A second shot rang out, snapping Catherine from her daze. The suspect hit the floor with a dull thud, landing a few feet away from Sara's limp body. Catherine looked up and met Nick's sober gaze over their bloodied colleague. His hand, gun still encased loosely in his fingers, dropped to his side.

After that everything happened in a blur. All Catherine remembered was cradling Sara in her arms, clinging to her for dear life, blood soaking into her skin, while the world spun around her.

Having heard the shot, Brass had come running through the front door and Warrick from the back. Upon seeing the sight before them panic set in. Phone calls were made, blankets were brought and the whole time Catherine did not take her eyes off Sara's cold, pale face for one second.

X x x

Cath felt two sets of hands on her and before she knew it she had been prised away from her daughter and was being held back as the EMTs got to work. Wires and tubes were attached and a stretcher was carried in.

Warrick and Brass held Catherine back with great force, while Nick acted as courier for the paramedics, passing equipment and holding wires out of the way.

Finally, Sara was lifted onto the stretcher and carried to the waiting ambulance, amid a crowd of curious neighbours and sombre uniforms.

"I'm going with her." Catherine yanked herself free from Brass' grip and ran towards the vehicle. Warrick made a grab for her, catching her by the back of the jacket.

"Cath, let them work. I'll drive you." He bargained.

"No, please. I'm going..." she twisted in his grip, trying to free herself, but he was too strong. The ambulance doors closed with a harsh slam and all she could do was cry as she watched the wailing ambulance, blue lights flashing ominously, disappear into the night with her daughter.

X x x

By the time they reached Desert Palms, Grissom, Greg and Doc Robbins were already there. They stood up, Grissom instantly going to Catherine.

"Are you alright?" He asked, noting the blood that covered most of her body.

"Where is she?" She demanded in a shaky voice, ignoring his concern for her.

"She's still in surgery." Sofia said, announcing her presence. "The doctor said they'll let us know of any updates."

"I want to see her." Cath said softly.

"They're doing everything they can for her Catherine." The blonde detective assured her.

"Catherine!" The CSI turned, seeing a nurse rushing towards her through the crowd. "What happened?" Nancy gripped her sister's shoulders, looking her up and down with horror.

"Sara." Cath whispered, tears stinging her eyes.

"She was shot at a crime scene." Warrick filled in the blanks. Nancy's eyes widened and she pulled Cath into a tight hug.

"Where is she?" The younger woman asked, her gaze flicking from one person to the next. Greg pointed to a room and Nancy let Catherine go. "I'll see what I can find out." She disappeared into the operating theatre, leaving the crowd to wait.

Catherine sat down slowly on one of the plastic chairs by the door, shaking her head. Doc Robbins sat next to her and took her in his own but she barely noticed. She looked lost.

X x x

"It's my fault." Catherine whispered at last. They'd all settled in for a long stay, lined up on either side of the hallway on plastic chairs. It had been over seven hours now and they had not heard a thing, except the assurance from Nancy that they were doing everything they could to save her. Nick lifted his head from his hands.

"No it's not Cath. You weren't to know he was still there."

"That bullet was meant for me." She said, her voice cracking.

"It's not your fault Catherine." Albert added more forcefully. She turned to him, tears trekking down her pale face.

"What if I lose her?"

"Hey, we can't talk like that." Warrick chastised her softly. "Sara's a fighter. She'll pull through this."

As if it were fate, as soon as he spoke the door opened and a young male nurse stepped into the hall.

"Miss Sidle's family?" He asked, as if there were room for anyone else in the hallway. Catherine was on her feet like a shot.

"Is she okay?" She demanded. He smiled kindly.

"She's in recovery at the moment. Sara lost a lot of blood but no major organs were damaged. She's not out of the woods yet but it's looking good." There was a unanimous release of breath from the group.

"Can I see her?" Catherine begged, her eyes pleading with the nurse. He smiled, his green eyes warm and friendly.

"Of course. She's still asleep but feel free to sit with her." He stepped aside, allowing Catherine to bolt past him into the room. "I will need to contact her next of kin." He continued. Grissom pointed in the direction that Catherine had just vanished.

"That's her mother."

X x x

Ignoring the looks from the hospital staff flitting about, Catherine bulleted to her daughter's side, gripping her hand tightly.

"Hey baby girl." She whispered to the sleeping brunette. "What are you trying to do to me?" She sat down next to the bed, never taking her eyes off Sara's face. She looked so peaceful.

It felt like an age before Sara's eyes finally flickered open, then closed again.

"Mom?" The girl asked drowsily, almost as if it were natural. And Catherine's response came just as naturally.

"I'm here baby." She squeezed her hand tighter, reaching out to stroke her hair tenderly. "I'm right here."

"What time is it?" Sara mumbled sleepily, trying to roll onto her back.

