Gil was the first to break out of the stupor. "OK, we need to get all this
evidence back to the lab. We will load our car up with all of it."
Sara looked at Grissom as if he had grown another head, "How can you think about that when Nick could be dead. Have you no compassion."
"I know you are upset Sara, as we all are, but we have to do our jobs." Turning to Catherine he continued. "Once you and Greg hand over your evidence, you and Sara go to the hospital and find out what is happening. Greg you and I will go to the lab and log the evidence and arrange for Eckley to bring his crew in early. I will also get the next of kin contact information for the boys. The sooner we can get this done the sooner we can be with them."
Catherine nodded her head and moved towards her car. Sara was still visibly upset but knowing she was going to the hospital with Catherine made her feel a little better. The four of them had the two vehicles cleared and collected evidence placed in the third. This crime scene would be left for Eckley's crew to look into.
Within 20 minutes Catherine and Sara were pulling into the car park of the Desert Palms hospital. Catherine asked the nurse behind the counter about Nick and Warrick but her response was of little assistance. "I'm afraid I don't know miss. If you would like to take a seat over there I will try in find out their condition."
The nurse went to leave but was waylaid by another trauma being wheeled through the door. Sara and Catherine had no option but to sit and wait. And wait and wait.
Two hours later Grissom and Greg turned up. "How are they?" Greg asked.
"We don't know, no one around here seems to be able to give us and answer. The closest thing to an answer was 'they are being worked on at the moment'. We don't know what that means though." Catherine was obviously becoming upset at the delay.
"Excuse me, are you with the two MVA victims." A young man, a doctor, was walking towards them as he spoke.
"Yes we are. How are they, are they alright?" Sara had jumped up out of her seat as soon as the man approached them.
"The first man... Warrick, has been stabilised. He is conscious but still pretty spaced out. He has a serious concussion and a broken wrist. He should be fine after a bit of rest. We will be keeping him in until we are sure there is no serious neurological damage."
"Thank god," Catherine let out a long sigh of relief. She hadn't even realised she had been holding her breath. "How about Nick. Is he ok?"
"Nick..... he is in much more serious condition I am afraid. He is currently in surgery..."
"Surgery, what for, what is wrong?"
"He had a build up of fluid on his brain due to the impact trauma and he has undergone surgery to relieve the tension. He has been up there for about an hour and hopefully will be out of surgery before too long. We will know more once he is out of course. However, I can tell you he has a broken collar bone, 3 broken ribs and the rest on his left side are bruised or cracked, a cracked vertebrae in his lower neck, however it does not appear to have damaged the spinal cord but we won't know for sure until he regains consciousness. He also has a compound fracture of his left arm that will require a pin but this won't be performed until he is much more stable. Also a fractured pelvis and broken leg. Neither of these will require surgery. And some internal injuries which appear to be bruising at this stage. We will be keeping a close eye on it of course."
The four CSI's stood in shocked silence.
"Is he going to be alright." Catherine was trying to control the tears that were building up in her eyes.
The doctor hesitated. "We won't know if there will be any permanent damage until after the surgeon has finished. I wish I could tell you more but you will really need to speak to him. I will send him down as soon as he is finished. In the meantime, you can go in and see Warrick. Try not to wake him if he is asleep and you can only stay with him for a few minutes."
"Thank you doctor." Gil turned back to his team and saw the fear he knew was present on his own face. "I will call Nick's parents and let them know what is going on. Catherine, can you call Warrick's Grandmother. Here is her number."
"OK."
Sara and Greg went in to sit with the sleeping Warrick. Catherine joined them after her phone call and Gil came in a few minutes later.
"How were his parents?" Sara asked. She couldn't imagine having to make that phone call. Let alone receive one like it.
"I spoke to his father. He was obviously upset. They are going to catch a flight out here today to be with him. I told him to call when they got here and I would go and pick them up from the airport. How was Warrick's Grandmother?"
"She was OK. Relieved he is going to be alright. She was going to drive down her as soon as she could."
"Now what do we do?" Greg asked.
"Now we do the hardest part, Greg, we wait." Gil responded. And that was exactly what they did. They waited for Warrick to wake up and waited for the surgeon to come and talk to them. Waiting is far harder than doing.
