Sara's POV
I called in, without explaining the reason for my absence, knowing that Grissom would remember that Catherine's mom was in the hospital. It wasn't his business why I wasn't coming in, really, he just needed to know that I wouldn't be showing up. I hadn't had much sleep and I was in sort of a grumpy mood, so I didn't bother to try to be polite about it. Just told him I wasn't coming in and he shouldn't call me for any reason. I did promise him that I would make my shift the following night, though. I knew that would make it easier to get him to let the subject drop. He really didn't put up much of a fight anyway. I guess he didn't want to hear my reasons anymore than I wanted to explain them to him.
Catherine looked so tired when I got back from making my phone call, I just forgot all about how tired I was and encouraged her to get some rest. She laid her head on my shoulder and fell asleep within a few minutes. I tried to sit very still and not wake her, but could only manage it for a couple of hours. I just really needed either sleep or strong coffee. I settled for coffee and stood slowly to go get some for both myself and Catherine. I couldn't get up without waking her, but she didn't seem to mind. I went and made us both a cup of coffee and brought them back to join her again. She sipped her coffee in thoughtful silence and told me she and her sister needed to stretch their legs. I have a feeling I'm going to be the topic of their conversation, but I played along and agreed to stay here and watch the kids while they take a walk. A minute after they leave, I consider taking a nap, but the thought that something might happen to Lindsey or Jeremy while I'm napping makes me choose to read my forensics journal instead.
Jeremy was involved in his video game and didn't seem to want to talk and Lindsey was sound asleep and I didn't want to wake her, so I found an article I thought I might learn something from and started reading. Mostly, though, I was just waiting for Catherine's return. I miss her when she isn't nearby. It's only been about 3 weeks and I crave her presence already. This is crazy. I feel so weak when I realize how much I need this woman. They were gone for almost 45 minutes. I finally got into my journal and they came wandering in and sat down again. As soon as her fingers made contact with my skin, Catherine was all I could think about, so I closed and folded up the journal.
"Mom, I'm hungry." Lindsey complained as soon as she noticed Catherine. My beautiful lover rummaged through the bag she had packed and handed her child a soda and a granola bar.
"Here's a snack. We'll have Sara go get us something more substantial later on, okay?" she promised the child.
"Did you have a nice walk?" I managed to ask without sounding like the crazed stalker I think I'm turning into. She nodded and gestured to the journal in my hand.
"I see you kept busy." she teased. I smiled at her and nodded.
"I was going to offer to go pick up some sandwiches for all of us. I can get soda for the kids and coffee for all of us. I'll bring it all back up here and we can all eat together." I told her, wishing I had made the offer before she'd suggested it.
"Honey, that would be perfect. Could you take care of that? Lindsey can go with you and help you carry the food." she suggested. I pulled out my notepad and searched through Cat's purse for a pen, then wrote down what I knew would please Catherine and Lindsey before I asked Jeremy and Nancy what they would like. I wrote down everyone's sandwich preferences and glanced at Lindsey.
"Okay, looks like that covers everyone. Linds, you want to take a ride with me?"
"Yeah! I'm ready to get out of here for a little while." Lindsey grumbled and stretched as she got out of her chair.
"Can I go, too?" Jeremy asked. I glanced at his mother, not knowing what to tell him.
"If it's okay with Sara it's fine with me." Nancy said with a shrug.
"Can I Aunt Sara?" he pleaded.
"Sure! You can carry the food and Linds can help me carry the drinks. But I'm driving." I told them and both the kids giggled. I waited while Lindsey tied her shoelaces and Jeremy put away his video game, then just before we left I had to bend down and give Catherine a quick kiss. I didn't really like being openly affectionate in front of her sister and the kids, but I felt like if I didn't kiss her then, I might never have another chance to, so I did it anyway.
"I love you. I'll be back soon." I told her in a soft voice.
"Love you, too." she told me, looking into my eyes. My heart did a flip when she did that. She really does love me. I had to think about every step I took until I was out of her sight. I rattled my keys as the kids followed along behind me and when we got to my truck Jeremy insisted he got to sit up front with me, and Lindsey just rolled her eyes and settled into the back seat as usual.
I pulled out into traffic and drove us to a sandwich shop where I knew we could find something for everyone. I ordered and paid for the food and let Lindsey get the fountain drinks while I made the coffee. I realized I hadn't asked Nancy how she liked her coffee, so I took a chance and made hers the way I always make Catherine's. When the sandwiches were ready I jabbed Jeremy with my elbow.
