Grissom's concern steadily grew the more he thought about all the accidents lately. Yet somehow he still felt that something else very bad was about to happen. He promised himself that this was the last time he would ever let the job take him away from Sara again. He was a family man now or soon would be. He automatically reached for the phone wanting......needing to hear her voice but then he remembered that she was sleeping. He closed his eyes and could picture her cuddled against his pillow, her body growing fuller everyday with their son. A loud knock at his hotel room door broke into Grissom's thoughts of Sara and his concern about the events in Vegas. He opened the door was stunned to see the face of an old friend.
"MAC?
"That's Captain Angus MacDonald, if you please.
Excuse me, Captain! Don't tell me you came all this way to attend one of my forensics lectures."
"Yah, picture that! I had enough of your creepy crawly things in college and your boring lectures. I came here to see you, you idiot. Sorry, I just got here. I had a tough case back home and getting here was a bitch. It's been way too long, Gil. So, how have you been?"
"I'm good, Mac......Well get in here, don't stand in the doorway. It's been six, no almost seven years. You look good. How are you? After.....you left California, you never returned my calls. I thought I'd give you some time and space. Then you never called me back, I thought.....you know, just let it go, too many bad memories about what happened."
"You were there when I needed you most and I never thanked you. I'm so sorry Gil, after the funeral I just needed time to heal and to figure out how to be a single dad. When I was ready, I felt bad that so much time had passed since I'd called you. Every time someone talked about bugs, I promised myself that I would call you.......but I never did. Well, I figured I owed you a face to face apology and I also have a gift. I have a picture of your goddaughter." He pulled a photo from his pocket. "Meet Claire Allison MacDonald, this is her first grade school photo."
"She is beautiful, Mac. Not a baby anymore. She looks so much like Ally, I'm sorry, Mac!"
"No, it's OK. She does look like her mother, acts like her too, queen of her domain. She has me wrapped around her little finger. It still hurts when I think about what happened when she was born but most of the times I'm way too busy trying to keep up with her to dwell on it. She is a handful, like her mother was."
"Who is taking care of her right now, you're mom?"
"Mom and Jennifer…she is…we meet…Oh hell, we just got engaged."
"Mac, I am so happy for you. Congratulations! So catch me up. You moved to Fairbanks? Tell me everything, how did you meet Jennifer? What is she like? Does Claire like her?"
They got comforable and caught up. "It was the strangest thing, Gil. Jen was Claire's first grade teacher. We started off at each other's throats. I thought she was cranky and just plain mean. She thought Claire was a spoiled little brat. I never thought I could or ever would ever care for someone again. I loved Ally. Still miss her but I think she would have wanted her daughter to have a mom."
"And she wouldn't want you to live the rest of your life alone, Mac."
"Yeah........and speaking of alone, just when the hell are you going to finally settle down?"
Grissom laughed. "Well my friend, have I got news for you! I also have a picture to show you. This is my wife, Sara."
"Hold on, San Francisco Sara? I thought you said she was way too young for you. You told me you broke it off with her, left her and San Francisco behind for good."
"That was my plan. The first thing I did when I became the night supervisor in Vegas was to offer Sara a job on my team. Then.....well let's say Sara wore me down and wouldn't take no for an answer. Still it took her almost five years and almost loosing her to make me realize I couldn't live without her in my life." He passed Mac his wedding photo.
"Good for her. God, Gil! You said she was pretty but she is a knockout. Have you lost your mind man? Why in the hell would you walk away from her in the first place? For a genius, you can be really dumb sometimes. And then after you left her, she chased you and married an old geezer like you? Why did you run and what the hell took you so long to finally grab her?"
"I haven't a clue to any or all of those questions, Mac. I have never been happier in my life and I've never been more scared in my life.......Sara is pregnant and it's like Ally all over again. She has been so sick the whole time and so tired. She has gestational diabetes. It's one of the few fights we've had. I wanted her to quit......Sara cut back on work and school but she passed out at the lab a few weeks ago. I have all my guys watching her, especially this week."
"Congratulations Gil! No offense but what the hell are you doing here? Your place is with Sara. You need to get your head out of that microscope, pal. Ever hear of video conferencing?" Grissom was walking to return Sara's picture to his briefcase but stopped in mid-stride and began to shake his head. "Sorry Gil, I didn't mean to insult you and I am sure Sara is fine. Remember what happened with Ally was an anomaly. Happens only once in three millions births. If she was in a hospital, they might have saved her from bleeding to death. She was the one that insisted on a home birth."
"Mac, when Sara told me about the baby, I was stunned. This pregnancy wasn't exactly planned. I thought I was too old to start a family but I guess I was wrong. It took almost fifty years but I'm married and my wife is pregnant." He put down Sara's picture with a smile. "We recently found out the baby is a boy, we are having a son. I couldn't believe it, I still can't! Not only am I finally going to have a family but I get to carry on the Grissom family name. I want Andrew, that's the name we picked out. I want him so much, more than I ever realized. But if it ever came down to a choice between Sara or the baby, I wouldn't even have to think about it. I'd terminate the pregnancy in a heartbeat. I can't loose her......Oh God Mac, I am so sorry!"
