Thanks for all the reviews, as usual. I'm afraid I'm really beginning to fall behind now, but I promise I'm getting these parts up as fast as possible, but I can't rush inspiration (or homework)!

Thanks in particular to Wiccamage for all the constructive comments, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry for the odd colloquialism I may use; I don't really think about it. Advert, for example, is a word so widely used in Britain on TV, radio, in books, magazines etc. that I hardly even think of it as slang, but I completely appreciate your point, and I will do my utmost to keep slang out, to make the story more widely accessible.

Also thanks to glasfaserkabel - I appreciate your honesty and I totally agree that my story is not entirely original and probably resembles many others on but I hope some people can enjoy it anyway. And by the way, I love Germany! I'm doing German A-level and I just love your country!

Anyway, here's the bit you actually are interested in...

Em xxx

The hospital kept Sara in for a few more hours. She slept, for once memories not plaguing her dreams. Maybe that had something to do with the fact Grissom did not let go of her hand for the whole time, even when he himself had dozed off for a little while. When she woke, she felt stiff all over. The events of the night had distracted her from the shock her body had actually received from the car crash. She gently tried to shift herself in the bed but still she woke Grissom.

"Are you ok?"

"Sure. Just a little stiff."

"Do you need me to call a doctor?"

"No, Grissom."

There was a moment of awkward silence. Panic suddenly hit Sara. Had she alienated Grissom with her confession? She pulled back from him; he was perched awkwardly on the side of the bed. He looked confused but neither had time to speak before a doctor entered.

"Good morning, Miss Sidle. How are you feeling?"

"Much better. All I needed was some sleep."

Grissom shot her a sharp glance. "Actually," he interrupted. "She was saying she felt a little stiff."

Sara looked outraged. "It's nothing."

"Stiffness is to be expected," the doctor replied. "Your body's been through a lot in the last 24 hours. You're free to go home as soon as you feel ready."

Sara immediately clambered out of her bed. "Thank you. I'll go now."

"Just visit reception on your way out to sign out."

"Of course."

The doctor left. Sara made her way over to a mirror in the room and started to hopelessly play around with her hair. Grissom came up behind her and placed a hand lightly on her shoulder.

"I better drive you home."

Sara shook Grissom's hand off, marching over to the cabinet to collect what few belongings had come with her to the hospital.

"Leave me alone."

"Sara, please."

"You had no right. I can speak for myself, thank you."

"I just thought-"

"What? You thought what?"

"Maybe you're feeling a little-"

"I don't believe this! I knew I shouldn't have told anyone. Not least you."

Grissom flinched. "Sara, I'm only-"

"You're only what, Grissom? Fussing? Taking liberties?" She stopped in her tracks and stared straight into his eyes, making him feel distinctly uncomfortable. "I thought I could tell you without you treating me differently. I thought you would understand. Nothing's changed, Grissom, not really."

"Everything's changed, Sara." Grissom reached out for her hand, but she pulled it back. "You can't pretend nothing's happened."

"I know something's happened! But I don't want to let it ruin my whole life. I told you because I couldn't keep it bottled up. But that's as far as it goes. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Not talking about it won't make it go away."

"It won't go away, ever. I know that. But I can try and forget it ever happened."

"And what good will that do?"

"It's all I can do, Grissom. You can't even begin to imagine how I feel right now, so you can't tell me what to do. I was-" She stopped mid-sentence.

"Look, you can't even say it. You're not ready to forget this. You need to deal with it."

"Ok, I was raped! You hear that – I said it. I was raped! Now I've dealt with it. Ok?"

"No." But the voice was not Grissom's. Sara darted round to stare at the door. Nick was standing there, staring at her with a look of utter bewilderment on his face. "It's not ok."

Sara was sitting on the hospital bed. All she longed for was to leave this sterile place and get back to her apartment. Yet here she was, alone but for Nick standing in a corner staring blankly at the walls. Grissom had left, on her request, albeit reluctantly.

"Why didn't you tell me, Sara?"

Nick's voice startled her; they must have been sitting in silence for at least 5 minutes. "It wasn't that easy."

"It would only have taken a few words."

"I didn't want to tell anyone."

"You told Grissom."

"Big mistake."

"I just don't understand. How could you last for all those days without telling anyone?"

"Some people never tell anyone."

