AN: Thanks for the reviews. Here is the next chapter, hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 39: Not going anywhere
Julia felt him tense, so she pulled back, turned and saw who was standing in the doorway, then looked back at Grissom and signed. 'I'll leave, so you two can be alone.' He nodded. After she gives him another small smile and they both signed 'goodbye', she turned and walked toward the door, giving Sara a friendly look as she left the room, after Sara had walked in the room to get out of her way.
Now that Sara and Grissom were alone in the room it grew a little tense while having eye contact. He looked down at his hands after a few minutes as she finally speaks. "What is gong on with you?" But at the same time his hearing went out on him, so he didn't hear her, then jumped a little when he felt her hand on his shoulder. He looks back up at her and she looked concerned, and just as she started speaking again his hearing came back. "What's wrong?"
He took a moment, looked right into her eyes and finally told her what's been plaguing him the last 2 and a half weeks and what he wanted to avoid thinking about. "I'm going deaf, Sara."
The moment those words left his mouth the air in the room was sucked out and he saw so many emotions running through her eyes, which some of them were so intense that he couldn't look anymore, so he looked back down at his hands and waited for her to say something or to walk away.
A few minutes had passed and there was still silence in the room, he thought either his hearing went out again or that she really had left.
When he finally plucked up the courage to look back up, he saw her still standing there. He swallowed and asked. "Sara?" He got off the bed when he saw that she had tears in her eyes, then he walked up to her and was about to put his hand on her shoulder but she stepped back and his heart sunk. He swallowed again and continued. "I guess I don't blame you for pulling away."
He watched her shake her head and heard her reply. "I am not the one that is pulling away here, you are and for what? Are you scared that I might leave you if you go deaf?" He looks back down, this time looking at his bedroom floor, she groaned before she continued. "Do you think that I wasn't serious about us? That I was just going to turn to somebody else and leave you behind the moment life throws you a curve ball?"
She was going to continue but he talked before she could. "It's more like a change-up." He looks back at her and saw she had raised an eyebrow, and he continued to explain how he got that answer. "A curve ball indicates this happened unexpectedly, but I knew this could happen, it just got to me a lot slower than I thought it would." Sara didn't know why, but she just started chuckling, leave it to him to use baseball pitching references at a time like this.
He shrugs his shoulder and looked back down, she sighed when she stopped laughing, then walked up to him, puts her finger on his chin to lift his head up, puts her left hand on his cheek and speaks, while looking into his eyes. "You still could have talked to me. I don't think I've ever given you any sign that you couldn't come to me when you are going through something as big as this."
He shook his head and replied. "You didn't Sara and I know deep down that I could talk to you, but this is me, when I get scared my first instinct is to run."
She gives him a small smile and said. "So you ran home to the woman who would understand more than anybody what you're going through?" Not for the first time since he's met her he felt in awe of her at her understanding of him.
He was about to talk when she continued after another sigh. "I get that Griss, I really do, but you should have told me what was going on with you. I thought that I had done something to make you run away from me."
He shakes his head again, puts his hand over hers, which was still on his cheek, then replied while looking back into her eyes. "You haven't done anything wrong, this is all me." He closed his eyes and told her how he really felt. "And I am really scared." She sniffled as she watched him become so venerable in front of her
She wrapped her arms around him, brings him as closer as she could get him, kissed the side of his head, and as she ran her hands up and down his back she whispered. "We'll do whatever we have to do and if you do end up becoming deaf then I'll still be there for you." She pulls back, cups both of his cheeks and said looking into his blue eyes again. "You are not alone in this. I may not fully understand what you are going through, but I am with you whenever you need to talk or if you just want to sit in silence." She wiped his tears away and continued. "I love you through anything, even when your scared."
He sniffled this time, puts his hand on her cheek to wipe her tears away and replied "I love you too and I'm sorry for running like I did." She nodded and he brings her closer to him, kisses her softly on the lips then brings her in his arms and holds her, while closing his eyes, thankful for having her in his life.
They hold each other in the middle of his room for several minutes.
When he opens his eyes he saw his mother standing in the doorway with tears in her eyes. He pulls back from Sara's arms and they have eye contact for a few seconds, then he moves his head to indicate she should look behind her.
