Grissom, Catherine, and Warrick let out a collective sigh of relief that
Nick and Sara had finally consented to go see a counselor about the trauma
that they'd experienced. In light of the way that Nick and Sara had acted
for the last six weeks, the rest of the team had assumed that it would be
much harder to convince them to see a counselor. Truth be told, Nick and
Sara were much closer to asking for help than any of them had imagined.
Sara's pregnancy had just been the final push they needed.
Grissom decided that in light of Sara's revelation about being pregnant that he was going to insist that they take time off until they left for Texas to visit Nick's family. He had expected resistance and had been prepared to put them on forced leave, but surprisingly, they both agreed to that as well and he didn't have to pull rank.
Over the next few days, Nick and Sara saw the counselor twice and began to talk about the fears they'd experienced while being trapped and the fears they had as a result afterward. They started to talk through their rush decision to get married and some of the consequences. Sara's pregnancy certainly had complicated things a little. Sara was afraid that having a child would spell the end of her career and neither one of them felt prepared to become parents; they were both afraid that they really weren't ready and felt a surge of panic each time the reality sank in a little further. The counselor assured them that no new parent ever really felt prepared and that their feelings were completely normal. Once they got home from their second session, they continued talking about some of the things the counselor had suggested until they met with her again when they returned from Texas.
"We really shut everyone else out, didn't we?" Sara offered as they settled on the couch.
Nick nodded. "Yeah, I guess we did. My parents still don't even know about us being trapped in the earthquake, Sara." His voice was almost a whisper.
Sara looked at him with concern. "Why didn't you tell them?" She touched his shoulder.
"I don't know. I guess I figured if I told them about it, I knew they'd come out here and I didn't want that. Coming from a large family has its downside now and then. And with me being the youngest they would have smothered me." He paused and looked into Sara's eyes. "I just wanted you, Sara; I didn't want the whole world. You were the only one who understood." He explained.
"But we're not alone. That's what Dr. Martinez said and that's what Gris, Warrick and Catherine said too." She replied, reminding herself as well as him that this was true.
He met her gaze and smiled. "I know." He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm scared to go to Texas, Sara. They freaked out when I told them we got married. At least your parents took it all in stride."
"To tell you the truth, I wish my parents had freaked out, sometimes they're a little too laid back about things. Of course when they find out they're going to be grandparents, I'm sure they will freak out." She smiled at him and felt a tear slide down her cheek. "Nick, it's going to be ok. No matter what happens, we're going to face this together. If your family hates me, they'll just have to deal with it because I'm not going anywhere."
Nick reached over and brushed the tear from her cheek. "Hey, they're going to love you. They're probably going to kick my ass, but they're going to love you."
Sara raised an eyebrow at him. "They better not touch that ass of yours; I'm pretty fond of it."
Nick started to laugh. "Well I'm pretty fond of it too; it's the only one I have." He studied Sara for a moment and then let out a deep breath. "When should we tell them that we're having a baby?"
Sara's voice was soft. "They might go a little easier on you if they know you're going to be a daddy."
"Ok, I guess we should tell them before we go then." Nick looked nervous.
"Besides, Nick, if I run to the bathroom and throw up the instant we get there, they're going to know something is going on." Sara quipped.
Nick chuckled. "Ok, I'll call them." He reached for the phone.
Sara touched his arm and looked at him longingly. "Call them tomorrow before we leave, let's just hang out for a while. We haven't done that for a long time and I miss that. I miss you. I miss you being my friend too, Nick."
"I miss that too, Sara." Nick pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "What do you want to do?"
"Well considering I'm with child, I'd say rock climbing and bungee jumping are out." Sara teased.
"Hmm, well I guess we'll have to go with Plan B then; how about a movie?" He suggested. "I think there's a new movie with Hugh Grant out."
Sara wrinkled her brow. "Can we stay in? I don't want to miss the movie if I have to throw up."
Nick bit his lip so he wouldn't laugh. "Whatever you want, honey."
They ended up having Chinese food delivered for dinner and then watched about half of 'My Dog Skip' before Sara started to cry. "I didn't remember that this movie was so sad."
Nick paused the movie and held her close. "Hey, we don't have to finish it if you don't want to." He wasn't sure what to do except hold her.
"But I have to know that the dog's ok." Sara sniffled.
Nick had to hold in his laughter. "Ok, we'll finish the movie. Do you want any more of the Chinese?"
At the mention of the food, Sara looked nauseous. "Nick, the timeframe that this smelled good has expired; can you put that out in the trash?" She jumped up and ran for the bathroom to throw up.
