Announcement: As a side note, I do not know whether or not you can repel in the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. I am taking creative license in making that an activity at the park. In any event, thank you so much to those of you who are still taking the time to read and review this fic!
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Disclaimer: I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS.
Title: Hanging Tough
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Grissom woke up at the crack of dawn, a small smile on his face. Rubbing his beard, he stood up, stretching. “Sleep well, Greg?” he asked, looking down at the younger man.
“No, and I’m still busy not sleeping well…” Greg mumbled under his breath, borrowing further into his sleeping bag.
“Come on, rise and shine! We have a big day ahead of us,” Grissom told him, unzipping the flap of the tent, and walking out into the cool morning air of the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. “Catherine, Sara, Nick, Warrick! Let’s go!” he said, walking over to their supplies, and grabbing some coffee to accompany their breakfast. Getting the hot water started, Grissom whistled part of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
“Mmm…stop it…” Catherine groaned, covering her ears.
“Why… is he whistling…?” Sara grumbled, ignoring Grissom.
“Be quiet, Gris!” Warrick shouted.
Nick just put his pillow over his head, trying to tune Grissom out.
“What… is that…smell?” Greg murmured after a short while, sticking his nose out of his sleeping bag. “Is that... coffee…?” he asked. “Wait a minute, is that my special coffee…? GRISSOM!”
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“I… don’t think I can do this, Gil,” Catherine quietly said, standing close to the precipice, and looking out over the wide expanse. “That’s, uh… not only pretty, but… pretty steep…” she told him.
“It can’t be that bad,” Greg grinned, moving towards Catherine to peer over the cliff’s edge. “And then again, maybe it can be…” he added, as the smile slowly faded from his face, replaced by a look of fear. “Grissom… are you sure that this is safe?”
“Yes,” Grissom told him, pointing to Jon and Gary Teager, the guides, who were approaching their small group. “They are here to show us what to do, and then to make sure that we do it safely…”
“Has anyone ever… died repelling?” Sara quietly asked Jon, looking over at him.
“I’m sure,” Jon replied. “But not with us. People try to repel on their own, and they end up doing something that is unsafe. We are going to make sure that absolutely nothing happens to any of you. We promise.”
Gary nodded his agreement, as he started to get the ropes untangled. “So have any of you ever repelled before?” he asked with a small smile.
“No, man, never,” Warrick told him, his hands on his hips.
“I’ve wanted to,” Nick spoke up, squinting, in order to block out the glare from the sun. “I think I am really looking forward to this,” he admitted.
“Well I, for one, am not looking forward to this,” Catherine told Grissom. “You’re not really going to make us go over the ledge, Gil, are you?” she asked.
Grissom thought about Catherine’s question for a moment, rubbing his chin. “No,” he finally said with a sigh. “I am not going to make you go over the ledge. It will be up to each of you to decide whether or not you would like to repel.”
“What, uh, does repelling entail?” Sara asked Gary, watching him lay out the lines.
“It’s really pretty simple,” he told her, looking up at her for a moment. “We attach you to a harness, and you control the speed of your decent. You basically push off of the mountain, releasing the line as you go… it’s almost like playing leap frog, except for the fact that you are by yourself, and you are jumping down, rather than across.”
“Oh,” Sara mumbled.
“And…what is the purpose of this…activity, Grissom?” Greg then asked.
“Repelling is not easy to do, Greg,” he replied. “Well…I take that back. It is physically easy to do, but it can be mentally challenging. When you step out over the ledge, and you look down, you see nothing but the ground below you. That can be a very sobering experience,” Grissom shrugged. “It can make you ponder your life…and it can help you learn a little bit more about yourself.”
“Alright, folks, here is how this is going to work,” Jon finally spoke up. “Gary is going to repel down to the bottom, and he will be down there to coach all of you as you descend. I will be up here to get everyone started. So… who’s going first…?” he asked, as Gary harnessed himself in, and took a step over the edge.
Looking around at his friends, Warrick raised a hand “I’ll go first,” he shrugged. “It’ll be…fun, I guess” he added, as he walked away with Jon in order to get hooked up.
“Fun is not what I would call this,” Sara mumbled to herself, sitting down on a rock outcrop.
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Fifteen minutes later, Warrick was safely on the ground, and Catherine was ready to go. “You sure about this?” she once again questioned Jon.
“Yup,” he told her, walking her over to the edge. “Now just lean back, as if you are sitting in a chair,” he instructed her. “And walk… just walk down the cliff…”
“Right…” Catherine mumbled, nervously peering between her legs at the ground.
“C’mon, Cath, you can do it!” Warrick cheered from the basin. “Just c’mon down!”
“Uh-huh…” Catherine muttered, as she took her first step. Taking a couple of more tiny steps, she started to relax, even smiling. “This isn’t so bad!” she announced to everyone.
