So after long last she returns! Only 10 month later! Yes I have finally updated the story! I know I am so bad, but I have also been working on my 'Survivor: LVCL' as well if that gets me any points. So to quickly get on to the story, here is installment #10! Thanks to all my reviewers! Review again!
~Jax
Disclaimer: Not mine! Don't sue or shoot! I only took them out to play and I promise I'll put them back where they came from.
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Chapter 10: The Prosecution
Nick headed out into the parking lot of the hospital. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. She looked so lost, so lonely to him. If he didn't know that it had been her lying in that bed, he would have never guessed that that was Sara.
The sun was setting on the desert horizon. The sky turned from blue into brilliant shades of reds, purples, and pinks. The warm air started to cool as night began to come over the hospital where Nick stood outside of.
His mind traveled back to the picture of him that he had found in Sara's locker. They were watching a sunset just as beautiful as the one in front of him. Oh god, he would do anything to go back in time to before this all happened. To hold her hand he had done seemed like a memory so far away from now. He wished he didn't feel so alone.
Leaning up against the Tahoe, Nick thought about the past weeks and tears came to his eyes. The team, even though Sara's disappearance brought them together, they seemed to fall apart. Now that she was back, he didn't know what was going to happen. Could the team hold up if they lost her for a second time? What would happen is she did one day come back? He didn't know. He knew no one would know for sure until the time for it came.
Tears were rolling down his face at this point. He leaned up against the hood of the Tahoe that, only hours before, held him and Sara.
Lost in thought he didn't register in his mind that a person had walked up behind him until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
It took a moment for Nick to collect himself, but with a deep breath, words tumbled out of his mouth.
"I don't know how I can deal with it anymore. The first time around was hard enough. I can't live through the whole thing again. What am I going to do Catherine? I feel so helpless. She is in there practically dying and I can't do a damn thing about it!"
His breathing was raspy as she tried to answer him.
"Nick I……It's just that……" She had a hard time finding the right words. She sighed before starting again.
"Look the…. disappearance was hard on us all and I think we are all kind of lost about what we're going do too. If we do have to go through it again…………we'll get through it together. Ok?"
He nodded.
"We have to be positive about this. I know it sounds silly, but I think that she can still hear us. They always said that people in comas can hear you and I believe that. If she hears us being negative, I just think that she may not want to….."
She couldn't finish but Nick understood. He had to believe in what Catherine said and stay positive…..for her.
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'SARA SIDLE'
"What's happening?"
'He is calling you. It is time to be judged.'
"Already? But you said it would take…..like……days!"
'I said it would take WITHIN days. So it took, what, an hour? So sue me!'
"Believe me if I could I would."
'So are you ready yet??'
"Yeah ok let's go." Sara knew she sounded more confident then she really was. She felt herself being pulled forward by some invisible force. She was led up to large ebony doors with golden handles. She stood there for a moment wondering what to do. Finally she reached out her hand to turn the knob and the doors slowly opened before her. She saw an enormous stand that reached at least 20 feet above her head and assumed 'The Judge was sitting on it, but she couldn't see him.
'Are you ready?'
Sara looked down to where the voice had come from. She gasped when she saw who it was. A little brown-haired girl with pigtails, jeans and a tee shirt stood next to her. She couldn't believe it. It was herself as a five-year-old.
'Well, are you?'
"You were the one talking the whole time?"
'Yes, you can call me Marie and, yes, I know that's our middle name. Now shhhh! Now you want to go back right?'
Sara nodded.
'Ok, this is going to be a tough case but I think we can do it. We need to make sure we do this right. "The Prosecutor" can really make a case against just about anyone. He is a real jerk too.'
'SARA SIDLE ARE YOU READY?'
'Yes sir, she is!' the little girl called. She took Sara's hand and led him to a table with two chairs. They sat down.
Sara looked over to the table across the aisle and saw a man with a familiar face.
"Hey isn't that Ecklie?" she whispered.
'No, look, everyone you see here is not going to be who they look like. We only look this way because this is what you would feel most familiar with.' Marie whispered back.
"Oh"
"SARA SIDLE, YOU ARE A 33 YEAR OLD CSI FROM LAS VEGAS THAT IS NOW IN A COMA IS THAT CORRECT?"
