Here is it! The next installment of my great drama! lol I got 22 reviews, I believe, for chapter 11. That's amazing! I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you.
Maxie, lildreamer9, jhfortier, Danielle, bffbas, Miracle2002, Prue Halliwell-Trudeau, ljae, Kirby Doggett, elf-princess4, gilcathlover, Lil'River, DarthKel, Martina McBride, MissyJane, Nepeace, LynnM, cRaZiPiXiE, adpi24, A Bloom, and Emily Elizabeth.
I also wanted to let you all know that I have changed my name on fanfiction.net from SisterBear to Megs23.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
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Nick tried his best to work, but he just couldn't concentrate. He knew Sara was strong. He knew she could do the job. It wasn't Sara, he doubted, it was the rest of the world. They had finally gotten back on track, and he'd die if he lost it all.
For once Grissom opened his eyes, and noticed the far-off look in his young CSI's eyes. He knew what had Nick so distracted. And he knew that he wasn't going to be able to help their case. "Nicky, Warrick and I have this covered. Why don't you go see if Cath and Sara need any help with their home invasion?"
"This is a big case, Griss. I think I should stay here." Nick defended.
"Nick, I'm telling you to go help them."
Nick looked down at the bindle which contained the few hairs he had just collected. Sighing, he handed them over to Grissom, along with the rest of the evidence he had collected. "Thank you" he whispered.
"Don't make me regret this, Nicky" Grissom warned.
"I won't" Nick promised. He stooped down, gathered his kit as quickly as possible, and headed out to his Tahoe, dialing Sara's cell phone number as he walked.
No answer.
'Maybe she left her cell in the car' Nick reasoned with himself.
It took him less than fifteen minutes to get from his crime scene to Sara and Catherine's. He wasn't sure if it was because of the close proximity, or because of how fast he was driving.
Did it really matter?
Catch me as I fall
Say you're here and it's all over now
Speaking to the atmosphere
No one's here and I fall into myself
He pulled up in front of a small house in a quiet neighborhood. He spotted Catherine's Tahoe, three police cruisers, and two ambulances. He quickly hopped out of the SUV, and walked up to the house. There wasn't a police officer outside the door, like there was supposed to be. Nick looked back to the cruisers, and saw three officers talking to each other. The shortest of the three, got in his cruiser and pulled away.
'Nothing out of the ordinary' Nick thought as he neared the front door of the house.
Just as Nick was about to walk through the front door he heard a sound he'd hoped he'd never have to hear again.
A gunshot.
Quickly followed by blood curdling screams.
Sara.
For a second, Nick couldn't make his legs move. He felt like someone had come and nailed him to the porch.
Another gunshot rang through the still night.
This time Nick had no problem moving. He ran as fast as he could into the house, followed by the two police officers.
There she was, the mother of his child, his best friend, the woman he had begun to fall in love with almost a year prior, slumped over on the ground, blood staining her pale blue sweater. He couldn't tell if she was even conscious.
Then he spotted Catherine, cowering like a little child, behind a bar stool, not three feet away from Sara. He clothes were ripped, and her face was bruised. Tears were streaming down her face.
Nick looked over to the other side of the room. There stood a 6'2" white male, holding a small handgun, which was still aimed at Sara. He hadn't noticed Nick yet.
"Drop your weapon!" The older of the two police officers, Matt Palmer, pulled out his gun, and aimed it at the man.
He turned and gazed at Nick and the two officers. He then looked down at his weapon, and then back to Nick.
"Put your gun down" Nick demanded.
The man didn't comply.
He slowly raised the barrel of the gun to his temple, and pulled the trigger without another word.
Nick flinched as the man's body hit the ground with a sickening 'thud'.
Officer Palmer rushed to the man's side to check his pulse, while the younger officer, Aaron Bloom ran outside to get the paramedics.
This truth drive me
Into madness
I know I can stop the pain
If I will it all away
Nick rushed to Sara's side. "Sara! Sara!" He yelled, shaking her gently. "Come on, honey, I need you to wake up for me."
