Love Comes Softly
Part 4
Author's notes: Sorry this took me so long! Thanks again to the wonderful people who reviewed the fan fiction so generously and took the time to even read it in the first place. I'm sorry that this is so angsty, but...how else are you going to write people reacting to Lindsey getting hit by a car?
Disclaimers: None. This is my story and you can't have it!!!! (oops, hope I don't get sued)
Thanks: As always, to the wonderful, generous, amazingly nice, and of course talented Tash, who reads my fics and always reviews them :) She also gives me info on CSI since I've only seen like ten eps. Thanks for the summary of the ending of BoP, Tash ;) Let's go Spurs! LOL
Enjoy.
Three of them sat outside the hospital room, in plastic chairs. Magazines on the coffee table in front of them were left untouched. Heads in their hands, they were the perfect picture of distressed, worried friends.
Catherine had lied about Warrick so he would be allowed to come in to see Lindsey with her. The nurse led them to Lindsey's room. Warrick had noticed Cat had been distant towards him ever since they left the house. He hoped it was nothing permanent, and forced himself to be patient. She would come around.
A small gasp escaped her lips as she walked into the room, seeing her daughter covered in tubes, blood, and sheets. "Linds..." she croaked, floating towards the hospital bed, her hand covering her mouth.
Warrick remained standing in the doorway, just watching her. A mother and a daughter together, where did he belong? He wasn't the step-father, like Catherine had told the nurse. He wasn't even Cat's husband. He was just the secret boyfriend. The rest of the team didn't even know he was in this room, they thought he was at home. How long until they found out the truth, he didn't know, but he wasn't sure how much of this he could take.
He loved Lindsey like a daughter, but knew she would never be rightfully his. To see her lying on the bed, helpless and unconscious made him want to cry, but he wouldn't let himself.
Catherine was crying now, stroking Lindsey's inanimate face with three fingers. Warrick walked over and stood behind her, sighing deeply and saying the only thing that came to his mind. "She'll be OK. I promise." He wasn't sure if he believed it.
Catherine shook her head. "Warrick, don't be naive. We both know she's got about a 40/60 chance of living. That's not even half."
He suddenly felt even more sympathy towards Cat. She had no faith whatsoever, no hope. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. Pain and anger washed through him and the hurt showed in his eyes. He backed away from her and the bed, and the little girl he so badly wanted to see, wanted to talk to.
"I know when I'm not welcome." He walked to the door. An apology was on Catherine's face, but she didn't speak it. Turning around, he took one last look at Lindsey before exiting the room, and, for all he knew, her life forever.
"I wish we could see her." Sara sobbed, fingering the tissue she held in her hand. "I mean, Catherine's in there all alone." Grissom sat beside her, his hand resting on the small of her back. He knew how she felt.
"It's standard hospital procedure. Strictly immediate family." Nick reasoned. Just then Warrick came into the waiting room.
"The doctors are saying she has less than half a chance of living. Cat's devastated, she's also very distant and bitter." Warrick knew he was letting go of their secret, but he didn't care. He loved Catherine, he loved Lindsey, and he knew this was best. "Lindsey looks...horrible, but her face is peaceful."
They stared at him in surprise. "You lied to get in?" Grissom asked.
"Yeah." Warrick answered. They all threw him confused glances.
"But why you and not us...?" Sara started to wonder, but Warrick cut her off.
"Catherine and I have been together for three months now. We're an item." Grissom and Sara looked shocked, but Nick only nodded.
"You knew about this?" Grissom asked him. "How?"
"I caught them making out in the evidence room about two months ago. I kept it to myself because I thought I might be able to use it for blackmail someday." He answered. They all smiled, the first time in hours.
Warrick didn't give any of them a chance to ask questions, he just walked out of the waiting room and back into the hospital room. He had to tell Catherine.
She looked less angry now. She was half-lying on the bed, half- sitting on the chair beside it, her head resting on the sheets. She had a sad, hopeless expression on her face. The tears streaming down her cheeks only seemed to add to her despair.
"Catherine?" Warrick asked, wondering if she had noticed him come in. She looked up, smiled a tiny bit. "How is she?"
"Not any better."
