The echo of her heels against the tile seemed louder now; the emptiness in the lab left a deafening silence. Catherine walked slowly, exhausted... but her steps were filled with determination. She headed straight for that familiar office, knowing he could be nowhere else.

Upon arriving, she was met with the sight of Sara just leaving, and for a moment jealousy seared her heart. The young brunette had never been subtle with her feelings toward the graveshift supervisor, and Catherine was often left wondering just what there was to their history.

"He's not responding to..." the brunette sighed and shrugged her slim shoulders, "anything. Not even his own name."

Catherine nodded, expecting as much. "Thanks. I'll take it from here."

"Okay." Sara was downcast, and dried tear tracks were still visible on the young woman's face.

Catherine squeezed Sara's hand as she brushed past, a look exchanged offering silent support. This was a blow for every member of the team.

However, as she listened to Sara's footfalls fading and turned her eyes back toward the lone figure in the dark office, she knew that it was hardest on only one of them.

She softly rapped her knuckles on the doorframe. "Gil?"

He was sitting unmoving in his chair, back facing the door. Catherine took a few more steps forward. "Gil."

No response came, as expected, so Catherine determinedly took the remaining steps into the office and around the desk so she could look him in the eyes. When she met his eyes, a quick intake of breath came; his eyes were vacant, lifeless... dull. She dropped to her knees in response, her voice escaping in nothing more than a whisper. "Oh, Gil..."

He lifted his eyes to hers, the first sign that he was aware of her presence. He still said nothing, instead resuming his vacant stare straight ahead.

Catherine grasped his hand, her heart breaking for what felt like the hundredth time over the past few days. "You made the right choice," she told him, low and certain.

He gave no verbal response, but licked his dry lips and swallowed. Catherine followed the motion with her eyes, waiting patiently for him to speak.

It seemed to take hours, but finally, she heard his voice... hoarse and slightly gravelly from staying mute for so long. "My whole life... I've made terrible decisions."

Catherine furrowed her brows at this statement, but stayed quiet, allowing him to continue.

"In high school, college... after college. I've made terrible decisions regarding you, regarding Sara, Eddie, Heather, Nick. I waited forever to tell you how I felt about you, I led Sara on, I never told you about Eddie cheating, I accused Heather of something she didn't do, and I kept secrets from Nick regarding his kidnapping. Name an area of my life and I can name a bad decision that was made. And now..."

Catherine shook her head, squeezing his hand to bring him back to her. "This time, you made the right choice, Gil. You made the right choice for Jim."

"What about his family? His daughter, Ellie?" Those vacant eyes met hers again. "Did I make the right choice for them too?"

"Gil, you can't look at it that way. You know that you did what was best for Jim."

"He was like a brother to me," he admitted in a shaking voice.

Catherine nodded, blinking back the oncoming tears while swallowing the rising lump in her throat. "I know."

"I never told him that. Another bad decision."

She smiled tearfully and rubbed his hand between both of hers. "And this is going to sound trite, but... he knew. He knew without you telling him, Gil. Just like how I knew what you felt for me without you saying anything. We were just that close. So were you and Jim."

"I've lost too many people in my life, Catherine. I lost my father, my mother... now my brother. Not to mention we almost lost Nick last year, who's like my son. I've lost almost my entire family, Cath."

"But there are so many of us still here with you, Gil." She tilted her head and attempted a reassuring smile, though the tilt caused a tear to slip down her cheek. "You've still got me... and Lindsey. And Nick, and Greg, and Warrick, and Sara. We're still here."

"But how long until I lose another one of you? And who will it be next time? Will Sara and Greg get blown up again? Will Nick go missing again? Or Warrick? And then you..." He shook his head vehemently, tears threatening to spill out of his vacant blue eyes. "Cath, I can't ever lose you."

She squeezed his hand again, as tight as she could, to get her point across. She ducked her head slightly to meet his gaze. "I'm not going anywhere, Gil. Not right now."

"You will, though."

She nodded. "Death is inevitable, and you know that. You said it yourself once -- it's the existential paradox: we feel that we are immortal, yet we know we will die. You can't let that keep you from living, Gil."

He swallowed hard once more and croaked out, "When's the wake?"

Catherine swiped at the wetness under her eyes. "Wednesday, at four."

He nodded, squeezing her hand. He met her eyes. "Will you... help me clean out his desk?"

She nodded back and once again fought with her tears, the gravity of the situation looming over them once more. "Of course I will."

Gil rose, lethargically, to his feet and helped Catherine up. When they were face-to-face, they stood and searched each other's eyes for long moments, until Catherine stepped forward -- much like that day in the hospital 3 years prior -- and folded her arms around him, closing her eyes.

His arms wrapped tight around her in return, holding on to her as if she was his last living hope.

"You made the right choice," she whispered again.

And then his tears fell.

FINIS