Title: Pride and Prejudice
Disclaimers: Sadly, I do not own anything or anybody related to CSI. Nor the lines I quoted in the story.
A/N: Happy New Year to all of you! I hope everybody enjoyed the festive season with their family and friends.
Sorry for the delay in posting, I don't know what took me this long. Again, sorry :)
All my thanks to my great friend, SweetSouthernComfort for the priceless suggestions she gave me. Thanks babe!
Chapter Ten
A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul. - AuthorUnknown
Gil Grissom was standing in the hallway of Desert Palm Hospital waiting for the nurse who was supposed to bring Sara back from Radiology. He looked at his watch to see if he had arrived late as after a good twenty-minute wait, there was still no sign of Sara. At first Grissom had not minded waiting, he had been grateful for the time so he could catch his breath after the race back to this building that held so many unpleasant memories for the crime scene investigators but especially for him. But now, he started to worry. What if he came late indeed and Sara had been already taken to a room and he had not been here for her as he had promised her. He bet that Sara would not be that surprised if he had broken the promise. It had happened many times. But a promise he had specifically held out… This perspective made his heart utterly sad. Wasting no more time, he walked to the nurses' station and asked the first woman there if she could tell him anything about Sara's whereabouts.
"Excuse me, can you help me?"
The woman looked up from her paperwork, "Yes?"
"Um…about one and a half hours ago…a Sara Sidle was taken to Radiology for MRI and I'd like to ask if she is…"
"And you are?"
"Her fiancé," he said this time without hesitation.
"Give me a moment, I'll check her status in our system," the young nurse said kindly to the worrying man.
"Thank you."
"Yes, Sidle, Sara Sidle, 31…blood work…done…patient…taken to MRI…still there."
"Still there? What takes so long? The doctor said it would take only forty minutes…top. And now, she is there for almost two hours."
"Yes, it's unusual," she fed Grissom's anxiety further. "I'll call the unit if you want me to."
"Yes, please."
Grissom stepped back a little to give the lady some privacy but his eyes followed her every move. He saw how she lifted the receiver, how her lips moved, how she listened to what was said to her and how she then frowned. Normally, Grissom would wait until the lady finished the call and tell him the information he was waiting for but now, he felt as if he was surrounded by thick fog he could not see through and over the fog, something bad was waiting for him. He tried to read the woman's lips, he tried to concentrate but he could not. This time it was not a case, not some serious issue in the Lab that needed immediate solution, it was not a riddle he loved brooding on, it was about Sara he loved. And he did not know anything about her condition. He created theories about the extended examination; within seconds, Grissom's mind started to torture him in the sickest way possible. His reality became infected by flow of flashbacks again; he could not get rid of the image of Sara lying on her own home's floor, all alone, just like the victim of that cold blooded surgeon. A physician. People were supposed to trust doctors, and Grissom had had to face the fact that anybody could be a murderer. Scary and seemingly hopeless world. He forced himself to repeat that Sara was not Debbie and the doctors here were not Vincent Lurie. Still, the thought of Sara touched by some doctor was sending shivers down his spine. Grissom knew it was absurd but human brain was a cruelly playful organ. Fortunately, the nurse did not let him delve into those dark thoughts after she had finished the call.
"Sir…" seeing that the man was lost in his thoughts she tried louder. "Sir!"
"Sorry. Do you know what keeps them?"
"Well, the technologist said that they had some problem during the examination."
GSR ~ * ~ GSR GSR ~ * ~ GSR GSR ~ * ~ GSR GSR ~ * ~ GSR GSR ~ * ~ GSR GSR ~ * ~ GSR
The room was now getting dark and it was almost silent. The lights from the street provided only slight luminescence making the ceiling an ample stage for shadows to perform their creepy dance. Nothing could be heard, only a rhythmical but slow 'drip-drip'. On the wall, there was a picture hung off-center. It was odd, normally, it should be perfectly in place. This was one of the tiny details that could not escape the pair of sharp eyes' attention. He also saw an empty medicine bottle lay in the porcelain sink. For a while, he was just watching the shadow theater on the ceiling but soon he found other exciting things to observe. Things that were out of their place for some reason.
After the inventory was done, he looked around and suddenly, the angst won over him once again. First slight, then heavier tremble shook his body. Where was Sara? Did she not know how much he needed her? He loved that woman and he did not know anything about her. He tried to be patient, tried to occupy himself but now, it was dark and he was alone.
All of a sudden, every dancing shadow transformed into some violent and meat-eating monsters that were hunger only for him.
Fear vs. safety: 1-0.
