A/N So here it is: the BEEEG one. I actually wanted to wait a while before putting this up so I could see what you guys are thinking but I'm feeling reckless so here it is. I really hope you enjoy. Again, it's a drastic turn for Sara but one that I have enjoyed writing. Now, I'm going to hide from possible projectiles– ENJOY!
C: 5
Nick sat waiting in his Denali outside Sara's apartment building. They'd figured that it wouldn't be too suspicious if they arrived together and so, had agreed that he would pick her up. An electricity company van was parked in front of Nick and two men in overalls stood arguing heatedly beside it. Obviously the repairs were not going as planned. Nick only hoped that they had not gotten in the way of Sara's rest. One of the problems of working graveyard was having to sleep during the day when the rest of the world was bustling. If something noisy was happening, it sometimes took ages to get to sleep. Nick leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, yawning widely.
"Whoa Nicky. You nearly swallowed me whole!"
Nick jumped, taken by surprise and found Sara standing outside the car. It was forecast to be a cold night and Sara had a long black coat and a red scarf wrapped tightly around her. Her hair was ironed straight and a wreath of silver tinsel rested on her head. Nick quickly got out and she opened the coat to reveal a black cocktail dress that ended just above her knees and showed off her calves. A belt of silver tinsel rested low on her hips with a long end hanging down.
"Hey you," he said, taking hold of the tinsel belt and pulling her forward into a hug. "God, you don't know how sexy you look in that dress."
"Right back at you, babe," Sara smiled and her eyes scanned up and down his body.
"You get some rest?"
Sara sighed, "They were breaking down walls upstairs to get to the cables. All day."
"Aaw, sweetie. You haven't really gotten proper rest, have you?" Nick frowned.
Sara shook her head, tears appearing in her eyes. "No. Nick, I can't keep this up. I'm exhausted. It's really frustrating too. Every time I think I'm gonna get a chance to relax something comes up. I feel like Hell."
"Wow. Sara Sidle admits mortality." He joked, trying to cheer her up.
"Listen Sar, why don't we stay in? I'll see to it that you get rest. We don't have to be at the party," Nick suggested.
Sara shook her head, forcing her tears back. "Nonsense. This is the one night that we can be totally – and openly - relaxed at the lab. This only happens once a year and we're not going to miss it. Let's go." She turned to get in the car but Nick grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him.
"Are you sure? I don't want you to do this for my sake."
"I'm sure. I also want to go, you know," Sara said firmly. "I'm just going to massacre these workers if they're not gone by the time I get home." Sara grinned at him.
Nick chuckled, returning the smile. If there was one person who he knew would do that, it was Sara. "Okay then, let's go!"
xxx
Grissom entered the lab feeling mellow and happy. The department Christmas party was always good: it meant a good time with his team and that they'd made it through yet another year. It was one of those times in life when everything just seems alright – those summative times when anything seems possible because you realise what you've accomplished. Grissom automatically turned towards his office, where he planned to drop off his coat. He frowned at the people around him – what was with all the hats and tree decorations pinned to the guys' jacket pockets?
"Hey!" Catherine put her head in his door. She was wearing a red cocktail dress and black knee-high boots. A wreath of gold tinsel was resting on her strawberry blonde hair.
"Hey Cath. You look nice," Grissom observed.
"Thanks," Catherine replied.
"So what's with the tinsel – and all the elf hats floating around out there?" Grissom asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
"Here," Catherine said, handing him a red Santa hat.
"Er…thanks?" Grissom accepted the hat.
Catherine sighed. "The dress code for the party this year was to wear something related to Christmas. You've been really distracted lately so I figured you might forget."
"Thanks Cath," Grissom said sincerely, pulling the hat on and letting the bobble at the end fall to the side. "So where are the others?"
"Santa's little helpers? They're around here somewhere. You manage to get hold of Sara yesterday?"
"No. She wasn't answering her phone. Where's Lindsay? I thought she as coming with you tonight. I was looking forward to seeing her."
"One of her friends organised a last minute party – she's spending the night," Catherine shrugged. "I'm just not cool anymore."
"She's a teenager," Grissom reasoned, "She'll come 'round."
"Hey Grissom, I mean.. Santa!" Warrick said with a grin as he entered the room. "Nice hat."
"You don't look too bad yourself, little helper," Grissom replied. Warrick wore a huge bowtie made out of the red ribbon used to wrap gifts. Grissom's eyes went to Catherine, like a whining child looking to his mother for an explanation, "Why couldn't I dress like that?"
