Ecklie walked through hallway searching for his intended victim. He felt the rage inside that almost leaked out when he saw Greg running through hall and now it was stored up again. When he spotted me walking down the hall with Warrick he walked quickly over blocking my path.
Warrick and I stopped staring at him as he clenched his fist looking at me.
"Hey Ecklie, what can we do for you?" Warrick asked
"I need to see you in my office right now!" He shouted.
"Okay." I said
He walked away as I looked at Warrick shrugging my shoulders. I walked in hearing him shut the door loudly as he looked at me.
"What's going on?" I asked, looking at him.
"I got a report that you contaminated the evidence on the case you are on." He said, walking around his desk to sit down.
"What? I didn't contaminate it!"
"This report signed by Sophia Curtis say's that you did." He said, pushing the paper in front of me.
I looked at it then at him.
"I don't contaminate evidence, Ecklie."
"Are you saying that she lied?"
"Yes, I am always careful."
"Obviously you were not careful. All the evidence you collected has been compromised."
"I still say I didn't do it!"
He stood up leaning over the desk glaring at me.
"I believe this." He said, pointing to the paper "Unless you can prove that you didn't then I am taking you off the case and suspending you."
"You can't do that!"
"Two weeks."
"Ecklie, this is not fair!"
"Want three weeks?" He asked, waiting on me to say something.
"No."
"Then be quiet!"
I turned going to the door when he came around the desk grabbing my arm.
"Owe!" I gasped, looking at him.
"Your to leave immediately. I don't want you to talk to anyone or I will give you three weeks without pay."
He let me go as I left. I rubbed my arm leaving.
Grissom returned from his sabbatical walking through the lab smelling the air conditioned hallway. He walked to his office seeing the pile high load of mail on his desk.
"Hey man." Nick called out, as he walked to the office.
"Hey." Grissom said, as he looked at the pile "How was everything while I was gone?"
"Fine, it's good to see you."
"You to."
Nick walked away leaving him to try to make headway. I walked in carrying some evidence when Grissom popped up behind me.
"Sara." He said, making me jump.
"Hey." I said, facing him.
"I'm back." He said, stepping closer as he smiled.
"I see that." I said backing up.
"I missed you."
"I have evidence to take to trace, but I'll be by to talk." I said, backing up more.
"Okay." He said, thinking I was acting odd.
After shift I walked into the locker room pulling back my sleeve seeing the fresh bruise that I got when talking to Ecklie. It started to turn black as it throbbed. Pulling the sleeve back I sighed opening the locker making a plan on how to avoid the interrogation from Grissom if he found out. He came out of his office locking it when he saw me walking over.
"Coming over?" He asked
"Sure."
I walked with him outside where he put his arm around my waist. We both drove to his house and he made an omelet for us. I sat eating on his couch as he ate beside me.
"The food was terrible except at this one restaurant the dean took me to the best Salmon." He said, as he put his plate on the coffee table.
"I am glad your back." I said, eating the last of the omelet on the plate. I placed the plate on top of his then sat back sighing "I never ate this good when you were gone."
"Was it that terrible?" He asked, pulling me to him.
"Yes."
He kissed my neck moving my hair. I closed my eyes letting him kiss parts of my neck. He rubbed my arm and I moved away feeling the bruise.
"You okay?" He asked
"Yes, I just feel a little tired. I think I should go."
"You can stay. I want you to."
"No, I should go." I said, getting up. "I'll see you tomorrow."
He kissed me then watched me leave quickly.
The next shift I walked out of trace seeing Greg coming over to me.
"Guess who wants to see you?"
I groaned watching him walk away glancing back at me. Slowly I walked over to Ecklie's office door knocking.
"Come in." He said
I opened the door going in. Later Grissom looked for me in the hallway. He walked over seeing me talking Brass in the hallway. My bandaged hand stood out to him as I hadn't had that on last night.
"Hey Gil, I heard you were back." Brass said
"Hi Jim." He said, glancing at me.
"When did you get back?"
"Yesterday morning."
"I am glad your back." He said, patting his back before leaving. "See you Sara."
"Bye." I said, watching him go.
Grissom looked at me as I turned to look at him. He looked down gently touching my hand with the bandage looking at it.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. I was working and I guess I hit it on a door or wall." I said, watching him start to unravel the bandage. He made a sound as he looked at the bruise on my wrist. "It's not broken."
"Is this your opinion?" He asked, as his eyebrow raised looking at me.
"No, I had Doc. Robbins look at it."
