Title: Dipped Death
Author: Dee
Rating: R
Word Count: 5398
Pairings: Gil and Nick
Characters: Gil Grissom, Nick Stokes and the gang, plus various OM/OFCs
Warnings: Angst, but yes…fluff. SS bashing.
Spoilers: Grave Danger (Has anyone NOT seen it half a million times?)
Disclaimer: In my dreams they are like, totally mine!
Beta: jayceepat and podga for their invaluable help in the Americanisation of the fic and their insightful comments. I thank high_striker for his wonderful icons. I am indebted to them all. Any errors are mine.
A/N: It should not be a secret that I dislike SS’s character. (It has nothing to do with JF… I just don’t like the character…okay?) So, if you like her, then this fic is not for you. Jayceepat gave me a ‘little challenge’ and I reckoned, maybe, a couple of thousand words…..well; the finished fic is over 21k words! As always, because I’m impatient, I’ll post it quite quickly. Bodily functions discussed and descriptions given, but beware that the only medical knowledge I have comes from ‘House, M.D.’ and Wikipedia….an expert then….not! It is pretend, made up, not real…nor intended to be so…
N.B. I’m so proud, my A/N is exactly 100 words – a drabble!

Part One

It was Nick’s idea. In truth he always had the best ideas. Well, about social things anyway….because Gil was hopeless.

‘Let’s have a party and tell ‘em all at the same time….’, and that’s how it started.

Nick and Gil had been a couple for nearly three years. Both men were inclined to describe themselves as bi-sexual. Both men were delusional. They’d slept with women…fucked them…would be more accurate, but it was only because they happened to be available. If they had to seek out a partner it would always be another man. They just preferred men.

Sometimes, for both of them, the need to have a man became unbearable and they would have to leave the confines of their insular little homes and find someone to soothe the infernal desire…that need for a man.

Not that this happened often, but it did happen and they did it very discreetly in the only place in Las Vegas (and probably Nevada) that guaranteed a modicum of privacy for closeted gay men. They were both members of ‘La Cage’…a club that never advertised and only increased its membership by personal invitations to join.

For five years they were both mutual members without ever meeting each other in the club, until ‘THAT’ night. They referred to it as ‘THAT’ night because it had been a monumental discovery.

A discovery. For when Gil met up with a man and indulged in whatever practise he chose for that occasion, it was always Nicholas Stokes that he could see in his mind’s eye. It was ‘Nicky, my boy’ that he imagined was on his knees in front of him; it was ‘Nick’ who enveloped him in a loving embrace. It was the ‘Texan’ who lay back and let Gil prepare and enter him and it was ‘his lover’ that he let do the same to him. Only that didn’t happen, only in his dreams would Gil let himself be breached and then only by Nick. But Nick was a ladies man; he was always out and about with beautiful young women.

A discovery. For Nick, who’d fantasised from the first week in the lab at Vegas about the man who’d trained him; been his colleague and then his supervisor. He never, for one moment, had any thought that Gil was gay. This renowned ‘gaydar’ thing had passed him by entirely. It was only behind his closed eyelids that he saw Gil Grissom taking care of him. That’s what Nick craved the most, someone to take care of him. But Gil was only interested in brilliant and capable women, women with balls. As it turned out……

Both men had a penchant for their respective fantasy man. Gil always preferred dark haired, brown eyed, young men and Nick always preferred brown haired, blue eyed, older men; capable, distinguished men.

And so it went until ‘THAT’ night; Gil was already seated at the bar with a dark haired young man. Nick came up behind him and asked the barman for his ‘usual’. Gil froze in his seat at the sound of the voice behind him and then swivelled the bar stool around so he faced Nick.

The shock on both of their faces was witnessed by a number of men in their vicinity. And a number of those men groaned (including Gil’s erstwhile partner), because they all recognised the signs. Lust. These men would be lovers tonight. They wanted each other. No one else would get a chance, at least tonight.

As it turned out, not ever again. And they were also wrong about them becoming lovers that night. They were too busy swapping stories of how they’d reached ‘THAT’ night. Of playing catch up and getting to know about each other; it was amazing how much they didn’t know about each other.

In fact, Gil and Nick dated, properly. Enjoying meals out and theatre trips and walks and treks up into the mountains and down into the canyons that surrounded their desert city.

It was eleven days before they kissed; eleven days and one minute before they began to indulge in a little frottage and eleven days and two minutes before they had their hands on the other’s hard erections and were pumping each other furiously. Embarrassingly, it was only eleven days and three minutes before they were coming all over each others hands and clothes.

They did agree that it was exceptional circumstances though…they had waited eleven days…..for goodness sake.

It was another two weeks before Gil was transported into his idea of nirvana as he entered Nick for the first time. Nick cried, and it wasn’t because of pain. It was another six weeks before the ‘virgin’ Gil begged Nick to enter him. And Nick cried, because, frankly, he did, given any, appropriate, opportunity.

That was how it all began and how it continued. Both men had been deeply closeted and saw no reason to change the status quo. They continued to go to La Cage, because it was the only place outside their respective homes where they could acknowledge their lifestyle. It was also a good club with excellent facilities…and as a couple they could get a discount on membership. It didn’t come cheap either way.

No one knew about them, they told no one and no one found out, as far as they knew. They both remarked that they’d never seen anyone they knew in the club before that night. Although both men had seen other men they recognised; prominent citizens of Las Vegas and even some Hollywood types and men they both knew were married. But they remained, as far as they knew, anonymous.

The weeks turned to months and before they knew it they were celebrating their first anniversary. They still kept their own places, but gradually Nick withdrew from his closer friendships and the people most likely to visit him, so he rented his place out to a couple of showgirls and lived fulltime with Gil. Gil didn’t have to change any of his friendships to accommodate Nick.

It was a happy, cosy life for both men. They settled down like a married couple and their love and life grew together. It was a fairly quiet life but their work kept them busy and they loved each other’s company and so it wasn’t long before they were approaching their second anniversary.

It was Gil who suggested that perhaps they should sell Nick’s apartment and then his own house and buy a nicer, bigger place together. Nick thought it was wonderful, and although he would’ve denied that he was waiting for Gil to make that last commitment, he was so happy….he cried.

This is how it all happened and they had moved into their lovely new one story home, in a nice area of town with a big garden and a hot tub. It had taken five months to plan and execute the move. Life was great. Life was as good as it could get.

What they didn’t know, of course, was that an embittered and vicious man was planning an abduction and incarceration; a spectacular event to wreak havoc on a member of the crime lab attached to LVPD. They had taken his daughter from him; he’d give them a taste of their own medicine. He didn’t care who it was, as long as it hurt. Hurt them like he was hurt. Gain revenge for the loss of his sweet, innocent daughter; whose sweetness and innocence would be cruelly savaged by the inmates of the prison.

Walter Gordon took five months to plan and then execute his revenge.

Part Two

Gil and Nick had adapted to their new shift patterns and in some ways it helped them…they overlapped a great deal, but generally Gil slept while Nick was at work, and Nick slept while Gil was at work and the rest of the time they were together. They didn’t have to watch their every move in case someone caught a look, a glimpse of the love and passion that they shared. But they’d done this for a long time. They were practised at deception.

The evening of the abduction Nick had been really happy. They’d spent several hours choosing new plants for their garden…it was going to be desert friendly….no grass to water…but a deck surrounded by gravel and cacti and water resistant plants; by tubs of flowering plants for a dash of colour. Nick had a flair for this sort of thing and Gil indulged him, knowing full well that the outcome would be a wonderful vista.

Their shifts had overlapped, Gil doing some experiment in the lab and Nick losing a coin toss with Warrick. He had a trash run.

Catherine told Gil. She was shell shocked. Gil just stood there. No, not Nick. Not his Nicky. No. Impossible. Wrong person

Gil had felt so confident it was some mistake that he drove his truck to the scene. It was crawling with cops. Brass had said it was about twenty five minutes ago. No. Not Nick.

It was Nick.

Whenever he remembered back to those twenty-four hours he really has no idea how he coped. How did he keep going when he finally realised that Nick was gone? He tried not to think about it and mostly succeeded but then something would jog his memory. Maybe a styrofoam cup, a tape, a word, a gesture. Nothing particular.

He didn’t tell anyone about ‘them’ at all. He vomited after every drink he had…he didn’t try to eat. He kept his carefully concealed façade firmly in place for the entire time. Even when Nick’s parents arrived. Nick hadn’t mentioned the fact that he was gay to his parents. It was the main reason he’d left Texas anyway. His parents were a high powered, god fearing, couple. Homosexuality didn’t appear on their horizon. He didn’t say, ‘I love your son, he is my lover, my life.’

He met with Walter Gordon and even when he asked what Nick meant to him, he didn’t scream out loud, ‘I love him, you fucking bastard; I love him.’ No, Gil kept quiet and the entire team worked towards recovering Nick.

And, with a lot of hard work and even more luck, he was found and returned to his arms. Well, not immediately. Catherine and Warrick had pushed Gil aside to ride with him in the ambulance to the hospital.

When Gil had finally arrived at the hospital in the dead of night. Nick’s parents had retired to try and sleep in a family suite in the hospital. All Nick’s friends and colleagues had left. Nick was sedated and sleeping fitfully, wired up to machines and drips and catheters.

Gil stepped up to his bed and laid his hand on Nick’s hand that lay on top of the bed clothes. The ant bites were plain to see, even in the subdued lighting. On his hands, between his fingers and around his wrists. All over his face and up past his hair line; down onto his neck and concentrated on either side of his neck….following the blood vessels.

Gil held himself together for, perhaps, two minutes. He then collapsed beside the bed sobbing such gut wrenching sobs he retched with the ferocity of them. He knelt on the floor beside the bed, still holding Nick’s hand. A nurse came around and rubbed his back between his shoulders blades. She never said a word. Gil supposed later that she probably was well acquainted with grief, although in truth, he wasn’t crying in grief, he was crying in pure, fucking pleasure. Relief. Nick had been returned to him. His Nick. His love.

Nick’s recovery had been remarkable, everyone said as much. His parents left after three days and before Nick was discharged from the hospital. They were very busy people. His bites cleared up and didn’t become infected…that was a plus. He was referred to a therapist and Gil went along too. The strangest thing was that once he went home, although quite a few people called him, no one visited him. Okay, he had withdrawn himself from the ‘circle of (work) friends’, but no one insisted that they should visit him. He was hurt, but philosophical; he’d had his cake and eaten it…

But there was a shift in Gil and Nick’s relationship; they had love and passion and a happy suburban life. It was not lost; it was the mainstay of Nick’s recovery, their steadfast togetherness. What had been lost was the need for obsessive secrecy. Nothing mattered now, except them, the job was the job, but they had a renewed opportunity to live their lives to the full. Out in the open; out of the closet.

It had been a mutual decision. The difficulty had arisen about the mechanics of the ‘announcement’. Gil favoured a clinical announcement after shift, in the lab; straightforward. He then got annoyed with Nick for laughing at the word ‘straightforward’. He then got further annoyed at Nick’s increased laughter at his annoyance. It took about four minutes, and Nick threatening to cry, for him to admit that it was an unintentional pun and was, maybe, the wrong word to use.

He then became upset at himself for behaving in a pompous fashion about something as trivial as a word. This was a carry over from the abduction. A loss of his sense of the absurd. He was going to have to recover it, for his own sake but mostly for Nick, whose heightened sense of the need for a little levity in his life, had coincided with Gil’s loss of such levity.

It was Nick’s idea. ‘Let’s have a party and tell ‘em all at the same time….’ Since no one had been to the new house, Gil could invite all their ‘lab’ friends to a housewarming party with a recovered Nick as the guest of honour. Apart from Personnel, they weren’t even sure that anyone knew that Gil’d moved. Certainly no one knew they were together.

So that was the plan. Nick even had proper invitations printed in Gil’s name, and their shift, and a few, were invited to a dinner party at the new home on a Saturday evening in the October, following Nick’s ordeal.

With the apologies they’d had, there turned out to be sixteen people to cater for….and to save them the trouble they got professional caterers in to do the business. In truth Nick was both horrified at the cost and, being a Texan, having someone else barbeque his food. But Gil was adamant. If they were having a party he didn’t want Nick doing all the preparation and then the cooking and dealing with all the guests who all knew a better way to cook a steak, or toss a salad. Nick conceded he’d be frazzled and wouldn’t enjoy the party or the moment.

While Gil was somewhat sceptical at the fallout from their news, Nick was positively glowing at the prospect of baring his secret. He’d have hired a public address system if he could. He was a happy man; things had turned out well. Everyone had a blip on their radar, he’d had his and from now on it would be plain sailing.

He should have realised that such a complacent attitude was actually a recipe for disaster.

The dinner party went really well. Everyone arrived at nearly the same time and drank a punch Nick had made. It was a major success. They had lots of little bites…or as Nick’s Momma liked to call them ‘canapés’, as appetisers, not too many because there was a fish dish, salmon poached in a sauce on the huge fancy barbeque the caterers had brought along. And then (since it was impossible to have a ‘dinner party’ without steak) they had steak. With potatoes, with salad, with vegetables. It was all cooked to perfection and even Nick had to concede that he would have been hard pressed to do better. Although he maintained he would have done as well as the caterers.

