Coming to Terms
Part 2
Author: Moggie
Pairing: G/S
Category: General, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Something strange mixed with the unknown. Will it make you crazy not knowing what happened?
Spoilers: Maybe
Disclaimer: If was so lucky, but nope, I do not own CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Notes: I don't know much about drugs, but I'm using only a tad of what I've learnt about Rho Hypnol, so forgive me if it's incorrect.
Scene 22
Catherine put off from calling Grissom as long as she could. She had to remind Ecklie to give Sara some more time to rest and try to remember. They both knew that it wasn't going to help much either way. One of the after effects of Rho Hypnol, is no recollection of what happen, although the victim is usually awake, they can suppress everything.
After she got home to see Lindsey off to school, she went straight to the hospital. It had only been about three or four hours since she left Ecklie and he was sure to be following some leads. Hopefully Sara could help point the investigation in the right direction.
Scene 23
Grissom gently traced the outline of her lips, mesmerised by them. He smiled warmly when Sara swatted his hand away and snuggled closer to him. He welcomed their closeness with his arm holding her against him. He chuckled as she mumbled with exasperation. "It really annoys me when you do that."
His thumb lazily caressed her back as he whispered into her ear. "I live to annoy you Sara, you know that." She muffled her laughter against his shirt.
Catherine knocked twice and pushed through the door. "Hey." She smiled softly. "How you doing Sara?"
Sara turned in Grissom's arms and smiled at Catherine as he pulled the blankets around her and he sat up. "Much better. I'm still tired though." She sighed and closed her eyes against the alluring sleep.
"I know, but I just wanted to warn you that Conrad will be by soon for a statement. I had to practically threaten him to wait, but he's off doing something else." Catherine smiled and sat in the empty visitor's chair she sat in the hours before Sara woke.
Grissom looked at her expectantly and he lightly placed his hand on Sara's side. "Did you get the phone records like I suggested?"
She nodded. "I did. Conrad and I went through them and discovered some interesting information about the pair of you." She teased and waited for someone to bite.
Sara's eyes fluttered open and groggily deadpanned. "Phone sex takes time Cath."
Grissom grinned and went completely crimson as he leaned over Sara to hide his face in her neck. "That's our secret Sara." He whispered, but loud enough for Catherine to hear.
Catherine laughed at the display and shook her head. "You two are bad. Fine, I'm going home to sleep and then I'm gonna make it up to my daughter about missing her recital last night."
"I thought you weren't working?" Grissom asked, leaning back to rest his head against the wall.
She nodded. "True, but the boss didn't turn up and I was helping Conrad." She explained dramatically, earning a sheepish grin from Grissom and a sleepy smile from Sara.
"Sorry." Sara murmured.
"No worry's, you get well hon." Catherine reached out to squeeze her hand. "I'll drop by tonight." She looked at Grissom and smiled as he closed his eyes. "You better make an appearance tonight Gil."
"I will." He grumbled, opening his eyes briefly to watch her leave the room. "I should talk to your doctor and see if I can take you home." He groaned as he sat up and pushed some of the blanket off his legs to tuck under Sara's light frame. "I'll be a few minutes honey, ok?"
"Ok." She sighed and drifted deeper into sleep.
Grissom watched her for a few long seconds as he tucked his shirt neatly into his pants and ran his fingers through his mildly wild curls. He dropped his hands to his sides and leaned over her sleeping form to place a soft kiss on her cheek. "Sweet dreams." He whispered.
Scene 24
"What are you doing here?" Nick asked as Grissom walked through the break room door.
Grissom looked confused at such a question. "I work here." He answered with a shrug.
Nick shook his head and stood up. "No, is Sara still at the hospital?"
"Until the morning and then I'll take her home." He replied gently as he realised the concern in his young friend's eyes. "Don't worry Nicky, she's sleeping and a nurse is staying with her."
Nick sighed and nodded. "Yeah, sorry. it's just. I'm worried about her."
Grissom turned from pouring himself a much-needed coffee. "Worried?"
"Yeah. She's been through so much and it's not gonna be over anytime soon."
Scene 25
Ecklie had printed the phone box, which was home to one of the numbers on Sara's phone list. Still only part way through the search, he had one of his CSI's sat behind a desk waiting for each print and it's profile. Meanwhile, he finished processing the booth and sent a CSI and an officer to the next number's address. With only two to go and one potential scene been combed, it was only a matter of time in finding the pieces to the puzzle.
After dropping the last of the phone box's evidence back at the lab to be processed, Ecklie headed to the hospital to get a statement. It was better to get everything done now so Sara could get home and recover from the ordeal that had been forced apon her.
Scene 26
Warrick stood in the corridor of the hospital, waiting to see Sara. He had been staring at the white wall for an undetermined amount of time when Ecklie walked towards him. "Hey Ecklie." He greeted, actually pleased to see him for once.
Ecklie knew that they were all relying on him to find out what had happened to their friend and he wasn't going to let them down. "How is she?" He asked, hoping that Warrick would know that he did in fact, care about what was going on.
Seeing the genuine concern in his rival's face, he nodded. "She's better. Tired still, but awake. You gonna get her statement now?"
"I figured it best wait till after she'd slept for a while and had time to remember." Ecklie explained as he walked towards the door. Turning to Warrick before knocking, he asked. "You wanna sit in? Sara might like a friend."
Warrick smiled and followed the day shift supervisor into the quiet hospital room.
Scene 27
Grissom sat behind his desk with his glasses on and a pen in hand. He had been signing reports and checking up on open cases for over 5 hours now, but what he really wanted to do was be with Sara. He had seen Warrick and Ecklie walk by, but no one stopped by to brief him on what was going on. He knew they had spoken to Sara, but when he rang the hospital, the nurse told him that they had left long ago and Sara was sleeping soundly.