Ever slowly, he edged closer for a better look of that mysteriously moving dark figure; he could make out the silhouette of a four-legged beast. Maybe it was the shock from earlier, the hunger or the exhaustion but that something seemed offensive and growing. The 'drip-drip' seemed to sound louder as he approached his target. Or was it his heartbeat? Left foot first, then the right one…slowly, almost tentatively. Gathering all the courage he possessed, he broke into a soundless run to chastise the unwelcomed intruder. No matter how skillfully he jumped onto the obtrusive thing, it seemed that the dark figure only laughed at him. Defeated and most definitely scared, Herbie backed off. His eyes never left the black devil. The lonely cat shivered, as though ice had replaced his spine. He just wanted his lady back. He was patient, really but it was now dark and that huge hairy human had taken the sweet lady away from him for way too long. She had been ill, Herbie could sense it. Sickness had different smell. Herbie knew that scent very well, that certain morning when the little cat smelled that aroma on himself, Herbie had hidden from everybody. He had been prepared to die. But then Sara had come along and saved him.
Hours earlier, the feline had recognized that special scent radiated from his beloved lady. No word could have ever described the horror that Herbie had felt until Grissom had arrived. The cat had not been very happy when that man had first visited them but today the small satellite-eared tabby cat had been specifically relieved to have him there. After the first shock, the furry human had seemed to know what to do and helped their Sara. From that moment, Herbie had become attached to Grissom as well. Now, he just had to bring her back.
And that shadowy demon moved again making Herbie focus on it once more. The cat gave a slight but threatening grunt, his back formed a perfect 'C' and as his last warning, he hissed as monstrously as he could but the devil did not retreat a bit. Losing his confidence, Herbie decided to hide instead. Keeping his eyes on the beast on the wall, he maneuvered toward Sara's bedroom. Carefully, he slalomed among the small pebbles scattered all over the carpet. Finally reaching the bedroom, its door had been left ajar, pushing it a little further, the door begrudgingly creaked open. Herbie silently entered the room, and without difficulty, he jumped onto the bed and scrawled under the blanket forming a cozy nest in the bed-sheet. Inhaling deeply the scent of Sara, soon, slumber found the poor frightened animal.
GSR ~ * ~ GSR GSR ~ * ~ GSR GSR ~ * ~ GSR GSR ~ * ~ GSR GSR ~ * ~ GSR GSR ~ * ~ GSR
Gil Grissom was walking back and forth in the hallway. The nurse had not been allowed to give further information either about Sara's condition or about the arisen problem during the MRI. It was a nerve-trying situation. If he knew what happened, then he could deal with it but this 'not-knowing' was killing him. Grissom walked to the large window and looked out of it. It was getting late and he was getting more and more exhausted. The last two days were more than busy; he hardly ate and hardly slept. He was "starving" only for two days and he already felt as if he had not eaten for a week. Grissom did not want to think about how Sara had had to feel after long weeks of starvation. But it was going to change, he vowed. Closing his eyes, he only could see the pale, sad and tired face of Sara. He tried to wake memories of the happier woman, her smile or her laughter. Sara's cheery voice. Grissom seemed to smell her sweet scent; he seemed to hear her voice. Faint smile appeared on his face upon hearing Sara calling him. But then some rude voice contaminated that beautiful phenomenon, some intrusive tone of a male.
"Mr. Grissom?"
Realizing where he really was, Grissom opened his eyes to investigate the source of that sound, "Um…doctor?"
"Mr. Grissom, I need your help."
"Where is Sara? What took so long? I heard there was a problem. Is she alright?" he slurred the first few questions he wanted to ask.
"Ms. Sidle was taken to a room a minute ago because I want her to stay for a day. I thought you saw her, she called your name. Anyway, the MRI didn't show any abnormality but it doesn't mean that Ms. Sidle is out of danger. In many cases when patients hit their heads, we can't see anything wrong and the examination gives us a completely normal MRI. So we need to monitor the patient if something comes up later, normally in the next 24 hours."
"So actually, everything seems okay?"
"Yes, and if nothing changes, Ms. Sidle is perfectly healthy…regarding her neurological condition at least."
"What do you mean 'at least'?"
"Her iron level is very low; furthermore, her blood test could be a perfect example for medical students. The malnutrition caused imbalances in the electrolytes. Potassium, calcium and phosphorus…are all very low. I guess Mr. Grissom, I don't need to explain to you what these or better said the lack of these can cause."
"No, you don't. Can I see her?"
"Yes, of course you can see her I just wanted to talk with you in private before you go to see Ms. Sidle."
"Is there…"
"Look, I will be honest with you, Mr. Grissom. Even though the MRI shows nothing wrong, Ms. Sidle hit her head hard, plus – what makes me worried the most – she lost consciousness for pretty long. So I would insist on hospitalizing her but Ms. Sidle refuses to stay."
