I woke up early and ventured out into the house in my boxers and T-shirt.
The door to Sara's bedroom was still closed so I assumed that she was still
sleeping. I smiled as I took in the view out the windows of the house.
Sara's friend had a great place here. How could you not be in a good mood
when you had the ocean to wake up to? I decided that a cup of coffee was
in order. I spent several minutes rummaging around for coffee when the
coffee machine automatically turned on. I chuckled. It figured that
someone with a house like this would have an automatic coffee maker. Sara
must have put coffee in it last night and set it to turn on this morning
because I could smell the aroma of fresh coffee brewing. I leaned back
against the counter and waited until it was finished. Just as the coffee
finished brewing and I had poured myself a cup I heard a door down the
hallway open. A few moments later, Sara rounded the corner into the
kitchen. She looked a bit rumpled in her tank top and pajama pants. I
smiled at her and offered her the cup of coffee that I had just poured for
myself. She smiled at me and gratefully took the cup from me. I reached
over and grabbed another cup, poured some coffee into it, and took a sip.
I studied Sara as she drank her coffee and smiled. She seemed to be more
relaxed than I had seen her in a long time.
She looked up and met my gaze, smiling. "Morning, Nicky."
"Morning, Sar." I replied.
She yawned and an embarrassed smile crossed her face. "I guess I'm still a bit tired."
I chuckled. "That's what coffee is for." I glanced out at the ocean. "The waves look nice." I glanced back at her. "When should we go surfing?"
She laughed at me. "First of all, Nick, how do you know if the waves look nice for surfing? Second, neither one of us has a surfboard."
I raised an eyebrow at her. "I never said that the waves looked nice for surfing. I just said they looked nice."
She chuckled. "Ok. We still don't have any surfboards."
I laughed. "Well, I bet that somewhere out here they rent them. Don't you think?"
"Probably." Sara grinned.
I set my coffee down on the counter and grinned at her. "Well then. Let's get cracking."
Sara laughed. She pulled out a phone book and handed me the phone, an eyebrow raised. "You want to go surfing; you've got to find a surf shop that rents."
"Ok." I smiled confidently.
A little coyly she added. "Oh, you might want to ask about wet suits. The water isn't all that warm this time of year."
"Ok, you'll have to tell me how much you weigh then." I chuckled.
Sara's eyebrows shot up. "Why would I want to tell you that?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Sara, if you want to wear a wet suit, they need to know how much you weigh to make sure they rent you the right size." I chuckled at her.
She narrowed her gaze at me in what I supposed was an attempt at a glare, but looked more comical than anything. "You tell anyone what I weight, Stokes, and I'll have to kill you. I know how to hide evidence you know."
I laughed. "Don't worry, Sara. The only person I'll share the information with is the web master at LVPD."
She swatted at me. "Nick Stokes!"
I grinned at her. "Ok, just the owner of the dive shop then."
Sara laughed.
I loved hearing her laugh. I studied her a bit. My brow furrowed a bit. "Sar, what did he do to make you leave?"
Sara looked a little uncomfortable. She set her coffee down and walked over to me and gave me a hug. I hugged her back, just letting her take her time. She stepped away and smiled at me. "I'm just an idiot, Nick."
Ok. That wasn't really the answer I was looking for, but Sara sometimes talked in circles before she got to the point. "What do you mean?" I picked my cup of coffee back up and took a sip.
She leaned against the counter, crossing her arms in front of her body. She furrowed her brow and then looked at me with a serious expression. "Did you know that Grissom was going deaf?"
I almost choked on my coffee. I set the cup down on the counter. "What!"
Sara's manner became slightly agitated. "Yeah. Remember when he was gone for a week without telling anyone where he was?"
I nodded letting her continue.
"He was having surgery. Surgery! You'd think that he'd trust us. But, no, not Grissom. The only person he told was Catherine." She was almost laughing.
"Surgery? I thought he said he had been called away to provide expert testimony." I was confused. "When did you find out about this?"
Sara smirked. "Catherine let it slip when we were working on a case. Seems he didn't want any of us to know." Sara looked mad. No, she looked sad. Disappointed.
"Wow. I never would have guessed that. I mean it makes sense now that I think about it. He did seem awfully distracted a lot of the time, but I just thought it was because he had so much stuff on his plate." I reasoned.
Sara nodded, "Yeah, I know. I thought the same thing. After Catherine let it slip, I went and asked him about it. He was mad at me for knowing! He figured since his surgery was a success that no one needed to know about it." Now Sara looked mad.
A chuckled, "That's Grissom for you."
"I came out here because I needed to clear my head. I needed to get away from Vegas for a little while." Sara continued.
I put my arms around her and pulled her against my chest. "I understand, Sar."
"I know, Nicky." Sara leaned against me and sniffled.
