DISCLAIMER:Don't own it... No money made... Just for fun and enjoyment.

SUMMARY: Sequel to Displacement. The CSI team and their recently hired coroner Stephanie are back to work solving cases, sharing companionship and generally making their way through the dire world of criminal investigation with humor and friendship... This one will show the development of the relationship between Grissom and Sara and there should be some other surprises down the road as well. Romance/Drama/Angst/Mature Situations

RATING: M for Mature - I'm starting this one out at "M", since we won't be waiting quite so long for the smut this time out ;) Also, there is a sprinkling of language throughout the story.

A/N: Anybody want to know what's really going on? This should help. :D

REVIEWS: I am always looking for ways to improve my writing, and your reviews let me know if I am hitting my mark. Thank you in advance for the time you take to read & review this story.


Chapter 37

They had been moved to the family room on the third floor, been told that she was being moved to the ICU and that the doctor would be with them shortly. They were still waiting for any word about her condition, because no one in the emergency room would talk to them. It was half past eight o'clock in the morning and they were desperate for any information by that time. So, when the doctor finally made it into the family room, they were beyond ready. However, they were not prepared for the pained face of Dr. Carter Wilbanks, as he looked up and into the eyes of the other people who cared for his patient.

"Okay, first off, whoever had that epipen, ya probably saved her life." He looked around the room and saw a relieved expression on the face of the blonde woman in the back corner, hanging back from the others. He did not recognize her, but he had to admit he was a tad preoccupied at the moment. "Next, we seem to have her stabilized, in a manner of speakin'…" He blew out a sharp breath before he continued, "She's had a serious reaction to somethin' and we cain't seem to isolate it. We just know the histamines in her system are off the charts." He brought up the clipboard he held in his right hand and flipped a page. "The head lac isn't bad, but she's got a nice goose egg, so she's likely ta have a concussion." He looked through a few more things and then he sought out a face he knew well, "Who was the last one ta see'er?"

Warrick swallowed hard, but kept his gaze on his own feet, "That'd be me."

"Was she havin' trouble with her breathin' then? Coughin'? Sneezin'? What?" Carter was looking for something that would help him figure out the source of her ailment.

Warrick nodded, "Yeah, she used her inhaler and she said she had just taken a couple Benadryl. She was pretty beat… I don't think she'd slept since some time Thursday."

Carter acknowledged his account and made a couple of notes on his clipboard before he spoke, "Well, that's not unusual…" He finished his notes and then sighed, "I gotta be honest with you folks… We got nothin' when it comes to findin' the source of this, we just know it's still in her system somehow. Without keepin' her loaded up on steroids and epinephrine and anti-histamines, she starts to degrade almost immediately. And I've seen her normal allergy attacks… This is nothin' like I've ever seen… Not even in the ER."

Both Catherine and Grissom were hunched over in their chairs. Sara sat beside Grissom and leaned over his back as she did everything she could to soothe him. Warrick was nearly mimicking her with Catherine, but with a little more distance. Brass continued to pace in his own little spot, and Sofia tried to process all of the information that was being presented, to break it down and analyze it.

Sara looked around the room and then at Carter. She was the only one who seemed able to speak in that moment, "So, how long can you keep her dosed up like that?… Before it becomes an issue?"

Carter pulled his hand down around his chin, obviously he was trying to calculate that answer in his head. "Well, given her size, her health, and stock stubbornness, I'd say we got a couple hours to play with… After that, I'm gonna have to get her offa that epi, or it'll destroy her heart. The steroids give us a few days, but the longer they're in her system the more damage they can cause." Everyone understood what he was saying. In a few hours, things would get a lot worse.

Sara was again the only one capable of speech. "Thank you, Carter… Get back to her and let us know if there's a change."

"Alright… I'm doin' everything I can, y'all… I promise." His face betrayed his immense pain in this task. Sara got up, motioned for Brass to sit next to Grissom and crossed the room to Carter.

She put a hand on his shoulder and said, "We know… You're doing your best, and that's all we can ask… Thank you." The man looked into her eyes, and his gratitude at her gesture showed through his pain.

As he turned to leave the room, she followed him out into the corridor. "I think this might be related to a case she's been working on… I'll see if we can't ge-…" Carter cut her off.

"The professor from UNLV?"

Sara regarded him with a questioning look, "Yes, you know about that case?"

He nodded with a distracted look on his face, "Yeah… I tried treatin' him when they brought him in… I'm gonna pull the file and see what I cain't figure out." He started to rush off down the hallway, but called back to Sara, "Have the nurses page me if y'all figure anythin' else out, okay." She shook her head and watched him disappear down the hall.

Sara pulled out her phone and dialed a number. She had her own ideas about what she could do.

CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI

His mind was slowly coming back to consciousness, and he was not exactly happy about it. His drinking binge with his friends had wreaked havoc on his sleep schedule and he needed to be fresh for his shift that night. So, when he realized it was his phone that was ringing, he groaned loudly.

"Stokes." His voice held all the properties of sleep, and the word croaked from his throat.

"Nick, I need you to work a scene." At first, it sounded like Sara's voice, but there was a strange quality to it that was not terribly familiar to him.

"Sara? Is that you?"

"Yeah, how fast can you get to the lab?" He wondered why Sara would be calling him to a scene.

"I thought Warrick had Saturday super powers this week…" He looked over at his alarm clock and said, "And those ended like two hours ago."

"I don't have time… I need to you to get to the lab to process a scene. It's critical." Her tone was deliberate and painfully calm.

"Alright, alright, just hold up-…"

"No time… Get Greg and I'll have Sofia meet you guys over there-…" He decided that something truly horrible must have happened for such a response.

"Sara, you're not making any sense… Where's the scene? What's up?"

"You need to process the morgue."

"The morgue? What the-…"

"Stephanie's in the hospital…"

"Adler…"

"Adler…"

They both were on the same page.

"Okay, I'll get Haz-mat on the horn, Greg is still at my place, so I'll bring him with me." His mind began to roil with everything he needed to do to accomplish the task set before him

"Nick… No one but you in Steph's office." He understood what she was saying. He was the only one she trusted. The only one she could trust, other than herself, to save Stephanie. To save Grissom.

"You got it Sara… But if this is in the morgue, it's probably in the lab…" His mind suddenly clicked with another possibility.

"It's airborne…"

"It's airborne…"

He and Sara were in perfect sync and their minds were both processing at the same time. That meant only one thing to him, the situation was truly critical, because there was no information. He had to get the information.

"I'll have to get the whole lab shut down… Can Gris-… Nevermind… I'll handle it, Sara." He knew Grissom would not be able to help him, and he knew he was on his own. He had to come to the plate with his A game, or things were about to get a whole lot worse.

"Nick…" He could hear the tremor in her voice, "Thanks." He knew she was close to breaking, but she was struggling to stay strong for the others. Hold on, Sara… I'm gonna do this… I'm not givin' up.

"Thank me when I find the agent." The line shut down and he stared off into nothingness for only a moment. Then he jumped out of bed, threw on his clothes, yelled for Greg to rollout, and then started making calls.

Time was his biggest enemy in that moment, and he was not about to lose to anyone or anything for something as precious as the life of one of their own. They had not failed him and he was not about to fail them.