He sighed and continued to do the paperwork that had been waiting for his attention for weeks, but now seemed like the time to get on with it. He didn't want to be out in the field, in case the hospital rang and he had to leave, also, he didn't want to compromise a case if his mind was on other things.
Catherine had stopped by, but was busy working her own case and checking up with her babysitter. Lindsey was upset with her mother for not being at her recital, but the good thing was that the school was doing another night tomorrow. This meant that Catherine was determined to finish her case, see Sara and head home to sleep so she could be awake and fresh when she surprised her daughter by showing up to the final night's school recital.
Scene 28
Warrick sat down in the chair Grissom was sitting in and Ecklie seated himself in Catherine's. Sara was lightly dozing, but when the door opened, she hoped it would be Grissom. When she noticed Warrick and Ecklie, she knew what was happening and what Ecklie wanted.
"How you feeling Sar?" Warrick asked, seeing her eyes flutter open to focus on his smile.
She rubbed at her eyes and smiled at him. "I'm feeling ok War."
"Good, good. Hey, you want something to drink?" He offered as he looked around for a glass of water. Sara nodded and watched as Warrick stood. "I'll be back." He promised.
Ecklie sat forward when Warrick left the room. "You know why I'm here?" He asked gently. Sara sighed and turned towards him. He reached out to her surprise and patted her hand before removing it. "I'm glad you're ok Sara. Everyone sends messages, but they all basically say that they hope you get well soon." He chuckled as she smiled.
"Thanks Eck." She cleared her throat lightly and looked at the dayshift supervisor. "I don't know what to tell you." She admitted.
He nodded and leaned back in his chair. "That's ok. Just take it slow and tell me exactly what you remember. Starting from when you left the crime scene."
Sara furrowed her brows. "I didn't."
Ecklie sat up. "You didn't?" He shook his head in confusion. "Didn't what?"
"I didn't leave the crime scene." She closed her eyes as she remembered. "I left Nick to take my kit and the evidence to my car. I loaded them into the back and." She looked at him and sighed. "I closed the door and everything went dark."
"Anything after that?" He asked softly, sensing she was worried that she couldn't remember.
"I. I. I don't know." She pulled the blankets tighter against her and practically buried herself in the warm.
Ecklie reached out and took her hand. Giving it a light squeezed, he asked. "Did you see anyone suspicious around the scene before you were knocked out?"
Sara looked at the blue blanket and tried to think back to the scene. She couldn't remember seeing anyone that didn't belong. "No one that shouldn't have been there." She answered slowly as it suddenly dawned on her.
"Someone you knew?" He asked carefully.
She clenched her eyes shut and forced herself to remember. Soon tears started to trickle down her cheeks. "I don't remember." She hiccuped as she opened her eyes to stare at the worried man sat beside her. "I work with them everyday. I don't think any of them would do this."
"Are you sure?" He pressed, not sure if this was good. Forcing her to remember might not be a good idea, but he needed information to narrow the field of investigation.
Sara shook her head. "You can ask Grissom, he knows and the other's. Everyone that I worked with at that crime scene works with me every night. It can't be them. It can't!" She started crying and turned away from Ecklie as Warrick walked back into the room.
Warrick watched as Ecklie stood and rubbed Sara's shoulder lightly. "It's ok Sara. You've helped. Get some rest." His soothe voice calmed her somewhat, but she continued to cry. Warrick walked around the bed and placed a glass of water on the side table before moving to pull Sara into a tight hug. Ecklie nodded to Warrick and left them alone.
Scene 29
Nick looked up as Warrick walked into the room. "Hey man, you look wasted."
"Thanks." Warrick drawled.
"How's your case coming along?" The Texan asked as he unwrapped his sandwich.
Warrick sat down with a fresh cup of coffee. "Slow. Without Sara's help, I got nothing. That window frame was a blow and the prints came back at the house owner."
Nick swallowed his mouthful before asking. "Vics?" He nodded. "Must've been in the bathroom before he died."
"Or startled the burglar." Warrick thought as he raised his cup. "Maybe the vic was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"He was found in the hall." Nick said, not sure how that could be, unless the vic opened the window. "The window was forced or maybe it was made to look that way." He suggested.
Warrick sighed and shook his head. "Doesn't matter man. If the vic assisted, he's dead. The only witness was killed and the killer is still out and probably causing mayhem as we speak."
Scene 30
Ecklie looked at the house that was still under investigation. He kept his distance so not to compromise any evidence that may have been unseen. Keeping to the area Sara's car was parked, he searched every inch with a fine-toothed comb. Finding a few traces of possible transfer, he decided that a re-enactment might help.
Catherine was at her daughter's recital and Sara was in the hospital, that left Jackie to aid him while his CSI's kept on top of the few leads they had. It was taking longer to match the fingerprints lifted from the phone box, but they had to contact each and get statements to close the loop on the kidnapper.
Jackie stood at the rear of Ecklie's Tahoe and put a box and an evidence case in the back. Ecklie walked towards her and as she closed the door, he grabbed her. After en-enacting a few times, each differently, they headed back to the lab and discussed what they had discovered.
"I don't think an outsider could do what you did Conrad." Jackie confessed. "Look at it this way." She began. "You would have had to walk through the crowd and pass at least one officer before you could even get close enough to Sara."
He listened carefully and smiled at the lab tech. "You are a genius." He stood up quickly and leaned over to kiss her cheek before rushing out the lab.
Jackie sat there in a confused daze. "I am?"
Scene 31
Captain Brass handed a list to one of Ecklie's CSI's and watched as the young man flipped through the two pages that had each name of the officer that was at the scene that night and their details. The CSI thanked the detective and left him staring at his back. He could swear that Grissom's team shared things with him without him asking all the time, but Ecklie's? There was no hope, he was sure of it.
