Disclaimer – I don't own any part of CSI or the song "Everybody hurts" that's REMs and I think one of the most universal songs ever made. Everyone can relate to it.
Chapter 10 – Blurring the lines of clarification
Hodges looked down at his feet as he returned to the lab, the sound of Grissom crying reverberating in his brain.
He stood in front of the miniature and continued to stare at it.
"How's it going?" Wendy asked, joining him.
"It's not." He replied truthfully.
"I have no idea where to start."
"Maybe we could look for similarities between this one and the others, and then go from there." Wendy suggested. Hodges nodded his head half-heartedly. She tilted her head as she studied his expression.
"You ok?" He blinked several times and looked at her.
"Yeah fine. It's just that, you can process blood, poison, objects, items of clothing and find the details and you can just sorta gloss over the fact that there's a victim." He gave a small jerk of his head towards the doorway.
"Seeing the face of someone affected by the cases we work presses the reality check onto you pretty hard." He sighed and she patted his arm lightly. He frowned.
"Details…details. That could be it!" He looked at Wendy who looked utterly confused.
"With each of the crime scenes, Natalie has been specific with every detail, even using the victim's own blood to create the blood pools." He leaned in and studied the sand.
"This might be different with the bleach and that Sara is alive, but Natalie wouldn't have given up on the details." He leaned across and grabbed a small knife and ceramic dish. He began to scratch some of the sand granules into the dish.
"If she was looking for the detail, where would she have got the sand from?" He asked Wendy excitedly. Her eyes widened.
"From where she left Sara. So if we process the sand and find any particular attributes we could cross reference within the available area that Natalie could have reached within the time frame and"
"Find where Sara is." Hodges finished triumphantly.
"Hey guys, you seen Cath or Grissom?" Archie asked, holding a video tape.
"They've gone back out to carry on searching for Sara." Wendy informed him.
"Why?"
"I've managed to get the surveillance footage they wanted. I think it might help with the case." Hodges looked at Wendy.
"Show us." He informed Archie.
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They focused their attention on the screen mounted on the wall in front of them.
"I didn't get any footage of Natalie actually attacking Sara or abducting her. But, this does show a car leaving the car park. I ran the plates and they showed up as Ernie Dell's."
"She must have borrowed it. Or stolen it." Wendy commented.
"Now I had a look at the camera positioned at the exit, she turns right towards the Sahara end. But then, a few minutes later the same car is seen driving back along the strip in the opposite direction. Must've found the closest place to turn around and headed back down the strip. I dunno how much that'll help Grissom?" Hodges was smiling.
"Well, if our results come back, then it's gonna help narrow down the places to look even further."
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When you day is long
And the night, the night is yours alone
And you're sure you've had enough
Of this life, well hang on.
Where am I? She opened her eyes blearily and was met with darkness. She breathed a small sigh of relief as her dark surroundings focused and became shadowy objects, stopping her fear that she had been blinded.
She pushed her body heavily to slide sideways but she was being restrained. She frowned deeply and moved her free arm around, taking in the wet and soft texture of her surrounding landscape. Her eyes followed the direction of her free arm and caught a glimpse of the area round her. Like one of the flashes of lightning overhead, her memory returned sharply. Her eyes widened in fear.
"HELP! Somebody help me!"
Don't let yourself go 'cause everybody cries
And everybody hurts sometimes
Sometimes everything is wrong
Now it's time to sing along
She took several deep breaths to calm her nerves. It's gonna be ok. She told herself reassuringly. The wind picked up and blew the car gently, making it groan and creak all around her. Her heart started to beat harder and faster in her chest.
I'm trapped and squashed under a car, but I'm gonna die of a heart attack. Brilliant. The breath escaped her lungs as she realised that even though she had written the letter her brain had only now admitted something that she had tried to remain in denial about.
I'm going to die.
A tear came to her eye and she sobbed quietly for several minutes, cramped and squashed and alone.
When your day and night is long
And you feel like letting go
If you think you've had too much
Of this life, well hang on
My phone! I'll call the lab, 911, Pizza Hut, anyone that can come and get me. Grissom.
She dug her hand enthusiastically into each of her trouser pockets, the smile steadily falling from her face.
I left it in the back of the car while I put my kit away.
She banged her free hand frustratedly on the soft earth. She remembered her confusion at seeing the young woman waiting at her car. Natalie. Sara had quickly realised who she was and why she was there. Grissom. She knew he would blame himself for this, which was why she had stressed that point in her letter. The trouble was, she didn't even know if it had reached him.
She began to sob again, but her head grew fuzzy.
"Please Grissom, I need you. Please find m…"
'Cause everybody hurts
Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts
Don't throw your hand in
Don't throw your hand in
When you feel like you're alone
No no no you're not alone
She opened her eyes and found darkness all around her. She breathed out slowly and watched as her breath hung in the air. She frowned deeply. A chill ran over her body and she put her arm over her shoulder to warm herself up. Her frown deepened as she realised that she couldn't find a sleeve covering her arm. She felt around in the dark and found something soft covering her torso; like a blanket.
Nervously she pulled the sheet down and ran her fingertips over her chest. All air escaped her lungs as she felt the ridges of the stitched up Y-incision covering her upper body.
I'm lying in the freezer in the morgue.
Breaths came faster now and she let out an ear piercing scream. Sara's eyes snapped open, the reality stricken situation now re-materializing. But she couldn't stop the screams being emitted form her lips.
If you're on your own in this life
The days and nights are long
When you think you've had too much
Of this life, to hang on
The rain fell harder and faster, causing a deafening noise as it crashed against the car.
She shivered with fright but continued to fill her head with happy memories.
Our first date, well proper date. Our first kiss. The day we got Curie. The first time he held my hand at work. The cocoon he sent me on his sabbatical. And the letter he never sent.
She began to smile to herself as more memories appeared.
The night I came around and he fell asleep watching Ghost. That was the same night we ordered takeout 'cause he tried to make a vegetarian dinner. And burnt it! Christmas spent at his mom's. The first time he told me he loved me. The most recent time he told me he loved me…this morning. The day we moved in together.
Well everybody hurts sometimes
Everybody cries
Everybody hurts sometimes
She walked down the hall, frowning to herself. It was completely empty and still, almost calming. She called out, but only received her echoing voice reverberating around the walls. She saw light streaming from the doorway at the end of the corridor.
A warm contented feeling washed over Sara's body as she continued to follow the light, just out of reach.
She smiled to herself, the sound of the creaking car above her fading into non-existence.
It doesn't matter. None of it matters now.
So hold on, hold on, hold on.
'Cause everybody hurts
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I really love that song, and it works so well for all the Sara stuff. Remember, positive attitude, positive outcome. Maybe. (Gives villainous laugh) I will warn you now, the next chapter is the last! -x-