New chapter :) Enjoy!

x x x x

Sara blinked. Bright lights! Too Bright! She blinked again.

Catherine, who had been staring out of the window, turned around and smiled softly. "Hey there sleeping beauty! I was thinking you were never gonna wake up." She sat on the edge of the bed and took Sara's hand in hers. At first she thought the girl hadn't heard her because she didn't respond. Instead, Sara blinked at her again before looking around the room in surprise, as if she had not expected to wake up here, until finally her eyes settled on Catherine again. "You remember what happened?" The blonde asked cautiously. Sara thought about this until her eyes widened in realisation.

"Jake!" She started shuffling, almost as if she was worried that he was here. Cath placed her hands firmly on Sara's shoulders, holding her still.

"It's okay, it's okay honey. Brass has Jake." Hearing those words calmed the young brunette instantly and she settled back into the pillow. They sat in comfortable silence for a while until Sara remembered who else had seen Jake.

"Oh no."

X x x

Nick, Warrick and Greg were sat in the break room staring at their coffee. No one spoke. They knew that they needed to find Grissom and explain what had happened but they had not yet got their heads around this themselves. "So…Sara's married?" Greg asked for about the fifth time.

"Yeah…wow." Nick breathed, running a hand through his hair. That about summed it up for them all right now.

X x x

Grissom had a dilemma. He had been in a meeting and just got back and though he had searched every lab in the building, he could not find his CSIs anywhere. Not one of them. Heading back the way he had come he passed the break room and what do you know, there were all his guys drinking coffee. Well, the males anyway.

"This doesn't look like work." He stated bluntly. Nick, Warrick and Greg turned simultaneously to look at him with a kinda deer-in-the-headlights look. "Have any of you seen the girls?" No one answered but Greg leapt up and galloped out of the room, shooting the boys a sympathetic look on the way out. "Well?" he pushed. Nick stood up and cleared his throat.

"Erm, Boss why don't we go to your office, there's something you should know." Grissom looked at Warrick, who nodded in agreement.

X x x

Inside Grissom's office, with the door closed, felt like being trapped in a Bushtucker Trial for most people. Nick and Warrick sat opposite Grissom, who was waiting expectantly. Nick seemed to feel that he had done his part so Warrick spoke first.

"The girls are at the hospital." Grissom didn't flinch, assuming they were there on a case. "Sara was attacked earlier, in the lab." Suddenly the usually composed man turned into a lion.

"What! How? Who by? Was she alright?" He barked angrily, pacing behind his desk like a caged animal. They boys were feeling a little scared now. Luckily for Warrick his phone began to vibrate and he stepped aside to answer it, letting Nick take the stage again.

"Griss, did you know that Sara was married?" The young Texan asked tentatively. Gil's eyebrows shot up so Nick took that as a 'no'. "Well she was, is. Brass knows more but what I understand is that she married this guy years ago and he was violent so she left him. She's trying to get a divorce but he came to the lab and attacked her, threw her through a glass wall." Warrick appeared at his side again.

"That was Catherine. She said Sara's gonna be fine, they're letting her out tomorrow." Nick nodded, relieved, but Grissom was already on his way out of the office without so much as a word. The guys stuck their heads out of the door and watched their supervisor disappear down the corridor.

X x x

"You knew!" He barged in without knocking. Brass glanced up at his enraged guest.

"Good evening Gil. How was the meeting with the Sheriff?" He asked nonchalantly. However his calm demeanour did not rub off. Gil slammed his hands on Brass' desk.

"You knew she was married." Brass nodded. "And that this guy was in town?" And again. "And you didn't think to tell me?" He was incredulous.

"Gil I promised. Catherine came to me a few days ago, asked me to keep tabs on him, make sure he didn't get to her. My guys trailed him to the lab and hauled his ass to the tank."

"Catherine knew too! Am I the only one who didn't know?" Brass shrugged.

"I don't think Ecklie knows." He said dryly. "Look Gil, with all due respect, this is not your business I mean, it's up to Sara who she tells."

"I'm her supervisor, I should've known." He didn't stick around to hear Brass' response; he stormed out and slammed the door behind him.

X x x

Catherine had almost convinced Sara that there was nothing to worry about, that the guys were not going to blab and that they were just worried about her. They chatted for a while until Cath remembered that she was supposed to call the guys and tell them what was going on so she ducked outside for a few minutes to call Warrick and Brass. She stopped off at the canteen on her way back and picked up a cup of coffee. When she returned Sara was fast asleep. Smiling, she perched on the edge of the bed again and tenderly tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear, letting her fingers stroke Sara's cheek. The peaceful moment was interrupted by the door swinging open so fast it almost flew off its hinges.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?"