Scene 32
Grissom was grateful for the end of shift and after going home to shower and change; he drove to the hospital, ready to pick Sara up. As he approached her room, he saw an officer entering her room. Must still be questioning her, he thought.
As he pushed the door open, he saw the officer standing by the bed with a syringe in his right hand. Grissom didn't know what was going on, but he didn't think to ask. "What the hell!" He shouted, making Sara jump awake. Apon seeing the man above her, she instantly tried to move away, but he grabbed her arm and tried to stick the needle in her. Grissom grabbed him from behind.
"Grissom!" Sara cried as she watched the two struggle.
Grissom tried to keep the syringe away from him as the man aimed it at his body in return. "Drop it!" Someone shouted from the door. "I said drop it!" The voice was from Ecklie. He had his gun trained on the police officer.
After a few seconds, two police officers burst into the room and apprehended the man. Captain Brass was shocked and angry at the same time. Grissom tried to calm Sara down as she cried on her bed.
Scene 33
Sara barely ate anything when she got home. She wanted to go to sleep, but was afraid what might find her there. She wanted Grissom, but he was at the lab. He wanted answers and promised to be home when he had them, but that was four hours ago. They left the hospital that morning after the attempt on her life, but now the man that kidnapped her was at the police station. She wanted everything to be back to normal, but that wasn't going to happen. She didn't want to remember what happened to her, but if she didn't know, she knew she wouldn't be able to come to terms with it.
She decided to go to bed, although she was sure she wouldn't sleep on her own. At least she would be in her own bed and once Grissom came back home, she might be able to sleep with him watching over her. She loved it when he would help her through a nightmare, it made her feel safe and loved, which she could do with most of all right now.
Scene 34
Catherine stood next to the interrogation door, waiting for Ecklie to finish questioning their only witness. She had been staring at Grissom for the last three hours as he leaned against the wall opposite her. She had already stopped him a total of 12 times from entering the room and each time was getting more difficult. Captain Brass was posted on the inside of the closed door with one eye on Grissom and the other on the suspect.
Warrick and Nick were watching from the observation room. They hadn't intervened at the door and left Catherine to stall Grissom. She had known him the longest and the more people would only make Grissom more angry. Sitting on the table, Nick looked around the room. Warrick was sat on a chair beside the two-way mirror. He couldn't stop watching the suspect.
Scene 35
Ecklie sat forward once again and pushed a photo towards him. "This syringe has your fingerprints on it." He stated. "I have witnesses, plus myself, that saw you holding this syringe."
"You didn't see a thing." The suspect drawled.
"Really?" Brass piped in as he slowly stepped away from the door. "I have a very willing witness to ID you, if you'd just like to stand up."
The suspect rolled his eyes and stayed where he was. "I was attacked."
Getting tired of the same answers, Ecklie leaned back. "Attack? You were caught red handed. The syringe was in your right hand, posed at Miss Sidle's arm, ready to inject her, but you were stopped." Thinking quickly, he sat up and pulled out another photo, one of Sara when she was still unconscious. "You didn't think about visitors did you?"
Brass watched the suspect turn away from the photo that Ecklie laid before him. "Be a good boy and look at the photo." He cajoled. "You assaulted and kidnapped a good friend of mine and you will tell us everything."
Taking a deep breath, the suspect turned his head slightly and looked at the photo. At first, he didn't recognise her, but then he sat up and looked closer. He reached out for it, but Ecklie pulled it away quickly. "Just looking." The suspect gave them a smug grin.
"Ok, let's start from the beginning." Ecklie announced, standing up and walking around the room.
"I already told you. I-"
"I know, you found the syringe and picked it up, then you were attacked by- "
"That CSI guy."
Brass sighed. "That 'CSI guy' is the head of the crime lab, who just happens to be waiting outside this door, probably ready to rip you a new one if he doesn't get answers."
"Office Alex O'Brien, right? Been on the force for 6 years. Transferred from LA a year ago. Why was that by the way?" Ecklie asked as he flipped through the suspect's file.
O'Brien started to nervously rub at the table with this index finger. "I didn't get on with a few of my colleges." He paused and looked at them. "This isn't relevant." He added.
"No, it isn't. Why don't you tell me exactly what is relevant?" Brass moved back towards the door, sensing Grissom's pacing. Catherine's muffled voice was trying to calm him down.
Scene 36
"It's taking too long." Grissom groaned.
"You know it can take time Gil." Catherine reminded, watching his movements.
He pushed off the wall and walked a few steps, only to turn around and walk back. "I want to know what happened Cath."
"We all do."
He stopped and looked at her. "Eventually it'll come back and haunt her Catherine. I want to know what he did or what he didn't do. I need to know." He stressed, rubbing his face and looking through the window briefly.
Catherine moved towards him and paced her hand on his shoulder. "Give it time. Sara needs rest and now we have the guy. Let's just wait. Why don't you go and see her?"
"I want answers, that's why!" He shouted, causing Catherine to flinch. He shook his head and mumbled an apology.
Scene 37
"You better start talking. It's not gonna get any better. We have you for attempted murder and given a day, we'll have you for kidnapping and assault. It's a good thing you are know the law, because you're gonna be here a long, long time." Brass expressed with a forced grin. "We have all the evidence-"
"Then why am I still here?" O'Brien challenged.
Ecklie leaned over the table, getting in O'Brien's face. "Because I say so." He told him.
Shifting his head back, the suspect nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "She was nice to me." He started.
Scene 38
Catherine heard Warrick and Nick talking and started pushing Grissom towards the observation room. When she entered with Grissom beside her, they heard the last bit of O'Brien's sentence.
"He's finally talking." Nick whispered, listening carefully to the speakers.
Grissom stood by the door, but Catherine was blocking entry in and out. They all listened as O'Brien finally gave his confession.
Scene 39
Brass stared at him. "She was 'nice' to you?"