I stroked her hair and just held her. She began to sob. Sara had been disappointed by so many people in her life. Grissom was just another person that she had trusted who had disappointed her. I just let her cry. There was really nothing else I could do. She needed a friend, and I had driven all the way to LA to give her that.
Her sobs began to subside. She pulled away from me, wiping the tears away from her eyes. She looked up at me trying to smile. "Thanks."
"Any time, Sar." I flashed her a grin. "Ok, we've got some surfing to do, Sidle. We're going to have some fun even if it kills us. Now, about your weight."
She laughed at me. I knew she was going to be ok.
"Morning, Sar." I replied.
She yawned and an embarrassed smile crossed her face. "I guess I'm still a bit tired."
I chuckled. "That's what coffee is for." I glanced out at the ocean. "The waves look nice." I glanced back at her. "When should we go surfing?"
She laughed at me. "First of all, Nick, how do you know if the waves look nice for surfing? Second, neither one of us has a surfboard."
I raised an eyebrow at her. "I never said that the waves looked nice for surfing. I just said they looked nice."
She chuckled. "Ok. We still don't have any surfboards."
I laughed. "Well, I bet that somewhere out here they rent them. Don't you think?"
"Probably." Sara grinned.
I set my coffee down on the counter and grinned at her. "Well then. Let's get cracking."
Sara laughed. She pulled out a phone book and handed me the phone, an eyebrow raised. "You want to go surfing; you've got to find a surf shop that rents."
"Ok." I smiled confidently.
A little coyly she added. "Oh, you might want to ask about wet suits. The water isn't all that warm this time of year."
"Ok, you'll have to tell me how much you weigh then." I chuckled.
Sara's eyebrows shot up. "Why would I want to tell you that?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Sara, if you want to wear a wet suit, they need to know how much you weigh to make sure they rent you the right size." I chuckled at her.
She narrowed her gaze at me in what I supposed was an attempt at a glare, but looked more comical than anything. "You tell anyone what I weight, Stokes, and I'll have to kill you. I know how to hide evidence you know."
I laughed. "Don't worry, Sara. The only person I'll share the information with is the web master at LVPD."
She swatted at me. "Nick Stokes!"
I grinned at her. "Ok, just the owner of the dive shop then."
Sara laughed.
I loved hearing her laugh. I studied her a bit. My brow furrowed a bit. "Sar, what did he do to make you leave?"
Sara looked a little uncomfortable. She set her coffee down and walked over to me and gave me a hug. I hugged her back, just letting her take her time. She stepped away and smiled at me. "I'm just an idiot, Nick."
Ok. That wasn't really the answer I was looking for, but Sara sometimes talked in circles before she got to the point. "What do you mean?" I picked my cup of coffee back up and took a sip.
She leaned against the counter, crossing her arms in front of her body. She furrowed her brow and then looked at me with a serious expression. "Did you know that Grissom was going deaf?"
I almost choked on my coffee. I set the cup down on the counter. "What!"
Sara's manner became slightly agitated. "Yeah. Remember when he was gone for a week without telling anyone where he was?"
I nodded letting her continue.
"He was having surgery. Surgery! You'd think that he'd trust us. But, no, not Grissom. The only person he told was Catherine." She was almost laughing.
"Surgery? I thought he said he had been called away to provide expert testimony." I was confused. "When did you find out about this?"
Sara smirked. "Catherine let it slip when we were working on a case. Seems he didn't want any of us to know." Sara looked mad. No, she looked sad. Disappointed.
"Wow. I never would have guessed that. I mean it makes sense now that I think about it. He did seem awfully distracted a lot of the time, but I just thought it was because he had so much stuff on his plate." I reasoned.
Sara nodded, "Yeah, I know. I thought the same thing. After Catherine let it slip, I went and asked him about it. He was mad at me for knowing! He figured since his surgery was a success that no one needed to know about it." Now Sara looked mad.
A chuckled, "That's Grissom for you."
"I came out here because I needed to clear my head. I needed to get away from Vegas for a little while." Sara continued.
I put my arms around her and pulled her against my chest. "I understand, Sar."
"I know, Nicky." Sara leaned against me and sniffled.
I stroked her hair and just held her. She began to sob. Sara had been disappointed by so many people in her life. Grissom was just another person that she had trusted who had disappointed her. I just let her cry. There was really nothing else I could do. She needed a friend, and I had driven all the way to LA to give her that.
Her sobs began to subside. She pulled away from me, wiping the tears away from her eyes. She looked up at me trying to smile. "Thanks."
"Any time, Sar." I flashed her a grin. "Ok, we've got some surfing to do, Sidle. We're going to have some fun even if it kills us. Now, about your weight."
She laughed at me. I knew she was going to be ok.
