heya, new chapter. the next one will be up tonight because this was meant to be yesterdays

thank you red lighting, trusting-what-isn't-there and CSigurlie07 for reviewing. hugs n luvs to ya and to anyone reading my story. It should be finshed by the weekendx


You had been explained to by the nurses that there would be lots of wires and tubes, you mustn't be scared of them and you mustn't touch them because they are helping your Mom get better. You approach her bed slowly, taking in the heart and lung monitors, the IV drip. You watch your mother force herself out of sleep like a swimmer breaking the surface of a heavy viscous sea of molten lead. Her bruised eyelids fluttered and you squeeze a little harder on her icy hand just let her know you were there. Your moist eyes stare at the swollen-faced, bruised-eyed woman. You are reverting back to your childish behaviour. You want to crawl in to the bed beside your mother and be held by her. Though she is not strong enough to hold you or comfort you or even kiss you unless you poke your face close to hers, against her wounded mouth. Outside your mother's room you overhear one nurse asking another "that poor girl, they daughter. They didn't rape her, too, did they?" She looked at you and then at the man who hovered behind you. You look at him and notice how his eyes were moving over Momma's face warily. You watch the Adam's apple bounce as he swallows. The next thing you know a nurse is bringing in Mommy's dinner on a tray, her soft-diet food. The man turns and Momma asks him to stay. He sits down in the chair. Momma lets you help with her meal, though she can feed herself. Apple juice, puréed carrots. And strawberry Jell-o. So delicious, you and Mom plan to make Jell-o all the time when she comes home. You realised that you had eaten your mother's food and she had only pushed some of it around the plate. Your head starts to do a familiar drop and your eyes feel heavy. The way Momma's strokes your hair is done so softly…so softly...


Grissom seemed quietly entranced as he waited for her to speak. She opened her mouth, began to voice, but the she faltered, searching for words. After a moment, she looked away, while her thoughts processed. There was nothing. She could only remember was looking for the car. She had heard it was a nice park, safe. That's why it would be a special trip. And then explaining what a mermaid was.

"There's nothing, Grissom, there's nothing there," her was voice weak and pained.

"Please, tell me."

He cleared his throat.

"It's not my place to tell-."

"No, I think it really is. Who is going to tell me if its not you?" It was as if she was looking right through him instead of at him. Her breathing differed from normal, irregular, a short breath in through the nose and a long sigh-like one out of her cracked mouth. "Ecklie?" Another irregular breath followed. "Some stranger who keeps giving me sympathetic looks?" He stole a quick glance at the heart monitor and saw that her pulse was quickly accelerating.

"Sara, you need to calm down." His tone was sharp and he immediately regretted it. "Get your breathing back to normal and I'll tell you." He was frightened. For both of them. He pulled the chair closed to the bed and watched her wheezing pants fade and her heart rate had returned to normal. The nurse opened the door and asked if everything was okay and after two nods, she left.

He closed his hand over hers. He felt her flinch significantly at contact and had pained him slightly. It felt small in his, soft and trembling. He ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"There was an attack at the park," he told her in a deceivingly casual way.

"You were raped." He swallowed hard, struggling to control the flood of emotions.

"Raped?"

"Gang-raped actually." She didn't say anything, only stared at him, her pupils dilating and devoid of any real sign of recognition of what he had said.

"Did they touch her?" He had seen this face before, eyes smouldering, lips sewn together tightly. It was full of scorn, pain and deep sorrow, bubble of poison wanting to burst. Heather had it when she came out of the autopsy room, and he had seen it many times with Catherine.

"No."

She absorbed his one word answer and she pulled her hand out of Grissom's and covered her mouth with her palm and her fingers spread outwards across her cheeks. Her eyes closed for a few long moments and he took a deep breath and pressed her fingers against her eyelids. Eventually she removed her hand mask, collapsing it next to Grissom's.

"Who collected the evidence?"

"Catherine."

A small flush of colour covered Sara's milky cheeks. It was a relief. She couldn't have standed any of her male friends looking…

"She is the lead. She also contacted your mother. Catherine is going to bring her here from the airport."

He looked at Lorena. So did Sara.

"Why don't you ask what you so clearly want to know?"

"Well…" His voice trailed away and Gil's sweaty hands stumbled in to his pocket. He loathed his cell phone. Right then, for a single moment, he loathed it. It was Brass and he could not risk not answering it. The conversation was short and brief. Gil looked at Sara.

"Charges have been made and the bail is set at $ 75,000 for each of the men in custody."

"How many?"

"Eight."

Her eyes flickered. Grissom realised that she must have thought about three or four. Five maximum.

"I think I'd like to sleep for a while."

She shifted her body, trying to turn it away. It hurt her and she was ecstatic that it did Physical pain was so much easier to deal with than emotional. She kept her eyes squeezed shut until she heard the door open and close. The next thing Sars realized was that she was being wheeled away to have a C.A.T scan. Alone.


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