Title: Halfhearted
Pairing: Sara/Nick, Amelia/Speed, Amelia/Grissom
Spoiler: Lost Son, Viva Las Vegas, Pilot, basically all CSI episodes up to season 4/5ish.
Summary: Amelia's out of the hospital and she's back at the Lab. What happens when a hug between Amelia and Grissom incites riot? A case involving the murder of a Politician's wife, another involving a dead husband and a Casino theft wears down the CSIs as unexpected news jumps in their faces.
Disclaimer: I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.
My Original Note: Trish, thank you! I feel so stupid! I am from the US but I've never really paid attention to how long women get for maternity leave. My sister was a marine when she gave birth to her son, which I was there for, and then she got six weeks of maternity leave. I can't believe I forgot that, well, actually I can. Thank you for reminding me. I'm glad you like this. It's nice to know that someone other than myself enjoys this story. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW. Thank you.
Chapter 3: Murder Of The Richards
'Praeterita mûtâre nôn possumus' (We can't change what's been done.) -Cicero
While Catherine and Amelia went to a hotel for their DB, and Warrick and Nick had a casino theft, Grissom and Sara were on their way to North Las Vegas, particularly the corner of Linn Lane and East Owens Avenue, near Sunrise Manor. A man was dead and his wife, brother-in-law, and sister were on their way to Valley Hospital Medical Center. Grissom drove the lengthy drive from the forensics lab, on Stewart Avenue, to the Richard's house. Every once in a while Grissom would glance over at Sara.
After a while, he finally decided to say something. "So, uh, are you ok with Amelia?" Grissom asked nervously, staring at the road ahead. Sara looked over at him in confusion.
"Yeah, why?"
"Just making sure. I know your first meeting wasn't pleasant and I don't want your personal feelings to mess up anything during work." He explained. Sara rolled her eyes, looked back out the window, and shrugged.
"Whatever. We're cool Griss." She told him. He nodded. A few minutes later Grissom parked his Denali across the street from the crime scene. The two CSIs got out of the car and headed to the trunk. They both grabbed their kits and then headed across the street. As they stepped under the yellow tape, Grissom pushed the lock button on his car and it beeped back at him. Grissom and Sara walked up to Vega who was standing near the front door with his mini notepad, waiting for them.
"Welcome to North Las Vegas." He greeted them with an annoyed smile. Grissom smiled back at him.
"What exactly do we have?" Grissom asked, looking around.
"According to Mrs. Diana Richards this is how it went down. She, her husband Alan, his sister Lisa and her husband Carson Warner were having dinner when somebody stormed into their house. Three people wearing all black and ski masks. The first man shot Alan instantly and then Lisa. Carson and Diana tried to escape and they were shot at, only a couple of bullets made contact, but not enough to seriously hurt them. They ran across the street and their neighbor called the cops. Lisa is in critical condition, while Carson and Diana are stable." He told them. Grissom nodded and then him and Sara followed Det. Vega into the house.
Grissom set his kit down and pulled out gloves and slipped them on as he looked around.
"Do they know what happened to the three suspects?" Sara asked as she slipped gloves on. She walked into the middle of the kitchen and started taking pictures.
"Ran out the back." Vega told her. Sara grunted and took a few pictures of the body of Alan Richards. He looked to be about 40 something, graying brown hair, a nice, medium build, and he looked to be about 6'3" or 6'2". Sara kneeled next to the body as David did a check over.
"COD?" She asked him. He looked up at her.
"He bled out. Two, oh, I'd say 9mm straight to the heart. I'd say he died a few minutes after the bullet hit. I found his wallet still on him with 3 20s and...he's from Atlanta." He told her, handing the wallet to her. Sara looked it over. He was indeed.
"Interesting." She looked over at Vega who was standing by the door. "How long have they lived here?" She asked him. He looked over at her.
"I think Mrs. Richardson said about 3 months now." He told her. She looked back at him.
"How could someone make enemies with someone in just three months? I mean, enough to make them want him and his family dead?" She muttered to herself. David glanced on her, unsure of if he should reply. Since Sara looked deep in thought, he decided against it.
"He'll meet you back at the lab." David said, standing up. Sara nodded, took a few more pictures, then stood up and backed away as they loaded him on a gurney and took him away. Sara took a few pictures of where the body had been and then kneeled down. She found a few pieces of stray hair, not from Richards. They seemed to be blonde. She put each one in a bag and then took a sample of a blood stain a few feet from where Richard's had been.
