Huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I'm so glad most of you are enjoying this. There's about another 5 chapters, maybe 6 to go. Thanks as always to my friend and beta, (now author) Marlou. You're the best hun…
Warrick pulled his cell phone from his belt and flipped it open. "Yeah," he barked.
Catherine chanced a glance in his direction as they drove back towards the lab and knew instantly by his paling face that they had grim news.
"We'll be there asap," he muttered, his voice ending on a heavy sigh as he flipped the phone closed and leaned his head back into his head rest.
"What?" Catherine asked worriedly, her eyes focussing on the road.
"They found her…" his voice trailed off mid sentence and he closed his eyes against the growing emotion in them.
"What?" Catherine gasped, "Is she okay? Where is she?"
"We gotta go to Lake Mead," Warrick's voice simmered with fear as he opened his eyes and sat forward in his seat again.
"Warrick," Catherine hissed, her gaze flitting between the road and his face. "Is she okay?"
"I don't know," he whispered mournfully. "Brass said he'd fill us in on the details when we get there."
"But he must have said…"
"Nothing," Warrick told her angrily, "he said nothing."
"She'll be fine Warrick," Catherine soothed, hoping that she still had the chance to repair the damage she'd already caused between herself and Sara.
"I hope so Cath, I really hope so," he groaned as he ran his hands through his hair worriedly. "She's gotta be."
"Okay, we're heading to Lake Mead, did Brass tell you where exactly?"
"Yeah, sorry," he sighed, smiling slightly when she tried to lighten the mood. "Lake Drive, he said it's the only house along that road."
"We'll find it," she nodded with a warm smile, knowing that there was at least a little hope on the horizon. Sara was safe now, that was all that mattered.
Grissom and Nick sat silently outside of the room where Sara had just been taken into. Nick desperately wanted to say something, anything that would calm both of their fears, but he couldn't think of a single thing to say.
Chancing a quick glance in Grissom's direction, he could see that the older man beside him was slowly losing the tenuous battle that raged inside him. He'd kept his emotions intact so far, but it was only a matter of time before they consumed him.
Grissom felt helpless. He couldn't help thinking that Sara's misery was all of his doing and if he'd only opened up to her sooner then she wouldn't have had to go through this nightmare.
"Do you think he…" Nick's voice trembled as he spoke, his heart aching painfully as he tried to push the thoughts from his mind. "Could he have…raped…her?"
Grissom's heart thundered loudly in his chest; he hadn't even considered that possibility. His whole body ached against the growing anger that raged inside him to the point where he couldn't stand it any longer.
Standing abruptly, he swallowed the lump in his throat and closed his eyes briefly. "I'm going for a walk."
"What if the doctor comes for us?"
"I won't be long," Grissom muttered painfully, already feeling the tears stinging inside his eyes. He had to get out of here.
Nick watched him walk away, knowing that Grissom was fighting his own internal war. Sara had managed to get under the skin of every man she'd met, all of them falling in love with her in different ways. He smiled sadly when he thought of all the teasing smiles she'd thrown his way when they'd shared a joke over something. He loved her in his own way, and she was still one of his closest friends, even though he had been lacking in the friendship department for quite some time.
Grissom…He'd never quite understood why Sara held so many deep feelings for the man when all he seemed to do was cause her pain at every opportunity. After all the times when she'd tried to withdraw inside her own little world to hide away from all of the pain, it had been obvious, even then as to the cause.
With a heavy sigh, Nick leaned back into the plastic chair and rested his head against the wall. Closing his eyes in silent prayer, he waited quietly for any news in Grissom's absence.
Pushing open the washroom door, Grissom was relieved to find that it was just a one cubicle room and he turned around to lock the door. The last hours had been a living hell that continued to tear him apart with so many memories and deeply felt regrets.
Sighing shakily, he made his way over to the sink and started to run the cool water into the basin, hoping that the cold liquid would wash away his emotions. Lifting his head, he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror and wondered, not for the first time, why a woman like Sara would even want to be with someone like him.
Her smiling face drifted into his mind and he was reminded of all the times when he would have waited an eternity for that smile. He had loved her for so long that he couldn't remember a time when he hadn't been consumed with her. She had quickly become everything he'd ever wanted, and because of his cowardice, he had turned her away.
