Sara stood on the roof and looked out at the Vegas skyline. She felt like
her world was spinning out of control. The secret that she had so
carefully guarded for so long, seemed to be screaming for release and she
was too afraid to open the door. Tears streamed down her face and she
hardly noticed footsteps approaching until a pair of arms wrapped
themselves around her, offering her solace and comfort. "I'm so scared,
Nick." She buried her face in his chest.
He held her close, stroking her hair. "I know, Sara, I know."
The Layout Room:
"How long will it take?" Warrick was on the phone and a grin spread across his face. "Ok, I'll scan the slides and email them to you for preliminary identification. I'm sending the rest over night."
Catherine stood there with a curious expression on her face as Warrick hung up the phone. "What did they say?"
He looked up at her. "Well, if my theory is correct, we should be able to get a warrant in about 24 to 48 hours."
Catherine wrinkled her brow. "That long?"
Warrick chuckled. "That's a rush when we're dealing with the Feds. This guy has an entire lab dedicated just to this. Can you imagine? I'd think it'd get a little old after a while."
"Well, one man's obsession is another mans salvation." Catherine observed.
"Let's hope so." He replied.
Grissom's Office:
Grissom sat behind his desk, his glasses laying in front of him. He rubbed his temples and contemplated what Nick had told him. If everything he said was true, it explained a lot. At the same time, it made him feel like an ass at every time he put Sara in a position to process certain crime scenes. In his mind he had thought she would have more insight because she was a woman. He had never imagined the reasons why she possessed that insight. But now as he considered Nick's words, the pieces came falling together with crystal clarity.
The Roof:
Sara's tears had soaked through Nick's shirt and now as she pulled out of his embrace, she looked up at him apologetically. "I got your shirt all wet. I'm sorry."
"It's just a shirt. It'll dry." He looked at her with concern and reached up to brush a tear from her face with his thumb.
"I don't think I can face any of them." Sara wrapped her arms around her body in a defensive gesture as she looked at Nick.
"I think they'd be a lot more understanding than you give them credit for." Nick searched her face.
Her voice was tentative. "Do any of them know about what you told me. About what happened to you?"
He didn't break eye contact as he nodded. "Yeah, Catherine and Grissom do."
There was pain in Sara's eyes and she glanced away for a moment. "Uh, Nick, I haven't told you everything."
His face was filled with compassion. "I kind of figured that, Sar."
She had a slightly shocked expression on her face. "Is that why you told me?"
He nodded. "One of the reasons. I know how hard it is to talk about something that personal, I just thought maybe you'd trust me."
Her brow wrinkled as she considered his words. "I do trust you."
"I know." Nick reached out and touched her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Sara, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I'm going to say it again anyway. You really need to talk about this, it really does help. Catherine convinced me of that."
Sara closed her eyes for a moment. "I suppose they've all figured it out."
Nick shook his head. "I don't think they have, but I think it might help if you told them."
Fear clouded Sara's face as her eyes opened wide. Her voice was a whisper. "Nick, I'm so scared."
He pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear. "I know, Sara, but you're not alone."
Grissom's Office:
"I just want to make it clear that what gets said in this office doesn't leave this office." Grissom's voice was stern.
Catherine and Warrick glanced over at Nick and Sara and nodded.
Sara glanced around the room, her face was a myriad of emotions.
Nick reached over and squeezed her hand. "Do you want me to say something?"
She shook her head. "I need to do this myself." Sara glanced around the room at her coworkers. Her friends. In the few years that she'd lived in Vegas, they had all been through a lot with each other and they had somehow formed a little family. "I want to apologize for the last few days, I've had a lot on my mind, and I know it's affected all of you."
Nick gave her a soft smile and squeezed her hand again.
Sara glanced over at him and a faint smile tugged at her lips as she squeezed back. She took a deep breath and continued. "I've been having nightmares for the last few weeks. I haven't been able to sleep because the images of that young girl laying on the sidewalk in front of her house keep haunting me. What if we had arrested her rapist, would she still be alive?"
"Sara, you can't ask yourself those kind of questions." Warrick hoped to reassure her.