O'Brien nodded.
"You kidnapped her because she was nice to you?" Ecklie asked in disbelief, casting his eyes at the mirror quickly.
"No." O'Brien chuckled. "I wouldn't do that."
Ecklie narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Then why?"
He looked from one to the other, the mirror, then the table. "Because she ignored me and all the other's." O'Brien finally answered.
Thinking this over, Ecklie glanced at Brass and shrugged lightly. "Okay."
O'Brien watched the glances and confusion pass between them. "It wasn't just that." He stressed. "Everyone asked her out. Everyone. I tried a few times, but she always said she was busy, maybe another time."
"Maybe she was busy." Brass supplied.
"No. She wasn't that busy to spend time with her boss." O'Brien practically spat. "Even when she was seeing that EMT guy. She was spending day and night with her boss, at the lab, home." He trailed off as he got lost in his memories.
"Hey!" Brass slammed his hand down on the table. "Stay focused!" He demanded. "Why did you kidnap Sara Sidle?"
O'Brien was getting angry at all the questions and losing his rag in an interrogation was not going to happen. "I want my phone call." He said calmly.
Scene 40
Grissom gritted his teeth and pushed past Catherine. "Grissom!" Nick, Warrick and Catherine chorused.
Brass had just opened the interrogation room door and two officers were escorting O'Brien out into the hallway. Just as he turned, he saw Grissom walking towards them. "Get him out of here now!" He ordered the officers. "Calm down Gil." He tried and failed to stop his old friend.
"You bastard!" He pushed O'Brien.
"Get away from me!" O'Brien shouted.
Grissom wasn't going to wait any longer. "What did you do to her?" He asked, afraid of the answer, but the need to know was too strong.
"Nothing." O'Brien said with little emotion, but then seemed to hold a different face altogether. "Nothing you haven't done." He added when Brass tried to move Grissom away. That got Grissom's attention more than anyone would have wanted.
Scene 41
Sara whimpered in her sleep. She hadn't meant to give into the exhaustion, but it seemed to claim her out of the blue while she lay in her bed, trying to read a book her Grandma gave her as a child. The book was in tatters from being read over the years, but it held sentimental value and it was nice to think about her childhood for a time, anything to escape the now.
She flinched awake and turned her head to see her clock. It was afternoon and although she'd slept three hours, it felt like less. She was still tired, but the nightmares were not giving her any rest. They were filled with images and darkness, the silence and the smell felt so real, yet it was a dream.
A click and light thud broke the silence. Sara could hear rustling from the kitchen and guessed it was Grissom. He's the only one who had a key. She sighed and pushed her hair back from her eyes. The tiredness was making her more jumpy.
"Griss!" She called out, but was greeted with silence. Swallowing the sudden fear that gripped her, she pushed the covers back and slid to her sock-covered feet. "Gil!" She tried again and heard footsteps coming down the hall. Just as she got to the partly closed door, it opened, causing her to jump back and scream in shock.
"Sara?" Grissom's concerned voice filled her ears as she clutched her beating heart. Seeing the tears welling up in her eyes, he quickly realised what happened and instantly felt stupid and guilty. "I'm so sorry honey." He whispered, closing the distance between them to wrapped his arms around her tightly. "You ok?" Her breathing was rasped as she breathed in deeply. "Oh baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"S'ok." She sighed and managed to relax slightly in his arms. "You. did answer me." She finally said and pulled back to look at him.
He looked confused. "I didn't hear you. You sure?" He knew she was sure, but had to ask. He nodded with her and decided she needed to sit down. Guiding he back to the bed, he helped her in and pulled the blankets up to her waist. He sat on the edge and took her hands. "Ok now?"
"Yeah." She smiled slightly and started to brush his hand with her thumb as she looked at him. "Where did you go?" She didn't have to ask, she already knew. "Find anything out?" She added after he looked down at their hands.
Grissom sighed and nodded. "A little. They arrested him." Taking it slow, he shifted further onto the bed so he was closer to her. He leaned over her legs and held himself up on his arm as he played with her hand that clung to his. "Questioned him for hours."
"I guessed." She breathed and motioned to the clock. "You were gone nearly eight hours. I was worried."
He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I should have rung. I didn't mean to leave you."
"I'm ok." She gave him a fake smile, but it faded when he raised his sceptical eyebrow, which she sighed and shook her head at. "Fine, I was scared."
"You have every right to be, but. he's gone. No more worrying-"
"What did he say?" She asked quickly, sensing he was going to drop the subject any second.
Grissom looked into her eyes and saw the fear still taking residence. Was it better for her never to remember or should he tell her? It was too much to think about let alone share his findings. It could make her remember everything and haunt her forever or she won't ever understand. How was she going to take it if he told her that she was kidnapped because of him?
Sara saw so much conflict as emotion after emotion came and went in a flash. He just stared into her eyes, unblinking and unsure what he was seeing. Gently, she reached up and brushed his curls back causing his to blink and refocus on her face. He smiled a genuine smile and leaned forward to kiss her. "I love you." He breathed into her ear as she pulled him closer to her. Their arms held each other together, both feeding on the courage and love that was flowing through them.
She would ask again, he knew that, but maybe she could see that it wasn't important anymore. As long as Officer O'Brien was in jail for what he did, she was safe and the nightmare was over. It was time to move on and not dwell on the things you just can't remember.
The only real fear that was put to rest was the fact that it was 'only' an attack and kidnapping, nothing more. Maybe she could live with not knowing and that coming to terms with what happened would be easier if Grissom was with her to help her through the nightmares that were still to come. And in time, who knows, perhaps the nightmares will fade and the true fear of the unknown will be gone.
The End
It's shorter than I wanted, but a bit of mystery never hurt anyone. Too much might ruin the effect I wanted to achieve, fear of the unknown, but never really knowing what the unknown is.