"And you thought you could do that?" Nick shook his head pitifully. "Oh, Sara - we were all here." He sounded genuinely hurt and guilt began to creep over Sara.

"I'm sorry, Nick."

"No, I'm sorry." Nick made his way over to her and sad down next to her on the bed. "But you'll get through this. There's no way you're dealing with it alone."

"I didn't want to drag you all down with me. It's my mess – there's no need to involve anyone else."

"If you're hurting, Sara, then we're all already involved. We care. I know you find that hard to believe, but it's true. Even Grissom – especially Grissom."

"He could have fooled me."

"I think you two need to have a proper conversation."

"Can I go home first?"

Nick smiled at Sara and helped her to her feet.

"As long as you promise you won't do a runner again."

In the end Nick drove Sara home. Grissom protested with all his might but it was to no avail. Sara's conversation with Nick had given her time to cool off but she still did not feel ready to face Grissom; to discuss what she had told him. The car journey was painful.

"What's the time?" Sara asked, merely to break the horrible silence.

"Nearly 2o'clock." Nick took his eyes of the road for a split second to glance at his watch.

Sara's body clock was totally thrown. It was not usual for her to be awake during daylight hours. "Only a few hours before the next shift."

"Don't worry – I can stay with you for as long as you like."

"What makes you think I'm not going to work?"

Nick looked amazed. "You are kidding, right?"

"Should I be?"

"You've been raped, Sara," Nick stated,barely anyemotion in his voice though the word made Sara flinch. "Not to mention the fact you were involved in a major traffic accident only a few hours ago. And anyway, didn't you quit?"

When it was put like that, Sara felt ridiculous to have even suggested going back to work. She felt her cheeks redden slightly. She turned to stare at the road ahead and brought the conversation back to more mundane matters.

"Nice weather today, isn't it."

After an hour or so, Sara succeeded in convincing Nick to leave by promising she would not go anywhere. He had made her some toast (all she could stomach given the circumstances) and promised to return later, before he started his shift. As he shut the door behind him, Sara sat down in her armchair. She was at a dead end. She had slept more in the hospital than she had done in the last month and she could sleep no more. Switching on the television or the radio revealed only annoying people saying annoying things; it all seemed so mundane all of a sudden. She suddenly felt a huge desire to shower. Since the rape she had felt dirty; as if she would never be clean again. And every time she did not know what to do she ended up in the bathroom, scrubbing at her skin until it was red andraw. But even showering was not practical; it soaked her bandage and stung her legs.

On impulse, Sara stood up, ran a comb quickly through her hair and headed for the door. Out, she had to get out; it was the only thing to do. She grabbed her keys, threw the front door open and found herself face to face with Grissom. She nearly ran straight into him.

"Whoa, whoa, Sara. I thought you said you weren't going to do another runner."

"I'm not," Sara replied, defensive. "I was just going to go for a walk."

"Quite a brisk walk, by the looks of things."

"I had to get out, Grissom. I never thought that silence could be so haunting."

"Well, can I come out with you?"

"Why don't you come in instead?" She signalled to him to enter her apartment. "All of a sudden I don't feel like going anywhere." Her energy had dissipated in a second; the second she saw Grissom. It had been replaced with a sense of foreboding but also an acceptance that the conversation that would follow was inevitable. "Please-" She walked back through to her living room, expecting Grissom to follow. He did. She sat down in the armchair and Grissom sat on the sofa.

"I'm sorry, Sara. I had no right to interfere."

"That's alright. I overreacted."

"It's understandable."

"I suppose so."

"We have to talk about this."

"I know."

Grissom seemed surprised at how easy this was being. "So-"

"I want to get the guy who did this, Grissom."

"We will."

"We?"

"We."

"I suppose it's too late to say I don't want the rest of the team to know."

"They don't know yet. But we can't keep this from them. Not now Nick knows too. They'll only want to help, you know."

"I know. But no one can help, except when it comes to nailing the bastard who raped me." The conviction in Sara's voice shocked Grissom.

"And that's exactly what we're going to do. And together you and I can work through this."

Sara stood up and moved over to join Grissom on the sofa. Her actions surprised herself almost as much as they did him.

"Thank you."

"Never thank me, Sara. I don't have any choice in the matter. I couldn't leave you now if I wanted to."