It was warm enough to sit on the deck and eat….the caterer’s brought extra tables and chairs and there was no doubt about it, it was a happy and relaxed affair. If anyone noticed that Gil and Nick seemed extraordinarily friendly, no one said. Nick had been through so much and Gil was, obviously, like a father figure to him.

Part Three

When everyone had eaten their fill of all the savoury food there were just two desserts to choose from – the healthy option and the unhealthy option. The healthy option was a fruit salad, on its own, or with cream or ice cream. It looked lovely and very healthy, but it paled into insignificance alongside the unhealthy option.

It looked glorious and the assembled friends eyed it with lust…no one was bothered about the fruit any more.

This was a chocolate…….concoction….was probably the most accurate description. It was covered in chocolate icing and adorned with little curled flakes of dark, milk and white chocolate and on the top of the….concoction… strawberries had been splayed open and spread tantalisingly among the chocolate.

Nick had ordered this dessert for Gil, he knew that chocolate was a (not so) secret vice and that he loved strawberries. Nick liked chocolate, but he was nowhere in the league of Gil Grissom.

Nick saw the look Gil gave the dessert and laughed at his lover’s delight. Gil looked at him in the same way, so he knew he’d made an excellent choice.

They had also agreed that this would be the optimum time to impart their news. Their guests were full of good food and drink and now the dessert was being served to the happy diners. Gil even had a plate before him but he looked at Nick and they caught the moment and stood up together.

Gil called for quiet and asked for their attention…..they quietened a little but excited hands grasped spoons and forks and a few of them, unable to resist, ate their first mouthfuls and the ecstasy was written on their faces.

“Everyone. Everyone. Thank you for coming here today. I hope you’ve enjoyed all the food and just before we all devour the dessert sent from culinary heaven, I would like to take a few moments to tell you about…well, about me and Nick.”

There was instant silence and everyone’s attention was focussed on Gil Grissom, standing in front of them with a happy relaxed smile on his face and his arm around the waist of Nick Stokes. This was not a manly pose between male friends…..no, there was more; Nick was leaning into Gil’s body and his smile was spread from ear to ear and directed with alarming closeness at Gil Grissom.

“Nick and I have been together, as a couple, for a number of years…we chose to keep it a secret, but recent events have meant that we’ve had a change of plans. We’ve bought this home together and intend to be together for…well…the duration, eh Nicky?”

“That just about sums it up, an’ all.” The Texan drawl was directed at Gil…and no one else.

Now the assembled guests had a few moments to think their thoughts….they ranged from…..’What the fuck’, ‘Jesus H Christ’, God, it’s so obvious’, ‘Why didn’t we find out about this…we’re fucking investigators….’

All the guests just sat in suspended animation for those moments before the crash bought them all back to the present.

The crash was a glass being thrown at the brick wall of the house. As it had been thrown the perpetrator stood and the vacated chair was thrown backwards and that crashed to the floor. All the eyes that had been fixed on Gil and Nick moved almost as one to the person who was standing, arms thrown out, fists clenched and an expression of rage, or hatred, or loathing, plastered across her face.

Sara Sidle’s face.

This scene had played out in only moments and then she was on her feet propelling herself at Gil and Nick. She reached Gil first and grabbing his shirt she screamed in his face. “You fucking bastard, you fucking bastard.” She shook his shirt and therefore Gil and therefore Nick, who was still attached to Gil.

As much as everyone had watched the scene unfold and were immobile, everyone suddenly sprang into action, Nick took one side of her and started to pull her away from Gil, but since she was still holding his shirt in a steely grip, it was difficult. Warrick and Jim arrived next and took her arms and Gil himself started to try and extricate himself from her hold.

Sara continued screaming at the top of her voice. “You fucking bastard, why him, why not me?” Greg and Dave joined the mêlée and then Catherine tried shouting herself.

“Sara. Sara, for God’s sake Sara, what’s got into you? Calm down.”

The weird thing was....she did. As suddenly as she’d begun her tirade against Gil, she stopped. She stepped back away from him and shrugged off all the hands holding her. They let go and she remained still. Her look was that of hatred. She took a deep breath and then spat in Gil’s face. Her spittle scored a hit on his cheek.

She then turned on her heel and left. There was a stunned silence. Nick plastered himself against Gil and wrapped his arms around him. Gil could feel the tension emanating from him. Catherine used a tissue to wipe Gil’s cheek. He caught her eye.

“That went well.” His voice was quiet and emotionless.

The entire scene had been played out in, maybe, twenty seconds, and the only voice had been Sara’s. Now everyone was murmuring. Gil then sensed that Nick would cry at any moment. He felt that shivering sensation that was a precursor for tears. Even more so since the ordeal. He needed to get Nick away from everyone. Immediately.

Part Four

Gil caught Jim’s eye and tried in that instant to convey that he needed to move Nick out of this environment. Nick had recovered to an amazing degree, but given these circumstances it was reasonable for Gil to assume that he was going to have a major issue with the scene that had just unfolded.

To Gil’s eternal gratitude Jim did indeed pick up on the silent plea. He said, “Let’s move you two inside, okay? Catherine?”

“Good idea, come on Nick, Gil’s got you.”

Gil moved Nick around so that his one arm was around his shoulder and his other holding one of Nick’s hands. Tightly.

“Nick we’re going to get to our bedroom okay, you got that?” He whispered his instruction, commanding Nick to move. It worked.

They were closest to the patio doors and in moments had moved inside the house. As they did so they heard the squealing of tires on a vehicle speeding away…..Sara. At that very moment Gil wished her dead. An auto wreck would do the trick, as long as she only involved herself. She was the most selfish bitch he’d ever come across, and he thought that may be a disservice to all the other bitches out there... When had he ever given her even the slightest indication that he was interested? Never. That was when.

While he’d been thinking these thoughts they’d arrived at their bedroom door. “Thanks Jim.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll take care of the guests, no problem.” He patted Gil on the back and returned to the deck.

Gil opened the door and propelled Nick inside and the moment the door closed behind them, Nick’s restraint crumbled, as Gil had expected. He virtually collapsed to the floor and let out gut wrenching sobs. He was trying to say something, but Gil had no idea what it was.

“Come on Nicky, sweetheart, let’s get you on the bed, come on.”

Even through his tears and anguish, Nick tried a smile at Gil and Gil smiled back; he knew why. Nick loved being called by affectionate names. He loved ‘sweetheart’ best, but was partial to ‘babe’, which he called Gil, and ‘honey’, and ‘angel’ was another favourite. But Gil was not the sort of man to use such endearments, the closest he came to it generally was ‘Nicky’, but sometimes, just sometimes for a special reason he would call Nick, ‘sweetheart’.

In fact he used it so rarely that when he did use it, Nick would be absolutely assured that it was with good reason. This was obviously a ‘good reason’.

They arrived at the bed and sat down heavily on it, Gil plastering himself against Nick, and kissing his hair and temple. Calling Nick ‘sweetheart’, had actually worked and Nick wasn’t as bad as he had been before, when he’d had one of his ‘episodes’.

He tried to speak and this time was more successful. “What a fucking bitch. I’ve been her only….real…..friend…..you know….all the years she’s been here….and she does…..that.” Nick was now crying, as Gil might describe, normally.

“I was just thinking that I couldn’t possibly have given her any indication that I like her…..I’m certain I haven’t.”

“You haven’t….I’d‘ve decked you, at the very least.”

“Thanks for telling me, I’ll know to behave.”

“You need to shower, now; get rid of those clothes and shower, get her off you.”

Now Gil thought that was a bit excessive, but under the circumstances he decided to humour Nick. “Okay, now?”

“Now.”

Gil undid his shirt buttons, pulled it out of his pants and took it off, Nick picked it up and folded it into a very tight ball and aimed in at a trash can beside the wall. It was a direct hit.

“I liked that shirt.”

“It was a horrible shirt and the colour made you look…..straight!” Regained humour.

“I thought pink was gay.”

“That was so last year.”

“Right, you might have told me that before I wore it for the party. Shower. You joining me by any chance?”

“Gil! We’ve got a house full of guests.”

“Technically we haven’t, they’re outside on the deck.”

“That’s all right then.”

“I thought so, come on.”

“I was being sarcastic.”

“No; you don’t do sarcastic.”

“I just learned.”

“You know that everyone knows about us now. Certainly Jim and Catherine, and Warrick and Greg all came to our aid….so evidently, they are okay with us.”

“Didn’t have much time to absorb it.”

“No, but we might get the sympathy vote.”

“God Gil….what a piece if work…she’s fucking mad, you know that, don’t you.”

“I think you’re right. I don’t think what she did qualifies for a ‘rational response’, regardless of whether she worships the ground I walk on, or not.”

“Hey, that’s my territory. Are we gonna make out in the shower?”

“That might be my intention.”

They were both naked and already in the bathroom, Gil turned on the shower and dragged Nick in with him. He protested the water was still cold.

They washed each other down and stole kisses but Gil could tell Nick was not going to want anything other than kindness and reassurance. Gil was good at that. No, perhaps that was an exaggeration…but he was getting better than he had been. Was that a positive from the abduction? He supposed it was.

Jim and Catherine had returned to the remaining guests and Jim explained that Nick just needed a little time to calm down. ‘The guy’s been through a lot, already.’ This statement was greeted with general agreement. The strange thing was, that although the announcement had come as a surprise, the actual knowledge that the two men were not only gay, not only lovers but lived together was one of those moments when people think or say, ‘yeah…right’, or ‘so what’. It was Gil; it was Nick; was the world about to come to an end? Did it affect their own lives? No and no. Right, next subject.

The next subject was of course, far more interesting, because everyone present had believed that Sara was ‘not quite right’…..’not quite right in the head’. Or even, from the more radical thinkers, ‘totally insane.’

So the screaming attack on Gil had caused way more interest than anything else…and the assembled company, not to be deflected from their chocolate concoction, ate it, and at the same time discussed the repercussions, not of their ‘newly’ gay friends, but of the now, clearly, mad woman, with whom they had to work.

If Gil and Nick had heard these discussions, Nick, at the very least, would have been heartened by the affection in which he was held (and Gil), as opposed to the general dislike and now wariness about Sara, her mental stability (always very precarious, everyone agreed), and her behaviour that would haunt every single day of her remaining (they all hoped), limited stay in the lab in Las Vegas.

Catherine, feeling particularly benevolent towards her two favourite men in the lab, decided that perhaps she should check up and see if Nick was okay and tell them that no one appeared to in the least bothered about them. So she slipped back into the house and tapped on their bedroom door.

There was no response and she couldn’t hear anything, but it was a big solid oak door. So she opened it a little and peered around the door into the bedroom. This time she looked around the room. It was very beautiful, that had to be Nick; Gil would just have had white wall paint. The room was painted and decorated in earthy colours. The floor was tiled with large, matt finished, tiles – they were terracotta. The walls were painted in a shade just a little lighter. The bed was huge and covered in bedding matching everything else, from cream to terracotta, and there were large pillows scattered on it. Ethnic rugs lay on either side of the bed and they were patterned using the same colours.

At the window, heavy net curtains moved gently in the breeze coming through the open window. Heavy drapes…matching the rugs….that was a good look…..were held back with ties. The furniture was wooden and the colour blended in; every surface was covered with photographs, books, magazines, lamps, lovely ornaments and trinkets. The walls adorned with prints that either matched the colours or the coolness of the room.

This was a showcase bedroom, but also looked lived in, and assembled with love. Catherine’s heart was warmed by the ambience within the walls. She had been so taken with absorbing the sight and atmosphere she’d missed the running water coming from the bathroom. And the trail of two sets of clothes on the floor towards the bathroom.

Could she do it? Was she nosey enough? Did she have the audacity? She smiled to herself. Of course she did, why on earth should she question herself? She moved quickly across the floor and stopped outside the bathroom door, only slightly blocking the view into the bathroom, and then gradually eased herself forward to glimpse inside. She figured as long as the water was running, she was safe and the moment it stopped she’d get the hell out of Dodge!

She peered around the door and could see the shower, a separate cubicle. There were sliding doors across the cubicle and the glass was frosted and steamed up from the hot water cascading down on the two men. Oh, it was the two men alright and though their outlines were blurred she could see them. They were washing and kissing and hugging and she could hear Gil’s voice as he spoke to Nick. It had a loving tone to it she’d never heard before and she heard Nick laugh and respond. It was sweet and Catherine found that she was both happy and sad at the same time. She backed out of the bathroom and left the scene.

In the living room she stood and looked at the people outside, all her friends or work colleagues. Most of them had nothing they could call a relationship; only two men were with wives, and none of the women had partners or husbands. She was really happy that Gil and Nick had obviously found that peace, but sad that it was still eluding her…..would she ever find it…she very often thought that she never would.

Part Five

About ten minutes later two shower dampened men emerged to face their friends. The ‘concoction’ was decimated.

“I don’t believe you guys have eaten all that and not saved me…us some.” Gil was indignant; he’d been forbidden to even go near the dessert until their guests had arrived and now not only had Sara caused a major scene, he’d also missed out on the dessert.

“Don’t get all prissy with us, Gil.” This was Al Robbins.

“Prissy! You’re calling me prissy….to my face?”

“Well, I believe it might be an appropriate term for a gay man who’s having a fit over a chocolate dessert.”

“That was not a ‘chocolate dessert’…Al…that was heaven on earth.”

“Errr…excuse me?”

“That’s just in food terms, Nicky, you know that.”

“Good thing I do.”

