Thanks so much for all the reviews and words of encouragement everyone! You guys ROCK! Due to my favorite friend, the computer gremlin, this chapter took a little longer than usual, so thanks to those of you still hanging around!

And just as much thanks has to go to my beta sweet-surrender5. Her story kicks my one's ass, by the way...

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The Hospital Visit

Sara followed the three cars in front of her all the way to the parking lot of Desert Palms. She found a parking spot, turned the engine off and rested her head against the back of the seat, suddenly feeling very tired. She suspected it had more to do with the uncertainty of what was waiting for her at home, than with any real or imagined lack of sleep.

Thinking of Grissom just caused the knot in her stomach to twist a little tighter and she breathed deeply, trying to rid herself of the annoying flutter in her stomach.

She didn't follow Warrick, Greg and Nick into the hospital straight away. She wanted to make a call first and for that she needed a little privacy. It was useless trying Grissom's cell again – she'd done that at the lab before they left, and it had gone straight to his voicemail. Instead, she dialled her home number and was surprised when the phone in her apartment simply rang and rang. When the answering machine's electronic beep finally sounded, she realised that she didn't quite know what to say.

"Hey, it's…me. I guess you're asleep…or…in the shower…um…anyway…I've just stopped off at the hospital to check in on Catherine…so…I'll be home in about an hour. I'll…uh…get us something to eat…and then…um--"

Her voice trailed off. Then what? Another fight? Another empty whiskey bottle? Or will we deal with the problem by jumping into bed - again?

"--um…right…so I'll see you soon, OK?" she finished lamely.

With a sigh, she snapped her phone shut. Maybe between now and the time she got home she would have a miraculous epiphany about how best to deal with whatever was waiting for her at her apartment.

Let it never be said that Sara Sidle wasn't an optimist.

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Sara arrived at Catherine's room to find the three older CSI's sniggering at Greg, who was struggling to stuff an enormous teddy bear onto a chair in the corner. The bear wasn't having any of it and after a while, Greg cursed loudly and dumped it on the floor, before sinking down in the empty seat himself. He shot sour looks at his laughing colleagues and rolled his eyes when Nick started muttering something about 'the youth of today'.

Catherine was the first to notice the tall brunette hovering in the doorway. "Thank god you're here," she grinned, and motioned for Sara to come in. "These guys have no sense of respect for the convalescing."

"Aw, come on Cath!" Greg complained from the corner. "Didn't your doctor tell you that laughter is the best medicine?"

"Sure, but not when it hurts like hell every time I crack a smile, you wise ass!"

Despite the smirk on her face, Catherine was looking exhausted - her head bandaged, her face bruised - and Sara noticed that the hand on top of the sheet was trembling slightly. Taking a deep breath, she plastered a huge smile on her face, hoping it would hide her shock at Catherine's appearance.

"Hey! How're you feeling?"

"Oh, it looks much worse than it is, I promise. I was more shaken up than hurt actually, so all this enforced bed rest has done wonders."

Warrick gave a snort and looked at Sara with a pained expression. "Don't let her tough act fool you," he said, glaring at Catherine in mock anger. "She's got a gash with five stitches under that bandage and a concussion. The doctor says she should still be sleeping, but you know her – she never listens to anybody."

The blonde glanced at him teasingly. "Well – it's good to know that at least one of these boys has my best interests at heart…"

"Hey!" Greg was waggling his finger at her. "Who bought you that huge bear in the corner, huh? Plus, I had to pay Nick five bucks to help me carry it up from the gift shop downstairs."

"Easiest five bucks I've ever made, my man. And it's called a gym Greggo – you should try it out sometime."

"A gym? Now why would I want to mess with perfection Nicky boy?"

"Yeah, all right you two." Warrick smirked and got up from the chair. "It's about time we went home anyway. I'll bring Lindsey by before shift starts tonight, OK?" And with a quick smile at Catherine, the tall CSI herded Nick and Greg outside.

Sara flopped down on his recently vacated seat and let her eyes wander round the room for a moment. Damn I'm tired. The last 36 hours had been an emotional rollercoaster and she longed to just go home and sleep. Normally, the knowledge that Grissom was there and waiting would've sent her rushing home, but today she was filled with trepidation about what she would find when she returned.

Yeah, she sighed to herself. Things are really bad when I would rather hang out in a hospital with Catherine, than go home to him. Still – she couldn't deny the fact that in recent months, she and the blonde CSI had become somewhat closer and she was genuinely relieved to see that the older woman was recovering so well.

