I rushed into the crowded hospital waiting room, Grissom at my side.
"Nick," I cried, seeing our southern friend waiting there. "How is she?"
"I don't know," he answered as he stood up to face us. His face was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. "As soon as they got her into the bed, she blacked out again."
Warrick showed up just then, two cups of coffee in his hands. He thrust one of them into his Nick's hand and took a sip from the other. "Thanks," Nick said softly, collapsing back into the chair he had been sitting in when we first walked in.
I shot Grissom a guilty look. "We should have been there with her, Gil," I whispered. "If we had been t here, this wouldn't have happened."
The doctor came out just then. "Hello, I'm Dr. Andrews. Are you the friends of Sara Sidle?"
"Yes, we are," I answered, standing up to face him. Grissom was immediately at my side again, his arm draped protectively over my shoulders.
"Well, she's regained consciousness. Sara had an extremely severe panic attack." He looked down at his chart. "We found traces of saliva on her neck and chest. There's a chance that it could be hers, but we're sending it in to be tested just to be on the safe side."
"Wait," Grissom interrupted. "If it's not her saliva, then whose could it be?" He tightened his hold on me, afraid of the answer he would get.
The doctor took a breath before continuing. "We think that, while you were gone, Sara might have had another visit from the man who raped her. We think that might be what caused her attack."
I drew in a deep breath and felt my knees go weak. Grissom helped me to sit back down. He turned back to Dr. Andrews. "You mean, you think she might have been raped?"
"Not exactly," he answered. "We know she wasn't raped again, but we think that he might have come back to try."
I looked up. "He must have been there right before Jen got back with Lindsey. He probably got scared away when he heard them coming in." Grissom nodded.
"How's Sara now?" Nick questioned, worriedly.
"She's fine," Dr. Andrews assured him. "Now, we're just getting ready to test her to see if she's pregnant." I breathed in sharply. His attention turned to me. "It's just a precaution," he replied quickly to reassure me. "There's still a big chance that she's not pregnant." A red-headed nurse came up just then. "Excuse me, Dr. Andrews," she interrupted. "Ms. Sidle is ready to be tested."
"Alright, I'll be right there." She walked back in the direction of Sara's room. Dr. Andrews turned back to us. "I'll let you guys know as soon as I know anything about her."
"Thank you," I whispered.
The second he was gone, Warrick turned to us all angrily. "Sara was raped?!?! Why didn't I know this?!?!"
"I just found it out myself today," Nick said.
They both turned to me. "I'm assuming that that's why she called you yesterday," Warrick said.
"Yes," I nodded, tears burning my eyes. "She didn't want anyone to know, so I didn't tell anyone."
"Then how did Grissom know?" A mixture of anger and pain flashed through Nick's eyes. "Why did you tell him instead of me?"
"Because Grissom's the boss. She would have had to tell him eventually anyway. And I needed his help with her when she passed earlier today."
"And what about Nick? How did he know?" Warrick asked. "Why am I always the last to know everything?"
"Listen, what's done is done," Grissom said sharply. "It doesn't matter who knew first, or who knew last. We all know now. And our first priority should be to Sara."
"You're right," Warrick replied, resigning. He said down, taking small sips from his coffee.
A small headache was beginning to form. I leaned back and closed me eyes, rubbing my temples to stop the pain that was beginning to pound there. "Cath, why don't you get home and get some sleep," Grissom suggested, placing his hand on my arm.
I shook my head fervently. "I can't go. I need to stop here..for Sara."
He sat down next to me, placing his arm around me again. "Why don't you at least get some sleep then?" He suggested. I leaned into his, my head resting into the crook of his neck. In seconds, I was asleep.
I awoke when Grissom shifted slightly in his seat. "Sorry," he apologized, grinning sheepishly.
"It's fine," I answered, trying to suppress a yawn.
My phone rang just then. "Willows," I answered.
"It's Officer Johnson," he replied. "We searched her apartment again and found vomit in her toilet. We also found traces of alcohol in the vomit."
"You mean, he was drunk when he raped her?" I cried in disbelief.
