Sara's POV
When Catherine told me her mom had a heart attack I got scared. Not that I'm that close to Catherine's mother, I've never really spent much time with her. She doesn't seem to trust me. And I know she doesn't know about our relationship yet. I just worry about how this will effect both Catherine and Lindsey. They are my family and I'm afraid I won't be able to help them when they need me. Catherine tried to tell me I should get some sleep, but I ignored that. I need to be with my family right now. Besides I have about two months worth of vacation time I can take if I need to. Grissom wouldn't dare argue with me about it at this point. I swear the man acts like he is afraid of me lately.
Then just as I was getting nervous about what Catherine's sister thought of me I walked into the living room and overheard Catherine telling her sister that she was in love with me. I know they both noticed me blushing. I didn't know what to say. This is going to be awkward. I'm really bad at social situations. Maybe Catherine was right and I should just stay here and sleep? But somehow that just feels wrong. I feel like I belong with Catherine, no matter how uncomfortable this family stuff makes me. I'll deal with her family, even if they all hate me, because I need to be with her and Lindsey. They are my family and I won't abandon them just because I feel unwanted. Not that her sister has given me any reason to feel that way. At least not yet. She looked me over like she couldn't believe that Catherine chose me. I can't help but wonder what she says to Catherine as soon as they end up alone together. That will be an uncomfortable conversation, I'd bet.
Breakfast wasn't perfect. I overcooked the eggs and by the time I finally sat down to join everyone my coffee was cold. I didn't complain, though, since Catherine made the coffee just the way I like it and I kept trying to make sure everyone had enough food. I guess I was trying to make a good impression on Nancy. I'd hate to know that Catherine's sister didn't like me. She's been friendly enough. She ate two servings of the scrambled eggs even though I overcooked them. She said my food was much better than what Catherine usually serves her. I think she was trying to tease Cat with that comment, but it wasn't successful because Cat is so worried about her mom she really wasn't listening to anything that wasn't intentionally directed at her. Lindsey laughed when she said it, though and reached over to take my hand.
"Sara is a really good cook. And she's really smart, too. She helps me with my homework and helps me study for tests." she started chattering and I looked at Catherine for help changing the subject, but she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts and didn't notice that her daughter was on a tangent that was sure to embarrass at least one of us any minute now.
"Um, Linds, if you're done with your breakfast you should go take your shower and get ready. We'll need to get going soon." I told her, mostly to get her to stop bragging on me to her aunt.
"Okay, Sara." she smiled and put her plate in the sink on her way back to the bathroom to do as I had asked her. I glanced across the table and Nancy actually winked at me.
"Well, it's easy to see that Lindsey loves you. I have a hard time getting her to go take her shower, and you ask her once and there she goes. You're very good with her, Sara." she smiled at me and finally Catherine noticed that I had been dragged into a conversation that was making me uncomfortable and she spoke up.
"It's amazing how having Sara around has improved Lindsey's attitude. She and I were fighting all the time until Sara and I got together and now she is so much easier to get along with. Sara has been really good for her." Catherine said.
"Good for you, too. Believe me, Cath, I can see it just by looking at you. I'm happy for you. I'm so glad you finally found what you've needed for so long." Nancy told her and then they were both looking at me. I felt my face flame again and I stood and started clearing the table.
"Hey, wait. I wasn't done yet!" Jeremy complained when I took his plate.
"Oh, sorry." I muttered and handed it back to him. I heard Catherine and her sister both giggle at that and I went and started running water to wash up the breakfast dishes. They brought the coffee cups in for me to wash and then Catherine followed her sister into the other room. I heard Nancy make a comment that sounded like "she's very cute when she blushes." and I couldn't help blushing again. Jeremy brought his plate in when he was done and as he handed it to me, he shrugged and nodded in the direction his mom and aunt had gone.
"Don't let it bother you. They like to do this kind of stuff. Lindsey is lucky. You're really kind of cool, you know, for your age. Can I call you Aunt Sara?" he mumbled. Not sure I heard him correctly I just nodded.
