Warrick was seated in the break room. It was 40 minutes until shift was
scheduled to start and he seemed to be the only one in the lab. Just then,
Catherine walked in.
"Hey, Warrick." Catherine greeted seeming a bit distracted.
"Hey, Cath. Are you ok?" Warrick asked concerned.
She let out a deep sigh and joined Warrick at the table he'd been sitting at drinking his coffee. "Yes and no."
He raised an eyebrow, "Sounds serious."
She smiled, "Yeah."
He gestured toward her with his coffee cup, "Ok. Shoot."
"It's Grissom." She began, unsure of how to proceed.
Warrick had an unreadable expression on his face.
Catherine continued. "He asked me to tell the team something that I think he should tell them himself, but I told him I would. I just don't think it's going to go over very well."
A look of shock and concern washed over Warrick's face, "He's not quitting is he?"
Catherine smiled, "No. It's nothing like that, fortunately."
Just then Nick and Sara walked in smiling. They took in Catherine and Warrick's demeanor and stopped in their tracks. Nick spoke first, "Hey, what's going on?"
Catherine looked up at them, "Uh, is Greg here yet?"
Sara responded, "I just saw him in the locker room."
Catherine asked, "Sara, can you go get him and ask him to come here, I need to tell all of you something and I'd rather only have to do it once."
Nick and Sara exchanged worried glances as Sara went to get Greg. Nick sat down at the table and placed his hand on Catherine's. "Is everything ok, Cath?"
Catherine smiled at him, "I'm fine, Nick. I just have to tell you guys something I'd rather not that's all."
"Grissom's not quitting is he?" Nick looked worried.
Catherine gave him a deadpan look, "Nick, please."
Nick smiled and Warrick smiled at the exchange. Neither, however, could release the nagging sensation in the pit of their stomachs. Sara returned with Greg in tow. Greg sensed the mood in the room and silently took a seat. Sara glanced around the room at the worried faces and sat next to Nick. Unconsciously, Nick and Sara joined hands for support.
Catherine smiled at the group around the table, "First of all, no one died and no one is quitting." A collective sigh made it's way around the table. "However, I do have some news for you that I would rather not have to tell you. Grissom asked me to share something with all of you, something that I think he should tell you himself, but I agreed that I would."
Looks of bewilderment were exchanged. No one had any idea what Catherine might be going to tell them, except that maybe it had to do with Grissom's sudden family emergency.
Sara spoke, "What is it, Catherine?" Nick squeezed her hand. She glanced at him and squeezed back.
Catherine let out a sigh, "Uh, Grissom was his family emergency. He had surgery."
Warrick looked a bit confused. "Surgery? Why the big secret? If we'd known he needed something, we'd all have been there."
Catherine raised her hand, "I know. I told him that. He's ok. The surgery was successful. He should be back here in a few days, but you need to know what is going on. I think I finally convinced him that this team is a family and you have to tell your family what is going on."
Greg had been silent until now, "Yeah. You guys are the closest thing I have to family in Vegas." He smiled at all of them. Sara reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.
Nick was the next to speak, "Catherine, what did he have surgery for?"
Catherine looked at Nick and then at the rest of the team. "His hearing. He was losing his hearing. He inherited a condition that affects his hearing. It was getting to a point that if he didn't have surgery, he'd lose it completely."
A look of disbelief crossed the looks of several faces of the team. One by one a realization crossed their faces. All the signs they had taken as just Grissom started to fall together.
It was Sara who said what they were all thinking, "How could we have not noticed? All the signs were there. We just didn't put the pieces together. We do this for a living and we couldn't even figure out when one of our own, our leader, needed something."
Catherine spoke again, "Sara, I've known Grissom for 15 years, of all of us, I should have known something. I suspected something was wrong, but I didn't push it. I didn't find out until he told me he couldn't go with me to question Sam Braun. You all know how Grissom is, very protective of his privacy. We all respect that about each other. Maybe we should do a little less of that."
Warrick queried, "Is he still at the hospital?"
"No," Catherine answered, "He's at home. I brought him home a few hours ago. He asked me to tell you. I told him he should do it himself, but he didn't think he could."
"Wow." Was all Nick could manage. Sara caressed his hand with her thumb and gave it a gentle squeeze. He looked over at her and smiled.
Greg cleared his throat, "Uh, can we see him, Cath?"
Catherine smiled, "Yeah. I thought we'd all go over after shift and bring him breakfast."
