I slowly opened my eyes smelling smoke. Red lights blinked on the ceiling as an alarm went off. In the distance I heard screams and groans. Voices far away were issuing orders and running around. I moved feeling my head throb.
"Mmm." I moaned, as I moved lifting my head looking over seeing another body nearby. I tried to reach over managing to move the person. I knew once I rolled the person over that they were dead. Glass stuck out of the chest with blood oozing out onto the floor.
Somehow I managed to find my way out to the open air. People ran around as ambulances and fire trucks arrived. I stumbled through the chaos to a quiet area on the curb. All noises surrounding me were muted as I stared ahead in a dazed trance.
Grissom looked around at the labtechs standing around as the EMT's checked them out. Mostly there were cuts and some minor injuries. He saw Brass and Catherine helping people. One woman caught his attention as she stood off to his right looking down in shock. Her cheek had been bandaged and she looked like she did not know where to go. He walked over touching her arm.
"Mary, are you okay?" He asked, trying to look at her in the eyes.
She looked at him with large blue eyes shaking.
"What do I do?"
"Right now I need you to sit out here and take it easy." He said
"I have to do something!" She said, as tears went down her cheeks.
"We are all doing everything we can."
She looked at him nodding letting him help her sit down next to another worker.
"Will you take care of her?" He asked, the worker who nodded. He stood walking around again. The building smoked above him as firefighters tried to water the areas worst hit. He stopped sighing as he watched people scurrying around him. Looking over he noticed me sitting alone on the curb cradling my hand as I looked ahead.
"Oh no." He said, to himself walking quickly over. Inside his heart was frozen with worry. He knelt down ignoring the pain in his knees.
I didn't see him as he knelt in front of me calling my name. By now blood from a wound on my head had come down my face on the left side staining my blue shirt.
"Sara?" He tried again, touching my cheek with the palm of his hand. I blinked looking at him for the first time.
"Grissom?"
He looked at my head and then my hand that had a piece of glass sticking out.
"Is it time to go home?" I asked
He looked at me in the eye seeing they were clouded over.
"I think we should have you checked out."
"I feel fine. We should clean the mess up." I said
"Honey that can wait."
He helped me up leading me to an awaiting EMT. I sat on the stretcher as the man looked at my wounds. Grissom disappeared into the crowd and I never saw him again. Soon after I collapsed and was laid on the stretcher as an EMT gave me oxygen. Nick walked over standing beside me taking my limp hand.
"Will she be all right?" He asked
"She will be. I want to take her in."
I opened my eyes seeing Nick smiling faintly down at me. I moved my other hand up touching oxygen mask over my nose and mouth taking it off.
"Sara you need to keep that on." Nick said, trying to put it back on. I slowly waved his hands away sitting up.
"Miss. Sidle, I want to take you in." The male EMT said
"I am fine." I said, trying to shake the sick feeling away.
"Sara, I think that's a good idea." Nick said
I stood slowly taking a breath.
"I don't need to go to the hospital."
Before a protest could be given I was gone. Grissom walked around the parking lot in search of me. Nick informed him that I refused. He silently went over to entire area not seeing me. I laid down on my couch clutching my head as it throbbed. My phone went off and I threw it across the room. Grissom knocked on my door not long after. He listened as I opened the door looking out at him.
"I am not going to the hospital." I said
"Did I say that?" He asked
"I know you will." I said
"Can I come in?"
I let him enter then I shut the door. He walked over to me touching my head.
"How is you head?"
"Throbbing." I said
"Nick told me what happened."
I sighed looking down.
"Sara, why won't you go to the hospital?"
"I hate hospitals."
"They won't hurt you."
"I am not going." I said, trying to move but he kept me in place. I felt him pull me to him in a hug.
"Honey, I am just worried about you."
"I know." I said
I moved back avoiding his probing stare. I took some aspirin and laid on the couch. Grissom sat beside me letting me rest my head on his lap while he watched the news rubbing my head. I must have fallen asleep because I woke to daylight. Grissom was gone and my body ached with bruises.
I threw up later as Grissom came in. Leaving the bathroom I heard him call my name. I raced to the bed and laid down. He came in seeing me and sat down touching my back.
"How are you?"
I moved looking at him he looked at me with concern seeing sweat beads and how white my skin was.
"Sara, what is going on?"
I sat up some sighing.
"I was sick."
"You need to go to the hospital." He said, standing.
"No I don't."
He came around the bed and got me out. Oblivious to my protest he drove me to the hospital and they made me stay overnight harpooning my body with medication and observing me. Grissom sat in a chair watching over me. When I did wake I glared at him watching as he looked calmly at magazines. I was taken to his home to rest. He stood in the kitchen drinking coffee dressed for work looking at the newspaper on the island as I came in looking rumpled from sleep. He looked at me as I got a cup of coffee then I leaned against the counter looking at him. He smiled faintly shaking his head.
"What's wrong?" I asked
He set his cup down and walked over to me.
"You look adorable with your hair messed." He said, reaching over touching it.
I set my cup down kissing him. He tilted his head as he always did. I moved back smiling at him.
"I love you Sara." He said, touching my cheek.
"I love you to."
He left me to go to work and I sat on his couch thinking about him and how much he meant to me. He came home hearing the TV on. I slept on the couch making him smile. He quietly placed a small velvet box on the coffee table before going into the kitchen. I moved hearing him sitting up I yawned seeing the small square box on the table. Reaching over I lifted it with my hand feeling my heart race as I opened it seeing a diamond engagement ring. Grissom came over seeing I was staring at the ring in shock.
"Hey." He said, as he sat down beside me. "What do you think?"
I looked over at him with wide eyes.
"You….want to marry me?"
"Well I have thought about it." He said, taking the box out of my shaking hand taking the ring out. I felt him lift my hand up.
"Why?" I asked, not realizing what I was saying.
"It's time." He said
"You can't!" I said, getting up walking around the coffee table to stand in front of it.
"Why not?" He asked, walking around to where I stood.
"I am not a morning person."
"Me either." He said
"I may kill you!"
"Well I doubt if I will give you reason to."
"No, you don't understand, my mother killed my dad. I may have that gene."
"Sara you are the sanest person I know. I know you do not have that gene."
I looked down.
"There's Sophia."
"What about her?"
"She likes you."
"I don't feel the same about her." He said, sliding the ring on my finger. He raised my hand up kissing it. I looked at the glimmering ring on my finger.
"I will have to switch to day shift."
"We will manage." He said, pulling me in for a hug.
I held him feeling doubt as he closed his eyes relishing the feel of my body against his.