I really wanted to finish this tonight; but I am exhausted and it got way too long. Not sure how to finish it up; but I hae some ideas. Kind of a strange story, a weird plot of sorts, but I hope you like it anyway. Next chapter will be the final
Conrad Ecklie stormed through the lab, heading towards Gil's office; it was empty. His head throbbed and he didn't think he would walk straight for a month; that fucking Sidle
He had nearly chased her down; had considered grabbing the back of her head and dragging her back to his office. He would have, too, if she hadn't hurt him so badly he couldn't stand. Instead he had lain on his floor writhing in pain as he heard her scramble down the hallway and out the door.
He went to her apartment, sitting in his car and downed nearly a full fifth of whiskey as he waited for her to show up. He had sat seething, knowing where she had gone and vowing to confront both her and Grissom about it. Instead, he had passed out, waking up in the early dawn with a throbbing head and an aching crotch.
He drove by Gil Grissom's on the way to work and sure enough the bitch was there. "Perfect" He thought "Just fucking perfect."
As he rounded the corner into the break room, he found Catherine and the rest of Gil's team, quietly discussing something amongst themselves.
"What the hell is this?" He barked from the doorway. "None of you people have anything to do? What, is Vegas all out of crime scenes?"
They looked up at him, the expression on Catherine's face one of shocked amusement. "What happened to you?" She asked, noting the slight bruising under his eyes and the swollen skin of his nose.
"I ran into a door." He said with irritation. "Where the hell is Grissom?"
"Uh..." Greg began, looking around him. "He's not here yet."
"No shit, Sanders." Ecklie barked. "You got a real brain on your shoulders, don't know what the hell you are doing here."
"Conrad," Catherine told him, stepping away from the counter she'd been leaning against. "We're just going over assignments, so unless you need something...we have work to do."
"You damn well better." He nearly yelled. "Just because Grissom can't seem to drag his sorry ass in her doesn't give any of you reason to stand around wasting laboratory time."
Before Catherine could answer, Brass came into the room looking over at Ecklie with strange curiosity. "Looks like you lost the fight."
"I ran into a door." Ecklie snapped, looking back at Catherine. "You tell Grissom when he gets in I expect to see him in my office; immediately." He glanced around quickly. "And tell Sidle the same." He turned and stormed from the room, hearing the snickers from Greg and Nick as he disappeared down the hallway.
"Wow." Warrick said after he had gone. "Somebody have a rough night or what?"
"Must've been some door." Nick chuckled.
"If that is what he looks like I'd hate to see the other guy." Greg commented as he took a sip of coffee.
Brass stood quietly as he contemplated Greg's words. He turned slightly towards the direction that Ecklie had gone, noticing the slight hobble in his gate. "Fight, huh?" He said to the others in the room
Catherine nodded. "No idea." She sighed. "Don't really care to find out." She raised her eyebrows at him. "Where is Grissom, anyway?"
Brass sighed as he walked over to the coffee pot. "You know," He replied. "I think that is something you'll have to ask him about."
"Okaaayy," Warrick replied as he stood up from the table. "But, Sara's not here either…what are the chances that they are both late?"
Glances went around the room as each pondered the question. "Sara's never late." Greg commented. "Maybe something happened?"
Brass stood quietly a moment, choosing his words carefully; he had promised Sara that he would not tell them what happened. They would find out easily enough when the evidence rolled in to process. "Well, I'm sure what ever it is" He began. "There is a good reason."
Of course he knew that Gil was with Sara; he had been with her since they'd left the hospital and had taken her back to his townhouse. He knew that Gil cared about Sara, and sometimes he even thought that there was a little more to them than just friendship; a lot more. Whatever it was, it really wasn't any of his business anyway and so he didn't spend much time wondering about it.
He did wonder, though, about what really happened to Conrad Ecklie.
Gil walked into the bedroom, carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of soup. Sara lay on the bed, her back to him, as he placed the bowl on the nightstand. He sat next to her, reaching out to stroke her hair softly.
"You need to eat something." He said quietly as he stroked her hair.
She was quiet for a few moments and he thought that maybe she was sleeping. Finally, she rolled over to look up at him, her swelling had subsided and she could open her eye partially. Her neck, however, looked like it would take awhile to heal. "I made you soup." He said quietly as he brushed the hair out of her face. "It's mushroom soup. Something soft and mild, you really should sit up and eat a little."
