Title: Catch Me When I Fall
Author: ANNE (the insane one)
Rating: R
Summary: When Catherine Willows is viciously attacked, it takes one man to bring her back to the woman that everyone thought had been taken away from them.
Disclaimer: Characters et al belong to the people that make CSI.
WARNING: Dark fic ahead….It'll eventually get happier. But dark fic atm.
1
Gil Grissom snapped up the phone. "Grissom."
"Griss? It's Warrick."
"What is it?"
"I need you to come up to the hospital. And bring your kit."
Gil froze. "Why?"
"Catherine was attacked. She won't let anyone near her to take evidence or to take care of her. She says she wants you."
Gil's eyes widened and pain sliced into him. "I'm on my way."
Gil arrived at the hospital, quickly finding Warrick. "Where is she?"
Warrick pointed to a room. "Grissom…"
"What?" Gil wanted to get to her. Hold her and take care of her.
"She was raped."
Gil felt his fists clenched, feeling the first urge in many years that he had to seriously hurt another person. "I'll take care of her. Please…please call Nancy. Catherine will worry about Lindsey."
Warrick nodded.
Gil stood in the doorway to Catherine's hospital room. She lay on the bed, battered and bruised, her face staring at the ceiling.
"I'm here, Cath."
Her eyes jerked up to look at him and she nodded, not saying a word.
He slowly walked into the room, placing his kit on a table. "Warrick called me. He said you wanted me."
Catherine nodded again. "Thank you."
Gil found a rolling chair and sat in it, making his way slowly over to her. "Has the doctor seen you?"
Catherine nodded. "Didn't take evidence. Wouldn't let him."
"Okay." He moved the chair to the side of the bed, relieved that she didn't seem upset by his proximity. "Cath, I have to ask you…did he use a condom?"
She nodded.
"Okay, that's good." He reached out and took her hand. "Is this okay?"
She nodded again. "Gil?"
"Mhm?"
"Please, stay with me."
Gil squeezed her hand. "I will, Cath. I promise."
"Dr Grissom?"
Gil looked up at the nurse that stood in the doorway. He glanced at Catherine, who was sleeping after the nurse had given her some mild painkillers. Getting up, he made his way over to the door. "Yes?"
"A Mr. Brown is here. He said he's here to pick up some evidence?"
Gil nodded. "Thank you." Gil stood in the doorway, just in case Catherine woke up and wondered where he was. "Hi, Warrick."
"You said you wanted me to take the evidence back to the lab?"
"I promised Catherine I'd stay with her." Gil handed over the bags.
Warrick nodded as he accepted the bags. "Uh, Sara took Greg out to a burg in Henderson. Figured she'd keep him out of everyone's hair. Nick's back at the lab. Ecklie wants the case, but we're fighting him for it."
Gil frowned. "Ecklie is not allowed to even breathe on this evidence. Catherine asked for me, so she gets me. And getting me means she gets the rest of the team. And I want Greg in the lab for this one."
Warrick's eyes widened. "In the lab? We've got Hodges and…"
"Hodges isn't good enough. Catherine gets the best, so she gets Greg," Gil said firmly. "If you get anymore trouble from Ecklie, call me and I will speak to the Director. But nobody gets this case except our team, understand?"
"Yes, Griss." Warrick glanced at the tired eyes of his boss. "Is there anything I can get you? I could sit with her if you wanted to get some rest."
"No. I promised her I wouldn't leave her, and I won't break my promise." Gil sighed. "Thanks, Warrick."
"No problem. Call me if you need me."
Catherine moaned, putting a hand to her head as she slowly opened her eyes, focusing on the room around her. She looked over to her left, seeing Gil asleep in a chair.
"You stayed," she murmured to herself.
"Of course I stayed," came the reply.
Catherine blinked. "I thought you were asleep."
Gil opened his eyes. "I was resting my eyes." He moved over towards the bed. "I promised you I would stay. I don't break my promises."
