A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I had planned to get this and a few other chapters posted this weekend but things didn't turn out right. Please read the A/N at the end as well.

Chapter 44

DESERT PALMS

NOVEMBER 18, 2014

“We lost her.” A female doctor approached. Her name tag read Lily Everett. “She was strong. Crashed twice but came back. The third time … she just … we tried so long to restart her heart but she wouldn’t. I’m so s-“

“Dr. Everett!” A nurse called from OR. “She’s back!”

“Come on.” The doctors rushed into the OR prepared to help. Alex sat on the floor close to tears. An hour later Lily appeared looking like she’d been through hell … twice.

“Dr. Kerr is alive. She’s in a coma but alive. We … we don’t think she’ll make it. Her body has too much trauma. I’d give her a 30 chance of survival. We’ll do everything we can.”

“You told us what the others had. Tell us her injuries.” Alex whispered softly. “Tell me my sister’s injuries.”

“I …” She looked towards Mia clearly concerned. It wasn’t normal for children to be told the injuries or extent of the injuries of a family member. But the only family this girl had was the boy. And procedure was that the family had to be told. Mia and Sandra both nodded their heads and she sighed. If they believed it was okay then she’d give the least she could. “Your sister isn’t in the best of shape. She has a fractured rib cage, a broken ankle, her … um … her throat … inside is bruise,”

“Her inside is bruised?” Alex looked around confused. Mrs. Grissom bent to his height and signed a few things. “So it’s like a real bruise only you can’t see it?”

“Yes … it’s … it’s kinda like a broken bone,” Dr. Everett said. “You can’t see it but it’s still there. This bruise makes it hard for her to talk. She … she has some other injuries as well that give us cause for concern. It’s … it’s a miracle she’s still alive.”

“Then she’ll live.” Alex smiled. “She promised me nothing would take her from me.”

“I hope your right.” She replied. The doctor’s gave them the room numbers and left telling them visiting hours would be over in a couple minutes. The group stood and headed towards the rooms. The Grissom’s and Elle went down one hall. Mia, Sandra, and their kids went down another leaving Alex and Sarah going down another.

Mia held Warrick’s hand and Sandra was doing the same with Greg. Michelle held William while she looked at her dad horror in her eyes. To her, her father was just about the strongest man she ever knew. To see him like this was hard for her. Because it meant her father wasn’t always going to be strong. He wasn’t now. She looked to her mom incredibly nervous.

Jennifer had the twins on either side of her. She silently backed out of the room feeling as though this was all her fault. The twins rushed to their mother and gripped her legs. Sandra looked up as did Mia and both noticed the absence of Jennifer. They sighed unsure of how to confront this one. She wouldn’t believe them if they told her it wasn’t her fault and probably wouldn’t even if Greg told her.

“Mommy’s tummy has a cord on it,” Lindsey whined in her little voice. “Is her tummy dying?”

“No, stupid.” Dylan spoke from his dad’s side. He stuck his tongue out at his sister who had tears streaming down her face.

“Be nice.” Sara’s voice croaked and she cleared her throat. “My tummy will be fine honey.”

“Hey, Sar,” Mia and Sandra appeared in her line of vision. “How you doing?”

“Better then others,” She replied glancing to the others. “Well … that’s a little obvious.”

“We were given warning,” Sandra grinned. “Good to know your normal. We need to head home … get some rest and all. Tell the boys we love them if they wake up and were not here.”

“Yeah. We will be back when visiting hours are back up.” Mia grinned. “Make sure you get some rest.”

“Yeah,” Sara smiled as the group turned to leave. She felt tears coming as the realization that she was free hit.

“Listen to the doctors,” Sandra ordered as they left.

Grissom’s family watched as he slept. Ms. Grissom sat in the chair next to her son with a slight frown. The siblings stood watching their older brother breath. He was pale and thin. The doctors told them that his wounds could have killed him but for some reason he wouldn’t give up. They wanted to know what.

“Please don’t hurt her.” He mumbled softly. Ms. Grissom grabbed his hand. “Leave Cath alone.”

“Gil,” Marie spoke.

“Lindsey,” His voice was so soft. They could hear the dread in it. Suddenly his eyes opened. “Where is she?”

“Who?” His mother asked. Turning to look at her he looked surprised.

“Mom? But … how did you know?”

“Catherine.” She spoke.

“Seems that bitch has some nice in her.” Julia hissed getting nods from her siblings.

“Don’t.” Gil whispered. “Call her that.”

“She is. God, she broke your heart, bro.” Ronald spoke. “She should be in here not you.”

“No.” He glared at his brother. “If that’s how you feel leave. I don’t want to see any of you unless you accept her.”

“Gil, honey,” Marie had her hand on her stomach. “What she did was wrong. We have a right to hate her.”

“Then do it somewhere else. I won’t let you talk trash about her in front of me. Leave. I don’t want you around me. I don’t want you around if you can’t see Catherine the way I do. Now, leave or I’ll press my call button.”

“Elle?” Brass spoke as his daughter entered the room.

“Daddy.” She smiled. “How you feelin’?”

“I’ll be fine.” He sighed. “So, how are you doing? You still doing drugs and stuff?”

“You always have to bring that up,” She snapped and he knew he should have phrased the question differently. “Every time I think we can discuss something else but no you have to degrade me. Why can’t you just except who I was?”

“Elle,” he sighed as she left the room without a second glance. Though, he had caught the ‘was’ in that sentence and smiled proudly.

“You can go in.” A nurse whose nametag read ‘Dolly’ spoke. He shuck his head holding Sarah carefully. “I’ll go in with you.”

“She’s hungry.” He whispered. “I have to wait for mommy.”

“She’s –”

“Not here.” He walked off back to the waiting room. Everyone looked at him as he entered. He looked around and spotted Jenny easily. She walked over and smiled at him.

“She’ll be fine.” She spoke as Mrs. Grissom took Sarah from Alex’s arms. She grinned and took his hand in hers. “You didn’t see her did you,” she laughed slightly as he blushed and looked to the ground. “I walked out of the room.”

He looked up shocked as they followed the adults. The team of FBI agents stood outside watching. Catherine smiled softly as her son walked past.

A/N: I edited this chapter from what I originally wrote. I, personally, think it is a little better but it has changed the way things go in the story I have written out. Meaning ... there might be more to this particular story or it might go in the next one. I do have ideas but I want to go through what I have written and look at the reviews I get, so please review, and see what I come up with. I do know that what I originally planned for the next story has changed as well. For those of you wanting GC stuff, instead of all this angst, it's on its way. More will be in the next story then in this. Don't worry, I'm not going to keep them apart for ever. I like them together to much to do that. Please give me your reviews and hopefully by next weekend I should be done with this. Though, I don't plan to start the next story in this series until I finish the other unfinished stories I have posted. So, if your reading those and have ideas for those give me what you want and I'll see what I can do. Also, if you have one of my other stories that you are a really big fan of ... please tell me which one so I can figure out which to start on next. This story is almost at an end so I want something I can work on. Please review.