“Alright, alright, for goodness sake…it’s a cake…” Catherine tried getting a word in….

“I thought we just established it was somewhat more than ‘a cake’?”

“If you’d let me finish Gil…..I was going to tell you that I have saved two portions of the……heavenly ‘cake’ for you and Nick.”

“Catherine, you angel.”

“Excuse me?” Nick was quite indignant now…it was one thing to be displaced by a dessert, but a woman…..and with Gil calling Catherine an ’angel’ was just too much.

“You know, you guys….how come you’ve suddenly become so gay…..you weren’t gay before dessert, were you?”

Everyone laughed at Catherine’s observation. It was true….Al had called Gil ‘prissy’ and it was exactly the right word to describe him…and now Nicky was acting all possessive…..did this just happen today or was it under their noses all along?

Gil and Nick laughed along with their friends….Sara didn’t matter…their friends were the only people that counted; there was the sheriff, of course, and dear Conrad Ecklie - although he did have a soft spot for Nick. Another couple of bridges for another day.

The party gradually drew to a close…there were discussions about the newly discovered relationship and good coffee and a few brandies slipped down throats. Apart from ‘The Sara Incident’, it was a wonderful party, and even that had really helped to soften the announcement. So a win, win, situation.

The caterers unobtrusively tidied up the remnants of the meal and attendant paraphernalia. So, when the last guests left, Jim and Catherine, there was very little left for Gil and Nick to do. They had no work that night, and had hardly slept that day, so a proper night’s sleep would be just what the doctor ordered. The only decision they had to make was should they….or not?

No contest really as they lay in each other’s arms.

Kissing; their mouths together, their lips capturing each other’s lips, tugging, nibbling, their tongues entwined.

Biting; their teeth gently attacking the skin, on their necks and their chests, around their nipples, their teeth teasing their nipples into hard little nubs, Nick gasping for air as Gil pulled one nipple and then the other and then….

Licking; soothing the skin, the nipples, where they had been enflamed with their teeth. Nick pushing Gil back on the bed and laving his belly button…..Nick loved that Gil loved it so much and unlike Nick’s which was an ‘outy’, Gil’s was an ’inny’ and Nick could push the tip of his tongue into it and Gil would very nearly jump off the bed and, Nick’s absolute favourite bit of the whole lot, Gil’s hard cock would positively jump for joy….and if it wasn’t that hard to begin with….no…that never happened….

Touching; Gil’s hands caressed every part of Nick they could reach and then he’d move Nick to touch areas he’d missed. Nick was so responsive when he was being stroked, he’d sigh or gasp, and smile and chuckle if he was tickled; he loved being touched by Gil. When Gil had stroked his arms and legs and kissed and nibbled and licked them, he’d move to other areas…like now…Nick was lying on his side facing Gil, also on his side, but his one arm was all the way around Nick and was stroking along his crack, with soft movements of his fingers. Then getting harder and faster, pressing his middle finger down even harder, almost, but not quite, breaching Nick’s body.

All the time Nick, gently rocking backwards and forwards, pushing his cock against Gil’s cock. Side by side against their stomachs, the fluid leaking from each of them providing enough lubrication, their balls tight and ready and then the tip of Gil’s finger just dips inside Nick and Nick pulls away from Gil and looks him in the eye.

“Come inside me, tonight?”

“Of course…not going to last long…don’t want to….”

“No…just need to feel you….there….”

“Yeah…I understand.

“I know you do.”

Nick leaned over Gil to reach the lube already out on the bedside table.

“Here, let me.”

“Okay…let me face you?”

“Oh yes…Nicky…I love you; I always want you to face me, to see you…..”

They stopped talking to kiss some more and then Gil put his fingers out to Nick and Nick squeezed a lot of lube onto them. Gil reached around Nick and plastered his whole crack and then started to work a finger into Nick. Nick pushed against him. His body at the front so that their cocks once again moved alongside each other and his ass against Gil’s finger. Wriggling it slightly to accommodate the finger. Gil smiled onto Nick’s face.

“You are such a slut, Nicky Stokes.” Whispered with a chuckle.

“Mmmm for you, babe, anytime.”

Two fingers were now worked inside and Gil could push in a little further to locate the prostate…he knew when he’d found it.

“Arrrggghhh. Oh yes, come on Gil, come on.”

“Lie back…Nicky…..are you really mine?”

”All yours, always.”

“Yes.” Gil was using more lube to slather his cock and then positioning himself between Nick’s legs, outstretched to expose his sweet entrance….it was ‘sweet’…that’s exactly what Gil thought of it....just the little, puckered brown entrance and then the creamy white skin; no hairy ass on Nick; it was as beautiful as the rest of him and Gil smiled up at Nick. His longing plain to see, his eyes black with lust and the tip of his tongue just peeping out between his teeth.

Gil groaned and stopped what he was doing, he just had to kiss that mouth again, feel that tongue against his…Nick laughed as Gil left his cock to find its own way and leaned over him and took his shoulders in his hands to kiss him. The errant cock was stroking along Nick’s crack and hitting the back of his balls and down again. Nick reached down and could just about get to the cock and hold it steady and press it against his anus.

Gil drew back from the kiss and looked down between them….watching as Nick manoeuvred the cock into position and then he started to push in… Nick gasped and bucked his hips up to meet Gil’s pushing.

Both men let out a simultaneous groan and then smiled at each other.

“I’ll never get over the feeling I get when I push into you Nicky, never.”

“Doesn’t feel too bad at my end, either.” Nick chuckled at what he’d said and then gasped as Gil pushed in further.

Gil’s steady pushing into Nick finished when his balls lay against Nick’s ass. The effort to control himself, from wildly entering Nick and from not coming as he made such a steady pace has caused him to sweat profusely. His back and chest were covered in a layer of sweat and his face was very damp. Nick pulled his head down to his and kissed him again. Licking the salty sweat around Gil’s mouth.

Gil’s arms held him up and he started to gently move in and out. The exertion of keeping the pace slow was making his arms tremble. Nick smoothed the muscles with his hands trying to ease their discomfort. He loved Gil’s arms…they were sturdy and very strong and when Gil hugged him, he felt safe. Really safe.

Gil couldn’t keep up the slow pace and stopped, his breathing laboured. “Stroke yourself Nicky, stroke it, and let me see you.”

Nick did as he was asked and took his cock in his hand. Stoking it gently at first and using his wetness on the head to lubricate the shaft. As he started to increase the pace, he clenched his ass around Gil and Gil let out a gasp. He started to pump in earnest, fast and then faster and he pushed back a bit away from Nick to get the angle to hit Nick’s prostate, every stroke now and Nick gasped in time to each hit, his own hand now furiously pumping.

“Yes, yes….Gil, don’t stop, please don’t stop….” His frantic pleading suddenly stopped and he said, almost calmly, “I’m coming.” And his hand stilled as he pumped out three large spurts, hitting Gil’s belly and then three shorter ones which covered his hand. He gently eased the skin back and forth as he drew every drop from himself.

As he’d come he’d tightened his ass around Gil, Gil had bucked his hips wildly as he filled Nick with his own spurting, He thought his cock was so hot, that he could have been spurting flames. Then laughed to himself, burning was a sign of some diseases….and he was sure he hadn’t got anything….it was Nick’s heat. All Nick’s heat. He collapsed on to Nick and his rapidly softening cock very nearly slipped out. He could feel the tip still inside Nick and bucked his hips a little.

“I love you Nicky Stokes.” It didn’t come out as smoothly as he intended, since he was still trying to catch his breath, but Nick got the gist of the message and smiled up into his face.

“Yeah….and top gets the wash cloth!”

“God, where has all the romance gone?”

“Well to be honest Gilbert…it’s from the hundreds…no, thousands, of times I’ve been duped into doing the bathroom run…it’s payback time.”

“It’s sad that you’re sending the old man to do the dirty work.”

“Yeah, it is, isn’t it?”

“You’re not going to be swayed by my attempt to make you feel guilty?”

“Nope. Hey, babe?”

“Mmmmm?”

“Will you get me a glass of water while you’re there?”

Gil laughed and his penis fell out of its snug compartment. “The honeymoon period is well and truly over.”

“Yep…..on the other hand we’re not married…..yet.”

“We will…I promise….just need to get my head around the logistics.”

“Really? Seriously? Honest?”

“All of the above; of course we’ll get married, I thought you’d sort of assumed it was next.”

“No…..babe, I hadn’t.” Nick’s tears were about to start up, bigtime…..but what the hell. “Does this mean we’re engaged?”

“No…I haven’t asked you yet…although you could ask me…since we’re both men…but women propose now don’t they?”

“Are you calling me….”

“No. No, not at all…you know I don’t think that, at all....”

Nick sat up in bed and then moved to kneel on the bed beside Gil. “Gilbert Grissom, I love you, will you marry me, please?”

“Nicholas Stokes, I love you and yes, I will marry you.”

“Wow.” Nick jumped up and jumped up and down on the bed and he didn’t, in the least, feel like crying. “Wow….hey, you stay there, I’ll get the wash cloth.”

“Is that all it took?”

“Yep.”

Part Six

The next morning they were up and about early. They showered together, washing their sticky bodies and making out…..again. The large shower cubicle was a major plus about their bathroom…and they enjoyed the intimacy of showering together, although, it must be said, they often ran late…..

The major talk this morning was about their ’engagement’.

“Should we hold a party?”

“After yesterday…I’d rather not….anyway now I’m getting married I've got to save every penny to pay for it all.”

“No shit man, we’ll raid my money.”

“That’s your retirement money and you should take care of it.”

“It’s our money and we can afford to splurge a little…it’s our wedding, for God’s sake.”

They were talking about Nick’s settlement from the City for his abduction and incarceration in the coffin. He’d received $1.5 million dollars…the union had said he should hold out for more, but he wanted it over and done with, and that seemed like a lot of money…although it was before gas went up in price.

“Anyway, since I asked you, I get to pay…so that’s that. I want to go somewhere really different…somewhere you’ve never been.”

“That’s a lot of places Nicky. We’ll think about it and start making enquiries…it’s not going to be Nevada.”

Nick started the coffee pot and rummaged around for breakfast ingredients. Settling on eggs and toast he set about preparing the food. Gil was tinkering around outside…tidying up the deck and garden. It wasn’t too bad since the caterers had done most of the dirty work.

Nick called Gil to the kitchen and they carried their breakfasts out and ate on the deck in the warm morning sunshine. They sat in companionable silence and Nick was watching a couple of birds dancing lazy circles high above them. He felt, suddenly, as if he was being watched, but he didn’t look at Gil.

“I know you’re watching me….I can feel your eyes boring a hole in my head.”

“I can watch you if I like.”

“You like?”

“I love…actually.”

“Okay, then watch away. Why?”

“Why? Do I watch?”

“Yeah.”

“Obviously, ‘because I can’….but you are a wonderful subject to study.”

“Like a bug then?”

“A big bug…I love my bugs, you should be flattered.”

“Flattered? At being compared to a ‘roach?”

“A racing cockroach…a sleek, supermodel.”

“D’y’know I find this slightly disturbing….like in those B movies with weird aliens….I reckon you’d love me more if I was a large ‘roach.”

“I couldn’t possibly love you more…..even if you were a large racing cockroach…but you’d certainly beat up the competition.”

“I sensed a moment of hesitation there, comparing Nick the human to Nick the ‘roach before you committed to the notion that you’d love both. I’m disturbed now…or you are…..or we are…..”

“Probably the pair of us. I love my bugs, I really do, but you, Nicky, my sweetheart, ‘my intended’ are my reason for living…you know that.”

Their happy banter turned serious in that moment.

“Oh Gil, that’s heavy you know…..don’t say it.”

“You should know it Nicky, I’ve never been happier in my life and it’s you, and only you. I couldn’t…”

“No…don’t Gil, don’t say that…..don’t say it out loud….I know it….because it’s the same babe, the same with me….I….I try not to feel dependant on you, but Gil, how could I have recovered, without you…..I wouldn’t, that’s the truth of it.”

This was a familiar argument; they’d mulled it over many times. Gil maintained that it was Nick’s own strength of character that saved him while he’d been buried alive and made him determined to resume his old life after his rescue.

While Nick acknowledged that this is what he’d done, what he maintained was if it hadn’t been for the thought of Gil being there when he was rescued….not ‘if’…’when’, then he would have used the gun. And afterwards it had been Gil that had kept him together in those months following; he’d been frightened of his own shadow…Gil had taught him to live again.

“Well I’m not going to go over old ground again, but you know what I think and I still think the same, you do yourself a disservice when you credit me with your recovery….I don’t think I could have done it.”

“You don’t know….and I know I’ve said it before but you don’t know until it happens to you, how you are going to react, but the thought of lying in your arms kept me together…well, for most of the time. And are you saying babe that you would have given up, knowing I was waiting for you?”

“I don’t know, I cannot say with certainty either way…like you say no one can know, but you did it….whatever your motivation it was your own inner strength that kept you going….”

“Shall we give up now…this is just old stuff?”

“Yeah…okay…but I’m right.”

“Always have to have the last word…and I’m the one who’s right anyway.”

“I’m your supervisor; I’m always right….anyway I need another mug of coffee.”

“Issuing orders…we’re not married yet. Hey, what‘ll we do today…work tonight but we’re about slept out…so any ideas?”

“We could go back to bed, and I’m not talking sleep here…or we could go up to the canyon and mosey around and have a supper up there….although we’ll be tired tonight. You choose.”

