She was flying.

And then she wasn't.

That was exactly how she remembered it. Trapped in a thick, persistent fog, Sara Sidle battled with her fractured consciousness, trying desperately to make sense of the silence that surrounded her. Hot case. Road Trip. Darkness. Headlights. And then–? She vaguely remembered being tossed through the air but held down at the very same time, trapped, unable to free herself, unable to breathe. In fact, she had been pondering the laws of physics when she tumbled into nothingness. Yes, physics. That was the last thing she remembered. No, wait, Sara moaned to herself, fighting through the haze. The last thing she remembered was the horrifying, split second montage of her entire life as it flashed before her eyes. Then, she only knew darkness.

Feeling very odd, Sara tried to take a deep breath, hoping to take in some good, clean air and rid her body of the carbon dioxide that seemed to be clouding her thoughts. You're working way too much, she told herself. You're tired and you're cranky. Do everyone a favour and get some sleep. She would have contemplated that idea but the thought dissolved the moment she realized that she could barely breathe.

Can't...breathe...?

God, help me, she begged, panicking in the darkness. Her breaths were shallow and she knew it. She just didn't know why. She searched her mind, hoping that everything would just come back to her, hoping that she would remember where she was. Instead, she became increasingly confused and she felt as if she were drifting far, far away, sinking further into her foggy oblivion.

But something pulled her back. Or someone. A loud, familiar voice pierced the haze and Sara suddenly realized that she wasn't alone. "Sara! Can you hear me?" Frozen in her seat and completely unable to answer, Sara listened carefully, trying to focus on the deep, distant voice. There were a thousand emotions in that one gentle voice and Sara's panic instantly subsided, only to be replaced with intense pain. As the voice beckoned to her, she became aware of a sharp ache echoing through her rattled brain, thumping furiously against her skull.

It was all coming back. She was coming back. And it was happening way too fast. The accident. Sara shuddered as her last conscious moments finally became clear, pulling her further into the harsh reality that awaited. Her sharpened memories were sporadic but already, they were both mentally and physically painful. She could now feel how tense her body was and she could feel her heart pumping rapidly in her chest. She had never been in so much pain.

The comforting voice disappeared for a little while and then returned but this time it was much closer to her. Again, Sara realized that she knew that voice, she could feel it. Another wave of pain surged through her small frame and she moaned loudly, gritting her teeth. Then, she felt a warm, soft breath on her cheek and then against her ear. The gentle, encouraging voice talked her through the agony, pulling her out of the darkness and bringing her closer and closer to a hazy but faithful light.

"I'm right here, Sara. Open your eyes for me, honey." Honey? Sara managed another ragged breath. Why did that sound familiar? Why did it spark a strange sense of hope in her heart? Her eyelids fluttered briefly in response but they were too heavy and she let them rest.

"Sara?" She quickly became aware of a warm, tender hand on her forehead and another one on her neck. There was an overwhelming sense of urgency and Sara could feel her body being shifted carefully. The warm, gentle hands worked quickly, rapidly searching, pushing, pulling and pressing. They were inflicting pain but relieving it at the same time and Sara wasn't sure what to think. I just need to open my eyes, she thought, feeling lost again. She knew that she was still somehow trapped. She knew that there had been an accident and she remembered the sound of shattering glass but she hadn't really made the connection between her body and the vehicle. So she still couldn't figure out why she felt as if she were pinned under the world's largest paperweight.

As she fought with her heavy eyelids, Sara became aware of the chilly night air. She shivered involuntarily, sending a jolt of pain through her body, consequently heightening her other four senses. She could feel the cold air and the warm hands working on her trembling form. She could taste blood in her mouth. She could hear her moans and that soft voice as it hovered close to her ear. She could smell gasoline and damp earth. And when her eyes finally opened, she could see a million scattered stars through a broken windshield.

Then, her gaze fell upon Grissom. Grissom. The kind, gentle, insistent voice belonged to her long-time friend and supervisor. Of course, Sara thought, trying to force her eyes open wider. She was fully conscious now and Grissom's concerned expression was enough to make her racing heart skip a beat–for so many reasons. "Griss–"

She felt his strong hand envelop her trembling fingers."I'm right here, Sara," he said softly. She watched him curiously as he examined her eyes in the faint light."Do you know where you are?"

