Crimson Puddles
Summary: Nick does his best to save Lindsey, but finds it harder as his pain grows consistently worse. The team finds his wrecked vehicle, and they begin to process in hope of finding the two before it's too late…
They had been 'running' nonstop ever since they had managed to climb out of his wrecked Denali. He could feel the blood pooling in his left shoe, and the pain grew worse with each step. His eyes watered, but he forced the tears back. I have to be strong for her… I'm not going to let them hurt her… He slowly forced himself to pick up the pace as they made their way back towards civilization. His hand slightly tightened around Lindsey's as he tried to be strong.
Catherine paced while she waited apprehensively while Archie retrieved the security tapes. She sighed as he entered the A/V Lab, and she immediately pulled up a chair to watch.
"Ok, we'll start at this intersection here." He said as he pointed to the screen solemnly. The image of an empty intersection greeted them, and he almost sped the tape up until Catherine put a restraining hand on his shoulder.
"Zoom in on the top corner there!" Her voice was nervous as she prayed that she had been mistaken by what she saw. A moment later he had enlarged the image, and they could clearly see a man's feet standing next to a pair of feet that were wearing soft blue shoes.
"That's Lindsey… and I think the other person is Nick… at least those shoes look a bit familiar…" She froze as the tape continued and they saw the left leg give way as blood sprayed out from an obvious bullet wound. Suddenly the legs disappeared.
"Hurry, zoom back out!" she yelled in frustration, as Archie furiously typed in the commands that brought them back to the full screen just in time to catch a brief glimpse of Lindsey sitting in the passenger seat next to Nick. "Freeze it! Now zoom in on the right arm of the driver…" she stopped speaking when she realized that it was covered in blood, and there was no mistaking the bullet holes in the front of the car and the windshield.
"Should I call Grissom and the others?"
"Huh? Oh… I'll take care of it… you just keep following Nick's Denali, and try to find out who exactly is chasing them…"
"Ok… Lindsey… I need… I need you to wrap the rest of that roll around leg? Just lift the pant leg up until you can get to it…"
"O-ok…" She whimpered quietly as she looked around carefully for anyone who might be following them.
"Remember… as tight as you can… there's no room for remorse…"
Tears swelled up in his eyes as she wrapped the bandaging tightly around his leg. He closed his eyes tight and shook his head as everything slowly turned gray. Get over it… you've got to get her out of here…
Once she had used the rest of the bandages she taped it tightly, and decided that she had no idea of what to do. I want mom… why isn't she here? Her eyes studied her mother's friend as he tried not to breakdown. She had heard everything that had happened to him on the news, and though she never said anything she knew many of the other details as her mom cried out during one of her nightmares. She quickly looked away; something about the deep anguish and fear in his eyes was more than unsettling.
Nick wasn't sure if he could face her. She was practically the spitting image of Catherine, and he felt utterly useless as he slowly began to pull the large piece of glass from his side. He sluggishly grabbed several of the large Band-Aids from the kit that Lindsey had been smart enough to grab, and placed it over the sudden rush of blood. His teeth immediately bit down hard on his lip as he stopped himself from swearing viscously. With that done he turned his attention to his palm, and agonizingly plucked the glass out of his hand. More pain coursed through his body and he instinctively pulled his left leg up to his chest and hugged it. It'll go away… just breathe… you've got to get moving, or they'll find her… He sighed slowly, and forced himself not to take many deep breaths.
"You're gonna be ok, Nick… mom… she'll find us… she's never let me down…"
Nick looked up at the stars, and found tried to hide his tears from Lindsey. It's too late for me… I'll never make it, but by God… I'm not going to let them hurt her. I swear… if it's the last thing I do… I'll make sure she gets out of this safely… He wiped his eyes hastily with his left arm, and quickly grabbed Lindsey's hand as he led the way through the maze of rocks and trees. Everytime he put weight on his left leg everything would begin to turn gray as the pain increased steadily. I don't have a choice… she's going to make it through this! Suddenly he felt a new pain encompass him as his injured leg snagged on the root of a tree right where he had been shot.
