Whoa. First of all, thank you SO much for all the awesome reviews for the last chapter. It's the awesome people like you who make me want to write fanfiction despite having a very packed schedule as it is. I sincerely appreciate every review from the bottom of my heart. I absolutely cannot wait for the next few episodes of CSI. I'm not going to spoil anything, but they are looking to be very Marg/Catherine heavy, which is just what I've been waiting for ALL season. Who knows what the episodes will trigger in my Grillows brain, haha. I must have missed the spoilers that say Gil comes back for Catherine after leaving Sara in some random rainforest in Costa Rica…
Moving on…Depending on a few things, I'm going to *ATTEMPT* to post the next chapter this week (Thursday or Friday). I work all week, and am going to be out of town this weekend for a couple WWE shows in Rhode Island and Connecticut. Gotta love my wrestling! If not, it will definitely be sometime early next week when I post again.
Thanks again for all the support folks, and enjoy! Please review, thanks!
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Gil kept his gun in front of him as he forced his feet to move forward, walking numbly to Cena. His body on autopilot, he kicked the gun away from Cena's lifeless hand, reaching down and checking for a pulse. Gil pressed his hand against Cena's neck for a few seconds, confirming that the man who had terrorized Catherine mere seconds ago really was dead. Fury rose through his veins as he stared at the man who had held them hostage, threatening to kill Catherine…
Catherine!
Gil frantically turned to the strawberry blonde, his face paling when he saw that she wasn't moving. For a second, he wondered if she had been shot, but as he touched her shoulder, Catherine came back to consciousness with a jolt. She met Gil's concerned gaze, and with a gasp, she struggled to sit up.
"Cath! Catherine, settle down," Gil said, dropping the gun at his feet and putting his hands on her shoulders as he kneeled beside her. "It's okay; he can't hurt you anymore."
Unbalanced, she still struggled to sit up, and with Gil's help, she was able to. Catherine leaned toward him and pressed her face against the hollow of his throat, tears finally spilling from her eyes. Gil wrapped his arms around Catherine's shoulders, cursing when he realized that she was still handcuffed.
"Sara, I need the handcuff keys," Gil told his fiancé gruffly before turning back to Catherine. "Shh, Catherine, it's going to be okay," he soothed the blonde. "Sara, come on! Hurry up!" Gil snapped when he realized that Sara hadn't moved, that she seemed to be rooted to the spot, transfixed on the scene before her.
Sara snapped out of her stupor and scurried over to bailiff, finding his handcuff keys. She jogged back over to Gil, wordlessly handing the keys over.
Gil snatched them without a thank you, turning back to Catherine. "Cath?" he said softly, lowering his head to her level, whispering softly in her ear as she refused to move her head from his chest. "Catherine, I'm going to uncuff you now, okay?" Feeling her nod against his chest, he reached behind her, looking over her shoulder as he fumbled with the keys. "Sara, go unlock the door," he ordered Sara, his many years as a crime scene investigator kicking his instincts into high gear. "Tell them we need CSI and an EMT."
Sara silently did as he asked, and after several long moments, Grissom finally had the handcuffs undone from Catherine's wrists. Her arms fell limply to her sides, and she simply kept her face pressed into his chest, refusing to meet his gaze as tears spilled down her cheeks and soaked into Grissom's shirt. Catherine didn't move as she felt Gil rub her arms, frantically attempting to get circulation back into her arms. It was then that she realized the magnitude of what had happened.
Catherine trembled as she felt her arms slowly regaining feeling, the pain in her body hitting her tenfold. Her wrists were aching, as was the base of her neck and between her shoulder blades. The sobs emitting from her throat were hurting her ribs as she gasped to breathe, her throat aching from where Cena's arm had been restricting her movement.
"What do we have here?" Grissom heard a voice ask, and he glanced up from Catherine to meet the stare of a young EMT. He glanced back at Catherine, unsure of what her exact injuries were just yet. "Sir? Can you tell me what happened? What's her name?"
"Her name is Catherine Willows," Grissom said numbly. "She had her arms tightly handcuffed behind her back for an extended period of time, and the perpetrator repeatedly pulled down on the chain of the handcuffs. She also was slammed in the back of the neck with a handgun twice, and kicked in the stomach by the perpetrator," Gil told the EMT numbly, holding Catherine as close as possible without causing her discomfort…well, anymore discomfort then she already had to be feeling.
