Chapter 7
Sara and Catherine spent about 15 minutes getting the latter woman cleaned up without disturbing too many items in Catherine's house. Finally, they were done, and sat in the same spot on the couch as before. "Ok, tell me exactly what happened, Catherine." Catherine mentally braced herself and quietly started talking, "I went to pick up Lindsey at school, I was actually on time today," a solitary tear slid down the woman's cheek but she kept her composure, "And I waited for her, I waited for so long Sara, there were no more children, they had all left, but I was still there, waiting. I was the only one left, standing there, all alone, and Lindsey never came. I finally went to the school and asked in the front office. They contacted her teacher and the she said that Lindsey never made it to school. She never..made it...." Catherine stopped now, on the verge of a torrent of tears. "Let me call Grissom, ok? I told him as soon as we're ready I will call, and tell him that we are ready to begin working." Sara put a reassuring hand on her friend's back and they walked out to the door.
In the car, Sara dialed Grissom's number, "Hey, Grissom? Yea, we're ready. Yes, Lindsey never showed up, yes, send a team to Cath's house, we need to comb that place out. Also contact the bus number. Hey, Cath? What's the bus number? Yes, Gris, the number of the bus is 12." She quietly hung up and looked at Catherine, she had not said a word since they got into the car. "Hey, Catherine?" The woman didn't hear her, "Hey, Catherine!!" Catherine heard this time and started out of her trance, she turned her head towards Sara, her eyes full of unshed tears. "Catherine, don't worry, we will find Lindsey." Silent sobs shook the older woman's body, "How do you know that Sara? I've been a CSI for much longer than you, I've seen so many cases just like this one, the chances that the children survive the first three hours of their kidnaping is so rare. How do you know that we will get Lindsey back? How do you?!?!? How the hell would you know????" Catherine suddenly turned viciously on Sara. "How would you know Sara? You don't understand, you'll never understand. You have to be a mother to know how hard it is to be separated from the one that you love." A sharp intake of breath was heard from Sara's side, but the brunette kept quiet. "Sara, you don't get it. She's my whole world, my WHOLE world, and now, it just collapsed around me. How would you understand? You're just like Grissom," Tears shined in Sara's eyes, but she never said a word, "Grissom feels nothing, nothing at all, and you're so close to him, almost exactly like him. Why don't you two just go out now? You're practically the same person, you'll make a fine tin couple!" A tear threatened to slip over one of Sara's eyes and she tried to blink it back furiously. No one knew about the little incident where Sara got rejected by Grissom, it was a secret both of them would carry to their graves, most probably. "You're right Catherine," Sara broke in, barely audible, "I had no reason to say that. I understand that the chances are slim. What I wouldn't understand is how you feel. You're right, I'm not a mother, I'm not a wife, I don't even have a boyfriend. And, maybe I don't feel anything, anyways, I'm sorry." Those were the last words that Sara uttered in the car. Catherine noticeably calmed down and apologetically shook her head, "I'm so sorry Sara, I didn't mean it. You know I didn't. I'm so sorry, you know I didn't mean it, I'm just so worried about my baby. So worried..." Catherine trailed off when she noticed that Sara was hardly listening. On her face she held a false mask that threatened to fall at any second revealing the small, vulnerable, woman inside.
The car came to a halting stop at the parking lot and Sara slowly but surely unbuckled herself. Catherine followed her example. The women walked into the CSI building together. As soon as they entered the break room, Warrick, Nick, and Greg all crowded around Catherine. Giving her enormous hugs and asking and reassuring her over and over again, "Are you all right?" "Don't worry, we'll find whoever did this and make him pay." Catherine was practically smothered and Grissom was standing by a chair looking on. He didn't want to join in on this chaos, but did want to talk to Catherine so he was waiting. Sara, on the other hand watched on in fascination for a couple of moments, then hung her head and slowly walked out. She went to Grissom's office and seated herself on the couch.
'How could Catherine say that? But, she's right, isn't she? Sure, I care for dead people, raped girls, tortured teens, but I'm just like Grissom. No social life at all. How could she say that about me? I thought we were friends,' Sara's eyes flashed with anger for a second then dulled again. 'What am I thinking? Catherine is not herself right now. Of course, she didn't mean it...' Sara was sitting quietly for about ten minutes pondering, 'Yes, perhaps she did not mean to say it to me, but yet she did, and it was the truth. It came from her heart, otherwise, she would not have even mentioned it. It's liked she had a speech ready in her mind or something, maybe she's been thinking about this for a long time.' A dull bang resounded as Sara's head hit against her metal locker.
Grissom finally got his chance as he ordered the three men to back off. "Hey, Catherine," care filled his voice to overflowing, "Are you ok?" he waited for her subdued nod before going on. "You know that we will find Lindsey don't you? Don't you worry for a second, all five of us will be on the same case, ok?" Catherine looked straight into his face. Deep wrinkles covered his forehead as he patiently awaited her answer, his eyes were full of sympathy, and his lips were ready to reassure her some more. "Thank you Grissom, thank you so much. Warrick, Nick, Greg, Sara, thank you all so much." Everyone quietly murmured that it was absolutely no problem at all but no sturdy feminine voice was heard. Everyone turned to the doorway and Catherine audibly sighed. Grissom was the first to speak, "Catherine? How did you get here? Where's Sara?"
Everyone turned once more to Catherine, her chin was quivering and tears started in her eyes, "What have I done?"
