Chapter 37:
Gil and Sara woke in the late morning. Grissom stretched, wincing as his muscles complained. He excused himself, grabbed some clean clothes, and went into the bathroom. As he undressed to take his shower, he noticed significant bruises developing on his chest and arms. He'd have to wear long sleeves for a few days. He showered quickly and then dressed. The bedroom was empty when he came out, so he headed down the stairs.
"Sara?" he called.
She replied from the kitchen, "I'm in here, Gil." Sara was dressed and looked ready to go. Apparently, she had retrieved her clothes from the laundry and used the half bath downstairs to prepare for the day. Searching through the pantry, she had discovered some boxes of cereal.
"Breakfast isn't fancy, but it's ready," she said. She seemed to be avoiding eye contact, perhaps still embarrassed by her violent nightmare. Gil walked over to her, and gently lifted her chin. He then brushed her hair away from her eyes so that he could see them clearly. As he gazed into them, he saw pain and doubt.
"Sara, you don't need to be afraid of me," he began, "I care for you, I would never intentionally hurt you." He caressed her cheek, easing his hand into her hair, drawing her forward into a gentle kiss. She pulled back, and looked deeply into his eyes. The love that she had seen in San Francisco was still there. Perhaps he hadn't been chased away by her strange behavior.
"Gil, doesn't it frighten you to have someone so unstable in your home?" she asked.
"No, because you're not unstable, you're healing. Healing takes time."
"It seems all you've had time for since I've been here is holding me while I sleep. Doesn't that get old?"
Gil smiled, "How could I tire of holding the woman I love?"
Sara shook her head, "Maybe you're the one who needs counseling if you can still love me after all that's happened."
He shrugged, "My team has suggested that more than once. I accept you as you are. Is that so bad?"
"No, just unusual."
They ate their breakfast and left for a day of shopping.
Sara needed to spend some time in the women's department, looking for clothes and other necessities. Approaching the lingerie department, Grissom realized he wasn't ready for such familiarity in public.
"Sara, I have some other shopping to do. Would you mind if I left you here for awhile?"
Sara smiled, recognizing his discomfort, "I'll be at least an hour. Do you want to meet back here?" Agreeing quickly, Grissom fled to the entrance of the store.
He wandered the mall window shopping from store to store. A children's store display caught his eye. He smiled at the idea that formed in his mind. He went inside and asked the clerk if he could buy an item on display. The clerk retrieved it for him. Grissom searched through the craft aisle and found some white fabric paint, fabric glue, reflective ribbon and a decorative patch. When he paid for his things, he noticed there were only a few more minutes until he had to return to the department store. He hoped that he could find the rest of what he needed on his way to meet Sara.
When he found the last item, he asked for a large bag, so that he could hide all of his purchases in one bag. He then went to find Sara. She was finishing up in the clothing department. She had a few surprises of her own.
"Gil, would you like to go out for dinner tonight? Someplace special perhaps?"
"I would love too! What did you have in mind?" he asked.
Sara smiled, "Surprise me! I bought a dressy outfit, just in case."
"I know just the restaurant." Sara still needed some more casual clothes, so Gil bravely waited for her in a chair outside the fitting room.
Their last stop was at a grocery store. While Grissom shopped for food, Sara searched the health and beauty aisles for a few more things. A brief trip to the pharmacy, and she was ready to head home. It was odd how quickly she adjusted to thinking of Grissom's house as her home.
It was late afternoon when they arrived back at Grissom's townhouse. Sara's appointment with Dr. Phillips was only an hour away. While Grissom put away the groceries and cleaned up their breakfast items, Sara ran upstairs to take a shower and change into something more casual. She was eager to be out of her CSI uniform.
Dr. Phillips was right on schedule. Grissom once again moved upstairs to allow them privacy. He called for dinner reservations, and then went to work on his surprise for Sara. He pulled out the tiny straight bottomed black vest that he had found at the department store. He carefully glued the patch on the left front shoulder of the vest. He borrowed the lid from one of the shoeboxes from Sara's new shoes and fitted it inside the vest, flat side to the back. He glued the ribbon in a straight line across the back of the vest; he then opened the white fabric paint, and began writing in block letters above the line. When he was finished, he hid everything in a back corner of the closet so that it could dry. He'd have to do the rest later. He picked out a suit, shirt, and tie to wear for dinner. After a quick shower, he shaved, combed back his short curly hair, and put on his clothes. The hour of counseling seemed to be running over. He walked down the stairs to remind Sara of their plans.
Sara had made progress in her counseling. Her decision the previous night to be totally honest with herself and with Dr. Phillips helped her to face the reality of her pain filled childhood. She had a long way to go, but she felt better about herself and her life than ever before. When she thought about it she realized that she had been near the edge of collapse for a long time. Her quick temper and frequent anti-social behaviors had been ruining her life for as many years as she could remember. She and Dr. Phillips were arranging for another appointment, when Sara noticed Dr. Phillip's eyes open wide as she looked towards the stairway. Sara turned and saw Grissom descend the last few stairs. He looked delicious. He wore a dark gray suit, with a black shirt and tie.
"Sorry to interrupt," Grissom said, "Sara, we have to leave in about an hour. I thought you'd want time to change." Sara walked over to him and smiled. She touched his smooth shaven cheek. She had loved his beard, but seeing his entire face was even better. She wove her fingers into his still damp hair and pulled him into a passionate kiss.
"Hmmm… I wondered what that would feel like without the beard," she explained, "Nice." She left him standing in shock and ran upstairs to transform herself for him. Dr. Phillips watched the exchange with a smile. Close friends? Sara had been modest in her evaluation of her relationship with Grissom. No wonder he had called personally.
"Dr. Grissom, Sara has made wonderful progress. I can't divulge anything specific, but I think she will be able to return to work sooner than expected," Dr. Phillips reported.
"Thank you so much for all of your help," Grissom said, "I didn't know how to help her on my own."
"From what I've seen and heard, you've helped her a lot, Dr. Grissom. She's lucky to have you in her life." Grissom blushed at the compliment. He held out his hand to shake Dr. Phillips.
"Dr. Phillips, thank you again. Will we be seeing you tomorrow?"
"Yes, I would like to have one more session before she returns to San Francisco." Dr. Phillips left, and Grissom sat on the couch to wait for Sara.