When the night was passing, Mac was almost sure he was wrong until he heard it. Rebecca was whimpering and he ran to her room and as he opened the door he saw she was writhing around on her bed. "Please daddy stop," she mumbled in her sleep and Mac knew he had to get her awake in an instant with that little phrase slipping out. He began shaking her and when she wouldn't respond he saw Stella walk in and he pointed to the light switch and she noticed it didn't affect her. Mac motioned for her to do it again and as the light reached her eyes, Rebecca gasped and lurched up and held her body in a ball.
"I got you," Mac promised as he pulled her to his side and kept her head against his chest. "I got you," he calmed and after a few minutes he watched as she finally settled. Stella had went back for her records to see if there was anything mentioning her sleep habits. "You started sleeptalking."
"Please tell me I didn't say much," she answered and he winced. "It's nothing," she assured as she stood up and he noticed she was drenched in sweat and she grabbed clean clothes. "I'm going to go get cleaned up. I'm fine," she answered.
"You're not fine. That nightmare had you so absorbed it took Stella turning the light on and off twice to wake you. Then add to the fact you're drenched in sweat. This nightmare got you really badly. I don't care if it's me, Stella or someone else, but you need to talk about it." She glared at him and went for a shower regardless making Mac go to Stella who rubbed her eyes. "Well we usually get up in 20 minutes anyways. But I'm certain this was not how we wanted to wake up early."
"I can't imagine how Rebecca's feeling. The fact that she was so into her nightmare she was sweating. She didn't respond to shaking," Stella continued as Mac washed his hands and began on some food. She then kept looking and frowned. "Seems from what her foster family had, she had night terrors when she lived with them as well. They'd tell her she was screaming in the night and when asked about it, the next morning she had no idea she did it."
"Something's mentally not right then." Mac knew now she was facing a demon within her but didn't want anyone hearing about it. "She acts so brave in front of everyone and denies feeling afraid. Almost as if to her, that's a taboo."
When he began making pancakes he remembered the day they all wrote down something they'd eat in their pancakes he recalled what she wrote and made her strawberry chocolate pancakes as she shared that love with Stella. As she walked out, he handed her the plate and she didn't even think and just began eating. "I'm thinking of heading to the lab for a bit. You said Detective Manx had something," Stella began and Mac nodded. They all were pretending Rebecca's true self was non existent at the moment. "Does she have anything with Colic? I can get Hawkes to give her a ride," Stella continued.
"Yeah she has another one at 4. I'll be with Flack and Manx for most of the day," he informed. "You don't cause trouble." She stuck her tongue out and he messed her hair a bit before leaving and Stella closed the doors and windows before looking at her.
"Stella, I'm fine," she answered. She then sighed and finished her pancakes before starting the dishes. "I know you and Mac talked to Martin," she added and she nodded at that. It was going to be common knowledge that she was outed to her foster parents. "I loved them and they cared. But I couldn't take being away from my parents. I mean they weren't the star parents of the year. But they were the people that brought me, Jer and Talon into the world. We loved them."
"Your mother was into drugs. Did you know that?" Stella knew now that Rebecca was okay talking about her parents to a certain extent. She nodded and then took a breath. "What about your brothers? Did they know about her addictions?"
"We all knew. We all watched. We tried one time to stop her and failed. When me and Talon, we learned they died? We were devastated. We went to live with Aunt Gwen and she treated us like her kids. I ran away because I learned I wouldn't ever get away unless I did it. I mean I made it to CSI status at 23, which is a bit younger than a lot of people thought," she answered.
"Much younger. Most people at the lab start at 25 to 27," Stella confessed. She then looked at Rebecca and saw her face softening out. "I know I haven't really said much to you lately worked my cases and I should have. You have no idea how much I value you on the team."
"Words," she reminded rolling her eyes and Stella smiled at that. She had fallen in love with Mac due to wanting actions to speak louder and here Rebecca was demanding the same. "Anyways, we should head to the lab so dad doesn't have to worry while he's with Manx." She nodded knowing that Rebecca was playing along too. As they drove over, Rebecca was looking outside and she smiled seeing the view of Central Park. She knew her colleagues went in there a lot for lunches.
"You ever join the others for a lunch in there?" She shook her head and Stella looked at her. "Why wouldn't you?"
"I'm the new blood. I'm not one of the others." As they were walking out of the car, Rebecca saw Colic and Stella was relieved she never drove with windows down. When they parked, Rebecca covered her head and yawned fixing her hood. "Good morning Dr Colic," she greeted as they were walking by him.
"Ah Clara. It's good to see you're out with Stella. I'm sure she and your father appreciate it."
"It's a harder adjustment but I'm trying," she answered casually. Stella after sharing a few quick words with Dr Colic, motioned towards the lab making her nod and move. Rebecca looked at her and she waited until they were in the lab and in a private room where Jo and Mac were waiting to speak her explanation. "I kind of pretended to throw a shit fit when he called me Rebecca, absolutely refused him calling me Becka like Mac does and decided on Clara. It's not Claire but it's not my name." Mac looked at her shocked and she chuckled. "I don't just throw the fits around you for the show. I throw them in public in general. Granted I was two seconds from sedation."
