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Chapter 17:

Greg sat uncomfortably between Christina Miller formerly Stokes and Maryann Stokes formerly Rice on Nick's couch. Nick had been let out of the hospital not too long ago, a few days tops. Greg had requested some more time off for which Grissom cleared claiming that Greg had been hurt in the explosion. So many people had been that the city didn't bat an eyelash at it.

He'd spent most of his time at the hospital with Nick, helping Nick get better and face his family. There really hadn't been much time for anything else. He'd go home and change and sleep for a little while before heading back to the hospital.

There was one time Warrick had invited him out for drinks and Greg had turned him down. Nick had found out and told him to go, but Greg insisted on staying by Nick's side. After a few hours of arguing, Nick had given up, but Greg guessed that was more to do with the medication they had him on then Nick just giving up.

In the span of the week and a half that Greg had taken off to care for Nick he'd gotten to know Nick's sisters. He got along well with most of them. Chrissy still didn't seem to trust him, but he was doing well with the other five. Tina definitely liked him the best.

Carly had to go back to work after a few days. She taught at an elementary school and it was only so long before that cut into her paycheck. She had been disappointed that she couldn't take off more time, but gave Nick the biggest hug that she could and left.

Melinda had not been for behind her. She worked as a judge's clerk and could only take so much time off as well before things went really bad for her boss, Judge Stevens who while a fair and excellent judge could not manage the place by himself. She'd been sad to go as well, but Nick assured her that he was just fine and she left, tears slightly feeling her eyes.

Bill also left though he was very opposed to it. Apparently a case he had been sitting in on had gotten a new break and the prosecutor had wanted to move the court date up. Another judge had sat in his place, but Bill was called in and grudgingly left his son to go do his job.

Then another member of the Stokes family stopped by. Mitch Stokes, Nick's older brother came by with his two sons, Eric and Dylan Stokes, and his wife Jeannie for a quick visit. He'd been busy with all sorts of cases and couldn't take any time off before that and he'd only been allowed a day.

He'd made the most of it, staying in Nick's room all day and joking around like brother's do. Nick had once told Greg that it was always a little awkward being around his brother because he was so much older than Nick was. By the time Mitch was in high school and interested in girls and cars, Nick was ten. There was a six-year age difference between them.

Nick had always thought his older brother was cool, from what Greg could gather. They talked about things that they used to do before Mitch was too cool to hang out with his younger brother and Greg listened to it as though it were background noise as he read through one of the various crime scene books he'd gotten through lecture and conference circuits on procedure.

Mitch had given Greg a small interview and Greg guess he' passed because Mitch had smiled, pulled Greg into a one armed hug and declared that he liked Greg. Nick had laughed at Greg's situation from his bed and Greg had pouted and glared at him.

When Mitch left, Tina announced that she had to be leaving too something she definitely didn't want to do. She blamed it on her husband and three kids and her job, but in the end she too left before Nick was out of the hospital.

Christina stayed because she hadn't had a job in a very long while, save for looking after her kids and husband. Maryann had recently quit her job after her recent divorce and didn't have any kids something she always kind of regretted and didn't have any problems talking about.

Which Greg listened to, as intently as he could possibly listen to something he had no interest in whatsoever. Nick often took pity on his situation and asked to be alone with Greg when Maryann started to get too long winded. And Greg had thought she was meek in the beginning.

So here he sat between the two sisters that didn't really like him all that much just yet as Nick's mom cooked something in the kitchen. It was to be their last night in Vegas. Both Jill and Bill needed to get back to work as soon as possible and Nick was starting back on the job in about three days. Apparently they trusted Greg to take care of Nick for that long a period without being supervised.

Of course they didn't know that Greg was starting back up sooner than that. As in the next evening, but Nick had told Greg not to tell them that. They'd never be able to get rid of them if he did. Greg had agreed, the prospect of it just being him and Nick again appealing to him greatly.

There were still things that Nick couldn't do. He was limited from very strenuous work or anything that would have him stretch his back too far considering the skin there was still fresh and liable to crack under pressure. The burns hadn't been that bad and it didn't look like the scars were going to be that bad either or at least what the doctors kept saying.

But there'd be scars. It was the one guarantee from the whole experience. There was no getting away from that fact.

"Momma, you almost done with that food. I mean I don't know why you don't just let me help you." Chrissy screamed from the couch.

"Because I'm capable of cooking a dinner without your help. I was doing it since before you were born." Jill screamed back at her.