Nick grinned, watching her from above. “Good! It looks fun!”
“It is,” she confirmed, taking some larger leaps. “And it’s actually very gorgeous, when you stop to take a moment to check out the scenery!”
When Catherine was safely on the ground, Greg volunteered to go next. “WAHOO! I’M SPIDER MAN!” he shouted, as he flew down the face of the cliff.
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“Okay…” Sara whispered, as she watched Jon check and double-check her harness. “A-are you s-s-sure that this is safe…?”
“Yes,” Jon told her. “You will be perfectly safe, Sara. The hardest part will be your first step.”
“Okay…” Sara whispered, as she gripped the rope with both hands.
“Don’t forget the break,” Jon told her, reminding her of its location. “And remember, I’m also holding onto you. You’ll be fine.”
Sara weakly nodded, cautiously stepping out towards the edge of the cliff, and glancing down. Tightly shutting her eyes, she took a deep breath, slowly letting the air out.
“You can do this, Sara!” Warrick shouted from the base of the cliff.
“Come on Sara, if I can do it, anyone can do it!” Catherine added, shielding her eyes against the sun, and staring up at her friend. “Just take the first step!”
For once, Greg chose to keep his smart remarks to himself, only telling Sara that she would be fine.
I can do this… Sara told herself. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.
“It’s alright, Sara,” Nick confidently told her, standing next to her. “Stop facing outwards, though, and just turn around towards us…”
“Just take that first step,” Grissom’s calm voice added.
“‘One small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind,’ right?” Sara asked Grissom, trying to swallow her fear.
“No,” Grissom replied with a small smile. “But doing this will help build up your courage and self-respect…”
“Why… why do you have to go down backwards…?” Sara then asked Jon, barely above a whisper.
“Because you push off of the mountain, Sara,” he replied. “And you can’t push off of something, unless you are facing it. I promise you, though, that after the first step, it isn’t so bad. You might even find it enjoyable...”
Sara nodded, slowly turning around to face Nick, Grissom, and Jon. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, she chanted to herself, as she once again closed her eyes. Shuffling backwards, Sara froze, the moment that she her left heel slip off of the edge of the mountain top.
“Come on, Sara!” Warrick again encouraged her. “You’re almost to the starting point!”
“You can do this, I know you can!” Greg told her. “You can even tease me just as soon as you’re down at the bottom, Sara!” he added.
I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, Sara continued to tell herself, as she shuffled a fraction of an inch closer to the edge. “Am I… am I there yet…?” she whispered to Jon.
“Not quite. One foot is in position,” he told her. “You just have to move your second foot a little bit closer to the ledge… and then you just pretend that you are climbing down a very tall ladder…”
“Right…” she mumbled. “Except for the fact that this particular ladder is miles high…”
“Not quite, Sara,” Grissom told her. “It’s more like—“
“Shh! I’m concentrating!” she interrupted him. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this… she repeated to herself, as she slid her right foot over to the precipice.
“Okay, Sara. Deep breath,” Jon told her. “And then just lean back, and walk.”
“Lean back? You want me to lean back?” she asked, starting to feel a little bit panicked. “What if I fall? What if the rope breaks? What if—“
“Sara, it will be okay,” Grissom quietly told her. “Warrick, Catherine, and Greg are already at the bottom. You can do this,” he promised her. “You need to trust yourself, okay…? We won’t let you fall…I promise…”
Sara meekly nodded, as she slowly tipped her body backwards, and walked over the lip of the cliff.
“You’re doing it, Sara!” Greg screamed from below. “You’re really doing it!”
“Nice job, Sara! Keep coming!” Warrick added.
“You’re doing great, Sara!” Catherine yelled, loudly clapping her hands.
Nick slowly walked to the edge of the cliff, leaning over, and watching Sara’s progress. “Doing great, Sar. Hang in there,” he told her.
Rubbing his chin, Grissom followed Nick to the ledge, smiling down at Sara. “You’re a quarter of the way down,” he commented. “You’re doing fantastic!” he added.
“I’m… almost a quarter of the way down…?” Sara quickly asked aloud, stopping for a moment to take a deep breath. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, she happily told herself, as she suddenly decided to look between her legs at the ground below. “I CAN’T DO THIS, I CAN’T DO THIS, I CAN’T DO THIS!” she screamed, clinging to the rope for dear life.
“Sara,” Nick told her, “Yes you can!”
“Take a deep breath, Sara,” Grissom ordered her. “I need you to take a deep breath for me, okay?”
“I CAN’T DO THIS!” she screamed back, panic filling her lungs. “I CAN’T DO THIS!” she added, as she clawed at the cliff, trying to stop the rope’s gently swaying motion.
