Later that afternoon, Sara woke up feeling more at peace than she had in a long time. She walked into the living room and picked up the letters that her friends had written. Sara picked up a blanket and sat down on the couch.
The first letter that she read was Catherine's. She cried as she read it. She knew that their friendship meant a lot to her, too. She reached for her cell phone and dialed Catherine.
"Hi Cath. Can we talk?"
"Hi, Sara," Catherine replied, somewhat stunned. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. I was just sitting here reading your letter."
"Oh, you were…" Catherine mumbled.
"Cath, I want to tell you that I treasure your friendship too. You have helped me in ways that you probably don't realize. I know that our friendship had a rocky start and still has some bumps every now and then. But, you are important to me. Because of you, I have realized what it means to be a good mother. I hope that I can do as good of a job as you did with Lindsey when I have children."
"That means a lot to me, Sara. Sometimes, I don't feel that way, though. I worry about what she has been through."
"Did you mean what you said about being the heart and soul?"
"Yes, of course. When you were gone, I had trouble remembering why I do what I do. You were the one who was there to remind me that we are fighting for people, that victims need justice. That is our job."
"Look, Sara, I know that it won't always be moonlight and roses with us. But, I want you to know that you can trust me. You have taught me how strong a person can be. I am nothing compared to you."
"No, you are the one who is something. "
"Let's not get into a fight. By the way, are you going to come back to work at the crime lab?"
"I don't know yet. I hear Gil up. I guess I need to be going. I look forward to talking to you again soon."
"Bye Sara. I'm glad you're home."
She heard Gil getting dressed and had read Doc's letter by the time he came into the room. "Good afternoon, Sara. Did you sleep well?"
"I did. Thank you for asking." Sara smiled at him.
"What do you want to eat? I will fix whatever you want." Sara told him as she started reading Jim's letter. "Gil, did you know about what Brass was doing?"
"Yes, I did. But it was after the fact though. To be honest, I was sort of glad he did. Don't be mad at him or me for not stopping him. When Jim found out you were gone, he was visibly distraught. I was in the midst of my own despair, but I could see him thinking about Ellie. He didn't want you to end up like her, lost to him. I didn't want to lose you either. I was worried about you."