Disclaimers: Not mine, except in my dreams and the Round Robin #2.
Thanks to Geek, Grissom's Girl, Dev, Geena and Souixzy Kyoo - all wonderful writers!
When Catherine told him about Lindsey' s surgery, Grissom promised to go with her. Even though a tonsilliectomy was only day surgery, no parent should have to face it alone. The surgery went well and soon Catherine was holding Lindsey's hand in the recovery area. Gil went to get coffee, but the vending machine was empty.
"Busy day" remarked one of the nurses. "There's a coffee cart on the main floor - good coffee too. Tell Danny that Chris from Day Surgery sent you and he'll give you the staff discount."
Gil thanked the young blonde, and headed for the elevators.
------------
The coffee cart was easy to find, there were signs, and a long line. Grissom found himself behind a man perhaps 10 years older than himself, and in front of a mother with a stroller. As the line snaked slowly down the hallway, the older gentleman turned and offered his newspaper.
"It's today's, I'm done with it. Read it while I was waiting for Lucy. Dialysis. Tuesdays and Fridays. Great coffee here too. Oh, sorry," He extended his hand, "Pat Gleason."
"Gil Grissom."
"Grissom, Grissom, so familiar, well, it will come to me in time. Staff or patient?" Pat asked as the line inched forward.
"Neither. My friend's daughter had her tonsils out and I came to offer 'moral' support." Gil studied the man as he spoke.
"Lucy's my wife. Still can't believe THAT after 40 years. She could have had her pick. She was beautiful, still is, and me, well, hell. I'm still not handsome or smart, but she picked me. She's not a, what's the word I'm looking for? Candidate, that's it. not a candidate for a transplant - too old I guess. So we come here Tuesdays and Fridays. She's not finished yet, but she likes the coffee to cool, so I come down here to the lobby when she's just about done. You married?"
Grissom shook his head, "No, not married."
"Best thing that ever happened to me, Lucy saying 'Yes.' Life's got so many ups and downs, so many unexpected things. It's good to have someone to share them with, the good and the bad. It makes everything so, so, what's the word? bearable - that's it. I couldn't have made it to today without my Luce. She's my heart, my whole life."
They were almost to the front of the line now.
"My son, Tom works here. A doctor. Pat, Jr., he's an editor, some scientific journal. Good boys, both of them. Married too. I've got six grandkids already!"
Totally caught up in Pat's story, Grissom responded, "My mother always wanted grandchildren. Said they would be the reward for not murdering her own child,"
Pat chuckled. "That is so true." he said.
"The usual, Pat?" The coffee vendor had already started to fill two cups.
Pat smiled, "Yeah, thanks Danny. When are you finally going to make an honest woman of Sue?"
Danny glanced at his assistant, "Took your advice. Asked her last week."
"And...."
Sue smiled. "I said 'yes!'."
"More like screamed it," Danny chided. "Hope you and Lucy will dance at our wedding." He handed Pat a cardboard carry with two cups in it.
"Sure will." Pat replied. "Nice to meet you Gil. Take good care of that little girl." With that, he turned and headed towards the blue elevator bay.
Grissom ordered coffee for himself and Catherine, took the two cups, and headed towards the red elevators, deep in thought. As th eelevator doors opened, he heard his name.
"Gil! I remembered - told you it would come to me. Met a lady once named Grissom. Nice lady. In an art gallery on the coast. Sold us the painting over our bed. My Pat, he wants it when we're done with it. 'The Lone Cyprus' - that tree out on the golf course? Only thing I ever saw that looked better alone. Well, Lucy's just about finished. Nice to meet you." Pat turned back and headed towards his wife.
-----------------------
Lindsey was watching cartoons with Catherine and eating a slurpee when he returned. "Long line at the cart?" Catherine smiled.
"Long line and interesting conversation." Gil handed her the coffee and ruffled Lindsey's hair. Anything further he might have said was cut off as Lindsey's doctor approached.
Mrs. Willows? Lindsey did fine, as you can see." She smiled at the little girl and continued, "Her throat will be...." Grissom could see her mouth move, but the sound was gone. His thoughts drifted to Pat, to his attitude about being alone. He had much to think about.
