Title: Fear
Author: CSIphile/Stepf
Notes: Thank you, thank you for all the fabulous reviews I received after the last chapter. You guys really do rock and it's nice to know I wasn't forgotten. This is a pretty short chapter, but I needed one nice happy chapter before the end. Cause you know it not done yet.heh.
Thanks: Again to those who have reviewed, you make my day, seriously. To Adina and Miss Meg, the two best beta's a girl could ask for, thank you, your support means everything to me.
Standing in Nick's room Grissom almost lapses back into the Catholicism of his youth and thanks God he is alive, but instead the scientist in him thanks the doctors and modern medicine. Sighing loudly, Grissom checks his watch for the fourth time; they are moving Sara to a regular room and he was told to join her downstairs in thirty minutes, which was an excruciatingly long fifteen minutes ago. Watching the second hand tick by the minutes is not helping matters. 'A watched pot never boils Gil,' he reminds himself as a young nurse comes in to check Nicks vitals.
"When will he wake up?" Grissom asks the petite brunette; the small piece of plastic on her scrubs indicates her name is Bethany.
She gives him a polite smile. "No one can tell you that. He's almost completely off the sedation, so really he could wake up anytime. It's all up to him now." The nurse watches as the man considers this. She has seen him before, spending most of his time in the younger woman's room. Initially she assumed he was both patients father, but was quickly corrected by the charge nurse. Bethany gets the impression he isn't good with people since when he is there, he barely speaks to anyone, though she heard about the blowup the first night Nick and Sara were brought in. However, seeing the pained expression on his face, she sees that he cares for the man in bed, and without looking up from her chart she talks again. "You know if you talk to him he can probably hear you."
Grissom considers this and sits down in the chair, waiting for Bethany to leave before speaking.
"Hey Nick," he starts but swiftly realizes he doesn't know what to say. Starting casual conversation for him is hard enough, starting it with someone who isn't holding up their end of the conversation is near impossible. "I'm not really good with this kind of thing. I just wanted to let you know that... that Sara's probably still alive because of you. You never should have been there, in retrospect, but that doesn't make me any less glad you were. I guess what I am trying to say is thank you, Nick. We all miss you, especially Sara. She feels so guilty about this, you have no idea."
While he thinks about what to say next, the charge nurse sticks her head in and lets him know that Sara is moved and that he can see her.
"Thank you." He turns back to the man on the bed and sighs. "I'll be back Nicky. Do me a favor and be awake when I get here."
Grissom quietly closes the door behind him and nods at the guard placed there. Less than five minutes later he is approaching Sara's door, nodding yet again. Hearing laughing from inside the room he swiftly walks in and finds Catherine and Warrick already there. Warrick is holding what looks like a pen in one hand and Sara has her left arm up, blocking his advances.
"Come on Sara. Lemme sign it."
"Warrick, how old are you? No."
"Sara, you are really no fun sometimes. You know that?"
"I know. Besides I want Nick to sign it first," she says quietly and Warrick stops needling her.
"Okay. When are they letting you out of here?" Catherine finally asks but is surprised when the answer comes from behind her.
"Day after tomorrow." Grissom replies and approaches the group, thrilled to see Sara in a good mood. "I caught your doctor in the hall."
"Good. What they pass off as vegetarian in this place leaves alot to be desired." She smiles at him before her tone turns serious. "How was Nick? Is he awake yet?"
"No, but he is off the sedation, so it should be any time."
"Good, I'm going to head up there later." At Grissom's expression she continues, "The doctor said I could, I already asked. She said it might help if he hears my voice."
"Yeah, the nurse had me talking to him. Don't know that it helped."
"I'm sure it did." She smiles at him.
"Well, we will let you guys visit, and go see Nicky. After Grissom's visit he probably needs a pick me up." Catherine states and nudges Warrick.
"Yeah, see you later beautiful." Warrick leans over and carefully hugs Sara, whispering in her ear. "So I get to sign second right?" Sara's response is to laugh quietly.
"Sure."
"Cool. You take care. Bye Gris, See you later."
Grissom nods at their retreating forms and turns back to the brunette, who is now looking out the window at the mountains. She looks better than two days ago in trauma, but the bruises on her face have not faded one bit, if anything the vibrant swirl of yellows, greens and blacks has only become more noticeable. Reaching out, he touches her face carefully, running a knuckle lightly across one of the uglier bruises. When she turns to him startled he pulls his hand away.
"Sorry, Sara. Did I hurt you?"
