XIII - CRUSH
The sudden press of bodies rushing towards the door knocked Catherine off her feet. She collapsed in a heap, her hands still tightly gripping Murdoch. Above her, she heard Grissom yelling her name. His large frame hunched forward over hers, as he tried to protect her from being trampled by the stream of people rushing for the doors. A young girl tripped over Murdoch's legs, and Catherine barely had time to register the fear in her face before she scrambled away on her knees.
Over the PA system, an authoritative voice could be heard. "Every one - stay calm. The police have been called. Do not leave the building - remain where you are!" Catherine grimaced. She didn't know how Brass had managed to get to the stage, but she didn't think he would be able to prevent the exodus.
Her skin felt sticky, and she started shuddering. Twisting her upper body, she tried to protect Murdoch from being stepped on. She felt a knee knock her in the side of the head as someone pushed by to closely, and she winced against the sudden flare of pain. Murdoch's eyes were open, his eyes as blue as his hair. Catherine felt like crying.
* * * * *
Warrick and Nick had managed to forcibly push their way to the front doors, enlisting the two rather large bouncers still standing there to help them pull them closed. They were trying to prevent more people from leaving the crime scene. Warrick had pulled out his id and was hollering. "Everyone, go back to your seats. You are all potential witnesses at a crime scene. The police are on their way. No one will be allowed to leave the building until we have spoken with you!"
Nick joined in, flashing his id and repeating Warrick's statements. He hoped that someone had had the sense to prevent people from going out the back door through the alley. In the distance, he could hear sirens, and he glanced at Warrick in grim relief. "Here comes the cavalry!"
As police officers started arriving, the crush of people trying to push their way out lessened. Although it had seemed like ages, after only 5 minutes the two men were relieved of their positions at the doorway. Warrick hollered at Nick. "Let's try to locate the others!"
Nick nodded grimly, and the two men started wading through the crowd, scanning for their friends. Sara, who had been standing with Brass on the stage, pushed through the crowd as she saw Nick and Warrick approaching. Brass was still telling people to calm down, and gradually the yelling and screaming petered out, overtaken by the sounds of crying and shocked conversation.
"Greg is at the back door, keeping people from leaving!" she greeted. "I can't seem to find Grissom and Catherine anywhere - they're not at the table."
Grabbing her by the arm, Nick pulled her closer. Before he could say anything, he heard Warrick.
"There they are. I see them."
* * * * *
As the crush around them started dissipating, Grissom looked up in relief. He had thrown himself in front of Catherine as she had sunk in the crowd, and had bodily pushed several people away from her as they stampeded for the door. In the ensuing melee, his glasses had been knocked off, and Grissom had no idea where they were - probably crushed on the floor somewhere. His body felt bruised and battered; his nose felt bloodied. He only hoped that Catherine was alright.
Catherine was hunched over the body in her arms, cradling the dead man protectively in her small frame. Her legs were pinned underneath him. Grissom winced when he saw the dark bruise that was already forming on her pale forehead. Someone had managed to hit her - probably with a knee - despite his best efforts.
"Catherine." His voice was gentle but loud as he reached forwards and touched her shoulders. "Are you okay?"
Catherine slowly straightened, staring at him blankly for a few moments. She was covered in blood.
"Oh my God! Catherine, are you hurt?" Grissom was suddenly panicked, his voice harsh with worry. He started running his hands down her arms and sides, feeling for damage.
"It's not my blood, Gil." She answered. "Help me get up." Gently, she extricated her legs out from underneath Murdoch, leaning heavily into Grissom as they both rose to their feet.
"Oh my God! Catherine! Are you hurt?" Warrick's voice was alarmingly loud, and both Grissom and Catherine turned, as he, Nick and Sara came towards them. Catherine nodded no mutely, and felt Grissom's arm protectively drop around her shoulders.
"Are the medics here, yet?" he asked. "I want to get her looked at."
