DISCLAIMER: I own nothing here. Please don't sue me.
Chapter 13:
"Bad boys, Bad boys! Whatcha gonna do. . ." Greg patted the steering wheel as he drove up to the site. As he approached the dirt road off the highway, he saw that there were already a swarm of flashing lights, and ambulances. He watched from the opened gate as the medics brought an occupied gurney up from the site.
"What the hell?" He sped over the gravel road, kicking up rocks and sand, screeching to a halt next to O'Riley's Crown Victoria.
"Hey!" O'Riley scowled at Greg as he approached, and thrust a finger into his chest. "When are you guys gonna learn not to leave each other alone at a crime scene?"
Greg paled, and brushed by the large detective towards the ambulance.
"Sara?" He rushed forward to the gurney they were loading onto the back of the truck. Sara's face was white as a sheet, and she wasn't moving.
"What happened?" He pulled one of the medics aside.
"Gunshot wound to the abdomen." It was all he said before jumping up in the truck beside the gurney, and closing the doors behind him.
Greg stumbled backwards into Detective O'Riley. He turned abruptly, and O'Riley could tell it wasn't time for a lecture. Greg ran to the side of the road and threw up. He wiped his face, and looked back at the cops.
"Where the hell were you guys? She told me you'd be guarding the crime scene. How'd she end up alone down there?"
Greg lowered his head between his knees to try to calm the nausea and dizziness he was feeling. He pulled himself together, and stood up straight. One of the officers nearest O'Riley acted like he was going to belt Greg, but O'Riley held him back.
"Easy! He's right about that. Where were you guys?" The detective turned an angry glare towards his two men. The shorter, a young, blond officer threw his hands in the air.
"What? So now we gotta baby-sit these nerds too? I was guarding the gate like I was told." Officer Johnson, as his name stated, looked ready for a fight.
"I was down by the crime scene all day. Then I got a call from dispatch telling me to meet O'Riley at the gate." The taller, dark-haired man looked sorrowfully back towards the fallen structure. "I feel horrible about what happened, but I was just following orders. I never even saw her arrive."
O'Riley turned towards the taller officer.
"I never asked for you to meet me at the gate. You saying dispatch told you to?"
"Yeah."
Greg looked at the three men who had obviously been fooled. Anyone with an all-mode amateur radio could broadcast, albeit illegally, on the police frequencies.
"Man, I gotta call Grissom, and go to the hospital." Greg shook his head, and ran back to his car.
~-~-~-~
"Grissom." Grissom leaned back in his office chair as he answered his cell phone.
"Gris, it's Greg. I'm on my way to the county hospital. Sara got shot."
Grissom wasn't certain he had heard correctly. He prayed he had not.
"Greg?" He stood, grabbing his jacket as he walked. "I'm on my way."
Grissom walked briskly through the halls, and out of the building; not bothering to sign out. He would not allow himself to play any scenarios in his mind. He didn't have the facts, and without those everything was pure conjecture. He could feel his heart racing in his chest. He could feel it on the verge of breaking. The emotions were there. No matter how much he tried to appear aloof, he was only human. The hospital was mercifully close to the labs, and within ten minutes, Grissom was approaching the ER flashing his ID, and requesting to be led to his CSI. He knew that Sara had placed him as her emergency contact, but he was prepared to fight for his right to be near her.
"Sir? Are you here for Miss Sidle?" A slender man with a shaved head, looking not more than thirty, approached Grissom.
"Yes. How is she?"
"She's in the trauma ward now. She suffered a gunshot wound to her lower abdomen. She was in severe hemorrhagic shock when she arrived. Do you understand what I'm telling you, Sir?" He placed a hand on Grissom's arm noting the dazed expression on Gil's face.
"Yes." He looked down the hall at the closed wards.
"They're doing their best for her. We had to resuscitate her once already, but she seems to be stabilizing. I'll have the doctor come see you as soon as she's out of surgery."
Grissom merely nodded as the young resident turned back towards the operating rooms. He walked as if in a daze to the waiting area, and took a seat. Greg turned the corner from the restrooms, and spotted Grissom sitting alone with his head in his hands.
"Gris?" Greg took a seat beside him.
"Not now, Greg. Please. Just not right now." Grissom never even looked up.
"Is there anything I can do?" Greg's voice was soft, and sincere.
Grissom finally looked up at him. His eyes were red, threatening to shed tears at any given moment.
"Yes. You can go back to the lab, and tell the rest of the team that this is our number one case. There are no other cases." Grissom returned to studying the floor tiles as Greg stood to leave.
"She'll make it, Gris." It was all he could say. Greg walked back out towards his BMW, and raced back towards the labs.
