Chapter Eleven
Hodges followed Grissom to Catherine's office. Catherine and Grissom exchanged looks. Catherine excused herself and left her office and closed the door behind her. Grissom sat behind the desk and looked at Hodges. Neither spoke for a few moments.
"Are you Ok David?" Grissom asked gently.
He looked up at Grissom, his mentor a man he had looked up to since joining CSI.
"No. I am not. I feel like an idiot after what happened at the strip club. I doubt now Wendy will continue to date me or consider me a boyfriend" he said.
"Why did you go with Henry and Archie to the strip club if you knew that you had your first date with Wendy later that night?"
Hodges didn't reply right away. He sighed. "Honestly I don't know. I didn't know we were going to a strip bar, I just thought it was a regular restaurant. I certainly did not expect to get hammered."
Grissom pursed his lips. "We are a lot alike David. My first real date with Sara did not go well either. I may have not gotten hammered but It did not go according to plan."
David's ears perked up. "What happened?"
Grissom sighed and closed his eyes. "If I tell you – I want your solemn promise that it never leaves this room. Well you may tell Wendy but make her promise never to tell anyone – ok."
David nodded.
"It was just after Nick got buried alive and subsequently rescued. A few days later Warrick announced he had gotten married and I was working up the courage to start something serious with Sara. Through the years the two of us had flirted but nothing ever came of it because I was afraid of commitment. I took the bull by the horns one day and approached her in the locker room……………….
"Sara?"
"Yes." She replied looking up. She had just taken a shower due to the messy decomp scene she had been working, her hair still a little damp.
"Uh um…" Why is this so hard? Grissom thought. I'm a grown man not a teenager.
"What's on your mind Grissom. I gotta go, I am starving." She said as she put her hair in a neat ponytail.
"Wanna have dinner?" he said rushing his words.
She looked at him skeptically. "Dinner?"
"Yeah. You, me food…"he said with a half-smile.
"When?"
"Uh how about now?"
Her face fell. "I promised Nick and Warrick I'd join them for supper at the usual place, they're treating." She replied.
"How 'bout tomorrow then?" he replied.
"Ok it's a date. Uh what should I wear"
"Uh casual outfit, don't go to any trouble." He replied.
Sara nodded.
Their reservation the following night was for 6:00pm at a local restaurant. When they arrived they stood in a long line up.
"Don't we have a reservation?" Sara asked.
"Yes we do – I don't understand this line up."
Grissom left Sara in line and walked to the front only to be sent to the back of the line.
"What's wrong?"
"We have to wait." He said obviously miffed.
The line moved quickly and they 'checked in'
"Grissom
table for two 6:00."
The maître'd
checked the reservation book.
"No reservation for Grissom here sir." He replied smugly.
"We've been waiting already a half hour for our 6:00 reservation. Find us a seat." Grissom said angrily.
After a few moments the maître'd checked again and sure enough the reservation was in but it was for the following day. After another half hour wait they were given a table. Grissom argued that it was not his fault the reservation was recorded wrong.
They were seated at a table beside a family with two small children, one an six month old infant and the other a three year old.
"What are you going to have Gil?" Sara asked.
"I don't know, but I know that you'll like the veggie burger."
She looked impressed. "You tried their veggie burgers?"
"Yeah, I ordered take out here once to check out the food and I wanted to see what the veggie burger tasted like."
The waiter came by to take their drink orders to which they ordered a bottle of red wine.
Ten minutes later the wine steward came by to pour their wine fifteen minutes after that another waiter served them their meals. It was then too that the three year old belonging to the parents in the seats beside them decided to cause a ruckus.
"Hungry!" said the boy and climbed off his chair and attempted to climb on his mom's lap.
The mother lifted her shirt to breastfeed her three year old son. That prompted Grissom to start to choke. He was utterly shocked at this mother breastfeeding her three year old at a restaurant like this. (this was almost a fine-dining place that discourages children but doesn't ban them)
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Cut to present…
"Grissom would you please get to the point? I am sorry if I sound rude, but you're talking too much about this woman nursing her three year old."
"David, it is that incident that started the whole embarrassing situation." Grissom replied.
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"What are you looking at?" the woman's husband said angrily.
Grissom managed to stop choking by sipping his wine. "Sir it shocked me that your wife is breastfeeding your son right in the middle of a fancy restaurant! No disrespect intended I was just startled."
"Stop looking at her then" the man said loudly.
"It is hard not to look when she is sitting where she is sitting."
"Turn the other way then"
"Then I'd be staring at the wall and I would like to converse with my girl here."
"Pervert" the woman said really loud.
"Gil, let's just settle the bill and go." Sara said obviously upset.
They called the waiter and their bill was brought to them.
Grissom put down his credit card.
The waiter returned within five minutes. "I'm sorry sir, your card was rejected."
Grissom gave him another one.
"Sir that card too was rejected. Perhaps you need to call your credit card company. Do you have cash on hand?"
"I do not carry this much cash on hand." He looked at Sara.
Wordlessly Sara handed the waiter a credit card. The waiter returned with it and the slip for her to sign. She signed it, put away the credit card and grabbed her jacket and purse and walked out of the restaurant with a very embarrassed Grissom following her.
Silently they went to the car to which he opened the door for her and she got in.
"I am so sorry" he said turning to her.
She did not respond. "Take me home Grissom."
Gil Grissom felt as if he wanted to cry. He blew his date with the woman he had been secretly in love with for a very long time.
When they got to her apartment she turned to him. "No need for you to walk me to my door. I'll see you at the lab."
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"My story was a lot worse Grissom! I was half naked! I was wearing my pants on backwards!"
"David – Sara and I obviously had other dates which went well. I made it up to her and we stayed away from that restaurant for a very long time thereafter. "
"Do you think that Wendy will forgive me?"
"You still slept together after that night correct?"
David blushed to the roots of his hair and looked down. "Yes, before it all came out about the strip joint because I didn't remember what had happened."
"David relax please. Wendy likes you, just be yourself with her. I learned to relax and take risks which is one reason why I left the lab."
"Your team misses you Grissom."
"I know David, but Catherine is doing a great job as Supervisor. I just came back because Catherine called me and wanted me to talk to you and tell you that story."
"She knew about that? How?"
"She was at the same restaurant with Warrick, Nick and Mandy." He said.
"How is Sara?" he asked changing the subject.
"Sara is doing fine. We're living in a small town in Costa Rica."
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
"Somebody wanted to see you" said a voice. David turned. It was Sara holding a baby that looked to be about eight months old.
David cocked an eyebrow. "Daddy?"
Grissom smiled. "Yes. I'm a daddy and I am loving it" he said and took his son from Sara's arms. David also noticed a nice ring on Sara's finger and Grissom's too.
"You two tied the knot?" Congrats.
"Thanks. Listen David, don't let little embarrassing moments sour you. Wendy likes you so you should go for it. I've had plenty of embarrassing moments over the years relating to Gil here." Sara said but did not elaborate.
David stood up. "Thank you so much for our talk Grissom. I had better get back to work now before Catherine gets on my case or I fall behind on work." He said and gave Grissom a handshake and Sara a quick hug.
Gil and Sara smiled and together walked out of the lab, their son in their arms.
A/N: I know this is a long chapter, but I couldn't help it. This is the first chapter of this story that I hadn't pre-written out first. When my imagination starts writing, it never stops. (LOL) Besides I wanted to write in a little Grissom & Sara involvement. Things get back to WEDGES in the next one. Stay tuned!
