Grissom waited until the coffee had finished percolating before joining Brass in the living room. This gave him time to think about how to answer the question. He handed Brass a mug and sat in a chair.
"What do you want to know about her?"
"How'd you meet her?"
"On a case." Grissom was trying to keep specifics out of the conversation.
"She's a CSI?"
"Yes. Look, Brass, I don't really want to share any more details about her. She has a right to privacy. I would do the same thing for you or any of my other friends." Grissom explained in hopes that Brass would drop the subject. Any further conversation was prevented the phone. Grissom too the call and then rushed him and Brass out of the house.
"Gil, what is going on?"
"Catherine is in labor. We need to go. You know Eddie won't be around." Grissom threw a jacket in the back of his car. Brass ran to his own car and drove to the hospital. The two men stayed with her and coached her through labor. Eddie came and went. He told them to call him when the baby was born. Brass and Grissom suppressed their anger to help Catherine. She delivered the Lindsey. Catherine thanked her friends for being there with her. Grissom was simply amazed to see biology in action. He let Catherine rest and told her he would visit again in the morning.
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Upon his arrival at home, his answering machine was blinking to tell him he had a message. He pressed play only to be surrounded by Sara's voice. He called her back before the message even finished.
"Sidle."
"Hi. Sorry I didn't call you earlier."
"I'm just glad you're home safe and sound. Where were you?"
"Catherine called. She went into labor. I was at the hospital with her."
"Congratulations to her. Boy or girl?"
"She had a healthy baby girl. I can already tell that Lindsey will have her mother's looks." He told her and sagged on his bed.
"You were in the delivery room?" Sara sounded surprised by this.
"Yes, I was holding her hand. I didn't look until Lindsey was all the way out."
"You're a good friend. I'm glad you got home in time to be with her. Where was the father?" Sara asked.
"He's…not reliable. He knew and came by. After an hour, he left and told us to call him when the baby got here."
"That's awful!"
"I agree. I don't know what Catherine sees in him. She's too good for him. He's cheating on her too." Grissom explained. He didn't normally divulge other people's personal information, but Sara was easy to talk to and in another state. He knew he could trust her with anything because he saw a lot of qualities in her the he himself possessed.
"How do you know this?"
"I saw him. I was at a club processing a case and saw him getting friendly with a woman that wasn't Catherine. I'm surprised they weren't arrested for what they were doing." Sara gasped.
"You should tell her. I'd want to know." Sara advised.
"I know that I should, but I can't bring myself to do it. Eddie used to be a good friend of mine. I don't like anyone to pry into my life, so I generally stay out of theirs."
"Seems like a good plan. I generally do the same thing. I won't keep you up, I'm sure you're tired." She finished her thought with a yawn.
"You're right and it appears that I'm not the only one. Goodnight Sara."
"Night Griss. Sleep well." She hung up the phone. He thought about the shortened name shed just used. He decided he liked it and then went to bed as well.
GSRGSRGSRGSRGSRGSR*****TIME LEAP*****GSRGSRGSRGSRGSRGSRGSR
Two years had passed since Gil helped to relocate Sara. He kept up almost daily conversations with her and made sure they weren't strictly professional. He wanted to know what was going on in her life. He asked questions that he would feel comfortable answering if she turned the tables. She usually threw him for a loop though. They usually had breakfast together over the phone before going to bed. He got home and called her right away.
"Sidle."
"Hey."
"Hi! What's up?"
"I just want you to know that I may have to change our daily chat time."
"Why?" She asked.
"You remember me telling you about Catherine?"
"Yes."
"Well, she finally found out about her husband's infidelity. She and her daughter will be temporarily living with me. She filed for divorce and since he spent all their money, she needs a place to stay while she saves a few pay checks."
"Oh. You told her?"
"No. She caught him. I think she knows that I knew what was going on. She isn't saying anything because I'm letting her live here for a month or two." He explained.
"I'm sorry, but how does that stop you from talking to me?"
"I told you a long time ago. I like to keep my private life private. She may be living here, but she won't stop me from keeping certain things to myself. I've already rearranged several things and put a lock on my bedroom door to protect them from her prying eyes."
"Sounds like I know you better than she does." Sara snickered.
"In some ways, you do. I lived with you too; even if only for a few days." He said and checked the clock. Catherine would be here soon.
"I guess I need your address so we can resort to letter writing. Think you can escape on the weekend to talk to me for an hour?"
"Yes. I will send you my address in the letter I'm going to write later today. I'm sure that I'll have interesting stories to tell you now that Catherine and her two year old are going to be here. I will make sure to call you whenever I can." He promised her. She chuckled and the doorbell rang at the same time. Grissom answered it while still on the phone.
"Sara, I'll call you later, my guests are here."
"Ok. Have fun 'oh private one'."
"Very funny." She laughed at his sarcastic comments.
"I thought so. Call me when you can. Bye."
"Bye." Grissom hung up the phone to let his guests in. Lindsey clung to his legs, so he picked her up to get her out of the doorway.
"Who's Sara?" Catherine asked. Her natural curiosity might just kill him. He was glad he locked a few things away from her prying eyes.
"She's a friend."
"Girlfriend?"
"She's not up for interrogation. Let me show you where you'll be staying then I'll help you unload your car." He started walking away. Showing Catherine the guest bedrooms would keep her busy unpacking for a while. He hoped that while he entertained Lindsey and she focused on the job at hand, she would forget all about Sara. He was right. That night, Lindsey went to Eddie's and Catherine rode into work with him. He had just sat down at the break room table when the phone rang.
"Grissom." He answered.
"Mr. Grissom, This is Wendy at Cedar Sinai Hospital. I have you listed as an emergency contact for Sara Sidle."
"Is she ok?" Grissom immediately stood up and left the room. His coworkers were definitely confused by this behavior.
"She's banged up pretty bad."
"I'm on my way." He said. Brass was tugged by Grissom into a nearby room as he hung up the phone. He turned to Brass.
"I need a week off. Maybe two."
"Is it the same thing as the last time you took a few days off?" Brass asked.
"I'm assuming so."
"Go. Keep me updated." Brass barely uttered the first word and Grissom took off like a shot. He nearly ran over Catherine on his way to get his coat. He raced home to throw a bag of clothes together and lock the bedroom door before meeting the cab to take him to the airport.
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A/N: Reviews? Please? (I'm not above begging for them) :)
Have a great day everyone. Kelly