"Um, If that's what you want. Yeah." I told him. He nodded and wandered off upstairs.
Catherine came in to check on me a few minutes later. She walked up close behind me and ran her fingers along my arms from my wrists to my elbows before wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling me against her body. She sighed when our bodies made contact. I could feel her breasts pressing against my back and it was making me breathe hard.
"Honey, I didn't mean to embarrass you. Nancy has been wanting to meet you since I told her about us. She likes you, Sara. She meant what she said, she's happy for us. Don't worry about what my family thinks of you. Lindsey and I love you and no matter what, you are a part of our family." she whispered against my cheek. I nodded and turned to look into her eyes.
"I know. And your nephew just asked if he can call me Aunt Sara. I think, if this was a test, then I must have passed it. Now there's just your mom to be concerned about, I guess." I told her and she smiled at me.
"Well, maybe we should introduce you and break the news while she is all strung out on the pain meds she is on right now." she laughed.
"Well, at least she couldn't say then that we hadn't told her." I shrugged and she kissed me quickly and let me go.
"I need to go take my shower and get ready. You want to join me?" Catherine invited.
"Um, do you think we should do that with your sister and your nephew in the house?" I asked.
"I'm offering to let you shower with me, Sidle. I didn't try to seduce you on the kitchen counter." Catherine replied, raising an eyebrow and shaking her head.
"Well, I could use a shower. But, you know what usually happens when we shower together? Right?" I muttered.
"Not this time, Sara. Not that it won't be tempting, but we have to get ready soon. Come on." she told me in a serious tone. I sighed and followed her upstairs. She held my hand like I might change my mind if she didn't lead me into the bathroom.
Once we were in her bathroom, Catherine adjusted the water temperature and quickly undressed. I took a long moment to admire her beautiful milky white skin and quickly shed my own clothing and followed her into the shower. She wet her reddish gold hair and handed me a bottle of shampoo.
"Would you wash my hair for me, Sara?" she asked in a soft, almost shy tone.
"Yeah, sure. No problem." I told her and measured out the shampoo in my hand and started to work it into her soft hair. She whimpered softly and I had to bite my lip to keep from letting this turn into an erotic experience.
"That's very nice, Sara. I like the way that feels." Catherine told me in a soft voice and I could tell she was struggling to keep me from knowing exactly how much she really did like it. I smiled when she looked at me and rinsed my hands, then stepped around her to let her under the spray again.
"It's time to rinse it out now." I told her and started to soap my body while she rinsed her hair. I was almost halfway done when she wrapped her arms around me and intercepted the soap.
"Here, let me help you with that." she whispered in my ear. Her tone was very seductive.
"Cat, we really shouldn't. Your family is downstairs." I reminded her.
"Our family, Sara, and I already know that. You're right, we really shouldn't. But, honey, you are really hard to resist when I watch you rubbing soap all over that gorgeous body." she sighed.
"I tried to tell you this would be faster if we didn't try to share." I told her and she gave me a cute little pout just before she leaned in and kissed me.
"Maybe I just needed a little Sara time." she explained against my lips.
"Anytime, my love." I assured her and kissed her gently as I gripped her arms and put a little distance between our naked bodies.
"You know, I think maybe I should just rinse off and let you finish showering alone." Catherine admitted. I nodded my agreement and she finished rinsing herself and stepped around me out of the tub onto the bath mat, quickly wrapping herself in a towel. When I finished my shower she was blowing her hair dry and had already finished getting dressed. I slipped on a pair of jeans and a black tank top, then stepped into my most comfortable pair of sneakers. I decided to let my hair dry on it's own, since I really didn't care how it looked. I was sure her mom would be too out of it to realize who I was anyway, let alone notice my hair.
Catherine was still in the bathroom when I went downstairs. Lindsey was dressed and ready to go and she was telling her aunt all about the day we spent in the park. Nancy smiled at me when she saw me step off the stairs.
