Of all the things she enjoyed doing; she never fathomed that shopping for baby things could be so therapeutic. On days when Grissom was busy, she would enthrall herself in buying decorations for the nursery, looking up names, or browsing through baby guides. She had read so many books from authors who claimed to experts, that she could declare herself an expert. She decided to throw out the manuals and do what felt right.
She decided that she didn't want a typical pink or purple bedroom for a girl. She opted for a fresh-looking mint color that was calming. She had stained the wooden baseboards dark and she had repainted the ceiling. Everything was coming together smoothly. When Grissom came home after work he would change his clothes and help her complete whatever she had been working on.
Sara had been debating themes for a long time, but finally settled on a lady bug theme. Every day she found herself thoroughly searching the internet for crib bedding, window treatments, wall decorations, or other knick-knacks that appealed to her.
"She's going to have a beautiful room," Grissom commented.
Sara agreed. "I think the red of the bugs look really nice against the wall," she said as she held up a wall-sticker for him to see. "Don't you think?"
Grissom chuckled. "You love all this," he remarked, coming around to hug her from behind.
Sara nodded. "I do," she admitted. "I just want to give her a beautiful life."
Grissom kissed her on the top of her head. "She'll have you as a mother," he said. "That'll be beautiful."
~0~
Leaving Sara at night was difficult, but Grissom knew that it wouldn't be for too much longer. He had applied for a teaching position at the University and he was sure it would pan out. They had wanted him to work with their institution for months now and Sara's pregnancy gave him the motivation to make a career move.
It seemed as if his life was going in a new direction now and he welcomed it. The change was refreshing and he now found himself excited as each day passed. He was glad Sara kept the baby and he imagined himself as a father on more than one occasion lately.
The call that he had responded to was a routine kidnapping. A man had phoned the police, insisting that his wife had been taken. Grissom visited the scene with Brass; both men were discussing a football game that had aired the previous day.
When they entered the home, the husband sat on the couch. His head was in his hands and Grissom felt his heart go out to him. Now that Sara was his wife, he could only imagine how distraught the man was feeling.
"She was wearing pajamas when I left," the man said as he described what his wife had had on. "I think they were… blue. with white clouds… or sheep… God, I am not sure."
"What's your wife's name, Mr. Johnson?" Brass asked, his voice delicate.
"Sharon," the man answered.
Grissom peered into the kitchen as Brass was questioning the husband. On the floor he saw broken plates and a smeared, bloodied hand print. He bent down, took a swab from his breast pocket, and took a sample.
"What does she look like?" Brass asked.
"She is short… she has dark hair… dark eyes… her hair is down to her waist," he paused and gulped. "She's six months pregnant."
At that Grissom stopped and looked up. Selfishly he thought of Sara and their unborn daughter. She was only four months along, but he felt a surge of fear go through him. At that moment, he wanted to step away and call Sara.
"Well, we'll have an APB out on her and I'll get the description out," Brass made eye contact with Grissom. "She'll be fine."
~0~
After they had left the scene, Brass was worried for his friend. He saw the worry lines crease Grissom's forehead and he knew what he was thinking. When they were back at headquarters, he pulled Grissom aside.
"Don't let this get to you," Brass said. "Did you call Sara?"
"Yeah," Grissom said, taking a seat. "She was fine, but I keep thinking that that could have been me. That could have been Sara."
Brass sat down next to his friend. "But it wasn't," he said. "I don't know what went on there, but tomorrow she may turn up with an excuse for everything."
Grissom pursed his lips. "I have to go," he said. "I can't be here right now."
As Grissom stood, Brass put a hand on his friends arm. "Don't make this personal, Gil," he said.
~0~
When Grissom got home, the house was dark. He fumbled for a light, clicked it on, and saw that Sara had brought all the painting equipment out of the nursery and stacked it up on the linoleum kitchen floor. The smell of paint wafted through the house, and he peered into the nursery to see what she had finished. The walls had been given a second coat of paint and they looked welcoming.
With a sigh he turned off the light and made his way up the stairs. Sara had decorated their new home with love and care. Both their tastes were represented equally and it was a welcoming place to be. The only thing that was not on display in the house was many of his jarred specimens. They had been shelved in the garage and waiting until the upstairs office was finished.
He peered into the bedroom and saw a Sara-shaped lump in the king-sized bed. He kicked off his shoes, shucked his pants, and slid into bed next to her. His hand slid under her shirt and he gently caressed her abdomen with his thumb. Was he just being paranoid?
Sara rolled over to face him. Her eyes blinked open and she placed a hand lovingly on his cheek. He was so in love with her and even if he was being paranoid, he knew that wasn't without merit.
"Bad night?" she asked sleepily.
Grissom sighed and pulled her close. "You can say that," he said. "Do you feel alright?"
Sara groaned and laid her head in the crock of his neck. "She's really tumbling around tonight," she said. "I think we're having a stunt double."
Grissom chuckled. "Yeah?" he said. "Maybe she'll take care of mom and dad."
~0~
"And this is all part of the miracle of life," the narrator on the birthing video said.
A lot of the younger mothers had grimaced at the video. Some had to excuse themselves during the birthing scene. Grissom and Sara had seen worse. Sara wasn't looking forward to her body stretching to allow a human being passage into the world, but she wasn't afraid.
She was five months along now and she had signed up for birthing classes to better prepare herself for what was ahead. As the other parents stood, Grissom helped Sara to her feet. Her belly had swollen much more noticeably now and she didn't really like the selection of maternity clothes at the department stores.
