Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
SPECIAL THANKS to Viki for all the help. I couldn't have done this without you!!!!!!
Falling Down
Chapter 1
Sara liked working the graveyard. She enjoyed driving to work or to a scene and looking at the streets. Living in Vegas the streets all shared this ghostly glow. Sitting in the passenger sit of Grissom's Denali gave her the perfect opportunity to look at the streets. She glanced over at the man driving. Gil Grissom. She loved that man. She needed to tell him. Or did he already know? He seemed to know everything else she was thinking. He knew her inside and out and she knew him. She understood him like no one else could.
Sara watched as Grissom guided the Denali in front of a two-story cookie-cutter house. They drove together from her apartment were they had been together since yesterday morning when they got off shift. Grabbing her kit from the backseat, she walked up the long drive towards Brass who was waiting for them at the French double doors of the house.
"Four D.B's; Amy Carter recently married to John Carter. Also dead are Amy's two kids from her previous marriage to a Michael Deveron, Dawn 10, and Samuel 8." Brass read from his notepad.
"COD?" Grissom asked walking through the threshold of the house.
"Looks like they were all stabbed. The wife and husband several times, kids one stab to heart."
"Killer didn't want the kids to suffer." Sara said walking around the empty living room. It was always weird for her to walk around the house of someone who had died. Before their departure people would touch these things, use them everyday and now it almost seemed pointless to have bought them at all. Moving her light over the walls, she looked into the darkened kitchen.
"All the bodies are upstairs. Kids rooms are first two on the left and the couple is last door on right." Brass said clicking on his own light before ascending up the stairs.
Grissom looked at the pictures that lined the walls going up. Sara said it best when she told him "It still amazes me what people will do to each other."
No truer words wherever spoken. He glanced behind him to look at her. She was focused on the pictures. His mind drifted to hours ago when she lay in his arms talking. They talked about everything and about nothing. He really did love her. When they first got together he realized how easily he could have lost her the same way they nearly lost Nick, how he could have missed a chance to tell her how he feels. Now that he had her, he never wanted to miss a chance again. The only question he could ask now was why he hadn't told her yet.
Stopping in front of the first door on the left, he watched Brass push it open. Grissom could make out a tiny body lying under a maroon comforter. Sara stepped passed him entering the room. Brass stayed in the hall shinning his light on the inside of the little girl's room. Sara knelt down next to the short bed and slowly with a gloved hand pulled back the comforter. A little girl's glossy eyes starred at the ceiling. Sara moved her focus to the chest one stab to the girl's heart. Blood covered the child's duck covered pj's, overlapping the old color.
"She didn't struggle, looks like a clean stab." Sara said standing. Looking over at Grissom, he had begun to take pictures of the kid. Sara glanced around. There were no bloodied handprints, no drops on the carpet, they would have to go over with luminal, but as far as she could tell the little girl's room was clean.
"I will finish in here and start on the little boy's room if you want to grab the parents?" Grissom offered her from behind the camera as he lined up another shot. She nodded at his idea.
"Sounds good, do you want me to call for back-up?"
"If we find something overwhelming in the next couple of hours we will call Catherine and Greg in. Nick and Warrick have a B and E off bolder highway and Lakeview."
"Ok, Brass last door on the right?" She asked carrying her kit out the door and into the hall.
"Yeah everything is clear, I am going to step outside, and talk with the neighbors; you kids be good." He said with a sly grin.
Sara watching him walk away before heading down the hall. A headache was slowly forming behind her eyes, she hoped that it wouldn't turn into a migraine; however, if it did she would just steal some of Gil's medicine. Pushing open the last door on the right she caught the smell. Iron. It was strong. The blood that covered the room was substantial to the size of the room. Setting down her kit at the entrance of the bedroom she took out her camera and started her initial walk-through, this was going to take awhile.
Three hours later Sara signed her name on her last evidence envelope. Gathering everything up she walked back down the hall. She noticed that the door to the room she left Grissom in was sealed with tape and the door to the room next to it was open and an eerie glow from Grissom's flashlight could be seen from the hall. Standing in the doorway, she watched him look over a desk in the corner of the room.
"Hey I'm done with the couple's room; I will put these in the truck and be back up." Grissom met her eyes.
"Ok, find anything?" He asked looking back down at the desk.
"Couple of prints and a bloodied shoe print." She said motioning her head to the bags in that filled her hands.
"When you get down there send David up." She nodded at him. Arriving at the porch David was waiting along with an assistant and two gurneys.
"Hey Sara."
