Grissom's Secret
Summary: This is around season six, Still Life.
"He fell asleep on the couch and my mother came in with cool drinks. She couldn't wake him up." He paused thinking about how he felt about exactly what happened.
"How old were you?" Catherine asked.
"I was nine."
"Little guy!"
"No one would tell me why."
Catherine took that little tid bit of knowledge and stored it in her Grissom file.
Later back at the lab. They went over the case but Grissom was distant and as always, thinking. Everyone noticed this but just went on explaining what he or she knew. Everyone knows when he is in those moods just leave him be. You might think he's not listening but he is just in his own way. When they finished he walked away as the group stayed in the break room.
"Why does he do it?" Nick asks the question that everyone is thinking.
"Because of his dad." Catherine and Sara say together. Catherine stares at Sara as she puts her head back down. Nick, Warrick and Greg just stare with their mouths a gap.
"Well I know how I know this but how do you?"
"Well I don't know if I should be telling you. But he came to visit me after I blew up at Catherine and Ecklie." She looked at Catherine after saying this with an apology in her eyes. Catherine had already accepted it. "I told him more things about my past and he told me more things about his."
"More things?" They asked in unison.
"As you all know Gi…Grissom knew me before all of this." Everyone noticed the slip but let it slide. "Anyways at the seminar we got friendly as in just friends." Responding to Greg and Nick's snickers. "We went to get coffee, went to movies, and hung out basically."
"So you talked to each other?"
"Yeah we got to know each other. I told him some about me he told me a little about him."
"So he still kept his secrets?" Nick asked.
"Yes but so did I it wasn't until that day that we both let each other in completely."
"Well are you going to tell us about you. I mean we've all worked together for six years. We know absolutely nothing about you."
"All right guys but I have to tell you it is not all nice."
They just looked at her with knowing eyes. They had grim faces knowing this isn't going to be good.
"Ok it started when I was five. At first it was just yelling and screaming. Then one night I came home and my mom was upset I was a little late and she was worried. I told her I was sorry that the librarian forgot to tell me what time it was. I was supposed to be home at five instead I got home at seven."
"You were only five what did she expect you to do."
"Well I knew better, my dad didn't like dinner to be cold. Anyways my dad came in and realized that I was late. He started yelling and my mom started to cry. I walked off to my room and put on the music. Later on, my brother came into my room to tell me bye. He was moving out because he couldn't stand the yelling. He was supposed to move in with my grandmother. I never heard from him again."
"Did you ever look it up?"
"Yeah I found a death certificate he died recently. They didn't know he had a sister." She paused to remember where she was. "Anyways they argued most of the night but finally let up. I finally got to sleep. Lets just say I was never late again. Anyways the next time it was because mom was sick. So I had to make dinner I was probably seven."
"They just expected you to do everything. They expected you to make dinner?" Nick, Warrick, Catherine, and Greg just looked at her with pity.
"Please don't I know what it looks like but don't pity me. Don't look at me like that and don't feel sorry for me. I've dealt with most of it except for a little bit but I am working on it. Anyways it wasn't a lot but he ate it. Anyways he got mad because mom wouldn't eat and he thought it was rude. So he slapped her and forced her to eat. That night I held my mother's hair while she threw up all night." She paused to gather courage and she didn't notice Grissom come up behind her. He told everyone not to tell her, with his eyes. "Later on it was yelling no more hitting or at least he waited for the bruise to go away. I came home and the yelling was already happening. I was going to try to make a beeline for my room but my dad saw me. He told me to come in there so I did he grabbed me roughly. He said something like do you want her to be a slut on the street junky like your son. She cried said no so he threw me down on the floor at her feet. When she went to go for me he kicked me hard enough to break a rib. She stopped but he didn't. That night he broke four ribs and bruised my stomach up pretty badly. Anyways he didn't look at me until I could move again and that was about six months later. The yelling ceased also."
"She left you there? Why did she do that why didn't she leave?"
"Because she thought that he would stop hurting her. She thought she was protecting her." Grissom said from behind. Sara turned around and smiled.
"Yeah, that's what she told me every time she tended to my bruises and my ribs. Anyways it got worse before it got better sort of. He threw me up against the stairs and broke a few ribs again. Then he tried to kick my head in but my mom stepped in. Then one day I came home there were cops there. I remember the smell and the young cop puking his guts out. I also remember the looks. The case worker took me to Foster care and I was forever known as the girl whose mother stabbed her father."
"That is my life's story."
"God, Sara we never knew. If I had I would have never said those things."
"Don't worry Cath we both have forgiven each other."
"Honey lets go home." Grissom said to Sara.
"Alright, night guys." Sara said.
Everyone just stared at them then turned to one another. "When did that happen?" They said together.
THE END