Journey Through the Past – Chapter 29

Grissom let out a long sigh and staggered to the table where Sara lay. The bleeding to her side had slowed, and even though she was not conscious, she appeared drawn and in pain. He leaned heavily against the table, afraid to touch her but wanting to hold her tightly at the same time.

Grissom reached out a shaky hand and whispered, "Sara, it's going to be okay. I...I will take care of everything."

A gentle hand touched him on the shoulder and Scott said softly, "If we're going to do this, we need to get going. Ummm…we're going to need to put those boots back on. Your feet are pretty swollen, but I think we can put them back on."

Grissom looked dumbly down at his bandaged feet and now that he noticed them, he felt pain creeping up his legs. Heaving a deep sigh, Grissom allowed Scott to help him sit back down on the floor and slip the boots on his feet. The pressure from the boots helped to dull the sharp pains that were shooting up his legs.

Grissom glanced over at Brass who was sitting next to Mallory. Brass was staring intently at him with worry clearly showing through his eyes. Squeezing his eyes shut, Grissom tried to think about the current situation. A wrong decision could very well cost Sara her life and possibly his son's. He simply had to find a way to keep them safe.

"Scott, I need..um… you to go over to Ca..captain Brass. He should have a cell phone in one of his pockets. Hand me the cell. Also, you will need to take the cuffs off and take the flack jacket off of him and recuff him. Doc…ta..take the jacket and put it on Sara. Son…I also need you to…to take the jacket off Mallory. I…I want you to put it on… Do it all quickly," stammered Grissom.

Brass observed Grissom with a detective's eye and took in the obvious internal struggle his friend was going through. That idiot Baker was right. Grissom was tripping and his hurts were far more serious than just the physical injuries that had not yet healed. In the many years that Jim Brass and Gil Grissom had been friends, Brass could count on one hand the number of times he had seen his friend lose control of himself. Grissom was no where near the man he knew before all this came down. He had never seen Grissom so unsure and afraid of himself.

The tremors were increasing in intensity and Grissom blinked hard to keep his eyes from losing their focus. Scott patted down the police captain, finding not only the sought-after cell phone, but two walkie-talkies. Scott handed the cell phone to Grissom, who promptly slipped into his shirt pocket. The two radios were laid on the floor next to Grissom. The injured man trained the gun on Brass as Scott quickly had the flack jacket off and recuffed Brass. The police captain offered no resistance but continued to stare at Grissom with a worried expression.

When Scott was done with Brass, he turned to Mallory. Grissom cocked the gun, ready to shoot the man if he made any aggressive move towards Scott. Mallory jerked his wrists loose from the handcuffs and did little to help Scott get the flack jacket off. Throwing the jacket aside, Scott quickly recuffed Mallory and shoved him roughly back against Brass.

The young man picked up the jacket and hesitated, "Grissom, Father, you need to be putting this on, not me."

Now that Mallory was recuffed, Grissom lowered the gun and visibly relaxed. "No, Scott, we don't have time to debate. Ju..just put it on, please," Grissom said in a shaky voice. He continued, "I don't know how much longer I can hold on…please, just put it on."

Scott slowly nodded and donned on the jacket. Grissom looked thoughtfully at the lifeless body of the under sheriff.

"Doc, take the flack jacket off McKeen. I…I… don't think he'll be needing it any longer, said Grissom softly with a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I know it's a mess. Maybe you can wipe off some of the blood. Then I want you to put it on."

Jones turned and gave Grissom a surprised look. "Don't you want…"

Grissom held up his hand and shook his head slowly to stop the doctor. "You're the only one I can trust to protect Scott." Looking at Scott briefly, Grissom continued, "It's obvious tha…that you love him and that you'll protect him. I hav…haven't been around to be a real father, but this much I can do. You need to promise me that you'll take care of Sara if…if anything happens."

Jones looked over at Sara's still form, looked up an locked eyes with Scott. The doctor turned to Grissom, "Okay…but first, I want to give you something that will stabilize you, okay?"

Grissom gave the doctor a hesitant nod and leaned back and shut his eyes momentarily, trying to gather up enough control and energy to encounter whatever would meet them outside this room.

.

Scott scouted the outside of the building and, in the early morning light, had spotted Nick and Warrick, both carrying their weapons in front of them as they entered the building next to the lab. Quickly, Scott circled around and entered the lab building through the doors opposite of where the senior CSI's would most likely enter. He would need to get his father and the rest out this door if they were to escape from the men who were searching the grounds.

Those few moments gave the medication that Jones had administered to Grissom to work, and when Scott re-entered the lab, Grissom was at least standing on his own two feet, though the trembling was still present and his breathing was only a little less labored.

"Father, the way is clear for now, but it won't be for long. Two men with guns are searching the next building and I'm pretty sure that this building is next."

