C.J. pulled up to the emergency room entrance and got out to get Chris a wheelchair and a nurse. Chris still seemed so out of it. She moved her head around slowly and thought she was going to be sick for a second before seeing C.J. and a nurse running back out to her. The nurse helped her get into the chair and Chris at first started to protest and fight, but C.J. stepped between them and softly reminded Chris that she was still there, that she wasn't leaving her for any length of time and to trust the nurse.
Chris nodded her head and let them help her in. C.J. parked the car quickly and then ran inside and was taken back to the bay where Chris was. Doctors and nurses were buzzing around her and Chris seemed to be on the verge of panicking. C.J. pushed her way through to Chris' side and took her hand. "I'm right here and I can stay or leave. Whatever you need, you just tell me."
Chris looked up and said, "Don't leave, please….I don't know that I can do this….I just…" She broke down crying again and C.J. had tears in her own eyes as her heart broke for Chris. She could also see the bruises more clearly now in the light.
She squeezed her hand and said, "You can do this Chris, you can do anything. You are strong and we will get through this together. You aren't alone. Matt and I are not leaving you. You are a part of our family and we are going to take care of you for a little while. Let us do this for you, ok?"
The doctor came in and collected evidence for a rape kit. C.J. held Chris' hand through each step from the clearly painful medical examination, to the X-rays, to the photographs. Three times Chris asked if they could just leave, but C.J. calmly and softly explained each time that this would all be over soon and then she was going back home with her.
Finally the doctor came back in with news, "Ok, well, you have a badly sprained ankle and we need to wrap that….shouldn't take too long. You'll want to stay off it today, but tomorrow try to walk around on it some. There is some tearing from the rape itself, but we have to let that heal on its own. We have the day after pill to give you since it appears your attacker didn't wear a condom. Most of the testing on the semen doesn't reveal any evidence of an STD, so that's good news. No facial fractures, but you are going to have a serious shiner for a while and no concussion. The toxicology came back and we found fairly high levels of alcohol and a strange mixture of clonazepam….do you know what that is?"
Neither Chris nor C.J. knew so both shook their heads and he told them, "Its more commonly known as a date rape drug." He looked at C.J. at that point and said, "It's why she's so groggy right now and after she sleeps, which she needs about 8 hours I'd say, she's going to wake up with one serious headache. The nurses told me you brought her in and that she has consented to leave with you, but given the fact that she was drugged with clonazepam, I can't allow that unless you can have a member of law enforcement vouch for you. I'm sorry, she seems to trust you, but it's the rules."
C.J. nodded her head. She knew she could call Hoyt and have him over there in seconds, she just didn't know if Chris was ready to report this or not. Looking back at Chris who was pleading with C.J. one more time to leave, she decided to make the call. She told her, "Chris, the only way you can come home with me is if we call Lt. Hoyt and get him to come down here to vouch for me so they will release you into my custody. Are you ok with that?"
Chris started crying again and said, "Whatever gets me out of here, I just want to get out of here."
C.J. squeezed her hand and told her she would be back quickly and hurried out and made the phone call. Hoyt was clearly shocked and said he would be there in 10 minutes.
About 10 minutes later, Hoyt arrived. C.J. saw him through the window in Chris' bay, told her she would be right back and went out to meet him.
"What's going on? What happened to Chris?" Hoyt asked clearly upset.
C.J. walked him away from the window in case Chris saw him and tried to explain. "We don't know exactly. She called us at 4 this morning barely able to speak, crying and begging us to come pick her up. She said he told her he was going to kill her if she said anything, but I don't know who he is. She has a broken ankle they just set a few minutes ago, bruises on her face and arms and…Hoyt…" C.J. looked down for a second, "They did a rape kit." She swallowed hard and tried in vain to fight back tears.
Hoyt took her arms in his hands and told her, "Do you know where…was she at home? Let us handle this, we'll find this guy….I'll authorize overtime for my men until we catch him." Hoyt then looked around and noticed one important person was missing here. "Where's Houston?"
Almost on cue Matt turned down the hallway at a quick pace to Hoyt and C.J. She asked, "What did you find out?"
Matt looked at her and Hoyt and told them, "Well, the bartender at that club remembered seeing a man watching her and then giving him a $500 tip before leaving just after Chris around midnight." He turned to Hoyt, "I persuaded him to go immediately down to your headquarters and work with Reggie to create a composite sketch before he forgot what the guy looked like."
Hoyt took a deep breath, he knew what he had to tell them, but also knew they weren't going to listen. "Ok, I know close you are to Chris, but you have to let us handle this. Its police business." Matt and C.J. looked at each other. "I know you are going to ignore anything I have to say about this, but I am serious. I know Houston, you want to hunt this guy down and give him the beating of his life and C.J., I know you want to do the same. I understand it, I get it. But going vigilante is only going to land the two of you in jail and Chris needs you to take care of her, not trying to figure out how to get out on bail when both of you are in lock up and can't get to a bank." At that point Matt rubbed his neck and C.J. looked up at the ceiling.
They knew he was right, but they didn't like it. The doctor came out and motioned to C.J. who left the two men. Hoyt vouched for them to the doctor, issued another stern warning to let the police handle it and finally Matt told him not to worry and told him where he thought the attack took place. Chris and C.J. came out of the room after another 10 minutes and they wheeled her out to the car when Matt brought it around. It was now 9am and had been a long night. They got her prescriptions filled before taking her back to the beach house. She had an anti anxiety medication, a sedative, and a pain pill for the ankle. She had on clothes the hospital provided as the police wanted her clothes for evidence.
Matt carried her up to C.J.'s old room and laid her on the bed. C.J. brought in her pain medication and she took them. She drifted off hugging tight to the quilt laid around her. Matt and C.J. left after reminding her once again, softly that they were there for her and would protect her. They told her she was safe now and should try to get some rest. They closed the door and Matt put his arm around C.J. as they walked back down to the kitchen.
He turned to face her and she grabbed a hold of him and cried herself. She told Matt everything the doctor told them. "I can't believe what she went through. Who would do that to her?"
Matt held her and simply said, "I don't know C.J., but we are going to find out, and they are going to pay for it."