"I left my keys here"
"If you left your keys, then how did you drive here?" she asked, feigning suspicion
"I've got two sets, one that has a house key and the other that doesn't." he explained, yawning again
"You're tired; take the guest room if you like." she said, pointing to the empty room to her right
"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to impose." he said, pulling his tie off all the way
"Not at all. Let me get you an extra blanket from the wardrobe." she said, entering the room
The guestroom was spacious enough, with a four poster queen size bed on the far end of the room and big fat pillows and flannel sheets that just begged to be slept in. As Cyan opened the wardrobe to retrieve the blanket, Jim had already slipped his dress shirt off and tossed it on the high backed rocking chair in the corner. Blanket in hand, Cyan turned to place it on the bed and was caught off guard by Jim's broad and slightly furry chest.
"Fur; nice." she mumbled
"What was that?" he asked
"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself. Its healthy in moderation, you know." she stated
"Oh, ok"
"Good night. If you need anything, I'm right next door." she offered
"Thanks."
As Jim stripped his slacks and socks off, he wondered if he should really be there, in her house, with her right next door to him; but they were adults and they could surely control themselves. He sat on the edge of the bed and swung his legs up and under the covers. Pulling the flannel sheets and down comforter up to his chin, he was immediately warmed by the cotton and down that surrounded him. The mattress was comfy, too; a pillow top. Needless to say, within a matter of minutes, he was asleep.
About an hour later, Cyan woke to what sounded like a freight train running through the house. She opened her eyes and lay awake for a few moments as she realized that Jim had a majorly deviated septum. Growling, she climbed out of bed and walked next door to Jim's room. The door was open and he was on his back, snug as a very big bug in a down rug. She quietly padded to his bedside and looked down at him. Behind his lids, she could see the movement of his eyes and thought about how cute he looked. Struggling with whether or not she should wake him or leave him be, she was startled by a rather large snore that sounded a kin to Darryl Van Horn in The Witches of Eastwick. Chuckling quietly, she reached out her hand and pinched his nose closed. He gave a great sort of cackle and rolled over, taking her with him. Pinned under his arm, she gave slight resistance, but as she was too tired to put up a real fight, she gave in and pulled the top blanket over herself and tried to make the best of it.
Sometime around 11:00hrs, Jim woke to use the bathroom and when he opened his eyes to see where he was, he realized that he was not alone. Looking over, he saw Cyan on her side, tucked into a ball, sleeping happily. Gently lifting his arm and sliding out of bed, he tip toed out of the room and used the master bedroom bathroom. Having relieved himself and washed his hands, he looked in the mirror and grinned.
"The Gods have smiled upon me." he said, cheerily
Flushing the toilet, he quietly made his way back to the guestroom and noticed that Cyan had moved under the primary blanket, but was still asleep. Standing over her, he debated whether he should sleep above or below the covers, but as the air was cold, he climbed under the bedclothes and rolled onto his side, his back to her. Trying to fall back to sleep, he chuckled as he heard Cyan mumbling something.
"Toe grab and a big air Ollie."
It was nearly 15:00hrs when Jim woke next and much to his pleasure, Cyan was still there, under his arm, and they were spooning, her fingers laced with his. He breathed in deeply and marveled at how her hair smelled like fresh squeezed oranges. A few minutes later, his cell phone rang and since he didn't want to separate from her, he let his voice mail get it. A few seconds later, it rang again.
"Cappie, your order is up." she said, still asleep
"Its the phone." he replied, not sure if she was asleep or not
Jim's voice brought her out of her sleep and as she rolled over, she opened her eyes and was stunned to see Jim's big blues looking right back at her. A bit shocked and more than slightly confused, she backed up a bit and stumbled over her apology.
"Oh,...my God...I'm...so sorry."
Looking back at her and smiling, he replied.
"Good morning, or should I say afternoon"
"Afternoon?" she asked
"Yeah, its around 15:00hrs"
"Oh, shit. Sam's gonna kill me." she gasped, flying out of bed
In her room, she was tossing clothes everywhere as she was looking for something to wear. As Jim stood in the doorway in his boxers and t-shirt, he tried to verbally settle her down.
