The Storm (CSI: LV, for RocketScientist)
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MacsGirlMel
Mac's Personal Assistant
argh you better continue soon! *chases you with pitchfork*
quoth_the_raven
Corpse
You already know you're doing awesome 
Keep it up!
Keep it up!
RocketScientist
Police Officer
AHH Just back from hoilday in Switzerland - SSSOOOO great to see another chapter! Even better! I love the reactions of the others... and we still don't know if Grissom is ok??!!!! The suspense!!! Great, love it.
Thinking of the roads in the Alps, you are jam if you miss a turn - shear drops - scarry. I can now picture Grissom's plight much better!
Please up date soon! Getting better and better!
Thinking of the roads in the Alps, you are jam if you miss a turn - shear drops - scarry. I can now picture Grissom's plight much better!
Please up date soon! Getting better and better!
A/N: Well, I hope everyone has enjoyed reading The Storm! This is the very last chapter, and as always, I sincerely appreciate everyone for taking the time to read and/or review what I have written. Special thanks goes out to RocketScientist for suggesting something along these lines (I hope that I didn’t disappoint you!).
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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: Spiderman
Summary: A raging storm, four trapped children, and an exploding vehicle. Will Grissom be able to save the day?
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Mountain Pass Road
“That isn’t him,” Sara repeated, numbly staring down the small cliff toward the car. But shit, it’s him, she finally admitted to herself, blinking back several tears. “Warrick? Do you have the supplies, yet?” she called out over her shoulder, trying to snap back into action.
“Workin’ on it, girl,” Warrick replied, glancing at her for a brief moment.
“I’ll help him,” Nick spoke up, jogging over to the Denali.
“Yeah, I will, too,” Greg nodded in agreement, finally tearing his eyes away from Grissom’s prone body.
“Lucy?” Catherine calmly said into the phone, staring down over the edge of the embankment. “We’re here, up above you, and we’re going to help you and your siblings. I’m going to hang up now, though, okay?” she continued. After having received some sort of confirmation from Lucy, Catherine hung up her cell phone, shoving it back into her pocket. “We’ll get him, Sara,” she said, resting a reassuring hand on the other woman’s arm.
Sara nodded, trying to swallow her panic. If he’s not already dead. Just get up, she wanted to scream at Grissom. Just get up, and walk back toward those kids! “Just get the rope,” Sara quietly mumbled. “And prepare to brace me, because I’m going down there.”
“I don’t think that that’s such a good idea, girl,” Warrick softly stated, returning with some of the supplies, and hearing the tail end of Sara’s sentence. “I think that it would be best if you remained up on top,” he trailed off. Just in case we find him… dead.
“Get the fucking rope ready, because I’m going down,” Sara immediately shot back, turning around, and grabbing the harness out of Warrick’s hands.
“At least let Nick or I go down there first,” Warrick calmly continued, taking the harness back from Sara’s shaky hands, and slinging it over his shoulder. “I know that you want to help Grissom, but right now, we need people down there who are thinking clearly.”
“What the hell are you implying?” Sara snapped. “That I’m not calm? Or that I’m not in my right mind?”
Greg, coming up behind Warrick, coughed, staring at the ground. Yeah, if you’re calm and thinking clearly, then I’m the Tooth Fairy.
Sara rubbed the back of her neck, staring at Warrick, Greg, and finally, Catherine. “Fine,” she acquiesced. “Fine, you’re right; of course you’re right,” she sighed, turning around to stare over the edge of the cliff. Folding her arms across her chest, she swallowed. “Just go fast.”
“We will, Sara,” Warrick promised her, suiting himself up in the harness.
“The ambulances are only a couple of miles out,” Brass announced, approaching the group of CSIs. “Warrick, you’re going down?” he half-asked, half-stated.
“Yeah,” Warrick confirmed, glancing at the detective.
“So am I,” Nick added, looking over at Warrick.
“Be careful, then,” Brass simply told both men.
Warrick nodded, as he handed one end of the rope to Nick. “Belay me down?” he asked, backing up to the edge of the embankment.
“You got it, man,” Nick told him, setting up the carabineers. “Just take it nice and slow, Rick, and wait for me at the bottom.”
“Okay,” Warrick replied, as he backed himself over the edge of the embankment, and started walking down the side.
This is absolutely crazy, Greg thought to himself, as he moved toward Sara, standing beside her. “Are you doing okay?” he quietly asked his friend.
“How do you think I’m doing, Greg?” Sara angrily mumbled, turning to glare at him.
Greg’s expression of concern instantly turned to one of hurt, as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I was just… asking,” he whispered.
Swallowing, Sara’s face slowly softened, as she stared at the ground. “I know, and I’m sorry,” she told him. “You’re just trying to help me, and I’m sorry. You don’t deserve the wrath of Sara Sidle. No one does.”
You’ve got that right, Greg thought to himself, trying to flash Sara a small smile. “It’s okay, I understand. Just… hang in there. Grissom won’t want to see you this upset, when we bring him back up here.” If Grissom is still alive when we bring him back here, that is.
“Just take it easy, Sara,” Catherine added, standing on her other side, and watching Warrick’s progress. “I need you to remain calm for me, okay?”
“Hell, Grissom needs you to remain calm for him,” Brass spoke up, before walking over toward Nick. “Is he almost down there?”
“Yeah, he is, Jim,” Nick replied, letting out a little bit more of the rope. “He should touch the ground in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” he counted down, sighing in relief as Warrick hit the ground. “You okay, bro?” he loudly called out.
“Yeah,” Warrick shouted back, releasing himself from the harness, and immediately moving over to the children. “Are the paramedics here yet?” he asked, checking their pulses.
“They’ll be here in one minute,” Nick yelled, glancing over at Greg. “Belay me, please,” he quickly ordered his colleague, before slipping into his own harness.
“They all have pulses,” Warrick announced, glancing up at the top of the cliff. “I’m going to go check on Grissom now!” he added.
