Don't You Dare
2:11 p.m.
Catherine ran into the house and pushed her way around SWAT members. She saw one of them kick in a door and the officer, followed by Sofia, went in. She followed them. She had to get to Lindsey. Those gunshots. Her daughter could be dead. Her beautiful little girl. She went down the stairs and heard the SWAT member's gasp and Sofia's cry and finally she saw what they saw. Lindsey was kneeling on the floor, covered in blood. There was a gun in her hand and she was still pulling the trigger. The clicks of the gun's hammer against the empty chambers echoed through the basement." She pushed past Sofia and the officer and ran to her daughter. "LINDSEY!" Lindsey looked from Madison Daniel's bullet ridden body and saw Catherine running towards her. She dropped the gun. "MOM!" Catherine grabbed her daughter and pulled her close. "Oh God, I thought I lost you." Lindsey squeezed her mother tightly and hid her face against her chest. "Mom, you gotta help Sara." That snapped Catherine out of her tunnel vision. Lying there, beside Lindsey on the dirty concrete floor, was Sara. Sara was in the pool of her own blood.
Kara Johnson had seen a lot of blood and a lot of tragedy, but it was the first time in many years that it hit her. She grabbed her radio, and began calling for the EMTs that were already en route. She walked forward and bent down to check the perp's body. There was no pulse. Madison Daniels was dead. She looked over to the fallen CSI.
Sofia's breath stopped in her chest. Sara was lying on the floor, bleeding. "SARA!" She ran past Johnson, she didn't bother to look at Daniels nor did she spare a glance for the reunited mother and daughter. All of her attention was on Sara.
She was pale, her breathing shaky, her dark eyes clouded and unfocused. Sofia was holding Sara's face between her own hands. "SARA! Sara, damn it Sara!" She rolled her on the her side, revealing the blood gushing from her back. She pressed her hands against the wound, desperately trying to hold the precious blood inside her lover's body. "Sara , you listen to me. Don't you dare leave me. Don't you dare. Not yet. Not now. Please, Baby, hold on."
Tears clouded up in her eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was the detective. Sara was a CSI, damn it. She was supposed to spend her time working scenes and running tests...not risking her life. She moved Sara against her, using her leg to put pressure on the wound, she supported Sara's upper body against her chest. She grabbed Sara's face, leaving bloody fingerprints on cracked-ice-white skin. "Sara, look at me. Look at me, Sara. You can't die. You can't die, I won't let you die." She ran her hands through dark silk hair. "Please say something, Love. Please say something."
Gil Grissom paused at the top of the basement stairs. The scene that met his eyes was heart wrenching and it affected him like no other scene ever had. Catherine had Lindsey in her arms, both were crying, Madison Daniels lay on the floor, very much dead. The worst part, though, was Sara. She was in Sofia's arms, pale and bleeding. He rushed down the stairs to her and for the first time in his entire career, he damned the evidence. He knelt by the two women and grabbed Sara's wrist, he found her pulse. It was weak and thready. He looked up at the SWAT team member. "WHERE IS THE DAMN AMBULENCE!" His voice was broke and cracked and that was a sign to all that the situation was at it's most desprate. He looked over at his protegee, "Don't you dare die, Sara Sidle." His words were low, barely a whisper, but they were just as desperate and scared as Sofia's cries.
Sara floated on a blood red sea. The sky was black and gray. She could barely breathe and every time she did manage to pull breath into her lungs, there was a sickening, searing pain in her back. She wanted that pain to go away. Around her, she could hear things again. Mostly she heard voices. Sofia's voice came from somewhere far away, it called to her. Sara wanted to go to wherever that was. Sofia would take away the pain. She made the monumental effort and pried her eyes open. The world was gray and fuzzy. She tried to speak but found she could not. The one thing she saw was Sofia. Blonde hair and kind blue eyes. She had been crying. Sara wanted to tell her not to cry, that she was really fine. It was just a scratch. She couldn't, though. She could feel Sofia's arms around her, she could hear Sofia's thundering heartbeat, she could smell her subtle perfume, she could taste the salt of her lover's tears as they splashed onto her own face. "Sara, love, that's right, keep your eyes open. Look at me." Sara wanted to keep her eyes open, she wanted to look at Sofia, but she couldn't. The pain was washing over her in waves that were too powerful to ignore. The world started to gray out again.
