Nick slammed the community fridge door in the lounge. I watched him huff about something as he stood with his hands on his hips.
"I can't believe he put something else in there!" He said
"What is it?" I asked, as I sat back on the couch.
"I don't know it looks like an animal in a jar."
Shaking my head I looked up seeing Grissom come in with his empty coffee cup and a folder under his arm.
"Man, why do you put things in the fridge?" Nick asked
"Because the others were full." He said, pouring a cup as he looked at him.
"That is not cool. You ruined my food!"
Grissom dug into his pocket handing Nick some money.
"Take that and buy something."
Nick made a sound walking out holding the cash. I smiled as I looked down at the magazine I was looking at.
Grissom sipped his coffee looking over at me. I glanced over at him before flipping a page.
"Did you get the plant?" He asked, as he slowly walked over.
"Yes, thank's."
"The other night was fun."
"I had fun to." I said, looking at him.
"Maybe we could do something again soon."
"If you want to."
He nodded drinking from his cup.
Sophia Curtis walked with me up a hill. It had just rained and everything was muddy and wet. Grissom walked ahead of us looking at the muddy water ahead with a dead woman floating in it. We all stopped looking at the body and the muddy water.
"This going to be fun." I said
Just then the rain started up again. Sophia and I looked at each other as it started pouring. Grissom put on his black rain coat pulling at the hood. Police stood around getting soaked.
He walked over to Dave and his helpers from the morgue talking to them.
"Want to draw straws?" She asked me
"Don't bother, I will go." I said
The men nodded to Grissom and then they started to go in the water. Grissom came over to us.
"They are going to bring the body in and we will set up a tent and work under that." He said
We began to set up the tent as Dave and his group brought the woman up. I shined my light in the water looking around seeing something white floating on the surface. Grissom watched me pull up my fishing wading pants.
"What are you doing?" He asked
"I saw something out there." I said
"Okay."
I walked over to the water going in. The mud under the water was strong and gripping. At one point I got stuck, but with a little pulling I got loose. Halfway there I tripped falling into the muddy water. I could feel the water rushing in my pants. I coughed trying to get up. I went under trying to make it up to the surface.
I could not breathe. My lungs screamed for oxygen. Just when I was blacking out someone pulled me up releasing me from my wading boots. Grissom swam back to land with some difficulty. Dave and Sophia waited to help reaching out to grab me.
"Take her!" He yelled, lifting me out to them. They grabbed my shoulders pulling me in laying me on the wet ground. Grissom coughed kneeling beside me getting the mud off my face. He blew into my mouth then pushed on my chest. I arched my back coughing as he pushed me onto my side. As I breathed in and out fast I could feel someone smoothing my muddy hair away from my face.
I turned seeing the worried face of Grissom looking down at me. Sophia and he helped me up and I sat down in one of the Tahoe's with some blankets over me. At one point Grissom opened the door looking at me.
"Are you okay?" He asked
"I think so." I said, holding the blanket tighter.
He sighed touching my leg.
"We are almost done so just relax."
"Okay."
He shut the door going back to the tent. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew Grissom was getting in the driver's seat starting the engine. He looked over at me watching as I closed my eyes again laying my head on the window. Cranking up the heat he went in reverse then drove to the main road.
I took a long shower back at the lab feeling clean again. Warrick came into the locker room seeing me.
"Hey, I heard about your swim." He said, as he opened his locker.
"It was scary." I said, opening mine.
"Well I am glad you are all right." He said
"Thank's." I said
I walked back joining Sophia and Grissom in the layout room. The woman's clothes were out on the table and some other things.
"There is not much to work on so try to find anything." Grissom said "Sara, can I see you outside?"
I walked out joining him.
"I want you to go home and rest."
"We are working the case." I said
"We are you are not." He said
Sophia looked over at us talking outside seeing that I was animated moving my hands around as Grissom listened flexing his jaw.
"Sara, you had an accident. Go home." He said, before returning to the room. Sophia said something looking over at me looking at Grissom with my hands crossed over my chest looking mad. Grissom talked to her looking over at me. I rolled my eyes walking away.
When I got home I went to bed exhausted. My dream took on a scary nature as I was underwater and I could not get up. I woke sitting up breathing fast hearing my cell phone ringing on my bedside table. I grabbed it falling back on the mattress.
"Sidle." I said, breathless.
"Sara, are you all right?" Grissom asked
"Yeah, just had a bad dream." I said, rubbing my eyes.
