Gil Grissom stood at the scene of the crime. After years
of being a CSI, it took a lot to turn his stomach. Yet,
the sight of blood mixed with bathwater, the red stains
on the white tub, the pale face of death on the female,
it punched him in the gut. He bent over. It wasn't the
sight of blood, it was the sight of HER blood. It wasn't
the face of death, it was HER face.
"Gil, you shouldn't be here," Brass said, with tears in his own eyes.
"Saraaaaa!" he yelled and doubled over to loose his stomach.
He looked up at her, the slits of her wrists, the razor in her hand, the open eyed stared that blank look let him knew that her soul was gone. She had told him that if he waited around long enought if just might be too late. He knew now that it was too late. Sara Sidle had ended her own life.
Grissom sat straight up in bed. Sweat poured from his head, he wiped his wet curls with his shaking hand. His breaths were hard. He sat, unsure if it had been a dream. Yes, yes, it had been a dream, a nightmare. He had to see her. He felt like he'd been given another chance to get things right. But he knew the question was, could he? After all, his intentions were always good with Sara, but his follow through left much to be desired.
Grissom entered the lab bright eyed and ready to work. Ready to see what mess Sin City had left for him to clean up tonight. He walked by the break room, doing a double take when he saw Sara sitting at the table alone. He stepped in the room.
"Good evening, Sara," he greeted with a nod.
"Hey, Grissom," she said, taken back with his good mood.
"How are you feeling?"
"I am fine, Grissom. What's up?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to make sure that you are okay."
"Why shouldn't I be? Grissom, are you sure that you are okay?" Her dark eyes were puzzled at him.
The vivid images from his dream flashed in his mind. His body shook. "Yeah. Excuse me." He turned around and left the room.
Greg brushed past him entering the break room as Grissom left. "Grissom," he aknowleged but Grissom kept moving past him.
"What's his deal?" Greg asked, puzzled.
"You tell me. He's acting weird," Sara said with a wrinkled brow.
"Um, incase you haven't noticed. He's not acting. Grissom IS weird," Greg joked and sat beside of Sara.
Grissom went to his office and closed the door.
"Get a hold of yourself"
he whispered to himself, taking a deep breath.
"It was only a dream."
When the team had arrived, he paired them up and sent them out on their cases. Grissom was in the morgue going over details of a victim's body when his cell phone rang.
"Grissom."
"Gil, it's Brass. Where are you?" Jim Brass asked, his voice weighed with emotion.
"I'm with Al. What's wrong?"
"Are you in the morgue?" Brass panicked.
"Yes, why?"
"Get out of there, Gil. I've got bad news. You don't need to see the body coming in there," Brass cried.
The dream of Sara's body in the tub resurfaced in Grissom's mind. HIs heartbeat increased. His chest was tight.
"Who is it?" Grissom reluctantly asked.
"It's Sara."
"Are you sure?" Grissom panted.
"Yes, I did the ID myself. She had a car wreck, Grissom. They took Greg to the hospital, he looks critical. But Sara, she was DOA."
The walls began spinning for Gil. He looked at Doc Robbins but wasn't sure if he could speak.
"Gil?" Brass screamed at him through the phone line. "Gil! Grissom, can you hear me? Grissom! Grissom! Grissom, wake up! Are you okay? Wake up!"
Grissom opened his eyes to see Jim Brass hovered over him, shaking him. Grissom was on the floor.
"What? Where's Sara?" Grissom mumbled, realizing that he was looking straight up at the ceiling. Brass was leaning over him, concerned. Doc Robbins kneeled down to look at him. He took Grissom's pulse.
"His heart is out of control. Grissom, can you hear me? Talk to me. An ambulance is on the way."
None of it was making sense to Grissom. All he cared about was Sara.
"Gil," Doc Robbins continued, "don't make me cut you up tonight, you hang on."
"Where's Sara?" he tried to say but no words came out. His chest was tight, his heart racing.
Sara came rushing to his side. "Grissom?" she sobbed,
tears welling in her eyes and falling over her checks and
onto his brow.
Had it been a dream? Did he pass out? What was going on?
"Grissom! Don't you do this!" Sara screamed, Brass pulling her off of him.
"Grissom! I NEED you!" Sara squeeled in a manic cry before the world went dark for Gilbert Grissom.
Grissom could hear whispers, faintly. He wondered if he was at his own funreal. He thought that he'd better be at the body farm. He'd requested to his mother that his body be donated to science, but he knew that his Catholic mother didn't agree.
He opened his blue eyes. There were no insects on him. There was no body farm, no funreal, no priest. Only Sara.
Sara Sidle sat on the edge of his hospital bed, caressing his hand. He could tell that she had been crying from her blood-shot eyes and red nose.
"Grissom?" she gasped. That big smile that he loved came over her beautiful face.
"I thought you were dead," he moaned.
"No, no," she said, her eyes bright. "I'm right here."
"I must have dreamed it. I thought you had a car wreck."
"No. Grissom, do you know that you had a heart attack"
Sara asked, happy that he was awake.
"I did?" he asked, trying to sit up.
"Yes, but you need to lie down. I'm
going to tell the nurse that you are awake"
Sara pushed a button that was attached to his
bed.
"Nurse," the lady answered.
"Um, yes, Mr. Grissom is awake," she lazily said into the microphone.
"Thank you," the nurse said.
"I really did have a heart attack. I'm in a hospital.
I hate hospitals," Grissom grumped, looking
around the flower filled room.