"What happened, anyway?" He asked, realizing he didn't even know how this had all started. "How'd she get hit?"
Catherine sighed, almost reluctantly. "She was walking across the road to her friend's house. I told her she could go, but only if she looked both ways, and was back before dinner. She did look both ways, but a teenage boy in a brand new Camaro came flying around the corner, hit her straight on." The tears started again. "How could anybody do this to my baby?" She stroked one of Lindsey's fingers and sighed again.
Warrick reached out to hug her, and this time she let him.
Nick, Grissom and Sara were just getting ready to leave when the doctor exited Lindsey's hospital room and walked over to them.
"Oh no.." Sara murmured, her eyes shifting toward Grissom. He reached out and took her hand in his, hoping to give her the strength he was pretending to feel.
"What's the news?" Nick asked the doctor softly, fear flashing in his eyes.
The doctor smiled weakly at the team. "Lindsey's in a stable condition. All we can do now is wait for her recovery."
"But she's going to be OK, right?" Grissom asked, his hand still holding Sara's. His knuckles were turning white from her tight grasp, but he wouldn't even think about letting go.
"As far as we can see, she's going to be fine. She'll require a lot of care, but her mother and step-father seem to be the kind that won't have any objection to that." The doctor replied, grinning. "I'll tell you something. I've seen a lot of patients like this. Little children scratched and cut and bruised so badly you can barely see any healthy skin. Most of them don't survive. That girl's got the soul of a fighter. She won't give up until she's back to normal."
"She gets it from her mother." Grissom told him. "Can we go into see her?"
"I don't see why not. But make it short, and remember, she's still very tired."
The three of them nodded and walked to the room. Nick went in, but Sara stayed behind, pulling the back of Grissom's shirt. "Stop right there."
He turned around and looked at her expectantly. "Yes?"
"You really do love Lindsey, don't you?" She asked him, her face inches away from his. She could feel his slow, steady breathing on her face.
"Like she's my own." He answered, fingering a lock of her hair.
She smiled weakly, still too overwhelmed by his presence to grin. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. A daring gesture of something, she wasn't sure what. All she knew was that it felt right.
Part 4
Author's notes: Sorry this took me so long! Thanks again to the wonderful people who reviewed the fan fiction so generously and took the time to even read it in the first place. I'm sorry that this is so angsty, but...how else are you going to write people reacting to Lindsey getting hit by a car?
Disclaimers: None. This is my story and you can't have it!!!! (oops, hope I don't get sued)
Thanks: As always, to the wonderful, generous, amazingly nice, and of course talented Tash, who reads my fics and always reviews them :) She also gives me info on CSI since I've only seen like ten eps. Thanks for the summary of the ending of BoP, Tash ;) Let's go Spurs! LOL
Enjoy.
Three of them sat outside the hospital room, in plastic chairs. Magazines on the coffee table in front of them were left untouched. Heads in their hands, they were the perfect picture of distressed, worried friends.
Catherine had lied about Warrick so he would be allowed to come in to see Lindsey with her. The nurse led them to Lindsey's room. Warrick had noticed Cat had been distant towards him ever since they left the house. He hoped it was nothing permanent, and forced himself to be patient. She would come around.
A small gasp escaped her lips as she walked into the room, seeing her daughter covered in tubes, blood, and sheets. "Linds..." she croaked, floating towards the hospital bed, her hand covering her mouth.
Warrick remained standing in the doorway, just watching her. A mother and a daughter together, where did he belong? He wasn't the step-father, like Catherine had told the nurse. He wasn't even Cat's husband. He was just the secret boyfriend. The rest of the team didn't even know he was in this room, they thought he was at home. How long until they found out the truth, he didn't know, but he wasn't sure how much of this he could take.
He loved Lindsey like a daughter, but knew she would never be rightfully his. To see her lying on the bed, helpless and unconscious made him want to cry, but he wouldn't let himself.
Catherine was crying now, stroking Lindsey's inanimate face with three fingers. Warrick walked over and stood behind her, sighing deeply and saying the only thing that came to his mind. "She'll be OK. I promise." He wasn't sure if he believed it.
Catherine shook her head. "Warrick, don't be naive. We both know she's got about a 40/60 chance of living. That's not even half."