"Hey David, you might have to make two trips. My room at the end of the hall is unsealed and ready to go; Grissom is still working on his scenes."
"Thanks Sara." He replied motioning for the young man behind him to follow. Looking to her left Sara saw Brass talking to a younger woman holding a baby. They had very little to go on for a quadruple murder. She could only hope that Grissom had found something solid. If these fingerprints she found didn't pan out then they had nothing.
Opening the back of the Denali, she began to organize the bags.
"Excuse me." Sara turned towards the voice. A man stood behind her. 30-35 years old, clean shaven with dark eyes. "Sir, this is a crime scene if…"
"Is that the evidence you collected?" He asked his eyes getting darker. Sara glanced at the bags behind her before looking at him. She shut one of the doors one handed. Slamming it hard she hoped Brass would hear it and look over.
"What do you know about the people in that house?" She asked him, calculating in her head the risks of reaching for her sidearm.
"What do you know, you have been in there for three hours, make an assessment." The man said his voice filling with venom. Sara's heart began to beat faster. She had to make her move. Counting down from five, she moved at one. Snapping a hand down to her gun, she started to pull but he was on her. Pain traveled from her side. Her skin burned and she felt something wet begin to pour down her side. A noise she had never heard before filled her ears. The air that had filled her lungs was pulled from her. She shivered. Meeting the man's eyes, she saw something. Joy? Satisfaction? Looking down the new noise was matched to him pulling the knife he had driven in her side out. Her skin was tearing as it pulled out. One hand was holding hers at her side near her side arm the other gripped the edge of a black handled knife. Sara's other hand coved the hand holding the knife. She watched as he drew back for another stab when she moved surprising him. Letting go of his hand she drew back and punched him in the face, the unexpected man stumbled back. She fell back into the Denali. Her legs no longer wanting to work she slid down to the ground. The world growing darker as if someone somewhere was dimming the lights before they finally shut off.
"Thank you for your time Ms. Cross." Jim Brass offered a fake smile as he closed his notepad and turned back towards the Carter house. He noticed Sara a minute ago coming out hands full of bags. Looking over at the Denali, he couldn't see any movement. Sara was supposed to be there. He approached from the front. He could tell through the front windshield that both back doors where fully open. Moving around to the driver's side and walked towards the back. Rounding the door, he saw no one standing there. The back was empty. Sara's kit and all the evidence was gone. He looked towards the asphalt to see if anything was on the ground. A shoe was sticking from under the opened back door. He closed the door quickly. Pulling out his mini light from his pocket he jumped into action.
"Sara!" He knelt down next to her. She was laying face up unconscious. He unzipped her forensic vest. Pulling it apart he looked at the damage. Her left side was covered in blood. Some had seeped out into a small puddle on the ground. Taking off his jacket, he pressed it to the tear in her shirt. Dropping his light he pressed fingers to her neck for a pulse. A thump was felt. Removing his fingers, he reached for his radio.
"This is Captain Jim Brass I'm at 810 Maxell off 116th .I need a bus. I have an officer down in need of immediate medical attention, repeat officer down at 810 Maxell." He dropped the radio and looked around. The street was dead. Not a person in sight. He needed help now. He heard dispatch report that a bus was on the way. 3 minutes out. Heavy footsteps came towards him. He looked up watching as Grissom ran across the yard towards him.
"Jim, what… Sara?" Jim had never seen Gil Grissom ever move that fast.
"She's bleeding badly. I don't see any other wounds on her body."
Grissom dropped to his knees next to Sara and looked her over. He had heard Brass's request for a bus and ran outside. He looked over his shoulder at David who had followed along with his assistant, Tucker.
"David, do you have a medical kit in the van?" asked Grissom
"Of course Dr. Grissom." David took off for the morgue van. Returning a few seconds later, he handed the red bag to Grissom, who quickly started to riffle through it. Finding a stack of gauze pads, he ripped the tops off the all at once.
"Move your hands, Jim." Brass followed Grissom's order. Sliding the medical kit towards himself, he grabbed out more gauze and waited. Sirens wailed in the distance.
"You hear that kiddo? Hang on help is almost here." Jim told Sara who had not even attempted to awake or make any movements. Jim looked over at Grissom who was engrossed at his job of pressing down the stack of gauze pads into Sara's side. The ambulance stopped just ahead of them.
"What do we have?" The driver asked.
"She was attacked, I think she was stabbed." Brass said kicking himself for not knowing.
"Did you find her unconscious?" The second medic asked.
"Yeah I called it in a second later."
