Title: Being the Victim
Author: Scrimshaw
Timeline: Doesn't really has one, takes place quite a long time before Sara's DUI.
A/N: Please keep in mind that English is not my mother tongue and be kind with the mistakes of my grammar or language, please. I'm trying to get better, I promise ;)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of CSI's characters, unfortunately. :P And if my story has anything in common with another, it wasn't intended.
Summary: Is anything able to prepare you for when the past is happening again?
Nothing would have been able to prepare her for the sight she saw now. It was just as if she was reliving what she had to go through during her late childhood.
It wasn't exactly how it had been for her, but she still saw a lot of similarities with the teenaged girl who was lying in the hospital bed in front of her. The girl was only 16 years old, but had experienced things that Sara wouldn't want her worst enemies to go through.
Her face barely looked human. There were bruises and scratches everywhere, and she had a swollen black eye. But that wasn't the worst thing. The Doctor had told her what other injuries that young girl had: a deep slice in her abdomen 35 centimetre long and nearly 1 ½ centimetre deep; several burned areas at her lower and upper arms; abrasions at her wrists and ankles.
They had also discovered some nasty scars and healed fractures.
When Sara heard wheezing, she stepped closer to the bed. Seeing that the girl was awake, she began her questioning.
"Hey, I'm Sara Sidle and I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Are you able to answer some questions for me?"
After some more wheezing, the girl tried to speak. "Yes," she managed to get out. "Pen…"
Sara sat down on a chair next to the bed, and got a paper and a pen out of her kit.
"How do you feel?" Sara asked gently. With a quivering hand, the girl wrote "bad," and held up the paper for Sara to see.
"What's your name?" Sara questioned.
"Kersten." She wrote, in shaky writing.
"And your last name?"
"Connors."
"Do you remember what happened to you?" Sara asked, observing Kersten's face closely.
"Yes," read the answer.
"Do you also know who did it to you?"
This time the note read "No."
"I'll like to take samples from underneath your fingernails if that's OK with you?"
Kersten nodded and Sara began with her work.
When she was finished, she looked up again and sat down next to the girl. "It's not the first time you were punished, right?" she asked Kersten gently.
Kersten nodded and Sara went on asking questions.
"Who did it to you?"
This time Kersten wrote on the paper again...
"A friend of my brother, Simon."
A brief pause settled over them for some seconds.
"I'll come back when I have news..." Sara promised Kersten, while on her way out of the room.
When she entered the cold hospital hallway, she was surprised to see Grissom standing outside of the door.
"Hi..." She greeted him, a sad smile capturing her lips.
"How're you doing?" he asked her, a caring expression on his face.
"Oh, I'm going to get the guy who did this to her. Fortunately, I got her name and some guy who has beaten her in the past. She has several healed fractures and older bruises and black spots..."
"Do you need a ride to the lab?" Grissom asked her, holding the door open for her.
"Yeah, one of the Officers drove me here. Greg's taking the evidence we collected at the scene to the lab right now."
"You look drained Sara..."
She could swear she heard concern in his voice...
"I'm not drained, Griss..." She protested immediately. "It's nothing..."
She got a disbelieving glance as an answer. Defensively she added, "Really, let's just go!"
Grissom rolled his eyes and went after her, leading her to his SUV.
"Why do you know where I'm at, anyways?" She asked him, trying to break the silence that had settled over them.
"We had shooting at an old warehouse and two Detectives were hit. I was questioning the officer who was slightly injured. His partner is in a coma right now. The whole office is trying to get the guys who did it. They actually got one of the gang, and apparently they've got a plan to kill officers. They have a list and as far as I know from Brass, they're just at the beginning."
"That sounds really awful." Sara answered, while waiting for the car door to unlock. "Are there just officers on that list or other employees of the department, too?" She asked curiously.
"Brass made a deal with the guy they caught. He's just 16 and didn't do any of the shooting. That's confirmed by the evidence..."
"...and evidence never lies." Sara finished with a chuckle.
"Yeah, right..." Grissom smirked. "Want to get some coffee on the way back to the lab?" he asked her while starting the engine.
"Sure..." Sara began, but was cut off by the sound of the windscreen splintering.
Bending down automatically, both of them covered their heads and ducked under the dashboard.
"You ok?" Grissom asked in a rush, checking her over with a quick glance.
"Sure, you?" Sara replied.
"Fine" he answered.
"Let's get out of here." Grissom hissed and ducked out of the driver's seat, hiding behind the car next to his. Sara emerged after him, and ran after, trying not to loose him. People were running and hiding behind their cars, screaming; frightened to death.
After some minutes, they were in the safety of the hospital, waiting for the Police Officers the hospital personnel had phoned to arrive.
Sara felt exhausted. She slipped into one of the seats, closing her eyes and catching her breath.
"Sara?" Grissom said softly, sitting down next to her. "Your face is a little bruised." He told her gently, reassuring her when her eyes flew open.
"Is it bad?" she asked in a hurry.
"Nothing to worry about, but I'll get you a nurse to take a look at it, ok?"
After a sigh, Sara nodded.
She sat waiting for Grissom to return, listening to the sounds of sirens coming closer and closer, stopping finally outside of the hospital.
TBC soon, but please hit the review button and let me know what you think ;)