I don't own anyone or anything to do with CSI, I just like to imagine I do.
UNEXPECTED.
Nick almost dropped the coffee pot when he heard the sharp intake of breath behind him. He hadn't noticed anyone else was there when he had come in and as he turned he watched as Sara let the breath out with a hiss as she leant forward in the chair.
"Sara? You ok?" his voice was laced with concern as he took in the pained expression on his friends face and the way she held her left arm protectively over her stomach.
"Mmmm….. Yeah, ah, just a bad cramp." Sara hadn't realised Nick had come in and she didn't want him to worry. Not that she thought there was anything wrong mind you, it was just as she had told him, a bad cramp. Thing was she'd been having them on and off all shift, and nothing she took seemed to be helping.
"You sure?" Nick wasn't entirely convinced, Sara looked way too pale for his liking, but he knew how stubborn she could be, especially if he pushed it so he accepted the nod she gave him and turned back to his coffee.
"Want one?" he asked, holding his cup up.
"Thanks, but I had one a little while ago, besides, it tastes like crap." Sara smiled as she spoke, trying to sound convincing, though the truth was the thought of coffee made her feel sick.
Just then her pager went off and she was saved from any more questions.
"Trace is in, gotta go."
Nick watched as Sara left the break room, thinking that she seemed to be walking a little bent over. Sipping at his coffee, he decided to keep an eye on her if he could. His gut was telling him she was not telling him the truth.
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It was almost the end of the shift when Nick ran into Sara again, though he had spotted her a couple of times roaming the halls of the lab. It hadn't been a busy shift, and whilst Grissom and Catherine had spent the night out on a call, the rest of them had spent it catching up with evidence and paper work.
He walked towards the layout room where he had seen her she headed and, as he entered, he heard her muttering to herself. He didn't think anything of it until he watched her double over with a groan, clutching at her stomach like she had earlier that night.
He rushed to her side and grabbed her as she started to drop to the floor.
"I thought you said it was just cramps honey? They been like this all night?" he asked, his voice tense with concern.
All Sara could do was nod. Her teeth were biting into her lip as another wave of pain hit her and she let out a low moan.
"Damn it Sara, why do you have to be so stubborn. You need to get checked out, come on, lets get you to the break room and I'll call an ambulance" he stopped a moment as he watched Sara shake her head vigorously.
"No… no hospital… just need to go home" Sara stood up, trying to brush off Nicks hands, but he was having none of it.
"No Sara, you're white and sweaty and in pain. You need to get checked out" he thought for a minute before he spoke again. "How about we get you to Griss's office and I get Doc to come take a look at you. Will you let him look at you?"
Though he was asking her permission he had every intention of doing just that, whether she liked it or not.
Nodding, Sara let Nick help her out of the room and they headed towards Grissom's office. If Sara had hoped for no-one to notice the two of them then she was disappointed to find that Grissom and Catherine were rounding the corner at the other end of the hallway just as they reached the door to the office.
Taking in the scene before him, Grissom hurried towards his office, Catherine following on his heels.
"Nick!" he called. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"
Both Nick and Catherine heard the worry in his voice and Sara must have heard it too because she looked up at him and tried to straighten up. Unfortunately, she was hit by another spasm of pain and doubled over again as Nick held her up.
In two strides, Grissom was beside them and had taken up a position on the other side of Sara from Nick and the two of them got her into his office and onto the couch. Catherine had watched with concern and whipped out her phone and after a brief conversation only half heard by the other occupants of the room; she joined them in the office.
Sara was curled up on her side, hands over her stomach, trying not to throw up. Catherine noticed and grabbed the waste basket from beside the desk and after emptying it, placed it by the side of the couch. Sara glanced up at her gratefully and tried to relax.
While Nick and Catherine hovered nearby, Grissom had dropped to his knees beside her and as he checked her over, he noted how pale she looked and how tense she was.
"Sara? Honey, how long have you been like this?" he used one hand to brush her hair off her face and reached out to grasp one of her hands with the other.
"Cramps started yesterday, but they were really mild…. tonight… since I got here, they've been getting worse…. It's just a stomach bug…." Sara gasped as another hit and she held tight to Grissom's hand.
"Oh God that hurt, Griss" She looked up at him with wide frightened eyes, glassy with unshed tears. "It hurts so much."
