At Dawn
At Dawn, my day is nearly over. It has been a long night of death and destruction. Oddly, as I look over the lab, I feel a sense of inner peace.
By dawn, we have experienced the evilness of the world and have survived. Somehow, I can live with that.
As dawn approaches, I watch my team wrap up their workload for the day. We have seen it all, but together, we get through it.
Each dawn, our eyes have been darkened by what humans can do to one another. The depths of misery that humankind have put one another through have bonded us together.
At dawn, I look to my second in command, Catherine. She has seen the worst and she has been down there with them. I would like to think that I helped pull her out. No, it was not me. It was Lindsey, her daughter. Strong and determined, Catherine rose above it all for the sake of her daughter. Catherine makes it to see each dawn for Lindsey.
This day dawns new as I look at my protégé, Warrick. They say he is my favorite, and perhaps I treat him as so. He deserves it. Warrick is a strong and determined man. This job has brought him to his knees time and time again. He simply gets up and stands tall. Our self-appointed protector of the team, Warrick will not make it to the dawn unless he gets us all to it.
This dawn shows him clearly, for what he is….hopeful. Why else would he get married, if not hopeful that there will be a better dawn tomorrow?
In the dawning light of day, I look at Nick, working diligently beside Warrick. If ever there was a man who had every right to give up on the world, it is Nick Stokes. He seems to have drawn the short straw every time. One would think that having his own personal stalker attempt to kill you would be enough bad luck for one man. No! Nick ends up buried alive by another psychopath.
A lesser man would have thrown in the towel long ago. Not our Nicky! He heals up and comes back for more. He is the CSI poster boy for the old slogan, "Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'." Nick just gives us his "Aw-Shucks" grin and jumps back into the fray.
This dawn, I look at Sara. Sara is……well, she is Sara. She is our complicated one. Fifty percent Hard-Ass, fifty percent insecure little girl. I brought her into the fold to investigate one of my own team. I needed the outsider's viewpoint. I got that from Sara. I am still getting that from Sara.
Sara wants to be a part of this team, but she has a hard time staying on good terms with the others. Six years later and Sara is still standing on the outside. We have accepted Sara into our fold, but Sara has not accepted herself. Each dawn is a new day to struggle against being alone, for Sara.
Every dawn brings us a new degree of Greg Sanders. No more the obnoxious Lab Rat, he is now one of our team. Each dawn brings the more of the adult Greg to light. Gone are the days of goofing off to bring attention to himself. At dawn, I am proud to see the man he has become. At this same dawn, I am sad to see the loss of the kid, Greg Sanders.
This dawn, I see the mature Greg, read and willing to take on another day. Seeing him eager to earn the right to stand shoulder to shoulder with the others fills me with hope.
As the dawn beckons, I stand, looking out over my lab. I realize that I am home. There is no place I would rather be.
At dawn, I watch my team head home for the day. These are my teammates and my friends. They are my team….my guys…..my children. They are the ones I would trust my life with. They look to me for guidance. They look to me for support. They look to me to lead them to another dawn.
At dawn, I am home. At dawn, I am where I belong. This day dawns new as I stand here with my family. Because of them, I am ready to face anything this dawn sends my way. We will face it together.