A/N: Righto…Hi guys. Here we go with another chapter. This is entirely a Grissom dedicated chapter, well, with Sara of course. Remember, I'm not a doctor, so if there are any medical boo boo's then you can blame the hat. He has tried his best :-P

Forever thanks for the reviews and comments and as always a bow to Calim for the great beta.

Still lots and lots to come so let's get on with it :)

Chapter 53

The full removal of Grissom's casts went as well as anyone could have hoped. He did squirm a little when the spreaders went in, increasing the pressure on his hands, crying out a touch when the cast on his right hand was peeled away but not his left. Pain, at this point in time, was definitely a good sign. It meant he could feel. Now he lay there, still a little sweaty, still panting just a bit, waiting for whatever came next.

Sara found it difficult to swallow when her eyes first caught sight of his arms. About four inches below both elbows the bruising started. A lighter shade of purple darkening into an almost greyish black once it reached his wrists. Then came the bandages, tainted with patches of blood from the aftereffects of surgery.

The nurse passed Donald a pair of scissors and then Peter stepped up to take a set. Louis moved closer, ready for that first look of what his work had accomplished. He hadn't taken his eyes off Grissom because every single reaction would ultimately help in his progression going forward.

"You're going to cut off the bandages?" Sara asked of Peter and Donald.

"Yeah," Peter answered as one nurse moved to stand by each doctor. "For one, it's easier to cut rather than having to keep moving his hand in order to peel the bandage away and two, we both know the finer points of Gil's injuries, so we know where to be extra careful."

"Oh…" Sara didn't seem capable of getting much more out as her eyes fell back to his hands.

Just seeing them covered was enough to send a shiver down her spine. She feared her own reaction when the flesh was revealed. Then it would be her turn to keep calm. What would her husband think if she freaked out?

"Gil, we're going to start with the right side and you might feel the scissors on your skin," Donald said. "They may be a little cool but as before…"

"Keep still…" Grissom mumbled groggily before he could finish.

The doctor gave a faint smirk and nodded to the nurse beside him. She lifted Grissom's arm and very carefully took hold of his hand, slowly turning it so his palm was upwards.

Grissom gave a quiet hiss, the movement sending a burning sensation all the way down his arm.

"You okay?" Donald asked before he began cutting.

He gave a small nod. "Burns…."

"That's actually good," the doctor replied. "It means your nerves are being receptive. We'll be as quick as we can, okay…"

Donald carefully made a small incision at the top of the bandage and swiftly cut down the center, stopping when he reached an inch or so from where the spike had gone in.

"Were lucky because the bandages haven't stuck due to you sweating while being in the cast," he said, his gaze focusing on the area he was cutting. A steady hand was needed here. "I'll be honest, ripping them off due to dry blood would have been no fun for you, or me…" he jokingly said trying to keep Grissom's mind off what he was doing.

"No…" Grissom mumbled, "…that doesn't sound like much fun at all…"

Donald gave a tiny smirk. "Okay, Gil…" he continued as Grissom's hand was turned to cut the other side of the bandage, "…almost there. Extra still for me now, okay?"

"Hmmm…" the patient replied.

Finally, Donald made the final snip and placed the scissors down on the unit beside him. With the greatest look of concentration on his face, he gently peeled away the blood tainted cloth and Grissom's hand was revealed. Sara's hand instantly shot to her mouth to hold in the cry that almost escaped. She felt Louis's hand suddenly on her shoulder to offer support but she didn't really acknowledge the gesture. She was just too focused on her husband's hand.

It was more swollen than she expected, like someone had placed a bike pump into him and pumped away until they had a balloon. It was also a variety of colors. From black to purple, to bright red in some tiny spaces. The center of his hand seemed to sink inwards a bit and had been stitched, a two inch length slice bound together by eight stitches. Below each knuckle a half inch sized incision also bore stitches, each from where they had inserted the bridge plating.

His fingers looked like burnt sausages (or so her mind could best summarize), fat and black and solidly packed together. There wasn't a single gap between any of them. His thumb was lighter in color, more purple and red and didn't seem as swollen. Hopefully, that was a good thing.

Sara swallowed. This was the better hand of the two. How would his left look?

"Really good, Gil, well done," Donald commended, taking a good look at the hand before carefully placing it back down onto the padding. "Would you like a little break before we do the left hand?"

"No…" Grissom breathed quietly. "Just…do it…"

Donald gave a nod to his co-worker and Peter went to work on the left hand in exactly the same manner as the right hand had been treated, careful and precise cutting with extra care around the crucial injured areas.

As he made the final few snips, Sara bit down so hard on a knuckle on her right hand it hurt. Wincing, she dropped her hand and took a deep breath as the bandage was removed, her head kinking to the right when his hand was revealed. In all honesty it looked very similar to the right hand but maybe a touch more swollen. Looking closer she did see two major differences - an extra incision about an inch below his wrist, no doubt from where his lunate and scaphoid had been repaired and his fingers were slightly bent, not straight like his other hand. Immediately, Sara knew this was due to his nerve damage and the claw hand condition Donald had mentioned may have already begun. That was not a good sign.

