Title: Bitten
By: Fran Holland
Pairing: Gil/Nick
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Just some fluff.

Nick leaned over the microscope, looking at the single fiber found at the crime scene earlier in the evening.  He was writing down his findings, when the trace lab door opened and Gil Grissom stuck his head in.

“Nick, we’ve got a body out in the desert.  Jim will meet us there.  Officers at the scene said multiple gunshot wounds.”

Nick sighed, looked at his watch and stood up.  “Couldn’t they have waited to find the body in about 30 minutes?”  At Grissom’s look, Nick shrugged.  “At least it’s overtime.”

“Quit whining and meet me outside.”  Grissom turned on his heel and walked rapidly down the hall.

Closing the file he was working on, Nick hurried to follow.

The drive took over 40 minutes due to rush hour traffic and the scene was about 20 miles out of town.  Grissom and Nick passed the time talking about Nick’s latest case and once that topic was exhausted they discussed the life cycle of the desert scorpion.

****

Grissom pulled his Denali up beside Jim’s sedan and surveyed the scene.  The yellow tape was wrapped around stakes surrounding a large pile of rock and scrub brush.  Several police officers stood around behind the rocks and Grissom spotted Jim standing with them.

Nick was already out of the truck and opening the rear hatch to get his camera and kit.  Grissom came around and reached in for his kit.  Grissom followed Nick out to the scene.  It was already very hot and the sun had only been up a few hours. 

Grissom looked down at the body of a man in his mid to late thirties.  He was face down and Grissom counted at least six gunshot wounds in his back.  He was missing one shoe and Grissom did a quick look around. 

“Body was found by two kids on dirt bikes. “  Jim said, pointing to one of the cruisers, where two teenage boys stood leaning on the car.  Their motorcycles  were parked a few feet away from them.

“What were they doing out here so early?”  Nick asked, while he snapped pictures of the body.

“Said that they always rode before school.”

Grissom squatted near the body and began searching for trace while Nick walked a grid, taking pictures and looking for any evidence. 

Nick was on the side of the rocks closest to the road and he saw something glisten in the sun.  Bending down, he saw a bullet casing.  He took a picture before picking it up with his latex covered hand.  It looked like a 9 mm.  Nick bagged the shell and put it in his vest pocket before standing.  As he turned to see if there were more, he heard a strange sound.  His brain registered what the sound was a second before the large snake sank it’s fangs into his leg, right below his knee.

“Fuck.”  Nick shouted and jerked his leg away from the snake.  The snake dropped to the ground and slithered quickly to the rocks and disappeared.  He dropped his kit and stared in the direction the snake had gone.

Jim and Grissom, as well as a few of the officers, had come running at Nick’s shout.

“What’s going on, Nick.”

Nick looked at his boss and grimaced.  “Rattlesnake.  It bit me.”

Grissom dropped his kit and ran the remaining steps to Nick.  By that time, Nick had gotten very pale .

“Sit down, Nicky.”  Grissom said as he grabbed Nick’s arm and helped him down.  He reached into Nick’s discarded kit and found a pair of scissors.  In a few seconds, he had Nick’s jeans slit up the side so he could see the wound.

The fangs had gone through the tough denim and had left two identical puncture wounds about two inches below Nick’s knee. 

“Jim, get my truck and pull it up as close to here as you can.  There is a first aid kit in the back.  Keep the truck running, we’ll have to transport in it since it would take too long for an ambulance to get here.”

Jim turned to a young officer beside him.  “You heard the man.  Move!”

Nick was quiet and was leaning on Grissom.  He felt a wave of nausea and the pain at the bite was intense.

“It hurts.”  Nick said softly.

“I know it does, Nicky.  Just hang on and we’ll get you out of here.”

Meanwhile, Jim was on his cell phone.  “Catherine, yeah, look Nick’s been bitten by a rattlesnake, Gil and I are going to get him to the hospital.  You’ll need to send someone to finish the scene.  David just pulled up and he’ll preserve the body site for you.  Sure thing.  Bye.”

