I was eight months pregnant as I looked into the mirror in Grissom's bedroom. I could hear him talking to someone on the phone in the living room as I let my hand go over to baby bump that was now impossible to ignore. He hung up walking in seeing me in pajamas looking at my stomach with interest.
"Is something wrong?" He asked
"No, why?" I asked, turning to look at him.
"This is the tenth time I have caught you looking in the mirror." He said, taking his shirt off.
"I just feel weird having this enormous stomach." I said, walking over to the bed.
"Honey, you are beautiful. You are not enormous."
"I just feel like I am." I said, laying down looking at the ceiling. He went to the bathroom then came out dressed for bed. He got into bed sitting up placing his hand on my stomach.
"She's kicking tonight."
"He." I said
"She." He said "It will be a girl."
"How do you know that?" I asked
"I am a scientist."
"I want a boy." I said
"You should be happy with whatever comes out."
"I will be as long as it a boy."
He sighed shaking his head.
"Sara."
"Fine, I will be happy if it is a girl to."
"Good." He said
He laid down beside me turning off the light. I laid on my back thinking about how bored I am on maternity leave already.
Grissom proposed that we get married before the baby arrived. I let him take me to a wedding chapel one night. The next day he moved in bed looking over at me as I looked at my wedding ring. I smiled looking over at him as he smiled back.
I began an obsessive search of names for the baby. Nothing seemed to go with Grissom. I ran some by him and he vetoed most of them.
In the middle of my ninth month my labor started and I was rushed to the hospital. Grissom came into the room I was in taking my hand as a contraction hit.
"Grissom, it hurt's!" I said
"You're going to do fine. Women do this every day." He said
"I don't!" I said
He kissed my head waiting me out.
I dozed for a while as he sat beside me in a chair looking at book he brought. I moved my head feeling another hit me. Grissom looked over at me as I cried trying to breathe in and out.
"That was a bad one." I said
"I know." He said, rubbing my hand.
"We….haven't decided on a name." I said
"I like Isabel for a girl." He said
"What about Lucy?" I said
"Lucy Grissom?" He said
"Amelia?" I said
"How about Sara spelled with an H at the end?" He said
"To confusing." I said "Here comes another one!"
He watched me moved as another contraction hit me.
"If it's a boy I think we should name it after your father." Grissom said
"William Grissom." I said
"I like it." He said
"No, what about George?" I asked
"I like that name." He said
I nodded closing my eyes.
The doctor told us that it would be a few more hours. I slept when I could as Grissom sat rubbing my hand as he read.
The time came and Grissom changed into blue scrubs. I pushed laying back as the doctor told me few more pushes should do it.
I pushed again wishing it was over.
"I see a head of black hair." She said
"Come on Sara!" Grissom said
I sat up pushing again then I fell back breathing fast. The baby came out as the Doctor caught it. Grissom watched as the doctor put a blanket around it as a loud cry pierced the room.
"What is it?" I asked, weakly.
Grissom watched the nurse bring the baby over for us to see.
"It's a girl." She said
"A girl?" Grissom asked
She nodded letting him take the baby. Grissom looked down at his daughter then at me.
"We have a girl."
I nodding looking at her. Grissom leaned down kissing me then he looked down at the baby.
"Do you have a name?" The nurse asked
"Ah….not yet." Grissom said, looking at me.
"Rose." I said
Grissom nodded smiling.
The nurse took the baby.
I slept a good deal after that as Grissom called the lab then he came back seeing that the baby was back in the room in a hospital bed in the corner. He walked over picking her up looking over at me then he looked down at her.
"Hello." He said, quietly.
The baby slept in his arms as he walked around with her.
A beeper began to go off and Grissom looked over seeing the nurse come in running over to me.
"What's happening?!" He asked
"Her blood pressure is going down!" She said
The doctor came in seeing Grissom standing nearby.
"Mr. Grissom, can you leave the room?!"
Grissom was led out in the hallway with Rose. He looked at her then at the door scared. The doctor came out seeing him standing by the door.