"Sara, Linds was just telling us about your family day. She hasn't been this happy in a long time. I think you're exactly what this family has been missing." then she stood up and crossed the room. I thought she meant to shake my hand, so I held it out toward her, but she shook her head.
"Sara, you're family now. Give me a hug already!" she said and wrapped her arms around me. She squeezed me a little tighter than I was expecting and when she released me she whispered softly enough that Lindsey couldn't overhear.
"Just make my sister happy. She deserves that, Sara." I just nodded and glanced around the room to see if the kids were paying attention. Just my luck they both were and they looked amused by the situation. I sighed and moved out of Catherine's way just as she was coming off the stairs.
"Okay, is everybody ready?" she asked and I shrugged.
"Ready as I'll ever be." I winked at her.
"Nancy, we'll follow you in Sara's truck." Catherine told her sister and she went to the kitchen and loaded a bag with bottled water and a thermos of the coffee we still had left from breakfast. She tossed in a couple of granola bars for each of us and a couple of cans of Lindsey's favorite grape soda.
"Sara you should try to get some sleep. I'll drive us there and we'll wake you when we get there." Catherine told me as she buckled Lindsey into the back seat. I settled into the passenger seat and let it back as far as it would go, so I could close my eyes and rest for a while. Lindsey was already halfway to the door with Nancy and Jeremy when Catherine managed to wake me up.
"Come on, let's catch up with the rest of the family." She said with a slight smile and handed me the bag she had packed. It was surprisingly heavy, but I didn't complain. I was along to help Catherine out with whatever she might need from me.
"Cat? I'm really sorry you're going through this right now. I just really wish I could be more help. If there is anything you need me to do, Cat, you know that you only need to ask, right?" I told her before she left the car. She met my eyes and the look I saw on her face was something like relief.
"Yes, Sara, I do know that. And I love you even more for that." she whispered softly and leaned across the car to kiss me. It was a soft, sweet kiss, one with no sexual intent, meant only to convey her emotions. I couldn't believe that I finally had the family I always wanted. It seemed too easy, somehow and I was afraid that something would happen to destroy our happiness, simply because that is what I had learned to expect growing up the way I did.
I took the bag Catherine had given me and locked up my car as Catherine led me toward the hospital entrance and up to the I.C.U. waiting area. She spoke with a nurse breifly and we joined Nancy and the kids in a row of seats near the nurses station. Nancy was knitting something to pass some time. Jeremy had headphones and a portable video game system. Lindsey was napping across Catherine's lap before we had been settled in ten minutes and I pulled out a forensic journal I had shoved in Catherine's bag before we left the car. Half an hour passed before one of the nurses came to inform us that the doctor would like to meet with the family now.
We all gathered our stuff and filed down the hall and into a small conference room they had set up for just this kind of meetings. The doctor was waiting for us when we came in. He rose from his desk and shook hands with me, Catherine and Nancy and introduced himself as Doctor Richard Mitchell. He was a surgeon and would be the one performing Lily's bypass surgery. He explained the procedure and what it was meant to accomplish, then told us that it was a necessary surgery for Lily.
"Mrs. Flynn needs a very serious surgical procedure. Without this she has little chance of recovery. Her arteries are blocked and if we allow her to leave the hospital without this surgery, I'd guess she would suffer another heart attack within the year. One she might not survive." Doctor Mitchell told us. Catherine and Nancy looked at each other and both of them nodded.
"Do we need to sign some paperwork, or something?" Catherine asked.
"I already took care of all of that, Cath." Nancy told her.
"We wanted to give her family a chance to visit with her when she is awake, before the surgery. She is still on low-level pain killers, but she will be more aware of who is there and what is happening than she was last night." Doctor Mitchell explained.
"You can all go back together for a few minutes, but after that only two at a time can visit her until after her surgery." he told us, then asked if any of us had more questions. Nancy told him she understood the procedure and had explained it to her son and her sister this morning.
Lindsey seemed too shy to ask the doctor anything but I could tell she was curious about what was about to happen to her grandmother. I reached over and squeezed her thumb between two of my fingers and she glanced at me, then I gave her a small smile and a wink. I just wanted her to know she could ask me anything.