Nick nodded, as he walked himself down the embankment, throwing off his harness once he was at the bottom. Jogging over toward Warrick, he frowned, when he saw the extent of Grissom’s wounds. “He’s burnt pretty badly, bro,” he quietly said. Grissom, laying a short distance away from the car, appeared to have been thrown by the blast force, causing more damage that Nick had expected to see.
“Is he—” Warrick trailed off, afraid to verbalize his question.
“I don’t know,” Nick whispered, shaking his head. “I can’t tell; we need to check him for a pulse.”
“Why haven’t they checked him yet?” Sara wheeled on Catherine, raising an eyebrow. “What the hell are they waiting for?”
“They’re just trying to assess the situation, Sara. Calm down,” the older woman told her. “Breathe, and give them a chance.”
Please be alive, please be alive, please be alive, Greg chanted to himself. Please—
—Be alive, please be alive, please be alive, Catherine told herself.
If you’re not alive, I’m going to fucking kick your ass, Sara thought to herself. And don’t think that I won’t hunt you down in death, because I will. So you’d better be alive, she continued, trying to swallow her nervousness.
“So check for a pulse,” Warrick told Nick, kneeling down beside his friend.
“Yeah, okay, man,” Nick nodded, reaching two tentative fingers out to Grissom’s neck. Sliding his fingers down to the other man’s pulse point, he anxiously pressed harder, trying to find some sign of life.
“Is he…?” Warrick asked Nick, before glancing up the embankment at Sara. Even though he was too far away to see her exact expression, he knew that she had to be extremely anxious right now.
“I… don’t know, Rick,” Nick swallowed. “I can’t feel his damned pulse! I can’t feel his damned pulse,” he nervously repeated his statement.
“Shit,” Warrick mumbled, as he motioned Nick away. “Let me try.”
“Why is Warrick trying?” Sara numbly asked Brass. “Why is he double checking Nick’s assessment?”
Oh, hell, Gil, Brass thought to himself. Please tell me that you didn’t go and get yourself killed? he thought to himself, ignoring Sara’s question.
“Why the hell is Warrick trying?” Sara repeated her question, taking another step closer to the edge of the embankment.
“Sara,” Catherine whispered, once again resting her hand on the younger woman’s arm to try to stop her from lunging over the side of the cliff.
Shit, Greg nervously thought to himself, staring down at the ground. Shit, that’s not a good sign.
“Where’s his pulse?” Nick again asked Warrick, beginning to panic.
Warrick ignored Nick, as he slid his own two fingers down Grissom’s neck. “Come on, Gris. Where’s your pulse? You have to have one, man.”
“Damn it,” Nick whispered, lowering his ear to Grissom’s chest, trying to find a pulse that way.
Warrick closed his eyes, sliding his fingers a little bit to the side, once again searching for a pulse. “Wait a minute, Nicky,” he softly said, pressing harder into Grissom’s neck. “Hold on a second.”
“What?” Nick anxiously asked, lifting his head from Grissom’s chest, and rubbing the back of his neck. “Do you feel something?”
“I… I’m not sure,” Warrick admitted, closing his eyes, and sliding his fingers a little bit more to the side. “Shit,” he finally said, opening his eyes, and glancing at Nick.
“What? What is it?” Nick worriedly asked.
Greg blinked, staring down at Warrick and Nick, as if trying to read their minds. “Can anyone see their expressions?” he asked Sara, Brass, and Catherine.
“No, I can’t,” Brass shook his head.
“We’re too far away,” Catherine added.
“Shut up,” Sara mumbled, taking one step closer to the edge of the cliff. “What is it?” she finally yelled, trying to get Warrick or Nick to answer her.
Warrick swallowed, looking over at Nick. “He’s got a pulse, but it’s extremely weak,” he quietly reported. “We need to move him away from this vehicle, and we absolutely need to do it now.”
“But he does have a pulse?” Nick asked again, as if to assure himself of the fact that Grissom was going to live.
“A weak one, but yeah,” Warrick confirmed, slipping his hands underneath Grissom’s armpits. “Grab his legs, Nicky,” he then added. “Let’s get him out of here.”
“He’s dead,” Sara whispered, lowering her gaze to the ground. “He’s dead, and that’s why they won’t answer me.” Closing her eyes, she tried to hold back her tears, her hand moving to cover her mouth.
Still staring at Warrick and Nick, Catherine raised an eyebrow. “Actually, Sara,” she trailed off, as she watched the two CSIs safely carry Grissom toward the embankment.
“They’re waving at us,” Greg anxiously observed. “Does that mean—?” he cautiously asked.
Sara, the tears finally sliding down her cheeks, looked down at Warrick and Nick. They look worried, but they don’t look like they just lost a best friend, she excitedly noted to herself.
“He has a pulse,” Warrick called up to his waiting colleagues. “But it’s an extremely weak one.” Looking directly at Sara, he frowned. “And I’m not going to lie to you, girl,” he hesitantly added. “He doesn’t look good.”
“But he’s alive?” Sara eagerly questioned him, trying to wipe away her tears.
“Yeah, girl, he’s alive,” Warrick smiled.
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Desert Palms Hospital, two days later
“Hey, girl,” Warrick cleared his throat, leaning against the doorpost of Grissom’s hospital room.
“Hey, yourself,” Sara tiredly replied, not bothering to turn around to look at her friend. In two days, she had spent the majority of her free time by Grissom’s bedside, waiting for him to wake up.
“Uh, Sar,” Nick hesitantly spoke up, walking into the room. “We’ve been talking, and—” he trailed off, uneasily glancing at Warrick and Greg.
“We think that you need to go home and get some rest,” Greg finished Nick’s sentence for him, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. “We’ll take you out to dinner, and then we really think that you need to go home.”
“No,” Sara stubbornly mumbled, leaning over, and gently resting her hand on top of Grissom’s burnt one.
“Sar,” Nick tried again. “You being here is nice and all, but Grissom wouldn’t want you to spend your days in a cramped hospital chair, eating dinner out of a vending machine, and just waiting for him to wake up.”
