Notes: Hey everybody! Thanks for reading and reviewing!! I'm so glad everyone's enjoying this fic. It feels good to get my fingers moving again! This is a short one. My chapters are short, but my fics are long! I hope to have the next chapter up pretty quick though. Enjoy!
She arrived back to the room to find him still asleep, snoring peacefully. She unloaded the bags onto the table as quietly as possible and stuffed the small fridge with the juices, fruits and yogurts she'd bought. Deciding not to wake him, she looked for his lecture so she could read thru it. Along with the transcript, she found the conference schedule. Glancing down the list, she found the he was scheduled for two more lectures, one on 'Insect activity and its role in the decomposition of human cadavers' and the other on 'A preliminary study on the constitution and succession of insect community on a pig carcass in Las Vegas, NV.'
He began to stir just as she'd finished the last of the lecture she was to present that evening. She went to his side, medication in hand, determined to get him started on his antibiotics. A slight smile came across his face as he found her by his side. "Hi."
"Hi, yourself. I need you to take your medicine. Can you sit up?" He sat up slowly, with her help. He drank down some cough syrup and swallowed a pill before she lowered him back to the bed. "Do you feel any better at all?"
"Since you came."
"Hmm. Well, your lecture is in about an hour. Do you want me to get you anything before I go?"
"Don't go."
"I have to do your lecture. I'll only be gone for a little over an hour. I'm going to stop by the front desk to book myself a room."
"No rooms. All booked for the conference. You stay with me."
She chuckled inwardly. She's waited all her life for him to ask her to spend the night with him. Now it was happening, but it wasn't at all like she'd pictured. "Okay, my sick man. I'll stay with you. Go back to sleep." And he did just that.
Forty-five minutes later, she slipped quietly out of the room to the lecture hall. The room was packed when she got there, all of them expecting to get a speech from the famous Dr. Grissom. She only hoped that most of them would not walk out when they realized he was not there, but figured she should at least give them the chance in case that was the only reason they were there.
She cleared her throat and gathered everyone's attention. "If I could have everyone take their seats, I have an announcement to make before the lecture." A few moments later, "My name is Sara Sidle. I work with Dr. Grissom, who regretfully, due to illness, cannot make it tonight. I assure you that you will be receiving the same lecture as he graciously has provided his transcript, although I do understand if you wish to leave." She was grateful when no one got up.
An hour later, she finished up the lecture by asking if anyone had any questions, thankful that there were only a few, and that they were ones she could answer. A few professors and other criminalists came up to thank her for the lecture and to ask her to give Gil their best. Once she was able, she hurried back to the room.
He stirred as she entered. "How'd it go?"
"It went fine. Everyone sends their best."
Coughing first, "Knew you could do it."
"Thanks. Do you want something to eat? I got some fruit. Or I could order up some soup."
"Soup. Maybe." Then with a groan, "Bathroom."
"Do you need help getting up?"
"No. Maybe. No."
Giving him his space, she ordered room service while she watched him stubbornly struggle to make it to the bathroom. It seemed to take forever for him to return, and almost moments after he got back into bed, there was a knock at the door.
She'd ordered soup for the two of them and she was shocked that he was so weak that he could barely lift the spoon to his mouth. Silently, she went to his side and took the spoon from him. He didn't protest as she'd thought he would, but instead leaned his head back against the wall. His hair was tussled, and obviously in need of a wash, he skin was strikingly white and his eyes were filled with weariness.
After about half of the soup was gone, he started to protest, and she didn't push him to eat any more. She felt his forehead again, "You're still burning up. You need some more Tylenol." She shook some pills into his hand and gave him a drink of water. "Now sleep." He scooted down in the bed without argument and quickly fell asleep. She stood and stared at him in peaceful slumber before she was interrupted by the buzz of her phone. "Sidle."
"Hey, kiddo. How's he doing?"
"Hey, Jim. He's pretty sick. Sleeping right now."
"You takin' care of him?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not that I can see. I mean, I'm his best friend, but all he could manage on the phone was to tell me he needed you. Gotta say, hurt my feelings a little."
"Yeah right! Like you actually wanted to come take care of his sick behind and make his lectures."
"Yeah, you're right. Besides, I'm sure he'd rather have you wash his back than me."
"Hanging up now, Jim."
With a chuckle, "K, Kiddo. Take care of him."
"You got it."
She flipped her phone shut and headed for her bag, glad that she had a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt. She changed quickly in the bathroom and decided an early night would probably be best since she had an early lecture to give. With that thought, she went to his briefcase to check for notes on the next lecture.
There were scattered notes, but she wasn't lucky enough to have a full transcript for this one. Taking a spot on the other side of the king-sized bed, she piled the notes on her lap and started to sort. An hour passed before she got everything in some sort of order. She was just about to make another read-thru when he rolled over and flung an arm over her lap and the notes. Gently lifting his arm, she placed it back by his side, only for him to put it right back. With a huff, she lifted his arm to remove the notes, and let his arm fall back onto her lap.
She spent another half hour reading thru the notes again, until she was satisfied she'd gotten everything she could out of them and put them on the bedside table before turning out the light and scooting down on the bed. Her whole body stiffened when he pulled her tightly to his body. She gently pulled away, but his strength overwhelmed her.
"Sara."
"Grissom, you need to sleep. You're sick."
"Sara."
"I'm here, but you have to let me go."
"No."
"Yes, Grissom. You're sick. You have no idea what you're doing."
"Sara. My Sara. Stay with me."
With a frustrated sigh, she gave in to his sickly plea. "Okay. I'll stay with you. Sleep."
He pulled her closer to him, her back pressed against his side and his hot breath blowing against her neck. Her body stiffened again when his moist lips met the bare flesh of her neck. Just one quick kiss, but it burned a permanent spot into skin that would never heal. As she felt his breathing even out to a slow steady pace, she too, found sleep. A peaceful, sound sleep overcame her that she'd never felt before. She was safe in his embrace, comfortable with the fact that even though he would remember nothing in the morning, tonight, he needed her.