Chapter 3
Nick readjusted his hard hat and grinned. "Hey guys. I see the hallway to the suspects office."
Catherine and Warrick made their way towards him and called out to the head fireman.
"Good work son." The fireman chimed and co-ordinated his team to start shifting rubble.
"Not too long now Nicky." Catherine said patting his shoulder.
Nick smiled grimily. "I just hope we're not too late."
** **
"You know, if we get out of here." Sara said into the silence suddenly. "Will you take me up on that dinner offer?" Grissom stared down at her. His mind instantly shot up the walls that had broken down when the explosion hit. Sara looked blindly and his eyes locked with hers. She sighed when she got no answer and laid her head back on his shoulder. "Never mind." She mumbled in defeat. "We may not get out anyway."
He brushed her hair back and was about to say something when a beam fell and the metal rod that was impaling him moved, sending him crying out in pain. "AH!"
Sara sat up quickly as piles of dust fell around them and tried to hold Grissom down. "Don't move Griss." She shouted to get his attention. She loomed over him with her hands on his chest. His eyes locked with hers and the pain seemed to ebb away. Sara waited for him to quit moving before touching his face. "Just hold in there ok?" He nodded mutely. Feeling for the rod, she noticed the bend in the metal. The beam was going to fall. She needed to find something to hold it. "I have to find something to brace the beam Griss. I'll be back."
Grissom closed his eyes against the pain and tried to listen to her movements. "Please." He paused and turned his head towards her before opening his eyes. "Be careful Sara." He pleaded.
** **
"What happened?" Nick shouted.
The fireman looked up and winced. "A beam is unstable above the office. We tried to remove several beams that cover nearly eight metres between us and that room. It's not looking good." He paused and sighed. "We move it, the whole room goes."
Everyone stared at the chief in disbelief, but knew it was true. They had to think fast.
The fireman suddenly spoke to his team. "The best way to do this would be to support the beams on the other side first, not all but a few." The team nodded and looked for other ways to gain access without disturbing anything any more.
** **
A cabinet was sure to hold the beam. Sara tried to push it the best she could and after a while managed to get it around Grissom and under the wide beam. "That should hold it." She felt for Grissom's hand and he help guide her around to his right side. "Good thing one of us can see."
"You'll see Sara. When you get out of here."
Sara heard something in his tone and instantly knew he was getting weaker and was beginning to give up. "You didn't answer my question." She pushed, trying to change the subject.
Grissom smiled and waited for her to turn to him. She looked down at him and placed her hand on his chest to try and get her bearings on what he was doing. "What question?"
Raising her eyebrows painfully. She touched her head and frowned instead. "Life's one big roller coaster huh? Or a huge carousel that brings us back to the beginning every time."
Watching her closely, Grissom felt he should at least tell her something before anything else happens. "I would have said yes." He saw her head turn back to him. "I would have." He repeated.
"Then, why didn't you?" She asked quietly.
Grissom smiled and touched her neck. "Bad timing, tongue tied, nervous, being an idiot. choose one."
Sara nodded slowly and flinched slightly as he touched her again. His hand was warm against her cool skin. She took his hand and held it to her cheek. "What about now? I asked, but you didn't answer."
He gently caressed her skin under his palm. "I wouldn't want to lie to you Sara. I'm not going to plan ahead when I'm not sure about the present." His explanation was not taken lightly and she moved closer, his hand still touching her. He continued before she could speak. His eyes scanning her face. "The beam is going to collapse Sara. Any movement in or outside this room and the beam is going to crush me."
** **
Catherine leaned against Brass's car and drank her rapidly cooling coffee. "They need out Jim. I can feel it. Something's not right. It's too. I don't know. too off."
Brass nodded in agreement. "I know. I don't like the timing. It's taking too long and those beams are having me jump every time I see them move."
Catherine looked up at him and sighed. She leaned against him. "They're trying the back way, so maybe we can avoid the main beams and crushed fragile areas of the building."
** **
"Don't talk like Griss, please. I'm scared as it is." Sara admitted softly.
"I'm sorry honey, but I needed to tell you. I might not make it. If they got here, the beam would collapse with the commotion and even if they tried to move me." He drew her face closer and held her forehead to his. "I've lost too much blood." He whispered.
Sara sniffled and cupped his face below his ears with both hands. "You quitting on me?"
Grissom breathed in a short breathe and sighed. "Sara." His eyes opened when he couldn't find the words and gently kissed her mouth. It was such a chaste kiss that it was barely a brush. Sara whimpered as she held back the tears and lowered her mouth to his.
She kissed him softly. There seemed to be no reason to wait any longer. Time was running out and they could both feel it. Sara's ribs started to hurt more in the last hour. Her eyes were continuously stinging and she knew Grissom was holding in the pain, hiding it from her. He knew that if she couldn't see his eyes, then he could stray from the truth and not be questioned by her browns piecing through him.
His fingers stroked her cheek lightly as the kiss carried on. They stopped for a few breathes before one would initiate it again. His tears mingled with hers at the thought of never getting out of this room alive or seeing each other to do this properly. He wanted to take her to dinner, kiss her afterwards, pursue a proper relationship, but his fear of getting too deep was what pushed him away from her. He distanced himself and regretted every minute of it. At one point they were so close, then the fear would crept it's way in and tell him he needed to back away. He so desperately wanted to see Sara outside work and show her things, share his life with her and now he had a feeling in his gut that he would never get the chance to do that and right now was all they had.
