygen that they would never get. His vision tunneled and his lips parted, becoming weaker as water entered his mouth. He was giving up...he was a failure. Fewer bubbles floated from his mouth and nose as his eyes fluttered shut. His heart beat loudly in his ears and that was the last thing he heard before consciousness and life slipped from his fingers for the final time.

~+CSI+~

He saw the whole thing happen. The car before him swerved violently to avoid hitting the deer. But instead of regaining composure, the Denali spun out of control before smashing through the guardrail and sailing into the air and plunging into the river below. Kevin couldn't breathe as his car screeched to a stop.

"Shit." This goddamn weather. Who knows how many injuries and fatalities happened tonight. And he wasn't gonna let that happen to someone else. He hopped out of the car, ignoring the pelting rain, and bolted to the edge, running his fingers through his already soaked hair. He didn't know what he should do. The car was sinking fast so he didn't have much time. Taking a deep breath, he ran back to his car and called 911, telling them the situation and their location before hanging up and rushing down the hill, diving into the water where the car had already disappeared. He swam furiously towards the vehicle, slowly sinking deeper into the river, his lungs already aching for oxygen. And if he was having that issue already, no doubt the driver was in serious trouble. Kicking his legs, he finally reached the window and his heart nearly stopped at what he saw. The blonde haired man's eyes were closed and his face was pale with blue tinted lips. Very few bubbles were leaving his nose and slightly open mouth and Kevin knew he didn't have much time. He pulled at the door handle, the water making his movements sluggish, but it didn't budge. It was locked.

Fuck. He couldn't breathe anymore. Sadly, torn between leaving the man and sticking it out until he almost died, he decided he would be of no help if he passed out. Using the top if the car, he pushed himself back to the surface, gasping for air; over the roaring water and rain, he could hear the sirens in the distance. Thank god. Taking a huge breath, he dove back down and swam to the windshield. How in the hell was he gonna get this guy out? Then it hit him; god, he was so stupid! He dug in his pants pocket and pulled out a his emergency car tool. It had a window hammer, a knife, and a waterproof flashlight. He quickly started smashing it against the side of the windshield until he was able to pull it off. Bubbles were no longer emerging from the guy's mouth and Kevin moved faster to get the man out...alive, too, he hoped. He tugged at the steering wheel that was holding the man down until it lifted up. One obstacle down, two to go. He swam closer, fearing that he wasn't going to be able to save this innocent kid before the car touched the bottom. Come on, Kevin work faster! He flipped to the knife and sliced the seatbelt until he was able to pulled the man from the seat and out through the front. He grasped the blonde underneath his armpits and swam them both the surface, him being the only one taking a deep breath.

"No, no, no." He grunted as he dragged the guy to the hill and laid him down, the rain pelting his pale, emotionless face. "Come on, man." Kevin slapped the man's cheek harshly before leaning over and listening for a breath...there was none. And his chest wasn't rising either. This is not good...this it not good at all. Remembering his training from work- and thanking his job that they had that CPR class in the first place- he started with chest compressions, wincing every time he felt ribs crack underneath the pressure. He felt bad, but broken ribs were better than being dead. When he reached thirty, he moved onto the rescue breaths, tilting the man's head, pinching his nose and pressing his lips over the guy's mouth. Breaths, compressions, breaths, compressions...but nothing was working...he was getting tired and ambulance was still not there.

"God dammit!" He looked around and decided there was nothing else to do but wait and hope for the best. Picking the unconscious blonde up bridal style and clambered back up the top of the hill and brought the man into the warmth of his car. It was the most he could do until help got there. While waiting, he continued to give rescue breaths, hoping that at some point the man would be coughing out huge amounts of water and gasping for air.

But by the time the ambulance came two minutes later, nothing had changed. He rushed out, directing the paramedics to his car and he watched fearfully as they took the man, strapped him to a stretcher and loaded him into the ambulance.

"What's his name?" One of the EMT's shouted over the rain.

"I don't know," Kevin replied. "I just saw him crash into the river. All his stuff went down there."

