I knew I always wanted to continue this story, I just didn't know where to take it. I had the idea for the first chapter in my head for ages and I thought I had better write it down before I forgot. I know it's been five years since I started this, and I'm sorry for leaving it for so long. So much has happened in CSI so I'm behind with my idea. So for the sake of this story, everything after season 5 hasn't happened. This story is set a year after 'Nesting Dolls', and is Pre-Canon. Hope you enjoy!

-Snellee

"Police say they have no new leads in the 'ULV Strangler' case, sparking panic among the female student. Dr Grissom of the Las Vegas crime lab, refused to comment on..."

The tv screen in the break room flicked off, leaving a small bright dot in the centre of the screen. Greg jumped in fright as the TV remote dropped on the table in front of him with a loud bang.

"Geez Grissom, you scared the shit out of me." When Greg received no response from his supervisor, he straightened his magazine and continued to read.
Gil Grissom was seated at the table in the break room of the Las Vegas crime lab. He removed his glasses and placed them on the top of his head and then began to massage the bridge of his nose. He was getting regular headaches, and he suspected they would not go away until this case was solved.
The ULV Strangler, as the media had named him, had been raping and strangling the female students for months. He was smart. He knew how to cover his tracks, which made the case even more frustrating for the CSIs. As soon as they would finish processing one scene, another body would turn up. The day and night shifts had come together at the request of the sheriff, to find the killer. Grissom suspected that the sheriff was under pressure from his boss to solve the case, as the media had gone world wide.
Yes the case was taking its toll on every one, but no one was prepared for how much it would affect Sara.

Grissom sighed loudly, earning another look from Greg.

Sara never did well with any case involving violence against women, and Grissom had tried to keep her from this one as long as possible. But once Eckly called 'All hands on deck', he had no choice but to assign her to the case. Sara had told him a year ago about her dark past, but Grissom always had felt there was something she had kept to herself, something that caused her to go off the rails every rape case they worked on.
He had kept warning her to take it easy, go home and sleep. But this was Sara, and no one could make her do anything she didn't want to do. He was sure he was the only one who noticed that she was sleeping in the lab, pulling triples and skipping meals. It had began to reflect on her body. She was loosing weight at an alarming rate and dark circles sat under her dull eyes.
Sure, Grissom had tried reaching out to her like he had before, he had even shown up at her apartment with a vegetable stir fry only to have to door slammed in his face. He could see the downward spiral she was making and he could not stand by and watch any longer.
To say Sara was angry when Grissom had sent her home was an understatement. The whole lab had stopped what they where doing to watch the drama unfolding before them.

"You can't kick me off the case Grissom! Eckly said all hands on deck." He sighed, knowing he had no choice but to send her home. He looked around the lab, noticing everyone's eyes flicking between them, and lowered his voice.

"Sara, it's out of my hands. You haven't slept or eaten in days and its starting to affect your work."

"That's a load of crap and you know it." Sara hissed. He did agree that her work had been flawless on the case, but he had to pull her out of the dark hole she was living in. If she continued down this path, she would never be able to recover.

"Sara, all I'm asking is that you go home, eat diner, have a shower and get some sleep. You will be back in time for you next shift." He was still looking around, conscious of prying eyes and ears.

"I am NOT your charity case Grissom." Her voice was raised, obviously unaware of their audience.

"Sara listen to me." She cut across him. "No Grissom, you listen to me. You have no right to kick me off this case"

"But I do."

Sara's shoulders slumped and she rolled her eyes and Eckly rounder the corner and made his way to them.

"Sara I'm telling you to go home, if you ignore what I'm telling you I will order your suspension and have Brass escort you off the premises."

With her mouth a gasp, Sara looked to Grissom expecting him to stick up for her. But he stood firm beside Eckly, not meeting her eyes.

"Fine." She shook her head in frustration then thrust the files she was holding into Grissom's chest, then swept from the corridor in an angry huff.

That was two days ago, and he had not heard from Sara since then. He was surprised when she had not returned to the lab the following night, he had called her multiple time but his calls went straight to voice mail. Greg had assured him that Sara was fine and to leave her be. It irked Grissom that Sara was confiding in Greg but not him, maybe that's why he had been ignoring the younger man.