He slowly used his left arm to roll himself over, and gently felt along his ankle. More pain echoed coursed through him rapidly, and the knowledge that he had sprained it hit him hard. Come on, Nick… you can still help her… His thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone yell in the distance. God… they're getting closer… we've got to get moving… He forced himself to stand, and he waved for Lindsey to follow him once more. Running was their only real chance, and he knew it. Slowly he felt his shaking fingers wrap around Lindsey's shoulders.
"Lindsey, we've got to run, as fast as we can ok? Just run, and if you get ahead of me don't stop. Don't turn around… whatever you do, just keep going. Don't turn around from me, ok?"
"But… Nick… what if they find you… what if they find us?" Nick quickly registered the fear in her voice and eyes as she watched the tears run down his face.
"It… it doesn't matter if they find me. They won't get you if you keep running, so don't stop… we're not far from the nearest homes… you can make it…"
"But, I'm so scared… what if…"
"Listen to me, Lindsey… you're going to be ok. You're going to be fine, just don't wait for me ok? Promise me, that no matter what, you won't stop… you won't turn around… I need you to promise…"
"I… I promise, but I'm scared…" She whispered frantically as more tears fell down her face.
"I know… but everything is going to be fine… I promise you. If you just keep running it'll be ok… Now go, I'll be right behind you…"
"You have to come, Nick… I can't do it alone…"
"I'll try… but remember, you have to keep on running…" He said more forcefully.
She slowly began to run off through the maze of trees, and gathering what little remained of his strength he forced himself to try to keep up.
"Hey! Over here, I found his car!" Brass yelled anxiously as he watched Grissom running full out just behind Warrick and Sara. He shook his head as Catherine easily outran them all. I guess physical strength can't even beat a mother's resolve…
She didn't wait to even catch her breath as she pulled on a pair of gloves, and peered through the windshield. There were several bullet holes in the glass, and various cracks that made it look as if though a spider had made a thick web on it. She shook her head. I need to stay focused… In seconds she registered that someone had climbed up on the side of the upturned Denali through the passenger window. She frowned as she saw the large pool of blood on the ground where the driver's side window should have been. Warrick eyed her cautiously, but no one was going to tell her to back off. They're too afraid to tell me that I'm 'emotionally' attached… hell, Nick's been shot at least once… they're all emotionally attached… Her feet slowly pushed herself into the back seat, she quickly put her hand over her mouth as she saw the larger pool of blood near the pedals. Her eyes watched sadly as the blood slowly ran down along the fabric towards the door.
"God… the back of his car is covered with bullet holes…" Warrick observed loudly as he looked around for more evidence.
"Well, based on the skid marks back on the road, there were at least five other cars involved…" Grissom replied dryly as he looked down from the top of the gully. He watched as Catherine slowly pulled herself out of the passenger window. She struggled to finally pull herself fully out, and sighed as she looked at Grissom.
"Lindsey couldn't have pulled herself out, let alone break the window… I found a lot of blood, and the first aid kit is missing."
"Where exactly was the blood?"
"All over the driver's side, floor, seat, and door… then plenty of smears on the passenger seat, but I don't think any of it belongs to Lindsey… I think most of it came from that gunshot we saw Nick take to his leg at the school, and that the blood on the passenger's side came from him when he was climbing out."
"That sounds like a sure bet, Catherine. Mia called on our way here, and the blood in the lot belonged to Nick…"
"Guys… if Nick got shot in the leg… they can't be far away. I mean at most a few miles… Lindsey isn't fit enough to cover more than several miles in the time since Nick's car ended up here. And, there's no way anyone with a bullet in their leg is getting more than a few miles…"
"We don't know that, Sara. You're not taking into account a person's will to survive, or, rather, a person's resolve to help someone else."
