Crisis Mode

Spoilers: Living Doll with hints of Cool Change, Nesting Dolls, Grave Danger, Gum Drops and any other episode.

As the team, Lady Heather and her granddaughter visit Sara, she has subconscious encounters. Brass makes a confession to Sara.

A/N: I am in no way a GSR shipper, but a proud Snickers (or NSR) shipper. This will start off as GSR, but it will most likely end up as a Snickers story. By the way, this was a challenge that was too sweet to pass up.

A/N2: This is another version of the chapter I was in the process of writing. In March 2008, I was overseas for a wedding. I had my purse stolen. Two of the items I had in my purse were flash drives. Unfortunately, the original version of this chapter was saved in one of the flash drives.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of CSI, but I would love to own Warrick and Nick. If I did own them, Nick and Sara would be hooked, hitched and already have at least two kids. I only own my original characters.

Visitors: Real and Subconscious

"He called me and told me what happened," Lady Heather replied. "I can't believe someone would do something to that to another human being. My daughter's death was hard enough."

"Who is this cute little girl?" Nick asked.

"That is my granddaughter Allison," she said. "Allison, these are my friends from the crime lab."

Allison cooed, giggled and gravitated towards Nick. Heather wondered what was about this young CSI that made Allison go towards him. She realized that a few years before, Grissom told her about some of his charges.

I think that nice man will make a wonderful father, Heather thought.

Sara's Hospital Room/Surreal Desert Subconscious

As Sara laid in the coma with wires and tubes connecting her to various machines, her subconscious mind was working overtime. She was walking aimlessly around a surrealistic desert filled with Dali like flora, fauna and city. A familiar young woman was sitting on a warped tree.

"Ms. Sara Sidle, do you remember me?" she asked. "I am Cammie, the showgirl who tried to reveal a clue before dying in your arms."

"Cammie, do you know where I am?" Sara asked.

"You are in the hospital."

"Why am I there?"

"Do you remember being kidnapped by Natalie Davis?"

"How could I forget being shot with a tranquilizing gun?! Still that doesn't explain why I am here."

"You were badly injured, had surgery and now in a coma. If you ask me if you are going to die, you will survive. It will be an uphill battle, but you will make a full recovery."

"Thank you for your optimism!"

"Thank you for finding the son of a bitch that killed my roommates and me."

Back in Sara's Hospital Room

"Sara, you don't know me," Lady Heather said as she sat on the chair with Allison on her lap. "I am Heather Kessler, but everyone calls me Lady Heather. I am a friend of Grissom's. I can't believe a person could do something like this to another person. Last year, I lost my daughter Zoe. She was murdered by a crazy man posing as his dead identical twin brother. You would have liked her a lot. If I had things my way, I want whoever did this to you suffers the same fate as he or she inflicted upon you. However, I prefer justice to be served in the justice system."

Back in Sara's Surreal Subconscious

After Sara exchanged hugs with Cammie, she walked further to find Sam Braun who was leaning against a wooden pole. He saw her and immediately recognized her.

"Sara Sidle, I am Sam Braun," he extended a hand out to her and she met his with hers. "Catherine, your colleague, is my daughter. You might have seen me in some of your investigations."

"What brings you to my subconscious?"

"I am here to protect you from the one man that caused your family harm."

"Are you telling me that my long deceased abusive father is in my subconscious? That fucking son of a bitch is here."

"I am sorry, but he wouldn't go back to where he actually belongs."

"Sam, there is a special place in hell that my father truly belongs."

"All the reason to make sure you're safe from this monster."

Back in the Hospital Room

Nick was sitting by Sara's side and still was there after everyone else went home or work. Warrick tried to convince his friend to go home to shower and sleep. Nick replied that he wanted to stay with her as long as needed to be. Warrick knowing that at times, his Texan friend could be difficult to reason with, made a deal with him. Nick could stay at Sara's side until one of their colleagues came to visit. When that happens, Nick must go home and take care of himself. Warrick warned that if he refused to allow someone else visit her, that person will personally call Brass to personally escort him to his house. Nick agreed and promised Warrick that he'll take care of himself.

"Hey Sara, I had called my parents and told them about what you had just gone through," Nick said. "They are coming to see you since you don't have much of a family."

Nick started to sob as he surveyed the damage that Natalie inflicted on his special friend. Actually, he had a thing for Sara since she started working for the Las Vegas crime lab. He had to admit the first few weeks weren't easy. Sara had come to Vegas to investigate Warrick and his possible role in the Holly Gribbs shooting. Nick started to warm up to Sara when they investigated the death of a fraternity pledge. She made him change his shirt before leaving the crime lab. They have been flirting, even after stupid Ecklie split the team. It was Sara that found where Walter Gordon buried Nick alive. Now Sara was in trouble and he rescued her, but will he save her?

"I overheard Grissom speaking to the Sheriff," Nick continued. "The Sheriff praised him for finally finding you. I intervened and told them it was me that found you. Sophia vouched for me. I don't want to lose you! If you come out of this coma, I will get you through this. You are a very special human being and my world would be empty without your presence! Sara, you are a very strong woman, please fight as hard as you can for your life. Don't let fucking Natalie win!"

