She stood over her now clean autopsy table thinking. Tonight had not been one of the greatest. Actually it was the worst in years. It had started off badly and only gotten worst.
She had always believed that her autopsy theatre had been a safe place, one where she wouldn't have to deal with the outside world. Dead bodies don't yell at and hit you. She had become a pathologist for that very reason. But tonight the room had become a battle ground.
"Our body came in first. We should have priority. You know that, Evelyn," Sarah said with a wide smile. Her partner, Catherine, Was nodding in agreement.
"Sorry, Sarah, our case is first. It's from a definite murder case. Yours could be a suicide," Warrick replied, almost cut of by Nick wanting to respond.
The arguing went on between the two groups for another fifteen minutes, until Evelyn realized she had to do something about it. She had already put a three inch gash in her wrist unknowingly and was shaking horribly.
"ENOUGH!" Her voice still had its gentle tone, but it was very loud compare to her normally inaudible level. Everyone stopped and looked at her standing on the metal table looking down at them. "I have had enough of your bickering. The day shift's bodies will be processed first. Then I will process which ever body I choose." Her anger didn't show in her face, but it was obvious all the same. The bottles of chemicals on the shelves were flying off, hitting the floor and walls. "I am the only pathologist working tonight, if you haven't noticed. I would like to be respected for once, so please keep my cathedral quiet. Plea..."
"What the hell is going on here?" Grissom was standing in the doorway taking in the scene.
In embarrassment, Evelyn got down from the table and ran out the door crying. Grissom made no effort to stop her. He wanted to find out what had made his calm under all circumstances pathologist go ballistic.
"What happened? Tell me now," Grissom demanded. "What caused her to stand on the table?" He touched the blood on the edge of it. It registered 97.1F in his mind. It had to be Evelyn's blood. She had hurt herself again.
"Never mind. Go do you jobs. Stay away from the morgue tonight. I'll come to get whatever you need." He looked at each one with disappointment as the left. "Now, I've got to find that upset pathologist."
"Emmy, where are you? Please come out. It's only me. I won't hurt you. Please, sweetie, come out."
He heard a noise come from inside a storage closet. He opened the door slowly and cut on the light. There in the corner was Evelyn, holding her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth. He sat down beside her.
"Let me see your wrist." He took it away from her knee with ease. The wound was already frightfully dirty. The doctor in him wanted to force her up, but the father in him told him to get her to trust him first.
"Emmy, what happened? Did they get in an argument over whose body was to go first?" He didn't need an answer and she knew it. He wanted her to trust him. She laid her head on his shoulder in response.
"Emmy, let me clean this up. I don't want it to get infected. You're too precious to lose to septicemia. I don't mean that as your boss." He noticed a smile on her face. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"
She lied.
She rubbed the five cuts on her hip. Five people saw her outburst, so five times she sliced her hip. Cutting had become one of ways out.
Starving herself had become a normal ritual. It had caught up with her tonight. Thank her lucky stars Greg had been there to catch her.
Greg loved visits from the only female pathologist in Las Vegas . He found her in interestingly weird, yet lovable. She had a reputation bigger than his of weirdness. Her long black hair and dark brown eyes seduced him, but it was her nose that had first attracted him to her.
As she rounded the corner, Greg looked up. He hoped the vision of beauty was coming to see him. Her long black skirts twisted back and forth as she walked, making her looks like she was floating. He could tell from her height she was wearing her pointed 'witches' boots, the ones he loved
"Good evening, Greg." There was a sight smile on her lips as she said it. "I brought you the sandwich you ordered." He grabbed it. "You're welcome. I need these tested and given to the proper people. "She kissed him on the cheek as a token of gratitude and turned to go. "Oh, could you make sure Catherine and Sara get these." She laid the files on the edge of the table. "Thank-you, Fluffy." Before she could turn and run from him, she was grabbing the edge of the table to steady herself. She had a bout of dizziness come over her.
"Evie?" Greg caught her in his arms and helped her down slowly. He leaned her against the bottom of the table while he dimmed the lights and closed the door. He grabbed the sandwich before sitting down. He maneuvered Evelyn between his legs so he could keep her head on his chest and feed her.
"Eat it. Just a little. Evie, please eat some. I love you. Do it for me." He handed her a little piece of sandwich to eat. She looked like an alien saying, "What am I suppose to do with this?" He held it up to her mouth. "Put it in your mouth and chew it. It won't hurt you. I promise. I'll be here to help you if it even tries to harm you." Once she had eaten the piece, he kissed the back of her head and handed her another piece. She gobbled it down. By doing this, he eventually got her to eat the whole sandwich.