His heart broke for her then, it wasn't often that Sara Sidle was scared and it scared him to see it. He stood up and not caring that there were others in the room moved her so that he could sit on the couch and pulled her into his lap.
Sara settled into his arms, oblivious to anyone but two of them as he held her to him, offering what comfort he could.
He felt her tense as the pain hit again and pulled her tighter to him, as it eased again he lifted his head to come face to face with Doc Robbins. If the man was surprised at the position the two of them were in he didn't show it, though when Grissom looked over Robbins' head at Catherine and Nick, he was met with two pairs of raised eyebrows and wide grins, despite the seriousness of the situation.
Al Robbins gave Sara a visual once over, took her pulse, then felt her skin and turned to Nick.
"Call an ambulance Nick, I think Sara needs to go to hospital" he told the younger man before turning to the couple in front of him again.
"Sara, can you describe the pain for me and show me exactly where it is?"
"I don't want the hospital, can't you give me something?" She turned her face to Grissom. "Please, it's just a bug; I just need to go home."
Grissom heard the pleading in her voice but the concern on the face of the medical examiner was enough for his head to over rule any thought he had of complying with her wishes.
Before he could answer, Robbins spoke again.
"Sara, I don't have anything for the pain and your heart is racing, you are sweating and your skin feels hot to touch. Whatever is going on is something that needs to be dealt with at the hospital" he told her.
Grissom nodded his agreement at his friend before speaking quietly to Sara.
"Honey, if Al says you need to go to the hospital, then you need to go. You aren't coping very well with the pain and they can give you something to ease it. I know you hate hospitals but I won't leave you, I promise."
She nodded against him, not happy, but understanding that it was necessary. She had relaxed a little, but suddenly sat up and pulled out of Grissoms embrace. She fumbled for the waste basket and only just grabbed it in time before she vomited noisily into it. She was hit by another bout of pain as she did so and by the time she had finally emptied her stomach the tears were streaming down her face.
Between them, Robbins and Grissom got her lying back on the couch and as she relaxed a little and closed her eyes the two men shared a look full of concern.
This was definitely more than just a stomach bug.
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Grissom sat quietly in the hard chair in the surgical waiting room. He had stayed with Sara as promised and it was only when they moved her for surgery that he had left her. If they had allowed him in there he would have gone, but despite Sara's pleas, that had not been an option. So now he waited, flanked by Nick on one side and Catherine on the other. Shift was over and they had joined him as soon as they could.
Looking at his watch, Nick saw that it was ten am, he and Catherine had been there for almost two hours and he really needed a coffee. He looked over at the other occupants of the room and stood. Catherine looked up at him, but Grissom seemed lost in thought.
"I'm gonna go get some coffee. You guys want some?" Nick looked from Catherine to Grissom and back at Catherine.
"Yeah, that would be good Nicky," Catherine looked at Grissom, who hadn't responded. "Get us both some would you and maybe see if you can rustle up something to eat too."
Nick nodded and went in search of sustenance.
It was about thirty minutes later he returned, not only with coffee and muffins for Catherine and Grissom, but with Warrick, Greg and Jim Brass in tow.
"Look what I found" he said indicating behind him. Catherine looked up and smiled as he handed her a coffee and a muffin and nudged Grissom with her elbow to get his attention.
"Coffee boss and something to eat." Nick handed the man his coffee and placed the muffin on his lap, before taking his seat beside him again.
"Any news?" Jim asked, sitting himself down opposite them. Greg and Warrick took the remaining seats and waited to hear what was happening.
Grissom sighed and took a sip of his coffee before speaking, his voice sounding as tired as he looked.
"She is in surgery, they think it's a ruptured ovarian cyst, but they won't know for sure till they look. They said up to three hours," he looked at his watch. 'It's been almost that now."
They waited in silence, drinking coffee and eating their muffins.
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Almost exactly three hours after she went into surgery, the doctor entered the waiting room, his eyes moving from person to person before settling on Grissom who had leaned back in his chair to rest his head on the wall and looked like he was sleeping.
"Mr Grissom?' the doctor's voice startled Grissom out of his light doze and he jumped to his feet. The others remained where they were, but looked expectantly at the man in the blue scrubs.
