Chapter Two: Help!
"SARA!!" His yell was heard all throughout the plaza as he ran as fast as his legs would take him to where he remembered their car being.
It was the worst sight he had ever seen in his life as he finally reached it. Panic shot throughout his body as he found the source of the scream. The body lying before him, flat on the concrete, covered in blood, and far to limp for his liking, was too shocking for him to even comprehend.
Seeing her body, well, it was one thing he never wanted to see, not that way. Waterfalls erupted from his eyes as he set Michael down by a nearby car.
"Stay here Michael! Do you understand me?" Grissom quickly ordered his young son, and receiving a scared little nod in response, he bolted for Sara's side.
"Sara? Sara! SOMEONE GET SOME HELP!" Emotions, uncontrollable and fierce, were getting the best of him as he reached out for his wife.
All of his training went out the window as he looked at her, face down on the concrete. All in one frivolous motion, he scooped her body onto his lap, holding her tightly in his arms. Her body limp as it fell into him, soaking his once white shirt with startling shades of crimson.
"Sara. Sara, honey, please, please. Oh God. Please, stay with me honey. Stay with me. Don't give up on me now." His tears were cascading down his face as he kissed her bloodied forehead.
People were forming a wide circle around them in the parking lot, much like they did when they were at crime scenes. There was just something about tragedy that drew in the curious mind. Several people had called 911, and announced that an ambulance was on the way.
The driver was nowhere to be found.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted his crying two-year-old heading his way. The whole event had terrified him, and Grissom hadn't even stopped to notice, he had been so wrapped up in Sara. But seeing him standing there, tears flooding down his face, made him realize that he didn't want him to see his mother like this.
"Somebody please! My son, please!" He motioned to one woman who had a girl about the same age as Michael with her. The woman, seeing the strain on his face and the tears on Michael's, stepped forward and took Michael's hand, pulling him back from the scene.
"Michael, sweetie, it's okay, it's going to be okay, but stay there. Just stay there." His voice was strained as he rocked Sara gently in his arms, but at the same time trying to sound strong and normal for his scared little boy.
Sirens emerged in the distance, too many to be from just one vehicle. The crowd moved to the sides of the aisle, allowing them space to enter as the ambulance came flying through the parking lot, stopping only a few feet from Sara's body. Paramedics leapt from the bus and ran hastily towards Grissom.
"Sir, I'm going to need you to back up please." The EMT said trying to be as understanding as possible.
They checked her pulse. It was weak. She wasn't breathing. They immediately began resuscitation efforts. In the time that they had arrived to the minutes that passed before they had her on a gurney and ready to transport, Grissom's life froze. He watched on helplessly as his wife's shirt was ripped open and pads placed to her chest, causing her entire body to jump. Distantly, like a dream, he had heard someone call out 'clear,' and then forcefully remove his hand from hers, but he barely noticed. All he saw was the unnatural jerk of her body. Her slim frame having then been braced to a board and her head held in place with heavy foam blocks.
She still wasn't breathing.
Before he knew what was happening, a long tube was being placed down her throat, and the paramedic was pumping air into her chest. When he realized that the medics were ready to leave, Grissom looked back at Michael. He didn't want him to see her like this, but wasn't ready to leave Sara's side. Before he could think of what to do, a police officer was at his side, his arm placed gently on his shoulder.
"It's okay Sir. We'll transport him to the hospital for you. You go on ahead. Be with your wife. I'll stay with your son until the officers are done here, and then we'll take him to you at the hospital. We have all of your information. It's okay Sir." The cop reassured him.
He didn't have time to debate his options, he was knelt down in front of Michael, hugging him tight and kissing his head.
"It's okay Kiddo. Daddy's just going to go with Mommy in the big truck. But see this nice officer? He's going to stay with you, maybe he'll even show you the siren in his car, okay?. Then later, he's going to bring you to see Mommy. Okay? You be a good boy for Mommy okay?" As much as he was trying for it not to, his voice was trailing in and out as his mind raced. He kissed him once more, and let the officer take the boy's tiny hand. "I love you, Michael." He added softly, rising to his feet.
"I wuv you, too, Daddy." Michael said back, only not as coherently as Grissom had said to him. But none the less, it was what he needed to hear as he ran for the ambulance and jumped in.