Love Comes Softly
Part 5
Author''s notes: Here I am again, with part five. Hope I didn''t rush through things too quickly, hope you like, please r&r, be as generous as you have been in the past, dear readers. And in case anyone was interested, I''d love it if you e-mailed me or IMed me on AOL, all the information is in my profile. I just love talking to people :) And I''m nice, seriously, you can ask my friends!
Thanks: Thanks to everyone for reading this far, putting up with my incessant blabbing, thanks to the wonderful Tash, and of course the awesome Mooni, who is so kind and flattering when she reviews :) Thanks to Dulcey for putting up with my screaming, Lydia for putting up with me, in general, Kish and Kaitlin''s Friday CSI chats, and my first period math class for not mocking me when I screamed out spontaneously, ""I WANT TO SEE WARRICK SHIRTLESS!""
Enjoy.
NOTICE: After much research, I still have no idea what colour Catherine''s eyes are, so if I''m wrong, please don''t get mad! I checked and checked, but they''re always a different colour in the pictures! Sorries!
An unidentified number of weeks later...
Warrick walked into Lindsey''s room carrying a paper cup and a tray full of food. ""Here''s your coffee, Cath. I got a sandwich and some undercooked chicken for myself. I forget why."" He looked, disgusted, at the limp white meat on his tray, then over to the bed.
Catherine was fast asleep with her hand on her daughter''s forehead. Her face was turned towards him and he smiled at the peaceful expression on her face.
""Warrick?"" Lindsey''s voice caught his attention, and his eyes glanced over at the young girl lying in bed. He hadn''t known she was awake.
""Hey Linds. Did you sleep OK?"" He asked, concerned. Her movement caused Cat to stir, and eventually wake up.
""Yeah, I slept fine. I''m hungry."" Lindsey answered. Catherine blinked twice and grinned.
""Here, have some of my sandwich."" Warrick offered, breaking the bread in half and giving it to Lindsey. ""Want some, Cath?""
""No thanks, not hungry."" She looked happy, her face glowed. She sat up, breathing heavily and stretching. ""How long did I sleep?""
Warrick shrugged. ""I was gone for about two hours. I left to shower, get some clean clothes, then to the restaurant for some food. I met up with Sara and Grissom at the lab, set them straight about Lindsey''s condition, then came over here.""
Catherine raised an eyebrow. ""You were quite the busy boy."" Warrick grinned and blushed, saying nothing.
""That was a good sandwich."" Lindsey remarked, yawning. The weak look on her face made Warrick''s insides hurt. She was too young to be that weak. ""I''m tired again."" She said, setting her head down on the pillow. Before she could fall asleep, Catherine brushed the hair out of her daughter''s eyes and kissed her forehead.
""Warrick and I are going to go home for a while, OK? We''ll be back before you wake up, I promise."" She said, tucking the sheets into the mattress of the bed and smoothing out her hair.
""OK.""
Warrick marveled at how agreeable Lindsey always was. She was definitely better behaved than he had been as a kid. The doctors said her recovery was coming along wonderfully, but how long it would take before she was back to normal was still sketchy. They did say that she would be going home any day now, a fact that made Catherine ecstatic.
The two of them walked out of the room once Lindsey had drifted off into a peaceful sleep. ""Why are we going home?"" Warrick asked out of curiosity.
Catherine shrugged, pretending to be clueless. ""Just thought it might interest you..""
""Right.""
""Right."" She looked at him out of the corner of one of her eyes, then laughed loudly when she saw the provocative look on Warrick''s face. She grabbed his hand and leaned in closer to him as they walked out of the hospital and into the car.
""Sara."" Grissom greeted simply. ""Great work on last night''s case. Nothing passes under that eye of yours.""
""I''d like to think so."" She replied modestly, pouring herself some coffee. ""You didn''t do so bad a job yourself.""
""Thanks."" He stole her coffee mug and took a sip, but made a face. ""What is that!""
""Greg''s new brand.""
""Ah."" He gave her the mug back, then walked to the fridge to get something else to drink.
""Grissom?"" She asked, watching him as he moved. ""Did you get any word from the doctor?""
""I told you I''d call you when I did."" He answered calmly, sitting in the chair nearest to hers. ""But I understand that you''re anxious."" He laid a hand on hers. He didn''t know why he had done it, but the simple gesture of affection made him feel better somehow. Somewhere inside.