"Just check your voice mail, maybe he called. If he didn't, its probably cool." he said
"Good point." she said, reaching for her phone
Padding back into the guestroom and climbing back under the warm covers, she checked her voice mail as Jim suggested. Listening to her messages, she smiled, as she watched Jim come back in and crawl under the covers as well. He lay on his back as Cyan listened to her messages. Pulling the covers up to her chin, she set the cell phone on the bedside table and pressed speaker phone. As both of them listened to her messages, they snuggled.
"Um, Cyan, this is Sam Braun. I figured you'd be AWOL today; I heard you had a busy night last night, so, I'll see you tomorrow morning. Remember, drink plenty of fluids."
Jim and Cyan laughed as the messages played on.
"ADD, this is Gil Grissom. Thanks for letting me kidnap you the other night. Its nice to talk shop with someone away from work that has a clear understanding of what's being said. I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me this week on a bug hunt of sorts. I'm going out to Lake Meade and I'd love the company. Call me back. Thanks."
Hearing Grissom's message, Jim gave a silent growl and tried not to think evil thoughts. The last message was the best.
"Hey, Girlie, its Greggo. I talked to the others and they'd love to join in the festivities. Just pick a date and let me know. Oh, and on a more personal note, I was wondering if you'd like to go out some time, you know, a dame like you and a stud like me; we could make some beautiful music together. Just think about it, ok?"
Jim could not contain himself, so, laughing aloud, he pulled the blankets over his head. Under the covers, Cyan could hear Jim laughing up a storm, so she peeled them back and looked down at him. His eyes were tearing, he was laughing so hard and as she glared at him, Jim only laughed harder.
"What's so funny, fancy pants"
"Oh, just Sanders. He's a card." he replied
"He's sweet; kind of cute, too." she said, cautiously
"Yeah, if that's what you go for, then I suppose he is." he commented Looking at him playfully and winking, she climbed on top of him.
"Oh, I think you know the sort I go for." she said, leaning forward and kissing his nose
Jim reached up and attempted to hold her to him, but she wiggled free.
"Tease!!" he shouted
"I'm not a tease. Besides, we've only just met; what kind of woman would I be if I jumped into bed with you after only our first date and less than a week of knowing each other?"
"A happy one?" Jim said, hopefully
"All good things come to those who wait."
"Good point. Besides, patience is a virtue that I've got in spades." he replied
"That having been said, lets fix breakfast"
Sunday 9PM
As Jim strolled into the lab, he could tell that people were talking about him. Heading down the hall towards Grissom's office he could see Sara, Nick, Warrick and Greg, all tightly huddled together whispering. As he glared into the break room, they stopped talking. Across from the break room, Jim could see that Gil's door was open, so he knocked on the jamb and entered. Sitting in the chair opposite his desk, Jim crossed his legs at the ankles and sighed.
"I swear, feeling this good should be illegal." he stated
"I take it things went well last night." Grissom said, looking up from a pile of papers
"Ahh, you're not keeping up with the system she set up." he commented
"I know where everything goes, Jim. Its just a question of putting it back." he replied
"I have a question for you, Jim."
"Sure, fire away"
"You said that the other day, ADD was at the scene, right? And then, last night, she was there as well..."
"What are you getting at, Gil?" Jim asked, slightly annoyed
"Well, I'm just wondering, the message on my voice mail had a voice distortion device on it, and then there are the two scenes that she was at. I'm just wondering if we know as much about her as we think we do. You know?" Gil explained
"Hey, I'm a pretty good judge of character, and even though neither of us has known each other for very long, I don't feel that she's capable of this. Besides, what's her motive; not to mention that the one at the Luxor happened when she was working." Jim pointed out
"I was just bouncing theories around, that's all. I didn't mean for you to get your panties in a bunch"
"They're not bunched. I just don't believe she's who we should be looking at. I mean, last night the drink was poisoned, so maybe we should be looking at the bartender." he said
"We did. He's got no record of any sort. Apart from the fact that "Julian" is not his real name, there's nothing to send up any flags." Gil replied
Just then, Jim's cell phone went off. Pulling it from his pocket, he growled when he realized that it wasn't his. Opening it up, he chuckled.