“Gris would want you to get some rest in your own bed, girl,” Warrick added, glancing over at Greg and Nick for support. This isn’t exactly going very well.
“No,” Sara immediately repeated her earlier answer, lightly brushing her thumb against Grissom’s hand. Why won’t you just wake up? she wanted to know. You saved all four kids, Grissom. Please, you deserve to wake up and feel fine, she added, as tears once again welled up in her eyes.
“…Can we get you anything?” Greg finally asked, resigned to the fact that Sara was not going to move. “Some food? A book to read?”
“I’m fine,” Sara whispered. “And I’ll go home in a few hours, I promise,” she swallowed, her voice hitching in her throat. “I just want to stay with him for a little bit… he’ll be disoriented when he wakes up, and I don’t want him to be nervous,” she quietly informed them, studying Grissom’s face. Burned and bruised, he looked absolutely nothing like his former self. I’m so sorry, Sara wanted to tell him, glancing down at the gash along his forehead, and his swollen eye. If only we had gotten there sooner, or if only you hadn’t gone back for that stupid bear, she continued to think, before closing her eyes. And now look at you. You have cuts and scrapes all over your body, you’re burned, and you have a broken rib. I just want you to wake up. Please, just wake up!
“Call us if you need anything, girl,” Warrick sighed, as he turned around, and walked out of the hospital room.
“Yeah, call us if you need anything,” Greg echoed Warrick’s words.
“And get some rest, Sar,” Nick whispered, following his friends out of the room.
Sara brought her hand back over to the railing of Grissom’s bed, staring down at him. “I love you, you know,” she started to talk to him. “It’s funny, but when I first met you at that seminar ten years ago, I was convinced that we would somehow end up together. I was just a college kid, and you were already and expert in your field, but damn it, Grissom, I sensed some sort of a connection between us.”
Out in the hallway, Catherine walked toward Greg, Warrick, and Nick. “No luck, guys?” she softly asked.
“Nah,” Nick shook his head no. “We offered to take her out to dinner, but she won’t leave his bedside. She’s convinced that he’s going to wake up soon.”
“Well, thank you for trying,” Catherine sighed, her hands on her hips. “I’m going to hang around here for a little while longer, and I’ll try to talk to her before I leave. Go home, and get some rest,” she told her three colleagues.
“Do you want us to stay with you, Cath?” Warrick asked, glancing over at her.
“No, but thank you for the offer,” she gave him a small smile. “Go grab some food, and head home. Goodnight, everyone.”
“Night, Cath,” Greg mumbled, heading off down the hallway.
“Goodnight,” Nick added, following Greg.
“I’ll see you at the lab tomorrow?” Warrick quietly asked.
Catherine simply shook her head yes, before turning her gaze toward Grissom’s door. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Warrick,” she added, before walking over to her supervisor’s room.
“And you know what else?” Sara quietly asked Grissom. “I almost asked you out after the seminar, but it wasn’t… proper, I suppose,” she shrugged. “So I tried to forget about you, ignoring the thought that perhaps we could have something together.”
Standing just outside of Grissom’s door, Catherine bit her lip, listening to Sara’s muted voice speaking to him.
“But when I got the call from you to come to Vegas,” she continued. “All of the emotions flooded back. We’ve just been down a long road, you know what I mean? And now that we’ve been together for six months, and now that I finally feel comfortable with you, this happens…” she whispered. “Grissom, I just—” Sara trailed off, hot tears starting to sting her eyes. “I love you, okay? Please don’t die. I love you more than anything else in the world.”
“I… too,” Grissom tried to whisper, his voice coming out strained and painful sounding.
“…What?” Sara blinked, sniffling.
“Love… too,” he tried again, slowly cracking an eye open.
“You’re awake,” Sara softly stated, anxiously leaning over the bed, and immediately touching one of Grissom’s fingers. “You’re awake,” she excitedly repeated, as she started to cry in earnest. “Thank God, you’re awake!”
“Yeah, thank God you’re awake,” Catherine smiled from out in the hallway, running off to find a doctor to help Grissom. “Thank God, you’re going to make it.”
Grissom swallowed, staring up at Sara. “Kids?”
“They’re all fine, Grissom,” she whispered. “Every single one of them; they survived, because of you,” she informed him, immediately realizing that he probably needed some water to wet his throat. Standing up, Sara quickly walked over to the sink, getting Grissom a glass of water and a straw. Returning to his bedside, she held the straw up to his lips, holding it steady for him.
“Good,” Grissom mumbled, taking a few sips of the cool liquid.
“But you were a fool,” Sara continued, still sniffling. “Why’d you go after that stupid stuffed bear? Was it really worth your life?” she asked him, taking a deep breath.
But before Grissom could answer her question, however, he heard loud footsteps coming down the hallway. “Mr. Gil!” Katie excitedly shouted. “Mr. Gil, Mr. Gil, Mr. Gil!” she screamed, running into his room, Mr. Peanut clutched tightly to her chest. “I heard some guy over a speaker say that you were awake!” she grinned, pushing past Sara in order to reach his side.
Grissom licked his lips, trying to wet his mouth. “Hi,” he managed to get out.
“Look!” she thrust her teddy bear toward his face. “You saved Mr. Peanut’s life! They found him in your arms, and the doctor said that even though he is burned really bad—” she pointed to the singe marks on his fur— “He’s gonna live! And you know what else?” she asked, barreling on ahead. “He’ll be all better soon,” she smiled. “So thank you for saving him, Mr. Gil. And thank you for saving me, and my brothers, and my sister, too.”
Grissom blinked, not entirely sure what to say to the little girl. He was glad that she and her siblings had survived, but he felt so tired, and slightly disoriented.
“And guess what, Mr. Gil!” Katie eagerly continued, bouncing from foot to foot in excitement. “My mommy and daddy want to meet you, because they said that you’re a real hero! Like… SpongeBob! Or… the prince from Cinderella! Or…” she scrunched up her face in thought. “Or Spiderman!” she proudly added.