She nodded and sat up, leaning back against the headboard as he settled the tray of soup on her lap carefully. He again reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear as she stared at the bowl in front of her. "At least try and eat a little." He said. "Please?"
It had been a long night. They had spent the majority of it at the hospital where Sara had undergone a regime of tests and questioning. She had adamantly refused to undergo a sexual assault exam, screaming her protests as she fought with Gil and the doctors. They had conceded, Gil's concern over her rage overpowering the need to force her to the exam against her will. She had also refused to cooperate with Brass, growing increasingly agitated each time he attempted to get a statement from her. Finally, when that agitation led to violent vomiting, he closed his notebook, giving Gil a look of extreme concern.
He had driven back to the townhouse, noting the way that she pressed her body as close as possible to the passenger door, as if she were hoping it would open up and let her out. That, or she was ready to leap at the first attempt he made to touch her. He had remained placid instead, afraid to make a move that would startle her. He spoke in soft monotone words, carefully choosing what he would...and wouldn't....say. She had barely acknowledged him, nodding on occasion and had bolted from the car as soon as they reached his home, rushing inside where she took a long, scalding shower that left her skin bright red before collapsing on the bed in the spare room, clad in a pair of his boxer shorts and an over sized sweatshirt. He had given her one of the sedatives the hospital had prescribed and within minutes her silence turned to sleep as he sat and watched her doze off.
And during the entire ordeal he kept thinking that if she had been with him, she would have been safe. If he hadn't called it off, he would have had her working with him and she would not have been alone. None of this would have ever happened
Sara had been sexually assaulted and it was his fault.
"Sara," He tried. "I need to go into the lab for awhile…but, I would like you to eat something."
She looked at him and sighed. "I'm fine." She replied tiredly, her voice hoarse. "You don't need to stay here."
"I know." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead softly. "Honey, I am so very sorry…I should have been there; you should never have been there alone. You should have been here…with me…"
She was quiet, looking down. Her mind played over and over again Ecklie's words, his breath on her face, the feel of his hands around her neck. She felt the tear roll down her cheek and reached up to wipe it off. How could she possibly tell Gil about this? "Please don't.... " she said, averting her eyes. "I don't want to talk about this..."
"Sara…" He reached out, placing his hand gently to the back of her neck. The movement made her jump as she involuntarily hit his arm away, nearly spilling the soup all over the bed.
She began crying "Gil....I'm so sorry...."
Shocked, he sat momentarily, the sting from where he arm hit his a vibrant reminder of the trauma she'd suffered. He reached out, taking the tray to sit it on the nightstand before pulling her into his arms as she cried. "Shhhhh…" He soothed, feeling emotion welling up in him as she trembled against him "It's okay...Honey, please...tell me what happened, please talk to me..."
She shook her head against his shoulder but remained quiet and he held her as he waited for her tears to subside. He felt helpless; utterly and completely helpless. And, he knew, he felt angry, too. Angry at Sara for her silence, angry at himself for leaving her alone, and angry at the person, whoever it was, who had done this to her.
He walked down the corridor of the lab, carrying with him an evidence bag containing Sara's torn blood stained shirt. He did not tell Sara he was processing it and felt somewhat surreal as he went into Catherine's office, thankful that she was there. She looked up at him with curiosity, smiling slightly. "Well," She drawled. "Look what the cat drug in."
He did not return the smile and she immediately became serious, seeing the evidence bag in his hand. Furrowing her eyebrows, she asked "What's going on, Gil?"
He looked around, as if making sure that they were alone. Finally, he handed her the bag, shoving his hands in his pockets as he opened his mouth to speak. He seemed lost, confused, and nervous as his eyes met hers.
Catherine took the bag, turning it to look at the tag. She froze in shock as she saw Sara's name along with the previous night's date and the words ASSAULT across the seal. "Gil," She exclaimed quietly. "Sara?"
He closed his eyes and she could see that he was having a real struggle with his emotions. After a moment, he opened his eyes to look at her. "I need you to process this, Catherine." He said finally. "And I'd like you to keep it as quiet as possible. God knows Sara doesn't need the extra attention right now."