Her beautiful image soon faded away to be replaced with the sadness in her eyes that he'd seen so many times in recent months. Her beautiful smile had slipped away, lost somewhere in another time, a time when he could have changed things between them.
Closing his eyes, her image returned, but her beautiful face blended with the pale, bloodied figure that had haunted him since they'd found her.
His body protested as he tried to return to the safety of his walls, but he was finding it harder and harder to hide. Sara had found her way inside his defences and stolen his heart right before his eyes, even though he had tried his hardest to resist her.
The emotions that he had been keeping at bay since this whole awful experience had began suddenly burnt within him again, this time so powerful that they stole the breath from his lungs. Bending forward, he rested his elbows onto the sink and tried to regain his composure but his heartache wouldn't be silenced this time.
Opening his eyes, he noticed the blood that covered his hands, and suddenly felt his strength slipping away. Hot tears stung his eyes and the lump inside his throat burned a path of anguish in its wake and he found himself unable to control it.
One tear slipped from his eyes to roll down his face only to be followed by another, until he couldn't contain his sorrow anymore. His whole body shook with shuddering sobs as he released the pain that had ached to consume him for so long. He could have lost her this time. How many times would he have to witness her pain before he finally understood that it could be too late? Nothing or no one could replace her, ever.
There weren't many things in this world that could reduce Gil Grissom to a tearful wreck, but one of those things was the woman that had had his unspoken love for so many years. He knew what he'd almost lost now and he knew that he was the only one who had the power to change his future as well as hers.
Lifting his head, he tried to push the emotions away and regain some kind of control, but whenever he thought that he could cry no more, new tears glistened in his eyes. Taking a deep shuddering breath, Grissom gave himself a mental shake and dipped his hands under the tap to cup some cold water to scrub Sara's blood from his skin. He stared down at the red tinted water, feeling the lump in his throat squeezing the breath from his lungs. Closing his eyes briefly, he cupped fresh water and splashed it over his burning eyes, hoping that he could erase some of the memories that stilled set his heart aflame.
His whole body ached but in some ways he felt more alive than he had ever felt before. He knew that he'd been given a second chance and he was ready to open up to her. Standing up straighter, he took another look in the mirror. His reflection showed a man who had released the weight on his shoulders, and a man who had been cleansed. He was ready now to take the next step with his life, so holding his head high, he left the safety of the washroom and started the short walk back to Sara's room.
Nick looked up when Grissom approached. He could see the obvious signs that Grissom had been crying and that in itself shocked Nick to his very core. He nodded silently when Grissom retook the seat beside him, knowing that he was witnessing the birth of a new man.
Suddenly all the angry retorts he'd planned for Grissom's return slowly died away. Grissom had shown how much he actually cared, even though he had tried so desperately to hide it, and that was all Nick needed.
The doors to Sara's current room opened suddenly causing both men to rise up out of their chairs in unison.
"We're moving her to her own room now," the doctor smiled reassuringly as he approached them. "Miss Sidle lost a lot of blood but we've managed to stop the bleeding and get her hooked up for a blood transfusion."
"How is she, doc?" Nick asked worriedly.
"She'll make a full recovery," he smiled " but she'll still need to remain in hospital for at least three days."
"Were there any signs of…assault?" Grissom couldn't even bring himself to say the words but the doctor knew.
"No, she wasn't raped, if that's what's worrying you." He told them reassuringly. "Under the circumstances of where she was found and what she must have endured, I'd say she's actually in pretty good shape."
Both Nick and Grissom let out the breath they had been holding, grateful that this was one less hurdle to overcome.
"Can we see her?" Nick asked.
"Yes, just give us a few minutes to settle her into her bed and the nurse will come and get you," he nodded. "She's a very lucky young woman."
"Yeah," Nick nodded sadly when he saw Grissom sink back down into his chair. "She's a tough cookie."
"Were there any other injuries?" Grissom asked quickly, his voice echoing in his ears as he spoke.
"She has some nasty bruising on her upper arms and over her left eye. There's some scratching and gashes to her right hip and spine." Shaking his head silently, the doctor regarded the two men with a sympathetic gaze. "She's been through what can only be described as physical abuse, so prepare yourselves for the possibility of her needing some kind of counselling when she's well enough."
"I'll kill him," Grissom seethed, his voice low inside his throat as he slowly stood up again.