Catherine looked up at him. "No, you don't."
Gil watched as she shifted a bit. "Pain?"
"Yes."
"I'll call a nurse," he replied, pressing the button. "Warrick came by. He picked up the evidence and took it back to the lab."
Catherine froze. "He was here?"
Gil frowned slightly. "Yeah. I asked him to take the evidence back to the lab."
"He was in here?" Catherine backed slightly up on the bed.
Gil started to see what was upsetting her and he took her hand. "No, Cath, he wasn't. He was outside. I stood in the doorway. I promise, he didn't see anything."
Catherine started to relax a little. "Okay."
The nurse came in then, bringing with her some pain relief. "Here we are, Ms. Willows."
"Thank you," Gil said, sitting down in his chair again.
"The breakfast cart will be around soon."
"I'm not hungry," Catherine said, as the nurse left.
"You have to eat," Gil told her. "You don't want to stay in here any longer than you have to, right?"
Catherine curled up on the bed. "It's safe here."
Gil froze. Catherine hated hospitals. Catherine always felt safe. What had this monster done to her? "Cath, it will be safe at your home. I'll be there with you."
She looked up at him, fear in her eyes. "Promise?"
Gil took her hand and squeezed it. "I promise."
"So basically, we've got nothing," Sara grumbled, leaning back in her chair.
"It's not nothing," Warrick said, gesturing to the evidence bags.
"There's no fibres, no hairs, no semen. That's pretty much nothing," Sara reminded him.
"Hey guys, cool it," Nick said. "We've got to work the crime scene. You're just looking at evidence taken from Catherine."
"That's the problem," Warrick said. "Ecklie's gotten it cordoned off."
Nick's eyes widened. "Has he gone in?"
Warrick shook his head. "Nope. He's just letting it sit there."
Sara stood up. "Well let's stop sitting here looking at this stuff. Give it to Greg and we'll go take a look at the crime scene."
"We'll have to square it with Ecklie first. And I don't know where the worm is," Warrick said.
"Who says we have to square it with Ecklie? Did he stake a claim on the crime scene?" Sara asked.
"He cordoned it off," Nick reminded her.
"That's just putting up some tape. Anyone can do that." Sara got up. "I want to catch this guy. So let's go."
Catherine stared at the breakfast tray.
Gil looked up from his own hospital breakfast tray. "I know it doesn't look very appetizing…and it probably doesn't taste too good either, but Cath, you have to eat. I want you to get strong again."
"I'm not hungry."
Gil moved over and sat on the bed next to her. He picked up the spoon and spooned up some of the food. "I never thought I'd do this again, after Lindsey." He made a face and started to make aeroplane sounds. "Here comes the plane, looking for its hangar…" The spoon stopped at her lips.
Catherine looked at him, highly unamused, her lips staying closed.
Gil sighed and put the spoon down. "Cath…Please. For me? Just eat a little bit."
Catherine looked at him and finally took the spoon from his hand. She ate some of the food and put the spoon back down.
A small smile broke out on Gil's face. "Thank you." He spooned another little bit and ate it himself, trying not to grimace. "See, it's not too bad."
Catherine said nothing, but leant back against the pillow.
Gil spooned some more and held it out for her. "Now, eat a little bit for…Lindsey?"
Catherine paused. "Where is she?"
"Staying with Nancy. She's worried about you, baby. She wants to see you."
"No," Catherine said firmly.
"Cath…"
"No! I don't want her seeing me like this!"
"Okay," Gil soothed, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Okay, it's alright. Shh, Cath. It's okay."
"It's not okay," Catherine said, tears pouring down her face. "It's not okay! I'm afraid of everyone and I don't want my daughter to see me! And I'm scared, Gil! I'm scared!"
Taking a big chance, Gil put his arms around her. He felt her tense at first, but as he gently soothed her with his voice, she relaxed.
"I've got you, Cath. It's going to be alright. I'll take care of you."