Grissom was all alone in the room. Greg was lying very still on the floor, but Grissom could see that he was still breathing. His chest was rising and falling, but the breathing seemed shallow. Greg's bleeding had slowed, but he was definitely still bleeding. Beth was in agony, but she was still struggling against the ropes. As he watched her, she stopped struggling. He feared for a moment that she might be succumbing to the pain, until she slowly pulled her hands out from behind her back. She had somehow managed to free both of her hands. With one hand, she applied pressure to her wound, and with the other hand, she pulled the duct tape off of her mouth. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. She pressed a single button and placed the phone to her ear.
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Beth was in severe pain. There were white spots of light dancing across her vision, and she tried desperately to ignore them. She had to free her hands. She had to get the cell phone out of her pocket and call for help. Their survival rested on her shoulders. She continued working the rope despite the intense pain in her thigh. She suddenly felt the rope go entirely slack. She had been successful. She moved one hand over her wound and applied as much pressure as she could. With the other, she peeled the duct tape away from her mouth. When the tape was off, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the cell phone. She had Greg's number on speed dial, and she needed help quickly. She knew that if she called 911, they would tell her to stay on the line. She couldn't afford to stay on the line; she needed her free hands to help untie Grissom. She pressed the button for Greg's house, hoping that someone would answer the phone. The phone rang three painstakingly slow rings before anyone picked up.
"Hello?" The voice was Cat's. Out of all the people at Greg's house, Cat was the one who would work the fastest to help them. She was a mother and cared for everyone on the team as if they were her own family.
"Cat…" Beth spoke slowly, the pain interfering with her thought processes. Her breathing became rapid as her body went into shock.
"Oh my god! Beth, is that you? Are you alright?"
"Cat…I'm not okay. Greg and I…we've been shot…We need help."
"My god, where are you? Did you call 911?"
"No…I need to help the others…we're at Grissom's townhouse."
"I'll call 911 and be there in five minutes. Are you-" Beth hung up the cell phone before Cat could continue asking questions. She dropped the phone to the floor and dragged herself over to Grissom's side, still holding one hand over her leg. She moved slowly and painfully, losing more and more precious blood with every movement.
When she finally reached Grissom, he had moved so that his back was facing her, making his hands more accessible to her. She pulled her bloodied hand away from her leg and began to untie Grissom's ropes. She worked as fast as she could, but the pain and blood loss were taking their toll on her. It took her a few minutes to untie the ropes, and when the ropes finally fell from his hands, she relaxed. The burden of their safety was no longer on her shoulders; it was now on Grissom's. She propped herself on the nearby couch and returned to putting pressure on her wound.
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As soon as he felt the ropes fall away, Grissom leapt up, ripping the duct tape away from his mouth in the process. He looked at Beth, making sure that she could hold her own for now, and he ran to Greg's side. The young man lay on his stomach, barely conscious.
"Greg, Greg, don't leave me bud. I need you to stay here with me." Grissom had tears in his eyes as he pleaded with Greg.
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Greg's eyelids fluttered as he tried to register what had been said to him. He wasn't sure of where he was anymore. He only knew that a welcome darkness was beginning to overtake his field of vision. He closed his eyes and was about to give in to the darkness, when he heard the voice again.
"Greg, stay with me. I need you to live. Beth needs you to live." Beth…the name sounded familiar. He wasn't sure who she was, but somehow he knew that she was important. He opened his eyes slightly, trying to see where the voice was coming from. He saw a face, and after a few moments, he recognized it.
"Grissom…"
"Hold on Greg, help is on the way. You have to hold on." Before he could even formulate his next thought, the darkness rolled in and as it did, the pain lessened, until it ceased. Greg fell unconscious and Grissom was helpless to do anything.
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"Greg? Greg?" Grissom saw the young man's body go limp. He quickly checked for a pulse, and found a very weak one. Thankfully, Greg was not dead. He was only unconscious, but if Catherine and the others did not arrive quickly…He didn't even want to imagine the possibilities. He gently rolled Greg over so that he was lying on his back. Grissom pulled his shirt over his head and wrapped it around Greg's shoulder. He tied it tight, hoping to stop whatever bleeding was still occurring. He looked over his shoulder to check on Beth.
"Beth, you okay?"
"For now…"
"Put your leg up on the coffee table. It will help to slow the bleeding." Beth did as she was instructed, pain etched on her face as she moved her leg.
Grissom was not a man of faith, but he felt the need to pray. He prayed that Catherine and the others would arrive quickly. He prayed that Greg would live. He prayed that Beth would live. And he prayed that everything would be okay in the end.
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