She tapped on the open door, peeping around it into the office.
"Hi Conrad, you busy?"
"Catherine." The lab director greeted breezily, barely tearing his gaze from his paperwork. "What can I do for you?"
Coming fully into the room, she nudged the door closed and tentatively approached the desk. She had been in two minds about approaching him for help with this matter, but it was the most direct way for her to solve the problem that had been playing on her mind all day. She may not particularly like the man, but he did know his stuff when it came to financial rights.
"I have a question I was hoping you can help with." She explained her presence cryptically.
"Is this about your new role?" He asked sitting back.
"In a sense." She agreed, twisting her hands in front of her. "It's about Sara."
For a brief second, a look of frustration crossed his face, but he quickly covered it behind a mask of indifference.
"Whatever she's done, it's your responsibility to deal with it."
"No." She frowned, shaking her head. "No, it's nothing like that. I just need some advice on a matter pertaining to her."
"Okay." He agreed, somewhat cagily, as he finally fixed his full attention on her. Cath took a deep breath, debating how much information to share.
"Sara has informed me that she is currently responsible for paying for her mother's care home fees. Now, I believe there may be tax breaks available for people who are responsible for their parents' care, but I'm not sure how it works?"
Ecklie was staring wordlessly at her and she wasn't sure whether to take that as a good sign or a bad one.
"Sara told you that?" He asked at last, raising one curious eyebrow.
"Well, yeah – I was updating her file and ... it came up." She shrugged awkwardly, hoping he wouldn't press her for further details of the conversation. She felt bad enough for breaching Sara's confidence like this, especially so soon into their new working relationship.
"Do you know if she ever told Grissom?"
"I don't think so." She shifted.
In truth, she knew damn well that Sara hadn't told Grissom. It was nowhere in her file and Sara's behaviour during her sheepish disclosure suggested it was something she had not shared with anyone at work. However, in spite of her own current animosity towards Gil, she didn't want to drop him further in it with Ecklie.
"I guess I just asked the right questions." She offered meekly when his expression darkened at the admission.
He blinked at her for a moment. He hadn't really expected much to come from this little trial, but it seems he might have made the right call after all.
"If she claims her mother as a dependant, she can claim up to $3000 in expenses towards her care." He stated at last.
Wheeling himself over to his filing cabinet, he rummaged about for a moment, eventually producing a form and a small pamphlet. He handed them to her and she noted that the pamphlet was for a charity which evidently supported members of law enforcement and other emergency services.
Noticing her interest in it, Ecklie cleared his throat.
"That charity supports emergency personnel regarding matters in their personal lives, including care responsibilities for other family members. They can also provide legal support in place of a solicitor, if she requires it."
"Thank you." Catherine frowned, tucking it protectively inside the forms he had also given her. "I'm sure she'll appreciate that."
Having obtained the information she needed, she offered her thanks and turned to leave.
"Catherine." He called, waiting for her to turn back to face him.
When she did, he was wearing a satisfied little smile.
"Nice work."
x X x
"Yeah?" She hummed at the soft tap on the door, not even bothering a glance up to see who it was. It was still technically before shift was due to start, so she expected it would be Grissom coming to consult her on assignments.
"Hey," Sara stepped in, pursing her lips. "Have you got a minute?"
Catherine's head shot up, a mix of surprise and relief to see the brunette standing there.
"Of course."
She had actually been on the brink of paging her young colleague anyway, so this was fortuitous.
Sara shuffled into the small office, flexing her hands anxiously.
"I just wanted to apologise, for this morning." She said, her eyes darting everywhere but at Catherine.
"For what?" The blonde asked softly, shaking her head in confusion.
"For offloading onto you like that." Sara explained, a light blush creeping up her cheeks. Catherine's expression softened at her obvious nerves.
"Sara, it's okay." She assured her. "I'm glad you told me. In fact, I have something for you."
Her curiosity peaked, Sara approached the desk and accepted the papers being offered to her.
"What is this?" She asked.
"Since your mother is a dependant, you can claim a tax break. You'll need to submit that form to the IRS. I've already included your proof of employment – it's at the back." She explained. "The pamphlet is for a charity who supports members of law enforcement with personal matters, including people who have caring responsibilities at home. They might be able to offer some legal advice regarding other funding."
While she was talking, Sara had slowly sunk into the chair in front of her, her eyes glued to the papers in her hand. When she finally lifted her head, Catherine couldn't quite decipher the look on her face.