Back to Sara's subconscious

Without warning a man in his late 30s or early 40s looking like he never escaped the early to mid 1980s. He saw Sara and tried to approach her, but Sam stopped him from coming within three feet from her.

"Sara, you shouldn't be here," the man said.

"It's my subconscious," she hissed. "I can visit it anytime I damn well please! On the other hand, you are not allowed in here. How did you escape from Hell?"

"Ah, my dear daughter, you have believed the bullshit that your mother tells you and your brother."

"That was not bullshit!" she furiously countered. "How could I ever forget the beatings, the trips to the hospital and mom putting on heavy makeup to hide any obvious bruises? She killed you to save herself and her children!"

"Sara, your mother is a foolish bitch!" he maliciously chuckle. "She snapped for no apparent reason. She is the crazy one, not me!"

Sam knew the confrontation was getting too much to look and listen to. At the same time, he understood Sara needed some sort of closure. He personally wanted to get his buddies to help Sara escort this brutish asshole back to Hell. It was up to Sara, but he would be there if her father caused her any further grief.

"My mother stabbed you to put an end to your reign of abuse!" she snapped. "The thanks she got were some time in a mental institute and the rest of her life in prison. She wasn't the only one that suffered, your two children were separated in the foster care system. I never see my brother again after the trial. Now if you just leave or Sam Braun will have his bunch of thugs send you back to Hell."

Bravo Sara, Sam thought.

As much strength as she could muster, Sara shoved her father at least a mile to a hole that had a sign that said 'This way to Hell'. She kick him in the ass so hard that it didn't take him a minute to fall into the hole.

"Stay out of my subconscious!" Sara shrieked. "If you try to return, this nice man and his merry bunch of thugs will see to it that this hole will be sealed shut permanently!'

"Good job, Sara," Sam smirked. "When you wake up for your coma, send Mugs my regards."

"Who is Mugs?"

"That is the nickname I gave to Catherine when she was just a baby," he replied.

"So that explains it," Sara understood. "Do you know how long will I be in this comatose state? Could you at least give me an estimated time of waking up?

"You will likely be in coma for about two to four months," he answered. "You will make a complete recovery from this. It will take some time, but you seem to be strong and tough. Natalie Davis will pay for her crimes, but if I had things my way, she would drink that bleach by the barrel each day."

"Thank you, Sam," Sara extended her hand and he met hers with his in a hearty handshake.

"No problem," he smiled. "It's your subconscious and you can visit the living as well as the dead. Your father will still be in Hell."

The two parted ways as Sara walked around the other areas of her subconscious. She became exhausted from the visit, especially from the confrontation with her father. That man would make even Ecklie go insane from just looking at him. Sara found a quiet area, curled up like a kitten and fell asleep.

Back to Sara's hospital room

Hours after Warrick had to force an extremely reluctant Nick to go home for a shower, sleep and a meal; Brass had his turn visiting a comatose Sara. The sight of the young unconscious and swaddled woman connected to machines by tubes and wires not only broke his heart, but also made his blood boil. It was moments like this that he wished he had a container of bleach and made Ms. Natalie Davis drink the whole damn thing without stopping for air. Sara didn't deserve to be in lying in a hospital bed recovering from a variety of injuries inflicted by that madwoman.

"Sara, you would be happy to know that we have Natalie in custody," he started. "Nick and Warrick tracked her down and apprehended her. I have to say that we were not dealing with a full deck when it comes to this girl."

He took her good hand and held it. In a matter of seconds, his tough guy exterior slowly 'melted'. There were a few tears that streamed down his cheeks.

"I remember last year when I was lying in the hospital fighting for my life," he continued after unsuccessfully composing himself. "You were there for me during my recovery when Ellie could care less about whether I lived or died. I am forever grateful that you stayed with me, took care of me and drove me to my appointments. Everyone on the team helped, but you did most of the work."

He paused while still holding her hand giving it a gentle squeeze at times. Ever since he talked to her about her cough drop habit, he knew what she was going through at the time. How was he going to tell her what else he learned about her?

"Sara, I need to tell you something about your past as well as mine," he said. "I am your biological father, not the late Ron Sidle. It is a long story, but I will tell you as soon as you wake up from your coma. It's strange that when I was married, I had a daughter who wasn't biologically mine. Now I know that I have a biological daughter who was raised in an abusive environment and sent off to foster care. If I had known that around the time of Ron's murder, I would have taken you out of foster care and raised you myself. Maybe you could have set Ellie straight while she was growing up, her life would have been better for it."

Greg was waiting for his turn to visit Sara. He had just wrapped up an unrelated investigation and was on his way to the library to do research on Lois O'Neil and 1960s Las Vegas for his book. He decided this task could wait about another hour or two, visiting Sara was more important at the moment.

"Holy shit!" Greg said softly when he overheard Brass' revelation.

TBC

Post Chapter A/N: Hannah West, the preteen girl that taunted Sara will visit her in her subconscious.