Nightmares

Greg pulled into the parking lot of the Las Vegas Hilton and parked. He headed into the building, passing the Experience on his way to the front desk. He glanced at the exhibit, noting how crowded it was. A person could probably disappear within the crowd if they wanted.

He strode up to the desk, his thoughts returning to Sara. It hurt to think about her, but it seemed he was destined to love her forever.

Even if she never loved me, he thought, blinking back the tears.

“Can I help you?”

Greg looked up, plastered a false smile on his face and checked in.

Several minutes later, armed with his key card, Greg stepped out of the elevator and strolled down the hall. He glanced at the numbers, searching for his room. He spotted it, almost hidden behind an alcove. He slid the card in the slot, turned the knob and pushed the door open.

He picked up his suitcase and stepped into his room. He shut the door and placed the case on the bed. He closed his eyes as the loneliness crashed in on him.

“Sara,” Greg whispered in despair.

The quiet of the room closed in around him. He could barely breathe as his chest tightened. He needed to get out before he panicked. He had to get his mind on something other than Sara.

Greg left the room and headed down the hall. He stepped into the elevator, grateful it was empty. He rode it down to the first floor and stepped out.

He strode through the casino barely hearing the sounds around him. He spotted the bar off to the side and headed toward it. He sat on a stool and the bartender came over to him.

“What’ll you have?”

“Rum and Coke,” Greg answered.

The bartender nodded and left to fill the order. He came back a moment later with a Collins glass. He placed it in front of Greg then left again.

Greg stared at the drink for a moment, wondering if this was a good idea. It wouldn’t solve his problems, probably only make them worse.

At the moment, I don’t care, he thought as he picked up the glass and took a drink.

It burned on the way down, but it warmed him somewhat. He sighed and took another drink. He finished it off and asked for another.

“Lady problems?” The bartender asked as he placed another glass in front of him.

Greg raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the bartender.

“How’d you guess?” Greg asked, taking another drink.

“It always is,” the man answered. “Plus you look like crap.”

Greg took a long drink, finished it off. He set the glass down, staring at the bartender.

“Another?”

He nodded and the bartender shook his head. Another glass was placed in front of him and he took a sip.

“She won’t talk to me,” Greg said, his voice slightly slurred. “She won’t let me help her. She doesn’t love me.”

“Harsh. How long have you been together?”

“Three months. I’ve loved her forever, though,” he answered before he took another long drink.

“There’s other fish in the sea, you know.”

Greg smiled and shook his head. “Not like her.”

The bartender shook his head and walked away.

Greg sighed and finished off the drink. His head had a nice buzz and he felt woozy. He knew then he was on his way to being good and drunk. Sara’s indifference to him would be forgotten in no time.

He called the bartender over for another. He didn’t want to be able to think for the rest of the night. He didn’t want to feel anything at all.

“You might want to take it easy there, kid,” the bartender said as he placed a fourth glass in front of Greg.

“Don’t care,” he said as he picked up the glass. “Want to die.”

“You’ve got it bad.”

Greg smiled, “You don’t know the half of it.”


~*~


Thirty minutes later, Greg stumbled into his hotel room. The bartender told him to go home after his sixth Rum and Coke. He wanted to stay, drink until he dropped, but the bartender had other ideas.

He dropped onto the bed, his head spinning. He put his head in his hands as if doing so would keep it still.

“Sara,” Greg whispered, his voice rough to his ears. “Why don’t you love me?”

Drinking obviously made things worse. He was nauseous and his heart ached. He had never been more miserable in his life. He couldn’t take it anymore, the agony was too much.

He couldn’t make her love him. He was too heart sick to try to let her fall in love with him. He was tired of trying his usual antics.

He couldn’t help loving her, but he didn’t want to live without her love. He didn’t want to live at all.

Greg sighed. He felt empty and lifeless. A shell of his former self.

He forced himself to stand and head into the bathroom. He stared at his reflection in the mirror for several minutes, his thoughts in turmoil.

Would she care if I died? Greg thought grimly. Would her nightmares stop then?

Greg’s vision blurred and he swayed for a moment. He grabbed the edge of the sink to steady himself, his eyes closed. The dizziness passed and he opened his eyes. If anything he looked worse than he did before. His eyes were dead and he looked pale as if he hadn’t been out in the sun in months.


~*~


Sara sat up on the couch, a scream in her throat. She looked around and saw she was in the break room. She ran a hand through her hair as she forced the panic down.

The dream had been more vivid than any of the others. It was also different and it frightened her. She jumped off the couch and ran down the hall, searching for Greg.

“Sara!”

Sara stopped and turned to see Catherine hurrying toward her.

“Have you seen Greg?” Catherine asked, results in her hand. “We have a break in the case. Seems our victim was killed by her own brother.”

Sara shook her head, “I haven’t seen him. I’m looking for him as well.”

“I paged him awhile ago, but he hasn’t answered,” Catherine mentioned as they walked down the hall.

“I’ll call him,” Sara said as she pulled out her cell.

“I sent Greg home,” Grissom said, stepping out of his office. “He looked ill.”

Sara’s stomach fell as the images of her dream returned. She quickly dialed their home phone, hoping he was there. She listened to it ring, her heart pounding.

“Please answer,” she whispered, not caring if the other two knew her distress.

The answering machine picked up and she left a frantic message. She hung up and tried his cell.

She tapped her foot impatiently, her fear growing with each ring. She received his voice mail and she left a message. She hung up as tears stung her eyes.

“He’s not answering,” she whispered as a tear ran down her cheek.

“He’s probably asleep,” Grissom said.

Sara shook her head as she wiped away the tears. She drew in a shaky breath before she spoke.

“I had another nightmare,” she said as he legs shook. “They’ve all been about Greg. In each of them, the stalker kills him.”

“I can see why you didn’t want to tell him,” Catherine said as she led them into Grissom’s office.
Sara sat, her legs unable to hold her up. She stared at the floor as the nightmare returned to her. Her heart clinched as a sob escaped her.

“This one was different,” she whispered, her voice shaky. “The stalker didn’t kill him.”

“Who does Sara?” Grissom asked, concern in his voice.

Sara looked up at him, hot tears racing down her face.

“Greg,” she answered, her voice breaking. “He kills himself.”

Grissom stared at her as if letting her words sink in.

“Greg wouldn’t do something like that,” Catherine said. “It was just a dream, Sara. He hasn’t been himself lately and your subconscious is trying to get you to notice it.”

Sara ran a hand through her hair. The dream scared her and she was worried about Greg. The last time she had seen him, he had been a wreck. Thinking back on it now, the look in his eyes, the sound of his voice, she was terrified.

“I have to go home,” she said, standing. “I need to make sure he’s all right.”

Grissom nodded and Sara left the room.

“Sara, wait,” Catherine said, following her. “Let me drive you.”

Sara continued walking, but she nodded. She needed to get to Greg fast. Her heart raced in fear and dread. She hoped her dream didn’t come true.