I guess I should start off with and apology for the time it has taken me to get this out. I can't
really say I've been too busy to get this done, but I've had a severe lack of ideas. Work and
classes and family and the holidays have had my brain exhausted. I also have a very short
attention span. I'm going to try to wrap up this investigation in the next couple (or few) parts
to prevent waits like this one. Well, I hope this was at least sort of worth the wait.
Also, I mean no offense to anyone with the topic I am writing about. I have worked with
people with DS and multiple disabilities. I'm not trying to make them out to be evil or anything.
The students I met were some of the sweetest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.
I'm pretty sure I covered this in this chapter, but my mother read this and told me just to add a
note. It's easier to listen to her than it is to argue.
As always, it's great to hear from readers, and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Telling Dad and Moving On: Part 8
By LissaMarie
January 1-10, 2003
Kait sat on a bar stool she had set up in her kitchen watching Nick pull things from the cabinets
and drawers. Preparing dinner had turned out to be much easier than she had thought. Nick
had jumped in and taken care of most of it. She fingered her medal as her eyes followed him
around the small room.
"Can I keep you?" she kidded as he bent over to grab a pan from a lower cabinet and her gaze
shifted down...lower than it had been before. Dodging the rolled up paper towel that he sent
flying her way, she stood up off the chair and leaned forward to wrap her arms around his waist.
Nick straightened up and turned in her embrace. "Isn't that sorta the point?" He kissed her
softly until he felt her begin to pull away. "What?"
"My dad said he'd be here at 6 o'clock, and it's just after 5 now. If you need to jump into the
shower, you should probably do it now. I know he won't reaction positively to you being in
there when he gets here, and you know as well as I do that he's always early." She pulled
away regretfully. She pushed him slightly in the direction of the bathroom as she walked
toward the stove. "I'll take care of dinner while you're in there."
Nick smiled at her and kissed the back of her neck. "Fine," he mumbled petulantly against her
skin before doing as he was told.
~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: Leana is pronounced Lee-ah-nah. It's my friend's name, and she's making me mention
that. Sorry.
Seven year old Leana Wellis sat on the park swing looking up to the sky. It was unusually
warm for a December afternoon in Vegas, and she intended to enjoy it with or without her
mother's permission. It wasn't like she was going far away from her house without telling her
parents; the park was less than a black away. She wasn't hurting anyone. Besides, she would
be home before her mother even had a chance to realize she was gone. Her mother was
always too busy with her boyfriend to notice what she was doing anyway.
Leana saw the man on the bench. His appearance was different than the other men that were
sitting watching their children play. His eyes were large and sunk in, and his mouth was slightly
open. His glasses rested on his nose which he would rub with the end of his sleeve every few
minutes. He reminded her of a couple of the kids in the Special Ed class at her school. Her
teacher had taken time out on the first day to let the students know about them. She remembered
being told that sometimes the kids in that class were made fun of because they were different.
She felt for the man. Had he ever been made fun of like those kids?
The young girl jumped off the swing and went to join the man on the bench. "Hello, sir. My
name's Leana," she introduced reaching out her hand.
The man smiled at her and shook her hand.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After checking on dinner one last time, Kaitlyn made her way out to the dining room. She struck
a long match and went about lighting the numerous candles she had set up around the room. Nick had
teased her many times about her home being a fire hazard, but in her mind, there was nothing
more relaxing than burning candles. She dimmed the chandelier allowing the flickering flames to
illuminate the small room.
The tranquility of the faint aroma of the candles did nothing to calm Kait's nerves. She dried her
sweating palms on her maroon skirt and closed her eyes. Her father's opinion had always meant so
much to her. Ever since she was a little girl, she had always looked to him before making any
decisions, but in her heart, she knew she had already made a choice regarding Nick. Any
opposition on her father's part wouldn't change her mind. Would it?
Of course not, Kait assured herself. She smiled and surpressed a giggle when she heard a thump
and a string of curses coming from the bathroom. Somehow, Nick always seemed to slip getting
out of her tub.
"Honey, are you okay?"
"Fine," came a muffled reply. "Be out in a second."
Shaking her head slightly, she went back to the kitchen to check on dinner, waiting for Nick to join
her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The squadcars' lights cast an eerie glow on the street. Frightened and fascinated children stood in
their windows and on their front porches watching the scene unfold. Curious mothers and anxious
fathers spoke with the deputies in charge of bringing little Leana Wellis home. Uniformed officers
were combing the area with the day-shift CSIs and cadets looking for any clues that would help
them find Leana.