--------------------------------
The week flew by, many cases solved, some not. Grissom declined joining his team for breakfast on Friday. He mentioned something about an appointment as he left.
The line for the coffee cart was, as usual, long. As he waited, Gil watched the people around him. The lobby was busy and crowded. *Funny* he thought, *for all the time I spend watching people, I never really looked at them before.*
"Gil!"
Grissom turned to the speaker. "Another friend having tonsil trouble?" Pat's voice was full of laughter.
"No, actually, I was hoping to find you. The woman, the other Grissom? That was my mother. She loved that painting. I hadn't thought of it in years." Gil paused, "How is Lucy?"
Pat sighed, "I wish she were a better choice for a transplant. The dialysis drains her. But, hey! She's alive and otherwise healthy, what more could I ask for?"
Their conversation flowed back and forth as they stood in the line. Pat, so open, so full of life and love and Gil, reserved, fearful, full of regret . Talking to Pat touched him, made him want to open up. It became a ritual, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Coffee and conversation waiting for Lucy.
The conversation turned back to marriage after many weeks. "So why aren't you married? I can't believe there aren't any takers, so how come there isn't a Mrs. Grissom at home?"
"Honestly? Fear." Gil couldn't believe he had said that aloud. "I love her, but she's a lot younger than I am. I think she cares for me, but what about 10 years down the road, or 20. She'd be stuck with an old man. It wouldn't be fair." Gil shook his head. "Plus there's the hearing thing. Old AND deaf! No, I couldn't do that to her."
Pat smiled, seeming to change the subject. "Next Wednesday is Lucy's birthday. I always ask what she wants and she tells me she has everything she needs. She'll be 75. I'm so glad she waited for me to grow up. I used to tease her about being the 'older woman' but...well, after a while I guess I felt like I just caught up to her."
Gil smiled as he paid for the three cups of coffee. "See you next week."
-------------
Monday night had been an impossible shift - they all worked well into Tuesday afternoon. By the time Friday rolled around, Grissom had something he needed to tell Pat.
Waiting at the end of the line, Gil watched Pat approach.
"I was hoping you would come." Grissom smiled. "I was hoping you would come. I wanted you to be the first to know. Sara, she said, 'Yes!'."
Thanks to Geek, Grissom's Girl, Dev, Geena and Souixzy Kyoo - all wonderful writers!
When Catherine told him about Lindsey' s surgery, Grissom promised to go with her. Even though a tonsilliectomy was only day surgery, no parent should have to face it alone. The surgery went well and soon Catherine was holding Lindsey's hand in the recovery area. Gil went to get coffee, but the vending machine was empty.
"Busy day" remarked one of the nurses. "There's a coffee cart on the main floor - good coffee too. Tell Danny that Chris from Day Surgery sent you and he'll give you the staff discount."
Gil thanked the young blonde, and headed for the elevators.
------------
The coffee cart was easy to find, there were signs, and a long line. Grissom found himself behind a man perhaps 10 years older than himself, and in front of a mother with a stroller. As the line snaked slowly down the hallway, the older gentleman turned and offered his newspaper.
"It's today's, I'm done with it. Read it while I was waiting for Lucy. Dialysis. Tuesdays and Fridays. Great coffee here too. Oh, sorry," He extended his hand, "Pat Gleason."
"Gil Grissom."
"Grissom, Grissom, so familiar, well, it will come to me in time. Staff or patient?" Pat asked as the line inched forward.
"Neither. My friend's daughter had her tonsils out and I came to offer 'moral' support." Gil studied the man as he spoke.
"Lucy's my wife. Still can't believe THAT after 40 years. She could have had her pick. She was beautiful, still is, and me, well, hell. I'm still not handsome or smart, but she picked me. She's not a, what's the word I'm looking for? Candidate, that's it. not a candidate for a transplant - too old I guess. So we come here Tuesdays and Fridays. She's not finished yet, but she likes the coffee to cool, so I come down here to the lobby when she's just about done. You married?"
Grissom shook his head, "No, not married."
"Best thing that ever happened to me, Lucy saying 'Yes.' Life's got so many ups and downs, so many unexpected things. It's good to have someone to share them with, the good and the bad. It makes everything so, so, what's the word? bearable - that's it. I couldn't have made it to today without my Luce. She's my heart, my whole life."
