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Who is David Hodges?	By : Fel5 Category: CSI > General Views: 1917 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or any of the related characters used in this story, nor do I make any profit of it, whatsoever.

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Aaand back,
this time with some quiet, sad Stodges quality time. Enjoy, and please remember
to R&R!^^

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A day as
any other

Everybody
had noticed; even those who didn�t seem to care: Hodges was clearly becoming
more and more withdrawn and tight-lipped.
More than
often the trace tech could be seen marching down the hall at a sharp pace,
handing out results and picking up sampled evidence as he went. No more random
comments, quips, informational tidbits and movie quotes; he hardly greeted,
barely talked and never smiled �or smirked.
And a
non-smirking Hodges was not fun to be with.
The rumors
about the trace tech�s current blue mood ranged far and wide; some argued, that
he had been in denial and only come to truly realize, that Warrick was gone
forever.
Others
whispered, that he had had a fangirl crush on Gil and now, finding himself
without his idol, didn�t bother keeping up an even remotely friendly attitude.
Most
thought that Wendy had shot him down in earnest and that the poor, poor lad(hence
the sarcasm) was now nursing both his bruised pride and shattered heart.
And then
there were those few, who really couldn�t stand Hodges, that claimed that him
not having even made it on the list of potential cantidates for Gil�s postion
had majorly offended him. Of course, that rumor didn�t have too many followers,
still, it was obvious that the trace tech was troubled by something.

He wiped is
eyes with his left palm, then cupped his face in his hands, letting his eyes
roam tiredly, unseeing over the microscope and samples before him.
That�s how
Nick found him some fifteen minutes later, when he walked in with two paper
bags full of evidence from a supposed arson outside of town.
Black brows
shot up in disbelief, when the Texan took in the lab worker�s distraught
appearance.
�Hodges?
That you?� He sat the bags down and moved closer to the aforementioned, gazing
in worried wonder at the man before him.
�Good
grief, Hodges, you look worse than death!� Hodges sighed, as he let his
forearms slide down and cross on the table he sat at.
�Coming
from you, I�ll take you know what you�re talking about. Now, what�ve you got
for me?�
�No, no,
forget about the evidence for a second �Hodges, you look awful!�
Tired,
slate-blue eyes regared him levelly, before he growled,
�Yeah, so
what�s it to you?�
Nick shook
his head; a vague, incredulous half-smile quirking his lips.
�It�s just
�I�ve never seen you look anything short from perfect, that�s all.�
It was
true; Hodges� hair looked as if he�d got out of bed and barely taken the time
to comb it down with his bare fingers, it was slightly tousled and had grown
down to the neck of his shirt, vanishing beneath the collar. There was a
three-days shade gracing his chin and cheeks, though Nick had to admit, it did
suit Hodges�quite well. Too bad the bags settled beneath his eyes were big
enough to drown puppies, still, Nick would have paid serious money for a
picture of this slightly disshelved Hodges.
�You know,
you look good with the stubble; you might actually consider leaving it that
way, it�s very �Mel Gibson�, he ended lamely. He had meant to say �Don
Johnson�, but wasn�t sure, how the trace tech would react to that stab.
David
cocked one narrow, pointed brow.
�We�ve gone
from Fred Astaire to Mel Gibson. Oh joy. Tell me, where will this end- at Jack
Nicholson, perhaps?�
He huffed,
puffing his cheeks and reached out for the first bag�
�I�m sorry,
Hodges. I didn�t mean to�insult you. How about I invite you for breakfast?�
offered Nick, crossing his fingers and saying a quick prayer, that the trace
tech would accept.
Who just
gave him a skeptical gaze.
�No thanks,
I�m not in the mood to squeeze myself between six or seven babbling idiots in a
crowded diner stuffed with cops and-�
�No
problem, the other�s won�t be there, don�t worry. I know a small, quiet coffee
shop that serves a decent egg muffin and cream-filled bagels with their bacon.�
Hodges
snorted.
�Yeah,
right, I can already hear the other�s gossipping; how Grissom�s chair ain�t
even cold yet and I�m already kissing up to the new boss. No thanks, Nick, it�s
highly appreciated, but-�
�I�m not
your supervisor!� interjected the Texan, fearful that his oh so brilliant
last-minute plan would backfire.
Hodges
blinked in confusion.
�Why not? I
thought it was all settled and agreed on.�
�Yes well,�
Nick squirmed beneath Hodges� questioning gaze, �it�s not like they really asked
me in the first place. They just looked at all the candidates and kinda
figured, y� know, I was the one, since Catherine declined. And I don�t really
think I�m up for that �kind of responsibility. I mean, it�s one thing to handle
a trainee or two, but a whole team-�
�I think
you should take the offer. You would make great supervisor.�
If there
was one thing David Hodges truly enjoyed, it was to make other people�s jaw
drop in amazement.
Or
disbelief, whatever worked best.
Seeing Nick
Stokes stand there, speechless, brought the faintest spark of amusement into
his otherwise so dreary life.
The Texan
fought the blush creeping up his neck and queried,
�Really?
You actually think so?�
David
shrugged.
�Sure.
You�re compassionate, caring, reliable, loyal, smart, down to earth, friendly,
outgoing, strong, humble, forgiving, social, honest and fun. Not to mention all
your field experience and excellent reputation, but I�m really only stating the
obvious.�
He leaned
forward, and for the first time in days-weeks?- Nick saw a glint of the old
David Hodges in the otherwise dull orbs.
�Nick, I
don�t know if you�ve realized this, but the team is falling apart here. Never
mind how good Riley and Langston are, but �Nick, we need you. The team
needs you. Catherine does all she can to keep it together, but without you,
it�s a lost cause.�
Hodges
closed his eyes, and Nick felt his heart give painful tug, when he saw the
trace tech�s mask slip to reveal so much hurt and worry, it made him forget his
own troubles. Then Hodges� eyes reopened and the veil was back in place.
�I know,
taking upon Grissom�s heritage is an �immense weight to carry, but you�re not
alone in this. Trust me. Each and every member of the team has your back. And
I�m certain that Brass and Ecklie will be waiting at your beck and call to help
you out whenever you�re at wit�s end. Just..don�t let your insecurities make
you hesitate in taking what�s rightfully yours.�
The Texan
gaped, tears brimming his brown eyes, and he wished for nothing more than
Catherine and the others to witness Hodges speak these words. This was the man
he had fallen in love with, the part of himself Hodges only showed when he
deemed the occasion �or person- worthy of. For a moment, Nick was sure he heard
violins, as a warm, fuzzy feeling settled in his stomach and spread throughout
his body.
He gave a
small, shy laugh, then muttered,
�Yeah,
well, I guess, with you folks backing me up�I�ll consider it.�
Hodges
frowned.
�Don�t
consider. Just take it.� This time, Nick chuckled for real.
Nodding, he
agreed,
�Fine. But
only if you�ll have breakfast with me.�
Hodges
reclined in his chair and gave him his patented don�t- freakin�-kid-me-look.
�Are you blackmailing
me?� Nick gave a warm, if not cocky smile.
�Of course
not. I�m only trying to help you with �whatever�s troubling you. Consider it a
..favour returned.�
Hodges
stuck his tongue into his right cheek.
�That
sounds like something Sanders would do. You picked that up from Greg, right?�
Nick merely
grinned.
�Hey, I
always try to learn form the best!�

