"You've got no evidence to hold my client, Captain Brass. So, unless you're ready to arrest him, I think it's past time to let him-"
Brass held up a hand. "He's free to go, but please stay in town-"
The door opened and Sara stepped into the room. "I actually have a few more questions."
Mitch glared at her. "I'm done wasting time answering questions about my aunt and my screwed-up childhood."
Sara sat down and folded her hands calmly in front of her. "I don't have time to waste either, so I'll come right to the point – Gil Grissom, the CSI who was here with me earlier? He's been abducted and I think you can help us find him."
Mitch's face went bright red. "I don't know anything about any kidnapping! Look lady-"
"No, you look!" Sara snapped. "I don't think you had anything to do with his abduction – we're holding your foster sister, Natalie, for the crime."
"Natalie – you think – she had something to do with this?" the words were choked out, and Sara noticed that Mitch's right hand started to shake.
"We do."
"Then God help your friend."
"You're afraid of her," Brass spoke up for the first time since Sara came in.
Mitch snorted. "You'd be afraid of the devil too."
"Yet it was your other foster sister who held a knife to your throat-"
"Look, I knew what to look out for with Tiff – I knew she walked in her sleep with knives – and the rest of the time she was harmless. But Nat – you never knew where you stood with that girl. She hardly ever spoke – just watched you with her weird kaleidoscope eyes. I made sure to never be alone with her, in fact, I usually avoided her like the plague, unless we were all forced to be together for some reason."
Sara steered him to a different topic. "Did your parents ever take all of you out hiking in the desert?"
Mitch made a face. "My parents forced me to go on monthly outings with the fosters – we went to all kinds of places: parks, bowling alleys, skating rinks, hiking – you name it, we tried it. I hated them all."
Sara leaned forward. "Natalie made a miniature of Grissom trapped under a car in the desert-"
"Wait – are you saying – oh my God, is Nat the miniature killer?" Mitch collapsed back in his chair and the trembling spread from his hand to his entire body. "All those years ago, I was growing up beside-"
"Not another word, Mitch," the public defender advised. "In light of this new evidence, I think we're done here. Is my client free to go?"
Brass sighed. "Yes."
"Wait!" Sara cried as Mitch and the lawyer got to their feet. "Please, we – I still need your help. Grissom is out there – somewhere – if you could help us –"
Mitch looked down his nose at Sara, and for a terrible moment she thought he might refuse and walk out the door. But then he sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
"How? I don't know-"
"Where did your parents take you hiking – do you remember?"
"In the desert somewhere -"
"Think – please. A man's life hangs in the balance."
The combination of blinding sunlight and pain woke Grissom, and he opened his eyes, shielding them from the glare with one hand, the other arm hanging useless by his side. He had no idea how long it had taken to free himself from the wrecked car, but he knew that he had broken his humerus as well as dislocated his shoulder in the process. He needed to make a sling and get going, try and find shelter as well as figure out where he was but the pain was overwhelming and kept him in the same place, only a few feet from the car. He wished he had his sun hat – or some sunscreen – or some water. He wished he heard the sound of a rescue chopper or the shouts of his team. But the desert was eerily silent this morning after last night's violent storm had passed, leaving no rain, no water in puddles to quench his growing thirst.
He had dreamt of Sara – part dreams of being rescued and part memories of their past. Grissom had lived a whole life of solitude before her, and he had been content with that life. And then she came, with her bright gap-toothed smile that lit up a room, her fire for justice and love of science. They spoke the same language, and even if she wasn't excited about his bugs, she didn't run away from him because of them. He didn't know how lonely he'd been, how much he'd been aching for her, until the night she kissed him, and everything between them changed. Now his life of solitude was uncomfortable, was lacking in a way it never had before. The silence was deafening – as it was out here in the desert sands. He missed Sara with every painful breath he took.
Two years ago
Gil's fingers ran lightly down Sara's spine. He was careful to keep his touch soft as he knew how much she coveted her sleep. It didn't bother him that she turned away from him after they'd made love. He thought it was adorable the way she curled up on her side, pressed her back to his front as she snuggled into the pillow and fell asleep. They had only been intimate for two weeks and part of him felt like he was holding his breath, waiting for her to wake up and realize that he wasn't-
"I'm trying to sleep, Gil."
