DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own CSI.
Ambulances and police cars were gathered around the gas station like bears to an abandoned picnic. The little girl was sitting, looking rather flustered and scared and overtired and underfed, while two paramedics took her pulse and blood pressure and checked her out. She hadn't said a word, but she watched with great intensity to what was going on. Then, out of the blue, as if reality had just settled in, she began to cry.
"No parents?" Catherine said madly into her cell phone, "alone in a field. You have got to be kidding me," she said in disbelief, "yeah, I'll be right there," she hung up and muttered something about how she 'could not believe it' and headed to Grissom's office. She stepped in and waited for him to look up from whatever he was reading. "There's a little girl in Henderson who was found unconscious in a field beside a gas station with blood on her clothes." Catherine said in one breath. Grissom nodded in encouragement to let her know she could go and she left.
Catherine arrived at the hospital as quickly as possible. She found the little girl sitting on the edge of a bed looking through the window. The early morning sun streamed into the room and shone on her hair, which was still smooth despite its run-in with the dirt and plants of the desert.
"Hey," Catherine said carefully. The girl just turned to look at her. "Hey, my name's Catherine" She introduced herself. The girl still looked at her. Catherine kneeled down to be at eye level with the child. The little girl got up and wrapped her arms around Catherine without a word and just hugged her. Catherine was slightly surprised, but hugged her back. After a moment, the girl let go. Catherine felt hugely guilty for whatever she needed to know, but didn't. "What's your name?" Catherine asked. The little girl whispered something unintelligible. Catherine asked her to repeat it a little louder. She crawled up onto the bed and got under the covers. She looked at Catherine with her dark brown eyes and said with the sweetest little voice:
"Dakota Lerman."