Part IV: Admissions
'Why hasn't she called, yet?' Warrick paced the length of the living room for the umpteenth time in the last half hour. At first he assumed that Grissom and Catherine were still at the lab, but that was over two hours ago. He looked at his watch. Lindsey would be at school already and Catherine rarely missed seeing her off. He reached for the phone to call the lab when it rang.
"Catherine?"
"Gee, do you always answer your phone that way?" Catherine's voice greeted him.
"I've been waiting for your call."
"I'm sorry. Grissom got me home in time to have breakfast with Lindsey. He insisted that I go to the hospital to get checked out; we're on our way back."
'She'll be fine. She'll be fine.' Warrick repeated mentally. Aloud he asked, "Everything okay?"
"The doctor wants me to take it easy for the next twenty four hours, but everything is fine. Grissom's staying with me today to make sure I follow doctor's orders. I'll see you tonight, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks for calling, Catherine. See you tonight." They hung up and Warrick yawned. He would be able to sleep now that he knew she would be all right and that she wasn't alone.
~~~~~
"So I'm staying with you?" Grissom asked gently after she turned the cell phone off."
"Uh, yeah. If you don't mind, that is. I don't think I can handle being alone right now," she admitted sheepishly. Their argument had brought forth some of the fear she felt earlier and she really wanted to hide. She mulled over the words he said before she remembered that she hadn't called Warrick. He was scared about losing her; that much she could tell. After a few minutes she broke the silence that enveloped them. "I've only told one person this, but I was scared."
Grissom wondered whom she had told that to. Warrick. It must have been him; he was the only one she would trust with that admission since he wasn't around.
"I wasn't afraid for myself, though." Her voice cracked. This was it, the dam was about to break and there was nothing she could do about it. Grissom pulled off to the side of the road and set the parking brake before pulling her to him. "I thought I would never see Lindsey again. That I wouldn't be there when she graduated from high school, when she goes on her first date, or when she got married. I also wouldn't be around to make sure you lifted your head up once in awhile to take a look at what was happening outside of a microscope. I wouldn't be there for her anymore or you."
Grissom couldn't think of anything to soothe his friend so he just held her as she let go of the tears she had been holding back. After a few minutes she pulled back and wiped her eyes of the residual tears. "I'm..."
"Catherine, I'm your friend. That's what I'm here for."
"Gil, you're not just my friend. You're my best friend."
"I know. Let's go home. You need some sleep."
"So do you."
"I'll get some later on." He changed gears and moved back into traffic. The trip home was quiet; neither he nor she minded. He pulled into her driveway and parked the car. Catherine had fallen asleep. He debated whether he should wake her or let her sleep. Deciding on the latter, he turned the engine off and exited the car quietly. Grissom opened the front door with the spare key she had given him years ago, then returned to the car to retrieve his sleeping friend.
He quietly opened her door and gently unbuckled her seatbelt. He was about to pull her out of the car when she spoke up. "I may be in need of some sleep, but I'm not an invalid."
"I didn't want to wake you up yet."
"Thanks." She stepped out of the Tahoe when he backed up. He shut the car door behind her and they quietly walked into the house. Catherine dropped her purse on the coffee table and collapsed onto the couch. Leaning her head back against the cushions, she closed her eyes to thwart the oncoming headache. "Could you do me a favor, Gil?"
"Sure."
"I've got a splitting headache. The Tylenol is in the bathroom." She heard him move to the room she indicated blindly and return after getting her a glass of water as well.
"Here you go," he said handing her two pills and the half-filled glass. "Anything else?"
She swallowed the water and pills quickly. "Yeah, could you just hold me for a while?"
This was an extraordinary request coming from her. She had always been independent, but today she needed to feel safe, protected even. Grissom knew she really had to be shaken up for her to ask that, but he didn't say a word as he sat down next to her and accepted her form. He moved them both into a mutually comfortable position and waited for sleep to take hold of her.