Grissom looked up at Jim gratefully.  “Thanks.”

“Not a problem.” 

The Denali pulled up within two yards of where Grissom knelt holding a shaky looking Nick.  Jim opened the rear hatch and grabbed the familiar looking white box with the red  cross emblazoned on it.  He opened the clasp.

“What do you need, Gil?”

“Let’s get him in the truck and get rolling first.”  Gil tried to stand with Nick, and Jim handed off the first aid box to help.  The officer he handed the box to turned and opened the rear door of the Denali and placed the box on the floor.  Then he turned to assist Jim and Gil in getting Nick into the back seat.

“Gil, let us take him.  You get in the back seat first.”  Grissom reluctantly let go of Nick once he was sure that Jim and the other cop had him.  He climbed in and moved to the middle of the seat. 

It took some maneuvering, but Nick was finally in the back seat with his upper body resting in Grissom’s arms.

Jim looked at the younger man that helped him.  “You drive.”

“Yes, Sir.”  He got behind the wheel and Jim ran to the other side.  He called out a few orders regarding the scene, the witnesses and his car before he climbed into the passenger seat. 

“Gil, can you reach the first aid kit?”

Grissom nodded.  “Hand it to me and I’ll help as much as I can.”

Once Jim at the kit in his hand, he asked Gil what he needed.

“Alcohol swabs.”  Gil said tersely.  He was watching Nick’s face and noticed the clammy, pale skin.  Where Grissom’s arms touched Nick’s, he noticed the skin was cool and damp.

Jim watched as Grissom began cleaning the wounds before turning to the radio in the Denali.  He picked up the microphone. 

“This is Detective Brass..  We have a man down.  Patch me through to Desert Palm Emergency Room.”

The radio operator acknowledged Jim’s request and a few moments later a voice came over the radio.

“Desert Palms ER, this is Nurse Adams.”

“Detective Brass, LVPD, we got a rattlesnake bite, victim is approximately 35 years old.   The bite is on his leg just below the knee. “

“We’ll have anti-venom standing by.  Keep the leg elevated above the heart.   What is your ETA?”

“We’ll be there in ten minutes.”  As he put the mike down, the officer turned to him.  “Ten minutes, Sir?”

“I suggest you use the driving skills they taught you at the academy.”  Jim said harshly.

Grissom felt the car accelerate and he heard Nicky whisper something.  “What did you say, Nicky?”

“I’m 39.” 

“What?”  Grissom looked down into Nick’s eyes. 

“I’m 39, not 35.” 

Grissom chuckled.  “Well, that’s okay.  Jim just made you a few years younger.  You definitely look younger.”

Nick felt his heart rate escalating as the venom made its way through his bloodstream.  A wave of dizziness swept over him and he moaned.

“Hold on, Baby.  We’ll be there soon.  I won’t let anything happen to you.”  Grissom kissed Nick’s cool, damp forehead.  Then his eyes caught Jim’s.

If Jim had not witnessed that exchange, he would not have believed it.  His eyebrows raised in question, he meet Grissom’s eyes, but he did not speak.

As the Denali entered the outskirts of Las Vegas, a police cruiser swung in front of them with lights flashing and siren keening.  The officer driving the Denali tapped the brakes to let the cruiser gain a few yards before accelerating again.  Another cruiser pulled up behind them, also with lights and siren.  With the convoy, the Denali was able to pull into the emergency vehicle bay within the ten minute allotted time.

The doors slide open and a gurney was wheeled out by several hospital staff.  Jim jumped out of the truck and raced around to open the back door. 

In seconds, Nick was loaded onto the gurney and rushed through the doors.  Grissom tried to follow but was stopped by a nurse.

“Sir, let them do their jobs.  We’ll need to get patient information from you.  Please follow me.”

Grissom was torn.  He needed to be with Nick.  He started to shake and the blood drained from his face.