They were almost to the front of the line now.
"My son, Tom works here. A doctor. Pat, Jr., he's an editor, some scientific journal. Good boys, both of them. Married too. I've got six grandkids already!"
Totally caught up in Pat's story, Grissom responded, "My mother always wanted grandchildren. Said they would be the reward for not murdering her own child,"
Pat chuckled. "That is so true." he said.
"The usual, Pat?" The coffee vendor had already started to fill two cups.
Pat smiled, "Yeah, thanks Danny. When are you finally going to make an honest woman of Sue?"
Danny glanced at his assistant, "Took your advice. Asked her last week."
"And...."
Sue smiled. "I said 'yes!'."
"More like screamed it," Danny chided. "Hope you and Lucy will dance at our wedding." He handed Pat a cardboard carry with two cups in it.
"Sure will." Pat replied. "Nice to meet you Gil. Take good care of that little girl." With that, he turned and headed towards the blue elevator bay.
Grissom ordered coffee for himself and Catherine, took the two cups, and headed towards the red elevators, deep in thought. As th eelevator doors opened, he heard his name.
"Gil! I remembered - told you it would come to me. Met a lady once named Grissom. Nice lady. In an art gallery on the coast. Sold us the painting over our bed. My Pat, he wants it when we're done with it. 'The Lone Cyprus' - that tree out on the golf course? Only thing I ever saw that looked better alone. Well, Lucy's just about finished. Nice to meet you." Pat turned back and headed towards his wife.
-----------------------
Lindsey was watching cartoons with Catherine and eating a slurpee when he returned. "Long line at the cart?" Catherine smiled.
"Long line and interesting conversation." Gil handed her the coffee and ruffled Lindsey's hair. Anything further he might have said was cut off as Lindsey's doctor approached.
Mrs. Willows? Lindsey did fine, as you can see." She smiled at the little girl and continued, "Her throat will be...." Grissom could see her mouth move, but the sound was gone. His thoughts drifted to Pat, to his attitude about being alone. He had much to think about.
--------------------------------
The week flew by, many cases solved, some not. Grissom declined joining his team for breakfast on Friday. He mentioned something about an appointment as he left.
The line for the coffee cart was, as usual, long. As he waited, Gil watched the people around him. The lobby was busy and crowded. *Funny* he thought, *for all the time I spend watching people, I never really looked at them before.*
"Gil!"
Grissom turned to the speaker. "Another friend having tonsil trouble?" Pat's voice was full of laughter.
"No, actually, I was hoping to find you. The woman, the other Grissom? That was my mother. She loved that painting. I hadn't thought of it in years." Gil paused, "How is Lucy?"
Pat sighed, "I wish she were a better choice for a transplant. The dialysis drains her. But, hey! She's alive and otherwise healthy, what more could I ask for?"
Their conversation flowed back and forth as they stood in the line. Pat, so open, so full of life and love and Gil, reserved, fearful, full of regret . Talking to Pat touched him, made him want to open up. It became a ritual, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Coffee and conversation waiting for Lucy.
The conversation turned back to marriage after many weeks. "So why aren't you married? I can't believe there aren't any takers, so how come there isn't a Mrs. Grissom at home?"
"Honestly? Fear." Gil couldn't believe he had said that aloud. "I love her, but she's a lot younger than I am. I think she cares for me, but what about 10 years down the road, or 20. She'd be stuck with an old man. It wouldn't be fair." Gil shook his head. "Plus there's the hearing thing. Old AND deaf! No, I couldn't do that to her."
Pat smiled, seeming to change the subject. "Next Wednesday is Lucy's birthday. I always ask what she wants and she tells me she has everything she needs. She'll be 75. I'm so glad she waited for me to grow up. I used to tease her about being the 'older woman' but...well, after a while I guess I felt like I just caught up to her."
Gil smiled as he paid for the three cups of coffee. "See you next week."
-------------
Monday night had been an impossible shift - they all worked well into Tuesday afternoon. By the time Friday rolled around, Grissom had something he needed to tell Pat.
Waiting at the end of the line, Gil watched Pat approach.
"I was hoping you would come." Grissom smiled. "I was hoping you would come. I wanted you to be the first to know. Sara, she said, 'Yes!'."