The EMT nodded, kneeling down next to Catherine. "Ms. Willows, I'm Jake. I'm going to take care of you, okay, honey?" he said softly to the blonde, not wanting to scare or startle her.
Catherine refused to answer, staying pressed up against Grissom. Jake glanced at Grissom, who bent his head down again to Catherine. "Cath…Jake here needs to take a look over you to make sure that you are okay," Gil explained soothingly.
Catherine nodded against Gil. Her hands were slowly regaining feeling, and she managed to grasp his shirt. "Don't leave me," she whispered hoarsely, ignoring the pain that shot through her wrist at the action. "Please, don't leave me."
"I'm not going anywhere, Catherine," Gil told her, rubbing circles on her back, being careful to avoid where Cena had struck her several minutes ago. He turned his attention back to Jake, asking the younger man, "How do you want her?"
"Can you lay her on her back?" Jake requested.
Grissom nodded, turning his attention back to Catherine. "Cath…do you think that you can lay down?" he asked her.
Catherine nodded slowly, but made no motion to move. Grissom shifted his arms, guiding Catherine so that she was lying down. Her hand continued to grasp his shirt, though it worried Grissom that her grip wasn't as dominant.
"Catherine, can you tell me what hurts?" Jake prodded gently.
Catherine's eyes were glazed over and unfocused as she looked at Gil, nonverbally asking her former boss for support. "It's okay, Cath," Gil said soothingly. "It's all over. You can tell him what hurts."
She blinked slowly before mumbling, "Hands…neck…ribs…throat."
"Okay," Jake said soothingly, checking her heartbeat and pulse discreetly. "Is it okay if we put a neck brace on you?"
Catherine again glanced at Gil, panic spreading across her features, but he simply smiled weakly at his friend in return. "It's okay, Cath," he said softly, looking at the EMT. "It's probably just for precaution, right?" he asked Jake.
"More than likely, yes," Jake said. "You seemed to be moving okay a few seconds ago, but you could have delayed reactions or progress…"
Catherine blinked as those words filled her ears, making her think back to one of the worst nights of her life.
It had taken minutes for the police to arrive at the scene of the accident, and what they had found was a hysterical Catherine Willows slamming her shoulder repeatedly against the damaged door to her car in a frantic attempt to get it open, yelling that someone had kidnapped her daughter. Instantly, an Amber Alert was issued, the police working immediately to get a description of Lindsay Willows to the press. Minutes passed quickly, and Catherine didn't remember being released from her seatbelt or the car, or being guided to the back of an ambulance; however, her senses returned with a vengeance when she realized that the EMT wanted to take her to a hospital…and away from the scene where her daughter - her baby - had been kidnapped.
Catherine had to resist rolling her eyes as the EMT waved a neck collar in front of her face, his intents clear. "No. I don't need that. I'm fine," she waved the EMT off, pressing the cloth against her head as she attempted to stem the flow of blood from the cut that had developed near her hairline thanks to the airbag.
"Ma'am, you need to put this on for your own safety-" the EMT told Catherine.
"No," she cut him off.
"You suffered a head trauma, there could be serious delayed progress," the EMT argued.
"I'm refusing treatment," Catherine insisted, her sole thoughts on her daughter and not the pounding in her head. "Just give me the release form."
"Ma'am," the EMT said. "I strongly recommend you put this on…" He reached to Catherine, and she angrily shoved his hand away.
"Just give me the damn form!" While she wasn't screaming, her voice was bordering on hysterical, and Warrick stepped from around the ambulance and spoke up before Catherine either cursed out the young man or took a swing at him.
"Hey," he said softly, trying to keep Catherine calm. "Hey, hey."
Catherine shot to her feet and used Warrick's arms as support to balance herself, the EMT long forgotten as she babbled incoherently about Lindsay and the car that she had been carried to. She shakily made her way from the ambulance to the scene of the accident, her determination to find her daughter and training as a CSI outweighing the dizziness in her head. She registered Warrick nervously watching her every move, prepared to grab her if she were to have passed out, but she couldn't stop. She WOULDN'T stop.
Not when her daughter's life hung in the balance.
Catherine froze as she felt the neck brace wrapping around her neck, the hard plastic reminding her instantly of the feel of Cena's forearm against her throat. "Get it off," she whispered hoarsely, her breath catching in her throat as she thought back to the way that Cena restricted her breathing mere minutes before. "Get it off!" she repeated louder, crying out as she shoved against Jake's hands, her injured wrists protesting the movement.
