Chapter 14

"So… this is the number?"

"Yup…" I cleared my throat, admiring the scrawl on the wall under the nail. I could put a frame around it, and it would fit more, I think. It is important to me, after all, and that's what I've been looking for to hang, "I… couldn't find any paper."

"You could've used your skin."

"Skin cancer, Warrick!" I joked, "Rumors or not, I can't risk it!"

"Whatever…" he walked over to my counter and picked up the cordless phone, glancing over at the number at the wall and started dialing.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What're you doing?" I ran over to his side, interrupting his dialing.

"I'm calling Sara – "

"No! No no no, you can't – " I put my hands on the phone in attempts to pry it out of his hands.

"Why not, Greg?" he pulled back. This tug of war kept on throughout our exchange in conversation.

"Because, it's much too soon, Warrick – "

"C'mon, Greg. You and I both know that you'd kill to talk to her right now – "

"Even so, I can kill you now for not feeling like calling her now – "

"Hah! You wouldn't, Greg… now let go."

"No!" I threw all of my body weight towards the tug, snatching the phone out of his fingers, stumbling over my feet to regain my balance, "… not yet."

Warrick shook his head at me and looked at me as if I were a sad, lost puppy. I was about to put the phone back on its receiver when it started to ring: Brrriiing, rrring! We looked at each other, and then back at the phone, still in my hands.

Brrriiing, rrring!

"Who is it?" Warrick asked.

Brrriiing, rrring! I looked down and saw a 4-1-5 number. I quickly glanced back up at the sacred scribble on the wall, then back down at the phone.

Brrriiing, rrring!

"Ah!" I dropped it on the floor out of not knowing what to do and excitement.

"Greg, who is it?"

Brrriiing, rrring!

"It's Sara…"

"Then answer it!" Warrick kneeled down to pick up the phone.

Brrriiing, rrring!

"No!" I jumped on him and pushed him out of the way, "you can't!"

"Why the hell can't I? Greg! Get off!"

Brrriiing, rrri - ! The answering machine started to run. The two of us froze on the floor, listening intently for Sara to speak.

"Hello? Greg? I understand you're not at work, so I figured you're at home. Is everything okay? You didn't return my last call… you're probably asleep. I'll try calling you back in the morning. Take care, Greg." And as she said those last few words, I had that urge to answer the phone again and start talking. Quickly, I jumped off Warrick and reached for the phone, pressing the talk button and holding it up to my face, all with lightning speed.

"Hello?" I called, breathlessly. To my dismay, I was once again greeted with the sound of phone hitting receiver. I held the phone in place for a moment, unwilling to set it down, until denial vanished and I acknowledged she really did hang up the phone. I bit my lower lip and hung up as well, standing up to put the phone on its base.

Meanwhile, Warrick had gotten up and was dusting his clothing off. When I put the phone back on its base, he crossed his arms.

"What was that?"

"What do you mean?" I turned around to face him.

"First," he brought his fingers out, knocking them out one by one, "you refuse that we call her. Second, you tackle me down to prevent the phone from being answered. But third, you scramble for the phone right as she's about to hang up?"

"…it's a cycle of anxiety." I made that up. I really didn't know why I was acting this way.

"Ahuh."

"I should see a shrink, huh?" It was only a joke.

"Or, you could talk to Grissom." I was just joking, Warrick!

"Why would I want to talk to him?"

"He'll probably talk to you for free, and you guys can relate to the Sara-thing."

"Nah, he'd probably charge me an arm and a leg… literally." I tried to avoid the topic of Grissom, if you could tell, "And I'd never use 'Sara' and 'thing' in the same sentence, if I were you…"

"And why not, shy guy?"

"I can kill for more reasons…" I looked at him with a pretty blank stare; he could figure the rest out.

"… all right! Then you could see a shrink tomorrow. You should go to sleep." I glanced at my clock hanging in the corner of my living room.

"It's eight o'clock – "

"You've had a long day. And trust me…" Warrick said as he made his way out the door, "you need it. I'll tell Grissom that you're seeing the doctors tomorrow. You'll be excused."

And then he was gone. I stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. After walking around my house a couple times, to see if there was anything I could do to keep my mind off Sara – and I gave a valiant effort: I reorganized drawers I wouldn't do in my right mind, I washed the dishes, dried the dishes, put away the dishes, I did the small amount of laundry that accumulated over the past couple days, I took a shower… that felt nice – I found that Warrick was right, and I was dead tired. Whether it was from all the chores I just did, or from my day before he left I wasn't sure, but I decided I'd go to a psychiatrist tomorrow and see what happens from there…