Quinn Wellis sat on her porch steps with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her daughter was really
gone this time. It wasn't unusual for the girl to sneak out on occasion, but it had always been just
to go down to the park.
When Quinn had noticed her daughter missing, she had only sighed. She preceeded to angrily
grabbed her jacket and slip on her shoes preparing to make her way down the playground. She
paid the sinking feeling in her stomach no mind on her way there as she was too busy trying to
think of way to punish the girl for once again disobeying her. It wasn't until she had made her
way around the park for a fourth time without seeing Leana that she began to worry.
"When was the last time you saw your daughter, Ms. Wellis?" the officer asked for what seemed
like the hundredth time.
"Like I already told y'all, I sent her up to her room when she made a mess of the kitchen around
2:00. She turned on her radio real loud, and I didn't go up. I figured she was mad that I yelled out
her. A friend of mine came over, and after he left, I went to her room to tell her she could come
down. I was going to bring her out to get something to eat. I felt bad for screaming at her."
The officer nodded and gave her tight smile before turning around to speak with another man in
uniform.
They had found nothing and had yet to speak with anyone who had seen the girl at the playground.
The sun was down and desert nights could be dangerous. The risk of death by exposure was high
especially for a 7 year old girl in December. If they added in the fact that there were three
suspects on the loose that were attacking and killing children, things were looking rather bleak.
Everyone understood the slim chances of finding the girl alive if they didn't find her within 48
hours, and that thought kept them moving.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick and Kait were in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Nick's arms dropped from her waist, and
she reluctantly let her lips leave his. For the first time, she was glad that her father would never
enter her home without her inviting him in. Generally, she found it annoying since it forced her to
get up and walk all the way from her comfortable couch to let him in, but she didn't think finding
them making out was the best way for her father to find out about their relationship.
"I'd better get that. You keep an eye on the food," Kait told him. She kissed him softly on the lips
to reassure them both. She walked toward the door, pausing to stare at it. She shook her head for
being silly and pulled open the door with a big smile plastered on her face. "Hi, daddy!"
"Hello, Kaite. Nice to know that you're happy to see me," Grissom smiled hugging her in return.
He went to let go and frowned slightly when Kaite didn't do the same. He arms were still wrapped
tightly around his neck. Something wasn't right. "Kaite?"
"Oh! Sorry." Kait pulled away blushing. She lifted her gaze from the floor to look her father
seriously in the eyes. "There's something I have to tell you. I haven't been completely honest with
you, and I feel terrible about it."
"Go ahead." The gears in Gil's mind were going around rapidly coming up with many horrible
situations that could put the dark glint of guilt in his only child's eyes. Could it possibly be worse
than the secret he was keeping from her?
"Okay." A deep breath. "Alright." A pointed look. "Well, I'm seeing someone. He's a really great
guy, but I didn't want to tell you until I was absolutely sure it was real. It is...I think. No, it is, I
know. Anyway, I invited him to have dinner with us." Kait searched her father's eyes which were
just twinkling in amusement. She frowned. Did he find this funny?
"So when am I meeting him?" Grissom questioned trying not to chuckle at Kait's obvious
discomfort. His daughter rarely became nervous over anything,and witnessing such an event
was quite endearing.
"Is right now okay?" Nick asked somewhat shyly as he entered the hall. He watched Grissom's
head turn to him from Kait and back to Kait again. Surprise didn't begin to explain what he felt
when his always-serious boss began to laugh. Not just a slight chuckle, but a full out belly-laugh
that had the older man holding his stomach, hunching over slightly. It didn't take long for Nick and
Kait to join him.
"From the way you were talking, I was starting to think he was an ex-con or something," Gil
explained his reaction. "I guess we'll have to discuss your jobs over dinner which smells great,
by the way."
"Tell Nick; he cooked. I just sat and watched. You two go sit down. I'll get the food." She
grinned. She looked back and forth between the two men and turned to go to the kitchen. Now,
her worries seemed so trivial. She should have known things would work out. They always did.
Even though sometimes they happened in mysterious ways.
Kait grabbed the salad out of the refrigerator and headed out to join her guests. They ate each
course while paying special attention to their conversation. They were careful to avoid any
discussion about their current case. It was a time to relax and enjoy themselves.
