Brass is interrupted by a telephone call and steps out into the hall - giving us a few minutes alone to digest all of the information.
"Sara - do you remember when you said you were glad we moved from the townhouse several years ago when a sexual predator was caught?"
Nodding my reply, I know what Gil is about to say -
"Sara -that house is the address listed for Lowell Poston. He's a known sexual…."
I cut him off - I don't want to hear the rest of it even though I know what he is going to say.
"Gil - stop it!" And I find myself running towards the bathroom - hopeful that I can keep from throwing up in the middle of the lab.
I barely make it to the toilet before my stomach churns and I heave everything up. I'm holding onto the toilet trying to steady myself enough to either sit down or stand up. My body is shaking so hard that when I lean against the stall door, it also shakes.
The door opens and I hear footsteps coming closer.
"Sara -" his voice no louder than a whisper.
"I'm so sorry. I never meant to upset you. I just was thinking out loud. Are you okay?"
I shuffle my feet enough to crack the stall door open and look directly at him.
"No Gil, I'm not okay. You're not okay. Our girls -"
Quietly he makes his way to me and draws me into his strong grasp. My body presses against his. Tears stream down my cheeks and stain his shirt with salty wet imperfections. Emotions flood through my body and I tremble violently as they pour out. All the while, he just holds me closer. The constant rhythm of his heartbeat and the steady cadence of his breathing help me calm down enough to speak.
"Gil - there's something that I need to tell -"
I am interrupted by my telephone ringing. Gil takes it from my pocket and answers it -
"Grissom."
"Uh, um - this is Greg - I thought I called Sara's phone?"
"You did, Greg. She's in the bathroom. Is there something that I can help you with?"
"Well - I was just calling to let you know that we are going to be able to go through the windows. So that's a good thing, right? We're getting everything set up so we can get inside. Should be inside and in a couple of hours. I'll keep you all posted - but it will be through text instead of me calling."
I forget about anything I need to tell him. I'm ready to go bust out all of the windows and find my girls. I know that's not a possibility, but I'd like for it to be.
After several more minutes of feeling better, I decide that I am well enough to go back out to the lab - or at least into Gil's office.
"Gil, let's go back out - see if we can see anything on the surveillance video - or wait for news from Greg. I'm sure the others are wondering what in the world is going on in the women's bathroom."
A slight smile creeps up on the corners of his mouth. Taking my hand and guiding me out of the bathroom and down the hall, as if everything that was going on was commonplace.
On our way down the hall, Gil pokes his head into the A/V lab -
"Archie - is there anyway to send that live feed to the computer in my office? We're going to stay in there and away from the hustle."
Archie turns back to the monitor, typing in several commands and the proclaims - "The feed should be up on your computer. You may need to reboot though for the settings to come up."
Thanking him, we leave the A/V lab and continue down the hall to Gil's office. Once inside, Gil settles in front of the computer - watching the screen intently.
For several moments, nothing is visible but the starkness of the empty room. Suddenly, a man wanders into the room - dressed only in a pair of shorts, maybe boxer shorts. I watch him move about the screen. He appears to be talking to someone but from what I can see, there isn't anyone else in the room.
Time passes and we are glued to the video feed. Jim finds us sitting at the desk, eyes fixed on the small screen. He enters quietly, seating himself on Gil's sofa.
"I just wanted you to know that we have several teams in place - waiting for the go-ahead. As soon as I hear anything else, I'll let you know."
The only acknowledgement that either of us give, is a simple nod. Jim understands. He lets himself out of the office just as quietly as he came in.
Sitting there staring at the screen, watching as the man paces about the room. He still seems to be talking to someone - or maybe just himself. In the upper corner of the screen, two shadows are now visible. Two small shadows - those of our girls.
I manage to look at Gil, who looks just as shocked as I do. I watch in disbelief and utter panic for my girls as the man reaches his hand into the front of his shorts. The action that he begins makes the acidic bile raise into my throat. He hasn't taken any steps closer to the two small shadows - for now.
He continues talking to someone out of view, all the while his hand remains sheathed in his shorts. The shadow of a larger figure begins to come into view close to our girls. My hope is that it's someone from the police or SWAT that has been called in. That hope is quickly dashed.
The larger figure must be the person that Lowell Poston had been talking to all along. I see the shadow come into view - it's a woman and she is grabbing one of the girls by the wrist, dragging them towards a waiting Lowell. The picture isn't clear and I can't see if it is Saylor or Finley.
I begin to sob. Gil pulls me close and I bury my face into his shoulder. I don't want to see what is about to happen. I wish that I could change places with my girls. Four year olds shouldn't have to go through this. I silently plead with any higher power to just keep my girls safe and let someone bust through the window and save them from this awful situation.
I hear Gil gasp. I turn my head and face the screen.