"Sara, I would like you to meet my husband, Gil Grissom. He works at the university. He teaches entomology, which is a fancy way of saying he likes bugs. Gil, this is Sara." Catherine stated as he came in the door and gave Catherine a kiss. He reminded Sara of Mr. Alexander.
"Well, it is nice to meet you, Sara." He said as he kneeled down to shake her hand.
"It is nice to meet you too, sir."
"Hey, you pushed me!" a boy said as he came in with a baseball bat and glove.
Another boy's voice said teasing, " I bumped into you 'cause you were poking along like one of Dad's snails." Sara noticed that he carried a guitar case.
"Guys!" Catherine said somewhat forcefully.
"What is it, Mom?" said the second of the two.
"I would like you to meet Sara. She is going to stay with us for a few days. Sara, this is Nick and this is Warrick."
"Hey, Sara! We are glad to have you." Warrick said.
"I trust that both of you will make her feel at home."
"Yes, mom." They both replied as they headed toward the stairs so that they could put their stuff away.
"Hey, Sara, would you like to go for a swim in the pool? It has been so hot today. Swimming in the pool might be nice."
Sara started fidgeting, "Umm…I don't have a swimsuit, Ms. Willows."
"If you look in the dresser in your room, you will find several swimsuits. You can pick one you like."
Sara shook her head in agreement as she walked away. "Oh, Sara, would you mind asking the boys if they want to swim, too?"
"I don't mind."
"Catherine, darling, she seems so …so quiet." Gil said as Sara walked up the stairs.
"Like you, huh…. I think that you two will get along okay. She was reading 'Moby Dick' when I arrived. Mrs. Alexander said that Sara had begun to excel at school. Her schoolwork definitely showed improvement under Mrs. Alexander's care. Her past school history probably had more to do with her home life than her intelligence or ability level. Sara never had to be told twice to do her homework. She may be quiet, but she is very inquisitive."
Meanwhile, Nick had gone into Warrick's room. "So, what do you think about Sara?"
"Well, I was adopted too. So, I think there may be some things that we don't know about. I was adopted because my mom and my grandmother both died and I never knew my father. Mom really wants this, so let's not mess it up. Not to mention, she needs another girl around here. Really, I hope Sara likes it here and wants to stay too. It would be nice to have a little sister."
Sara had opened the door not sure which door was whose room. "This must be Nick's room," she thought. She didn't see him, though. Nick's room was decorated with a sports theme. When she saw that he wasn't there, she walked on down the hall to what had to be Warrick's room. She knocked on the door, and Warrick's voice told her to come in.
Sara opened the door to a room that was filled with music related items. "What is it, Sara?"
"Umm…your mom said to ask you if wanted to go swimming."
"Sure, we'll be down in a minute."
Sara went into her room and looked in the dresser. She found a pink swimsuit that had little white flowers on it. She went into the bathroom and changed. She began to worry if Nick and Warrick would notice the scars and start teasing her. Other kids would usually see them and start with the taunts.
Sara came out of the bedroom and started down the stairs. Catherine was the first to notice. "Sara, I am glad you found one that you liked. Are you ready?"
"Yes, ma'am. I asked Nick and Warrick and they said they would be down in a minute."
Catherine and Gil stood up and started walking. Sara went and took one of Catherine's hands. They walked through the house and into the backyard. Sara's face lit up. She went over and entered the pool without hesitation.
Gil and Catherine sat down in the chairs at the side of the pool. "She seems to have bonded with you, Catherine." Just then the sliding door opened and out came Nick and Warrick. They went and jumped in the pool, laughing and splashing each other.
"Hey, Sara," Warrick said as he swam over to her. If Nick starts bothering you, let me know or you can just ignore him." Warrick teased. "It's what I do."
"She is having fun, don't you think, Gil?"
"She looks like it."
"She has had a rough life, Gil. Remember that case on the news where the woman had killed her husband that was abusing her. Sara is their daughter."
"Oh, I remember that."
"Sara was also a victim of his abuse. Mrs. Alexander said there had been evidence of abuse, both physical and sexual. That might be where some of quietness around you comes from. Sara didn't see her kill him, but she was there. Her mom forced her to look at the dead body though.
"Are we sure about this?" Gil questioned.
"Gil, I have never been so sure of anything. I think we can give Sara the stability she needs. We adopted Warrick and he is turning out to be a fine young man."
"Mrs. Alexander said Sara never gave them any trouble. How about we get a pizza delivered and have a game night?"
"Sounds fine to me. " Gil and Catherine looked at the three kids in the pool. Nick and Warrick were being so good with Sara. Sara was holding her own though, quite well in fact.
Sara thought to herself, "I hope this works out. I like it here."