"Because you're in charge and you have a beard. And I wanted to see you in a Santa hat," Catherine smiled.
"And I can't exactly wear cute little hats like that," Warrick said, pointing to his hair.
His eyes went to Catherine and her outfit. "Wow! Cath… looking good," he said smoothly.
"Thanks Rick," Catherine said a little too coyly for Grissom to miss. She blushed.
"So… you used tinsel to dress as an angel?" Grissom said, raising a curious eyebrow.
Catherine scowled. "Yes – an angel. Don't look so shocked. Sara's doing it too."
Grissom's eyebrow shot higher. "Sara agreed to dress as an angel?"
Catherine shrugged. "She also forgot and I had extra tinsel."
"Does she look any better tonight?" Grissom asked seriously.
"The girl's tired and she looks it," Warrick said.
Catherine nodded. "Nick said she's not feeling too good. Something about her apartment building. I don't think she got much sleep."
"Not a good thing considering what happened yesterday," Warrick added.
"Hmmm," Grissom said. "Where are they?"
"They were in the break room waiting for Greg to arrive when I saw them," Warrick said.
"Thanks," Grissom took off down the corridor.
Catherine turned her attention to Warrick.
"So you're here as a gift. God's gift to women, maybe? Or just to one woman in particular…?" she suggested, her eyes betraying her attraction to him.
"Whichever you prefer, my angel," Warrick said, his eyes meeting hers. For a moment, their eyes stayed fixed upon each other. When Warrick realised they were still standing in Grissom's office, he looked away. "So… you wanna grab a drink?" he asked shyly.
"Sure," Catherine smiled. Warrick held out his arm like a gentleman and she accepted with a grateful smile. To anyone else, they looked like two friends joking around at a party together, but to them, the contact meant more.
xxx
True to Warrick's word, Grissom found Nick and Sara in the break room. The main party was being held there and so, the room was full of CSIs and techs from all the shifts. His two CSIs were in a corner. Sara stood with her back against the wall and Nick was leaning against the one perpendicular to hers. The two appeared totally engrossed in each other, eyes shining and lips smiling. With a stab, Grissom remembered when he had been able to make Sara smile like that. As Catherine had said, a silver tinsel wreath adorned her head and a silver tinsel belt rested low on her hips. Nick was dressed with a similar bowtie to Warrick, only his was gold.
As he drew closer, Grissom noticed that Nick and Sara's fingers were entwined discreetly in the corner between them. He also noticed Sara's tired eyes and they way they would slide closed until a comment from Nick prompted them to open again. Every now and then, she'd keel over as hoarse coughs gripped her body. Concern would cover Nick's face until the coughs abated and his attention returned to their conversation.
"Grissom! Over here!" Nick spotted him and waved. As Grissom headed in their direction, he noticed their carefully hidden hands leave one another.
"Hey Griss. Nice hat!" Nick said when he got closer. "Rick owes me ten bucks."
Grissom rolled his eyes.
"I was just about to get Sara and myself something to drink, can I get you something?" Nick asked.
"Yeah, thanks Nick," Grissom nodded.
"Okay, back in a few," Nick said, briefly casting his eyes in Sara's direction. She smiled at him before turning her attention to Grissom.
"You look pretty good, Santa," she said before he could open his mouth.
"Aah, and I hear you've been a very good girl in CSI this year," Grissom joked.
"I try," Sara said with a shrug.
"You succeed too," Grissom said, catching her hand in his own and holding her gaze. "Don't forget that, Sara."
"Thanks." Sara smiled in response but it soon turned into a wide yawn. Grissom noted that her hand was trembling in his own and guessed in was because she had obviously missed out on some sleep. When her hand left his, he heard the crinkle of a wrapper and looked up to see
Sara pull a cough drop out of her bag and pop it into her mouth.
"Cough drops?" Grissom raised an eyebrow.
Sara rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I haven't had a drink in ages."
Grissom frowned. "I'm sorry about yesterday, I shouldn't have run out on you."
Nightmarish flashes of Phipps' eyes; his knife on her skin; his sour breath and his guttural whispers in her ear screamed in Sara's mind at the mention of the previous shift. She forced them down and managed to shrug casually, "You were busy and I'm fine. At least we caught him. It was a slam dunk too. Greg's going to bury him under evidence in court."
Grissom looked her in the eye. "Are you sure you're okay?"
She quickly put her hands up as another cough gripped her body. When it subsided, she cleared her throat and brushed her hair back from her face. "Honestly, no, I'm not. Grissom, I need time off. I can't keep working like this."