Part 2
Author: Moggie
Pairing: G/S
Category: General, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Something strange mixed with the unknown. Will it make you crazy not knowing what happened?
Spoilers: Maybe
Disclaimer: If was so lucky, but nope, I do not own CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Notes: I don't know much about drugs, but I'm using only a tad of what I've learnt about Rho Hypnol, so forgive me if it's incorrect.
Scene 22
Catherine put off from calling Grissom as long as she could. She had to remind Ecklie to give Sara some more time to rest and try to remember. They both knew that it wasn't going to help much either way. One of the after effects of Rho Hypnol, is no recollection of what happen, although the victim is usually awake, they can suppress everything.
After she got home to see Lindsey off to school, she went straight to the hospital. It had only been about three or four hours since she left Ecklie and he was sure to be following some leads. Hopefully Sara could help point the investigation in the right direction.
Scene 23
Grissom gently traced the outline of her lips, mesmerised by them. He smiled warmly when Sara swatted his hand away and snuggled closer to him. He welcomed their closeness with his arm holding her against him. He chuckled as she mumbled with exasperation. "It really annoys me when you do that."
His thumb lazily caressed her back as he whispered into her ear. "I live to annoy you Sara, you know that." She muffled her laughter against his shirt.
Catherine knocked twice and pushed through the door. "Hey." She smiled softly. "How you doing Sara?"
Sara turned in Grissom's arms and smiled at Catherine as he pulled the blankets around her and he sat up. "Much better. I'm still tired though." She sighed and closed her eyes against the alluring sleep.
"I know, but I just wanted to warn you that Conrad will be by soon for a statement. I had to practically threaten him to wait, but he's off doing something else." Catherine smiled and sat in the empty visitor's chair she sat in the hours before Sara woke.
Grissom looked at her expectantly and he lightly placed his hand on Sara's side. "Did you get the phone records like I suggested?"
She nodded. "I did. Conrad and I went through them and discovered some interesting information about the pair of you." She teased and waited for someone to bite.
Sara's eyes fluttered open and groggily deadpanned. "Phone sex takes time Cath."
Grissom grinned and went completely crimson as he leaned over Sara to hide his face in her neck. "That's our secret Sara." He whispered, but loud enough for Catherine to hear.
Catherine laughed at the display and shook her head. "You two are bad. Fine, I'm going home to sleep and then I'm gonna make it up to my daughter about missing her recital last night."
"I thought you weren't working?" Grissom asked, leaning back to rest his head against the wall.
She nodded. "True, but the boss didn't turn up and I was helping Conrad." She explained dramatically, earning a sheepish grin from Grissom and a sleepy smile from Sara.
"Sorry." Sara murmured.
"No worry's, you get well hon." Catherine reached out to squeeze her hand. "I'll drop by tonight." She looked at Grissom and smiled as he closed his eyes. "You better make an appearance tonight Gil."
"I will." He grumbled, opening his eyes briefly to watch her leave the room. "I should talk to your doctor and see if I can take you home." He groaned as he sat up and pushed some of the blanket off his legs to tuck under Sara's light frame. "I'll be a few minutes honey, ok?"
"Ok." She sighed and drifted deeper into sleep.
Grissom watched her for a few long seconds as he tucked his shirt neatly into his pants and ran his fingers through his mildly wild curls. He dropped his hands to his sides and leaned over her sleeping form to place a soft kiss on her cheek. "Sweet dreams." He whispered.
Scene 24
"What are you doing here?" Nick asked as Grissom walked through the break room door.
Grissom looked confused at such a question. "I work here." He answered with a shrug.
Nick shook his head and stood up. "No, is Sara still at the hospital?"
"Until the morning and then I'll take her home." He replied gently as he realised the concern in his young friend's eyes. "Don't worry Nicky, she's sleeping and a nurse is staying with her."
Nick sighed and nodded. "Yeah, sorry. it's just. I'm worried about her."
Grissom turned from pouring himself a much-needed coffee. "Worried?"
"Yeah. She's been through so much and it's not gonna be over anytime soon."
Scene 25
Ecklie had printed the phone box, which was home to one of the numbers on Sara's phone list. Still only part way through the search, he had one of his CSI's sat behind a desk waiting for each print and it's profile. Meanwhile, he finished processing the booth and sent a CSI and an officer to the next number's address. With only two to go and one potential scene been combed, it was only a matter of time in finding the pieces to the puzzle.
After dropping the last of the phone box's evidence back at the lab to be processed, Ecklie headed to the hospital to get a statement. It was better to get everything done now so Sara could get home and recover from the ordeal that had been forced apon her.
Scene 26
Warrick stood in the corridor of the hospital, waiting to see Sara. He had been staring at the white wall for an undetermined amount of time when Ecklie walked towards him. "Hey Ecklie." He greeted, actually pleased to see him for once.
Ecklie knew that they were all relying on him to find out what had happened to their friend and he wasn't going to let them down. "How is she?" He asked, hoping that Warrick would know that he did in fact, care about what was going on.
Seeing the genuine concern in his rival's face, he nodded. "She's better. Tired still, but awake. You gonna get her statement now?"
"I figured it best wait till after she'd slept for a while and had time to remember." Ecklie explained as he walked towards the door. Turning to Warrick before knocking, he asked. "You wanna sit in? Sara might like a friend."
Warrick smiled and followed the day shift supervisor into the quiet hospital room.
Scene 27
Grissom sat behind his desk with his glasses on and a pen in hand. He had been signing reports and checking up on open cases for over 5 hours now, but what he really wanted to do was be with Sara. He had seen Warrick and Ecklie walk by, but no one stopped by to brief him on what was going on. He knew they had spoken to Sara, but when he rang the hospital, the nurse told him that they had left long ago and Sara was sleeping soundly.