"I'm all right Grissom. Everyone. I'm fine!" Catherine protested. She smiled weakly at the concern in their faces, before looking down at Murdoch. "He's the one that needs the medics."
"No, he needs the coroner." Grissom's voice was dark. "What the hell happened?"
"That's what I'd like to know!" Sheriff Mobley's voice was loud and angry. "What the hell happened? I'm getting a little tired of showing up at crime scenes and finding your people covered in blood, Grissom!"
Before Grissom could respond, Brass interceded. He had seen Mobley's entrance, and had quickly abandoned his post on the stage as he rushed over to intercept him. "You're the one that told us to come here, Mobley. This isn't Grissom's fault - we just happened to be here when someone shot our victim." He smiled grimly. "At least, everyone's here so you don't have to wait for them to arrive."
Mobley shot Brass a dirty look. "Please tell me one of you saw who did this."
Catherine responded. "I was closest, and I didn't see anything. Didn't even hear the gun shot. One minute, I was asking him if he would speak with us, the next - he was dead."
"Well, don't just stand there. Get to work!" Mobley snapped. He turned and stalked off towards one of his officers.
* * * * *
Sara had taken Catherine to the bathroom, and was trying to help her clean up somewhat. Nick, who had been wearing his Bruce Lee shirt opened over top of a dark t-shirt, had given it to her for Catherine to change into. Catherine had smiled weakly as he had handed it to Sara. "You're not going to get rid of it that easily, Nick!"
Looking in the mirror, Catherine was shocked at the way she looked. Nick's shirt hung on her, almost down to her knees, and below its hem she could see flecks and streaks of red on her legs. A vivid purple bruise covered the left top of her forehead, and she winced as Sara gently applied a wet paper towel to her face, trying to wipe away the blood.
Catherine's ruined silk blouse lay in the sink.
"Well, that looks a little better." Sara's tone was matter of fact, as she looked grimly at Catherine. "That's a nasty bruise."
"Yeah. It could have been worse though. I could have been trampled to death. Or shot. One bruise is a small price to pay."
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Catherine sighed. "Yeah. I'm okay. I'm sure the shock will come later. You know, two seconds before he was shot, that young man was flirting with me!"
"Was Grissom there?" Sara cocked an eyebrow.
Catherine looked at her, momentarily confused. "Yeah - but he wasn't flirting with Grissom."
Sara laughed. "No kidding!" She looked at Catherine oddly for a second. "Can I ask you a question?"
Catherine felt vaguely uneasy. "Yes. I suppose."
"Is there anything going on with you and Grissom?"
Catherine's jaw dropped open, before quickly shutting with an audible snap. "Sara! He's still getting over you! We're just - friends."
"Trust me Catherine, he's over me. We just had a harmless flirtation, but neither of us would have ever acted on it. It was just easier for us to flirt with someone safe, as opposed to flirting with someone - dangerous." She smiled at Catherine. "And besides, Nick and I are friends, and now we're - better friends - so that's not really an excuse."
Catherine looked back into the mirror, trying to fix her bangs to cover the bruise. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do. From the looks of things he took a couple of nasty hits to keep you from getting hurt. He's very protective of you - remember when he almost beat Eddie to a pulp? And I know he's waiting outside for us to make sure you're alright, when he should be helping Nick and Warrick prep the crime scene." She winked at Catherine. "He's been - different - the last few days. I think he's finally waking up."
Catherine just looked at her, her calm façade belying her tumultuous emotions. "We're just friends. Come one - let's get out there and help."
* * * * *
Greg was sitting at a large table with Nick, several pads of paper in front of them. While the police were gathering their evidence and interviewing potential witnesses, they were getting writing samples from the various band members that were still there. Greg carefully notated each person's name at the top of the page, before handing them a list of words for them to copy. Beside him, Nick did the same.
Grissom was pacing beside the bathroom Sara had dragged Catherine into roughly 15 minutes ago. Greg nudged Nick, and jerked his head in Grissom's direction.