Sara stood up and walked to the wall where some pictures where hanging. One of the pictures had been hit and then knocked to the floor. She picked it up and looked at it. It was of a reasonably nice looking man with a beautiful woman, with a blood stain in the middle of it. The woman looked vaguely familiar, but Sara couldn't place where she knew her from.
"Carson and his wife, just about a week ago when they were in Mexico." Vega told her. She looked at him with her eyebrows raised. "Diana told me when the EMTs were helping her out to the ambulance. She said it was a very important picture, the mark of Carson and Lisa's two year anniversary." Sara nodded in understanding and put the picture in an evidence bag.
"How nice." She muttered. A few hours later, Grissom and Sara were done with the scene. They had fingerprints, blood stains, hair samples, and shell casings from a 9mm. Sara walked into the back living room where Grissom was staring at a wall.
'LIVING A LIE' was written in blood on the wall.
"Wow." Was all Sara could say. Grissom grunted in reply.
"I took a swab. Seems like the Richard's were living a lie." Sara nodded and gathered up her evidence bags and her kit and the headed out to Grissom's Denali.
"Find anything good?" He asked as they reached the trunk of the car. Grissom unlocked the car and popped the trunk. Sara smiled as she put her kit in the trunk. She handed him the bag with the picture in it.
"Possibly the killer's blood." She told him as he looked at it. He nodded and handed it back to her.
"Great, something to go on. I called the hospital. All three victims are in surgery so we'll stop by in the morning." He told her as he climbed in the car. Sara nodded and took her seat in the passenger side.
"Great."
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Grissom stood with Sara at the Nurses Station the next morning. He was starting to get annoyed. The nurse couldn't seem to find the three patients Grissom and Sara were looking for. Sara shifted beside him and she placed her kit on the ground. She placed both of her hands flat on the counter and stared at the nurse.
"Look, it's not that hard. The three patient's names are Diana Richards, Lisa Warner, and Carson Warner. Two female and one male. How hard is that?" Sara said calmly. The nurse put her hands on her hips.
"I'm going to have to ask you two to leave. They aren't here, I'm sorry." The nurse told them. Sara sighed angrily.
"We called here last night. They were in surgery here. Where are they?" Sara said through gritted teeth.
"Is there a problem?" Another nurse asked, walking up. Sara glared at her.
"Yes, there is. This nurse can't find three patients." Sara said angrily. Grissom sighed silently beside her.
"What are their names?" She asked calmly.
"Diana Richards, Lisa Warner, and Carson Warner. Two female, one male." Sara told her. Sara just barely caught the flicker of guilt on the nurses face before she smiled.
"Well if she says they aren't here, then they aren't here. Now I'm sorry, but you have to go." The nurse said. Sara took her badge off her belt and slammed it on the desk. Both nurses' eyes went wide as they stared at the badge.
"Las Vegas Crime Lab. If I have to, I will get Det. Vega down here, do you want that?" Sara said angrily. Grissom rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. This can't be happening. Grissom thought as he blocked the voices out. The nurse leaned in closer to Sara's face.
"Come back later and you can see them." She whispered. She leaned down below the desk and then came up with evidence bags with clothes and bullets in them. "These are their clothes. They're still sleeping now, come back later." The nurse told her, almost begging. Sara took her badge and put it back on her belt then grabbed the bags.
"Thank you." Sara replied, sighing in relief. It was about damn time, Sara thought as she and Grissom finally left the hospital. Grissom himself couldn't help but wonder what all the secrecy was all about.
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Sara took Carson's shirt and laid it out flat on the table. There were three or four blood stains on the now dirty white shirt. She took her tweezers and took a few hairs off of the shirt on the back. She looked up as Grissom walked in and put a blue lab coat on.
"Was Bobby able to match all of the bullets?" Sara asked as Grissom took Alan Richard's shirt and spread it out on the table. He nodded.
"All of the bullets came from the same gun. But there's a problem." He told her as he went over the shirt with a magnifying lens.
"Which is?" Sara probed, looking at him from the corner of her eyes.
"They came from a standard Glock. 9mm. Police issue. He hasn't found a trace to a particular gun yet, but he's looking." He told her. Sara sighed and rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.
"So you're saying that a cop shot up Alan Richards and his family?" Sara asked in disbelief. Grissom looked up at her.
"No, that's what you're saying. I'm just saying that a cop's gun was used." Grissom said. Sara rolled her eyes and went back to looking at Carson's shirt. They worked in silence for a while until Grissom suddenly stood up. He had been working on Carson's pants. He turned around.
"What is she doing?" Grissom muttered. Sara looked up and followed Grissom's gaze. Amelia was leaning up against the other wall with her head lowered. After a minute she took a step back and ran her hands through her hair. Grissom stepped out into the hall and Sara walked over to the door to watch the encounter.