He sighed and continued to do the paperwork that had been waiting for his attention for weeks, but now seemed like the time to get on with it. He didn't want to be out in the field, in case the hospital rang and he had to leave, also, he didn't want to compromise a case if his mind was on other things.
Catherine had stopped by, but was busy working her own case and checking up with her babysitter. Lindsey was upset with her mother for not being at her recital, but the good thing was that the school was doing another night tomorrow. This meant that Catherine was determined to finish her case, see Sara and head home to sleep so she could be awake and fresh when she surprised her daughter by showing up to the final night's school recital.
Scene 28
Warrick sat down in the chair Grissom was sitting in and Ecklie seated himself in Catherine's. Sara was lightly dozing, but when the door opened, she hoped it would be Grissom. When she noticed Warrick and Ecklie, she knew what was happening and what Ecklie wanted.
"How you feeling Sar?" Warrick asked, seeing her eyes flutter open to focus on his smile.
She rubbed at her eyes and smiled at him. "I'm feeling ok War."
"Good, good. Hey, you want something to drink?" He offered as he looked around for a glass of water. Sara nodded and watched as Warrick stood. "I'll be back." He promised.
Ecklie sat forward when Warrick left the room. "You know why I'm here?" He asked gently. Sara sighed and turned towards him. He reached out to her surprise and patted her hand before removing it. "I'm glad you're ok Sara. Everyone sends messages, but they all basically say that they hope you get well soon." He chuckled as she smiled.
"Thanks Eck." She cleared her throat lightly and looked at the dayshift supervisor. "I don't know what to tell you." She admitted.
He nodded and leaned back in his chair. "That's ok. Just take it slow and tell me exactly what you remember. Starting from when you left the crime scene."
Sara furrowed her brows. "I didn't."
Ecklie sat up. "You didn't?" He shook his head in confusion. "Didn't what?"
"I didn't leave the crime scene." She closed her eyes as she remembered. "I left Nick to take my kit and the evidence to my car. I loaded them into the back and." She looked at him and sighed. "I closed the door and everything went dark."
"Anything after that?" He asked softly, sensing she was worried that she couldn't remember.
"I. I. I don't know." She pulled the blankets tighter against her and practically buried herself in the warm.
Ecklie reached out and took her hand. Giving it a light squeezed, he asked. "Did you see anyone suspicious around the scene before you were knocked out?"
Sara looked at the blue blanket and tried to think back to the scene. She couldn't remember seeing anyone that didn't belong. "No one that shouldn't have been there." She answered slowly as it suddenly dawned on her.
"Someone you knew?" He asked carefully.
She clenched her eyes shut and forced herself to remember. Soon tears started to trickle down her cheeks. "I don't remember." She hiccuped as she opened her eyes to stare at the worried man sat beside her. "I work with them everyday. I don't think any of them would do this."
"Are you sure?" He pressed, not sure if this was good. Forcing her to remember might not be a good idea, but he needed information to narrow the field of investigation.
Sara shook her head. "You can ask Grissom, he knows and the other's. Everyone that I worked with at that crime scene works with me every night. It can't be them. It can't!" She started crying and turned away from Ecklie as Warrick walked back into the room.
Warrick watched as Ecklie stood and rubbed Sara's shoulder lightly. "It's ok Sara. You've helped. Get some rest." His soothe voice calmed her somewhat, but she continued to cry. Warrick walked around the bed and placed a glass of water on the side table before moving to pull Sara into a tight hug. Ecklie nodded to Warrick and left them alone.
Scene 29
Nick looked up as Warrick walked into the room. "Hey man, you look wasted."
"Thanks." Warrick drawled.
"How's your case coming along?" The Texan asked as he unwrapped his sandwich.
Warrick sat down with a fresh cup of coffee. "Slow. Without Sara's help, I got nothing. That window frame was a blow and the prints came back at the house owner."
Nick swallowed his mouthful before asking. "Vics?" He nodded. "Must've been in the bathroom before he died."
"Or startled the burglar." Warrick thought as he raised his cup. "Maybe the vic was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"He was found in the hall." Nick said, not sure how that could be, unless the vic opened the window. "The window was forced or maybe it was made to look that way." He suggested.
Warrick sighed and shook his head. "Doesn't matter man. If the vic assisted, he's dead. The only witness was killed and the killer is still out and probably causing mayhem as we speak."
Scene 30
Ecklie looked at the house that was still under investigation. He kept his distance so not to compromise any evidence that may have been unseen. Keeping to the area Sara's car was parked, he searched every inch with a fine-toothed comb. Finding a few traces of possible transfer, he decided that a re-enactment might help.
Catherine was at her daughter's recital and Sara was in the hospital, that left Jackie to aid him while his CSI's kept on top of the few leads they had. It was taking longer to match the fingerprints lifted from the phone box, but they had to contact each and get statements to close the loop on the kidnapper.
Jackie stood at the rear of Ecklie's Tahoe and put a box and an evidence case in the back. Ecklie walked towards her and as she closed the door, he grabbed her. After en-enacting a few times, each differently, they headed back to the lab and discussed what they had discovered.
"I don't think an outsider could do what you did Conrad." Jackie confessed. "Look at it this way." She began. "You would have had to walk through the crowd and pass at least one officer before you could even get close enough to Sara."
He listened carefully and smiled at the lab tech. "You are a genius." He stood up quickly and leaned over to kiss her cheek before rushing out the lab.
Jackie sat there in a confused daze. "I am?"
Scene 31
Captain Brass handed a list to one of Ecklie's CSI's and watched as the young man flipped through the two pages that had each name of the officer that was at the scene that night and their details. The CSI thanked the detective and left him staring at his back. He could swear that Grissom's team shared things with him without him asking all the time, but Ecklie's? There was no hope, he was sure of it.