"Looks bad." He said, as he moved it back and forth.
"Owe!" I said, yanking my hand away.
"Sorry."
He leaned over kissing it then he looked at me.
"In the future be careful."
"I will."
He seemed satisfied after rewrapping my wrist and hand he walked away. After work I took a shower at his place yawning as I put on one of his sweatshirts climbing in beside him lying down. He reached over turning on the light next to him making me groan in the pillow.
"Sara, Nick told me that he saw a bruise on your arm?"
"Job hazard." I said, mumbling in the pillow.
"May I see it?"
"I am really tired can we just wait?"
"I expect to be shown the bruise later." He said, reaching over to turn the light off. I moved to my side away from him opening my eyes. He woke at two thirty seeing I was gone already sticking a note on the pillow lying about having to come to work.
I came out of Ecklie's office feeling my ribs ache with pain. As I closed his door I came face to face with Grissom.
"Hey." I said, trying to sound happy to see him.
"You left before I woke up?"
"Yeah, Catherine called me to come in."
"That's funny because she just came to see me and said she didn't call you in early."
"Did I say Catherine? I meant Brass."
"Oh, so Brass called you in. What did he want?"
"He asked if I could help him with a case."
He nodded looking at me up and down as I stood trying to stay calm even though my ribs were hurting.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, fine."
"What did Ecklie want with you?"
"Oh he just wanted to tell me I am doing a good job. I had better get back to work." I said, walking away. Once I went around the corner I stopped touching my side winching. Grissom knew something was not right. He knocked at Ecklie's door hearing him say come in. He opened the door seeing him look up from his desk.
"Gil, what can I do for you?"
"Conrad, is something going on with Sara?"
"No, why?"
"She seems nervous."
"Did you ask her if anything is wrong?"
"Yes, she says she is fine."
"Then she is."
Grissom watched him get back to work. He left feeling just as curious as ever.
I closed my eyes lying on the couch while Grissom sat up with his feet up on the coffee table. My head rested in his lap as he smoothed my hair. He looked down at me then at the show on TV. I moved my arm next to my head and he saw a dark mark hiding beneath the sleeve of my shirt.
Pulling the sleeve back he looked at the bruise. I moved my head towards his stomach winching some. Sitting up I winched looking at him. He turned the show off looking at me.
"Is there anything that you want to discuss with me?" He asked
"No."
"Why do you have bruises?"
"I told you I don't know."
"Sara, I feel as if your not telling me the truth."
"I am tired." I said, getting up. He followed me taking my arm. I winched making a sound.
I put my hand over my side looking at him.
"What is wrong?"
"Nothing. My side hurts."
"Let me see."
"No." I said, moving away.
"Sara."
"No, I told you I am fine. Let's drop it."
"I don't understand. You are in pain."
"I am going home." I said, going to the door.
He rubbed his hair as he watched me leave. I didn't see Grissom at all the next shift as he was in meetings all evening. I went to the locker room opening my locker when Ecklie came in seeing me. I shut my locker looking down. Grissom came out of his meeting with other men in suit out of a conference room when Hodges ran over.
"Boss!" He shouted, motioning him.
Grissom excused himself going over to Hodges.
"What's going on?"
"Boss, I was walking down the hall and I saw Sara running from the locker room with a bloody nose."
"Where did she head to?"
"I don't know, but the bleeding looked bad."
"Okay, I'll take care of it." He said, going back to the group of men standing around talking.
I put a tissue on my nose as I sat at the side of the building outside. Sniffing I wiped the tears away from my eyes feeling the warm blood coming out of my nose. Closing my eyes I set my head back against the building. Grissom came back to his office putting his things on his desk then he walked out dialing my cell phone number.
I looked down at my phone on the cement ground ringing with Grissom's name on the ID. Picking it up, I put it on my ear.
"Sidle."
"Hey, my meetings done and I wanted to see you."
"Oh well I am busy."
"Where are you?"
"Out on location."
"Really?"
"Yes, what did you need?"
"Just to see you and to apologize."
"You don't have to."
"I want to."
"Can it wait till after shift?"
He didn't talk for a moment as I waited.
"Not a good time?" He asked
"No." I said, sniffing.
"All right." He said, hanging up.
I sighed putting my head back on the side of the building. Grissom walked back to his office suspecting something was seriously wrong. I came in later looking around as I walked down the hallway. My nose throbbed from the bottom up. Grissom watched me come to his office soon after shift peeking in at him from a dim spot in the hallway. He leaned back in his chair trying to see me better.