"God," Sara sighed as she got to her feet. "I'm ready for bed."
She looked back at Grissom, who was stuffing their mat and pillow into a bag. He had been distant and preoccupied the past few weeks and Sara had wondered if he was having second thoughts.
"Honey?" Sara asked, making her way over to her husband. "Are you with me?"
Grissom looked up and rubbed a hand over his face. Exhaustion, worry, and stress were etched into his expression. He stood, smiled at her, and put his arm lovingly around her.
"Yeah," he replied. "Work has been tough."
"Are you sure you're not… having second thoughts about this?" she asked.
Grissom looked at her silently for a moment. "About the baby? No," then he added. "The class, maybe."
Sara laughed, but grew more serious. "I'm serious, Gil," she said, turning to him. "Are you still wanting to go through with this? Tell me now before she's born."
"Sara, of course I want to be a part of this," he said. "I'm just… thinking about this case. That's all."
"Maybe you should take a few days off?" Sara suggested. "We can go to a spa to relax."
"I'm fine," Grissom said as they walked out.
"You can talk to me," Sara said. "I know that things are stressful right now, but –"
"Sara, I'm fine," Grissom said, more firmly then he meant. "Let's just go."
Sara stopped and looked at him with surprise. "Fine," she said. "Let's just go."
~0~
Later, in the privacy of his office, Grissom let himself look over the case files of Sharon Johnson. There hadn't been anything to implicate the husband, or anyone else for that matter, in her disappearance. They appeared to be a loving, caring couple. Like him and Sara.
He put down his pen and rubbed his hands over his face. He was making this case personal and it was starting to affect his life. The way he had spoken to Sara at the birthing class was out of fear, but she didn't know that. He didn't want to risk upsetting her and putting the baby at risk.
"Trouble in paradise?" Brass asked nonchalantly as he took a seat in front of his desk.
Grissom shook his head. "This case has me messed up," he admitted. " I have to pass it off."
Brass agreed. "I was hoping you would," he said. "That or quit," his friend rose to leave. "Look, I'm not one to get involved in someone else's marriage, but if there was one thing that ended mine then it was the job."
"If I take advice from anyone," Grissom said. "It'd be you."
Brass gave his friend a smile. "Hey, I always knew you two crazy kids would make it," he joked, causing Grissom to give a slight smile. "My best to Sara and the baby."
After Brass had left, Grissom grabbed his coat and headed to find Catherine. He found her in Hodges' trace lab, going over a report. When she saw him, she smiled and gave him a once over.
"You looked worried," she commented.
"I have a favor to ask," he said. "I need you to take over a case."
She stood staring at him for a few minutes, but then spoke. "Okay," she said. "Why?"
Grissom sighed. "I made it personal," he said. "I need off ."
"You got it," she said as he walked away.
~0~
When Grissom pulled into his driveway, he had assumed that Sara would have gone to bed. They hadn't spoken since the incident at the birthing class, and he knew he needed to be honest and tell her what was bothering him. After he keyed into the house, he saw Sara lying on the couch with a container of apple juice and a magazine. She looked up at him when entered the house and smiled.
"You're home early," she said as she switched the television off.
"I thought you'd be asleep," he said.
Sara slowly sat up with a groan. "That's impossible when I have a marching band in my uterus," she said. "And I keep thinking about earlier."
Grissom took a seat down next to her and Sara placed one of his hands on her belly. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
"We need to think of a name," he said.
"We will," Sara said. "But first you need to tell me what the problem is."
Grissom opened his eyes and looked over at her. "A case," he admitted to her finally.
"Well I assumed that much," she said, taking a drink of her apple juice. "What about it?"
Grissom swallowed. "A six month pregnant woman just vanished from her home," he said. "Her husband came home from work and she was just gone."
Sara frowned. "Gil, I'm sorry," she said. "Nothing is going to happen to me and the baby. We're fine."
Grissom nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I hope so."
~0~
Sara had no way of knowing that she was being watched. She was busy tossing items into her shopping cart and checking things off of a list. With every week that passed, her body seemed to be craving more and more. She felt like she was part of a village that sacrificed humans, and all she needed to do was throw a virgin into volcano and she would be fine.
She was in the middle of sorting through a shelf of vitamins when her cart was hit. She looked up, not thinking anything of the incident because it often happened. She saw a young woman looking apologetic; she smiled and waved it off.
"It's not a big deal," Sara said. "It happens a lot."
"I'm so sorry," the woman said as she straightened her cart and continued down the aisle.
Sara tossed the bottle of pills into her basket, checked her list, and stuffed it into her purse. She was finally done shopping. After she paid for her purchases, it would be veggie sub and ice cream time. In the checkout lane, she loaded her items onto the conveyor belt and waited for the cashier to inch her things forward.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around to see the same young woman who had bumped into her. Her hair was dark and she was about a few inches shorter than her.
"I was just wondering how far you are along," the woman said. "I just found out I'm pregnant and I'm a little nervous."
Sara, who had always made it a habit to be kind, smiled. "This is my first," she said. "I'm about five months along. I feel like I am twelve!"
The girl laughed. "I haven't even found a doctor yet," she said. "I just don't know what to do first."
"Oh," Sara said, digging in her bag. "Here is my doctor's card. He's fantastic."
The cashier had rung up all of Sara's items and had rattled off the total price to her. She dug into her purse, pulled out a debit card, and paid. As she loaded her bags into the cart, she turned back to the girl and smiled.
"Good luck with everything," Sara said as she pushed her cart away.