“Sir, are you okay?”  The nurse asked.

“Gil, sit down.”  Jim pushed Grissom into a seat in the hallway.  “Let him sit for awhile and then we’ll give you all the information you need.”  Jim said to the nurse.  She nodded and walked briskly away.

“Talk to me, Gil.”  Jim sat down in the seat next to Grissom.

“I need to be with Nicky.”

“They are taking good care of him.  It’s you I’m worried about.  What the hell was that in the truck?”

Grissom looked confused.  “What?”

“You called Nick ‘Baby’ and then you kissed him.  What the fuck was that?”

Grissom hung his head and stared intently at his hands.

“You have feelings for Nick?”

“Of course, I have feeling s for him.  He’s part of my team.”  Grissom raised his head to meet Jim’s eyes.
“I think it’s a bit more than that.”  Jim said quietly.

A doctor walked quickly towards them.  “Did you come in with Nick Stokes?”

Grissom stood up quickly.  “Yes.  How is he?  Is he okay?”

“We’ve got him stabilized.  Before I start the anti-venom, I need to be sure of the type of snake it was.  We were told it was a rattlesnake, is that correct?”

“It was a Western Diamondback.”  Grissom said confidently.

“Are you sure?”  the Doctor asked.

“Of course, I’m sure.”  Grissom snapped.

The doctor gave him a curt nod and turned on his heel and walked away.

“Forgot how to play nice?”  Jim said sarcastically.

Grissom sank back down in his chair and released a deep breath.  “Just leave it, Jim.”

“Do you love him?”

Grissom let out a harsh bark of laughter.  “So, what if I do?  Do you care?  Would anyone care?  He surely to God wouldn’t care.”

“Actually, I would care.  You’re one of my best friends.”

“Then you’ll keep my dirty little secret safe, won’t you?” 

“It’s safe with me, Gil.  You know that.  But don’t you think that he has a right….”

“No.  No he doesn’t have the right to know.  It would screw up everything.  He wouldn’t want to work with me anymore.  He’d look at me like I was…like I…hell, Nick would pity me.  Oh, he’d treat me politely because that’s how he was raised.  But he’d be uncomfortable around me and I just couldn’t stand that, Jim.  I just couldn’t stand that.”

“So, you just keep hiding your feelings for the man.  Go about your business.  Work with him every day.  How can you do it?”

“I’ve been doing it for five years, I can keep doing it.”

“Yeah, right.”  Jim shook his head and stood up.  “I’m going to go make a few calls about our dead friend in the desert.”

Grissom watched his friend walk away and sighed.  Jim couldn’t understand what it was like to love someone that you just couldn’t have.  He leaned back and rested the back of his head on the wall and closed his eyes.  He didn’t know how long he stayed there before he remembered that he was supposed to fill out forms and give Nick’s information to the nurse.

He stood and headed off in the direction that she had gone.  When he turned a corner, he saw her sitting at one of three desks in what he assumed was a reception area.

When she saw him, she motioned for him to sit. 

“Relation to the patient?”

He paused, his first inclination was to say friend, but he really wasn’t.  No, Warrick and Greg were Nick’s friends.  “Supervisor.”

“So, this was work related?”

“Yes.”

The questions continued with Grissom answering the ones he could.  The nurse had Nick’s wallet and had gotten his social security number, health insurance card and other information from the slim, black tri-fold.  She placed it back into a large manila envelope and told Grissom that it would be returned to Nick later.

“There was a picture of you in his wallet.  You must be friends as well as his boss.”

Grissom’s eyebrows came together in a frown.  “A picture?  Of me?”

The nurse smiled.  “Yes.” 

“May I see it?”  Grissom asked softly.

“Well, you aren’t family….”

“Please, I won’t touch anything else.”

The nurse opened the clasp on the envelope and pulled out Nick’s wallet.  She opened it and Grissom could see the small accordion style plastic sleeves where most people kept their family photos.

