Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI characters….. yet… hehe…

Author's note: I must say, this is my favorite chapter to write so far. Hopefully, it is as enjoyable to read as well. I hoped I make the story convincing enough.

Tashak & TwistedSister03: Thanks for the comments!

Mundane0: Hope this chapter's long enough for you! I took some time writing it, although it makes me wonder why since I'm quite talkative. LOL

I'm awake, lying on my bed.

Even with my eyes closed, my head is spinning. I placed my hand on my head, feeling the bandage. I groan. My throat is dry with a foul taste on my tongue. My stomach is tying itself in knots. Every inch of my body ache. My face is radiating heat. I had never – in my whole life – felt such torture. I couldn't remember much about the day before, or was it this morning? I don't know.

"Catherine." A voice called unto me, but I couldn't make out who she is. Her voice sounded like cymbals clashing together. I winced, my head is pounding into a migraine.

"Catherine, wake up." Whoever it was, won't stop until I answer. She was demanding that I wake up. I tried my best to open my eyes, wincing at the sight of the blinding light. I blinked a few times before focusing on the figure that was looking at me.

"Mom?"

"At least you can still recognize me." Came her answer. She practically spat it out, she must have been pissed. I couldn't care. To care, I had to have the energy and the ability to focus. I had none of both.

"Catherine, you want to tell me what the hell happened to you?" She demanded angrily.

I glanced around the room. No, I was wrong. I'm not in my room and this is NOT my bed. Everything here is so… white.

Am I in the hospital?

"Hey, grandma. You want to go get your lunch?" I turn my head to the voice. "Linds? Hon, is that you?"

"Mom!" Lindsey practically flew across the room and hugged me. "Don't you dare scare me like that ever again." She said, slapping me lightly (while trying her best to avoid the tubes). "I swear, I'll call child services!"

I scoff. "Child services?"

"Oh, I don't know. Whoever that would lock you up for freaking me out like that." She said, flinging her hands dramatically.

I laughed, resulting in an indescribable pain in my stomach. I cringed. Lindsey stopped and panicked. "Mom… mom… do you want me to call the doctor?"

"No… no, I'm fine, Linds." I assure her, making a mental note to myself not to laugh. "Linds… what happened? Why am I here?"

"I'll tell you what the hell happen, Catherine!" Grandma started screaming, her eyes flared with anger. "I got a call in the middle of the night from the hospital staff saying my daughter was hospitalized! God, Catherine! You could have at least be a tad bit responsible of yourself!"

This was the first time in my life I saw my mom terrified of grandma. Heck, I was scared out of my wits there. Grandma's voice has reached the level of a banshee. Mom is wincing from the excruciating pain she's probably feeling from her migraine, which is millions times worse thanks to Grandma. I couldn't bear letting mom under this form of torture. I fight all my natural instincts…

"Grandma, I think we should let mom…"

"Don't you even DARE get me started on you, young lady!" Grandma snapped back at me, I bit my lip. Bad mistake. "YOU didn't even have the decency to call me! And who the hell do you think you are to drive yourself and my daughter to the hospital in the middle of the night without a license!" Oh shit, I woke the beast. Grandma's veins were popping out of her temple, her face is swelling red.

"Mom… please, stop." Mom was rubbing her head with her hand, trying to ease her migraine. "Please… go… go and take a drink or something…"

Thank God grandma listen to her, albeit reluctantly. She left the room, all the while muttering curses and swear words that I'm suppose to keep out of my vocabulary. The second she left, I took a deep breath. "Whoa… stay out of grandma…" I smiled at mom, who looked just as relieved to see grandma left.

"Linds… tell me what happened…" Mom asked again.

I ran my tongue over my teeth, and laughed nervously. "Ok, but promise me, mom. Promise me you won't kill me afterwards."

Mom smiled and said "I'll see what I can do."

"Ok… um… well, I got back from school, right… and um.. I saw you in the bathroom. The shower was on, and you were crying." Her face froze, yesterday's events seems to be catching up on her. "I tried to get you into bed, but then you started vomiting non stop and you passed out." Her face looked at me in horror as she recollects the memories. "And well, I freaked out! I didn't know what to do! And I felt your pulse, I must have felt wrong, but I could hardly feel it. I panicked! You were heating up and shivering at the same time!" I shudder as I remembered that scene. Mom looked so frail lying on the bathroom floor like that, I really thought I lost her. "I would have tried CPR but I can't remember any of the steps! And I wanted to wait for the ambulance but they said they needed at least 15 minutes to reach! So I… I… I figured I'll drive you to the hospital." That's when mom gave me that lethal 'you didn't!' look. I gave her an innocent smile. "It seemed like a good idea at that time…" I shrugged, hoping she'll see the humor in this. "Well, at least until I forgot to switch on the signal and ran into another car on my way. By the way, that's how you got that bandage on your head. Luckily, the guy's a doctor and he fetched us to the hospital. And here we are!" I am sooooooo dead…

I close my eyes and try to get that load of information into my head. All the memories came screaming back at me. Lindsey looked at me timidly with the most innocent look she could gather, waiting for me to yell at her.

"Linds… sweetie, I'm sorry." Her eyes widen with surprise. Obviously that's not what she expected. "What?!" she blurted out.

"I'm sorry, hon." I am. I mean it. I shouldn't have shocked her like that. I could only imagine how worried and panicked she must have been. I shouldn't let her gone through that. Suddenly I agree with mom. She's right. I should have been more responsible. Much more responsible. "I'm sorry for 'freaking you out'…" I said, taking her hand in mine.

"You mean you're not mad at me for driving?" She said cautiously.

"I'll get to that later…" I said, smiling. Lindsey looked relieved… "Are you hurt?" I asked worried, pushing myself from the bed to get up and take a closer look at my daughter.

"I'm fine, mom. Just some cuts and scratches." She said, showing me her bandaged arm. "Mom?"

"Yes, baby?"

"It's gonna be alright."

I nod, running my hand over her arm lightly.

"No, mom. I don't mean my arm." She looked at me intently. She knows… "I'm sorry, mom." She said softly. "I knew how much you liked him."

End note: I might have changed Lindsey's character to be slightly like me. (A bit of a drama queen) Haha… and may have changed Lily's character a bit bitch-ier than she was. LOL… Go on, tell me what you guys think! Do you like the way I portray the characters, or was it not realistic? Come on, click click click!