Once her strength had returned, Greg helped her up. He kissed her on the forehead before letting her go back to work. He thought she would be fine the rest of the night, but that wasn't to be.
Five minutes later, Evelyn was in the restroom, with her head over the toilet. She was forcing herself to give up the sandwich. She had gotten so good at this she didn't have to stick her finger in her mouth. She would cough once and it would happen.
"Evelyn? Are you ok?" Catherine was standing behind her with a frown on her face. I know you're not forcing the food to come up, are you?"
She looked at the girl's pale, sweet face. She put her hand on her cheek. "You need to go home. You're burning up. I'll tell Grissom. He'll understand."
Evelyn lifted her head slowly. "I'm fine. I think it was the mayonnaise on the sandwich Greg gave me." She went to the sink and splashed her face with water. She felt better now. "Really, I'll be fine." She smiled and walked out the door, past an astonished Sarah. So she had heard the conversation too.
She had put three slices under her rib cage for these incidents. She was on a role by four a.m.
She rubbed her shoulder. Her last situation of the night had given way to these cuts, and to the ones on her face.
The phone rang. It was Nick. He wanted her to play translator during an interrogation.
When she was younger, speaking Rumanian had been a way to speak her thoughts without anyone understanding them. It had since become a curse.
She made her way into the interrogation room and sat down. The suspect was very nice to her and within minutes she had him speaking to her; tell her his side of the story. Then Lt. Brass said something rude the suspect understood. The man became enraged and jumped across the table. Brass jumped back to keep the man from catching him. As he did, he caught the chair Evelyn was sitting in, tipping it backwards. Evelyn tried to turn to catch herself. Instead she popped her head on the floor. Pain ran through her body, keeping her from moving. She let the pain fade before she stood up again. Before she could move she was slammed into the mirror in the wall. It shattered, cutting her face several times. All she could do was run out and go downstairs to the morgue.
Pulling out a dirty scalpel, she put five slices into her left shoulder. She knew at least five people had seen the trouble she had cause.
She was pulled back to reality by the sound of rain outside. Rain? Had her spell really worked this time? She hoped so. Rain was just what her garden needed.
She put on her cloak, gloves and scarf. They made her feel safe and warm. She had been having the chills lately, even though she was sweating. She decided she would go upstairs to drop some files of with Grissom before going home. She grabbed her keys and hat before locking the swing doors of the autopsy theatre for the night. She put the keys in her pocket and held the hat out in front of her. It was a velvet witch's hat, very halloweenish. Greg had bought it for her, because he said it was very fitting of her personality.
"Hey Evie. Wait a moment." Warrick ran up behind her. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have been arguing with the girls over who was first. It wouldn't have mattered. You would have done your best job on both."
She smiled. "It's ok." She looked at the files in her arms. "If you want to make it up to me, give these to Grissom and tell Greg I'll be in the lounge. Thank-you." She handed him the files and walked toward the lounge.
An hour later, Greg was sitting in the lounge. Evelyn was shivering in his arms. Earlier, she had been talking, laughing to herself. Beads of sweat were on her forehead, and sweat was running in rivulets down her cheeks. Greg was so scared he could hardly think straight, his mind just kept turning over and over. He was trying to remember what you did - was it starve a fever, feed a cold. What did you do for somebody who was real sick, and Evelyn, he knew, was real sick.
Suddenly, the door opened. "Is it safe to come in?" A smile was on his face until he looks at Evelyn in Greg's arms. "I'll get Grissom. He'll know what to do. Greg didn't respond. He was too worried about the girl in his arms.
Moments later. Grissom was over Evelyn examining her body. "Septicemia." He covered her body with his jacket. "Greg, go downstairs and get me some penicillin." Greg hesitated, and then ran as fast as he could. The lady he loved was close to death and he had to save her.
Grissom sat near the edge of the couch stroking Evelyn's forehead. He remembered the days when she used to show up on his doorstep covered in blood hiding from her family. Grissom would always wash her up and keep her safe. "My Emmy, what did I tell you?" He took her hot limp hand in his. "Bring that witchy intuition back to me."
Greg busted in holding a bottle of penicillin and some syringes. He handed them to Grissom.
While Grissom administered the drug, Greg and the others worked feverishly to find bandages to cover the girl's abusive wounds.
When they were down in the morgue, Sarah found a diary in Evelyn's quiet place. She opened the diary to the last entry, and read the last line aloud.
"And with this act may the Las Vegas Crime Lab learn how to love and respect each other."
My friend wrote this with me in mind. Just read it and respond. Its kind of long. Oh, and none of these characters belong to us, except Evelyn, seeing as she's me.