Greg looked over at Nick who was sitting in the recliner closest to the television. He smiled at Nick who was busy rolling his eyes at his family's antics.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to ruin it if I help." Chrissy said in a huffy tone.

Greg wasn't so sure that Jill had heard her. If she had, Jill didn't answer her back. She just continued to flutter around the kitchen cooking whatever it was she was cooking. Greg suspected it was very meat orientated.

Chrissy huffed some more before looking back at the television screen. Her nose scrunched up and Greg knew why. Nick insisted on watching nature shows or something informative like that and right at the moment that Chrissy started watching a deer was being ripped apart by a lion.

"Nick, do we have to watch this before dinner?" She asked.

"Yes, I don't know when it's gonna be on next." Nick said sighing.

"You've got tivo. Just... record it or something."

"I don't want to record it. I don't tell you what to do in your house, Chrissy." Nick said a bit testily.

Chrissy huffed again and stared anywhere but the television. It seemed weird to Greg that they were adults and they still acted like children. Greg wasn't like that with his sister. She was about seven years younger than Greg though, almost the same age difference between Nick and Chrissy.

Nick had told Greg that by the time Nick was born Chrissy was already ten. She was out of the house by the time Nick was eight and he never really got to know her that well. She got married two years after she moved out and never really had any time for her brother after that.

"Greg."

"Huh?"

"Greg do you got any siblings?" Chrissy asked.

"Um, yeah I have a sister."

"And if your sister came to your apartment and she didn't want to watch what you were watching... would you change it. I mean she is a guest after all." Chrissy said.

Greg watched as Nick's jaw tightened and his jaw itched. Greg guess it was a common occurrence for Chrissy to act this stuck up.

"Um... well... my sister hasn't come to visit me in a really long time. Last time she did, she was still into cartoons." Greg said.

It wasn't entirely true. The last time Anna had come to visit him she had been seventeen and had headphones permanently attached to her head.

"Did you let her watch the cartoons?" Chrissy asked, eyebrow arched at Greg questioningly.

"I wasn't ever really home. I mean when I was home I was asleep. Spent most of the time working so she got to watch whatever she wanted. Unless of course I was up and there was something I wanted to watch." Greg said.

Chrissy made a hmm noise, looked Greg over and shook her head. Greg wasn't sure what to do with that. He was definitely having a hard time convincing Chrissy that he was a good guy. Not that he really cared. It was nice to have the family like you, but it didn't necessarily mean they had to.

Greg's cell phone started to ring. He fished around in his pockets thanking whatever entity that there was enough room to move around on the couch without elbowing one of Nick's sisters.

"Hello?" Greg said when he answered the phone.

"Oh, hello. Is that what I get from you, Mister Says He's Going to Call Back but Never Does."

"Hey, mom." Greg said a little uneasy.

"Don't you 'Hey Mom' me, Mister. I've been worried sick about you. I finally have to call your boss and he tells me you're on leave. I thought you said you didn't get hurt?"

"I didn't. Look can I call..."

" Oh no you don't. You're not going to say you're going to call me back and then not call me for a whole week. Besides we're here."

"What?" Greg said.

He could feel the bottom of his stomach literally plummeting.

" I said we're here."

"And by we're you mean..."

" I mean me, your father, your sister and Papa Olaf. You didn't just expect us not to be worried out of our minds did you."

Greg let out a long sigh. He noticed Nick looking at him intently. He placed his hand over his phone and looked at Nick.

"My family is here." He said.

"And?" Nick asked.

"And... um... they're here." Greg said.

"Why don't you invite them to dinner?" Maryann suggested.

"Yeah invite them over." Chrissy said.

Greg looked a bit panicked. If his parents came over then it wouldn't be too bad. He wasn't ashamed of them or anything. But they'd want to stay and Greg was dead set on going back into work the next night.

"Mom, I'm actually going back to work tomorrow, so it would really be a waste to come here." Greg said in Norwegian.

He could feel Nick's sister and Nick staring at him.

"Gregory is there any reason why you're speaking in Norwegian? And maybe I didn't make myself clear, but we're already here."

"Where is here exactly?" Greg asked slipping back into English.

"In front of your apartment building."

Greg let out another sigh.

"Okay, well I'm at my boyfriends. Here's how you get here..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Erika Sanders was very proud about being a mother. She'd been a young mother, eighteen when she had Greg and she'd made the most of it. She'd married Greg's father, Charles, and started a life for herself determined not to let something as silly as youth and being a mother get in the way of her achieving her dreams.

