A/N – This is a repost, I accidentally deleted this story. Arg.
I wrote this during the writers strike.
Reviews make me smile!
Disclaimer - I do not own CSI, if I did, I would have done anything Jorja wanted to make her stay!
Sara closed her eyes and felt the cold water sting her feet as she walked into the foamy surf. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and wrapped her fingers around the cell phone hidden there. Her stomach was full of butterflies just thinking about pulling the phone out and dialing the familiar numbers. Would he be home? Would he be at a scene? What would he say? What would she say? Her grip loosened and she pulled her hand out of her pocket and folded her arms against her chest. She wondered why she had left. She wasn't getting anything out of being back in California.
Her mother was so medicated she could barely walk. Sara would sit in the visitation room with her, and her mother would stare blankly out of the barred window, occasionally mumbling that she reminded her of her daughter Sara. Her brother was heavily medicated as well, only he was self medicated with alcohol and drugs. They would have lunch and try to catch up on each others lives, but when Sara would bring up their past, he would nod softly, avoid the subject and call the waitress over to order a drink.
Sara had even driven up the coast to have a conversation with her father's tombstone, something she has sworn she would never do. Over the past two decades she had tried her best to forget he had even existed, and yet there she had been, talking to a cold piece of granite.
Sara backed out of the water, her feet numb from the cold ocean current. She sat on a rock and pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her hands. She smiled as she thought of Hank, and how excited he was every morning when she and Grissom would arrive home from work. She remembered how he had stayed in bed with her the days following her release from the hospital. That dog was loyal, if nothing else. She sighed softly as the images of Grissom gently cleaning and wrapping her wounds danced in her mind. A tear escaped her sad eyes as she remembered how he had made her breakfast, and ordered her favorite dinners. Her entire stay in the hospital he had never left her side.
When she left, he let her go. He loved her enough to let her go, he trusted her enough to believe that when she could, she would return. He had called a few times in the days following her frantic exit from Vegas; he left her messages encouraging her to do what she needed to do to find peace within herself.
Sara reached into her pocket and gripped the phone again; she carefully pulled it out and stared at it shining in the moonlight. She clicked the phone open and ran her fingers over the numbers. She pushed the numbers and put the phone to her ear. She had listened to his messages so many times; she could almost recite them word for word.
"Hi Sara, it's me. I miss you so much already... but, I know you have to do this, I know you need to get the closure you need. I want you to know I'm behind you one thousand percent. Remember that Sara. I love you... Bye."
The tears fell freely now from Sara's eyes and she waited for the beep and the next message.
"Sara, I want you to know that I love you. I hope you are safe. Talk to you soon."
Beep.
Sara blinked away more tears but made no effort to wipe them from her red cheeks.
"Everyone keeps asking about you, I tell them you're ok. Could you call me and let me know you're ok? I love you Sara."
Sara clicked the phone shut, unable to listen to the rest of his messages. Her gaze met the horizon; the ocean sparkled in the moonlight. She ran her cold fingers across the display of her phone, and quickly flipped the phone open again, afraid if she didn't act fast enough, she may change her mind. She closed her eyes and exhaled every bit of air she could from her lungs. She quickly dialed the numbers and placed the phone on her ear. The ringing seemed to last years.
Sara's heart jumped into her throat as she heard the familiar greeting.
"Grissom."
Sara closed her eyes so tight, she saw red flashes. She sighed heavily without thinking, and her heart jumped again when she heard him speak her name.
"Sara?"
She struggled to find her voice.
"Sara? Are you ok?"
Sara softly cleared her throat, and let go of the words that she knew would finally set her free, the words that would finally bring her the peace she desperately needed.
"Gil... I'm coming home."