Disclaimer: The only things I own are the plot and the original characters. Everything else belongs to CBS…yes, even Greg.
Pairing: Sandle
Song: All That I Am, Rob Thomas. Don't own that, either. Just borrowing.
Rating: T
Everything happened so quickly. Too quickly. The motions seemed like a blur, until Slater's warm blood sprayed her in the face, and she saw Greg fall to the ground, stunned and bleeding.
I am the one winged bird for flying
Sinking quickly to the ground
Time seemed to pause, and then go forward in a blur of slow motion, with each moment more painstaking than the last. She strained against the bonds holding her arms to the arms of the wheelchair, scraping the skin from her wrists, but she didn't feel the pain that followed. Screaming into the cloth that gagged her, she began sobbing as she watched Greg collapse to the floor. Grissom's dead, not Greg too…she thought, screaminghysterically.
One of the faceless FBI agents was at her side in a moment, loosening the ropes and pulling the gag away. She lurched forward and stumbled to her knees on the rough carpet, kneeling next to him. She heard someone screaming into their radio for the paramedics.
She took his face in her hands, willing him to open his eyes. "Greg!" she sobbed, but received no response. She pulled him to her, cradling his head against her chest.
I am the sound of love's arriving, echoed softly on the sand
Lay your head upon my shoulder, lay your hand within my hand
I give you all that I am
Nick knelt beside her, ripping Greg's shirt open, trying to staunch the flow of blood. More capable hands quickly pushed the two of them aside, as the paramedics who had been waiting downstairs finally arrived. She clenched Greg's unresponsive hand between both of her own, barely able to see his face through her tears.
And I breathe where you breathe
Let me stand where you stand
With all that I am
Voices floated around her, weirdly disembodied and faintly muffled. "Compression on the axillary artery…"
I am the white dove for a soldier
Ever marching as to war
"BP and stats are dropping…"
I would give my life to save you
I stand guarding at your door
I give you all that I am
"Clamp the axillary…do it now…he going to bleed out."
I am the one winged bird for flying
Sinking quickly to the ground
"I don't have a pulse…shit...V-Tach...charging…"
And I breathe so you breathe
Let me stand so you'll stand
With all that I am
One of the paramedics pulled her away from Greg roughly, but not unkindly.
"Clear…"
Nick sat for a moment, staring in shock at his hands, covered in his friends blood. Looking up slowly, he saw Sara sobbing hysterically, and was at her side in an instant. He enveloped her in his arms and held her as she cried uncontrollably into his shoulder, unable to watch as the paramedics shocked Greg in an attempt to restart his heart. For an endless moment they comforted each other through tears, fearing his death was near, not wanting to believe it, but not daring to hope for anything else…
"Clear…"
Another jolt of electricity surged through Greg, making his body go rigid for a moment, arching back, and then falling limply and unceremoniously back to the ground.
"We got it…sinus rhythm...Let's get him in the bus now…on three…one…two…three…" The medics hoisted Greg up onto a stretcher and wheeled him quickly out of the room. Their voices slowly faded down the hall, and the events of the past few minutes could have been the figments of their imaginations, save for the pool of blood where Greg had laid moments earlier ,and Slater's still form, eyes frozen wide open in death.
Save for the faint sobs that escaped Sara, the room was quiet, stunned into silence.
Agent Brady was the first to move. Taking a blanket from the hotel bed, he knelt next to Sara and gently placed it around her shaking shoulders. "We should get her to the hospital and get her checked out," Brady said quietly to Nick, who nodded and began helping her to her feet. With Brady on one side and Nick on the other, they slowly made their way out of the room.
Some of the guests, hearing the shouts and the shots, were curiously looking out of their room doors. Brady motioned them back with his badge, shouting, "FBI! Get back to your rooms, now!" Taking the elevator down to the ground level, they found LVPD S.W.A.T. backup on the way up. One of the cops approached Brady and identified himself as the sergeant in charge. "What's our situation up there?"
"Suspect is dead," Brady said, continuing out of the lobby, "secure the perimeter andcontact the ME and Crime Lab."
"You got it."
The two men helped her into the black SUV and began the drive to the hospital. Sara's tears had dried, and she was impassively staring out the window, watching the dawning sun break over the skyline with unseeing eyes. This can't be happening. She felt as if every ounce of hope had been drained from her body.
Nick's phone rang. "Hello? Yeah, Sara's fine…" He lowered his voice. "Greg…he got shot. It looked bad…meet us as the hospital, Griss." He snapped his cell phone shut and slid it in his pocket. He glanced at Sara and saw her looking at him in shock.
"What?" he asked self-consciously.
She just stared at him for a moment. "Nick…Grissom is dead. I saw it on the news. Greg…Greg…" she couldn't get out the words. Greg shot him. Greg killed him.
Nick's eyes widened in shock and realization. "Sara…oh my God! Nobody told you?"