She was still studying him, a look of confusion on her face. "Gil, what the hell happened? Was Sara assaulted?"
He sighed, pulling over a chair to sit across from her. He looked down at his hands and he leaned forward, shaking his head. "She was attacked last night after shift." He faltered. "He...uh..." He ran a hand nervously through his hair, his voice lowering to a near whimper "...he raped her..."
"Oh, my God!" She exclaimed. "Sara was raped?"
He covered his face with his hands, rubbing his eyes in frustrated exhaustion. Finally, he nodded as he wiped the moisture from his eyes; he did not know what to say.
Catherine watched him quietly. "Is she alright?"
"No....he beat the hell out of her, Catherine...She says she didn't see the guy, it was dark…he grabbed her." He wiped at his eyes, trying desperately to hide his emotions from her. "She had strangulation marks….on her neck….substantial. He could have killed her...."
"Why didn't you call us?" She asked, her eyes wide. "Why didn't anyone call us? It was a crime scene, Gil!"
"She left the scene, Catherine." He replied. "She refuses to tell me where it happened…she became ill when Brass interviewed her…"
"Brass knew?" She thought about how he had been there that morning and how he had not said anything about this.
Gil nodded. "Sara doesn't want anyone to know." He replied. "She was adamant...hysterical about that…she wanted the evidence thrown out…"
"Why?"
He shook his head. "I don't know….but…" He looked down again. "I think she's hiding something…it just doesn't feel…right…"
"She was raped." She emphasized. "Shit...oh, shit...Gil, that is a horrible thing to go through...she must be in shock; terrified...of course it doesn't feel right..."
He nodded. "Yeah..." he sighed.
She looked at the bag again. "Where is the rape kit?"
He looked up at her, the overwhelming magnitude of his emotions clear on his face "We didn't get one..." He replied "She refused...I couldn't force her, Catherine..."
She observed him a moment, nodding her head. "How did you find out about it?"
"I was the one she came to." He told her honestly.
"Okay…" She said with a sigh. "Okay…listen, Gil, I'm sorry. I should have stayed last night; I should have waited for her, but Ecklie…"
He looked up at her suddenly. "What about Ecklie?"
"He said he wanted to meet with her, after shift." She shrugged. "I mean, I feel horrible. First she gets her ass chewed by Ecklie and then this? I should have just hung around and waited for her."
"What time did you leave?"
She shrugged. "A little before 3 AM, I think. Sara and I were the last ones out other than Ecklie. You know, mandatory evac for the fumigation thing." She shook her head. "Man, Gil, I am so sorry. So sorry."
Gil was quiet, thinking about the timeline. "You sure you left before three?"
She shrugged. "About 2:50…I can check my time card, but yeah…why?"
He shook his head. "Sara went in to talk to Ecklie?"
Again, she nodded. "That's where she was heading when I left, she'd just gone into his office when I got on the elevator…why?"
Sara had gotten to his townhouse just before 3:30 in the morning; he remembered glancing at the clock when he heard the pounding on the door. It was a 20-minute drive from the lab to the townhouse, if you followed the speed limit. Something did not add up and Gil could feel a knot forming in his stomach. "Just process that for me, will you?" He asked as he stood up. "And please, Catherine, keep it quiet?"
"Yeah." She replied. "Sure, Gris…you know, Sara's done this for me before." He was just to the door when she called out. "Oh, Ecklie wants to see you…."
He turned to look at her. "I bet he does."
"Wait until you see him." She commented as she grabbed the evidence bag to head to the processing lab. "He says it was a door, but honestly…I've never seen a door do that."
And that, to Gil, felt like a punch in the gut.
He stormed into Ecklie's office, ready for a confrontation but not really certain what to expect. When he entered the room, Ecklie looked up and Gil stood frozen a moment by the shape of the man's face.
"Don't ask." Ecklie barked as he saw the look on Gil's face. "Where the hell have you been?"
Gil felt furious, but knew that he could not jump to irrational conclusions. Setting his jaw in anger, he replied, "I could ask you the same thing, Conrad."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He snapped, throwing a file onto his desk.
"You're the one with a broken nose." Gil replied coolly.
Ecklie glared at him. His mind was reeling, knowing that Sidle could have told Gil everything. Judging by Gil's stance, he didn't believe that she had. "I ran into a door." He lied for the umpteenth time that day. "Not that it really matters…where the hell have you been?"