"Come in."
"I'm fine."
"Well I can't talk to you if you are out there."
"Then I need to go home. I am really tired."
"I feel like you are avoiding me."
"No." I said, shaking my head.
"Sara, come inside."
I slowly moved closer into the room. He stood up walking over watching me step back into the hallway.
"What's wrong?" He asked
"Nothing, I just really have to go."
"Sara, your starting to worry me." He said, walking over.
"Look, I am fine. I'll see you later." I said, leaving quickly.
As I was eating at the kitchen counter I heard a knock at the door. I had hoped that it would not be Grissom. I opened the door seeing it was him. I looked at him with the door protectively hiding the left side of my face.
"Hey, can I come in?"
"I am about to go to bed."
"I'll only stay a moment."
I gave up and opened the door hiding behind it as he came in. He watched me shut the door then wiz past him. He walked over watching me take my plate and put it in the sink then I leaned against the counter with my back to him.
"What's going on?" He asked
"Nothing."
"Then why aren't you facing me?"
I sighed looking down.
"Let me make it easy for you. Greg told me you came out of the locker room with a bloody nose."
"I banged into the door."
"It seems you have been doing a lot of that lately. Want to tell me the truth this time?" He asked, as his voice rose "Sara, you have bruising all over your body. I am just worried about you."
I felt him invade my space touching my back with his hand.
"I can handle it. I don't need you to ride in on your horse and save the day." I said
"Tell me what is going on?"
"I can't tell you."
"After all this time together and you don't trust me?" He asked
I felt his hand leave my back as he stepped away. It broke my heart to push him away, but I knew of Ecklie's threat of destroying Grissom's career was real.
"You've been gone and I changed." I said, as I turned around.
He looked at my bruised nose taking in the swollen part between the my eyes.
"I think we should quit seeing each other." I said, looking down.
"Is that what you really want?"
I nodded avoiding his stare.
"All right." He said, walking to the door. I heard the door close as I slid down to the floor crying. Grissom stood outside my closed door looking down. He knew that Ecklie had to be involved with this somehow. With a look of determination he walked away to his car.
A week later I laid on the floor of the CSI garage after a visit from Ecklie. He put on gloves placing a heavy wrench next to my head making it look like that is what hit me then he left looking around.
Nick came in putting on his gloves a few minutes later looking at the blue Hummer parked in the middle of the room.
"Sara, did you look in the trunk?" He asked, as he walked around the other side "Sara?"
As he rounded the vehicle he saw me lying on my back still.
"Sara?" He said, as he walked over kneeling down beside me.
He touched my neck feeling my pulse. Getting out his phone he called Grissom who was walking down the hallway. He hung up looking at the bruise forming on my head. Grissom walked in seeing us.
"Grissom, it looks like she hit herself with a wrench." Nick said
Grissom knelt down to me touching my head to look at the bruise.
"Sara?" He called, patting my cheek "Sara!"
I moved my head moaning feeling someone touching my cheek calling my name. When I opened my eyes I saw Nick looking concerned.
"What happened?" I asked, closing my eyes as I moved my head.
"I don't know. I came in and you were lying down on the ground. "Nick said
"Sara, can you move?" Grissom asked
I opened my eyes seeing him.
"I'll be fine. Just help me up." I said, trying to move.
"I think you need to see a doctor." Grissom said
"I don't feel anything. I think I can work." I said, not seeing the two men exchange looks. They helped me up watching me look around as I wavered on my feet.
"Sara, I don't think you should work."
"Grissom, I just need to sit down a moment then I will be ready to go."
"Then come to my office." Grissom said, taking my arm leading me out of the room. Once inside I laid down on his couch as he went to get an ice pack. He gently placed the pack on my head then he sat down on the couch holding it in place.
"Thank you." I said, opening my eyes to look at him.
"I know your keeping something from me."
"Grissom."
"No, this time I want the truth."
I closed my eyes sighing as he watched me.
"Sara?"
I opened my eyes looking at him. He leaned down kissing me gently. Then he moved back looking at me.
"Tell me."
"I don't want you to get hurt." I said, whispering.
"Who would hurt me?"
A knock at the door made me jump. He noticed as he got up and answered the door. Ecklie came in and I froze.
"I heard you were hurt." He said
"Yes, but I am all right."
"Good, in the future be careful."
Grissom watched us as we exchanged words. He noticed my fidgety fingers.
"I better get back to work. Come see me later."
"All right." I said, looking down.