Sara looked at Grissom as if he had grown another head, "How can you think about that when Nick could be dead. Have you no compassion."
"I know you are upset Sara, as we all are, but we have to do our jobs." Turning to Catherine he continued. "Once you and Greg hand over your evidence, you and Sara go to the hospital and find out what is happening. Greg you and I will go to the lab and log the evidence and arrange for Eckley to bring his crew in early. I will also get the next of kin contact information for the boys. The sooner we can get this done the sooner we can be with them."
Catherine nodded her head and moved towards her car. Sara was still visibly upset but knowing she was going to the hospital with Catherine made her feel a little better. The four of them had the two vehicles cleared and collected evidence placed in the third. This crime scene would be left for Eckley's crew to look into.
Within 20 minutes Catherine and Sara were pulling into the car park of the Desert Palms hospital. Catherine asked the nurse behind the counter about Nick and Warrick but her response was of little assistance. "I'm afraid I don't know miss. If you would like to take a seat over there I will try in find out their condition."
The nurse went to leave but was waylaid by another trauma being wheeled through the door. Sara and Catherine had no option but to sit and wait. And wait and wait.
Two hours later Grissom and Greg turned up. "How are they?" Greg asked.
"We don't know, no one around here seems to be able to give us and answer. The closest thing to an answer was 'they are being worked on at the moment'. We don't know what that means though." Catherine was obviously becoming upset at the delay.
"Excuse me, are you with the two MVA victims." A young man, a doctor, was walking towards them as he spoke.
"Yes we are. How are they, are they alright?" Sara had jumped up out of her seat as soon as the man approached them.
"The first man... Warrick, has been stabilised. He is conscious but still pretty spaced out. He has a serious concussion and a broken wrist. He should be fine after a bit of rest. We will be keeping him in until we are sure there is no serious neurological damage."
"Thank god," Catherine let out a long sigh of relief. She hadn't even realised she had been holding her breath. "How about Nick. Is he ok?"
"Nick..... he is in much more serious condition I am afraid. He is currently in surgery..."
"Surgery, what for, what is wrong?"
"He had a build up of fluid on his brain due to the impact trauma and he has undergone surgery to relieve the tension. He has been up there for about an hour and hopefully will be out of surgery before too long. We will know more once he is out of course. However, I can tell you he has a broken collar bone, 3 broken ribs and the rest on his left side are bruised or cracked, a cracked vertebrae in his lower neck, however it does not appear to have damaged the spinal cord but we won't know for sure until he regains consciousness. He also has a compound fracture of his left arm that will require a pin but this won't be performed until he is much more stable. Also a fractured pelvis and broken leg. Neither of these will require surgery. And some internal injuries which appear to be bruising at this stage. We will be keeping a close eye on it of course."
The four CSI's stood in shocked silence.
"Is he going to be alright." Catherine was trying to control the tears that were building up in her eyes.
The doctor hesitated. "We won't know if there will be any permanent damage until after the surgeon has finished. I wish I could tell you more but you will really need to speak to him. I will send him down as soon as he is finished. In the meantime, you can go in and see Warrick. Try not to wake him if he is asleep and you can only stay with him for a few minutes."
"Thank you doctor." Gil turned back to his team and saw the fear he knew was present on his own face. "I will call Nick's parents and let them know what is going on. Catherine, can you call Warrick's Grandmother. Here is her number."
"OK."
Sara and Greg went in to sit with the sleeping Warrick. Catherine joined them after her phone call and Gil came in a few minutes later.
"How were his parents?" Sara asked. She couldn't imagine having to make that phone call. Let alone receive one like it.
"I spoke to his father. He was obviously upset. They are going to catch a flight out here today to be with him. I told him to call when they got here and I would go and pick them up from the airport. How was Warrick's Grandmother?"
"She was OK. Relieved he is going to be alright. She was going to drive down her as soon as she could."
"Now what do we do?" Greg asked.
"Now we do the hardest part, Greg, we wait." Gil responded. And that was exactly what they did. They waited for Warrick to wake up and waited for the surgeon to come and talk to them. Waiting is far harder than doing.