Sara shook her head. "That's just it, Warrick, I ask myself those questions all the time. Cases like that hit a little too close to home."
A realization dawned on Catherine's face and she glanced at Nick who gave her an almost imperceptible nod. Catherine had to swallow the bile that threatened the back of her throat.
The room was silent and Sara faltered for a moment.
Nick scooted his chair a little closer to hers and put his arm around her shoulder. "You can do this, Sara."
She glanced over at him. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She glanced down at her lap and continued. "You know how certain cases get to you more than others? Well I have a really hard time remaining impartial and emotionally uninvolved when I see cases where women have been beaten and raped, especially when they're young." Sara glanced up.
Catherine had tears streaming down her face.
Sara could tell that she just knew. Somehow that gave her the courage to continue. "When I was in grad school at Harvard, I had this roommate. She was always out partying, and I was always in our apartment studying." The memory caused Sara to have a hitch in her voice. "Well this one night, she called me and told me she'd forgotten her key, so I left the door unlocked. I didn't think anything of it when I heard the door open just after I had gone to bed. But." Tears started streaming down Sara's face and her courage faltered again.
Nick brushed the tears from her face with his fingers as he whispered to her. "You can do this."
She nodded and continued, her voice warbled. "I never saw their faces, they put a pillowcase over my head and raped me." She dissolved into sobs.
Nick pulled her against him and just held her as she cried. He glanced around the room.
Catherine stood up and walked over and put her hand on Sara's arm. "I am so sorry, Sara." She just rubbed Sara's arm, not sure what else she could do.
Grissom looked as if his heart had been pierced. He wished he knew what to say, but he knew that any words he could offer would just sound trite.
Warrick's jaw was set. He was angry at whomever had done this to Sara. His expression softened as it registered in his mind that Sara was sobbing. None of them except Nick had ever seen her cry quite like this, and it was shocking. Warrick stood up and knelt on the floor in front of Sara. "Girl, whatever you need, you've got." He placed a hand on her knee.
Sara's sobs tapered off and she pulled out of Nick's embrace. "Thanks." She didn't want to meet anyone's gaze. She felt as if she'd exposed her soul and it felt frightening.
Finally, Grissom spoke. His voice was soft, and it was evident that he was hurting for Sara. "Nick, why don't you take Sara home. I think we can handle things here."
Nick just nodded.
He held her close, stroking her hair. "I know, Sara, I know."
The Layout Room:
"How long will it take?" Warrick was on the phone and a grin spread across his face. "Ok, I'll scan the slides and email them to you for preliminary identification. I'm sending the rest over night."
Catherine stood there with a curious expression on her face as Warrick hung up the phone. "What did they say?"
He looked up at her. "Well, if my theory is correct, we should be able to get a warrant in about 24 to 48 hours."
Catherine wrinkled her brow. "That long?"
Warrick chuckled. "That's a rush when we're dealing with the Feds. This guy has an entire lab dedicated just to this. Can you imagine? I'd think it'd get a little old after a while."
"Well, one man's obsession is another mans salvation." Catherine observed.
"Let's hope so." He replied.
Grissom's Office:
Grissom sat behind his desk, his glasses laying in front of him. He rubbed his temples and contemplated what Nick had told him. If everything he said was true, it explained a lot. At the same time, it made him feel like an ass at every time he put Sara in a position to process certain crime scenes. In his mind he had thought she would have more insight because she was a woman. He had never imagined the reasons why she possessed that insight. But now as he considered Nick's words, the pieces came falling together with crystal clarity.
The Roof:
Sara's tears had soaked through Nick's shirt and now as she pulled out of his embrace, she looked up at him apologetically. "I got your shirt all wet. I'm sorry."
"It's just a shirt. It'll dry." He looked at her with concern and reached up to brush a tear from her face with his thumb.
"I don't think I can face any of them." Sara wrapped her arms around her body in a defensive gesture as she looked at Nick.
"I think they'd be a lot more understanding than you give them credit for." Nick searched her face.
Her voice was tentative. "Do any of them know about what you told me. About what happened to you?"
He didn't break eye contact as he nodded. "Yeah, Catherine and Grissom do."
There was pain in Sara's eyes and she glanced away for a moment. "Uh, Nick, I haven't told you everything."