"Yeah, I know, I've got your phone. Who'd of thought that we'd both have the same exact phones?" he said in greeting
"Well, if you tell me when you're taking your lunch, I'll bring you something and I can reclaim my phone."
"Probably around 02:00hrs." he replied
"Ok, I'll be there. How do you feel about chili"
"I love chili. I didn't know you could cook"
"I'm a monster in the kitchen." she said, joking
"Only in the kitchen?" he asked, suggestively
At this, Gil looked up from his stack of papers and grinned a lopsided grin. Seeing Jim joke like that made him realize how long it had been since Jim had been happy, in a relationship sort of way. Sure, he had smiled a lot these past few years, but this smile was different; he'd never seen this smile before. When Jim spoke to her, he smiled, when he talked about her, he smiled and when he thought about her, he smiled. This past week, he was a big, happy, smiling fool. And seeing the two of them last night, Gil thought about what a handsome couple they made, regardless of the age difference, which had to be at least 20 years or so. She breathed life into him and he was taking big, deep breaths.
"Gil. Hey, Earth to Grissom"
"Huh, what?" he asked, confused
"You were wandering again. Did you take your Ritalin today?" Jim asked jokingly
"Smart ass. Anyway, like I was saying, you and ADD looked very nice together last night. You certainly seem very happy when you're with her." he continued
Thinking for a moment, Jim knew that this was not where they had left off before his cell phone rang. Before now, they were talking about Julian, the bartender, not he and Cyan. This led Jim to believe that while he was on the phone, Gil was thinking about her; not very good at covering up. Playing along, Jim replied.
"Yeah, well, I am." he said, short and sweet
"That's good. Everyone deserves happiness."
Just then, Gil's cell phone rang. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled it out and answered.
"Grissom"
"Mr. Grissom, this is ADD"
"Oh,...Hi. How're you?" he asked, eyeing Jim
"Fine, and you?" she replied
"Very well, thanks. What's up"
"I was just calling to accept your invitation for the bug hunt this week. What day are you going? I just need to Give Mr. Braun enough notice, that's all." she explained
"Oh, ok. How bout' Tuesday morning?" he asked
"Sounds good. I'll meet you at the lab around 09:00hrs"
"That's ok. I'll pick you up from work." he replied
"Ok. See you then." he said, closing his phone
Looking at Gil, Jim noted the broad smile on his face. He thought to himself that Gil seemed a bit happier as well.
"You got a hot date?" he joked
"No, not as such. Just a friend." he replied, flatly
"You've got friends? Well, wonders never cease."
As Jim looked Gil over, his desk phone rang. As he watched Gil conversing with his caller, he noticed the change in his demeanor. Grissom scribbled notes down furiously and when he hung up, he flew out of his seat and headed for the break room. Inside, Nick, Sara and Greg were still there, chatting up a storm.
"Sara, Greg, Nick, you're with me. He's struck again." he said, out of breath
"Oh, man. This guy's hot." Greg said, jumping out of his seat
Climbing out of the truck, Gil, Greg, Sara, Nick and Jim headed inside. As they passed through the rows of slot machines and Roulette tables, they were met by the owner of the casino.
"I'd like to keep this as quiet as possible. The last thing I need is for reporters to turn this into media fodder."
"Well do our best, Sam. Where's the victim?" Gil asked
"In the men's room. Follow me." he said, leading them further inside
Turning to Greg, Jim growled.
"What's the matter, Brass?" he asked
"This is where she works"
"Where who works?" Greg enquired, confused
"Cyan"
"Who?" he asked
"ADD. She works here." Jim said, shortly
"So do lots of other people, Jim." Greg pointed out
Reaching into his pocket, Jim pulled out his cell phone and dialed. As the phone rang, he lagged behind a bit. Cursing, Jim did a visual sweep of the area. Seeing nothing, he sighed. Just then, he heard a voice on his cell.