Gently, Louis took her arm and pulled her out of Grissom's earshot. "You okay?" he whispered to her.

She swallowed hard again but gave a nod, watching as Grissom's hand was lowered down to the bed.

"First impressions always look bad after this kind of surgery," Louis said. "But don't take appearance to heart. After what he's been through, it's going to look pretty unpleasant but wounds heal. Just think positive and help him think the same."

"Okay…" she whispered although it was hard to do considering what she was looking at.

Louis gave her a smile, urging her back towards the bed as the nurses picked up the discarded casts and bandages then left the doctors to do what they needed to do.

"Go ahead," he said. "You can stay with him while the tests are done. Support him as much as you can."

Sara gave a small smile, moving to stand right beside her husband again as the three doctor's clumped together to have a little chat. Her attention was diverted though when Grissom let out a sigh.

"Hey…" she whispered, placing her hand on his shoulder, doing her best not to show the true emotion she was feeling. "How you doing?"

"I could use a burger," he replied.

The answer surprised her and she snorted, so loudly, all the doctors gazed at her. Pouting her lips, she ran her fingers across his hair. "A burger, huh?" she snickered. "You know, I don't think I can do that right now. But I promise, once you're allowed to eat I'll get you the biggest, juiciest burger you've ever had. Okay?"

"Extra pickle?"

A smile found her lips. "I'll get you a whole jar."

"Promise?"

Even though the conversation was light, she found tears forming in her eyes. He was trying so hard to put a brave face on this. "I promise," she responded on a sniff.

Sara noticed as Louis took a step back while Donald and Peter moved back to the trolley. She knew it was time for the tests and that the surgeon solely wanted to observe Grissom's reactions.

"Gil, we're going to start the tests now. Are you ready?" Donald asked, handing his colleague a clipboard with a body chart on it. He then picked up a small needle from the tray.

Sara squeezed his shoulder. "I'm right here, okay? Just relax."

Grissom's chest heaved as he inhaled but he gave a nod.

"Okay, Gil…" Donald said moving to position himself over Grissom's right shoulder. "We're going to assess how much you can feel in your arms and hands. I will test certain points and, as I go, Peter will record your responses. I'm going to start just below your right shoulder and I want you to say yes every time you feel a scratch or slight pressure, okay? It's as easy as that. I'm only going to lightly prick or scratch the surface of your skin. We don't really want to be turning you into a human pin cushion."

Grissom gave a tiny grin and Sara felt a touch better. If only she could look into his eyes, let him focus on something other than nothing then she reminded herself that the way they were doing things was the best way. The best way for him.

Donald looked to his colleague and Peter gave a nod, ready with his pen and chart.

"We're starting now, Gil, so tell me every time you feel something." Donald placed the needle against Grissom skin, making a small scratch.

"Yes," Grissom said immediately.

"Good, Gil," Donald commended. "Keep going just like that."

Peter marked a tick over the position on the chart as Sara gave a small smile. Her husband was handling this a lot better than she'd expected although she knew they'd only just started. Things could be very different by the time they got to his hands.

As Donald continued down the full length of Grissom's right arm he got a yes for every single nick he made.

"You're doing great," he said as he reached the wrist. Now came the tricky part.

He made the first scrape at the top of Grissom's bruised hand, again receiving a positive answer. In fact, he felt everything until the doctor reached his knuckles. Donald started with the pinky finger knuckle then tip.

"Yes," Grissom said but when the fourth finger knuckle was tested, for the first time, he said nothing, same for his fingertip.

Sara took a deep breath as Donald looked up to his colleague and shook his head, not wanting to say aloud what a nod could convey. Peter simply marked an 'X' over the area without a word. The same went for his middle and index fingers. He showed no response to the scrape on his knuckles or tips.

Donald now moved to his thumb and this time got a 'yes' at the base, top and in the center.

"Excellent, Gil," Donald said softly as he stepped back. "Now, relax for a minute. We're all done with that hand."

"But, I didn't feel most of my fingers," Grissom answered. "Did you test them?"

The three doctors exchanged a look and Donald moved around to the left hand side of the bed.

"How about…" Donald began, changing his needle for a fresh one, "…we get all this testing out of the way first and then we can have a chat about the results after?"

Grissom sighed as he tilted his head towards the doctor's voice. "Fine," he mumbled, although he didn't sound happy.

"Sara, do you mind just scooting over to the other side?" Donald asked.

"Oh…no…sure," she muttered, limping around the bed to the right hand side, placing her hand on Grissom's other shoulder now to let him know she was still there. She leaned into him. "You're doing great," she whispered.

Although she couldn't see, he rolled his eyes. He didn't feel great and the lack of information and vision was certainly getting more and more irritating.

"We're going to do the same process on the left side now, Gil, all right?" Donald informed him.