"Yes. And we got back the DNA tests from the vomit, the semen, and the strand of hair. They all belong to the same person, a Hank Peddigrew."
I was dumbfounded. I had expected this; I had known this. But hearing it out loud was something completely different. "Catherine? Are you still there?"
"Yeah, I'm still here," I said, breaking into tears. Dammit, why am I being so emotional?
"Ok, well, we're looking for him now. His apartment has been abandoned. Not a thing left there. We don't have a new address for him though. And his car was also found abandoned at a local park."
"His car?" I thought back to the blue Passat that had been parked across the street from my house that day.
"Yes," he answered. "A navy blue Passat." I gasped. "Catherine, what's wrong?"
"That car." I struggled to pull myself together. "That car was parked in front of my house earlier today.
"It was?"
"Yes. But I thought it was a neighbor's car or something. I never thought it could be his."
"Don't worry about it, Catherine; it's not your fault.
I nodded, trying to convince myself. "Ok, let me know if you find out anything else." I hung up before he could say anything else.
"What did they find?" Grissom asked anxiously. I turned around to find all three of the men staring at me in anticipation.
"They got the DNA tests back. They're all a match. They all match Hank Peddigrew" I quickly relayed the rest of the information Officer Johnson had told me about Hank. "That jackass," Warrick commented, his voice dangerously low.
"I second that," Grissom added.
I turned to Nick and found him staring off behind me. "What's up, man?" Warrick asked. The three of us spun around to see what Nick was looking at.
We found Sara heading down the hall towards us. Her face was pale, the bruises standing out even more, and her eyes were shrunken in and red- rimmed from crying.
"Sara, what's wrong?" Nick questioned, taking a few steps in her direction.
My eyes traveled down to Sara's hand, where she held a handful of papers. Oh, God, no. I silently prayed that I was wrong.
"Sara, are you OK?" Nick asked, moving closer to her. Sara stopped, her eyes traveling across each of our faces until they settled on mine.
"Catherine.." She said shakily, fresh tears forming in her eyes. She took another step forward. Please, God, no, I silently prayed again.
"Catherine, I'm.." She trailed off before looking back to my face. "I'm pregnant."
"I don't know," he answered as he stood up to face us. His face was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. "As soon as they got her into the bed, she blacked out again."
Warrick showed up just then, two cups of coffee in his hands. He thrust one of them into his Nick's hand and took a sip from the other. "Thanks," Nick said softly, collapsing back into the chair he had been sitting in when we first walked in.
I shot Grissom a guilty look. "We should have been there with her, Gil," I whispered. "If we had been t here, this wouldn't have happened."
The doctor came out just then. "Hello, I'm Dr. Andrews. Are you the friends of Sara Sidle?"
"Yes, we are," I answered, standing up to face him. Grissom was immediately at my side again, his arm draped protectively over my shoulders.
"Well, she's regained consciousness. Sara had an extremely severe panic attack." He looked down at his chart. "We found traces of saliva on her neck and chest. There's a chance that it could be hers, but we're sending it in to be tested just to be on the safe side."
"Wait," Grissom interrupted. "If it's not her saliva, then whose could it be?" He tightened his hold on me, afraid of the answer he would get.
The doctor took a breath before continuing. "We think that, while you were gone, Sara might have had another visit from the man who raped her. We think that might be what caused her attack."
I drew in a deep breath and felt my knees go weak. Grissom helped me to sit back down. He turned back to Dr. Andrews. "You mean, you think she might have been raped?"
"Not exactly," he answered. "We know she wasn't raped again, but we think that he might have come back to try."
I looked up. "He must have been there right before Jen got back with Lindsey. He probably got scared away when he heard them coming in." Grissom nodded.
"How's Sara now?" Nick questioned, worriedly.
"She's fine," Dr. Andrews assured him. "Now, we're just getting ready to test her to see if she's pregnant." I breathed in sharply. His attention turned to me. "It's just a precaution," he replied quickly to reassure me. "There's still a big chance that she's not pregnant." A red-headed nurse came up just then. "Excuse me, Dr. Andrews," she interrupted. "Ms. Sidle is ready to be tested."
