Marie Grissom sat back in Grissom's comfy armchair and raised her mug to
her mouth as she watched her son stare into his coffee. "It can't be that
bad." She said softly, sipping her coffee.
Grissom sighed and nodded. "It's worse." He shrugged and put his coffee down, freeing his hands. He always felt better when he could talk with his hands. It seemed easier. 'I've not told anyone about my surgery.'
Marie gave him a disapproving look and placed her mug on the coffee table. 'You told me you were trying Gil.'
He grimaced. 'I am.'
'Obviously not enough.' She thought about his surgery for a few minutes before realising something. 'You told Catherine.'
He nodded. 'I had to. She had to take over at work while I was away.'
'What about Sara?'
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence and stillness. Marie watched her son stand and walk towards the window overlooking the street. "You told your best friend, but you didn't tell the woman you love?"
Grissom turned sharply. 'I told my best friend and refused to tell the team.' He signed angrily.
"Calm down." She told him as she stood up. Grissom rubbed his face and growled in despair. Marie grasped his hands and pulled them from his face. "Why didn't you tell her?"
He breathed out heavily and shook his head with a small weak shrug of his shoulders. "I have no idea."
"You do." She smiled. "You love her, but you're not telling her important things. I thought you talked to her about your feelings." Marie stared at her son and watched his guilty look show through. She sighed and turned away. "I'm going to bed. We'll talk tomorrow when you get home."
Grissom closed his eyes and turned back to the window. His heart was pounding against his chest as he tried to figure out where all these feelings were coming from. He knew he felt something for Sara, but he didn't know if it was love. What was love? He'd never known that before, apart from his mother, he couldn't remember ever loving anyone.
Later that night, Grissom walked through the lab. His nose was, as usual, stuck in a file. He went from one lab to the next, asking for updates, getting reports signed, helping his team on cases and checking up on Greg. He was helping Catherine in the field with photographing the scene.
After he'd done the rounds of the lab, he snuck into the break room for a cup of coffee. Standing at the coffee pot, he heard a rustling. Turning with his coffee cup in hand and files under his arm, he looked over the rim of his glasses at the brunette sitting in the far corner of the room, reading through what looked like a forensic magazine.
"I take it, you don't have work to do?" He asked politely.
She looked up and closed her magazine. "Waiting on Greg to get done with my DNA. He's not back from the field yet." She explained.
Grissom nodded and started walking towards the door. He turned back before he got over the threshold and looked at her for a few seconds. She was now leaning forward and reading her magazine. "Sara." He sighed.
"What's up Grissom?" She asked, not turning to him.
Running his index finger over his lower lip briefly, he tilted his head. "I." Stopping for a nervous breathe, he took a small step back. "I'll see where Greg is."
Sara looked up as he turned and left the room. "Thanks." She said quietly to the now empty room.
'Did you talk to Sara?' Marie signed to her son as he stepped through the door. He nodded and hung his jacket up. "So?" She asked, pushing a mug of coffee towards him as he sat at the breakfast bar.
He sipped at his coffee and shook his head. "I fumbled, as usual."
She nodded and reached out to cover his hand. Giving it a gently squeeze. "Maybe you could talk to Catherine."
Grissom raised one eyebrow in question. After realising that she was suggesting Catherine help things with Sara, he shook his head vigorously. "Not a good idea. Sara would never forgive me if my only way to talk to her was to involve Catherine."
Marie looked down at her coffee thoughtfully as Grissom drank his coffee. After a few different thoughts come and go, she reached out and patted Grissom's arm to get his attention. Even though she could call his name, he seemed too deep in thought and thought it the best way to get him to look at her. 'Can I see the lab?'
Thinking about next shift, he nodded slowly. 'So far, it's a slow night. I don't see why not.' He got up to go shower and sleep.
Later that night, Nick walked in with Sara laughing at what he had thought was a joke, but turned out to be a bad attempt at a joke. "SO bad Nicky. You need to work on your humour some more."
