The tall muscular man with curly black hair and boyish good looks
woke up with his arms around the trim body of the blonde. At first, he
wondered, as always, if it had all been a mistake. She had a young
daughter that needed her, she'd been divorced only a year, but then he felt
her against his body and smiled.
"Morning."
She turned to face him, wrapped an arm around him, and kissed him, as passionate as before. "Morning. What time is it?"
"Two-thirty." They'd only fallen asleep three hours before.
"I need to go." Lindsay got out of school at three.
He nodded. "I know. I'll miss you."
Again, she kissed him. "I'll miss you too." She dressed and left; he turned to smell her pillow. It still smelled like his Catherine.
He held the red ball point pen with blue ink in his hands, turning it slowly, examining it as if it had been a piece of evidence, as he willed the phone to ring. Call, Cath, please call. She was only fifteen minutes late, there could be an explanation.
"Grissom." He lifted his tired head to see Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes standing in the doorway, Nick's arm around Sara's shoulders. "We're going out for breakfast. Wanna come?" The slim brunette asked.
He shook his head. "No. I'm still waiting for Cath to call."
"Do you want us to stay with you?" Nick drawled.
"Go ahead." Sara studied him; decided he'd be all right, and left with Nick. If Grissom hadn't been so worried about Catherine, he would have smiled. His two friends were great with each other and he was happy for them. Call, Cath, please call.
When she didn't call within fifteen minutes, he went to the crime scene to look for her. After Holly Gribbs' death two years before, she knew better than to forget to check in; there had to be something wrong. After all, it was nearly eight; she'd missed taking Lindsay to school. He had his cell phone turned on and was listening to the police radio when he heard the call.
"Officer down." He heard someone yell into the radio, giving the address, the address of the scene where Catherine was. Not Cath. It can't be Cath. Anyone else, but not Cath. He stepped on the gas so fast that it would have made Warrick, the speed demon, proud.
At the scene, an ambulance and patrol cars were outside the apartment. He got out of his Tahoe and tried to run to the stretcher, but he couldn't get through the crowd. He spotted Jim Brass and called his friend's name.
"Let him through." Brass said and Grissom managed to navigate the crowd. "I was about to call you."
"What happened? Where is she?" There was a wild, panicked look in Grissom's eyes that Brass had never seen before.
"They're getting her now. I'll call Sara and the others." He responded but Grissom was already gone to the stretcher that was coming back out of the building with Catherine.
Catherine was pale; almost the same color as the white sheets, and Grissom struggled not to cry. Her eyes were closed and they wouldn't let Grissom get near enough to hold her hand or comfort her. "Can I come with her?"
The medic shook his head. "No, sir. I'm sorry." Grissom watched as the ambulance took Catherine away from him, sirens wailing. Don't go, Cath. Don't go.
Warrick Brown, Sara, and Nick met at the park and started setting up breakfast outside. It was good to get out of the lab occasionally, they had privacy to talk, and it was near enough that they could walk to the basketball court and play afterwards. Sara's cell phone rang as they were unpacking their food from the bags and she answered it. "Sara."
"Sara, it's Brass. Do you know where Catherine was working?"
It was an unusual request, even for him. "Yeah, why?"
"Grissom needs you guys down here now. She was shot."
"How bad?" Sara asked, Nick and Warrick stopping and looking at her.
"She's in shock."
"ETA five minutes." She said, disconnecting the call and running to her Tahoe. Nick and Warrick looked at each other, packed back up, and followed her without speaking.
Grissom stood still as Sara walked to her friend and lightly touched his arm. "Grissom? Grissom, we need to go to the hospital. Come on. Let's go see Catherine." Brass marveled at the way that Sara took care of Grissom when no one else could.
"I'll be there in a few minutes." Nick told Sara quietly and she nodded as Grissom got in the passenger seat of her Tahoe.
"What happened?" Warrick asked Brass as Nick rejoined them.
"We're not sure. The neighbor called in the shots. A patrol unit was nearby and found her first. I couldn't call Grissom before he got here." Brass explained.
"Did he see her? How bad is she?" Warrick asked.
"Yeah, he saw her. Remember Holly?" Warrick nodded. "Catherine may be worse." He saw the Sheriff standing nearby. "Damn it. I have to go fill him in. Can one of you stay here until Eckley comes to do the scene?"
He walked off and Warrick looked at Nick. "Can you go stay with Sara and Grissom? I don't think I can." His eyes told the story of worry for Catherine and haunting memories of Holly's death.
Nick nodded. "Yeah, Sara and I will handle it. Call me if you need to talk." Warrick nodded in reply and his best friend hurried to the hospital.