"No, just startled me,. I seem to be a bit on edge lately." She gives him a bitter smile and carefully inspects the cast that now covers her right arm from fingertips to just above her elbow. "This thing itches."
"I imagine it does. All the sweat from your body has nowhere to go and." At her raised eyebrow he stops talking. "And you already know that. Sorry again."
"It's ok, Gris. I think we'll all be on edge until Harrington is caught."
"Yes Brass has his best men on it, but it's a big city with a lot of tourists. Finding someone who doesn't want to be found isn't always easy, that's why you go nowhere without your protection, understand me?"
"I understand, trust me. I don't want a repeat of that adventure; it's bad enough Nicky almost died." she says quietly, the guilt obvious in her voice.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Grissom slides next to her and pulls her into his arms. "We will get him Sara. That I promise you. This isn't your fault; you can't control what he does."
"Yes it is, I could have gotten rid of him somehow, I didn't try hard enough." She sighs loudly. "You can't promise me that, Grissom. But thank you for trying." Her voice is becoming more distant and he can tell she is falling into sleep.
"I don't make promises I can't keep, Sara," he whispers to her prone form, and pulls her closer, mindful of the IV line and her ribs.
Sara wakes again several hours later, her mind fuzzy from the painkillers. Blinking a few times to get the sleep out, she opens her eyes to Grissom's chest, looking up she sees he is wide awake, quietly watching ESPN for the baseball scores from the past few days. She listens to the announcers for a bit before speaking.
"So, how 'bout them A's?"
He looks down at her, surprised. "Excuse me?"
"The A's? Going for a 20 game win streak. Where have you been?" She gives him that trademark grin of hers.
"Since when are you interested in baseball?"
Grinning enigmatically she replies, "Since I met you."
"How are you feeling?" he asks with a wide smile.
"Much better. I would love to go see Nick now."
"Ok, let me get a nurse and a wheelchair."
"Grissom."
"No arguments Sara. That or you stay right here."
"Fine." She pouts.
Returning a few minutes later, Grissom helps her into the chair and pushes her out the door. Waiting for the elevator he leans over the back of the wheelchair and whispers to her, the feeling of his warm breath on her neck enough to give her goose pimples.
"How did you know about the A's?"
"ESPN." Is all he gets whispered in return as the elevator doors open and he pushes her in shaking his head.
tbc-----------------
Notes: Thank you, thank you for all the fabulous reviews I received after the last chapter. You guys really do rock and it's nice to know I wasn't forgotten. This is a pretty short chapter, but I needed one nice happy chapter before the end. Cause you know it not done yet.heh.
Thanks: Again to those who have reviewed, you make my day, seriously. To Adina and Miss Meg, the two best beta's a girl could ask for, thank you, your support means everything to me.
Standing in Nick's room Grissom almost lapses back into the Catholicism of his youth and thanks God he is alive, but instead the scientist in him thanks the doctors and modern medicine. Sighing loudly, Grissom checks his watch for the fourth time; they are moving Sara to a regular room and he was told to join her downstairs in thirty minutes, which was an excruciatingly long fifteen minutes ago. Watching the second hand tick by the minutes is not helping matters. 'A watched pot never boils Gil,' he reminds himself as a young nurse comes in to check Nicks vitals.
"When will he wake up?" Grissom asks the petite brunette; the small piece of plastic on her scrubs indicates her name is Bethany.
She gives him a polite smile. "No one can tell you that. He's almost completely off the sedation, so really he could wake up anytime. It's all up to him now." The nurse watches as the man considers this. She has seen him before, spending most of his time in the younger woman's room. Initially she assumed he was both patients father, but was quickly corrected by the charge nurse. Bethany gets the impression he isn't good with people since when he is there, he barely speaks to anyone, though she heard about the blowup the first night Nick and Sara were brought in. However, seeing the pained expression on his face, she sees that he cares for the man in bed, and without looking up from her chart she talks again. "You know if you talk to him he can probably hear you."
Grissom considers this and sits down in the chair, waiting for Bethany to leave before speaking.
"Hey Nick," he starts but swiftly realizes he doesn't know what to say. Starting casual conversation for him is hard enough, starting it with someone who isn't holding up their end of the conversation is near impossible. "I'm not really good with this kind of thing. I just wanted to let you know that... that Sara's probably still alive because of you. You never should have been there, in retrospect, but that doesn't make me any less glad you were. I guess what I am trying to say is thank you, Nick. We all miss you, especially Sara. She feels so guilty about this, you have no idea."
While he thinks about what to say next, the charge nurse sticks her head in and lets him know that Sara is moved and that he can see her.