"What's her name?" The driver medic asked again picking out his pen light from his breast pocket.
"Sara." Grissom answered him on a whisper.
"Sara can you hear me?... Sara?" Grissom watched the man lean over Sara and push up her eyelids shinning a light in each.
"Get an IV started." The driver ordered the other medic about. Grissom watched as they slid a needle into Sara's right forearm and taped it off.
"Sir, you need to step back. Get the stretcher." The driver medic told Grissom before he threw another order to the other medic who ran to comply. Grissom just moved back a little finally releasing his hands from Sara's side. Grissom watched in a haze as they loaded Sara up. Before jumping in the driver's seat, the medic looked at him.
"Are you coming with us sir?" Grissom looked at Brass who gently shoved him towards the ambulance more. Grissom silently stepped up in the back sitting by Sara's legs. He managed to grab one of her hands, being sure to stay out of the other medic's way.
Brass watched the ambulance turn the corner at the end of the street.
"Captain Brass?" Brass turned around to find that along with the ambulance, two patrol cars had arrived.
"Conroy, Wiseman; I want you two to seal off the house. The inside is clear; just seal the doors. No one in until more CSIs arrive." He watched the young officers take off towards the Carter house.
"Henley, Washington; Tape off this SUV no one goes near it. That is our second crime scene. Watch out for the blood spot on the passenger side."
"You got it Captain." Officer Washington replied. Brass waited until they started to work before turning and walking down the street. One hand dialing a number while the other held a flashlight scanning the ground for anything the attacker left behind. He got in luck as he hit send on his phone. Lying on the curb about five feet away was Sara's work badge covered in blood. On the other line of the phone, Catherine picked up.
"Catherine; it's Jim, I have a situation here at Gil and Sara's scene. I need you and the boys to get here…Yeah something bad… No Grissom's fine… It looked like she was stabbed…No we didn't get anyone…" He flipped his phone closed shinning his light down the street a ways hoping to catch something. There was no way he was going to let himself off this one. Sara had gotten hurt because of him.
"I'm sorry kiddo." He spoke looking down at the bloodied badge.
That was one phone call Catherine never expected to receive. She quickly left Grissom's office walking towards the break room. She was using his office to work on backed-up paper work. Nick and Warrick had wrapped up their B and E only an hour ago and were in the break room with Greg waiting for another case.
"Guys, Brass called. We have a priority case." She noticed three sets of eyes looking at her. She knew that they could tell she was worried.
"Cath what happened?" Warrick asked
"An attack at Grissom and Sara's scene, Brass called it in."
"Are they ok?" Nick asked as images of Sara and Grissom lying in blood ran through his head.
"Sara is on her way to the hospital, Brass said it looked like she had been stabbed."
"Looked like? He didn't see it?" Greg wondered while "This can't be happening," Ran through his head.
"That's what we are going to find out Greggo, let's go." The boys followed Catherine out to her company issued Denali. Turning the key to start the engine, "I should have been nicer to Sara."
The ride to the scene was filled with small talk mostly about Sara. A couple of times it was about how Grissom was going to deal with Sara being injured. Catherine pulled up to the Carter house parking near the tape that surrounding Grissom's Denali. She turned off the car and took her kit from Warrick who was riding shotgun. She approached Jim who was standing by the driver side of the SUV in the street.
"Jim, what happened?" She asked following his gaze to the blood spot on the ground.
"Is that from…?" Warrick didn't have to finish his question.
"Sara, I found her lying here, I called for a bus. I didn't hear anything or see anyone. Her kit and the evidence she had gathered is all gone. Her attacker must have taken everything. I found her badge down the street covered, in blood." Brass finished giving them his information.
"Ok, thanks Jim we will take it from here. Nick I want you and Greg to work on the house. Finish the scene. Retake all of Sara's evidence, since no one has been in there nothing should be compromised."
"You got it Cath. Come on, Greggo." Nick said patting Greg on the back.
"Warrick I want you to start at Sara's badge and work down towards the end of the block look for anything, I will start with the Denali." Warrick simply nodded at her before moving down the street. Catherine approached the blood spot. She pulled out her camera. She took several pictures before she opened her kit and swabbed the pool. Moving towards the doors of the Denali, she printed them. It was a company issue so the only prints on it should be Grissom and Sara. Looking over the back, she didn't see anything. She carefully scanned the ground. Finding a couple of blood drops, she captured everything on film and took samples.
"Find anything good?" Warrick asked approaching her.
"Blood and fingerprints I won't know anything until they all come back. What about you?"