"Is Sara okay?" He asked
"We managed to bring her blood pressure back up. Sometimes complications arise. She's awake asking about you."
Grissom came in seeing me lying in bed sitting up some.
"Hey." I said, weakly.
"Hey." He said
I looked at Rose. The doctor came in looking at my chart then he checked my heart.
"Sara, I want you to take it easy." The doctor said
"Okay."
He nodded leaving. I reached over taking Rose from Grissom. He touched my hair as I looked down at my sleeping child.
"She looks like you." I said
"A little." He said "Honey, are you all right?"
"I think so." I said
The doctor Okayed the baby to come home a few days later. Grissom put her in the back of the car as I climbed into the passenger side. He got in sighing looking back at the car seat then at me.
"You look a little pale." He said, reaching over touching my cheek.
"I'm fine." I said
He nodded starting the engine. We got home putting the baby into the crib after feeding her. I came out seeing him talking on his phone. He watched me go into the bedroom. I went in feeling dizzy and sick. I changed as he came in watching me go to bed. He walked over touching my head.
"Sara, I think we should call the doctor." He said
"Why?" I asked, closing my eyes.
"Your coloring is not good and you're clammy."
"I'm fine." I said, swatting his hand. He sighed watching me. I went to sleep as he got up checking on Rose then he sat on the couch taking out his phone calling my doctor. He came back in walking over to me touching my head. I moved winching then I stilled as he touched my cheek.
My coloring turned from white to gray which worried him. He dialed a number putting the phone to his face.
"Hello, this is Grissom again. Sara's coloring has taken on a gray color. I am very concerned." He said, listening. He moved lowering the blanket touching my stomach. I moved moaning as he pressed. "She is having discomfort when I push down."
He moved the blanket lower seeing a noticeable blood stain.
"She's bleeding."
He hung up dialing 911. I opened my eyes seeing people looking down at me talking. They were touching me making me hurt. I felt a needle inserted into my skin then nothing. Grissom gave Rose to Catherine in the waiting room as the doctor walked over to him.
"Sara, has hemorrhaged." He said, gravely. "We have to do a hysterectomy."
Grissom looked at him sadly.
"Is there any other options?" He asked
"No, we have to do it now."
"Okay." Grissom said
The doctor touched his arm then walked back into the double doors. Grissom looked down then he turned looking at Catherine.
"Catherine, can you take Rose so I can be with Sara?"
"Of course." She said "Just call me later."
"Thank you." He said, before kissing Rose.
Hours went by as Grissom sat alone in the waiting room looking at the floor. He sighed closing his eyes laying his head back against the wall.
The doctor came out and he stood looking at him.
"We gave her a blood transfusion and the hysterectomy went fine. She is in recovery then we will move her to a room."
"Can I see her?"
"Yes." He said
Grissom felt his heart leap into his throat when he entered a room where some people were lying in beds down a line. I laid at the end. Grissom walked over scared at my pale complexion. He took my hand kissing it watching my chest rise and fall slowly.
"I'm here, honey." He said "I'm right here."
I was moved to a room attached to a heart monitor. Grissom sat on the bed as I moved slowly.
"Sara, can you hear me?" He asked, gently.
I swallowed keeping my eyes closed as I moved my head.
"Gris?" I said, softly.
"Yes, how do you feel?"
"Where….is….Rose?"
"She's with Catherine."
I sighed going back to sleep. He rubbed my hand. I was allowed to go home a week later. Grissom laid me in bed making me eat. I wanted to see the baby, but she was still with Catherine.
"Will you be all right without me?" He asked
"Yes, go get our baby." I said
He nodded walking out. I fidgeted thinking about seeing my child. The front door closed and I could hear the baby crying. He came in holding her walking to me. I reached out taking the baby. Grissom sat on the bed watching her settle down as soon as I took her.
"She missed you." He said
"I missed her." I said
Rose opened her eyes looking at me. I smoothed her black hair.
"Sara, I think we should talk about the hysterectomy."