"So, you're saying what, Grissom? That Nick could've made it all the way back to the city limits. There's no way…"
"Like I said, Sara. Don't be too quick to assume that something is beyond a person just because they've been physically injured. All I'm saying is that while he probably wouldn't make it for himself; he could've made it for someone else."
"So, basically, because Lindsey was with him, he felt responsible for keeping her safe, and under the circumstances I think he's either already pushed himself beyond his max, or is going to. After all, he did drive all this way with at least one bullet in him." Grissom let out a sigh as his own words registered. He doesn't care enough about himself. I guess that isn't surprising, he's always been selfless… Of course he would keep going to save Lindsey… Hell, if he had been shot in both legs, he still would've gotten her out of there…
"Make that two bullets, Gil…" Catherine offered sadly as she climbed out of the gully towards them. "Based on the video Archie showed me, and the blood we found all over his right arm… it matches with a bullet hole in the windshield perfectly…"
"Ok… so the situation is even worse. Well, if someone really wanted Lindsey, or Nick, then they could still be out here somewhere."
"Well, if there's any chance, I'll call in air support, and see if we can round up any more officers…" Brass replied, and without hesitating he had his phone out and slowly moved away from the dismal scene.
"Hey! I think I found something!" Catherine yelled wildly as her flashlight held steadily over a bloody footprint.
"It's Nick's size shoe… And… there's more blood down there…"
"He left us a trail…" Catherine whispered. She slowly thought back to the crime scene before. A trail of crimson puddles… she thought bitterly, but there was no waiting now. She quickly pulled her gun from its holster, and led the way with Warrick and the others in tow.
"Hey, Sofia! You stick around here, and keep an eye out on Greg and Sara while they finish processing, I'm going with Catherine, Warrick, and Grissom, to see if their blood trail leads us anywhere!"
"Sure thing! Call if you find anything!" She yelled at their retreating backs.
"What do you mean you can't find her?" He screamed furiously into the phone.
"I-I'm sorry, boss, but this guy showed up… he managed to get her into his Denali, so we chased them, and he pulled a U-turn, bypassed us, but John ran him off the road. We got the vans out of there, but when we found his car they were gone. We're still following them, and we think we've got a blood trail, but like I said… we can't find them."
"You've got one hour, got that? And I want them both. No one messes with me got it?" He yelled, harshly, and quickly slammed the phone down. A large sneer crept into his face as he looked at the cord that dangled from the phone. He slowly sat back as he thought of why he had kept the phone just so he could slam it on his useless employees. His eyes traveled slowly towards the far wall, and landed on the picture of Sam Braun that covered his dartboard. With the slightest amount of ease he threw a dart, and smiled as he looked at the dart that had ripped through the man's forehead. It's a shame he wasn't right there… I'm going to enjoy watching him crumble… His hands reached for the phone once more.
"Hey, boss, what do you need?"
"I want to know about everything about the man that managed to screw this all up, and I want everything on him on my desk in a half an hour."
"Sure thing, sir. I'll get right on it."
Everything had turned gray, and his vision was beginning to blur. He grunted, and forced himself to keep going, and every time he felt himself land on his left foot he stumbled. The fact that Lindsey's footsteps were farther away comforted him. She's going to make it. She can do it… He stumbled, and finally felt his lungs give way as he fell forward into the dirt. His leg throbbed, but he knew he had to keep going. I'm not going to give up… I can't give up… or maybe I have to…
Suddenly he forced himself back up, and he hurriedly checked to see if Lindsey had left any footprints. Thank God she doesn't weigh that much… they're never going to be bale to follow her… He took a few deep breaths before turning in a new direction and he quickly undid the bandage around his leg. I've got to get them away from her… He once more took off running through the woods. He no longer cared about what direction he went; all he knew was that he had to lead them away from her.
"Sir, I've got all the files you asked for…"
"So, give me an overview of this guy. Name, everything…"
"His name is Nick Stokes… he works with Miss Willows, so that explains why he was there to pick Lindsey up… since we took out her mother's mode of transport."
