Greg Loves Warrick, Part 1/5
Greg Loves Warrick 1/5
It's The End Of The World
Summary: Greg is minutes away from ending his and Warrick's relationship when the other man is injured in a car accident.
Greg Loves Warrick
01. it's the end of the world
When it comes to resolving his problems with Rick, it’s always tomorrow. He’ll bring it up tomorrow. He’ll break it off tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is finally today. Because Greg doesn't think he can go through another tomorrow with things the way they are today. A guy’s got to have a little self-respect.
Yeah, he loves Warrick. Greg can say that objectively. He loves Warrick, and that probably isn't going to change anytime soon. But, Warrick doesn't love him in return, and that probably isn't going to change anytime soon either. Greg loves Warrick. Warrick doesn't love Greg. What's Greg to do? Greg’s to break it off, because he doesn't want to be one of those people that stays in a relationship constantly hoping…hoping things will change while waiting for the other shoe to drop. He doesn't want to force Warrick to fall in love with him or trap him into some kind of commitment.
So, yeah, Greg loves Warrick, but he loves himself more.
He has it all planned out. He’ll take Warrick to breakfast after shift, and just tell him. He’ll tell Warrick that things aren't working out, tell him that he needs more, tell him that it’s over. And Greg knows it’s stupid, but he’s hoping Warrick won’t let him end it, that he cares enough about their relationship to fight for it. But, Greg’s prepared for the worst, prepared for Warrick to give up on them. He hopes he is at least.
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Greg's getting ready to pick Warrick up when he gets the call. It's Nick. There’s been an accident. Warrick's hurt. He’s at Desert Palms and they're not sure he’s going to pull through. And in a moment, Greg feels his world ending. He rushes to the hospital. Within a few minutes he decides he fucking hates hospitals. They won’t tell him anything. He can’t see Warrick. He's not family. Nick's picking up Grams from the other side of town.
Grissom's already at the hospital and he looks a little shaken. Greg doesn't bother speaking to his boss though. He doesn't want to and he doubts Gris would be receptive to small talk. He takes a seat a few chairs down and bends over, putting his head in his hands, trying to slow his breathing.
He can’t think about losing Warrick right now. He loves Warrick too much for him to die. Yeah, he’d been planning on ending things with Warrick, but he'd also been counting on seeing the other man everyday at work until one of them retired. And he’d been hoping that maybe in a few months or years Warrick would come knocking at his door. Yeah, Greg never wants to be one of those people constantly hoping, but when it comes to Warrick, he seems to be full of hope. First he’s hoping that Warrick won’t let Greg dump him, then he’s hoping that if they do break up Warrick will want him back, and now he’s just hoping Warrick will live.
Greg doesn't care what happens, as long as Warrick is alive. He can deal with anything else that’s thrown his way. He just needs Warrick.
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Nick finally returns to the hospital with Grams. Nick goes off to find a doctor, while Grams comes straight for him. She sits down next to Greg and wraps him in her arms. "You poor boy." Greg wants to bring his head to her chest and just cry. But, he won’t let himself do that. "He’s gonna be fine, Grams."
He and Warrick have been dating for almost a year and a half now. Greg's known Grams almost as long, and there are some weeks when he talks to her more often than her grandson. Greg doesn't have any family in Vegas and she's filled that void willingly, wholeheartedly.
Three heads look up when Nick walks into the waiting room with a doctor. They stand near the doorway talking briefly before the doctor walks away. Nick moves to stand in front of him, Gil, and Grams and repeats what the doctor told him. "Rick's gonna be okay. They…uh…they say his back was injured during the accident. His spinal cord. He can’t feel anything below his waist. They don't know if it's permanent. They're talking about taking him into surgery to relieve the pressure on his cord. The sooner they do it, the better his chances are. They say we can go in and see him if we want. One at a time."
Greg is the last to go into the small room. He doubts he would have recognized his boyfriend if it weren't for the "W. Brown" scrawled on the chart at the foot of his bed. Warrick’s face is one large bruise. Greg steps closer to Warrick and tries to give him a smile. "Hey there, big guy." Greg watches as Warrick lifts his hand and meets him halfway, taking his boyfriend's hand in his. Warrick runs his thumb in circles across the back of Greg's hand, something he used to do a lot when they first started dating, a sign that he was about to start a serious conversation with Greg.
"They told you..."
Greg takes a deep breath. "Yeah, I know. But after the operation...it'll take some time but you'll be good as new."
"You know that’s not true." Warrick closes his eyes in frustration. "God, Greg. Without my legs I can't do my job." He opens his eyes to look at Greg, before dropping his gaze to their joined hands. "I can't...I can't even make love to you."
"Hey, hey. Don’t...I'll take you any way I can get you." Greg sits down in the hard plastic chair next to Warrick's bed. "When Nick called…I’m just so glad you're alive. You don't know...I don’t know what I would've--”
"I love you, Greg."
"You love me?" Greg wants to believe it. He wants to so badly. He wants them to be a normal couple that loves each other and isn't afraid to show it and say it. But they aren't. Getting Warrick to show any kind of normal, genuine affection for him has always been like pulling teeth. Warrick does it so rarely, Greg is hesitant to believe him when he does. And now, after a car accident, possible paralysis, and being pumped full of morphine for the pain, Warrick decides to declare his love for the first time.
Warrick gives him a pained version of his usual wide smile. "I said it, didn't I?"
"Yeah. You did." And Greg's taking everything Warrick says at this point with a grain of salt. He's done getting his heart broken.
Greg turns to the door when he hears a doctor walk in. "We need to prep Mr. Brown for surgery."
Greg nods and stands up. He leans over to brush a soft kiss against Warrick's swollen lips. "You already know how I feel about you. I love you, Rick. I'll be here when you get out of surgery."
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Author's Notes: This is going to be a super super short fic with super super short chapters. I'll be updating it daily.