The rain caused major flooding Las Vegas. Nick and I walked over to the drainpipe wearing overalls seeing some cops standing at the entrance.
"Where's the body?" Nick asked
"In there. It's rough." The cop said
I followed Nick inside walking in ankle deep water. We turned on our flashlights.
"They said this is the worst rain yet." Nick said, as he walked.
"I can believe it." I said, looking around.
We came to a floating, mangled body of a man. I looked down a tunnel to the left hearing water leaking into the pipe.
"He looks like he's been here awhile."
"Yeah." I said "Look at his clothes. They are worn."
"Might be a homeless guy."
I nodded hearing a roaring.
"Nick what is that?"
He looked at me hearing it.
"Water."
We looked at each other then we started to run. My foot got caught on something in the water.
"Nick!" I yelled, yanking on my leg. He ran towards me but the water hit me as it poured from both tunnels. The dead body went past Nick to the entrance. Nick was tossed out as well. I tried desperately to move yanking again I felt something cut into my leg and then I was free. I floated out stopping till I hit the cement slope of the drain. I coughed lying there. Someone ran over helping me up. Nick looked at me up and down soaked.
"Are you okay?" He asked
I coughed nodding. Nick watched me get my breath then he walked away to check on other people. I winched touching my leg lifting my hand seeing blood.
"Sara!" Nick called
I walked over limping. We came back to the lab drenched. My leg throbbed, but I just went on. Grissom walked into the locker room seeing me in fresh clothes shutting my locker.
"I heard you went for a swim. Are you all right?"
"Yeah." I said, walking over limping.
"Sara, your limping."
"I got my foot caught."
He watched me walk past. My head hurt more than it did before and my leg was aching with the bandage over my wound Nick walked with me down the hall noticing a blood stain on my tan pants leg.
"Sara, your bleeding."
I looked down seeing the stain.
"It's just a scratch."
"It looks bad."
I watched him bend over lifting my pant leg to reveal the bloodied bandage. Grissom was walking over seeing Nick and I in the hallway. He slowly walked over seeing what Nick was looking at.
"That needs looked at." Nick said
"I agree." Grissom said, making us look at him. I sighed seeing him.
"I am fine. I will bind it with a fresh bandage."
"Did you get that at the drain pipe?" He asked, walking over.
"Yes, but it's fine."
Nick looked at Grissom.
"Let's go." Grissom said, motioning me to come with him.
"Grissom."
"Come on." He said
I sighed walking over to him. He drove me to the hospital in silence as I sat looking outside rubbing my throbbing head. He got out looking at me.
"Sara, let's go."
"I don't need to be here." I said
"I say you do." He said, shutting the door coming over to my side opening the door. "Do you want to come out or have me get you out?"
I stared at him surprised at his determined voice. I got out limping alongside him to the hospital doors. Grissom watched the doctor stitch my leg as I winched laying on the exam table.
"You are going home and resting." Grissom said, as he drove back to the lab.
"I have a case."
"Correction you had a case."
"What?" I said
"I am taking you off the case."
"You can't do that!"
He looked at me after driving into a parking spot.
"I hate you!" I shouted, getting out slamming the door leaving. He sighed looking at me sadly.
The next week I stood at the back while everyone assembled in the lounge to get their assignments. My dad's death anniversary came and went making me sad. No one knew that inside I was depressed and angry. Sophia was laughing with Greg annoying me as the others talked quietly.
"Hey Sara did Sophia tell her the story of her ordeal in Mexico?" Greg asked, laughing.
"No." I said, walking away.
"Geez Sara, are you ever in a good mood?" Sophia asked
"You know what Sophia? Why don't you leave me alone and go back to your perfect selfish world?" I yelled, everyone looked at me as I took a seat in the corner ignoring them.
"Ouch!" She said, sitting on the couch next to Nick. "I guess you went to bed alone again."
Grissom came in looking around holding papers.
"Are we all here?" He asked "Where is Sara?"
"She's back there. Don't talk to her she is in a nasty mood." Sophia said
Grissom looked over at me. I looked away as he stared at me.
"Okay, I have a missing person. Warrick."
"Goodie." Warrick said, gabbing the paper.
"Train collision with a car. I am going to need Catherine and Nick."
Catherine walked over with Nick taking the paper giving him a look.
"Greg, you need to go to the Mirage."
"Just what I wanted." He said, trying to escape the tension. Grissom looked at Sophia and I.
"What do you have for me?" She asked, standing.
"We are going to a house out of town. Sara, your coming with us."
I groaned standing seeing the look Sophia had on her face.
"I'll meet you at the car. Sara, come with me."
I slowly walked out following him to his office. He closed the door looking at me.
"Okay, I want to know what is going on."
I looked down.
"Sara, answer me!"
"Nothing!"
"Either you get over whatever is bothering you right now or I suspend you without pay for a week." He said, walking over.
"Fine, I'll take the suspension. I would rather have that than work with Miss. Ice Cubes and you!" I said, walking out. He watched me go.
Sophia watched me come out walking past her without a look. I got into my car driving out as Grissom came out watching me leave.
I slammed my door shut taking a breath. Hours later Grissom walked to my door knocking. I walked over in my pajamas opening it seeing him.
"What?"
"Hello to you to." He said "May I come in?"
"Why?" I asked, eyeing him.
"To talk."
I opened the door letting him in. He turned as I slammed the door looking at him.
"Come to fire me?"
"Sara, you have just a little to much attitude lately."