His fingers lifted from her skin. "I didn't mean to wake you."
Her shoulders shook with silent laughter as she turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. "Yeah? Then I would try keeping your hands to yourself next time."
His eyebrow quirked. "But I've done that for years – and I still have to do that at work. Here, now, I don't have to-"
She laughed out loud as she rolled over. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you-"
"I can think of a few things-"
He smothered her laughter with kisses and soon she was moaning under him as they made slow love in the late afternoon.
"What were you thinking about earlier- when you woke me up?" Sara whispered against his chest, as they snuggled together afterwards.
"You."
"And-"
"Us."
"And-"
"Sara-"
She propped her chin on his chest so she could look him in the eye. "Come on, I know you're thinking about something serious whenever you start tracing my spine – so spit it out."
"I was thinking – this is – you and me – I'm happy, Sara."
A slow smile spread across her face. "Well, what's wrong with that?"
"Nothing – it's – I - we've only been together two weeks."
"And?"
"And – I don't want to presume anything – I mean, I don't want to think this is – I mean, I don't want to disappoint you –"
She tilted her head. "How could you disappoint me?"
He squirmed underneath her. "Well, I'm not exactly a young man, am I? I'm not as exciting or physically attractive as some of the men you've dated. I'm just-"
"You're Gil Grissom," she interrupted him. "And it may be too soon to say this – but here goes – you're the man I'm madly in love with-"
He blinked. "You are?"
She rolled her eyes. "You really are clueless, aren't you? Gil, I've loved you for years – don't panic, I don't expect you to say it back to me right now-"
He swallowed the emotion in his throat, feeling the words but wasn't able to say them yet. "I always knew I wanted to end up right here with you – someday."
She cupped his face and kissed him fiercely.
"That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."
Grissom blinked the memory of that morning away, smiling at the ease at which Sara had confessed her love for him. It had taken him a bit longer, though it had taken him by surprise that when he had said those three little words, they had also fallen naturally from his lips. Now his biggest fear was never being there for his child, much in the same way that his own father wasn't there for him. He had to make it out of here – for Sara and their child's sake.
Mitch rubbed his forehead. "It was so long ago – and I've tried to block it all out, you know? Those day trips were torture – never-ending car rides, picnic lunches, hiking in the desert – I mean, who does that to kids?"
"Hiking in the desert can be a relaxing, exhilarating experience-" Sara argued.
"If you like nature and bugs and heat!"
"Can we focus, please?" Brass barked. "A man's life hangs in the balance."
"Do you have a map with the hiking trails?" Mitch asked. "Maybe if I see the names it will jog something-"
"I came prepared-" Sara whipped a map from her back pocket and unfolded it on the table.
The four of them leaned over and studied it in silence for a few minutes before Mitch laughed and jabbed a finger at a marker. "Here – I remember this. The name always cracked me up – Icebox canyon. It's in the middle of the desert and it's named icebox! Dad took us to that trail a lot and also to lost creek – I always hoped the fosters would get lost and I'd be the only one to come back. Never happened."
Sara's heart squeezed at the pain still present in Mitch's voice. "Thank you. You've given us a place to start."
One foot in front of the other. One step at a time. Just keep walking. Keep going. Sooner or later, he would come across a trail marker or another hiker. The odds that he was completely alone out here was slim, not now that the weather was reasonably mild, and all the trails were open to the public.
He knew that he had to be somewhere inside Red Rocks Canyon, but that piece of information wasn't particularly helpful. The scenic drive was thirteen miles and filled with hiking trails, picnic spots, and scenic overlooks. It was an enormous haystack for search and rescue to comb through and without any way to narrow the search parameters, he knew it could be several more hours, if not another day, before his rescue.
His wandering thoughts prevented him from seeing the body at his feet and he tripped over it, falling to his knees next to the fallen man. Reaching out with his good arm, Grissom automatically checked for life signs, but the man was beyond help, his face bloated and the maggots already starting to eat the flesh. The man's shirt was thin and hanging limply from his torso. Grissom clenched the material in his fist and with a firm yank, it came away in his hand.