Sara couldn’t help but laugh, watching Grissom interact with Katie. Spiderman? Definitely like Spiderman.
“Katie,” a man’s voice suddenly called out, as he jogged into the hospital room. “Mr. Grissom?” he asked. “I’m so sorry that my little girl is bothering you, Sir. He needs to sleep, Katie,” he chided his daughter. “Let the poor man sleep.”
“But he’s a hero, Daddy!” Katie grinned from ear to ear. “And heroes don’t need to sleep! Right…?”
“Well this one does, sweetheart,” he replied, flashing Grissom an apologetic smile. “But thank you, Sir, for saving the lives of my children.”
“And of Mr. Peanut!” Katie added. “You’re my bestest friend in the whole-wide-world, Mr. Gil!” she smiled. “Well, my second bestest friend in the whole-wide-world,” she amended her statement, squeezing Mr. Peanut tightly between both hands.
Grissom blinked, trying to smile at everyone in the room. “You’re welcome, Sir,” he told her father. “And you’re mine, too,” he glanced at Katie, before his eyes slipped closed.
“Grissom…?” Sara whispered, studying his face.
“Tired…” he mumbled, as several doctors came in to check up on him. “But that’s why, Sara,” he quietly added. I went after the bear for Katie, and yes, it was worth it. With that, Grissom quietly fell back to sleep.
“What’s he mean, Sara?” Katie curiously asked her.
“Nothing, honey. Nothing at all,” Sara smiled, knowing exactly what Grissom had meant. And although you were still a fool, I love you even more for it.
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Las Vegas Crime Lab, three months later
“Welcome back, Grissom,” Judy, the receptionist, warmly smiled at him, as he entered the building.
“Thank you,” Grissom quietly replied, as he glanced around the front entryway of the building. “It’s been awhile,” he simply stated, rubbing his beard.
“Yes it has,” she agreed, setting a large box down on the flat surface of her desk, and gently shoving it toward him. “This came for you a couple of weeks ago,” she informed him. “We would have mailed it home to you, but Ecklie wouldn’t allow us to,” she sighed. “And we would have sent it home with Sara, but—” she trailed off.
“That’s fine,” Grissom nodded, curiously tilting his head to the side as he picked up the package, studying the outer wrapping. It’s not commercial, he noted. It must be personal. “I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me,” he added, shuffling off down the hallway. Still staring at the box as he opened the door to his office, Grissom looked up, feeling someone standing just behind him. “Hello, Sara,” he calmly greeted her, knowing that it was her, without even having to turn around.
“Hey, welcome back,” Sara smiled, walking past him, and into his office.
“Thank you,” Grissom absent-mindedly rubbed his beard, setting the box down on his desk. Peeling the tape away from the sides, he glanced over at her, sighing. “I’m glad to be back, actually,” he admitted, pulling the flaps up, once it was divested of its tape.
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Sara grinned. “There’s just so much sitting around one can do.”
“Unless it’s sitting around with you, that is,” Grissom raised an eyebrow, before picking something up out of the box. “Interesting,” he then commented.
“What is it?” Sara asked, walking over to him, and peering over his shoulder.
“Here, read this,” Grissom cleared his throat, handing a note over to Sara.
“‘Dear Mr. Gil,’” Sara read aloud. “‘Lucy is writing this letter for me, ‘cause I wanted to thank you again... and I can’t write. Mr. Peanut is very happy now, and he still sleeps on my bed every single night. The car thing scared him, and so did the Boogeyman, but he’s happy that he’s still alive… thanks to you.’”
While Sara read, Grissom looked into the box, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“‘Jake is still as mean as ever,’” Sara continued. “‘But I still love him. Shh, don’t tell him that I said that though, ‘kay? It’s a secret! And Bobby says thank you, too. He’s going away to school next year, and I’m gonna miss him. But he told me that he’ll come back and visit me soon, so that’s good, right? He’s gonna be a teacher… kind of like my nursery school teacher, but for science. Why would anyone want to teach that?’” Sara couldn’t help but laugh, glancing up at Grissom. “She’s…unique, I’ll give her that much,” she admitted.
Grissom nodded, peering at Sara over the top of his glasses. “She’s a talker, that’s for sure.”
Sara bit her lip, as she looked back down at the letter. “‘Lucy is gonna go away for the summer, too, and I’ll miss her…but I’ll still have Mr. Peanut, so it’ll be okay! Speaking of Mr. Peanut, he has a present for you. Mr. Peanut told me that he wanted you to have Butter, who is his bestest friend in the whole-wide-world… oh, and he’s magical, too. My mommy and daddy put Butter in the box for you, so I hope that you like him. Thank you again, Mr. Gil! Love, Katie.’ ‘Butter…?’ Sara asked Grissom in confusion, throwing a sideways glance at the box. “Who is ‘Butter?’”
Grissom grinned, pulling a yellow-colored bear out of the box. “Sara Sidle? Meet Butter,” he pursed his lips, holding the bear out to her.
“That was oddly… nice of her,” Sara admitted, taking the stuffed animal from Grissom’s outstretched hands. “And he will fit in perfectly with your other furry little creatures,” she teased him.
“Yes, he will,” Grissom winked at her, before heading toward his office door. “And one more thing, Sara,” he hesitated for a moment, turning around to look at her.
“Hmm…?” Sara asked, following him toward the door.
“Thank you for sticking with me during the recovery process,” Grissom quietly said, his gaze meeting hers as he slightly tilted his head to the side. “I don’t say it enough, but I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Sara beamed “Now let’s get to work…Spiderman.”
Grissom chuckled, nodding. “You got it, Mary Jane Watson.”
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Finis
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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: Spiderman
Summary: A raging storm, four trapped children, and an exploding vehicle. Will Grissom be able to save the day?