We moved back to the waiting area until a nurse came to inform us that we could visit Lily for about 10 minutes as a group, then go back two at a time to visit with her until they had to prep her for surgery. We all stood and filed back to the cubicle where she was lying in a large hospital bed with tubes and needles connecting her to several monitors and machines all around her bed. She was pale and looked exhausted and like she might still be feeling some pain. I had actually met Lily on several occasions, but she didn't have any idea that Catherine and I were even friends. The idea of us dating just might kill this woman. I glanced at Catherine and she seemed to read my uneasiness. She just shook her head and pulled my hand into hers, gripping it gently, but firmly with her fingers.
Lily was awake and seemed to be aware of everything around her, so I was sure the confusion on her face had to do with my presence there, and the fact that I was now holding hands with her oldest daughter. She had a grimace of what looked like pain on her face and she barely glanced at Catherine, then looked to Nancy for an explaination.
"Mom, how are you feeling?" Nancy said.
"Sore all over. Tired. A little confused." Lily sighed and glanced at Catherine again.
"Mom, this is Sara Sidle. You remember her, don't you? Sara and I have worked together for years." Catherine told her mother, but didn't release her grip on my hand. I smiled in Lily's direction and tried to lighten things up just a little.
"We've met several times, Lily. Mostly at the Crime Lab, when you came there to pick up Lindsey." I reminded her gently.
"Oh, I remember now. You bought Lindsey some lunch that time she had to stay there late. Sara, you and Catherine are partners, now? I thought you two really didn't get along well?" Lily asked looking again at our joined hands.
"Mom, Catherine and Sara are dating. Catherine and Lindsey are both really happy now, and I think we should all welcome Sara to the family." Nancy told her mother. Lily just looked back and forth from Nancy to Catherine, then back at our linked hands. I pulled my hand out of Catherine's grasp and stepped closer to Lily.
"I love them both dearly, Lily, and I promise I will never do anything to hurt them." I told her, looking right into her eyes.
"You seem like an intelligent person, Sara. I don't know you well, but I can see that you are important to Catherine and to Lindsey. If Nancy thinks you're good for them, I'll have to take her word for it, for now. Once I'm out of this hospital bed I'll have to spend some time getting to know you for myself. Until then, well, I can't deny Catherine and Lindsey something that so obviously makes them both happy." She sighed and looked at Nancy again.
"And just how long have you known about this?" she asked. Nancy glanced at Catherine and then at Lindsey, then faced her mother again.
"Almost from the start. Catherine needed someone to confide in. What else are sisters for?" she shrugged.
"Mom, really, once you know Sara, I just know you're going to love her as much as the rest of us do." Catherine told Lily.
"Yeah, Grandma, give her a chance." Lindsey whined.
"Hey, everybody give Aunt Sara a break here. Can't you guys tell you're embarrassing her?" Jeremy spoke up. Both Lily and Nancy stared at the boy when they heard him call me that. Nancy started laughing. Lily seemed stuck with her mouth open at her grandson's easy acceptance of me into the family.
"Well, I guess we don't have to worry that you might have a problem with Sara, son?" Nancy asked him.
"Heck, no! She's cool! Lindsey's really lucky." Jeremy said looking at his mom first, then his grandma. Catherine was smiling at me and she squeezed my fingers again.
"Look, it doesn't matter who might have a problem with Sara. She is a member of this family. Lindsey and I won't let anyone drive her out. She's too important to us. But that isn't what we're here for today. We're here to support you, Mom. Has your doctor explained the surgery you need to have?" Catherine finally ended the discussion. I squeezed her fingers to let her know I was grateful for the topic change.
"Yes, he explained it all. He also told me I would need family to take care of me for about six weeks after the surgery. Both of you work too much for that. I don't know what I will do. I guess you'll have to put me in a nursing home." Lily sighed in resignation. Both Nancy and Catherine protested that idea.
"Look I know neither of us can do the full six weeks, but we can take turns taking care of you. You can stay with us and Nancy can come over to stay with you and the kids when Sara and I are working." Catherine told her.
