Title: The Word Is Out
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: R
Author's Note: Mentions of rape.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Nick Stokes, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Greg turned over gingerly in his hospital bed, wincing and biting down on his lower lip to keep from crying out. Any kind of movement seemed to intensify the pain of his burns, and even though he'd been given painkillers, they didn't seem to be working very well.

He hated to swallow pills, but he'd obediently taken the meds he'd been given; anything that would dull the pain in his back and shoulders was welcome. But they only took the edge off of the pain; he knew that he should ask for an IV, but he didn't want to.

He just wanted to get out of here and go back to work, but that didn't seem like it would be possible for a good while. At least he was on full medical leave; the explosion had taken place at work, so the department was taking the best care of him that was possible.

The best, but it wasn't enough. He turned over onto his stomach, the burns on his back seeming to howl at him as he did so. Burying his face in the soft coolness of his pillow, he let the tears come, flowing silently as he muffled his sobs as best he could.

He'd known that it was going to hurt, but he hadn't expected it to be this bad. He'd thought that the doctors would give him morphine to kill the pain, but they seemed to think that because he was young and healthy, he could deal with how badly the burns hurt on his own.

Well, he couldn't. He needed stronger painkillers, and he'd have to tell the doctors that before they sent him home. But it was late at night, the lights were turned down, and he didn't want to bother the nurses. He'd try to make it through tonight.

It hurt to lie on his stomach almost as much as it did on his back; his abraded nipples rubbed against the mattress with each tiny movement of his body, reminding him of the last night with Shane. The night before the lab explosion that might have changed everything.

He couldn't sleep without more meds. Maybe he should just give in and ring for the nurse, tell her that he had to have more painkillers because he couldn't deal with how badly the burns hurt. Though she would probably only say that he had to wait for the doctor's okay, Greg thought with a sigh.

His head jerked up as he heard a soft knock on the door of his room; he blinked once, then twice, unable to believe what he thought he was seeing. He'd wanted this to happen, dreamed about it as he'd fallen in and out of consciousness when they'd first brought him here.

Nick was standing at the door, looking gorgeous and strong and solid. Nick, the man he had long ago given his heart to, but who he'd never been brave enough to tell how he felt. The man he would give anything to be able to spend the rest of his life with.

He didn't even know if Nick was gay, or if he was attracted to men in any way. But there had always been a rapport between them, and Greg was fairly sure that if Nick didn't think of him as more than a close friend now, that he could veer in that direction with a little encouragement.

"N-Nicky?" He hated how his voice sounded, young and trembling and helpless. And he hated that Nick had caught him crying; he knew that his face was streaked with tears, that he was letting his vulnerability show when he'd sworn that he wouldn't do that.

"Hey, Greg," Nick said softly, coming into the room and leaning over him. "Shhh, baby, it's okay. Are you in pain?" His whispered words brought tears to Greg's eyes again, especially the murmured endearment. Did Nick realize he'd said that, or was it just a word that meant nothing?

He nodded, unable to catch his breath to speak. He tried to turn his head to glance over his shoulder at Nick; when he did, pain ripped through him, bringing another soft cry to his lips before he could squelch it. In an instant, Nick was leaning down, stroking his hair, whispering into his ear.

"Shhh, baby, just lie still," he murmured, his breath warm against Greg's skin. "I'll get a nurse to give you some more painkillers. I don't think these bastards are doing nearly enough for you." He moved to the foot of Greg's bed, reaching for the chart that hung there.

"What the hell ....?" Nick's voice had gone from incredulous to angry in just three words; Greg wanted to turn his head to look inquiringly at the other man, but he knew that it would only hurt him to do so. He stayed still, wondering what Nick sounded so annoyed about.

He heard the other man's footsteps as Nick left the room; a few moments later, he was back, someone else's footsteps on the floor along with his. Greg struggled to turn over onto his side, his breath hissing between his teeth as another wave of pain washed over him.

"Why the fuck are you listening to Ecklie?" Nick nearly spat the words out, sounding angrier by the second. "I don't give a damn how expensive the painkillers are, he needs them! Can't you idiots see how much pain he's in? To hell with what the department says!"

What was Nick talking about? Greg thought with a frown. He shifted his position slightly, opening his mouth to ask the question, but a flash of pain shot through his back; the only sound he could make was a stifled half-gasp, half-sob.