"He's really worked up!"
"Yeah. I don't think he believes Catherine wasn't hurt. I mean, the guy was shot right in front of her - she's lucky the bullet didn't go through him and hit her."
Greg glanced at Grissom again, nodding. "So, Grissom and Catherine, eh?" He accepted a finished sample from the guy in front of him, slipping it into a file folder and quickly handing a pen and a piece of paper to the next person. "Every one is hooking up around here, man."
Nick grinned. "Only me and Sara." He glanced up and saw the two women step out of the bathroom, smiling as Grissom immediately stepped forward and grabbed Catherine's arm. "So far."
* * * * *
"Sara, I'm taking Catherine home." Before Catherine could protest, Grissom had grabbed her gently by the arm. "Don't argue. You can't work in that shirt - it's longer than your skirt, and-" He stopped, suddenly embarrassed.
"You look like you're not wearing anything else underneath it." Sara piped up, shooting an amused look at Grissom.
"I was going to say, it didn't look good. Plus, we won't be able to really start processing the scene for at least another 30 minutes anyway. I can get you to your place, you can have a quick shower to get the blood off, and I'll bring you back. Okay?"
"That's a great idea, Catherine. You'll feel a lot better once you're cleaned up. The rest of us can take care of things here - why don't we meet you both back at the lab?" She smiled at Grissom. "You could do with a change too - you have almost as much blood on you as Catherine did."
Grissom looked down at his shirt, and realized it was stiff with blood at the side where he had held Catherine against him. He grimaced in disgust. "Yeah. I've got a change of clothes in the Tahoe. If Mobley comes looking for us, tell him we'll talk to the detectives back at the lab. Greg and Nick are getting writing samples while they wait. Warrick's interviewing people. You help Warrick."
"Don't worry about us, Grissom. Just get Catherine out of here - we'll catch you later!" With that, Sara turned and headed purposefully towards Warrick. Catherine didn't argue as Grissom led her quickly to the Tahoe.
The sudden press of bodies rushing towards the door knocked Catherine off her feet. She collapsed in a heap, her hands still tightly gripping Murdoch. Above her, she heard Grissom yelling her name. His large frame hunched forward over hers, as he tried to protect her from being trampled by the stream of people rushing for the doors. A young girl tripped over Murdoch's legs, and Catherine barely had time to register the fear in her face before she scrambled away on her knees.
Over the PA system, an authoritative voice could be heard. "Every one - stay calm. The police have been called. Do not leave the building - remain where you are!" Catherine grimaced. She didn't know how Brass had managed to get to the stage, but she didn't think he would be able to prevent the exodus.
Her skin felt sticky, and she started shuddering. Twisting her upper body, she tried to protect Murdoch from being stepped on. She felt a knee knock her in the side of the head as someone pushed by to closely, and she winced against the sudden flare of pain. Murdoch's eyes were open, his eyes as blue as his hair. Catherine felt like crying.
* * * * *
Warrick and Nick had managed to forcibly push their way to the front doors, enlisting the two rather large bouncers still standing there to help them pull them closed. They were trying to prevent more people from leaving the crime scene. Warrick had pulled out his id and was hollering. "Everyone, go back to your seats. You are all potential witnesses at a crime scene. The police are on their way. No one will be allowed to leave the building until we have spoken with you!"
Nick joined in, flashing his id and repeating Warrick's statements. He hoped that someone had had the sense to prevent people from going out the back door through the alley. In the distance, he could hear sirens, and he glanced at Warrick in grim relief. "Here comes the cavalry!"
As police officers started arriving, the crush of people trying to push their way out lessened. Although it had seemed like ages, after only 5 minutes the two men were relieved of their positions at the doorway. Warrick hollered at Nick. "Let's try to locate the others!"
Nick nodded grimly, and the two men started wading through the crowd, scanning for their friends. Sara, who had been standing with Brass on the stage, pushed through the crowd as she saw Nick and Warrick approaching. Brass was still telling people to calm down, and gradually the yelling and screaming petered out, overtaken by the sounds of crying and shocked conversation.
