A/N: Updates for the next few chapters might be slower in coming…not because I don't have them (they're all done), but I'm going to be pretty busy between work and all the other things I have on my plate. I may not have time to turn a computer on and upload the documents (which I know really doesn't take that long, but you know how it is with real life sometimes).

Chapter Twenty One: I Wish I Could Do Something

Sara drove to the hospital and wondered how the hell she was going to help out. Assuming Bailey did calm down when Sara arrived, wouldn't she then get even more upset when Sara inevitably had to leave? Perhaps not, but she did know that she had a soft spot in her heart already for Bailey Daniels and if she could help her out she would.

"Sara!" Bailey exclaimed happily upon spotting the brunette.

"Hi Bailey. How are you?" Sara asked.

"I fell down, but it didn't hurt," she explained.

"I heard about that. How is your new family?" Sara asked.

"I don't like them. I miss mommy and daddy and Johnny," Bailey pouted.

Sara felt a pang for the child's loss, "I know you do sweetie. But you know that they can't come back."

"I know," she sighed, "but I still miss mommy and daddy."

"You probably always will, but over time it won't hurt you so much. You'll get a new family and you'll be happy with them," Sara offered.

"I don't want a new family," she crossed her arms, "I want you. Why can't I go home with you?"

Sara was struck wordless at this simple request, but was rescued by Dr. Leonard, "Bailey, I'm sure Sara has her own house and her own husband and children, she can't just take you home with her."

"But why?" she whined.

"I'm sorry honey, but adults have their own lives to worry about and even though they want to, they can't always take home another kid just like that," he tried to explain.

Bailey began to cry, "No one loves me!"

"That's not true," Sara said and hugged the sobbing child.

After a while, Bailey calmed down and seemed resigned to going back with the foster family to which she was assigned. She was clearly unhappy, but even at her young age she was wise enough to know not to fight a losing battle. Sara finally had to leave Bailey, but not before telling her a story. She bumped into Dr. Leonard in the hallway.

"I'm sorry Miss Sidle, I knew there was a 50/50 chance of you making her more upset, but I just thought…well I'm not sure what I thought," he shrugged, "I just feel so bad for that girl."

"It's heartbreaking," Sara agreed softly, "I wish there was something I could do for her."

"Given time she will adjust to a new life with a new family, this is a rough transition period," the doctor said.

"You know, it's funny. There's really no reason why I couldn't adopt her myself. I'm about to be married and I don't have any kids. Well, actually my fiancé isn't sure he wants kids," Sara sighed.

"If you were to seriously consider it, you could apply to adopt Bailey. So far no one has expressed any interest in her. Despite her young age, her traumatic background seems to scare off a lot of people," Dr. Leonard said, "it's tragic really."

"Hmm," Sara mused, "It's not a thought I had really entertained before. I'd have to really think about it, but I could mention it to Grissom – that's my boyfriend. I've become surprisingly attached to Bailey."

"She's adorable when she's happy," Dr. Leonard smiled, "anyway; you have my number if you seriously want to consider adoption. I can put you into contact with the right people."

"Okay, thanks again, Dr. Leonard," Sara shook his hand.

"Oh and congratulations," he said, "besides your previous mention of your engagement, I see you're wearing an engagement ring that wasn't there before."

"Thanks," Sara smiled, "it's a recent addition."

Sara walked slowly across the parking lot, so deeply in thought that she almost walked right past her own vehicle. She shook off her thoughts and turned on the radio to help keep herself focused on driving home. She knew that Grissom was likely still at the lab, but since they had begun dating, he was nowhere near the workaholic he had once been. He would be home within the hour unless they'd gotten slammed with a big work load. In which case he probably would have called her back in, so she figured he'd be home soon.

At home, Sara walked in to find Bruno asleep on the kitchen floor. She checked the trashcan just to make sure he hadn't knocked it over and eaten a bunch of stuff again. It seemed for the time being that he had learned his lesson. When she walked past him, he lifted up his head and wagged his tail tiredly.

"Hey baby," she scratched behind his ears.

She grabbed a granola bar out of the cupboard and made her way to the couch. She turned on the TV and was quickly sucked into a documentary about how popular sweets were made. First they had a tour of a jelly bean factory, then a Ben and Jerry's factory followed by tours of the Peeps factory and the Twinkies factory. She quickly found herself craving some substantial sweets instead of just a measly granola bar. During a commercial break she put the bar back and searched for some ice cream. Near the back of the freezer she discovered a forgotten carton of cookie dough ice cream and pulled it out.

When Grissom walked in, he found Sara curled up on the couch with a bowl of ice cream and watching TV. He smiled as the dog greeted him and then he moved behind Sara and kissed her neck tenderly.

"Hello darling, we're eating ice cream for breakfast now?" he asked softly.

"I'm an adult," she replied, "I can eat whatever I want for breakfast."

"I don't doubt it," he laughed, "you just usually get on me for not eating healthier."

"I was watching a sweet tooth special on National Geographic and it made me crave ice cream," she explained.

"Ah, that explains it. I'll have to cancel that channel," he joked.

"Knock yourself out, it's not like we watch that much TV," she shrugged.

"Oh you know I was kidding," he gave in, "I enjoy watching it too."

"So how was the end of shift? Anything eventful?" she asked.

"No, I told Nick that you had to leave a little early and he just said to let you know that you're going back to the zoo tomorrow for some more questioning," he said.

"Which is exactly what I expected," she nodded.

"How was your visit with the little girl?" he asked.

Her face clouded, "I felt so bad for her, Gil. She's really missing her family."

He sighed, "That's to be expected."

"She actually asked me why I couldn't take her home with me. I didn't even know how to answer," Sara shook her head sadly.

Grissom wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, "Sometimes I think you care too much, but I'll be damned if I don't love you for it too."

"She's really the sweetest little girl. I've honestly been considering the idea of adoption. Not seriously of course, and never without your permission. But Dr. Leonard told me that no one is interested in adopting her due to her emotional trauma," she said.

"That's sad," he furrowed his brows, "I would think that a lot of people would be jumping at the chance to adopt such a young girl. And she sounds like a good, smart kid from what you've told me."

"She is, but she's troubled too. She's not happy with a foster family and I really don't want to see her tossed from home to home because she starts acting out. I was traumatized and older when I went into the system. I hated it with every fiber of my being," she spat.

Grissom was quiet for a moment, "Would you really want to adopt her? I mean thinking about all it could mean. What would we do with her at night when we're working? When she's old enough for school, one of us would have to switch to days. Would you be willing to make a lot of sacrifices?"

"I don't know. Like I said, I haven't seriously considered it yet, but I think I could give up a lot of things. It would be just like having a baby, except I don't have to be pregnant and she'd already be three years old. We'd have to work out a babysitter or something for nights, but I think we could do it," she said.

"If this is something you really, really want, I would be willing to make sacrifices for you," he offered.

"Really?" she asked.

"Absolutely. Of course, I'd want to meet the child before we sign any papers," he teased.

"Gil, adoption is a long process and they don't just dump a kid on you because you want one. They have to investigate you and your lifestyle to make sure that you would be able to properly raise a child. I think you have to do a little more than see the kid before you sign anything," she returned, "if we seriously do this, it won't be easy."

Grissom shrugged, "Like I said, if this is something you really want I will do it."

Sara smiled, "I knew there was a reason I loved you."

A/N 2.0: The documentary Sara was watching was a show I watched on the National Geographic channel the other day. Damned if I didn't want Twinkies, Jelly Bellies, Peeps and Ben and Jerry's while watching it lol.