I looked at him.
"I'm okay." I said
"You can't have any more children."
"I know, but I thought about it and all I want is Rose."
He reached over touching my hand rubbing it.
Rose grew as the months went by and with that I went into early menopause driving Grissom crazy with my many mood swings. I went back to work.
Greg walked with me to a house as I fanned myself with a paper. He smiled as I put my case down in the entrance flapping the paper at my neck.
"Why is it so hot?!" I said
"It's not hot, Sara." He said
"Well it is to me." I said
He walked into the next room as I opened my case getting out the camera. Greg watched me come in seeing the man's body in the middle of the room. I snapped some pictures looking around.
"Are you still mad at me?" I asked, snapping some more.
He touched the man's hand looking at his fingers.
"I was for a while then I met someone and decided to stop being mad."
"Great." I said
"I still love you, but now it's more like an older sister thing."
"I see, in a weird way that makes me feel better." I said, smiling.
He nodded as I walked to the chair near the big screen TV.
Grissom walked over seeing me in the break room pouring some juice into a cup. I looked at him setting the cup down I hugged him.
"I'm sorry about last night." I said
"It's okay. I should have been more receptive." He said "How are you now?"
"Well, I think I am over the hump. I have not yelled for a while."
"Great." He said
I smiled going to get my juice. He walked out leaving me to sit in silence.
Rose screamed in the next room as I slept beside Grissom. He moved lifting his head looking at me. He got up leaving to check on her.
"Ssh." He said, lifting her up in his arms. "Are you hungry?"
He walked out to our room seeing me moving looking over at him.
"Breakfast time." He said
"More like midnight snack time." I said, sitting up undoing my night gown. Rose latched onto my breast drinking. I looked her as I yawned. Grissom settled down beside me resting his head back against the headboard.
"I have meetings all shift." He said
"Will I see you any?" I asked
"I doubt it."
"Owe!" I said, looking down at Rose. "You're hurting me."
She stared at me with blue eyes. She was satisfied after a minute more then Grissom took her back to bed. I laid back down waiting for him to come to bed. He got in closing his eyes. I reached over touching his chest as he opened his eyes looking at me.
"I'm awake." I said
"I see that."
"I can't go back to sleep."
"Why not?"
"I need you to…..entertain me."
He moved closer kissing me then he moved back.
"Are you sure you are up to it?"
"I am."
"All right."
He moved me against him kissing me.
The next shift I worked with Greg on the case. We went around the corner seeing Grissom walking with Catherine and a group of people showing them the building.
"Recruits." Greg said
"A lot of them." I said
We leaned against the wall watching Grissom and Catherine walk by. Grissom winked at me before talking to the group. I smiled watching the mass of people walk by.
We got home and paid the sitter then I carried Rose around as Grissom made us dinner. Grissom took her from me kissing her head after I fed her. He put her to bed then he came out not seeing me. He went into the bedroom then the bathroom seeing me getting into the tub.
"Mr. Grissom, you are staring at me." I said
"Am I?" He asked
"Yes, and you should be ashamed of yourself." I said, smiling as I blew bubbles off my hand.
"I am ashamed, but not for staring."
"What are you ashamed about?" I asked
He took a seat on the toilet lid.
"Ecklie and I sat down and discussed your transfer to day shift."
I sat up immediately looking at him with wide eyes.
"What?"
"Sara, he told me you have to go."
I stood up getting out of the tub looking at him.
"I am not going!"
"Honey, I did fight with him, but he said you either take the job or they do an investigation and you could lose your job or I could."
I knelt down in front of him wrapping the towel around me.
"Gris, he can't do that to us!"
"He can and will." He said "I have protected you for years and now he is using tactics that are brutal."
"I'll talk to him."
"No, you will only become angry."
I sighed rubbing my head walking into the bedroom. The next day I walked into the building with little sleep to talk to Ecklie. He was sitting at his desk as I came in shutting the door.
"Sara, what can I do for you?" He asked
The door opened as Grissom came in seeing me.