"This is your job, remember?" I teased him. We got back in the truck and I drove us carefully back to the hospital. Once we were parked I told the kids to wait for me and we all went in together. I was a step ahead of Lindsey and Jeremy was a step behind her. I glanced around to make sure both kids had kept up with me before we went into the waiting room to meet Catherine and Nancy. I handed Nancy her coffee and sat carefully next to Catherine before handing over her cup as well. Catherine was pleased with her coffee. And Nancy hadn't complained, so maybe she drinks hers the same way Catherine does.
We were all fairly hungry, so when Jeremy had handed out all the sandwiches, we ate in near silence. Everybody seemed to just want to enjoy the food. Once it was gone, though, Catherine had some news for us.
"Mom is in recovery. The doctor told us the surgery went well. He said he'd send a nurse to let us know when she wakes up and we can go visit her for a few minutes tonight."
"Mom, can we sleep at home tonight?" Lindsey asked.
"After we visit Grandma, we can go home and get some sleep." Catherine told her.
"Well, it's a relief that this part of it is over." I whispered against Catherine's temple as I leaned over to kiss her again.
"Yes, it is a relief. Are you sure you want to help with this, Sara? It's not too late to change your mind, you know?" Catherine asked softly.
"My mind is made up." I told her sternly and raised an eyebrow at her. She recognized the signs that I was getting stubborn and she backed down.
"Just thought I'd give you the opportunity to change your mind." she sighed.
"That's not going to happen." I whispered to her. She smiled and her eyes lit up. I love making this woman happy.
A nurse came in a few minutes later to tell us that Lily was awake and asking for Catherine and Nancy. The two of them went back to see her first, then Lindsey and I went back when they returned. Jeremy insisted he would wait and talk to her last.
"Hi, Grandma! Are you feeling better now?" Lindsey asked as soon as we were in her room. Lily glanced at me and tried to smile.
"Honey, grandma is sore all over and feeling kind of weak right now. But, I'll get better now. It's just going to take some time." Lily assured the child.
"I'd ask how you're feeling, but, I guess with all this stuff hooked up to you there's no point in asking." I said, motioning toward the i.v. and the various monitors they had hooked up to Lily.
"Something tells me I should be grateful for this right now." Lily said pointing to the i.v.
"Yes, I imagine without the drugs you would feel much worse." I mumbled, not knowing what to say or why the woman had wanted to see me again.
"Sara, I know what everyone expects from me. I've been a handful all of my life. Catherine probably thinks that I will try to scare you away and Nancy probably wouldn't be surprised by that idea either. Ten years ago, I probably would have. But, it's been so long since my daughter was truly happy. And I do believe that she is happy right now. I don't want to mess things up for her. So I promise you, Sara, that you'll have no trouble from me." Lily told me in a serious voice. I glanced at her and then at Lindsey who seemed to be grinning like crazy.
"I'm willing to give this a chance, Lily. I'm going to work tomorrow night, but I'll be turning in my vacation notice, I'm taking some time off work to help Catherine and Nancy take care of you during your recovery. That should give us plenty of time to get to know each other, wouldn't you say?" I told her. She smiled and nodded.
"Catherine told me you planned to do that. I want you to know that you don't have to put up with me if you choose not to. None of us would hold it against you, Sara." Lily promised.
"If I'm really a part of this family, then I want to do my part, Lily." I told her and took Lindsey's hand.
"Well, I'd say you fit into this family really well. You're as stubborn as any of us." Lily told me and laughed, then grimaced as she realized how much it hurt to laugh. I grabbed a pillow from the chair and handed it to her.
"Clutch this to your chest when you feel like you need to cough or when you laugh and it will help you not feel quite so ripped apart. Or at least that's what the literature says." I told her with a smile. She nodded weakly and I looked down at Lindsey and noticed she had gone a little pale.
"Lily, I'm sure you need some rest and Jeremy still wants to come in and see you, so Linds and I are going to go now. We'll see you again, soon." I told her and jabbed Lindsey with my elbow.
"We love you, Grandma. We'll be back to see you tomorrow." Lindsey told her.
"I love you, too, sweetheart." Lily told her and I steered her back toward the waiting room and sat quietly next to Catherine again.
"Mom, why is Grandma's skin so gray?" Lindsey asked almost as soon as we were seated.
"Linds, honey, she just had this operation. She is weak and needs some time to get healthy again. She's going to be okay, Lindsey. Just give her some time." Catherine tried to assure her daughter.