"Whoa, whoa, Catherine!" Gil chastised gently. "Catherine, look at me!"
Catherine brought her tear filled gaze to Gil's, taking in his blue eyes. "I don't want that on," Catherine told him, unable to keep the sob from escaping. "I don't want that touching my…my throat!"
"It's okay, Catherine, you don't have to do anything that you don't want to," Gil soothed. "It's just that it will help to keep your neck still so that it won't hurt anymore," he explained. Seeing the defiance in Catherine's eyes, he sighed to himself but felt a little relieved at the same time. There was fire in her eyes, signifying that the Catherine Willows he knew was making an appearance. "How about we just work on getting you stabilized and on the backboard, and then maybe we'll try the neck brace again?"
Catherine swallowed, whispering, "Okay." She closed her eyes, placing all her trust in Gil and Jake as the EMT looked over her body for obvious injuries before preparing to carefully move her body onto a backboard.
Sara sat on a bench, staring at the scene before her numbly. Sara watched as her fiancé comforted the woman lying on the ground and not paying any attention to her…the woman that Gil planned to spend the rest of his life with. She watched as Grissom stroked Catherine's hair, asking her if she was okay, asking her if she wanted him to call Lindsay…
And he had yet to check to make sure if Sara was all right, to check whether she had been hit by a stray bullet or debris or whether she was in shock.
Sara jumped slightly when she felt a presence next to her. She looked up with tear filled eyes, seeing Greg standing next to her, a concerned look on his face. "Sara…you okay?" he asked softly.
"I…I'm fine," Sara answered.
"Do you need to get checked out by an EMT?" Greg asked gently. He saw Sara's shaking hands, and briefly, he remembered the way his hands shook constantly following the lab explosion. Post traumatic stress disorder, Greg thought grimly.
"No, I…I'm not hurt," Sara stammered, her eyes locked on Gil and Catherine. Gil had a light hand on Catherine's shoulder. She couldn't hear what was being said, but Grissom was talking to Catherine in an attempt to keep her calm as Jake checked her wrists. Sara shivered slightly as she thought back to being stuck under the Mustang, her arm trapped and broken from the pressure. Even from a distance, Sara could see that Catherine's wrists were bruised and raw, and it wouldn't shock Sara if she were to find out that Catherine had at least one broken wrist.
Seeing the faraway look in Sara's eyes, Greg patted her arm carefully. "Talk to me, Sara," Greg said. "What are you thinking?"
"It's not fair," Sara murmured.
"I know," Greg soothed. "Catherine is going to be fine."
Sara brought her gaze to Greg. "That's not what I was talking about," she snapped at him. Greg looked back in confusion before realizing what Sara was saying.
"You've got to be kidding me," Greg said incredulously. "His best friend is hurt, and you're letting jealousy rear its ugly head? Come on, Sara, I thought I knew you better than that!"
Sara merely glared at him. "He's ignoring me," she stated.
"Yeah, well, Catherine is hurt and terrified. It's obvious to me that the only person here who can comfort her at the moment is Grissom. I don't know what went on in this room, but you obviously lucked out," Greg answered. "Get your head out of your ass, Sara, and get over it."
Sara didn't answer; rather, she kept her gaze on the pair a mere ten feet away as Greg stood up and walked away, taking his place against the wall where Riley, Nick, and Ray were patiently waiting to investigate the crime scene. The case should have gone to dayshift, but Nick had convinced Ecklie to let Catherine's team investigate. Word had spread fast, and within minutes, Catherine's team knew what happened and they had headed to the courthouse. Silently, they watched the scene before them, worry etched on all their faces.
Catherine gripped Gil's arm in fear, her eyes wide as Jake came closer to her with the neck brace. "Catherine," he soothed, stroking the side of her face when a whimper escaped her lips. "Cath, it's okay," Gil told her. "Jake's just going to put a neck brace on you. He's not going to hurt you, and Cena can't hurt you anymore, okay?"
Catherine swallowed, her eyes dilated with fear. She trusted Gil, but…she was so scared. Her eyes flickered over to where Cena lay dead, his cold eyes open as he lay sprawled on the ground, the gun several inches from his hands. "Catherine?" Gil asked softly. "Honey, he's not going to hurt you. Please let Jake do his job. Trust me."
She finally met his gaze, a hoarse whisper coming from her lips. "I…I trust you, Gil," Catherine whispered.
