The Path of Thorns
By: Allison
Chapter 2: On the Case
+++++
Gil didn't need to know where the hospital was; he could easily find it on his own, he'd passed it numerous times. Pushing foot harder down on the gas he prayed that he'd make all the green lights on the way. He still couldn't believe after all this time that he'd found her.
And that he may have lost her again.
Stopping his truck in the closest spot he could find, Gil quickly shut off the engine and got out-practically at a sprint, he ran towards the door - not bothering with his umbrella to combat the steady rain. The rational side of his brain had ceased to function long ago, his mind only able to process one thing at a time.
He reached the doors within seconds, t-shirt clinging to his now thinner frame. Throwing them open he continued to run all the way to the nurses station.
"The woman...from the park...can I see her?" He slammed his hands down on the front desk, the woman behind startled, snapping immediately to attention. She looked none to pleased at the man who had interrupted her right in the middle of soap opera digest.
"Sir, you need to calm down. I can't help you when you're all worked up."
"There was a woman...blonde hair, blue eyes...they found her at Brandywine Park. How is she? Can I please see her?"
"If you'll give me a few minutes I'll look her up for you. Are you family?" Grissom stared at her for a moment before nodding the affirmative. "What relation?"
"Can I please just see her?"
"It says here she's in room 104," the nurse replied, softly.
"Thank you."
~*~*~*~
When the gray haired man had rushed off, Mary was quick to follow. She wasn't one to let a story go cold, and she knew that there was something big going on. And that the man she had just met was right in the middle of it. Grabbing her things and Donovan, she ran to her car and threw them inside.
"Hurry up, Don..." she muttered harshly, throwing the vehicle into drive as he shut the door and prepared to put on his seat belt.
"Maybe you could wait until I'm in the car to start driving, I don't think you want splattered fiancé all over the pavement," he replied, smirking at her.
"Don't look at me like that, I wouldn't be the one scraping you off of the highway."
"I'm touched that you care so much for me, Mar." Using her right hand, she ran her fingers through her short, auburn hair, tucking the loose strands behind her ears. She was nervous, she'd be the first person to admit it, and driving wasn't helping at all. She could felt the story, just within her grasp. All she had to do now was reach out and grab it.
"There's no one else I would partake in this intense battle of wits with, Don." She looked over at him, green eyes dancing.
"Eyes on the road Kincaid, or they're going to be sweeping us both up off of the pavement."
"Smart ass."
"And proud." Matt leaned back against the seat, content on having won the argument. His dark brown hair was plastered against is forehead. He seemed so relaxed, while she was an utter bundle of nerves and energy, practically waiting to explode. Focusing her eyes back on the road, she gazed as the lights that passed by as they re-entered the city. The traffic was heavy for such a late hour and Mary maneuvered around cars and semis, trying to get to her destinations as fast as possible.
After about ten minutes or so, she spotted her exit and took the off-ramp into the city. After another five, and a few stoplights she saw the sign that read "St Francis Hospital" and sharply turned in.
"Mary!" Matt had been dozing lightly and at the swift turn, nearly forward in his seat and awoken sharply. "Remind me to drive next time, would you?"
"Not a chance." She cut the ignition and got out, Matt right on her tail.
"Is it just me or have I taken on the role of lap dog on this little excursion?"
"Honey, I love you, but could you please shut up?" Mary was all business as they pushed through the doors and made their way up to the nurse's station.
"Hello, how can I help you?" The nurse at the desk set down her copy of soap opera digest for the second time that night.
"Yes we're looking for a man, late forties, gray hair, goes by the name of Grissom. He hasn't been in her has he?"
"I don't know what his name is, but there was a man in here awhile ago, interrupted me right as I was reading up on Guiding Light. He was looking for that woman, the one they found out at the park...He was a bit freaked out, and actually, he struck me as a little odd."
"That's the guy, can you tell me where he went?"
"I sent him to her room, he said that he was family."
"Could you perhaps...tell where it is? It's very important that we speak with him. He may be able to help us figure out what happened to her, and how she ended up there."
" You guys sure as a lot of questions...are you guys cops, or something?"
