Chapter 39
The whine of an ambulance siren was so much more comforting from a distance. Up close it rattled Gil's thinking. There was no reason for sirens anymore. Anyone who was injured was gone; the only ones left to be loaded were the dead. He cast one last glance at the shards of glass poking violently into the space where the rear window of his car had been.
The blast had jumped his nerves. They had been far enough away to only feel a rocking but he had floored the gas and slammed ass end into a telephone pole before tearing down the street, out of the danger zone to wait for Brass' call. He never used to be this edgy.
The entire block was a crime scene; he called Catherine to see where she and Greg were with the dead martini bar owner. Not far enough to leave. He and Warrick would be pulling a double, at least.
Seniority had its perks; he assigned himself the inside of the two houses and three vans involved. Lucky Warrick got to comb the grass for bullet casings and wild rounds.
Hours later, tired of being on all fours Grissom kneeled up from his position on the floor. His back cracked as he stretched and winced at the blinding pain that ripped across his shoulders. He closed his eyes against the blinding sun streaming in the window and stayed still for a moment, willing away the pain.
The feel of a hand on his head startled him. Opening his eyes and shielding them he found Sara next to him, her fingers lazily running through the silvering curls. "Got sent to help out. What the hell happened to your car?"
He grunted as he struggled to his feet, "Small accident. Everyone's fine."
"Whiplash?" she arched an eyebrow at him as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"I'm old, I'm crumbling."
"I'll make a note to be careful. So where are we?"
It was encouraging to know that they could still work side by side.
He took photos while she dug a bullet out of a wall. He had his back to her, "Hope you're well rested, this is going to be a long one."
"As it happens, I didn't get very much sleep last night." She smirked and continued to pull pieces of plaster away from her prize with forceps.
"Nightmares?"
"Mmmm, not quite. Something sure kept me restless though." It fell from the wall into her waiting plastic vile with a satisfying clink.
He placed his palm on her waist to move her out of the way of his shot. "Sorry to hear that."
The warmth of his hand spread through her "I'll survive. I imagine I have a number of restless nights in my future."
His lips quivered, almost smiling but not giving in to it. "Count on it." He promised before leaving her to finish the room while he moved to the next.