'No Signal'

Clutching his cell phone tightly in his hand, Grissom sighed. His phone wasn't cooperating, Sara's vitals were barely cooperating and, as usual, his heart and his mind weren't cooperating with each other. Grissom's mind was hard at work, monitoring Sara's condition and assessing their predicament but everywhere he turned, he only saw Sara's bruises–and his heart took over. He closed his eyes, trying to push away the images of Sara's chest and stomach but the deep swirls of purple and red flashed through his brain. Soon, they would turn black and blue and Sara's skin would be completely transformed into a patchwork of harsh colours.

She needs medical attention. Now.

Grissom wasn't any closer to formulating a plan. He was usually quite good at working himself out of tight situations. He had always been very determined and methodical. This plight, however, had him practically frozen in an unfamiliar fear. It was Sara who needed him. She needed his help. She needed him to remain calm. She needed him to find a way out. Grissom shuddered, realizing that her life depended on his actions. The pressure was more than intense but he tried to think constructively, knowing that he had to. But he couldn't focus.

The bruises.

His brain just wouldn't release the shocking images. Every time his mind wandered, even a little, he ended up back in the same spot–seeing the colours, seeing her pain. Grissom almost wished he hadn't looked but at least he now knew what he was dealing with.Sara's ribs were an absolute mess and he had almost been sick when he felt the damage under his fingers. Her right side was the worst. From Sara's injuries and from the damage to the Tahoe, it was evident that the passenger side had absorbed most of the impact. Grissom still couldn't remember exactly how it happened. Not yet at least. His memories were muddled and his mind was occupied.

"Any luck with–with the phone?" Sara asked, her weak, wavering voice breaking into Grissom's trance. He looked down at her pale face and he finally managed to shove the memory of her bruises aside, now concerning himself with her ghostly appearance.

"Not yet." Grissom studied their surroundings, shaking his head in dismay. Where the hell are we?

"We–we won't get a signal here, Griss," Sara whispered sadly.

Grissom gave her a confident look, deciding to be optimistic. "The area is pretty open. There aren't too many trees. There's a chance." He stood up, pacing the area around their bonfire while fiddling with the power button on the phone. He returned a few minutes later, his confidence fading by the second.

"How far were we?"

Grissom stopped. "From where?"

Sara cleared her throat and spoke again through uneasy breaths. "How far were–were we from the–the main road?"

"I don't think we were too far out."

Sara shut her eyes tightly, trying again to recall the events. "We went right," she sighed. "And we–we should have gone left. We started back. I remember that."

Grissom nodded. "We're probably a couple miles away." He sat down, scanning Sara's body again with his eyes. He felt so helpless, holding his useless cell phone and staring at her, unable to take her pain away. Sara can't be moved, he told himself. And she certainly can't be left alone. Searching for the main road was not an option and Grissom had no choice but to sit there and watch her suffer. Punishment, he thought. I'm being punished for the way I've treated her the last few years. He paused, disgusted with his train of thought. Stop thinking about yourself.

"So what–what was Greg processing when we left?" Sara asked, looking up at Grissom. She seemed to understand that they would just have to be patient–as patient as possible. But her fear was evident, nevertheless.

"Clothing. A pair of jeans and a sweater found near the creek."

"The victim's?"

Grissom's eyes widened. As weak as she was, Sara was shifting into work mode–and he had no trouble believing it. "You really are a workaholic, you know that?"

Sara chuckled weakly. "Takes one to know one, Grissom."

Grissom smiled gently and his tone softened. "Keeps your mind off the pain?"

"Yeah," Sara whispered, her face somber. "It helps."

Happy to be able to help in some way, Grissom described the evidence to Sara, filling her in on the instructions he left for Greg. Grissom had a hard time believing that his conversation with the younger man had only taken place a few hours earlier–it seemed now as if it were a lifetime ago.

Grissom stopped at the locker room door, paper bag in hand. "Greg."

"Grissom," Greg replied, sliding a clean sock onto his left foot.

"I'm glad I found you."

Greg squinted his eyes. "Should I be glad that you found me?"

Ignoring Greg's comment, Grissom looked down at his watch. "Shift starts in five minutes."

"I know that–I was just changing my socks."