"What's up, Cappie?" she asked
"Where are you?" he asked
"At work. I got stir crazy and decided to come in, why"
"Can I see you"
"No, but I can see you." she replied, jokingly
Letting his arm fall to his side, Jim looked around the casino floor and when he saw her, he gave a nervous smile. Walking up to her, he placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to a secluded area, where they could talk in peace. Over by the ATM machine, Jim worked her into a corner as he looked around, making sure they could not be seen.
"Have you been here all evening?" he asked in forceful tones
"Yeah, since about 19:00hrs. Why"
"Our friend has struck again, and again, you're at the scene. Can you account for your whereabouts for the last few hours" he asked, pulling out his notepad
"Well, yeah. There's the cameras in the hall outside my office and then there's Mr. Braun. We've been in a meeting since 21:00hrs. Don't tell me I'm a suspect." she said, offended
"Well, you've got to admit that its kind of odd that you'd be at three of the scenes." he said softly
"Well, the first one was right near my house, the second one was at the club, and if I'm not mistaken, you were there, too. And this one is where I work, so what of it?" she asked, annoyed
"We're just covering all our bases, that's all"
"Covering your bases, huh. Well, Cappie, you've just struck out. I'm going back to work. If you'd like to pin anything else on me, like the Lindburgh baby or The Black Dahlia, just let me know." she said, leaving in a huff
Jim watched as Cyan walked away and got in the lift to return to her office. As soon as she left, it hit him just how much his words had truly hurt and offended her. In all reality, his questions were justified, but she was taking things kind of hard, he thought. Looking around, he spotted Gil and Sara looking for him, so he raised his hand and walked over to them.
"She's here and says that she can account for her whereabouts. She said she was in a meeting since 21:00hrs and that Sam and the cameras can account that." Jim said softly to Grissom
"You accused her?!? What did she say?" Sara asked
"She said if I'd like to pin the Lindburgh baby or the Black Dahlia on her, that I know where to find her." Jim explained
"Oh, Jim, you screwed up. Why didn't you check the tapes first and then, based on what you saw, ask her about it. You're going to have to kiss major butt to make up for this one. Good luck, man." Greg said, chuckling
"Lay off, Greggo." Sara said in Jim's defense
"Nick, go check the tapes. See what we can see." Grissom directed
"Right-o, Griss." he said, heading for security
In the security office, Nick looked at the tapes and smiled as he watched proof of Cyan's location during the incident. The tapes showed Sam and Cyan entering his office at around 21:00hrs and Sam leaving only minutes before Grissom and crew walked through the front doors. At 21:45hrs, he watched as Sam crossed the floor to the men's room and Cyan picked up her cell phone, making a couple of calls, then leaving the office. Looking at the adjoining monitor, he saw her come out onto the game floor and come up behind Jim; her alibi was solid. Jim was definitely in trouble.
In the men's room, Gil and Sara were taking photos and sweeping the scene, looking for evidence. In the victim's hand was a crumpled plastic cup, and as Grissom separated it from their victim, he saw the same all-seeing eye as the night before and the scene before that. Taking his tweezers and removing it, he placed it in a bindle and put it in his kit. As Jim came in, he stopped in his tracks, looking down at the body.
"Hey, I know this guy. He's a major player; DiCimino." Jim stated
"So, that's what, 5 or 6 dead dealers in town?" Grissom replied
"Yeah, it would appear as such."
Tapes in hand, Nick walked to the scene and found Jim deep in thought. Pulling him to the side, Nick waved the tapes in front of Jim's face, grinning heavily.
"You better send her some roses or tickets to Celine, because she didn't do it. She's on tape the whole time. You're screwed, man." Nick said, chuckling
"She's allergic to roses." he said, pouting
"Well, then you've got to figure something out, and fast, before someone else snatches her up"
"Agh, why was I such an ass?" Jim asked, not expecting to get an answer
"Because you are the job, and sometimes the job doesn't have any tact, that's why." Nick replied
Back at the lab, Grissom was looking at photos of the dead dealers that he'd scattered across his desk. Looking from the first one to the last one, he tried to think of what these guys had in common aside from their profession. Coming up empty, he growled aloud.