When her father had gotten her mother pregnant with her older brother, Christoffer, they'd moved to England for most of Erika's life. That was where she had met Charles and developed a love for human anatomy. She wanted to be a doctor more than anything else in her life, but she got pregnant at just the time that a person would start working toward becoming a doctor.

Not that she didn't love her son with everything she had. She did and she wouldn't give up Greg for anything in the world. Charles, who was a good six years older than she was, decided to move them to the states. He promised Erika that once he got a job, she would be able to go to school. All she had to do was watch Greg for a few years.

So she did it and she had a blasted at home with Greg, taking him to school the first day, watching him grow from a baby to a little boy. She knew he was smart. It was definitely good genes. Charles had spent most of his life wishing to be a surgeon and Erika wanted basically the same thing.

When she did start school, Greg was five and starting first grade. The teachers thought he was smart enough to just skip kindergarten all together. Erika had argued with Charles about it. She didn't want Greg to become totally socially inept because he was with kids older than him and wouldn't make friends.

Charles argued that it was best for him and Erika eventually caved. They were living a pretty good life when Erika started school so she couldn't complain. Occasionally she would miss her family, her mother and father and two brothers, but she liked the life they had started despite all that.

When her mother died, she had insisted that her father come live with them. Greg had been sixteen at the time and was a senior in high school. He'd skipped a year or two here and there and was looking for colleges. Her daughter, Anna was nine and pretty much self-reliant. They all agreed that it would be best if Papa Olaf came to live with them. Greg loved his grandfather immensely.

And even though Greg hadn't taken the career path that she would have chosen for him, he was good at what he did and he loved it. She could tell every time he talked about it. She really couldn't complain if her son was happy.

"So Greg's got himself a boyfriend. I wonder if he's older or younger." Anna said.

She looked like her father, light brown hair and grey eyes. She was pretty tall too. Charles was about six feet tall. He and Greg stood shoulder to shoulder. Anna wasn't towering, but she wasn't small like Erika was. Her hair, though naturally light brown was dyed some weird color. Erika guessed that was just a thing with her children. They just loved to dye their hair outrageous colors. Greg had been doing it when he was sixteen.

"Every indication would say he's older, Anniken." Charles said.

Erika smiled. Charles hadn't been the least bit put out that his son was gay. In fact he hadn't said anything much about it when Greg had told them. Of course gay hadn't been the word Greg had used. He'd said that he'd figured out he was a three on the Kinsey scale or something like that. Charles just said 'That's nice son' and had gone back to reading his paper.

"Yup, Greg does like older guys. So is anyone going to knock?" Anna asked.

Erika looked at Charles who looked at Papa Olaf who looked at Anna who let out a sigh and leaned forward to knock on the door.

"Seriously it's not that big a deal. Greg's brought plenty of people home." Anna said.

"He sounded serious about this one." Erika said.

"Great so maybe he'll give you grandkids and you can get over it." Anna said rolling her eyes.

"Anna, be polite." Charles said.

Anna huffed and rolled her eyes again. She started saying something in Norwegian to which Papa Olaf laughed and hushed her at the same time. Erika rolled her eyes.

It took a few seconds before someone opened the door. It was a woman, early fifties maybe with short brown hair and bright green eyes. She had a pleasant smile on her face and greeted them warmly.

"You must be Greg's family. I didn't know that you'd be dropping by until last minute. I'm not sure if there's enough food left. I'm sorry that we ate already, but everyone was starving and I'd been cooking all day. They were a little over anxious." The woman said.

"Please come in. I'm Jillian Stokes. I'm Nick's mother." Jillian said as she moved aside to let Erika and her family inside.

"My husband Bill had to go back home early. Right now it's just my two daughters Christina and Maryann with Nick and Greg, but we're actually leaving tonight." Jillian said.

"Oh, well we aren't going to stay long either. We just wanted to make sure that everything was alright with Greg. You know how children are. They don't call or write or anything and expect you to know that they're fine." Erika said eyeing Greg.

He was sitting on the couch looking very uncomfortable between two women who Erika could only assume were Jillian's daughters. It was a little surprising to see that they didn't look that much younger than Erika herself.

She looked over and saw another man, Erika guessed that was Nick and Greg's boyfriend. He was looking a little shy, bandages covering whatever part of his neck was showing through his shirt and a little bit of his cheek. His eyes looked glossy and he looked a bit anemic, but Erika guessed that what with the trauma of things that was normal.

