A/N: I feel very honoured by the reviews! Didn't imagine getting such a great feedback! Thanks to everyone, this is very encouraging, also the new inspiration I have gotten from you! Now enjoy the next chapter.

Catherine woke up by her senses telling her something was going on. She opened her eyes and tried to figure out what had alarmed her. Taking in her surroundings she noticed at first two things: Sara's face had gotten colour again and her hand, which the blond was still holding, felt warm. Looking down she saw and felt something she almost couldn't believe. The finger of Sara's hand were moving lightly and tracing above her skin. And than she saw what has woken her. There was also a light twitching in the leg on which Cath's head had sunken while she rested. 'Am I still dreaming?' Catherine thought as she stood up. No, she couldn't! Her back was hurting like hell from the chair she had been sleeping on.

The fingers now squeezed her hand and looking in the brunettes face, Catherine could see how Sara's eyes slowly fluttered open. Brown orbs needed time to focus, but finally they settled upon the blond.

XXX

For Sara, her surroundings were at first a blur. There was bright light, a disturbing noise and she didn't know were she was. Her eyelids felt heavy. It was hard to focus on something, because she felt pain in almost every part of her body. What had happened? Then she remembered the car, the water, the fear.

From the back of her brain she sensed something warm in her hand. Focusing on it she recognised it: Skin. Somebody was there, with her in, what she hoped to be, a hospital; although she didn't like them very much, but there were situations for which she was grateful they existed. She tried to gather more information. Her ears told her, there was now another noise, a voice. She couldn't make out the words in the moment, but she knew the voice. Her nose took in a sense she recognised too. Her mind was finally able to put the pieces together. Catherine was with her. At this point her eyes had managed to show everything clearer and they proved her brains result. Catherine was standing beside her and her lips were moving. Besides that she was feeling like shit and was tired as hell, her curious mind could slowly make out what the blond was saying.

XXX

"Sara. Please, Sara, open your eyes... Sara, ….oh my god!...Sara, can you hear me?" Catherine felt shocked and relieved at the same time. The joy, which overtook her heart by seeing how those brown eyes settled upon her, was overwhelming. There couldn't be something more beautiful in the world for her in this moment. Tears were starting to form in the blonds blue eyes.

The other woman's mouth began to move and her free hand put the mask from her nose. It took her a few tries and she needed to swallow a couple of times until she brought out one word: "Hey." Sara's voice sounded heavy from exhaustion and also light. It was only a whisper, but enough for Catherine to pull her out of her shock-state. She reached down and hugged Sara carefully. "Hey." Now her tears started to fall. "It's so good to have you back."

A moan of pain from Sara caused her to pull back and let the brunette down onto the cushions. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to cause you pain." Catherine excused herself. But on Sara's face was a light smile. It felt good to know how much the blond cared about her.

"You should put this back on." The blond had shifted into mother-mode and placed the mask back over Sara's mouth and nose, while smiling at her. Sara was about to complain. This item was very disturbing for her, but she couldn't manage to do anything. She was so tired. And as she saw Catherine whipping away the streams from her tears she gave in completely.

For some minutes there was silence between the two women, only the heart-rate monitor was making his steady noise. The older CSI looked on her watch and gasped. "Oh my, I didn't imagine that I could sleep three hours in that chair!" She shook her head and court Sara raising an eyebrow in question.

"What do you want to know?", the blond asked a bit irritated.

Sara removed once again the mask. "You didn't fall asleep upon me, did you?"

Catherine blinked a few times, puzzlement washing over her. "I must have fallen on the bed while I slept. At least, that's how I woke up.", she answered hesitantly.

A knowing smile crept upon the other woman's lips. "Ah, that's why my leg fell asleep too.", she explained while rubbing the limp.

"I'm so sorry, Sara. I didn't want that. It happened without my knowing. I'm sorry." The blond was visibly startled by the news.

Sara managed a light giggle. "Cath, cool down. It is ok." She winced. The new move reminded her of another feeling inside her. "Could you get a doctor here, please? I think I need something against the pain."

Catherine, still a bit embarrassed, nodded and hurried from the room. "Yeah, sure. I will be right back with someone."

The brunette looked a bit amused after the retreating form of her colleague. As the door closed, her mind was suddenly taken to other thoughts. How bad was her current condition? Would she be able to recover fully? And the second most important question for her in this moment: Where the hell was Grissom?

Thank you for reading.