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Catherine looked down at the photos before her again, trying in some way to find a hidden clue, anything that could help to end this nightmare. Closing her eyes tiredly, she picked up one of the photos images to replace it back into the evidence bag, and then proceeded to do the same with the others.
Her pager beeped on her hip and she reached down to retrieve it. Holding it up, she read the text message as a new hope filled her heart. It was Warrick.
"Hey," he grinned when she made her way into the lab. "You're gonna love this."
"I am?" she asked excitedly, "We got a match?"
"Yeah," he told her as he directed her towards the computer screen. " Well not on the print itself, but there's a line in the actual print which I thought was just blood spatter, but it seems it's a scar, a very unique scar in fact." Directing her closer, he couldn't contain his excitement, " Look at the name Cath, I think we are getting somewhere."
"Robert James," she gasped, "the boy? What was he doing touching the victim? I…" taking a step back, she drew in a ragged breath. "Why would a 12 year old boy who was clearly distressed, touch the victim who was lying in his own blood? It doesn't make sense."
"Maybe I can help you there," Brass spoke as he came in through the door with another file in his hand. "Seems our boy has spent the last four years in a Juvenile Detention Center." Handing the file to Catherine, he turned his attention to Warrick as he spoke. "He was released 2 months ago after he was said to have made 'considerable changes regarding his behavior'. Counsellor's words, not mine."
"Theft, burglary, assault," Catherine reeled off as she read from the file. "This kid has convictions spreading right back to when he was 12 years old."
"Yeah, and his last term of confinement was a little more enlightening," Brass nodded, handing over a separate piece of paper to Warrick who looked at him questioningly. "Read it," Brass commanded.
Looking down at the words, Warrick scanned over the information and turned worried eyes towards Catherine. "Cath, I think you should read this."
"What?" she asked, eyeing the paper in his hand suspiciously. "Tell me."
"Newspaper clippings of your cases, more specifically of you personally were found in his room with derogatory terms scribbled over your photo." Handing her the paper, Warrick watched carefully as she took it from his hands to stare down at it blankly. Reading over the words, she gulped visibly as she tried to comprehend what she was reading.
"I think we may have found our suspect," Brass told her quietly, his eyes watching for a reaction, anything to tell him what she was feeling. None came.
"Warrick, I need some air. I'll let you fill Brass in on the new information." Without glancing at either man in the room, she handed the file back to Brass and walked out quietly as she tried to keep the nausea from rising into her throat.
"How's Sara doing?" Nick asked with a yawn, his eyes apologetic as he looked over towards Greg. "Sorry."
"You know you could give me a complex," he grinned, "every time I see you, you yawn. Am I that boring?"
"No, sorry man," Nick grinned. "I'm just really tired."
"Well you've been through a lot, you have every right to be tired."
"No it's not that," Nick sighed sadly, his voice lowering as he spoke. "Well partly it is the accident, but mostly it's because I have trouble sleeping."
"You have nightmares?' Greg asked with a smile. "Join the club, I think we all have nightmares in this job."
"Yeah," he nodded, "but usually I can pick up the phone and call Sa….someone. She…they calm me down."
"You call Sara when you have a nightmare?" Greg asked incredulously.
"I didn't say that!"
"No but you were going to," Greg smiled. "Look why don't you just ask the nurse to take you to see her?"
Nick sighed heavily and waved his hand over the general area of his bandaged thigh. "I have, but it hurts too much to move. I'm dreading physio."
"How about calling her, surely you're allowed to do that. You know she asked how you were?"
"I hadn't thought of that," he smiled. "I really would like just to hear her voice for myself, it's been too long."
"It's almost 2 days!"
"Yeah well in here 2 days feels like a life time." Lying back against the pillows, Nick closed his eyes tiredly. "I wish I could just wake up and find that this whole thing has been some bizarre dream."
"I'm with you there," Greg sighed sadly. Looking down at his watch he shifted back slightly in his chair. "I should get going."
"What time is it?" Nick asked tiredly as he cracked open an eye to look over at his friend.
"Time for me to take Lindsey home. Poor kid has had a rough time." Standing up, he pushed back his chair quietly. "Catherine and Warrick are coming in to visit after shift."
"Okay," he mumbled tiredly, his eyes losing their struggle to stay open.
"Night Nick." Greg grinned as he left the room quietly. Walking over to the nurse's station a little way down the corridor, he stopped to offer a smile to the pretty nurse on duty.