Mary looked at Matt and then back at the nurse. "Uh, not exactly."
"Well then who are you? I can't let anybody up there but family..."
"We're not..." Matt started, but Mary elbowed him swiftly in the stomach and he quieted as quickly as he'd first opened his mouth.
"I think...she's my cousin...but I just have to be sure..." Mary whispered, trying to be as convincing as possible. "I just want to make sure she's okay."
"But you were just..."
"I'm a reporter, I get a little carried away..."
"Aw you poor thing, go on in, dear. She's in room 104. I'm sure whomever you're looking for will be happy to see you."
"Thank you so much, you don't know what this means to me," Mary told her sincerely as she backed away from the desk at towards the double doors.
~*~*~*~
Grissom had been standing outside her room for the last half an hour. He wanted to go in, but for some reason, his feet wouldn't budge. Like superglue, they stuck to the floor. Just the sight of her after 14 months of not seeing her face-her smile, eyes when they lit up; he was just grateful to be standing there, even if a piece of thin glass was separating them.
She was a few feet away, and that was closer than he'd been to her in a long time.
"Excuse me, sir. Are you looking for someone?" A sandy-haired doctor emerged from room, clipboard in hand.
"The woman in there; how is she?"
"Stable...and that's all I can tell you, unless you're family. In which case, you could be very helpful...Mr....?""
"Gil Grissom. And we are related...she's my wife." The words came out breathlessly and quick, Gil hadn't been sure he'd ever get to say them again, and they came out so fast he had little time to cherish their meaning.
"Well Mr. Grissom, your wife was very lucky. Concussion, a few cracked ribs, a fracture of the ulna, and some minor cuts and abrasions...she's sedated now, but she'll be fine. If you'd like to go in and see her, you can. I have some forms I need you to fill out for me...and I'm sure the police are going to want to talk to you."
Grissom nodded, numbly glancing at the man's nametag. "Thank you, Dr. Guilford."
"Go in and see your wife..."
"Catherine," Grissom finished. "Her name is Catherine." And then he turned and pushed through the doors, a weight lifted considerably off of his chest.
~*~*~*~
Matt Donovan had been on many excursions with his wife to be...but this one had to take the cake. Rubbing the spot where she had elbowed him, he wondered what it was that made him go for such feisty women. The feisty green-eyed reporter type of woman-known to follow hunches wherever it might lead her...he'd been warned by co-workers, but he never listened. He knew that would get him into trouble one day.
"I think...she's my cousin...but I just have to be sure..."
And that day may very well have come today. Danger, that was one thing, but he'd never seen Mary blatantly lie, and certainly not so easily. And the nurse who ran the counter, was just as easily taken in by the lie, Mary's smile warm and trustworthy... this was a whole new side to Mary he'd never seen and he wondered if maybe he would have to watch his back a little when they were finally married.
"What are you doing, babe?" He whispered as they moved through a set of double doors and into a hall of private rooms.
"Just go with it Don, it got us in here, didn't it?"
"Yea, but what happens when they found out we aren't really supposed to be here? Did you think of that?"
"Always so rational," she replied, mischievously. "You need to try cutting loose a bit more. You'll live longer."
"You're a riot, Alice." He joked, but didn't get an answer in return. Looking up he saw what had her so captivated. The open door to room 104. The man they had run after to find was sitting in the chair right next to the woman that had been found in the park. As they made their way to the door Mat saw that he man was holding her hand, and he jerked Mary back as she attempted to stride thought he door.
"Matthew Donovan, what are you doing?" She asked, infuriated.
"You can't go in there."
"Why not? What happened to that fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants Donovan that I fell in love with? I have a story to get...and you're going to help me!"
"Mary, look at him...just look...does it look like he needs us interrupting him, asking him for a story?"
"It doesn't matter if he needs it or not...the public needs to know what's going on here, and if he's involved with that woman, than I need to talk to him. And if I don't get to him now, than someone else will sweep him up, and you and I could both be out of a job."
"I'd like to think you'd put human compassion before your job. Obviously I was mistaken."
"Maybe I was too," she whispered and she went through the doors and into the room, leaving Donovan behind to watch.