Scene 32
Grissom was grateful for the end of shift and after going home to shower and change; he drove to the hospital, ready to pick Sara up. As he approached her room, he saw an officer entering her room. Must still be questioning her, he thought.
As he pushed the door open, he saw the officer standing by the bed with a syringe in his right hand. Grissom didn't know what was going on, but he didn't think to ask. "What the hell!" He shouted, making Sara jump awake. Apon seeing the man above her, she instantly tried to move away, but he grabbed her arm and tried to stick the needle in her. Grissom grabbed him from behind.
"Grissom!" Sara cried as she watched the two struggle.
Grissom tried to keep the syringe away from him as the man aimed it at his body in return. "Drop it!" Someone shouted from the door. "I said drop it!" The voice was from Ecklie. He had his gun trained on the police officer.
After a few seconds, two police officers burst into the room and apprehended the man. Captain Brass was shocked and angry at the same time. Grissom tried to calm Sara down as she cried on her bed.
Scene 33
Sara barely ate anything when she got home. She wanted to go to sleep, but was afraid what might find her there. She wanted Grissom, but he was at the lab. He wanted answers and promised to be home when he had them, but that was four hours ago. They left the hospital that morning after the attempt on her life, but now the man that kidnapped her was at the police station. She wanted everything to be back to normal, but that wasn't going to happen. She didn't want to remember what happened to her, but if she didn't know, she knew she wouldn't be able to come to terms with it.
She decided to go to bed, although she was sure she wouldn't sleep on her own. At least she would be in her own bed and once Grissom came back home, she might be able to sleep with him watching over her. She loved it when he would help her through a nightmare, it made her feel safe and loved, which she could do with most of all right now.
Scene 34
Catherine stood next to the interrogation door, waiting for Ecklie to finish questioning their only witness. She had been staring at Grissom for the last three hours as he leaned against the wall opposite her. She had already stopped him a total of 12 times from entering the room and each time was getting more difficult. Captain Brass was posted on the inside of the closed door with one eye on Grissom and the other on the suspect.
Warrick and Nick were watching from the observation room. They hadn't intervened at the door and left Catherine to stall Grissom. She had known him the longest and the more people would only make Grissom more angry. Sitting on the table, Nick looked around the room. Warrick was sat on a chair beside the two-way mirror. He couldn't stop watching the suspect.
Scene 35
Ecklie sat forward once again and pushed a photo towards him. "This syringe has your fingerprints on it." He stated. "I have witnesses, plus myself, that saw you holding this syringe."
"You didn't see a thing." The suspect drawled.
"Really?" Brass piped in as he slowly stepped away from the door. "I have a very willing witness to ID you, if you'd just like to stand up."
The suspect rolled his eyes and stayed where he was. "I was attacked."
Getting tired of the same answers, Ecklie leaned back. "Attack? You were caught red handed. The syringe was in your right hand, posed at Miss Sidle's arm, ready to inject her, but you were stopped." Thinking quickly, he sat up and pulled out another photo, one of Sara when she was still unconscious. "You didn't think about visitors did you?"
Brass watched the suspect turn away from the photo that Ecklie laid before him. "Be a good boy and look at the photo." He cajoled. "You assaulted and kidnapped a good friend of mine and you will tell us everything."
Taking a deep breath, the suspect turned his head slightly and looked at the photo. At first, he didn't recognise her, but then he sat up and looked closer. He reached out for it, but Ecklie pulled it away quickly. "Just looking." The suspect gave them a smug grin.
"Ok, let's start from the beginning." Ecklie announced, standing up and walking around the room.
"I already told you. I-"
"I know, you found the syringe and picked it up, then you were attacked by- "
"That CSI guy."
Brass sighed. "That 'CSI guy' is the head of the crime lab, who just happens to be waiting outside this door, probably ready to rip you a new one if he doesn't get answers."
"Office Alex O'Brien, right? Been on the force for 6 years. Transferred from LA a year ago. Why was that by the way?" Ecklie asked as he flipped through the suspect's file.
O'Brien started to nervously rub at the table with this index finger. "I didn't get on with a few of my colleges." He paused and looked at them. "This isn't relevant." He added.
"No, it isn't. Why don't you tell me exactly what is relevant?" Brass moved back towards the door, sensing Grissom's pacing. Catherine's muffled voice was trying to calm him down.
Scene 36
"It's taking too long." Grissom groaned.
"You know it can take time Gil." Catherine reminded, watching his movements.
He pushed off the wall and walked a few steps, only to turn around and walk back. "I want to know what happened Cath."
"We all do."
He stopped and looked at her. "Eventually it'll come back and haunt her Catherine. I want to know what he did or what he didn't do. I need to know." He stressed, rubbing his face and looking through the window briefly.
Catherine moved towards him and paced her hand on his shoulder. "Give it time. Sara needs rest and now we have the guy. Let's just wait. Why don't you go and see her?"
"I want answers, that's why!" He shouted, causing Catherine to flinch. He shook his head and mumbled an apology.
Scene 37
"You better start talking. It's not gonna get any better. We have you for attempted murder and given a day, we'll have you for kidnapping and assault. It's a good thing you are know the law, because you're gonna be here a long, long time." Brass expressed with a forced grin. "We have all the evidence-"
"Then why am I still here?" O'Brien challenged.
Ecklie leaned over the table, getting in O'Brien's face. "Because I say so." He told him.
Shifting his head back, the suspect nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "She was nice to me." He started.
Scene 38
Catherine heard Warrick and Nick talking and started pushing Grissom towards the observation room. When she entered with Grissom beside her, they heard the last bit of O'Brien's sentence.
"He's finally talking." Nick whispered, listening carefully to the speakers.
Grissom stood by the door, but Catherine was blocking entry in and out. They all listened as O'Brien finally gave his confession.
Scene 39
Brass stared at him. "She was 'nice' to you?"