When Nick found Sara, she was sitting in the hard plastic chairs beside their boss. "Grissom, I'm going to go right over there and talk to Nick." Sara said as softly and gently as if she had been talking to a child. She and Nick stayed where they could keep an eye on Grissom.
"How is she?" Nick asked.
"No one will tell us anything. What did Brass say?"
"Cath might be worse than Holly. Brass is with the Sheriff; Eckley's investigating."
"What about Warrick? How is he?"
"I don't know. What can I do?"
"Lindsay needs to know, in person, from one of us and Grissom's not an option. I have no clue if Ed needs to know or not; I'm not even approaching that subject. Catherine's sister needs to be called." Catherine's sister had moved back to Montana a few months before when Catherine's mother had died and left the ranch to her two daughters.
"I'll have Warrick go tell Lindsay; he's the closest to her, besides Catherine and Grissom, of course. I'll also have him pay a visit to Ed. I'll call her sister. You'll stay with him?" Sara nodded. "Hey. You all right?" He asked her.
"We'll talk later." He nodded and went to find a pay phone.
It was nearly eleven o'clock when Warrick arrived at Ed's music club. "Ed. I need to speak to you in your office. Now." The muscular dark CSI was six foot two inches and one hundred and ninety pounds; Ed didn't argue.
"What is it?" Ed asked, shutting the door behind them.
"Catherine's been shot. You don't have to pretend like you care, but you do have to take care of your daughter. One of us will be by every day. If she says you have so much as yelled at her, if you do any kind of alcohol or drug in her presence, I'll take her home with me and make your life a living hell."
Warrick drove to Lindsay's school and got permission to take her home early. "Uncle Warrick?" The little girl came running to him; she looked so much like Catherine.
"Linds!" He took her hand and walked out with her to his Tahoe. "Uncle Warrick, where's Mommy?"
"Linds, honey, your mom's in the hospital." Tears welled in her blue eyes. "You're going to go stay with your daddy for a little while and Grissom's going to stay with your mommy until she gets better."
"I don't want to stay with Daddy! Can't I go to the lab?"
"We don't stay at the lab all the time, Lindsay."
"Then I can go home with you."
He shook his head. "You need to try to stay with your dad first. But either Nick, Sara, or I will come take you to the park every day."
"Will you take me to see Mommy?"
"Well, you're too young to see her right now, but I'll take you as soon as I can."
"I don't want to go back to school."
Warrick nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm taking you to see your daddy now."
"Morning."
She turned to face him, wrapped an arm around him, and kissed him, as passionate as before. "Morning. What time is it?"
"Two-thirty." They'd only fallen asleep three hours before.
"I need to go." Lindsay got out of school at three.
He nodded. "I know. I'll miss you."
Again, she kissed him. "I'll miss you too." She dressed and left; he turned to smell her pillow. It still smelled like his Catherine.
He held the red ball point pen with blue ink in his hands, turning it slowly, examining it as if it had been a piece of evidence, as he willed the phone to ring. Call, Cath, please call. She was only fifteen minutes late, there could be an explanation.
"Grissom." He lifted his tired head to see Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes standing in the doorway, Nick's arm around Sara's shoulders. "We're going out for breakfast. Wanna come?" The slim brunette asked.
He shook his head. "No. I'm still waiting for Cath to call."
"Do you want us to stay with you?" Nick drawled.
"Go ahead." Sara studied him; decided he'd be all right, and left with Nick. If Grissom hadn't been so worried about Catherine, he would have smiled. His two friends were great with each other and he was happy for them. Call, Cath, please call.
When she didn't call within fifteen minutes, he went to the crime scene to look for her. After Holly Gribbs' death two years before, she knew better than to forget to check in; there had to be something wrong. After all, it was nearly eight; she'd missed taking Lindsay to school. He had his cell phone turned on and was listening to the police radio when he heard the call.
"Officer down." He heard someone yell into the radio, giving the address, the address of the scene where Catherine was. Not Cath. It can't be Cath. Anyone else, but not Cath. He stepped on the gas so fast that it would have made Warrick, the speed demon, proud.
At the scene, an ambulance and patrol cars were outside the apartment. He got out of his Tahoe and tried to run to the stretcher, but he couldn't get through the crowd. He spotted Jim Brass and called his friend's name.
"Let him through." Brass said and Grissom managed to navigate the crowd. "I was about to call you."
"What happened? Where is she?" There was a wild, panicked look in Grissom's eyes that Brass had never seen before.
"They're getting her now. I'll call Sara and the others." He responded but Grissom was already gone to the stretcher that was coming back out of the building with Catherine.