"Excuse me Dr Grissom?" Grissom turned to the door way to see Judy the receptionist standing there, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

"There is a call for you; a doctor from Desert Palm Hospital?"

Grissom's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Thank you Judy, you can transfer it through to my office." Grissom stood from the table, leaving behind his cold mug of coffee and made his way to his office. He could see the red flashing light on his phone as he entered his office. He picked up the receiver and sat down in his chair.

"This is Gil Grissom." He answered.

"Mr Grissom, I am Dr Samantha Collette and I'm calling from the Desert Palm hospital. We received a young woman through our emergency room this afternoon and I was advised by a Jim Brass that I should call you?."

Grissom's heart began to pound faster in his chest. "A victim of the ULV Strangler?"

The woman cleared her throat. "No Mr Grissom, she is one of your employees, Sara Sidle?"
He froze in his seat, unable to swallow the lump in his throat. His mind reeled, trying to process the information. Is that why she hadn't called? Grissom made a mental not to strangle Greg when he saw him next.

"Mr Grissom?" She enquired. "Are you still there?"

Grissom had gone so quiet he could hear the blood rushing in his ear. "Is she- is she..." He found himself unable to finish his sentence.

"She was pulled out of a flooded aqua duct after a child alerted the police. Mr Grissom, you are her emergency contact are you not?"

"Yes." His voice faulted and cracked.

"I think you should come down here straight away sir. She is in a stable condition for the moment but the attending physician will need to talk to you about what to do next."

Grissom cleared his throat. "Right, well, I will come down right now."
He hung up the phone, and looked around the room, at a loss of what to do. He looked to his phone and saw no missed calls. Why hadn't Jim call himself? Grissom added Jim to his list of people to confront when this was over.

He could not remember the whole trip to the hospital. The last thing he remembered was Catherine's protests of not being filled in on every tiny details as he swept from her office.

After the phone call he had gathered his keys and wallet, walked past Catherine's office and called in that he was going to see Sara in hospital, then proceeded to his car. Now here he was, standing at the front desk, waiting for the Nurse to tell him what room Sara Sidle was in. His frustration at the nurses inability to stop gossiping with her co-workers and find the room number was evident as he tapped his fingers loudly on the desk.
With one last giggle to her friend, the nurse turned to Grissom and sweetly informed him that an Attending would be down momentarily to meet him.

He sat in the closest seat to the elevator in the waiting room and looked around at its occupants. A cry of sorrow rang out thought the room, and Grissom looked up to see and elderly woman clingy to a doctor as she sobbed into his shoulder. He felt a pang of remorse as he watched the scene and felt obliged to look away as not to offend.

"Mr Grissom?" A tall, well groomed doctor walked to Grissom and held out his hand. "I'm Dr
Costello, I am the Attending on Miss Sidles case and I was the one who received her in the ER."

Grissom nodded as he stood up, shook the mans hand an then fell into step with him as they made their way to the elevator.

"She was pulled from the flooded waters of an aqua duct. When she arrived she was not breathing and had a significant amount of water in her lungs."

Grissom could feel the lump rising in his throat again and his stomach twisted violently.

"Fortunately" Dr Costello continued. "We were able to revive her. Now, her brain was starved of oxygen for a few minutes, so we will not know if that had had any affect until she wakes up."

Grissom froze. "She still hasn't woken up?"

The doctor turned to him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I know this is a lot to take in. When she was bought in by the paramedics she was clinically dead, and it was a miracle she was bought back. So we expect she won't wake up for some time while her body repairs itself. Of course the is the risk of lung infection and pneumonia..."

Grissom tuned out as they rounded the corner and came to a stop in front of Sara's room. Everything around him had faded away as his eyes settled on Sara's unconscious form. Oxygen was hooked up to her mouth, and her chest rose and fell in time with the machine. He was still aware of the doctor talking to him, but he cut across him mid sentence.

"Can I go in?"

The doctor nodded and then walked away, knowing when to give patients their privacy.

Grissom entered the room cautiously, afraid that any sudden movements would set off the alarms on her machines. He pulled the chair up close to the hospital bed, then sat down. He stretched his hand and placed in within Sara's, and then settled in for a long night.