After a coffee Sara felt better. She walked to Grissom's office. Her supervisor was on the phone and signed her to have a seat. Immediately her mind wandered off. She wanted to go to Desert Palms and see Sofia. There was no reason for her to be here when her friend was in hospital and needed her.

"Sara?"

"Sorry." She hadn't heard that he had finished his phone call.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm…I can cope. Do you want me to write me report now?"

"Now."

"But…"

"I know it's procedure. I think we can make an exception today. Nevertheless I have to tell you as your supervisor that you're not supposed to give your vest away. Especially not when there's gunfire around us…"

"Gil, she wanted in and I was going downstairs, I didn't need the vest…"

"It's a rule to keep on your vest, Sara."

"I know." A stupid rule.

He got up, walked around the desk to her. "As your supervisor I need to tell you that you violated the rules – again. I have to tell you if you do that again there might consequences and I've to reprove your for that." He got down to be face to face with her. "Do you feel reproved for all what you did?"

"Yes."

"Good." He smiled. "That was what you supervisor had to tell you. And now let me say you as your friend and your supervisor, I'm very glad you did what you did. You might have saved Sofia's life by giving her your vest. It's true, she needed it more than you and no time to get her own. You did everything right, Sara. You saved her, you probably saved Jim too because he needed Sofia's help. Thanks for saving my friends lives." He hugged her.

"Gil…"

"I'm sorry I had to do the first speech, you know, politics." He kissed her cheek. "And now get the hell out of here and see Sofia. She'll need you and you need to see her. I can see your thoughts are only with her."

"Thanks." She smiled relieved. Of course he wasn't mad at her.

"Sara?"

"Yeah?" She stopped in front of his door.

"I'm glad you're alright too. I don't to imagine to lose you."

"Same to you, Gil. And call Heather for Christ's sake. You can do your paperwork and politics later, see her and have lunch with her. Or whatever."

"I'll consider that." He smiled.

"Good. You better have seen her before I see her the next time." Sara blinked at him and left. Without paying attention to the people around her, she made her way as fast as possible to the car park, got in her car and drove to the Desert Palms.

"Sara Sidle, I'm with the crime lab, I need to see Sofia Curtis. Detective Curtis." She demanded at the front desk.

"One of your colleagues is already upstairs. Room 5 – 3 – 5. Take the elevator to the fifth floor and left."

"Thanks." Sara hated elevators, she hated hospitals, she hated the smell here. Right now she hated most the waiting. For the elevator to come, for the doors to close and open again.

Ignoring again all people around her, her eyes pinned on the numbers on the door, she walked fast the hallway down. Why gave a hospital her every time the feeling of being ill? Weren't these places there to make you feel better? Well, it was the opposite with her. She felt sick and/or reminded of her childhood when visits in a hospital was something that happened more often to her than a visit in a cinema or a museum.

She wasn't sure if she had really waited until she was called into the room, she knocked and the next thing she realized was, she was in the room. Sofia was on a bed, no doctor or nurse around her.

Wordless Sara went to her, got Sofia in her arms and pulled her deep in her arms. There she was, her friend. She was alright. Nothing suggested that Sofia was seriously harmed. Finally the tears were coming and Sara had no intention to stop them.

"Could you let me go only a tiny bit?" Sofia gasped. "Please. Half an inch?"

"No." Sara denied. She didn't want to let do. Right now she wanted to have Sofia as close as possible.

"Sara, you hurt me if you go on like that."

Immediately Sara let Sofia go and stepped back.

"Not so far, stupid." Sofia took Sara's hand with her right hand and opened her hospital shirt a little bit with her left hand.

"This one is a little bit painful when there's pressure on it." A bruise was on the belly of the blonde. "It's growing and I called it Sara because I've got it because of you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, your vest. Two bullets next to each other. Without your vest I wouldn't be the best looking patient. I'd be with Doc Robbins."

"You'd be the best looking body he ever had." Sara smiled a little bit. Sofia was smug again, the blonde couldn't be too bad.

"I know but the thought he sees me naked is a little bit disturbing."

"It's more than disturbing."

"So let's be happy I'm the best looking patient. And get me in your arms again, Grumpy Smurf. Now!"

"Smuggy." Sara got Sofia back in her arms.

"Stop crying, there is no reason t cry." Sofia caught a tear with her finger.