"But you've had days off, haven't you?" Grissom asked.
Sara shook her head, "You called me in on them."
Grissom frowned, "How long has it been since you've been off?"
Sara sighed. "Almost four weeks now."
"God Sara! Why didn't you say something sooner?" Grissom cried incredulously, scanning her face for an explanation.
She shrugged and brought up a hand to fan her face, "There were a lot of cases coming in – you needed a full team. God, it's hot in here, don't you think?"
Grissom's frown deepened, "No… I don't." He put a hand on her forehead. Her head was unmistakably hot and her cheeks were flushed. "Sara, are you getting sick?"
Sara shook her head and carried on fanning her face, "No. I've just got a bit of a cough – winter air's a bit thick with the fog. Whew! I think I need some air; this room is really getting stuffy. I'll be back now."
"Okay, but when you get back we're going to talk about some time off for you," Grissom said, but she was already half way to the door.
By the time Sara reached the locker room, her head was spinning. Her whole body was on fire and her vision was blurry and jumpy, like a badly tuned TV. She fought to keep herself upright as she moved over to the drinking fountain between the lockers for water- anything to cool her down. But she couldn't find the fountain. She knew it was in front of her, but she couldn't see it. She began teetering dangerously and the world in front of her spun. Around and around and around and around. Her mind was sent reeling into confusion. The floor was on the ceiling. The lockers were all moving up and down the walls. Tiny white lights began to flash in her eyes, blocking out the world. Sara tried desperately to hang on to her thoughts. She was going to.. going to…going… Coherent thought eluded her and stifling darkness descended on her mind. Sara was unconscious before her body hit the cool floor of the locker room with a dull thud.
Nick returned carrying three glasses but found only Grissom.
"Here you go," he handed Grissom's glass to him. "Where's Sara?"
"She said she needed some air. I think she may have gone to the ladies'," Grissom said, accepting the glass. "Thanks."
Suddenly, laughter was heard at the door. The crowd parted to reveal Greg, grinning and headed in their direction. "Hey guys," he said, stopping in front of them.
A loud snort escaped Nick, "Hey… Rudolph, is it?"
Greg smiled, "But of course." He was wearing a pair of fleece reindeer horns in his spiked hair and a red clown's nose was clinging to his own.
"Original Greg," Grissom said, nodding with a smile. "Does this mean I can rely on you to pull my sleigh tonight?"
"That depends on what you sleigh is," Greg said. "If it happens, by some freak coincidence, highly unlikely, to be a Bentley, or any high power automobile for that matter, I'd be more than happy to. Operate it, that is."
"You know, there are faster things in this world than cars, Greg. The king cheetah in Southern Africa can reach speeds of up to 63 miles per hour in a few seconds," Nick commented.
"Aah, but does it come with leather seats and airbags?" Greg replied smartly.
"Animal Planet again, Nicky?" Grissom said, a hint of mockery in his voice.
"Hey!" Nick scowled. "You're just jealous because my cheetah comment got in before your bug one."
Taken aback by Nick's insight, Grissom frowned but said nothing: he couldn't argue against something he knew was true.
"So where's Sara tonight?" Greg asked, scanning the room for the brunette.
"At the moment, in the bathroom," Nick explained.
xxx
"I just wonder if I'm doing something wrong, you know? She's pulling away from me," Catherine said sadly.
"They all grow up sometime, you know," Warrick said, leaning against the wall beside her. The two had gotten drinks and had soon found themselves wondering the emptier corridors of the lab. "Besides, you're a great mother. If she's anything like you she's bound to be independent. That's a good thing nowadays."
"I don't know. I don't want Lindsay to be like me. Working all the time, never having time to be normal and just relax," Catherine said. "I feel like she's grown up without me."
"Hey," Warrick grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "You've been there – all the way. You've been a super mother to her and really, if she turns out like you, it will be a good thing."
"You really think so?" Catherine asked, raising her eyes hopefully.
"Honey, I know so." Warrick said, giving her a reassuring smile. He pulled her into a hug, offering comfort and assurance. When he released her, she sighed and returned his smile. Suddenly her eyes lit up.
"You know she was in the school play last week? I picked up the photos yesterday. God, she was so good on that stage," Catherine said. "You wanna see the photos?"
"Do you even need to ask?" Warrick smiled.
"They're in my locker," Catherine explained, turning towards the locker room.
"Lead the way." Warrick smiled and put an arm around her shoulders as they walked.