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Mountain Pass Road
“That isn’t him,” Sara repeated, numbly staring down the small cliff toward the car. But shit, it’s him, she finally admitted to herself, blinking back several tears. “Warrick? Do you have the supplies, yet?” she called out over her shoulder, trying to snap back into action.
“Workin’ on it, girl,” Warrick replied, glancing at her for a brief moment.
“I’ll help him,” Nick spoke up, jogging over to the Denali.
“Yeah, I will, too,” Greg nodded in agreement, finally tearing his eyes away from Grissom’s prone body.
“Lucy?” Catherine calmly said into the phone, staring down over the edge of the embankment. “We’re here, up above you, and we’re going to help you and your siblings. I’m going to hang up now, though, okay?” she continued. After having received some sort of confirmation from Lucy, Catherine hung up her cell phone, shoving it back into her pocket. “We’ll get him, Sara,” she said, resting a reassuring hand on the other woman’s arm.
Sara nodded, trying to swallow her panic. If he’s not already dead. Just get up, she wanted to scream at Grissom. Just get up, and walk back toward those kids! “Just get the rope,” Sara quietly mumbled. “And prepare to brace me, because I’m going down there.”
“I don’t think that that’s such a good idea, girl,” Warrick softly stated, returning with some of the supplies, and hearing the tail end of Sara’s sentence. “I think that it would be best if you remained up on top,” he trailed off. Just in case we find him… dead.
“Get the fucking rope ready, because I’m going down,” Sara immediately shot back, turning around, and grabbing the harness out of Warrick’s hands.
“At least let Nick or I go down there first,” Warrick calmly continued, taking the harness back from Sara’s shaky hands, and slinging it over his shoulder. “I know that you want to help Grissom, but right now, we need people down there who are thinking clearly.”
“What the hell are you implying?” Sara snapped. “That I’m not calm? Or that I’m not in my right mind?”
Greg, coming up behind Warrick, coughed, staring at the ground. Yeah, if you’re calm and thinking clearly, then I’m the Tooth Fairy.
Sara rubbed the back of her neck, staring at Warrick, Greg, and finally, Catherine. “Fine,” she acquiesced. “Fine, you’re right; of course you’re right,” she sighed, turning around to stare over the edge of the cliff. Folding her arms across her chest, she swallowed. “Just go fast.”
“We will, Sara,” Warrick promised her, suiting himself up in the harness.
“The ambulances are only a couple of miles out,” Brass announced, approaching the group of CSIs. “Warrick, you’re going down?” he half-asked, half-stated.
“Yeah,” Warrick confirmed, glancing at the detective.
“So am I,” Nick added, looking over at Warrick.
“Be careful, then,” Brass simply told both men.
Warrick nodded, as he handed one end of the rope to Nick. “Belay me down?” he asked, backing up to the edge of the embankment.
“You got it, man,” Nick told him, setting up the carabineers. “Just take it nice and slow, Rick, and wait for me at the bottom.”
“Okay,” Warrick replied, as he backed himself over the edge of the embankment, and started walking down the side.
This is absolutely crazy, Greg thought to himself, as he moved toward Sara, standing beside her. “Are you doing okay?” he quietly asked his friend.
“How do you think I’m doing, Greg?” Sara angrily mumbled, turning to glare at him.
Greg’s expression of concern instantly turned to one of hurt, as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I was just… asking,” he whispered.
Swallowing, Sara’s face slowly softened, as she stared at the ground. “I know, and I’m sorry,” she told him. “You’re just trying to help me, and I’m sorry. You don’t deserve the wrath of Sara Sidle. No one does.”
You’ve got that right, Greg thought to himself, trying to flash Sara a small smile. “It’s okay, I understand. Just… hang in there. Grissom won’t want to see you this upset, when we bring him back up here.” If Grissom is still alive when we bring him back here, that is.
“Just take it easy, Sara,” Catherine added, standing on her other side, and watching Warrick’s progress. “I need you to remain calm for me, okay?”
“Hell, Grissom needs you to remain calm for him,” Brass spoke up, before walking over toward Nick. “Is he almost down there?”
“Yeah, he is, Jim,” Nick replied, letting out a little bit more of the rope. “He should touch the ground in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” he counted down, sighing in relief as Warrick hit the ground. “You okay, bro?” he loudly called out.
“Yeah,” Warrick shouted back, releasing himself from the harness, and immediately moving over to the children. “Are the paramedics here yet?” he asked, checking their pulses.
“They’ll be here in one minute,” Nick yelled, glancing over at Greg. “Belay me, please,” he quickly ordered his colleague, before slipping into his own harness.
“They all have pulses,” Warrick announced, glancing up at the top of the cliff. “I’m going to go check on Grissom now!” he added.
Nick nodded, as he walked himself down the embankment, throwing off his harness once he was at the bottom. Jogging over toward Warrick, he frowned, when he saw the extent of Grissom’s wounds. “He’s burnt pretty badly, bro,” he quietly said. Grissom, laying a short distance away from the car, appeared to have been thrown by the blast force, causing more damage that Nick had expected to see.
“Is he—” Warrick trailed off, afraid to verbalize his question.
“I don’t know,” Nick whispered, shaking his head. “I can’t tell; we need to check him for a pulse.”
“Why haven’t they checked him yet?” Sara wheeled on Catherine, raising an eyebrow. “What the hell are they waiting for?”
“They’re just trying to assess the situation, Sara. Calm down,” the older woman told her. “Breathe, and give them a chance.”
Please be alive, please be alive, please be alive, Greg chanted to himself. Please—
—Be alive, please be alive, please be alive, Catherine told herself.
If you’re not alive, I’m going to fucking kick your ass, Sara thought to herself. And don’t think that I won’t hunt you down in death, because I will. So you’d better be alive, she continued, trying to swallow her nervousness.
“So check for a pulse,” Warrick told Nick, kneeling down beside his friend.
“Yeah, okay, man,” Nick nodded, reaching two tentative fingers out to Grissom’s neck. Sliding his fingers down to the other man’s pulse point, he anxiously pressed harder, trying to find some sign of life.
