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x x x x
As soon as the EMTs arrived everything seemed to happen so fast that they could barely comprehend what was going on. The boys tried to explain what had happened; despite the fact that there was nothing much to tell because they didn't really know what had happened. Meanwhile, Catherine kept a firm grip on Sara's hand as she was carefully lifted onto the stretcher and rushed through the lab corridors. Curious faces peered anxiously through the glass walls and hovered in doorways as Sara was carried out to the waiting ambulance.
"Go with her Cath, we'll tell Grissom." Nick shouted to her. "And don't worry about Lindsey; we'll call your sister." He added, but Cath had barely heard a word so just nodded and climbed into the back of the vehicle, never letting go of her friend's hand.
X x x
As soon as the doors were closed the sirens went on and they took off at full speed through the illuminated streets of Las Vegas. One EMT began fitting wires and IV tubes and things to her while shouting information to the other one, who was driving. Various words filtered in though the fog in Cath's mind: tachycardia, high temperature, low blood pressure. However, her main attention was focused on the unconscious girl before her. They had placed an oxygen mask over her face but she was still having trouble breathing.
"Miss?" The EMT's voice caught her attention and she broke her eyes away briefly to glance at him. "Has this ever happened before?"
"No. I don't know." She corrected herself.
"Does she have any medical conditions?" He continued. Cath shook her head.
"No."
"Is she pregnant?"
"No."
"Are you sure?" He pressed.
"Yes, no. Maybe. I don't know." She conceded. It was true, she didn't know the ins and outs of Sara's love life, there was every chance she could be pregnant. Cath was watching the EMT write something down, but a small movement brought her eyes back to Sara...who was blinking at her hazily. "Hey, it's ok honey. You're gonna be ok." Sara was trying to move around but the tubes were restricting her. Her breathing had gone rapid and unsteady again but she kept trying to take her oxygen mask off anyway. Catherine placed one hand on her chest, and held the mask on with the other. "No, no baby keep it on. It'll help you breathe." She stroked Sara's hair softly and whispered comforts to her scared friend. "It's ok sweetie, I'm here I've got you." She cooed gently. "Just relax babe."
X x x
As they pulled up into the ambulance bay at the hospital her breathing began to get more strained and her eyes were opening and closing slowly. "No baby girl, stay with me. Keep your eyes open." Cath pleaded. However, a bustle of people arrived as she was taken from the ambulance and into the emergency department. Despite the doctors and nurses that had appeared Cath managed to keep hold of her right up until they reached the examination room, when she was shoved aside.
"You can leave now." A doctor barked at her harshly. However, despite being semi conscious Sara managed to cry out for Cath and reached her hand out searching for the blonde. Catherine manoeuvred herself closer and gripped her hand tightly, running her fingers through Sara's hair.
"You heard her." She answered pointedly. "Don't worry honey, I'm not going anywhere." She said to Sara, though she was looking straight at the doctor. He looked her up and down.
"Are you family?" He asked finally.
"Yes." She lied. Though he didn't call her on it, his raised eyebrow suggested he did not believe her.
Sara kept drifting in and out of consciousness while she was being examined and hooked up to various machines, despite Catherine pleading with her to stay with her. Her eyes finally drifted shut and didn't open again, and suddenly the young woman started to shake and her heart rate sky-rocketed. "She's seizing!" One doctor yelled, and before she knew it Cath found herself outside the emergency room, staring at the swinging door in shock. Not knowing what else to do, she pressed her back to the wall and let herself slide to the floor, tears trickling from her eyes.
X x x
She was not sure how long she had been there but some time later a nurse appeared before her.
"Miss Sidle's family?" She questioned. Cath nodded hurriedly as she pulled herself ungracefully back to her feet. "She's stable now; we're going to keep her in for observation." The young nurse explained.
"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Cath asked.
"Not yet, we're still doing some tests." The evasive answer was not what she wanted, but Cath figured that it was the best she was going to get so changed tack.
"Is she ok?"
"Why don't you see for yourself?" The nurse smiled and held the door open for her to enter. Cath nodded thankfully as she walked past her. She tried not to let all the machines get to her as she made her way over to the bed.
Sara appeared sound asleep and, not wanting to disturb her, Cath lightly took her hand, stroking the back of it with her thumb. However, she was surprised when Sara wrenched her hand back, letting out a small whimper. Cath stroked her forehead lightly, and called her name, but the only answer she got was another cry. Thinking she was in pain, Catherine grabbed the assistance button and pressed it twice. Suddenly, Sara's movements got more defensive, pushing Cath away with one hand and clutching the covers tightly with the other. Catherine called out to her, trying in vain to calm the frightened girl down, but clearly whatever was causing Sara's night terrors had her locked tightly in its fearsome grip. When nothing else worked, Catherine lightly grabbed her shoulders and shook her, then a little harder.
