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LOST AND FOUND

CHAPTER THREE

DisclaimerI do not own CSI or the CSI characters, sadly.

Sara was heading over to the hospital to see Rachel and collect any evidence the girl had, as well as photograph her injuries. At the lab, Grissom called Catherine to bring Lindsey in for questioning. Rachel didn't open up much to anyone so they weren't sure what they'd accomplish with her.

Sara approached Rachel's room. There was a nurse in the room, cleaning Rachel's cuts. She stopped when she saw Sara and came over.

"You must be the CSI," the nurse said kindly. "The poor girl's pretty banged up. I needed to clean her injuries up quickly, she wouldn't stop bleeding." Sara frowned as the nurse continued; "I sent a blood sample for testing but I am pretty sure she has hemophilia or something like it. You don't see bruises that bad in football players," the nurse pointed to the girl's arm. Sara did a double take; she couldn't believe what she saw.

"Hemophilia is extremely rare in girls, isn't it?" Asked Sara.

"It happens." The nurse replied. Sara nodded.

"When do you expect the test to come back?" Sara asked, curiously.

"Tomorrow morning, I can contact you then, if that's alright." The nurse replied, and escorted Sara inside. "I put her things in there for you…" she said, indicating a yellowed envelope sitting on the table. The nurse continued to clean up Rachel and treated her abrasions with a greenish antibiotic. "She should be waking up anytime, Miss Sidle, so don't worry if she comes to." Sara nodded, and the nurse left the room.

Catherine walked down the hall of the crime lab, holding on to Lindsey protectively. She stopped at the interrogation room, where an officer escorted Lindsey to a seat behind a table that made her look much smaller and scared. Catherine continued to take her own seat behind the glass as Nick walked into the interrogation room and sat down.

"Lindsey…" Nick started, making sure she was listening… "I need you to tell me if Rachel ever said anything about her parents hurting her… maybe… if she ever told you about San Francisco, or about running away from home…?" Lindsey stared at him for a second before glancing to where she knew her mom sat watching behind the two-way glass.

"That's all she ever talks about…" She replied. Nick was taken aback; they finally found someone Rachel had confided in.

Back at the hospital, Sara was taking pictures of Rachel's bruised wrists. The injuries were actually something Sara had grown accustomed to seeing; her father had had the same disease the nurse expected Rachel of having. The bruises were a very dark purple, and in some places, Sara could actually make out where George's fingers grasped his daughter too tightly. There was also a deep gash in Rachel's forearm, which was obviously not self-inflicted judging from the awkward angle it was at. Sara suddenly noticed Rachel's eyes fluttering. She was waking up.

Catherine was stunned. For three hours every Friday, she assumed Lindsey and Rachel were discussing science and theories. The girl was a great teacher; Lindsey's mark skyrocketed since Rachel started helping her. She had no idea the girl had trusted her daughter so deeply. Rachel seemed like a normal kid, but normal kids can always act like nothing is wrong if they have a diversion.

"She told me everything because she knew I could help," Lindsey glanced in her mother's direction, " …and nobody else would believe her... But I did... She told me everything… because we're alike and she knew I'd understand." Lindsey said very convincingly.

"Now tell me what she told you." Nick said. Lindsey looked apprehensive. "Tell me everything she told you from the beginning, and I promise I'll believe you." Nick said. With another glance of 'here it goes' to Catherine, Lindsey took a deep breath and tried to remember every little detail before she began.

"Rachel told me that when she was very young, Pauline and George Weiss were her neighbours." Lindsey said slowly, looking beyond Nick, avoiding directness; "then something bad happened and they kidnapped her and they moved to San Francisco, and then to Las Vegas. She said that no matter who believes her, she can prove it." Lindsey said. That was it. Catherine's mouth dropped open in shock. Nick expected more, but when none came he asked;

"Something bad happened? What was that?"

"She never told me exactly," Lindsey replied.

"And did she tell you how she could prove she was kidnapped?" Nick asked. Lindsey shook her head.

"That's all she told me." Lindsey said. Realizing her mother's presence, she continued: "But of course Rachel taught me and helped me with my homework… sometimes we would just get to talking about ourselves…" she said.

"What did you tell her about yourself?" Nick asked.

"I don't know… wait…" Lindsey interrupted when Nick opened his mouth to say something. "I need to talk to Catherine first. I need to tell my mom…" Lindsey panicked. She stood up, and pleadingly looked in her mother's direction.

