------
"Mr. Grissom!" The doctor smiled widely as he and Catherine emerged from the elevator. "I was
just about to call you!"
Seeing the smile on his face, Grissom didn't even wait to hear what he was going to stay, making
a beeline for Sara's room.
The doctor turned to watch him go then laughed in amusement.
"Doctor?" Catherine caught his attention and he turned to look at her. "How is she?"
"Improving steadily." He replied with a smile. "The young lady is very determined. I haven't seen
a patient respond this well to treatment in years. It's quite remarkable."
"It's Sara." She countered with a smile.
----
The smile on her face was without a doubt the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
"Hi." She whispered faintly.
"Hi." He replied simply, moving forward to sit down next to her.
He didn't know what to say. These past few days, sitting at her side, he'd said so many things.
Once he'd gotten started, it had been hard to stop. But now he was in the same place he'd been the
first time he'd taken this seat. He didn't know what to say.
Moving his hand slightly, he rested it on hers then turned it to rest her palm on his. "Has anyone
come to speak to you yet?" The tone of his voice was that of a supervisor and he internally
berated himself for the inability to voice what had come so freely before. Why couldn't he say
anything?!
"Brass." She watched the emotions playing across his face, unsure of what was going on behind that
unreadable mask of his. Reading Grissom was rather like looking at an optical illusion. You had to
let your eyes focus naturally, find their own path. Find the real Gil. "I don't remember all that
much." Her eyes crinkled as she grinned. "Screech...bang...crash and fade to black. That's pretty
much it."
"They have the kid."
"Yeah, he mentioned that." Looking down at their hands, Sara added hesitantly, "He also mentioned
that you went off on him, said a lot of things."
"He deserved it." Grissom replied with uncharacteristic vehemence then recalled some of what he'd
said. "Exactly what did Jim repeat?"
She smiled, looking through her hair at him. "A lot but little."
"Can't have it both ways, Sara." He countered with a ghost of a smile.
"Sure you can." She insisted stubbornly. "You just have to work at it."
"What did he say?" He repeated.
"Not much detail." Sara revealed with a smile. "He said you'd want to do that." Confusion entered
her eyes at that. "May I ask what's so sensitive?"
'Her name is Sara...and I love her.'
"Everything." Grissom replied simply.
----
"He's acting different."
At Sara's frustrated words, Warrick looked up. "Who?"
"Ecklie." She glared at him. "Grissom, who do you think?! He's been acting different."
"Define different." Her friend hedged, not wanted to 'out' Grissom if the older man hadn't done so
yet himself.
Sara's knowing eyes searched his face then she shook her head, wincing at the action. "Like...I
don't know, like he's the only one the room who knows a secret." Watching his expression, she
smiled faintly. "Or maybe, I'm the only one that doesn't."
"Sara...." He shook his head. "I can't...Gris'd...well, he needs to tell you this one himself."
"Can I at least have a hint?" She pressed, leaning forward.
"No." Warrick denied, holding firm. "If Grissom didn't kill me, Catherine would."
"Catherine?" Sara's brow furrowed in confusion. "What does she have to do with what Grissom's
hiding?"
"Nothing." He replied quickly. "But you know how she gets when she's protecting Grissom. The old
friend thing."
"Yeah, the old friend thing." She echoed skeptically, puzzled by everyone's secrecy. To hear them
talk, you'd think they were protecting a matter of national security or the fate of the world.
Little did Sara know, her thoughts were paralleling her friend's. Warrick was determined to keep
Grissom's secret, at least until Grissom himself was ready to voice it, and thereby protect the
balance of his friends' world. The relationship between Sara and Grissom was very much like a
house of cards and it was one that Grissom had been tending for a long time, one that he guarded
ferociously, and if this wasn't handled right...
Warrick dismissed the thought with a faint smile. That was the one thing that wouldn't happen. No
matter what went down between them, Sara and Grissom were inseparable, at the center of
everything. Contemplating that, he leaned back in his chair. It was something they all took for
granted, barely noticed even. At some point, Sara and Grissom had taken up position as the center
of gravity for the team, everything moved around them and connected back to them.
"Ok," Sara interjected into his thoughts with a frustrated tone. "What's *that* look for?"
He grinned at her. "Nothing."
"Warrick!!!"
His grin widened. "Good to have you back, Sara." Pushing out of the chair, he touched her shoulder
lightly and moved out the door, leaving her to stare after him with an aggravated expression.