"Amelia?" Grissom said from her behind her. Amelia spun around and hastily wiped the tears from her face. He had a concerned look on his face.
"Hmm?" Amelia forced a smile, but it was pained. And Grissom could tell.
"Come here." Was all he said. Amelia walked into his open and waiting arms. He wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face into his soft shirt. She grabbed at his shirt as she cried. He wasn't sure of why she was crying but he had seen the look in her eyes and even though they were at work, he knew she needed to be comforted. He leaned his head sideways on top of hers and stroked her hair with her left hand.
"Mel, what's wrong?" He asked her softly.
"Oh Grissom. I'm so sorry. I'm-" Sobs racked through her body and she paused. Grissom moved his head and looked down at her. He used his left hand to gently make Amelia face his while his right hand remained on her back, gently holding her. He smiled sweetly at her.
"What's wrong?" He asked again, more gently and softer this time. Amelia's soft brown eyes locked with Grissom's soft blue eyes.
"I'm almost four months pregnant with Tim's baby." She told him softly. The expression on Grissom's face never faltered or falsified. He gently ran his thumb across her cheek. "And we can't find the only suspect in my case and it's frustrating me." She added, smiling softly. Grissom's lips tugged up into a smile to match Amelia's.
"At least you have a suspect." Grissom joked. Amelia finally let go of Grissom's now wet shirt and wiped her face. The two CSIs moved away from each other, though both missed the other's touch immediately. They stared at each other in silence for a moment.
"Thank you." She told him. He gave her a small nod and she walked around him to head to the locker room. She was oblivious to the CSIs and Lab Techs who had seen everything. Amelia walked into the locker room to get her vest, a smile on her face.
Grissom turned to go back into the layout room and found Sara staring at him, an accusing and hurt look on her face. Grissom's smile faded as he realized why she looked as pissed off as she did.
"Is...she...the reason why you never gave me a chance?" Sara asked coldly.
"Sara-" Grissom started to say. Sara shook her head and went back into the room. Grissom sighed and followed her. She immediately went back to work on Lisa Warner's shirt, tears were blocking her vision but she didn't care. "Would you give me the chance to explain?" Grissom asked gently. Sara looked up at him, glaring.
"Why should I?" She asked him angrily, blinking back tears. She couldn't believe that after all this time, Amelia was the reason Grissom never even gave her a chance. It hurt her.
"Because, you don't understand." He said.
"Try me." Sara leaned her hip against the counter with her arms crossed.
"I've known Amelia since 1998 and when I first met her I knew she was different. She approached me on different things. She approached me about the bugs in my office, asking different questions, learning different things. She approached me about my mom and the hearing loss and the sign language. She approached me about putting a desk in my office. She approached me about going on rollercoaster's, she wanted to know me." He paused. "To me, it was like she was the only one who cared about me as a person and not just as a CSI. She made the effort to ask me questions and get to know me. With her, I felt comfortable answering them. Then, she asked me out to dinner."
"Wasn't she married?" Sara asked, interrupting. Grissom nodded sadly.
"Yes. I told her I didn't think it was a good idea." He paused sadly and looked down at the table. "She moved two weeks later. I thought it was my fault. I shut myself off to the things she introduced me to. I stopped sharing my life with other people and I shut down with relationships. That's why I never went on a date with you. Then when you asked me out to dinner that one time, it was like you were Amelia and 'no' came out before I could stop it. I'm surprised you're still here, I thought you would have left a long time ago." He told her truthfully. Sara sighed and uncrossed her arms.
"I understand, but I don't like it. You could have given me a chance." Sara told him, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"I know and I'm sorry." Grissom sighed and turned back to Carson's pants just as Det. Vega walked into the room.
"Carson Warner just woke up. He's ready to talk." Vega told them.
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"Carson Warner sustained two full bullet impacts." The doctor told Grissom. "One went through his left shoulder; it didn't cause much damage to the bones. The second bullet hit his lower abdomen, going through a kidney. We were able to repair it and he should recover in a days' time." The doctor finished. Grissom nodded. Sara and Vega were in Carson's hospital room, talking with him. Grissom was finding out the conditions of all three victims.
"And Lisa Warner?"
"She got away with a bullet right under the right shoulder blade. Went through the back and exited out the front. It grazed the lung, but we were able to patch it up. She was the luckiest one." He paused and looked down at a chart. "Now, Diana Richards, she sustained the most damage, besides her husband, of course. She got shot a total of four times. One went through her right lung, one through the left kidney, one through her left femur and one through the bottom of her right foot. It went through the bottom and exited out the front." He told Grissom. Grissom shook his head.
