Hey everyone, sorry for the long gap between updates but everything's getting a bit hectic again! Ihope some people are still reading - I promise I'll do my best to update. Please read and review - I really appreciate everybody's comments.

Emily x

When Sara awoke she was immediately aware of somebody sitting by her beside. Blinking wearily, she turned to look at her visitor. He was sitting up, simply gazing at the bed.

"Hello, Sara."

"Brass?"

"How are you feeling?" From any other person that question would have elicited some kind of sarcastic response but there was something different in Brass' eyes to those of everyone else; it was not pity or sympathy but something much deeper. Sara could not put her finger on it.

"I've been better."

"I'm so sorry." The words stumbled out of his mouth, tripping over one another as though he could not hold them back.

"You're sorry?" Sara murmured confusedly.

"I'm so, so sorry," he repeated.

All of a sudden something clicked in Sara's head and she realised what it was that was haunting Brass' eyes. It was responsibility. Looking up, she saw that a single tear was rolling down his cheek. She did not know how to respond. It was as though their roles had been reversed; she needed to support him. Cautiously she reached out for his hand. He did not pull back.

"Listen to me," she began. "This is not your fault."

"I should never have chased those kids with you in the car."

"I agreed. It was my choice. I was responsible for myself."

"You asked me to stop."

"I never did."

"You asked me if it was worth it. I decided it was. You paid the price for my decision."

Sara could not bear to hear the grief in his words. "Don't do this to yourself. It will eat you up. I promise you, this is not your fault."

"I came to the hospital earlier," Brass continued. "But I turned back when I reached the elevator. It took everything I had to make myself come in here right now and face you…to see what I've done."

Sara squeezed his hand. "I appreciate it. But you did nothing but your job. I took a risk and it had consequences. That's all there is to it."

This time Brass did not argue, although Sara thought he was far from convinced. They sat in silence for a few moments before it was broken by the doctor's entrance. He looked slightly nervous. No wonder, Sara thought, considering her treatment of him earlier. His nerves soon turned to surprise when he noticed Sara had a visitor. Even more surprise when he spotted her holding his hand rather than shouting.

"I'll come back later," he said quietly, but Sara shook her head.

"Anything you have to say to me, Jim can hear too. He's a friend."

I I I I I

Grissom, Catherine and Nick had been sitting in the relatives' room for longer than they had kept track of. Grissom's neck was bent at an awkward angle, his head leaning against the wall and his eyes shut; his body evidently had not agreed that the hour of sleep he had achieved earlier was enough. Catherine and Nick were both holding polystyrene cups; they had discovered that neither the tea nor the hot chocolate were improvements on the machine's coffee and had opted instead for orange squash.

The sound of Nick's mobile phone, still on although it was breaking hospital rules, disturbed his and Catherine's thoughts and awoke Grissom from a shallow sleep.

"'Rick?" he answered. Catherine and Grissom listened in on their end of the conversation but Nick's one-syllable responses did not give much away. Once he had hung up they turned to him in question.

"He wanted to know whether it was worth him coming to the hospital. I told him no. I'm going to go meet him and tell him what's going on. I don't think Sara will miss me." He smiled grimly. "Call me if there's anything to report, won't you?"

Catherine and Grissom nodded the affirmative. Soon they were left alone. Ominous silence filled the room. Grissom rotated his head, feeling the stiff muscles in his neck rebel against the movement. The sound of the door opening came as a shock to them both. The sight of Brass came as a relief purely because the sight of a doctor was still associated with bad news. They both noticed that he looked exhausted.

"Are you sure you're well?" Catherine asked by way of a greeting. "After all, you were in the accident as well."

"I'm fine, honestly. I've just been speaking to Sara."

Grissom sat bolt upright. "She didn't throw you out?"

Brass looked slightly confused. "No. Actually, she wants to see you." Grissom immediately pulled himself out of his chair, ignoring his exhausted body's demands for rest. "And you." Brass turned to Catherine. "She says it's important."

I I I I I

"You have no need to apologise," Grissom said, gazing concernedly on Sara's pallid face. "After what you've been through, I would have expected a lot worse."

"Neither of you deserved the treatment I gave you earlier. I want you to know how much I appreciate your support. I really do." Sara was sitting upright in her bed, numerous pillows placed behind her back to make the position more comfortable.

"All we want is to help you, Sara," Catherine said, smiling gently at her colleague and friend. "We really do care."

"I know that. But I wasn't seeing clearly earlier." Sara shook her head as though trying to clear her thoughts. "I was in shock, I-"

"There's no need to defend yourself to us," Grissom interrupted.

"There's only one thing I ask," Sara continued. She made sure she had the gazes of both Catherine and Grissom. "You treat me like me. I'm still Sara. The accident hasn't changed that. Support I can definitely deal with but pity I can't. I don't want you to look at me like a victim."

"Of course not," Catherine replied.

"Actually, there is one more thing."

"What's that?"

"Can you pass me over that leg?" Sara pointed at the corner where the prosthetic was sitting awkwardly. "I need to have a closer look."