O'Brien nodded.
"You kidnapped her because she was nice to you?" Ecklie asked in disbelief, casting his eyes at the mirror quickly.
"No." O'Brien chuckled. "I wouldn't do that."
Ecklie narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Then why?"
He looked from one to the other, the mirror, then the table. "Because she ignored me and all the other's." O'Brien finally answered.
Thinking this over, Ecklie glanced at Brass and shrugged lightly. "Okay."
O'Brien watched the glances and confusion pass between them. "It wasn't just that." He stressed. "Everyone asked her out. Everyone. I tried a few times, but she always said she was busy, maybe another time."
"Maybe she was busy." Brass supplied.
"No. She wasn't that busy to spend time with her boss." O'Brien practically spat. "Even when she was seeing that EMT guy. She was spending day and night with her boss, at the lab, home." He trailed off as he got lost in his memories.
"Hey!" Brass slammed his hand down on the table. "Stay focused!" He demanded. "Why did you kidnap Sara Sidle?"
O'Brien was getting angry at all the questions and losing his rag in an interrogation was not going to happen. "I want my phone call." He said calmly.
Scene 40
Grissom gritted his teeth and pushed past Catherine. "Grissom!" Nick, Warrick and Catherine chorused.
Brass had just opened the interrogation room door and two officers were escorting O'Brien out into the hallway. Just as he turned, he saw Grissom walking towards them. "Get him out of here now!" He ordered the officers. "Calm down Gil." He tried and failed to stop his old friend.
"You bastard!" He pushed O'Brien.
"Get away from me!" O'Brien shouted.
Grissom wasn't going to wait any longer. "What did you do to her?" He asked, afraid of the answer, but the need to know was too strong.
"Nothing." O'Brien said with little emotion, but then seemed to hold a different face altogether. "Nothing you haven't done." He added when Brass tried to move Grissom away. That got Grissom's attention more than anyone would have wanted.
Scene 41
Sara whimpered in her sleep. She hadn't meant to give into the exhaustion, but it seemed to claim her out of the blue while she lay in her bed, trying to read a book her Grandma gave her as a child. The book was in tatters from being read over the years, but it held sentimental value and it was nice to think about her childhood for a time, anything to escape the now.
She flinched awake and turned her head to see her clock. It was afternoon and although she'd slept three hours, it felt like less. She was still tired, but the nightmares were not giving her any rest. They were filled with images and darkness, the silence and the smell felt so real, yet it was a dream.
A click and light thud broke the silence. Sara could hear rustling from the kitchen and guessed it was Grissom. He's the only one who had a key. She sighed and pushed her hair back from her eyes. The tiredness was making her more jumpy.
"Griss!" She called out, but was greeted with silence. Swallowing the sudden fear that gripped her, she pushed the covers back and slid to her sock-covered feet. "Gil!" She tried again and heard footsteps coming down the hall. Just as she got to the partly closed door, it opened, causing her to jump back and scream in shock.
"Sara?" Grissom's concerned voice filled her ears as she clutched her beating heart. Seeing the tears welling up in her eyes, he quickly realised what happened and instantly felt stupid and guilty. "I'm so sorry honey." He whispered, closing the distance between them to wrapped his arms around her tightly. "You ok?" Her breathing was rasped as she breathed in deeply. "Oh baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"S'ok." She sighed and managed to relax slightly in his arms. "You. did answer me." She finally said and pulled back to look at him.
He looked confused. "I didn't hear you. You sure?" He knew she was sure, but had to ask. He nodded with her and decided she needed to sit down. Guiding he back to the bed, he helped her in and pulled the blankets up to her waist. He sat on the edge and took her hands. "Ok now?"
"Yeah." She smiled slightly and started to brush his hand with her thumb as she looked at him. "Where did you go?" She didn't have to ask, she already knew. "Find anything out?" She added after he looked down at their hands.
Grissom sighed and nodded. "A little. They arrested him." Taking it slow, he shifted further onto the bed so he was closer to her. He leaned over her legs and held himself up on his arm as he played with her hand that clung to his. "Questioned him for hours."
"I guessed." She breathed and motioned to the clock. "You were gone nearly eight hours. I was worried."
He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I should have rung. I didn't mean to leave you."
"I'm ok." She gave him a fake smile, but it faded when he raised his sceptical eyebrow, which she sighed and shook her head at. "Fine, I was scared."
"You have every right to be, but. he's gone. No more worrying-"
"What did he say?" She asked quickly, sensing he was going to drop the subject any second.
Grissom looked into her eyes and saw the fear still taking residence. Was it better for her never to remember or should he tell her? It was too much to think about let alone share his findings. It could make her remember everything and haunt her forever or she won't ever understand. How was she going to take it if he told her that she was kidnapped because of him?
Sara saw so much conflict as emotion after emotion came and went in a flash. He just stared into her eyes, unblinking and unsure what he was seeing. Gently, she reached up and brushed his curls back causing his to blink and refocus on her face. He smiled a genuine smile and leaned forward to kiss her. "I love you." He breathed into her ear as she pulled him closer to her. Their arms held each other together, both feeding on the courage and love that was flowing through them.
She would ask again, he knew that, but maybe she could see that it wasn't important anymore. As long as Officer O'Brien was in jail for what he did, she was safe and the nightmare was over. It was time to move on and not dwell on the things you just can't remember.
The only real fear that was put to rest was the fact that it was 'only' an attack and kidnapping, nothing more. Maybe she could live with not knowing and that coming to terms with what happened would be easier if Grissom was with her to help her through the nightmares that were still to come. And in time, who knows, perhaps the nightmares will fade and the true fear of the unknown will be gone.
The End
It's shorter than I wanted, but a bit of mystery never hurt anyone. Too much might ruin the effect I wanted to achieve, fear of the unknown, but never really knowing what the unknown is.