�-brought
over her weekly groceries, finding her sprawled on the floor, in a puddle of
her own blood. Taking into fact that it had already congealed, she must have
been there about�three hours, if not more. She was barely concious, when the
paramedics pulled up the drive and her hands �God, her hands were like ice.�
Nick was
shaken by Hodges� tale, as how his mother had apaprently fell off a stepstool and
cracked her temple bone open on the kitchen counter. No wonder the trace tech
was out of sorts, what with his mother lying in an intensive care ward,
floating in and out of awareness.
�I called
the home nursing institute to ask where the hired help, who was supposed to
check on mom twice a day, had been. Turned out she was on a sabbatical and they
had sent a replacement. Who obviously never showed up.�
He leant
forward and placed his elbows on the diner table, massaging his eyes and
forehead with his fingers.
Nick got
lost imaginating those nimble hands glide over his own shoulders, down his arms
and back over his-
��been
there every single day, since it happened. The doctors say that she should be
getting better soon, but�nothing�s really happened so far, y� know. Sometimes I
think she recognizes me, then she falls asleep again and��
Nick
returned his attention back to Hodges� story; glad, that he had chosen the
privacy of this little establishment.
Tony�s was really not more than a secluded
old shab huddled in the corner between a pawn shop and a costume vendor; a
small, but clean place with only four tables, seats and a counter, but the food
was good and the coffee fresh-brewed and deliciously strong.
Currently,
the only people aside of him and David were the waitress/cook and a guy sitting
at the table farthest off, typing away at his laptop. Nick was certain, in the
crowded buzzhive that was the CSIs� usual hangout, Hodges would have probably
never opened up to him.
Nervously
nudging the empty cup before him, the dark-haired CSI asked,
�So, how
are you going to handle this?�
Hodges
merely shook his head, tired beyond reason.
�I..don�t
know. I once promised her, never to send her to a nursing home, but..in
the� -condition she is, I hardly got any
other choice. I �just can�t take care of her properly. It�s just��
He wanted
to reach out, wanted to embrace the anguished man before him, tell him
everything would turn out right and that he would help him, no matter what.
Instead,
Nick merely stared at his empty plate, tapped his fingers on the polished
surface of the table and mumbled,
�Yeah.�

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Yeah, I�m
evil. Putting poor Hodges through such traumatic events. Then again, it does
give Nick the ideal opportunity to offer a friendly shoulder should Hodges ever
need one. Not that Nick would be the scheming type, he will probably just sit
back and let everybody�s favourite lab tech come to terms with his mother�s
accident, before even thinking of making a move.
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Who is David Hodges?