Tuesday 9AM
Jim and Cyan had not spoken since his accusation at the Tangiers. Cyan had worked double shifts so that she could go with Grissom on his little expedition to Lake Meade. Sitting at her desk, she looked up from her papers when her phone rang. Rubbing her eyes and stretching her back, she picked up.
"Hello"
"This is Grissom. Are you ready?" he asked
"Yeah, I am. I'll be out in a second." she replied
"Ok, I'll be there in a few minutes"
"I'll be waiting."
Slipping into her hiking boots, she tied up her laces and made sure everything was in its place before she locked her office door. Heading out and across the casino floor, she exited and stood, waiting for Grissom to show up.
Across the street, Jim was waiting in his car, debating on whether or not he should go in. He perked up when he saw her come out and just as she appeared, he made to get out of his car. He hesitated when he saw her approach an upcoming truck and get in. Recognizing it as Grissom's truck, Jim turned red with anger and frustration. Remembering their recent conversation, Jim cursed aloud.
"He suggested her, I confronted her, she blew up and he moves in. Sneaky little bastard. She and I have an argument and he comes to the rescue."
Cyan climbed in and as they drove off, Jim slammed his fist down on the dash. Pulling away, he headed home and tried to forget his anger.
Looking over at his companion, Grissom noticed that she seemed rather preoccupied. Wanting to help, he enquired as to the problem.
"Oh, nothing. Its just that Jim more or less accused me of being a killer the other night. I swear, sometimes he can be so tactless." she explained
Realizing that her bad mood was, in part, due to him, he clarified.
"I'm afraid I'm responsible for that. I pointed out that you were at some of the scenes and how that was kind of on the suspicious side. He defended you to the hilt, but I'm afraid that it was me who placed doubt in his mind." he explained
Turning to Gil, she glared at him. Seeing this out of the corner of his eye, he returned his focus to the road and awaited his verbal lashing. Considering her words for a moment, she replied.
"Why would you do such a thing? Do I look like a serial killer to you?" she asked in aggravated tones
"Does anyone ever really look like a killer"
"Don't get all fortune cookie on me, Gilbert. Its because of your hasty suggestion that..." she trailed off, not wanting to complete her thought
"Do you want me to take you home?" he asked, sullen faced
"No, but I do want you to fix this. I'm disappointed in you, Gil Grissom." she replied, staring out the window
An hour or so later, they pulled up at Lake Meade and climbed out of the truck. Grissom removed his pack from the boot of the truck and shouldered it. Reaching to the back seat, Cyan pulled out a couple of bottles of water and dropped them in the pockets of her cargo pants. Looking over at Grissom, she smiled.
"I love fatigues; there's room for everything"
"Ok, you ready to get trekkin'?" he said
"Lead on, MacDuff." she replied
Heading into the woods, they strayed off the beaten path and trail blazed. As they forged their way through the woods, Grissom pointed out all sorts of things, like remains of animals and critter dens and such. As they moved farther and farther from the path, Gil looked up to the sky to get his bearings. Since they had arrived, the sky had clouded up a bit and he was having a bit of a hard time navigating . Turning to Cyan, he blushed.
"I think we're lost"
"You're kidding?" she said looking up at the sun
Focusing on the brightest section of clouds, she determined that they were headed east. So, turning around 180 degrees, she pointed.
"The truck is this way." she said, tromping off
"Are you sure?" he asked, trying to keep up with her
As they made their way back, the sky got dark and it began to rain, distorting their vision of their path back. As the rain came down in big fat drops, Grissom stopped.
"This sucks. We're soaked, lost, and I'm hungry." he shouted above the sound of the rain
Reaching into her pocket, Cyan pulled out two power bars. Turning to Grissom, she grinned.
"Mixed berry or Cappuccino?" she asked
"Either one." he replied
Tossing the Cappuccino flavoured bar at him, she turned back to the barely visible path that they had made coming in.
