Gil's Story.
Friday; February Twenty –Sixth nineteen ninety nine, 8.03pm.
"Gil where the hell are you? The baby is coming!" Natalie screamed into the phone as she felt another contraction coming on. She was thirty six weeks pregnant with a girl; they had already picked out a name and decorated her room in their two bedroom apartment in a nice area of Las Vegas. The couple had met when she had been working as a lawyer on one of his cases. They had both been attracted to each other straight away, inviting her out to dinner, they ended up in a relationship, finding out Natalie was pregnant had been a surprise, but they both accepted it and eventually they were both excited about their daughter.
"Sorry honey, I've been sent out of town on a case, I'm on my way back now." He said softly, trying to keep her calm knowing that there was no reason to try as she wouldn't be interested in him calming her on the phone.
"Just get your ass back here; I'm going to the hospital." She snapped before hanging up on him. Gil knew then he had to hurry as their baby wouldn't wait for him to get there before she arrived. Going over to his colleague, Catherine Willows, she told him to go and she would work the case. So he got in his car, starting the two hour drive back to Las Vegas, he was pushing over the speeding limits as he drove home.
Same day; Two hours later. 10.10pm
By the time he had gotten to the hospital, he parked the SUV and then headed inside. He was told to go up to the antenatal ward. Making his way up he asked at the nurses station for Natalie Grey, the doctor came over, looking like he had bad news.
"Dr Grissom, I'm sorry to have to tell this but Natalie died while she was giving birth to your daughter." Dr Farrah said as he looked at the man who was falling apart, Gil ran his hand down his face, the colour draining out of his face as he doctor spoke to him.
"How is Henley? How is my daughter?" He asked his voice just above a whisper. Gil couldn't believe what was going on, his girlfriend had died bringing life into the world.
"She's doing okay; the nurses are feeding her right now." The doctor explained. "There are some forms I need you to sign." He said leading Gil over the desk where there was forms to be signed. Distraught he signed paperwork that he didn't even read, and then saw his daughter. Henley Elizabeth Grissom.
Tears filled his eyes as he picked up his daughter for the first time, looking down at her, he could see Natalie and himself. Talking softly to her he promised that he was going to love her forever and no one would ever get in between them. He didn't know what he was doing, Henley was his first child, but he knew that Henley needed him and he had to stay strong for her. Taking her home, he got her settled down, organising everything for her, he easily fell into the single parent routine.
Sara's Story.
Saturday; February Twenty –Seventh nineteen ninety nine, 9.03am.
Sara Sidle, a young woman, she had seen a lot of heartache through her twenty five years. Between her abusive father, her schizophrenic mother and her drug addicted brother, at that point she thought her life was normal, that was until the night when her mother turned, stabbing her father to death seven times. That was when she went into the system, her first home was over crowded, she was there three nights before her social worker, Katie Hill came and took her to second home, this one had less children but she was the oldest there, and she just didn't fit in, she was the smart unsocial one.
By the time she was sixteen she had been in seven different homes, none of them she even remembered. Getting a full ride to Harvard she left the city of San Francisco, heading towards her future in Harvard. Graduating, Sara returned to San Francisco, heading to Berkley and got a part time at the coroner's office, working there she was also studying, furthering herself academically.
By the time she was twenty two she had joined CSI, her boss in the coroner's office helping her get into the CSI lab, she got her level one status within two months, and worked her way up, she had rented a great apartment and was happy, learning every day, spending time working her way up the career ladder.
By the time she was twenty four she was level three, reaching her potential she worked specialising in the lab as a material and element analysis, but was a crime scene investigator on day shift. It was then when she figured her life was missing something, she needed another reason to exist, relationships weren't easy for her, most guys hated her line of work, saying she was more involved with her work than a relationship with them. So it wasn't a relationship she needed. No it was a child, someone that needed her as much she needed them.
Filling in all the adoption papers she had thought long and hard about it, adoption was her best option, she had always hoped that she could have been adopted so she wanted to do that for a child. Getting accepted she just had to wait for them to find her a child, making sure her spare room was an empty shell ready for the child who ever it was to arrive and then she'd decorate it and buy the furniture the child needed.
It had been seven months since she had been accepted; she got a phone call and told that she was to meet her social worker at her apartment in about an hour, she was getting a baby girl, only twelve hours old. Sara was excited and scared all at the same time, leaving her work, she went and bought a car seat, then headed to her house and prepared herself for this.
Same day; One hour later 10.04am
Sara heard the knock at the door. Answering it she smiled as she saw Grace her social worker carrying a baby car seat and a smile on her face. Sara's heart was beating so fast, she had never thought she'd get a baby and a newborn at that.
"Hi Sara, bet you thought this day was never coming." Grace smiled as she walked in setting the baby seat on the couch then pulled papers out of her bag. "So I have some paperwork but then this little one is all yours, you need to register her birth and you get to pick her name."
"I know I'm so happy it's unreal." Sara smiled as she got down on her knees in front of the baby. "Okay, so I get to choose her name?" She smiled as she looked up at Grace.
"Yes, the name is all up to you, of course her surname will be Sidle but for this forms what name are you choosing for her?" She asked as she took her glasses off her head and on her face.
"Aurora Rose Sidle." Sara said softly as she looked at the girl who had just become her daughter.
"Lovely." Grace smiled as she filled in the forms getting Sara to sign forms then gave her Aurora, the couple of spare bottles that had been made up and the changing bag that had been put together, then left carrying the empty car seat, leaving Sara holding Aurora in her arms.