It was working.
TO BE CONTINUED...
really say I've been too busy to get this done, but I've had a severe lack of ideas. Work and
classes and family and the holidays have had my brain exhausted. I also have a very short
attention span. I'm going to try to wrap up this investigation in the next couple (or few) parts
to prevent waits like this one. Well, I hope this was at least sort of worth the wait.
Also, I mean no offense to anyone with the topic I am writing about. I have worked with
people with DS and multiple disabilities. I'm not trying to make them out to be evil or anything.
The students I met were some of the sweetest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.
I'm pretty sure I covered this in this chapter, but my mother read this and told me just to add a
note. It's easier to listen to her than it is to argue.
As always, it's great to hear from readers, and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Telling Dad and Moving On: Part 8
By LissaMarie
January 1-10, 2003
Kait sat on a bar stool she had set up in her kitchen watching Nick pull things from the cabinets
and drawers. Preparing dinner had turned out to be much easier than she had thought. Nick
had jumped in and taken care of most of it. She fingered her medal as her eyes followed him
around the small room.
"Can I keep you?" she kidded as he bent over to grab a pan from a lower cabinet and her gaze
shifted down...lower than it had been before. Dodging the rolled up paper towel that he sent
flying her way, she stood up off the chair and leaned forward to wrap her arms around his waist.
Nick straightened up and turned in her embrace. "Isn't that sorta the point?" He kissed her
softly until he felt her begin to pull away. "What?"
"My dad said he'd be here at 6 o'clock, and it's just after 5 now. If you need to jump into the
shower, you should probably do it now. I know he won't reaction positively to you being in
there when he gets here, and you know as well as I do that he's always early." She pulled
away regretfully. She pushed him slightly in the direction of the bathroom as she walked
toward the stove. "I'll take care of dinner while you're in there."
Nick smiled at her and kissed the back of her neck. "Fine," he mumbled petulantly against her
skin before doing as he was told.
~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: Leana is pronounced Lee-ah-nah. It's my friend's name, and she's making me mention
that. Sorry.
Seven year old Leana Wellis sat on the park swing looking up to the sky. It was unusually
warm for a December afternoon in Vegas, and she intended to enjoy it with or without her
mother's permission. It wasn't like she was going far away from her house without telling her
parents; the park was less than a black away. She wasn't hurting anyone. Besides, she would
be home before her mother even had a chance to realize she was gone. Her mother was
always too busy with her boyfriend to notice what she was doing anyway.
Leana saw the man on the bench. His appearance was different than the other men that were
sitting watching their children play. His eyes were large and sunk in, and his mouth was slightly
open. His glasses rested on his nose which he would rub with the end of his sleeve every few
minutes. He reminded her of a couple of the kids in the Special Ed class at her school. Her
teacher had taken time out on the first day to let the students know about them. She remembered
being told that sometimes the kids in that class were made fun of because they were different.
She felt for the man. Had he ever been made fun of like those kids?
The young girl jumped off the swing and went to join the man on the bench. "Hello, sir. My
name's Leana," she introduced reaching out her hand.
The man smiled at her and shook her hand.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After checking on dinner one last time, Kaitlyn made her way out to the dining room. She struck
a long match and went about lighting the numerous candles she had set up around the room. Nick had
teased her many times about her home being a fire hazard, but in her mind, there was nothing
more relaxing than burning candles. She dimmed the chandelier allowing the flickering flames to
illuminate the small room.
The tranquility of the faint aroma of the candles did nothing to calm Kait's nerves. She dried her
sweating palms on her maroon skirt and closed her eyes. Her father's opinion had always meant so
much to her. Ever since she was a little girl, she had always looked to him before making any
decisions, but in her heart, she knew she had already made a choice regarding Nick. Any
opposition on her father's part wouldn't change her mind. Would it?
Of course not, Kait assured herself. She smiled and surpressed a giggle when she heard a thump
and a string of curses coming from the bathroom. Somehow, Nick always seemed to slip getting
out of her tub.
"Honey, are you okay?"
"Fine," came a muffled reply. "Be out in a second."
Shaking her head slightly, she went back to the kitchen to check on dinner, waiting for Nick to join
her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The squadcars' lights cast an eerie glow on the street. Frightened and fascinated children stood in
their windows and on their front porches watching the scene unfold. Curious mothers and anxious
fathers spoke with the deputies in charge of bringing little Leana Wellis home. Uniformed officers
were combing the area with the day-shift CSIs and cadets looking for any clues that would help
them find Leana.
