a/n: I gave myself permission to borrow from another story of mine, lol, I hope you don't mind if a character and a portion of Secrets and Ghosts shows up in this chapter. I just loved that part of the story, so I shamelessly inserted it in here.....
Chapter four: Coming Clean
On the way to the hospital, Catherine decided to give Greg an update.
"Hello," came the sleepy answer.
"Oh, dear, Greg, I'm so sorry, it sounds like I woke you up!"
"Catherine?"
"Yes, try to go back to sleep."
"No way," more alert now, "Do you have any news on Sara?"
"Well, just that she's doing well enough to be moved to a room, 622 at Desert Palms. But Grissom said she's sleeping nonstop; he hasn't even been able to talk to her much."
"She must be whipped; it sounds like she's not up for a visit yet, will you call when she is?"
"You bet, and in the meantime do me a favor?"
"Of course, name it."
"Call the others and let them know what's going on, I'm driving on my way back to the hospital with some things for them."
Clearly wide awake now, "You got to go through their places?! We need to talk!"
"Settle down Greg, there's nothing to tell, I was on my best behavior, but I will say this, they are very much a couple." He's worse than me."And, Greg, we need to play down their relationship; I don't know yet how Grissom wants to handle it, and Ecklie is getting very curious."
"Oh, yeah, I've been pleading ignorance every time somebody brings it up, and there's been lots of somebody's."
Catherine sighed, "True, we may be past damage control, but I don't want it to come from anybody on the team."
"I'll pass that along, too. If you get to speak to Sara, tell her, um, well, I'm just so glad she's going to be ok, and let me know if there's anything I can do. Grissom, too."
"Sure thing, and sorry for the wake up call."
They hung up as Catherine pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. A little embarrassed by all she brought for what was probably just a day or two, it was too late to pare it down now.
Meanwhile, Sara was still asleep with Grissom nodding off in the chair beside her bed. Her nurse came in to get her cleaned up, but he talked her into waiting until she had her own shampoo, soap, and lotion, knowing how she takes care of her skin and reasoning the hospital grade stuff wouldn't be too gentle.
Not much later Catherine arrived. "I see sleeping beauty is still at it."
Grissom chuckled, "Yes, she's doing a fine job of catching up on her sleep."
Taking the bags from her, "You know, we're only here for a day or two."
"I know that, but you were a little vague on what to bring so I tossed in all sorts of different stuff. Besides, you shouldn't criticize a favor."
"True, forgive me. What's in that bag over there?"
Catherine had stopped at the grocery for some pastries, sandwiches, and fruit thinking they both must be famished. "Just a little something to snack on."
"Very thoughtful, Cath, thank you."
"By the way, Gil, I hate to bring this up, but have you thought about how you are going to handle Ecklie?"
"What do you mean?"
She rolled her eyes, He can be so dense! "Just so you know, rumors are flying around the lab that you and Sara are romantically involved, and Ecklie is already asking some very pointed questions about it."
"They are just rumors, nobody has seen anything, except you and Brass; he can't do anything based on suspicions."
"With all due respect, I mean you two were always consummate professionals at the lab, but you don't know that someone less loyal to you than our team saw something else, maybe outside the lab, I mean c'mon, you two pretty much live together."
He could only roll his eyes, she had a point.
"And, your vigil by her side is not going to dispel any rumors." He shook his head angrily at that, "Gil, I'm on your side, completely, I just want you to think ahead, politics is not your strong suit and this has potential to blow up in your face if your not careful."
He grimaced and nodded, "You're right." He sighed heavily, "I really need to rest before I figure out how I'm going to handle it, I'm too tired to think right now; in the meantime, try to keep a lid on it as much as possible," he shrugged, "if you can."
"I'll do my best." She smiled, hugged him tightly, "that one's to share with Sara when she wakes up." Turning to leave, "and I expect a call when I can visit!"
"You got it, thanks, Catherine."
Grissom started taking things out of the bags, and finding plenty to pick from, chose some clean clothes and what he needed for a shower and shave. Leaving Sara in her coma for now, he ducked into the shower hoping she wouldn't awaken alone.
The shower was Spartan in every way, but the warm water rendered luxury beyond anything anyone could ever ask for. Washing away days worth of desert grit, grime, and sweat was priceless. How can a simple shower feel this good?!
Toweling off and dressing in old jeans, a polo shirt and loafers, Grissom was feeling like a new man. It was time to clean up Sara.
He found her favorite soap, then rang the nurse and tried to awaken Sara. He gently caressed her cheek, but that didn't do it. He went to gently shaking her shoulder, but she continued to sleep. He shook her a little more forcefully, still out for the count. By now he was in a panic, "Sara!!" he yelled, and she nearly jumped out of the bed with fright, causing him to jump up in fright as well.
Sara was sitting bolt upright despite her arm in traction, looking all around the room with a confused expression on her face. Finally, her gaze settled on Grissom, and she simply shrugged, as if to say 'have you lost your mind?'
They both started laughing as he approached her with arms outstretched and pulled her into a crushing, overdue hug. "I'm so sorry," he chuckled, "I was trying to wake you up, but you weren't responding to anything."
"Mmmm, I must admit, I was sleeping hard, and I'm still a bit foggy." She inhaled deeply, "Wow, you smell good."