“Is he…?” Warrick asked Nick, before glancing up the embankment at Sara. Even though he was too far away to see her exact expression, he knew that she had to be extremely anxious right now.
“I… don’t know, Rick,” Nick swallowed. “I can’t feel his damned pulse! I can’t feel his damned pulse,” he nervously repeated his statement.
“Shit,” Warrick mumbled, as he motioned Nick away. “Let me try.”
“Why is Warrick trying?” Sara numbly asked Brass. “Why is he double checking Nick’s assessment?”
Oh, hell, Gil, Brass thought to himself. Please tell me that you didn’t go and get yourself killed? he thought to himself, ignoring Sara’s question.
“Why the hell is Warrick trying?” Sara repeated her question, taking another step closer to the edge of the embankment.
“Sara,” Catherine whispered, once again resting her hand on the younger woman’s arm to try to stop her from lunging over the side of the cliff.
Shit, Greg nervously thought to himself, staring down at the ground. Shit, that’s not a good sign.
“Where’s his pulse?” Nick again asked Warrick, beginning to panic.
Warrick ignored Nick, as he slid his own two fingers down Grissom’s neck. “Come on, Gris. Where’s your pulse? You have to have one, man.”
“Damn it,” Nick whispered, lowering his ear to Grissom’s chest, trying to find a pulse that way.
Warrick closed his eyes, sliding his fingers a little bit to the side, once again searching for a pulse. “Wait a minute, Nicky,” he softly said, pressing harder into Grissom’s neck. “Hold on a second.”
“What?” Nick anxiously asked, lifting his head from Grissom’s chest, and rubbing the back of his neck. “Do you feel something?”
“I… I’m not sure,” Warrick admitted, closing his eyes, and sliding his fingers a little bit more to the side. “Shit,” he finally said, opening his eyes, and glancing at Nick.
“What? What is it?” Nick worriedly asked.
Greg blinked, staring down at Warrick and Nick, as if trying to read their minds. “Can anyone see their expressions?” he asked Sara, Brass, and Catherine.
“No, I can’t,” Brass shook his head.
“We’re too far away,” Catherine added.
“Shut up,” Sara mumbled, taking one step closer to the edge of the cliff. “What is it?” she finally yelled, trying to get Warrick or Nick to answer her.
Warrick swallowed, looking over at Nick. “He’s got a pulse, but it’s extremely weak,” he quietly reported. “We need to move him away from this vehicle, and we absolutely need to do it now.”
“But he does have a pulse?” Nick asked again, as if to assure himself of the fact that Grissom was going to live.
“A weak one, but yeah,” Warrick confirmed, slipping his hands underneath Grissom’s armpits. “Grab his legs, Nicky,” he then added. “Let’s get him out of here.”
“He’s dead,” Sara whispered, lowering her gaze to the ground. “He’s dead, and that’s why they won’t answer me.” Closing her eyes, she tried to hold back her tears, her hand moving to cover her mouth.
Still staring at Warrick and Nick, Catherine raised an eyebrow. “Actually, Sara,” she trailed off, as she watched the two CSIs safely carry Grissom toward the embankment.
“They’re waving at us,” Greg anxiously observed. “Does that mean—?” he cautiously asked.
Sara, the tears finally sliding down her cheeks, looked down at Warrick and Nick. They look worried, but they don’t look like they just lost a best friend, she excitedly noted to herself.
“He has a pulse,” Warrick called up to his waiting colleagues. “But it’s an extremely weak one.” Looking directly at Sara, he frowned. “And I’m not going to lie to you, girl,” he hesitantly added. “He doesn’t look good.”
“But he’s alive?” Sara eagerly questioned him, trying to wipe away her tears.
“Yeah, girl, he’s alive,” Warrick smiled.
---------------
Desert Palms Hospital, two days later
“Hey, girl,” Warrick cleared his throat, leaning against the doorpost of Grissom’s hospital room.
“Hey, yourself,” Sara tiredly replied, not bothering to turn around to look at her friend. In two days, she had spent the majority of her free time by Grissom’s bedside, waiting for him to wake up.
“Uh, Sar,” Nick hesitantly spoke up, walking into the room. “We’ve been talking, and—” he trailed off, uneasily glancing at Warrick and Greg.
“We think that you need to go home and get some rest,” Greg finished Nick’s sentence for him, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. “We’ll take you out to dinner, and then we really think that you need to go home.”
“No,” Sara stubbornly mumbled, leaning over, and gently resting her hand on top of Grissom’s burnt one.
“Sar,” Nick tried again. “You being here is nice and all, but Grissom wouldn’t want you to spend your days in a cramped hospital chair, eating dinner out of a vending machine, and just waiting for him to wake up.”
“Gris would want you to get some rest in your own bed, girl,” Warrick added, glancing over at Greg and Nick for support. This isn’t exactly going very well.
“No,” Sara immediately repeated her earlier answer, lightly brushing her thumb against Grissom’s hand. Why won’t you just wake up? she wanted to know. You saved all four kids, Grissom. Please, you deserve to wake up and feel fine, she added, as tears once again welled up in her eyes.
“…Can we get you anything?” Greg finally asked, resigned to the fact that Sara was not going to move. “Some food? A book to read?”
“I’m fine,” Sara whispered. “And I’ll go home in a few hours, I promise,” she swallowed, her voice hitching in her throat. “I just want to stay with him for a little bit… he’ll be disoriented when he wakes up, and I don’t want him to be nervous,” she quietly informed them, studying Grissom’s face. Burned and bruised, he looked absolutely nothing like his former self. I’m so sorry, Sara wanted to tell him, glancing down at the gash along his forehead, and his swollen eye. If only we had gotten there sooner, or if only you hadn’t gone back for that stupid bear, she continued to think, before closing her eyes. And now look at you. You have cuts and scrapes all over your body, you’re burned, and you have a broken rib. I just want you to wake up. Please, just wake up!