"You know she thinks you walk on water, right?" Catherine looked up at him with a smile.
Warrick paused, then decided to go for it. "Did she inherit that from her mother too?"
A suggestive smile spread across Catherine's lips and her eyes met his, speaking volumes. "That, I can-" She stopped suddenly as they reached the locker room only to find a familiar form on the ground. Warrick's arm left her shoulders and he frowned.
"Sara?!" Catherine cried in shock, her smile dissolving into horror.
"Oh God." Warrick cried. "Get help – quick!"
Catherine dashed from the room and he hurried to crouch at the fallen brunette's side. Quickly, Warrick checked for a pulse and sighed with relief when he found one. His hand went to Sara's forehead. It was boiling hot.
"Sara! Girl, wake up!" Warrick cried, gently shaking her. "Sara, come on!"
But the woman in front of him lay prone. Her eyes remained shut and her face was flushed. Warrick grasped her hand and found it trembling in his own. Her lips were parted slightly and her breathing was slow and shallow. Warrick put his hand on her scalding cheek "Sara! Come on! Sara!"
xxx
Catherine raced down the corridor, going as fast as she could in her boots, and burst into the break room, calling the first person she could think of.
"Grissom! Grissom!" The others in the room turned to her, some curious and others frowning with disapproval at her shouting.
"Cath? What's wrong?" Grissom emerged from behind a large reindeer that turned out to be Greg.
"You guys have to come quick!" Catherine gasped, trying to catch her breath. "It's Sara. Something's wrong."
"Sara?" Nick cried, his eyes flashing with worry, "Oh no." He immediately pushed past them and took off down the corridor. With a quick glance at Catherine, Grissom and Greg quickly followed him. With a deep breath Catherine turned to follow. From his position nearby, Ecklie turned and frowned, sensing something was up.
xxx
"Sara!" Nick barrelled down the corridor and into the locker room. He found Sara lying on her back, unconscious and limp. Beside her, Warrick was clutching her hand.
"Nicky!" he yelped, "She's out cold!"
"What the Hell happened?" Nick demanded, falling to his knees at Sara's side.
"I don't know. Cath and I found her like this," Warrick replied.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor and soon, Grissom and Greg entered the room. They stopped dead inside the doorway as their eyes scanned the woman on the floor in front of them.
"Oh God," Greg said softly.
Forcing himself to think logically, Grissom took command. "What happened?"
He went to Sara's side and took her arm from Warrick.
"Pulse is weak, but it's there." His hand moved to her forehead. "Fever." Grissom said grimly. He turned to Greg, "Find Doc. Robbins!"
"No need! I'm here," a voice announced and Robbins hobbled into the room. Behind him, Catherine leaned against the doorframe to gather her breath. Warrick moved back from Sara and went over to her.
"Uh, guys?" Robbins said, "You mind putting her on the bench? The ole leg makes it hard to get down."
Wordlessly, Nick took hold of Sara's shoulders while Greg gripped her feet. Carefully, they lifted her from the floor and laid her on the narrow bench between the rows of lockers. He arms hung limply at her side, flopping to the floor and, as soon as he was sure she was okay, Nick took hold of her right hand. He waited, unconsciously holding his breath as the doctor went about examining Sara. A grim, oppressive silence descended on the room and the CSIs inside waited tensely for a diagnosis – any explanation as to what was wrong with one of their own. Unconsciously, Warrick's arm found it's way around Catherine's shoulders.
Eventually, his heart in his throat with worry, Nick broke the silence. "Doc?"
Robbins sighed. "She's definitely got a fever of some kind and her pulse is much lower than it should be. She doesn't normally have low blood pressure, does she?"
"No," Grissom answered quickly. "She's healthy."
"Then I'll need to do more tests, a proper examination to find out what caused this," Robbins admitted.
"What about fatigue?" Nick asked, "She's been really burning both ends lately."
"Well, in very rare cases, extreme fatigue can lead to the body being forced to shut down and rest," Robbins explained, "But that only happens when the person has really been pushing it: severe physical and emotional stress; inadequate diet; weakened immune system."
"Well she hasn't been sleeping," Nick said.
"Or eating properly," Greg added.
"She got attacked by that guy yesterday," Catherine said.
"And she's getting sick," Grissom finished.
"Damn," Warrick said, summing up what they were all thinking. "The girl's been on a suicide mission."
Bitter guilt rose in both Grissom and Nick. They both considered themselves to be close to Sara – and both hated themselves for not stopping her when they first noticed that something was wrong.
