Chapter 7/?
The Seventh Variable- Health
Grissom sat against the right wall. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck saturating the collar of his dress shirt. His thoughts wandered from this to that, but mostly came to rest on Sara. He was bothered by the fact that something was bothering her but would not elaborate. He searched his memory for anything he might have done to provoke her response. He thought things were great between them, however her remark no longer supported his theory. It had been almost two full months, give or take a day, since the hockey rink and exactly two months and twenty-two days since he sent her the plant. He thought things were back to normal. She stayed. He assumed she was happy. He was happy. Well not anymore.
Hearing loss. The words echoed in his head. He wasn't going to be able to hear. He wasn't going to be able to work. He would have to resign. He asked Sara to stay and now he had to leave. She would take it the hardest. How was he going to tell her? How was he going to tell the team? He was determined to keep it a secret as long as possible. It was safer that way. He still had a lot to work out for himself and for the stunning brunette at his side.
"Come on, you piece of crap."
Stunning and agitated, he amended. He looked over to find her fiddling with the small radio she found and her cell phone. He was surprised how quiet she became when her mind was occupied. He missed her voice immediately. He had the rest of his life for silence. "What are you doing?"
She looked up. Her hair was more than damp with sweat now and lay in a tangled mess. "Nothing."
"It looks like something."
"I was trying to boost our cell phone signal with this radio. In theory it should work, but..."
"Well what is wrong?" He asked calmly.
"Everything!" She threw it crashing against the locked door. Grissom watched it break in two pieces then looked at Sara.
"Do you realize you just broke your cell phone?"
She shot up and attacked the door pulling frantically on the latch. "I can't believe that this psycho had an automatic locking system? Who makes a bomb shelter that you can't get out of?! I thought the whole point was to protect yourself from the outside, not become a tomb!" Her heart raced as her mouth spouted off the words. In anger and frustration she kicked the door and pounded wildly with her fists.
Grissom jumped to his feet quickly to calm her. "Sara just relax and..."
She ignored him and kicked the door again, which sent needles of pain through her foot and ankle. She stumbled back in pain but that didn't stop her from madly rushing at the door once again. "You son-of-a-"
"Sara!" He pinned her arms to her chest. "Stop it! What are you doing?! Are you trying to break your foot?!"
"I hate it in here!" She twisted away from him and limped to the side wall to sit down. She closed her eyes once seated and suppressed the angry tears and the pain throbbing in her foot.
Grissom watched her in fascination. He never saw her get so temperamental with an inanimate object. When he grabbed her from behind he felt her heart beating rapidly against his chest. She certainly wasn't as calm as he liked to believe. "Sara?"
"What?" She snapped.
"Did you hurt your foot?"
"I'll be fine." She answered more in control this time.
"It might be broken."
"It's not." Her voice trailed off when she tried to move it. "It just hurts."
He raised an eyebrow and sat down in front of her Indian-style. "Let me see it."
"My foot isn't broken, I just twisted it." She kept it tucked under her other bent knee so he couldn't see it.
He reached for her foot and she tucked it tighter. "Come on stop being a baby."
"Oh reducing to name calling are we?"
"Come on Sara, I won't hurt you. I just want to see how bad the door hit you."
She rolled her eyes but dutifully obliged him by outstretching her leg to his awaiting hand on his lap. He unlaced her boot in slow motion then removed her sock, trying to ignore the position of her foot.
"Your toe is bleeding." He said throatily gliding his hand across the nail bed of her big toe. He glanced at her then at the door. "You don't know who to pick your fights with that's for sure."
"It started it." She hissed in pain as his hand moved along the injured toe.
His attention fell onto the rest of her foot to assess any further damage. The light graze of his fingers brushed her arch and she jerked. "Does that hurt?" He asked concerned.
"No. It tickles."
"Oh. Sorry." He dropped his eyes in embarrassment. "There seems to be no broken bones but I bet your ankle hurts."
"You can say it Grissom."
"Say what?"
"I told you so."
"That's okay." His hand moved up to support her Achilles Tendon while the other rubbed the arch of her foot. She again bucked away from him. "Sorry."
"That's okay." She lied as the blush rose to her cheeks.
"It's badly sprained Sara." He lifted her burning hot foot from his lap and pushed it toward her. Her knee bent with ease as he sat it on the floor. "It will swell so I want you to keep it out of your boot."
"Okay." She nodded.
He regarded her with a trained eye. Something was definitely wrong for her to do something so drastically stupid as kicking a metal door. "Now are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
Again it was quiet as they stared at one another. Sara debated opening her mouth afraid the words might fall out involuntarily.
(tbc)