VII. Love
Sara didn't take the nap Nick told her to take. She was trying to figure out who Vincent Mortenson was. She had heard that name before, or she had seen him somewhere.
She got up and went to make a phone call.
"Whoa, sweetheart, where're you going?" Nick asked from behind her.
"Baby, I'm just going out to make a quick phone call," Sara said. "I'll be back. I promise."
Nick eyed her suspiciously. "Okay, but when you come back I want you to relax, and get something to eat."
"I will sweetie," Sara said smiling. She kissed him then went outside.
It was peaceful outside. Sara was thinking about napping outside. It calmed the baby enough to where it rolled around comfortably. She sat on a bench and dialed a number she hadn't dialed for three years.
"Hello?" A gruff male voice answered.
"Hey Arthur, it's me, Sara," she said smiling.
"Oh my God, Sara! How are you? It's been a long time," he said.
"Yeah, it has been," she started. "Hey Art, will you do me a favor?"
"Sure, anything," he consented.
"I need you to do a BG on a guy for me," she explained. "I have this weird feeling about a coworker's new lover that just rubs me the wrong way. I'm pregnant now, so I can't go out in the field and check for myself. I think this has something to do with an old case."
"Whoa," Arthur said. "You're pregnant? You mean you actually let a guy get in your pants?"
Sara rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "Yes, I did," she said indignantly. "And it was good, and I love him. I love him so much that I'm giving him a baby."
"You have really changed. What happened to my Sara?" Art asked.
"I'm still here, just different now," Sara explained. "Anyway, are you going to do the favor or not?"
"Yeah sure, who is he?" Art asked.
"Vincent Mortenson," Sara said rubbing her belly. She felt a bit of pain deep in her stomach. "Anything you find, call me. I have to go, my boyfriend is watching me like a hawk because he thinks I'm a China doll now that I'm pregnant."
"Well, I'll look into it, and congratulations, Sara. Take it easy," Art said.
"You too, bye," Sara said then she hung up.
Sara had to push herself off the bench because of her belly. Nick silently chuckled at that.
She had a huge headache all of a sudden and the pain in her belly became more intense. She felt the color drain from her face. Nick was smiling as she neared him. She could barely smile back she was so sick. His smile faded. Sara was pale as a ghost, dizzy, and in pain. She passed out and Nick caught her before she hit the floor. She was convulsing.
"Sara!" Nick exclaimed lowering to the floor. "Call 9-1-1! C'mon Sara! Somebody call 9-1-1 now!"
Catherine, Warrick, and Grissom came running down the hall. Fear gripped Nick as he held Sara and tried his best to keep her semi-conscious. His efforts were in vain. She was completely unconscious and she slipped into darkness. Nick was panicked. He didn't know what to do.
"What happened?" Grissom asked.
"I don't know," Nick said in a quavering voice. "One minute she was fine, the next minute she's…she…"
Catherine pulled Nick away from Sara so that the paramedics could work on her. Nick was paralyzed. He looked lovingly upon his girlfriend, the mother of his child. He prayed to God that she and the baby would be okay. He didn't know what he would do with himself if either or both of them died. Sara was his life. She made his life complete. Without her, he wouldn't be able to live.
The ambulance took her to Desert Palm Hospital.
Nick and the rest of the team waited in the ER for news on Sara's condition. Nick paced back and forth, harassing every nurse that walked by and demanding that he see the chief resident.
"Sir, I can't give you her condition right now, they're still working on her," the nurse explained.
"What do you mean working on her?" Nick asked in a rage.
"Hey, Nick, Nicky," Catherine said. "Calm down."
"Calm down? Would you be able to calm down if it were Lindsay instead of Sara?" He asked.
Catherine couldn't answer that question. Who was she? Nick was worried sick about Sara and all she could tell him was to calm down? Nick loved Sara fiercely and Catherine knew that she would be the same when it came to Lindsay. Catherine prayed that Sara and the baby would be okay.
Stay strong for Nick, Sara, Catherine thought to herself.
In the ER, the doctors tried to get her blood pressure down.
"My God, her blood pressure is way high," one doctor said. "I need some lisinopril, stat! Get her some oxygen, we're losing her!"
Nick was frustrated to the point of tears. He finally just sat down and waited patiently on news about Sara, too tired and distraught to fight with anyone. Catherine, Warrick, and Grissom waited anxiously along side him. Catherine may not have been friends with Sara, but she always hoped for the best for Sara. Catherine felt guilty about the things she had said and done to Sara over the past week. It was all just a big misunderstanding, and she didn't know if Sara would live through this to make amends.
***
Vincent sat in his car near the Discovery Zone. He was confident that Lindsay was okay by herself at home, and that she wouldn't breathe a word to her mother about anything. He did need to do something about Sara Sidle, though, she was getting ever closer to finding out who he really was, and he couldn't risk that.
He loved Catherine. It was strange how he could love a woman so much. The feeling was new to him.
He eyed all the possible girls. The pretty blonde ones were his favorite, but he knew the police by now, had profiled him and he had to find someone new. A brunette.
***
After three long hours of waiting in the lobby, a doctor finally came out with news on Sara's condition.
"Hi, are you all family Sara Sidle?" The doctor asked with a thick Middle Eastern accent.
"Yes," everyone said in unison.
"Which one of you is the father of baby?"