Catherine was pale; almost the same color as the white sheets, and Grissom struggled not to cry. Her eyes were closed and they wouldn't let Grissom get near enough to hold her hand or comfort her. "Can I come with her?"
The medic shook his head. "No, sir. I'm sorry." Grissom watched as the ambulance took Catherine away from him, sirens wailing. Don't go, Cath. Don't go.
Warrick Brown, Sara, and Nick met at the park and started setting up breakfast outside. It was good to get out of the lab occasionally, they had privacy to talk, and it was near enough that they could walk to the basketball court and play afterwards. Sara's cell phone rang as they were unpacking their food from the bags and she answered it. "Sara."
"Sara, it's Brass. Do you know where Catherine was working?"
It was an unusual request, even for him. "Yeah, why?"
"Grissom needs you guys down here now. She was shot."
"How bad?" Sara asked, Nick and Warrick stopping and looking at her.
"She's in shock."
"ETA five minutes." She said, disconnecting the call and running to her Tahoe. Nick and Warrick looked at each other, packed back up, and followed her without speaking.
Grissom stood still as Sara walked to her friend and lightly touched his arm. "Grissom? Grissom, we need to go to the hospital. Come on. Let's go see Catherine." Brass marveled at the way that Sara took care of Grissom when no one else could.
"I'll be there in a few minutes." Nick told Sara quietly and she nodded as Grissom got in the passenger seat of her Tahoe.
"What happened?" Warrick asked Brass as Nick rejoined them.
"We're not sure. The neighbor called in the shots. A patrol unit was nearby and found her first. I couldn't call Grissom before he got here." Brass explained.
"Did he see her? How bad is she?" Warrick asked.
"Yeah, he saw her. Remember Holly?" Warrick nodded. "Catherine may be worse." He saw the Sheriff standing nearby. "Damn it. I have to go fill him in. Can one of you stay here until Eckley comes to do the scene?"
He walked off and Warrick looked at Nick. "Can you go stay with Sara and Grissom? I don't think I can." His eyes told the story of worry for Catherine and haunting memories of Holly's death.
Nick nodded. "Yeah, Sara and I will handle it. Call me if you need to talk." Warrick nodded in reply and his best friend hurried to the hospital.
When Nick found Sara, she was sitting in the hard plastic chairs beside their boss. "Grissom, I'm going to go right over there and talk to Nick." Sara said as softly and gently as if she had been talking to a child. She and Nick stayed where they could keep an eye on Grissom.
"How is she?" Nick asked.
"No one will tell us anything. What did Brass say?"
"Cath might be worse than Holly. Brass is with the Sheriff; Eckley's investigating."
"What about Warrick? How is he?"
"I don't know. What can I do?"
"Lindsay needs to know, in person, from one of us and Grissom's not an option. I have no clue if Ed needs to know or not; I'm not even approaching that subject. Catherine's sister needs to be called." Catherine's sister had moved back to Montana a few months before when Catherine's mother had died and left the ranch to her two daughters.
"I'll have Warrick go tell Lindsay; he's the closest to her, besides Catherine and Grissom, of course. I'll also have him pay a visit to Ed. I'll call her sister. You'll stay with him?" Sara nodded. "Hey. You all right?" He asked her.
"We'll talk later." He nodded and went to find a pay phone.
It was nearly eleven o'clock when Warrick arrived at Ed's music club. "Ed. I need to speak to you in your office. Now." The muscular dark CSI was six foot two inches and one hundred and ninety pounds; Ed didn't argue.
"What is it?" Ed asked, shutting the door behind them.
"Catherine's been shot. You don't have to pretend like you care, but you do have to take care of your daughter. One of us will be by every day. If she says you have so much as yelled at her, if you do any kind of alcohol or drug in her presence, I'll take her home with me and make your life a living hell."
Warrick drove to Lindsay's school and got permission to take her home early. "Uncle Warrick?" The little girl came running to him; she looked so much like Catherine.
"Linds!" He took her hand and walked out with her to his Tahoe. "Uncle Warrick, where's Mommy?"
"Linds, honey, your mom's in the hospital." Tears welled in her blue eyes. "You're going to go stay with your daddy for a little while and Grissom's going to stay with your mommy until she gets better."
"I don't want to stay with Daddy! Can't I go to the lab?"
"We don't stay at the lab all the time, Lindsay."
"Then I can go home with you."
He shook his head. "You need to try to stay with your dad first. But either Nick, Sara, or I will come take you to the park every day."
"Will you take me to see Mommy?"
"Well, you're too young to see her right now, but I'll take you as soon as I can."
"I don't want to go back to school."
Warrick nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm taking you to see your daddy now."