Fear Itself
Chapter Five
Nick kept watch over Lindsay as her mother was being examined in the next room at Desert Palm hospital.
Nick watched as the little girl just sat motionlessly in the chair next to him. Her face was a little dirty from the soot and smoke that was in the air at the scene of the explosion, and her hair was mussed. Her clothes were rumpled and she was very fatigued. Nick picked up the ten year old and sat her on his lap as she began to fall asleep.
He leaned his head back against the wall and let out a heavy sigh. His heart was heavy and his mind was clouded with concerns, confusion, and observations all at the same time, giving him a small headache. The investigation from the other attack wasn't even scratching the surface of being solved, and now, he had to process a charred bus that was full of school kids. All this was happening just a little over a month since the freeway incident.
He held Lindsay tighter in his arms.
Las Vegas had come to a stand still and all that was being broadcast was the tragedy with the children. People were expressing their fears and concerns over the radio, on TV, and almost every place of business a person went to.
Nick wanted it all to be one big nightmare so that he could wake up and be assured that everyone and everything was just as it should be.
Catherine emerged from the examination room with Warrick, whose arm was wrapped protectively around her waist. She was limping a little bit, and her gait was a little off. Her face looked drawn, and the wrinkles that he always knew were there, were more prominent now, making her look older than her thirty six years. Her eyes were downcast, watching her movements.
Nick got up, still holding Lindsay's sleeping form.
"Cath, how are you feeling?" Nick asked.
"I'm okay," she sighed. "How long has she been asleep?"
"Not more than a few minutes," Nick said. "If you want, I'll watch her tonight."
"No," Catherine said, taking Lindsay into her arms; she stumbled back a little bit, and Warrick relieved her by taking Lindsay. "I should take her home."
Nick nodded.
When they arrived home, Warrick put Lindsay to bed then tended to Catherine.
She had slightly dozed and he woke her up, not without a feeling of guilt for she was more exhausted than she'd ever been. The whole day had been rough, and he wished that she could go to sleep, but he had to watch her for twenty-four hours because of her slight concussion.
She winced in pain as he took her shoe off of her swollen and bruised ankle then he took off the other shoe.
He looked into her tired eyes and took her hands and kissed each of them before kissing her abdomen. There were no words to express what he was feeling at that moment, but he hoped that she was getting the message through her lethargy. She caressed his cheek and brought him up to kiss her. Tears rolled down her face at the sheer intensity of the moment and he wiped them away.
"I almost lost her," she wept. "I can't imagine my life without Lindsay."
"Don't think about that," he whispered. "All that matters is that she's safe here at home with us."
"What if it's not enough?" Catherine asked. "It isn't enough just being in my own home. I'm scared; there's no where for anybody to go to feel safe now."
Warrick kissed her again passionately and she leaned into him.
He pulled away and lifted her off of the couch and carried her to the bedroom.
He gently put her down on the bed in a sitting position so that she wouldn't be tempted to go to sleep.
He went into her bathroom and got an ace wrap from under her sink.
He came back and sat on the edge of the bed and gently began to wrap her foot.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Warrick nodded as he continued to wrap her ankle. She had already taken medication for her aching ankle and now all he had to do was keep her awake. All usual stubbornness and determination disappeared from Catherine and leaned her head on the headboard.
"Can't I just rest for a few minutes?" She whined.
"No," Warrick said. "Anything could happen to you in a few minutes."
When he finished wrapping, he kissed her foot and moved slowly up to kiss her on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. His hands caressed the skin of her flat abdomen under her shirt and she moaned at the sensation he caused. She kissed him deeper, and with more passion.
She began to unbutton his shirt deftly as lust overtook her suddenly awake body. He had already unsnapped her bra under her shirt and he caressed the underside of her breasts. She wondered how he did that so quickly with her now flat on her back. Then again, he did a lot of things quickly and efficiently, which was a plus for her now.
Before either of them knew it, they were making love, struggling to keep quiet. Catherine dug her fingernails into his back as he moved within her. Her whole body was burning and the whole room was thick with a heavy humidity of lust and pleasure. She didn't, couldn't think about the events of the last month or so. He made her forget.
She was now whispering and gasping incoherently.
Warrick buried his face in her neck. They were both sweating profusely, adding to their pleasure. She was getting closer to the edge and she only held onto him tighter. She felt him kiss her neck and then kiss her deeply and she whimpered as he supported her leg at a different angle to keep her ankle from digging into his back or the bed so that she wouldn't feel any pain. This too, also gave her more pleasure.
They both let out a quiet moan as he moved deeper inside of her.
She looked deep into his eyes and whispered, "I don't want to lose you."
"I'm not going anywhere, I promise," he whispered back. "I'll always be there for you because I love you."
With that, she gasped and shuddered as her climax took hold.
"I love you too," she panted.
She leaned up and kissed him passionately, letting him swallow the scream that threatened to escape her mouth. His own body stiffened and he stopped his movements as his own intense climax rolled through his body. He tangled his fingers in her damp hair and pulled her yet closer, kissing her like never before.
Another climax crashed through their bodies and Catherine couldn't help but moan loudly. He captured her lips again and kissed her tenderly until their bodies relaxed.
Catherine opened her eyes and she looked into his again. She caressed his cheek and then she wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"You look beautiful," he whispered as he brushed a strand of damp hair that had plastered onto her neck and forehead.
She leaned up and kissed him again, happiness spreading through both of them for the first time in weeks, little knowing that they had effectively conceived their baby during a very dangerous time.
That news would come to the unknowing lovers later. At the moment, all that mattered was that they were together.
Grissom sat in the chair next to Sara's bed. She had just been sedated after another screaming and crying fit, and he could tell from her eyes that she didn't want to be in the hospital. She still had not spoken a word, and the doctors said that she was getting close to permanent involuntary commitment. Her parents were flying out again because that decision should be up to them, he thought. He'd already put her in the hospital, but it was their decision if they wanted her to stay or not.
She just stared blankly at the ceiling, unblinking. Grissom took her hand and she finally blinked and averted her stare onto him. Her eyes were telling him to get her out of whatever hell she was in inside of her mind.
To Sara, it was a blank, airless space. A vacuum of sorts, and she was able to see Grissom, and she willed herself to speak, she was screaming within herself, banging at whatever barrier was keeping her there.
He took her hand and kissed it softly as she began to fall asleep. They had to put her in solitary confinement, which was a room with a single bed, a dresser, and a bathroom. She had restraints on her wrists and ankles so that she would be a danger to herself when she had a screaming fit in the middle of the night.
All Grissom could do at the moment was pray to God that she would come out of herself and tell him what happened.