This is an alternative ending to the Doctor Jekyll case for all of those who thought it should have been Ray Langston and he should have been gone. It leads into another case and there is a lot of angst; major twist coming.

reviews are loved

disclaimer; I dont own anything and if i did ray langston would have died already.

Catherine sighed as she walked into autopsy, her body ached and she was tired; even though she had slept through her alarm this morning. She felt as if she hadn't slept, her abdomen was incredibly sore to the point she barely wanted to move and now they had case to figure out. Joining Doc Robbins beside the table and the victim; she was fairly sure it was an OD.

Listening as Doc rolled through his findings she tried to focus, there had been so much rolling through her mind lately; especially with the Jekyll case. As a leader she knew she needed to support her team, trust them and let that rest until a hot lead came; not feelings and opinions. In that Catherine knew she had to lead the way, trusting Ray and taking cases until they had something to go off of. For a moment her vision blurred and she shook her head to try and get rid of it; that made it worse.

"Catherine are you alright?" She heard Doc Robbins calling her.

"Yea, I'm fine I just have a lot on my mind." Catherine assured him taking the report from her friend hoping to escape to her office.

Giving him a smile she headed towards the door when suddenly the world spun and she lost her balance. Grabbing onto a table but didn't get a good enough grip, her head hit the floor and she blacked out.

When she opened her eyes Doc was next to her, his hand was supporting her head; how he was still leaning on his cane surprised her. After a moment she tried to sit up, a hand against her shoulder stopped her. "Just stay still a moment Catherine. Don't get up to fast."

"I'm fine. I just haven't had a lot of sleep lately and there is a lot on my mind." She tried to sit up, suddenly hoping that Doc hadn't called anyone or that David hadn't walked in.

" No I don't think you are. Part of it is stress but Catherine you have been dealing with stress for years. C'mon sit up, use my arm." He gestured that she could use his arm; the one leaning on the cane.

Slowly she pulled herself up and allowed herself to be lead to a chair.

" I'm fine Doc. I will go to my office and sit." Catherine tried to coax him into letting her escape.

Doc Robbins however wasn't phased and she knew he knew her to well. Sitting on his desk he seemed to think for a minute. " I said I would bite with the stress being part of it but I also know you understand stress. Its hard to doubt one of your own and to know that your team doubts one of their colleagues. I don't think that would do that to you; that's not going to make you pass out Catherine, your tougher than that. There's nobody here who cant wait for me to hear you out."

" Doc, there are some things I just don't want to talk about; it only makes it hurt more. I don't have the time to break down or to be sick and it doesn't help that I don't even know what to think." She slumped to try and alleviate the pain in her stomach.

" Whats hurting and how long? How you are sitting tells a lot." Doc was watching her intently and she knew his eyes were assessing her.

" I don't know I've been hurting since I woke up and I just feel like I didn't sleep but I slept through my alarm." Catherine admitted, in a way it was good to let Doc in, he was separated from the lab in some ways but knew everything that went on.

" In your stomach? Anywhere specifically or just all through your abdomen?" Doc asked shifting closely, Catherine knew his mind was starting to piece through things.

" Yes but I just feel achy all over." She caught him glancing over towards his equipment; a little bit of fear settled in her.

" Would you let me take a look?" Doc stood, waiting for her to answer and it took her a moment to nod.

There was something chilling about following him over to one of the tables and slowly climbed onto the slab. Laying back she shifted so she was straight, chin up she stared up at the light above the table. Doc didn't put on a pair of gloves which in some way made her feel a little better as he untucked her blouse and pushed it up.

It felt a little better to be laying out flat, there was less pressure and that seemed to mean less pain. As Doc poked and prodded her he seemed to find all the places that hurt the most, the changing expression on his face though worried her. After a few minutes he turned away and began to dig for something.

When he touched her sides again she felt the cold of the rubber latex; he had donned the gloves. Catherine let out a breath and stayed still, Doc was focusing on her navel; with a magnifying glass. He was quiet and focused, for some strange reason she just wanted to go to sleep.

" Catherine, I don't know exactly what to say but the thing is I think you need to go to the hospital; but I also know you. You need to go to the hospital because I know if you were going to have endoscopic surgery i would have heard about it; but there would be a reason. Something is wrong and I cant say definitively what it is." Doc broke off, he didn't need to say it but she also knew he truly didn't know what to say.

"Just call Sara and tell her to come down here and that Greg needs to take over my case; send him the report so he doesn't need to come down here." Catherine sighed, her mind spinning with questions and the empty hours she had assumed she had been sleeping. Finally she began to feel vulnerable and started to sit up.

"I think it would be best if you stayed still, you've put enough strain on yourself as it is." Doc told her, but it hit her that he didn't touch her.

Closing her eyes she just waited for Sara, right now there was only one question in her mind and it was the coldest thought she could have to face. What was wrong with her and could a colleague have done it? She heard the door open and close then the quiet tones of Doc catching Sara up.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Sara asked, Catherine noted that she had already put on a pair of gloves.

"I've had better days. I want you to take this case and keep it quiet. Consider me your evidence; just a rather big piece." She mumbled, trying to steel herself for what ever Sara decided.

"Not really. You think you would go to the hospital if we took you ?" Sara was watching her close, she knew her friend wanted to send her.

"No. If I'm part of the Jekyll case and I'm alive. I'm the only fresh evidence we have. If I pass out again you can send me until then process. I don't need to know what you're doing when Sara. I trust you." She told her, letting Sara know that it was more than because she was female that Catherine had asked for her.