Sara's eyes flew open and she quickly shuffled into a sitting position, curling herself as far away from Cath as possible, and staring at her with wide scared eyes. "Honey it's okay." Cath said, reaching out to her, but Sara shied away from her touch. "Baby relax, I'm not gonna hurt you. You're safe here. It's okay." She reached out a hand and carefully stroked Sara's cheek with the back of her fingers, holding out her other hand. Sara continued to stare at her in fearful suspicion, but she cautiously placed her hand in Catherine's. The blonde smiled and carefully sat on the edge of the bed. Not wanting to alarm her friend, she slowly wrapped her arms around her, placing a tender kiss into her hair.
"I'm sorry." Sara whispered tearfully, clinging onto Catherine. Cath shushed her and ran her fingers through her silky brown curls.
"No, no, no baby girl. Don't you apologise. Not your fault." She held her close for a moment before releasing her a little, but not completely. For the first time Sara seemed to take note of her surroundings and looked around her with a really cute confused expression. "You collapsed at work. We phoned an ambulance." Cath explained when it was clear Sara didn't know what she was doing here. The young woman's eyes widened and she started to try and get up, but Catherine put an arm around her shoulders and tried in vain to hold her still. While the two of them were locked in the battle, the doctor from earlier bustled in and picked up her chart from the bottom of the bed.
"Welcome back Miss Sidle," He bristled. "We've run some tests, are you happy for your family to hear this?" The tall, dark haired man asked Sara, shooting Cath an abhorrent glance.
"Definitely." She answered immediately, gripping Cath's hand tightly. Though she had stopped fighting she still appeared to be eyeing up the exit.
"Well, we're still not sure of the cause of your fever and we'd like to keep you in to run some more tests," he ignored Sara determinedly shaking her head and continued, "but we have done some blood tests and it seems that you are anaemic so we're going to prescribe you a course of iron tablets..."
"No." Sara cut him off bluntly.
"I'm sorry?"
"No tablets." She elaborated.
"Miss Sidle, I really recommend you take these. Just for a few weeks and then visit your doctor for a check up and they'll decide whether or not you need to continue."
"No." She adamantly insisted again. Catherine tightened the arm around her shoulders and held her other hand out to the doctor.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure she gets them." She said, so he handed her the pills and strutted back out, leaving them alone again.
"Not taking them." She insisted, untangling her IV tube from around her arm.
"Sara, they'll make you better." Cath tried to win her around, placing the pills in her pocket.
"Nope."
"Sara!" Cath groaned, "You really are too damn stubborn for your own good sometimes." She grumbled. Sara pouted a little, and Cath couldn't help but chuckle at her adorable sulky expression. She tapped the brunette's nose lightly. "You, young lady, are taking those tablets. And you're going to stay here until told otherwise and be good for the doctors." Sara opened her mouth to protest, but Cath cut her off. "No arguments!"
X x x
Despite still being slightly shaken up, Sara had started to drop off so Catherine tucked the thin blanket around her and left her to get some sleep. Still startled by the nightmare Sara had had, she was unwilling to leave her side just yet, but knew that she had some calls to make. She slipped outside to call her sister and ask her to take Lindsey to school in the morning, then called the boys.
"Hey Cath, how's she doing? She okay?" Nicky's voice filtered though her phone, and she could hear Warrick and Greg anxiously hovering in the background to find out the answer.
"She's okay. She's sleeping at the moment." She answered. She debated whether or not to tell them about what had just happened, but suddenly a different voice came on the line.
"Catherine? How is she? What's wrong with her?" Grissom barked worriedly.
"Gil calm down. She's okay. They don't know exactly what's wrong, they're still doing some tests but they think she's anaemic." After several minutes spent reassuring him some more, and promising the boys that she would give her their love, she hung up.
After that she went in search of a vending machine that served coffee, not so much for the caffeine but to have something to do. Having found one, she made her way back to Sara's room, only to find it empty. Puzzled, and if she was honest slightly scared, she collared a nurse and asked if she knew where Sara was.
"She's been moved to a cubicle in A&E." The young woman told her, calming her fears. Luckily thanks to her job and the fact that her sister was a nurse here, Cath knew her way around the building pretty well, but still managed to get lost in the windy corridors occasionally.
When she eventually found the cubicle, she was baffled to find that empty too. Sighing, she found another nurse and asked him.
"Excuse me, I was told that Sara Sidle had been moved here but her cubicle's empty. I was wondering..." she began but his eyes widened and he walked around her and pulled the curtain open, finding it empty just as she had said.
"Damn!" He cursed and collared a passing colleague, "We've got a runaway."