"Get in line boss," Nick hissed, his eyes once again filling with emotion as he tried to block her bloodied image out of his mind.
"I work with Dr Lurie and I wouldn't have ever believed he was capable of something like this," the doctor shook his head in disgust. "He doesn't seem…"
"Well believe it," Nick snapped.
A nurse came from Sara's new room and walked towards them, cutting off the doctor's unasked question. She offered the three men a tentative smile and nodded towards Grissom, "You can see her now."
"Thank you," Grissom answered softly, the relief in his voice removing the anger that had only moments ago possessed him. Walking past Nick he started to follow the nurse, blind in his desperation to see the only woman he'd ever loved.
Nick swallowed the lump in his throat as he nodded his thanks to the doctor, and then silently followed Grissom down the corridor.
Brass stared into the bloodied bedroom, still unable to comprehend what had happened here. Part of him wanted to be down the hospital, his silent vigil adding to the barrage of people who had no doubt already arrived.
Sara's lucid body still haunted him and he knew that it would be a long time before the image faded from his mind. From his place on the first floor landing he heard Warrick's gruff voice as he entered the house.
"Brass?" Catherine's voice called out to him as both she and Warrick made their way up the staircase towards him.
Blinking back the moisture in his eyes, Brass turned around to face them and tried to offer them his usual trademark smile, but it came as more of a grimace.
Warrick's scrutinizing eyes had already picked up on the bloodied foot prints that had imprinted themselves into the carpet and he found himself choking on his own breath.
"Sara?" Catherine asked in a whisper, her eyes already filling with tears.
"She's not good," Brass told her, his own voice shaking as he spoke. "They took her to the hospital half hour ago."
Warrick pushed past him and nudged open the bedroom door and found himself face to face with something that resembled a slaughter house. "Oh God…" he gasped.
"War…" Catherine's voice died on her lips when she came to stand beside him in the doorway. "Oh God…Sara…"
"Let's get to work," Warrick told her as he tried to convince himself that this was like any other crime scene they'd worked on.
Catherine watched him walk slowly into the room, her eyes following the blood spatter that covered the windows and adorned the once white satin sheets. She could already feel the bile rising in her throat but she pushed it back quickly, her mind already re enacting the crime scene in her mind.
"Looks like she tried to escape," she whispered when she walked towards the smashed window. Opening her kit, she snapped on her gloves and took out a swab before touching the tip of it against the sticky blood that was now drying on the glass.
Warrick walked around the bed and photographed the bloodied covers, working on autopilot as he moved around the room.
Catherine closed her eyes briefly, trying to regain some control over her emotions before continuing. Taking a deep breath, she took out some more swabs and dabbed them onto the blood stains that adorned the floor.
"I've got a shoe print," Warrick muttered, bending down to photograph it closely. "Man's shoe, size 12."
"Big feet," Catherine mused as she came around to stand beside him. Her eyes focused in on the perfect blood imprint and she bent down to make a photograph of it. "There's a lot of blood," she whispered while she worked, her worried voice hoping to get some type of response from the man beside her, but he remained silent.
Sighing heavily, Catherine swallowed the lump forming in her throat and continued with her work. This would stay with the team for a very long time, she just hoped that it would serve to strengthen them and pull them together instead of pulling them apart. Well, she mused, she would make things right with Sara, she only hoped she had a chance to try.
Grissom hovered in the doorway to Sara's room. The heart moniter beeped a rhythmic hum throughout the room, the sound calming his own heart. Taking a tentative step, he walked slowly over to her bed and found his gaze drifting over her sleeping face.
There were so many things he needed to say to her but he didn't know where to start. He could already feel a new wave of fresh tears stinging in his eyes but he didn't know if he had the strength to push them away this time.
Nick stepped into the room only to hover in the doorway as he fought his own internal battle for release. Grissom knew he should say something to him, maybe find some words of comfort but he couldn't trust his voice to speak without releasing his own anguish. So, nodding silently, he acknowledged the silent console for them both.
Taking a little courage from his already battered emotions, Grissom pulled a chair closer to Sara's bed. Sitting down slowly he ran his eyes over her prone body once more before silently reaching for her hand. The second he touched her he was relieved to feel the warmth emanating from her skin into his own, and closed his eyes briefly to relish the feel of her.