Sara turns around and the moment she sees his mother in the doorway, she immediately moves to the side of him and wraps an arm around his waist, like she was protecting him. That move spoke louder than words or sign language could ever do, and everybody in that room understood exactly what it meant, she wasn't going anywhere.
Grissom's heart was melting at the implication of Sara's actions, then when he looked at his mother again and saw a changed look in her eyes as she looked at Sara, he felt this was a turning point between Sara and his mother, which he believed it was for the good.
They just stood there doing nothing, then after a while Betty signed. 'I've made lunch, if you're hungry.'
Grissom nodded. "Thank you mom, we'll be in there in a few minutes." Betty nodded, gave them both a small smile, then turned and walked out of the room.
When it was just them again they looked at each other, he cleared his throat and said. "Well now that we talked about my issue, and not that I am happy to see you here, but how did you know I would be here? Where is Hank? And why aren't you working?"
She answered the second question first. "Hank is fine, he is at the sitters." Grissom nodded then saw her bit her lip, but before he could talk, she continued. "I kind of got suspended for a few days."
He looks at her wide-eyed and asked. "What happened?"
She sighed. "I was really frustrated, wondering what was going on with you, and lets just say I kind of blew up at a suspect then I took it out on Catherine, and our favorite day shift supervisor had no problem taking it to the higher-ups so they suspended me."
Ecklie had it out for Grissom more now than ever and he wouldn't put it past Ecklie to find anything wrong with his team so he could split them up.
Grissom sighed. "I can call the director and get you back."
She shook her head. "Don't." He raised an eyebrow and she continued with a smile. "It gives us a few days together and plus it will probably draw a lot of attention our way." He nods, then she answered his first question. "And to answer your first question I used my CSI skills. When I found out you didn't really have a seminar in LA I booked a flight, hoping my instincts were right that you would be here." Then she puts her hand back on his cheek and continued. "If you weren't here though then I would have gone to Minneapolis. You didn't think I would just let you go without a fight, did you?"
He shakes his head with a smile. "I know I've told you this before but you are amazing."
She smiles back. "And I'll keep telling you, don't forget that."
He gets a more serious look while putting his hand up to her cheek. "Never." He leans toward her and kisses her on the lips.
When they pulled back slowly he looks back into her eyes again and asked. "Are we ok?"
"We are fine, but the next time you are going through something talk to me, because I'll always listen. You never have to run from me."
He nodded and responded. "Ok." He kissed her forehead, pulled back, held up his hand and asked. "Lunch?" She nodded with a smile, took his hand and walked out of the room, hand in hand.
When they found out what was being offered for lunch they smiled at each other because it was egg sandwiches, which made them remember their fist meal together.
Once they were seated next to each other at the dinning room table, he picks up half of his sandwich, tilts it closer to her, she smiled, mirrored his movements then they both said "Cheers." As they tapped their sandwich's together with a chuckle then took a bite. As they were chewing they looked across the table and Betty was watching them with a smile, and somehow that's how Grissom knew they were all going to be alright.
They had decided to stay for the whole day and spend the night, which he was thankful that things between them all were a bigger improvement than the first time they were here,. Sara even learned some more sign language, but what was so surprising was that it mostly came from his mother, not only just incase but also to communicate with her more. Grissom saw how happy Sara was at learning because it made her feel more involved, and plus she could keep up with longer conversations.
That night he was in his childhood bedroom, while Sara was in the guest room, he had been sighing as he tossed and turned though the night. When he had come here by himself he had an ok time falling asleep, despite where is mind was, but now that he knew Sara was in the same house as him it was hard to fall asleep without her in his arms. So after the third time tossing and turning, he takes the covers off of him, gets out of bed, opens the door, walks across the hall to the guest room and opens the door quietly. After he walks in and shuts the door behind him, he smiled as he walked up to the bed. He saw her laying on her side with her eyes closed, presumably asleep.
When he got closer to the bed he lifted the blanket up, crawled in and when he was behind her he wraps his arms around her, then Sara asked with her eyes still closed. "What are you doing?"
He kissed her head and replied. "What do you think?"
She turns around in his arms so now they were laying face to face and she continued. "Your mom will kill you if she sees this you know."
"We aren't doing anything but sleeping, besides I'll be out of here before she even wakes up, don't worry."
"Alright, I just don't want to ruin the progress I'm making with her. I know the last seven months were hard for you and with everything else that's going on now I don't want you to have the added pressure."
