Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has left a review; it makes my day to know that people are enjoying this story. I hope the characters continue to stay true to how they are on the show. I try to picture the events in my head like an episode so I hope that it comes across that way when you read it. I hope you enjoy this chapter; I think its my favorite so far.

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.

Blown Apart
Chapter 4

Mac burst through the stairwell door on the 15th floor and shouted for a medic. Within seconds, paramedics were at his side with a stretcher and their gear. Mac eased Lindsay onto the stretcher, wincing as she was unable to stop a sharp cry of pain as her arm was jostled.

Her chocolate eyes rolled back in her head from the pain. A medic gently pinched her cheek to keep her conscious. "Stay with us, Miss. What's your name?"

Mac started to answer him but a quick glare shut him up. He realized the medic was checking Lindsay's lucidity.

"Lindsay M…Messer. Mac, where's Danny?"

"Her husband." Mac explained to the medics, pleased by her first real sentence since they found her. He knelt beside her stretcher so that she wouldn't have to strain to see him. "He's right behind us, Lindsay. He's helping Adam."

"Adam 'kay?" Lindsay managed weakly. The little strength she still had was waning quickly.

"He'll be fine." Mac assured her as he watched the medics work. Soon, they had her arm and shoulder immobilized in a splint and gauze covered the worst of her cuts. The medic was just starting an IV when Danny and Adam came through the door from the stairway. Mac left Lindsay's side to go check on his other injured team member.

By now, Adam was leaning heavily on Danny and he gratefully sank onto the stretcher a medic had waiting for him. Danny left him with the paramedics and went to Lindsay's side, kneeling beside her. He kissed her tenderly. When he broke off the kiss, he buried his head in her hair, unable to get enough of her scent. It didn't matter to him that others were looking on; he desperately needed this contact with his wife.

"I've never been so scared in my life." He admitted to her. Reluctantly he sat up and looked into her eyes, grateful that she was awake and appeared more coherent than she'd been in the stairwell.

"Sorry." A couple of tears escaped past her eyelashes and Danny tenderly wiped them away allowing his hand to caress the side of her face.

"No apology." He looked at the medic. "How is she?"

"She's pretty banged up but nothing life threatening. We're ready to transport. We'll take her to Mercy."

Danny nodded. As far as he was concerned she should have been on her way to the hospital from the moment they had pulled that file cabinet off her. He stood as the medic raised the stretcher for transport. "I'm coming with you." It wasn't a question but the medic shook his head.

"You can ride down in the elevator with us but that's as far as you can accompany her. We'll be transporting both patients in one bus and there won't be room for passengers. Don't worry; we'll take good care of her."

Danny wanted to protest. He knew it made sense but it felt like everyone and everything was conspiring to keep him away from his wife. Mac gripped his shoulder. "Come on; I'll drive."

The elevator was full with two patient-laden stretchers, three paramedics and the two mobile CSI's. Under normal circumstances, Mac and Danny probably would have been told to take a different elevator but the medic seemed to sense that it would not be wise to press his luck with separating the married couple. Danny kept a tight grip on Lindsay's uninjured hand. Her eyes were closed but he didn't think she'd lapsed back into unconsciousness. The elevator stopped and the doors opened. As they exited, Jo Danville raced to them.

"I heard the radio call that survivors had been found. Lindsay and Adam are the only two unaccounted for so I was hoping it was them." She looked from one stretcher to the other. Adam's head gash had been covered with gauze and he was pale but clearly conscious. Lindsay looked smaller than usual and more vulnerable than she'd ever looked to Jo. Raising an eyebrow in question to Mac, she was relieved to see him nod, indicating they would both be okay. Their silent exchange continued when he raised his eyebrow to her indicating he wanted a report.

"Flack is questioning everyone who was in the lab at the time of the explosion." She fell into step as they rushed to the ambulance.

Mac nodded. "Help him. I'm going with Danny to the hospital; I want to know immediately if we get any idea who's responsible. We're going to Mercy."

Just before the medics loaded Lindsay's stretcher into the ambulance, Danny cupped her face in his hands trying to be mindful of her bruises. "Babe, I'll be right behind you. I don't want to leave you but they won't let me come with you. Mac's going to drive so you know we can almost beat you to the hospital. I love you so much, you know that, don't ya?"

She tried to nod but the movement caused pain to explode just about everywhere. She bit back a groan figuring if Danny saw her pain, he'd never let her out of his sight no matter what. "Love you too, Babe.."

He covered her mouth with his own in one more kiss. This kiss was almost desperate a mixture of relief that he was still able to do so and worry that it could somehow, despite the medic's reassurance, be the last time. The medic gently tugged his arm, not wanting to break up the emotional moment but needing to transport his patients. Danny stepped away and watched as the stretcher was loaded into the back of the ambulance.