“No choice, you old horn dog…..bed; then up to the canyon…miss the meal, back here early enough to eat and rest up before work.”

“Sounds like a plan….we’ve got thirteen hours to accomplish all that….take out three to four hours driving - depending on those pesky tourists…how about we leave bed for now and play catch up when we get back and then rest up before work.”

“Only if I can give you a blow job in the truck, up in the canyon!”

“You’ve got a real thing about this, you know that Nicky?”

“Yeah…I do….it’s because I can’t do you at work, so I like doing you in the truck and pretend we’re at work….”

“Do I need to wear my vest?”

“Yeah….nothing else though! In the truck, in the canyon, that’d be good, man, real good.”

“Dream on, buddy.”

“Worth a try.”

“Come on…start now, miss the traffic.”

“Yessir.”

“’Bout time you acknowledged the need for a bit of military discipline…..”

“Right….uniforms again…..”

“Might just dress up for you one of these days….who do you like….oh yes, that guy in NCIS….the navy whites.”

“Oh. My. God. Do you think you would, jeez….Gil, that would be fabulous.”

“I was joking!”

“Aww, were you?”

“Yes…..but you never know…..you could always be a giant cockroach…..”

Part Seven

In twenty minutes they were ready to go…tidying up done and teeth cleaned and gear ready for a hike in the canyon. Nick was just checking their cell batteries when their doorbell rang. It wasn’t much past eight in the morning. Gil opened the door and was greeted by a well dressed young man in a cream and brown uniform, a cream and brown delivery van was parked in the road and the young man held a cream and brown box in his hands.

“Good morning sir, Dr Grissom or Mr Stokes?”

“Grissom.”

“Well, Doctor, I have a delivery for you of the finest chocolates in the state of Nevada, if not in the entire United States. Here sir.” The young man gave Gil the cream and brown box and he could see that they were from ‘The Chocolateria’ at the Bellagio. They did indeed make very fine chocolates in the European style.

“Thank you…errr…who sent them to us?”

“I understand there’s a note inside. Bye Doctor, have a nice day.”

“Oh, thanks, bye.”

Gil closed the door and examined the box; it would appear they were strawberries dipped in finest dark chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder. Nick joined him and peered at the box.

“Someone send a gift as a ‘thank you’ for the party?”

“Of course. Nice idea; I love these.” He pulled the box open and there was an envelope on top of the packaging. It was addressed to ‘Gil and Nick’…the only problem was that both men instantly recognised the scrawl. Sara. Sidle. Or, as Nick so eloquently thought, ‘Sara. Fucking. Sidle’.

“Shall we see what she has to say?”

“Go on….I bet it’ll be some obsequious creeping and grovelling apology.”

“Nice word, Nicky, ‘obsequious’.”

“Yeah, come on, get it over with.”

Gil opened the envelope sliding his thumb along edge and took out one sheet of paper; he unfolded it and read it….Nick looking over his shoulder to do the same.

‘Gil and Nick

Please accept this small gift as an apology for my behaviour at your party. It was rude of me and uncalled for. I hope you’ll be very happy together.

Sara’

“Huh, the bare minimum….she realises she’s got to work with us and everyone else is okay about us……do you think she’s been to see the sheriff or Ecklie…or both yet?

“You have a point there, Nick; d’y’think we’d better postpone the trip and see if the sheriff can see us?”

“Me and my big mouth. Yeah, I suppose it would make sense, since everyone else will know by now…including Ecklie….and probably the sheriff.”

“Might as well strike while the iron’s hot….we could always use the time after to look at rings….and see about a honeymoon.”

“What a good idea, man, you are brilliant.”

“I know.”

“Yeah, I know you know.”

At Gil’s raised eyebrows, Nick collected up their hiking gear and returned to the closet. When he turned around Gil was holding a dipped strawberry up to his mouth.

“Man, you are not going to eat them…SHE sent them….they should be trashed!”

“Nick, they’re delicious and expensive; it would be childish to trash them, come on have one.”

“No. Thank you.”

“Okay, more for me.” And he took a bite of half of the first chocolate and made a happy sound.

“They, and you, are gross. Come on; let’s get into the lab….the sooner we face that music the sooner we can go look at every ring in Vegas.”

While still chewing Gil replied. “You’re not joking are you?”

The response was his confirmation. The megawatt smile from his lover. He rolled his eyes and resigned himself to his fate.

Part Eight

They made their way to the lab and luckily Ecklie was free. In truth he had very little to say. This was mostly because he didn’t know about the two men. He was totally floored when he was told that it had been about three years. That no one knew before last night and that Sara Sidle had made a scene. In truth Ecklie was annoyed he hadn’t been invited to the party, he was a colleague and a boss…they might have included him, he’d have been inclined to accept it…..Gil Grissom…gay. Good Lord. That was one for the book…but he’d hidden his relationship with Nick Stokes so well, that not even their closest allies had suspected.

That was really what would put a stop on any action Ecklie could have taken. If it had gone on for that long and no one knew, it certainly hadn’t had any bearing on their work, or people would have figured it out before now. And, importantly, they only knew, he only knew now, because they’d told everyone.

He wasn’t going to get anywhere with this and he was prudent enough to accept that and move on. Gil Grissom – gay. That was a revelation.

The two men then made their way to the sheriff’s office and although both men had expected Ecklie to have forewarned him, he had not, or he was a damned good actor. He had been staggered, absolutely staggered. But he was a politician, so he’d recovered fairly quickly. Seizing on the main chance as always; the LVPD was under pressure to accept gay rights and a nice new couple who obviously liked a low profile would provide him with sufficient ammunition.

‘I have two gay men who’ve worked for me for years. No fuss; no bother. They’re happy, we’re happy…no need to make a fuss….now making a fuss, that is discrimination. They just get on with their work and we let ‘em.’ He could see the faces of the pressure groups now.

“Well gentlemen, I appreciate your honesty in coming forward. I’m mighty surprised at you Gil and it’s not often I’m surprised, I can tell you. Now would you be prepared to do little publicity about being gay…you know for the ‘in house’ publications?”

“I would not Sheriff, to be perfectly honest, I’m happy in my own skin but I’m not about to proclaim this from the rooftop. It’s our business and we’ve told you and now we’d just like to get on with our jobs.”

“Fair enough; that’s that then.” And that was that; although all three men knew it was not the end of it….by a long way.

Gil had visions of Nick being plastered all over magazines as the gay LVPD pin up and he would be the ‘thinking man’s gay’… Nick thought he wouldn’t mind posing for a few professional shots…get a good one for Gil’s desk. The sheriff thought he’d bide his time, they’d owe him for his support. He could make it uncomfortable for them and they knew it….he’d get what he wanted in the end.

When they’d finished with the sheriff Nick got real excited….they were going ‘window shopping’ for rings. That meant big decisions; matching rings, non matching rings; gold or platinum, plain or patterned, stones or not…inscriptions…or not…..no, whatever the rings they’d have inscriptions. He had already dreamed what he’d have inscribed inside Gil’s ring; God he was a sap, and that was the truth.

They were making their way to the exit and their truck when Gil stopped and frowned.

“You okay?”

“I’ve got stomach ache, all of a sudden. Think I need the bathroom.”

“Okay, I’ll wait in the truck.”

“Won’t be long.” Gil doubled back to the men’s bathroom.

Nick went out into the sunshine and smiled as he slipped his sunglasses on…..now that hadn’t gone badly at all…poor old Ecklie had been blindsided….the sheriff had recovered quickly enough and despite what Gil had said he knew they’d have to do something to pay back the sheriff for his support. Nothing that man did was without a price. But, the whole lab and LVPD would know within twenty four hours. They’d just have to weather the storm. After what they’d endured in the past months, it would be child’s play.

Gil came back out about ten minutes later and got into the passenger seat.

“You okay now?”

“Yeah…I had diarrhoea; quite badly….something must have disagreed with me.”

“Must have, Mister Regular as Clockwork.”

“True. You know my grandmother used to say, ‘a gut bowel movement in de morning vill set yer up for de day.’ I remember my mother used to ‘tut’, and say, ‘such things are private Mama’. But grandmother would have the last say…’yer know de president…yer know he does de bowel movement everyday like everyvon else….and if he does no, den he raises de taxes.’ She was what we would call ‘a character’ now, but back then, you know, everyone’s grandmother was the same…old stock, from the old country.

“I think my grandmother would have fainted if you’d mentioned ‘bowel movement’ to her…in fact I don’t think she ever did go…..” Nick laughed and Gil put his hand on Nick’s leg as they manoeuvred out of the lot and into the traffic. He didn’t feel a hundred percent; his gut seemed…agitated….that was the word. He was as Nick had said, regular, and only very, very, rarely deviated from his norm.

They found a space to park up, in a lot behind Caesar’s…Nick wanted to start at The Forum…..he would, Gil thought, big prices…although not as bad as Wynn’s or the Bellagio. That was mean; they’d only marry once and a nice ring would be a symbol of that commitment. He’d go with whatever Nick wanted. It would help when he needed to negotiate their honeymoon…because he had a plan…a place he’d love to go and be with Nicky…he would just need to convince Nicky that it was indeed where he wanted to spend his honeymoon. He smiled at his lover….he’d come round, he always did, they both gave way all the time…compromising was a sign of their relaxed and happy relationship.

Part Nine

They went through every jeweller in Caesar’s and then Wynn’s and then double backed to the Bellagio, and it was there that Nick saw the ring he wanted…he hadn’t known what he actually wanted, but as he’d said to Gil, ‘I’ll know when I see it.’. And he had.

It wasn’t very broad but was made of two joined but flat circles, one of gold and one of platinum and set in the middle was a one carat, a princess cut, Grade ‘A’ diamond. So, it was a little on the expensive side but the moment Nick saw it, and the moment Gil saw Nick look at it, they both knew.

There was a matching ring without the diamond…..which caused some confusion in the shop because they were matching rings but would normally have been for a bride and groom….not a groom and groom. However, since the saleswoman sensed a sale, she recovered quickly and the fittings were made and a hefty deposit paid. This confused the poor woman further when Nick paid the bill.

The rings would be ready the next day but they thought it might be several days before they’d have the chance to return to try them for size and pay the remainder of the $12,000….like she said, everything’s expensive now, gold, platinum and diamonds.

They wouldn’t have to use Nick’s money….not yet anyway…despite their new house, lots of new furniture and redecoration, not to mention the cost of moving…they were both cautious spenders and conscientious savers.

Nick was walking on clouds when they left the shop and decided that a coffee and a snack were needed. They chose to stay in the Bellagio and went to the poolside bar and ordered coffees and Nick, a salami on rye. Gil decided he’d better not eat just yet, although he now felt as right as rain.

“You know babe, just because my ring has the diamond in it, doesn’t mean I’m the girl in the relationship.”

“That so?” Gil smirked at Nick.

“That is exactly so, we share everything, so why would you see me as the girl…and incidentally, I top you just as much as you top me….so…that proves it.”

“It does?” Gil was just going to let Nick run with this, he’d tie himself up soon enough.

“You know it does, you don’t get to keep the manly things all to yourself.”

“I don’t? To what manly things, ‘sweetheart’, are you referring?” He’d thrown the ‘sweetheart’ in for good measure.

“What’s with the ‘sweetheart’, are you trying to imply that I am the girl. I wash the truck and do the garden…and you never do those…you always leave it to me, those aren’t girlie things.”

“No, they’re not; but I don’t throw a fit if the eggs don’t turn out just right, or nag about putting the laundry in the wash basket, or even check my laughter lines in the bathroom mirror….”

“I DO NOT….that’s an exaggeration….AND I like my eggs cooked properly AND you are so untidy it defies belief when you’re so meticulous in the lab….”

“You complain if I don’t get every crease out of your ironing…..and I do the ironing…”

“Oh, hold on, who says, ‘if a job’s worth doing it’s worth doing well’?”

“That’s work and we have to do it right…ironing is just ironing.” Hold on, I’m on the defensive here, he’s done it again the….this man of mine. “But then you cry when we make love….and I love you for that.”

“Yeah…it’s because I love you and how you are…..I don’t mind being the ‘girl’…I get the diamond after all. Oh damn.”

“What?”

“I haven’t told them…..well….I want an inscription inside your ring…from me.”

“Oh, Nicky…..can I do one for yours as well.”

Nick nodded because he was tearing up…again…..perhaps he was the girl after all, but he couldn’t care less. He was with the man he wanted; he was all he ever wanted.

“We’ll go back after we’ve had the coffee and you’ve had your sandwich.” They arrived just as Gil spoke.

They enjoyed the sun and Nick his sandwich…he looked at Gil, very nearly salivating over watching him eat the sandwich and offered up a bite, but Gil declined. In truth Gil was actually salivating over Nicky and decided when they got home he was going to forego the love making for fucking Nicky into the mattress. When did he become a dirty old man coupled with a hormonal teenager? He smiled and closed his eyes and pointed his face to the sun, he’d…what did Nicky say….’catch a few rays’.

On the way back to the jewellers both men were quiet, thinking about their respective inscriptions….. Nick had decided, probably a couple of years ago, what he would have inscribed. Gil had only given it a few minutes thought but had arrived at a decision.

The saleswoman was able to retrieve their rings before they were sent to be correctly sized and both men wrote their inscriptions out and handed them to her; she looked at both and then smiled – she really liked these two guys and she reckoned they really loved each other.

