Disclaimers: I don't own anything. Wish I did, but I don't...

A/N: Again, I wish I could give you a reason for not updating this story, but to be honest, I don't have one. I haven't done much of anything recently other than the bare minimum I have to do such as work and the such. Hopefully I will be able to keep my focus and finally finish this story. I know where I want it to go, but I guess I'm just too lazy to sit down and type? Anyhows, again, I apologise, and I hope the long wait didn't deter too many readers...


The moment the curtain was pulled back from around the bed in which Sara lay, the spring in my step vanishes. She is barely visible amongst the machines, tubing, blankets, and other medical equipment surrounding her. After the nurse had given me access, she simply left me there to take in the sight with no preparation before hand. Standing where I was in the small opening of the curtain, I found that I could barely make my legs move. There is another one of those damned plastic chairs in the corner which I slowly make my way over to and stopped. Glancing over at Sara, I see that her eyes are closed. I pull the chair next to her bed and sit down. I want to take one of her hands in mine and just hold it, but the IV tubing was covering both. Instead, I lay my head up against her arm on the bed and let my tears fall.

"Fia, I'm so sorry."

My heart leaps when I hear the faint whisper. My head whips up and I stare into Sara's normally deep chocolate eyes which have since taken on a grayish tint, along with the rest of her body.

"Baby, don't apologise. It's not your fault. We will get through this together. I promise that I won't leave you or hurt you, ever. I know you have been left and hurt too many times in the past, and I will never do that to you, do you understand? There is a long, hard road ahead of us leading towards getting back to our normal lives, but we can do it together." I do my best to reassure her with a smile.

Several minutes of silence follow before the doctor walks in.

"Hi. I'm Dr. Gilbert. I was the one who took care of Ms. Sidle when she came into the emergency department." The doctor seemed to be directing all of his information towards me, which I find rather rude. Sara is perfectly able to understand this even if she is the patient, but I allow him to continue as I know that hearing what he has to say is more important than who he says it to. "She is now in stable condition, although when she came in, it was touch and go for quite some time. We had to get what alcohol we could out of her stomach to prevent further toxicity as well as administer several units of blood to replace what was being lost. While we were working on her, her heart stopped twice and she had to be shocked both times. Many of the wounds which she has inflicted will not be able to be sutured due to their depth and size, but rather closed from the inside out with wet to dry bandages because of the risk of infection. We will be transferring her to the ICU shortly because she does need close monitoring for at least a week, possibly longer.

"When she is medically ready for discharge, there are several things that I believe you should consider. After such severe suicide attempts, we strongly recommend that the patient spend time in a residential facility which can help to deal with the psychiatric problems or specific events triggering the actions. As Ms. Sidle is not a minor, this option cannot be forced upon her at this point unless we feel she is in imminent danger of harming herself again upon discharge, in which case we would be forced to commit her involuntarily. However, I do see that she has you as support, and that will go a long way with her recovery. I must be going, but I will drop by again before she is transported upstairs."

With that, Dr. Gilbert left. I can't believe he didn't even ask how she was feeling, or if we had any questions for him. I hope what they say about doctors is right in this case… they can be the best in their field but have the bedside manner of a crocodile…

"Sara, did you understand what he said? I'm very sorry he was talking to me the entire time. Maybe he figured you were asleep."

I get a small nod from Sara as she tries to reach for my face to stroke my cheek. I gently take her hand and put it in mine, being very careful around the IV's, and give her a small kiss just as gently before she falls again into sleep. This time I am assured by the steady beeping of the monitors that she is, indeed, alive.

There is so much I have to tell her about the recent happenings with Grissom, but that can wait until she is more awake. I know the news will make her feel safer now that he is in custody, and knowing Jim, he will no doubt get the maximum jail time allowed. The exhaustion again catches up with me and I lay my head back down next to her arm and drift off into sleep.

I am awoken by a nurse coming in to take Sara up to the ICU ward. Dr. Gilbert never came back, but I guess I didn't expect him to. Looking at my watch, I realise it's only been about fifteen minutes. The nurse tells me what room Sara will be placed in, and I decide to go and fill the others in on her condition. I give Sara one more small kiss and whisper to her sleeping form that I will be upstairs with her in just a few minutes. The hard part is just beginning, but a new life, a better life, will be awaiting us when this is over.

As I head back out to the waiting room, I see everyone look up at me expectantly for news.

Again sitting with the comfort of friends and colleagues, we are all there to support each other as I reveal each detail to them. We truly are a family. This family is one we can trust. I know that I will never feel the same security I had before Grissom showed his fangs so to speak, but there is something about this group of people that makes me feel safe. Even though she was betrayed by one of "us", I hope that someday Sara can be comfortable trusting this family again too.