Chapter Five
Grissom lowered the mobile phone, and it slid from his hand onto the floor. He ignored it and stared at Greg. The doctors had only just brought him back from surgery and were attaching various wires to him. Grissom thought back over all the years that Greg had worked for him. He was good at his job, and at the same time he lit up the crime lab. He had always thought of Greg as an open person, but when he thought of the secret darkness of his past which had always been hanging over him, he wondered how Greg managed to remain so upbeat and positive. He stopped one of the nurses leaving the room.
"Is he stable yet?"
The nurse looked down.
"We're still not sure if he's going to make it- but we're doing the best we can..."
Grissom turned back to Greg. He was covered in scars and burns. He was 27. Was...Grissom cursed his own use of past tense. He IS 27. As the nurse left, Grissom stared completely silently at the lab tech, as tears formed and quietly rolled down his face. He felt guilty suddenly, for the times when he had taken out his frustrations on Greg. Yelling at him for things that weren't technically his fault, and Greg never once held bitterness against him for it. He promised himself that he would apologise to Greg as soon as he could. If he could...
He wiped the tears away, seemingly just in time as Nick walked in holding the two newspaper articles. He gave them to Grissom who read them. Nick walked over to Greg.
"Nicky, don't touch him- the nurses are still trying to stabilise him"
Nick looked at the floor and tears welled up. Grissom stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. He led Nick back to the couch and they watched as the nurses came back in with various needles and equipment. The two nurses hooked him up to a second drip of blood, and injected him with some anonymous clear liquid. Grissom tried to find the right words to comfort Nick.
"They're doing everything they can for him Nick."
That was the only thing he could come up with and he mentally sighed at his comforting skills, or lack thereof. Nick wiped away the tears. They looked up at the commotion of the nurses.
"We're losing him!"
Nick and Grissom sat up in alarm.
"He's gone..."
Nick stood up and yelled
"WHAT?!"
One of the nurses turned around and went over to them.
"He's fallen into a coma."
Nick closed his eyes and tried to get his heart to calm down.
"We think it's not quite as bad as it sounds however. Whilst he's in a coma we will continue operate on him- we will probably keep him in a coma until we can be sure any brain damage has had a chance to heal. His body will have a chance to rest this way."
Nick let this sink in before he asked the inevitable question.
"Will he wake up?"
"We cannot be sure until we run some more tests and find out how much brain damage there is."
Nick nodded and sat back down next to Grissom.
"He'll be going back into surgery in one hour, after he's had a chance to recover from the last one."
The nurses left on that note. Sara, Cathy and Warrick entered. Warrick got straight to the point whilst Sara and Cathy wandered over to Greg and stood as close as they dared.
"We got a fingerprint on Rachel Sanders, she did wear gloves but she took them off to twist one of the wires in the bomb. The police are out looking for her now."
Warrick joined Sara and Cathy. Nick and Gil stood up and walked over to them, filling them in on Greg's condition.
None of them knew what to say. Finally they decided to go home and get some sleep, knowing well that Greg would not wake up whilst they were sleeping.
********************************************************************* Rachel slipped in to the hospital room where her brother lay defenceless. She glanced at the mobile on the floor, picked it up and put it on the sofa. She walked hesitantly to his bed-side but she dare not touch him.
"Greg..."
She whispered gently. She remembered the anger she felt towards her parents when they hurt him. When he used to put her to bed, his face would be bloody and bruised. But this time it hadn't been them. They hadn't done this to him- she had. She started to cry. Her confusion was overwhelming and she slid to the floor, head in hands. She heard the door open and looked up sharply.
Grissom glared at her.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
He yelled. Grabbing her by her jumper he pulled her to her feet.
"What did you do?!"
He asked dangerously. Rachel was hysterical.
"Nothing, nothing!!!...God...I'm so sorry...."
He let her go, but backed her into a corner. Nick and Cathy entered the room. They had been waiting for Grissom when they heard the commotion.
"What's going..."
Cathy and Nick saw Rachel and they stopped in their tracks. Rachel was still sobbing her remorse.
"I'm sorry I hurt Greg, I never...I just..."
She continued to sob uncontrollably whilst the others looked on. Cathy was talking to Brass on her mobile, Nick continued to glare at Rachel despite her apparent regret and Grissom had returned to his blank expression. Rachel calmed herself down.
"I'm handing myself in."
She whispered quietly.
"You don't have a lot of choice in the matter."
Cathy said dryly. To the others' surprise Grissom helped Rachel up.
"Miss Sanders I want to ensure you get psychological testing at the trial."
She looked at him in shock.
"What?"
Grissom's voice had taken on a gentler tone.
"Rachel. Would you ever hurt Greg?"
"NO!"
She said outraged. Nick pushed past Grissom angrily and pointed towards Greg.
"Look at him! You did that to him- to the person who looked after you and protected you, you tried to *kill* him!!!"
Rachel started crying again and Grissom pushed Nick back.
"No, no I didn't....Greg always....stopped them hurting me and...they turned on him..."
Her voice got quieter.
"Rachel- you did try to kill Greg. The evidence tells us it was you and the evidence never lies. So either you're lying, or you're schizophrenic."
He led her to a chair. They watched as she processed the information. Cathy realised that if there wasn't something psychologically wrong with Rachel she must be an incredibly good actress. They had all seen people lie, but Rachel wasn't showing any of the signs by which they could tell.
"I remember doing it...but...but I thought...it was like I was dreaming- I couldn't stop it. And I felt so...angry."
Brass chose this moment to burst through the door with two policemen behind him.
"Jim, stop. Before you bring in Miss Sanders I think you should get her tested psychologically. We are in a hospital after all."
Brass nodded but still handcuffed Rachel, and the four of them left, leaving space in the small room to breathe for those remaining there.