"She's so pale," Nick whispered brokenly as he took a step closer to the bed. His eyes flooded with emotion when he saw Grissom's fingers stroking Sara's hand and for a moment he felt like an intruder, witnessing something that he had no right to see.
Grissom opened his eyes again and nodded silently. Sara's skin was incredibly pale and her usually pink lips were almost just as pallid. His eyes scanned her face lovingly only to fall onto the angry bruises that adored her skin. Slow anger welled up inside his chest and not for the first time he wanted to find Lurie and rip him apart for what he had put her through.
"You think she's gonna be okay?" Nick asked softly, his voice no louder than a whisper.
"She has to be," Grissom's voice broke as he traced a finger tip over the bruises covering her arm. Closing his eyes tightly against the stinging tears, he kept his voice low. "You should call Catherine."
"I…" Nick swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded in defeat. Taking a step back he reached the door only to turn back to take a final glance into the stillness of the room. "I'll give you some time alone with her," he whispered.
Grissom's eyes snapped open and he looked up just in time to see Nick's retreating form. Taking a deep breath, he reached up to wipe away the first beginnings of tears and slipped his fingers through hers, drawing strength from the contact of their skin. With a heavy sigh he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, their entwined fingers giving him both comfort and courage at the same time.
The rhythmic beeps of the heart moniter lulled him into a warm sense of awareness and he allowed himself to relax a little within her grasp. He wasn't a religious man, but he was well aware of how many silent prayers he had offered over the last 24 hours.
Some time later a sudden movement brought him to wakefulness and he sat up straighter in his chair and looked around him. There was no one else in the room with them and he started to wonder if he'd imagined it, until he turned back towards Sara's bed.
She was awake and silently watching him, her eyes following his every movement.
"Sara," he gasped, his eyes suddenly flooding with relief. Moving closer towards her, he bent over the bed so he could look directly into her eyes. "You're awake."
Sara's lips moved slowly as she fought to whisper something but he couldn't make out what she was trying to say. Leaning a little closer he moved in close enough to feel her wispy breath on his cheek.
"Dream?" she whispered.
His eyes filled with emotion as he turned to look down into her eyes. "No honey, no dream."
"Lurie…"
"Has been arrested. He can't hurt you anymore." Sniffing back the wetness in his eyes he tried to offer her a reassuring smile.
"Hurts…" she mumbled as she fought to stay awake for a little longer.
Grissom reached a hand to her cheek and gently stroked her face with his fingers. "I was so scared, Sara..." His words trailed off when he saw that she'd once again slipped back into slumber. He took a few moments to gaze down onto her face and relished the feel of her warmth beneath his fingers. This time he had come too close to losing her.
"Am I interrupting?" a voice spoke hesitantly from the doorway, and Grissom turned to see Brass standing there, his eyes bearing the same haunted look as his own.
"She just woke up," he whispered softly as he moved away from her only to return to his seat.
Brass came further into the room and blinked back tears when he saw the bruises on her body. "That's good," he whispered shakily.
"He hurt her, Jim," Grissom's voice ached with anger and he found himself reaching for her hand again, her touch calming him. "He'll pay this time."
"Yeah, he will Gil," Brass sniffed and tried to smile in a bid to hide his anguish, but it wouldn't work.
"I…we could have lost her, Jim," Grissom's voice cracked as he spoke, his whole body fighting against the outpouring emotions that threatened to consume him again.
"She's one special lady," Brass whispered as he cast a sympathetic gaze over his friend who was slowly starting to lose his grip on his emotions. "She's tough Gil."
"Yeah, but even the toughest person has to have a breaking point, Jim. I'm afraid of how this is going to affect her long term." Grissom squeezed her hand as he spoke, hoping to keep the connection between them from deteriorating.
"She has a lot of support," Brass nodded, more for his own reassurance than Grissom's.
"Yeah, she does."
"You want some company?" Brass asked softly, part of him hoping he'd accept the offer, but the other half hoping he would decline.
"We're fine," Grissom nodded, his eyes returning to the woman beside him.
"Okay, I'm gonna go back to work…"
Grissom nodded silently, unable to take his eyes off of Sara for a second. Before Brass could leave, he looked up again. "Thanks Jim."
Brass nodded silently before he left, taking one more look at Sara before turning to exit the room.
TBC