A/N: Thanks to Giwu for the wonderful beta job as always and an extra thank you for the idea on how to tell Grissom's mom about the new arrival. As you know I have had some writer's block with this story and I am happy to say it was abated. I have two more chapters all ready written so I hope I can resume a weekly posting schedule.
Grissom waited at the baggage claim for his mother to come down the jetway. Sara had chosen to stay behind, she was more tired than usual the last few days so Grissom was glad that she chose rest over waiting with him at the airport.
After a few moments Grissom saw his mother coming towards him. He kept his eyes focused on her face and moved in her direction. Once he closed in on her, he reached out to touch her arm while crossing into her line of vision. "Hi, mom," he greeted with a smile.
"Gil!" she replied enthusiastically wrapping him in a tight hug. "It's good to see you."
"Likewise," Grissom signed. "You look wonderful. The art gallery seems to agree with you."
Nora Grissom scanned the immediate area, "Where's Sara? You didn't make that poor girl drive around the white zone again, did you?"
"No, mom," Grissom laughed. "She's at home. She was a little tired and we have a long weekend ahead of us."
"She isn't ill, is she?" Nora asked as they began walking to the baggage claim. "You don't look overly rested yourself."
"We are both fine, mom," Grissom answered. "We're perfect."
It took about an hour for Grissom to collect his mother's bags and drive the short distance to his home. He was nervous about telling his mom about the baby, but excited as well. He knew she wanted a grandchild, but this was such a huge life event for all of them he wanted everything to go perfectly.
Grissom pulled into the driveway and took his mother's bag from the trunk, "Mom, I should warn you, Sara and I adopted a dog. He usually doesn't jump up but you never know," he said.
Nora laughed, "How does he like your spider?"
"Bruno doesn't really acknowledge him. He's usually busy knocking over the trash or trying to get the toilet lid up," he laughed.
Grissom slipped his key in the lock, but the door opened before he turned the knob.
"Hi, Nora," Sara greeted smiling. She was wearing a soft blue sundress one of the few articles of clothing she owned that still fit her comfortably.
"Sara," Nora smiled taking her daughter-in-law in her arms. "You look lovely."
"Thank you," Sara signed. "So do you."
The next few moments were spent catching up, getting Nora set up in the guest room, and introducing her to Bruno. The large dog sat obediently and licked Nora's hand as she pet him.
"You must be starving," Sara said after awhile. She had studied ASL since she and Grissom married and was now practically fluent. "I made an eggplant casserole."
"I find it so amazing," said Nora as they moved to the dining room. "That you can be so creative without using any meat at all. I thought for most of my life all you could make with eggplant is eggplant parmesan."
"I have a whole book of unique vegetarian dishes. It has nearly 20 ways to use almost every vegetable as a meal. I'll show it to you after dinner," Sara promised.
"Yes," Grissom agreed. "After dinner and after her surprise actually."
"Surprise?" Nora queried. "Gilbert, you know how I feel about surprises."
"I do, mom," Grissom assured her. "But even you will like this one. Trust me on that."
The small family ate and Nora talked about her gallery and one of her coworker's sons. "You would like him, Gilbert," Nora told Grissom. "He is very intelligent and his son, he's just the most adorable baby."
"Aren't all babies pretty adorable?" Grissom asked.
"You were," Nora replied.
Grissom raised one eyebrow quickly in Sara's direction. She nodded and excused herself to go to their bedroom and retrieve the gift she and Grissom chose to help break the news about the baby to Nora.
"Mom," Grissom signed when Sara returned. "It is time for your surprise. Sara chose it of course."
Nora took the box wrapped in nondescript pink wrapping paper. With a classical look of Grissom skepticism she unwrapped the package and slowly lifted the lid of the white box underneath. She pushed back the tissue paper to reveal a tiny cloth bib bearing the words, "If you think I'm cute, you should see my grandma."
Nora studied the bib then lifted tear glazed eyes to meet the excited gazes of Sara and Grissom. "A baby!" she signed. "You are going to have a baby!"
Sara smiled broadly and nodded, "This winter," she said with a tear falling from her eye.
Nora reached out for her son and hugged him. When she pulled back she signed something so quickly Sara couldn't quite catch it. "I haven't been a baby for a long time," Grissom replied before Nora turned to Sara.
"How are you feeling honey?" Nora asked. "How's the morning sickness?"
"It's not that bad," Sara replied. "If I avoid certain foods and get plenty of rest I can manage. Gil takes excellent care of both of us," Sara's hand moved protectively over her abdomen.
Nora's face dropped at the comment but she quickly filed her concern for later. "Have you though about any names? Do you know if you want to find out the sex?"
Sara's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Nora was signing so quickly Sara could not effectively translate. Grissom laughed softly and interceded, "Mom, slow down. We can't make out what you are saying."
"I'm sorry," Nora said. "I am just so excited." She took a deep breath and began again. "Have you thought of any names?"
"No," Sara replied. "We really haven't had a chance to discuss things like that yet."
Nor seemed upset by that, "When I was pregnant with Gilbert that was all his father and I could talk about."
