TITLE: Ecklie's Apology CHARACTERS: Conrad Ecklie, Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle, Gilbert Grissom. RATING: PG-13 (for swears) SUMMARY: Ecklie's gone against his better judgement and decided to visit Warrick in the hospital. OPEN/CLOSED: Closed STATUS: Complete
Conrad took a deep breath before getting out of his car at the hospital. He was sure there wouldn't be anyone from the crime lab there visiting- it was after visiting hours, for one, and Grissom's team were all at the lab, backed up with evidence from Warrick's case. You can do this, he assured himself as he walked into the lobby.
"Can I help you?" the nurse at the front desk asked as he approached.
"I'm with the Crime Lab, I'm here to see Warrick Brown," Ecklie repeated the lines he'd rehearsed in the car, trying not to sound quite as heartless as he usually did.
The nurse nodded, looking up the name on her computer, "Room 519B, if you-"
Ecklie walked over to the elevator once he had the room number. He'd been to this hospital many times when he still worked in the field. The ride up in the elevator felt excruciatingly long. When he stepped out on the fifth floor, he turned left and walked straight into Warrick's room without knocking. What's he going to do, tell me to go away? he thought.
When he saw his colleague laying there, more tubes and IVs in attached to him than he probably had veins in his body, he gasped. He hadn't expected it.
"Wow, Warrick, you look like shit," he said, walking over to the bed. He sighed.
"Listen, Warrick. I'm sorry. There's no reason you should be here," he said, his voice softer than it had been, "We're doing all that we can to find your assailant. I swear, we will bring them to justice."
It was rare for Conrad to feel compassionate regarding a case. But, now he was actually the closest to tears he'd been since his divorce. "You better snap out of this, Brown," he said, shaking off his emotions, "If you let this shit kill you, then you're not the CSI I thought you were."