"Well, I'm going to need those five minutes to brief you on your assignment." Grissom held out the large bag, a small smile on his face.

"You come bearing gifts," Greg realized, his eyes wide. "Does this pertain to the case?" He smirked. "Or did you just realize that you missed my birthday?"

"The case, Greg."

Greg grinned. "I heard about the DB in the creek upstate. Catherine's pissed that she didn't get it."

Grissom shrugged. "Swing is backlogged. They were all working solo today."

"Ah, that explains it."

"I need you here tonight, Greg." He pointed to the bag. "I need these processed as soon as possible–and there's more coming."

Greg pretended to be hurt. "You mean I don't get to go on the road trip?"

"Not this time. Your expertise is needed here."

"But I've been out in the field for months now. You gotta give me a stab at some of the hot cases."

"Relax. You're as much a part of this case as I am." Grissom handed him the paper bag. "From the sheriff."

"Of Nottingham?"

Grissom didn't answer that. Instead, he turned toward the door. "Sara and I will be there in a couple hours. My phone will be on. I want to know the minute you have those processed."

Greg nodded. "I'm on it, Grissom."

"The county sheriff's number is on my desk in case you need it."

"Sounds good."

"We'll be in touch." With that, Grissom hurried down the hall.

Grissom shook his head grimly. Greg, you better figure this out fast, he silently muttered. Or you'll be back in the lab faster than you can say CODIS. He would have chuckled at that thought but he didn't have the energy and with Sara lying on the ground, still shaking in pain, nothing was even remotely funny. Nothing at all.In fact, nothing else even mattered.

Grissom closed his eyes tightly, praying that this was all some horrible nightmare. He prayed that when he opened his eyes, the dark landscape would just disappear and he would find himself sitting in his office with Sara sitting across from him, smiling brightly.Or even better–Sara closer to him, sitting on the couch in the break room, discussing an intriguing case or her growing interest in entomology–or anything. As long as they were safe. Happy. Healthy.Grissom opened his eyes slowly, knowing very well what he would find but he allowed himself to entertain the dream anyway.

"Hey," Sara's whisper seemed distant. "You okay?"

Grissom cleared his throat and nodded. It seemed funny that she was asking that question. Grissom smiled for her, hoping that she would stop worrying about him."I was just thinking," he told her softly, turning away before she could ask him to elaborate. He stared at the fire, quickly changing the subject. "Are you any warmer?" He reached over to place the back of his hand against her cheek. Her skin was still cool under his careful touch.

"A little," Sara replied. As if on cue, a shiver jolted her body, betraying her words. She closed her eyes against the pain that accompanied the involuntary movement. "Well–well I guess not," she groaned through gritted teeth.

"It's the shock," Grissom told her, his voice low. Sara opened her eyes slowly and Grissom found himself staring deeply into them yet again. She has beautiful eyes, he thought to himself, feeling odd as he admired them. It wasn't the first time he had done so but it was the first time he allowed himself to think about it. He almost panicked as a wave of curious emotion swept through him and he almost forgot that his hand was still on her cheek. Grissom was suddenly tempted to pull away–but he didn't.

"I feel warmer, Griss."

Me too. Grissom said silently, his eyes projecting his tender thoughts. You're going to be fine, honey. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're safe with me. Always. Grissom let out a long breath, trying to believe himself and hoping that Sara might gain some strength from his sensitive stare. If only I could tell her. But he couldn't. He had never been able to before.

Sara coughed, wincing a little but never breaking eye contact. "Grissom,"she whispered, a little bit of red flushing her pale cheeks. Her lips quivered slightly and her chin trembled but she didn't say anything else. Without thinking, Grissom rested his other hand on her forehead, his fingers carefully brushing away a loose strand of her brown hair. Surprised by his own actions, Grissom listened to his heart pound, wondering why he couldn't turn away. This isn't appropriate, he thought wildly. Not here. Not now. He let himself stare into Sara's eyes for a few more seconds before pulling back slowly, quickly dismissing his actions as a simple attempt to comfort her.

Comfort. Yes. That's all it was.