"Okay, thanks. You should call the police; report what happened. Maybe they can have one of their CSI's help figure out who this is." With that, they shut the doors and rode off into the night, back towards town. Kevin shivered, hugging himself until he realized how cold he was and got back into his car, calling the police and telling them what he just witnessed. He just hoped that guy would be okay. Somewhere in Vegas, his friends and family were wondering where he was.

At the Lab- One Hour Later

Morgan bit her lip nervously as she paced the break room. Surely it wouldn't take an hour for Greg to get food and return to the lab right? The weather is bad, Brody, he's probably just driving extra carefully. But why isn't he answering his phone? I've called three times and he hasn't answered. He's obviously just focusing on the road and trying not to crash. But he would've answered at least once to let them know he was okay...right? There was a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach...something had happened and she knew it.

"Hey," Sara said, walking into the room. "Greg back with our food yet?"

Morgan sighed and looked at the brunette in fear.

"What is it?" She frowned.

"He's not answering...it's been an hour, why isn't he answering?" She looked at her phone again, hoping for a call, but seeing none. "What if something happened to him?" She'd never forgive herself. She had a secret crush on Greg and if she wasn't able to tell the man her feelings, she'd live the rest of her life being eaten by guilt and thoughts of what could have been.

Sara grabbed her shoulders. "I'm sure he's fine. He's probably taking it extra slow." Though she found it hard to believe her own words. What if something bad happened to their best friend? What if they hadn't asked the man to get them food? Would he be safe right now? Dammit, Sara. "He's gonna be okay. He'll step through those doors in no time."

Another hour later and Greg still hadn't shown up and they knew that something had happened, incapacitating the blonde from contacting them.

"Come on Greg, where are you?" Morgan muttered, clutching her cellphone nervously. Thunder rumbled followed by a loud strike of lightning, making her jump and bite her lip, looking up at the news and seeing that the rain was getting worse...and to think that Greg was stuck out there somewhere.

"I didn't peg you to be one scared of a little thunderstorm," Nick chuckled as he walked into the room.

Morgan didn't smile, she just huffed and sat down, tapping her fingers on the table. Nick picked up on the blonde's distress and frowned before going over to take a seat.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Morgan shook her head. "No...Greg he's...I think he's missing."

Nick's forehead creased even more. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Greg had finished up his crime scene hours ago and then...we- me, Sara, and Finn- all asked him to pick us up something to eat and he agreed. Now he won't answer the phone. I'm really worried something happened to him."

Nick's frowned turned to anger. "You seriously asked him to go get you guys food? In this freakin' weather? It's dangerous out there and the longer he stays out the better a chance he could get hurt!"

Morgan wasn't the least surprised Nick blew up. Greg was like a little brother to him and the moment something threatened the younger man's life, the Texan got all protective. "I know, it was a stupid thing to do."

Nick grumbled and shot out of his chair. "You better hope he's okay. If something bad happens to him, I don't know if I can ever forgive you three. Greg is not your servant. If you wanted food, you should've brought it from home; you knew the weather was going to be bad." With that, he left the room, already dialing Greg's number and hoping that the kid would be okay. Unfortunately, it went straight to voice mail and Nick's heart pounded nervously in his chest. "Come on Greggo, where are you?"

Meanwhile a young blonde, quickly being dried off by the paramedics, burst through the double doors on the gurney as a doctor rushed to their side.

"What do we got?" Dr. Ryan asked, putting a stethoscope into her ears and placing the other end on the man's bare chest.

"John Doe. Crashed his car into the river and drowned. The person who found him tried giving him CPR, but it didn't work and he just kept on going with the rescue breaths. We managed to get him back in the ambulance but he was gone for at least three minutes."

"Dammit." That definitely was cutting it close.

"He's been unresponsive since then; didn't even wake up once. He also has a severe case of hypothermia, a severe concussion, broken ribs and water still in his lungs. One of the ribs also nicked his spleen and he's bleeding internally."

"Son of a bitch," Dr. Ryan muttered. "Alright, lets cut off his clothes and then finish drying him off. Get him started on epinephrine and intravenous fluids. His temperature is dangerously low and we need to get it up immediately."

"Yes doctor."