"He shot her" came Catherine's weak voice.
"Cath" Nick scooted over to her shaking body. "Are you okay? Did he do this to you?" he asked, indicating her bruised face and ripped clothing.
"I'm-I'm fine. Sara. He hit her. And. And he shot her. Oh God, Nicky-" Catherine began sobbing again, and buried her face in Nick's chest.
"Ssshhh, Cath. It's going to be okay."
A paramedic knelt down next to Nick and began taking Catherine vitals. "We need to get you to the hospital ma'am. Can you walk on your own?"
Catherine nodded, and with the help of Nick and the paramedic, she slowly stood up. "Nick, I'm so sorry. I couldn't-"
"Ssshhh. We'll see you at the hospital" Nick said as she and the paramedic left the house.
Nick knelt down next to the paramedics who were checking on Sara.
"Sara? Sara, honey, you have to wake up for me," one of them pleaded her.
Nick recognized that voice. He looked up, and immediately felt his stomach tighten.
It was Hank.
"Hank" Nick said in a small voice.
"Nick"
"Is she-?"
"She was shot in the right shoulder, and it looks like he hit her just below the ribcage. She's got a steady pulse, but it's getting weaker." Hank informed him as Sara's body was lifted onto a stretcher.
"Hank, she's um... She's pregnant" Nick spoke quietly.
Shock registered on Hank's face, as he glanced down at Sara's slightly swollen belly. "How far along is she?" He asked, nervously.
Nick almost laughed in spite of himself. He could tell Hank was worried that Sara might be carrying his child. "Four months" Nick answered.
Hank breathed a small sigh of relief. "Why don't you call the father then, and have him meet us at Desert Palm"
"Hank, I am the father" Nick stated with some sort of pride in his voice.
"Oh, I see. Well, then the hospital will probably need information out of you and some signatures, you know the usual" Hank's voice was suddenly void of all emotion, like he was a robot. Nick never liked this man.
"I'm riding in the ambulance with her" Nick said as the exited the house, and wheeled Sara to the ambulance.
"Fine"
Catherine's ambulance had already left for the hospital, and within five minutes, Sara's was on its way as well. Nick held Sara's hand all the way to the hospital, and only let go when Hank insisted upon it. He didn't want to leave her side, not until he knew she was going to be okay. She looked to frail and innocent, and his heart ached for her.
Soon the time came where Nick could not be with Sara anymore. She was immediately taken to surgery to have the bullet in her shoulder removed. Then she would be taken to the Intensive Care Unit to be closely monitored.
Don't turn away
Don't give in to the pain
Don't try to hide
Though they're screaming your name
Don't close your eyes
God knows what lies behind them
Don't turn out the light
Never sleep never die
Nick called Grissom to let him know what had happened.
"I'm going to get some people from days to cover for us" Grissom informed him.
"Okay. Griss, she was so pale. And Catherine-" Nick began.
"Just stay there, Nick. We'll take care of this" Grissom stated calmly.
"I don't even know if my baby is okay, Griss. I shouldn't have let her go" Nick could feel the tears that had been pooling begin to slide down his cheeks.
"Nick, they'll both be okay. Sara is strong. She can protect that baby."
"I hope you're right."
"I am" Grissom stated again.
Nick ended the call, and placed his cell phone back in its holster. He leaned back in the hard plastic chair, and ran his hands over his face. 'How could I let this happen?' He thought to himself.
Almost twenty minutes later, Warrick sat down next to Nick with a loud sigh. "Hey man" Nick greeted.
"How are they?" Warrick responded.
"I don't know."
"How bad was it when you saw them?"
Nick took a deep breath before answering him. "Cath was pretty bruised up. Her wrists, face, and arms. Her clothes were ripped up." He paused to let his words sink in. "She was so shaken up. I've never seen Cath so scared."
Warrick closed his eyes tight, and punched the chair next to him. "Damn it!" He cursed. "Damn the bastard." He hit the chair again with a sickening crack, and then took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "What about Sara?" He asked, more calmly.