"Good girl," Grissom answered, a lump forming in his throat as he stroked her hair away from her face. "Everything's going to be okay."
Catherine didn't answer and she closed her eyes, trying to avoid the panic that was threatening to surface. Her heart was pounding against her chest as Jake wrapped the neck brace carefully around her neck. Her ribs ached, but that was the least of her worries at the moment.
"There you go, Catherine," Gil soothed. "It's all over."
She forced her eyes open, meeting his gaze. The neck brace that now encircled her neck restricted her movement, but she had to admit that once it was on, it wasn't so bad. She blinked back tears, bringing her attention back to Jake as he spoke.
"Catherine, we're going to get you on the stretcher and take you out to the ambulance, okay?" the young EMT asked. "Then, we'll get you to a hospital so that we can look at your ribs, wrists, throat, and neck, okay?"
"Yeah," Catherine answered wearily. She closed her eyes, wishing that this whole ordeal was over. All she wanted to do was sleep.
"Cath, honey, you need to open your eyes," Gil told her gently, wiping an errant strand of hair away from her face. "He hit you in the back of the head a few times, and we don't want you to go asleep if you have a concussion, okay?"
Catherine sighed at Grissom's request, knowing that it was feasible, but she still felt like sleeping. Nevertheless, she forced her eyes open, meeting the concern in Gil's. She kept her eyes locked on his as she drew strength from his blue pools before Jake spoke up, causing Grissom to look away.
"Gil, do you think that you could help me lift Catherine onto the gurney?" Jake asked Grissom. "Normally I'd call one of my colleagues over, but they're all…" Jake waved a hand, gesturing to the men who were looking over the people in the hallway. "And she seems to be comfortable with you around," the EMT added.
"Yeah, I can do that," Grissom answered, moving to Catherine's feet.
"Okay, on the count of three," Jake said. "One, two, three."
Together, Jake and Gil lifted Catherine easily onto the gurney. Catherine remained silent as Jake strapped her down, making sure that she was secure on the gurney. Jake tucked a blanket around her, trying to keep the shivering supervisor warm. "All right, Catherine, let's get you to the hospital, okay?" Jake said softly, patting her shoulder.
She didn't respond, rather, she kept her eyes to the ceiling as Jake and Gil led her out of the courtroom. "Stay strong, Cath," she heard Nick say, and she moved her eyes to meet his. Ray carefully patted her knee as she was wheeled past, and the blonde offered her group a weak smile in return.
She was wheeled down the silent corridor to an awaiting ambulance. She didn't speak to the crowd of reporters that had formed near the ambulance, each clamoring to get a picture of the injured supervisor and the man who would later be deemed an instant hero for not only taking out James Cena, but for saving Catherine and Sara as well. She didn't say a word to Gil or Jake either as they guided her into the ambulance, the duo slamming the door shut from the pandemonium outside.
Instead, she simply allowed the tears to slip down her cheeks yet again.
~/~
Grissom wasn't sure now long he'd been sitting in the waiting room. It could have been minutes or hours; he wasn't sure. All he knew was that after rushing Catherine into the emergency room with Jake, she'd been whisked away to a room while he'd been banished to the waiting room. Somewhere along the line, Sara had joined him, but they hadn't spoken at all.
"Uncle Gil!" the voice broke out in the quiet room, and Grissom looked up, Lindsay Willows throwing herself into his arms a second later. Lindsay hugged him tightly, and Gil returned the sentiment by wrapping his arms around Lindsay, meeting the worried gaze of Lily Willows, who had been following Lindsay.
Lindsay stepped back, tears pooling in her eyes. "Uncle Gil, where's my mom?" she asked worriedly. "Is she okay?"
Grissom glanced up at Lily, unsure of what to say to Lindsay. Seeing the worry in Lily's eyes, Gil cleared his throat. "I…when she was brought in, she was conscious, talking…she said that her wrists, throat, back, and ribs were hurting her. The nurses wouldn't let me go with her, and I've been out here the whole time," he finally said.
"Is she going to be all right?" Lindsay asked tearfully.
"I'm sure she will," Sara spoke up, moving to sit next to Grissom. He turned to her, surprised. For a moment, Grissom had forgotten that his fiancé was there. For a brief second he was annoyed that Sara would put that false hope into Lindsay, especially since they hadn't heard anything about the status of Catherine.
