Growing Period II

By Dany

Summary: One second can change a lot of things.

xxxxx

The rest of the day did not continue as pleasantly as they had hoped.

They had been able to finish their walk in peace, but that had been about it. Not even out of the park yet, they had to stop because their cell phones went off - first Grissom's, then Sara's.

Stepping away from each other, out of hearing range, they took their calls. It was disappointing to hear that their day together would be cut short. The lab was tapped out and they had to go in early. Usually, that would not be a problem, but today they would have been glad if that call hadn't come.

With regret, they got into the car and headed home to change and retrieve their kits. Their moves were well practiced and they were back on their way to the lab in record time.

Throughout the ride, Grissom kept checking if she was alright, if she was angry - at them or at him.

Sara had closed her eyes to distance herself. Over time, she had learned to distance herself mentally or physically when called in after they had been particularly close. Normal situations she was used to; after all, she hadn't had a difficult 'relationship' with Grissom for years and without learning to deal with its complications. Admittedly, she hadn't always handled it well, but it had worked.

The temptation to look at Grissom was enormous, but she was determined to remain professional. When she finally did open her eyes, Grissom could see that she had made the transfer and was not angry. Knowing that she was fine left him the chance to do the same.

He went through the scarce information they had been given on the case. He could already tell it would consume the rest of their day and carry over to their shift. He just didn't know what else he should expect.

xxxxx

When they arrived at the crime scene, it looked like any other - just as disturbing and gruesome. They started analyzing and collecting evidence, not noticing how much time was passing. No matter what developments happened in their private life, they were still workaholics and often got lost in their jobs.

It was well into their actual shift when Grissom looked at his watch, surprised that it was already that late. He had finished the last room and packed up his stuff to go and find Sara.

"Hey."

She looked up and cast a tired smile his way. "Hey."

"How are you?" No matter how hard he tried, he could not stop worrying about her wellbeing. That wasn't new; it was just new that he voiced it and it seemed to positively surprise her every time.

"Doing okay." Her eyes told him that she was tired and that her words were just a facade, spoken for the sake of professionalism.

He nodded sharply, accepting that there was nothing he could do about that right now, but making a silent promise to himself that he would not let her log in any more overtime that day. Right now, it would be best to return to the lab and sit down for a while, so he motioned for the door. "Ready to go?"

"You bet."

She locked her case and got up to follow him. They let the officers know that they were done and watched as they left the house, taking one last look around to make sure they got everything.

Sara noticed that she forgot her small flashlight, her sloppiness belying her exhaustion, and went back to retrieve it. She returned to his side in a hurry, apologizing for being so clumsy. He waved it off and smiled at her, wanting to offer her more, but knowing he couldn't. For Sara it was enough.

Grissom left the house first. It was even darker outside, the streetlight apparently busted, and Grissom had trouble seeing anything on the porch. Being as tired as he was, his vision was obscured by the shadows and he miscalculated his next step.

His kit dropped onto the floor as he brought his arms forward to try and break his fall, but he only met nothingness. The next moment he heard a suspicious crack and pain shot up his leg. His foot had caught in one of the gaps between the porch planks and hadn't quite followed the rest of his body as it made its way down. He managed to catch himself with his hands just before his head connected with the wood, but he still felt disoriented and shocked.

He had only let out a grunt of pain in his fall, but that was enough to send Sara rushing to him. "Grissom!"

She knelt by his side, trying to determine if he was injured, but to her horror, he wasn't moving at all. She didn't know whether he was unconscious, possibly having hit his head, or if he was in shock. In fact, she didn't know what had happened at all. She hadn't heard a shot, but that didn't mean there was none.

Her hands slid over his form up to his head, and upon finding no blood, she released a sigh of relief. When she touched his head and began stroking it softly, looking for a bump, he moved.

His head lifted a bit and turned in her direction, but she could tell that he wasn't really able to focus on her yet. "Grissom, move as little as possible. I'm going to call an ambulance."

He grunted at her plan, probably not because he agreed. He hated being injured and he hated hospitals, but she wanted to make sure that he would be alright. The call to dispatch was made quickly. Another grunt from Grissom told her he wasn't pleased that everyone would know, but it was protocol and even he knew that.

Slowly, he tried to sit up, which she tried to prevent by gently pressing down on his shoulders. "Sara, I just fell. Please, let me up."

He was more lucid now, trying to seek out her eyes in the dark. The fact that he was able to form a sentence coherently reassured her somewhat and she moved her hands to his back to help him turn.

They managed to get him upright, but not without more than one hiss of pain and a string of curses. "It's my ankle. I tripped over something and my foot got caught."

Sara debated whether to check his leg or leave it until the medics came.

In the end, her desire to know what was wrong was stronger and she went to get her flashlight. She returned to his side in seconds, trying to put on a brave front by smiling at him. When the beam of light hit his leg, however, she couldn't help but flinch.

His foot was tipped oddly to one side and she saw a slight swelling above the ankle that was probably holding blood from the injury. She didn't dare to try and feel around, not wanting to hurt him any further. There was no doubt in her mind that something was broken.

Grissom would not like that at all.

She turned to look at him and found him staring at his illuminated ankle. "It's broken."

His calm assessment was so typical that despite the gravity of the situation, Sara had to smile. Even that smile couldn't help her fight the tears that wanted to fall. She had held it together until now, her worry overwriting anything else, but now reality had set in.

Grissom was hurt.

Yes, it was only a broken leg, but it was also not just a scratch. For long minutes they kept staring at each other, taking comfort in the other's mere presence.

The nearing siren startled them and Sara hastened to wipe away her tears. "Sara, get the evidence back to the lab. No, don't make this harder than it already is," he forestalled her protest. "Just deliver it and then come and see me, alright?"

She nodded, knowing he was right, even if it hurt. She would never be able to forgive herself if the case was lost because of that.

She watched as they loaded him into the ambulance, waiting until it pulled away before going back to work. Although her thoughts were constantly on him, wondering how much pain he was in and how bad the injury really was, she remained professional.

Everything was loaded into their truck with quick efficiency and soon she was on her way back to the lab.

TBC