"Sara's badge that Brass found, that's it."
"You didn't find any of Sara's evidence that she collected?"
"No, I even checked the sewer drains on each side."
"Ok, I am going to head over to the hospital and get any physical evidence off Sara and get her clothes. I will have them brought over to the lab."
"I'll take everything back with me and I will grab Brass's shirt and Jacket. It has Sara's blood on it." He said putting a hand on her shoulder. She nodded at his understanding of the things they didn't have to say.
Grissom glared around the waiting room. It felt empty even though it was filled with people. Grissom took a corner seat by the door. He looked down in at his hands. The nurse let him clean up in their personal sink. In his left hand, he had Sara's cell phone. They took off her belt before they took her in to surgery. He briefly wondered about Sara's gun and her other belongings. He didn't even check to see if they were at the scene.
He knew that this was a waiting game. Waiting for Sara that's ironic compared to Sara and his past relationship. They were finally together after years of Sara waiting for him to realize what she has known all along. He loved her. He would wait in that room forever for her.
It didn't take forever. Catherine arrived in the first hour, sitting next to him without a word. Grissom noticed her kit lying at her feet. Three hours later, a doctor approached.
"Are you Gil Grissom?"
"I am." Grissom said standing up and wiping his hands on his jeans. He could still fell Sara's blood covering them.
"Hi I am Dr. Henson. I completed Ms. Sidle's surgery."
"Is she ok?" Catherine asked.
"She is going to be fine. She will be drugged for the next 6 hours and the risk of infection is high but we put her on an anti-biotic."
"How bad was it?" Grissom asked. He needed to know.
"She was stabbed in the left side the knife pushed between the 6th and 7th rib through the costal cartilage and pierced the spleen. We removed it to stop the bleeding. I know it sounds bad, however, she is stable and resting comfortably."
"Can we see her?" Catherine asked when she noticed all Grissom was doing was nodding.
"Of course; room 113, across from the nurse's station, if there is any trouble or questions, just tell a nurse to page me." The doctor left making notes on the clipboard he held in his hands.
Catherine picked up her kit and followed Grissom down the hall towards the nurse's station. She read the numbers on the plaque next to each door. 115…114…113. She didn't know what to expect when she entered that door. She knew that her goal was to stay with Sara and have Grissom go back to the lab to run the case. He was too close to the case, but the team needed him and so would Sara, once she was released from the hospital.
Grissom pushed open the door slowly. Walking over the threshold, he looked at the single bed. Sara laid there. Propped up on pillows, her hair waved over the top pillow. An IV was attached to her right hand along with a heart monitor. Grissom saw a bag filled with a blood hanging on her left side and a line attached to the inside of her left arm. As he stood next to the bed, he could hear a faint hissing noise below the beeping noise of her monitor. An oxygen tube drew across her face coming up below her nose allowing extra air to help her breath.
He pulled up a chair and went to grab her hand.
"Grissom don't." Catherine said quietly behind him. He turned and gave her a puzzled look, but saw her putting on gloves. He nodded without word and got up. Since entering the hospital and even in the ambulance Sara has been dealt with using latex gloves preserving evidence. Catherine set her kit on the chair Grissom had tried to occupy and opened the top. She quickly took fingernail scrapings from each side and took an oral swab for DNA. Even though the lab already had some, she just needed to be through. Catherine took pictures of Sara's hands. Sara's left hand surprised her with reddening around the knuckles.
"Grissom come take a look at this." She said stepping to a side and holding up Sara's hand.
"Marks on her knuckles, she fought her attacker." Grissom said looking up at Catherine who immediately swabbed the area looking for DNA. Catherine labeled the swap and looked up at Sara.
"Good girl." Catherine then proceeded to pack her kit.
"Thank you Catherine." Grissom said looking at Sara while he did.
"You don't have to thank me Gil, just take this back to the lab." She didn't want to start a fight but she had to say it.
"Cath… I can't leave her." He said sitting in the chair next to the bed.
"Gil, you need to be working on this case. The team needs you. I will stay here with Sara and the moment she starts to wake, I will call you… Look the doctor said that it was going to be at least 6 hours before the drugs wear off so why don't you come back then." She finish, Grissom looked at her reluctantly.
"Sara is going to need you Gil but first you are going to have to find out who did this to her." She watched as he stood and leaned down towards Sara's still form. He kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand. Catherine watched him whisper something in Sara's ear but couldn't make out what it was. Catherine handed him her kit as he walked out the door.
Clickie Clickie the button and let me know what you think. S.L.