Disclaimer – I do not own CBS, CSI, any of CSI franchise, the characters or anything to do with them, so please do not sue me!

A/N – This is my first attempt at a sequel to a story i wrote recently that readers seemed to like, and one person who reviewed it for me suggested maybe a follow up, so here goes. Please read, enjoy and review at the end, to let me know if it is worth further follow up short stories, covering phone calls that Sara and Gil may make to each other, until Sara returns. Spoilers for 8.08.

Phone call 2

A week and had passed since she had called last, and he had been glad to find out that she had not in fact left him as first thought, so the call had reassured him that whatever she was doing in San Francisco to lay her ghosts to rest, would help her attain and secure her future with him. A future that included them getting married and maybe one day creating a child from their love, if that was what Sara wanted, he wanted that. He had never considered the possibility of him fathering a child until he had met her, and the idea had grown stronger this last two years they had been a couple.

He hadn't liked the fact that she was crying whilst talking and trying to hide it from him, it always made his chest ache painfully hearing or seeing her like that, more so on the phone, when he couldn't reach out to her physically, and had to do it with words that were not his particular strength, when it came to emotions his own words eluded him. He could quote most of the famous and historical poets beautiful words at the drop of a hat, he had grown up as a child having had them read to him in his mothers soft Californian accent. He had carried on the tradition later in his life, reading some of them to Sara when they were in bed sharing intimate times together, in their private sanctuary that was their bedroom.

He got up from the bed and went to use the bathroom, before his journey downstairs to feed their moping dog Hank, who was also missing the woman of the house, and being temperamental with him, as if it was he, who was to blame for Sara leaving them. He then let him out and started to make his own dinner, and be free in his thoughts without interruption for the next few hours before his shift started.

Laid on the comfy couch relaxing with Hank draped over his legs sleeping, his thoughts went to how the people at the lab had been towards him, sure it was his own fault attracting all that attention, doing all those double shifts to keep his thoughts about Sara and his stupid insecurities in check. After being in the lab just the normal work hour shifts over the last two years, the sudden change in him almost living at the lab again, was bound to rouse peoples interest in his love life, or lack there of at the moment. He smiled to himself, he knew they all cared about him, and about Sara too, he just wasn't very good at expressing and dealing with his feelings and emotions around people, it had been hard enough for him sharing them with Sara, and showing her he was really trying to open up to her.

He sighed deeply "i really miss her too" he said absently to Hank, but the dog slept on unaware, as his thoughts drifted to the last week.

Jim Brass had asked him about Sara, so he had replied nonchalantly that she was at her mothers in San Francisco. But no, thats not what he wanted to know, Jim wanted to know how they were both feeling emotionally. And he had more or less run off saying he couldn't talk, didn't want to talk more like it, he wasn't the person he wanted to talk to, she was across the country trying to sort her life out on her own.

Nick had asked him in a round about way to join him for breakfast, and that he would be at Franks for the next hour, then became uncomfortable with the look he was given to his invite and made his escape.

Cath had spoken to him in the hallway, and asked was he okay, and suggested he take some days of to go find Sara. Didn't people think that he would have done that anyway, if it was what Sara wanted, he just wants her to be happy, and if that means time apart for her to lay her ghosts to rest on her own, he would respect her wishes, however hard it was for himself waiting.

Greg had surprised him by saying "yeah whatever" to his saying goodnight to the young CSI, what was that all about. He would maybe have to talk to him to find out what was up with him.

Hodges was the one who he didn't expect to say anything to him. The game that they had been playing was fun and detracted his thoughts away from Sara temporarily. That was until he had said, that he wasn't ready to leave the job, but Sara was, which he had had to agree to this statement because it was the truth at the time of Sara leaving. Who knows what the future holds, and besides the team hadn't been privy to his letter from Sara and the knowledge of her traumatic past.

Gil gently shoved the dog off his legs and got off the couch to go and make himself a coffee, and just as he reached the coffee machine to switch it on, the house phone rang in the hall. Going to answer it, he thought it strange as most people phoned him on his cell usually, lifting the handset he pressed the green talk button.

"Grissom/Sidle residence" he said politely.

"hey it's me" Sara said hopefully sounding happy to him

"Sara" he said reverently "how are you, how are you doing" he tried his hardest to sound happy, although he would only be happy with her home again and smiling.

She sighed "truthfully, not brilliantly, i went to the mental asylum unannounced to see my mother, but i have to schedule an appointment to see my mom's psychiatrist first to speak with her, before i can be allowed to see my mom, and the psychiatrist is on vacation for the next week, and it has to be her i speak with" she finished saying.

"Sara everything takes time, don't try to force things to happen quicker than they need to, you need time to help you deal with your upcoming meeting with your mom, maybe this is a good thing for now" he said trying to reassure and show his support for her.

"yeah your probably right, your probably most certainly right as always" she smiled as she said this "anyway enough about me, how are you"

He could hear that she was trying to be a little more positive, and didn't want to discuss her reasons for being away from him any further, and he didn't want to push her "okay,... missing you, but getting on with my work as usual" he replied trying not to make her feel bad for leaving.

"i hope you are eating and taking care of yourself Gil" she said in a concerned and loving voice "and i better not hear when i get back, that you have been living in the lab while i have been away" she finished almost in a teasing voice.

"guilty for that last week" he chuckled "but the guys are checking up on me now, so i don't think i would get away with it now"

"how are the guys anyway, and how have they been" she asked.

"Jim wanted to know where we both are emotionally, Cath wanted me to take some time of and come after you, Nick invited me out to breakfast which i declined, and Greg has been a little quiet, and Warick i haven't seen all week, but really i have been too busy at work to spend much time catching up with them" he said quickly having previously been thinking about the team.

"wow, so i guess it has been a bit uncomfortable for you, me leaving unannounced, sorry i didn't mean to make it hard for you Gil" she said apologetically

"it's nothing i cant handle, don't worry and don't apologize Sara, i understand that you need to do this, and i will support you in doing it any way i can" he said in a low loving tone.

"i love you Gil and i don't know what i would do without you" she sighed wistfully.

"i love you too, always, and you will never need to know, just remember that Sara" he whispered as tears welled in his eyes.

"Miss Sidle" a male voice could be heard by Gil through the connection.

"i have to go Gil, i have been called in to an office to discuss trying to find my brother, i will call again soon, please look after yourself, love you, bye"

"bye Sara, love you" he replied as the connection was cut, and his wait began again, for her much awaited next call. He swiped at his eyes to clear the escaped tears as he replace the handset in it's base unit.

The End

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