Nick readjusted his hard hat and grinned. "Hey guys. I see the hallway to the suspects office."
Catherine and Warrick made their way towards him and called out to the head fireman.
"Good work son." The fireman chimed and co-ordinated his team to start shifting rubble.
"Not too long now Nicky." Catherine said patting his shoulder.
Nick smiled grimily. "I just hope we're not too late."
** **
"You know, if we get out of here." Sara said into the silence suddenly. "Will you take me up on that dinner offer?" Grissom stared down at her. His mind instantly shot up the walls that had broken down when the explosion hit. Sara looked blindly and his eyes locked with hers. She sighed when she got no answer and laid her head back on his shoulder. "Never mind." She mumbled in defeat. "We may not get out anyway."
He brushed her hair back and was about to say something when a beam fell and the metal rod that was impaling him moved, sending him crying out in pain. "AH!"
Sara sat up quickly as piles of dust fell around them and tried to hold Grissom down. "Don't move Griss." She shouted to get his attention. She loomed over him with her hands on his chest. His eyes locked with hers and the pain seemed to ebb away. Sara waited for him to quit moving before touching his face. "Just hold in there ok?" He nodded mutely. Feeling for the rod, she noticed the bend in the metal. The beam was going to fall. She needed to find something to hold it. "I have to find something to brace the beam Griss. I'll be back."
Grissom closed his eyes against the pain and tried to listen to her movements. "Please." He paused and turned his head towards her before opening his eyes. "Be careful Sara." He pleaded.
** **
"What happened?" Nick shouted.
The fireman looked up and winced. "A beam is unstable above the office. We tried to remove several beams that cover nearly eight metres between us and that room. It's not looking good." He paused and sighed. "We move it, the whole room goes."
Everyone stared at the chief in disbelief, but knew it was true. They had to think fast.
The fireman suddenly spoke to his team. "The best way to do this would be to support the beams on the other side first, not all but a few." The team nodded and looked for other ways to gain access without disturbing anything any more.
** **
A cabinet was sure to hold the beam. Sara tried to push it the best she could and after a while managed to get it around Grissom and under the wide beam. "That should hold it." She felt for Grissom's hand and he help guide her around to his right side. "Good thing one of us can see."
"You'll see Sara. When you get out of here."
Sara heard something in his tone and instantly knew he was getting weaker and was beginning to give up. "You didn't answer my question." She pushed, trying to change the subject.
Grissom smiled and waited for her to turn to him. She looked down at him and placed her hand on his chest to try and get her bearings on what he was doing. "What question?"
Raising her eyebrows painfully. She touched her head and frowned instead. "Life's one big roller coaster huh? Or a huge carousel that brings us back to the beginning every time."
Watching her closely, Grissom felt he should at least tell her something before anything else happens. "I would have said yes." He saw her head turn back to him. "I would have." He repeated.
"Then, why didn't you?" She asked quietly.
Grissom smiled and touched her neck. "Bad timing, tongue tied, nervous, being an idiot. choose one."
Sara nodded slowly and flinched slightly as he touched her again. His hand was warm against her cool skin. She took his hand and held it to her cheek. "What about now? I asked, but you didn't answer."
He gently caressed her skin under his palm. "I wouldn't want to lie to you Sara. I'm not going to plan ahead when I'm not sure about the present." His explanation was not taken lightly and she moved closer, his hand still touching her. He continued before she could speak. His eyes scanning her face. "The beam is going to collapse Sara. Any movement in or outside this room and the beam is going to crush me."
** **
Catherine leaned against Brass's car and drank her rapidly cooling coffee. "They need out Jim. I can feel it. Something's not right. It's too. I don't know. too off."
Brass nodded in agreement. "I know. I don't like the timing. It's taking too long and those beams are having me jump every time I see them move."
Catherine looked up at him and sighed. She leaned against him. "They're trying the back way, so maybe we can avoid the main beams and crushed fragile areas of the building."
** **
"Don't talk like Griss, please. I'm scared as it is." Sara admitted softly.
"I'm sorry honey, but I needed to tell you. I might not make it. If they got here, the beam would collapse with the commotion and even if they tried to move me." He drew her face closer and held her forehead to his. "I've lost too much blood." He whispered.
Sara sniffled and cupped his face below his ears with both hands. "You quitting on me?"
Grissom breathed in a short breathe and sighed. "Sara." His eyes opened when he couldn't find the words and gently kissed her mouth. It was such a chaste kiss that it was barely a brush. Sara whimpered as she held back the tears and lowered her mouth to his.
She kissed him softly. There seemed to be no reason to wait any longer. Time was running out and they could both feel it. Sara's ribs started to hurt more in the last hour. Her eyes were continuously stinging and she knew Grissom was holding in the pain, hiding it from her. He knew that if she couldn't see his eyes, then he could stray from the truth and not be questioned by her browns piecing through him.
His fingers stroked her cheek lightly as the kiss carried on. They stopped for a few breathes before one would initiate it again. His tears mingled with hers at the thought of never getting out of this room alive or seeing each other to do this properly. He wanted to take her to dinner, kiss her afterwards, pursue a proper relationship, but his fear of getting too deep was what pushed him away from her. He distanced himself and regretted every minute of it. At one point they were so close, then the fear would crept it's way in and tell him he needed to back away. He so desperately wanted to see Sara outside work and show her things, share his life with her and now he had a feeling in his gut that he would never get the chance to do that and right now was all they had.