The team agreed that this was a great idea. With the most difficult part of the night behind them, Catherine handed out assignments and shift began.
"Hey, Warrick." Catherine greeted seeming a bit distracted.
"Hey, Cath. Are you ok?" Warrick asked concerned.
She let out a deep sigh and joined Warrick at the table he'd been sitting at drinking his coffee. "Yes and no."
He raised an eyebrow, "Sounds serious."
She smiled, "Yeah."
He gestured toward her with his coffee cup, "Ok. Shoot."
"It's Grissom." She began, unsure of how to proceed.
Warrick had an unreadable expression on his face.
Catherine continued. "He asked me to tell the team something that I think he should tell them himself, but I told him I would. I just don't think it's going to go over very well."
A look of shock and concern washed over Warrick's face, "He's not quitting is he?"
Catherine smiled, "No. It's nothing like that, fortunately."
Just then Nick and Sara walked in smiling. They took in Catherine and Warrick's demeanor and stopped in their tracks. Nick spoke first, "Hey, what's going on?"
Catherine looked up at them, "Uh, is Greg here yet?"
Sara responded, "I just saw him in the locker room."
Catherine asked, "Sara, can you go get him and ask him to come here, I need to tell all of you something and I'd rather only have to do it once."
Nick and Sara exchanged worried glances as Sara went to get Greg. Nick sat down at the table and placed his hand on Catherine's. "Is everything ok, Cath?"
Catherine smiled at him, "I'm fine, Nick. I just have to tell you guys something I'd rather not that's all."
"Grissom's not quitting is he?" Nick looked worried.
Catherine gave him a deadpan look, "Nick, please."
Nick smiled and Warrick smiled at the exchange. Neither, however, could release the nagging sensation in the pit of their stomachs. Sara returned with Greg in tow. Greg sensed the mood in the room and silently took a seat. Sara glanced around the room at the worried faces and sat next to Nick. Unconsciously, Nick and Sara joined hands for support.
Catherine smiled at the group around the table, "First of all, no one died and no one is quitting." A collective sigh made it's way around the table. "However, I do have some news for you that I would rather not have to tell you. Grissom asked me to share something with all of you, something that I think he should tell you himself, but I agreed that I would."
Looks of bewilderment were exchanged. No one had any idea what Catherine might be going to tell them, except that maybe it had to do with Grissom's sudden family emergency.
Sara spoke, "What is it, Catherine?" Nick squeezed her hand. She glanced at him and squeezed back.
Catherine let out a sigh, "Uh, Grissom was his family emergency. He had surgery."
Warrick looked a bit confused. "Surgery? Why the big secret? If we'd known he needed something, we'd all have been there."
Catherine raised her hand, "I know. I told him that. He's ok. The surgery was successful. He should be back here in a few days, but you need to know what is going on. I think I finally convinced him that this team is a family and you have to tell your family what is going on."
Greg had been silent until now, "Yeah. You guys are the closest thing I have to family in Vegas." He smiled at all of them. Sara reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.
Nick was the next to speak, "Catherine, what did he have surgery for?"
Catherine looked at Nick and then at the rest of the team. "His hearing. He was losing his hearing. He inherited a condition that affects his hearing. It was getting to a point that if he didn't have surgery, he'd lose it completely."
A look of disbelief crossed the looks of several faces of the team. One by one a realization crossed their faces. All the signs they had taken as just Grissom started to fall together.
It was Sara who said what they were all thinking, "How could we have not noticed? All the signs were there. We just didn't put the pieces together. We do this for a living and we couldn't even figure out when one of our own, our leader, needed something."
Catherine spoke again, "Sara, I've known Grissom for 15 years, of all of us, I should have known something. I suspected something was wrong, but I didn't push it. I didn't find out until he told me he couldn't go with me to question Sam Braun. You all know how Grissom is, very protective of his privacy. We all respect that about each other. Maybe we should do a little less of that."
Warrick queried, "Is he still at the hospital?"
"No," Catherine answered, "He's at home. I brought him home a few hours ago. He asked me to tell you. I told him he should do it himself, but he didn't think he could."
"Wow." Was all Nick could manage. Sara caressed his hand with her thumb and gave it a gentle squeeze. He looked over at her and smiled.
Greg cleared his throat, "Uh, can we see him, Cath?"
Catherine smiled, "Yeah. I thought we'd all go over after shift and bring him breakfast."
The team agreed that this was a great idea. With the most difficult part of the night behind them, Catherine handed out assignments and shift began.