The team of nurses worked quickly as they parked the gurney in the emergency room behind curtains and lifted the man onto an empty bed before cutting off the his soaking wet pants and what was left of his shirt. After drying him and placing a blanket up to his waist, they assessed him, shining a penlight in his eyes and mouth, listening to his raspy, weak breathing and hoping...praying that he would make it through this surgery.

Suddenly there was a weak groan that passed the man's pale blue lips, alerting the doctor. She took out her penlight again and lifted his eyelids, shining the beam down on him.

"Sir? Sir, can you hear me?"

Another moan.

"Sir, what's your name?"

The brown eyes squinted as he turned his head away from the glaring light.

"Sir!"

All of a sudden, the blonde's body started shuddering violently as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"He's crashing! We need to get him down to the operating room fast."

As they quickly hooked the John Doe to fluids, they unlocked the bed's wheels and pushed him down the hallway towards surgery. Dr. Ryan knew that if they didn't work fast, the rain might be something that actually killed someone.

Five Hours Later

The John Doe's bed was gently wheeled into a private ICU room where the nurses would be able to reach him and see him from their place at the desks. The kid had died twice during operation and then had fallen into a light coma not long after; the internal bleeding was worse than what it had seemed and they had to remove the spleen...he appeared fine on the outside, just so much worse on the inside. Poor guy. Luckily he was able to breathe on his own, but there was a slight infection plus pneumonia had kicked in. Nurse Michelle Richards adjusted the nasal cannula that ran under the blonde's nose and behind his ears, making sure the unconscious man was getting enough oxygen. Sighing sadly, she ran her fingers through the golden blonde curls, praying that someone would come identify him soon; that his family would realize he was missing.

"You'll be okay, sweetie. Someone will come soon. I promise." Michelle rested her hand over his sweaty forehead before she fixed his blankets and then left the room silently. She felt bad for leaving the kid all alone with no one to wake up to when he woke up - because he would- and she decided that until someone came or the guy woke up and told them who to call, she would sit with him. Michelle was a mother of a kid who had moved away to New York for college and this patient reminded her so much of him. Grabbing her pager, coffee and a few magazines, and letting the others know where she was going, Michelle returned back to the room and sat in the chair next to the man's bed. After watching him breathe for a little, she smiled and began to read; it was going to be a long night.

The next morning, Morgan jerked awake and up from the couch in the break room. Her hair was ruffled and her phone was still in her hand...with no new messages or missed calls. She looked around tiredly, hoping to see that Greg had come in at some point. Nothing. She sighed in frustration and wiped her eyes. Greg was hurt; he was in trouble. She knew it. Getting up she stretched and walked around the nearly empty building and found that Nick was in Archie's lab, on the phone and computer at the same time. She looked closer and could see how tired he look; he must not have slept at all since he heard the news.

"Anything?" She squeaked.

Nick barely acknowledged her, only grunting and shaking his head. Right then, Sara arrived, looking worse than the both of them. How could they not? Their best friend was missing and they hadn't gotten any leads as to where he might be...they feared that they would have to start calling hospitals...or worse, the morgues.

"Hey," the brunette yawned. "We should probably tell Russell and start calling...start calling around."

Morgan nodded and wiped the oncoming tears. She didn't want to think of Greg being severely hurt or dead. It would break her heart and the guilt would be never ending. Just as she was about to bring the phone to her ear, Russell paged them to his office. Each giving one another a worried look, they took off down the hall until they reached the man's room. He looked worried yet angry at the same time.

"Why haven't you told me about Greg? Don't you think that's something I needed to know?"

"We've been looking," Nick spoke up. "But we've come up with nothing."

"Tell me what happened; when was the last time you talked to him?"

Nick glared at Morgan and Sara and they knew it was their turn to speak up.

The blonde cleared her throat. "Sara had called him to pick up food for all of us last night after his crime scene. It was a stupid thing to do given the weather...now he won't answer any of our calls, Archie can't get a GPS reading on his car or phone. It's like he fell off the grid."

