Healing and Beginnings – Chapter 14

One more chapter to go! Thanks to Rica for being my Beta.

What am I going to do with the two of you?

Grissom wasn't sure what was going on with him and Sara right now any better than he did a year ago. What he did know was he indeed wanted Sara in his life, and wanted to make sure Molly found a home. If her home consisted of he and Sara, even better, but he could not go back to being alone, not since he met Molly and certainly not since he met Sara again.

The hospital checked Molly out and physically she was fine, but emotionally she had yet to speak. Grissom couldn't even imagine what she had been through, seeing her mother battered so long and then finally seeing what her Father had done. Grissom tried to put on his investigator hat and knew they needed to get any evidence from Molly and find out what she had seen. He knew he should let the day shift handle that, but in his heart he knew that most likely Molly would only speak to Sara or him. Somewhere in the middle of this, his heart had overtaken his head and all he cared about was making sure Molly and Sara were alright. As Grissom walked towards the hospital room, he heard Sara speaking softly to Molly. When he arrived at the room, he saw the two of them sitting close together.

"Molly, can you talk to me about what you happened?"

Molly blankly looked at Sara, her only movement was involuntary blinking that she couldn't control. There was no emotion, no crying, just being. Molly did speak at the scene, but the trip to the hospital yielded her enough time to remember and this is when she started to retreat into her safe place far, far from reality.

Sara saw nothing but the shell of a girl looking back at her. She was probably used to not showing her emotions for fear of disturbing her father or siding with her mother. She remained neutral ever trying to make peace of the situation. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't prevent what had happened, so she just sat there alive, but barely. If she had done more, maybe her Mother would be alive. If she hadn't done so much, maybe her Mother would be alive. How could she be right now? Not thinking, that was the only way to go at this point.

Sara only saw Molly when they were together, truthfully she knew little about her home life.

She truly didn't know how to reach her and was determined to try until she did.

Sara tried again, "Molly, you can't keep this inside. Please. I know you think you are all alone, but you aren't." Sara's eyes pleaded with her. "I am here, talk to me. You have to know this isn't your fault."

Molly just looked at Sara, still no reaction. Sara was really starting to get worried when she heard a noise from the doorway.

Sara turned in time to see Grissom standing there looking in on them.

"Hello Grissom," Sara greeted him with worry written all over her face.

Grissom eyed both Sara and Molly. Molly looked at him still emotionless, ice cold. He may not know women or children well, but he knew Molly was in trouble. He had hoped she would feel comfortable around Sara to talk, but by the look on Sara's face he knew she had gotten nowhere. Before he could even speak two day shift CSI's barged into the room to process Molly.

"Grissom, Sidle." The day shift CSI acknowledged their presence before an uncomfortable silence bestowed the air.

Grissom cleared his throat before asking the two to step out of the room. They made their way out of the room before he spoke. "I understand you two have a job to do, I want Sara with Molly at all times. I have asked Jim Brass to be the police officer to take her statement."

Before they could answer Sara joined them.

Sara didn't dare look at Grissom for fear she wouldn't be able to retain her composure. "You can process any physical evidence of Molly. I do not believe she was assaulted in any way. If you must do a SARS kit, I will do it. I do not care how you must write it up, but no one touches her in that manner, do you understand me?"

The two younger CSI's nodded in agreement, it was apparent Sara wasn't going to back down.

Sara continued to address them. "She hasn't spoken since we got to the hospital, so I don't know how much you will get from her." Once finished, she turned and went back into the room and sat on the bed with Molly.

Sara turned and took Molly's small hands in hers. "Molly, in a minute a few of my co-workers are going to come in here and ask you about your Mommy and Daddy. They are going to ask you what you know and if you saw what happened to your Mommy." Molly obviously registered what Sara said as her eyes widened and stayed fixated on Sara's.

"Don't be scared, I will be with you Molly." Sara gently squeezed her hand and Molly again used her eyes to acknowledge what was going on by blinking and nodding her head at Sara.

The two CSI's followed by Brass and Grissom walked into the room. Sara felt Molly stiffen but remained holding her hand tight.

Jim Brass knew how to handle suspects and witnesses, but Sara wasn't sure how he would handle Molly. He was a Father, but in his own words, a dismal one at best. To say Sara was surprised at the interaction was an understatement.

Brass approached Molly and pulled a chair directly in front of her. "Molly, my name is Jim Brass. I'm a friend of Sara and Grissom's and I'm a police officer. I'm going to ask you a few questions, Ok?"

Molly nodded.

"Molly, can you tell me how you wound up with your Dad at his friends house?"

Molly stared blankly.

Jim hesitated a second and then asked another questions. "Halloween just passed; did you get to go out for Halloween?"

Molly shook her head "Yes."

Brass continued. "What were you? Did you dress up? When my daughter was younger she always wanted to be a princess. What about you?"

