Title: Deliverance
Author: Kalimyre
Pairing: Gil/Nick
Rating: PG
Summary: A post-ep for Gum Drops. In which Nick needs a little rescuing of his own.

***

Cassie made it most of the way through her story before her voice gave out completely and the nurse shooed Nick out, giving him a dirty look for making the girl talk so long. Nick went, aware that Cassie was asleep before he even made it to the door, immediately guilty for demanding so much of her. She had tried to shy away from the memories more than once, but he'd cajoled and soothed and held her hand, and she had gathered her strength and carried on.

Nick thought she was going to be doing that a lot from now on.

He walked aimlessly down the hall, one shoulder sliding along the wall, both propping him up and keeping him moving in a straight line. He fingered the hand-drawn card she'd given him, the thick layers of crayon slick and waxy, bright and simple. He wondered how long she'd worked on it. How important it must have been to her, to thank her good guy, before even asking about her family.

Nick closed his eyes for several steps, squeezing them tightly shut, and was startled when his wall suddenly disappeared from his side. He stumbled into a waiting room lined with uncomfortable looking couches and tired looking people. He knew what he must look like, dazed and lost, red-rimmed eyes and unwashed hair, but no one raised an eyebrow. He looked just like everyone else.

He sat on an empty couch and turned the card over and over in his hands, trying not to think of the last time he was in a hospital. Nick pulled his notepad out of his pocket and flipped through the notes he'd taken on Cassie's statement, not really reading them. He knew what they said. He knew, technically, that she'd given him all the useful information she had. They could piece the rest together with evidence and statements from their suspects.

So there was really no reason to stay here any longer. It wasn't as if he had any particular fondness for hospitals, after all.

But, he thought, what if she wondered where he was when she woke up? What if there's no one there to read her crayon scrawl and answer her questions? He helped her, yes, he found her, but she's not out of the woods yet. She still needs saving. And isn't he the good guy? Isn't it his job to do that saving? Sure it is.

Nick slid lower on the couch, wriggling more comfortably into his pullover. He was asleep in minutes, the card still held tight against his chest.

~~~

Nick woke when he felt something tugging at his fingers, his card slipping from his hands. He clutched tighter, then opened his eyes, blinking blearily in the harsh fluorescent light. "Hey," he protested, scooting away from the blurry form standing over him. His eyes stung and he winced, realizing he'd worn his contacts far too long.

"Nick," someone said, and Nick frowned because that was the last voice he was expecting.

"Gil? I thought you were at a... thing. A class or something," he mumbled, still more asleep than awake. He knew Gil being here was bad, that he was in trouble because he'd screwed up somehow, but he couldn't quite remember why.

"I finished it this morning," Gil said. He sat beside Nick, quiet for a few moments, allowing Nick the time to get his bearings.

"This morning?" Nick shook his head and looked for a window, but the room was fully enclosed. He squashed the sliver of unease that provoked with the impatience of long practice. "Wait, what time is it? How long was I sleeping?"

"It's just after one," Gil told him, and while he didn't specify day or night, the quiet, sleepy waiting room did it for him.

"That's almost five hours," Nick said. He suppressed a groan as he got to his feet, his back protesting the uncomfortable sleeping position. His eyes felt gritty and dry, his mouth gluey, and he wasn't sure when he'd eaten last. "Cassie might have woken up. I need to go check on her."

Gil caught him by the elbow and pulled him back down. "She's still sleeping. I already checked."

"Oh." Nick thought about that for a moment, and ducked his head, all too familiar with the look he was sure Gil was giving him. "So you heard."

"I heard you found her just in time. You saved her life, Nick."

Nick looked up, startled by the lack of reprimand. "I lost my temper with a suspect. I let the case become personal. I got emotionally involved."

Gil smiled, looking down for a moment. "Yes, you did. I seem to remember you telling me that's how you do your job. That's who you are."

"But..." Nick frowned, turning on the couch to face Gil, folding his arms. "Empathizing is one thing, but Gil, come on, I was out of line with that suspect. That could damage the case."

Gil sighed and shook his head, but he looked faintly amused, rather than disapproving. "I'm not sure what you want me to say. Would you rather I told you all the things you did wrong? You already seem to know them."

Nick opened his mouth and shut it again, feeling off balance. "But," he said again, and shrugged. "I don't know. I thought... why are you here?"

"I talked to Sara."

"Ah." Nick looked away, his fingers tightening on the card.

"She's worried about you."

Nick could feel his shoulders tense up, his jaw sticking out, and he knew how it made him look, stubborn and uncooperative and difficult, but he couldn't help it. Sometimes he got so sick of everyone worrying about him. Watching him. But then, he'd snapped in that interrogation room, hadn't he? Maybe he needed watching. Maybe they'd all been waiting for him to lose it; it was only a question of when.

"I'm fine, man, I can handle it," he said, hating the petulant note that snuck into his voice. Gil always did that to him somehow, made him feel like a kid.

Gil nodded and said nothing for a long moment. Then, "You did find her. I may not always understand your methods, Nick, but the result matters."

"Yeah," Nick said quietly. "Although I'm not sure I really helped her."

"What does that mean?"

Nick shrugged, and spread his hands, glancing down the hall in the direction of Cassie's room. "She's this amazing kid, you know? She left us a trail of gum drops, like Hansel and Gretel, she swam so far even though she was drugged and bleeding, she kept herself alive. And then I went in there after all that and told her that her family is dead. That's her reward for surviving; she gets to try and deal with losing everything. I didn't want to tell her, but..." Nick cut himself off, biting his lip. Not here. Not in front of everyone.

Gil was quiet, but he reached over and plucked the card from Nick's hands. Nick got up, walking unsteadily across the room to the water fountain, splashing some over his face before taking a drink. The water felt icy on his skin and he knew he was blushing. Gil brought that out in him without even trying.

When he looked back, Gil was staring right at him, and Nick was rattled by the open compassion on his face, so different from his usual distant curiosity. Nick felt his throat close up again and he dropped his eyes, swallowing hard. Gil always did this to him, always. Effortlessly.

Then there was a hand on his shoulder and another on the small of his back, guiding him forward. Nick considered resisting, defending his tattered pride, but it was just such a relief to let Gil take over. He knew what would happen, what always happened when things got bad. Gil would take him home, and there would be tea and blankets and sitting together in bed, Nick curled with his head on Gil's thigh, Gil absently trailing fingers through his hair while he did the crossword. Simple things. Nick had learned to cherish them.

He did wonder, uneasy for a moment as Gil steered him toward the passenger seat of his car, if Gil was letting him off easy because of their relationship. If he'd show this much patience and compassion with any CSI who let a case get personal. But Nick knew the answer to that, and it was foolish to even ask. Of course Gil would be kind. It was in his bones, in his nature.

It was why Nick loved him.

~~~

Fin

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