Sara winced and swallowed hard, suddenly feeling very nauseous. "Stuck," she mumbled, almost incoherently. I'm trapped. Pinned down. Again. Smiling weakly at the memory, she struggled to get a better look at Grissom, fighting a wave of dizziness as she moved her head ever so slightly. Her hazy eyes found a small but bloody cut on his faceand she gasped. "You–you're bl–bleeding!"

Grissom nodded, his free hand stroking her hair, gently brushing a long strand from her bruised forehead. There was nothing necessarily intimate about the gesture but it was comforting nonetheless. Sara sighed, still staring at the cut. "I'm fine," Grissom assured her. "But you might have a concussion and we need to get you out of this seat. Do you understand, Sara?"

Sara nodded carefully. Grissom was all business now but she could still hear a hint of emotion in his voice.He released her hand gently but Sara frantically grabbed for it again, desperately seeking comfort and reassurance. "Don't–let–go, Griss. Please!"she mumbled, suddenly finding his fingers and she grasping them with all the strength she had–which wasn't much. Even squeezing his hand was too much work and Sara felt her eyelids droop again. They were just too heavy. "Tired," she groaned out as her head fell back against the mangled seat.

"Sara!" She instantly felt a soft hand against her cheek.

"God, Griss," she moaned, forcing her eyes open again. "It hurts–"

"I know, Sara. But you have to stay with me, okay?" His voice was so gentle yet so urgent and Sara wasn't sure if she had ever heard anything like it before. "I need you to tell me where it hurts so I can move you. Can you do that, Sara?"

Sara nodded again slowly, a tear slipping down her cheek. "How did this hap–happen?"

"We'll worry about that later, okay?"

She was too weak to protest. "Yeah, Griss. Okay"

Sara sat completely still, answering Grissom's questions as honestly as possible while trying to ignore the pain. She was reluctant to admit that her entire body hurt but she got the feeling that Grissom had a pretty accurate idea. He was, after all, very perceptive and he knew her well. At least he used to, Sara thought to herself, crying out as Grissom began to help her out of the Tahoe. It was a painstaking process, a slow and difficult one. The passenger side of the vehicle had been smashed beyond recognition and the only way out was through the broken window. Grissom pulled her through it as gently as possible and Sara tried to relax, hoping that it would help. But it was nearly impossible.

"Shit," she muttered, as her pant leg snagged against a broken shard of glass. She could feel the warm trickle of blood down her shin and she instantly became disoriented, her head pounding so hard she felt it through her entire body. "Griss," she gasped out. "Hurr–hurry, Grissom. I'm going to–to be sick."

The rest of the trip from the Tahoe down to the Nevada earth was a blur. Sara was dimly aware of Grissom's movements as he gently pulled her body through the window and into his arms. He talked to her softly, explaining every step, but Sara filtered his words–taking in only what she needed to relax, only the words of compassion and encouragement. She wasn't quite ready to know about the extent of her injuries or about the damage to the Tahoe. She was already sick enough. In fact, the second she was out of the vehicle, she found herself on her knees, violently emptying her stomach.

"Dammit," she groaned softly, bracing her head with her hands. Grissom rubbed her back and held her hair, using the rest of his body to brace her shaking form. When she was finished, Sara let her body sink to the ground, feeling Grissom's hands on her back the whole way. She felt him grasp her hand again and weakly, she looked up at him, suddenly remembering the beginning of their shift. It seemed like it had been years since Grissom had informed her of their assignment. She couldn't remember all the details but she did remember her reaction. And as she lay there, bruised and bleeding on the ground, the ironic echo of her words haunted the consciousness she was so desperately clinging to.

"Well, you know I love a good road trip."

TBC

Author's Note: Should I continue? I would love to know what you think! Special thanks to Brelli, Felicity Young, leddy, the wanna be dwarf, Minner33, angry penguin, Lifeguard, Sila ningue, Tami, renzic, TrishG, Teenwitch, saskia2, Jayke Manners, marcelle, Ming and brainfear for reviewing the first chapter! I really appreciate it and I hope you'll all stick with me!

Thanks,

Jazz