Reach For Me
By: Emmithar
Rating: T
Summary: When Greg becomes injured at a crime scene, he feels the best method is to hide that injury. But can his decision cause more harm than good?
Disclaimer: Have never owned, will never own unless a miracle happens. Just borrowing them for now, will return them, eventually
Chapter One: All That I Want
Greg did his best to stifle a yawn as he leaned his head against the car window, staring blankly at the houses that passed by. It wasn't that he was tired, more that he was bored. His gaze shifted towards the front seat, as he stared with envy. Just because he was the newbie didn't mean he had to sit in back, did it?
He sighed, frowning as he shifted his legs. There wasn't a lot of room to work with, and his legs were already starting to cramp.
"We're almost there," Sara reassured him, turning to glance over her shoulder. Greg managed to give her a quick grin, but it faded quickly as he gazed back out the window. It wasn't the first time she had said it, and Greg knew better than to get his hopes up. Besides, he could live with the lack of space…the lack of sound was a different issue altogether. No one was talking, and Warrick refused to turn the radio on.
Greg's argument of finding something the trio could listen to fell short when Warrick stated the driver controlled the radio. Tonight, he wanted it off. Apparently the driver also got to control conversations as well, the only words that were passed were from Sara, and even then they were short.
Being in the field was quite different than he had imagined. He was now dependent on others, rather than before where others had come to him to find answers. Not that he really minded the change, that was. He loved the work, the challenge…but he did miss not being able to listen to his music when he wished too.
Leaning his head against the window he let his eyes slid close, crossing his arms over his chest. He had passed his proficiency test just over a month ago. Even with everything he had already learned, Greg knew there was still a lot more he had yet to come across; he was looking forward to it. The only complaint he really had was how often he was moved around.
He knew everyone worked together, no one was paired up with the same person for long; it gave the team flexibility, and respite as well. For instance, Greg knew that Sara did not work well with Catherine. They could, if needed, but the two women often clashed, their opinions varying greatly. Usually he didn't take sides, or tried not too, but in this case he had to side with Sara. Sometimes Catherine was out of line, and she had a stronger stand in the simple sense she had been here longer. Grissom's faith in her didn't exactly pull her down either.
So in the end, he was in no right to complain, so he kept his thoughts to himself, happy enough to be able to work out in the field. Tonight was a plus…he working with Sara. Of course, he had been working with Sara the most; she had become sort of a mentor to him. Grissom had been very committed at first in teaching him the ropes, but Sara's interest in his progress led to the eventual shift. Greg would never mention it out loud, but he was glad.
Grissom didn't talk very much, and he was even harder to converse with. He liked to observe instead, keeping a keen eye on his movements, his actions, constantly questioning his motives. Sara, on the other hand, let him do more thinking on his own part. She let him guess, correcting him when he was wrong and encouraging him when he was on the right track. Of course those weren't the only reasons he enjoyed having Sara as a mentor, but those he wouldn't even acknowledge in his own mind.
His eyes opened briefly, blinking as he glanced out the window. They had come to a stop, and Greg had to stifle another yawn as he pushed himself up. He must have fallen asleep, and his thoughts were confirmed when Sara opened the door adjacent to him, pulling out her case.
"Wake up Sleeping Beauty," she was grinning at him, moving to pull her vest on as she did so.
Greg didn't respond at first, glancing back out the window. He could make Warrick out in the distance; he was already talking with several officers. Leave it to him to take action quickly. Greg ran a hand over his face, rubbing his eyes. "How long was I asleep?"
Sara shrugged her shoulders, nodding to him as she closed the door. She met him around the other side, Greg working to get his own vest on. "About twenty minutes," she answered, her eyes tracing the scene that lay before them.
"And you kept telling me we were almost there," he pouted, taking a moment to stretch to add emphasis to his words.
She laughed, shaking her head but that was the only response, the pair becoming serious as they approached the on scene officer. Greg had seen him a few times before, but not enough to really know him. Officer James, if he remembered right.
