Please rate and review :)
The squad arrived on the scene no more than three minutes later. Brass had instructed an ambulance to meet them at the parking lot and as he drove in, they were still absent. Pushing buttons, he got through to control room and barked an order for paramedics.
He could see Wendy's vehicle ten metres from the Chevy. The interior light appeared to be off, but Brass figured it would be wiser to pretend not to be there in the face of possible criminal activity.
"Captain, we've got another casualty" One of his officers shouting across the parking lot, and swinging round, Brass realised he was pointing at Wendy's car. "Captain, it's Wendy Simms, gunshot wound to the head, but she's got a pulse..."
Brass didn't comprehend the words spoken, but within seconds he was by the vehicle and pushing the officers to the side.
"Call for paramedics...now..." Jim opened the door, careful not to knock potential evidence and located Wendy's main artery. "Pulse, good" He looked for the gentle raise of her chest and saw she was breathing, albeit shallowly. "She's breathing! Wendy, can you hear me?"
No response. Her eyes were shut and he noticed her right hand was grasping her cell phone. Grabbing his, he punched in Catherine Willow's number. After the third ring she picked up.
"Willows"
"Catherine. It's Jim. We've got a problem. Wendy Simms was at a potential crime scene and is shot, looks serious but not life threatening"
He heard Catherine gasp, and move into her office for privacy.
"We're on our way, Greg's on a 419 behind the Strip and I'll bring Nick with me"
Wendy glanced down. She was wearing a floral print dress, and was bare foot. The light hurt her eyes but the scent in the air was liberating. It was the beautiful season between spring and summer and the sun was beating down.
Somewhere, somehow, she knew this was a dream. Floral prints were not part of her wardrobe and she wasn't stupid enough to walk through any park in Vegas without shoes. The sun was innocent, with no hint of sin, and the air was just glorious, not tinged with the alcohol, sex and money.
Ahead of her she could see figures. They blended into the background, and she couldn't make out their faces. They all looked the same, faceless souls here to take her away. On the horizon she could see nothing but fields stretching to an endless point of no return.
"Wendy..." Someone spoke her name, and she spun round, the hem of her dress swishing against the wind.
It was David Hodges. He looked pained, she noticed. He often looked stressed, but this was a different type of expression.
"David" She spoke, softly. Her voice sounded more relaxed in this dream. Less tense, less abrupt.
"Why did you leave me?" He said, his face numb. Wendy was confused; they last conversation they had, he seemed to understand her need to leave, even if she didn't.
"We discussed this, David. The field, my dreams..." She whispered, for it felt wrong to raise your voice in such a tranquil setting. "I have to go to Portland"
"No, Wendy, why are you leaving me? Leaving us? You need to fight"
She stared, quizzically. "Fight?"
"You can't leave us – you need to find your own way back. Nobody can complete the journey apart from you, Wendy. You need to fight, we all need to fight"
Wendy glanced up. The light turned to dark, like an eclipse, and she fell to her knees.
"David!" Grabbing air, Wendy tried to locate her friend. "David! Where are you?" She realised she was sobbing, hot salty tears down her tired face. "I need you...I can't do this alone..."
Speed limits need not apply, Hodges thought, as he swung his SUV into the car park and threw himself out of the vehicle. Approaching the lifts, he realised he had absolutely no idea where ICU was.
"Come on...come on!" He barked, the lift stubborn and non-responsive.
He had received the call no more than fifteen minutes ago, whilst he was locating the elements of a fibre Greg had bought in from a 419. Compassionate or not, Brass had ordered several of the CSI's to carry on with business, and the rest, including Hodges, to go to the hospital, if only to collect evidence. Hodges knew he wasn't required to find trace of whoever injured Wendy, but was grateful for the allowance of being here. In hindsight, even if he had been ordered to stay in the lab, he would have left. All he knew was that she was critical but stable, and that she was due to have surgery to remove the bullet from her skull. Any more was hearsay, and despite his tendency to gossip, with matters as close to home as this, it was irrelevant.
The lift lurched into action and within three minutes he was out on the ward and running on his tired feet. He heard Catherine's voice before he saw her and knew he was in the right location.
"David..." Catherine looked broken.
He scanned round the room, and saw the expressions he dreaded. They looked defeated, heartbroken. He wasn't intuitive at the best of times, and they were huddled outside the door in close unison.
"What...what is going on?" He didn't realise he was on the verge of tears until his eyes felt heavy and he felt fit to explode. "What's happening?"
The rest of the team looked at each other, willing the other to speak, before Catherine croaked.
"She crashed..."