"She was shot in the shoulder. Cath said she was also punched pretty hard, just below the ribs." He took a deep breath. "She was unconscious when I got there, and hasn't woken up since that I know of."
"What about the baby?"
Nick shook his head. "I haven't heard anything yet."
"I'm so sorry, man. I'm sure they'll both pull through." Warrick said, patting Nick on the back, comfortingly.
"Yeah"
Just as Warrick was about to say something, a doctor walked up to them, and asked "Did you come in with Catherine Willows?"
Nick and Warrick both stood up and answered with a simple "yes"
"I'm Doctor Matthews." The middle-aged man introduced himself.
"You were Cath's doctor?" Warrick asked.
"Yes."
"How is she?" Nick asked impatiently.
"Aside from a few bruises, she's going to be fine. From what I've heard, if it weren't for Miss Sara Sidle, she may not even be here right now."
"Was Catherine, um…? Was she…?" Warrick stuttered.
"Raped?" Doctor Matthews finished for him.
Warrick nodded.
"No, she wasn't, all thanks to Miss Sidle."
"What about Sara? Is she okay? Do you know anything? What about the baby?" Nick babbled.
Doctor Matthews shook his head. "I'm sorry sir, but she's still in surgery. I don't know anything about her yet. I'll let you know as soon as I know something, though."
"Can we see Catherine?" Warrick asked.
"Yes, you can. She's in the ICU, room 3750"
"Thank you, Doctor Matthews" Warrick said shaking his hand.
Nick did the same.
Doctor Matthews retreated back down the hallway, leaving the two CSIs to themselves. They quickly found Catherine's room on the sixth floor of the building. Warrick opened the door, and popped his head in to see if she was awake.
I'm frightened by what I see
But somehow I know
That there's much more to come
She looked so frail, lying on her back in the big hospital bed. Her face was extremely pale, but Warrick wasn't sure if it was due to the lighting, the lack of make-up, or from everything she'd been through earlier in the day.
She opened her eyes when she heard the door open. A faint smile spread across her face when she saw Warrick and Nick watching her. "You guys can come in, you know" she said, trying to brighten the mood.
"Sorry. We didn't mean to wake you up" Warrick apologized as he and Nick entered the room, and stood on either side of her bed.
"You didn't wake me up. I can't really fall asleep. Which is odd since I'm so tired. I'm just worried about-" Catherine stopped talking when she saw Nick's face fall. "How is she, Nicky?"
"We don't know yet. She's still in surgery."
Catherine reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "They'll both be okay. Don't worry."
Immobilized by my fear
And soon to be
Blinded by tears
I can stop the pain
If I will it all away
"Yeah, I think I'm going to go back and sit in the waiting area." Nick decided. "I'm glad you're okay." He leaned down and gave her a gentle hug and a peck on the cheek.
"Nicky" Catherine spoke softly.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you"
Nick mustered up enough energy to give her a small smile before heading back to the waiting area. He wanted to be there waiting for any news on Sara and his baby.
Fallen angels at my feet
Whispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
Sara stood in the middle of a meadow, birds flying around her singing happy songs. The sun was shining brightly.
Not a cloud in the sky.
She looked down at the little girl standing at her feet and smiled.
"Are you ready to go, Mommy?" The little girl asked, big brown eyes shining brightly.
Sara glanced back up at the bright blue sky and took a deep breath before taking her daughter's hand in hers. "I'm ready, sweetie."
She beckons me
Shall I give in
Upon my end shall I begin
Forsaking all I've fallen for
I rise to meet my end
"We're losing her!" One doctor shouted to the other three in the room.
"She's losing too much blood!"
"Come on Sara! Fight!"
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TBC
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I know this chapter was really long, but since it took me forever to update, I thought I'd give you a long read. And yes, I know you guys hate it when I leave you hangin', but I need to make sure you come back for more!
The song I used is called "Whisper" by Evanescence. It's on their "Fallen" CD, which totally rocks and I highly recommend.
Please review and let me know what you think!