"Early." Cath smiled at the irrelevance of the question, placing a hand on Sara's side to keep her still. "How do you feel?" Sara shrugged weakly, wincing at the pain it caused.

"I've been better." She joked. Finally her eyes opened properly and she glanced around the small area of the room that she could see. "Where are the boys?"

"They're outside. Everyone's here."

"They're okay?" Sara's brown eyes searched Cath's face eagerly, hunting for the answer she needed. It took Catherine a moment to work out what she was asking.

"They're fine. Everyone's okay honey." She assured her. "He's gone. He can't hurt anyone else." This seemed to settle Sara's fears and she let her eyes drift closed again. Cath watched her silently for a moment. "What were you playing at Bella?" She asked softly at last. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"I was trying to protect you." Sara frowned.

"That's my job, darling." Cath half smiled. "I can't believe you took a bullet for me."

"You're my mother. I'd do anything for you." Sara retorted simply, shuffling slightly into a more comfortable position. Cath brushed her hair aside tenderly. She leant forward and kissed her cheek.

"I love you so much." She mumbled against Sara's skin.

"Sara!" The tender moment was broken by loud hurried footsteps approaching the bed.

"Don't touch her Lindsey!" Nancy's voice caught her before she launched herself at the bed. The 12-year-old stopped suddenly, remembering that Sara was badly hurt.

"Hey Linds." Sara smiled weakly, reaching out a hand to her sister. The little blonde gripped her hand tightly. Catherine kissed her youngest daughter's head and looked to the door where Nancy and Lily were hovering.

"Mom?" Cath asked, stepping away from the bed. "Why isn't she at school?"

"I thought she deserved the day off." Lily explained, casting her eyes over her fallen grandchild. Cath turned, smiling at the touching sight of Lindsey leaning against the bed, gently stroking Sara's cheek. "How's she doing?"

"She'll be okay." Cath nodded, still watching her two girls.

"Oh, here. Nancy said you needed some clean clothes." Lily held out a plastic bag, noting Catherine's blood-stained attire. Cath took the bag thankfully, looking down at herself for the first time. Her gaze flicked to the bed anxiously. "I'll stay with her. You go change." Lily said, reading her mind.

X x x

Cath and Nancy filed out, where the boys jumped to their feet.

"Is she okay?" Greg asked eagerly.

"She will be." Cath promised.

"Can we see her?" Grissom asked, speaking for the first time in several hours. Nancy glanced sideways at Catherine.

"Maybe just family today. She'll be up for more visitors tomorrow." They all nodded in understanding.

"Take care of her Cath." Doc Robbins said, giving her a hug. One by one they all said their goodbyes, starting to drift out.

"Oh Cath, they need you to sign some forms." Sofia remembered before she left.

"I'll sort it out, you go change." Nancy said, ushering her towards the bathrooms.

X x x

When Catherine slipped back into the recovery room she waited just a moment in the doorway, watching her little family together.

Lindsey had positioned herself on the bed, curled up against Sara without touching her injured side. Sara had one arm draped loosely around the child's back.

Lily was sat in the chair by the bed, one hand on Lindsey's knee, the other gently stroking Sara's hair. Nancy was perched on the edge of the bed asking questions while she filled in the paperwork.

Sara was the first one to notice Cath, lifting her head up slightly and smiling. Nancy stood up and handed Cath the paperwork.

"Here, sign this to say you won't sue us if we misplace your daughter." She joked.

"Ha ha." Sara mumbled sleepily. Cath signed the forms and handed them back, ambling over to the bed.

"Mom, can you take Lindsey to get something to eat?" Lily stood up, understanding her message.

"Come on sweetie." She took Lindsey's hand, tugging her off the bed. She bent down and kissed Sara's forehead. "Get some rest honey."

Cath waited until everyone had filed out before resuming her place on the bed.

"Hey Bella. How you feeling?" She asked softly. Again, Sara shrugged.

"Tired."

"Yeah, I hope they weren't too much for you." She joked, indicating the rest of the family. Sara smiled.

"No. It's still kind of weird having a 12 year old sister all of a sudden though." Cath laughed.

"Yeah, I bet." She laced her fingers through Sara's. "You know, I remember when I was pregnant, suddenly getting the urge to be really nice to Nancy. She was nine years old and a pain in the ass." They both laughed. "I guess it must have been my maternal instincts kicking in." She joked. "I didn't think I had any until Linds came along. When Eddie left I had to take care of a small child with no money. I guess that's when I really stepped up the pace to find you." She frowned softly, absently stroking Sara's back. "I realised that if I could deal with that I could handle anything." Her voice softened. "I wanted my baby back."

She looked down, a soft smile gracing her lips. Sara was asleep, one hand clutched protectively inside Catherine's. Cath bent down, dropping a kiss into her hair.

"Sleep tight my baby Bella."

x x x x

Only a few more to go! x