“Call us if you need anything, girl,” Warrick sighed, as he turned around, and walked out of the hospital room.
“Yeah, call us if you need anything,” Greg echoed Warrick’s words.
“And get some rest, Sar,” Nick whispered, following his friends out of the room.
Sara brought her hand back over to the railing of Grissom’s bed, staring down at him. “I love you, you know,” she started to talk to him. “It’s funny, but when I first met you at that seminar ten years ago, I was convinced that we would somehow end up together. I was just a college kid, and you were already and expert in your field, but damn it, Grissom, I sensed some sort of a connection between us.”
Out in the hallway, Catherine walked toward Greg, Warrick, and Nick. “No luck, guys?” she softly asked.
“Nah,” Nick shook his head no. “We offered to take her out to dinner, but she won’t leave his bedside. She’s convinced that he’s going to wake up soon.”
“Well, thank you for trying,” Catherine sighed, her hands on her hips. “I’m going to hang around here for a little while longer, and I’ll try to talk to her before I leave. Go home, and get some rest,” she told her three colleagues.
“Do you want us to stay with you, Cath?” Warrick asked, glancing over at her.
“No, but thank you for the offer,” she gave him a small smile. “Go grab some food, and head home. Goodnight, everyone.”
“Night, Cath,” Greg mumbled, heading off down the hallway.
“Goodnight,” Nick added, following Greg.
“I’ll see you at the lab tomorrow?” Warrick quietly asked.
Catherine simply shook her head yes, before turning her gaze toward Grissom’s door. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Warrick,” she added, before walking over to her supervisor’s room.
“And you know what else?” Sara quietly asked Grissom. “I almost asked you out after the seminar, but it wasn’t… proper, I suppose,” she shrugged. “So I tried to forget about you, ignoring the thought that perhaps we could have something together.”
Standing just outside of Grissom’s door, Catherine bit her lip, listening to Sara’s muted voice speaking to him.
“But when I got the call from you to come to Vegas,” she continued. “All of the emotions flooded back. We’ve just been down a long road, you know what I mean? And now that we’ve been together for six months, and now that I finally feel comfortable with you, this happens…” she whispered. “Grissom, I just—” Sara trailed off, hot tears starting to sting her eyes. “I love you, okay? Please don’t die. I love you more than anything else in the world.”
“I… too,” Grissom tried to whisper, his voice coming out strained and painful sounding.
“…What?” Sara blinked, sniffling.
“Love… too,” he tried again, slowly cracking an eye open.
“You’re awake,” Sara softly stated, anxiously leaning over the bed, and immediately touching one of Grissom’s fingers. “You’re awake,” she excitedly repeated, as she started to cry in earnest. “Thank God, you’re awake!”
“Yeah, thank God you’re awake,” Catherine smiled from out in the hallway, running off to find a doctor to help Grissom. “Thank God, you’re going to make it.”
Grissom swallowed, staring up at Sara. “Kids?”
“They’re all fine, Grissom,” she whispered. “Every single one of them; they survived, because of you,” she informed him, immediately realizing that he probably needed some water to wet his throat. Standing up, Sara quickly walked over to the sink, getting Grissom a glass of water and a straw. Returning to his bedside, she held the straw up to his lips, holding it steady for him.
“Good,” Grissom mumbled, taking a few sips of the cool liquid.
“But you were a fool,” Sara continued, still sniffling. “Why’d you go after that stupid stuffed bear? Was it really worth your life?” she asked him, taking a deep breath.
But before Grissom could answer her question, however, he heard loud footsteps coming down the hallway. “Mr. Gil!” Katie excitedly shouted. “Mr. Gil, Mr. Gil, Mr. Gil!” she screamed, running into his room, Mr. Peanut clutched tightly to her chest. “I heard some guy over a speaker say that you were awake!” she grinned, pushing past Sara in order to reach his side.
Grissom licked his lips, trying to wet his mouth. “Hi,” he managed to get out.
“Look!” she thrust her teddy bear toward his face. “You saved Mr. Peanut’s life! They found him in your arms, and the doctor said that even though he is burned really bad—” she pointed to the singe marks on his fur— “He’s gonna live! And you know what else?” she asked, barreling on ahead. “He’ll be all better soon,” she smiled. “So thank you for saving him, Mr. Gil. And thank you for saving me, and my brothers, and my sister, too.”
Grissom blinked, not entirely sure what to say to the little girl. He was glad that she and her siblings had survived, but he felt so tired, and slightly disoriented.
“And guess what, Mr. Gil!” Katie eagerly continued, bouncing from foot to foot in excitement. “My mommy and daddy want to meet you, because they said that you’re a real hero! Like… SpongeBob! Or… the prince from Cinderella! Or…” she scrunched up her face in thought. “Or Spiderman!” she proudly added.
Sara couldn’t help but laugh, watching Grissom interact with Katie. Spiderman? Definitely like Spiderman.
“Katie,” a man’s voice suddenly called out, as he jogged into the hospital room. “Mr. Grissom?” he asked. “I’m so sorry that my little girl is bothering you, Sir. He needs to sleep, Katie,” he chided his daughter. “Let the poor man sleep.”
“But he’s a hero, Daddy!” Katie grinned from ear to ear. “And heroes don’t need to sleep! Right…?”
“Well this one does, sweetheart,” he replied, flashing Grissom an apologetic smile. “But thank you, Sir, for saving the lives of my children.”
“And of Mr. Peanut!” Katie added. “You’re my bestest friend in the whole-wide-world, Mr. Gil!” she smiled. “Well, my second bestest friend in the whole-wide-world,” she amended her statement, squeezing Mr. Peanut tightly between both hands.
Grissom blinked, trying to smile at everyone in the room. “You’re welcome, Sir,” he told her father. “And you’re mine, too,” he glanced at Katie, before his eyes slipped closed.
“Grissom…?” Sara whispered, studying his face.