Nick rolled his eyes and nudged her with his shoulder. "At least I can still test them out on you so I don't make a fool in front of a real woman." He teased.
Sara swatted his arm in shock and scold at him. "Watch it buster."
They both looked up when they finished their innocent bantering and exchanged puzzled looks when they saw Grissom, Catherine, Warrick and an elderly woman sitting at the table in the break room. Catherine smiled at them and motioned with her head for them to sit down. Nick took the last seat, leaving Sara to stand. She smiled and shook her head at Nick, but she didn't want to sit anyway. She hung her coat on the back of his chair before pouring herself a coffee. She turned with the coffee pot in her hand, asking silently if anyone wanted some. Getting a negative response, she leaned against the unit and drank her coffee.
Grissom handed out the one and only assignment. "Nick and Warrick; B&E on 6th. Good luck." He handed Warrick the sheet, indicating he was lead. "Catherine, you've got court tomorrow morning, so. do your stuff." He told her and watched as Catherine stood and grabbed her coat. Warrick and Nick left for their crime scene, giving Sara a pat on the shoulder as they past her.
She gave them confused looks, but shrugged to herself and looked up from her coffee. She saw the knowing look and grimaced. "Please don't say it." She pleaded.
Grissom sighed and avoided the look on his mother's face. "Paperwork."
Sara groaned and tipped the rest of her coffee down the drain. She walked towards the table and grabbed the pile that was set in front of Grissom. She growled at him. "I hate paperwork."
"Helps improve your handwriting." He winced, as he looked straight at his mother.
Sara harrumphed. "My handwriting is fine."
Marie chuckled as Sara left them alone. 'She's amusing.'
Grissom squinted. 'Don't let her hear you say that.'
"She didn't have to Griss." Sara said as she walked back into the room and grabbed her coat from the chair Nick was sitting on. 'Nice to meet you Mrs Grissom.' Sara shocked them both by signing.
Grissom sat there with his mouth hang slightly open as she turned her back and left the room. Marie recovered before her son and grinned. "Smart too."
Grissom sighed and nodded. "It's worse." He shrugged and put his coffee down, freeing his hands. He always felt better when he could talk with his hands. It seemed easier. 'I've not told anyone about my surgery.'
Marie gave him a disapproving look and placed her mug on the coffee table. 'You told me you were trying Gil.'
He grimaced. 'I am.'
'Obviously not enough.' She thought about his surgery for a few minutes before realising something. 'You told Catherine.'
He nodded. 'I had to. She had to take over at work while I was away.'
'What about Sara?'
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence and stillness. Marie watched her son stand and walk towards the window overlooking the street. "You told your best friend, but you didn't tell the woman you love?"
Grissom turned sharply. 'I told my best friend and refused to tell the team.' He signed angrily.
"Calm down." She told him as she stood up. Grissom rubbed his face and growled in despair. Marie grasped his hands and pulled them from his face. "Why didn't you tell her?"
He breathed out heavily and shook his head with a small weak shrug of his shoulders. "I have no idea."
"You do." She smiled. "You love her, but you're not telling her important things. I thought you talked to her about your feelings." Marie stared at her son and watched his guilty look show through. She sighed and turned away. "I'm going to bed. We'll talk tomorrow when you get home."
Grissom closed his eyes and turned back to the window. His heart was pounding against his chest as he tried to figure out where all these feelings were coming from. He knew he felt something for Sara, but he didn't know if it was love. What was love? He'd never known that before, apart from his mother, he couldn't remember ever loving anyone.
Later that night, Grissom walked through the lab. His nose was, as usual, stuck in a file. He went from one lab to the next, asking for updates, getting reports signed, helping his team on cases and checking up on Greg. He was helping Catherine in the field with photographing the scene.
After he'd done the rounds of the lab, he snuck into the break room for a cup of coffee. Standing at the coffee pot, he heard a rustling. Turning with his coffee cup in hand and files under his arm, he looked over the rim of his glasses at the brunette sitting in the far corner of the room, reading through what looked like a forensic magazine.