Sara and Catherine spent about 15 minutes getting the latter woman cleaned up without disturbing too many items in Catherine's house. Finally, they were done, and sat in the same spot on the couch as before. "Ok, tell me exactly what happened, Catherine." Catherine mentally braced herself and quietly started talking, "I went to pick up Lindsey at school, I was actually on time today," a solitary tear slid down the woman's cheek but she kept her composure, "And I waited for her, I waited for so long Sara, there were no more children, they had all left, but I was still there, waiting. I was the only one left, standing there, all alone, and Lindsey never came. I finally went to the school and asked in the front office. They contacted her teacher and the she said that Lindsey never made it to school. She never..made it...." Catherine stopped now, on the verge of a torrent of tears. "Let me call Grissom, ok? I told him as soon as we're ready I will call, and tell him that we are ready to begin working." Sara put a reassuring hand on her friend's back and they walked out to the door.
In the car, Sara dialed Grissom's number, "Hey, Grissom? Yea, we're ready. Yes, Lindsey never showed up, yes, send a team to Cath's house, we need to comb that place out. Also contact the bus number. Hey, Cath? What's the bus number? Yes, Gris, the number of the bus is 12." She quietly hung up and looked at Catherine, she had not said a word since they got into the car. "Hey, Catherine?" The woman didn't hear her, "Hey, Catherine!!" Catherine heard this time and started out of her trance, she turned her head towards Sara, her eyes full of unshed tears. "Catherine, don't worry, we will find Lindsey." Silent sobs shook the older woman's body, "How do you know that Sara? I've been a CSI for much longer than you, I've seen so many cases just like this one, the chances that the children survive the first three hours of their kidnaping is so rare. How do you know that we will get Lindsey back? How do you?!?!? How the hell would you know????" Catherine suddenly turned viciously on Sara. "How would you know Sara? You don't understand, you'll never understand. You have to be a mother to know how hard it is to be separated from the one that you love." A sharp intake of breath was heard from Sara's side, but the brunette kept quiet. "Sara, you don't get it. She's my whole world, my WHOLE world, and now, it just collapsed around me. How would you understand? You're just like Grissom," Tears shined in Sara's eyes, but she never said a word, "Grissom feels nothing, nothing at all, and you're so close to him, almost exactly like him. Why don't you two just go out now? You're practically the same person, you'll make a fine tin couple!" A tear threatened to slip over one of Sara's eyes and she tried to blink it back furiously. No one knew about the little incident where Sara got rejected by Grissom, it was a secret both of them would carry to their graves, most probably. "You're right Catherine," Sara broke in, barely audible, "I had no reason to say that. I understand that the chances are slim. What I wouldn't understand is how you feel. You're right, I'm not a mother, I'm not a wife, I don't even have a boyfriend. And, maybe I don't feel anything, anyways, I'm sorry." Those were the last words that Sara uttered in the car. Catherine noticeably calmed down and apologetically shook her head, "I'm so sorry Sara, I didn't mean it. You know I didn't. I'm so sorry, you know I didn't mean it, I'm just so worried about my baby. So worried..." Catherine trailed off when she noticed that Sara was hardly listening. On her face she held a false mask that threatened to fall at any second revealing the small, vulnerable, woman inside.
The car came to a halting stop at the parking lot and Sara slowly but surely unbuckled herself. Catherine followed her example. The women walked into the CSI building together. As soon as they entered the break room, Warrick, Nick, and Greg all crowded around Catherine. Giving her enormous hugs and asking and reassuring her over and over again, "Are you all right?" "Don't worry, we'll find whoever did this and make him pay." Catherine was practically smothered and Grissom was standing by a chair looking on. He didn't want to join in on this chaos, but did want to talk to Catherine so he was waiting. Sara, on the other hand watched on in fascination for a couple of moments, then hung her head and slowly walked out. She went to Grissom's office and seated herself on the couch.
'How could Catherine say that? But, she's right, isn't she? Sure, I care for dead people, raped girls, tortured teens, but I'm just like Grissom. No social life at all. How could she say that about me? I thought we were friends,' Sara's eyes flashed with anger for a second then dulled again. 'What am I thinking? Catherine is not herself right now. Of course, she didn't mean it...' Sara was sitting quietly for about ten minutes pondering, 'Yes, perhaps she did not mean to say it to me, but yet she did, and it was the truth. It came from her heart, otherwise, she would not have even mentioned it. It's liked she had a speech ready in her mind or something, maybe she's been thinking about this for a long time.' A dull bang resounded as Sara's head hit against her metal locker.
Grissom finally got his chance as he ordered the three men to back off. "Hey, Catherine," care filled his voice to overflowing, "Are you ok?" he waited for her subdued nod before going on. "You know that we will find Lindsey don't you? Don't you worry for a second, all five of us will be on the same case, ok?" Catherine looked straight into his face. Deep wrinkles covered his forehead as he patiently awaited her answer, his eyes were full of sympathy, and his lips were ready to reassure her some more. "Thank you Grissom, thank you so much. Warrick, Nick, Greg, Sara, thank you all so much." Everyone quietly murmured that it was absolutely no problem at all but no sturdy feminine voice was heard. Everyone turned to the doorway and Catherine audibly sighed. Grissom was the first to speak, "Catherine? How did you get here? Where's Sara?"
Everyone turned once more to Catherine, her chin was quivering and tears started in her eyes, "What have I done?"