What The Eyes Can't See

AN: The plot bunnies are feeling particular lethargic lately (perhaps due to massive quantities of turkey ingested) so any reviews would be greatly appreciated.

As always, these chapters and this story would be riddled with grammatical errors without the ever vigilant Elfmaiden25. If you enjoy this story or even if you don’t, I highly recommend reading her stories at www.mystifyingdreams.com

Chapter 16

“DAN….DAN,” Brian yelled pleadingly, “CALL AN AMBULANCE!”

Brian almost lost his hold on Emily as her body once again began to convulse. He looked down to see her eyes wide open, pupils dilated until nothing but darkness encompassed the usual bright green eyes. He watched as his little sister gave one last painful scream before her breath returned in harsh gasps.

“Emily…Sweetie…It’s okay. You’re safe. Your home,” Brian tried to reach his sister and calm her with his words. While the bluish tint to her skin waned, her lips remained their cobalt color and her skin remained pale.

Jim sensed an underlying problem and strode toward the two on the sofa. Moving his hand to the side of her neck and than moving it to her forehead, he quickly made a determination. “Her heart is going a mile a minute and she’s getting clammy.” He gathered a corner of the blanket, which had slipped, and moved it to cover the little girl.

Without a word, Gil walked to the kitchen to give Dan an update.

“What does that mean?” Brain asked with his voice overlaid with hysteria.

“She’s going into shock,” Brass simply stated, “keep her warm.”

Clutching the shaking girl’s body close to him, Brian watched as the man moved the coffee table further away. His attention was drawn away when he heard gagging sounds coming from Emily’s lips.

“Quick, lay her on the floor.” Brass helped Brian set Emily gently on the carpet and when Brian drew back slightly, Jim grasped her head gently and slowly turned it to the side.

“Oh, fuck.” Brian watched as a small amount of vomit began to pour out of his sister’s mouth. “God, please.” He pleaded, tears flowing down his face.

Brass remained calmed and used a corner of the blanket to wipe the residue away from her mouth. He continued to monitor the little girl and brushing her hair away from her face. Brian sighed in relief as he heard the distant sounds of sirens approaching but he quickly panicked when Emily stopped breathing. Before he could say anything, Brass began CPR on the little girl.

*****

A much older Brian wiped a tear that had escaped. His memories of the next few hours were hazy as his sole concentration turned toward praying…begging those that resided in the heavens not to take his little sister away from him. Pictures flashed through his mind…Jim Brass administrating CPR…Gil starting chest compressions as Jim counted and breathed into his sister’s mouth…EMT’s entering the house…another tear coursed down his cheek as he remembered the haunting sound of a long steady beep that signaled a no longer beating heart…the sight of his sisters body jerking in reaction to the electrical shock of a deliberator…and the feeling of relief as the annoying beep turned into a rhythmic sound letting everyone in the room know that the little girl’s heart had begun it’s duty once again.

The ride in the ambulance was a blur as he sat and watched the EMT’s continue trying to bring his sister back to consciousness. The hour or so of waiting in the sterile hallway was all but blocked from his mind.

His next crystal clear memory was of the doctor speaking to him.

“Emily’s in a coma.” Those words were burned into his brain. He stood, starring at the doctor as he continued his diagnosed. He wasn’t surprised to hear that all of the assisting doctors were unsure what had caused the sudden attack on the little girl. The doctor attempted to gather information but Brian was unable to answer him. He was also unsure of what precisely happened to Emily and describing her abilities to the doctor was out of the question, considering he would probably admit Brian into the psych department for evaluation and report possible child endangerment to the proper authorities.

Brian remembered how Dan, Gil and Jim had stayed with him until he was finally granted permission to visit his sister.

As he entered the blaring white room, Brian broke down in tears at the sight of Emily’s body connected to a variety of tubes and wires. While she was breathing on her own, a small tube ending in two prongs connected to her nostrils for life-giving oxygen. Brian sat on the chair closest to the bed, leaned forward with his head in his hands and began to sob. He began to pray, once again to all the heavenly creatures, asking for his sister’s life to be spared.

Over the next several days, Emily’s condition didn’t change and Brian only left her side for quick trips to the adjoining bathroom. Dan, Gil or Jim would stop by, in shifts, during the day to bring him some nutrition that was left mainly uneaten. When possible, Jim and Gil would keep him company. It was during these times the Gil and Jim would ask questions regarding Emily’s abilities and Brian would try to explain it as best as he could. The recent projection brought up many new questions to light.

