"Stokes!"
The sudden yell brought Nick's head up from beneath the steering wheel with
a jerk, promptly connecting with the object in question. He cursed, his hand
going to the smarting area as he backed slowly away, feeling tears of anger
stinging at his eyes. Anger that had nothing to do with a bump on the head
and everything to do with the friend that had been injured by the same vehicle.
He blinked quickly, forcing the tears away. "Yeah?"
A uniformed officer was approaching with a grim look of satisfaction on his
face. "We got him."
A matching look appeared on the CSI's face. "I'll call Brass."
------
Watching the man before her picking at his food listlessly, Catherine smiled
wryly. "Y'know, Gil, the whole point of eating is to actually put food in
your *mouth*."
Grissom looked up, a wan smile sneaking about the edges of his mouth. "I'm
aware of that." He sighed and put down his fork. "Sorry, Cath, it's just..."
He shook his head. "I'm *here*," he gestured around them. "But I'm not."
"You're back in that room." She affirmed. "I know; but you won't be any good
to her if you don't eat *something*. The last thing Sara needs is to wake up
and find out you collapsed from dehydration or exhaustion. You need to take
a break and let yourself calm down. If you don't..." Abruptly she bit off
the lecture and pushed down her maternal instincts. Gil was a grown man. He
didn't need a mother. He needed a friend. "You can't be strong for her if you
aren't strong yourself."
"Touche." He acquiesced, forcing himself to lift a forkful of salad to his mouth.
Under her watchful eye, he managed to put away half the large salad before
speaking again.
"Call in: I want an update."
A more genuine smile touched Catherine's lips. That sounded more like the
Grissom they all knew. "You got it, Boss." She joked, reaching for the cellphone.
No sooner had her hand landed on it when it rang, surprising them both.
Aware of his intense gaze watching her face, she answered.
"Catherine, it's Nick." The other investigator didn't waste any time. "We got
him."
'I'll be right there." She replied immediately, thumbing off the phone.
"They..."
"Found him."
-----
Looking at her slim form, Grissom was torn. He didn't want to leave Sara's
side. His instincts rebelled against the very thought but at the same time
he wanted to see the suspect. Wanted to look into the face of the bastard
that did this to her.
The strength of his own reaction surprised him...but at the same time it
didn't. Nothing it seemed had been normal for him since the moment he'd heard
those fateful words come from Catherine. It was as if he'd suspended part of
himself, going on autopilot only to discover a side of himself he'd thought
long buried, or lost.
Reaching out, he took her hand in his again as if weighing it, testing it,
anchoring himself. "I need to see him." He confessed quietly. "I couldn't
tell you why but...I need to see him."
Sara didn't move, didn't speak, didn't show any sign that she'd heard him or
even knew he was there but that didn't matter. He knew she'd understand.
She'd been there.
A wry smile touched his lips. "Looks like I'm getting a crash course in
'Being Sara'," He noted, free hand reaching out to touch her limp hair.
"I'm not very good at it. You...You should wake up and take over; I'll go
back to looking at life through a microscope while you get exasperated with
me for it."
A soft knock on the door told him Catherine was ready to go. He looked over
his shoulder reflexively. "I'm going to go see him then I'm coming straight
back here." He chuckled. "Unless Catherine and Jim kidnap and try to force
me into resting...Which, all things considered, I wouldn't put past them."
He leaned over, intending to kiss her forehead again but his subconscious
had other ideas and instead, his lips connected with hers.
A clearly one-sided kiss yet the electric shock that raced through him was
undeniable.
Pulling back, he looked into her still face...full aware that no matter what
happened next, things between Sara and himself, at least from his point of
view, would never be the same again. And, to his surprise, he couldn't be
happier.
TBC
The sudden yell brought Nick's head up from beneath the steering wheel with
a jerk, promptly connecting with the object in question. He cursed, his hand
going to the smarting area as he backed slowly away, feeling tears of anger
stinging at his eyes. Anger that had nothing to do with a bump on the head
and everything to do with the friend that had been injured by the same vehicle.
He blinked quickly, forcing the tears away. "Yeah?"
A uniformed officer was approaching with a grim look of satisfaction on his
face. "We got him."
A matching look appeared on the CSI's face. "I'll call Brass."
------
Watching the man before her picking at his food listlessly, Catherine smiled
wryly. "Y'know, Gil, the whole point of eating is to actually put food in
your *mouth*."
Grissom looked up, a wan smile sneaking about the edges of his mouth. "I'm
aware of that." He sighed and put down his fork. "Sorry, Cath, it's just..."
He shook his head. "I'm *here*," he gestured around them. "But I'm not."
"You're back in that room." She affirmed. "I know; but you won't be any good
to her if you don't eat *something*. The last thing Sara needs is to wake up
and find out you collapsed from dehydration or exhaustion. You need to take
a break and let yourself calm down. If you don't..." Abruptly she bit off
the lecture and pushed down her maternal instincts. Gil was a grown man. He
didn't need a mother. He needed a friend. "You can't be strong for her if you
aren't strong yourself."
"Touche." He acquiesced, forcing himself to lift a forkful of salad to his mouth.
Under her watchful eye, he managed to put away half the large salad before
speaking again.
"Call in: I want an update."
A more genuine smile touched Catherine's lips. That sounded more like the
Grissom they all knew. "You got it, Boss." She joked, reaching for the cellphone.
No sooner had her hand landed on it when it rang, surprising them both.
Aware of his intense gaze watching her face, she answered.
"Catherine, it's Nick." The other investigator didn't waste any time. "We got
him."
'I'll be right there." She replied immediately, thumbing off the phone.
"They..."
"Found him."
-----
Looking at her slim form, Grissom was torn. He didn't want to leave Sara's
side. His instincts rebelled against the very thought but at the same time
he wanted to see the suspect. Wanted to look into the face of the bastard
that did this to her.
The strength of his own reaction surprised him...but at the same time it
didn't. Nothing it seemed had been normal for him since the moment he'd heard
those fateful words come from Catherine. It was as if he'd suspended part of
himself, going on autopilot only to discover a side of himself he'd thought
long buried, or lost.
Reaching out, he took her hand in his again as if weighing it, testing it,
anchoring himself. "I need to see him." He confessed quietly. "I couldn't
tell you why but...I need to see him."
Sara didn't move, didn't speak, didn't show any sign that she'd heard him or
even knew he was there but that didn't matter. He knew she'd understand.
She'd been there.
A wry smile touched his lips. "Looks like I'm getting a crash course in
'Being Sara'," He noted, free hand reaching out to touch her limp hair.
"I'm not very good at it. You...You should wake up and take over; I'll go
back to looking at life through a microscope while you get exasperated with
me for it."
A soft knock on the door told him Catherine was ready to go. He looked over
his shoulder reflexively. "I'm going to go see him then I'm coming straight
back here." He chuckled. "Unless Catherine and Jim kidnap and try to force
me into resting...Which, all things considered, I wouldn't put past them."
He leaned over, intending to kiss her forehead again but his subconscious
had other ideas and instead, his lips connected with hers.
A clearly one-sided kiss yet the electric shock that raced through him was
undeniable.
Pulling back, he looked into her still face...full aware that no matter what
happened next, things between Sara and himself, at least from his point of
view, would never be the same again. And, to his surprise, he couldn't be
happier.
TBC