"Greg is at the back door, keeping people from leaving!" she greeted. "I can't seem to find Grissom and Catherine anywhere - they're not at the table."
Grabbing her by the arm, Nick pulled her closer. Before he could say anything, he heard Warrick.
"There they are. I see them."
* * * * *
As the crush around them started dissipating, Grissom looked up in relief. He had thrown himself in front of Catherine as she had sunk in the crowd, and had bodily pushed several people away from her as they stampeded for the door. In the ensuing melee, his glasses had been knocked off, and Grissom had no idea where they were - probably crushed on the floor somewhere. His body felt bruised and battered; his nose felt bloodied. He only hoped that Catherine was alright.
Catherine was hunched over the body in her arms, cradling the dead man protectively in her small frame. Her legs were pinned underneath him. Grissom winced when he saw the dark bruise that was already forming on her pale forehead. Someone had managed to hit her - probably with a knee - despite his best efforts.
"Catherine." His voice was gentle but loud as he reached forwards and touched her shoulders. "Are you okay?"
Catherine slowly straightened, staring at him blankly for a few moments. She was covered in blood.
"Oh my God! Catherine, are you hurt?" Grissom was suddenly panicked, his voice harsh with worry. He started running his hands down her arms and sides, feeling for damage.
"It's not my blood, Gil." She answered. "Help me get up." Gently, she extricated her legs out from underneath Murdoch, leaning heavily into Grissom as they both rose to their feet.
"Oh my God! Catherine! Are you hurt?" Warrick's voice was alarmingly loud, and both Grissom and Catherine turned, as he, Nick and Sara came towards them. Catherine nodded no mutely, and felt Grissom's arm protectively drop around her shoulders.
"Are the medics here, yet?" he asked. "I want to get her looked at."
"I'm all right Grissom. Everyone. I'm fine!" Catherine protested. She smiled weakly at the concern in their faces, before looking down at Murdoch. "He's the one that needs the medics."
"No, he needs the coroner." Grissom's voice was dark. "What the hell happened?"
"That's what I'd like to know!" Sheriff Mobley's voice was loud and angry. "What the hell happened? I'm getting a little tired of showing up at crime scenes and finding your people covered in blood, Grissom!"
Before Grissom could respond, Brass interceded. He had seen Mobley's entrance, and had quickly abandoned his post on the stage as he rushed over to intercept him. "You're the one that told us to come here, Mobley. This isn't Grissom's fault - we just happened to be here when someone shot our victim." He smiled grimly. "At least, everyone's here so you don't have to wait for them to arrive."
Mobley shot Brass a dirty look. "Please tell me one of you saw who did this."
Catherine responded. "I was closest, and I didn't see anything. Didn't even hear the gun shot. One minute, I was asking him if he would speak with us, the next - he was dead."
"Well, don't just stand there. Get to work!" Mobley snapped. He turned and stalked off towards one of his officers.
* * * * *
Sara had taken Catherine to the bathroom, and was trying to help her clean up somewhat. Nick, who had been wearing his Bruce Lee shirt opened over top of a dark t-shirt, had given it to her for Catherine to change into. Catherine had smiled weakly as he had handed it to Sara. "You're not going to get rid of it that easily, Nick!"
Looking in the mirror, Catherine was shocked at the way she looked. Nick's shirt hung on her, almost down to her knees, and below its hem she could see flecks and streaks of red on her legs. A vivid purple bruise covered the left top of her forehead, and she winced as Sara gently applied a wet paper towel to her face, trying to wipe away the blood.
Catherine's ruined silk blouse lay in the sink.
"Well, that looks a little better." Sara's tone was matter of fact, as she looked grimly at Catherine. "That's a nasty bruise."
"Yeah. It could have been worse though. I could have been trampled to death. Or shot. One bruise is a small price to pay."
