Cutting My Losses

Nick was pissed. His best friend was hurting, and the person responsible was no where to be found. Lucky for him. Nick sighed and looked over the car that he was currently dusting for prints. Warrick was working on the other side, completely focused. Nick then thought back to last night's shift.

He and Warrick hadn't talked over the weekend, which was unusual for them. On any given day they were likely to talk more than once. Nick had just assumed that Warrick was enjoying his two days off doing other things. Namely, taking Greg out of Vegas and doing whatever he and Greg did when they were together. Definitely not something Nick wanted a mental image of.

So when he came into work last night, he expected to see both Warrick and Greg back from their little weekend with a couple of satisfied grins. As soon as he got in he went to the break room, sure that Warrick would be there, and of course, he was right. He grabbed himself a cup of coffee before taking a seat across from his friend.

"So, how was your weekend?"

"Fine." Nick knew automatically that something was wrong. Warrick's tone was curt, and the man barely looked at him, keeping his eyes on the cup of coffee he was sipping instead. He obviously didn't want to talk about it, but Nick had never let that stop him before.

"You guys didn't go away, did you?" He already knew the answer to his question, but he listened as Warrick recounted exactly what happened in that calm and collected voice, as if he was completely detached from the situation.

"After we picked up breakfast, I went to Greg's apartment. He wasn't there. A few of his things were packed. I'm guessing he left sometime that morning."

"He hasn't called you?"

"No, I haven't heard from him."

XXXXXXXXXX

Nick continued to dust the car as he thought back to that conversation. If he had known how things were going to turn out, he would have kept his mouth shut right there. But where Rick was quick to make judgments, Nick tended to give people the benefit of the doubt.

"Just because he left, doesn't mean he left you, Rick," Nick said, but the other man had just shrugged his shoulders.

"It had to end sooner or later." Nick wasn't so sure of that. He really thought Greg and Warrick were going to make it. Greg was obviously infatuated with Warrick, and Nick just didn't see him bailing on their relationship like that. If only he could make Warrick see that.

"Stop jumping to conclusions, man. Greg hasn't called you, saying it's over. He--"

"He's probably trying not to hurt my feelings. Or, he's--"

"Have you ever known Greg not to speak his mind? If he didn't want to be with you anymore, he'd tell you. He's always calling you on your shit."

"He used to. Before the explosion. He's different now."

And for once, Nick got a real glimpse of how much the accident had affected both Greg and Warrick and their relationship. When something like that happens, you try to understand what the person is going through, what they're feeling, but you can never understand completely. You're too far removed. Everything you say sounds meaningless and pathetic to your own ears. That's how Nick felt as he tried to talk to Warrick in the break room. And looking back, he had to wonder if that was how Warrick felt every time he tried to talk to Greg about the explosion.

"Warrick, I know things have been different since the explosion, and I know you and Greg have been having some problems, but I also know you and Greg care about each other. So, give him a chance, okay? For all we know, there could have been some family emergency and he had to leave town quick."

"Maybe--"

Just then Grissom walked in. He handed out assignments and began sharing some news. "Guys, the lab is probably going to be backed up for awhile, and I don't see that changing for the next week or so. Greg called in. He's put in vacation time for the next week or so."

Nick had looked at Warrick just in time to see that last bit of hope die in his eyes. Apparently Greg had the presence of mind to call off of work but not Warrick. Gris left and the two men walked out to the parking lot. Nick just had to try one more time.

"Maybe--"

"Maybe you should just mind your own business, Nick." And with that said, Warrick had walked ahead of him and got into the Denali .

XXXXXXXXXX

Since then Warrick wouldn't talk to him unless it had to do with the case. An hour or so ago, Nick had suggested Warrick give Greg a call instead of waiting for the younger man to call. He was basically told to shut up and that Warrick would not be calling Greg anytime this millennium. Nick had just rolled his eyes. He had already known Warrick wouldn't call. The guy was as stubborn as a mule. So was Greg though. In a way, Nick kind of credited himself with getting those two together, and now it was all going to shit. Nick lifted a couple of prints and sighed.

Warrick and Greg had been working together for years and while they were friends, they weren't close. They rarely hung out outside of work, and even then it was usually with a group. Over the last year or so, Nick had been becoming better friends with Greg and started inviting him along whenever he and Rick were hanging out. Soon enough, Warrick and Greg were hanging out on their own. They both had a love for music and going out and meeting new people.

Nick knew that he was kind of a homebody, and while he didn't mind going out, he didn't really enjoy it either. So he was happy that when he declined an invite for a night out on the town, both Warrick and Greg had someone they could hang with. And then Rick told him that he was going to ask Greg out. To say it came as a shock would be putting it mildly. At first glance Warrick and Greg were complete opposites.

Warrick grew up in the city, raised by his single grandmother. He'd experienced everything Vegas has to offer. You couldn’t surprise him. He had a "been there, done that" attitude that always made him seem older than he was. He took everything seriously, from his job to his relationships. Greg couldn't take something seriously if his life depended on it. At least that's how it seemed at times. Nick knew the younger man had a serious side, he just rarely chose to show it. Greg was raised by both his parents near the beach, and Nick can still see that ‘surfer dude’ personality in him. For Greg it was all about having fun with what he was doing. He rode the wave, went with the flow. He didn't have that antagonistic personality that sometimes got Warrick into trouble.

So, yeah, they were total opposites, but they worked. They balanced each other out. Warrick grounded Greg. The lab tech's mind was always going a thousand miles a minute, and Warrick was there to bring him back to reality. Greg encouraged Warrick to not take himself so seriously. For those first three months, Nick had never seen Warrick happier. The man almost always had a smile on his face. Then the lab exploded. And things changed.

Nick thought about the aftermath of the explosion and sighed.

"Goddamnit, Nick. If you sigh one more time..." Nick looked up, making eye contact with Warrick. "Just stop thinking about it, okay?"

"How do you know what I'm--"

"You're thinking so loud I'm sure everyone in the lab can hear you. Don't worry about it. I'm fine. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, huh?" Warrick tried to laugh at that, but it came out all wrong. It didn't sound like him. It sounded fake and cold and humorless.

"Don't say that, man. And I know you're not fine, so don't lie to me, okay?"

"Yeah." And Warrick went back to lifting prints, focusing on his work. Nick had only been working for five hours, and he'd already had enough of this. He had to do something about it. If Greg didn't call Warrick in the next 24 hours, Nick was going to call Greg himself. After all, what were best friends for?