"How is she doing?" Grissom asked.
"She's on a rocky road right now, but in due time, she'll recover. Each one will make a recovery, but Mr. Warner and Mrs. Richards will be in the hospital for a while. Mrs. Warner should be allowed to leave in a few days." Grissom nodded and the doctor left Grissom standing at the desk, across from Carson Warner's room. Grissom spun around as he heard a familiar voice.
"I'll meet you in her room." Amelia said to Catherine and Jim. "I need a report and I need her clothes." She told them. Catherine and Jim nodded and then continued down the hall, saying hi to Grissom as they passed. Amelia stopped in front of
Grissom, giving him one of her radiating smile.
"Hi." Grissom said in a soft voice. He smiled at her.
"Hi yourself. What are you doing here?" She asked him, turning to her side to motion to a nurse. She looked back at him as she waited for a nurse.
"One of our victims is awake, we're getting a story." He said, pointing at Carson Warner's room. Amelia turned her head and looked in the room. She could see Sara and Vega talking to someone but she couldn't see the person on the bed. She turned back to Grissom.
"How many vics?" She asked him.
"3 alive, 1 dead." He told her. Amelia pursed her lips, nodded, and turned to the nurse as she walked up.
"How can I help you?" The nurse asked nicely. Grissom recognized her as the nurse who denied Grissom and Sara access to see Carson Warner earlier.
"I need a report on Caroline Leyna and I need her clothes and a bullet, if one was extracted." Amelia told her very nicely. The nurse smiled and turned around. Amelia looked back at Grissom.
"Is Sara ok?" Amelia asked after a few minutes of silence. Grissom's face pained but he nodded.
"Yeah. She was...a little upset." He told her. Amelia nodded.
"Yeah, Catherine said that she and you had...well...yeah. I'm sorry about doing that in front of everybody." Amelia apologized. Grissom smiled softly at her and shook his head. He gently grabbed her left arm and rubbed it.
"It's ok. I'm surprised you held it in that long." He paused. "Um, have you told...Horatio?" He asked. Amelia nodded and Grissom let his hand drop.
"Yeah. I did. I called Miami a few days ago and let them all know." She turned to the nurse as she walked up with the doctor and a couple evidence bags with clothes and a bullet inside them. One evidence bag had a small bag of cocaine in it. Amelia smirked. The nurse handed the bags to Amelia and then walked off.
"Caroline Leyna is going to be fine. One shot just below the heart. She did lose quite a bit of blood, but she's going to be fine. She's been in and out of consciousness, but I'm sure she'll be able to answer a few questions." He told her. Amelia smiled at him and Grissom's face twitched with a bit of jealousy.
"Thank you." The doctor smiled at Amelia and then left. Amelia turned to Grissom. "Dinner?" She asked. The jealousy in Grissom faded and he smiled.
"When?" He asked. Amelia shrugged.
"Well, I pretty much doubt tonight, but we could always do breakfast or lunch tomorrow." She offered. Grissom leaned in and kissed Amelia's cheek.
"It's a date." He smiled at her and walked away, leaving Amelia blushing in a hospital hallway. Damn that man, Amelia thought as she started walking down the hallway. She walked into Caroline Leyna's hospital room and set the evidence bags on the table next to the wall. Caroline gazed at Amelia as Amelia walked to the end of the bed.
"Who be you?" Caroline asked, her words slurring together.
"I be Amelia Stokes, with the Crime Lab." Amelia introduced herself sarcastically. Caroline rolled her eyes.
"Oh great, another one." She mumbled. Amelia smirked.
"Yeah another one." She looked at Catherine. "Get anything?" She asked. Catherine shook her head.
"She's not talking." Amelia looked back at Caroline.
"Caroline, I'm running on about...oh, ten hours of no sleep. I'm also pregnant so I'm in a bad mood and I'm hungry. Now, I can't go on the date with my friend until you start talking. So either you talk or I'll have Jim pull you in." Amelia said. Caroline looked at her.
"For what?" She asked. Amelia held up the small bag of cocaine.
"For possession of Cocaine." Caroline's eyes flicked to Jim and then back at Amelia. "This will be your third offence." Amelia added.
"Oh, you'll be gone for a while." Jim said, crossing his arms in front of him. Caroline gulped.
"Where is Cassie?" Amelia asked strongly, leaning on the end of the bed.
"She and...Todd they be together. At his house. D Ave. Man, I didn't know nothing and he shot me. I didn't know nothing! I SWEAR!" Caroline yelled, sitting up in bed. Amelia smiled as she stood up straight.