We waited until Jeremy visited with his grandmother and Catherine and Nancy made plans for the following day. I held Lindsey's little hand since she seemed upset after seeing her grandmother so sick. Nancy and Jeremy headed back to Nancy's place and I drove us all back to Catherine's house. Catherine unlocked the door while I grabbed our stuff out of the truck and we went in and settled on the sofa in front of the television for a few minutes. Lindsey announced that she was going to bed and left us alone.
"You need sleep, too, baby." Catherine told me gently.
"We both do." I whispered against her ear and then kissed her softly.
"Come upstairs with me." she smiled against my lips. I nodded and stood, then held out a hand to help her to her feet. She led me upstairs and closed and locked the bedroom door. I turned down the covers on her bed and when I turned around she was undressing, slowly. She had her blouse halfway unbuttoned and she watched my face to see the reaction each move she made got. I was almost embarrassed by the knowledge that she could read me so clearly. Still, I couldn't look away from her beauty.
"How tired are you, Sara?" she whispered seductively. I looked her over and sighed.
"I'm afraid I might be too tired to finish what you start tonight." I admitted. She smiled and moved closer to me.
"That's okay, honey. I like to be teased on occasion." she confessed in a shy tone. I know I stood there with my mouth hanging open for a few seconds after she said that. She dropped the blouse to the floor behind her and moved to where her skin was almost touching mine.
"Would you help me take the rest of these clothes off?" she asked softly. I gulped and nodded, then ran my fingers along the outline of her bra.
"God, Cat, you're just so beautiful." I whispered as I unclasped her bra and freed her breasts. I kissed her throat, and traced a line with my tongue until I could gently pull one of her nipples into my mouth and roll my tongue around it very softly. Catherine threw her head back and a soft moan escaped her lips.
"Mmmm, honey, that feels so good. I love the way you look at me. You always make me feel worshipped, like some goddess." Catherine mumbled and kissed my shoulder. I unbuttoned her jeans and slowly lowered the zipper. She stepped back and kicked off her shoes and let her jeans fall around her ankles, then stepped out of them. I helped her out of her socks and then peeled her underwear slowly down her long legs and watched her step out of them as well.
"If you were a goddess, I might have to take up religion." I teased her.
"Take these off?" she asked pulling at my clothes. Her desire was building and she was starting to get serious again. I nodded my consent and grabbed the bottom of my tank top, stripping it quickly off over my head I dropped it onto the floor next to Catherine's blouse. She was unclasping my bra while I worked the buttons on my jeans. She smiled when she saw my boxer shorts and she dropped to her knees in front of me and slid them off my legs. I stepped out of them and she pushed me back onto her bed.
"You first, Sara. I can't wait tonight." she whispered and kissed me hard. She let her fingers wander across my heated skin, teasing, nearly torturing as they went. She kissed her way down my body and took one of my nipples into her wonderful mouth. I gasped and closed my eyes. She spent a little time teasing my nipple and moved on to the other one. Then she kissed her way further down my body.
"Spread your legs a little further, baby." she whispered and I did as instructed. She knelt between my legs and dipped her head down to taste me.
"God, Cat!" I cried out when she took my clit in her mouth. She seemed very focused on her task and she got almost rough with me in her quest to get me off.
"Baby, stop." I begged.
She released me immediately and crawled up to join me, looking into my eyes with tears forming in her own beautiful bright blue eyes.
"Did I hurt you, Sara?" she asked softly. I shook my head and held her hand.
"No, baby, you didn't hurt me. I just needed more time, I think. The sensation was just a little too intense. Catherine? Honey, where did this come from? I mean, you're so intense tonight. You're so focused on me. What happened honey?"
"Nothing. Or, more like everything, I guess. This whole situation has been a little stressful for me. And I want you to know how special you are to me. Nobody else in my life holds the place you hold in my heart, Sara. I love you." she whispered with tears on her sweet face.
"I know. And I love you. And nobody is going to come between us. You have nothing to worry about, Catherine. I'm not going anywhere."
"But, if I can't even..." she gestured down my body with one hand and I knew she meant to imply that her sexual performance was less than adequate.
"Baby, don't worry. I love you. I think I'm just a little too tired for this tonight." I whispered against her temple. I kissed her hair and then placed gentle kisses all over her face until I felt her relax against me.
"Could you hold me for a while?" she asked shyly.
"Of course, sweetheart." I whispered and pulled her against me. Her soft naked skin brushing against mine made my heart beat faster, but I controlled my desire and just held her and let her sleep. Soon I was sleeping soundly next to her with my arms still around her.