TBC.
By: Allison
Chapter 2: On the Case
+++++
Gil didn't need to know where the hospital was; he could easily find it on his own, he'd passed it numerous times. Pushing foot harder down on the gas he prayed that he'd make all the green lights on the way. He still couldn't believe after all this time that he'd found her.
And that he may have lost her again.
Stopping his truck in the closest spot he could find, Gil quickly shut off the engine and got out-practically at a sprint, he ran towards the door - not bothering with his umbrella to combat the steady rain. The rational side of his brain had ceased to function long ago, his mind only able to process one thing at a time.
He reached the doors within seconds, t-shirt clinging to his now thinner frame. Throwing them open he continued to run all the way to the nurses station.
"The woman...from the park...can I see her?" He slammed his hands down on the front desk, the woman behind startled, snapping immediately to attention. She looked none to pleased at the man who had interrupted her right in the middle of soap opera digest.
"Sir, you need to calm down. I can't help you when you're all worked up."
"There was a woman...blonde hair, blue eyes...they found her at Brandywine Park. How is she? Can I please see her?"
"If you'll give me a few minutes I'll look her up for you. Are you family?" Grissom stared at her for a moment before nodding the affirmative. "What relation?"
"Can I please just see her?"
"It says here she's in room 104," the nurse replied, softly.
"Thank you."
~*~*~*~
When the gray haired man had rushed off, Mary was quick to follow. She wasn't one to let a story go cold, and she knew that there was something big going on. And that the man she had just met was right in the middle of it. Grabbing her things and Donovan, she ran to her car and threw them inside.
"Hurry up, Don..." she muttered harshly, throwing the vehicle into drive as he shut the door and prepared to put on his seat belt.
"Maybe you could wait until I'm in the car to start driving, I don't think you want splattered fiancé all over the pavement," he replied, smirking at her.
"Don't look at me like that, I wouldn't be the one scraping you off of the highway."
"I'm touched that you care so much for me, Mar." Using her right hand, she ran her fingers through her short, auburn hair, tucking the loose strands behind her ears. She was nervous, she'd be the first person to admit it, and driving wasn't helping at all. She could felt the story, just within her grasp. All she had to do now was reach out and grab it.
"There's no one else I would partake in this intense battle of wits with, Don." She looked over at him, green eyes dancing.
"Eyes on the road Kincaid, or they're going to be sweeping us both up off of the pavement."
"Smart ass."
"And proud." Matt leaned back against the seat, content on having won the argument. His dark brown hair was plastered against is forehead. He seemed so relaxed, while she was an utter bundle of nerves and energy, practically waiting to explode. Focusing her eyes back on the road, she gazed as the lights that passed by as they re-entered the city. The traffic was heavy for such a late hour and Mary maneuvered around cars and semis, trying to get to her destinations as fast as possible.
After about ten minutes or so, she spotted her exit and took the off-ramp into the city. After another five, and a few stoplights she saw the sign that read "St Francis Hospital" and sharply turned in.
"Mary!" Matt had been dozing lightly and at the swift turn, nearly forward in his seat and awoken sharply. "Remind me to drive next time, would you?"
"Not a chance." She cut the ignition and got out, Matt right on her tail.
"Is it just me or have I taken on the role of lap dog on this little excursion?"
"Honey, I love you, but could you please shut up?" Mary was all business as they pushed through the doors and made their way up to the nurse's station.
"Hello, how can I help you?" The nurse at the desk set down her copy of soap opera digest for the second time that night.
"Yes we're looking for a man, late forties, gray hair, goes by the name of Grissom. He hasn't been in her has he?"
"I don't know what his name is, but there was a man in here awhile ago, interrupted me right as I was reading up on Guiding Light. He was looking for that woman, the one they found out at the park...He was a bit freaked out, and actually, he struck me as a little odd."
"That's the guy, can you tell me where he went?"
"I sent him to her room, he said that he was family."
"Could you perhaps...tell where it is? It's very important that we speak with him. He may be able to help us figure out what happened to her, and how she ended up there."
" You guys sure as a lot of questions...are you guys cops, or something?"