"One DB, female, Caucasian, late twenties, early thirties. We're waiting on a coroner to get here," he stated in a greeting, repeating what he had already said to Warrick. Greg watched the older man walk into the open field, his flashlight lighting what little area it could. Above the skies were clouding over, they would get even less help there. They would have to work quickly; hopefully the rain would hold off long enough.
"Who called the body in?" Sara asked, pulling out a pad, jotting several notes down quickly. Greg turned his attention back to the conversation at hand, studying the officer as he spoke.
Sara had once told him that you could tell when a person was lying, or holding something back. Watch their eyes, their hands…their stance. Someone who was fabricating a story often was tense, unable to relax. The officer however was at ease, his voice confident as he answered.
"I did actually, this is my route, and this place has been abandoned for the past few months now."
"This place?" Greg took the opportunity to speak up, his attention back on the felid behind him.
"Construction site, behind the tree line. Supposed to be a housing development I guess, but rumor has it the building permit fell through, owner had to cease development. That's what tipped me off the first time, the overhead lights were on," he turned pointing over the isolated trees. There a soft glow could be seen, and Greg nodded, somewhat surprised he had not seen it earlier.
"Did you touch anything, move anything at all?" Sara picked the conversation back up once she had caught up with the notes.
He didn't answer straight away, but shook his head once he had thought. "Not that I can remember," he shrugged. "I don't have anything else for you guys."
Sara nodded, sliding the small pad back into her pocket, clipping it shut. "Thanks, we'll be in touch if we need more."
Greg turned to Sara as the officer left, waiting for her next move. "Your call," he offered, swinging one hand to the side.
"Let's get to work," she chirped quietly, crossing her arms. "We have a lot of ground to cover."
The first drop of rain had fallen as Greg sealed the last evidence bag. He turned his head upwards, regretting it as a drop nailed him in the eye. Muttering a curse under his breath he moved to collect the handful of bags, making his way back towards the others. Twelve hours they had been here, and at last they were nearing the end. He had to resist the urge to laugh, a deep, bitter laugh. This was only the start. They would head back to the lab once they finished here, and start again; stopping long enough to grab a quick bite to eat, a short rest…he was really missing his bed at the moment.
Warrick had already requested an extra hand, but it had gone unanswered. Days were too busy with their own cases, and Grissom couldn't spare anyone at the moment. From there he had taken it upon himself to divide the field into three quarters. It was no surprise Warrick gave him the section in the open field. Finding anything had been near impossible, there was little evidence that was relevant, but he had bagged everything.
It made it even harder, searching for trace evidence in uncut grass in the middle of the night with nothing but a flashlight. Finding a needle in haystack would have been easier. Sara met him halfway there, pulling her gloves off as she let out a sigh.
"Long night," she muttered, running her fingers through her loose hair. Greg especially liked it when she wore it down, liked it even more when the wind caught it. He shook his head quickly, clearing his mind as he realized she had started talking again. He only caught the last few words, but the question was clear enough to understand.
"Nothing really," he admitted, holding up the evidence bags. "But with the lighting I could have missed something."
She wrinkled her nose in distaste as a raindrop hit her cheek, trailing down to her chin. "You smell that?"
Greg nodded, knowing what she was referring too. It wasn't the first time; he had come across it a few hours ago. It was the strongest around here, the source couldn't be too far from here, yet Greg had not crossed it during his search. "Sewage…"
"There are no major developments out here, and the houses don't even come near here…what's a sewage drain doing way out here?" she questioned lightly.
"I was thinking more along the line of a constipated cow finally letting loose," Greg joked lightly, clearing his throat as his tone became more serious. "A sewage line would work too…"
It was as if Sara hadn't even heard him, following the beam of her flashlight as she walked forward slowly. Greg fell into step behind her, making a face as the smell became stronger. There was only one thing that could smell that bad.
"Looks like our vic had a friend," Sara stated smugly, her light resting on the mangled form. The body was resting half in and half out of a hole, clearly obvious it had been here for a while.
"I didn't see it," Greg offered up, feeling guilty at what he could have missed. Sara stopped him quickly though, shaking her head. He set the evidence bags down, pulling his camera up, snapping several shots.