"Maybe we should stop until the rain lets up." he suggested
"The longer we wait, the longer its gonna take for us to get back, besides, you've got to feed your bugs, and I don't think they'll like power bar." she said, laughing
Trudging away, she realized that she heard only one set of footsteps. Turning around, she saw nothing. Cupping her hands over her mouth, she called for Grissom.
"Grissom. Come on, man."
Backtracking, she had made it several yards when she heard someone yelling. Looking around and listening, she trained her ears on the noise. Beside a fallen tree she found him in the cavity left by the roots of the tree. Grissom was flat on his back in a hole at least 8 feet deep. Looking down at him, she laughed.
"What the hell happened"
"What does it look like? Get me out of here." he shouted
Looking around for a branch or rope or something left by litterbug hikers, she found nothing. After a couple seconds of quick thinking, she had an epiphany.
"Get up and toss me your pack." she demanded
Gil made to get up, but only fell back down in the mud. Trying a couple more times, he cursed.
"I think my ankle's busted." he said, taking off his pack and throwing it to her
"Ok, we'll deal with that in a minute." she said, unfastening the straps
Cutting the straps from the bag and tying them together, she tossed one end down to Grissom and wrapped the other end around her wrist. As Gil took hold of it, Cyan put all her legs and back into heaving him up. Just as he reached the top of the hole, Cyan felt her wrist snap. The pain was immediate and sharp. As Gil slid on his stomach out of the hole, she let go of the strap and looked at her hand. She could see the dislocated bones and could barely move her fingers.
By this time, Gil had rolled over onto his back and was holding his defective ankle. Looking over at him, she pushed her pain aside and tended to Gil's ankle. Taking off her shirt, she tore it in strips and wrapped them around his ankle. Cutting the shoulder straps from the pack, she cradled his foot in them and tied them around his calf and just above his twisted ankle bones. This makeshift splint was good enough, and as he stood up, he thanked her for her help.
Looking down at her wrist, Gil could see the swelling that was presenting itself. Reaching down and picking up a thick stick, he took the webbing from the pack and strapped the stick to her forearm. Looking up at him, the rain in her eyes, she thanked him. Draping his arm around her shoulder, she helped him around and after about an hour of tromping in the mud and underbrush, they made it back to the truck. Hopping behind the wheel, Cyan unlocked the door for Gil and he climbed in.
"Ok, where's the closest hospital?" she asked
"That would be Desert Palms. Just head back to town." he said, wincing from the pain
"Ok, let's get there in one piece, shall we?" she said, pulling out of the lot
Back in town, several hours later, Cyan and Gil were in hospital; he in x-ray and she in triage. Her wrist had been splinted and she was told that it wasn't broken, just sprained. While waiting for Grissom to get through, she just sat and people watched. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar face.
"Hey, Greggo." she called
Whipping his head around, he saw her sitting in a plastic chair, her arm wrapped in an ace bandage.
"What happened to you?" he asked
"Just a minor accident. You should see the other guy." she replied
"Who's that"
"That would be me." Grissom said
Turning, Greg was startled to see his boss, leg casted and wheeling himself down the hall. Greg could not help but laugh at this pitiful sight in front of him.
"Oh, my God, what happened"
"He stepped into a tank trap and I sprained my wrist getting him out." she explained
"Are we ready to go?" Gil asked
"Yeah, I am if you are." she said, folding her discharge papers
"You need a ride?" Greg asked Looking from Cyan to Greg, Grissom frowned.
"No, thanks, Greg. We're fine." he replied
"Ok, see you guys later."
Watching as Cyan wheeled Gil out of the ward and to the parking lot, Greg pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Jim. Waiting while the phone rang, Greg tended to his business, in the form of hitting on a nurse.
In front of Gil's apartment, Cyan parked and hopped out, getting Gil's crutches from the back seat. Handing them to him, she asked if he needed any help.