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"Off we go…"

As before, Donald worked down Grissom's arm and the response was just the same as his right side until he reached about two inches above the patient's wrist. Then, the confirmation of feeling became few and far between and Sara became very nervous as the doctor worked through his entire wrist and hand without a single acknowledgment. That was until he reached the tip of the patient's thumb and Grissom whispered a quiet 'yes'.

He didn't have to speak the words for her to know he was aware that his hand was nearly unresponsive to the testing. She could tell by the slight quiver to his chin.

"All done," Donald said, shifting to the trolley and grabbing two pieces of cloth. He handed one to Peter and they placed them over Grissom's hands. "You can take the mask off for now until we take him to x-ray."

Feeling a little nervous, Sara carefully removed the mask and waited for his eyes to open. They did so, slowly, and he blinked a few times as he became accustomed to the light.

"Hi," she said, even if shaky.

Immediately, he glanced to each of his hands although he knew they were still hidden from him then looked to the doctors who were all chatting together again. "I didn't feel my hands very much," he mumbled.

"I know…" she replied quietly. "But, I think that was expected…"

He sighed, then winced a touch when he moved his butt, causing a pull on his right arm.

Instantly, Sara shot her hand to his thigh and softly pressed down. "Please try not to move," she pleaded.

"Do they look really bad?" he dared ask, looking her in the eye.

She noticed straight away how his pupils were a little dilated, no doubt from the sedative. "Louis said we shouldn't pay attention to first impressions. You have horrible injuries and surgery on top of that. So, yes. They are going to look bad. We need to work on getting them better. Okay?"

Closing his eyes, he drew his tongue across his bottom lip and Sara gave a light sigh at his lack of response.

Donald stepped back up to the bed and Grissom's eyes popped open. "Gil we're going to take you down to x-ray in a moment, okay?"

"What about discussing my test results?" he questioned.

"It will be better to do that after the x-rays," the doctor replied honestly. "That way we can link what you've told us to what we can actually see. It will give us a better picture of what's going on in there."

He gave a lengthy sigh closing his eyes again.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

As Grissom was wheeled into x-ray, Sara started to follow and nearly ran into Donald as he stopped her by the door.

"Why don't you take a walk outside, get some air?" he suggested.

Sara shook her head. "I'd rather wait here."

Raising a hand, he gently squeezed her arm. "He'll probably be a little longer than usual because we have to be extra delicate. Go on. Get some air, it will do you good. If you're not back by the time he comes out, I'll come get you."

She gave a long sigh. "I really don't want to be far away in case he needs me."

"Then just take ten minutes," he persisted. "Take a breath and relax a little."

Looking down the corridor she was unable to deny that a breath of fresh air might be nice and may even clear her head a little. "You promise you will fetch me if I'm not back?"

"I do," he replied.

"Okay…"

He gave her a smile before stepping into the room and closing the door.

Sara watched as the 'do not enter' sign popped on, her jaw working a tiny bit. With another sigh she turned herself around, hesitating before heading towards the main exit. She didn't get very far before she bumped into someone coming around the corner or he bumped into her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Grissom," he apologized.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked the man up and down. It wasn't often anyone called her that let alone someone who she didn't recognize. "Do I know you?" she questioned.

Clicking his lips together he shook his head. "No, you don't know me but I know you. I'm an orderly on your husband's ward, so I've seen you around."

"Oh…"

"Are you okay?" he asked caringly. "Is there anything I can do for you? Are you lost?"

"No, I'm fine," she replied. "I'm just going for some air while my husband's in x-ray."

"Okay, well…" He scratched the end of his nose, "…if you find you do need anything and I'm not around just ask one of the nurses for Mikey and I'll sort you out."

Sara wasn't used to such helpful orderlies but was appreciative of the offer. "Thanks…" she mumbled.

"Anytime," he said offering another smile. "I better get going. Catch you later."

Watching as he strolled down the corridor, Sara didn't really think much more about the conversation and continued on her way. Reaching the exit a few minutes later the large double doors opened to allow her departure. The second she stepped out into the outside world, she breathed in a deep breath. The air was cool and refreshing. So much nicer than the humid atmosphere inside the hospital walls.

Taking a few more steps away from the entrance to ensure she wasn't in anybody's way, she had a look around. Instantly her glance fell upon a group of people across the small road used for drop off. A second later a man in the group looked her way and suddenly pointed, saying something to those around him.

Sara's heart skipped a beat when she noticed a microphone in his hand, her eyes flashing to another man who was holding a camera. She didn't even have chance to think before they converged on her and she swallowed hard when the microphone was thrust in her face.

She stumbled backwards as the questions came thick and fast. How in the world had she forgotten about the press?

"Sara…Sara…" a woman began, "…can you tell us how your husband is?"

"We're you there when the bombs went off?" another voice came.

She blinked, taking another step back as a flash from a camera sent stars before her eyes.

"How do you feel knowing Ronald Basderic has been released on bail?"

Oh, that got her attention and her eyes widened, her legs almost giving way at what she'd just heard…

A/N: Oh dear. Sara isn't going to be a happy bunny… Wonder if she will insert the microphone anywhere… Lol. Thoughts please :)