"Okay, Scott you will need to lead us out and you'll need to carry the medical bag. Ta…Take one of the guns out of the bag and keep it. You might need it. Doc, you will need to carry Sara," Grissom said with a furrowed brow, his concentration still not quite where he needed it.

Walking in an unsteady gait towards Brass, Grissom crouched down and studied Brass's face for a brief moment. "J...Jim, I…I'm sorry. Right now I'm so mixed up and I've got to find my way out of this without Sara and Scott getting killed. Forgive me. This is the only way I can see if you and Jeff were working together. I hope I'm wrong, but I can't take that chance."

Turning to Mallory, he pointed the gun to the man's head. "You're coming with us. I…I…still don't trust you. The worst case scenario is that I can use you so that Sara and Scott can get to safety. Get up on your feet," Grissom said in an unsteady voice.

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Nick Stokes and Warrick Brown emerged from the building they had been searching. There was no sign that it had been used recently other than for storage. There was no sign of Brass. Nick took out his radio that was his connection with McKeen while Warrick took his out that was his connection to Brass. Both men were met with static when they tried to make contact. They exchanged worried looks and headed to the building in which Brass was supposed to be searching. They had not heard any more shots but still did not know what they would encounter once they entered the next building.

With Nick covering him, Warrick swung the door open and slipped inside. Nick quickly followed his partner in. Swiftly, they covered each other as they worked both sides of the hallway, checking out each of the cells. Only two cells remained. They entered the first one. Apparently there had been a struggle in here. Stepping into the room, they found the bits and pieces of duct tape laying about the floor. It was obvious this room had been occupied recently and the duct tape had been used to subdue or bound someone.

Nick nodded to his partner. They would have to process this room later, but for now they had other priorities. As they left this cell, they heard muffled noises and soft banging coming from the next room. They left the room and with their Glocks held in front of them, Nick pressed his back against the entrance of the cell from where the noise appeared to be coming. He looked back over his shoulder and gave Warrick a quick nod to let him know that he was going to enter the room and for Warrick to cover him.

As Nick sprung low through the doorway of the room, he was momentarily in shock at the sight before him. Slowly he straightened up and scanned the scene before him while waving with one hand for Warrick to enter the room. As they both took in the scene, Nick carefully worked his way into the room, quickly reaching Jim Brass while Warrick checked out McKeen.

"McKeen's dead. Looks like he took one in the neck and bled out. Jim, how did this happen?," said Warrick.

Nick carefully worked the tape off of the captain's mouth. Noticing blood on the floor near Brass, Nick gave him a quick look over. He was relieved to see that Brass had not suffered any obvious injuries.

"Jim, you okay? What the hell happened in here? Whose blood is this? This looks like someone lost a lot of blood," asked Nick, as he quickly unlocked the handcuffs from the captain's wrists.

"Long story, Nick. Keep Pritchard cuffed. The blood belongs to Sara. Grissom apparently shot McKeen to keep him from killing Sara," said Brass as he rubbed his wrists.

"Grissom? Sara? Where are they then? If that blood is Sara's…" asked Warrick as he looked around.

"I'll fill you guys in on our way out the door. Either of you guys packing an extra?" sighed Brass.

Warrick nodded and handed Brass a 9mm handgun from a holster concealed underneath his vest.

"You want to just leave Pritchard here, Jim?" asked Nick looking down at the handcuffed man.

Brass looked hard at the officer, bent down so that his face was inches from Pritchard's and said softly, "Pritchard, I don't have proof now, but I'm pretty sure that McKeen was the mole in the department and that you were one of his minions. Since I feel so strongly about that, I'm going to keep you just like you are. If I'm wrong, then I will take the consequences for my actions. Meanwhile, you will have time to think about what you're going to tell me once we get this all resolved and we have Grissom and Sidle safe. If they don't survive, I will make sure that you are charged for their deaths."

Brass turned to the two senior CSI's and stood up. "Grissom's in a bad way. He's still nursing the original injuries from the warehouse. In fact, it looks like they haven't been allowed to heal much. In addition to that, what Baker told us appears to be true. He's tripping and he's not sure which side of the law he is on right now. He's armed, but I don't think that he's dangerous. He's looking for a safe place for Sara and his son. As for Sara, she was shot. Jones treated her, but she was unconscious. Grissom had Jones carry her, but I don't think she is in any immediate danger of bleeding out, although she will need medical attention soon."

"His son? His son is alive, then?" asked Nick incredulously.

"Yeah Nicky, he is. The doctor and Mallory are with him. Mallory was handcuffed, but Grissom made sure that his hands were in front instead of the back. I guess they're planning to do some roughing out in the desert and Mallory is going to need his hands in front to maintain balance. I'm not quite sure why Grissom took Mallory with him except maybe he thinks he can use Mallory as a bargaining chip in order to get away from the law."

"Wait a sec. That doesn't make any sense," said Nick with a puzzled look on his face.