"Well…I…" Sara began. "I've been really tired after work and Gil sometimes has to work later than…"
Grissom sensed that Sara was uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. He knew she didn't want his mother to know how terrified she had been of telling him she was expecting or her reasons for feeling that way. Grissom had also told Sara to keep his accident quiet. He quickly jumped in to rescue her. "Sara and I were both concerned with how we were going to break the news to our friends and our bosses. Now everyone knows so we can focus on other details."
"How did your boss, that Eelie, Enlie…" Nora began.
"Ecklie?" Sara fingerspelled. "He was his usual self but the sheriff is in our corner so it won't be so bad."
"Wonderful," Nora replied. "And so was this meal, really sweetheart."
Nora's voice was beginning to sound as if it was drifting away to Sara. She felt her body go tense of its own volition. The room seemed to become stifling hot for no apparent reason. Shakily, Sara raised a trembling hand to her forehead in an attempt to steady herself as the room lurched around her.
Grissom noticed Sara had fallen silent and was on his feet moving to her side before she uttered his name in a soft, weak whisper. "Gil?"
Grissom knelt beside her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms, "I'm here, honey. What it is?"
"I don't feel very well," she confessed. "I feel hot and dizzy." She took a shaky breath, "Ow…"
"Gilbert?" Nora spoke her son's name, as he was not facing her. "Sara. Are you all right?"
"My stomach hurts a little," Sara replied not capable of thinking that her mother-in-law could not hear her whispered words or read her lips in her current position.
"Okay," Grissom said, outwardly calm though he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. "Let's get you to the hospital."
"No!" Sara protested. "It'll pass. It barely hurts at all. I'm just overtired. Please Gil, no hospital. Please."
Grissom chose not to fight her. The idea of going to the hospital was making her even more upset than she should be getting given she was already feeling sick. "Okay, no hospital but you go to rest right now and you let me have Al come by and take a look at you. If he says that we need to go to the hospital…"
"It'll pass," Sara said again. "Catherine said…"
"Gilbert James Grissom!" Nora said loudly from her position behind Grissom. She wanted to know what was going on and could not get a good enough look at their lips to read them.
"Mom," Grissom replied turning so she could see both his hands and his mouth. "Sara isn't feeling well. Please help me convince her she needs to be seen by a doctor."
"Sara," Nora intervened, her voice holding the full maternal edge needed to get even Grissom to comply with her wishes.
"All right," Sara capitulated. "I don't want both of you worrying. You can call Al, Gil."
"I will," Grissom said softly. "Mom, will you please help Sara lie down in our room while I call Dr. Robbins."
"Gilbert, if I remember correctly, isn't Dr. Robbins a pathologist?" Nora asked.
"Yes, but he was an internist for years before he switched to pathology," Grissom replied. "I know that he's all she'll agree too and he's better than no one at all."
Sara didn't argue with Grissom's request and allowed Nora to accompany her to the bedroom. About an hour later, Dr. Robbins arrived. Sara told him about the dizzy spell she had experienced and about the pains in her stomach. "It was just a small cramp, the dizzy spell was worse," she said. "Now I feel fine, just tired as always."
"Sara," Dr. Robbins sighed. "I'm not now nor have I ever been an OB but you aren't bleeding and the cramps have passed. When is you next appointment?"
"Our first ultrasound is on Tuesday," Sara answered.
"If this happens again I would go and be examined at the hospital just to be sure, if not I would advise rest until Tuesday," Al instructed. "Gil, see that she takes it easy and tells the doctor what happened tonight."
Grissom slid off the bed where he'd been sitting holding Sara's hand. "I will, Al," he replied as he walked the older man toward the front door. He offered his hand for Dr. Robbins to shake, "Thanks for coming out to see her. I appreciate it."
"My pleasure," said Dr. Robbins. "I'm a bit concerned by how tired she says she is, but it is more common than you may think for woman, especially small ones like Sara to cramp as the uterus expands to accommodate for the growing fetus."
"Scientifically I know all of that, Al, but…" Grissom began.
"All reason leaves your head when you are wearing your husband hat," Dr. Robbins finished. "I have been there myself. I am concerned about her Gil. I know very well of Sara's insomnia if that is not dealt with the stress of the pregnancy may cause her more serious health problems, and it will most certainly cause her difficulties on the job."
"I have been writing a list of questions for her doctor's visit," Grissom told Al. "I'll add your concerns about the insomnia to it."
Dr. Robbins left and Grissom returned to Sara's side. "I'm going to help you get changed then I want you to rest. You are exhausted, honey."
"I'm feeling better, Gil," Sara insisted. "Really. I can get up and…"
Sara began to sit up but Grissom held her down with a gentle hand, "You will do no such thing. Al told you to rest and you are going to do just that."
"Your mom is only going to be here three days," Sara sighed.
"We will both spend plenty of time with Mom, I promise, sweetheart," Grissom said softly. He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Sara's lips. "Get your pajamas on and rest. I'm going to find my mother and fill her in on how you are, she was worried about you. I'll be in to join you in a little bit."
Sara nodded and smiled softly as she watched Grissom leave their bedroom in search of his mother.
In the next installment of Mountains: Grissom shares some concerns about his impending fatherhood with Nora. Nora confronts Sara about her plans for the future.