""I''m just worried. I want this surgery to come as soon as possible and to go well."" She shook her head. ""I just want this all to be over.""
""I know."" He sighed. ""So do I. So
does everyone."" He stroked one of her knuckles with his index
finger. ""Sara?""
""Yeah?""
""I got this recipe from Catherine last night for a great meal. She says it''s better served for two."" He inhaled deeply. He was so damn nervous. ""Would you like to come over tomorrow night, help me eat it?""
She grinned, her eyes shining. ""I''m glad you asked."" She leaned over and hugged him, and he breathed in her scent as deeply as he could. ""Is six- thirty OK?""
""Six-thirty is wonderful."" He replied. Once she had left the room he picked up her mug again and drank what was left of the coffee. Just to calm his nerves.
The two of them sat down to a candlelight dinner that night. Catherine had set up the coffee table with some flowers, a simple meal and two glasses of wine. She was so excited for Warrick''s arrival. She saw him every day, but they never really got any time alone. Tonight was their night, and nothing could come between that.
He came at six-thirty, on the dot. He looked delicious in a blue silk button-up shirt and black pants. She was wearing her favourite blue dress, the one he always said matched her eyes. It was low-cut, short, and tight, and made her feel ten years younger. Something that was always a plus when she was around Warrick. Sometimes she felt like she was robbing the cradle.
""You look breathtaking."" He whispered in her ear, like there were others around. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he kissed her neck and she grinned.
""Let''s save that for after dinner, OK?"" She said, taking his hand and leading him to the coffee table. ""Sorry, my big table''s still in for repairs.""
""What happened to it?"" He asked, eyeing the carpet underneath his feet in a new way.
""The dog jumped up onto it and scratched the surface."" He smirked, and she knew what he was thinking. That she was a perfectionist when it came to her furniture. ""There''s nothing worse than an ugly table."" she argued.
""I could think of a few things, actually."" He reasoned, but kissed her before she could reply and sat down on the ground. ""Anyway, this is fine. This is great.""
""You really think so?"" She asked, for the first time that night showing her nervousness.
""Well, there is one thing I would change."" He moved the pillow he was sitting on closer to her. She smiled broadly.
The rest of the evening went smoothly. Warrick praised Catherine for a cooking job well done, first in words, then in other ways.. Things were going wonderfully and Cath couldn''t imagine a better way to end the meal than to tell him what she''d wanted to for almost four months now. A look at his face while he stared into her eyes and she knew the time was right.
""Warrick, I love you."" The words seemed light, like they were floating on the air. His eyes widened and the shock in his face scared her half to death. At first, he said nothing, and the silence in the room was suffocating.
He stood up, grabbed his jacket and croaked, ""Sorry Cath. I gotta go."" And then he fled out the door and left her alone with her tears.
The two of them sat down to a candlelight dinner that night at Mon Ami''s café in the Paris Casino. Grissom forgot every reason he took her here. They were known for their thirty dollar salads, a fact that hadn''t occurred to him when searching for fancy restaurants in the area.
""Oh Gil, the view is breathtaking. Look at the dancing waters!"" Sara pointed to the fountain and Grissom smiled, loving the sound of his first name on her lips. He wondered how many more times he would have the pleasure of hearing it.
""What should I order?"" She asked, once they were seated.
""I''ve heard the filet mignon is really good here."" He answered casually, deciding he would get that.
She smiled, glad to finally have the chance to show him up. "I''m a vegetarian, Gil."
He didn''t look surprised. "There''s always the salad."
She laughed, bopping him on the head with her menu, and watched as he smiled widely. She had always loved his smile, and she wondered why he didn''t use it more. Yet another secret about Grissom, she thought, and sighed.
The night was a total success, and later on Grissom found himself walking Sara to her door. He shifted, uncomfortable, not really sure of what to do.
""Thanks for tonight, Gil."" She said softly, lifting his chin with her index finger.
""You''re welcome."" He said. ""I know the original plan was to have dinner at my place but then Catherine called and asked to borrow my coffee table and it''s my only piece of furniture so-""
She cut him off with a kiss, something she had wanted to do all night. His only response was to kiss her back, only more forceful, trying to put everything he felt into it.
She half-smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. They stopped, both breathless, and Sara searched for what she wanted to find in his eyes. She found it.
""Wanna come up?""
