Chapter 9

After he made sure Sara got to her car ok, Grissom went to check on Catherine. She had rolled over since the last time he saw her. Now she was facing the far wall. He sat quietly on the bed behind her. From his past dealings with this situation she needed to feel ready for him to see her. "In her own time" he kept reminding himself. He spoke softly, as if speaking to a small child. "Catherine? It's me, Grissom. You need to wake up for a bit, ok?" he said as he places his hand gently on her shoulder.

"I'm awake. Where's Sara?"

"I sent her home to get a few things. I want her here with you tonight. I can't be gone with you gone and I don't want you alone. Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Not much to tell really." She said trying not to cry.

"Can I see?" he asked.

Still facing away, she pulled up her shirt a bit, exposing her mid section. She winced as his hand touched her severely bruised skin. She started to cry softly into her pillow.

Sitting back against the headboard of her bed, he carefully takes her in his arms. She curled up against him, burying her head in his chest. He held her patiently until she stopped crying, rubbing her head trying to make her feel safe. "Tell me what happened."

"I was sleeping and I heard a loud noise, what sounded like glass breaking. I got up and went to the kitchen and saw the door was broken out. I turned to get the phone and Eddie walks in from around the corner. I walked to the other side of the table. The next thing I know he's on top of the table. I turn to run away and he jumps on me, knocking the wind out of me. I breath. I couldn't move. I tried with all my might to break free of him. He straddled me and started hitting. Then he grabbed me by the hair and slammed my head down on the counter. He grabbed a knife and held it at my face and..." she starts crying again.

"Shhhh. It's ok." Grissom said holding her close."

"He said he'd give me until Friday to tell the attorney not to go through with it. He said if I didn't he would kill me and have Lindsay for himself. Then he threw me back onto the floor and left."

Anger started growing from deep inside him as he sat there listening to what had happened to her. He could feel his face get hot with the hatred he felt for Eddie. "In another time and another place" Grissom thought to himself, "I would make sure he never hurt you again." He sat there holding her, making her feel safe. He would make Eddie pay. This time he would make that son of a bitch pay.