He was very handsome too. Even though he was wearing sweats, Erika could tell he was probably pretty muscular. He had a charming sort of face and Erika could see what attracted her son to him.

"Oh, yes, I know. Had we not been notified by the city I don't think Nick would have even bothered to tell us about the explosion." Jillian said.

"I know exactly what you mean." Erika said laughingly.

"Oh now, mom, I was planning on telling you..." Greg said standing up from his seat on the couch.

"Save it, Mister. You know I had to find out about him getting lost and stranded while skiing in Canada from his friend's mother. He'd been in and out of the hospital, hypothermia and everything and he didn't even bother to call." Erika said.

"I didn't want to bother you." Greg said looking a little embarrassed.

"Well, that's boys for you... I'm sorry I didn't catch your name." Jillian said.

"Oh, it's Erika. And this is my husband, Charles, and my daughter Anna and my father." Erika said.

"Oh well it's nice to meet you all." Jillian said.

"Nice to met you too." Erika said.

Erika watched as Anna pulled Greg into a hug and Greg gave his father a handshake. Anna than proceeded to babble on and on in Norwegian, Greg joining occasionally and her father spurting words as well. It was hard to get the three of them into a room and not hear a bunch of Norwegian.

"Nick." Greg said.

Nick looked up. Erika watched in amusement as Nick's eyes widened in surprise.

"Papa Olaf would like to talk to you privately." Greg said.

"What... but I thought..."

"Oh the old man can speak English, Nick. He just doesn't like too." Charles said with a laugh.

"He's not going to bite you, Nick." Greg said.

"Oh... okay." Nick said trying to get up from his seat.

Greg rushed over to him to help. Erika could see the love shining through Greg's eyes as he helped Nick and the same love shining through Nick's. Nick got to his feet and Greg helped him walk over to Papa Olaf.

Papa Olaf took Nick's hand and started guiding him through the hallway.

"So... how about we get to know each other."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nick knew exactly how Greg felt now. Being ambushed by family members was not fun. Greg talked about Papa Olaf a lot. It seemed that Papa Olaf was Greg's favorite person in the world and what he said seemed to matter in Greg's opinion.

Papa Olaf had been very supportive of Greg doing whatever he wanted according to Greg. He'd fought really hard and had convinced Greg's dad to let Greg do whatever he wanted. Greg's mom had been harder.

Nick had been pulled into his spare bedroom and Papa Olaf moved around him in circles like he was some sort of creature in a zoo. Nick was beginning to feel nervous when Papa Olaf started to speak.

"Greg... he is my favorite grandson... favorite grandchild really." Papa Olaf said in what Nick guessed was a Norwegian accent. Sounded a little off then how Nick pictured.

"Oh, he talks about you a lot." Nick said feeling utterly lame.

"He does. He's a good boy. Didn't listen to Erika when she was trying to decide his life for him. I liked that. All my other grandkids... they all did what they're parents wanted, but not Greg. He did what he wanted." Papa Olaf said.

"He's a really great CSI."

"Yes, he talks about his job often... and you."

"He talked about me?"

"Yes, he would... what is the word I'm looking for... he would gush. He said that 'Nicky Stokes is the best DNA tech ever. I wish I were as half as good at my job as he is at his.'"

"He did?" Nick said feeling himself blush uncontrollably.

"Yes, he did. He speaks very highly of you. I could tell he was in love with you before I found out that you two were dating. I must say it was a bit slower than I was used to Greg going, but I've noticed that with Gregory... he takes time with the things he wants the most."

"So you don't care that we're dating."

Papa Olaf looked as though he were in deep thought.

"Would it matter if I did care?"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"No." Nick said.

Papa Olaf smiled.

"Then you're just prefect."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Now you call me if you feel like you need someone. Don't you hesitate, Nicholas. Anything at all." Jillian said pulling her son into another hug careful of his injuries.

Nick looked over at Greg who seemed to be getting the same treatment from his mother and father only Nick couldn't really tell because they were speaking in Norwegian. It was pretty late now. Nick's mother and sisters were catching the latest flight possible and it seemed Greg's family was also heading back to San Francisco.

When Nick had asked how they could afford to just come for a few hours, they just shrugged and Greg told him not to ask again. Nick nodded and they talked about something else. Nick had truly liked Greg's parents and Papa Olaf who hadn't talked much after talking to Nick in the spare bedroom.

"I'll call, but I don't think I'm gonna need to, mom." Nick said.