TBC
Chapter 13:
"Bad boys, Bad boys! Whatcha gonna do. . ." Greg patted the steering wheel as he drove up to the site. As he approached the dirt road off the highway, he saw that there were already a swarm of flashing lights, and ambulances. He watched from the opened gate as the medics brought an occupied gurney up from the site.
"What the hell?" He sped over the gravel road, kicking up rocks and sand, screeching to a halt next to O'Riley's Crown Victoria.
"Hey!" O'Riley scowled at Greg as he approached, and thrust a finger into his chest. "When are you guys gonna learn not to leave each other alone at a crime scene?"
Greg paled, and brushed by the large detective towards the ambulance.
"Sara?" He rushed forward to the gurney they were loading onto the back of the truck. Sara's face was white as a sheet, and she wasn't moving.
"What happened?" He pulled one of the medics aside.
"Gunshot wound to the abdomen." It was all he said before jumping up in the truck beside the gurney, and closing the doors behind him.
Greg stumbled backwards into Detective O'Riley. He turned abruptly, and O'Riley could tell it wasn't time for a lecture. Greg ran to the side of the road and threw up. He wiped his face, and looked back at the cops.
"Where the hell were you guys? She told me you'd be guarding the crime scene. How'd she end up alone down there?"
Greg lowered his head between his knees to try to calm the nausea and dizziness he was feeling. He pulled himself together, and stood up straight. One of the officers nearest O'Riley acted like he was going to belt Greg, but O'Riley held him back.
"Easy! He's right about that. Where were you guys?" The detective turned an angry glare towards his two men. The shorter, a young, blond officer threw his hands in the air.
"What? So now we gotta baby-sit these nerds too? I was guarding the gate like I was told." Officer Johnson, as his name stated, looked ready for a fight.
"I was down by the crime scene all day. Then I got a call from dispatch telling me to meet O'Riley at the gate." The taller, dark-haired man looked sorrowfully back towards the fallen structure. "I feel horrible about what happened, but I was just following orders. I never even saw her arrive."
O'Riley turned towards the taller officer.
"I never asked for you to meet me at the gate. You saying dispatch told you to?"
"Yeah."
Greg looked at the three men who had obviously been fooled. Anyone with an all-mode amateur radio could broadcast, albeit illegally, on the police frequencies.
"Man, I gotta call Grissom, and go to the hospital." Greg shook his head, and ran back to his car.
~-~-~-~
"Grissom." Grissom leaned back in his office chair as he answered his cell phone.
"Gris, it's Greg. I'm on my way to the county hospital. Sara got shot."
Grissom wasn't certain he had heard correctly. He prayed he had not.
"Greg?" He stood, grabbing his jacket as he walked. "I'm on my way."
Grissom walked briskly through the halls, and out of the building; not bothering to sign out. He would not allow himself to play any scenarios in his mind. He didn't have the facts, and without those everything was pure conjecture. He could feel his heart racing in his chest. He could feel it on the verge of breaking. The emotions were there. No matter how much he tried to appear aloof, he was only human. The hospital was mercifully close to the labs, and within ten minutes, Grissom was approaching the ER flashing his ID, and requesting to be led to his CSI. He knew that Sara had placed him as her emergency contact, but he was prepared to fight for his right to be near her.
"Sir? Are you here for Miss Sidle?" A slender man with a shaved head, looking not more than thirty, approached Grissom.
"Yes. How is she?"
"She's in the trauma ward now. She suffered a gunshot wound to her lower abdomen. She was in severe hemorrhagic shock when she arrived. Do you understand what I'm telling you, Sir?" He placed a hand on Grissom's arm noting the dazed expression on Gil's face.
"Yes." He looked down the hall at the closed wards.
"They're doing their best for her. We had to resuscitate her once already, but she seems to be stabilizing. I'll have the doctor come see you as soon as she's out of surgery."
Grissom merely nodded as the young resident turned back towards the operating rooms. He walked as if in a daze to the waiting area, and took a seat. Greg turned the corner from the restrooms, and spotted Grissom sitting alone with his head in his hands.
"Gris?" Greg took a seat beside him.
"Not now, Greg. Please. Just not right now." Grissom never even looked up.
"Is there anything I can do?" Greg's voice was soft, and sincere.
Grissom finally looked up at him. His eyes were red, threatening to shed tears at any given moment.
"Yes. You can go back to the lab, and tell the rest of the team that this is our number one case. There are no other cases." Grissom returned to studying the floor tiles as Greg stood to leave.
"She'll make it, Gris." It was all he could say. Greg walked back out towards his BMW, and raced back towards the labs.
TBC