He suddenly felt even more sympathy towards Cat. She had no faith whatsoever, no hope. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. Pain and anger washed through him and the hurt showed in his eyes. He backed away from her and the bed, and the little girl he so badly wanted to see, wanted to talk to.
"I know when I'm not welcome." He walked to the door. An apology was on Catherine's face, but she didn't speak it. Turning around, he took one last look at Lindsey before exiting the room, and, for all he knew, her life forever.
"I wish we could see her." Sara sobbed, fingering the tissue she held in her hand. "I mean, Catherine's in there all alone." Grissom sat beside her, his hand resting on the small of her back. He knew how she felt.
"It's standard hospital procedure. Strictly immediate family." Nick reasoned. Just then Warrick came into the waiting room.
"The doctors are saying she has less than half a chance of living. Cat's devastated, she's also very distant and bitter." Warrick knew he was letting go of their secret, but he didn't care. He loved Catherine, he loved Lindsey, and he knew this was best. "Lindsey looks...horrible, but her face is peaceful."
They stared at him in surprise. "You lied to get in?" Grissom asked.
"Yeah." Warrick answered. They all threw him confused glances.
"But why you and not us...?" Sara started to wonder, but Warrick cut her off.
"Catherine and I have been together for three months now. We're an item." Grissom and Sara looked shocked, but Nick only nodded.
"You knew about this?" Grissom asked him. "How?"
"I caught them making out in the evidence room about two months ago. I kept it to myself because I thought I might be able to use it for blackmail someday." He answered. They all smiled, the first time in hours.
Warrick didn't give any of them a chance to ask questions, he just walked out of the waiting room and back into the hospital room. He had to tell Catherine.
She looked less angry now. She was half-lying on the bed, half- sitting on the chair beside it, her head resting on the sheets. She had a sad, hopeless expression on her face. The tears streaming down her cheeks only seemed to add to her despair.
"Catherine?" Warrick asked, wondering if she had noticed him come in. She looked up, smiled a tiny bit. "How is she?"
"Not any better."
"What happened, anyway?" He asked, realizing he didn't even know how this had all started. "How'd she get hit?"
Catherine sighed, almost reluctantly. "She was walking across the road to her friend's house. I told her she could go, but only if she looked both ways, and was back before dinner. She did look both ways, but a teenage boy in a brand new Camaro came flying around the corner, hit her straight on." The tears started again. "How could anybody do this to my baby?" She stroked one of Lindsey's fingers and sighed again.
Warrick reached out to hug her, and this time she let him.
Nick, Grissom and Sara were just getting ready to leave when the doctor exited Lindsey's hospital room and walked over to them.
"Oh no.." Sara murmured, her eyes shifting toward Grissom. He reached out and took her hand in his, hoping to give her the strength he was pretending to feel.
"What's the news?" Nick asked the doctor softly, fear flashing in his eyes.
The doctor smiled weakly at the team. "Lindsey's in a stable condition. All we can do now is wait for her recovery."
"But she's going to be OK, right?" Grissom asked, his hand still holding Sara's. His knuckles were turning white from her tight grasp, but he wouldn't even think about letting go.
"As far as we can see, she's going to be fine. She'll require a lot of care, but her mother and step-father seem to be the kind that won't have any objection to that." The doctor replied, grinning. "I'll tell you something. I've seen a lot of patients like this. Little children scratched and cut and bruised so badly you can barely see any healthy skin. Most of them don't survive. That girl's got the soul of a fighter. She won't give up until she's back to normal."
"She gets it from her mother." Grissom told him. "Can we go into see her?"
"I don't see why not. But make it short, and remember, she's still very tired."
The three of them nodded and walked to the room. Nick went in, but Sara stayed behind, pulling the back of Grissom's shirt. "Stop right there."
He turned around and looked at her expectantly. "Yes?"
"You really do love Lindsey, don't you?" She asked him, her face inches away from his. She could feel his slow, steady breathing on her face.
"Like she's my own." He answered, fingering a lock of her hair.
She smiled weakly, still too overwhelmed by his presence to grin. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. A daring gesture of something, she wasn't sure what. All she knew was that it felt right.