"Alright, I'll be right there." She walked back in the direction of Sara's room. Dr. Andrews turned back to us. "I'll let you guys know as soon as I know anything about her."
"Thank you," I whispered.
The second he was gone, Warrick turned to us all angrily. "Sara was raped?!?! Why didn't I know this?!?!"
"I just found it out myself today," Nick said.
They both turned to me. "I'm assuming that that's why she called you yesterday," Warrick said.
"Yes," I nodded, tears burning my eyes. "She didn't want anyone to know, so I didn't tell anyone."
"Then how did Grissom know?" A mixture of anger and pain flashed through Nick's eyes. "Why did you tell him instead of me?"
"Because Grissom's the boss. She would have had to tell him eventually anyway. And I needed his help with her when she passed earlier today."
"And what about Nick? How did he know?" Warrick asked. "Why am I always the last to know everything?"
"Listen, what's done is done," Grissom said sharply. "It doesn't matter who knew first, or who knew last. We all know now. And our first priority should be to Sara."
"You're right," Warrick replied, resigning. He said down, taking small sips from his coffee.
A small headache was beginning to form. I leaned back and closed me eyes, rubbing my temples to stop the pain that was beginning to pound there. "Cath, why don't you get home and get some sleep," Grissom suggested, placing his hand on my arm.
I shook my head fervently. "I can't go. I need to stop here..for Sara."
He sat down next to me, placing his arm around me again. "Why don't you at least get some sleep then?" He suggested. I leaned into his, my head resting into the crook of his neck. In seconds, I was asleep.
I awoke when Grissom shifted slightly in his seat. "Sorry," he apologized, grinning sheepishly.
"It's fine," I answered, trying to suppress a yawn.
My phone rang just then. "Willows," I answered.
"It's Officer Johnson," he replied. "We searched her apartment again and found vomit in her toilet. We also found traces of alcohol in the vomit."
"You mean, he was drunk when he raped her?" I cried in disbelief.
"Yes. And we got back the DNA tests from the vomit, the semen, and the strand of hair. They all belong to the same person, a Hank Peddigrew."
I was dumbfounded. I had expected this; I had known this. But hearing it out loud was something completely different. "Catherine? Are you still there?"
"Yeah, I'm still here," I said, breaking into tears. Dammit, why am I being so emotional?
"Ok, well, we're looking for him now. His apartment has been abandoned. Not a thing left there. We don't have a new address for him though. And his car was also found abandoned at a local park."
"His car?" I thought back to the blue Passat that had been parked across the street from my house that day.
"Yes," he answered. "A navy blue Passat." I gasped. "Catherine, what's wrong?"
"That car." I struggled to pull myself together. "That car was parked in front of my house earlier today.
"It was?"
"Yes. But I thought it was a neighbor's car or something. I never thought it could be his."
"Don't worry about it, Catherine; it's not your fault.
I nodded, trying to convince myself. "Ok, let me know if you find out anything else." I hung up before he could say anything else.
"What did they find?" Grissom asked anxiously. I turned around to find all three of the men staring at me in anticipation.
"They got the DNA tests back. They're all a match. They all match Hank Peddigrew" I quickly relayed the rest of the information Officer Johnson had told me about Hank. "That jackass," Warrick commented, his voice dangerously low.
"I second that," Grissom added.
I turned to Nick and found him staring off behind me. "What's up, man?" Warrick asked. The three of us spun around to see what Nick was looking at.
We found Sara heading down the hall towards us. Her face was pale, the bruises standing out even more, and her eyes were shrunken in and red- rimmed from crying.
"Sara, what's wrong?" Nick questioned, taking a few steps in her direction.
My eyes traveled down to Sara's hand, where she held a handful of papers. Oh, God, no. I silently prayed that I was wrong.
"Sara, are you OK?" Nick asked, moving closer to her. Sara stopped, her eyes traveling across each of our faces until they settled on mine.
"Catherine.." She said shakily, fresh tears forming in her eyes. She took another step forward. Please, God, no, I silently prayed again.
"Catherine, I'm.." She trailed off before looking back to my face. "I'm pregnant."