He pulled back to look her in the eye, "And now it's your turn for that."
"How are we gong to pull that off?" she rubbed her sleepy eyes, "I can hardly focus."
"Help is on the way, and you can't believe how good it will feel to get clean."
Just then Sara's nurse wheeled a cart of supplies into her room, "Hello there, finally got those eyes open?" Not waiting for an answer, "I'm Doris, and I'm going to get you shining brighter than a new penny." As she was getting her supplies in order, Grissom handed her Sara's soap. "Honey, we're going to have to do this with you in the bed, doctor's orders."
"Can't you just help me to the shower?"
"If I let you get in that shower and you fell, I'd never forgive myself," she chuckled. "You're not steady enough for that just yet."
Doris was clearly a no nonsense kind of person who had plenty of experience at what she was about to do. She wasted no time in starting in, after clearing it with Sara to enlist Grissom's help; she barked orders at the two of them as she never stopped moving herself.
Giving someone a bed bath is tricky, but someone as filthy as the desert had left poor Sara was down right challenging. However, Doris was undaunted. She went over Sara as many times as it took to get her completely clean, and she didn't have a shy bone in her body. She had Grissom helping Sara turn and move, and supporting her as need be in the various positions she needed to get to all of her. Sara wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing, and between her experience of having her clothing removed under the bright lights in the crowded ED and this bed bath, she hadn't a shred of modesty left. No wonder I hate hospitals!
By the time Doris finished, Sara was free of even a spec of dirt and lying on crisp, clean sheets. "Wow, I feel wonderful, thank you," she breathed out, adjusting the new gown over her shoulders.
Smiling broadly, and admiring her efforts Doris replied, "I'm so glad, now I've gotta check on another patient, I'll be back to get that rat's nest atop your head next. How's your pain, dearie, that morphine should be about gone by now."
"I'm pretty sore all over, and my arm is throbbing, but I don't want to be knocked out again."
"No problem, I'll give you something lighter when I get back." And she spun on her heel and out the door.
"Gil, can you hand me that lotion?" pointing at the open cosmetics bag. As he obliged, "How'd you get all this stuff up here anyway, you don't even have a car here, do you?"
"Well, I couldn't leave you, not after what we've been through, so I asked Catherine to run home for us."
Sara stopped applying the lotion, frozen in shock, jaw slackened.
"Honey, I let it slip to the team about us, she already knew we were together." He took the lotion from her and took over rubbing it in, "I knew it was the motive, Natalie was trying to get at me, and I shared that with the team."
"Gil," she looked imploringly at him, "did you really have to do that?"
"I didn't even realize it when I did it; I was so overcome with guilt and obsessed with finding you. It was out of my mouth before I even thought about the repercussions," He returned her gaze, "but, only our team knows, nobody else."
Sara finally took a deep breath, relaxing somewhat. "I always knew this day would come, but deep down, I hoped it never would." She looked away in thought, "How are they doing with it?"
"I'm not too sure, really. Catherine is the only one I've spoken to about us since. She was very surprised, but seems to be fine with it now. You know, we were so busy trying to find you; nobody dared take time out to talk about our relationship."
"It's going to be different though," she paused, "when we go back to work together, it will all be different." Her eyes were focused in space as she spoke softly, pensive, trying to imagine how the team would function with full knowledge of their relationship.
Her mind gradually let go of the image of the team and started to embrace the fantastic feeling of Gil rubbing lotion into her dry skin. "Mmmmm, that is so soothing," and she brushed back her hair as she spoke, "Ugh!" her hand was literally stuck to her hair.
"In all my dumpster diving adventures; I think this is the dirtiest my hair has ever been," and she had to laugh.
Sara watched as Grissom wasn't laughing, but instead he rubbed his chin in thought, staring at Doris' stuff on the cart. "Gil," she was shaking her head, "please, I've already had one near drowning today, can't this wait 'til she comes back?"
"She's brought in everything we need; I think I know how she's gonna do it."
"Honey, I've got a bad feeling about this!" but it was too late. Grissom was rifling through the bag for her shampoo.
"Do you have anything for the tangles?" he questioned excitedly.
"That yellow bottle should work pretty well after the shampoo." She answered nervously.
He proceeded to position the large tub on the cart filling two pitchers with warm water. He then adjusted the bed to a level just above the tub; he helped Sara position her head off the bed over the tub, which was quite a feat with the traction and the splint. He started to pour the warm water over her which produced a multiple sighs of satisfaction from her. It felt so good after that filth had practically melded to her scalp. Things got touch and go when Gil got so distracted with all the stuff floating off her scalp that he almost let the tub tip over, but he quickly recovered and refocused. He repeated the process, over and over, dumping the tub and refilling the pitchers. He shampooed her hair with loving tenderness that she had hardly experienced in her troubled life. Finally, it was the yellow bottle's turn. It was the best smelling stuff, "So this is your secret scent," Gil said as he took in a deep breath.
After the final rinse, he toweled her off, and shuddered to think he had almost lost this treasure in his life. Sara just smiled as she took in the moment and savored it. She tried not to think about how their lives had changed forever with their relationship known to the team. She would worry about that later. For now, she relished being alive, and being with Gil Grissom.
tbc….