"Sara, I told you to not talk to Ecklie."
"I want to talk to him!"
"Should I leave?" Ecklie asked
"No, we are." Grissom said
I leaned on his desk looking at him.
"Grissom told me that you want me to transfer to day shift."
"I do."
"I have been working night shift for years!"
"It's come down to working day shift or finding another job." He said
"I hate day shift!" I said
"Grissom could leave." He said, looking over at him.
I looked over at Grissom then at Ecklie. He sat back in his chair looking at me. Grissom moved as I rushed out leaving them to look at each other.
"Tell her she has until the end of shift to decide."
"Ecklie everyone is right you are evil." Grissom said, before leaving.
Ecklie shook his head getting back to work. I walked down the hallway angry not knowing where to go. I decided to go outside and sit at the side of the building. I threw pebbles out at some grass taking a breath. Grissom walked out standing at the corner. I looked up at him then down.
"He deserves to be thrown out!" I said "I will not let him bully us!"
"I need you to do this." He said
I stood looking at him.
"I am not doing this!"
"Sara, I need you here not home being bored. You have a career in this field. You are the best we have."
"I cannot believe you are saying this!"
He stepped over cupping my cheeks with his hands searching my eyes.
"I would quit if it meant you could stay here."
"Grissom, you can't quit."
"I can do lectures."
"No, please don't."
"Ecklie has not won. He never will." He said "For now we will go our separate ways, but I will get you back."
He kissed me slowly then we walked hand in hand to the building. I transferred to day shift knowing that I was not going to be happy.
Rose continued to grow as the months went by. She began to crawl all over the place. I transitioned into dayshift slowly. At first no one wanted anything to do with me, but after showing them that I worked hard they welcomed me in.
One day I limped to Grissom's office. An accident at a scene caused my ankle to twist and I spent most of my day in pain. Grissom was in early looking at some mail left on his desk. He didn't look up as I walked over kissing his cheek.
"Hello dear." He said
"Hello, how is the baby?" I asked, plopping up on his desk.
"Fine, she was sleeping when I left." He said, looking at me before looking down at the letter in his hand.
"Good."
He set down the letter looking me over.
"How was your day?"
"Fine."
"Hmm." He said
"What?"
"When you use that word I know something happened."
I sighed looking down.
"My leg hurts."
"Which one?" He asked, looking at them.
"The right one." I said
He pulled up a chair sitting down lifting my leg up looking at it. I watched him slide my pant leg up and see my swollen ankle.
"Did you twist it?"
"A little." I said
He slowly eased my shoe off making me winch. Then he took my sock off seeing the bruising around my ankle. His fingers went over my skin.
"We should put some ice on it."
"Ice and a beer." I said, with a smile.
"No beer." He said "Just ice."
I groaned as he helped me off his desk. I sat on the couch at home with ice on my ankle watching TV an hour later. Rose started screaming in the bedroom as I got up walking with a limp to the door. I opened it seeing that she had fallen out of the crib onto the floor.
"Oh, what did you do?" I asked, coming over.
I knelt down taking her into my arms seeing that she had a tiny bruise on her head. I kissed it walking out to the chair near the couch. She cried against me for a while then I fed her. I had her sit up in my lap watching her blue eyes move as she looked at me and my hair.
"Can you say mama?" I asked her.
She put her hand in her mouth making sounds.
"Can you say dada?"
I sighed watching her reach over to grab my hair.
Grissom came home seeing me walking better coming over to him. He kissed me then he looked me up and down.
"Your walk seems better?"
"Not really. It still hurts, but I decided not to let it affect me." I said
"Where is the baby?"
"She is in the play pen in the living room." I said "I'm making dinner."
"Smells good." He said, walking to the living room seeing the square play pen. He leaned over picking her up kissing her head. He noticed the small bruise on her head.
I turned off the stove turning seeing him walk in with the baby.
"Sara, what is this from?" He asked, pointing to the bruise.
"She fell out of the crib." I said
"Oh." He said
"I checked her already. She's fine."