"Thank you." Amelia walked over to Caroline's side to talk to Catherine. She leaned in close. "Sara's pissed." Amelia whispered. Catherine chuckled beside her.
"I figured as much." The two women moved away from each other and Amelia's grip on the bag of Cocaine slipped. The bag fell to the floor and both women leaned down to pick it up. Then bullets started shooting the glass of the front wall and the door. Amelia, Catherine, and Jim all rushed for cover, all aiming for under the bed. Amelia ignored the pains that hit her arms as she tried to hide. Caroline, after getting hit once, rolled off the side of the bed and hid as the bullets finally stopped flying. Amelia looked at Jim who was bleeding.
"JIM!" Amelia yelled. She reached out to him and applied pressure to his wounds, though it was hard to reach him. She figured he had been shot twice. He tried to smile but it was pained.
"I'm ok." He managed to say. Catherine ran around to the other side of the bed to tend to Caroline and Jim. When Catherine started applying pressure to Jim's wounds, Amelia finally stood up and ran into the hallway.
"WE NEED A DOCTOR! PLEASE!" Amelia screamed at the doctors and nurses who had hid behind doors and furniture. Amelia moved from the doorway as a couple of doctors and nurses rushed into the room. She stared down the hallway where Grissom and Sara were in standing in the doorway to their victim's room. Amelia turned around and looked in the room. The doctors and nurses were getting Caroline and Jim on gurneys. Catherine walked up to Amelia.
"You ok?" Catherine asked, noticing the blood on Amelia's arms. Amelia looked at her arms and nodded. It didn't hurt. She figured it was Jim's blood.
"I'm fine. You?" She asked. Catherine smiled.
"I'm ok." Their eyes followed Jim as he was wheeled from the room. "I'm going to see if anyone managed to catch the guy." Catherine muttered angrily. Amelia nodded as Catherine walked away. Amelia grabbed the bags of evidence and headed out of the room. She walked down the hallway towards Grissom and Sara.
"Amelia." Grissom said as she walked up. Amelia took a deep breath.
"I should have gone after him." Amelia muttered. Grissom and Sara both frowned.
"Vega went after him. He called for backup. Is everyone ok?" Sara asked, looking at Amelia's arms which were covered in blood. Amelia shook her head and looked at Sara, a blank look on her face.
"Jim, uh, Jim got hit a couple of times and out witness got hit. I didn't even see him." She told them sadly. Grissom fought the urge to wrap his arms around Amelia. For some reason, he felt right now wasn't a good time. Instead he gave her a reassuring smile.
"Vega will get him." He paused as he looked closely at her arms. "Maybe you should see a doctor." Grissom offered. Amelia finally looked down at her arms and took a closer look.
"It doesn't hurt." She mumbled to herself.
"Ma'am?" A passing doctor said, noticing the blood on her arms. She looked up at him.
"I don't think it's mine." She told him. He gently grabbed her arm and led her to the counter where he got some gauze and started to clean her wounds. Sara walked up to her and stood beside her, her arms crossed.
"Cath ok?" She asked. Amelia looked at her and nodded.
"Yeah. She went to see if somebody caught the guy. I, uh, think. I don't know." She muttered. Sara nodded and looked away.
"You want me to drive you back to the lab?" She asked quietly. Amelia smiled softly as Sara looked back at her.
"Thanks. I should get this evidence logged in before it gets tainted. I'm lucky it didn't get hit or anything." Amelia said.
Sara nodded and smiled.
"Cool. I'll grab our evidence bags and wait for you."
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Amelia sat down on the couch in the lounge and sighed. She had multiple cuts on her arms from where bullets grazed them. A few minutes after the doctor had treated them, they started to hurt. Now, at only 5 in the afternoon, she was tired and aching. Jim had just gotten out of surgery and was doing ok. Caroline was also doing ok. They had also caught the guy, his name was Raymone Valdez. A friend of Todd and Cassie's. Now, they still couldn't find Cassie. A couple of uniformed officers had gone to Todd's house only to find no one there. The girl sure knows how to hide. Amelia thought as she sipped some coffee.
"Hey Mel, have you seen Sara and Grissom?" Mia asked, walking into the lounge. Amelia looked at her over the back of the couch and shrugged. She looked like she had some big news.
"Last time I saw them, they were in the layout room. You got something for them?" She asked. Mia nodded quickly and smiled.
"Yeah. I'll talk to you later." She turned and quickly rushed out of the room. Amelia shrugged and turned back around. She took another sip of her coffee. Whatever.