They did some clothes shopping, just work pants and shirts and then stopped at the supermarket on the way home to do a food shop…..considering they were going hiking in the canyon originally, the day had certainly turned out differently. But they had wedding rings ordered now…..all they had to do was plan the wedding and the honeymoon. That was all!

Part Ten

When they’d got in, Gil was really starving hungry and couldn’t resist a dipped chocolate strawberry or two, or three, while they unpacked the shopping. When that was finished, he declared he would shower and expected Nicholas Stokes to be in bed, naked and waiting for him when he emerged…and if he wanted to prepare himself for a little…or even a ‘large’…..penetration then that would be considered a bonus. He ate a fourth chocolate as he left the kitchen, grabbing Nick’s crotch and palming a growing cock beneath the denim….as he walked past him.

He showered quickly and guessed (rightly) that Nick would do the same in the other bathroom. They penetrated without condoms, but tried to ensure they kept as clean as possible since they could still be susceptible to infection. Very rarely, but depending on what they might do to each other they would use an enema; they would play elaborate games when the fancy took them, but for both men a quick hand or blow job, held as much delight as the most elaborate game…but variety was the spice of their love and sex lives.

Gil was hard in the shower and deliberately avoided touching himself too much….his own hand wasn’t too bad but Nicky’s hand was a million times better. He was still going for the quick win….he’d do exactly what he’d anticipated poolside at the Bellagio.

Nick had just beaten him back to their bed and lay on his back with his legs up and open; he was pushing one of his fingers into himself...his whole hand glistening with lube. He was still damp from his shower, having speedily towelled down to beat Gil back to the bed, as he’d been ordered. Gil’s eyes feasted on the sight before him. The muscled body and creamy skin, he was hairless except for his armpits and crotch and a thin line of smooth hairs running down from his navel to his pubic hair…which was thick and luxuriant; his erect cock rose out the nest and the pale skin and the dark red of the exposed cut head was a fabulous sight.

Nick put his other hand on his balls and began playing with them, for Gil’s visual benefit, he rolled each ball around and pulled it down away from his body and then cupped both in his hand and let them roll in his hand as he continued to push another finger into himself. His cock head was gleaming from the leaking fluid and he looked down at himself and his cock twitched as the sight of himself increased his/its pleasure.

Gil’s intense study of Nick only heightened both of their pleasure. Gil was pumping his own cock…even as he’d thought a few minutes earlier that Nick did it better…but watching Nick, his Nicky, fingering himself to prepare for Gil was just too much and his need to touch overtook him.

Nick watched Gil watching him. The intensity of his gaze made him feel like a bug under a microscope.

“You think I look like a giant cockroach?”

“No, well not much..…you look fabulous…..I could watch you 24/7 and never tire of it, especially when you look so….wanton…I think that might be the right word…but my thinking’s not too focussed at the moment.”

“No, all the blood’s in your dick, man, instead of your old grey matter.”

“Less of the old; move your fingers Nicky, I’m coming in…..or should that be I’m in and coming…..”

“Just hold on a little longer….close your eyes.”

“Nicky….want you now…..” But Gil closed his eyes. Nick knew that no one would EVER believe him if he said Gil actually whined on special occasions!

Gil continued stroking himself but just seconds later Nick spoke.

“You can look now.”

“Oh, yes Nicky, yes….but….you know that she…”

“Don’t. I’m doing this for you, don’t say another word.”

“I’ll be too busy.”

Nestled on either side of the base of Nick’s very stiff cock, in his dark pubic hair lay two chocolate dipped strawberries….like two extra, edible, balls for Gil to chew on!

So he did.

He leaned forward and before touching the edible treats he sucked and licked and kissed the inedible treat against which they nestled. He then bit into the one and then the other chocolate and chewed on the delights as he also continued to suck and lick the now chocolaty cock.

“Ugh…you made it all sticky.”

“Oh, and sex doesn’t, or…what was it, cream…..or sauce…caramel, strawberry sauce?”

“Raspberry. Just saying.”

Gil silenced Nick by moving up and claiming his mouth in an all consuming kiss. Nick pulled away and made a face.

“Bitter, man.”

“That’s the dark chocolate.”

Gil slid down the bed again and after another attack on the cock, he knelt between Nick’s legs, moved them wide apart and with a wicked smirk at Nick, pushed his cock against Nick’s entrance.

Nick bucked his hips up to meet the first thrust. Gil was pushing harder than he had the night before and looked up at Nick for silent permission to continue…he received Nick’s approval, equally silently.

“Want you Nicky, fast, now.”

“Do it.”

“You’re tight; you’re hot…you okay?”

“Of course I am babe, I want you all.”

Gil was not going to hang around and soon felt his balls slap against Nick’s ass. He looked at Nick’s lust filled eyes, those fabulous eyelashes fluttering on his cheeks as he tried to keep his eyes open….and failing.

Gil started thrusting and each thrust was met with Nick’s hips bucking upwards, but as Gil got faster, they couldn’t keep the rhythm up and were soon out of sync. Gil was rocking in and out and grabbed Nick’s cock, it was bobbing up and down to his thrusts. He held it tight and started to pump it, fast and faster and twisting the head of the cock as he hand reached the top. This was guaranteed to drive Nick to the edge very quickly.

It did. Nick opened his eyes and his mouth, making a silent gasp as he neared his orgasm. Gil moved a little further back and caught Nick’s prostate as he continued his thrusting. Nick’s immediate physical response was felt by Gil’s hand….the cock hardened even more and leaked.

“Gil, babe, oh Gil, make me come.”

“Come on then Nicky, come for me….” And he did, despite two ejaculations already in less than a day, Nick was still able to shoot three spurts in the air…maybe not as high as last night..…..but who was measuring.

Gil groaned at the sight and felt his own orgasm approaching, his balls tightened and he could feel it start; he was suddenly still, his fluid building up to fill Nick’s hot body.

Nick pushed his hips up just as Gil came and Gil gasped at the muscle contraction.

“God, god, you’ll be the death of me….I love you….you’re wonderful my love, my love…you are my love.”

Nick smiled….’that’ smile….it wasn’t too often that Gil was as demonstrative as this, so he was enjoying it while he could.

“I am babe…..just yours.”

Gil pulled out of Nick and flopped down beside him. Nick already had a damp cloth on the bedside cabinet and reached for it, to wipe himself and Gil down a little. They would be showering again soon, so it would do.

Gil rubbed his finger tips up and down Nick’s chest. “I love you, sweetheart, I really do.”

“I know you do, and I love ya right back.” Nick turned sideways so that they were facing on another.

“What’s your inscription on my ring?”

“Ah ha….you’re just trying to butter me up to get some info’, aren’t you?”

“No….I do love you…I just want to know.”

“Well, I want to know what your inscription is….”

“Okay, I've said….”

“NO…don’t tell me I want it to be a surprise!”

“Spoilsport.”

“No…I've just got a bit of patience. You’ll know later this week….if I let you look, that is.”

“You’re mean to me.”

“I know I am….I work at it, it doesn’t come naturally.” Nick followed this statement through with a sweet kiss.

“How long have we got?” Gil was feeling decidedly drowsy; post coital relaxation, he mused.

Nick looked at the alarm clock, it had already been set. “Just under three hours.”

“Cuddle up.” Gil lay back on his back and held an arm up. Nick slipped under the arm and rested his head on Gil’s shoulder. He could do with some shut eye himself.

Part Eleven

It was only one hour and twenty minutes later when Gil awoke suddenly. For a moment he didn’t know why he’d woken up, and then it hit him. Staggering pains in his stomach, cramping pains, acute pains. He needed to get to the toilet immediately.

He rolled out of bed and was doubled up with the pain in his gut, but he was driven to reach the toilet……..

He got there with no margin for error. He had really bad and copious diarrhoea, but that wasn’t the problem, it was the pain….he couldn’t remember ever having such terrible pain.

He was bent double as he sat on the toilet; his heart rate had shot up - he could feel his heart thumping in his chest. He was sweaty; he had that creepy feeling on his scalp as the beads of sweat formed. And the pains were radiating from the middle of his gut out across his whole midsection. He could not prevent a groan escaping as he clutched at his stomach.

There was seemingly an endless stream of fluid flowing out of him. He was in darkness, having had no time or inclination to switch on the bathroom light. A light appeared in their bedroom and moments later Nick stood at the bathroom door. He hesitated to move into the bathroom for a moment, knowing Gil preferred privacy, but as he saw Gil, in the light from the bedroom, he stepped up to Gil and crouched down in front of him.

“Hey, babe.”

“Nick. Nicky.”

Gil could hardly speak and was holding his stomach and rocking, slightly, backwards and forwards. Nick had never seen him like this, and knew instinctively that it was serious. Gil was stoical and would not normally demonstrate such behaviour; Nick was worried, he could hear the fluid from Gil hitting the toilet bowl and for some reason, he suddenly stood up and leaned over Gil and spoke to him.

“Gil, babe, come on, let me look.”

He meant into the toilet bowl and he did not know why he asked, but afterwards he was just sincerely grateful that he had; it was a measure of how Gil felt that he let Nick peer around the back of him and into the bowl. Nick gasped, and turned and switched the light on in the bathroom and looked again.

It was blood, bright red blood, pouring out of Gil’s anus; there was a lot.

Gil was whimpering in pain now and had started shivering, although it was quite cool in there…and they were both naked. Nick spent only moments considering what he should do, and then made the decision. Tell Gil and then get the paramedics.

“Babe, listen to me. You’re bleeding and I’m getting the paramedics, hold on a little longer babe.” He kissed Gil’s head and left to retrieve the bedside ‘phone. He dialled ‘911’ as he walked back to Gil. He pulled a clean towel from the top of a cupboard and put it around Gil’s shoulders.

“Thank you. I need paramedics urgently. My partner is bleeding heavily from his…anus….rectum……bright red….a great deal of pain….I’ve never seen him like this before……no, never…..across his whole abdomen….conscious …....his heart rate is elevated……(Nick had checked Gil’s pulse as he spoke.)…..and he’s sweating, heavily……never…..ten years…so never in that time…..”

Nick gave the operator their names and address and then he asked what he could do. The bleeding was still ongoing and Gil’s pain seemed relentless. He was told to ‘keep the patient comfortable’. ‘How exactly?’ ‘Warm…but see if an ice pack to the abdomen helped’.

Nick finished the call and spoke to Gil. “Babe, the paramedics are on their way. What can I do for now…anything?”

Gil tried to look up, but the pain was keeping him doubled up. Nick was devastated at Gil’s appearance. He had tears streaming down his cheeks and was very pale in the harsh light. He leaned forwards towards Nick, and whispered. “Don’t let them see me like this….please Nicky, please….”

“They will have to Gil….babe, you’re too sick to move.”

“Shower me Nicky, please, please.”

“Oh Gil…I shouldn’t.”

“Please, please.”

“Just wash you down then…okay?”

“Thank you, Nicky….oh God, Nicky it hurts….I’ve never had this before……oh God….”

“I’ll put the shower on and warm it up….but I’m going to put the lights on in the living room and open the doors so I can hear them come…okay?”

Gil nodded and reached out to touch Nick. “Thank you.”

The tears came for the first time to Nick’s eyes in that moment.

“Babe, you’ll be okay, I’ll take care of you. I’ll be back in a minute.” He kissed Gil’s hair again and turned to the shower, put it on and then moved quickly to the living room to put that light on in there and then make sure their outside light was on at the front of their house. He thought an ambulance might take fifteen maybe twenty minutes to reach them.

He returned to Gil, after retrieving a tee, boxers and jeans for himself. He pulled a pile of towels out of a cupboard for Gil…they were large bath sheets so he would easily be wrapped in one.

When he went back into the bathroom there was no change. He checked the toilet bowl and there still seemed to be steady stream of blood. He laid out towels across the floor and told Gil to hold on as he pulled him to his feet and moved into the shower with him. The blood flow stopped when Gil stood, probably from the action of the anal sphincter which would be used to closing when Gil stood upright.

Nick moved Gil into the shower and followed. With Gil propped against the wall facing him, he promptly washed him down, quickly but thoroughly. He then turned him around and did the same for his back. He wasn’t going to, but then decided to quickly wash Gil’s hair. He smiled at Nick and Nick knew that he was grateful for the soothing water and clean up; he was still holding his stomach.

Nick asked if he could stay there propped up for a few minutes while he washed himself down…..neither he, nor Gil, wanted all and sundry smelling the sex on him. Gil nodded and spoke. “It’s more comfortable in the water than out there…it’s soothing.”

Nick briefly kissed his lips and then had the quickest shower he’d ever taken. He got out himself and dried and dressed himself, then switched the shower off and manoeuvred Gil out and dried him off. He wrapped a smaller towel around Gil waist and retrieved a bath robe from the back of the door and slipped Gil’s arms into it. He helped Gil to their bed and slung the bedclothes back for Gil to lie down and revealed a large area of blood in the bed.

Nick gasped, but it seemed Gil hadn’t seen it. He told Gil to sit still and fetched a thick towel to cover it before helping Gil to lie down. Gil closed his eyes but Nick immediately spoke to him. “Gil. Gil, babe, look at me…they’ll be her any minute, keep your eyes open. Speak to me. Do you want an ice pack for your pain?”

“No, no, too cold, I don’t want to be cold. Hurts Nicky. Hurts real bad.”

