Chapter 14 – Silver Linings

The bright lights flooded Melanie's eyes. It took her a moment to realize where she was. She looked over at Greg's sleeping body. He looked worn down and disheveled. Bryan came into the room. When he saw that Melanie was awake a smile stretched across his face. He wanted to hug her, but he didn't want to hurt her. He shook Greg gently to wake him up.

Greg opened his eyes to see Melanie smiling weakly at him. "Oh my God Melanie I am so glad you're ok!" Tears of joy filled his eyes. Melanie still didn't have a voice, so she just smiled at him.

Greg got down on his knee. He held her left hand, which already had the ring on it. Melanie gasped when she saw what was happening, and Bryan stood awkwardly in the corner. Greg looked deeply into her eyes. "Melanie. These past few days made me realize something. I realized that I didn't want to spend another day without you. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. You have truly blessed me each and every day. I can't imagine what my life would be like without you in it. Melanie Carmichael, will you be my wife?" Melanie nodded her head excitedly, tears of joy filling her eyes. Greg leaned over her and placed a delicate kiss on her lips.

The rest of the team watched what happened from the window. They came in applauding. Everyone wrapped around Greg in a group hug. Nick took his arm and pulled him into the hallway. "What is it?" Greg prayed for good news. "Marcus Johnson committed suicide. You won't have to worry about him ever again." Greg could have done a backflip he was happy. He looked through the window at his beautiful fiancée, everything was perfect.

Melanie was released from the hospital after three days. Greg carried her through the door of their apartment. Her body was still fragile, but most of the bruises had faded, and the cuts were healing nicely. Luckily the "M' on her ankle wasn't going to scar after all. He sat her gingerly on the bed. Greg knelt in front of her.

Melanie kissed him, and he pushed her hair away from her face. He looked deep into her eyes, she felt like he was trying to read her mind or look into her soul. "Are you sure you're ok?" She smiled at him. "Yes Greg, I'm sure."

The past few days had worn them both out. Bryan had returned home, and now all they wanted was to sleep together in their own bed. Melanie noticed the pillow with a t-shirt on it. Wow, she thought to herself, he really had missed her.

Melanie relished in the comfort of their bed. She sprawled out and rolled around, laughing. She had missed being completely happy. She lifted her hand to look at the beautiful ring on her finger once again. She still couldn't believe that they were getting married.

Greg rested his head on his pillow. They just lay there staring at each other. Greg reached over and put his hand on her hip. She reached up and put her hand on his cheek. She thought to herself that she could lie like this for hours. They didn't speak; they just looked at each other. It was as if they had become one. They breathed at the same time, blinked at the same time, even their heartbeats were in sync. They fell asleep just like that.

Greg woke up to the sight of Melanie's beautiful face. He had missed that. She woke up at almost the exact moment he did. They smiled at each other. Grissom had given them the rest of the week off to recover.

They didn't get out of bed; they stayed there making wedding plans.

Melanie's eyes lit up when she talked about their wedding. "I want the bridesmaids and groomsmen in lavender. Their bouquets and boutonnieres will consist of gardenias and lavender. My bouquet is going to be white roses and gardenias. They just smell so sweet. I want a big poofy dress, just like a princess!" Greg smiled at her lovingly, "Anything you want. Your wish is my command." Melanie liked the sound of that.

She leaned up on her elbow. Her curls fell in front of her face, but Greg pushed them behind her ear. "What do you want?" She had neglected to actually include him in her plans. He thought for a moment. "Melanie, we could get married on top of a garbage heap, just as long as I can spend the rest of my life with you." She laughed. "That might be the most romantic thing anyone has ever said about garbage."

The rest of the day they acted like children. They had tickle fights, pillow fights, and they even built a fort. They collapsed back onto the bed exhausted. A heavy silence fell over them. Usually they would have spent their day in bed doing more adult activities.

Greg had read the report. He knew exactly what Marcus had done to her. He didn't know if Melanie would be ready for sex just yet, not after that. He didn't realize it, but he was frowning.

Melanie knew what he was thinking about. It wasn't an easy topic to discuss. She reached over and squeezed Greg's hand. "It won't be like this forever. One day I'll be ready again." He leaned over and kissed her. "I won't pressure you. I prom…" He couldn't finish. After he had broken his first promise to her, he couldn't bare to break more. I mean he really wasn't going to pressure, but he couldn't take the risk. In the back of his mind he would always blame himself for what happened.

Melanie wanted to lighten the mood. She got really close to Greg's face and pressed her nose to his. She wiggled it around. "They call this an Eskimo kiss." Greg chuckled. Melanie rested her head on his chest. Before she fell asleep she whispered, "I love you." He whispered, "I love you too Melanie."

A/n I hope everyone has enjoyed this so far! Please review, even negative comments are welcome!