Finn arrived to work on time and wasn't sure if she was more surprised that DB was already there, or that Greg and Morgan weren't. She stood alone in the breakroom for a moment before grabbing a coffee and heading to DB's office.
"Is it just us tonight?" She asked him, watching as he hung up the call he was on.
"No, Greg and Morgan are just running a few minutes late. They'll be here soon. Nick was off today, he's at the hospital with Sara, and Catherine flew in to stay with her as well. She was me before I was. Worked with Sara for a long time." He explained.
"Good. So what have we got tonight?"
"I'll get you to continue with your blood from yesterday. Once you have that wrapped up, I'll have you join Greg at a hit and run. Morgan can help me process my evidence from yesterday."
"Sounds good. I think I have everything wrapped up but I'll go over it one more time then help Greg. Tell him to leave the blood for me!"
At that point, Greg and Morgan rushed in.
"Morgan, you're with me. Greg, hit and run near the strip. Finn will come help you once she's wrapped up her suicide."
"I heard. And I'll leave the blood." Greg said with an attempt at a smile. "Nick said to let you know there's no news."
"Thanks for that, Greg. Now let's get to work."
The night had passed uneventfully for those at work and at the hospital. Morning rounds started at 7, and brought a flurry of activity to Sara's room. Catherine had gone home around midnight, but Nick had refused to leave and the nurses had finally wheeled in a small cot, but advised him that he needed to stay out of the way and not disturb anyone. He stretched out, glad to lie down, but found himself unable to sleep. These were his waking hours, and while the hospital ward was quiet and dark he knew the rest of the city was not. Instead of napping, as the nurse advised, he had spent the night reading, chatting to Sara, and lost in thought.
The nurses came in first, making notes and checking the various monitors. An orderly dropped off a meal, and one of the nurses winked at Nick and suggested he should go ahead and eat since Sara likely wouldn't be needing it. Brass slipped in quietly as he was eating, and Nick quickly offered him the cot. Shortly after, Greg arrived with coffee for everyone, having finished his shift, and Doc Robbins wasn't far behind. Finally, at 8:30, a doctor came in, introducing himself as Dr. Mark, and asked if they were family. Brass spoke first.
"We're the closest thing she's got." The doctor looked at the odd group, and having spoke with the nurses was aware that his patient had not once been left alone, and decided that was evidence enough.
"OK then. It appears Miss Sidle."
"Mrs. Sidle. Or Mrs. Grissom." Greg interrupted quickly.
"It appears Mrs. Sidle has been suffering from ongoing malnutrition" He began. "She's extremely underweight, and it appears the weight loss had been occurring for a significant period of time. That's likely the most significant problem at the moment. Malnutrition can lead to a range of problems, but it seems that her heart, kidneys and liver have been the most affected." He paused, looking over the chart. "Do any of you know if she was dealing with unusual levels of stress?"
"She's a CSI, and a workaholic." Brass said. "I don't think I've ever seen her not under significant stress."
"OK, well that can complicate things. What about her sleep?"
"Sara doesn't really sleep" Greg answered. "Especially if we have a big case. She just sort of naps a few hours here and there. She's been like that as long as we've known her."
"I see. Did she speak to any of you about any problems lately?" He asked.
"She and her husband have been working in different countries for the last 3 years." Nick said. "He recently filed for divorce, but no, she didn't tell anyone. That's not who Sara was. She tended to keep things to herself. She's private."
"But she's the first person to be there for anyone else." Greg added quietly, feeling waves of guilt wash over him once again.
"What about the medication we found?" Doc asked.
"Yes, it appears she had seen her physician regularly for the last few months and was prescribed medication to help her sleep. It looks like she had a hard time finding something that worked for her, thus several different scripts. But when she was admitted, she hadn't taken anything for at least 24 hours. Possibly longer." The room was silent as they all processed what they had been told. Finally, Doc Robbins asked what they were all thinking.
"So what is the course of treatment you recommend? When is she likely to wake up?"
"We've been working to restore her electrolyte balance, and to slowly introduce concentrated nutrition. Her heart function appears to be improving. We will continue to monitor her kidney and liver function to see if further intervention is required. Sometimes all a patient needs is a boost to get back to health. If that doesn't work, then we will need to consider other options. We're also monitoring her for any signs of infection or any other complications. With how run down she is, any simple virus could have serious effects."
"OK, so when will she wake up" Greg asked impatiently. The doctor paused.
"That's tricky to determine. Stress can have an adverse affect on the brain. The patient has to want to wake up, and right now it doesn't seem like she's ready. Her brain may need more rest, especially if she hasn't been sleeping well. There is no physical problem we can find with her brain or her nervous system at the moment, but there are a lot of things we still don't understand about how the brain works, especially when it comes to emotional trauma. Unfortunately, it really is a waiting game."
"Is there anything we can do to help her?" Nick asked, voicing what everyone was thinking.
"Just be here. Talk to her, she may be able to hear you. Be patient, and she will come around when she's ready. If she stays like this for more than a few days, we will get a physical therapist in to keep her body moving and they can show you how to do the exercises as well - but for now we're going to remain optimistic that she will be up and awake soon. I have to continue to see my other patients, but I'll be back to see her again before I leave this afternoon."
"Dr. Mark, may I have a word with you outside?" Doc Robbins asked, standing to follow him out the door. When they were in the hall and far enough away to be out of earshot, he quietly spoke. "There's more to it than what you've said, isn't there? I saw her chart. What else did you find?"
"Sara had been seeing her doctor for more than just trouble sleeping." The doctor confirmed. "But if she hasn't said anything to anyone, I don't know that it's my place to reveal anything."
"Do you think this was a suicide attempt?" Doc asked, concern evident on his face.
"No, nothing like that. In fact, despite everything she was going through, her doctor didn't feel she was clinically depressed. But there were no signs that she was suicidal, and nothing to suggest this was a suicide attempt. I would argue that the mere fact that she is still alive would indicate she isn't ready to give up." Dr. Mark explained. "Sara's problems were more of a physical nature. If you've seen her chart then you'll know she was recovering from a significant health event that may have contributed to her malnutrition." He spoke carefully.
"How long ago did it happen? And do you think it may be an ongoing issue?"
"I would guess about 4 months ago. But no, it doesn't appear to be ongoing. She recovered physically at least 2 months ago according to her physician" He answered. "Is there someone she would have confided in? Another friend? A family member? Her husband?"
"Her husband may have known, but none of us have heard from him in nearly a year. I don't think any of her friends knew, or they would have said something by now." Doc considered his words carefully. "But if you ask them individually, they might be more likely to say something if they knew. I don't think any of them would break her confidence to anyone but a medical professional. Ask Greg, the younger man in the room. Or Brass, he's a good friend of her husband, but they have almost a father-daughter relationship."
"I'll try to do that then, or have the nurses ask. And if you or anyone else thinks of something that may be relevant, please, let us know. Here's my card, and one to leave in her room." He handed over the business cards, and they shook hands before heading their separate ways. Doc returned to Sara's room with the card.
"I'm going to leave this here. It's the card from Sara's treating doctor at the moment. If either of you, or anyone else, thinks of something that might be relevant, you can let him know directly."