Russell shook his head. "Crap." The kid must be scared out of his mind wherever he was. It'd be a miracle if Greg hadn't been hurt in the weather last night. "Well, keep looking. We're not taking any other-"

Just then, the older man's phone rang, cutting him off from his sentence. He rubbed his forehead in annoyance when he saw that it was Brass. He didn't need this. "Yeah, Jim."

"Hey, D.B. Listen, Metro is cleaning up from last night and they got a call about a car crashing into the river."

"Yeah...and?"

"The guy they pulled out was a John Doe. They want you guys to go do your CSI stuff and identify the guy. They're not sure if this was intentional or an accident. They haven't gotten the whole story from the witness yet."

He was about to tell the captain to call the day shift, but then he stopped and thought. This could be a lead. It would really suck, because Jim didn't say if it had been a rescue or recovery, but at least...god, Greg couldn't be dead. "Alright, sure. I'll send Sara and Nick to the hospital and Morgan can go process the car. At least the weather finally calmed down." With that, he hung up and stared at his three colleagues.

"We may have a lead on Greg...but it's not solid. Sara and Nick-"

"Hospital," the brunette blurted and she and the Texan left quickly.

"Morgan, you go get the car."

She nodded weakly, wiping her face.

"Hey," Russell said. "You gonna be okay?"

"No...if Greg's hurt I'll...I don't think I can forgive myself. I don't think any of us will."

Before the older man had time to reply, Morgan left to go grab her things and headed out to the scene. Why did they have to want food? Why the hell did Sara have to call Greg? She'd rather have him back here safe then having a stupid veggie burger. Please be okay, Greg. I love you.

~+CSI+~

"Dr. Ryan?"

The redheaded woman in a lab coat turned around and smile warmly. "You must be from the crime lab."

"Nick Stokes and this is Sara Sidle. You said you had a John Doe from a car crash last night that needs to be identified."

The doctor's smile vanished and turned into a grim look. "Yes; if you'll follow me."

Nick and Sara shared a worried glance. If this was Greg and the doctor made that face, it meant it was really bad. They followed the woman down the hall and tried to get more information about the crash victim.

"So..." Sara began. "How is he?"

"Not too well. He's in a coma and contracted pneumonia, which makes everything worse, because we had to remove his spleen. He has a few broken ribs, a pretty bad concussion and he was dead for around three minutes. It was extremely close. He's lucky to be alive."

"Jesus, what the hell happened?" Nick frowned, his heart beating frantically. Please don't let this be Greggo. But if it wasn't they'd be right back where they started.

"I was told that he spun out of control and crashed into the river out west. The person who saved him was unable to revive him so we aren't sure if there will be any lasting damages."

"L-Like what?" It was just getting worse and worse.

"Well, he was without oxygen for almost four minutes and he has shown no signs of responsiveness since before surgery. Not to mention the bad blow to his head." And then they stopped at a window. "Here we are. His clothes are in a bag on the nightstand; everything else went down with his car. If you need anything more, don't hesitate to call."
"Thank you," Sara smiled.

"No, thank you. I'll be more relaxed when we can find out who he is so we can call his family. He shouldn't be going through this alone." After she left, Nick and Sara took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

During that time, Morgan got out of her car at the scene just as the car was being pulled out of the river. She watched nervously; it was a Denali. The same ones that they all had...which mean it had to be Greg. No it couldn't be; a lot of people could have that car, right? She moved in closer and started snapping pictures before the car was on flat land and she could finally get a good look at it. The windshield had been taken off, probably in the midst of saving Greg's- or whoever was in the car- life.

"Here you go," one of the towers said to her. "All ready for you."

"Thanks." She opened the front door and stepped back when water poured out of the vehicle. Sighing shakily, she took more pictures before climbing into the soaking wet car, rummaging through the things she found all over the floor. A cracked, water damaged phone. Could be anybody's. A few bags of soggy food from RJ's. Anyone could've been hungry last night. But as she found more things, dread filled her stomach. She found a few crime scene bags and...a wallet. With trembling fingers, she picked it up and flipped it open...and gasped...maybe just about the same time Nick and Sara did. The waterlogged picture was hard to make out, but she was able to anyways and she recognized the face. It was Greg...and so was the unconscious man lying in the hospital. Greg Sanders. They had found him.