"It was in my section," Sara told him, "I didn't come over this far, I was looking more at the road for possible tire treads. I'm having a hard time believing that this is relevant to our first db…by the looks he or she's been here for at least three weeks…"
"I'll get the coroner," Greg stated quietly, already heading back across the field.
It was amazing how quickly Warrick had wrapped up his evidence, when he had heard about the second db. It was even less amazing that Greg found himself once again on the back burner. He watched from a few steps away as Warrick and Sara collected the evidence, doing his best to listen, but losing interest as things went along. Sara at least acknowledge him, Warrick was indifferent.
It seemed as though he was trying, yet failing miserably, to include Greg in the investigation. This was only the second time he had worked with Warrick since his proficiency and he was beginning to like it less and less.
The body had already been picked up, leaving them the task of collecting the bodily fluids that had leaked from the corpse as it was pulled free of the hole. Greg edged forward a few paces, holding his flashlight at eye level as he peered down.
"There's trace down there," he commented, using the moment to move even closer. He was shoulder to shoulder with Sara now, crouching down to get a better perspective. Sara had leaned over, one hand balancing herself as she gazed down.
"Good find," she gave him a brief smile, pushing her hair from her eyes as she sat up. The rain had continued, but it had stayed light, something they could use in their favor.
Greg shrugged it off easily, but he felt proud at the same time. It made it even better when Warrick commented on his find as well. Turning back Greg couldn't help but smile as held his flashlight up. "So, who gets to go down the creepy hole?"
"Well, we could call some cadets, but it would take them a few hours to even get out here, and we may loose everything by then…it'll have to be one of us…we need someone small," Warrick offered up, closing his own evidence bag.
"Someone skinny," Greg added on, turning to glance to his left. Warrick had done the same, both their gazes landing on the brunette that was crouched between them.
"Someone who won't mind getting a little dirty…"
The smirk almost went unnoticed as she let out a wry laugh. "Alright, I'll go." Sara stood up, muttering under her breath as she sprinted across the field. It wasn't long before she returned, holding the harness and ropes. They always kept a set in the back of all the vehicles, in case they should need to use them.
Warrick helped into the harness as Greg set the ropes up, slightly envying the older man for having to be so close to her. Greg would have gladly traded places with him, helping to tighten the straps, make sure she was secure…maybe one of his hands would accidentally slip? Greg grinned as he hooked up the last rope. They weren't exactly work appropriate thoughts, but then again he could only restrain himself so much.
"You have that headset on Greg?" Warrick asked, checking one final time to make certain everything was tight.
Greg nodded, pulling the small headset off his shoulders to rest on his head, pulling the small microphone in front of his mouth. "Earth to Sidle, this is the Father Ship calling you, do you read?"
"Loud and clear alien boy," Sara smirked back, pulling her own helmet on. She had changed into a jumpsuit, a faint attempt to keep her somewhat clean. Warrick only shook his head as he followed Sara over to the hole, lending her a helping hand as she moved to her hands and feet.
"Remember, if you feel uncomfortable at all, just let us know, we'll get you out of there."
She nodded, scowling. "I'm not claustrophobic," she reminded him lightly, already disappearing down the hole.
Greg pulled back on the ropes, shifting his own weight as she descended further, doing his best to keep himself balanced. Once situated he let the line out slowly, little by little.
"Not too fast now," Warrick reminded him, coming up to his side. "She'll tell you when she's found something."
Greg nodded, slowing his pace only slightly. "How do we know what we're looking for?"
"We don't," Warrick shrugged his shoulders, "That's half the fun. I'm going to catch up with Brass, he just arrived. Give me a call if you need help."
Greg watched him leave, turning his attention back to Sara. She had gone a few good feet down the hole now, and so far there was no response. "You doing okay?"
"Fine," her answered was delayed, but clear enough. "It's pretty empty down here, nothing on the walls…"
"How wide is it? You have enough room?"
"I can tell you what a sardine feels like," her response was laced with humor, earning a chuckle from Greg. "I could go with a little more room, but I'm fitting easily enough."
"I thought you weren't claustrophobic," Greg teased her, moving back a step when his foot began to sink in the mud.