"Thank you." He turns back to the man on the bed and sighs. "I'll be back Nicky. Do me a favor and be awake when I get here."
Grissom quietly closes the door behind him and nods at the guard placed there. Less than five minutes later he is approaching Sara's door, nodding yet again. Hearing laughing from inside the room he swiftly walks in and finds Catherine and Warrick already there. Warrick is holding what looks like a pen in one hand and Sara has her left arm up, blocking his advances.
"Come on Sara. Lemme sign it."
"Warrick, how old are you? No."
"Sara, you are really no fun sometimes. You know that?"
"I know. Besides I want Nick to sign it first," she says quietly and Warrick stops needling her.
"Okay. When are they letting you out of here?" Catherine finally asks but is surprised when the answer comes from behind her.
"Day after tomorrow." Grissom replies and approaches the group, thrilled to see Sara in a good mood. "I caught your doctor in the hall."
"Good. What they pass off as vegetarian in this place leaves alot to be desired." She smiles at him before her tone turns serious. "How was Nick? Is he awake yet?"
"No, but he is off the sedation, so it should be any time."
"Good, I'm going to head up there later." At Grissom's expression she continues, "The doctor said I could, I already asked. She said it might help if he hears my voice."
"Yeah, the nurse had me talking to him. Don't know that it helped."
"I'm sure it did." She smiles at him.
"Well, we will let you guys visit, and go see Nicky. After Grissom's visit he probably needs a pick me up." Catherine states and nudges Warrick.
"Yeah, see you later beautiful." Warrick leans over and carefully hugs Sara, whispering in her ear. "So I get to sign second right?" Sara's response is to laugh quietly.
"Sure."
"Cool. You take care. Bye Gris, See you later."
Grissom nods at their retreating forms and turns back to the brunette, who is now looking out the window at the mountains. She looks better than two days ago in trauma, but the bruises on her face have not faded one bit, if anything the vibrant swirl of yellows, greens and blacks has only become more noticeable. Reaching out, he touches her face carefully, running a knuckle lightly across one of the uglier bruises. When she turns to him startled he pulls his hand away.
"Sorry, Sara. Did I hurt you?"
"No, just startled me,. I seem to be a bit on edge lately." She gives him a bitter smile and carefully inspects the cast that now covers her right arm from fingertips to just above her elbow. "This thing itches."
"I imagine it does. All the sweat from your body has nowhere to go and." At her raised eyebrow he stops talking. "And you already know that. Sorry again."
"It's ok, Gris. I think we'll all be on edge until Harrington is caught."
"Yes Brass has his best men on it, but it's a big city with a lot of tourists. Finding someone who doesn't want to be found isn't always easy, that's why you go nowhere without your protection, understand me?"
"I understand, trust me. I don't want a repeat of that adventure; it's bad enough Nicky almost died." she says quietly, the guilt obvious in her voice.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Grissom slides next to her and pulls her into his arms. "We will get him Sara. That I promise you. This isn't your fault; you can't control what he does."
"Yes it is, I could have gotten rid of him somehow, I didn't try hard enough." She sighs loudly. "You can't promise me that, Grissom. But thank you for trying." Her voice is becoming more distant and he can tell she is falling into sleep.
"I don't make promises I can't keep, Sara," he whispers to her prone form, and pulls her closer, mindful of the IV line and her ribs.
Sara wakes again several hours later, her mind fuzzy from the painkillers. Blinking a few times to get the sleep out, she opens her eyes to Grissom's chest, looking up she sees he is wide awake, quietly watching ESPN for the baseball scores from the past few days. She listens to the announcers for a bit before speaking.
"So, how 'bout them A's?"
He looks down at her, surprised. "Excuse me?"
"The A's? Going for a 20 game win streak. Where have you been?" She gives him that trademark grin of hers.
"Since when are you interested in baseball?"
Grinning enigmatically she replies, "Since I met you."
"How are you feeling?" he asks with a wide smile.
"Much better. I would love to go see Nick now."
"Ok, let me get a nurse and a wheelchair."
"Grissom."
"No arguments Sara. That or you stay right here."
"Fine." She pouts.
Returning a few minutes later, Grissom helps her into the chair and pushes her out the door. Waiting for the elevator he leans over the back of the wheelchair and whispers to her, the feeling of his warm breath on her neck enough to give her goose pimples.
"How did you know about the A's?"
"ESPN." Is all he gets whispered in return as the elevator doors open and he pushes her in shaking his head.
tbc-----------------