"Jesus Christ, Greggo," Nick whispered as he ditched the kit and went over to his unconscious little brother. The kid looked like shit; his breathing was wheezing and scratchy, his palish gray face was covered in a thick layer of sweat and his chapped lips were a shade of blue. His usually curly hair was plastered down, strands sticking to his damp forehead. His midriff was swathed in thick white bandages and a small one covered his temple down behind his ear with a dot of blood blossoming through. He walked over and grasped the man's hand...it was freezing cold. Brushing back the blonde hair gently, he sniffed.

"This never should've happened, Sara," he growled. "You never should've made him get you food; now he's in a fucking coma!" He was furious at the girls. Greg had gotten seriously hurt because of them.

Sara opened her mouth to speak, but her phone rang and she turned away with a sigh.

"Sidle," she answered in a depressing tone.

"Sara, it's Morgan. The car, it's-"

"Greg's. I know."

"Y-You know? That means...oh my god."

"Yeah Morgan...I'm so sorry...he...he went into a coma."

The other end was silent for the longest time.

"Morgan?"

"Uh...oh god. I need to be there. This is my fault."

"Morgan, it's not your fault. I'm the one who called him. It was a stupid-"

"It's my fault as much as it is yours. Sara, I have to be there! I coming right now."

"Morgan! Stop! Take a deep breath."

She did.

"Now finish up where you are then you can come. There's not much you can do over here anyways. Greg's not going anywhere." Sadly.

"O-Okay...Sara...is he...is he gonna be alright?"

The brunette sighed heavily. "The doctors don't know, Morgan. They...he could have brain damage. They said it's gonna be touch and go and it's all up to him."

Morgan rubbed her face. She needed to be there...now. Greg needed her...she had to tell him. She had to tell him that she loved him.

"Alright," she breathed shakily. "I'll be there as soon as I can." With that, Morgan hung up, wiping the tears from her face before looking down and stroking the worn out picture of Greg. His big brown eyes and bright smile made her heart flutter. But then it made her feel sick; what if she would never see those again? She never forgive herself...ever. Pulling herself together, Morgan tied her hair up in a ponytail and got back to work. She wanted to get this over with. She wanted to see Greg.

Half an hour later, Morgan was running through the halls of the hospital to find Greg's location. Sara had told her the third floor and she skipped the elevator, deeming it too slow for her. She bounded up the stairs two steps at a time and reached the floor before running down more halls, pushing past people carelessly until she reached the nurse's station, completely out of breath.

"G-Greg Sanders...what...what room?"

The nurse looked started, but began typing away. "Room 363, but-"

Morgan didn't stay another second to hear the woman talk; she continued hurriedly down the hall, counting the room numbers as they went up. She pushed past people rudely, but then noticed that they were all going to one place...

"Code Blue in room 363! Code Blue 363!" A voice said over the intercom.

Greg's room.

There was so much commotion and her heart beat frantically against her chest. Something was seriously wrong. Frowning, she picked up her speed until she slid to a stop in front of the door...just in time to hear the droning flatline...and the doctor call it.

"Time of death..."

"No...please god, no," she whispered. Nick was on his knees on the ground, staring at the unmoving form in the bed, completely in shock.

"...8:34am." The sheet was pulled over Greg's head and Nick sobbed loudly, bunching his short hair in his hands. Greg was dead.

"Oh god." Her hand clasped her mouth as tears began to brim her eyes again. She did this...and she would never be able to take it back. Morgan's legs went weak and she, too, fell to the floor, tears dripping from her eyes. The man she loved was gone because she wanted food. Fucking food!

Nick sniffed and looked up to see Morgan and his face turned to pure rage.

"This is your fault! You got him killed! You and Sara never should have called him for food! I will never forgive you! Never!"

Morgan gasped as she jerked awake, breathing heavily and sweat dripping down her face. Swallowing thickly, she sat up and washed a hand down her face before looking around. She found herself sitting in an uncomfortable chair next to a still unconscious Greg and she was the only one in the room. Pursing her lips, Morgan sat up and moved closer, grabbing Greg's limp hand in hers.