Once it was secured in place, they positioned a backboard under Adam and lifted him into the ambulance. Two stretchers wouldn't fit in the back of the ambulance but the bench in the back was designed to accommodate an additional patient on a backboard. As the medics were securing Adam and the backboard to the bench, Mac stepped between Danny and the ambulance. "Come on, we still have to retrieve the Avalanche from the loading doc. If we go now, we'll probably make it around here by the time the bus actually leaves."

Danny nodded and followed him. He still looked over his shoulder every so many feet to get another glimpse of Lindsay while he still could. As Mac had predicted by the time they had pulled into traffic, the ambulance was just pulling away from the curb. Mac pulled in directly behind them. From the grim set of Danny's mouth and the slight rocking in his jaw, Mac could tell the younger man needed a distraction. "Two explosions according to Adam. What do you think Lindsay meant by 'evidence…no evidence'?"

Danny recognized what Mac was doing and tore his eyes away from the retreating ambulance. "Adam told me an officer he didn't recognize brought in two boxes of evidence from your crime scene. The bombs had to be in there. Probably the same person who dropped off the letter to you. Damn it Mac, this guy walked right into the New York City Crime Lab and dropped off two bombs that almost killed my wife and then walked right back out. How does that happen?"

"I wish I had that answer. There's something about that note that was familiar but I can't put my finger on it. But I will and then we'll find evidence that will tell us who did this. We will get this guy, Danny. He will pay for what he's done. I promise you that."

For a few minutes they rode in silence. Danny stared out the window as Mac concentrated on the traffic. At a stoplight, Mac glanced over and saw that Danny was blinking back tears, his fears obviously getting the best of him. The older man's heart went out to the man he considered a pseudo-son. There was no question that he had a soft spot where the young couple and their beautiful daughter - his goddaughter- were concerned. The fact that they had already been through so much made this newest situation even more cosmically unjust. He reached out and gripped Danny's shoulder. "She's going to be fine, you know. She's been conscious and talking maybe not so well at first but by the time we got her to the medics even that had improved. I know it was hard seeing her look so battered, but you've got to focus on the positive."

Danny nodded, brushing away the tears impatiently. 'I know. She's damn lucky. But my mind keeps playing the what if's. What if the explosion had been worse? What if we hadn't been able to find her? What if we had found her but was too late? How would I live without her? How would I explain to Lucy that Mommy wasn't coming home?"

"But we did find her and she is alive. The what ifs didn't happen so you don't have to worry about the how woulds. Instead you'll have to worry about convincing my energetic goddaughter that she has to be careful of Mommy's injuries when you take her home. And you will get to take her home. Keep that in mind."

Danny nodded. Mac could tell his thoughts were still going in dangerous directions so he asked the question he'd been holding back since the lab. "Marco Polo? Care to explain?" A small smirk flitted across his features. "Wait, if it's some new kinky couple's game, I don't want to know."

Danny laughed in spite of his worries. "Nah, nothing' like that. After spending a couple of panic filled hours hunting Lucy as she played hide and seek we discovered we needed a back up plan. The kid loves to hide and she's good at it as well. Now if we can't find her we call out 'Marco' and she has to answer 'Polo.' It seems to work better than putting out an Amber alert every time she disappears in the house."

"I'll have to remember that the next time I babysit." He pulled in at the hospital behind the ambulance and Danny was out of the Avalanche without another word. Mac watched him go and then turned the Avalanche around to park properly.

Once Mac made it to the emergency room, he checked on Adam first. He was directed to a small cubicle where a doctor was in the process of examining the head wound. Mac stood at the end of the bed and waited for the doctor to finish his exam. "What's the verdict, Doc?"

"He'll be fine. I'm going to put in a few stitches to close up the wound. I'm pretty sure that it's a slight concussion but I'm also going to order a CT of his head just in case. If it comes back clear, I see no reason to keep him as long as he promises to take it easy. I'll be right back."

Adam waited until the doctor was out of the cubicle. "You don't suppose when he says clear he really means completely brainless, do you?" He laughed nervously.

Mac shook his head, a small smile ghosting his lips. "No, I don't. How do you feel?"

"Other than a headache that won't quit, I'm okay. The dizziness and nausea seemed to let up once I was lying down. How's Lindsay?"

Mac pulled a stool closer. "She'll be fine."

Adam didn't look convinced. "The doctor say that? Cause she didn't look fine to me. She looked far from fine and it's all my fault. She shouldn't have been in that lab. She was being nice and giving me a hand cause I looked tired. It's all my fault."

At the second mention of it being Adam's fault, Mac leaned in and assumed his strictest expression. His earlier believe that something more was going on than just the concussion was proving true and he needed to put a quick end to it. "Are you offering a confession of planting a bomb in my lab? Because that's the only way any of this would be your fault. Lindsay was in the lab because that's where she chose to be. If she sent you to get coffee, it was because she was concerned about you. And Lindsay will be okay. No, I haven't heard the doctor say that but the paramedic at the scene was sure there were no life-threatening injuries. So no more talk about fault, okay?"