"No, I'm fine." he said
"Ok, I'm going home. Let me know when you want your truck back"
"Ok." he replied
She stood there and waited until Gil disappeared into his apartment. Climbing back into the truck, she drove home to take her pain killers and go to sleep. Unlocking her front door, she dropped the keys on the hall table and shuffled into her room. Stripping her clothes off, she crawled into bed and set her alarm clock. It was 15:00hrs, so she set it for 20:00hrs so that she could get into work that evening. As she sank into a deep, happy pill induced sleep, she hoped that Gil was ok.
19:00hrs, and as Jim drove by Cyan's house to see her, he saw Gil's truck in the drive. He fumed as thoughts of her and Gil in whatever position they were in, raced through his mind. He never thought of Grissom as the type to horn in on someone's love life, but as far as he could tell, Gil was a bit more than friendly with her. Continuing past her house, Jim drove to the lab, deciding that he would wait for Grissom to come in and confront him.
Sitting in her office, Cyan was flipping through papers from Sam's charity event a few months back, when a knock came at her door. Looking up, she waved him in. Sitting in the chair next to her desk, Sam enquired after her injury.
"What happened to you"
"Nothing, just a sprained wrist. It'll heal." she replied
"Are you sure you should be in tonight?" he asked
"I'm fine, Mr. Braun"
"I told you, call me Sam." he said, getting up
At the lab, everyone was waiting for Grissom to show up when Catherine came in. All of them were seated around the conference table as she entered the room and sat at the head of the table. Slips in hand, she addressed them all.
"Ok, Gil is out for a while with a sprained ankle, so, I'm playing boss until he gets back." she explained
Hearing this, Jim perked up a bit and a small smile presented itself on his face. As Catherine prattled on about the nights cases, Jim's cell phone rang. Standing up and answering it, he was cheery.
"Brass"
"Jim, this is Cyan. I'd like my cell phone back, as I'm sure you would yours." she said, shortly
"I'll bring it by in a bit. Are you at home?" he asked
"No, I'm at work"
"Ok."
And with that, he hung up and returned to the conference room to catch the end of Catherine's address. As everyone got up to leave, Jim was caught by Greg's hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, Brass, I've got dish, if you want it."
Reluctant, but at the same time, curious, Jim nodded.
"Well, earlier, I was at the hospital and you'll never guess who I saw. Grissom and ADD"
"What were they doing there?" he asked, his ears perking up
"Apparently, they went hiking and Grissom fell into a hole, twisting his ankle. She pulled him out, but sprained her wrist in the process." he explained
"Well, I just spoke with her and she said she's at work." Jim commented
"Well, that's work ethic for you. She's indestructible." Greg said, chuckling
At the Tangiers, Jim crossed the casino floor and was met by Sam Braun. Way laying him, Sam handed him a cell phone. A bit confused, Jim asked why Cyan wasn't there.
"I sent her home. Apparently, she injured herself today. She said she was fine, but I insisted she go home. She took a bunch of paperwork with her."
"Oh, ok. I'll catch her there." Jim said, turning and walking away
In front of Cyan's house, Jim saw Gil's truck still in the drive, and pushing his anger aside, he climbed the steps and just as he was about to ring the bell, he noticed the door was open. Drawing his weapon, he pushed the door open with a finger and entered the house. He saw what he would later describe as signs of a struggle; overturned hall table, broken vase and water spilled on the floor. As he passed through the house, he made his way to the bedroom and that's when he saw her on the floor.
Her bedside table was on it's side and she was out cold, a good sized gash above her left eye and a bruise on her upper left cheek. He rushed to her side and called to her.
"Cyan, hun. Wake up."
No reply.
"Cyan, come on. You've got to open your eyes."
Still, no response, so Jim pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. He relayed his position and then called the lab. As he waited for the ambulance to arrive, he cleared the rest of the house and went back to her side. Her pulse was weak and her breathing very shallow. He dared not touch her, beyond checking her pulse, and as he looked down on her, he thought that she looked almost like she was sleeping. He had seen her sleep before, but for some reason, this didn't look entirely like sleep, but more like something else. On his knees beside her, he swore that he would never get angry with her again, regardless of what was going on between she and Grissom.
"I'm so sorry, hun. I was an asshole. Just wake up; wake up and, I promise, everything will be alright." he pleaded, tears running down his face