The three men discussed it and tried to find reasons why this projection was so different from the others. While they came up with several theories, there was no way to verify it unless they talked to Emily or found Nathan Anderson, who was still at large.

On the fifth day, Emily’s doctor informed Brian that her brain waves were returning to normal and he suspected that she could wake at any time. Being the stubborn young lady that she was, she decided to wait two more days before opening her eyes.

******

Gil had finally talked Brian into taking a little stroll to stretch his legs. He had promised the worried man that he would not move from his seat until Brian returned. Several minutes of silence were broken when Gil was surprised by a small voice he barely recognized.

“Hi.”

Gil looked up from the book he had been reading to gaze into the clear green eyes of the young girl. Standing and walking toward the bed, Gil leaned over slightly. “Hello,” he whispered, “how are you feeling?”

The little girl gazed steadily into his eyes, “Better,” she whispered.

“Your brother is very worried about you,” he continued in a hushed voice.

Emily quickly glanced around the room, “Where is he?”

He smiled, “He’ll be back soon. You happened to wake up when I finally got him to take a little walk.”

She turned her gaze back to him, “Did they catch the bad guy? Nathan?”

Gil was momentarily struck with indecision, but looking into the eyes of the little girl who had gone through so much to help them, he decided to tell her the truth.

He shook his head, “No, we didn’t.”

Emily’s face fell, “I didn’t help.”

Gil reassured the little girl, “On the contrary, you helped us a lot.”

As Emily’s gaze returned to the older man, Gil continued. “We learned so much about him. I really think that it won’t be too long before we find this guy.”

He leaned forward, “And the most important thing, we found Ken Eden. He’s okay, a little scared but okay and I think Dan will be in to see you, to thank you for helping him find his grandnephew.”

Emily gave a small smile. At that moment, Brian returned. Upon seeing the blinking stare of his little sister, he broke down in relief. Silent tears coursed down his face as he carefully embraced Emily.

Gil quietly left the room, allowing the siblings their privacy.

*****

Gil sat in his office reflecting on memories of a ten year old Emily. He was saddened by the memory because, in a way, he had lied to the little girl in the past. They were never able to find the Desert Pedophile. They had tons of evidence and if they ever did find Nathan Anderson, they could easily put the man away for life, even give him the death penalty. While Gil had a healthy respect for life, he knew he would feel no remorse at the passing of Nathan Anderson.

The one good thing that seemed to have occurred was that the Desert Pedophile had stopped his activities. No more children were kidnapped or found dead, at least not with the same MO as the DP. Dan, Jim and Gil had kept an ear out for any kidnapping or death of a child that seemed similar. They even kept up with FBI files, to see if he had moved his territory out of the state. But for fifteen years, the Desert Pedophile remained silent.

Many of Gil’s colleagues believed one of three reasons for the sudden silence. He could be in prison serving time for another unrelated crime, though that was highly unlikely since his name and fingerprints were in the system along with a red flag. Another popular theory was that Nathan Anderson was dead. A John Doe, perhaps, in a graveyard that had no idea who they had buried anonymously. This too was unlikely since one of the first things done with a JD was run his prints through AFIS. The most popular theory was that the DP had moved, maybe even to a third world country were records of missing children were sporadic.

Gil, Jim and Dan had a fourth theory. Somehow, someway…the appearance of Emily in his home had scared him. By invading his personal space, Emily may have forced the DP to go into hiding. He no longer had access to his ‘collection’ and he no longer had that sense of security that many serial killers needed.

Gil suspected that Nathan Anderson was a ticking time bomb. Despite the 15-year drought, Gil knew that sooner or later, the serial killer would return to his ‘work’.

The night after Henry Miller’s ‘rescue’ it became quiet, at least so far. As predicted, the graveyard shift had peppered Brass and Grissom with questions regarding the anonymous tip. They were simply told the same story that was given to the press; that a tip had come in through the hot line and the two senior staff had gone out to verify it.

Gil knew that his co-workers suspected more but after working so long as a team, they knew when not to pry.

Gil was interrupted from his thoughts by a knock on his office door. He looked up as Brass opened the door.

“We got a couple of calls,” Brass simply stated.

Gil nodded and waited for Brass to explain the details. There never was a quiet night in Vegas.

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