"I had personal business." Gil replied with a nod.
Ecklie snickered. "You're personal business is late also; I wonder what you two could have been doing. Supervisor and employee…playing with fire, aren't you?"
Gil was growing angry; he knew he had to leave before he lost it. He couldn't prove Ecklie had anything to do with what happened to Sara, and he knew he was just jumping to conclusions because conclusions were all that he had. "Leave Sara out of this, Conrad." He said calmly. "Whatever it is you need to discuss with me, has nothing to do with her."
Ecklie stood up, walking across the room to meet Gil eye to eye. "Oh, I think it has everything to do with Sara." He seethed. "You can't go around screwing the help without it eventually coming back to bite you…remember that." And with that he was gone, leaving Gil standing with clenched fists as he stared into the empty office.
As he was about to leave he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. On the floor, just beside the wall was Sara's jacket. Gil stared at it a moment before going over to pick it up, her apartment keys falling out of the pocket as he did so. A sudden rush of rage over took him he barely realized what he was doing until he tackled Ecklie from behind as he waited for the elevator.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He seethed, slamming him against the wall. "What the hell did you do to her!?"
"Get off me!" Ecklie yelled, shoving Gil back. As Gil lunged forward, Nick grabbed him from behind, pulling him back.
"Grissom!" Nick yelled. "Hey, man…come on!"
Ecklie was livid, pointing a finger at Gil. "Get the HELL out of my lab." He bellowed. "And tell that fucking girlfriend of yours she's fired…I don't want to see either of you back here again." He shoved passed Warrick, storming down the hallway to his office and slamming the door.
Gil stood trying to catch his breath as Nick slowly let go of him. He looked around him at all of the faces and realized what had just happened. "Gil?" Catherine said with concern as she came to him, putting a hand on his arm.
He shook his head, looking down at the jacket he still held in his hands. "Sara's jacket…" He whispered to her. "It was in his office, Catherine."
She looked at him, his words sinking in. "Let's, uhm…" She said, looking around. "Let's go for a drive, huh?" She pulled his arm slightly, waiting for him to move. Finally, he followed her into the elevator, ignoring the confused looks from the others as the doors closed before him.
"So, how long?" Catherine asked as they sat at the local pub sharing a drink.
He looked at her. "Two years." He replied, swirling his whiskey sour. "Just over two years…"
"Well, you could've told me." She said as she sipped her brandy.
"We didn't tell anyone." He replied sadly.
As they sat quietly, Brass approached the table, looking down at Gil with a bemused expression. "Fired, huh?" He commented. "You are just having a stellar day, my friend."
He sat, ordering himself a whiskey straight as he dug an envelope out of his pocket. "I think we have a serious problem." He said as he handed the envelope to Catherine. "First of all, there was no fumigation scheduled last night. I checked all over Vegas, even called the company that Ecklie said he'd contracted with. They never heard of him."
Catherine stared at him as Gil put a hand to his eyes. "Secondly," Brass continued. "All of the surveillance in the building was down last night due to a 'glitch' in the system, so there were no videos of Sara leaving the building...until you get to this" He tossed a photo on the table. Gil picked it up and felt his stomach tighten at the sight of Sara at her car. It was a grainy black and white, but it didn't take a trained eye to see that she was bloodied and terrified. He suddenly started to feel very, very sick
Brass put a hand on Gil's shoulder. "That shot was captured at 3:05 in the morning...whoever attacked her, attacked her inside our lab..."
Catherine looked to Gil who appeared as though he'd just been slapped. She opened the envelope, staring at the information in front of her. "Is this a mistake?"
"It's your lab." Brass replied. "You tell me."
As Catherine stared over the results, she felt a sick knot in her stomach. She looked over at Gil, who was watching her apprehensively. "Its a preliminary result on the blood sample you gave me..." She shook her head, looking again at the results she had printed out. "There were two contributors...one was Sara...the other was..." she covered her mouth, looking over at Brass as she tried to keep herself from choking. "This has got to be a mistake.."
Brass sighed, looking at Gil gravely "The blood on the shirt was Ecklie's"
And that is when Gil's grip on the glass tightened, shattering it into thousands of tiny pieces
