Thereafter, things happened of their own accord. Exhausted and pained, she let the tide of events carry her. First there were whispers in the outside corridor, Brass' voice as he said, "Let me talk to 'em", and then quiet for several moments. When he returned she was urged to sit up, the firm arms of Brass and Sofia supporting her as Sara helped slip on her shoes.
Moments later she was in the passenger seat of an SUV, and Brass at the wheel, they peeled out onto the sunlit afternoon roads.
They rode in silence for several long miles. She held a hand to her eyes, knowing they must be red and swollen. She sensed Brass exchanging looks with Sofia in the rear seat, but it was not until they were well clear of the Strip that he ventured to speak.
"You okay?" he asked.
She did not answer.
"You need to stop for anything?" he asked. "A pharmacy? Stretch your legs?"
She sighed, at last letting her hand fall.
"I just want this over with," she replied.
He nodded, passed her a look of sympathy. "Yeah. Don't we all."
There was a brief pause.
"But you know it's okay," he added gently. "I mean, we know what you're going through. We've all been there at one time or another."
He paused as he changed lanes, weaving gently through traffic.
"I mean, you've been around a while. You know how these things work. They'll slap our wrists, make their point, we go home, get some rest, some sleep, wake up the next day and the sun's shining. It sorts itself out."
Catherine shook her head, feeling beat. He had it all wrong.
"That's not what bothers me," she confessed.
"Then what is it?" he asked.
She hesitated, but they both looked genuinely concerned.
"Something about that night," she replied.
She saw memory flit through their eyes. Brass looked away.
Sofia nodded, comprehending. "She told you what happened."
"You didn't," Catherine added.
"I -"
But she broke off.
"We're sorry," Brass put in, offering a shrug. "We thought it was for the best."
Catherine let the moment pass, too weak to argue. She felt exhausted, and still the pain twisted in her back, tightening evermore the longer she sat. Weak, she shivered.
"You cold?" Brass observed.
He flicked at the heater control, sliding it fully open.
In the back Sofia shed her black suit jacket, handing it between the seats, without fuss.
"Stay warm," she advised. "Your immune system's down."
And shivering, Catherine accepted it. She wrapped it around her front like a blanket, and closed her eyes, trusting as she had once before.
XXX
In the corridor of the LVPD, Sara took a moment, reeling from what had just happened. Catherine looked worse than she had even an hour ago, being practically carried to the car by Brass and Sofia. Her eyes had been red and damp, her hair messed, and she had avoided all their eyes.
She took a steadying breath. She knew Brass and Sofia would take care of her. She would be fine.
She swallowed, turning her attention to the task at hand. The Panel had excused Brass and Sofia from the proceedings, but the rest of them would have to see it to the end. She watched the Panel return to the room, saw Grissom recover himself.
She felt sick of the events, sick of everything.
Making a snap decision, she turned on her heels, marching after the Panel.
"Sara?" Grissom called.
She paused, turning.
"Wait here," she said calmly.
Nick, still looking shaken, raised a worried eyebrow.
"This is a circus," Sara said firmly. "And I've had enough."
XXX
When Catherine woke, the first thing she felt was sweat. Tucked up in her own bed, the electric blanket sizzled beneath her, melting her shivers of hours before. After being driven home by Brass and Sofia, she had fallen straight into bed, the narcotic medication lulling her into deep sleep. The hot sun had faded from around the curtains, the room dim. She glanced at the clock. Over two hours had passed.
Gently, she sat up, pausing for a moment on the edge of the bed. The bedroom door was cracked open two inches, as though someone had kept an eye on her.
She listened, and after a moment heard Brass and Sofia's voices wafting down from her living room.
"You see that?" Brass asked kindly. "Right there."
"It's the twelfth thoracic vertebrae," Sofia added. "But that one's just a hairline. The real damage is a level higher - T11."
Curious, Catherine stood, moving to the door. A moment later her question was answered, as she heard Lindsey's voice.
"Does it hurt?"
"I'd say it hurts a fair bit, yeah," Brass said gently. "Between that and the damage to her spleen, your Mom's gonna need some help for a while."
"That's why Sara's staying," Sofia explained.
In the slight pause that followed, Catherine slowly made her way down the hall. Hastily straightening her hair with her fingers, she hoisted a confident smile as she stepped into the room.
"Hey!" she greeted.
Brass and Sofia were stood with Lindsey in the corner of the living room, examining x-rays which had been taped to the window. The afternoon light shone through perfectly as Brass pointed to the site of the fractures in Catherine's spine.
At her voice, Lindsey turned. Her face burst into life.
"MOMMY!"
"Be careful!" Sofia coached, as Lindsey pelted toward her.
Lindsey stopped just short of a hug, wary of where to touch her.
"I'm okay," Catherine soothed, stroking her hair.
"Mom, can I still go to the sleepover?" Lindsey asked anxiously.
"Of course you can," Catherine said, smiling. "Have you packed?"