“Sara!” Warrick called from the ground. “You’re okay! Really!
“Just keep moving down, Sara!” Catherine tried to encourage her.
“It’s easier to go down than it is to go up!” Greg added.
Sara tightly closed her eyes, willing herself to breath. Breathe. I can’t!! Yes you can. No, I can’t! Help! Someone please help me! I’m going to fall! I’m going to die! she kept telling herself, over and over again.
“Sara?” Grissom tried again. “Sara, listen to my voice. You’re having a panic attack. You’re okay, I promise you, but we all need you to breathe for us. Take a deep breath, okay!” Please, before you pass out!
“I CAN’T! I CAN’T BREATHE! I CAN’T DO IT!” Sara screamed, hanging a quarter of the way down the mountain. “I CAN’T MOVE! WHY CAN’T I MOVE?”
“Someone needs to go down after her…” Nick finally said, looking over at Jon. “She just needs to be talked down, right? She’s just scared?”
Jon nodded. “She’s just having a full-scale panic attack. One of you should repel down and talk to her.
“I’ll go…” Nick quietly said to Jon and Grissom, walking over to the edge of the cliff.
Before opening his mouth to say anything to Sara, however, she started to cry. “Grissom! I want Grissom! I can’t breathe! Grissom, help me! Please, I’m sorry! Just help me!” she screamed.
“Did she just… yell for Grissom…?” Greg quietly asked Warrick.
“I, uh… think so, man…” Warrick whispered back.
Catherine looked up at Sara, lost in thought.
Nick looked over at Grissom, swallowing. Did she… did she just ask for Grissom? I think I must have heard wrong.
“Grissom!” Sara shouted again. “Help me, please! I can’t breathe!”
Or… maybe I heard correctly, Nick sighed, staring over the ledge of the cliff at Sara.
“Okay, I’m coming,” Grissom calmly told her, as Jon helped get him get into the harness. “Hang on, Sara, I’m coming…”
“Hurry! I can’t breathe!” she screamed, clinging to the rock in front of her. “I can’t!” she repeated, trying to take a deep breath.
“Yes you can, Sara,” Grissom calmly told her, as he backed up to the edge of the cliff. Quickly stepping over, he repelled down to her position.
“No, I can’t…” she whispered to him, once he was next to her.
“Yes, you can, Sara. You’re stronger than you think…”
“No, I’m not…” she whispered, afraid to move her body to look at him.
“Of course you are… you’ve survived so much already, Sara. You’re strong…”
“I’m scared…” she whispered, sneaking a quick peak at the ground below her.
“I know,” Grissom told her, reaching a tentative hand out to her. “But it’s okay,” he added, as he gently touched her arm.
Sara finally turned to look at him, her face as white as a ghost.
“We’re going to repel down together, alright…?” he asked her. “On the count of three. One, two, three…” he concluded, as he took a small leap down, waiting for her to catch up.
“I can’t…” she whispered.
“Yes you can, Sara… I’m right here… trust me…”
“Okay…” she whispered, as she took a tiny leap down, once again even with him.
“One, two, three…” Grissom repeated, moving down.
Sara took a deep breath, following him.
“Almost there, Sara,” Grissom told her, as he counted to three again, and leaped down. “Almost there…”
Sara nodded, as she repelled the rest of the way down the cliff. Once on the ground, she fell to her knees, trying not to cry.
“It’s alright, Sara,” Catherine told her, kneeling down beside her. “You’re okay! You did it!”
Sara stared at the ground, trying to take a deep breath.
“See, Sara? You can do whatever you put your mind to…” Warrick told her.
“And now you get to tease me… for free!” Greg added.
Sara just looked up at him, trying not to smile. “I tease you all of the time, Greg…” she pointed out.
“I know, but…” he grinned.
Moments later, Grissom made it to the ground, looking over at Sara. “Are you alright…?”
Sara quietly nodded, staring at the ground. “Thank you…” she whispered.
Grissom just nodded.
From the top of the cliff, Nick sadly watched his colleagues on the ground. I should have said something to her earlier… he told himself. Nick sighed, as Jon helped him into the harness. Within minutes, he, too, was on the ground.
“We’re… not climbing back up there again, right…?” Greg asked.
“No,” Grissom told him. “We’re boating back to camp.”
“We’re…what?” Catherine asked him.
“Grissom, I don’t know if that is such a great idea…” Nick mumbled.
“Seriously…?” Warrick asked.
”Excellent!” Greg grinned. “WATER FIGHT!”
“Don’t even try it, Greggo,” Nick grinned.
“Right. Don’t even go there, Greg,” Catherine added.
“If you try, well… I just wouldn’t, Greg!” Warrick warned him with a smile.
Sara just glanced over at Grissom…who was glancing right back at her.
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TO BE CONTINUED