Sara didn't seem to be reading too much into it but Grissom could sense her confusion. Could be the concussion, he thought. Then he rolled his eyes. Of course it isn't. She knows this game as well as I do. Grissom felt a twinge of guilt, realizing that she was in no condition to have to deal with his issues. I don't know what to do about this. Grissom cringed at the memory and he was certain that Sara remembered those words too. He saw it in her eyes every day.

"You sure you're okay?" Sara asked again.

Grissom caught his breath and sighed. "I'm fine," he assured her. "You don't need to worry about me."You have enough to worry about. He turned back to her cautiously, noting how she followed his movements, blinking nervously.He didn't really know what had just happened. There had been a momentary connection in their gaze but he had allowed it to fade away, like he always did. Stay safe, he reminded himself. You'll only hurt her. She's in enough pain as it is.

Sara licked her dry lips and grimaced, bringing Grissom back into reality. "Blood," she muttered. "I can taste it."

Grissom felt as if the wind had been kicked out of him. "Blood?" he repeated, trying to hide his alarm. "Sara–are you coughing up blood?" His mind reeled. She promised to be honest with me!

Looking slightly alarmed herself, Sara shook her head, being careful not to move too much. "No," she quickly replied. "I–I don't think so." She thought for a moment. "A cut," she announced weakly. "In my mouth."

Grissom found that he could breathe again. Relieved, he reached for the water bottle that he had retrieved from the Tahoe. "How's your stomach? Do you think you can handle some water?"

"I–I think so."

Grissom loosened the cap. "You're not nauseous?"

"Not right now."

Grissom hesitated for a second before putting his hand behind Sara's head. He helped her up, just a little, raising her head until he heard her hiss in pain. "Okay, no further," he said, stating the obvious. He raised the bottle to Sara's lips, tipping it carefully. "Only take a little," he cautioned. "Just enough to rinse your mouth and wet your throat." Grissom knew that she wasn't yet in danger of dehydration and too much water could upset her stomach. If she got sick again, it could aggravate any internal injuries and it would definitely cause her more pain.

The water spilled a little, dripping down Sara's chin but she managed to take in just enough before Grissom took the bottle away, capping and stashing it in the rather large first aid kit. "Better," she whispered, her voice small and husky in the night air. She lay back, her head stopping to rest on Grissom's knee. He pulled his hand away, letting her stay there, searching her face to see if she was comfortable. Sara's eyes closed and for a second, she almost looked peaceful.

"Sara?"

"Griss," she mumbled. "Resting my–my eyes."

"Hold on a second." Noticing that Sara was too weak to move any further, Grissom slowly extended his legs, guiding Sara's rather limp form with them and positioning her head on his thigh. Probably not a good idea, his conscience warned, but his desire to see her safe and comfortable triumphed. He would do anything–absolutely anything–to help her. "Is this okay?" he asked timidly. Sara's eyes remained closed and Grissom spoke loudly. "Sara? You still with me?"

"Tired again."

"That's normal with a head injury." Grissom reminded her. Sara's eyelids fluttered. "I know you want to sleep, Sara but you need to stay conscious."

Sara forced her eyes back open. "I know," she sighed. She let her head fall slightly, so that her cheek rested against Grissom's leg. He helped her settle into her new position, noting that she seemed a little more relaxed. Her breathing was shallow but relatively even and Grissom was relieved to see that her forehead was no longer bleeding. She seemed a little better–on the outside. But inside–that was another story.

Grissom's heartbeat thundered in his ears as he anxiously flipped his phone open again, turning it on.He looked down at Sara and then he looked at the illuminated display, his eyes meeting the flashing message.

'No Signal'

TBC

Author's Note: I am so sorry about the delay in posting this chapter! School is crazy right now! The next update shouldn't be long though! I hope you're all still reading! Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. Special thanks to ScullyAsTrinity (thank-you so much for the recommendation–it means a lot!), svcmc, Billy4Me, djkittycat, Brelli, csmit99, AngelApple70x7, brainfear, Courtney242, ddmc, Teenwitch, rachel, Naquada, Gracee, rokothepas, maria, bythemoon, Ming, QueenKate, CarbyluvYTDAW, Niebezpiczny Ksiezyc, Lifeguard, Leah2, gnosos, quigles, Chicklit, nick and anyone I missed!

Jazz