"Come on, Greg...please wake up. Please. I'm sorry; this is all mine and Sara's. We never should've made you stay out longer than you were. Now look where it got you." She squeezed his fingers lightly and sniffed. "Greg...I...I love you. Don't leave me, okay? Just wake up." She wished she could switch places with him; she wished that she had taken the crime scene and not him. What if he never woke up? She kissed his knuckles and waited a few more moments before giving up and standing from the chair. She needed some fresh air. Wiping her face and pushing her hair behind her ears, she exhaled heavily and made her way to the door.

"M-M'rg'n."

The young CSI froze in the doorway, her heart nearly stopping as she turned around and saw Greg's forehead scrunching up in confusion. Gasping, she rushed back over and placed both hands on Greg's cheeks.

"Greg? Greg can you hear me?"

The man moaned and his hand weakly reached for hers. Morgan grasped it in her hands tightly, never wanting to let go. "It's okay, Greg. I'm here...and I'm never leaving you okay?"

An agitated Greg seemed to relax and he breathed out slowly, curling his fingers and falling back asleep. Morgan smiled, sighing in relief. Greg was going to be okay; and she would never take him for granted again. One time was bad enough. Sitting back down and keeping her hands entwined with Greg, she closed her eyes, her heart returning to a regular pace. Everything was gonna be okay again; she would make sure of it.

~+CSI+~

He felt extremely tired even if he was just waking up. His head felt stuffed with cotton and his mouth felt like a desert. Blinking open his heavy weighted eyes, he scanned the blurry room to find a large shape sitting next to him. He made a weird sound with his throat and the shape moved closer, startling him a little and making him shiver.

"Relax, bud, it's just me." A Texan drawl?

"N-Nick?" He rasped. "W-What..." but before he could finish, he broke out into a violent bout of coughing.

"Easy, man. Take it easy." Something was suddenly touching his lips and soon water was flowing down his throat, reducing the pain and dryness. When he was finished, he sighed and smacked his lips.

"Thanks." He blinked his eyes wider and looked around the room. Hospital. When had that happened?

"No problem, Greggo. How're you feeling?"

The blonde groaned. "M'head hurts...s-so does my side."

Nick shifted uncomfortably in his seat, clasping his hands together. "What do you remember?"

Greg scrunched his face up in thought. "N-Not much. It was raining really badly and then I couldn't see anything. The last thing I remember was the feeling that I was drowning."

Nick pursed his lips. "Well...that was because you did."

Greg coughed harshly, the pneumonia taking charge. Nick sat forward and helped his little brother sit up, patting him on the back. "Just breathe, kiddo. Take a deep breath."

The poor kid's cough sounded wet and painful, it made Nick wonder if the doctor had gotten out all the water from his lungs. By the time Greg stopped coughing, he was out of breath and drained from all energy.

"Hey, why don't you rest. We can-"

"N-No. I need to...know. I need to k-know what h-happened."

Nick sighed, hesitating. "Fine...but will you take it easy? You nearly scared me to death once already."

Greg complied and rested back against the pillows, closing his eyes, taking a shaky breath. "Okay...I'm ready."

So in the next ten minutes, Nick told Greg what had happened and when he finished, the blonde was utterly shocked.

"W-Wow." He had died. He couldn't believe he had been so close to leaving the world forever. He was gonna have to find the guy who saved him from his untimely demise. He literally owed his life to him.

"You okay, man? I would understand if you're pissed at the girls, because frankly I am. They had no right to make you run errands for them."

"N-No...it's not their fault it's-"

"Not their fault?! You could've been back quicker if you hadn't made a detour to get them food. They could've waited and they made you risk your life to get them fucking food. Jesus, Greggo; we nearly lost you...I don't know what I would've done if that happened, man."

Greg smiled weakly. "I know they didn't mean for this to happen. We can't blame it all on them. It was my fault too."

Nick frowned. "What do you mean by that, G?"

"I wasn't paying attention. Sara's food had fallen on the ground and I went to grab it. I was being stupid and lost control of the wheel."