"I see. And what was that problem during the examination?"
"It had nothing to do with the output of the MRI, rather with the way we had to perform so."
"Doctor! Could you please just tell me?"
"Ms. Sidle became agitated during the procedure, so we had to use mild sedation so she could stay perfectly still. That's all. She is now resting in her room."
"Oh, I see. As for the other thing, you want me to convince her to stay?"
"Exactly. This is not a game, she has to understand that," the doctor told Grissom with evident concern in his voice.
Grissom knew it most probably was already a lost battle to convince Sara Sidle to do something she did not want to do. With the knowledge of her financial state in mind, Grissom suspected what her main reason for being released from here had to be but he was determined to try to change her mind. Sara undoubtedly had insurance so it would not be a problem this time, but thinking with Sara's logic, she probably wanted to avoid any possible situation that could reveal her mournful financial state so no wonder she would rather go home. The tests were pretty expensive that Grissom had paid for before he had left for his private investigation at Sara's home.
Gil Grissom automatically followed the doctor toward Sara's room and he constantly tried to come up with a rock-strong argument. The sight of Sara with a butterfly tape over her forehead made him even more worried but at the same time, her wide puppy eyes warmed his heart.
"Ms. Sidle? I hope your fiancé could change your mind regarding our hospitality," the doctor said.
Sara's eyes widened even more if it was possible at the new title of Grissom but she suspected that he had had a reason to lie and if she wanted to completely sincere with herself, the perspective of them being an engaged couple melted her heart dearly. One thing that Sara hated in movies when the protagonist started to protest – in public - against something that was apparently not true, no matter how obvious it was that the other had had to lie for a reason. Sara saw that Grissom could not meet her eyes when the doctor said 'fiancé', she smiled at his cute embarrassment, and she could feel that Grissom was waiting for the humiliating correction. Come on, he should know her better.
"Look, you said the MRI showed nothing abnormal, I…I don't understand why I should stay here. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"Sara," Grissom went to her bed and reached for her hand, "you should consider staying here. It would be only a day, maximum two, no more."
"I…I want to go home. Please."
"Ms. Sidle. We have to be sure that you didn't suffer any injuries that weren't detectable on MRI…now…but would cause trouble later. You definitely need a 24-hour monitoring."
Tears were forming in her eyes at the possibility of staying in this unfriendly hospital. She wanted to take a handkerchief out of her pocket but she found none. Noticing her intention, Grissom put his hand into his pocket in order to give her one but he took some furry toy out instead. Three pairs of eyes adored that toy mouse. Grissom knew that this was the exact moment when he lost the battle completely.
"Griss, Herbie needs me. He must be terrified and hungry," Sara sniffled. It never occurred to her to question how he had the toy in the first place.
"I'll check on him, okay?"
"No. He doesn't know you…"
"Yes, he does. Stop worrying!"
"Ms. Sidle. We are not that bad host," the doctor tried to lighten the atmosphere but evidently he failed.
"Look, I have my reasons to leave. And I will leave, so please, tell me what I have to do so I could go home."
"Well, I can't keep you here against your will but you have to know I don't think it's the best for you to do. I let you go home only if someone is there with you."
Her hope died soon, "Why?"
"That person – I guess it'd be your fiancé – must check on you every two hours. We just call it "neuro checks".
"My fiancé has to work, I'm…not sure…"
"Every two hours?" Grissom asked.
"Yes, and you have to ask numerous questions in order to make sure that Ms. Sidle didn't suffer some injury that hasn't shown up yet."
"No, Grissom…it's…"
"Choose, me or these kind people…no offense, doctor," he smiled.
"I choose…you," she whispered. Always you.
After the doctor had instructed Grissom what kind of questions he would have to ask Sara and had prescribed all the vitamins the undernourished woman would need to take, Grissom and Sara were sitting in Grissom's car ready to go home.
The journey was taken in relative silence. They stopped at the pharmacy to buy the medicines. Sara wanted to go inside as well, but Grissom told her to stay in the car and take it easy. Sara started to refuse saying these prescriptions were supposed to be hers, so she had to pay for them.
"You will pay for it later, just rest, okay?"
"Okay, but know that I'm making a list."
"Good but now…if you would be so kind as to let the handle go…I could…"
"Sorry. Um…Grissom! Thanks…for…everything."
"You don't have to thank me anything. I'll be right back," and with that he rushed into the pharmacy.