Gil cleared his throat, turning back to Lindsay. Seeing her lip quivering, Gil's heart broke. "Come here, butterfly," he said softly, opening his arms to Lindsay. With a sniffle, Lindsay collapsed against Gil. He carefully picked her up so that she was sitting in his lap, burying her face into Gil's shirt, the same place that Catherine's had been hours ago. "It's going to be okay, baby," Gil soothed, stroking her back as he clung tightly to the young woman, Lindsay doing the same as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Lily sat down next to the pair, her hand resting on Lindsay's shoulder as Gil comforted her.
"I don't want to lose my mommy too," Lindsay sobbed, grasping Gil even tighter. "It's bad enough that I lost my daddy; I can't bear to lose mom too!"
"You're not going to lose her, honey," Gil said softly. "She's a little hurt, but I'm sure that she'll be okay."
"How do you know?" Lindsay asked, leaning her head back finally. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and pools of tears threatened to spill over. "How do you know she's going to be fine?"
Gil didn't answer; rather, he kept his gaze locked on Lindsay's, his look telling her what she needed to know…that her mother would be fine with love, support, and prayers. With a sigh, Lindsay buried her face in Gil's shoulder again, sniffling.
They sat like that for several long minutes, Gil offering a weak smile to Lily every once in awhile. It was the least that he could do. In actuality, he had no clue what to say to Catherine's mother and daughter, or to Sara for that matter. He knew that Catherine's injuries weren't life threatening, and it seemed that the most serious was in regards to her neck. On the ride to the hospital, Catherine had admitted to Gil and Jake that her arms were tingly, but Jake hadn't been sure whether that was due to her circulation getting cut off by the handcuffs or if it was an effect from the blow to the base of her neck. Other than that, her wrists would more than likely heal quickly, as would her ribs.
Still, the mental anguish that Catherine was sure to experience would not be good. Gil suspected that Catherine would have nightmares, fear, and anxiety for years to come. He prayed that she was strong enough to overcome the demons.
He glanced at Sara, becoming somewhat worried when he saw the blank look in his fiancé's eyes. "Sara?" Gil asked cautiously. "Are you okay?" He knew that Sara hadn't been physically hurt, but…it suddenly occurred to him that she had been in that courtroom too.
"What do you care?" Sara snapped, standing up and walking away to the window overlooking the parking lot. Gil stared after her, bewildered. He opened his mouth to reply, only to bring his attention to a doctor who poked his head into the doorway.
"Family of Catherine Willows?" the doctor asked.
Lindsay leaped off of Gil's lap, all but running to the doctor as Lily and Gil followed at a slower yet equally as urgent pace. "That's us!" she told the doctor. "This is my grandmother Lily Willows, and this is Gil Grissom." Without giving the doctor a chance to speak or introduce himself, Lindsay pressed forward, "Is my mom okay?"
The doctor, whose nametag labeled him as 'Dr. Ross,' glanced at the trio, taking in the haggard, exhausted appearance of the man as well as the worried expressions in the two women. The doctor sighed, looking over his clipboard. "Ms. Willows is going to be fine," the doctor began, only to pause when there were three sighs of relief.
"Is she…what's wrong?" Lily asked.
Dr. Ross glanced at the clipboard, then said, "Ms. Willows suffered a few injuries. First, as a result of being handcuffed and having them pulled on several times, she suffered bruises, burns, sprains, and torn ligaments in both of her wrists."
Lindsay gasped softly, her mind going back to an incident from her childhood. She had fallen while roller skating and landed on her wrist. At first, she had thought that her wrist was broken, but it was a simple sprain. She had been in pain for awhile, and she could only imagine how badly it hurt to have sprained both at one time. "Is she…what can you do for that?" Lindsay finally asked.
Gil was somewhat proud of Lindsay. He knew that Catherine's daughter was terrified, but she was holding herself together well in front of the doctor. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, bringing his expectant gaze up to Dr. Ross as well.
"We coated the skin on her wrists with antiseptic cream and wrapped them in gauze, then put heavy braces on both of her wrists to keep them still. That's the best option for sprains most of the time," Dr. Ross explained to Lindsay. "In a few weeks, she'll be fine, as long as she takes it easy."
The doctor hesitated, and Lily prompted him to continue by asking, "What else?"