"About last night?"
"Yes, but I am all right now."
"I can come over."
"You don't need to."
He looked up at my apartment door.
"Where are you?"
"I am standing on a sidewalk."
"Where?" I asked, getting up.
"Just a sidewalk."
I opened my door seeing him standing below waving at me.
"You are worried about me." I said
"Yes I am."
"You can come up."
"I think I should go."
"Please come up."
"Okay."
I watched him hang up then walked up the stairs. I walked over to the stairs listening to him climb the first two floors. He stopped as he stood in front of me smiling faintly.
"My neighbors think you are stalking me anyway."
"Did you tell them I am your boss?"
"Somehow that sounds worse."
I took his hand leading him to my place. He laid back on my couch with his arm under his head looking at the ceiling. I put a blanket over him laying down beside him putting my head on his chest.
"Since you left I could not concentrate on anything." He said
"I'm fine." I said, putting my hand under his shirt touching his chest.
"Our time is so limited on this earth."
"You're a bundle of laughs."
"I'm sorry." He said, before kissing my head.
"That's okay. Your still upset about what happened."
"You aren't?"
"I was, but I feel better." I said
He kissed my head again closing his eyes sighing against my head. His breathing slowed down telling me that he was asleep. I couldn't, worried that I would have another nightmare. I listened to his slow heartbeat feeling his every breath. As he began to snore I got up carefully making sure the blanket was over him then I went about doing things.
Grissom moved to his side smelling something good. He heard me walking around feeling my lips on his temple. He opened his eyes seeing my smiling face looking down at him.
"It's 1:30. I made us some food." I said, quietly.
"Smells good." He said
"Come on." I said, grabbing his hand pulling him up.
Grissom had a meeting with the sheriff leaving Sophia and I to work. She and I ate in the lounge talking seeing Grissom walk down the hallway shaking hands with a man in a suit. He walked in seeing is together at the table.
"Did you find anything?" He asked, as he walked over.
"No, it looks like the water washed any evidence away." Sophia said
"We need to look again." He said
"We have already looked three times." I said
"Well then you won't mind looking a fourth time." He said
I sighed looking at Sophia. Grissom walked out without another word. I watched him go thinking about the man shaking his hand. At the end of shift I walked into his open office not seeing him anywhere. I walked over to his desk seeing a large manila envelope. I saw his name on it and it was open. Looking back seeing no one I lifted it up taking out the first thing I saw which was a letter. I felt my breath halt as I read the words lecture and six months in Washington D.C. Setting the letter back inside the envelope I stood in stunned silence.
Grissom came in seeing me standing still by his desk.
"Sara?"
I turned looking at him watching his expression turn to concern as my face turned white.
"You okay?" He asked
"Your leaving?" I asked
He walked over looking confused then he saw the envelope on his desk.
"You read the letter?"
"The envelope was open." I said, looking hurt. "When were you going to tell me?"
"I was going to."
"When do you leave?"
"On Monday." He said
I sort of laughed then I walked by him.
"Sara, I was going to tell you after work."
I turned looking at him.
"It's Friday."
He watched me walk out in pain. I didn't see him at all on the weekend. On Monday he came into the locker room seeing me getting stuff out of my locker. I watched him look at me from the door.
"My Taxi is here." He said
"Okay."
He nodded getting ready to leave.
"I'll miss you."
I looked at him shutting my locker.
"Good."
He stared at me then walked out. I sighed looking at the empty doorway missing him. I knew the reason he hardly called was because of his schedule. I met a man named Matt who took an interest in me. He was a new policeman from Chicago. It began as a harmless flirtation on his part. I resisted his advances because of Grissom, but as the time wore on I felt a connection.
On an evening off I led him to my apartment after having dinner. He took my hand taking my keys as we stopped just outside.
"I will see you tomorrow." He said
"I am sure you will." I said
He looked at the door then at me. I moved closer kissing him feeling his arms go around me pushing me against him. He moved back searching my eyes. I reached down getting my keys from him opening my door.
"Goodnight."
"Sara, would it be to early to ask…?"
"I need time." I said
"Okay."
I smiled at him then I closed the door. Matt stared at the door then he turned to leave. He lit a cigarette near his car looking around then he walked around the building looking at the balconies on the back seeing stairs leading up to each one.
Grissom entered the building looking around feeling better about coming back. He spent the day getting the pile of papers off his desk when he looked up seeing me and a man walking down the hallway talking quietly then we stopped and he put his hand on mine before leaving. I smiled watching him then I turned around seeing Grissom at his door.