----------
tbc
"Mr. Grissom!" The doctor smiled widely as he and Catherine emerged from the elevator. "I was
just about to call you!"
Seeing the smile on his face, Grissom didn't even wait to hear what he was going to stay, making
a beeline for Sara's room.
The doctor turned to watch him go then laughed in amusement.
"Doctor?" Catherine caught his attention and he turned to look at her. "How is she?"
"Improving steadily." He replied with a smile. "The young lady is very determined. I haven't seen
a patient respond this well to treatment in years. It's quite remarkable."
"It's Sara." She countered with a smile.
----
The smile on her face was without a doubt the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
"Hi." She whispered faintly.
"Hi." He replied simply, moving forward to sit down next to her.
He didn't know what to say. These past few days, sitting at her side, he'd said so many things.
Once he'd gotten started, it had been hard to stop. But now he was in the same place he'd been the
first time he'd taken this seat. He didn't know what to say.
Moving his hand slightly, he rested it on hers then turned it to rest her palm on his. "Has anyone
come to speak to you yet?" The tone of his voice was that of a supervisor and he internally
berated himself for the inability to voice what had come so freely before. Why couldn't he say
anything?!
"Brass." She watched the emotions playing across his face, unsure of what was going on behind that
unreadable mask of his. Reading Grissom was rather like looking at an optical illusion. You had to
let your eyes focus naturally, find their own path. Find the real Gil. "I don't remember all that
much." Her eyes crinkled as she grinned. "Screech...bang...crash and fade to black. That's pretty
much it."
"They have the kid."
"Yeah, he mentioned that." Looking down at their hands, Sara added hesitantly, "He also mentioned
that you went off on him, said a lot of things."
"He deserved it." Grissom replied with uncharacteristic vehemence then recalled some of what he'd
said. "Exactly what did Jim repeat?"
She smiled, looking through her hair at him. "A lot but little."
"Can't have it both ways, Sara." He countered with a ghost of a smile.
"Sure you can." She insisted stubbornly. "You just have to work at it."
"What did he say?" He repeated.
"Not much detail." Sara revealed with a smile. "He said you'd want to do that." Confusion entered
her eyes at that. "May I ask what's so sensitive?"
'Her name is Sara...and I love her.'
"Everything." Grissom replied simply.
----
"He's acting different."
At Sara's frustrated words, Warrick looked up. "Who?"
"Ecklie." She glared at him. "Grissom, who do you think?! He's been acting different."
"Define different." Her friend hedged, not wanted to 'out' Grissom if the older man hadn't done so
yet himself.
Sara's knowing eyes searched his face then she shook her head, wincing at the action. "Like...I
don't know, like he's the only one the room who knows a secret." Watching his expression, she
smiled faintly. "Or maybe, I'm the only one that doesn't."
"Sara...." He shook his head. "I can't...Gris'd...well, he needs to tell you this one himself."
"Can I at least have a hint?" She pressed, leaning forward.
"No." Warrick denied, holding firm. "If Grissom didn't kill me, Catherine would."
"Catherine?" Sara's brow furrowed in confusion. "What does she have to do with what Grissom's
hiding?"
"Nothing." He replied quickly. "But you know how she gets when she's protecting Grissom. The old
friend thing."
"Yeah, the old friend thing." She echoed skeptically, puzzled by everyone's secrecy. To hear them
talk, you'd think they were protecting a matter of national security or the fate of the world.
Little did Sara know, her thoughts were paralleling her friend's. Warrick was determined to keep
Grissom's secret, at least until Grissom himself was ready to voice it, and thereby protect the
balance of his friends' world. The relationship between Sara and Grissom was very much like a
house of cards and it was one that Grissom had been tending for a long time, one that he guarded
ferociously, and if this wasn't handled right...
Warrick dismissed the thought with a faint smile. That was the one thing that wouldn't happen. No
matter what went down between them, Sara and Grissom were inseparable, at the center of
everything. Contemplating that, he leaned back in his chair. It was something they all took for
granted, barely noticed even. At some point, Sara and Grissom had taken up position as the center
of gravity for the team, everything moved around them and connected back to them.
"Ok," Sara interjected into his thoughts with a frustrated tone. "What's *that* look for?"
He grinned at her. "Nothing."
"Warrick!!!"
His grin widened. "Good to have you back, Sara." Pushing out of the chair, he touched her shoulder
lightly and moved out the door, leaving her to stare after him with an aggravated expression.
----------
tbc