"Thank you, my friend, for your shirt. I'll tell the rangers where you are – make sure this isn't your final resting place."
Grissom sat down next to the dead man and slowly began to fashion a sling with his one hand.
Sara and Catherine picked up two park rangers at the entrance to Red Rocks and continued inside, bouncing inside their SUV to Icebox Canyon. Still a mile or two out, the walkie-talkie in Sara's lap crackled to life.
"Sara- you there- come in- over!"
"Greg? I'm here!"
"Warrick and I have found the car! Repeat – we see the car!"
"Where are you?"
"Two miles SW of Icebox Canyon-"
"Okay, Catherine and I should be there in about five minutes."
"Roger, we're landing now."
Sara was out of the SUV before Catherine had brought it to a complete stop and ran to the wrecked car. "Where is he – where's Gil?"
Greg stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders. "He's not here."
"What? But this is the car-"
"Yes, but he's not here. He must have got out – we found his vest-"
"Show me."
Greg led her to the car and Sara crouched down to peer inside. She saw Gil's CSI vest half in and half out on the driver's side. He must have taken it off and tossed it there when he had gotten free. She turned on her small flashlight and shone it around the interior of the car, stopping when she saw blood.
"He's hurt – he didn't have anything to use for leverage to get his arm free, so he-" she swallowed the rest of her words as she struggled with her emotions. Rage against Natalie. Fear for Gil.
"We'll find him, Sara. He couldn't have gotten far."
She nodded. "We need to split up – you and Warrick get back in the chopper and sweep the area in slow circles, using this as a central point."
"Roger that – Warrick! Let's go!"
"Catherine – radio Nick and Sofia – tell them to start searching on foot north/northeast. You and I will take south/southwest. Let's take a pack with water and rations."
"The rangers can help too, Sara."
Sara nodded. "The more hands the better. Let's go!"
Grissom stopped for a moment to wipe his brow. The sun was directly overhead now. He would give just about anything for a drink of water. If only it had rained last night.
He stooped and placed three more small stones on top of each other: one for him, one for Sara, and one for their baby. To the casual observer it was a simple trail marker, but for him it held special significance. It reminded him what he was fighting for, and it kept him going, kept him putting one foot in front of the other until he could place the next marker.
"Hello, son."
He shielded his eyes and looked up to see his father standing not five feet from him, sun hat in hand, a slight smile on his face.
"Dad?"
"How are you?"
The logical part of his brain knew that his father was dead – had been dead for decades, but the emotional part of him was overwhelmed to see this desert mirage of the man he loved so much.
"I've been better."
"I can see that. You need to put that shoulder back in."
"I don't think I have the strength-"
"Do you remember when you were six years old, and you fell out of the giant maple tree in the backyard?"
Grissom nodded.
"Your mother didn't see you fall, and she didn't come outside to look for you for almost an hour – she was frantic when she found you! You had a broken leg and had been calling for her, but of course, she couldn't hear you. Do you remember what happened next?"
"She drove me to the hospital to get a cast put on-"
His dad nodded. "She hadn't driven a car since she'd lost her hearing – she didn't think she could do it. You told her she could do it, and held her hand until she got up the courage to drive the car, even though you were in so much pain-"
"How do you know all this? You weren't there – and you aren't here now!"
His dad smiled. "Your mother told me all about it when I got home – how brave you were – how you helped her – how she never could have done it without you. You're stronger than you know, Son. You can do this-"
Grissom's shoulder slumped and his eyes grew heavy. "I'm so tired-"
"Gilbert! You have to stay awake! Think about Sara – your child – they are coming for you – just hold on-"
He sank to his knees in the sand as his eyes closed. "You're – not here. I'm – all alone."
"Sara! Over here – I found something!"
She ran over to where Catherine was crouched in the sand by a small tower of three stones.
"Thanks, Gil," she breathed out the words, her eyes falling shut in relief. She heard Catherine talking to Nick on the walkie-talkie, telling him about the marker, and he said that he and Sofia would get in back in their SUV and head in their direction. She jumped as the older woman's shadow fell over her.
