Catherine Willows sat in a hard, uncomfortable plastic chair. Warrick stood against the opposite wall, his scowl almost a permanent expression since the car ride to the ER. He absently glared at the doors concealing their colleague. Every once in a while he mumbled a curse or breathed hard through his nostrils. He hated waiting for news of any kind, but when it pertained to the well being of a good friend, it just made him even more irritable. He wanted to hit something, preferably the man who had done this.
Warrick's dark musing was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps. Gil Grissom approached his CSI's, Sara Sidle close on his heels.
Catherine rose out of her chair, as if standing to attention. She searched her supervisor's face for accusation... for any signs of her culpability. Gil looked back at her, his reading glasses reflecting the harsh light of the hallway. Grissom appeared years older than he was, an unnatural weariness in his movements.
"What happened, Catherine?"
The lead CSI on the case almost wilted under such a simple question. She returned her boss's even look, and managed to keep her voice steady. "I don't know, Gil. We were each processing sections of the scene. We heard an officer down call from Jim, and when we entered the physical therapy room, we found Brass giving Nicky CPR."
Sara was listening intently, glancing every once in a while at the same doors that held Warrick's intense gaze. "We heard that this was a near drowning?"
Warrick crossed his arms in front of him, his eyes blazing. "Nothin' near about it. Someone beat the hell out of him and held his head in the whirlpool. We don't know all the details yet."
Catherine interrupted. "Considering all the blood on his head, he was probably hit numerous times. Hopefully he saw his attacker and can ID him." Catherine's voice held a tight edge to it.
Sara looked at the other woman. "We should get a guard here. The suspect will find out that he didn't accomplish the deed."
"What we need to do is process the scene. Get some evidence to nail this bastard," Catherine growled.
Grissom shook his head. "No, Sara and I will go back to the scene. You two are too close to this."
"No way Gil," Catherine scowled, stepping closer to him.
"Hell no," Warrick replied, stepping next to Catherine.
Both CSI's were creating a united front. Catherine felt her the anger she had been holding in welling up inside her. She needed an outlet, and unfortunately for Grissom, he presented a perfect opportunity. "You and Sara are already on a high profile case. This is my responsibly. I was lead on this and I'm sure as hell not turning this over to you."
Warrick looked at his boss fiercely. "We're all part of the same unit, Grissom. Catherine and I can handle this. We can stay objective..."
"Calm down everyone." Grissom held out his hands, trying tosettle them.
All four criminalists were so busy debating protocol and emotional attachments that they didn't hear the approach of one of the emergency room doctors. An older woman with short blonde hair cleared her throat in an attempt to get their attention.
"Excuse me."
All of them turned to her direction, each face a mirror of the other.
"I'm Doctor Price, I'm the one in charge of Mr. Stokes' care."
"How is he?" Warrick asked first, beating everyone else to the punch.
The doctor meet the intense gazes of the four criminalists. "He didn't suffer any life threatening injuries. He sustained a concussion, several scalp lacerations, one cracked rib, bruised kidneys, and a first degree shoulder separation." The doctor paused, sensing a large amount of tension being released in the room. "Mr. Stokes aspirated a lot of water, so he's on a high does of antibiotics. He's at high risk for pneumonia, especially with being drowned in a heated, chemically treated, whirlpool."
"How long does he have to stay?" Warrick asked still worried about his friend's condition.
The doctor did not want to sugar coat things, she knew these people were scientists. "I'm going to keep him for atleast two days. He had to be resuscitated, so we're going to monitor him for any long term effects. I'm still waiting on tests from his head injury, I'm worried about possible intercranial swelling. He doesn't have a skull fracture, and that is very good news."
Catherine felt a giant weight lift off her shoulders.
Grissom, keeping in mind the job that needed to be done, asked a few more nagging questions. "What kind of tests? We need to... we need to examine him for evidence from this attack." Grissom gazed warily at Warrick, but the man didn't bristle and meet his stare.
"I understand. If you need to document this crime, you can go ahead. As far as the tests, we'll conduct electrocardiographic monitoring. We need to take a chest radiograph, blood gas, electrolyte analysis, and a complete blood count. We're also going to get CAT scans of his head to ensure there're no blood clots forming from the head wounds, as well as constantly monitoring the intercranial pressure.
Doctor Price saw a sense of alarm radiating from the four people in front of her. "I don't anticipate that we'll find any long-term problems, and these are just precautions. What concerns me is, that Mr. Stokes, despite his ordeal, seems to be suffering from advanced fatigue. He'll need to get some rest when he returns home. I'm talking about complete bed rest, guys. I want three or four days."
"He separated his shoulder?" Catherine asked, still trying to imagine the attack and how he could have suffered such an injury.
The doctor nodded. "Yes, it's a first degree separation. There was no separation of the bone; his muscles and ligaments were stretched and he'll be in a sling for a few days, and his pain managed with medication." The sound of a pager went off and the doctor glanced down.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'll be available for any other questions. You can see him, but he's been sedated, and won't be in any shape to answer questions right now."
"Thank you, Doctor," Grissom said.
Warrick picked up the small kit that contained his camera. He looked at Catherine and sighed heavily. This was one aspect of the job that he hated, and it was made that much more difficult considering who it involved. Warrick tried to calm himself, as getting overly emotional wouldn't help the case they needed to build. He'd take a few photos now and come back to interview Nick when woke up, and take more documented pictures. He meet Catherine's eyes and then spied an approaching figure.
"Sonofabitch," he mumbled and then looked over at Sara and Grissom. "Don't look now, guys, but it's the Sheriff."
