A/N: I don't own CSI:NY, CBS, or any other known entity. This doesn't fall within any particular timeline except that it's after Stella's left the lab. I hope you guys enjoy this story, and please review. :)
Crumbling Walls
She scanned the empty room, looking for someone specific. When she found him curled up in the corner, she internally flinched at his defensive position. She frowned slightly, standing back as she just watched him for a few minutes before walking over to him. She saw him try to curl up tighter, and she stopped for a moment as her phone vibrated in her pocket. She answered it quickly with, "I got him. Stand down."
Her voice was soft, but she could tell he heard her, as he relaxed slightly. She walked closer to him, but he didn't move to look at her. Instead, he actually tried to bury his face away from her as she approached.
"Hey," she addressed him softly. He didn't speak, and she realized that was due to the gag on his mouth. She knelt down beside him, untying the gag gently. "You're safe now."
He still said nothing as she untied his hands and feet. He wrapped his arms tightly around his knees, and she rocked back to sit on her heels beside him. She hesitated to reach out to him, unsure of how he would respond. He tucked his face against his knees, and she watched as his shoulders began to bob up and down.
She frowned, knowing that he was crying and trying his hardest to hide it. Against her prior thoughts, she reached forward and rested her hand gently on his shoulder. He flinched initially, but as she started rubbing small circles into his back and scooted closer to him, he relaxed slightly.
Not enough that he would actually let her see him cry, but enough to start to soothe himself.
"It's okay," she whispered to him. "You're safe now."
He stiffened slightly, and she frowned at his response. Yet, he didn't say anything, and he didn't back away from her, either. Her phone vibrated again, and she fished it out of her pocket to glance at the screen. Mac. Probably wondering what was taking them so long to come out, given that the building they were in wasn't one of the safest.
"You should answer that," he finally muttered, his voice full of sadness and pain.
"Mac can wait," she replied gently.
He snorted slightly. "Not for long."
She smiled softly before flipping her phone open. She quickly punched in, 'we're okay,' and sent the message to Mac before closing the phone again.
He renewed his vow of silence as thunder crackled outside. The reports for the area had indicated a high risk of violent thunderstorms, and she guessed they were about to get hit with one. In a condemned building. Where the roof was toppled in at points, with cracks present in some of the load bearing walls. No wonder Mac was calling, she thought to herself. He wants us out before the rest of the roof collapses.
Yet, she didn't want to rush the man beside her, and she was well aware of his knowledge of the building's faults. How the strongest part of it was the concrete floor they sat on. She wondered how long he sat there, hoping someone would find him before the rest of the ceiling came tumbling down.
As if on cue of her thoughts, the wind kicked up, making the building groan as it struggled to stay upright. He bit his lip at the sound, and she wrapped her arm tighter around him. He started to slowly push himself off the floor, and she began to follow suit, helping him up very slowly. She directed him gently to the door as he kept his arms tucked around himself. She kept a steady arm around him as he stumbled.
Another crack of thunder, and he shuddered slightly. She gripped him a little tighter, and he let go of himself to put an arm around her. She gave him a small smile as she retraced her steps to get the two of them out of the building.
Once outside, they were greeted by the world. She let the paramedics begin to fuss over him while she walked over to Mac. She kept her eye on him, though, up until the point where the paramedics loaded him into the ambulance for the trip to the hospital.
He hesitated outside his own door, hearing someone rummage around in his apartment. When the door opened, he jumped back, and she stopped, holding a garbage bag in her hand. "Hi," she said.
He just stared at her.
"I was just cleaning up for you."
He glanced around behind her, taking in his clean kitchen and the mess of his living room that had been picked up.
"Danny said you have a specific system for things, so I didn't actually put things back on the shelf. I just put them in some boxes on the side. I'm gonna throw this out and then I'll help you put stuff away, okay?"
He half-shrugged and half-nodded, as she patted his shoulder gently. He stepped into his apartment to find that she had also been cooking dinner while cleaning up around the place. He sat down on his couch, exhausted. He heard the key twist in his lock, and suddenly he understood how she'd come to be in his apartment in the first place.
"I borrowed the key from Danny," she explained.
He nodded rather than speak.
"So, if you wanna eat first, you can. Or, we can just start putting things away."
He noticed she'd picked up all the broken objects, cleaned up all the dirt, and covered up the broken window.
"Your landlord said he'll have the walls and window fixed in a few days," she told him.
He nodded again.
She sat down in one of the other chairs, awaiting his next move. He stood up slowly, making his way over to the kitchen wordlessly while she watched him grab food. He sat down in the chair again, and she also made her way to get some food. She sat back down in the living room with him, and the two of them ate in a rather comfortable silence. After finishing the meal, she began cleaning up, and he put the dishes away quietly.
"You wanna start in the living room, or the bedroom?" she asked softly. And if it wasn't for the current situation, he would've teased her for that comment. Instead, he simply gestured to the living room.
The two of them began silently rearranging his place, with him pointing at rather than speaking about where things go. And she simply obliged, helping him make quick work of the room. The same happened in the bedroom, and before long, the two were once again in the living room.
"Drink?" he finally asked.
"Sure," she replied, offering a small smile.
He nodded, heading toward the kitchen and gesturing for her to follow. He pulled a beer out of the fridge for himself and indicated for her to grab what she wanted, which was a soda. The two of them went back to the living room, sitting down.
"How?" he asked quietly.
"Trace evidence and a bit of luck," she answered his mostly unspoken question.
He nodded, sighing as he took a drink.
"How're you feeling?" she asked gently.
"Sore," he replied quietly. "Beer helps."
"And?"
He shrugged. "I'll let you know."
She nodded, biting her lip. "You know we're all here for you, right?"
He nodded quietly.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want," she continued. "Though, I'm sure Jo'll come after you at some point…"
He smiled slightly. "Yeah," he said softly.
She smiled back. "I should be going. You need to get your rest, and I need to get home."
"Okay. Thanks for everything, Lindsay."
Lindsay smiled. "You're welcome, Adam."
Adam stood up as she did, hugging her tightly. "Thank you," he whispered.
She kissed him gently on the cheek. "Get some sleep," she said, letting go as she went to the door. "Danny mentioned stopping by in the morning with breakfast."
Adam frowned. "Tell him he doesn't need to come by."
"Oh, yeah, because that works with him."
Adam chuckled at her sarcasm as he followed her to the door.
"Goodnight, Adam."
"Night, Lindsay."
She waved as she walked out of the door and down the hallway.