Quinn Wellis sat on her porch steps with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her daughter was really
gone this time. It wasn't unusual for the girl to sneak out on occasion, but it had always been just
to go down to the park.
When Quinn had noticed her daughter missing, she had only sighed. She preceeded to angrily
grabbed her jacket and slip on her shoes preparing to make her way down the playground. She
paid the sinking feeling in her stomach no mind on her way there as she was too busy trying to
think of way to punish the girl for once again disobeying her. It wasn't until she had made her
way around the park for a fourth time without seeing Leana that she began to worry.
"When was the last time you saw your daughter, Ms. Wellis?" the officer asked for what seemed
like the hundredth time.
"Like I already told y'all, I sent her up to her room when she made a mess of the kitchen around
2:00. She turned on her radio real loud, and I didn't go up. I figured she was mad that I yelled out
her. A friend of mine came over, and after he left, I went to her room to tell her she could come
down. I was going to bring her out to get something to eat. I felt bad for screaming at her."
The officer nodded and gave her tight smile before turning around to speak with another man in
uniform.
They had found nothing and had yet to speak with anyone who had seen the girl at the playground.
The sun was down and desert nights could be dangerous. The risk of death by exposure was high
especially for a 7 year old girl in December. If they added in the fact that there were three
suspects on the loose that were attacking and killing children, things were looking rather bleak.
Everyone understood the slim chances of finding the girl alive if they didn't find her within 48
hours, and that thought kept them moving.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick and Kait were in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Nick's arms dropped from her waist, and
she reluctantly let her lips leave his. For the first time, she was glad that her father would never
enter her home without her inviting him in. Generally, she found it annoying since it forced her to
get up and walk all the way from her comfortable couch to let him in, but she didn't think finding
them making out was the best way for her father to find out about their relationship.
"I'd better get that. You keep an eye on the food," Kait told him. She kissed him softly on the lips
to reassure them both. She walked toward the door, pausing to stare at it. She shook her head for
being silly and pulled open the door with a big smile plastered on her face. "Hi, daddy!"
"Hello, Kaite. Nice to know that you're happy to see me," Grissom smiled hugging her in return.
He went to let go and frowned slightly when Kaite didn't do the same. He arms were still wrapped
tightly around his neck. Something wasn't right. "Kaite?"
"Oh! Sorry." Kait pulled away blushing. She lifted her gaze from the floor to look her father
seriously in the eyes. "There's something I have to tell you. I haven't been completely honest with
you, and I feel terrible about it."
"Go ahead." The gears in Gil's mind were going around rapidly coming up with many horrible
situations that could put the dark glint of guilt in his only child's eyes. Could it possibly be worse
than the secret he was keeping from her?
"Okay." A deep breath. "Alright." A pointed look. "Well, I'm seeing someone. He's a really great
guy, but I didn't want to tell you until I was absolutely sure it was real. It is...I think. No, it is, I
know. Anyway, I invited him to have dinner with us." Kait searched her father's eyes which were
just twinkling in amusement. She frowned. Did he find this funny?
"So when am I meeting him?" Grissom questioned trying not to chuckle at Kait's obvious
discomfort. His daughter rarely became nervous over anything,and witnessing such an event
was quite endearing.
"Is right now okay?" Nick asked somewhat shyly as he entered the hall. He watched Grissom's
head turn to him from Kait and back to Kait again. Surprise didn't begin to explain what he felt
when his always-serious boss began to laugh. Not just a slight chuckle, but a full out belly-laugh
that had the older man holding his stomach, hunching over slightly. It didn't take long for Nick and
Kait to join him.
"From the way you were talking, I was starting to think he was an ex-con or something," Gil
explained his reaction. "I guess we'll have to discuss your jobs over dinner which smells great,
by the way."
"Tell Nick; he cooked. I just sat and watched. You two go sit down. I'll get the food." She
grinned. She looked back and forth between the two men and turned to go to the kitchen. Now,
her worries seemed so trivial. She should have known things would work out. They always did.
Even though sometimes they happened in mysterious ways.
Kait grabbed the salad out of the refrigerator and headed out to join her guests. They ate each
course while paying special attention to their conversation. They were careful to avoid any
discussion about their current case. It was a time to relax and enjoy themselves.
It was working.
TO BE CONTINUED...