"That might just work." Nancy agreed.
"But what about when you're trying to sleep? Catherine you haven't thought about what this might involve." Lily protested.
"Um, I hate to interrupt here, but I've got loads of vacation time pending. I can take off and help out with this whenever I'm needed." I offered and Catherine looked at me like I'd rescued her from a dragon or something. A smile formed on her lips and she looked into my eyes.
"Are you sure that's how you want to use your vacation time, Sara?" Nancy asked.
"I probably wouldn't use it at all, otherwise." I told her truthfully. Catherine nodded to let her sister know that I wasn't just offering to be nice.
"Well, I guess that is one way for us to get better acquainted, Sara." Lily laughed.
"Ladies, I'm sorry but I have to ask you to step out now and let her rest for a bit. You can come back two at a time later on to visit her before her surgery." the head nurse informed us and stood to make sure we all left the room.
Just before I left Lily called my name and when I glance back she signalled for me to step close again.
"Sara, I just needed to tell you that I'm glad Catherine found someone like you. She seems really happy for the first time in years. Lindsey seems happier than I've seen her since her father died, too. Even though I don't know you well, I'm glad you're there for them. Sara, if something happens, if I don't make it throught this surgery, promise me you'll take good care of them both." she grasped my arm and waited for an answer.
"I'm here to stay, Lily. Nothing is going to happen to you. But you don't need to worry. I'll always do my best to protect Catherine and Lindsey. I love them both very much." I assured her and she released me with a wink.
"I can tell you are an honest person, Sara. That makes me feel much better about having you as part of the family. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you earlier." Lily told me in a soft voice.
"Don't worry about it. Get some rest and just get better. Nancy and Catherine are worried for you. They both need you to get through this. So stop talking like something might happen to you. It scares the kids to hear you say stuff like that. Lindsey is only ten, she doesn't need that kind of pressure." I scolded her gently. She smiled and nodded.
"I have to say, Catherine's taste is improving. She really picked a good mate this time." Lily smiled and I heard the nurse clear her throat.
"Okay, got to go catch up to the rest of the family. You take care, Lily." I said and then just on impulse I leaned down and gave her a hug.
"You've got a lot to live for." I whispered against her temple as she returned my hug.
"Yes, it seems I really do." she laughed. I rushed out to find the rest of the group before the nurse decided to have me escorted out by security.
Catherine was pacing back and forth near the chairs where Nancy and the kids had settled in again. She stopped the pacing as soon as she noticed me leaning against the wall watching her.
"Sara, are you alright, honey? What did she say to you?" she asked, her voice full of concern. I smiled at her.
"She just wanted to make sure I knew that she expects me to take good care of you and Lindsey. She accepted us Cat! She welcomed me to the family. And, she said it seemed like your taste has improved" I smiled at her.
"My mother said that to you?" Catherine asked in apparent disbelief.
"That and that she is glad you found a good mate. Oh, she also said she's glad to see both of you so happy and I guess she thinks I'm responsible for that."
"Well, I guess I spent needless hours worrying about her reaction, then. I figured she would really be hard on us both for this. My mom has never been trusting of other women. Female friendships make her suspicious. She thinks all women are just out to take whatever they can from you and betray your trust as soon as possible. I can't believe she accepted you so easily." Catherine shook her head and started pacing again.
"Cat, honey, you're wearing the floor out. Come sit down and let's think about how we're going to arrange to move your mom into the guest room for her recovery period."
"Sara, are you sure you want to spend your vacation time taking care of my mom? She can be a real handful." Catherine warned. I laughed.
"Well, now I know where you get that, then." I chuckled. She made a face and pinched my arm.
"Not funny, Sidle." she pouted.
"God, you're so cute when you pout." I couldn't help teasing her.
"You two are adorable together." Nancy smiled at us and Catherine glanced at her and back at me with a soft smile I recognized only from the looks she'd give me sometimes just after we made love. Apparently Catherine was very pleased with me right now.