, sorry it took longer than expected. Also I know Lucas' speech improves a lot in this chapter. It was getting to hard to write it.

Chapter 21

"WE'RE LOSING HER!"

The EMTs started CPR while the CSIs looked on in paralysing horror.

Chest compressions. Oxygen mask with its bag being squeezed rhythmically. Defibrillator charging. Shock. And no response.

They tried again. Nothing.

Once more. They had her back.

The EMTs moved urgently and within seconds had her loaded up and ready to leave. Grissom followed them in and threw the car keys back to Catherine. No one dared argue with him.

...

The journey to the hospital was shorter than 10 minutes with in that time they almost lost her twice. Grissom sat with a tight grip on her hand as though the more he held on the less likely she could leave them. He stared at her bruised and angrily inflamed face and it shattered him. He needed her to wake up. Or even just squeeze her hand. She wasn't dead yet. He couldn't lose her again. It almost killed him the first time and in fact there was a large part of that had disappeared along with her that night.

At the hospital Sara was torn away from him. Grissom pushed and fought as much as he could. A warm hand on his shoulder made him turn round to see Catherine, red faced and eyes swimming in tears. She just gently shook her head and Grissom gave up his fight. He knew he had to let the save Sara.

...

Grissom sat in the break room with his head in his hands and Catherine had a hand on his back trying to comfort him. Warrick was filling Lindsey (who had arrived moments earlier) in on what she had missed. Nick was drinking a cup of hospital 'coffee' to try and quell his uneasiness and Greg was pacing.

The team's heads were numb from trying to work out what had just happened. Sara was back. But they also faced losing her again. She was such a mess when they found her. That monster had broken and abused her. Except he hadn't broken her, not really. She was a fighter and she was going to come back to them. She had too, they couldn't lose her now. Not again.

Just then the doors to the room opened.

The entire team leapt from their seats in hope that it was a doctor coming to tell them news of Sara. They quickly recovered from their disappointment of seeing it wasn't though, when they saw brass enter the room with a young man and a small boy. The team could immediately tell that the young boy was Lucas despite the fact his back was to them and his head buried into the young man's neck. They weren't sure why they automatically felt a connection to him.

"Everyone I'd like you to meet Sean Kirst, the man who discovered Sara for us and Lucas, and well, I guess you have heard who he is. Warrick and Greg gave a small nod while Nick stepped forward and shook Sean's hand sincerely. No one had the words to say anything. Catherine made her way forward to take Lucas. Her motherly instinct wanting to protect the boy. Part of her also felt a debt to Sara. Sara had protected her child, now Catherine should care for Sara's while Sara couldn't.

To her surprise though Grissom bet her to it.

Grissom approached Lucas uncertainly.

"Hello Lucas, are you okay?" Grissom asked shakily placing a careful hand on the toddlers arm. Slowly Lucas turned around in Sean's arms and the effect was astonishing. In the young boys face the CSIs saw Sara looking back at them. They were deep brown, full of fight and fire but love and innocence too. His hair was wavy with a small curl at the end and most bittersweet of all there was a small gap between his teeth. Lucas leant over to Sean's ear and whispered in it. With a small nod from Sean Lucas answered, "I'm okay," turning back to Brass Lucas asked, "What's going on? Where's mummy?"

Brass hesitated and looked at Catherine for help.

"Darling, I'm Catherine, a friend of your mummy's. The doctors are taking care of her at the moment. Do you know what that means?"

"uh huh, the man who made mummy sad was a doctor."

Catherine's heart broke at this. The simplicity but complete awareness of his situation.

"Not all doctor are like him darling. These ones will make her better" she said, hoping it wasn't a false statement.

"I know. Mummy used to tell me about a friend of hers who was doctor, Doctor Grissom. She said he was a good man. A bit grumpy sometimes though. Do you know him?" he asked Catherine innocently.

Catherine grinned and couldn't suppress her laugh. Sara still thought and joked about them. Maybe she was mentally strong enough to make it out of this ordeal. Catherine nodded in reply cheerfully.

Lucas suddenly brightened up at this news and knew he could trust these people. He stretched out as to go into Catherine's arms. Catherine took him happily but tried to ignore how thin the boy was for his age. Although she did notice he was also surprisingly healthy. Maybe not 100% but passable for a boy that hadn't lived in that house with that monster. Sara must have gone to great lengths for this boy.

"Can I see Dr Grissom?" Lucas asked while playing with Catherine's hair.

Grissom who had been frozen in shock at Lucas' mention of his name suddenly spluttered into life as Brass gave him an encouraging pat on the back.

Grissom coughed, "Lucas, I'm Doctor Grissom."

Grissom felt unexplainably nervous under the contemplating look Lucas was giving him. It was similar to how Sara could make him anxious.

"Huh, you don't look grumpy, just tired... and kind of scared."

Grissom didn't know how to respond to that, "I suppose it's been a busy day."

"It's okay to be scared Doctor Grissom. When I'm scared I give my teddy a hug. His name is Howard. Do you want a shot?" he held out Howard eagerly. Grissom took the toy as to appease Lucas.

"My mummy made me Howard. She told me he would always take care of me, especially if I was ever scared or alone. I would talk to him sometimes when mum disappeared with Mr. John for a long time. Howard's a good listener."

If the CSIs weren't already fully aware of how much they missed and needed Sara they were now. Hearing how strong and caring she had been filled them with difficult bittersweet emotions. If she didn't make it they had no idea what they would do.

...

The next few hours were a tense waiting game. The presence of Lucas was both painful and joyous. In one way he was reminder to what the pair had endured. Not because they held a grudge against him for the nature of his conception; he could do nothing about it and being the child of Sara overruled that a billion times over. It was more to do with the fact he was wise beyond his age and for all the wrong reasons. Sara had obviously tried to give him as normal an upbringing as possible but when a child thinks it is normal for his mother to be bleeding and broken (even if he realises it s a bad thing) you can't help for you blood to boil.

However they all fell in love with him immediately and he was well and truly part of their CSI family. He may have been a symbol was Sara's ordeal but more importantly he was a symbol for Sara's courage. Lucas shared many of the qualities and quirks they loved in Sara. His intelligence, compassion and love. They all knew that even if they never saw Sara alive again they would always have a part of her with them. They would raise Lucas as their own.

...

It was approximately 8 hours since Sara had disappeared behind the emergency room doors. Lucas was asleep in Lindsey's arms and had Howard back in his embrace. He was the only one to find peace though. Everyone else was at their wits end. Brass had long ago taken Sean down to the station for an interview and was now conducting the investigation in to the group of men John had had over to 'have fun' with Sara. The others wanted whatever revenge they could get for Sara knowing John had got off too easy with death but they could not be moved away from that room.

Things were getting desperate now. Everyone one of the CSIs had at some point needed a stress relieving walk into the adjacent courtyard or if not had broken down into tears.

It was approaching the tenth hour when the doctor walked through the door to meet them.