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Catherine sighed. "Yeah. I'm okay. I'm sure the shock will come later. You know, two seconds before he was shot, that young man was flirting with me!"
"Was Grissom there?" Sara cocked an eyebrow.
Catherine looked at her, momentarily confused. "Yeah - but he wasn't flirting with Grissom."
Sara laughed. "No kidding!" She looked at Catherine oddly for a second. "Can I ask you a question?"
Catherine felt vaguely uneasy. "Yes. I suppose."
"Is there anything going on with you and Grissom?"
Catherine's jaw dropped open, before quickly shutting with an audible snap. "Sara! He's still getting over you! We're just - friends."
"Trust me Catherine, he's over me. We just had a harmless flirtation, but neither of us would have ever acted on it. It was just easier for us to flirt with someone safe, as opposed to flirting with someone - dangerous." She smiled at Catherine. "And besides, Nick and I are friends, and now we're - better friends - so that's not really an excuse."
Catherine looked back into the mirror, trying to fix her bangs to cover the bruise. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do. From the looks of things he took a couple of nasty hits to keep you from getting hurt. He's very protective of you - remember when he almost beat Eddie to a pulp? And I know he's waiting outside for us to make sure you're alright, when he should be helping Nick and Warrick prep the crime scene." She winked at Catherine. "He's been - different - the last few days. I think he's finally waking up."
Catherine just looked at her, her calm façade belying her tumultuous emotions. "We're just friends. Come one - let's get out there and help."
* * * * *
Greg was sitting at a large table with Nick, several pads of paper in front of them. While the police were gathering their evidence and interviewing potential witnesses, they were getting writing samples from the various band members that were still there. Greg carefully notated each person's name at the top of the page, before handing them a list of words for them to copy. Beside him, Nick did the same.
Grissom was pacing beside the bathroom Sara had dragged Catherine into roughly 15 minutes ago. Greg nudged Nick, and jerked his head in Grissom's direction.
"He's really worked up!"
"Yeah. I don't think he believes Catherine wasn't hurt. I mean, the guy was shot right in front of her - she's lucky the bullet didn't go through him and hit her."
Greg glanced at Grissom again, nodding. "So, Grissom and Catherine, eh?" He accepted a finished sample from the guy in front of him, slipping it into a file folder and quickly handing a pen and a piece of paper to the next person. "Every one is hooking up around here, man."
Nick grinned. "Only me and Sara." He glanced up and saw the two women step out of the bathroom, smiling as Grissom immediately stepped forward and grabbed Catherine's arm. "So far."
* * * * *
"Sara, I'm taking Catherine home." Before Catherine could protest, Grissom had grabbed her gently by the arm. "Don't argue. You can't work in that shirt - it's longer than your skirt, and-" He stopped, suddenly embarrassed.
"You look like you're not wearing anything else underneath it." Sara piped up, shooting an amused look at Grissom.
"I was going to say, it didn't look good. Plus, we won't be able to really start processing the scene for at least another 30 minutes anyway. I can get you to your place, you can have a quick shower to get the blood off, and I'll bring you back. Okay?"
"That's a great idea, Catherine. You'll feel a lot better once you're cleaned up. The rest of us can take care of things here - why don't we meet you both back at the lab?" She smiled at Grissom. "You could do with a change too - you have almost as much blood on you as Catherine did."
Grissom looked down at his shirt, and realized it was stiff with blood at the side where he had held Catherine against him. He grimaced in disgust. "Yeah. I've got a change of clothes in the Tahoe. If Mobley comes looking for us, tell him we'll talk to the detectives back at the lab. Greg and Nick are getting writing samples while they wait. Warrick's interviewing people. You help Warrick."
"Don't worry about us, Grissom. Just get Catherine out of here - we'll catch you later!" With that, Sara turned and headed purposefully towards Warrick. Catherine didn't argue as Grissom led her quickly to the Tahoe.