"I figured as much, so why don't we get into his history… and you may as well start from the beginning…"
"Ok, well, he was born in Texas… his father is a Judge on the Supreme Court down there, and his mother is a Public Defender… otherwise he's got a bother, five sisters… and, he moved to Vegas after being a CSI in Texas for a while. He got promoted to level two, then level three CSI… he then had a little mishap after being left alone at a crime scene…"
"What happened?"
"They arrested some guy for killing his girlfriend, but it turned out his wife did it… she held a gun to his head, but the guy's supervisor came back, and got the gun from her. Looks like a pretty clean track record, and I can't really find much dirt except a few accidental leaks on various cases… It says here that a Nigel Crane stalked him. He apparently threw Nick out a second story window, and later lived in his attic until someone found him. The guy that found him was killed, and then after the ceiling gave way he pointed his gun at Mr. Stokes before turning it on himself. Then Stokes prevented him from committing suicide, and the guy went to prison. After that… not a whole lot, but a few minor incidents, and some bad luck… here's a file that says he was a suspect in the murder of some hooker. Miss Willows proved him innocent…"
"Anything else?"
"Well, then there's the real bummer in this guy's life."
"And, that would be what?" He asked in irritation at the way his employee was trying to build suspense.
"He was abducted from a crime scene, and then buried alive for over twelve hours."
"Damn, that is bad… but it explains why Sam Braun gave his daughter a million dollars…"
"And, his entire team was able to watch him over a webcam. After he shot out some light or something, he also ruined the structural stability of his Plexiglas coffin, and he ended up letting in a bunch of fire ants which bit him so much that he nearly went into anaphylactic shock."
He felt himself fall slowly towards the ground as he finally gave in. His entire body was drenched in his own sweat and blood. He tried desperately to breathe, but it was growing harder to get enough air. Somehow Nick managed to lift his head, and sighed when he saw the blood still flowing quickly from his leg. It's almost over… you're going to bleed out at any moment…you just… have to wait until they find you… then you can mislead them… give her a better chance to escape… Tears flooded his eyes, and he looked up at the stars. Please… please let them know that I did my best… please let Lindsey be safe; I can't let them down again…
She ran hard, and couldn't fight the panic now that she could no longer hear Nick's painful gasps for breath behind her. I promised I'd keep going… you can't turn back. You've got to get to the lab, and tell her what happened… Mom can make this all better… she can go back and find him too, and help him… Her legs carried her swiftly through the woods, but she was quickly losing her remaining strength and energy.
"Ah… so Cowboy, had enough yet?"
"G-go to… hell" Nick muttered through his painful, and desperate, gasps for more air.
"Judging by the paleness of your skin, and the amount of blood you've lost, I'd say it's you who is going to be going to hell." He smiled down at the man who no longer even had the strength to lift his head.
"She's out of your reach… she's safe, and they've already found her… you… you can't hurt her…"
"No, but we can hurt you, and if they have found her, then you're going to regret getting in our way. So, why don't you just tell us where she went, and save us some time, huh Cowboy?"
"Fine…" Nick sighed in defeat, and he let his eyes close, "There's a cabin that's only a few miles away from here… she's going there… it has a phone, and everything…" Nick found it impossible to say anything else, and he silently prayed that his lie would mislead them. He never had the chance to find out as he finally lost consciousness.
To Be Continued…
Notes: This chapter took me a little longer to write, and I wasn't going to write it, except that I'm holding off on An Unfair Act of Vengeance for a little while I think. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the more reviews I get, the faster and harder I work on getting new chapters up (that goes for all my stories)! So, hope you take the time to review this, and I hope you check out my other stories! Thanks to everyone for reviewing my stories so far, I love reading your comments!
Next Chapter: Lindsey keeps running, while the team continues to frantically search for clues. The men after Lindsey find Nick, but after his strenuous efforts to save Lindsey he can hardly move…