'Why hasn't she called, yet?' Warrick paced the length of the living room for the umpteenth time in the last half hour. At first he assumed that Grissom and Catherine were still at the lab, but that was over two hours ago. He looked at his watch. Lindsey would be at school already and Catherine rarely missed seeing her off. He reached for the phone to call the lab when it rang.
"Catherine?"
"Gee, do you always answer your phone that way?" Catherine's voice greeted him.
"I've been waiting for your call."
"I'm sorry. Grissom got me home in time to have breakfast with Lindsey. He insisted that I go to the hospital to get checked out; we're on our way back."
'She'll be fine. She'll be fine.' Warrick repeated mentally. Aloud he asked, "Everything okay?"
"The doctor wants me to take it easy for the next twenty four hours, but everything is fine. Grissom's staying with me today to make sure I follow doctor's orders. I'll see you tonight, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks for calling, Catherine. See you tonight." They hung up and Warrick yawned. He would be able to sleep now that he knew she would be all right and that she wasn't alone.
~~~~~
"So I'm staying with you?" Grissom asked gently after she turned the cell phone off."
"Uh, yeah. If you don't mind, that is. I don't think I can handle being alone right now," she admitted sheepishly. Their argument had brought forth some of the fear she felt earlier and she really wanted to hide. She mulled over the words he said before she remembered that she hadn't called Warrick. He was scared about losing her; that much she could tell. After a few minutes she broke the silence that enveloped them. "I've only told one person this, but I was scared."
Grissom wondered whom she had told that to. Warrick. It must have been him; he was the only one she would trust with that admission since he wasn't around.
"I wasn't afraid for myself, though." Her voice cracked. This was it, the dam was about to break and there was nothing she could do about it. Grissom pulled off to the side of the road and set the parking brake before pulling her to him. "I thought I would never see Lindsey again. That I wouldn't be there when she graduated from high school, when she goes on her first date, or when she got married. I also wouldn't be around to make sure you lifted your head up once in awhile to take a look at what was happening outside of a microscope. I wouldn't be there for her anymore or you."
Grissom couldn't think of anything to soothe his friend so he just held her as she let go of the tears she had been holding back. After a few minutes she pulled back and wiped her eyes of the residual tears. "I'm..."
"Catherine, I'm your friend. That's what I'm here for."
"Gil, you're not just my friend. You're my best friend."
"I know. Let's go home. You need some sleep."
"So do you."
"I'll get some later on." He changed gears and moved back into traffic. The trip home was quiet; neither he nor she minded. He pulled into her driveway and parked the car. Catherine had fallen asleep. He debated whether he should wake her or let her sleep. Deciding on the latter, he turned the engine off and exited the car quietly. Grissom opened the front door with the spare key she had given him years ago, then returned to the car to retrieve his sleeping friend.
He quietly opened her door and gently unbuckled her seatbelt. He was about to pull her out of the car when she spoke up. "I may be in need of some sleep, but I'm not an invalid."
"I didn't want to wake you up yet."
"Thanks." She stepped out of the Tahoe when he backed up. He shut the car door behind her and they quietly walked into the house. Catherine dropped her purse on the coffee table and collapsed onto the couch. Leaning her head back against the cushions, she closed her eyes to thwart the oncoming headache. "Could you do me a favor, Gil?"
"Sure."
"I've got a splitting headache. The Tylenol is in the bathroom." She heard him move to the room she indicated blindly and return after getting her a glass of water as well.
"Here you go," he said handing her two pills and the half-filled glass. "Anything else?"
She swallowed the water and pills quickly. "Yeah, could you just hold me for a while?"
This was an extraordinary request coming from her. She had always been independent, but today she needed to feel safe, protected even. Grissom knew she really had to be shaken up for her to ask that, but he didn't say a word as he sat down next to her and accepted her form. He moved them both into a mutually comfortable position and waited for sleep to take hold of her.