Author's Note: Thanks again for the reviews. Several people have requested longer chapters. I'm trying for that by adding in some details in some places and combining chapters in others. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: Still don't own.

Blown Apart

Chapter 3

Just 24 hours earlier, Danny had remarked to Hawkes that the Trace Lab sometimes seemed too big. Just when you got settled at a table looking at a piece of evidence through the magnifying glass, you had to get up and walk clear across the room to get another piece of apparatus to complete the job. In this movement the lab had been reduced to just him and the small debris cluttered section of floor where his wife was currently lying.

Lindsay's face was bloodied and bruised and her left arm was twisted in an odd angle beneath her. Danny wanted nothing more than to scoop her in his arms and kiss her but was worried about injuring her further. So instead he leaned down and kissed her where she lay. He didn't care that Mac was standing right beside him and that it might look unprofessional. When she whimpered in pain, Danny felt a fist close around his heart and squeeze. Tears streaked his face and he wasn't sure if they were tears of relief that she was alive or of fear of how badly she might be injured.

"Shh, it's okay, Babe. I've got ya now." He looked up at Mac. "How're we gonna get her out of here? Where are the firefighters and paramedics? Shouldn't they be here by now?"

"You know how it works, Danny; they won't let anyone in here until they feel sure the scene is safe. If they had seen us trying to get up here they would have never allowed it. We may have to take Lindsay and Adam down on our own."

"But what if she has neck or back damage?" Danny protested. Truthfully, he wanted her out of there right away but the thought of Lindsay going through what he went through after the shooting was unbearable. Those months that he had spent in a wheelchair had been extremely difficult for him both physically and emotionally. The thought of the woman he loved more than life itself going through anything even remotely similar tore him up.

Mac leaned down close to his injured CSI. "Lindsay, Sweetheart, where are you hurt?"

Lindsay shifted a little to look at him and groaned. "Huh? Mac?… Evidence…not evidence… Bombs…" She groaned again in pain, her half-opened brown eyes closing the rest of the way as her body gave into the pain fully.

Mac shook his head. "We'll have to chance it. I'll carry her; you help Adam." Before Mac could gently lift her into his arms, Danny stopped him.

"I'll carry her."

Mac knew how much Danny wanted to hold her and protect her but he also knew it would be a long trek down the stairs. As much as Danny hated to admit it, he did still have to watch his back. "Danny, if it was only to the elevator I would let you but we're talking thirty five floors of stairs. Lindsay may not weigh much, but you can't risk it with your back. Let me do this for both of you. I promise I'll take care of her."

Brushing a stand of honey-colored hair from her face, Danny fought an inner war with himself. He wanted to tell Mac to hell with his back but he recognized the wisdom in Mac's words even if he hated the truth. He nodded and allowed Mac to scoop his wife into his arms. The way her left arm dangled, both men presumed her shoulder was dislocated. Tenderly, Danny tucked the injured appendage close to her body and the two men gingerly picked their way over the debris to the doorway. Adam had slid to the ground leaning against the doorframe. His head was bowed, not watching them.

Danny knelt beside him and touched his arm forcing him to look up. "Adam, let's get out of here."

Adam looked past him to Lindsay's still form in Mac's arms. "Is she…?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the question but Danny knew what he was trying to ask.

"She's alive. Can you walk? Cause I know for sure I can't carry you."

Adam nodded dazedly and allowed Danny to help him up. Adam had to grip the doorframe for just a second to steady himself but then he was ready to follow them out. The three men with their unconscious bundle made their way to the stairs. The going down was slower because Adam wasn't steady on his feet. Two flights down, Mac stopped and looked at Danny. He hated what he was about to ask but he was worried about Adam walking much further with what had to be a concussion.

"Maybe you should wait here with Adam and I'll send a medic back up with a stretcher. He looks like he could pitch forward any minute."

Danny looked from Adam to Lindsay. Since she had lost consciousness, they really couldn't afford to wait for medical help to arrive but Adam would probably be better off if he didn't try to walk any further. But if he stayed behind with Adam, then he'd probably miss out on going to the hospital with Lindsay. He knew Mac wouldn't ask if he could figure out any other way. He was just about to agree to the plan despite how much he hated the idea when Adam spoke up. "No way. I'm sorry I'm slowing you down but I can make it. Lindsay needs Danny. It's not going to be my fault she doesn't have him with her now."

"You sure, Adam?" Mac watched him carefully for any hint that he wasn't fit for continuing. The way Adam wouldn't look at either of them men, Mac sensed something more was going on in Adam's head than just the concussion. Something more emotional than physical. Whether he should walk down the stairs or not, he needed to do this for Danny and Lindsay. "Alright then, let's go. Let us know if you need to rest a moment. That's and order."