"Greg-"

"I should've stopped the car at least, I should've paid more attention, I-" Greg was getting antsy as he started to panic and Nick knew he had to calm him down before the doctor kicked him out. He placed his hands on the both Greg's shoulders and shook him gently.

"Greg! Greg, stop it. Just relax, okay man? It's okay. It's over now. Don't stress yourself out about it."

Greg looked at the Texan and nodded, trying to bring his breathing back to normal.

After a minute, Greg eased up and smiled sheepishly.

Nick returned the gesture, squeezing Greg's shoulder. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Sorry about that. I just...I made a dumb mistake and now I'm paying for it."

"It's not all your fault Greg," another voice said and they turned to look towards the door. Sara and Morgan were standing in the entrance, guilty looks on their face even if they were smiling sadly.

Nick looked from his little brother to the two girls before standing up. "I'll go get the doctor so he can do a check-up."

Everyone nodded their heads and Nick walked out of the room silently.

"How're you feeling?" Sara said, going over to sit next to Greg. Morgan moved as well, standing in the corner and waiting for her chance to talk to Greg alone.

Greg shrugged. "I've been better."

Sara smiled and sighed, taking his hand on both of hers, looking into his eyes. "Greg...I never should asked you to get food when the roads were dangerous. I nearly got you killed for a freakin' veggie burger." She really hated herself right now.

"Sara-"

"No...the next time I ever ask for something like that, say no."

Greg chuckled. "You know I could never say no to you."

The brunette smirked. "I just want you to be safe. I never meant to get you hurt."

"Well...I'm okay now. You don't need to worry anymore."

"I'll always worry about you, Greg. You can be a very strange guy sometimes," Sara smiled broadly.

Greg chuckled, rolling his eyes. "I accept your apology, Sara."

The younger woman sighed in relief before bringing the blonde into a gentle hug. "I'm glad you're alright Greg."

"Me too."

They stayed in an embrace for another moment before Sara pulled away and stood up. "Well, the doctor should be here soon, so I'll give you some time with Morgan."

Greg looked to his right to she the blonde still standing awkwardly in the corner. Sara left the room and Morgan moved closer, wringing her wrists and smiling nervously.

"Hey," she spoke softly, sitting down in Sara's vacated chair.

Greg smiled tiredly. "Hey."

They were left in an uneasy silence, Greg looking down at his hands and Morgan to the side.

"Listen...I may not have been the one to call you," the blonde began. "But, I still had a hand in it. I shouldn't have let Sara made that call, knowing it was bad enough driving to and from a crime scene. We never should've made you do something extra."

Greg sighed. "Like I told Sara, I don't entirely blame you. So don't be so hard on yourself, okay?" He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Morgan, look..."

As he began to talk, Morgan zoned out, staring at Greg's lips that moved rhythmically. She had nearly lost the man due to hers and Sara's stupidity...and she never told...she never admitted how much of a crush she had on him. She licked her lips, feeling Greg's hand stroking her knuckles. It made her heart pound against her chest. And she couldn't help it...it was now or never.

"I just wanted to say-"

But before Greg could finish, Morgan grabbed the sides of the man's face and pressed her lips against his. Greg was shocked and he couldn't even move. Morgan Brody, the girl he had a crush on for years since they met, was kissing him. It was everything he had always wanted. He could hear his heart rate spike and he prayed that a nurse wouldn't barge into the room because of it. When they pulled away, Greg breathed and smiled, Morgan biting her lip nervously.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to do that. I-"

"Don't be," Greg laughed. "I've been wanting to do that forever."

Morgan smiled, red creeping on her cheeks. "Really? Well, in that case...Greg Sanders would you like to go on a date with me?"

Greg smirked. "I'd love to, Morgan Brody." He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. "Just one thing."

"What?" Morgan grinned.

"As long as your driving...and it's not RJ's."

Morgan laughed and Greg joined in.

"Deal."

FIN

Alright! It's the end; it's been a long journey, but it's finally come to an end. Thank for all the amazing reviews, prompts, favorites, and follows. You guys are the best readers an author could ask for! I can't wait to start Spring of Hurt Greg! Get those prompts in! Stay tuned! :)