CHAPTER TWENTY
Evening was falling as the crime scene was processed with a flurry of sheriff and state police working in tandem. Nathan Randall was in custody at Desert Palm Hospital being treated for his gunshot wound. Grissom and Sara were actively participating in the investigation as they were already on site. Kyrie and Opus had been trailered back to the stable by the barn manager.
Iris sat on the ground beside of the bodies of Cyrano and Durante. Blaze's body had been removed earlier after the bullet was recovered by the veterinary forensics technician as had the bullets from Iris's dogs. She petted them continually as the activity bustled about her.
Brass had waited at Desert Palm Hospital to personally see to it that Nathan Randall was under heavy guard after his surgery and there would be no chance for him to elude the police. It had taken every ounce of strength that he had not to take Randall to a private room for five minutes alone before the wheels of justice took over. He had been shaken to the core knowing Iris had been at risk for even a moment. Jim had then arrived to the crime scene by helicopter…the absolute quickest way he could get to Grissom, Sara, and especially, Iris. Once there, he quickly explained to Grissom and Sara that earlier in the day Randall had made bail with the help of his low-life family attorney and then had disappeared. Brass had been misinformed that Randall remained in custody or he would have been on his way out to the barn in a heartbeat as well as calling to alert them.
Jim now came striding toward Iris, his face suffused with anger. He grabbed Iris and raised her roughly to her feet, wanting to shake sense into her, and then he saw her stricken face. All he could do was crush her to him. "Don't you ever scare me again like that! Where would I be without you? Why'd you do that?" He growled into her ear all at once.
Iris pushed herself away from him as she cried out, "I was protecting my partner, backing her up, the same that you would do." She knelt back down by Durante and Cyrano, refusing to leave them.
Brass grimaced at the pain he saw in Iris and how deeply her love ran for others – for him, her coworkers, a little girl no longer with them, their pets. His expression softened as he raised her back up but gently this time. "We'll take care of them when it's time. Come on, babe, let's go home." Brass lead Iris to the Jeep to drive home and after getting in, Iris let out a child-like sigh as she nestled her head on Jim's shoulder.
After they arrived home and Iris had taken a hot shower, she crawled into bed with Jim and softly kissed him as she simply said, "Love me." The love they made through the night was among the most satisfying and tender that Jim had ever experienced as Iris gave all of herself to him in their union of body, mind and soul.