"Thank you." She said earnestly. "That ... that means a lot."
"That's why I'm here." Catherine pointed out with a smile.
When Sara didn't make any effort to move, Cath took the opportunity to scrutinise her. She appeared genuinely taken-aback by the gesture, as if she hadn't expected Catherine to act on her disclosure at all.
Then again, she probably hadn't. After all, would Grissom have even considered seeking out further information to help her?
Catherine sat forward, folding her hands on the desk.
"Sara ... did you ever work with Sandy?"
The question, completely left-field, appeared to startle the brunette out of her thoughts.
"No."
"I did." The ghost of a smile graced Catherine's face for just a second, and then it was gone. "She was a good CSI. A good person."
She paused, taking a steadying breath. She could feel Sara watching her carefully and forced herself to meet her colleague's eye.
"Her father was suffering from dementia and she was trying to look after him on her own because she didn't want to put him into a home. Her son had been kicked out of school after the death of her husband. She was having money problems. She started taking sleeping pills. Eventually she snapped; she couldn't take it anymore. Now, her father's gone into state care, her son's in the foster system – all because she tried to manage on her own. If she'd just talked to someone, told her supervisor, he could have helped her. They could have eased her workload, provided support ... and she might still be alive." She tailed off, chewing on her lower lip for a moment. "How many times have you wanted to tell Grissom something, but you couldn't find him? Or he's been too busy to talk, so you say those standard words: it can wait."
Sara smiled tightly, confirming her suspicions.
"See, you know what I mean." She laughed softly. "That's what this new welfare programme is about. Forget 'Regular Welfare Reviews', forget these weekly five-minute update meetings. The point of this scheme is to make sure you guys have that opportunity to talk to someone so that things don't get put off forever and if there is something that needs addressing, it actually gets addressed. It doesn't matter how trivial it is, if it's bothering you then tell us, because we can help." She pointed to the papers clutched in Sara's hand to prove her point.
Sara looked down at them, then back up at Catherine.
"What if I told you something and if it's not something you can help with?" She asked uncertainly. "What would you do then?"
Catherine attempted to hide her surprise at the fact that Sara had actually voluntarily extended the conversation.
"It depends what you tell me and what you want to happen." She answered honestly. "If you just want to talk, that's fine. We can just talk. If it's something more serious, then we'll work through it and find a solution together, or I'll refer you on to people who can help. The only time I'll have to inform other people myself is if I'm worried that you're at some risk of harm. Okay?"
"Yeah." Sara nodded, licking her lips. "So, when are these meetings going to take place?"
"The 'RWR's will take place once a month – when I get round to scheduling them I'll send you and Nick email invitations so you can add them straight into your calendar. The weekly catch-ups, I thought I could do one of you on a Monday at the start of shift and the other on a Tuesday. Any preference?"
Sara smiled and shook her head. There shifts were so uncertain, she suspected that it wouldn't matter either way, as they'd probably get changed on a regular basis anyway.
Catherine chewed on her lip for a moment, debating whether to push her luck with Sara's current amenable attitude. In the end, she decided to go for it.
"Hey, the meetings are the official opportunity for us to talk, but you know that you can always come to me if there's anything bothering you." She assured her young subordinate. "You've got my number; you always know where to reach me."
Sara nodded in understanding.
"I'm not Grissom; I won't shy away from personal problems." Cath continued sincerely. "I want to help."
Sara nodded again, even offering a small smile this time. When she didn't immediately make to leave, Catherine sent her an optimistic look.
"Was there something you did want to tell me?" She asked.
"No, I'm fine." Sara pushed herself out of the chair and held up the paperwork. "Thank you, for this. It'll really help."
Catherine watched her go, a mix of feelings stirring. She had been worried about how Sara would take to this new arrangement. She knew how close she was to Grissom and also how cagey she could be when pushed for personal information. That combination did not bode well for Catherine as her acting supervisor.
On top of that, after that morning's meeting, she had had more than one concerning thought about what was going on in her young friend's life.
But, perhaps Catherine had underestimated her. After all, she had come here of her own volition and instigated a conversation about her personal life. She had accepted Catherine's help without resistance and even insinuated that she wouldn't be averse to voicing her problems in the future.
Perhaps this whole supervisor lark wouldn't be as difficult as she first thought.