"I'm sure," he chuckled. "I saw Colic out there. Did you three talk?" She nodded and then looked down on the streets. "You will be done with this case before you know it," he promised her. He knew what she was getting without being told the exact details.
"I'm getting a trigger finger," she chuckled and as she glanced at Mac she rolled her eyes. "It's as I said last time. Still nothing to snag him on," she assured and he bit his lip. "We knew this mission was going to be a tedious one."
"Everyone who doesn't see you is asking. It's getting harder to lie as well," Jo added looking at her. "We need to wrap this up."
"We also need concrete evidence. Everything he talks about so far is null. We can't nail him." She nodded at Flack as he walked in. "As per story, I have to take you this time. Hawkes has to work and Stella and Mac are busy with Detective Manx in Brooklyn following a lead," he informed and she smirked pulling her hood up and hiding her hair. That was the only way she could get into the lab without detection from the other members of the lab.
When they arrived at her appointment, Flack noticed her eyes were looking somber. "I miss being around friends that I knew," she answered as Flack looked at her. He knew she kept details out so then her cover was maintained but he knew what she meant. She missed hanging out with Lindsay, Danny, Adam and Sheldon. The 5 of them in the lab were the fastest analyzers.
"Well if you get declared competent one day, you'll be allowed to go see them whenever," he reminded. As Colic walked out to collect her, Flack looked at her. "I talked to your dad and he's arranged for Sid to come pick you up." She nodded and as she walked into the room with Colic, she looked at the pictures.
"I want to talk to you about some of your personal life. I picked images that might remind you of something," he began and Rebecca felt her mind going blank as she had stories prepared for all of them as she instantly could link them to the Crime Lab, Stella, Mac or even herself.
Meanwhile, in the crime lab, Sid was watching with Mac and Hawkes. "She looks to be okay. But she's covering something. Did you notice her eyes?"
"We can't prove it though. Rebecca should never have been put in this spot," Mac answered looking at the monitor and Stella walked in to see Mac looking guilty and concerned. "That man is doing something. I've seen something in Rebecca that never existed before."
"The terror?" Stella wasn't dumb and he nodded at that. "I'll admit it was freaky to see that side of Rebecca. The one that doesn't get consoled with a simple phrase. It takes you physically restraining her to actually make a difference today." Jo and Hawkes looked at her shocked and she nodded. "It was terrifying."
"Rebecca was whimpering in her sleep. I wanted to wait it out since if it was a simple nightmare, there was no way I was embarrassing her. But when she began to in sleep beg her dad to stop, I knew I had to wake her. I shook her for a whole 3 minutes and she wouldn't respond. Stella came in and we tried flicking the lights on. She didn't respond fully but she showed some signs of responding. So I made Stella do it again and this time she managed to wake up. She was not willing to talk about it but I knew. She was so freaked out that she was silenced. She went on with the rest of her day though so far. I'm waiting for it."
"Rebecca and her father," Jo began and Stella pulled up medical records again revealing all the damage. "Look at all it. She's physically has had her body destroyed. I'm sure the doctors thought it a miracle she survived some days."
"What's the report that goes with the one here," Hawkes began pointing to the clavicle one. "I think this is what scares her the most. It's the worst one. There's also arm damage that goes with it," he added before Stella pulled it out.
"Rebecca came to the clinic in extreme pain. Upon examination, it was clear her scapula was broken," Stella read before pulling up the CT scan. Further examination will be done at the hospital," she continued before pulling up the report. "Miss Manx's clavicle dislocated on the lateral end and upon examination of it, it was decided to repair it. She was referred to the specialist on the 10th floor," she read and then looked at the report at the same time as everyone.
"Rebecca had the clavicle placed back into it's appropriate place. That's a special ability that many surgeons don't bother to attempt. So her surgeon was talented. But according to reports, whenever asked about it she claims she fell down the stairs. All her reports are the same story. I'm a clutz. I fall down the stairs," he noted.
"Rebecca and clutz? I'm sorry I don't bite," Hawkes answered and Flack nodded at that too as he walked in. "That girl, we've seen videos of her as a child. She always was confident about her footing. Look at these," Hawkes added pulling up the records he got of her. Flack watched her dance on the thinnest of beams. "That takes sure footing. She's not a clutz."
"Then she's covering her wounds. I'm thinking of putting her on a department mandated psychological evaluation and a few sessions with the woman we have a month."
"She should be there," Stella answered. Adam then walked in and Stella looked at Mac who nodded. "Adam? We won't tell her but we need the truth. We know some things about the searches you do on Rebecca's background."
"Not you too," he muttered.
"Do you or do you not? Simple question."
"I do. But she's not in my league if that makes sense to you," Adam answered.
"You have no idea how wrong that is. Everyone sees it," Danny admitted looking to Adam. "You two balance each other out. Rebecca has a fire under her that never stops chasing a lead. You bring it back down a notch when she's too fired up. She fires you up on searches."
"When this is over, and once we prove she's psychologically fine, I advise telling her. Or she might move on," Mac answered and Adam's mouth dropped open at the statement. "I have her in my home. I can see things."
"Let's hope she gets through this first though," Jo reminded them all. That effectively reminded them of Rebecca's state of mind.