It was Friday, salary day. Sara could have paid for the medicines but she had to admit that she was too weak to argue with Grissom. He saved her life. Normally, it would be romantic and normally, she would be extremely happy for the care. He was so helpful, so very kind to her, it would be so easy to get used to it. But Sara was ashamed of the situation. Did he think she had been drunk? Did he think that vinousness had been the reason she had fallen? Did he regret it that he had not fired her earlier? In the hospital, they had performed blood test…had they assumed she had been drunk? But she had been not! Would Grissom believe her?
"Done!"
Grissom's unexpected return earned a loud squeal from Sara. She had been so deep in her anguish that she had not noticed the approaching man.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"No-no, it's okay," she smiled but it was obvious that there was something on her mind.
"What is it?"
"Huh?"
"Are you okay? Do you want to tell me something?"
Here! I knew you think I was drunk. Tell you something? Yes, I didn't drink anything. I had hardly any water…let alone alcohol. No! Get this! I still have nothing to drink…or eat.
"Grissom, I…I wasn't drunk…I don't know why I fell but I didn't drink, I swear I didn't."
"Sara! I know you don't drink. I never thought you did. Not recently anyway."
After a few seconds, both fell into silence. Grissom held out the paper bag with the medicines, Sara reached for it and doing so, their fingers touched. A gasp of breath caught in his throat as her finger gently but unintentionally brushed against his. Sara's enchanting breathing was like music to his ears. Both trembled by the contact. But just as suddenly they pulled their hands back breaking the protective proximity. Sara then attempted to concentrate solely on the bag that contained her vitamins while Grissom reached for the ignition key to start the engine.
Within thirty minutes, they arrived at Sara's apartment block. On shaky legs, Sara exited the car and followed the man toward her own door. Two abandoned carry bags of food were lying there unceremoniously in front of the door. One still on its bottom, the other one was obviously kicked over.
"Someone had to miss the address," Sara said to Grissom who held the key to Sara's home…literally…and figuratively.
"Um…no. That someone knew exactly where he wanted to take those boxes."
"You brought them? When?"
"When I found you…in that pose…in your flat."
"What pose?"
Not being able to describe those horrible images, he just said, "Unconscious."
"What a waste of meals."
"Let's go inside, okay? Someone surely can hardly wait to see you again," Grissom went to open the door.
The flat was now dark and almost silent. The lights from the street provided only slight luminescence making the ceiling an ample stage for shadows to play their creepy dance. Nothing could be heard, only a rhythmical but slow 'drip-drip'.
Sara switched on the light right next to the entrance-door so now they could see where they stepped. The sight of the living room was not as dramatic as Grissom remembered it had been when he had left it hours ago. The rounded pebbles were still lying all over the floor close to the small smoking table. The blood was now dark brown and dried to the corner of the table and Herbie's pee that had been next to the fridge was almost dried up. It was the unpleasant odor that needed immediate action so Sara went to open the windows to let some fresh air into the flat. Her next thought was Herbie. His pillow was untouched and evidently unoccupied.
"Grissom, I can't find Herbie," she whispered as she checked every place he usually hid but she did not find her newest love.
"I didn't let him out, I am sure of that. Check your room!" he said as he turned off the tap completely.
She took his advice and approached her bedroom. Pushing the door fully open, she saw a small white furry ball with grayish-black stripes all over the body snoozing on her bed close to her pillow. The bed-sheet was slightly crumpled betraying its restless occupant's struggle for peace.
Sara went to him and sat onto the bed making the small animal to stir. The woman found it odd that she had to wake Herbie. She thought a cat would always alert to any low noise around him. You must be very tired, she thought. Sara caressed his back, his head and his face. Herbie let out a contented and loving moan. He reached his paw out and grabbed, then released the sheet. Sara then touched her index finger under his fingers, right between the cushiony palm and the fingers, and Herbie immediately enclosed his hand around Sara's finger. Probably it was only a reflex but it made Sara exuberantly happy nonetheless. Herbie did not look up at his lady; he just knew that she was at home at last. Herbie was home now.
For a while, Grissom had just been watching the interaction but then he could not stay away. The bond Sara and Herbie had built attracted Grissom like honey attracted bees.
"You should lie down too, you know. In less than two hours I have to ask questions. You better answer them correctly," Grissom said in a low voice.
"I appreciated what you did for me, Grissom. Thanks for saving me from staying at the hospital but now, you don't have to do this. You can leave me. I'll be fine."
"What? You think I would leave you here…alone? I promised the doctor and I keep my word."
"I won't tell him. Promise. And I don't break my promises either. The Lab needs you."
Before he could tell her anything, his cell phone went off. It was still muted because of the restriction at the Desert Palm but the display showed the caller.
"The Lab."
TBC