"Hey." He said
"Hey." I said, looking behind me then at him. I walked over seeing that he to was looking down the hallway.
"Who was that man you were with?"
"His name is Matt. He is a policeman. I just met him."
"Oh." He said
"So your back?" I said, walking in his office to lean against his desk.
"Yes." He said, walking in closing the door looking at me curiously. "I heard you've been busy here."
"I had some hard cases." I said
"That's not quite what I mean."
"What?"
"I have heard that you have been spending a lot of time with this Matt person."
"No, not very much time. He was just someone to talk to." I said, moving away from him.
"I see." He said, turning around looking at me.
"I better get back to work." I said, opening the door.
"Good idea, will I see you later?"
"Um…maybe." I said, before leaving.
Matt tried kissing me in his car later as he drove me home after shift. I moved back seeing his face change to disappointment as he tried again, but I moved back still.
"What's wrong?"
"Grissom is back." I said "This just feels wrong."
"Honey, I thought you talked to him today." He said
"I did, but I couldn't say anything."
He sighed turning to face forward touching the steering wheel.
"Matt, I have enjoyed our time together, but as I told you before Grissom is the only one I have ever loved."
"I know, I just thought I could change your mind." He said
I touched his hand rubbing it then I opened the door getting out. He watched me go with a frown. I went to bed exhausted looking at the ceiling. I closed my eyes sighing trying to relax.
A few hours later the window in the living room slid open. I moved in bed sleeping. Matt walked over to the phone on my desk cutting the line. He listened then moved to the bedroom door opening it he went in shutting the door behind him. My cell phone was on my bedside table. He took it putting that in his pocket looking at me in bed. I jerked awake as someone grabbed me pulling me tightly to the floor. I screamed fighting feeling the person hit me with a hard object. I laid stunned as my clothes were ripped from my body. The man licked my face kissing my neck. I could hear him moaning as he entered me violently.
Grissom woke to his phone going off beside his head. He reached over getting it.
"Grissom." He said, groggy.
"P…please…h…help me!" I cried
"Sara?" He said, sitting up hearing me cry.
"Gris, please help me!"
"Where are you?"
"H…he…hurt me."
"Honey, who did?"
I held my aching head crying.
"Where are you?"
"I…d..don't know!"
"Okay, just tell me what is around you." He said, getting his keys.
"A bar…called….The Golden Nugget."
"Okay, stay there."
He hung up driving out onto the road. His mind was going over how scared I sounded. He stopped seeing me standing by a pay phone wearing a robe and nothing else. He got out coming over to me.
"Sara, what happened?" He asked, touching my arm feeling the coldness. "Honey your freezing."
I shook leaning on him. He held me kissing my head then he led me to his car.
"We'll go the hospital."
I said nothing as I shook holding myself.
Grissom waited outside calling Brass to come join him. They waited seeing a Doctor come out.
"Well?" Grissom asked
"Someone attacked her, but she never said who."
"Was she raped?" Brass asked
"Very violently. I would like to keep her here overnight."
"Can we see her?"
"Yes."
Grissom nodded to Brass leading them to my room. I laid in a groggy state seeing them come in. The doctor came in with them.
"We gave her something to make her rest." He said
"Hey Sara." Grissom said
"What if he comes?" I asked
"Who, honey?" Grissom asked, touching my cheek.
"Matt."
"Matt Stevens?" Brass asked
I nodded shaking.
"Can we have the rape kit?" Brass asked
"Yes, of course." The doctor said, leading him out.
Grissom leaned over kissing my head as I slept. He sat in a chair watching me closely. Brass brought in Matt watching him as he sat in the interrogation chair looking rumpled and drunk. Grissom walked over looking into the room then he looked at Brass.
"Well what is the verdict?" Brass asked
"He raped her." Grissom said, showing him the paper in his hand.
"Men like this deserve to rot in jail."
Grissom opened the door for him and they both went in. Matt looked at them as he sat back in the chair.
I laid in Grissom's bed shaking as I heard someone come in the front door. Sitting up I watched the bedroom door open and Grissom come in.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, as he sat down on the bed.
"Scared." I said
"Well you don't have to be anymore. Matt is being charged."
"I feel so hollow." I said
He sat closer hugging me.
"It's okay. I will not allow anyone to touch you again."
I put my head against his shoulder feeling safe again.