"And you had surgery. Double bypass. You're heart was in bad shape, Grissom," she reported.
"I take my blood pressure pills. Why the hell did I have a heart attack?"
"I dunno. Stress. The job. Maybe your diet?"
"I eat well. I don't get it," he said.
"There are lots of reasons Grissom, I'm sure
you can figure it out with your doctor," she nodded.
"I'm just glad that you are okay. I've been here the
whole time."
"You have?"
"Um hum," she smiled.
"What's all this?" he asked looking at the flowers and balloons.
"From us. The balloons are from Greg. The um, roses,
the yellow ones are from Catherine. These white roses
are from Nicky. The red carnations are from Brass. And
Doc Robbins got you the Get Well candy jar. Warrick
got you the tulips here. A bunch of other people sent
the rest. I think the three roses here in this vase are
from Eikley."
"What'd you get me?" he asked with a sexy smile.
"I got you the balloon with the lady bug on it. Since you like bugs," she sighed. "And the red roses."
"I see. I like that. When can I get back to work?"
"Grissom, I don't think you'll be going anywhere for a while. Just relax. I'll be your nurse."
Grissom got a visual image of Sara in a nurse uniform with sexy white thigh highs and a stethescope.
"This could be fun," he said in a charming tone.
He wasn't sure why he was flirting with Sara.
Perhaps it was because he was so happy to
see her breathing. To see her alive and smiling.
To get his second chance, again.
"Oh, Nick has a surprise for you. He's gone to get it."
"I hate surprises."
"Oh, you won't hate this one," Sara assured him. She pat him on the head as the nurse entered the room.
"Sara," he called as she moved out of the nurses way. "Thank you. For everything you do for me."
She knew that he MUST be sick to actually compliment her. Especially in that sexy, soft, tone.
"No prob, Gris." She didn't know what else to say.
"I mean it. I have something to tell you. Later, okay?"
"Okay," she nodded, hoping for the best. "Later."
Within the hour, Nick stepped through the door with his Texas sized smile. "Grissom? I got somebody here that wants to see you."
A woman with curly grey hair stepped in the room. She had
a boquet of pink roses in her hand. She was average in height,
in her very late sixties, her eyes the same color blue that
Grissom wore in his own eyes.
"Mother?" he asked putting his hand to his chin.
"Gilbert," she said in a loud voice, slightly altered due to her deafness.
"What's she doing here?" he asked Nick who was grinning from ear to ear.
"I picked her up at the airport, Boss. Catherine contacted her and I went and got her. She wanted to see you. How are you Grissom?'
"Ready to go home," he stated and signed at the same time.
"NO!" Gil's mother yelled, waving her hands as he neared him.
"This is your mother?" Sara asked.
"Yes, this is Olivia, my mother," he introduced.
"This is Sara? The girl you like?" Oliva asked.
"Mother," Grissom whispered. Nick chuckled.
Sara was so startled. "Um, you know about me?" was all she could find to say.
"Yes! I know about you," she said, her speech a little hard to understand. "I always pester my son about when he will get married. Who he likes. He told me that he liked Sara but that he wasn't ready."
"Oh, did he?" Sara said with raised brows. She felt warm all over.
"You talk too much," Grissom told his mother, red from blushing.
"You don't talk enough. Tell the girl. She is pretty, Gil, You were
right, too young for you, but I like that. She will be good for you.
See, you have a heart attack because you need something good
for your heart. Sara will be good for your heart."
"Thanks, Dr. Mom."
Nick nodded to Grissom with a friendly wink. "Get well,
Boss. Moms are always right. Sara a day will keep the Doc away."
Sara couldn't believe that Grissom had told his mother about her.
She was beaming with happiness. Only hours ago, she ws afraid
that he would die on her but now, he was very much alive, and still
within reach. She knew that they would have to talk about all of
the unspoken issues between them. She knew that after hours of
looking at his resting body, touching him while he slept, unlike she'd
ever been able to touch him, Sara knew that she had to have him for
her own.
They had to deal with their feelings. Before life passed them by.
Nick led Olivia Grissom to the break room where she could get a soda and choose a snack.
Sara was left alone with Grissom.
"You almost died on me," she said, remembering the trama she felt when looking down at a collapsed Gil Grissom.
"I dreamed that you did. Twice. I dreamed once that you committed suicide. Then, that you were killed in a car wreck. I guess I sensed that we could become separated. it was my guilt, I suppose, that kept eating away at me. Guilt because my stubborness kept me from loving you."
"I'm not going anywhere, Grissom."
"Me either," he said and took her soft hand in his own.
"I can't risk you not knowing how I feel. My mother already spilled the beans some, but I do love you. I am sorry that I have put you off. You deserve better."
"You're the best," she nodded, tears in her dark almond eyes. "I've loved you for years, Gil Grissom.'
"I know you have. I love you as well. I'm just not good with people. I'm good at um, science, bugs, reading lips, finding clues, solving puzzles, but not with people."
"Read my lips," she said, "I need you."
She leaned over and gently hugged him.
"Let's make this happen," he said as he ran his fingers in her dark hair.
"I'm ready."
"Mom's right," Gil said as she pulled away from his embrace.
"You are good for my heart."
She leaned back in and planted a soft kiss on his lips. His
tongue gliding into her open lips, his hands roaming her back.
Heat rushed over her body.
"Don't give him another heart attack, Sara!" Nick said as he entered the hospital room.
"She's not," he corrected. "She's the reason it never stopped beating."