“I know, I wish I could help, just hold on a little longer.” He heard the bleep of a siren at that moment. He’d done that lots of times to warn people, or signal his arrival. “I think they’re here; hold on.”

He raced to the door and opened it just as two men were emerging from an ambulance. He waved and they strode, purposefully, up to the door. Nick gave them a run down of the last twenty minutes as he showed them to the bedroom. He was astounded that it had only been twenty minutes….it seemed like two or three hours.

Part Twelve

The paramedics moved swiftly to Gil’s side led by Nick. They roused him, he was able to speak, very to them and answered the basic questions and described what had happened, confirming, in less detail, what Nick had just told them. They checked his pulse and blood pressure. He was tachycardic and they glanced at each other when his blood pressure result was displayed.

“What is it?” Nick was immediately concerned.

“BP is very low…consistent with blood loss.” As he spoke he’d pulled the robe and towel from Gil and revealed further blood loss. “I’m going to put a line in, Gil, to get some fluids into you and then we’ll get you straight to the hospital. Do you know of any reason for the bleed?”

“No….none.”

Nicky then intervened, it seemed too much effort to let Gil speak, although he knew they were trying to keep him conscious and alert. “No, none, like he’s said. He had diarrhoea earlier this morning…but we…well we were having a nap - we work nights……he was good; we went to sleep and I woke up when I heard him in the bathroom. I think he thought it was diarrhoea again but when I looked all I could see was blood. He’s in a lot of pain…I’ve never seen him like this…..” Nick’s voice started to trail off. He was worried before, but now he was frightened.

“Will he be alright?”

“I’m sure the doctors will be able to help him. You’re his partner, are you his medical proxy, by any chance?”

“Yes I am…he’d also got full insurance cover…we work for LVPD...the crime lab.”

“I thought you looked familiar. Look, let’s get him on his way. You coming in the ambulance?”

“Yeah.” Nick’s bravado was diminishing fast, he felt sick.

“The doctors will ask this, so if you want to tell me now, I can pass on the info’, it might…..you know, help….but has he….did you penetrate him, recently?”

“No, not for a couple of weeks. I had thought about that but he’s never had any problems at all….no bleeding after sex….no haemorrhoids….we made a joke about it, he’s been regular….once a day…since we’ve been together…..he’s never been ill at all…except for a cold here and there.”

“Previous good health then…always a plus, come on.”

The line was in and the other guy had returned with the gurney. Gil was rolled onto the gurney; he moaned at the movement, but they then wheeled out to the ambulance. Nick spoke to him as he was moved and tried to keep in touch with him, although he wasn’t unconscious, he was not interacting, even with Nick, it seemed as though the pain was really taking its toll on him, never mind the blood loss.

Nick slipped on some deck shoes, without socks, retrieved his keys, wallet and cell and locked up and then quickly caught up with Gil as they got him into the ambulance. The ambulance made quick time to the hospital. They used the siren quite a lot, and Nick found that to be disturbing. When they arrived Gil was taken straight into a cubicle and was seen immediately. The paramedic related the information that Nick had provided, to a doctor.

Nick went in with Gil, but was almost immediately pulled out by a nurse who said he should go to ‘Admittance’ and give all the details; it would help and speed up everything. Nick was torn, but commonsense won out….they needed all the information that only he could provide at this stage.

So he went to the Admin clerk and filled in forms…..or more accurately the computer.

He was only away for ten minutes, maximum, but Gil had been stripped of all his clothing. His bed was tilted with his feet higher than his head. He had a monitor attached to a finger and his heart beat was ‘bleeping’ for all to hear. Nick knew it was too fast and erratic. He also had an oxygen canula in his nostrils and a catheter bag was already hanging from the side of the bed. There was a bandage on the inside of one of his elbows, so bloods had also been drawn.

As Nick was taking all of this in, in the seconds since entering the cubicle he wished he didn’t know so much about what was going on, he’d rather be ignorant than think what he was thinking.

“And you are?” The doctor addressed Nick.

“His partner. His medical proxy.”

“I’ve done a cursory exam here and there’s no external trauma, his abdomen is, quite obviously, very tender, but no specific area seems worse than anywhere else and from what Gil has said he’s no history of bleeds.”

“None.”

“He had diarrhoea earlier today?”

Nick looked at his watch….it was just gone seven, in the evening. “It was eight hours ago; he was fine afterwards.”

“Can you confirm what he’s eaten in the last twenty fours hours?”

Gil chose that moment to groan; Nick was at his side instantly, having been at the end of the bed.

“Can’t you give him something for the pain?”

“We’re just waiting for the prelim bloods to come back, just checking.”

Nick knew that they checked for common drug use immediately before administering anything in the hospital, years of drug abusing patients wanting fixes had caused that procedure to be introduced, but it was unfair to someone like Gil, who, ironically, would be the first person to agree with the doctors…but it was unfair. Nick suddenly came back to the present.

“We had a dinner party last night…..salmon, steak, salad, dessert…I had exactly the same …we all did; no one has come back to me to say they’re ill…we both had eggs and toast for breakfast and juice and coffee. He then had the bout of diarrhoea and said he’d better not eat until this evening to give his gut a rest…so he had coffee and water all day…we were going to eat before work…we work nights.”

“Nothing else?”

“No, nothing.”

“What about his medical history?”

“He’s not been ill since I’ve known him…..ten years, over, now. Well a few colds and cough….but not many and not in the last few months. He’s never complained about anything or told me he’s had anything wrong with him…I forgot….well, he had, has, otosclerosis, but he had an op about five years ago and that’s been fine ever since…he’s healthy, he really is….was until today.”

“You’re a gay couple. Have you had penetrative sex with him in the last few days…or inserted any objects…dildos, or such like, in him.”

“No….the last time I…..made love to him was…..the beginning of last week. I have, we, have never used any artificial stimulants….ever. Although we have, on occasion, used a…do it yourself enema…..but not for a long time…getting on for a year.” It was before his abduction.

“So, no sex for nearly two weeks?”

“Oh, I didn’t know you meant that…he, Gil, penetrated me just a few hours ago, and last night and then this morning we…masturbated.”

“Right.” The doctor seemed quite impressed. “So he had no problems at all…and felt well enough to be able to ejaculate?”

“Absolutely.”

“Right.”

Nick knew the doctor was about out of options, he’d hoped that Nick would give him a massive clue and he would be able to diagnose Gil, without further ado. No such luck.

Nick picked up Gil’s hand and leaned over Gil, he whispered to him. “Hey babe, I love you. We’ll get you up and running just as soon as we can.”

Nick put his head down onto the back of Gil’s hand and held it there with his eyes closed.

And then he remembered; just like that.

Part Thirteen

“He did have something else to eat. Something I didn’t have. Dipped chocolate strawberries. Sent as a present this morning. I wouldn’t eat one, but Gil ate one before we went out…it was about two hours before his bout of diarrhoea. Because he didn’t eat all day he had four when we got in, he loved them. He had a shower and then……he had two more.”

“Right.” The doctor’s favourite word. “Where did they come from and are there any left?”

“’The Chocolateria’, at the Bellagio…they were delivered direct from there and I think there are four or five left. Should I arrange for them to be collected…we could test them at the lab….the crime lab, we work there…priority…would that be quicker than your lab?”

“It certainly would be faster, and more comprehensive, I bet. Can you do that?”

“For Gil, anything.”

He left the cubicle and pulled out his cell as he walked to quiet corner. He called Catherine. She answered after three rings.

“Nick?”

“Catherine, we’ve got a real emergency, can you do me a favour?”

“Of course, what is it?” Catherine knew immediately from Nick’s tone that this was serious.

Nick related the events of the evening and she was very shocked. Even as he spoke to her she was collecting her keys and purse to drive to the hospital and get his house keys. She would retrieve the chocolates from the kitchen counter and take them to Hodges for an immediate, and comprehensive, analysis.

Nick would get Hodges number from the lab….he wasn’t on anyone’s friends list….and call him and ask if he would do the analysis for Gil. Nick knew he wouldn’t refuse, because in truth, Hodges worshipped Gil Grissom almost as much as Nick Stokes did.

Nick did exactly that and as expected Hodges was almost as desperate as Nick to help. A few minutes later Catherine arrived. She was directed to the cubicle and stood at the entrance, a look of absolute shock on her face. Nick turned towards her and his resolve left him, and before he’d reached her outstretched arms he was in tears.

She hugged him, a small body against his strong muscular one….but she was the stronger person at this moment.

“You’ve got to stay focussed for Gil, Nicky. Like he did for you.”

Nick nodded, unable to speak. Catherine looked around and saw a box of tissues and stretched over to pull a few from the box; she gave them to Nick.

“Keys.”

Nick pulled them out of his pocket. He was about to tell her the alarm code when he realised he hadn’t set it…

“Hodges…will be there Cath. Not a word to anyone about this…not just yet.”

“I promise.” She hugged him again and glanced over at Gil before she left.

Nick took a few deep breaths and turned back to the doctor; he seemed inclined to give out a little positive information.

“The fluids seem to be having some effect. Though there is some blood loss via his kidneys, but not sufficient for me to be really concerned….yet. We’ve cross-matched his blood for a transfusion, but we’ll have to wait and see what his blood count actually is before we start. We need to assess how much he’s lost. How long before the results from your lab?”

“They’ll run a basic test process first and then depending on what that shows….if anything…a more complete tox screen. We have fast equipment, state-of-the-art equipment, but some things just take longer than others to determine. What could it be doc? “

“Don’t know….and in the absence of any ideas we’ll have to wait and see. He seems more stable, his heart rate has come down and is more rhythmic than it was. BP’s coming up a bit too…..with a bit of luck the internal bleeding may have slowed and if he’s very lucky it may have stopped. That’s our first line of treatment when a patient is relatively stable….’wait and see’.”

Just then a nurse came in and handed a read-out to the doctor; the blood panel for drug use.

“As expected - clean as a whistle. But protocol. Gil. Gil.”

Gil opened his eyes at the doctor’s behest. “Something for the pain now.”

“Now that’s a good sign Gil, you’ve been following the conversation.”

“I’m in agony, just give me something.”

“Any allergies?”

“Not that I know of….only had morphine after my ear op….for a few hours…I was okay.”

“Right, I’ll start you off with a holding dose see how it goes. I’ll add it to your fluid port you’ll see a difference very quickly.” While he’d been talking he’d prepared the syringe and pushed the dose into the line.

The doctor was right; as the morphine hit the blood it was spread around the body in moments and both the doctor and Nick could see an immediate calming and relaxing effect in Gil.

“Thank you. I needed that. Nicky, you told me to throw away the chocolates….do you really think they’ve…..caused this?”

“No idea babe, but we’ll soon find out…..you don’t believe in coincidences do you?”

“No.”

“So we’ll wait it out. Is it a bit better or a lot better now?”

“Quite a bit.” He smiled at Nicky, who was leaning over him and holding his hand. “Thank you for taking care of me. I love you.”

“Well it’s a good thing I love you back….giving me a shock like this…..might turn my hair grey and my face wrinkly.”

“You’d still be beautiful.” Gil was sinking into sleep now he’d had the drug to ease his pain and he’d relaxed a little.

Nick leaned over further to kiss his lips. His eyes flickered open and he smiled up at Nick, and for the first time in a couple of hours Nick felt calmer and optimistic.

The doctor had moved to a counter at the side of the cubicle to start his paper work. As Gil fell asleep the heart monitor showed a steady decline in the rate and a steady beat. He smiled at the equipment and then at Nick. “Stabilising. Good sign.”

Nick smiled back and nodded. He hoped the bleeding had stopped; as indeed did the doctor.

Sometime later the doctor left and Nick pulled a stool over, using his foot – he didn’t want to let go of Gil’s hand, regardless of him sleeping. He sat down and prepared to wait until his cell vibrated…..see what Catherine or Hodges had to say.

He actually dozed a little, and he was suddenly awake as he felt Gil being disturbed. He looked up to find a nurse putting up a new bag…not of fluids but of blood.

“How much does he have to have?” Nick asked.

“Doctor Lenton has said two bags…and then check his bloods again. But he’s certainly stabilised hasn’t he?”

“It seems so.” Nick pushed a few errant curls off Gil’s forehead and realised he felt quite cool. He pulled the blanket up higher. Blood loss would keep him cool. He checked his watch…he was fidgeting. It was an hour and a half since they’d arrived. Gil was better than he was, but he’d had no treatment for whatever was wrong with him. Just the fluids and morphine and now the blood.

Part Fourteen

He thought the very longest it would be before Hodges got the chocolate strawberries was thirty minutes. Catherine would have had her lights on and her siren sounding….she didn’t pussyfoot around.

Gil moaned a little and moved. Nick thought he’d have a look to see if there was any more blood loss. He gingerly lifted the blanket at the side and peered underneath, he couldn’t see anything. And didn’t want to disturb Gil, so left well alone. He supposed the steady signals of his vital signs indicated that he was better than he had been.

He pulled the blanket straight and then noticed something odd. The cotton wool and bandage covering the crease in his elbow where the blood sample had been taken was soaked in blood. He looked at the back of Gil’s hand where the port had been inserted for the drip. The back of his hand was purple and bruised quite badly….to Nick it indicated bleeding…quite heavy bleeding around the site.