His face was filled with compassion. "I kind of figured that, Sar."
She had a slightly shocked expression on her face. "Is that why you told me?"
He nodded. "One of the reasons. I know how hard it is to talk about something that personal, I just thought maybe you'd trust me."
Her brow wrinkled as she considered his words. "I do trust you."
"I know." Nick reached out and touched her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Sara, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I'm going to say it again anyway. You really need to talk about this, it really does help. Catherine convinced me of that."
Sara closed her eyes for a moment. "I suppose they've all figured it out."
Nick shook his head. "I don't think they have, but I think it might help if you told them."
Fear clouded Sara's face as her eyes opened wide. Her voice was a whisper. "Nick, I'm so scared."
He pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear. "I know, Sara, but you're not alone."
Grissom's Office:
"I just want to make it clear that what gets said in this office doesn't leave this office." Grissom's voice was stern.
Catherine and Warrick glanced over at Nick and Sara and nodded.
Sara glanced around the room, her face was a myriad of emotions.
Nick reached over and squeezed her hand. "Do you want me to say something?"
She shook her head. "I need to do this myself." Sara glanced around the room at her coworkers. Her friends. In the few years that she'd lived in Vegas, they had all been through a lot with each other and they had somehow formed a little family. "I want to apologize for the last few days, I've had a lot on my mind, and I know it's affected all of you."
Nick gave her a soft smile and squeezed her hand again.
Sara glanced over at him and a faint smile tugged at her lips as she squeezed back. She took a deep breath and continued. "I've been having nightmares for the last few weeks. I haven't been able to sleep because the images of that young girl laying on the sidewalk in front of her house keep haunting me. What if we had arrested her rapist, would she still be alive?"
"Sara, you can't ask yourself those kind of questions." Warrick hoped to reassure her.
Sara shook her head. "That's just it, Warrick, I ask myself those questions all the time. Cases like that hit a little too close to home."
A realization dawned on Catherine's face and she glanced at Nick who gave her an almost imperceptible nod. Catherine had to swallow the bile that threatened the back of her throat.
The room was silent and Sara faltered for a moment.
Nick scooted his chair a little closer to hers and put his arm around her shoulder. "You can do this, Sara."
She glanced over at him. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She glanced down at her lap and continued. "You know how certain cases get to you more than others? Well I have a really hard time remaining impartial and emotionally uninvolved when I see cases where women have been beaten and raped, especially when they're young." Sara glanced up.
Catherine had tears streaming down her face.
Sara could tell that she just knew. Somehow that gave her the courage to continue. "When I was in grad school at Harvard, I had this roommate. She was always out partying, and I was always in our apartment studying." The memory caused Sara to have a hitch in her voice. "Well this one night, she called me and told me she'd forgotten her key, so I left the door unlocked. I didn't think anything of it when I heard the door open just after I had gone to bed. But." Tears started streaming down Sara's face and her courage faltered again.
Nick brushed the tears from her face with his fingers as he whispered to her. "You can do this."
She nodded and continued, her voice warbled. "I never saw their faces, they put a pillowcase over my head and raped me." She dissolved into sobs.
Nick pulled her against him and just held her as she cried. He glanced around the room.
Catherine stood up and walked over and put her hand on Sara's arm. "I am so sorry, Sara." She just rubbed Sara's arm, not sure what else she could do.
Grissom looked as if his heart had been pierced. He wished he knew what to say, but he knew that any words he could offer would just sound trite.
Warrick's jaw was set. He was angry at whomever had done this to Sara. His expression softened as it registered in his mind that Sara was sobbing. None of them except Nick had ever seen her cry quite like this, and it was shocking. Warrick stood up and knelt on the floor in front of Sara. "Girl, whatever you need, you've got." He placed a hand on her knee.
Sara's sobs tapered off and she pulled out of Nick's embrace. "Thanks." She didn't want to meet anyone's gaze. She felt as if she'd exposed her soul and it felt frightening.
Finally, Grissom spoke. His voice was soft, and it was evident that he was hurting for Sara. "Nick, why don't you take Sara home. I think we can handle things here."
Nick just nodded.