Follow you, Follow Me
Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!
Chapter 2
"This is CSI Supervisor Grissom reporting that we are in elevator number 2 stuck between the 16th and 17th floors" he spoke with authority to the maintenance worker on the other end of the phone.
"Thanks Mr. Grissom" she heard the voice reply "we have a technician on the way right now!"
"How long will this take?" he asked, "We are due at the crime scene on the 20th floor."
He did not like the hesitation in the man's voice.
"Well, I uh um think uh, maybe not too long?" the young voice replied.
Clearly he was unable to give Grissom a fair estimate on the eta of the technician.
"You see" the young man continued "These incline elevators are unique and there are only three people who can work on them. And with this being Thanksgiving and all…" Pause. "But we will get one here ASAP and get you folks out."
Grissom had his doubts. But to keep up the effect for Sara's sake, he replied "Great, thanks!" and hung up the phone.
Sara had been trying to use her cell phone while Griss was on the phone with the maintenance worker.
"No signal" she sighed.
He pulled out his phone and tried to make a call. He also had no signal. He tried to send a text. No luck with that either.
Sara slid down the wall of the elevator until she was seated on the floor with her back to the wall. Grissom noticed how long her lovely legs were as they were stretched out to cross in front of her.
"God she is beautiful" he reflected to himself.
"Might as well get comfortable!" she said as she took another deep breath.
"Honey, are you ok?" he asked.
He didn't have to fake sincerity. He knew she was nervous and wanted to help her. He just didn't know how to reach cross the line he had drawn without hurting her again.
She'd been very clear with him. She had heard him with Dr. Lurie, explaining how he had been unable to take the risk of giving up everything for the one thing he wanted more than anything else in the world. Her.
His words haunted him.
"She offers us a new life with her... but we have a big decision to make, right? Because we have to risk everything we've worked for in order to have her."
The silence was broken by the elevator phone ringing. Griss picked it up.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Um Hi Mr Grissom, this is Andy, from security, I have a patch through from Captain Brass. He said it was police business. Go ahead Captain."
Grissom said "Yes?"
"Karma's a bitch ain't it Gil?" could be heard through the laughter on the other end of the phone.
"I have no idea what you are talking about" replied Grissom. Not finding anywhere near as much humor as Brass apparently did.
"Your stuck in an elevator with Sara aren't you?" asked Jim.
"Yes" Grissom replied.
"You're going to be there for a while?" Jim continued.
"Yes, it appears that way." Grissom replied.
"Tell her." Jim said.
"Uh, no" Grissom replied.
"Who is it?" asked Sara. Grissom had glanced over as she finished taking off her sweatshirt and forensics jacket and making herself more comfortable by using them as a makeshift pillow.
"Brass" said Griss, all the while thinking. "Oh God I'm in trouble as she shed more clothes to avoid the heat in the very small space." He pretended not to notice.
"Well tell Sara I said hi and that we're going to get her out of there as quickly as possible" Jim said. And then quickly added "Tell her. You won't be sorry."
Grissom hung up the phone.
"We'll be out of here in no time flat!" he reassured Sara.
"Fine," she replied. "So what did Jim say?"
"Not much really, just that they were working on getting a technician out here as soon as they could and that they had Greg and Cath working the crime scene for us," he replied.
"How comforting" she said sarcastically. "So, what now?" She asked.
"Well" he hesitated "We could talk?"
"About what?" she replied. She knew full well what she wanted to talk to him about, but really couldn't imagine that he'd want to have that conversation after their last fiasco.
"What to do about this?" he said quietly.
"Oh" she said. Surprised. Shocked. Excited? "What about "this"" she answered, making the same gesture with her hands that he had made the night he blew her off.
"OK Sara, I was wrong about that," he said, his head hung indicating his embarrassment. "You and I both know that."
"But you've been keeping us apart Griss" she said in a clear, but slightly emotional voice, "I thought you had given up on me."
Did she mention Lurie to him? In her mind, the conversation she overhead was damning to their relationship. But should she mention that she heard it? Brass knew – she cried on his shoulder that night – but surely he would have kept her secret.
"OK, I have an idea" he said, "Just for now, let's try to be as honest as we can be about where we are and then try and figure out what to do about "this"" he made the gesture again. This time, it was for effect.
"Fair enough" she said "but you may not be ready to hear what I have to say"
"I'm ready," he said.
Blue eyes locked on to brown and he slid to the floor, directly across from her, his feet touching hers.
"Then you start" she said. She was not going to let him get the better of her.
_TBC_