Chapter 13
As Sara opened the blind, she noticed the room looked like something out of a little girl's dream as the moonlight flooded in. Everything shined with a sort of innocence if you will, almost angelic. Angelic until she turned to see her friend's tear stained face. Sara sat easily on the bed next to Catherine wiping her face with a damp cloth she had taken in earlier. The two sat for a while in the silence of the night, listening to nature's music directed by the crickets. When she was ready, Catherine spoke.
"Thanks for everything Sara. I don't know that I could have made it through it this time without you."
"There's no need to thank me Catherine. I am just glad you trust me enough to help you."
"A lot of women don't understand what it's like, Sara, they just don't understand. If I had a penny for every time I heard a woman say 'she must do something to deserve it' or 'she must like it, why else would she stay'. I stayed as long as I did for fear of what would happen to Lindsay if I didn't."
Taking Catherine's hand, "I understand, Catherine. Really I do" Sara replied.
"I know you mean well Sar, but only a woman who has been through it can truly understand what it's like to live in hell."
"Catherine, I do understand." Sara admitted.
Sitting up as best she could, Catherine looked at Sara with a quizzical look. "What are you telling me Sara?" she asked.
"I understand what it's like. I understand the desperate feeling of needing to leave and the feeling of suffocation as the fear that keeps one from leaving tightens around your neck. If Grissom hadn't called me when he did 3 years ago, I would probably still be living in that hell." Looking away from Catherine out into the full moon, she continued. "I met the guy of my dreams, or so I thought. He was warm, loving, and very romantic. He was a police officer and worked in the building next to mine. We were actually talking about getting married. Then, like a light switch, everything changed. I was working over one night trying to get the last piece of a case finished. It was the piece that would send this guy away for good. I was alone in the lab when Tommy walked in. He had been drinking, I could smell him from the door. He was very loud, demanding I tell him why I was still at work. I asked him to quiet down and I would show him what I was doing. He swept everything off of the viewing table onto the floor. All the evidence, the pictures. I bent down to pick them up and he caught my jaw with his boot. I spent the next 6 months trying to get away from him. Each time he exploded the beating got worse. I had to miss a couple weeks of work once because he beat me so bad I couldn't even get out of bed. I tried to leave him several times. But he would catch me and hit me. He'd keep hitting and hitting and hitting. As I lay there bleeding and crying, I wished he'd just kill me. Being dead had to be better than living like this, right? Fortunately for me, Gris called about a week later. I packed up what I could in my car and drove off."
"Oh Sara," Catherine said rubbing her hand, "I had no idea. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."
"So you see," Sara said as she started to cry, "I do understand. I feel your fear. I feel your fear from his threats. I feel your fear for Lindsay."
As best as she could, Catherine tried to hug Sara.
"Wow" Sara said. "I've never told anyone that before. It feels better telling someone."
"Yes it does, Sara. That's the first step to putting it behind you."
Trying to change the subject, Sara looks over at the clock. "Grissom called while you were sleeping and said to tell you he wasn't going to be able to break away tonight. I guess it's been pretty busy."
"That's ok. He was coming to see you anyway, you know."
"What make you say that?" Sara inquired.
"He's very taken by you Sara. He just doesn't know how to tell you."
"He thinks a lot of you, too, Cath. We all do."
"Yea, but his and my relationship is very different. He's been there for me through some very hard times. I'm glad we had this chat. I think I need to rest. Can you close the blinds please?"
"Sure Catherine." Sara closed the blinds and left her to rest.
As Sara opened the blind, she noticed the room looked like something out of a little girl's dream as the moonlight flooded in. Everything shined with a sort of innocence if you will, almost angelic. Angelic until she turned to see her friend's tear stained face. Sara sat easily on the bed next to Catherine wiping her face with a damp cloth she had taken in earlier. The two sat for a while in the silence of the night, listening to nature's music directed by the crickets. When she was ready, Catherine spoke.
"Thanks for everything Sara. I don't know that I could have made it through it this time without you."
"There's no need to thank me Catherine. I am just glad you trust me enough to help you."
"A lot of women don't understand what it's like, Sara, they just don't understand. If I had a penny for every time I heard a woman say 'she must do something to deserve it' or 'she must like it, why else would she stay'. I stayed as long as I did for fear of what would happen to Lindsay if I didn't."
Taking Catherine's hand, "I understand, Catherine. Really I do" Sara replied.
"I know you mean well Sar, but only a woman who has been through it can truly understand what it's like to live in hell."
"Catherine, I do understand." Sara admitted.
Sitting up as best she could, Catherine looked at Sara with a quizzical look. "What are you telling me Sara?" she asked.
"I understand what it's like. I understand the desperate feeling of needing to leave and the feeling of suffocation as the fear that keeps one from leaving tightens around your neck. If Grissom hadn't called me when he did 3 years ago, I would probably still be living in that hell." Looking away from Catherine out into the full moon, she continued. "I met the guy of my dreams, or so I thought. He was warm, loving, and very romantic. He was a police officer and worked in the building next to mine. We were actually talking about getting married. Then, like a light switch, everything changed. I was working over one night trying to get the last piece of a case finished. It was the piece that would send this guy away for good. I was alone in the lab when Tommy walked in. He had been drinking, I could smell him from the door. He was very loud, demanding I tell him why I was still at work. I asked him to quiet down and I would show him what I was doing. He swept everything off of the viewing table onto the floor. All the evidence, the pictures. I bent down to pick them up and he caught my jaw with his boot. I spent the next 6 months trying to get away from him. Each time he exploded the beating got worse. I had to miss a couple weeks of work once because he beat me so bad I couldn't even get out of bed. I tried to leave him several times. But he would catch me and hit me. He'd keep hitting and hitting and hitting. As I lay there bleeding and crying, I wished he'd just kill me. Being dead had to be better than living like this, right? Fortunately for me, Gris called about a week later. I packed up what I could in my car and drove off."
"Oh Sara," Catherine said rubbing her hand, "I had no idea. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."
"So you see," Sara said as she started to cry, "I do understand. I feel your fear. I feel your fear from his threats. I feel your fear for Lindsay."
As best as she could, Catherine tried to hug Sara.
"Wow" Sara said. "I've never told anyone that before. It feels better telling someone."
"Yes it does, Sara. That's the first step to putting it behind you."
Trying to change the subject, Sara looks over at the clock. "Grissom called while you were sleeping and said to tell you he wasn't going to be able to break away tonight. I guess it's been pretty busy."
"That's ok. He was coming to see you anyway, you know."
"What make you say that?" Sara inquired.
"He's very taken by you Sara. He just doesn't know how to tell you."
"He thinks a lot of you, too, Cath. We all do."
"Yea, but his and my relationship is very different. He's been there for me through some very hard times. I'm glad we had this chat. I think I need to rest. Can you close the blinds please?"
"Sure Catherine." Sara closed the blinds and left her to rest.