"Ms. Willows suffered two broken ribs," Dr. Ross informed them. Seeing that Lindsay was about to speak up, he added, "We've wrapped the ribs to stabilize them. She's going to be sore for a few days, but as long as she takes it easy, she will heal up in no time." Gil smiled to himself. Catherine, take it easy? Grissom thought. Fat chance…
"What about her neck, Doctor?" Grissom finally spoke up. "Is she…"
"Her neck is going to be fine, as far as we can tell," Dr. Ross responded. Gil breathed a sigh of relief. "She has some bruising to the back of her neck, which is to be expected when one suffers impact there. However, we did an MRI, and it looks like there is no permanent damage there. There are no cracks in the vertebrae or discs there, so her neck will probably just be stiff for a week or so. She's not exhibiting signs of a concussion either, which can occur when a person is struck where she was."
There was a long pause as the duo comprehended the information, and then Lindsay anxiously spoke up. "Can I see my mom?"
"Of course," Dr. Ross answered. Looking at Gil, he asked, "Any more questions, Mr. Grissom?"
"No, thank you, sir," Gil answered.
Lindsay and Lily started to walk off with Dr. Ross. Lindsay turned back to Gil, asking, "Are you guys coming with us?"
"I'll be right there, honey," Gil answered, glancing back at Sara, who was stormily staring out the window of the hospital. "I'll see you soon."
Lindsay nodded and turned, scurrying to catch up with Dr. Ross and her grandmother.
Grissom turned his attention to Sara, making his way over to her. "Sara, what's-" he started to ask, only to have her turn to him angrily.
"Save it, Grissom," she spit out, pushing past him and leaving the waiting room.
Gil watched her go with stunned silence, bewildered. He stood there for several minutes, staring out the window of the waiting room. He didn't see Sara emerge into the parking lot, so he had no clue where she had gone. With a sigh, he turned, finally walking to the nurse's station.
"May I help you, sir?" the nurse asked.
"Yes, I'm looking for Catherine Willows," Gil told her.
She tapped in Catherine's name, finding her room number. "She's in room 316," the nurse informed Gil. She hesitated, then asked, "Are you Gil Grissom?"
Gil blinked, wondering exactly how this woman knew his name. "I…yes, I'm Gil Grissom," he finally answered. "Why?"
"You've been all over the news," the nurse explained, "With what happened this morning." Grissom stared back at the nurse, who further elaborated, "You've been labeled a hero, Mr. Grissom. You saved those two women."
Gil was silent for several long moments before finally smiling weakly at the nurse. "I'm not a hero," he finally answered. With that, he turned and headed down the hallway that would lead him to Catherine's room.
He arrived at the door and hesitated before he stuck his head in Catherine's hospital room, his eyes sadly taking in the small figure lying on the bed. Her exhausted eyes were focused on Lindsay as her daughter sat on the edge of the bed, softly talking to Catherine. Lindsay was holding Catherine's hand carefully, the younger Willows stroking Catherine's cheek as they talked.
Catherine looked pretty good, Gil observed. The only visible signs of her injuries were the two heavy braces on her wrists to protect the torn ligaments and bones, the thick black fabric stabilizing her wrists. Beneath those braces, however, Gil knew bruises encircled her wrists, her fair skin darkened from not only the pressure of the handcuffs but the continuous pulling that Cena had inflicted on Catherine. Underneath her hospital gown, Gil knew that her ribs were heavily wrapped due to the two broken ribs she had suffered when Cena had viciously kicked her in the stomach. Other than that…there was sure to be a fairly large bruise on the base of her neck, but Gil was grateful that there were no lasting effects from that, at least according to the MRI that the doctor had insisted on.
Gil stood in the doorway unnoticed for several long minutes, simply watching Catherine and Lindsay. While Catherine looked somewhat better, dark circles had formed under her eyes, and it was obvious to any onlookers that she was exhausted. A quick glance at his watch confirmed that it was 7:30 in the evening, and Gil figured Catherine had been up for at least twenty-four straight hours, if not more.
Finally, Lindsay noticed Gil standing at the door, and she beckoned him into the room. "Hey, Uncle Gil," Lindsay said with an exhausted smile of her own.
"Hi," Grissom said as he entered the room, the exhaustion showing on his face as well. "How are you two doing?"
"Good," Lindsay replied. "Better now that I've seen my mom."
Catherine offered a half-hearted shrug in response. She was so tired, yet she couldn't seem to close her eyes. Seeing the worry in Lindsay's face at her lack of a response, Catherine quickly stated, "I'm fine, baby. I'm just tired, and the painkillers are making me really listless."