He smiles at her caring for him and replied. "I feel that she now realizes that you'll be there for me, so I believe everything will be ok with her now." She nods with a smile, he kisses her on the lips, pulls back and continued. "I love you, goodnight."
She snuggles into his arms and whispered. "I love you too, goodnight."
Now with her safely in his arms he fell right asleep.
The next morning Grissom woke up before everybody in the household, and after he softly kissed Sara's head he left the room, got changed and decided to make breakfast for everybody.
After awhile he was so into his task that he jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turns his head and saw that it was Sara and he must have lost his hearing at that moment because he was eyeing her lips to lip read as she had said. 'sorry.' He moves his eyes to her eyes and nodded, then she puts her hand on his ear and he nodded answering her meaning, she kisses him on the cheek, pulls back and spoke, while he started lip-reading again. 'Everything will be alright.'
He just sighed and replied. "I hope so."
After one more kiss he watched her go to the fridge then he finished the cooking.
Once everything was on the plates, Sara speaks, which he heard this time. "Would your mom want Juice or Milk?"
"Orange Juice." She nodded with a smile and got it.
A few minutes later the plates, silverware, napkins and glasses were on the table and in their correct spots. They looked at their handy work as he wraps his arm around her waist and said. "Not bad if I say so myself."
He looks at her and they smile at each other, then he leans and pecks her on the lips softly. As they pulled back Grissom felt Sara tense for a second and he turned his head and noticed why, his mother was standing there smiling. Grissom mentally smiled with embarrassment that his mother had caught them kissing.
Betty shakes her head and signed. 'Oh no need to get embarrassed, kissing someone you love is a normal thing." Grissom smiled but then got embarrassed again by her next signing. 'And so is sleeping next to them.'
He took a few seconds then hurriedly start to sign. 'Mom all we d...'
She holds up her hand to stop him. 'What you do behind closed doors is none of my business.' She walks to the table where her breakfast was, but before she sat down she looks back him and continued. 'Just don't tell me about it.' Then before Grissom could sign back she was already concentrating on her breakfast.
Grissom looked down shaking his head, even though all they did was sleep it was a little embarrassing that his mother knew about it. He felt Sara's hand on his arm, so he looks over at her and she looked a little confused on why he looked embarrassed, so he speaks with a small smile. "I'll tell you later." She nodded with a smile of her own.
After they separated and sat down, Betty thanked both of them for the meal and the set up, which they nodded their welcomes, then ate in silence.
A few hours passed and Grissom thought it was time to go back to Vegas. Betty was a little sadder that they were leaving this time but she understood, and once again Grissom's heart melted when he saw his mother give Sara give each other a goodbye hug, so despite what was going on with his ears, it was a good two days.
When they got back to Vegas they went home to drop off any luggage that they had, got Hank from the sitters, then stopped at the park for a little bit so their dog could run around.
Once they got back home Grissom lets Hank off the leash, and while he went for his food and water, the couple sat down on the couch, looked at each other and he asked. "So you liked the trip this time?"
She nodded with a smile, lays her head on his shoulder and replied. "I did. For an unplanned trip it wasn't that bad and I am glad your mother saw me in a different light." She sighed before she continued. "It's not that I didn't think she disliked me when we first met, I think she just wanted to see if I would be there for you when a crisis hit."
He nodded and replied. "She said something about that when you met her the first time." She moved her head back so she was looking up at him, he looked down at her as he continued. "She asked me if you would be there for me if/or when I go deaf and I told her I liked to think you would be." He puts his hand on her cheek. "And of all the things I get right about, being right about you being here for me is the best one of my life."
He watched her smile, then she asked. "And speaking of your mother, what did she say at breakfast?"
He chuckled then told her what she had said and watched Sara get a little embarrassed too, then she chuckled back, but after a few seconds he slows his chuckling down then frowned as his hearing went out again. He saw her face change while she stopped laughing and he knew that she knew what happened, so she gave him a reassuring smile, slips her hand through his and spoke so he could read her lips. "We'll get through this together."
Grissom watches Hank walk across the floor to go to his bed, then he looks back at Sara, nodded his head, leans down, puts his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. He knew he had to set up an appointment but for right now he just wanted to stay in this spot with her, getting all the love and comfort he could get from her.
AN: Next Chapter: Someone from the team is about to find out their secret. Please review.