"No I understand, Gil, probably better than most people. I learned the hard way it is in God's hands. I'll say lots of prayers that everything will turn out for Sara and Andrew. Now come on, let's go down to this hotel's pathetic excuse for a bar and get a drink."
"Absolutely! We need to celebrate renewing our friendship. Sara and our marriage, Claire and your engagement but mostly my son!"
Very early the next morning Grissom knocked on Mac's hotel room door.
"Gil, what's up? Damn, it's not even 9AM! You're on vacation, man. What ever it is, it can wait a few more hours. I'm still a little hung over. I need more sleep. I'll see you later for brunch or better yet, lunch."
"No you won't, I won't be here. May I remind you I am not on vacation! I got up to deliver my last lecture to an almost empty conference room. My last lecture was cancelled, I came to say goodbye."
"Goodbye? Hey time out, I'm not awake yet. What the hell are talking about?"
"There is another ice storm forecast for later tonight. The airport closed for a day after the last storm. So a lot of people have already left or are leaving early today so they don't get stuck here, including me. I'm heading out to the airport now to see what arrangements I can make to get the hell out of here. That is if I can get a taxi and make it to the airport."
"OK, now I get it! Let me get dressed and I'll drive you to the airport. I have a land rover. I'll get you there. Get me coffee and lots of it. I'll meet you in the lobby in ten minutes."
They arrived at the airport in less than an hour. Grissom was quickly able to change his flights and checked his luggage. "I was lucky usually they only have two flights a day but because of the conference they have a few more flights. I have to fly to Fairbanks but I was able to get a direct flight from there to Las Vegas. Too bad your stuff is still at the hotel. We could have flown home together."
"I don't think I can fit my land rover in the overhead bin."
"Smartass! Thanks for the ride and getting me here so fast because my first flight is just about to leave. It's a airbus and it's about half full but it's only a short flight, just over an hour. So with any luck I should be home to Sara by dinner time."
"God, you really are a married man now. I still can't believe that you aren't staying for the roach races." They both laughed. "Gil, it was really great to see you again. I really want to stay in touch. Call me, I want to know that everything is OK with Sara and Andrew."
"I will, Mac but you'll probably be able to hear me shouting and cheering all the way up to Fairbanks when Andrew is born somewhere around May 10th. That's my flight! Sorry we didn't have more time to talk but it was really good to see you again. Kiss Claire for me!"
"Will do!" Grissom put out his hand to say goodbye but was pulled into a fierce hug. "I'll be praying for your wife and son......and you too."
"Thanks, don't know if it will help but I guess it couldn't hurt. Bye, Mac."
Grissom turned and walked quickly away. Mac stayed at the gate until he saw his friend board the plane. As the plane pulled away a few snow flakes began to drift down. Mac walked away and went back to his jeep still smiling. Even the thought of fifty miles of slippery roads back to the hotel didn't wipe the smile from his face.
Captain Angus MacDonald stormed into the director's office at the conference later that afternoon.
"It's been three hours. Are there any updates?"
"Not since the first report. The plane dropped off the radar just as it crossed over the Alaskan border and all attempts to reach them by radio have failed."
"Did it crash?"
"I don't know! We are waiting word. I've called the Canadian Air & Sea Rescue. It could be just a radar glitch. The ice storm came on a lot faster than they anticipated. Maybe the pilot tried to go around the storm or drop below it and that's why the plane is not on radar. Or the plane could have had a build up of ice on the wings. The pilots may have had to land at a civilian airstrip or ditch. Let's not jump to conclusions."
"There are over 70 men on that plane! Almost all of them are from this conference. One of them is best mind in a forensics for this or any other generation. Gil Grissom also happens to be my best friend. Now get on that phone, I want answers. Call the Canadian rescue authorities. I'll call my boss in Fairbanks. He has some friends in the US Air Force. I want a hell of a lot more information before I scare everyone in all those families for no good reason."
In Las Vegas, Warrick stayed after his shift from Friday night to clean up all the paperwork that covered Grissom's desk after a rather hectic week. He had just finished and was about to leave but the open doorway was suddenly filled with the Sheriff and Jim Brass.
"Sheriff! Jim? What are you guys doing here on a Saturday morning? Urgent case?"
"Brown, there is no easy way to say this. I have just been in contact with the Canadian Coast Guard. A plane carrying 70 people from the forensics convention dropped off radar this morning and Grissom was on the plane."