"Told me what?" she snapped, very upset and very, very confused.
"Sara, it was all a set up. Grissom's very much alive. We had to make it look like Greg had killed Grissom to give us a little more time to find you. None of it was real."
"You're lying," Sara said bitterly, tears stinging her eyes once again. "I saw him. Dead."
Nick leaned toward her and looked into her eyes earnestly. "Sara, I've never lied to you before, and I'm not lying now."
She saw the truth reflected in his eyes. The tears came once again, but this time they were tears of relief. Nick slipped his jacket off, slid it around her shoulders, and held her close.
Screeching to a halt in front of the ambulance bay, the paramedics wasted no time in getting Greg from the ambulance, quickly flinging the bus door open and unloading the stretcher.
"Grissom!" Sara, unmindful of the nurse's objections, slid off of the edge of the hospital bed as she spotted her supervisor in the doorway. She limped over to meet him and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're here. I thought you were dead…"
"I'm here, safe and sound, and so are you, thanks to Greg. Agent Brady tells me that he saved your life," Grissom said, giving Sara his shoulder to balance herself.
She nodded. "I'm positive of that. I've never seen him like that, Griss. He was…"
"He was protecting someone he loves very much," Grissom finished for her.
Her lips trembled. "I'm praying that it hasn't been at the cost of his own life. Do you think…maybe it'll help? Prayer, I mean?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly.
Grissom cocked his head to one side with a slight smile on his face. "You never know. I think it might."
"Hypervolemic from a shoulder wound; the bullet ruptured the left subclavian axilla. We couldn't palp a BP, he's hypotensive, and his pulse is weak and thready. We intubated, applied pressure, and started a liter of saline," one of the paramedics recited to the ER doctor. "He crashed in the field and then once again on the bus, we got him back with the defib."
"BP's 60 palp," a nurse said quickly, "I'm putting in another liter of saline. Pulse up to 80."
Dr. Bryan looked down at Greg as he was wheeled into the ER. "I know this guy. I treated him for emergency head trauma about a week ago." The surgeon turned to one of the nurses. "Pull the medical file for a Greg Sanders. Do it quickly," he said urgently. He turned to an orderly. "We need to get his hemoglobin concentration up, now. Find out his blood type and get me 10 units, just to be on the safe side. He's lost a lot of blood."
"You're here for Greg Sanders, aren't you?" Bryan addressed the three completely exhausted CSIs who were sitting disconsolately in the waiting room more than a few hours later.
"Is he ok? Please tell me he's alive," Sara said desperately.
Dr. Bryan nodded. "He's out of surgery. I repaired the penetrating trauma to the axillary artery with a saphenous vein graft. The axilla vein was also damaged, so I transected and grafted it as well. He was hypotensive throughout the surgery, but we finally got his BP stabilized with aggressive red blood cell transfusions. He's one lucky guy. The paramedics responded quickly enough to keep him from bleeding out, got him here in time, the surgery went without a hitch, and his recovery should be speedy."
Sara nearly collapsed from relief, glad that she had the support of two strong friends beside her.
"So…he's going to be ok?" Nick asked, almost unable to believe the incredible news.
"Barring any complications from the surgery, yes." Bryan nodded. "Like I said…one lucky guy."
"Thanks for the good news, doc." Nick clapped the surgeon on the shoulder. "When can we see him?"
"You can go in now, but it should be a few hours before he wakes up. I suggest you go home and get some rest. You all look exhausted." Bryan turned to leave, but stopped and swiveled around at the doorway. "Oh, and…this is the second time I've seen Mr. Sanders in less than a week. Could you guys try, in the future, to keep him out of here? I don't want to see him….In fact, I'd rather not see any of you in here again."
Nick chuckled. "You got it, Doc."
The plush chair next to Greg's bed was more than comfortable enough for Sara, and she'd fallen asleep sitting in it, getting some well earned rest. She was awoken around noon by the door opening.
"Hey, sleepyhead!" Nick said cheerily. "Brought you some coffee. And a bagel. Thought you could use something to eat."
"Thanks, Nick," she said sleepily as he set the bag and Styrofoam coffee cup on the bedside table.
"He still out, huh?"
"He hasn't woken up yet," she said, looking down at Greg's peacefully resting face, noticing with fondness how cute he was with wavy and tousled hair, a departure from his normally spiky 'do.
"Well, Sara, I've gotta return some calls. Be back soon. You sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured him. "You do whatever you need to, ok?"
Picking up the coffee, she settled even further down into the chair's depths, surveying the private room as she sipped the hot beverage. Picking up the remote control for the television mounted in the corner, she turned on the television in time for the local noon newscast.
