As the ambulance sped away, Catherine turned back towards her daughter, who still held tightly onto Warrick, her arms surrounding him in her vice- like grip.

With everything that had happened tonight, Catherine knew she owed Sara a huge debt of gratitude that she would gladly repay a thousand times over as soon as she was well again. If she ever regained consciousness.

These new thoughts of dread that Catherine had tried so hard to control began a slow ache deep inside within the essence of her heart, which in turn brought a fresh onslaught of tears to her eyes. Turning slowly, she offered a watery smile towards Warrick before taking a few steps closer, her need for human touch overpowering her senses.

He watched as she approached, his own eyes filled with shock and mirroring the emotions that ravaged his heart and coated his mind in so much pain that he didn't know that he wasn't sure if, and how, if they could survive this nightmare.

" Sara's going to be ok," she told him defiantly, her voice catching on a sob as she spoke ", She has to be."

" She promised she wouldn't let me die," Lindsey muttered against Warricks shoulder, refusing to lift her head from the safe sanctuary of his arms.

Reaching out a hand, Catherine rubbed her daughters back softly. " I will never be able to thank her enough for looking after you baby," she whispered brokenly as a single tear broke free from its restraints to, roll down her cheek. Moving closer, she surrounded Lindsey and Warrick in her arms, holding them both close to her body while the chaos still reigned around them.

Jim Brass watched the trio sadly, his own emotions fighting and threatening to consume him. He knew these people so well. Their closeness for each other extended out to him as they had drawn him into their tight circle. Over the last few years he had become more and more like family to all of them, their lives and feelings winding around his own.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer to the three people engulfed in a powerful embrace, hating himself for having to break it up, yet knowing he would need to prepare at least two of them for the coming few hours.

" Catherine," he spoke quietly, drawing her away from her circle of warmth and forcing her to look over towards him. " I need to speak with you, it'll only take a second."

Nodding slowly, she moved away from her family to take a step towards him, her heart aching with worry when she caught the sorrow in his eyes.

" Jim?" she whispered, " What's happened? Is it Sara?"

" No," he sighed, shaking his head, his voice faltering as he tried to find the right words to say to her.

" Oh, god," she gasped again, her mind concluding the only possible solution as she blurted a name that meant as much to her as the rest of the people here " Not Nicky? Please tell me he's not…."

" No," Brass told her, reaching out a hand to silence her voice as he pulled her to one side. " I've heard that Cavallo is on his way over. He's," he stopped for a second thinking of the right word before speaking again, " disturbed at all this."

" He's disturbed?" she asked incredulously " His people are falling like dried up and curled leaves around him and HE'S disturbed?"

" Ok, maybe a bad choice of words," Brass told her, holding his hands up in a gesture of defeat " I'm just telling you how it is ok? I'm not the bad guy just the messenger."

" I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking on a sob that failed to reach her lips " we're all a little out of it right now. I'm…"

" Hey it's ok," he smiled " look go to the hospital, get Warrick and your daughter checked out and worry about Cavallo and the investigation later. I'll tell him that you'll see him when you've had time to calm down and sort everything out."

Catherine reached out to him, drawing him into a soft hug before moving away from him. " Thanks Jim."

" Anytime," he smiled, nodding silently to indicate that she was needed somewhere else right now. Smiling sadly, she stepped away from him, moving back towards her circle of love that she so desperately craved and needed right then.

As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Grissom followed the stretcher taking Sara away from him. Coming closer, her tried to follow her into the brightly lit emergency room, but found himself pushed back by a pair of hands that refused to let him enter any further. " I'm sorry sir but you can't go in with her, you'll have to wait outside."

" But I.." Grissom started, his eyes searching over the doctor's shoulder for a tiny glimpse of the woman who had just been taken away from his arms.

" Go to the nurse at the front desk," the doctor told him, his voice softer this time " you'll need to give us her details."

Grissom nodded his head numbly, his mind racing with a thousand different questions as he fought to control his raging emotions. " Is she gonna be alright?"

" I don't know," he sighed ", someone will come and find you as soon as we know. Now please, let us do our job."

Stepping backwards, Grissom watched in a nightmarish daze as the doors to the small room closed before him, breaking the final link with the brunette who had become his world.

" Grissom?" a voice called behind him, causing him to turn around to see a battered looking Greg watching him worriedly.

" Greg?" he asked, shaking the confusion from his mind as he tried to focus " You too?"

" Yeah," he grinned sadly, touching his stitched forehead gingerly, indicating the wound he had suffered " it's only a scratch."

" I didn't know," Grissom muttered softly, his body aching under the intense pressure of his pain " I didn't think of anyone else. I'm really sorry."

" Hey it's cool," he smiled, his eyes wandering over Grissom's disheveled clothes to notice with a stunned gasp, the blood on his shirt ", Grissom, you're bleeding."

Looking down at himself, Grissom shook his head slowly, his knees almost buckling beneath him as he croaked out a name that had itself burned into his heart so long ago " Not me," he whispered brokenly, his voice shaking as he spoke " Sara, she.."

" SARA?" Greg gasped, his voice rising in pitch and volume as he stepped closer to the man before him. " Where is she? Is she ok? Is she.."

" No, I don't know." Grissom groaned, his voice almost breaking into a wail as his body fought to unleash the intense emotions inside his heart. " They won't let me see her, she's bad Greg, really bad."

Stepping closer, Greg took hold of Grissom's elbow, steering him over towards the white plastic chairs that were lined up along the far wall. " Sit down," he commanded, pushing the older man down to a chair, to take the next one himself. " You want coffee or something?" he asked tentatively as he tried to hide his intimidation from the man who always managed to strike sudden fear through his veins.

" No," Grissom said quickly, only to turn to him and offer a sad smile ", Thanks anyway."

" Ok," he nodded, his mind racing with questions only to be silenced when he closed his eyes. " She's gonna be ok," he said aloud, his voice shaking with trembling emotions as he fought to convince himself more than anyone ", If she…if something happens." Leaning forward, he buried his head into his hands, his mind trying to cast away the doubts and fears that plunged deep inside his heart, bringing with them the raw emotions that only a short time ago had caused his heart to plunge into fear.

Slowly, he sat back up, realization dawning inside his mind as he turned towards the broken man beside him ", Nick? Does Nick know?"

His words reached in through the dark haze that had surrounded Grissom's senses pulling him away for the briefest of seconds before he turned back towards Greg, his mouth suddenly dry as he shook his head slowly. " I don't know," he whispered ", I, is he…I can't believe I didn't think, is he alright?"

Turning towards him, Greg offered him a sad smile, knowing he would have to be the one to deliver the news.

TBC…….