Nick stood up and closed his eyes tight and remembered a case he’d done a few years ago…. A woman had bled out and died…she’d been given rat poison…Warforin…also used as a blood thinning drug.

He reached into his pocket and called Hodges at the lab.

“Hodges, it’s Nick…....yeah he’s stable at the moment...…have you found anything yet….yeah, I know it’s not been long enough, I’m just worried, is all….look, do everything…but do a rush job on Warforin….yeah, you heard right…..not the doctor, me….a hunch….look go with it…it’s for Gil…..yeah, thanks.” He snapped his cell closed.

He pushed the button to call a nurse. She arrived in about a minute. “What’s wrong?”
She asked as she went immediately to Gil’s side and checked the monitors and the blood transfusion.

“I’m sorry to call you but I need to speak to the doctor urgently, I have something to tell him.”

She looked at him quizzically but said. “He’s very busy tonight but I’ll ask him.”

“It’s urgent. I believe Gil may have been poisoned and will need to be treated ASAP”

“Oh, right.” She didn’t seem particularly impressed.

“Please. Just ask.” Nick could do annoyed along with the next guy. He wanted to see the doctor, if he had to go hunt him down himself, he would, but he didn’t want to leave Gil’s side.

She nodded and left. However, much to Nick’s surprise the doctor arrived about three or four minutes later.

“You wanted to see me…Nurse said Gil was still stable.”

“Well…he is…but look….” Nick pulled Gil’s arm gently from the under the blanket and he could see that the blood from the site of blood test was now trickling running down his arm as he moved it and there was a haematoma forming below and above the elbow, almost as they looked at it.….”…..and here.” He showed the doctor the back of Gil’s hand the clearly formed and seemingly spreading haematoma.

“I’ve seen this before….she was dead, but she was poisoned with Warforin. I’ve already asked my lab to run a test on the chocolates. He’s still going to do a complete panel but will do this one immediately.

“Are you a doctor?”

“No….a criminalist….a forensic scientist…..Gil’s the doctor…an entomologist.”

“Right.” The favourite word was back. “It fits, without a doubt. Even without the result I can start a treatment….it’d do no harm while we’re waiting. We can get ahead of the game.”

“I figured.”

“…and if it is that…this could be a big problem if chocolates have been contaminated in some way.”

“My thoughts at the moment tend to go with a targeted assault on Gil…..and me….lets wait and see what the results are.”

While they’d been speaking the doctor had quickly changed the dressing on Gil’s arm, cleaned it up a little and put a more substantial bandage in its place.

“I’ll get the phytomenadione started. Be back in a few minutes.” He was back about ten minutes later. “Sorry about that, we had to open the main pharmacy to get the stuff…it’s not routinely stocked in the ER.”

He pulled out the blood transfusion and added a double shunt to take two drips and then added the drug and checked the drip rate. “With bleeding this is a good drug to use anyway, so it won’t do any harm.” He repeated his earlier statement….Nick thought maybe to reassure him…he didn’t know.…but one thing he was absolutely certain about was that in some way, Sara Sidle was responsible for this…..he had no doubt, whatsoever.


Gil was still sleeping and Nick thought that maybe he looked better than he had….maybe his face wasn’t quite as pale and maybe the stress of the pain wasn’t so prominent on his face. Maybe he was a little more relaxed and maybe. Just maybe, Nick felt a little more optimistic now than he had thirty minutes ago.

Nick was still checking his watch…by the passage of time…about every two minutes. But, when the cell did vibrate in his pocket he nearly jumped out of his skin. He fumbled for it and flipped it open. It was Hodges and he listened.

“Yeah….thanks Hodges, hey man, I owe you big time. I really mean that.” He listened a bit more. “Sounds like a plan. I appreciate what you’ve done and so will Gil. I’ll let you know how it goes but they’ve started treatment based on that assumption. Thanks. Bye.”

He ended the call, and returned the cell to his pocket. He looked at Gil and stood and leaned over and kissed his lips. He whispered, “I love you…I’ll be back in a minute.”
He then left the cubicle to search for the doctor. He was writing notes at the nurses' station.

“Hey doc.”

“You heard anything yet?”

“Confirmation. Preliminary results is Warforin, standard rodent poison…but with a twist….the chocolates had been dusted, not just with straightforward cocoa powder, but also with chocolate Ex –lax.”

“Right. Making sure that the diarrhoea would more than likely induce a weakened gut susceptible to bleeding. The initial pain was most likely cramps from the overdose of Ex-lax and not the bleeding. Come on, I’ll increase the phytomenadione treatment. Let’s hope there’s been no lasting damage…but you were on to it very quickly…so I’m pretty hopeful.”

The doctor had walked quickly to Gil’s cubicle followed by Nick. “I can get him admitted to a room now…it’ll be more comfortable than lying in here on the trolley. Have you told him?”

“No I haven’t woken him.”

“Well wake him and tell him, I’ll bet he’ll be pleased with the good news.”

“Yeah….except that’s it isn’t that good. This is a murder attempt or at the very least a serious assault, with intent. Probably meant for both of us…but I wouldn’t eat one of the fucking….sorry….things.” The doctor smiled. “We’ve got a detective coming over and he’ll need to speak to Gil…and then the CSI’s will have to go over our house more than likely….except that the evidence has been removed to the lab…God, this is going to be bad, y’know?”

“Sounds like it…..you know who it is, don’t you?”

“Yep…a colleague…ha…a colleague. Upset because we’re gay…she’s been carrying a crush on Gil for years…..never amounted to a bag of shit as far as Gil was concerned….but…..she just found out yesterday that we’ve been a couple for three years.”

“Hell hath no fury…..”

“Got it in one.”

The doctor had finished upping the dose.

“I’ll get the paperwork done to transfer him. I’ll get onto our labs to check your findings…but it’ll be tomorrow before they do.”

“Hodges…the guy back at our lab…will do a comprehensive tox screen and that’ll confirm his initial findings.”

Just then Catherine arrived and Nick could see Jim behind her. Their concern was plain to see. “Hey, Catherine, Jim; look, I haven’t told Gil yet. He’s asleep at the moment; could you just give me a few minutes to break the news?”

“Sure Nicky…but speed is…”

“I know, just a minute or two. Okay?”

“Sure.” Catherine withdrew and the doctor looked at Nick.

“I’m off…any problems call me back.”

“Thanks doc.”

“Don’t thank me…..you’re the diagnostician.”

Nick smiled and turned his attention to Gil as the two of them were left alone again.

Part Fifteen

“Gil, babe. Come on wake up, sweetie.” Nick very gently shook Gil’s shoulder.

Gil was rousing himself. “Sweetie? Where did that come from?”

This was more like it…Gil was definitely better, even if he sounded very weak.

“Because I can…you’re in no position to complain…’sweetie’.”

“I suppose not. Feel a bit better.”

“You look a lot better. They’re putting in a litre of blood and now they’ve started treatment with phytomenadione….”

“Phytomen….that’s for poisoning isn’t it?”

“Yes it is ‘Mister Know It All’; you’ve been poisoned Gil, and Jim and Catherine are here and will start to process and investigate this as a murder attempt.”

“What on earth are you going on about Nicky….am I hallucinating?”

“No, you’re not. Those Dipped Strawberries were laced with Warforin and dusted with Ex-lax. Induce real bad diarrhoea and hopefully tear your bowel and cause uncontrollable bleeding…nearly worked Gil…but they think you’re on the mend. You’re going up to a room in a little while….but….”

“Sara.”

“Sara.”

“Jesus. Nicky, you were right…I’ve never believed you and you were right all along…..she wanted to kill me….you…both of us….Nicky.” Gil seemed to be unable to take it in and the monitor, which had been steady for some time suddenly started bleeping faster and then started an erratic rhythm.

“Gil, hey, come on….come back to me…I got you babe, honest, you’re okay now…come on…” Nick was panicked by Gil’s reaction and the noisy monitors.

“It’s…she tried to kill you Nicky….kill you, babe…you don’t deserve this….oh, Nicky.”

Nick laughed. “Hey, babe…remember, I didn’t eat one of those fucking things; I’m okay, really, and so are you, now… …but I did make you eat two more than you were going to...”

“Yeah…you did, I remember….how long ago was that now…it seems like days?”

Nick looked at his watch. “Since we made love…it’s been four…nearly four and a half hours.” Nick was pleased; all the monitor activity was dying down. “I love you….it was fabulous wasn’t it….well, except for the fucking strawberries.”

Gil managed a chuckle and the sound warmed Nick’s heart and oh, here were the tears again.

“I’m okay Nicky…sweetie….I feel better, I do, come here.” Nick leant his head, gently, down on Gil shoulder and Gil’s hand stroked his hair. It was as if Gil hadn’t touched him for ever. He pulled back and smiled at Gil.

“The bad news is: Jim and Catherine are outside and need to speak to you…we have to do something about this Gil.”

“Strike while the iron’s hot. Bring ‘em on, Nicky.” Nick was impressed by just how much better Gil was than the last time they’d managed a few words.

Nick stuck his head out of the cubicle and nodded at Catherine and Jim who were waiting a little way down the corridor.

They came into the cubicle and Catherine was the first to speak.

“God Gil…you look so much better than the last time I was here and that’s only been an hour or so.”

“Thanks Catherine. Hey, Jim. Got a job to do.”

“Hey back, Gil. This is a pile of shit; God if you can’t trust the people you work with day in, day out…..” He stopped his musing.

“Yeah. Come on Jim….do the witness statement.”

“God Gil, you’ve been real sick…give me a chance to wallow.” Jim laughed, Catherine hadn’t painted a very good picture about Gil’s condition, so he was very pleased that he was up to some banter…but the guy looked real pale and was obviously very tired.

“Down to business. What time where the chocs delivered?”

“Eight twenty…am…this morning. The guy introduced himself by asking if I was Dr Grissom or Mr Stokes. I identified myself as ‘Grissom’; he said he was from The Chocolateria at the Bellagio and gave me the box. I didn’t have to sign anything.

“He was about twenty, twenty two years old. He had dark brown hair cut short, he was clean shaven, brown eyes, even teeth, small old scar under his left eye. He wore a cream, short sleeved, shirt, emblazoned with the name ‘The Chocolateria’; he wore a white tee beneath it. He had mid brown trousers with a brown belt with a gold coloured buckle, and brown, slip on, deck type shoes. He wore a multi coloured watch…like a Swatch on his left wrist. His nails were bitten. His accent was local…and his name badge said his name was ‘Billy’.

“His delivery truck was also cream and brown to match his uniform and again, it was emblazoned with the name…..I asked who’d sent them and he said he believed there was a note inside the box…..that’s about all.”

The three onlookers were all smiling as Gil finished his account of the delivery; he‘d stared up at the ceiling as he delivered the monologue.

“Did you get what toothpaste he used?” Jim asked seriously.

“I didn’t smell his breath. So no.”

They all laughed and Nick grasped his hand. “Are you sure you didn’t miss anything?”

“Apart from the fucking poison in the chocolates, I don’t think so. Sorry Catherine.”

“I think you’re allowed.” Catherine smiled.

“So what happened then?”

“We opened them...together…Nick thought they were a present from someone who’d been to the party…anyway, there was note inside….it was addressed to both of us. We read it together….it was in Sara Sidle’s handwriting…we both identified it immediately. It said…”

“We’ve got it Gil…that’s okay.” At Gil’s quizzical look Jim continued. “Nick guessed it was the chocs that had made you ill, ‘phoned Catherine to get them from your house…and the note…and then got Hodges to do a rush analysis.”

“Nicky…you….I thought it was the hospital that’d identified it….”

“No, when I was wracking my brain to think what you’d eaten…it sort of hit me in the face….so….”

“You saved my life.”

“The doc saved your life.”

“No. Nicky you did.” Gil held his hand out to Nick and they looked at one another, before Nick took the hand.

“So you ate how many before you went out?” Jim wanted to get his hands on Sara Sidle.

“Just one. Luckily Nick refused to eat one…..and told me not to….”

“So you were ill at the lab about eleven?”

“Yes….not ill really, just bad diarrhoea, my gut felt churned up for a little while but I was okay within the hour. I didn’t eat anything else until we got home and then I had six more over...maybe thirty minutes…if that…we went to bed to sleep before work and then I woke up…and you know the rest…”

“Yes. Look we’re going over to the Bellagio now…she must have bought them first….doctored them and then returned them for delivery…all shows ‘intent’…. We’ve kept this under wraps and I want to play the ‘you’re both very ill and unable to talk’ card, see what happens. So keep a low profile…..I know you’re not going anywhere, but you Nick, stay here and lie low?”

“Will do, thanks Jim.”

“It ain’t over yet. She’s a CSI and this seems just too easy…you get my drift?”

“Yeah, we were going to find out one way or the other….the only thing she could say is that she didn’t expect us to eat them…but then why go to the trouble of lacing them with poison?” Nick speculated.

“Who knows how the brain of a mad woman works?” Jim didn’t mince his words.

Notes taken and with Gil looking much worse than he had a few minutes previously Catherine and Jim left…with a promise to keep Nick informed.

A few minutes later two orderlies arrived to take Gil to a private room. Within half an hour Gil had been cleaned up by a conscientious nurse and was feeling so tired he could hardly speak, but pain free and more comfortable than he’d been for some hours. Nick pulled a chair up and settled in beside Gil. He would sleep by his bedside…he wouldn’t be leaving his side for some time…no, scratch that…forever.