Molly hesitated but opened her mouth to answer. "I was a butterfly. My Mommy made me the costume. I told her how much I liked them." Her voice trailed off as she spoke her Mothers name out loud.

"Did your Mommy take you trick or treating?"

Molly nodded in agreement.

"When you got back to your house was your Daddy there?"

Molly eyes opened wider and she continued to nod in agreement.

Sara, Grissom and the two CSI's shared a look of admiration for the seasoned detective. He was getting Molly comfortable enough to speak of the horrible night. Neither Sara nor Grissom had remembered the tragic event happened on Halloween.

Brass continued his pursuit of the truth. "Did you talk to your Dad? Did he talk to your Mommy?"

"Daddy...Daddy asked where dinner was. When Mommy told him she hadn't cooked it yet he got mad, really mad. When they started yelling Mommy told me to go to the closet." Molly was looking down at her hands, unable to look at anyone.

Brass knew it was now or never. "Molly, what else did you see?"

When Molly looked up her eyes welled up with tears. "No. No... No..." She pulled her hands away from Brass. She turned to Sara and buried her face on Sara's shoulder. "No Sara, don't make me tell them. I can't. "

Sara looked deep into Molly's eyes. "Molly, you need to listen to me. You have to tell them what happened. Not because we need to know what happened, because we already know that. You need to get it out. You cannot keep this locked inside of you. Trust me it will eat away at you until you are ready to explode." Sara continued, this time her voice sounded less shaky, "Can you do that for me Molly?"

Molly turned back to Jim. For about a minute she didn't speak, and then when she started, she said it all.

"Daddy was mad at Mommy about dinner. I went to the closet and held my dolly. I heard Mommy scream."

"No Rich, please no. I will have dinner ready soon." By the look in his eyes she knew he was mad and no steak dinner would calm him. She was ready to take what he had, as long as Molly was ok.


"Did you hear me Bitch? I want my dinner now." He walked over and picked up a baseball bat. He kept it near so that Miranda knew he meant business. He hadn't used it since before she sent him to jail, but she needed to be taught a lesson.

She turned her back at the first blow; it knocked her nearly over the dining room table.

"Please Rich, let me get dinner ready."

When Miranda turned back again to retrieve the food from the cabinet, she was met with another blow, and another.

"It's too late, I'm not hungry. Do you see what you make me do?"

Another hit, this time across the face. Her tooth flew across the room.

Miranda's screams caused Molly to open the door.

"No Daddy don't do hurt Mommy. Let me help her, I can make you dinner," Molly pleaded with her father desperately.

Molly trying to help her Mother only proved to add more fuel and Rich became even more infuriated. "Molly, you don't want to help your Mother. Don't be like her."

Smack, he hit Miranda again across the face. This blow throwing her down on the ground.

"No Daddy, NO." Molly moved in front of her Mother.

"If you want to be like her..." Rich approached Molly and lifted his hand to strike her.

Miranda was now enraged. She got up and picked Molly up shielding her from his blows.

It only took one more blow, a square shot in the head. Miranda went limp over Molly. After what seemed like forever, Rich pulled Molly away from her Mother and the two fled out the door.

Molly was shaking and turned to Sara, "I couldn't stop him. I tried, I really did. Will you tell Mommy I'm sorry?"

Sara turned towards Brass and the two CSI's, "That is enough, and we are done here." Sara turned towards the group, "Can you give us a few minutes?"

Grissom watched as they exited the room, his eyes meeting with each of them as they departed giving them his approval. When Brass walked through Grissom shook his hand. It took someone of his caliber to have pulled of what he did. Brass handled them all, the toughest hardened criminals and the most vulnerable victims.

He walked over to Molly and Sara and pulled them both in for a hug. Molly looked up and held both Sara and Grissom's hands. "Come on, let's go home."

Molly sniffled and stated the obvious. "I don't have a home." She looked down.

Sara and Grissom exchanged looks.

Grissom spoke without hesitation. "Of course you do, with us."

Sara looked at him again, "Griss, I only have 1 bedroom in my house, and my couch is uncomfortable."

"Sara, my place has 2 bedrooms, one for Molly, and one for US."

"We need to talk about this Griss." Sara wanted to be happy, but didn't want the situation to drive their relationship.

"Sara, we are tired, let's just go to my place. I'm not asking you for the world, just tonight. Molly needs us. When you are ready, the rest is up for discussion."

Grissom stole a look between Sara and Molly before continuing, "Besides, we will have to bring Molly to family court by Monday. That woman from the Division of Child Services was already talking about putting Molly up in Foster Care until they find any family."

She smiled and looked at Molly and then Grissom. "OK, let's go home."

"I'm going to drop you and Molly off. I need to head back to work for an hour."

Sara looked at him inquisitively, "Why?"

Grissom's face said it all, but he clarified it anyway. "I need to have a discussion with a man over the treatment of women and children."

TBC