"Yes sir, it is."
"OK, WILL THE PROSECUTION PLEASE BEGIN."
'Thank you sir' The Ecklie look-alike stood and began to speak. 'Your honor, this woman has been a social outcast for most of her life and she does have people who care about her, but it seems that she has always been socially inept. I present exhibit A.'
A video clip of Sara had started showing on the wall. She was 7 years old and on the beach with a bunch of other children.
*@*@*@*@* FLASHBACK *@*@*@*@*
'Come on! Let's play zoo! I'll be a tiger!' Said a small boy.
'Oh can I be the giraffe?' shouted a blonde –haired girl.
All the children started shouting all different animals and making animal sounds except for Sara.
'What do you wanna be Sara?'
"I don't want to be anything! It isn't real. Pretending to be a bunch of dirty animals is stupid."
All the children's faces saddened.
'Fine! You don't get to play! Come on! Let's go!' All the children left the small Sara alone on the beach. Being by herself, she searched through the tide pools and found company in the real animals.
*@*@*@*@* END FLASHBACK *@*@*@*@*
Sara remembered that day. She wanted to play, but found it so hard to make-belief things that could never happen. She just liked reality better. If only she could go back……...
'So you see even at an early age she was not able to get along with people. Now on to exhibit B.'
*@*@*@*@* FLASHBACK *@*@*@*@*
A teenage Sara was walking down the hall of her high school; her hands were full of books. She was heading to the science club when she ran into some of the known school jocks. Her books tumbled to the floor.
The head jock started to mock her. 'Oh look guys, it's little Sara on her way to science club. Awww! What a loser!' The group started laughing.
She grabbed up her books and looked at them defiantly as she said to them, "Yeah, well at least I won't be the one with brain damage at the nearest McDonalds asking me 'Do you want fries with that?' and I'll say no thanks, I'm watching my figure. Then I'll leave and wonder why I ever wasted my time in high school talking to you."
'Why I aughta'
"What you're gonna hit a girl. Please. You couldn't hit a second grader who was making fun of your mother." The face on the head jock tightened. "Now if you excuse me I have more important things to do than to hang around here with the likes of you. I wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea." Sara left the group and they stood there feeling only hatred towards her.
*@*@*@*@* END FLASHBACK *@*@*@*@*
Sara didn't know how she could have been so stupid. Marie gave her a look asking the same thing.
'Now, your honor, the last exhibit, exhibit C'
*@*@*@*@* FLASHBACK *@*@*@*@*
Sara, from a year or so ago, was a crime scene taking out a window. It was a day or so after she had to investigate Warrick for gambling on company time and was really pissed off when he showed up at her crime scene.
Warrick walked in. 'Damn, taking the whole window.'
She shut off her drill. "Grissom reinstated you."
'And you have a problem with that?'
"Let me guess. Grissom gets you to dime yourself off and now you both feel better? You're supposed to be in court. Instead, you're placing bets for a cheap thrill to satisfy nothing."
'Hey! This has nothing to do with you. So are we going to work together…….or not?'
"I'm already working."
She goes back to drilling. Warrick sighs.
*@*@*@*@* END FLASHBACK *@*@*@*@*
'So as you can see, Miss Sidle over here, has almost never been a social butterfly. She has just overcome this fear of interaction and even though it seems like she is turning her life around, she just got tired of her old one. She can't really love this guy she says she does. It's just a fling.'
"It is not! I love Nick more than anything else in the world and he loves me the same way!!! We're engaged!!! You good-for-nothing son-of-a-"
"PLEASE CONTROL YOUR CLIENT OR I WILL HAVE TO DISMISS THIS CASE FOR FUTHER CONSIDERATION!"
'Yes sir. Sara sit down and let me handle this!'
"He is looking way too smug! Oh if I could just get my hands around his neck-"
'Hey! Come on, we still have our side to present. Don't screw this up for yourself. Think of Nick!'
"You're right. Ok let's do this."
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Hey so that's chapter 10! Finally right? Well pleaz r&r! I know that I have been such a bad updater but I knew I need this to get out there before a whole year past before I updated! I know this is kinda' long and dragged out but I know ya'll know about that! Ok so chapter 11 hopefully soon!
~Jax