CHAPTER 4

Late

Catherine Willows slammed shut the door to her car. She was late. She and her daughter Lindsey had another fight.

Catherine pushed open the door to the lab, almost knocking over colleague Sara Sidle.

"Whoa Cath, where the fire?"

"Sorry, but I'm late for the," Catherine counter on her fingers, " third time this week."

" Which is three times too many right?"

"Yeah," Sara had a habit of pointing out some of the information nobody wanted to accept.

"Well see ya I've got a…" Sara looked at the paper in her hands, " a skeleton glued to a swing."

"What?! Huh well good luck with that."

"Yeah. Good luck with Grissom," Sara smirked at Catherine.

"You're kidding." Catherine knew Sara was, Gil wasn't the type to get onto you about being late. Plus Cath was pissed off and Gil wouldn't dare get in her way.

"Tell me how am I suppose to raise my daughter without the crap of this city rubbing off on her?!"Catherine yelled at Greg Sanders and Nick, innocent by standards that happened to be in the lockeroom when she entered. "Hmmmm? Any answers?! No?" Nick and Greg just blinked, staring at her somewhat nervously."ummm, I don't….uhhhh," Greg stammered and was appearing as if he would fall apart "No."

" Did you have another fight with Lindsey?"Nick must have been daring today to talk to her like that!!!Like he- actually Catherine thought, cooling down, there was nothing wrong with what he said.

"Yeah," Catherine sat on the bench next to where Nick was standing.

"Well I'm glad I don't have kids" Greg laughed. Cath shot him an icy look. 'Sorry," Greg shut his locker and left before she could say anything.

Nick laughed. Turning to Cath he said, "Don't worry bout it Cath, Lindsey's just being a teenager, she's in a phase. All teenage girls go through it, no big."

"Did you see that on the Discovery Channel too Nicky?"

" No." Laughing Nick showed Catherine a picture in his wallet of seven Children sitting on a porch. "Five older sisters."

"Your poor mother." Catherine counted the rosy faces, " SEVEN!"

"Robbie, Maggie, Jennifer ,Lily, Laine, Kim, and…"

"Nicky!" Cath smiled " Look at all your baby fat! You look like marshmallow!"

Nick rolled his eyes. "You're funny." Nick took his wallet and slipped it into his back pocket. Nick said goodbye and left.