"I take it, you don't have work to do?" He asked politely.
She looked up and closed her magazine. "Waiting on Greg to get done with my DNA. He's not back from the field yet." She explained.
Grissom nodded and started walking towards the door. He turned back before he got over the threshold and looked at her for a few seconds. She was now leaning forward and reading her magazine. "Sara." He sighed.
"What's up Grissom?" She asked, not turning to him.
Running his index finger over his lower lip briefly, he tilted his head. "I." Stopping for a nervous breathe, he took a small step back. "I'll see where Greg is."
Sara looked up as he turned and left the room. "Thanks." She said quietly to the now empty room.
'Did you talk to Sara?' Marie signed to her son as he stepped through the door. He nodded and hung his jacket up. "So?" She asked, pushing a mug of coffee towards him as he sat at the breakfast bar.
He sipped at his coffee and shook his head. "I fumbled, as usual."
She nodded and reached out to cover his hand. Giving it a gently squeeze. "Maybe you could talk to Catherine."
Grissom raised one eyebrow in question. After realising that she was suggesting Catherine help things with Sara, he shook his head vigorously. "Not a good idea. Sara would never forgive me if my only way to talk to her was to involve Catherine."
Marie looked down at her coffee thoughtfully as Grissom drank his coffee. After a few different thoughts come and go, she reached out and patted Grissom's arm to get his attention. Even though she could call his name, he seemed too deep in thought and thought it the best way to get him to look at her. 'Can I see the lab?'
Thinking about next shift, he nodded slowly. 'So far, it's a slow night. I don't see why not.' He got up to go shower and sleep.
Later that night, Nick walked in with Sara laughing at what he had thought was a joke, but turned out to be a bad attempt at a joke. "SO bad Nicky. You need to work on your humour some more."
Nick rolled his eyes and nudged her with his shoulder. "At least I can still test them out on you so I don't make a fool in front of a real woman." He teased.
Sara swatted his arm in shock and scold at him. "Watch it buster."
They both looked up when they finished their innocent bantering and exchanged puzzled looks when they saw Grissom, Catherine, Warrick and an elderly woman sitting at the table in the break room. Catherine smiled at them and motioned with her head for them to sit down. Nick took the last seat, leaving Sara to stand. She smiled and shook her head at Nick, but she didn't want to sit anyway. She hung her coat on the back of his chair before pouring herself a coffee. She turned with the coffee pot in her hand, asking silently if anyone wanted some. Getting a negative response, she leaned against the unit and drank her coffee.
Grissom handed out the one and only assignment. "Nick and Warrick; B&E on 6th. Good luck." He handed Warrick the sheet, indicating he was lead. "Catherine, you've got court tomorrow morning, so. do your stuff." He told her and watched as Catherine stood and grabbed her coat. Warrick and Nick left for their crime scene, giving Sara a pat on the shoulder as they past her.
She gave them confused looks, but shrugged to herself and looked up from her coffee. She saw the knowing look and grimaced. "Please don't say it." She pleaded.
Grissom sighed and avoided the look on his mother's face. "Paperwork."
Sara groaned and tipped the rest of her coffee down the drain. She walked towards the table and grabbed the pile that was set in front of Grissom. She growled at him. "I hate paperwork."
"Helps improve your handwriting." He winced, as he looked straight at his mother.
Sara harrumphed. "My handwriting is fine."
Marie chuckled as Sara left them alone. 'She's amusing.'
Grissom squinted. 'Don't let her hear you say that.'
"She didn't have to Griss." Sara said as she walked back into the room and grabbed her coat from the chair Nick was sitting on. 'Nice to meet you Mrs Grissom.' Sara shocked them both by signing.
Grissom sat there with his mouth hang slightly open as she turned her back and left the room. Marie recovered before her son and grinned. "Smart too."