"What can we do?" Nick turned his eyes to Robbins, "If it is that?"
"Good old fashioned TLC. She should wake up eventually. Take her home and make sure she rests, eats and relaxes," Robbins explained. "It'd be a good idea to get her blood sugar and electrolyte levels checked out too. Get some blood tests just in case it's something serious."
"Should I call an ambulance?" Catherine asked from behind him.
"It'll be quicker if we take her," Nick interrupted. He turned to Greg and tossed his car keys to him.
"Gotcha," the young CSI nodded and ran from the room.
The others stood, watching his back, each silently wondering what was going to happen.
A low groan from below them brought their attention back. They looked down to see Sara's hand go to her forehead.
"Sara?"
Slowly, her eyes opened halfway and she squinted up at them.
"Sara? You with us?" Warrick asked, concern filling his voice.
Sara shook her head and winced. "Ow… my head. Nick?"
"I'm here Sar!" Nick said, kneeling down beside her.
She paused and looked up at the group, slowly becoming aware of where she was. She frowned, "What happened?"
"You burnt yourself out and collapsed," Nick explained, his hand gently rubbing her shoulder.
"How are you feeling?" Grissom asked, putting a hand on her forehead.
"Tired," Sara mumbled, closing her eyes again. "And sore." She sighed and slowly put her hand on the bench then pushed herself up into a sitting position.
"We're gonna take you to the hospital," Catherine asked.
Sara frowned, "Uh uh. I… hate hospitals."
"Home then." Catherine sighed, "Can you stand?"
Nick offered an arm and Sara gratefully took it, slowly, shakily, rising to her feet. She moved to take a step and her knees gave in. Nick caught her under her arms, stopping her from hitting the floor.
"You're too weak," he said. "Here." He put an arm under her knees and lifted her.
"Nick," Sara complained weakly. "I'm …fine."
"No, you're not," He shot back. She sighed restlessly but offered no further protest to his heroism. Nick looked down and found her resting her head against his chest, eyes already closing. "You're not even completely awake."
"Car's waiting!" Greg shouted, running into the room. He stopped and looked at Sara. "No change?"
"Hey… Greggo," A small smile crossed Sara's face but she kept her eyes closed.
"She's awake?" Greg asked hopefully.
"And listening so… stop talking about me… like… I'm not here," Sara said lowly. Nick shook his head. Sara was half-dead but she still managed to be sassy.
"C'mon," he said, "Let's get her outta here." Taking the lead, Nick stepped from the room and started making his way to the car.
Grissom followed behind Nick and the rest of the team as they made their way through the lab. His mind was reeling with questions, with guilt, with concern. A huge chunk of Sara's condition was his fault: he'd kept her working without realising just how much she needed rest. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when Ecklie stepped into his path. The group stopped but he waved them on. "Go on! I'll meet you at the car," He called.
"Grissom! What the Hell is going on?" Ecklie demanded. "What's wrong with Sidle?"
Grissom sighed. This was just what Ecklie had been looking for to make life harder for his team.
"Sara collapsed," He said honestly, hoping Ecklie wouldn't probe further, but knowing, with a sense of dread that he would.
"Why?"
"She's not well and… dealing with some personal problems at the moment," Grissom tried to be vague.
"Not attacking witnesses again, is she?" Ecklie asked, raising an eyebrow judgmentally and crossing his arms.
Grissom glared at him and shook his head angrily. "That guy was no witness. And he attacked her."
Ecklie snorted. "I hope you're not referring to yesterday. Sidle should have known better than to go wondering without a uniform to watch her."
"She's a grown woman and she was following the evidence," Grissom defended. "She couldn't have known that was going to happen." He paused then matched Ecklie's growing scowl. "She probably wouldn't have even been out there if it wasn't for your constant criticism of my team. Hell, the girl is sick and exhausted and still she's out there working to keep this lab's reputation up."
"Then, I can only question whether this little collapse of hers is not due to bad supervision on your part. I told you she was a loose cannon."
"Sara is an incisive, dedicated criminalist who has been working her ass off for your lab. You should thank her," Grissom matched him.
"Yeah, thanks to her, the graveyard shift is going to be short staffed. She never did know when enough was enough." Ecklie said disdainfully.
"Oh don't worry, Conrad, the lab won't be compromised while she's recovering." Grissom said scornfully. That verbalized, he turned and stormed down the corridor behind his team.
A/N Whew. I think I'd better stop there. Yet again, a drastic chapter – think I'd better station myself behind the chair once more! PLEASE, I'd love to know what you think!