He nodded looking at her.
"She has your nose." He said
I nodded getting plates out.
"Mama."
I turned seeing Grissom looking at me in shock.
"Did she…...?"
"Yes." Grissom said "Good girl."
I walked over to her.
"Rose, say dada."
She moved away from me putting her head against Grissom's shoulder.
"She must be tired." He said
I nodded watching him go into the other room. After dinner Grissom sat me down on the couch then he sat down next to me. We were watching a movie one minute then it turned into a make out session. He laid on top of me kissing me while his hands explored my body.
I kept my eyes closed as his hands went up my shirt while he kissed my neck. I squirmed as he blew onto my skin. He moved back looking at me as I looked up at him.
"I should go to bed. I have to be up early."
"Me to. Meetings." He said
Rose started crying I looked over at her door then I looked at him.
"I'll go." He said, smiling.
I smiled watching him leave.
Grissom came out ten minutes later shutting the door. He went into the bedroom seeing I was asleep in bed. I woke in the morning dressing for work. Rose was up and ready for the day. I changed her then carried her around with me as I got my things. I stood her up on the counter tickling her watching her laugh. Grissom came out in his pajamas seeing us. He got some coffee leaning back against the counter watching us.
"How's the ankle?" He asked
"Good." I said
I carried her around again until Grissom took her from me since I had to work. I kissed her cheek and Grissom's then I went out. Grissom sipped his coffee then he walked back to Rose's room to get her dressed.
I drove to a scene in a park. Two guys were shot on the basketball court. I took pictures seeing that there was a trail of blood leading off the court. I walked off the court looking at the spatter on some grass and then on the cement walk way. I went to a street seeing more blood. I walked along some small houses when a car braked and a man came out grabbing me throwing me into the car. I screamed struggling as the man got in putting duct tape over my mouth hands. Another man in the front drove fast down the street turning to the right. I kicked the man sitting beside me hearing him speak in Spanish. The car was pulled over and the duct tape around my mouth was ripped away. The man got a bottle from the floor. He grabbed my face making me drink the bitter liquid. I choked struggling. He made me drink more then put the tape back over my mouth. A few minutes later I was drugged.
Grissom came out of Ecklie's office seeing Catherine running over to him.
"Brass has been trying to reach you!"
"I was in a meeting." He said
"Sara has vanished!"
"What?!" He said
She walked with him as he tried to call me. I moved faintly hearing my phone. It was taken out of my pocket as the men spoke to each other. The one looked at it then threw it out a window.
Grissom tried again as he went to a Tahoe parked outside the lab with Catherine and Nick.
I slowly moved my head feeling an old lumpy mattress underneath me. I moaned slowly opening my eyes seeing the two men talking as they sat at a table. I looked around opening and closing my eyes seeing that they had put me into a dirty house. The one guy stood talking at me as he walked over holding a large knife. I was yanked up and forced to walk. My groggy mind made it impossible to make sense of anything. I stumbled outside with the man. He pushed me to a spot next to the house where the grass was gone. I fell to my knees with my hands aching behind my back. The man walked over grabbing my hair pulling my head back as he put the blade to my neck.
I breathed in and out fast as he spoke to me. It was then that I thought of my baby and Grissom. Tears went down my cheeks as the blade pushed into my skin. I swallowed trying to think of something to get out of this. The other man came out holding a cell phone giving him a thumbs up and the blade was taken away. The man behind me pushed me forwards and I fell to the ground as they spoke.
I was yanked up and taken back inside. I fell to the floor inside winching in pain as my hands were asleep. The man with the knife walked over ripping the tape over my mouth.
"Who are you?" I asked
He got the bottle from before trying to get me to drink it again. I spit it out at him. He wiped it off himself looking at me. I shook watching him come closer slapping my face. I tasted blood inside my mouth as the bitter liquid went down my throat. He put a new tape over my mouth then got up leaving me. I laid on the floor watching them feeling the drug working quickly. My last thoughts were I was going to die.