"When Brass called officer down, I thought you were dead and I wanted to be dead too."

"Why?"

"I don't want to go on without you. Where's the sense in life when you lose your best friend? And a trip to Waikiki." Sara added to make it sound less dramatically.

"If you get my apartment you can go to Waikiki. You have no idea how my will looks like."

"I don't want to be in your will, I want to be with you in Waikiki."

"Consider yourself as lucky, you'll get both. And now get me out of here."

"Can you…?"

"Sure. I need my clothes and I can go. They said I'm fine, will feel sore the next few days, especially around my colorful Sara, but I'll survive. And I need to take a day or two off."

"I don't like that you call a bruise after me."

"Get used to it. I even took a photo of it and I'll take one every day. Imagine how it will look tomorrow."

"You're sick." Sara laughed.

"No, sssshhh, don't say that here." Sofia grabbed her clothes. "I'm sorry but I don't have your vest anymore. There was a CSI – the wrong CSI, not mine – and took it with him. Evidence."

"That's alright, I got my trouble already for giving away my vest."

"Really?"

"Yes, Grissom told me off; officially."

"An unofficially?"

"He thanked me for saving his friends lives."

"As soon as I'm better I'll tell you off too." Sofia took Sara's hand. "Come on, I need to sign at the front desk and then I could need somebody to drive me home."

"I could be that somebody."

"That's what I hoped for."

The man at the front desk didn't want to let Sofia go first because she hadn't seen her doctor after the examination.

"Well, I was waiting for an hour, tell my doctor I'm home. I feel fine, I sign whatever you need to let me go and you can give my bed to somebody who needs it. I've got all I need."

"It's you own responsibility."

"That's alright." Sofia signed a form that she wanted to leave the hospital without the last words of her doctor.

"Home?" Sara asked when they were in her car.

"Yes. Could you do me two favors?"

"To the one I'm already doing you?" Sara smirked. "Let me hear."

"First, could we stop at Ben's Best Burgers? It after noon and I'm starving and I don't want a coffee and a bagel, I want something fatty, unhealthy, some burger I can never manage to finish, a bowl of French fries with too much salt and a gallon of coke that I'll drink before I've the same amount of beer later at home."

"Except for the beer we can do that. You're on pain killer, you can't drink."

"Spoilsport."

"What's the second favor?"

"Would you stay with me? I know, we barely spent any time separated this week and you're sick and tired of me right now…"

"Shut up. I had no other intention than staying with you, Sofia."

"Thanks."

"So Ben's Best Burger?"

"Yes. Please."

"I hope they sell salad."

"They do, but the burgers are better."

"Of course they are." Sara held Sofia's hand while she navigated her car to the drive through of the fast food restaurant.

Sofia got her x-large burger and Sara wondered how many burgers the blonde got when she took the bag with their food. It looked bigger than bags for whole families.

"Do you want a shower first? I'll make you your favorite dressing and mix us a few non alcoholic cocktails." Sofia offered.

"Sounds good to me." Sara put the bag on the table and went into Sofia's bathroom. Like the blonde in Sara's apartment, had Sara some of her clothes in Sofia's apartment. It was no problem to change here, there were enough clothes for a whole week.

When she came back in the kitchen Sofia had set everything on the sofa.

"Where's the food?"

"Oven. I kept it warm and your salad in the fridge. Care for some croutons on your salad?"

"Do I get spoiled today?"

"A little bit."

"Yes, I'd love to have croutons."

"Good. I also boiled an egg for you. Your salad looked so…poor, I thought I'm gonna pimp your salad."

"Cheese?"

"Of course. Have a seat on the sofa."

"You're the one who fresh out of the hospital."

"Yes, I'm out of it, so I can be treated like a human." Sofia pushed Sara towards the couch. "Take the cocktails with you, will you?"

"Sure." She waited until Sofia had placed all the food in front of them. The burger was huge, Sara guessed over a pound of meat.

"You'll never be able to eat that all." Mayonnaise and tomato sauce were all over her Sofia's French fries.

"I know, food for two days."

"You wanna warm that up?"

"Yes."

"You're disgusting."

"I know." Sofia tried to get her burger between her jaws and failed pitiful. She managed to get a slice of meat, some tomato and a piece of cucumber, the rest dropped onto her plate.

"Need fork and knife?"

"It's fast food, you don't use fork and knife for fast food."