"Could you be able to do me a huge favour?" he asked, piling on his charm.
"Depends," she smiled, looking up at him with bemusement shining from her eyes. "What is it?"
"Nick Stokes, he's desperate to see his friend whose a little way up the hall. Sara Sidle?"
"Yes I know, he asked me to look in on her, but she and her husband were asleep. I didn't want to disturb them." She watched his face change into confusion until he realized whom she was referring to.
"Oh you mean Griss?" he grinned, "He's our boss."
""Well whatever he is, they were both sleeping."
"Okay," he smiled again, "is there any way that they could talk on the phone? Nick and Sara I mean, not Griss and…never mind."
"I think that could be arranged," she chuckled. "First thing in the morning, I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks," he smiled, "but he, Nick that is, he has nightmares and when he's at home he usually calls Sara. I think she calms him down or something."
"Oh I see," she nodded, "Well in that case, I'll keep an eye out and if I see him in any distress I will definitely find a way for him to talk to her."
"Thank you," he smiled.
"Oh and as of tomorrow, I'm afraid visiting hours will have to keep to their normal times. Not my idea, it's just they have a policy around here."
"No problem," he nodded, "What are the hours?"
"10 a.m. until 2 p.m. then 6 p.m. until 10 p.m."
"Thanks," he nodded before he moved away from her to walk down towards Sara's room.
Walking into her room, he smiled at the sight before him. Lindsey had fallen asleep on Sara's chest. Their arms wrapped tightly around each other.
"Hi Greg," Grissom whispered with a smile as he slowly disengaged his fingers from Sara's hair.
"I'd better take Lindsey home," Greg smiled, stepping up closer towards the sleeping child to lift her carefully from Sara's embrace. Lindsey sighed in her sleep and moved her arms around his neck. "Shhh," he whispered, "time for bed sweetie."
Sara slowly opened her eyes when she felt the warmth of Lindsey's body leave her. Instinctively, she reached out to pull her back, but Grissom held onto her hands. "Honey it's okay," he soothed, his voice deliberately low. "Greg's taking her home."
Coming fully awake, Sara lifted her head up a notch to see Greg offer her a small smile. Turning to Grissom, she reached up a hand to cup his face. "Go and get some sleep."
"I'm fine," he smiled, "I'm happy right here beside you."
"I know," she whispered as she gazed up into his eyes, "but you look so tired. Go home and get some rest."
"But…" he started, his protests silenced by her finger on his lips. Bringing up a hand to hers, he kissed her fingers before smiling down at her.
"For me okay?" she asked, her eyes shining with pure emotion as she gazed up towards him lovingly.
"You want me to go?" his voice seemed strangely hoarse as he spoke, something that didn't go unnoticed by neither Greg nor Sara."
"No I don't want you to go," she admitted sadly, "but we both know you can't stay here with me forever. You need to go back to work soon."
"All right," he sighed, looking down at his disheveled clothes. "I suppose I really could do with a shower."
"Well I wasn't going to say anything," she giggled, happy that he was finally coming around to her way of thinking. Reaching out to him, she pulled him down into a hug, holding him close to her, savoring every second before their inevitable parting came to be.
"I'll see you in a few hours," he smiled, his face dangerously close to hers. "Do you need anything?"
"Only you," she smiled as she moved a hand to his face, "Get some rest okay?"
For a second, Grissom was caught in her eyes. Leaning down slowly, he pressed his lips to hers, offering her a soft kiss that she instantly accepted and returned. Both of them reveled in their closeness, neither wanting nor willing to move away from the other, but when the sounds from the room closed in around them, they reluctantly returned to reality. As they pulled away from each other, a thousand different emotions passed between their eyes to highlight unspoken words in one precious moment.
"See you tomorrow," she whispered with a smile.
"Try keeping me away," he grinned. Pulling himself upwards, he moved away from her slowly. His eyes conveying their desire to stay with her forever, but when she smiled, he knew he already had forever, he just never knew it before. Offering her one last smile, he turned to exit her room for the first time since she had arrived here to walk beside Greg.
"She's gonna be fine you know," Greg grinned with a knowing smile as they walked towards the exit.
"I know," Grissom mused, unable to hide the new feelings that cascaded through his heart like a rampaging fire. She ignited him. She had forced the coldness away from his heart to crash through his walls and brought him more love than he had ever known in his lifetime. Turning to Greg, he offered him an un-Grissom like smile. "We're both gonna be fine."
TBC………