Mary looked at Matt and then back at the nurse. "Uh, not exactly."
"Well then who are you? I can't let anybody up there but family..."
"We're not..." Matt started, but Mary elbowed him swiftly in the stomach and he quieted as quickly as he'd first opened his mouth.
"I think...she's my cousin...but I just have to be sure..." Mary whispered, trying to be as convincing as possible. "I just want to make sure she's okay."
"But you were just..."
"I'm a reporter, I get a little carried away..."
"Aw you poor thing, go on in, dear. She's in room 104. I'm sure whomever you're looking for will be happy to see you."
"Thank you so much, you don't know what this means to me," Mary told her sincerely as she backed away from the desk at towards the double doors.
~*~*~*~
Grissom had been standing outside her room for the last half an hour. He wanted to go in, but for some reason, his feet wouldn't budge. Like superglue, they stuck to the floor. Just the sight of her after 14 months of not seeing her face-her smile, eyes when they lit up; he was just grateful to be standing there, even if a piece of thin glass was separating them.
She was a few feet away, and that was closer than he'd been to her in a long time.
"Excuse me, sir. Are you looking for someone?" A sandy-haired doctor emerged from room, clipboard in hand.
"The woman in there; how is she?"
"Stable...and that's all I can tell you, unless you're family. In which case, you could be very helpful...Mr....?""
"Gil Grissom. And we are related...she's my wife." The words came out breathlessly and quick, Gil hadn't been sure he'd ever get to say them again, and they came out so fast he had little time to cherish their meaning.
"Well Mr. Grissom, your wife was very lucky. Concussion, a few cracked ribs, a fracture of the ulna, and some minor cuts and abrasions...she's sedated now, but she'll be fine. If you'd like to go in and see her, you can. I have some forms I need you to fill out for me...and I'm sure the police are going to want to talk to you."
Grissom nodded, numbly glancing at the man's nametag. "Thank you, Dr. Guilford."
"Go in and see your wife..."
"Catherine," Grissom finished. "Her name is Catherine." And then he turned and pushed through the doors, a weight lifted considerably off of his chest.
~*~*~*~
Matt Donovan had been on many excursions with his wife to be...but this one had to take the cake. Rubbing the spot where she had elbowed him, he wondered what it was that made him go for such feisty women. The feisty green-eyed reporter type of woman-known to follow hunches wherever it might lead her...he'd been warned by co-workers, but he never listened. He knew that would get him into trouble one day.
"I think...she's my cousin...but I just have to be sure..."
And that day may very well have come today. Danger, that was one thing, but he'd never seen Mary blatantly lie, and certainly not so easily. And the nurse who ran the counter, was just as easily taken in by the lie, Mary's smile warm and trustworthy... this was a whole new side to Mary he'd never seen and he wondered if maybe he would have to watch his back a little when they were finally married.
"What are you doing, babe?" He whispered as they moved through a set of double doors and into a hall of private rooms.
"Just go with it Don, it got us in here, didn't it?"
"Yea, but what happens when they found out we aren't really supposed to be here? Did you think of that?"
"Always so rational," she replied, mischievously. "You need to try cutting loose a bit more. You'll live longer."
"You're a riot, Alice." He joked, but didn't get an answer in return. Looking up he saw what had her so captivated. The open door to room 104. The man they had run after to find was sitting in the chair right next to the woman that had been found in the park. As they made their way to the door Mat saw that he man was holding her hand, and he jerked Mary back as she attempted to stride thought he door.
"Matthew Donovan, what are you doing?" She asked, infuriated.
"You can't go in there."
"Why not? What happened to that fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants Donovan that I fell in love with? I have a story to get...and you're going to help me!"
"Mary, look at him...just look...does it look like he needs us interrupting him, asking him for a story?"
"It doesn't matter if he needs it or not...the public needs to know what's going on here, and if he's involved with that woman, than I need to talk to him. And if I don't get to him now, than someone else will sweep him up, and you and I could both be out of a job."
"I'd like to think you'd put human compassion before your job. Obviously I was mistaken."
"Maybe I was too," she whispered and she went through the doors and into the room, leaving Donovan behind to watch.
TBC.