Catherine had her dash lights flashing and traffic parted for her, creating a clear path to Grissom's townhouse. Nick, Warrick, and Sara had jumped in her Tahoe and they had left Greg's house immediately after the phone call had ended. Jim had jumped in his own vehicle and had taken a different route in case there was unexpected traffic. Catherine had Sara call 911 and two ambulances had been dispatched. Catherine could only hope that they would arrive in time. They had been on the road for roughly five minutes, and she knew that they were close to Grissom's home. She just hoped that Beth and Greg could hold on a little longer.
Grissom held Greg, constantly checking his pulse. He would not let the overactive, spunky chemist die in his arms. The contrast between the Greg he knew and the Greg he held was immeasurable. The young man was usually catching up on the latest gossip or trying to make someone smile. He always had a sparkle in his eye, and he was always active, doing something. The Greg that he saw before him was the exact opposite. He no longer had the sparkle in his eye. Before he had fallen unconscious, his eyes had a glassy look to them. His skin was cold to the touch and his forehead was covered with beads of sweat. Grissom's heart was torn in two. Things weren't looking good for Greg. He was experiencing hypovolemic shock, due to the large volume of blood that he lost. Grissom did his best to make the young man comfortable.
Beth was leaning against the couch with her right leg propped up on the table. She began to shiver as she, too, started to experience hypovolemic shock. She began to concentrate all of her efforts on staying conscious and fully aware of her surroundings. She started to verbally recite her name, address, birth date, and various other simple things. She refused to give in.
Grissom heard Beth's voice and it caught him unaware. He noticed that her eyes were closed and she appeared as though she was deep in thought.
"My name is Beth Morstan. I live at 346 West Corner Street. I was born on January 26, 1976. Today's date is April 30, 2004…."
Grissom knew that she was fighting to stay conscious. He listened to her as she continued to recite things that seemed trivial. He was about to ask her who the president of the United States was, when he heard a car squeal into the driveway. He heard car doors open and then he heard the familiar voices of Catherine, Nick, Warrick, and Sara. He shouted to them. "Catherine! We're in here!"
"Hold on Gil, we're coming!" She ran into his house and was by his side in a matter of seconds. Nick, Sara, and Warrick were right behind her.
"Cat, I need you to check on Beth. She's in hypovolemic shock, and I don't know how much longer she is going to last."
Catherine looked shaken, but only for a moment. She soon took charge of the situation. She moved over to Beth's side. She noticed that Beth was no longer applying any real pressure to her leg. She was loosing her strength and with it, her consciousness. Catherine pressed her own hands to Beth's wound while she frantically looked around for something that she could tie around it. She found a towel on one of the chairs. "Sara! I need that towel!" Sara found the towel in question and tossed it to her within seconds. She quickly tied the towel as tight as she could around Beth's leg.
While she was doing that, Nick and Warrick hovered over their bleeding co-workers and friends. Each wanted desperately to help, but there was only so much that they could do until the paramedics arrived. Warrick had checked the pulse of the unknown man, lying in a pool of blood on the opposite side of the room. The man was obviously dead, but he had to check, regardless.
Catherine started to talk to Beth, trying to keep her engaged in conversation. Beth's answers were slow and were bordering on incomprehensible, but at least she was still awake. Catherine continued to apply pressure to Beth's leg, even though the towel was tied there. It was only a few more minutes before the sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance. There was a collective sigh from the group as they realized that the paramedics were close.
"Nick, go outside and wait for the paramedics. Jump out in the street if you have to. I want them in here as soon as possible." Nick jogged outside and listened for the sirens. He waited for them to come into sight, and he began to wave his arms like a madman. They soon pulled into the driveway and as the paramedics exited their vehicles and prepared their equipment, Nick began to fill them in on the little he knew.
"We have two gunshot victims, a male and a female. The man was shot in the shoulder and is unconscious. The woman was shot in the upper thigh and is going into shock. Both have lost a large volume of blood. It's important that these guys live. They're two of our own." Nick couldn't control his emotions anymore. As the paramedics rushed inside, tears began to fall freely from his eyes. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Beth and Greg. Greg was like a brother to him, and he was supposed to marry the girl of his dreams. They were both too young to die. They had to pull through.