"Just don't tell Warrick."
He grinned, glancing over his shoulder at the other man. If it were possible, the night was getting darker, and visibility was dropping. He had an eerie feeling that it wouldn't be long until the rain really did let loose. They were pushing it by far at this point in time.
There were a number of things that could have happened, but he wasn't prepared for this. Greg wasn't sure what had happened, one moment he had been standing, and the next he was being pulled off his feet, landing flat on his stomach. The breath he drew in though with great force didn't seem like it was enough, and the panicked feeling was overridden as several of the evidence bags toppled over the edge, disappearing from sight.
He couldn't even catch his breath to shout a warning to Sara, but that was the least of his worries, the rope was still spiraling down quickly, a sure indication that Sara was falling as well. Greg reached out with one hand quickly, grabbing the descending rope, wrapping it around his hand once for a better grip, already reaching out with the other. Before he could the rope came to a grinding halt, wrenching down on his outstretched arm, a sharp snap filling the air as he managed to get his fingers around the rope again.
Greg winced as the pain ran up his arm, dropping his head as he tried to regain his breath. He was shaking by this time, holding onto the rope but slowly losing his grip. He tried calling out to Sara, but she wasn't answering back on the headset, and worry was starting to set in. Before he could act further there was another set of hands, grasping the rope in front of him, and another helping to pull him back.
Warrick was working quickly to pull Sara back up, who could now be heard down the hole. Her voice was shaky, but she assured them she was okay. Both Warrick and Greg worked the rope through their hands, Greg standing a few good paces behind Warrick to help keep the line from slipping back. The pain was already wearing off, but a strange numbness had settled in his limb, making it difficult to grasp the rope with the one hand.
He pushed it aside, watching as Brass reached down, grabbing a hold of her harness, hauling her out of the hole. She half crawled, half stumbled out, dropping just outside to roll over onto her back.
"You okay?" Warrick asked, kneeling down next to her. Greg had dropped the rope, letting out a long sigh as she gave him a thumbs up.
"What happened?" Warrick had turned on him suddenly, catching the younger man off guard.
"I…I don't know," Greg stammered, holding his hands out his side as he shrugged. "I just…the line gave out or something…"
"You were supposed to get me if something wasn't working. Don't you realize the danger you put Sara in? Not to mention the evidence we lost," Warrick continued, turning back towards the small pile.
"I didn't mean for it to happen," Greg was quick to defend himself, but Warrick was quicker.
"You could have hurt Sara, maybe even have killed her. You're very lucky on that aspect. Not only that, but now we have to pay for professionals, and wait for them to get out of here, when we could be getting ready to leave now. You better hope those bags were sealed tightly or everything's contaminated…"
"Warrick," Sara breathed, sitting up. She was still shaking slightly, but Brass had a firm hold on her arm as she pushed herself to her feet. "Lay off, no one was hurt. It was an accident."
Greg bit his lip as he looked away, not caring to be judged such as this. No one was willing to let him tell his side of the story, Warrick only argued that it was his fault, and Sara supported his innocence, all without asking him. He folded his arms against his chest as Warrick started to walk off, the older man giving him a look of resentment. He turned back as Sara placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Get what's left," she told him quietly, "I'll talk to Warrick. He's in a bad mood tonight, so don't take it personally."
Greg only nodded, but he felt numb inside. Now he was letting a girl fight his battles…not that he was trying to downgrade Sara at all. It just didn't seem fair…he let out a sigh, bending over to pick up the few scattered bags, wincing as he dropped several. His left arm wasn't working the way he wanted, wasn't responding very well. He took a moment, opening and closing his fingers several times.
It wasn't surprising…he had put quite a bit of weight on it at once…surely it would be better by morning. He wondered dimly if he should tell someone, those thoughts being diminished quickly as he could hear Warrick's irate voice as he argued with Sara. Greg shook his head. If he said something, Warrick would only find some way to twist it against him, saying something such as that he was trying to find sympathy. No…it was better to keep quiet about it…after all, Sara was okay, and that's all that really mattered.
TBC