"…we reported earlier that CSI graveyard shift supervisor Gil Grissom was murdered by CSI Greg Sanders, but we are now being told by the FBI that that is not the case. Apparently, it was all an elaborate ploy to catch escaped felon Tobias Slater. We've learned from the FBI that Slater had a personal vendetta against Gil Grissom. Slater kidnapped CSI Sara Sidle and contacted Sanders, threatening to kill CSI Sidle unless Sanders would kill Grissom. Sanders went to the FBI with this information, and they staged Supervisor Grissom's death in order to give themselves more time to hunt down Slater. CSI Sanders emerged as un unlikely hero when he tracked down the escapee, engaging in a shootout with him. During the shootout, Slater was killed and Sanders was critically wounded. He's now in Desert Palms, and his condition is now listed as stable. The FBI and LV Crime Lab are hailing him as a hero, saying that without a doubt, his quick actions and steady nerves saved the life of Ms. Sidle."
"So…I'm a hero, huh?" Greg's voice, heavy and groggy from drugs, pain, and exhaustion, made Sara's heart leap as she turned to him.
"Greg!" she exclaimed softly, gripping his hand gently. "You're awake! How are you feeling?"
"I…" his voice gave out. He cleared his throat and continued. "I'm not feeling much of anything. A little sore. My arm hurts."
"You got shot in the shoulder, messed up an artery. But the doctor says you're going to be fine, Greg. God…" she said, her voice catching, "I was so scared for a while there. I'm so glad you're awake," she said, gripping his hand harder. He squeezed back.
"You scared me too, ya know," he said.
"I know. Believe me, I wish this whole thing had never happened." She leaned forward and gently kissed his forehead as he suppressed a yawn. She bent further down and laid her lips on top of his for a kiss, savoring the sweetness for a moment. Then she leaned back and looked at him fondly with that familiar crooked half smile that he loved so much.
"What?" he asked. "What's going through that pretty head of yours, Sara Sidle?"
She opened her mouth, shut it, and then finally spoke. "I was just going to say…thanks."
His brow furrowed. "Thanks for what?"
"For…I don't know…for saving my life, for sticking with me no matter what. If I ever seem like I don't appreciatethat from youin the future…I do. You don't know how much, Greg. I'm just not used to having someone who's willing to go to any lengths for me…it's a new experience, and sometimes I'm just not sure how to handle it."
"Hey," Greg interrupted, holding up a hand on the uninjured side. "It's ok, Sara. I understand. We'll figure it out together. I love you, and I'll always be there for you. You can count on that," he said simply. Then he grinned widely. "I'd go to the ends of the earth and back for you, babe," he said, cheesily paraphrasing Garth Brooks.
She couldn't contain her amusement, and burst out laughing. He smiled, watching her and sending up a silent prayer of thanks for such an amazing woman.
Her laughter died slowly, and she let down the bed rail, leaning forward and resting her head gently on his chest with a contented smile. "I love you too, Greg Sanders."
FINIS
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A/N: I sincerely hope that this story provided enjoyment for all of its readers. Thanks to all of you for sticking with it, regardless of the many cliffhangers thrown your way! Your reviews were kind and inspiring, and I appreciated every one of them more than you know. I may do a sequel if there is enough interest…this little bunny has been hopping around for a while. Once again…thanks!
Lalenna: Yes, I will probably do a sequel b/c I already have a great plot idea. Thanks for your faithful reviews and I hope this chapter and conclusion was up to snuff!
AmberKyep: Thank you for the compliment, and I'm so glad you have enjoyed the story so far!
Surfredia: Yay! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for all your help with that plot bunny, the story is that much better for your help and reviews!
kegel: Ok, ok...I helped Greg. I couldn't kill him...I'm sure I would have been hated forever by many Greggo fans! Lol!
luminoso estrella: Yes, he's been through a lot but I couldn't resist putting him through just a little more. I just didn't think it would be that realistic to have everyone but the baddie escape unscathed. He's fine now though, I promise!
lins: Thank you! I'm really glad you've liked the story. Thanks for the comments:-)
sciencenerd: Now you know how it ends! Hope you liked it. And yeah, I'm fairly sure I'll be writing a sequel in the near future. If there is enough interest.
toxicat: Yes, yes, he turns out fine. I get too upset when other fics kill Greg...I could never do it!
NothingButSarah: I'm glad you enjoyed the shoutouts, I've enjoyed getting your reviews:-D
LocoGreggo: No, he's not dead. I couldn't kill Greg. Not ever!
Jenn Sidle: It's finally done! I hope you liked the ending...it took me a bit longer to write because I didnt want it to be trite or not thought out.
Unlikely-to-bear-it: FINALLY! I can have some hot fudge! YES!
DracoHermyarecute: I love HP! Can't wait for the new book. I'm glad you've been enjoying the story. Thanks for your review.
mellowyellow36: Any saying that means "hot stuff" is definitely applicable to Greg. I hope you enjoyed this chappy as much as the last!