Part Sixteen

Nick was roused from his sleep by a familiar sensation. He was being watched. He opened his sleepy eyes and could see Gil staring at him.

“Hey…how….” Was as far as Nick got before Gil interrupted.

“I’m sorry…I’m really sorry…please forgive me….” Nick was instantly fully awake and incredulous at the tremulous voice of his lover.

“Babe, what are you sorry about, you’ve got nothing to be sorry about? You’re going to be okay. What’s wrong?” Nick’s words came tumbling out, as he stood up from his chair and balanced on the edge of Gil’s bed and took his hands in his own.

“You told me to trash the chocolates….I shouldn’t have eaten them…she sent them, it was an insult to you after the way she’d behaved and yet I was the greedy bastard who wanted to eat the fancy candy.”

“No. Gil…don’t….please…..” But to Nick’s horror, Gil started crying, sobbing….and tried to move his hands from their grip in Nick’s hands.

Nick let the hands go but only to place one hand on Gil’s neck and the other on his face and moved it back to face him. He bent over Gil and kissed his lips, though they were contorted by his sobs.

“Babe, Gil, please don’t cry, please….they were lovely chocolates and it was only me being petulant that stopped me from eating them too…she chose well after the dessert we’d had the night before she knew…hell, she knew anyway that we both love chocolates… and not many people don’t like strawberries. Come on, babe, it wasn’t your fault; it’s her fault….. If I thought you shouldn’t have eaten them, would I have presented you with two more to eat? Now would I….I made you worse…..you didn’t know…I didn’t know; we couldn’t have guessed, could we….could we, Gil?”

Nick’s little monologue was just starting to get through to Gil, who shook his head in agreement with Nick’s statement. They would never have suspected Sara of trying to kill them. But then Gil started sobbing again with renewed vigour.

“Oh Gil, it’s all okay now, honestly it is, it’s over. Babe.”

“Nicky…..you…you…could have….you….died…..” This was all Gil could manage through his gasping and sobbing.

“I didn’t eat one. I wasn’t about to die and leave you…I’m done with that Gil…hey….look at me…look at me.” Nick waited for Gil to look up into his face. “You didn’t die and I didn’t even get sick. WE are okay and she is going down, man, for a long time.” He’d said this quite forcibly, but then smiled and spoke gently to Gil. “Even that doesn’t matter…we’ve got each other and no one, not one person is ever going to come between us…..and just as a little reminder…remember that we bought our wedding rings yesterday?”

He nodded and tried a smile; he’d calmed down…it was if he just needed to let go of some tension.

Nick leaned over to the bedside cabinet and retrieved a box of hospital tissues. “Come on, let’s wipe your eyes. D’ya feel better for that little explosion?”

“Mmmm…sorry….you looked so peaceful sleeping in the chair and I had to go and spoil it….”

“Hey, mister. You didn’t spoil anything, okay? You needed to let go and I was here to catch you….does that sound familiar?” It had been Gil’s mantra to Nick after his rescue, now he was using it right back at Gil and he could see the irony was not lost on him.

“How are you really feeling anyway?”

“Thirsty….Id love a coffee….and despite everything, I‘m hungry. I’ve had my last bag of blood, but they’ve still got me on phytomenadione…for another twenty four to thirty six hours. You stayed fast asleep while they did this…and they’ve changed the urine bag and last time the nurse checked there was no more blood in my urine. You know it looked like I’d lost a lot of blood but, it always looks worse than it is….spreads out….”

“That right, Dr Grissom?”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be….hey, you’re sounding and acting like me….this is my territory….crying and apologising for something you have no control over….funny, you know I've suddenly got that now…..a new rule….no more apologising unless we really do something wrong….like forgetting to turn up at a restaurant for dinner….or forget to pick up the cleaning….get the groceries….you know real important things.” Nick smiled at Gil and Gil put his hand on Nick’s cheek mirroring Nick’s own hand on his face.

“I love you Nicholas Stokes….you do still want to marry me then?”

“Errr…yeah, go on then.”

“Hopeless romantic. What have you got inscribed on my ring?”

“God, you’re still nosy…you’re gonna have to wait and that’s that!”

“Thought I could get in under the radar then.”

“No chance.”

Just then Nick’s cell vibrated in his pocket. He drew back from Gil and pulled it out and answered the caller.

“Catherine? Yes, he’s a lot better; he really is…..at least another couple of days. What’s happened?”

Nick was silent for a long time, listening intently to what he was being told. He then spoke again.

“It’s unbelievable…but then it all is, we shouldn’t be surprised anymore, should we….is Jim on his way here now….yeah okay….thanks Catherine.”

“She sends her love and Jim is on his way, as we speak, to tell us both what’s happened. I’d better not steal his thunder….anyway I need a pee and could do with a shower….d’you think I could use yours?”


“Yes, I’m sure you could.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just all so….strange…she tried to….murder us, Nicky, murder us. She’s a colleague for God’s sake.”

“I think we can safely say ‘was’ a colleague, babe; you know what, you’re gonna be off work for a couple a weeks, at least…why don’t we get married straight away….just do it and go on a honeymoon when we can get time off and decide...agree…on where to go….no doubt we’ll have to spend several months arguing over that. What?” Nick laughed at Gil’s raised eyebrows.

“We have differing points of view, we don’t argue.”

“Yes, we do.”

“No, we don’t”

“Excuse me?” Nick laughed some more. “You’d argue with your mirror image if you thought you could win.”

“I would not. You’re exaggerating…you are very melodramatic…I bet you’re gay.”

“No kidding? I bet you’re an argumentative guy who loves bugs…..especially giant ‘roaches!”

“I do love giant ‘roaches, especially the gay Texan model….super sleek!”

“That’s me…super sleek…got to pee.” He kissed Gil, on his lips, just lingering long enough to sober them both up. Then he was up and in Gil’s bathroom. A few minutes later he emerged and pointed at the door. “I’ll ask the nurses about the shower; be back.”

A few minutes later he reappeared holding towels and a pack. “Nurses gave me extra towels and an emergency pack…soap…toothbrush…all I need…and the one nurse wanted to come help me scrub my back.”

“I hope you told her you were engaged.”

“Him. No, I said come along in, but leave it a few minutes; let you get back to sleep first.”

“You didn’t.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Tease.”

“Just keeping you on your toes.”

“Just you wait.”

“I’m waiting. Hey, you rest up Jim’ll be here soon…and you’ll be getting a surprise too.”

“What?”

“Now would it be a surprise if I told you?” Without waiting for a reply he closed the bathroom door, but not before plastering a grin across his face.

Part Seventeen

Nick was out in twelve minutes, Gil was waiting. He still looked damp; Gil thought it was a very good look on him and surmised he must be feeling better if he could ogle Nicky….although Nick was always very easy on the eyes.

“Did I tell you I hate surprises?”

“Did I tell you I’m a sadist?”

“You are.”

“So; you know. You’ll have to wait and see the ring and you’ll have to wait to see Jim…he’ll be here soon, I must say it’s not a big surprise though…but you’ll like it nevertheless…d’y’think I’m beginning to sound like you?”

“I should hope so….cultured Californian versus Texan backwoodsman.”

“I hope to God Momma never hears you say that, man, you’d be ostracised from polite society.”

“Mmmm, Texan polite society?”

“Wash your mouth out….”

Their banter was interrupted by Jim, as he pushed the door open. “Some help needed here.”

Nick held the door wide open and then took some of the goodies from Jim. Starbucks coffee, and if Gil was really lucky it’d be his favourite flavour. He knew it would be, because Nick would’ve made sure. There was also a brown take out bag containing, he sincerely hoped, his breakfast.

“Coffee for you Gil and a toasted bagel….that’s all you can have…doctor’s orders.”

“No one’s told me what I can and can’t eat….”

“No, but they told me at the nurses station when I ‘phoned Jim for your coffee. You’ve got to have bulky carbohydrates…and make sure you chew it well.”

Gil grimaced at the breakfast. “Oh well. Come on Jim, let’s hear what’s happened.”

“Let me get settled. We went straight from here last night to the shop. We found out that she purchased the chocolates at the shop about two hours after she left your place. She paid with her credit card. And, she asked if she could take them home to put a note inside and then bring them back to be delivered….so she paid the extra charge and off she went.

“She took them back at about seven yesterday morning and asked for them to be delivered as soon as they could. So they did.

“We picked her up in the locker room, getting ready for shift. No problems….she didn’t try to hide anything; she just spilled the beans…the lot. We went to her apartment and there was the rat poison, the Ex-lax papers in the trash. The equipment she used to make the Ex-lax powdery, the syringe with poison in it…it was all there all laid out….it was as if it was laid out just for us.”

“It was…she’s pleading insanity…..isn’t she?”

“Got it, in one. We figured she couldn’t wait to get to you guys…so long time planning operation was out of the question, so she was deliberately doing the opposite…making the trail so easy to follow…we were like lambs to the slaughter. She’s even got a Union lawyer, saying the job made her do it….all that stress…you put her under too much stress and always gave Nicky the easy stuff…..she didn’t want to kill either of you….just hurt you a little and hey, she didn’t mean it guys.”

“Like hell. The scheming bitch.”

“Yes and no, Nicky. I think she may actually be unhinged; but is trying to convince us that she is….but pretending to herself that she isn’t. Classic paranoia….’everybody’s out to get me and I’m blameless’.” Gil pontificated.

“That’s exactly what Philip Kane thinks; I tell you it was kinda eerie, interviewing her, she had an answer for everything, but it was just too clinical…she’d got it off too pat, y’know what I mean? Anyway….she’s up before the judge later today and the DA will be asking for a hospital order…..we thought we might pre-empt the defence.”

“Thanks Jim…thank you for what you’ve done for me…us.”

“Don’t thank me….it was Nick here who joined the dots together.”

“I know; I owe him my life…no Nicky, you be quiet and let me thank you….I love you.”

“Oh come on…I've only known about you guys for a couple of days…please go easy on my overloaded senses.”

“Jim, I’ll be needing a best man very shortly, would you care to do the honours?”

“Best man? Well. I think I just might like that Gil….I think I will. Thanks…are you having a bridesmaid?”

There was a stunned silence and then Gil, followed by Nick and then Jim were all laughing out loud.

“I guess it won’t be Sara, then.” Jim stuttered and they all laughed more.

“We could do a hospital themed wedding and she could come in a straight jacket.” Nick’s contribution had Jim nearly choking.

Nick stopped when he saw Gil laughing, but holding his gut…and grimacing.

“Gil, you okay?”

“I’m fine Nicky….just got a sore gut….I’ve had the serious shits you know.”

Jim and Gil thought this was as hilarious as the ‘bridesmaid’ jokes but Nick had lost his sense of humour.

“Come on Gil calm down….it’s no good for you….I don’t want you bleeding again.”

Jim stopped immediately his face red from the exertion.

“Nicky, I’m okay…I feel fine, I really do. She didn’t win sweetheart…she’s lost everything….we, on the other hand have each other. Will you need a best man as well? How does this civil, same gender, marriage thing work, do you know?”

“No idea…I’ll google it.”

“I’ll be on my way. I didn’t tell anyone about your condition, nor that Nick wasn’t hurt…let her find out for herself. Her lawyer’ll probably find out and tell her. You take care, the both of you.”

“We will Jim, thank you.”

“No shit….” Jim and Gil started chuckling again and Nick pointed Jim to the door.

“I’m going, I’m going…God he’s a regular nag isn’t he?”

“Go now…if you value your life, Captain Brass!”

“Yes Nick. Certainly Nick.”…..and he was gone.

“You okay….you should be resting up.”

“I really do feel fine. I know I was a little emotional earlier, but that seems to have, I don’t know, cleared my head….and now about Sara. I don’t really care that much to be honest Nick. She did it, we know she did it…what happens, happens. But she tried and failed. I’ll recover, we’ll get married and….I’ve just thought where we could go for a honeymoon…..the Galapagos Islands.”

“The Galapagos Islands? Yeah, good choice…not… I want to go somewhere to forget work and bugs….and evolution, or whatever, d’y’think we’ll be able to fuck like bunnies on the Galapagos Islands? No. We won’t.”

“Since I promised marriage Nicky, you seem to have become a sensible and staid middle aged man….that used to be me. Where do you want to go, anyway?”

“An old man like me? Palm Springs…..Florida….”

“You don’t?”

“No, I don’t.”

“You’re doing it again, stop teasing me.”

“Okay. No, I would rather like to go to Japan….see Tokyo and then the temples and sights…maybe Hiroshima….you know. Or India…..the Taj Mahal…and I’d love to see the Terracotta Army in China.”

Gil was incredulous…these were wonderful choices and he’d no idea Nicky wanted to see these places. He never had and would love to do so.

“That’s a deal then…the next three vacations we have will be to those three places…you chose which one first, so it can be our honeymoon destination. Hey, Nicky...I love you.”

“Love you right back….now get some rest.”

“Whatever you say…dear…”

Epilogue

It took three months for Gil to fully recover.

He feels the cold much more acutely.

They married in Vancouver.

Jim Brass was their joint best man.

Catherine Willows was their bridesmaid…she refused to be called ‘matron of honour’.

They honeymooned in Japan.

Sara Sidle was deemed ‘unfit to plead’, due to her persistent insanity.

The inscriptions? Private…but both mentioned ‘love’ and ‘forever’.

Oh, and next year they’re going to China on their vacation.

The End

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