" Fine. You know your a good candidate for super glue if you haven't showered. My guess is not." Sara told her.

" Your call." Catherine sighed, seeing her friend nod.

Sara nodded this time and began her work, she documented and processed as she stripped Catherine down. Catherine allowed it, knowing it was how she would handle the situation too; just checking to see where Doc was. Of course their friend was at his desk with his back to them. As Sara continued Catherine had to force herself more and more to remain calm. She hated that her friend was going to give her a physical exam but knew there wasn't a way around it and if there was anyone who would not let it effect their friendship it was Sara.

Once that was done Sara withdrew a vile of blood for testing and began setting up for super glue. It would be a first but it could prove effective or not. It made Catherine nervous. Sara built the tent around her, locking it at the end of the table and across the tops of her shoulders. Now they had to wait.

Sara found a chair and pulled it up beside the table, for a moment there was silence; neither knew what to say. For both major boundaries had been crossed, Catherine was afraid to say anything; she didn't know what to say to her old friend. She just stared at her, trying to read the brunette's face and figure out what brown eyes were trying not to say.

"Catherine, you know the guys are going to find out about this. You have to go to the hospital as soon as we are done and I'll stay with you until they put you under but do you want me to explain it or wait; I can list the evidence as Jane Doe." Sara asked, clearly unsure of how to deal with this.

Catherine felt a pang of sympathy, she had put Sara in a tight spot. "Try to keep it quiet as much as you can. Tell Ecklie I've taken a medical leave and that I'm having surgery. He can reach me on my cell later tonight if all goes well if not I'll call him or you explain it."

"Don't think that. You'll be fine. Can you walk me through your day yesterday?" Sara had shifted uncomfortably at her insinuation and moved into business mode.

" I got off work, stopped for some food, went home took a shower and went to bed. After that nothing until my alarm was going off ; I slept through it by almost an hour. I got dressed and came to work." Catherine rattled through it and paused. " Sara I was drugged before, I remember it and I don't. I remember waking up to the blank hours and the panic of knowing nothing. It wasn't like that this morning."

" You were groggy and still felt tired. The pain was duller, its gotten worse slowly through the day."Catherine nodded at Sara's description. "That would be the ketamine, its like waking up after surgery. Its not designed to make you forget, just to keep you out of it. But it does give me something else to look for. I need to find out if it was injected or ingested. Think about what you were wearing when you went to bed."

Catherine was quiet for a moment, she was thinking through her evening more with her work mind; something she hated to do to herself. It brought out the details she looked for in cases but ignored in her personal life, home and routines ; it made her feel as if her job was taking over her life. Now it had, and it needed to. " I was wearing a night shirt and undies. I was wearing underwear when I woke up. I assumed I had just kicked them off in my sleep and they were in the bed but I was late so I didn't look."

"You have trauma both anally and vaginally, at some point you were stripped down. I'll figure out the panties, think about leaving the house, anything out of place?" As Sara spoke Catherine could feel Sara's discomfort; she had to fight her own. This was a personal case, one her friend should be hands off on but she needed someone she trusted.

" My room, was normal, the front door was locked but I didn't check the back. The hall was the same; I didn't go into the kitchen. Sara, I was rushing, I didn't look and I make a point of ignoring certain things at home, to keep my sanity." Catherine sighed, feeling tears well up in her eyes; almost relieved to hear the beeper go off.

Sara cast a long look at her before standing and beginning to take down the tent. Murmuring that she was going to look for an injection mark Sara began at her neck. Catherine just focused on breathing, trying to ignore the feeling of exposure; she was thankful Sara had at least folded sheets to give her a little coverage. After a few moments Sara pushed her hip, gesturing she needed to roll; finally Sara marked the spot. " I generally sleep on my stomach."

"Are you okay, I'll do your back?" Sara asked, quietly trying to figure this out; she just nodded. She felt the brush begin at her shoulder, it felt funny but made her curious. This had never been done on a living person, it was generally considered pushing a line but it was her; she was a CSI so there was a different line. Slowly the powder was worked down and over her hips; she felt Sara pause. "Hey Cath, I need to lift it."

"It worked, you got a print?" She was mildly surprised that it worked, the scientist in her was happy; they finally had a print on this guy. In a lot of ways this could clear the air around the lab; or at least quiet the doubts of the teams.

"It looks good; I don't think it is a glove." She heard the curiosity in Sara's voice and felt the lift pressed against her hip.

The pull of the tape lift didn't bother, she had something to think about now. The problem with that print was going to be contact, it was under her clothes so it was pure luck it hadn't smudged. They needed something on bare skin, that couldn't be compromised by her daily motions; or the rubbing of clothes. She could tell Sara knew that too because she moved down to her ankles and lifted another set.

Catherine let Sara role her and watched the brunette pause before moving to her wrists.

Finally Sara was done and cleaned her up. She wanted Sara to drive her but Sara had none of it; she was transported by ambulance. True to her word Sara stayed with her through admittance and until a nurse came with something to knock her out. She stayed silent until she felt the medicine take effect.

"Can you explain it to Lindsay and stress that she needs to wait; and stay away from the house. My keys are in the front of my purse. Don't ..." She trailed off, unsure how to put it.

" We all have personal lives, and they should stay private; that's what we deal with everyday. Trust me Cath, I know you and I respect you." Sara gently squeezed her hand before leaving.