Thanks for all the reviews for the first chapter. Sorry it's taken a while to update but unfortunately it is exam season. Anyway, I did the third of my four exams today and the last is on Tuesday so after that time I should have a lot more time to write. As usual, I don't own anything more than the DVD's and the computer game, which is a shame but what can you do about it.

Chapter 2 – Day 2

Catherine took the key that Grissom had given her and let herself into Sara and Gil's home. She was curious, she hadn't been in this house since the couple had got together and started to live with each other. It was obvious that there was something different about the house, it had a different feeling in the air, and it smelt of Sara. A dog came running towards her wagging his tail. He stopped when he saw that it wasn't either of his owners. Catherine held her hand out for the dog to smell and he decided that she was friendly.

"Ok boy." Catherine said stroking him. She opened the back door for him and let him run outside while she filled his food and water bowls.

She then stopped to look at the photos around the main room, photos of Sara and Gil together. She couldn't believe, looking at these photographs, that she hadn't noticed that they were together.

She noticed that Gil's already large book collection had almost doubled, and now had a lot of physics textbooks, maths books, and even more forensic books.

Finally she had a quick snoop through the refrigerator, last time she had been here is was full of meat and unlabelled experiments. Now it had fruit, vegetables and vegetarian food, Sara's influence was definitely noticeable here.

She then went into the master bedroom which had a definite feminine touch. The bed had a satin throw at the bottom and the walls were covered in butterflies (though she suspected Grissom of that.) She opened the wardrobe and found a bag beside the neat lines of shoes. She pulled it out and placed jeans, a t-shirt and some underwear into it. She took the deodorant and cleansing wipes from the bathroom.

Zipping the bag back up and letting the dog in she left the house locking it back up.

---

Gil was woken the next morning by the door opening behind him. He turned around to see the doctor peering through the door.

"Good morning Mr Grissom. How did Ms Sidle sleep?"

"Quite well, I think. I'll wake her up."

"Sara, sweetheart." He said stroking her cheek. "The doctor is here." He continued as she started to stir.

"Good morning, Ms Sidle. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you. Can I go home now?" She asked eagerly.

"Hopefully. I'll just examine you first." He took out his stethoscope and listened to her lungs. "Your chest sounds clear. We'll keep you on the antibiotics though, just in case."

He placed the stethoscope back around his neck and took out a pen light to check her eyes. "Any headaches?"

"A bit." Sara replied honestly.

"Ok, you'll just need to keep an eye on her over the next couple of days, any nausea , dizziness, confusion and bring her back." He said to Gil. "I'll have the nurse give you an advice sheet on the symptoms to look out for."

"Is you arm painful?"

"A little."

"I've prescribed you painkillers and also some mild sleeping tablets as you might find that your arm is painful and uncomfortable when you're trying to sleep. You need to make an appointment with the fracture clinic in a month, the nurse will give you all the information when she brings your discharge papers."

"Does that mean I can go home now?"

"Yeah. The nurse will be in with your discharge papers. Your colleague, Ms Willows, dropped some clothes off for you earlier, the nurse will bring them in for you."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome Ms Sidle, I wish you well."

Sara signed the discharge papers and Gil helped her change into the clothes that Catherine had brought.

"Jim's going to come and pick us up and drop us at the lab so I can get my car." Gil said as they left the hospital.

"Is my car evidence?" Sara asked, her voice almost timid.

Gil hesitated and took her hand in his. "Yes, sweetheart, for a while."

"Hey kiddo." Jim said getting out of his car when he saw them. "How you feeling?"

"I'm ok, thanks Jim." Brass handed the key Catherine had borrowed back to Gil.

Sara felt growing anxiety as they got closer to the lab. She wasn't sure why she felt so nervous but she was desperately hoping that she wouldn't see anyone at the lab. She didn't feel up to anyone seeing her at the moment and she didn't think she could face anyone asking her how she was. She just wanted to go home with Gil and hide away from the world.

They thanked Jim and he drove away. "Do you want to go in and see everyone?" Gil asked.

"No, can we just go home, please?"

"Yeah sure, honey." He said looking at her with concern. "Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine, please, I want to go home. Can we go home, now?"

"Ok, sweetheart. Come on." He placed his arm gently around her shoulder and led her towards the car.

"Why didn't you want to go and see them all sweetheart?" He asked tentatively as they drove towards their home.

Sara was silent for a moment or two. "I, I just can't, not yet."

"Ok."

She breathed a sigh of relief as they walked through the front door to their home, she never thought that she would see it again. The dog came running up eagerly, wagging his tail, he was glad that his owners were finally home.

"Hey boy." Sara said scratching his head. He circled her legs as she walked, almost tripping her up.

"Go and sit down, honey, I'll make you a cup of tea. Are you hungry?"

"No, tea would be nice though." She said as she sat down on the sofa. She was exhausted from the short trip between the hospital and home, and the pain in her entire body was growing.

Gil came back with two cups of tea and a glass of water. He placed them all down on the coffee table and pulled two bottles of tablets of out his pocket.

He handed her the antibiotics and painkillers and she swallowed the down with a mouthful of water. She leant back into the sofa and sighed.

"Are you in pain?" Gil asked with a look of concern on his face.

Sara bit her lip and nodded, it was difficult for her to admit to being in pain.

"The pain killers should help soon." Gil took a sip from his tea. "I've got a confession to make."

"Go on." She said slowly.

"While you were missing I might have let it slip to the team about us. I'm sorry, I didn't really know what I was saying."

"That's ok," Sara said smiling at him, "I thought Catherine and Jim didn't seem too surprised about how we were at the hospital."

"You really don't mind?"

"They were always going to find out eventually. So what did you say to them?"

"Something about me taking away the only person that Natalie loved so she was doing the same to me."

"You really told the team that you loved me?"

Gil shrugged. "It's the truth."

"I love you too, Gil."

Gil wanted to talk about what happened in the desert but he knew that Sara wasn't ready for it so instead he reached over and turned the television on. They sat watching a comedy, neither really concentrating on it but needing something to take their minds off what had happened over the past forty eight hours.

Gil noticed that Sara's body had relaxed against his and her breathing had slowed. He looked down at her face, she was asleep. He knew she was exhausted and in pain, she needed all the sleep she could get but she wouldn't be comfortable in the position she was.

"Sara, sweetheart." He said softly.

"Mmm." She murmured with her eyes still closed.

"Let's get you to bed, you'll be more comfortable there."

"Ok." She replied and allowed him to help her up.

He helped her change into her favourite pyjamas and then she got into bed, her eyes shut immediately and he assumed she was asleep. He kissed her forehead.

"Stay with me." She said when he was a few steps from the bed.

"I'm just going to change, honey, then I'll be there." He stripped his pants and shirt off and slid into bed beside her.

She cuddled up to him, needing to feel his warmth, his closeness. She needed to know that he was there.

---

He woke up during the night to the sound of her screaming.

"It's ok, Sara, I'm here. You're having a nightmare. Wake up, sweetheart."

She sat up suddenly, her breathing rapid.

"It was just a nightmare sweetheart, do you want to talk about it?" He asked already anticipating the answer.

"No." She replied.

He glanced over at the clock. They had been asleep for several hours. "It's time for you to take another dose of the pain killers and the antibiotics, I'll just go and get them."

He returned a few seconds later with the tablets and a glass of water. He handed her the pain killers and the antibiotics. "Do you want to take one of the sleeping tablets?" He asked, wanting her to get a good night's sleep.

She noticed the third bottle in his hand for the first time.

"Yeah." She replied taking the tablet from him and swallowing it down.

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