"How is she? Can I see her?" Grissom's reaction caused the others to smile and exchange looks.
"She will be fine. She will be sore for a few days, and will need to take it easy for a few weeks, but everything went well. I would like to talk to you alone if I may though." He glanced at the others in the room.
His last words took Grissom by surprise and he paled visibly. Catherine was quick to see it and stood, laying a hand on his arm.
"We'll wait outside Gil, come get us when you're done" she went to step away, but he grabbed her arm.
"Would you….. would you stay?" he asked her softly.
Catherine looked at him and then at the others, she nodded her head towards the door and indicated that the others should wait outside.
When the others had gone, she took his hand and led him to one of the chairs, sitting next to him while the doctor took one opposite. She could feel the tension coming off her friend and in that moment realised just how much Sara meant to him.
"Mr Grissom, I'm sorry for worrying you. Miss Sidle really is fine. She came through the surgery well, it's just that it was not quite what we were expecting and so instead of a simple laparoscopic procedure we had to make a larger cut," the doctor paused and when neither Grissom nor Catherine spoke he continued.
"Sara did not have a ruptured ovarian cyst as we thought, though the symptoms she presented with were consistent with that diagnosis. What she actually has suffered from is a ruptured ectopic, or tubal, pregnancy. The fertilised egg implants in the fallopian tube rather than the uterus, as it grows, the tube stretches and cannot accommodate it, so the tube ruptures." The doctor paused, taking in the closed eyes and distressed look on the face of the man in front of him. Truth be told this was the part of the job he hated, and no matter how many times he had to do this, it was never easy.
"Mr. Grissom, I need you to know that the pregnancy was not viable, nor would it have been, if it had progressed further. The good new though is that even though it ruptured, it was so close to the end of the tube that we did not have to remove the tube. So if all goes well, there should be no problem with future fertility. Sara should not have any difficulty falling pregnant again as a result of this surgery."
When Grissom did not say anything, Catherine spoke up.
"Thankyou Doctor, I think Gil is a little overwhelmed right now. Um…will you tell Sara when she wakes up or……" she was cut off by the man beside her.
"I'll tell her." Grissom spoke quietly, but firmly, as if daring anyone to argue. "I think it would be better if I told her, she…. ah…. isn't too keen on doctors."
"I never would have guessed" the doctor laughed as he stood and held his hand out to Grissom. "Mr Grissom, if you should need anything please don't hesitate to ask."
"Thankyou, but we'll be fine" said Grissom, who Catherine thought looked anything but fine.
As he turned to leave, the doctor hesitated before turning back to them.
"Just remember Mr Grissom, that although this was not a viable pregnancy, emotionally, it is the same as coping with a miscarriage. You both need to grieve."
Grissom closed his eyes, trying to absorb what the doctor had told him. They had not been trying to fall pregnant, in fact just the opposite. How was he going to tell Sara? What would he say? Should he do it straight away or should he wait? What would they tell the others? It was bad enough that their relationship was outed this way, but should they know about this too? All these questions raced through his mind and it was some time before he realised that Catherine was still sitting next to him, holding his hand in hers.
She was watching him when he opened his eyes and she gave him a gentle smile, he tried to return it, but it came out as a brief twitch of his lips.
"I am so sorry Gil" she looked at him with sympathy. "And as much as I want to know all about you and Sara, even I know that this is not the time. Just know that I am here for both of you. Ok?"
He nodded, not sure he could trust himself to speak just then.
"I will head off the others, I won't give them any details, but they will want to see Sara. Do you want them to wait until you talk to her?"
"Umm…. yeah…. I think, I think maybe I'll let Sara decide when she wants visitors. You can tell them if you like, it will make it easier on Sara if they know. Just tell them…. I ….. tell them I'm sorry you all had to find out like this, it's not what we had in mind."
With that he stood, Catherine pulled him into a hug and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
"You go to Sara; I'll deal with the others. And Gil?" she looked at him closely. "I'm glad you finally got your head out of that microscope."
She smiled and left the room to go find the others and get them out of the way, leaving Grissom with a small smile on his face from her last words.
He was glad he got his head out of the microscope too. Very, very glad. Now he was going to find his wife and wait for her to wake up.
This is complete, but if I might consider a sequel if there is enough interest. I hope you enjoyed it. Please don't forget to review.