Nick and I walked into the lab together with Austin in tow. We headed
directly to Grissom's office. We knew he would be in; he was always in
this early. We needed to talk to him before the beginning of shift, and
then we needed to tell the rest of the team. We stopped in his doorway and
a few seconds elapsed before he looked up at us over the rim of his
glasses. As he spied Austin, a grin broke out over his face. In spite of
his earlier awkwardness around Austin, Grissom had grown much more
comfortable around him. He waved us into his office.
I smiled. I hoped that Grissom would take the news well, I was pretty sure
it was going to come as a shock to him. I sat down and Nick shut the door
to Grissom's office and sat down next to me with Austin in his arms. I
smiled at my husband. He looked so good holding our little boy.
I glanced over at Grissom and decided to just dive into why we were there. "Grissom, Nick and I have something we need to talk to you about. Actually, something we need to tell you. We've already made a decision."
Grissom looked at us quizzically.
I looked over at Nick. This was harder than I thought it would be. My eyes pleaded for Nick to continue.
He smiled at me softly and then turned toward Grissom. "Gris, Sara and I are trying to have another baby."
Grissom's eyebrows shot up. "So soon?"
I nodded. "I really want another baby and so does Nick." I smiled at Nick and then looked back at Grissom. "The thing is I've decided that I'm not going to come back to work. I want to stay home for a while and be with Austin."
Grissom looked shocked. "You're not coming back? Are you sure?"
I nodded and Nick reached over and took my hand. I took a deep breath and continued. "I am having the time of my life being a mom and I want to enjoy that for a little while."
Nick grinned at me. I grinned back at him.
"Catherine's a mom." Grissom stated as if that was going to sway my decision.
I smiled at Grissom. "Grissom, I know Catherine is a mom, she's a great mom. I just want to spend time with my little boy."
Grissom nodded. He knew I had made my decision. "Well, you're not getting off the hook on brining Austin by to see his Uncle Grissom."
I smiled and then glanced over at Nick squeezing his hand.
Nick smiled at me and looked at Grissom. "Gris, that's not all. I'm requesting an extended leave of absence." Nick handed him and envelope containing his request.
Grissom's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"
"I need a leave of absence." Nick stated simply.
Grissom just looked at us as if we had trees growing out of our heads. "You're leaving? Where are you going?"
Nick smiled. "LA."
"LA?" Grissom was shocked.
I glanced at Nick and smiled then I turned to Grissom. "We've been offered the opportunity of a lifetime, Gris. A friend of a friend called us and offered us a job to consult on a new TV series. One of the networks has picked it up for 23 episodes."
"Consulting?" Grissom looked flummoxed.
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, it's a series about people who investigate crime scenes. They want us to be technical consultants. We can do quite a bit of work from home, but we need to be in LA because we have to be available to be on location. Sara can bring Austin with her. The deal is they want both of us."
Grissom leaned back in his chair bewildered. "A show about crime scene investigators?"
I chuckled. "Yeah, apparently it's a new concept and the network is pretty hot on it."
"If it flops, Gris, we'll be back, for now I want a leave of absence." Nick continued.
Grissom let out a deep breath. "You can't just work from here?"
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Either way, Gris, I can't work here if we take this job. And we've already accepted it. We have to be in LA in a month. So if you won't give me a leave of absence, I'll have to submit my resignation."
Grissom shook his head slightly. "I don't want to do this, but I don't want to lose two friends either." He signed the leave of absence.
"Thanks. We're going to go break the news to the rest of the team." We got up and made our way out of Grissom's office. I couldn't believe that Austin was sleeping through it all.
We entered the break room hand in hand and Catherine and Warrick looked up in anticipation. They knew that I had set a deadline to tell Grissom by today whether or not I was coming back. We had not told either one of them of our decision.
Nick cut to the chase. "We just wanted to let you know that Sara is not coming back to work."
Warrick and Catherine exchanged a glance. They seemed to have expected that.
I glanced at Nick and he nodded at me. "Uh, that's not all."
Before I could finish, Catherine jumped out of her chair grinning. "Are you pregnant?"
Greg chose that moment to walk into the break room. "Sara's pregnant?" He looked like he's just choked on his coffee.
I shook my head. "I'm not pregnant. At least we don't think I am yet."
Greg's jaw dropped. "You're trying to get pregnant again?"
I chuckled. "Yeah, Nick and I want another baby."
Nick interrupted. "Hey, as much as I'd like to continue this part of the conversation, Sara and I have something else we need to tell you."
Catherine, Warrick, and Greg looked confused.
I looked at each of our friends and then at Nick who had a sleeping Austin cradled in one of his arms.
Nick continued. "Sara and I are moving to LA."
The room could not have been more silent.