“Tired…” he mumbled, as several doctors came in to check up on him. “But that’s why, Sara,” he quietly added. I went after the bear for Katie, and yes, it was worth it. With that, Grissom quietly fell back to sleep.
“What’s he mean, Sara?” Katie curiously asked her.
“Nothing, honey. Nothing at all,” Sara smiled, knowing exactly what Grissom had meant. And although you were still a fool, I love you even more for it.
---------------
Las Vegas Crime Lab, three months later
“Welcome back, Grissom,” Judy, the receptionist, warmly smiled at him, as he entered the building.
“Thank you,” Grissom quietly replied, as he glanced around the front entryway of the building. “It’s been awhile,” he simply stated, rubbing his beard.
“Yes it has,” she agreed, setting a large box down on the flat surface of her desk, and gently shoving it toward him. “This came for you a couple of weeks ago,” she informed him. “We would have mailed it home to you, but Ecklie wouldn’t allow us to,” she sighed. “And we would have sent it home with Sara, but—” she trailed off.
“That’s fine,” Grissom nodded, curiously tilting his head to the side as he picked up the package, studying the outer wrapping. It’s not commercial, he noted. It must be personal. “I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me,” he added, shuffling off down the hallway. Still staring at the box as he opened the door to his office, Grissom looked up, feeling someone standing just behind him. “Hello, Sara,” he calmly greeted her, knowing that it was her, without even having to turn around.
“Hey, welcome back,” Sara smiled, walking past him, and into his office.
“Thank you,” Grissom absent-mindedly rubbed his beard, setting the box down on his desk. Peeling the tape away from the sides, he glanced over at her, sighing. “I’m glad to be back, actually,” he admitted, pulling the flaps up, once it was divested of its tape.
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Sara grinned. “There’s just so much sitting around one can do.”
“Unless it’s sitting around with you, that is,” Grissom raised an eyebrow, before picking something up out of the box. “Interesting,” he then commented.
“What is it?” Sara asked, walking over to him, and peering over his shoulder.
“Here, read this,” Grissom cleared his throat, handing a note over to Sara.
“‘Dear Mr. Gil,’” Sara read aloud. “‘Lucy is writing this letter for me, ‘cause I wanted to thank you again... and I can’t write. Mr. Peanut is very happy now, and he still sleeps on my bed every single night. The car thing scared him, and so did the Boogeyman, but he’s happy that he’s still alive… thanks to you.’”
While Sara read, Grissom looked into the box, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“‘Jake is still as mean as ever,’” Sara continued. “‘But I still love him. Shh, don’t tell him that I said that though, ‘kay? It’s a secret! And Bobby says thank you, too. He’s going away to school next year, and I’m gonna miss him. But he told me that he’ll come back and visit me soon, so that’s good, right? He’s gonna be a teacher… kind of like my nursery school teacher, but for science. Why would anyone want to teach that?’” Sara couldn’t help but laugh, glancing up at Grissom. “She’s…unique, I’ll give her that much,” she admitted.
Grissom nodded, peering at Sara over the top of his glasses. “She’s a talker, that’s for sure.”
Sara bit her lip, as she looked back down at the letter. “‘Lucy is gonna go away for the summer, too, and I’ll miss her…but I’ll still have Mr. Peanut, so it’ll be okay! Speaking of Mr. Peanut, he has a present for you. Mr. Peanut told me that he wanted you to have Butter, who is his bestest friend in the whole-wide-world… oh, and he’s magical, too. My mommy and daddy put Butter in the box for you, so I hope that you like him. Thank you again, Mr. Gil! Love, Katie.’ ‘Butter…?’ Sara asked Grissom in confusion, throwing a sideways glance at the box. “Who is ‘Butter?’”
Grissom grinned, pulling a yellow-colored bear out of the box. “Sara Sidle? Meet Butter,” he pursed his lips, holding the bear out to her.
“That was oddly… nice of her,” Sara admitted, taking the stuffed animal from Grissom’s outstretched hands. “And he will fit in perfectly with your other furry little creatures,” she teased him.
“Yes, he will,” Grissom winked at her, before heading toward his office door. “And one more thing, Sara,” he hesitated for a moment, turning around to look at her.
“Hmm…?” Sara asked, following him toward the door.
“Thank you for sticking with me during the recovery process,” Grissom quietly said, his gaze meeting hers as he slightly tilted his head to the side. “I don’t say it enough, but I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Sara beamed “Now let’s get to work…Spiderman.”
Grissom chuckled, nodding. “You got it, Mary Jane Watson.”
---------------
Finis
MacsGirlMel
Mac's Personal Assistant
Nice ending *hugs Gil*
*hugs Gil*
ButterFlied92
Lab Technician
Awwwww *wipes eyes in happiness and claps hands* Bravo, bravo. It was just, excellently written, well presented, and the characters were well represented. And it all turned out as I had viewed...
MacsGirlMel, thanks! And Gil was quite the hero, this time!
Butterflied92 yeah, I'm a sucker for happy endings. Someday I will REALLY shock people, and do something with a character death. But for now, nope, only happy! And thank you so much for the compliments! I'm glad that you liked the story.
Butterflied92 yeah, I'm a sucker for happy endings. Someday I will REALLY shock people, and do something with a character death. But for now, nope, only happy! And thank you so much for the compliments! I'm glad that you liked the story
.
RocketScientist
Police Officer
Oh WOW! So well done! I just *SO* loved this! Better than I could have imagined. The tension of is he of isnt he? And I love the way the kids are with him and the softness of it all! It was so lovely you rounded everything everything together. The tension and the compassion absolutely lovely! I enjoyed this chapter so much!
PS sorry for not getting back sooner I have been away for work. Life, you know, sometimes intrudes! But what a treat to come back to.
Thank you so much for doing this. A GREAT story.
PS sorry for not getting back sooner I have been away for work. Life, you know, sometimes intrudes! But what a treat to come back to.
Thank you so much for doing this. A GREAT story.