"Yes?" Heather's strong voice asked into the phone.
At one in the afternoon, she had just started her afternoon tea when the telephone had rang; Something in the pit of her stomach told her it was Gil as she answered.
"Heather, I need you to come down to the station."
He tried to disguise the emotions in his voice; Worry, anger, fear. The things he felt had nothing to do with his feelings toward Heather; But he knew that after identifying her attacker, she would spiral into another breakdown. And seeing her cry broke his heart more than words could describe.
"Why?" She inquired. Not that it mattered; She was anxious to get out of the house; Two days back to the dominion and the worried whispers of her employees had begun to drive her insane.
"We need you… to identify your attacker," Gil informed the woman on the other end of the line.
It was silent for a few moments as Heather considered what to do. She was a smart woman, and knew that identifying the man who had assaulted her would further the crime lab's chances of getting a conviction; They must have built up a strong case already, but her identification of the man would almost guarantee a guilty verdict.
"I will be there in a just a little while."
Heather pressed the 'end' button, hot tears stinging her eyes. She wasn't sure if she could identify him; It wasn't that she had forgotten what he looked like. She was sure the image of him would be forever etched into her mind.
But could she look at him without losing it in front of whoever else would be in the room? It was unlikely, but she had to try.
With a sigh, Heather snatched her keys off of the dark table she was standing next to and walked to the front door; Upon reaching it, she let her tears fall. She desperately wanted to collapse to the floor and sob until she could no longer, but she couldn't allow herself.
There would be time for that later.
Las Vegas Crime Lab, Viewing Line-Up Room
Heather stood alone outside of the door to the room she would be identifying her attacker in; She had wanted Gil to be here with her, but the lawyer who was handling the case had explained something about that couldn't be done because Gil knew what the man looked like and therefore the other lawyer wouldn't want him anywhere near Heather; Basically so he couldn't remind her what the man looked like.
Heather had scoffed at that statement and mentioned that she was pretty sure she hadn't forgotten what the bastard looked like. The female lawyer had smiled sympathetically at the dominatrix then had entered the room, informing Heather that she would be called into the room in a moment.
A large uniformed man opened the door before Heather and said her name; She thought this was odd considering she was the only one in the hall but she stepped forward.
The man stepped backward to allow room for her to enter the room; Once she was inside, he closed the door with a thud, making her jump slightly. Three other people were in the room; Two lawyers, one of which she had already met and a female standing by the one-way mirror. She was brunette, tall and slender, with a face that showed she wasn't playing games.
"Miss Kessler, this will be very easy. Each man will step forward, one at a time, so you can get a good look at them. Then after they have all done that, you will need to identify which one attacked you," The officer boomed. His voice made Heather feel like the walls around her were crumbling; She managed to nod at what he had said.
"Okay. You can go stand by the window; That's Sara Sidle, with the crime lab; She'll be testifying at the trial and has to be here, it's just standard protocol," The man continued as Heather walked over to stand next to Sara.
Both women exchanged glances, but no words. Something seemed to be upsetting the brunette standing next to Heather, but whatever it was couldn't be seen.
The officer stepped into the room overlooking the room seen through the one-way mirror. He said something to the men walking into the room, but it was inaudible from this side of the room. After the men had formed a line, they began stepping forward one at a time.
Heather focused at the task before her; By the time the third man had taken his turn, she was beginning to lose her hope. But suddenly, when the fourth man stepped into the light, she recognized him.
His glare was cold, eyes fixed on the mirror before him; Almost as if he could see Heather. She felt the sick feeling rising from her stomach, but fought it off long enough to tell the people in the room that was him.
"I-it's him. He's the one…"
Heather felt her chest tighten; Her breathing became erratic and she felt nearly ready to pass out. She had to get out of the room.
With a gasp, she dropped her purse, spun around and ran from the room; Warm tears were running down her cheeks as she sprinted into the bathroom. She threw open the nearest stall door, entered and emptied the contents of her stomach.
Heather then collapsed to the floor; Her chest heaved with each breath as she struggled to return her breathing to normal. She had lost her control; That man had taken it away and who knew when she would get it back?
She closed her eyes and titled her head backward, so it was resting against one of the stall walls. The door to the restroom opened, someone walked in and knelt beside Heather. She did not open her eyes.
"Miss Kessler?" A soft voice asked.
Heather sighed before opening her eyes; It was Sara, from the line-up room.
"Are you alright?" Sara asked again.
"I'm okay."
Heather slowly pushed herself up off of the ground; She walked to the sink and rinsed her mouth out, trying to keep herself from collapsing again.
"Well, Grissom's right outside the door. Do you want me to send him in?" Sara inquired. She watched the dominatrix as she nodded, not wanting to speak again.
Sara opened the restroom door then motioned for Gil to come in; He did so, nodding at Sara as she left.
"Heather? What's wrong?" He asked her. She was leaning against the sink with her head lowered; Her shoulders shook as her sobs became audible.
Gil rushed to her side; He gently wrapped his arms around her and held her while she cried. It appeared that they were back to square one.