"It does in a way make sense if you think that the law is after you too and the law would like nothing better than to have Mallory in order to get the connections he might have to the Knights. Right now Grissom doesn't know who he can trust. Apparently, McKeen had Gil injected with enough drugs to cause an overdose. I don't think he was given enough or he'd been already dead. As for Pritchard, he was one of McKeen's soldiers," Brass said softly.

The radio on Nick's belt crackled, and Sheriff Taylor's distinctive voice could be heard.

"Team 3, what is your status?"

"Team 2, this is Team 3. We have an officer down. One possible suspect secured. We are in pursuit of…" Nick hesitated and looked at Brass. He didn't consider Grissom a suspect.

"Say again, Team 2, you are in pursuit of?" came the voice of the sheriff.

Taking the radio from Nick, Brass replied to the sheriff, "Team 2, call for back up. The situation is fluid. We are still searching for Grissom and Sidle. Right now, Grissom is extremely disoriented and Sidle is injured. He is armed, but he is not dangerous, I repeat, he is not dangerous. I believe he will not fire unless fired upon. Order your men not to fire. Again, it is imperative that your men do not fire. With them are Jones, Mallory, and Grissom's son, Scott. Over."

"Copy that…already called for back up when we heard gunfire. Also ordered a paramedic unit. ETA on the back is ten minutes. We have deputies from Nye County backing us up. Over."

"Team 2, we are searching southeast of your position. Suggest you wait for back up and then start searching the surrounding desert," reported Brass.

Brass glanced at both Nick and Warrick. "Just so that you know, Grissom has my cell and my radio. He was with it enough to think to grab both items. He very well could be monitoring the channel we've been using. How he's taking what he's hearing is anyone's guess," said Brass as he led them outside the building to find their wayward friend.

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The hot Nevada sun was just peeking over the mountains that were located just east of the complex. It promised to be a day that reminded one of being in a blast furnace. Scott led the group through the gardens and to the edge of the grounds where he and Grissom had first escaped. Finding the hidden path through the creosote brushes, Scott quickly led the escapees down the steep slope. The going was slow. Jones half slid down the precipice while still holding Sara tightly against him. Mallory followed closely behind with Grissom bringing up the rear.

Scott set the medical bag down and helped the doctor lay Sara down on a sandy patch while the doctor caught his breath. Mallory scanned the surrounding desolation, trying to discern where the younger Grissom might be leading them. Grissom fell to his knees next to Sara and, after handing the gun to Scott so that he could keep an eye on Mallory, reached for her hand.

"Sit down right over there and don't move," Scott commanded.

"My, my, aren't you the little tyrant," sneered Mallory.

"Lucas, I wouldn't tick Scott off. He does have a temper you haven't seen yet. He just keeps it under great control," Jones said softly to his cousin.

"Scott," said Grissom softly, getting his son's attention. "I…I want you to take the doc and Sara to the mine shaft that you took me to. Stay there until I can get back to you."

"What are you planning to do? I'm not leaving you alone with him," Scott countered.

The precarious control that Grissom had been able to develop with the help from Jones' injection was still in place, but Grissom did not know for how long. He had to act before the slight tremors picked up in intensity.

"Mallory and I are going to lead the search away from the ravine where the mine shaft is. It… it will buy some time to…to figure out what exactly is going on. You and Sara will be safe there and Jones can take care of Sara."

"You won't go far in your condition and on foot, Grissom," piped in Jones.

"Okay, what do you suggest?"

"Scott can take you and Sara to the mine shaft. Lucas and I can lead them away. I can take the clinic jeep and lead them to the western hills and then circle back. They're after Lucas as much as they are after you," suggested Jones.

Grissom shook his head. N…no. That won't work. Sara needs more medical attention than Scott or I can give her. She needs your expertise, doctor. Her safety and Scott's are my priority. Besides do you know where Scott is taking us?"

"Not exactly. I have a vague idea."

"Doc, please. Just do this. I don't want to argue. I…I can handle Mallory, especially if we can lead them away in a vehicle. When I circle back, I think I can find the ravine."

"Grissom, look at yourself. You'll never make it to where the jeep is by yourself, let alone trying to keep an eye on Lucas. My cousin will take advantage of the situation the first chance he gets," Jones said.

Mallory glared at his cousin with a look of betrayal. The duct tape had been removed from his mouth and he took the opportunity to tell his cousin his thoughts.

"Well, the truth comes out now, Kenny. You son of a bitch…I will make sure that you die a slow and painful death…one more agonizing and painful than…"

Mallory stopped when he realized that he had just destroyed what, if any, trust he might have been able to build with Grissom.

Anxiety was beginning to build inside him and Grissom fought to keep it down. Taking a deep breath, Grissom whispered just loud enough for Jones to hear, "I'll manage. I don't have a choice. J…just point me in the general direction where the jeep is."

A/N: Really we are sort of close to the end. Let me know of what you think. Your reviews have been terrific. becky