Chapter 8
Sara was lying on her back. She had her hands folded over her stomach. Her breathing was shallow and slow. The room was quieter than the morgue, which brought some sort of weird comfort.
The door opened then closed. She heard what sounded like wheels and one set of footsteps. Soon the door opened and closed again. She thought it was probably a nurse checking on her, but she jumped at the feel of something on her hand. She pulled away instantly.
"Sara?"
Freezing where she was, she turned her head towards the voice. "Grissom?"
Grissom smiled and reached for her hand again. When she didn't pull away, he wrapped his fingers around hers. "Hey. You doing ok? I here you're not sleeping too well, or up for conversation."
Sara turned her head back towards the ceiling and took a shallow breath, only to catch and she coughed slightly. Covering her mouth, she calmed herself and pushed her head back into the pillow.
"I take that you're not going to talk to me." He reached up slowly and ran his fingers over her bandages. "I was worried about you." He whispered. "I have to thank you, but then scold you." He chuckled.
Sara turned her head slightly at his words, telling him she was listening.
"Don't do that again. You saved my life, but yours is more important."
She turned her head completely away. "No it's not." She mumbled.
Grissom raised her hand and pressed his lips to her palm. "I'm telling you what you did was stupid at the time, but because you did that, I'm alive. I owe you a lot."
Silence follow his last words. They just waited for anything and everything. Just when Sara thought she was going to crack under the silence, Grissom groaned in pain. She turned her head quickly and listened as he shifted in his seat.
"Are you ok?" She asked softly.
Grissom smiled. "I'm a little stiff. I haven't stood in a week, plus my bed is uncomfortable."
Sara smiled slightly. "I know what you mean."
"Have you been up?" She nodded and pushed the blankets back. Grissom watched as she slid off the bed and onto her feet, with her hand still in his.
"I just felt tired today." She paused and sat back down. "Or night." She continued glumly.
Grissom's smile was replaced with a frown. "Sara."
"Hmm." She hummed and turned towards his voice.
"Kneel down for me." He asked politely.
"Why?" She hesitated, but knelt down.
Grissom pulled her towards him. "I want to see you without getting cramp in my neck." He chuckled.
Sara smirked and squeezed his hand. "Did they fix your shoulder?"
"Yeah. They also discovered the fragments of a glass window in my back." Grissom answered sadly.
Sara's hand came up and touched his face. She tentatively traced his chin, cheek, eyes, nose, ears, hair and forehead. She drew in a sharp breath through her nose. "God, I wish I could see you." With that, she dropped her hand and head.
"Hey!" Grissom cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb soothingly over her cheek bone. "Don't cry Sara. It's ok. You can see me, with your hands." He reached down and squeezed her hand in his.
"It's not the same Griss." She hiccuped.
"I know. I wish I could see your eyes." He carefully pulled her towards him and hugged her. Sara gently wrapped her arms around him and cried into his good shoulder.
Grissom went back to his room, but promised to come back in the morning. Sara climbed back into bed and fell asleep. Nick and Warrick visited before going home and she finally spoke. Only answering questions and asking how they were, but not too much. She didn't feel like talking to someone she couldn't see.
** **
Morning came, but unknown to the patient. Grissom came through the door in the wheelchair and took Sara's hand.
"Morning." He whispered, squeezing her hand.
"Is it?" She asked honestly. "Seems you were only here a minute ago."
Grissom shifted forward. "Let's wait for the doctor." He said quietly.
Sara nodded and turned on her side, transferring his hand into her left. "How you feeling this 'morning' Griss?"
"Good."
She smiled. "Liar. You're in pain and we both know it. Also, the hitch in your breathing tells me your sitting up."
Grissom chuckled. "At least you can still hear Sara." He frowned at his own words and looked down.
Sara felt his hand loosen on hers and the deafening silence. "Griss? What's wrong?"
He snapped out of his thoughts. "Nothing. I was just thinking." He said vaguely.
"Ok." She didn't by it, but didn't know what else to say. The door opened and Sara knew who it was. Her doctor seemed to wear very strong after- shave. "Doctor Kim." She stated matter of factly and smiled at Grissom. Grissom chuckled at the strong waft of after-shave and squeezed Sara's hand.
Kim looked at Sara and smiled. "Time to remove your bandages Sara. How are you feeling today?"
Sara sighed. "I can't see, my chest hurts and I'm bored."
Grissom sat quietly and watched with concern as Sara sat back on the bed and let the doctor carefully remove her bandages. Sara's fingers tightened around Grissom as the sticky bandage was pulled off. He pulled her hand up and kissed it. "Honey, it's ok."
Smiling, she felt cool air hit her face. Her eye's were close and were slightly bruised around the eye sockets. Swelling in the right eye was evident from surgery, but looked much better than it did. Grissom kissed her knuckles and breathed out slowly.
"Open you eyes Sara." Kim said quietly.
Sara swallowed hard and shook her head. Grissom shifted forward in his wheelchair and slowly pulled himself up. She felt the bed dip slightly, followed by a warm hand on her cheek. She dropped her head and turned into the hand. "It's ok Sara." He whispered.
"I don't want to." She whispered back.
Kim stepped out the room while Grissom spoke to her. He winced in pain as he leaned forward, she felt his breathe on her eye and soon the tears began to flow. "You're not alone Sara. Please. Open your eyes. Let me see your brown eyes." His voice was soft and quiet as he pressed his cheek against hers. "Please." He asked again and kissed her cheek.