Danny was relieved that the decision had been taken out of his hands. He hoped it wasn't that obvious to either Mac or Adam though. As it was, there were several times they had to stop and let the injured man catch his breath. About a third of the way down, they began hearing the clattering of footsteps coming toward them.

Firefighters stopped when they reached them and Mac gave them a brief report of the scene at the lab and on Lindsay's condition. One of the firefighters gave both Lindsay and Adam a brief once-over and nodded.

"We've got a medical unit staged on the fifteenth floor. If you can get them that far, the medics have control of the elevator from there."

Mac nodded and the CSIs continued down. After another flight, Mac felt Lindsay stir in his arms and heard her groan softly. He looked down and saw her eyes flutter open. "Danny, she's waking up." He stopped and Danny, who had been lagging behind with Adam, caught up. The younger man gingerly caressed her bruised cheek.

"Lindsay, Sweetheart, can you hear me?"

She didn't answer except to groan with pain. However her half-opened eyes darted around searching for the face to match the familiar voice. Their positions were too awkward for her to see him as she began to struggle in Mac's arms despite the pain. Danny moved behind Mac's shoulder so that he was in her line of sight.

"Easy Babe, it's okay. Mac has you. Don't move around so much; you'll hurt yourself."

"Dan'? Hurts."

Tears filled his blue eyes again. A knife to his heart wouldn't have hurt as much. He would have traded places with her in a moment if he could. "I know. We're getting ya to help." He looked at Mac. "I'll take it slow with Adam; you go on and get her to the paramedics."

Mac nodded knowing how much Danny didn't want to be separated from Lindsay. He had seen how hesitant Danny had been earlier when he had suggested splitting up even though the younger man had tried hard not to show it to Adam. For him to now suggest it himself told him just how much Danny had grown in the years since he'd met Lindsay. Part of him wanted to forget his earlier concerns and transfer the young woman into her husband's arms so he didn't have to make the sacrifice. The saner part of him realized that if Danny's back seized up and he fell, the results would be worse than a brief separation. Instead, he offered him a promise pretty sure he knew why Danny hadn't wanted to split up. "I won't let them take her down until you get there."

Danny nodded and maneuvered from behind Mac's shoulder to the step below so that he could press a kiss to Lindsay's cheek. "I love you, Lindsay. I'll be right behind ya."

"Love…too." With that declaration still floating from her lips, Mac took off at a quicker pace still mindful not to jar her too much.

Adam touched Danny's arm. The journey down the stairs had been rough on the injured tech despite his earlier insistence that he could make it. He'd been walking slower and slower leaning on whatever was closest. Danny watched Mac's retreating figure until he disappeared around the next bend in the stairs before looking at Adam.

"You okay, Buddy?"

"Been better," he admitted. "Danny, I know you're worried about Lindsay. Go on, catch up to Mac. I'll be okay alone. It's only a few more floors, right?"

As much as Danny wanted to be with Lindsay, he didn't give Adam's offer a second thought. "Not a chance. Mac'll take care of her. Let's get you there safely as well."

Adam realized it would do no good to argue with Danny about it now; it would only delay things more so he continued walking, his mind going over what had been puzzling him since the explosion. "How did this happen? What could have caused the explosions? We just had evidence to process, nothing dangerous."

"What kind of evidence were you working on?" Danny asked. He didn't want to press the injured man for information but talking seemed to be helping Adam keep it together.

"Clothes from Jo's triple last night. I don't know what was in the evidence boxes the officer dropped off this morning. Lindsay was about to start on it when I went for coffee. Mac could tell us though."

"How would Mac know? What officer?" Alarms were going off in Danny's head.

"Didn't recognize him. Just dropped off the boxes from Mac's crime scene. Said Mac wanted a rush on it. Figure it must have been pretty important if Mac sent it before leaving the scene."

"Mac hadn't sent any evidence back from our scene. He was just getting started with the processing when I got there."

"He hadn't? So what was in the boxes?" Adam stopped and looked at him as realization dawned. Whatever color that had come back to his face draining rapidly. "You think it was a bomb? I accepted a bomb into the lab and didn't know it? And then I left Lindsay alone to open it? Oh God, I'm gonna be sick."

Danny helped Adam to sit for a moment as the injured man swayed on his feet. He had to admit that Adam was starting to look a little green.

"Adam, it's not your fault. Okay? Some sicko targeted the lab. There's no way you could've known. So quit blamin' yourself. Got it?"

Adam nodded and swallowed back the bile threatening him. He knew he had to get it together so he didn't keep Danny away from Lindsay any longer than necessary. He'd already caused them enough problems. Gripping the hand rail, he pulled himself up. He was dizzy and nauseated but he couldn't let that stop him. "Let's go."