Chapter 3
When Warrick and Sara came back in from outside no one was in the lounge where they left them.
"Where is everybody?" Warrick asked.
"Dunno." Sara lagged behind Warrick as he scanned the hallway.
Warrick caught site of Grissom down the hall headed for his office. "Yo Gris where did everyone go?"
He stopped and turned. "Well I sent Catherine and Nick to go over the officer's records to find anything usual. Right now that's the only thing we can do until Al gets to the body."
"Where do you want us?"
"Nowhere right now."
"Well in that case I am going to go home and grab a shower. Page me if you need something."
"Okay. Get back here as soon as you can though. The sheriff already has me in hot water."
"Right. I'm gone."
Warrick left Sara just standing in the hallway. Even though they were at least fifteen feet away, there was an uncomfortable air between them. Neither one was ready to apologize.
"I'll go over the pictures from the crime scene." Sara said trying to break the tension.
"Good idea. Find me if there's anything interesting." His voice was flat but not harsh. But he really wanted to say more like, 'Sara I am sorry for treating you like a child but I was only trying to help' but the words never formed on his lips.
"Okay." Sara felt like she should apologize but wasn't ready to give Grissom the pleasure. He turned away from her and went into his office. Sara gathered the pictures and began to thumb through them in the lounge where it was quiet. It was so quiet and she was so tired before too long she accidentally feel asleep.
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"Did you hear that?" Catherine looked up from the records she was reading through.
"I didn't hear anything." Nick said still examining his own pile of records. "What was it?"
"It sounded like a scream."
"Its just your imagination. Have you found anything conclusive?"
Catherine shook the phantom scream from her head. "Nothing. Absolutely..."
The scream came again and this time Nick heard it too. "I heard that."
It came again and again getting higher in frequency. "It sounds like someone is getting murdered."
Catherine pushed off her stool and ran out of the layout room trying to find the source of the scream. Nick wasn't too far behind. There weren't many people in the lab at this hour but those that were there now stood in the hallway looking towards the lounge. Everyone seemed afraid to move. Catherine rounded the corner into the lounge with Nick nearly running her down as she made an abrupt stop.
"Damn Cath tell me when you're..." His voice trailed off.
It was Sara. She was fighting an unseen assailant. Catherine was shocked. Sara was so frantic and had pain all over her face but her eyes were closed. She had claw marks and bruises all over her midsection, some old and some new. The newer ones were bleeding but Sara didn't stop.
"Jesus. Nick go get Grissom. Now."
Nick couldn't pull himself away from the sight.
"Nick! Now!" He jumped at her command and bolted down the hall. Catherine ran over to Sara grasping her hands trying to stop Sara from clawing herself anymore. But Sara fought back with more force.
"Sara sweetie wake up! Its just a dream! Sara wake up!" She shook her shoulders but again nothing.
Grissom was down the hall in his office finishing paperwork when Nick ran through the door.
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Grissom scolded then he saw Nick's face of panic and fear. "What's wrong?"
"Sara. She's...there is something wrong."
Grissom jumped out of his seat so fast the action upset his chair. "Where is she?"
Nick motioned a hand and jogged down the hallway back to Sara. Grissom was now officially terrified. It had to be bad if Nick was running. Then Grissom heard the screams.
"Stop! No please! Just stop!"
That was Sara's voice thought Grissom. His paced turned into a run and before too long he caught up with Nick in the lounge.
"What's wrong?" Grissom asked moving past Nick to Catherine and Sara.
"She won't wake up Gil. God look at what she's doing to herself."
Sara kept clawing away the awful feeling she was having. She fought her attacker off of her but he kept coming back.
Grissom caught only a glimpse of the bruising and the scratches because of Sara's thrashing. He grabbed Sara's hands and was surprised how strong Sara was. "Sara! Wake up!"
Her fighting increased and she started to cry. "I'll do anything if you just stop. Please just stop."
Grissom shook her shoulders harder but it wasn't working and Catherine grabbed his arm.
"Stop Gil, she has to come out of this on her own. We aren't helping if she thinks we are trying to hurt her."
"But we're not." Grissom removed his hands.
"I know but the dream must be intense." Catherine pushed back the hair from Sara's forehead and wiped away the tears away from Sara's face. "Sara wake up honey its all just a dream. Come on Sara wake up." She talked like she was coaxing Lindsay out of bed in the morning for school or through a bad dream. Her tone was calm and gentle.
Sara started to breathe a little slower and stopped moving.
"I think its over." Catherine spoke too soon because just when Sara stopped moving she let out a blood curling scream.
"Noooooooo!" Sara sat straight up and wrapped her arms around Catherine. She gripped Catherine's shirt tightly and began to rock back and forth. "Don't let him get me. Please."
At first the hug was a shock and Catherine didn't know how to react, but then she eased into it and hugged Sara back. "Shh Sara, no one is going to hurt you. Its just Nick, Grissom, and me. You're safe."
Sara pushed out of Catherine's embrace looking around the room as if realizing for the first time that she was hugging Catherine and still at work. She started to blush from the embarrassment that she just had one of her nightmares at work.
"Are you okay Sara?" Nick asked from the doorway.
It took awhile to find her voice. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Those marks suggest otherwise." Grissom began to reach for Sara but she jumped back.
"Don't!" She paused searching for understanding from Grissom not to touch her. "I mean I'm okay. Really."
"What happened?" Nick asked.
"Just a dream. I'm okay Nicky. I promise." She scooted to the edge of the sofa and sat up. The searing pain in her sides made her take in a deep breath involuntarily and everyone took notice. "If you'll excuse me..." She stood up and moved out the door.
"That wasn't just a dream Gil." Catherine said now looking at her hands.
Grissom looked after Sara as she left. "I know Catherine. I know. Will you go check on her?"
"I was just on my way."
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Tbc...