Chapter 2

The CSI's backed away and let the paramedics do their jobs. It sure had been one hell of a morning. They followed the stretcher out of the building. None of them wanted to act until the ambulance was closed up and gone. It seemed like some kind of a courtesy. They watched as she was loaded into the vehicle. One EMT was trying to administer an I.V. catheter, but it just wouldn't thread. Soft curses could be heard when the vein blew. He quickly switched to the other arm and succeeded. Fluids were now being pumped into her.

"Calleigh, I want you to follow her to the hospital. Keep me posted on her condition." Horatio said with authority. "We can't have her shutting down. Right now, she is our best evidence."

"Play-By-Play. You got it." Calleigh headed for her hummer and gently set her kit in the back.

Just as she was getting in, sounds of struggle came from the ambulance. The paramedics were yelling for her to calm down, but she just kept fighting. For as weak as she was, she didn't back down easily. No wonder she was still alive. Calleigh ran over to the ambulance and jumped inside.

"Okay, okay…" Calleigh grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes once again. "You need to calm down. No one is gonna hurt you. Look at me! No one is going to hurt you, I promise. Now, you are going to the hospital. I'll see you there."

She stopped fighting, but the look in her eyes was more that of a caged animal than relieved. Her breathing slowed and she rested herself back against the sheet. She closed her eyes. Calleigh released her hold and slowly climbed out of the vehicle. She rushed back to her own and opened the door. She quickly glanced at her colleagues before hopping in and driving away.

At the hospital, Calleigh was making little headway. Now, the girl was lucid and very scared. She was a fortress, no one could break through her walls and she wasn't about to come out. Her eyes were still a cold, grey color, but darker than before. Calleigh couldn't help but thinking again that they should be a bright blue with a beaming smile to match. Her hair was a deep chestnut mane of curls that rested just below her shoulder blades. With a sigh, Calleigh summoned the courage to interview her.

"Hi, I'm Calleigh." She was her usual peppy self, hiding her anxiety quite well. "Do you remember me, from the warehouse?"

She merely nodded. No eye contact, she didn't even turn her head.

"Okay, I need to ask you a few questions."

Nothing.

"I need to know our name."

Nothing.

"What can you tell me about what happened?"

"It betrayed me."

"What?"

"The darkness. It's always protected me, but last night it left me exposed and vulnerable to a monster. I fought, I really did. With everything I had in me, sometimes it's just never enough." With her last sentence her eyes met Calleigh's. Calleigh shuddered at the pain she saw. "I don't know how he knew I was there. I don't know how he got in. Max should have known. I guess he knew too late. He got him though. Wounded him. Probably the only reason I'm still alive."

"So he was yours?"

"More like I was his, but yeah, He was mine. He killed him. He was just trying to protect me." She smiled a little.

"What were you doing there?"

"I slept there."

"You just up and decided to move yourself into an abandoned warehouse and took your dog with you?"

"Right, because who would choose to live on the streets right? Like it's something I pondered over for weeks before just giving up a house or whatever. Some people don't have a choice. And the dog was already there."

"The dog was a stray?"

"Feral. He was feral. There is a difference. I am the stray. He's never been domesticated, his home is the streets. I'm purely domestic, just without a home. Dogs need companionship, they are pack animals. And humans are social creatures. We needed each other. I went out and got some dog food and he saw me as a source of food. Then he began to trust me. Then we became each other's family."

"Can you tell me what happened last night?"

"Max tried to protect me. It was late, dark; I was just sitting there scratching his belly. I didn't hear anything, but Max did. He jumped up and stood over my lap. I held on to him and stood myself up. Then I could her breathing. It wasn't mine and it wasn't the dog's. I froze, I couldn't breathe. Someone was inside the warehouse and he was close. Max was growling and I started to back up. That was a bad idea, because he reached out and grabbed me from behind. Max jumped up and bit him, probably in the arm 'cause he let go of me instantly. I ran, but I could hear the scuffle behind me. I heard Max yelp then hit the ground. I pressed myself against the wall and held my breath. It was so dark, I hoped it would hide me, but it didn't. Before I could react, there were hands around my throat. I could smell blood. Max didn't come to help this time." She took a deep breath and looked at Calleigh.

"What happened next?"

"He pulled me away from the wall and slammed me back against it. I fought back, I kicked him. So he started choking me. I passed out. Next thing I remember, that guy was calling for help and that I was alive. And you telling me no one was going to hurt me."

"Is there anything specific you remember about the man?"

"No. It was so dark I couldn't even see my own hand two feet in front of my face. He didn't say anything, not even when Max bit him."

"I need to know your name."

"Danny. D-a-n-n-y."

They heard a knock and the nurse came through the curtained room. She was tired and overworked, no doubt working the tail end of a double shift.

"Hi, I'm Amelia. I will be performing your sexual assault exam." She snapped on her gloves and pulled up the doctor stool. She never even made eye contact with either of them.

Danny pulled her knees up against her chest and wrapped her arms around them protectively. Her breathing came faster and more erratic. The nurse let out an exasperated sigh when she saw Danny recoil. Calleigh couldn't help but seeing her as a terrified child. Just then, her cell phone rang.

"Duquesne." She answered. Calleigh gave Danny the 'one-minute' sign and headed for the door. Danny reached out for her with one arm while the other stayed wrapped around her legs. Her panicked eyes and frantic grasp, silently pleading her not to leave. "Actually Horatio, can I call you back? That works too. See you soon."

The nurse was telling Danny what she needed her to do with the knowledge that told them she had done this way too many times. She reluctantly complied. Danny's hand gripped Calleigh's arm tightly, and Calleigh, not knowing what else to do, covered Danny's hand with her own. All she wanted was to protect her from what was happening, maybe herself too. She had been a CSI for a long time, but had never been present for a rape kit. Although she knew she never wanted to be present at one again, Danny's was different. She felt like in was her unspoken responsibility to be there and care for her. She didn't know why she felt that way. She didn't about her other victims. Danny's death grip tightened and her head slammed back against the hard bed as the nurse began the exam. A tiny, pained whine caught in Danny's throat, refusing to escape her lips. Tears began a slow but steady descend down her cheeks.