Evidently expecting that her plans would have been forcibly cancelled, Lindsey grinned.
"Not yet, I thought -"
"You can go," Catherine cut in. "Why don't you go pack some things. Give me a minute with Captain Brass."
Grinning, Lindsey left, running down the hallway toward her bedroom.
When she was safely gone, Catherine turned to Brass and Sofia.
"Kid's Mom was on the phone," Brass explained. "She'd heard what happened, wanted to know if Lindsey was still coming."
"It's fine," Catherine said, waving it down.
Her eyes went to the X-Rays, and felt a rush of gratitude, knowing they both must have been explaining her injuries to Lindsey. She did not ask, however, as the pain already started knotting in her spine.
"How're you feeling?" Brass asked. "You okay?"
"Tell me about the Hearing," Catherine said. "Have you heard anything?"
"It finished a half hour ago," Sofia said. "The others are on their way here with Sara. We're still waiting on a verdict."
"They're deliberating," Brass added. "Gonna phone through when they have word."
"Leaving us in suspense," Catherine concluded.
"Yeah," Brass agreed, looking unimpressed. "But hey, as long as that's all they do, I'm not too worried."
"What's your bet?" Catherine asked. "Suspensions all round?"
"I would've thought that an hour ago, yeah," Brass said.
"An hour ago?"
"Our estimate's changed since Sara took the stand, chose to testify."
"She what?" Catherine asked. "I thought she was declared medically unfit?"
"Yeah," Brass said, nodding. "So did we."
"According to Grissom she was in there a full half hour," Sofia added, looking strained. "They had to wait outside."
"What'd she say?" Catherine asked.
"Well that's the best part," Brass went on. "She refused to say. She's not telling anybody."
Catherine drew in a breath, the pressure and pain suddenly building.
Sofia sighed. "Catherine ... if she betrayed us after all we did to save her, I'm going to -"
"Strangle her," Catherine finished, feeling the same. "Get in line."
XXX
With nothing to do but sit tight, Catherine tried to stay calm. Leaving Brass and Sofia to make themselves at home, she edged painfully back down the passage to check on Lindsey, and then found herself in the spare bedroom. Sara would need somewhere to sleep. Gazing down at the double bed, she wondered how long it had been since she'd changed the sheets.
Keen to focus on anything but the Hearing, she grabbed the bedcovers, stripping the top layer.
Lindsey's voice rang out from down the passage.
"Mom!" She halted in the doorway, blonde hair flying. "The driveway's full of cops."
"Well if it's Grissom and Sara, let 'em in," Catherine replied.
She disappeared. Catherine listened to her jog back toward the front door just as she moved to seize the blankets. With a sharp tug she stripped them, throwing them onto the carpet.
She did not realise she had company until she heard Grissom's voice.
"Spring cleaning?"
She turned to see him in the doorway, an eyebrow raised.
Sara stopped next to him, an overnight bag slung over her shoulder, her face lit with disbelief.
"What are you doing?"
"You need somewhere to sleep, right?" Catherine retorted.
"Did you even read your discharge sheet?"
Brass' voice echoed down the hallway. "She causing trouble down there?"
Sara turned a critical eye to him as he arrived with Sofia.
"You didn't stop her?"
They stared, unable to offer an excuse.
"Catherine, your discharge was conditional. Full adult supervision, rest, no strenuous activity, no reaching overhead, no lifting, no carrying, no heights -"
"No job?" Catherine cut in, turning on her.
Sara's expression changed.
A pause sizzled the room.
Regretting her words, Catherine added gently, "What did you tell them?"
Sara looked surprised by the question.
"You gave a statement," Sofia pressed.
"I tried something unconventional," Sara said calmly. "I told the truth."
Catherine felt immediately wary. "What kind of truth?"
"I backed your story, if that's what you're asking."
"You were declared medically unfit for questioning," Grissom added, gentle yet firm. "Your psychiatrist was explicit."
"I wasn't questioned," Sara countered. "I gave a free, voluntary statement."
"What for?" Brass asked. "I mean, if it tallies with ours, why bother, right?"
Nick narrowed his eyes, looking worried.
"Tell me you didn't offer to take the fall here."
Sara stiffened, irritated. "I told the truth as I see it, and I have as much right to give my statement as anybody else."
"But you're not gonna tell us what that was?" Brass asked, puzzled. "What, do you enjoy scaring us? Think this is fun?"
Sara turned on him, nearly choking.
"Fun? I was the one alone in that room, being tortured with a gun to my head, for six hours. You call that fun?"
Her eyes were wide, burning into his.
"Try it," she finished.
And with a flash of anger, she left the room.
A tense silence settled.
Brass looked deeply awkward.
"You or me?" Nick asked, looking to Catherine.
"I'll go," Catherine said.
She threw down the blanket she'd been holding.
"You stay here."
It feels like the end of this story just keeps slipping further away. But I enjoyed this chapter. Not too far to go.