"I am," Nick said.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Miir. Your wife is doing fine,-"
"She's not my wife," Nick admitted. "We're not married."
"Fine. Uh, Sara has a very serious condition. She has toxemia of pregnancy."
"What is that?" Nick asked now very scared.
"Toxemia of pregnancy, or preeclampsia, is when a pregnant woman experiences high blood pressure, headaches, uh, she feels weak, and sometimes, the mother of baby will slip into coma. Sara's case is severe. Her blood pressure was very high, and she's still unconscious. The baby is strong, but it has been deprived of certain nutrients important for its growth. There is no specific cause of this condition, and it is very rare. But, I have to be honest with you. This condition could be deadly to mother and child. Sara is stable, but we don't know the extent of the toxemia, so her condition may worsen, or it may improve. It's fifty-fifty."
Nick ran a hand through his hair and sat down at this information. There was a chance that he might lose Sara and the baby. That hurt his heart.
"We put her on some medication to stop the convulsions and to control her blood pressure, but now all we can do is wait," Dr. Miir explained.
"Thanks," Catherine said. "Can we see her?"
"Yes, but she will be unconscious," Dr. Miir said.
Nick went in first. Sara was pale and she looked near death. Nick couldn't stop the tears that threatened to spill. He had never seen Sara look so vulnerable in the three years he had known her. For Sara, quitting wasn't an option, and she would never give up a fight for her and her child's life. Nick took her hand and kissed it.
"Hey Sar," he said. "I know you're feeling pretty crappy right now, but you have to stay strong, not for me, but for the baby. I think this kid is anxious to see your beautiful face. This baby has it good. You'll be a great mother. You'll be the most beautiful mother in the world. I love you. C'mon Sar, I know you can fight this. When you wake up I'll go and get you those doughnuts that you crave."
Her breathing was even. Nick pushed a strand of hair plastered to her sweaty face behind her ear.
"You're so sweet," he said admiringly. "You know, from the first day I met you, I knew that I was going to be with you. It's true. Stubborn as you were, you probably didn't want to give me a chance," he chuckled. "But I'm glad you did. I love you so much. And I love the baby too. I still think we're having a girl."
Catherine came in. She was tearful at the confessions Nick was making. He truly and deeply loved Sara. It was so heavy and genuine that even Catherine could feel a little of the love herself. How could she have never liked Sara, even with the changes? Sara was intense because her heart had been broken and the fear of letting someone get close to her again made her who she was. Nick changed all that, and now Sara saw how wonderful love could truly be.
Soon every one else came in and kept vigil over Sara. They all prayed that she would wake up soon. They missed her fussing and quick wit already.
When visiting hours were over, Nick said bye to everyone and he stayed with Sara all night.
The next morning, Sara woke up to the bright sun in her face. She quickly turned away. She felt a hand in hers. She smiled. It was Nick.
Poor thing, she thought. He must have been so scared. She sat up and felt refreshed, oddly. The baby kicked her hard, then she realized her hunger. Nick grumbled something, then woke up. He saw Sara looking down at him.
"Hey baby," she said smiling.
"Hey," he said, immediately waking up. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I'm real hungry though. I know you can't so this, but will you sneak me some Krispy Kremes? I've been wanting those so bad."
"I don't know, seems kinda risky," Nick said jokingly.
"If you complete this mission, I'll have a reward for you at home in the bedroom," Sara said raising an eyebrow.
"Original glazed?" He asked.
"Yep," she said. "C'mere."
She pulled him into a deep kiss.
***
Catherine's moans and screams resonated throughout Warrick's bedroom as he made love to her. There was no foreplay, or romance. It was just sex. It happened to be very good sex, for Catherine. Neither of them knew where their affair was going, but they both felt something was happening to make them want to screw each other senseless.
Warrick slammed into her body from the start. They didn't start slow, and it wouldn't be slow until it ended. Catherine's legs were wide open, making her feel like it was her first time. She could see her knees on either side of him. They were going up and down with her flexing muscles. They were slowly crossing the line between pleasure and pain. There was a burning sensation between her legs that started a build up. A new feeling washed over her body and it made her cry. Warrick stopped at the sight of her tears.
"Am I hurting you?" He asked solemnly.
"No," she answered. "It's just that I have this wonderful feeling that I only feel with you."
"Same here," Warrick confessed.
He kissed her passionately then looked into her eyes. He silently asked if he could continue. She nodded.
The rhythm became violent again, and Catherine like it even more.
"God…yes…" Catherine moaned.
The headboard began to rock with their movements. Their intercourse this time was more intense and hot than from the days before. Catherine was turned on by him all night and couldn't wait to get him in bed, literally. The kitchen wasn't half bad, but the counters needed wiping down.
"Oh yes," she moaned. "I'm so close."
She put her hands on the headboard, and Warrick placed his hands on her hips for more leverage.
Catherine met every single last one of his thrusts with her hips. They went faster until they both orgasmed.
"I LOVE YOU!" Catherine screamed first. "OH! JESUS!"
He whole body was racked with her orgasm. She was shaking and vibrating as the orgasm washed through her entire body. Warrick was right behind her. He rammed into one last time before his own release overpowered him.
"Damn," he grunted.
Their orgasms were intense. Catherine held on for dear life to the headboard, and Warrick didn't move an inch. The slightest move could set them off again.
"I love you," Warrick whispered.
Catherine smiled and kissed him deeply. They separated and laid side by-side.