I decided to break the silence. "We're not leaving right away; we don't have to be there for another month."
"Why?" Catherine looked at us quizzically.
Nick grinned and then explained the opportunity we had been offered. As he described the job, the faces of our friends were incredulous. Nick's eyes lit up. "If it turns into a hit, we just might be able to live in Malibu."
Austin chose that moment to wake up and make his presence known.
I glanced over at Grissom and decided to just dive into why we were there. "Grissom, Nick and I have something we need to talk to you about. Actually, something we need to tell you. We've already made a decision."
Grissom looked at us quizzically.
I looked over at Nick. This was harder than I thought it would be. My eyes pleaded for Nick to continue.
He smiled at me softly and then turned toward Grissom. "Gris, Sara and I are trying to have another baby."
Grissom's eyebrows shot up. "So soon?"
I nodded. "I really want another baby and so does Nick." I smiled at Nick and then looked back at Grissom. "The thing is I've decided that I'm not going to come back to work. I want to stay home for a while and be with Austin."
Grissom looked shocked. "You're not coming back? Are you sure?"
I nodded and Nick reached over and took my hand. I took a deep breath and continued. "I am having the time of my life being a mom and I want to enjoy that for a little while."
Nick grinned at me. I grinned back at him.
"Catherine's a mom." Grissom stated as if that was going to sway my decision.
I smiled at Grissom. "Grissom, I know Catherine is a mom, she's a great mom. I just want to spend time with my little boy."
Grissom nodded. He knew I had made my decision. "Well, you're not getting off the hook on brining Austin by to see his Uncle Grissom."
I smiled and then glanced over at Nick squeezing his hand.
Nick smiled at me and looked at Grissom. "Gris, that's not all. I'm requesting an extended leave of absence." Nick handed him and envelope containing his request.
Grissom's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"
"I need a leave of absence." Nick stated simply.
Grissom just looked at us as if we had trees growing out of our heads. "You're leaving? Where are you going?"
Nick smiled. "LA."
"LA?" Grissom was shocked.
I glanced at Nick and smiled then I turned to Grissom. "We've been offered the opportunity of a lifetime, Gris. A friend of a friend called us and offered us a job to consult on a new TV series. One of the networks has picked it up for 23 episodes."
"Consulting?" Grissom looked flummoxed.
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, it's a series about people who investigate crime scenes. They want us to be technical consultants. We can do quite a bit of work from home, but we need to be in LA because we have to be available to be on location. Sara can bring Austin with her. The deal is they want both of us."
Grissom leaned back in his chair bewildered. "A show about crime scene investigators?"
I chuckled. "Yeah, apparently it's a new concept and the network is pretty hot on it."
"If it flops, Gris, we'll be back, for now I want a leave of absence." Nick continued.
Grissom let out a deep breath. "You can't just work from here?"
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Either way, Gris, I can't work here if we take this job. And we've already accepted it. We have to be in LA in a month. So if you won't give me a leave of absence, I'll have to submit my resignation."
Grissom shook his head slightly. "I don't want to do this, but I don't want to lose two friends either." He signed the leave of absence.
"Thanks. We're going to go break the news to the rest of the team." We got up and made our way out of Grissom's office. I couldn't believe that Austin was sleeping through it all.
We entered the break room hand in hand and Catherine and Warrick looked up in anticipation. They knew that I had set a deadline to tell Grissom by today whether or not I was coming back. We had not told either one of them of our decision.
Nick cut to the chase. "We just wanted to let you know that Sara is not coming back to work."
Warrick and Catherine exchanged a glance. They seemed to have expected that.
I glanced at Nick and he nodded at me. "Uh, that's not all."
Before I could finish, Catherine jumped out of her chair grinning. "Are you pregnant?"
Greg chose that moment to walk into the break room. "Sara's pregnant?" He looked like he's just choked on his coffee.
I shook my head. "I'm not pregnant. At least we don't think I am yet."
Greg's jaw dropped. "You're trying to get pregnant again?"
I chuckled. "Yeah, Nick and I want another baby."
Nick interrupted. "Hey, as much as I'd like to continue this part of the conversation, Sara and I have something else we need to tell you."
Catherine, Warrick, and Greg looked confused.
I looked at each of our friends and then at Nick who had a sleeping Austin cradled in one of his arms.
Nick continued. "Sara and I are moving to LA."
The room could not have been more silent.
I decided to break the silence. "We're not leaving right away; we don't have to be there for another month."
"Why?" Catherine looked at us quizzically.
Nick grinned and then explained the opportunity we had been offered. As he described the job, the faces of our friends were incredulous. Nick's eyes lit up. "If it turns into a hit, we just might be able to live in Malibu."
Austin chose that moment to wake up and make his presence known.