Rachel sat up. She looked energetic considering her physical and emotional state. Sara pulled up a chair.

"Hi Rachel…" she said, smiling, "I'm Sara Sidle. I'm with the Crime Lab." Sara told her. Rachel looked at her, analysing what she just heard.

"You're who?" She asked.

"Sara Sidle." Sara said, wondering why she had to repeat herself.

"Crime Lab?" Rachel wondered out loud,

"Yeah," Sara said, slightly confused. "I needed to photo-document your injuries for evidence," she continued as Rachel listened carefully. Suddenly, the girl realized where she was. She examined her arms.

"Did you get him?" Asked Rachel, indicating her father. Sara nodded.

"He's in police custody facing charges for breaching orders of restraint, as well as abduction, since you are in custody of your mother at this point," Sara explained. Rachel nodded in agreement. She frowned.

"How did it stop?" She whispered. Sara wondered what she was talking about. "Bleeding, I mean…" Rachel said, indicating the gash in her arm.

"I'm not the nurse," Sara said, examining the injury. "You have hemophilia don't you?" Sara asked. The girl nodded. Sara smiled, "My dad had that. It's nasty isn't it?" Rachel grinned.

"It's type A. Mild to moderate…I deal." Rachel said, "My dad had it too." She replied, a bit sad. Like her dad was gone, thought Sara. He was, in a way, gone from her life, maybe trying to steal her back only to be ordered away by the law. They sat in silence, a pleasant silence shared.

Catherine was sitting in the interrogation room across from her daughter. Nick had moved to her spot behind the glass and Grissom ducked in to listen to Lindsey's burden.

Catherine anticipated a huge confession. She sat there in front of Lindsey and tried to feel supportive. Lindsey was searching for words.

"Lindsey, if it's important that we know something, you need to tell us." Catherine said, almost in a tone of annoyance, so Lindsey would understand the importance of her role in figuring out exactly what happened to Rachel, past and present.

"It's important, but I don't know how…" Lindsey said. Something big was eating at her. She decided to just throw it out cold. "Mom, we were just talking one day, and I don't know why… or how… but I told her…" Lindsey winced when her mother sighed in annoyance. Catherine leaned in, wanting to know more. "I told her… I told Rachel that my dad was killed by a drug dealer, and then she started telling me about what happened to her. Her… mommy, her dad was murdered too…a really long time ago… when she was three or four… " Lindsey said quietly, waiting for her mother to explode.

"And you just feel fine about telling absolutely anybody how your father was killed when even I don't know the truth? Lindsey…" Catherine looked beyond mad. Struggling to continue with anything understandable, she stood up and started to walk away.

"Mom, it's not like that… she is the only one I ever told. I can trust her, and she trusted me enough to tell me about what happened." Lindsey swallowed hard, on the verge of tears, begging her mother's forgiveness. Catherine stopped and turned around. Her lips were pressed together in speechless anger. "Mom!" Lindsey pleaded. Catherine walked out the door without another word. "NO WONDER I TALK TO ANYONE BUT YOU, MOM!" Lindsey shrieked as her mom walked briskly away. Lindsey headed for the door, but stopped. "YOU NEVER GAVE A DAMN!" She yelled at her mom, and ran out of the crime lab, sobbing. Grissom hurried out of the observation room, and went to find Catherine. Nick ran after Lindsey. They couldn't lose her.

"Catherine!" Grissom shouted in her direction. Catherine gave up and stopped. Trying hard not to cry, she screamed a 'what!' back. She didn't know why she was angry. Grissom put an arm around her.

"We don't find out people's secrets by accusing them of wrongdoing…" he told her. "We need to find out what else Lindsey knows, Catherine, and telling her that she is responsible for the well-being of her friend is unreasonable… she had nothing to do with Rachel's disappearance."

"I know…" Catherine sobbed. Angry tears escaped her eyes, and she stopped trying to regain herself. "I cannot have a conversation with my own daughter, because we fight constantly…" she paused. "We argue constantly because neither of us can admit we are wrong. She is so much like me it's sometimes… it's sometimes like I am arguing with myself," Catherine sat down on a bench, while Grissom continued to listen. "I'm not even a real mother to her. Just someone she can argue with." Catherine said silently, still crying. Grissom hugged her, and decided to say nothing although he could think of a million things to say.