"I just want you to promise that you'll call. You don't need to actually call." She said.

"Alright, I promise."

"Good. Now let Greg take good care of you. He really is a nice boy... man."

"So you're okay with the whole thing?"

"Of course I'm okay with the whole thing. There's no reason why I wouldn't be. And Christina is okay with it too... she just shows it differently." Jillian said.

"You know I wouldn't care if you weren't. He's really special to me mom." Nick said.

"I can see that honey. Trust me we're okay with it."

She moved away so Christina and Maryann could say bye. Maryann gave him a quick kiss before getting into the rent-a-car and Christina stared at him wearily for a second.

"You know his sister is as old as your nephew." She said in an accusatory tone.

"Yes I know Anna is as old as Albert." Nick said shaking his head.

"And his mother is only a year older than I am."

"Yes I knew that."

"And he's still really young. You don't know if..."

"Chrissy... trust me on this one okay. Greg and I... I think it's going for the long haul." Nick said.

"Really?" Chrissy asked in a confused tone.

"Yes, really. It's better that you just accept it and move on."

"Well, I guess I could have a worse brother in law... hell I've had a worse brother in law. I just... I don't..."

Nick stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. They stood there for a few moments before Nick let go.

"I get it, Chris. Really I do. I know you feel bad about not being around when I was a kid, but you gotta lighten up on this big sister act. I'm thirty-four years old. I think I can make my decisions without your help."

"I know, Nicky. I know. Just... be careful okay."

"Yeah okay. I'll be good."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Okay, how does that feel?"

Nick moaned as Greg's hands spread some sort of salve on his burns. It felt so good.

"Feels... better. What is that stuff?"

"Some of the good stuff my mom and dad brought. After they heard about you being in the hospital and assumed that you probably got burned they... took some stuff from their work. Said it was better then whatever stuff the hospital would give you." Greg explained.

"I'll have to send them a thank you letter."

"Yeah, you do just that. They liked you. Said you were the best relationship choice I've ever made. Wish I could say the same thing in regards to me and your family."

"They like you Greg. There's just more of them to please then your family."

"Well Papa Olaf decreed that everyone like you and when he says something people usually listen."

"That's good to know... although your sister threatened me with bodily harm if I ever hurt you."

"That's a sister thing." Greg said continuing to work the salve into Nick's burns.

They itched. Nick hated that they itched, but he figured that it was better than if they were numb. He didn't like that feeling.

"Hey, why don't you get your pills from the bedside table. I'll go get you some water." Greg said.

Nick sighed and nodded his head. He felt as the weight in the bed shifted and Greg went into the kitchen. Nick sat up and grabbed the pills on the besides table. His hands shook and the pills made a rattling noise as he tried to open them.

His hands hadn't stopped shaking since he was in the hospital. The doctors were still hopeful that the shaking would stop. Now they said it was cause from stress. That Nick was under an extreme amount of stress due to his injuries. They were hopeful.

"You need some help with those?"

Nick looked up to see Greg standing in the doorway. He had a glass of water in his hand as he leaned against it for support.

"Yeah, that would be nice."

Greg walked over to the bed, placed the glass down on the bedside table and took the bottle of pills away from Nick. He opened them and pulled out two pills. Nick bunched his hands up into fists and then shook them out. They were still shaking.

"You didn't tell your mom about that I take it." Greg said pointing to Nick's hands.

"What makes you say that?" Nick said looking over at Greg.

"Well she would have insisted on staying if she knew your hands were shaking. She would have also insisted that you not go back to work in three days. Which I'd have to agree with her on. It's a little soon, Nicky."

"It's not soon. It's a day after the doctors said it was okay. Besides you're going back to work tomorrow."

"I'm not the one with third degree burns."

"Can you just give me the pills and the water now." Nick said testily.

Greg sighed and handed over both to Nick who hurriedly put the pills in his mouth and swallowed some water before he could drop the glass.

"Still don't know how you hid that from your mom."

"I willed them to stay still."

"Why aren't you willing them now?"

"I am. It's just... it doesn't always work like that."

"Maybe you should tell Grissom..."

"No... okay no. I'm gonna be fine. I'm gonna go into work and I'm gonna do my job better than anyone else can." Nick said.

Greg was quiet for a few minutes before putting his arm over Nick's shoulders. Nick buried his head in Greg's chest and sighed.

"It's gonna be okay. They'll stop shaking soon I promise." He whispered to Nick.

"I know... I know."

Chapter 18

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