Grissom's lips twitched; he looked even more miserable than he had before. Warrick felt sorry for his supervisor, but in the end, it wasn't a priority with him at the moment. He followed Catherine to Nick's room, leaving his two coworkers to deal with the inevitable politics.
Gil Grissom squared his shoulders and met the unapproving stare of the
Sheriff. As he stopped in front of the two CSI's, Sara stepped up quietly to
her boss' side. Her silent support didn't go unnoticed, and the air sizzled
with tension before any words were spoken. "CSI Sidle, will you please return to the lab to process the new results that were phoned to me just a few minutes ago." Sheriff Brian Mobley awaited for her to spring into action, but she remained unmoving. Mobley pursed his lips.
Grissom casually looked at Sara. "Why don't you go back to the lab, and then
you can come back and visit Nick later, when he's awake." Gil could feel the protest of his request radiate from her. He adjusted his glasses. "He's in no shape for visitors yet, and he still needs to be interviewed. You heard about all the tests. I'll let him know you'll be coming back later after they're finished, okay?"
Sara mutely nodded and brushed by the Sheriff without a word.
Mobley cast a sideways glance at her rudeness, but turned his attention back to the
graveyard supervisor. "Look, Gil. I know this is a bad time for you, but
your case is breaking wide open, and you two would serve the city better by
returning to it now."
Grissom wasn't surprised by the callousness of the politician; he certainly
wasn't a law enforcement officer in his eyes. He leaned against the wall and
stared at Mobley with the same expression he reserved for suspects. "One of
my CSI's was almost killed tonight."
Mobley frowned, "I know that. I'm sorry Gil. Stokes is a good kid." The
Sheriff took a deep breath. "However, he's all right, isn't he?" Not waiting
for an answer he pressed on. "This case needs your full attention. The
ramifications are earth shattering. I need you and Sidle back on it right
now. Willows and Brown can handle the investigation."
Grissom stood straight, but kept his voice even and blunt. "Nick was
technically killed on duty. He was damned lucky Brass found him when he did.
My CSI's will not continue to be placed in danger because of the staffing
situation this case of yours is causing."
"They won't. I'll add Vega to help out with this gym homicide." Mobley tried
to calm the other man.
"No, I want more of my team on this. I'll oversee both cases." Grissom
extended his pointer finger towards the Sheriff.
"Catherine will remain lead, but I will be involved. You can threaten my job however you feel fit, Brian." Grissom closed his hand and held it in the air, defiantly. "Don't
play your political games with me, when one of my own is lying in the
hospital because of it."
Grissom didn't wait for a retort as he spun on his heel and walked towards
the exit. "I'm going back to the lab, and then over to Gold's gym
afterwards."
Sheriff Mobley stood silently for a few moments, and then quietly followed
the criminalist out the door.
TBC...
Author's notes: I'm really amazed by the response to this story. I don't know what to say, but just a thank you for taking the time to give leave me such lovely and helpful feedback. Its nice to know that there are others out there who have the same kind of taste in certain types of stories. I'm not alone!
On the medical parts: I'll go back and edit the compression mistake. My wonderful beta Kris is also a medical expert who goes over my stuff. I will say from the story on out that I try to stay true to reality as much as I can, but I may stray a bit to fit the storyline.
amarawind, jewelbaby,staresp4cat,lonesomedove,Jess,Mudhousejunkie:
Thanks to all of you for all the nice encouragement. I hope this was a soon enough update. Thanks for reading adn taking the time to say hello. Hope you enjoied this one as well.
Designation:
Thanks for you wonderful comments. You can breathe a bit better for a while ...perhaps.
Groban:
I'm causing more heart problems, I'm sorry! Well not really..but I hope you recovered well enough to contiune. Thanks again, glad I had your mind racing.
PL Wynter:
We shall see if Warrick gets any help. I do love the way Cath and Nick used to work together. They has such chemistry. I'll always keep that kind of interaction in my stuff. Nick will have it a bit roguh for while. Poor lamb.
A.Remains:
You rock! An oscar eh? That really made my day. You're too sweet. I almost feel like the rest of the story won't live up to so many expectations. Only time will tell. Thanks again.
Shacky:
Wow. Thanks. Greg gets a few more important scnes later on I promise. I love those two together. I alos like Brass a lot, he's always there, with that bland, dry humor. He's really a riot...well sort of. Next to Vega he's my favorite detective. Thanks for your comments.
C1:
Hope you did not have to check too many times. You can always count on 2-3 days in between updates. Glad you're enjoying the ride and that this stays intresting. You're the greatest! As I said, Nick is a strong guy, he can take a pounding if, he take care of himself. Hmmm.
Pasta:
Thanks for the medical tip. I'll be sure to edit that later on.
Amy:
Thanks for all the hints. Like I mentioned my wonderful beta Kris is my medical adviosr, but I still drive her cray anyways:-) I hope this chapter covered any questions people might hvae, but I dare warn, I may strench reality just a bit to fit in with my contest. Thanks again!
LiaAmakur :
I have to stop the action somewhere or the chapters would run too long. Hope this update was fast enough. Thanks!
Brady:
Thank you. Coming from you that means a lot. Just read one of your fics that I'm going to leave feedback with. I really do try to keep in character.
johnnygirl51:
Thank you so much. Its nice to see some lurkers come out. I really enjoy freindship stories, I try to keep with the show in that aspect. I also adore Warrick...can you tell. I have two major other stories in the planning stages as well as a few shorts, so yes, there will be more. I hope you enjoy this one and thanks again for taking the time to say hello.