TBC
Grissom lowered the mobile phone, and it slid from his hand onto the floor. He ignored it and stared at Greg. The doctors had only just brought him back from surgery and were attaching various wires to him. Grissom thought back over all the years that Greg had worked for him. He was good at his job, and at the same time he lit up the crime lab. He had always thought of Greg as an open person, but when he thought of the secret darkness of his past which had always been hanging over him, he wondered how Greg managed to remain so upbeat and positive. He stopped one of the nurses leaving the room.
"Is he stable yet?"
The nurse looked down.
"We're still not sure if he's going to make it- but we're doing the best we can..."
Grissom turned back to Greg. He was covered in scars and burns. He was 27. Was...Grissom cursed his own use of past tense. He IS 27. As the nurse left, Grissom stared completely silently at the lab tech, as tears formed and quietly rolled down his face. He felt guilty suddenly, for the times when he had taken out his frustrations on Greg. Yelling at him for things that weren't technically his fault, and Greg never once held bitterness against him for it. He promised himself that he would apologise to Greg as soon as he could. If he could...
He wiped the tears away, seemingly just in time as Nick walked in holding the two newspaper articles. He gave them to Grissom who read them. Nick walked over to Greg.
"Nicky, don't touch him- the nurses are still trying to stabilise him"
Nick looked at the floor and tears welled up. Grissom stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. He led Nick back to the couch and they watched as the nurses came back in with various needles and equipment. The two nurses hooked him up to a second drip of blood, and injected him with some anonymous clear liquid. Grissom tried to find the right words to comfort Nick.
"They're doing everything they can for him Nick."
That was the only thing he could come up with and he mentally sighed at his comforting skills, or lack thereof. Nick wiped away the tears. They looked up at the commotion of the nurses.
"We're losing him!"
Nick and Grissom sat up in alarm.
"He's gone..."
Nick stood up and yelled
"WHAT?!"
One of the nurses turned around and went over to them.
"He's fallen into a coma."
Nick closed his eyes and tried to get his heart to calm down.
"We think it's not quite as bad as it sounds however. Whilst he's in a coma we will continue operate on him- we will probably keep him in a coma until we can be sure any brain damage has had a chance to heal. His body will have a chance to rest this way."
Nick let this sink in before he asked the inevitable question.
"Will he wake up?"
"We cannot be sure until we run some more tests and find out how much brain damage there is."
Nick nodded and sat back down next to Grissom.
"He'll be going back into surgery in one hour, after he's had a chance to recover from the last one."
The nurses left on that note. Sara, Cathy and Warrick entered. Warrick got straight to the point whilst Sara and Cathy wandered over to Greg and stood as close as they dared.
"We got a fingerprint on Rachel Sanders, she did wear gloves but she took them off to twist one of the wires in the bomb. The police are out looking for her now."
Warrick joined Sara and Cathy. Nick and Gil stood up and walked over to them, filling them in on Greg's condition.
None of them knew what to say. Finally they decided to go home and get some sleep, knowing well that Greg would not wake up whilst they were sleeping.
********************************************************************* Rachel slipped in to the hospital room where her brother lay defenceless. She glanced at the mobile on the floor, picked it up and put it on the sofa. She walked hesitantly to his bed-side but she dare not touch him.
"Greg..."
She whispered gently. She remembered the anger she felt towards her parents when they hurt him. When he used to put her to bed, his face would be bloody and bruised. But this time it hadn't been them. They hadn't done this to him- she had. She started to cry. Her confusion was overwhelming and she slid to the floor, head in hands. She heard the door open and looked up sharply.
Grissom glared at her.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
He yelled. Grabbing her by her jumper he pulled her to her feet.
"What did you do?!"
He asked dangerously. Rachel was hysterical.
"Nothing, nothing!!!...God...I'm so sorry...."
He let her go, but backed her into a corner. Nick and Cathy entered the room. They had been waiting for Grissom when they heard the commotion.
"What's going..."
Cathy and Nick saw Rachel and they stopped in their tracks. Rachel was still sobbing her remorse.
"I'm sorry I hurt Greg, I never...I just..."
She continued to sob uncontrollably whilst the others looked on. Cathy was talking to Brass on her mobile, Nick continued to glare at Rachel despite her apparent regret and Grissom had returned to his blank expression. Rachel calmed herself down.
"I'm handing myself in."
She whispered quietly.
"You don't have a lot of choice in the matter."
Cathy said dryly. To the others' surprise Grissom helped Rachel up.
"Miss Sanders I want to ensure you get psychological testing at the trial."
She looked at him in shock.
"What?"
Grissom's voice had taken on a gentler tone.
"Rachel. Would you ever hurt Greg?"
"NO!"
She said outraged. Nick pushed past Grissom angrily and pointed towards Greg.
"Look at him! You did that to him- to the person who looked after you and protected you, you tried to *kill* him!!!"
Rachel started crying again and Grissom pushed Nick back.
"No, no I didn't....Greg always....stopped them hurting me and...they turned on him..."
Her voice got quieter.
"Rachel- you did try to kill Greg. The evidence tells us it was you and the evidence never lies. So either you're lying, or you're schizophrenic."
He led her to a chair. They watched as she processed the information. Cathy realised that if there wasn't something psychologically wrong with Rachel she must be an incredibly good actress. They had all seen people lie, but Rachel wasn't showing any of the signs by which they could tell.
"I remember doing it...but...but I thought...it was like I was dreaming- I couldn't stop it. And I felt so...angry."
Brass chose this moment to burst through the door with two policemen behind him.
"Jim, stop. Before you bring in Miss Sanders I think you should get her tested psychologically. We are in a hospital after all."
Brass nodded but still handcuffed Rachel, and the four of them left, leaving space in the small room to breathe for those remaining there.
TBC