"No, you make a mess out of your plate and your face."

"Eat your salad." Sara threw a slice of tomato on Sara's salad.

"I will. I can even lean back while I eat." Sara leant back on the sofa with the salad on her lap.

"So can I." Sofia dropped some fries on her plate, leant back, snuggled onto Sara's shoulder and started to eat her burger layer by layer.

"You're red and white." Sara took a salad leaf and got with it some of the mayonnaise from Sofia's cheek.

"Do I look good with it?"

"Is there anything you don't look good with?"

"Actually no." She grinned. "Even with my own Sara."

"Could you find another name for your bruise?"

"No. I'm very glad I have it. It was the bruise or two bullet holes."

"The next time you take your vest with you."

"I think you are the only who wears the vest all the time."

"I know why."

"You're a smart woman." Sofia finished another meat layer. Next on her list were the cheese slices and the bread. Without a second look she left the vegetables on the plate and got her attention back to the fries. If she could help it, she would ignore all these pseudo healthy things and eat the real things. Nobody bought a burger because of the tomato slices or the cucumber. They all wanted the meat and so did Sofia.

"The tomato won't kill you."

"I know. Neither will the fries."

"Like a child."

"Careless and free."

"Dirty and stubborn."

Sara got up and got some paper towels for Sofia.

"Thanks mom."

"If I'd be your mom you wouldn't eat this stuff."

"I've never thought I'd be thankful to have my mom." Sofia grinned and put her plate away.

"I'll remind all these nasty little comments, Sofia."

"Of course you do." Sofia got Sara's empty plate away and climbed in her arms, putting her own arms around Sara's neck, resting her head on the brunette's shoulder.

"Tired?" Sara asked.

"Mhm. It was a long shift."

"It was a hard shift with thankfully a happy end."

"Thanks to you."

"I've to take care of my detective."

"No, it's not your job."

"It's my job to take care of my friends. And if my best friend happens to be a detective, well I've to take care of her. I don't want to lose her."

"I don't want to lose you, Sara." Sofia kissed Sara's cheek. "Thanks again for the vest and saving my life."

"I'd do it anytime again."

"I hope so."

"The next time you take better care."

"I promise."

"Good. I don't want to lose you, Sofia. I love you too much."

"I love you too." Sofia held on close to Sara. "Could you do me another favor?"

"Which one?"

"Stay with me and don't sleep on the sofa. I would like to be in your arms so that I'll know in my dreams I'm still alive and when the nightmares come and I'll get shot, a part of me will remember I'm alive and you're there."

"I'll stay with you."

"Thanks. Do you carry me?"

"No." Sara laughed.

"Why not?"

"We're not married, I don't carry you over the threshold."

"Pity. But hey, we're in Vegas, we can do that within an hour."

"I think I prefer just to sleep with you."

"That sounds…"

"Sleep with you in one bed and meaning real sleep."

"…relaxing."

"Have you always been that dirty and nasty?"

"Yes."

"Thought so." Sara pushed Sofia from her lap and got up. "Come on, time to brush your teeth and some sleep."

"Yes mom."

"Don't mom me."

"No sexy." Sofia slapped Sara's ass.

"Sofia Curtis, one more thing like this and you'll be in trouble."

"Can't wait for it." Sofia grinned, hugged Sara and kissed her lips. "Punish me, baby. I always wanted to be punished by you in bed."

"I should leave."

"You won't."

"I know, that's the disaster." Sara smiled. "Bed. Now!"

"I love it when she sends me to bed – with her."

"Shut up!" Five minutes later they were in Sofia's bed, the blonde snuggling in Sara's arms.

"Are you comfortable?" Sofia asked.

"Yes. Are you?"

"Absolutely."

"Good. Get some sleep, we've got around eight hours."

"I've the next two nights off. Would you like to stay here? I'd wait for you tomorrow morning with breakfast."

"I can do that."

"Thanks. Sleep tight, Sara. Love you."

"I love you too, Sofia. Don't get any nightmare, I'm here to take care of you." Sara kissed Sofia's earlobe. "I'm happy to have you here and not to see you anywhere else."

"All your fault that you're now on my bed." Sofia took Sara's hands in hers and closed her eyes. Sara had saved her life, she was her guardian angel. And now her guardian angel was with her and would make sure, she was alright. Sofia really doubted she could find a better friend than Sara.

The end