A/N: So sometimes in life horrible and unexplainable things happen. One of the babies has had some trouble and things were a little touch and go. This coupled with a hectic work schedule has left little time for frivolity hence the radio silence. (He is a fighter though and things look good for the future.)

Ooh Happy New Year!

Sara sat staring into the plastic cup Catherine had handed her moments earlier. The tepid water only tasted marginally better that the stale taste of vomit in her mouth. Catherine and Casey stood a little way off as Sara told the officers all the details she knew about the girl in ICU. Her tone was flat and low making it difficult for Catherine and Casey to hear her exact words until one of the officers thanked her.

"Thank you ma'am, let us know when you've made that call," said one of the pair as they walked back down the hall to return to their post outside the ward.

"I'll call now, okay." Sara called out after the two young officers. They turned and nodded giving her a sympathetic look. Sara cast her eyes to the floor not quite knowing what to do with herself next. She sipped from the cup again and wondered where Catherine had managed to find the foulest water she had ever tasted.

Catherine's feet entered her field of vision and Sara tried to gauge her mood from her shifting feet, aware that the usually vocal older woman had said very little since she had bolted from ICU.

The worried pair stood over Sara, making her feel obliged to say something. Eventually Sara cleared her throat knowing she had to at least attempt to offer an explanation for not only her behaviour but for how she knew the victim. She took a deep breath as if beginning to say something and then thinking better of it just shook her head and looked down at the cup once again. The mundane object providing a brief moment of escape. Tiny revelations now would blow her privacy out of the water.

"Are you 'Sid'?"

Catherine's words broke the silence and reverberated along the sparsely furnished hospital corridor. Casey smirked at Catherine but as she was fixed on Sara neither of them noticed. Sara looked up at Catherine, thrown of balance, confused more by the manner of asking than the actual question itself.

"Huh?"

"Are you Sid?" Catherine reiterated. "The tattoo 'Rosie hearts Sid'…"

"What? God no. No." Sara was definite with her answer. "What makes you say that?"

"Sid, Sidle. I wondered I thought perhaps you were Sid." Still the hint of questioning in her voice or perhaps

"No" Sara chuckled to herself at the absurdity of that thought. "Sid stands for Sidney not Sidle, definitely not Sidle."

"Oh."

"I have never, as far as I know, been tattooed on anyone"

Catherine, Sara noted, seemed to relax at this, but an awkward silence ensued.

Casey finally spoke up. "Sweetie, you okay?"

Sara looked up at him wearily and smiled weakly. "I'm fine. Just the shock of…"

Cut off by the screeching sound of Casey's pager Sara almost jumped out of her skin. It rang out with urgency and Casey looked imploringly at Sara

Sara simply said "go."

"It's urgent."

"I know. Go."

"I'm sorry." Casey bolted off down the corridor.

"There goes the cavalry." Sara mused after Casey.

Catherine looked at Sara. "I'll finish where the cavalry left mid sentence. Are you okay?"

"It's different when you know them." She said simply. Feeling scrutinised Sara stood and began to pace the hall.

"How do you know her?"

"She's a friend of an ex. We used to be good friends but when Sid and I split well, I got the best of 1989 CD and Sid got Rosie." Sensing Catherine needed more she continued, "Her name is Rosie Winter. She is a PhD student at UNLV. I used to hang with Rosie before Sidney before Sid moved down to Vegas a few months ago. Sidney is… well we were at college together. We parted amicably enough but not enough to hang out together. The tattoo is new though…." Sara trailed off trying to put all the pieces together in her head. Feeling she'd said enough to be getting on with she started down the corridor to be out of earshot. "Listen I have to call Sidney."

"Sure. Do you know what you are going to say to him?" Catherine asked half following the brunette down the corridor.

Sara grimaced, looked at Catherine, shrugged and carried on walking away down the corridor.

Sara steadied herself with her hand against the wall as she spoke to Sidney. Another wave of nausea threatened to overtake her. Her heroic attempts not to cry or be sick were almost thwarted by the sound of Sidney's distress. As she finished her call she glared at her cell as if all blame could be laid with it. Catherine walked up to offer comfort but Sara looked off into the middle distance as her co-worker approached. In her peripheral vision she could see Catherine pull a face. Sara felt badly, knowing it would upset Catherine to be shut out, but she felt her mental state could not cope with exposition and analysis at this point. Needing to escape she blurted out, "I need to freshen up I look like shit."

"You don't look like shit."

"Okay, I need to feel less like I look like shit."

Catherine just nodded.

Without pausing Sara added, "I'm thinking I hit the gift shop and purchase myself overpriced toothpaste and mouthwash. I think if I can kick this vomit breath I will be at least part of the way there to feeling presentable. Maybe I'll buy gum. Want anything?"

"No you knock yourself out, I'm good. The vending machine down the hall has all the m&ms I need." Sara smiled briefly. "I need to finish collecting evidence from the vic…"Catherine stopped short. "I'm sorry Rosie."

"Ok I'll be back in ten." As Sara turned to seek out the gift shop she added an after thought. "Sid'll be here in twenty."

True to her word, Sara was back pacing the corridor barely ten minutes after she left. Catherine chatted nonchalantly on the phone as she wandered over.

"Okay I'll let you know," Catherine finished as she snapped her phone shut. "Feeling any better?" she asked the brunette."

"Well maybe not better, but certainly minty-er. Sara flashed a half smile. "I managed to divest myself of the vomit breath."

"And I got rid of the smell." Sara looked at Catherine confused. "I got them to empty the bins." Catherine winked and indicated towards the bin where Sara had emptied her guts half an hour or so earlier. Sara resumed her embarrassed look. "Don't be embarrassed at least you made it to the bin. Lindsey seems to manage to get it everywhere but."

"Don't tell anyone." Sara blurted.

"That you puked?"

Sara shook her head. "No," she drew a breath, "that I am so closely linked. I want to help."

"Sara, no way. You are not working this case. Conflict of interest much. You cannot work this case. I'll get one of the boys to help out." Sara looked at Catherine imploringly. "No way Sara any judge will throw our evidence right out of court if they know you know the vic. I will keep you in the loop but you have to be strictly hands off."

"I don't want the boys pawing all over my friend's lives"

"You mean your life." Catherine clarified.

Sara nodded weakly and Catherine nodded back in sympathy.

"So tell me about her."

"Bright girl. We were at college together. In fact she introduced me to Sidney. We used to live in each other's pockets back then. Anyway Rosie came down here to live with her Grandma," Sara looked at Catherine and simply said "Alzheimer's" by way of an explanation and continued. "She stayed on after her Grandma died. Sid moved down a few months back. I guess now I know why. She's teaching physics at UNLV."

"She?" Catherine said as though she'd misheard.

"She what?" Sara cocked her head to the side in confusion. Her expression changed to one of disquiet as she caught sight of Sidney over Catherine's shoulder. As Catherine looked up behind her she caught sight of a tall leggy blond almost running down the hall towards Sara. Catherine half turned to Sara and raised an eyebrow. Sara caught Sid's head in her hand as they collided, she pulled Sidney to her and Sidney sobbed into Sara's chest.