"I can go," Lindsay replied. "I need to get to bed soon anyways. I have finals tomorrow for one of my classes, so…I need my sleep."
Catherine nodded, smiling at Lindsay tiredly. She allowed her daughter to wrap her arms around her, mindful of her injured ribs, weakly lifting an injured limb to hug her daughter back. The two women hung on for several moments before Lindsay leaned back, her hands still on Catherine's arms.
"I love you, mommy," Lindsay said softly, so softly that Gil almost didn't hear her. She pressed her head against Catherine's, closing her eyes briefly.
"I love you too," Catherine replied, her voice thick with emotion. She pressed her lips to Lindsay's cheek for several long moments. "I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked, not wanting the tears that were threatening to spill over to do so.
"Of course," Lindsay answered, clearing her throat.
"Good luck with your final," Catherine said to her daughter.
"Thanks, mom," Lindsay replied. The younger Willows turned to Gil, hugging him tightly. "Bye, Uncle Gil," Lindsay told him. "Take care of my mom."
The statement was so quiet that Gil nearly missed that, too. He tightly hugged Lindsay and whispered, "I will. Good night, butterfly."
Gil and Catherine watched as Lindsay exited the room before turning their attention to each other. "Hey," Catherine finally said, leaning back against her bed, wincing in pain.
"You okay?" Grissom immediately asked, worry spreading across his features at her pained expression.
"I'm fine," Catherine answered quietly. "I just moved too fast."
Grissom nodded, moving next to her, pushing the chair closer so that he could sit next to Catherine. "So how do you feel?"
"Like I just went ten rounds with King Kong," Catherine joked. Seeing no hint of a smile or laughter from Gil, she sighed and replied, "I'm okay. I'm just really sore."
"What hurts?" Gil questioned.
Catherine contemplated this, then replied. "At the moment, I actually feel okay, probably because of the painkillers and all. But…my wrists are sore, and my ribs do hurt a bit. My neck doesn't hurt that badly, thankfully." Grissom nodded, bowing his head briefly. "Are you okay?" Catherine asked him gently.
"I…don't know," Grissom admitted. "That was a horrible ordeal, and I'm just relieved that you're okay."
"Me too," Catherine replied with a small smile. "I'm glad you weren't hurt. You or Sara."
Gil reached a hand up, covering her hand with his. He gently stroked her injured wrist, feeling the rough material of the brace, contemplating his next words. "I hate that you were the one hurt," he finally said.
"Gil…don't go there," Catherine warned softly. "What happened, happened. I wouldn't have wanted you to be a superhero at my expense and wind up hurt or…or worse."
"I know, but…"
He trailed off, and Catherine stated, "No buts. Gil…it's over. Cena can't hurt me anymore, thanks to you. I owe you my life for that."
Gil closed his eyes as he responded, "I just feel so terrible that…that you had to go through..." He paused, struggling to find the right words. "Through all of that," he finally finished.
"I know…" It was all that Catherine could say. She had no clue what to say to her former supervisor…her friend.
Grissom finally opened his eyes, blue meeting blue. He cleared his throat, then asked, "So how long are you stuck here?"
Catherine shrugged again. "I'm hoping that they spring me tomorrow, but I think that they want to monitor my ribs for a few days. The doctor said that they are worried about a lung potentially collapsing, so they want to be careful about that. The doctor also said that he's going to have a surgeon come in to talk to me about my wrists," she told Gil. Seeing the alarm in Gil's face, she elaborated, "Apparently torn ligaments can cause pain later in life if they aren't repaired right away, but we'll see."
"I…God, Cath, that sounds so horrible," Gil replied.
Catherine laughed slightly, shaking her hair from her face. "With everything that I've seen and been through in my life, Gilbert, a little surgery is the least of my worries," she said softly. "But I appreciate your concern."
Grissom nodded, sighing slightly. He carefully wrapped his fingers around Catherine's, lifting her hand and pressing a kiss to her fingers. "Whatever happens, I'll be here for you," he told her.
They locked gazes for several long moments before Catherine nodded, her gaze falling to their interlocked fingers. Slowly, her eyes drooped, and Catherine fell asleep. Gil bowed his head, resting his forehead against the sheets as he too dozed, their hands remaining locked.
Unbeknownst to the pair, however, Sara Sidle watched this scene from the door.
~/~
End 10/14