"Aunt Clara! Aunt Clara! Watch me!" Cassie called out.
She lowered her sunglasses, gazing down the sunny dock at her niece.
"Nick are you watching too?" Cassie giggled.
"Of course peanut, show us."
The little girl backed up, then ran and did a cannonball into the lake. Her head popped up out of the shining water, and she smiled at the two adults, "Come on Nick!" she beckoned to him.
He smiled back at her, and stood up, taking off his shirt, "You coming too?" he asked Clara.
"Maybe in a few minutes."
"Ah, come on," he teased, pulling playfully at her arm. She gave him a sly grin and took off her sunglasses,
"Last one in is a rotten egg!" and she took off down the dock.
Nick easily caught up to her and then dove off the dock. She followed, splashing into the cool water. She could make out his figure swimming ahead of her, and then she began to surface for air. But something was wrong. She couldn't get to the top.
"Over here! She's over here!" a rescue worker cried, signalling to the others. He knelt down beside Clara, feeling for a pulse.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make it to the surface of the water. She was running out of air, and she began to panic. The strokes she tried were not working, her arms and legs felt like lead. She seemed to sink further down, the light from above beginning to fade.
"Not breathing, but she's got a pulse! Bag her!" ordered a paramedic.
"Sounds like the left lung is down, possible fluid in the right one. We've gotta get this debris off of her!" answered another medic, listening to her chest.
Firefighters attempted to move the piece of a beam that had fallen across her.
"What happened to the bomb squad?" asked a rescue worker.
"We found one of them, they're working on getting him out now. The other two are still missing."
"Did anyone radio the CSI about her?" the rescue worker said, pointing to Clara.
"We'll get on that."
There was hardly any sound under the water, and her vision got hazy, making her surroundings seem dreamlike. It was getting darker. Her mind fought to keep her alert, to try once again to fight for air. She gave one last attempt to kick but her feet were so heavy to move. She wondered if Nick was looking for her, if Cassie had swum to the raft…Nick…Cassie…where was she? Her thoughts became jumbled, her eyes beginning to slip closed. The lack of air took its toll, and she surrendered to the darkness.
"She's flat lining! Starting CPR!" the medic yelled, looking at the portable heart monitor their victim was hooked up to, then pumping his hands on her chest.
The monitor's shrill beeping filled the air, as the other paramedic ripped out the emergency equipment. He placed the pads on her chest, "Charging…clear!"
Her lifeless body jumped several inches off the ground with the shock.
"No vitals!"
"Charging to three hundred…clear!"
The medic looked at the flat line still on the monitor, and continued to bag her, shaking his head.
"Charging…clear!"
Suddenly she was hurtling upwards, and then her head broke through the water's surface and she gasped for air. She sucked it in, her chest wheezing, burning with pain. She felt light headed, and treading water took so much effort.
"I've got a pulse and heart rating is rising."
"Let's get her out of here."
They boarded her quickly, and waved to the helicopter, which lowered the basket. She wasn't aware of being pulled up into the air, or loaded onto the chopper.
"This is air rescue to ground crew. Do you read ground crew? Over."
"Loud and clear. Over."
"Tell the CSI that we have the victim and are in route to Desert Palms. Over."
"Will do air rescue. Over."
Grissom sat in Sara's hospital room, holding her hand, his eyes weary, his clothes covered in dust and dirt. The doctor's told him that the heavy medication she was on wouldn't allow her to wake up for hours, yet he still couldn't sleep. He rubbed his eyes, and sat back a little in his chair. He had stayed with her as the paramedics had worked, been in the ambulance as they had sped to the hospital, and had sat outside the operating room for the two hours she had been in there. The nurses had told him to get some sleep, to rest for himself, but he couldn't, not until he knew she was alright. He rubbed her hand gently, and sighed. He hated to see her this way, to know that there was nothing he could do, to feel so helpless. He was jolted out of his silence by a quiet knock on the door.
"Grissom?" Greg poked his head in the room.
"Yes?" he answered tiredly.
"There are a few people out here who want to talk to you."
"Can it wait?"
"No. It's about the case. And Ecklie is
looking for you."
Grissom heaved another heavy sigh and slowly got up.
"Do you want me to sit with her?" the former lab tech asked, nodding towards Sara.
"Please, if you wouldn't mind Greg."
"Not at all," he replied, walking over and occupying the chair Grissom had vacated.
As the door closed behind his supervisor, Greg took Sara's hand.
"I don't know if you can hear me Sara," he started, his voice quiet and sombre, "but I want you to know that we're all hear for you, and worried, especially Grissom. He won't leave your side, well he did, but he'll be back soon. So you've got me right now. You need to pull through Sara, you need to fight this, I know you can…" he felt his eyes tear up, and he swiped at them, "You're so strong, I know you'll get through this…you have to. I don't know what I would do without you around. Who's gonna teach me to be a great CSI? I really look up to you…" his voice began to shake, "You had us really worried tonight….but I guess that's just you being you. Right in the heat of the action, as always. You found Clara though, you did good. But we're still trying to figure out what happened…you know, the bomb going off. Rescue crews are still looking for two members of the bomb squad. We know that they couldn't dismantle the bomb in time, it wasn't what they thought it was. That's another reason you need to pull through…you need to help us solve this case. Nick and Warrick aren't going to be able to for awhile, they got hurt too, so its just me, Cath and Griss…So you need to get better…" his voice broke, and a single tear slipped down his cheek, "Please Sara…you've got to…come back to us Sara…come back to me…" Greg lowered his head to her neck, and he let his tears fall, the weight of the night finally catching up to him.
To be continued…
StwbrryCSI, of course I would sign your petition! Anything to get that horrid thing off his face!
Gumdroplover, hope this chapter satisfies your Greg/Sara cravings. Sorry, but I am a GSR fan, but I am trying to add a little Sandle loving for you!
Mma63, I am hurrying! I have more time this weekend, so hopefully more soon! Writing is a great way of procrastinating..lol!
Nicole101, your welcome! Thanks for being loyal to my stories!
As for the rest of my wonderful readers, a BIG thank you goes out to you all for keeping up with it! You all are so nice! Any requests for the story will be considered and worked in to the best of my ability. I write for you guys! -L