Ecklie looked at Grissom then he walked out. Grissom shut the door walking over to me. He sat down again looking at me as I held the cold compress in my hands. He took it placing it back on the bruise.
"Who wants to hurt me?" He asked
"Before you came back I was called to Ecklie's office. From that day on he…"
"What Sara?"
I looked at him with tears in my eyes.
"He hits me."
He looked at me worried.
"Why?"
"I don't know why. He told me if I told he would destroy your career. I had to protect you."
"That's why you broke up with me?"
I nodded sniffing.
"Now he will get rid of you."
Grissom put his arms around me.
"He will not get rid of me or hurt you again."
Grissom laid down beside me in bed as I cried myself to sleep. He held me to him as sleep took him over as well. Having him close by again made me feel safe and protected. Worrying about his career and mine exhausted me. In the afternoon I moved over to his side not feeling him. I lifted my head not hearing a thing. Getting up I walked out seeing that he had left.
My cell phone went off on the kitchen counter. I grabbed it putting it to my ear.
"Sidle."
"Sara, it's me. I want you to stay home and rest."
"Okay, where are you?"
"Work. I filed a complaint over Ecklie's head. I am just waiting for a call."
"Oh."
"Don't be worried. This is going to be okay." He said, as he walked to his office.
"I know it will."
He hung up hearing someone else calling.
I went back to bed feeling my head pounding. Grissom came in with some papers as he looked around for me hours later. I moved to my side in bed sighing feeling a dip in the bed I felt him kiss my head.
"Gris." I mumbled
"Have you been sleeping since I phoned you?" He asked, as he kissed my head again.
"Yes."
"Does your head hurt?"
"A little."
"I need to talk to you."
"What about?"
"You need to wake up first and come out to the living room."
"Okay."
He smiled as I slowly move not getting up.
"Sara?"
I groaned moving to get out of the bed walking around it to follow him out to the living room. I looked over the papers as he cooked something.
He came over watching me scratch my head looking at the last paper.
"You just need to sign the restraining order and then write down a statement." He said
I nodded pushing the papers away as I got up walking over to the couch. He checked the oven then came over to where I sat in a ball having a panic attack.
"Sara, calm down." He said
"I…..can't."
He moved me to lean back against him.
"Listen to my breathing. Try to breathe like I am."
I continued to breathe fast he smoothed my hair kissing my head.
"Slow breaths, calm down."
I tried listening to his calm breathing and after a minute I started to calm down.
"That's it." He said
"Sorry." I said, softly.
"Sssh, it's all right. I know this is scaring you, but don't let it destroy you. Let me take some of your worries."
"What if you lose your job?" I said, as I started breathing quickly again.
"Calm down." He said "That is not going to happen. You don't need to feel that this is your fault."
"I just don't think I can do this. It's not just you I worry about. If I lose my job then what am I going to do?"
"Well let's talk about this. If you did lose your job then what would you do?" He asked, against my ear.
"This job is my life!" I said
"Sssh." He said, kissing my head "Well I see that you two options. You could worry yourself to death or you could not worry."
I sighed leaning back against him as he kissed my ear holding me close to him. I signed the forms and wrote out a statement and set the ball rolling. Grissom went into a meeting then they asked me to come in and talk to them. I went inside seeing Ecklie at the head of the table as Grissom and some other men sat away from him in the middle. They stood motioning for me to sit beside Grissom. I sat avoiding Ecklie's glaring stare.
"Miss. Sidle, can you tell us precisely what occurred the first time that Director Ecklie had a confrontation with you?" An older man asked, from across the table.
"Yes. He asked me to come into his office. I went in and asked him what he wanted. He informed me that there was a complaint filed by Sophia Curtis stating that I had contaminated the evidence."
They wrote information down then looked at me.
"Did you?" Another man asked
"I did not."
"Continue."
"I told him I did not do it and he ordered me on suspension. I went to the door and he came after me yanking my arm roughly telling me he did not want to see me here in the building. He let me go and I went on my way."
Grissom nodded looking at me then he looked at the men. I glanced over at Ecklie as he sat up in his chair looking at me.
"Did you document this? Or report it?"
"No."
"So you just went home and forgot about it?"
"I went home because he ordered me out of the building."
They wrote everything down again.
"What other confrontations did you witness?"
"The day that Supervisor Grissom came back on I had another fight with Director Ecklie. He yanked my arm causing a bruise." I said "Then the next shift my wrist was sprained after another fight with Ecklie in his office."
"I saw that she had a bandage around her wrist and I questioned her about it."