The pain brought tears to his eyes, tears that he couldn't hold back. Dimly, through the haze of pain that seemed to surround him, he heard Nick's voice again, angrier than ever. "I don't care what Ecklie says! Give him some painkillers now!"

"All right, all right." That was a man's voice; had Nick brought a doctor into the room? Greg heard the sound of footsteps leaving the room; apparently, the doctor was going to get the painkillers that Nick had requested -- no, demanded.

"Thanks, Nicky," Greg managed to whisper when he could speak again. "It hurts, but I figured they were giving me everything they could, and I didn't want to bother the nurses." He turned his head to the side to give Nick a wan smile as the other man sat down in the chair by his bed.

"Greggo, the next time you're hurting, you tell them," Nick said softly, reaching out to stroke Greg's hair, then his face. "I can't stand to think about you being in pain. And the sooner you heal, the sooner you're out of here and getting back to normal."

Normal? What was that? Greg thought before he could stop himself. If Nick knew what his life was like lately away from work, he wouldn't be so anxious for him to be out of the hospital and back into a situation that was becoming more painful than the burns on his back.

"Here we are." The doctor's voice was almost genial as he came back into the room, a syringe in his hand. "Since you're already on your stomach, Mr. Sanders, just stay there. This will be just as effective from the rear as it will in your arm."

From the rear ....? It didn't dawn on Greg just what the doctor meant until he felt the covers being pulled down and his hospital gown pulled up. Forgetting about the burns, he tried to twist around, to hide his ass from anyone's sight as cool fingers tugged at the waistband of his boxer briefs.

He screamed as pain tore through his back; in a flash, Nick was by the bed, placing strong hands on Greg's arms to hold him down, firmly but gently. "Shhh, Greg, nobody's going to hurt you," he soothed, one hand stroking Greg's arm. "He's just giving you a shot of painkill --"

Nick's voice broke off in a horrified gasp; Greg knew all too well what he was seeing. The welts and bruises on his ass, most of which had been barely starting to heal when the explosion in the lab had happened. His secret was out; there was no way he could hide it now.

"Greg, what the ...." He could almost hear the pain in Nick's voice; the other man's hand was stroking his arm again, then his hair. "Who did this to you?" The pain in that soft tone had been replaced by cold, implacable anger -- and a question that demanded an answer.

Greg didn't answer; Nick already knew damn well who'd done this. How many times had he told Greg that he didn't like Shane, and that he thought Greg would be better off without a man who seemed so tense and wound up? It didn't take a genius to put two and two together -- and make five.

"I'll kill him," Nick whispered, his voice shaking. "I'll tear him apart with my bare hands." Greg was sure that Nick would at least try to follow up on those words; he wasn't the kind of man who was going to watch one of his friends get hurt and not do something about it.

Greg whimpered softly as the doctor administered the shot; he had no idea what kind of painkiller it was, but as long as it gave him some form of oblivion, he didn't care. He just wanted to sink into blackness and not have to face the pain any longer.

And at the moment, he didn't want to face Nick's anger. He was sure that his friend blamed him for staying with Shane; Nick might even feel that he deserved what he was getting because he didn't have the courage to get out of a relationship that he knew was bad news.

No, a voice in the back of his mind whispered. Nicky would never think that. He cares about you. Didn't he say that he would kill Shane with his bare hands? He's not going to blame you for what somebody else is doing to you. Get a grip, boy.

"It seems as though the two of you might have something to talk about," the doctor said, sounding nervous. "I'll leave you to it -- but don't stay too long, Mr. Stokes. That morphine is going to put him out before much longer, and Mr. Sanders needs his rest."

"We're definitely going to talk," Nick said, his voice quiet. "I think Mr. Sanders has some explaining to do." He sat down by the bed, his gaze fixed on Greg's face, reaching out to take the younger man's hand and twining their fingers together.

"Greg, just tell me," he said softly, his eyes never leaving Greg's face. "Tell me what he did to you. Did he rape you? Is he the one who's hurting you? Whatever it is, I'll listen. I'm here, baby, and I'm not going anywhere. Not until the word is out and I know what's going on."

Greg's eyes filled with tears at the gentleness in Nick's voice; he wanted to talk, even though he knew the words wouldn't come easily. Still, he would try; he owed Nick that much. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, hoping that he could get it all out before the painkillers took over.

***

Next story in series - In the Light of Day.