She flipped to the very first picture and turned it so Grissom could see.  Grissom smiled in spite of himself.  The picture had been taken two years ago on Catherine’s birthday.  They had a barbeque at Warrick’s house for the occasion.  Grissom had been in jeans and a t-shirt that said ‘My cockroach beat your cockroach at the 7th annual cockroach races 1997’.

As the nurse put the wallet back in the envelope, Grissom wondered why Nick kept that picture of him.  He was still pondering this when he sat down in the same chair he had left earlier.

Jim was walking towards him when the doors swung open and the doctor came out of the double doors that lead to the treatment area.

The doctor waited for Jim to join them before he spoke.

“We have the anti-venom on board and he is resting comfortably.  We are watching now for any negative reaction to the anti-venom.  Recovery could take a few weeks, but he’s healthy and in good physical shape.  There will be a lot of pain in the next few days.  Any questions?”

“When can I see him?”  Grissom asked. 

“You can see him now.  They will be moving him to a room in a little while.  I want to keep him overnight, if he’s going to have a reaction, it will be in the next few hours.  He’ll get more anti-venom later this afternoon and another dose tonight.  Once the last dose is in his system for about 12 hours or so, he can go home to complete bed rest for a week.”

Grissom nodded and thanked the doctor.  Jim followed Grissom to the curtained off area that held Nick.  Jim pulled the curtain aside and motioned for Grissom to enter first.

Nick’s leg was elevated in a sling and he still looked very pale and weak, but he managed a smile at the two men.  “Hi Griss.  Jim.”

“How do you feel?”  Grissom asked, moving to stand by Nick’s bed.

“Like shit.”  Nick managed a weak laugh.  “It hurts.”

Jim joined the conversation about Nick’s treatment and recovery time, but soon excused himself.  “I’m going home to try to get some sleep before shift tonight.    I’ll call you tomorrow to see how you’re feeling.”

Goodbyes said, Jim let the curtain fall back into place after he left. 

“Is there anything you need, Nick.”  Grissom asked.

“Nah, I’m okay.”  Nick looked up at Grissom curiously.  “I need to ask you something though.”

Grissom knew by Nick’s tone that it would probably be about what happened in the truck on the way to the hospital.  He had hoped that Nick had been too out of it to be aware of his slip up.  He quickly turned the tables and asked.  “Why is my picture in your wallet?”

Grissom could swear that Nick paled even more.  “I….I…uh….it’s just a good picture of you.  No reason.”

Grissom raised his eyebrows in question and Nick blurted out, “Why did you kiss me?”

Grissom blushed and turned to face the bank of machines by Nick’s bed.  Nick’s heartbeat was moving across the large monitor along with his blood pressure and blood oxygen levels.  Grissom did not speak and Nick began to get frustrated.

“Griss?  You called me Baby.”

Grissom exhaled slowly and turned to face Nick.  “It was nothing, Nick.  You were hurt and I offered comfort.  That’s all.”

Nick kept eye contact until Grissom looked away again.

“I keep your picture in my wallet because I’ve always had a crush on you.”

Grissom’s eyes widened.  “What?”

Nick closed his eyes and when he didn’t reply, Gil assumed he had fallen asleep from the pain killers in his system, so he was startled when Nick spoke.

“I’ve had a crush on you since I first came to Vegas. “

“Nick, it is perfectly normal to feel some sort of…of…feelings for your…..”  Gil’s words tapered off and he sat down hard on the plastic chair in the room.  He rubbed his hands over his eyes and looked up at Nick.  Nick was looking at him with a quizzical expression.

“I kissed you because I, too, have a crush.”  Gil thought that word was juvenile and an understatement for his feelings for Nick.

“I guess it’s a good thing I got bit, huh?”

“What?  Nick, no.  No.  I was so scared.”  Gil reached out and gripped Nick’s hand.

“If I hadn’t gotten bit, who knows how long we would have waited to find out about our….crush.”  Nick smiled crookedly.