There was no long tunnel nor did her life flash before her eyes. The gray and black just kept closing in until all she could see was the vivid blue of Sofia's eyes, then they too were gone.
The ambulances, red lights flashing, screeched to a halt and six EMTs came out, back boards and med kits ready. They were lead by a well muscled, streaky haired man by the name of Hank Peddigrew. They were directed down the stairs by a couple of uniforms. Hank took in the scene with a quick and methodical eye. From the mother and daughter, to the DOA to the woman being cradled by two people. His mind went into momentary shock. He knew her. "SARA!" He doubled his pace and was by her side in an instant. His partner was right behind him and he began to dictate what he could remember. "Sara Sidle. Approximate age, thirty-five. Weight one hundred and seven pounds." He looked from the blonde to the gray haired man. "Lay her flat. What happened?" His questions were quick and blunt, but his concern came through.
Grissom grunted, "Stabbed in the lower back, right side. There's a lot of blood loss..." His voice was tight, as though he was physically forcing it to come out. "She's B-Negative." Hank nodded and motioned to his partner. "Let's get her on the gurney." He looked over to the other pair of EMTs. "Hugh, let Viv and John take the kid, I need you here. NOW!" The other man came over and they quickly and carefully transferred Sara's limp body to the backboard and then the the gurney. "Up the stairs, quickly. The three men took Sara up the stairs, and Sofia ran behind them, unwilling to let Sara out of her sight. Grissom quickly followed.
Outside they rolled her past the uniforms and under the tape. The press was just rolling up and Maria Rymer, quickly tailed by her camera man, ran towards them. "Is CSI Sidle okay? Where is Lindsey Willows? What happened here? Isn't this the home of Senatorial candidate Madison Daniels? Where is Ms. Daniels?" The EMTs pushed by her and Sofia followed in her blood spattered clothes. They loaded Sara into the back of the ambulance. Sofia stepped up to go along, but Hank stopped her. "No, ma'am. There's no room."
Sofia's face twisted into an acidy scowl. "Bullshit." He looked at her, blue eyes pleading, "Please. We need all the room...to stabilize her." Brass grabbed Sofia by the arms and pulled her back. "C'mon, Sophie, I'll drive you." Sofia could only nod. "Okay."
Catherine carried Lindsey up the stairs and through the house. The girl's clothes were bloody and she hid her face against Catherine. She was really too big to be carried, but neither mother nor daughter complained. Catherine didn't even notice the flashbulbs and cameras as she went to the ambulance. She was completely focused on her daughter. She watched the first ambulance pull away, taking Sara to Desert Palms Hospital, red lights going, sirens blasting. She could already see that they were breaking the speed limit. She climbed into the ambulance and the EMT shut the door behind them.
Catherine, reluctantly let Lindsey go and she looked down at her hands. They were red with blood. Sara's blood. She thought the pain would be over when she had Lindsey back in her arms. She was wrong. Her heart soul shattered one more time as she looked at her hands. Sara had saved Lindsey but she was at the brink of death. It was all her fault. She clasped her bloody hands together. Sara's blood was on her hands. Sara's blood was on her hands. That thought, along with the vivid image of Sara bleeding out onto the concrete floor ran through Catherine's head over and over again.
Author's Note: Hank was a last minuite addition to the story. I had EMTs and I thought, 'Why not throw Hank into the mix?' I think everyone has to write at least one big 'You can't die because I love you!' scene. Here's mine, whoo and two hoos for me.