Sara was lying on her back. She had her hands folded over her stomach. Her breathing was shallow and slow. The room was quieter than the morgue, which brought some sort of weird comfort.
The door opened then closed. She heard what sounded like wheels and one set of footsteps. Soon the door opened and closed again. She thought it was probably a nurse checking on her, but she jumped at the feel of something on her hand. She pulled away instantly.
"Sara?"
Freezing where she was, she turned her head towards the voice. "Grissom?"
Grissom smiled and reached for her hand again. When she didn't pull away, he wrapped his fingers around hers. "Hey. You doing ok? I here you're not sleeping too well, or up for conversation."
Sara turned her head back towards the ceiling and took a shallow breath, only to catch and she coughed slightly. Covering her mouth, she calmed herself and pushed her head back into the pillow.
"I take that you're not going to talk to me." He reached up slowly and ran his fingers over her bandages. "I was worried about you." He whispered. "I have to thank you, but then scold you." He chuckled.
Sara turned her head slightly at his words, telling him she was listening.
"Don't do that again. You saved my life, but yours is more important."
She turned her head completely away. "No it's not." She mumbled.
Grissom raised her hand and pressed his lips to her palm. "I'm telling you what you did was stupid at the time, but because you did that, I'm alive. I owe you a lot."
Silence follow his last words. They just waited for anything and everything. Just when Sara thought she was going to crack under the silence, Grissom groaned in pain. She turned her head quickly and listened as he shifted in his seat.
"Are you ok?" She asked softly.
Grissom smiled. "I'm a little stiff. I haven't stood in a week, plus my bed is uncomfortable."
Sara smiled slightly. "I know what you mean."
"Have you been up?" She nodded and pushed the blankets back. Grissom watched as she slid off the bed and onto her feet, with her hand still in his.
"I just felt tired today." She paused and sat back down. "Or night." She continued glumly.
Grissom's smile was replaced with a frown. "Sara."
"Hmm." She hummed and turned towards his voice.
"Kneel down for me." He asked politely.
"Why?" She hesitated, but knelt down.
Grissom pulled her towards him. "I want to see you without getting cramp in my neck." He chuckled.
Sara smirked and squeezed his hand. "Did they fix your shoulder?"
"Yeah. They also discovered the fragments of a glass window in my back." Grissom answered sadly.
Sara's hand came up and touched his face. She tentatively traced his chin, cheek, eyes, nose, ears, hair and forehead. She drew in a sharp breath through her nose. "God, I wish I could see you." With that, she dropped her hand and head.
"Hey!" Grissom cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb soothingly over her cheek bone. "Don't cry Sara. It's ok. You can see me, with your hands." He reached down and squeezed her hand in his.
"It's not the same Griss." She hiccuped.
"I know. I wish I could see your eyes." He carefully pulled her towards him and hugged her. Sara gently wrapped her arms around him and cried into his good shoulder.
Grissom went back to his room, but promised to come back in the morning. Sara climbed back into bed and fell asleep. Nick and Warrick visited before going home and she finally spoke. Only answering questions and asking how they were, but not too much. She didn't feel like talking to someone she couldn't see.
** **
Morning came, but unknown to the patient. Grissom came through the door in the wheelchair and took Sara's hand.
"Morning." He whispered, squeezing her hand.
"Is it?" She asked honestly. "Seems you were only here a minute ago."
Grissom shifted forward. "Let's wait for the doctor." He said quietly.
Sara nodded and turned on her side, transferring his hand into her left. "How you feeling this 'morning' Griss?"
"Good."
She smiled. "Liar. You're in pain and we both know it. Also, the hitch in your breathing tells me your sitting up."
Grissom chuckled. "At least you can still hear Sara." He frowned at his own words and looked down.
Sara felt his hand loosen on hers and the deafening silence. "Griss? What's wrong?"
He snapped out of his thoughts. "Nothing. I was just thinking." He said vaguely.
"Ok." She didn't by it, but didn't know what else to say. The door opened and Sara knew who it was. Her doctor seemed to wear very strong after- shave. "Doctor Kim." She stated matter of factly and smiled at Grissom. Grissom chuckled at the strong waft of after-shave and squeezed Sara's hand.
Kim looked at Sara and smiled. "Time to remove your bandages Sara. How are you feeling today?"
Sara sighed. "I can't see, my chest hurts and I'm bored."
Grissom sat quietly and watched with concern as Sara sat back on the bed and let the doctor carefully remove her bandages. Sara's fingers tightened around Grissom as the sticky bandage was pulled off. He pulled her hand up and kissed it. "Honey, it's ok."
Smiling, she felt cool air hit her face. Her eye's were close and were slightly bruised around the eye sockets. Swelling in the right eye was evident from surgery, but looked much better than it did. Grissom kissed her knuckles and breathed out slowly.
"Open you eyes Sara." Kim said quietly.
Sara swallowed hard and shook her head. Grissom shifted forward in his wheelchair and slowly pulled himself up. She felt the bed dip slightly, followed by a warm hand on her cheek. She dropped her head and turned into the hand. "It's ok Sara." He whispered.
"I don't want to." She whispered back.
Kim stepped out the room while Grissom spoke to her. He winced in pain as he leaned forward, she felt his breathe on her eye and soon the tears began to flow. "You're not alone Sara. Please. Open your eyes. Let me see your brown eyes." His voice was soft and quiet as he pressed his cheek against hers. "Please." He asked again and kissed her cheek.