Adam nodded and closed his eyes against the pain in his head. After a couple of seconds he reopened his eyes. "I didn't plant the bomb but from what I gathered from Danny, I probably allowed the bomb in. I didn't recognize the officer and I guess I should have asked more questions."

"Was he in a uniform?" Once Adam nodded, Mac continued. "Then why would you suspect that it was anything but evidence? You didn't do anything wrong, Adam. What did the evidence look like?" Mac knew he didn't have much time before the doctor returned but figured he'd get the information while he could. Besides, giving Adam concrete things to focus on was better than his current thoughts. Adam was good at focusing on minute details that others might miss. Mac knew finding evidence in the destroyed lab might not be feasible so Adam's memory might be the best they had.

"Two boxes sealed with red evidence tape. One box was the size of a milk crate, pretty heavy; I'd say about ten pounds or more. The second box was smaller and lighter. I hadn't even had a chance to break the seal so I never saw inside the boxes. I'm sorry, Mac."

The doctor came back in, "I'll have to ask you to return to the waiting room while I stitch up the wound."

Mac nodded. "One more question, Adam. Can you describe the officer?"

Adam closed his eyes again and concentrated past the throbbing in his head. "About 5'7" or 8", brownish blonde hair, crew cut. Green eyes. Tattoo of some kind of bird on his neck."

Recognition dawned on Mac. "Thanks, Adam; you may have just broke this case wide open. Obey the doctor and I'll check on you later."

He stepped out in the hall to see Danny walking toward him. "How's Lindsay?"

"Still conscious but trying not to let me see the hellish pain she's having. Doctor kicked me out while they're running scans and x-rays on her head and shoulder. The doctor think it's a simple dislocation on her shoulder - as if the words 'simple' and 'dislocation' even belong in the same senence. If the tests confirm it, they're going to sedate her and pop her shoulder back in place., otherwise he'll have to take her to surgery to do it. Either way, Doc says it may be an hour or two before I can see her again. So once again I have to wait without her. How's Adam?"

"Feeling guilty, but I think he just helped me figure out who did this. Remember Steve Grant?"

Danny wracked his memory. "Sort of sounds familiar. Give me something more?"

"Six years ago, he killed his wife and son but made it look like a burglar had done it. It was almost a perfect crime…"

"Except for the evidence we uncovered that proved he did it." Danny completed for him, now remember the man in question. "Shouldn't he still be in jail though?"

Mac shook his head. "He had a great defense attorney that convinced the jury that he was insane at the time of the murders. If I remember correctly, the jury sentenced him to around five years in a secure mental hospital. He should be out now."

Danny shook his head. "Doesn't seem fair. Anybody who would kill his own family has to be crazy; doesn't mean they should get an almost free pass at it. You think its him?"

"Remember the wording on the note? When I was interrogating him six years ago, he said something about committing the perfect crime. I told him my lab had blown apart his whole plan. It has to be him."

Danny nodded. "So lets go pay him a visit. I'd much rather be in there with Linds but since that ain't happenin' I'd rather do something productive. If I have to sit around here just waiting for a couple of hours, I'll go crazy. Let's haul him in so I can assure my wife its all over when I see her again.

Man nodded as the two men left the waiting room. Once back in the Avalanche, Mac made a couple of calls to determine Steve Grant's current location. After learning that he had indeed been released and getting his address, Mac requested that back-up meet them there. The dispatch promised that they would be sent but wasn't sure how long it would take since everyone was still handling things at the lab.

Danny shook his head. "This is so messed up. Lindsay and Adam were the only two injured in the blast and neither of them were even here when we initially investigated Grant."

"Not that it makes it any better but I don't think he was targeting the people in the lab but the lab itself. Otherwise he would have used a more powerful bomb that would have destroyed everything and everyone. When he said he was returning the favor I really think he meant the lab - specifically the Trace lab- would be blown apart. Adam and Lindsay just got caught in the crossfire."

"Why that particular lab?"

"Because it was trace on the son's clothes that led us to Grant." Mac stopped outside Grant's apartment building. No other officers were in sight. "No back-up yet."

Danny unbuckled his seatbelt. "Dispatch did say it might take awhile. You know how crazy things were at the lab."

"I know; wasn't sure if you realized it though. It seemed like your focus was on a certain brown-haired wounded CSI. I don't mean Adam either."

Danny shrugged. "What can I say, details floated in around all that. Do we wait on 'em?"

Mac shook his head. "And risk Grant destroying evidence or getting away? Not a chance. There's two of us; that's all protocols call for. Grab the vests."

Less than five minutes later, Mac and Danny were standing outside Steve Grant's door. Both men kept one hand on their service revolver and Mac used his other hand to rap sharply on the door. Exchanging a look, Danny knocked next.

"Steve Grant, NYPD. Open the door."

Almost immediately three shots fired through the door.