"Does the number three have some significance for you two?" Catherine quizzed her.
"What? No," Sara blushed, but in the heat the other woman didn't notice as both of them were flushed. He's thinking about our baby. I can't think about that right now, but he is – it's keeping him going.
"Sidle! Willows! Over here!" Ranger Devon called.
Both women ran over to see the ranger standing over a body.
"Is it-" Catherine couldn't speak his name, let alone look but Sara threw herself down and uncovered the man's face, recoiling at the sight of the maggots.
"Ugh – no, Cath. It's not Gil. This man has been dead for at least twenty-four hours."
Ranger Devon nodded. "We had a report of a hiker missing two days ago in this same area – name of Reuben Kittle – must be him. Poor bastard went off the trail and a sandstorm came up. Never go hiking alone, ladies."
Both women shook their heads as the ranger went to radio in the discovery.
"Catherine, Gil's been out here all day – no water, no food, no shelter. He doesn't even have his sun hat-"
Catherine laid her hand on Sara's arm. "We'll find him, Sara."
"Alive?"
"Yes."
"You're not alone, Gil."
He turned his head to see Sara smiling at him.
"Sara – how?"
She placed a cool finger against his scorching hot lips. "Shh, just stay with me. I'm almost here."
His eyes filled with tears as he drank in the sight of her, resting on her very pregnant belly. "I wanted so much to be there for our child."
"And you will be."
"I- I'm dying, Sara."
"Don't talk like that, Gil. Here." She took one of his hands in hers and placed it over her stomach.
He felt a kick beneath his hand and grinned. "How is this – you're not even showing yet."
She traced a hand down his face. "Don't think about it – you'll only get a headache."
"I love you – I love you both so much."
"We know."
He blinked and suddenly he couldn't see her anymore. "Sara!" he called, reaching for her in a panic. "Don't go! SARA!"
"Hold on, Gil. Hold on."
The walkie-talkie crackled to life on Sara's belt and Nick's voice came over the channel. "Sara, Greg – we found him. Two miles south of milepost six – bring the med evac chopper –"
Sara hugged Catherine even as they ran for the SUV, and they raced for the rescue site. When they arrived, Nick and Sofia were dousing Grissom with water bottles in an effort to bring his body temperature down and the medical evac chopper had already landed.
"How is he?" Sara yelled over the roar of the rotating blades.
The medic shook his head. "He's unresponsive and I'm not getting a radial pulse. Dr. Grissom- can you hear me?" he shouted into Gil's ear.
Sara sat back on her heels and swallowed, fighting the nausea and fear that threatened to overwhelm her. She thought that finding him would be the end. But seeing him lying on the sand in front of her, unresponsive, and nearly the same color as the ground beneath him was nearly as bad as when he was still missing.
"We need to transport him now!"
"I'm going with him!"
Nick, Catherine, and Sofia all nodded their understanding and helped Sara and the medic carry the sledge to the chopper. Sara clambered in behind and she heard Catherine ask where Gil was being taken, but all her focus was on her lover lying so still and being hooked up to an IV. All his exposed skin was lobster red, his left arm hung in a homemade sling, and even her untrained eye could tell that the shoulder was out. Aside from a few other minor scrapes and abrasions, he appeared unharmed, physically. But she had no idea what was going on beneath the surface – what mental and emotional trauma he had suffered at Natalie's hands and then out there in the desert.
"We have a pulse, and BP is steady at 110/75."
Sara grasped his uninjured hand, squeezing gently as his eyes opened.
"Gil."
His fingers flexed in her hand, and he turned his head to meet her eyes. She saw his lips moving under the oxygen mask and when the medic turned away to check a readout, she slipped it up so he could speak.
"Sara," he gasped her name.
She nodded as the tears escaped and fell down her cheeks. "I'm here."
She bent forward and gave him a quick kiss, replacing the oxygen mask before they got reprimanded. He let his eyes fall shut again as Sara entwined their fingers together once more, knowing that when he opened them the next time, she would be there.
Sara would always be there.