"What did she tell you?" The man asked
"She said she didn't know and that she must have hit it with a door." Grissom said
"Go on."
"One of my CSI's told me that Sara had some bruises on her arms and I confronted her about it. She refused to tell me and I told her that I would question her on it the next day. I arrived at work the next shift to see her come out of the director's office acting nervous and she looked to be in pain. I asked her what she was doing and she informed me that Ecklie told her that she was doing a good job. I went in to talk to Ecklie and asked if he had noticed a change in Sara's behavior and he said she's fine."
"Did you suspect something was wrong?"
"Yes, but the problem was that Miss. Sidle would not divulge information because she was told that if she told anyone that the director would destroy my career or hers."
They looked over at Ecklie.
"Is this true?" One asked
Ecklie cleared his throat.
"No, it is not true."
I looked at him as he looked at me.
"Go on Supervisor Grissom."
"The next injury that Miss. Sidle sustained would be a bloody nose." Grissom said, looking at me as I nodded.
"Tell us how that occurred?"
"I was in the locker room and the director came in. He pushed me against the locker threatening to fire me. I struggled with him screaming and that is when he hit me. I fell to the ground as he fled."
I took a breath as they wrote.
"A week later I woke up on the lab garage with a wrench lying beside me."
"Do you remember anything prior to waking up?"
"No, except working on the car's wheel."
"This is ludicrous!" Ecklie said, as he laughed "I have had no involvement in any of this."
"Please Director; you'll get a chance to tell your side."
Ecklie shook his head in disbelief as everyone looked at me.
"Miss. Sidle thank you for your time and that will be all."
I nodded standing then I walked out leaving them. After shift I woke up on the couch hearing my phone go off.
"Sidle."
"Sleeping?" Grissom asked, as he locked his office door.
"Yes."
"You did very well at the meeting."
"Thank you." I said, hearing a knock at the door. "We've been going out for a while you don't have to knock."
"It's not me." He said, walking past the front desk.
I opened the door screaming then the phone was cut off. Grissom stopped at the front door.
"Sara…..Sara!" He yelled
Ecklie came in looking enraged as he heaved a breath over and over glaring at me. I backed away staring at him. I ran to my bed room locking the door hearing my phone going off in the living room. Ecklie rammed the bedroom door as I locked the bathroom door.
"Sara?" He called
I shook backing away as he rammed the door. I searched for a weapon in my medicine cabinet seeing some peroxide and toothpaste. He rammed it again and the door snapped open. He smiled as he stared at me. I quickly took off the peroxide cap throwing it in his face. He backed up stumbling as I started running past him. He pounced me at the door and I kicked him. He groaned in pain as I got free running out to the living room. I went into the kitchen seeing him running out I held a knife backing up.
"Sara, you got me fired." He said
"I don't regret it. I am sure that by now the police are coming."
"I don't care I have nothing to lose now." He said, smiling.
I watched him come into the kitchen at me. I jumped over the counter or tried to, but he grabbed me pulling me back. The knife fell to the other side as he pulled me to the floor hitting me senseless. I felt darkness beginning to take hold as faint sirens got closer. Ecklie put his hands around my throat tightening them making me choke. I faintly struggled as my air was quickly disappearing. His face made me shiver as he smiled like a lunatic.
Grissom and Brass ran up to my door. Brass had an officer kick open the door pointing their guns shouting.
Brass looked around finally seeing us behind the counter. He watched as I faintly moved under Ecklie.
"Let her go Ecklie!" Brass ordered
"No, shot me!"
Brass shot him in the back making him fall on me. Grissom and he quickly got him off me. I breathed in gasping for air as Grissom lifted me up against him.
"Call an ambulance." Grissom said
"You got it." Brass said, dialing 911.
I opened my eyes seeing I was lying in a hospital room. Everything looked so bright. I closed my eyes getting used to the brightness. Someone dimmed the lights as they leaned over me.
"Sara." Grissom said, gently.
I opened my eyes looking at him.
"How do you feel?"
"Sore." I said, with a raspy voice.
He lifted a glass of water to my mouth watching me drink. He then set it down touching my cheek.
"We were lucky to get to you when we did."
"I didn't think you would fail me. Is he dead?"
"Yes."
"He blamed me for losing his job."
"He is the one responsible for that. Not you or I."
"I know. I just feel bad."
He leaned down kissing me.
"Grissom?"
"Hmm?" He said, as he stood back.
"Thank you."
He smiled faintly taking my hand.