"Thank you." I said, walking past him to the living room. He followed seeing that I was sitting back on the couch flicking through channels on the TV.
He grabbed the remote from my hand and turned the TV off then he sat in front of me on the coffee table. I looked to the side.
"I am not leaving until we talk."
"Maybe I don't want to talk."
"To bad." He said "Tell me why you are angry?"
I shook my head silently looking at my windows.
"Okay, we'll just sit here."
"Where is Sophia?" I asked
"What?"
I looked at him.
"Is she in your car outside waiting?"
"No, she is at home."
"Aren't you dating her?"
"No."
"Please." I said
"I am not dating her. Is that why your mad?"
I rolled my eyes standing up. He pulled me down again.
"Is that why your mad?"
"No."
"Part of it is." He said, looking into my eyes.
"Drop it." I said
"No Sara. I want to know why you are so angry." He asked
I pulled my legs up onto the couch holding them together with my arms.
"You took me off that case."
"I was worried about you."
"You have a funny way of showing it." I said
"Sara, I know you well. You would not stop until you did more damage."
I looked down.
"What else is bothering you?"
"Look can we stop?"
"No, what else?"
I sighed looking at my hand.
"The anniversary of my father's death was recently."
"I didn't know that."
"You didn't know that my mother killed him." I said, looking at him. He looked at me sadly. "I was at school when my mother stabbed him over and over with a kitchen knife. I came home and….the police were everywhere. I saw a big bag come out with two men carrying it and I just….wondered what it was."
Grissom closed his eyes taking a breath.
"I went inside and I saw blood splattered on the walls and my mother screaming as two policemen put cuffs on her." I said "When my mother killed my father I became known as the girls whose mother went crazy."
He reached over touching my hand.
"Do you think there is a murder gene?"
"No." He said
I looked at his hand on mine feeling tears in my eyes.
"I loved my dad. He did have his faults, but he really loved me. I…wish he were here."
Grissom watched me put my hand over out face sobbing. He moved over to sit next to me pulling me into his chest. For the next hour he held me just letting me cry. I calmed down laying my heavy head against his chest. He rubbed my back resting his chin on the top of my head.
"My father died when I was little as well. He came home and laid down on the couch and never got up." He said "I remember watching TV and then turning and seeing him staring at me."
"I'm sorry." I said
"I am sorry to."
I listened to his heart beat closing my eyes. Grissom felt me relax sleeping against him. Inside his heart fluttered with happiness. He felt as if a wall had been torn down between us.
Waking up later I felt a blanket over my body. I was alone in the apartment. I sat up looking around seeing a note on the coffee table. I looked at it.
Sara,
I had a call. You can come to work the suspension is gone.
GG
I laid back remembering the events earlier. Grissom was in his office getting ready to join Sophia in the lab. He saw me walk over to the door.
"Come in." He said "Are you all right?"
"Yeah." I said, stepping in nodding.
He walked over eyeing me.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, where do you want me?"
"With Sophia and I."
I groaned feeling his hand rest on my back. Sophia looked over seeing me walk in with Grissom. A look of disappointment settled on her face.
"Sara, I want you to go through the evidence and look for any prints."
"Okay." I said, going past Sophia to the table that had knives.
"Your letting her work?" Sophia asked
"Yes." Grissom said, walking around.
She stared at me as I worked then went back to whatever she was doing. No one bothered me as I sat on the couch in the lounge with my eyes closed during break. I could hear people coming in and leaving. As I was starting to dream a hand came to my head. I opened my eyes seeing Grissom looking at me.
"What's up?" I asked
"What is up is you are warm." He said
I reached up feeling that I was warm.
"Do you feel sick?" He asked
"No."
I stood but he pushed me back again.
"Let me see your leg."
"Grissom."
"Sara!" He said. I lifted my leg up letting him lift my pant leg to look at the bandage. He sat down on the couch swinging me so my leg was on his. He peeled back the bandage looking at my wound. I shivered as the cool air hit it.
"When did you clean this?" He asked
"Last night I think."
"Sara, it's almost infected."
"I forgot." I said, looking at the reddish skin.
He sighed putting the bandage back on then he stood holding out a hand to me. I took it allowing him to lift me up.
"Come to my office."
We went to his office. He shut the door making me sit on the couch near the wall. I watched him go around his desk to get a first aid kit. He walked over sitting down putting my leg over his. He lifted my pant sleeve up taking off the bandage.
"This will sting, but it will get rid of the redness." He said. As he opened up some peroxide pouring it on a cotton ball then laying it on my leg. I winched moving around as the pain hit me.
"Owe!" I cried out
"Sorry." He said, leaning down he blew on my leg. I watched him savoring the feeling. He bandaged the leg with a fresh bandage sitting back looking at me.
"Thank's." I said
"When you get home soak it in hot water."
"I will." I said, removing my leg from his lap. I sat up next to him looking down.
"I worry about you." He said
I looked at him as he looked at me.
"You don't have to."
"Someone has to, Sara."
"I'm fine."
"Your eyes tell me different." He said
He moved over gently putting his lips on mine. I didn't move as he moved back an inch looking at my lips. I moved closer kissing him feeling him move facing me his hand went to my cheek. I moved back pulling him to me. His hand went to my waist.
I moved back looking at him as he looked at me.
"Sara, does this mean you will let me in?"
"Yes, I know this is to soon, but I love you."
He touched my cheek.
"I have loved you since we met."
He kissed me again hearing someone knock on the door. Groaning he got up going to the door. I laid still watching him feeling happy and loved.