"Are you OK?" Catherine was looking at her quizzically and Sara gave her head a quick shake, a wry smile flitting across her lips.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? What exactly happened out there anyway?"

Catherine grimaced. "There's not much to tell, really. I was traipsing around in the dark, next thing I know I get bashed over the head with the business end of a gun and after that everything is kinda blurry. Thankfully, Grissom arrived before anything really bad could happen."

At the mention of Grissom's name, Sara shifted uncomfortably and Catherine suppressed a knowing smile. "So – how is he doing?"

She had to work hard to keep the catch out of her voice, but Sara managed a decent attempt at a noncommittal tone when she finally replied. "I...uh…I've been working all night and he obviously didn't come in…so…"

She cursed the hot flush that was rising to her cheeks and prayed that Catherine wouldn't notice, but she was out of luck. One eye might have been swollen almost shut, but there were some things that Catherine was still seeing just fine.

"It's OK, Sara. Jim swung by earlier, he told me what happened."

"I don't know what—"

"—I got the low-down straight from the horse's mouth – all about you waiting at the Police Station, taking Gil home…"

For a moment, Sara's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Brass is a dead man."

"Oh, cut the poor guy some slack," Catherine smirked. "Besides – neither you nor Grissom are the Oscar winning actors you seem to imagine you are."

With another furious blush, Sara got up and started gathering her bag. This was turning into a conversation she was definitely not ready to have – especially with Catherine - and somehow the prospect of going home and facing Grissom had become a lot less daunting all of a sudden.

"Well, since you're obviously well on your way to a complete recovery, I'm gonna love you and leave you. Besides, I have a homicide detective to kill."

"You haven't answered my question."

Sara groaned. "Yeah – I was hoping you'd forget about that. Let's just say…I honestly have no idea how he's doing."

When Catherine raised an eyebrow, she continued uncertainly. "He…uh…isn't coping as well as I would've expected."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"That he's been behaving a little out of character. Blowing hot and cold – kinda…unpredictable." Sara gave a defeated sigh. "Right now, I'm just praying he doesn't do anything rash."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'm probably just over reacting. He's just…acting a little weird. It'll pass. He hasn't really been sleeping."

"Yeah, well – you'd better keep an eye on him." Catherine struggled to sit up in the bed. "You remember Franovich from the day shift?"

"Who?"

"Oh, right - he left not long after you came to Vegas. Anyway – one day he's prancing around the lab like he owns the place, the next day he's just gone. Burnout. Actually, it turns out he 'misplaced' a piece of evidence in a murder investigation and left the lab before Ecklie could fire his ass. Ecklie was pissed, by the way – he was the dayshift supervisor at the time, and having members of your staff 'misplace' key pieces of evidence didn't reflect well on his management skills."

Sara snorted.

"But I digress. Whether Franovich lost that screwdriver because he was burnt out, or whether he burnt out because he lost that screwdriver, nobody knows, but the end result was the same. Career, reputation – years of hard work – all down the toilet. I think he pumps gas for a living now."

"What are you saying? That Grissom's heading for some sort of mental breakdown?"

"Gil's been on the job for over twenty years – he's due. Besides, he's always been the consummate pacifist – when's the last time he even carried his gun, much less fired it? And now he ends up killing a kid. This might just be the thing that pushes him over the edge, so just watch him, that's all I'm saying. CSI's have been known to have meltdowns over much less – and some have ended up doing crazy things before anybody cottoned on to the fact that they needed help."

Sara stared at Catherine for a long moment, chewing nervously on her bottom lip. Truth be told, she was feeling slightly chagrined that the older woman had figured out the trouble with Grissom with such apparent ease, while she, Sara, had been blind to all the signs which had been blatantly staring her in the face.

But she had to admit - Catherine's assessment made sense, and besides – loathe as she was to admit it – who knew Grissom better or for longer than Catherine Willows?

Sara swung her bag over her shoulder and adjusted her coat. "You might have a point. I'll keep my eye on him."

"Good." Catherine smiled. "Oh, and Sara? Just so you know – I reckon it was about time the two of you got your collective heads out of your asses."

Sara rolled her eyes and felt her cheeks redden yet again. "Great. Now can we please never mention this again?"

"Fine by me," Catherine laughed. "Just do me one last favour and I promise to take your secret to my grave."

"Name it."

"Tell him if he messes this up, I'll kill him."

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A/N: Since the K'Fed CD's proved so popular on a previous occasion, I have decided that this time, everyone who leaves a review, gets a date with Ecklie. He promises to wine and dine you and whisper sweet nothings in your ear all night long...