"What?" Warrick stood up fast which knocked over the chair he had been sitting in. His eyes turned to Brass hoping for some sign this was a sick joke or some kind of a misunderstanding but Jim just looked dazed. Warrick turned to look at the Sheriff. "Have they located the plane? Is there any chance of survivors?"
"They don't know the status of the plane, the crew or the passengers as yet. It could have landed at a civilian airstrip to wait out an ice storm. It may have ditched because of ice on the wings or it has a dead radio but yes, it could have crashed. I was told the plane just dropped off radar at 11AM Pacific Time this morning and there's been no contact since."
"But Search & Rescue is looking for it, right?"
"They can't as yet. The ice storm has everything grounded."
"For how long?"
"Look Brown, I know you want answers but I don't have them. I just wanted you to be aware of the situation." After a brief discussion, they all agreed that until they had more information, it would be cruel and perhaps unwise to tell Sara anything because of her condition. Jim Brass volunteered to call Sara. They agreed he would tell her that another ice storm had delayed Grissom's departure and that phone service was also out in the area again.
The badly damaged plane rested on a frozen lake surrounded by miles and miles of ice and snow.
The blackness slowly gave way and two things were instantly clear to Gil Grissom once he was fully conscious. One, he had to be alive because he was in way too much pain to be dead. And two, death was all around him. Working so long in forensics the smell of death was familiar and sensing it had become second nature to him. Trying to move, an intense pain in his shoulder made him gasp. Grissom wasn't sure but his right shoulder felt broken and maybe some of his ribs too. Both the injuries and his current location, wedged between the seat top and the overhead compartment, were making attempts at breathing very difficult. He tried to gently slide off the seat, to take the pressure off his ribs. Instantly Grissom's back, hips and knees sent him more pain in protest.
"Don't try to move son, at least until I've checked you over. I'm Martin Dale. Don't worry, I'm a doctor. Where are you hurting?"
"Right shoulder, ribs, back, hips and knees but other than that, I'm fine."
Grissom's dry comments earned a chuckle from the elderly doctor. "That shoulder is dislocated. I can try to pop it back in but it will hurt like hell."
"It couldn't hurt worse than it does right now. Every breath I take is a new experience in pain. Do it!" The doctor carefully positioned himself and gave a sharp hard tug to the arm as he pushed the shoulder bone back into place. "OWWW SHIT! Hell of a chair side manner you got there, Doc."
"I'll use one of these silly airline blankets to make a sling. Try not to move too much, it could pop back out. This pillow will also give you some protection for those ribs. They aren't broken just bruised as hell." The doctor finished with Grissom's injuries and helped him sit. "For the rest of the pains in your back, knees and hip, I suggest bourbon or scotch. I've already raided the beverage cart." He handed Grissom a nip of bourbon. "This will warm you and take the edge of the pain. They say any landing you can walk away from is a good one, but I wouldn't suggest a constitutional."
"Thanks Doc! I'm Gil Grissom, by the way. How can I help?"
You were at the conference, are you a doctor by any chance?"
"Yeah, but the wrong kind. I'm a forensic entomologist."
"Well, I'm a pathologist and medical school was a hell of a long time ago for me. Never got any training in trauma care, so we'll just have to do the best we can and make do with what we have. There is no other choice."
"I'm sure help is on the way, Doc. I guess the best thing to do first is to figure out who needs help and what help they need."
"I've already checked up front. Everyone that was in the first ten rows is dead. Pilots must be dead, the cockpit is flooded and some of the water leaked into the front galley but now it's turning to ice."
"Then we'll need to move the dead forward. The ice will keep them cold, cut down on the smell and hopefully keep any animals away."
"I'd say that animals are the least of our problems. We landed or at least ended up in the middle of a frozen lake. The front wheel of the plane broke through some thin ice near the center. Too much weight upfront and we could sink, Gil."
Grissom was startled to hear his first name come so easily from the doctor's mouth, yet somehow it didn't feel wrong. The man seemed very familiar but Grissom was sure they had never met before. Suddenly he remembered Dr. Burns, the pathologist who took a very green former teacher under his wing and helped create a CSI when he first came to Vegas. "OK Martin, we can move anybody who needs medical attention to the back of the plane just in case we have to get out fast. As you check them over, I'll get someone to help me, because we need to gather any overhead luggage and get everyone to put on layers of clothes for warmth. I can't get a signal on my cell phone and we can't get into the cockpit to use the radio. First, we'll check all the other phones and then the galley for any usable food and water. Since they can't even begin to look for us until this storm is over, it may take them a day or two to find us."
The two men exchanged a glance. They both knew the storm had most likely covered the entire plane in snow and ice. The chances of them being spotted from the air were slim to none. Grissom quickly checked the rest of their fellow passengers phones with no success and then took inventory of all the food and water. When all the injured were taken care of, Grissom returned to his seat stretching out across three seats to get as comfortable as he could. There was little more any of them could do for now, at least until the ice storm was over.