Nick took the rest of the food and put it outside in the trash, chuckling to himself about what he was in for until Sara's morning sickness passed. Why they called it morning sickness he wasn't sure, she seemed to feel sick all day long.
When he came back inside, Sara had turned the movie off and sat on the couch waiting for him. "Nick, let's just go to bed, I'm tired and we need to pack when we get up."
"Ok." Nick replied, reaching for her hand.
As they snuggled together in bed, Sara whispered to Nick. "You know, this has been the strangest last couple of months, but I wouldn't trade it Nick, because if I did, I might not have you."
Nick smiled in the darkness. "And I might not have you. I love you, Sara."
"I love you, Nick." Sara whispered as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.
Nick held her for a while and then drifted off to sleep himself.
Grissom decided that in light of Sara's revelation about being pregnant that he was going to insist that they take time off until they left for Texas to visit Nick's family. He had expected resistance and had been prepared to put them on forced leave, but surprisingly, they both agreed to that as well and he didn't have to pull rank.
Over the next few days, Nick and Sara saw the counselor twice and began to talk about the fears they'd experienced while being trapped and the fears they had as a result afterward. They started to talk through their rush decision to get married and some of the consequences. Sara's pregnancy certainly had complicated things a little. Sara was afraid that having a child would spell the end of her career and neither one of them felt prepared to become parents; they were both afraid that they really weren't ready and felt a surge of panic each time the reality sank in a little further. The counselor assured them that no new parent ever really felt prepared and that their feelings were completely normal. Once they got home from their second session, they continued talking about some of the things the counselor had suggested until they met with her again when they returned from Texas.
"We really shut everyone else out, didn't we?" Sara offered as they settled on the couch.
Nick nodded. "Yeah, I guess we did. My parents still don't even know about us being trapped in the earthquake, Sara." His voice was almost a whisper.
Sara looked at him with concern. "Why didn't you tell them?" She touched his shoulder.
"I don't know. I guess I figured if I told them about it, I knew they'd come out here and I didn't want that. Coming from a large family has its downside now and then. And with me being the youngest they would have smothered me." He paused and looked into Sara's eyes. "I just wanted you, Sara; I didn't want the whole world. You were the only one who understood." He explained.
"But we're not alone. That's what Dr. Martinez said and that's what Gris, Warrick and Catherine said too." She replied, reminding herself as well as him that this was true.
He met her gaze and smiled. "I know." He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm scared to go to Texas, Sara. They freaked out when I told them we got married. At least your parents took it all in stride."
"To tell you the truth, I wish my parents had freaked out, sometimes they're a little too laid back about things. Of course when they find out they're going to be grandparents, I'm sure they will freak out." She smiled at him and felt a tear slide down her cheek. "Nick, it's going to be ok. No matter what happens, we're going to face this together. If your family hates me, they'll just have to deal with it because I'm not going anywhere."
Nick reached over and brushed the tear from her cheek. "Hey, they're going to love you. They're probably going to kick my ass, but they're going to love you."
Sara raised an eyebrow at him. "They better not touch that ass of yours; I'm pretty fond of it."
Nick started to laugh. "Well I'm pretty fond of it too; it's the only one I have." He studied Sara for a moment and then let out a deep breath. "When should we tell them that we're having a baby?"
Sara's voice was soft. "They might go a little easier on you if they know you're going to be a daddy."
"Ok, I guess we should tell them before we go then." Nick looked nervous.
"Besides, Nick, if I run to the bathroom and throw up the instant we get there, they're going to know something is going on." Sara quipped.
Nick chuckled. "Ok, I'll call them." He reached for the phone.
Sara touched his arm and looked at him longingly. "Call them tomorrow before we leave, let's just hang out for a while. We haven't done that for a long time and I miss that. I miss you. I miss you being my friend too, Nick."
"I miss that too, Sara." Nick pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "What do you want to do?"
"Well considering I'm with child, I'd say rock climbing and bungee jumping are out." Sara teased.
"Hmm, well I guess we'll have to go with Plan B then; how about a movie?" He suggested. "I think there's a new movie with Hugh Grant out."
Sara wrinkled her brow. "Can we stay in? I don't want to miss the movie if I have to throw up."
Nick bit his lip so he wouldn't laugh. "Whatever you want, honey."
They ended up having Chinese food delivered for dinner and then watched about half of 'My Dog Skip' before Sara started to cry. "I didn't remember that this movie was so sad."
Nick paused the movie and held her close. "Hey, we don't have to finish it if you don't want to." He wasn't sure what to do except hold her.
"But I have to know that the dog's ok." Sara sniffled.
Nick had to hold in his laughter. "Ok, we'll finish the movie. Do you want any more of the Chinese?"
At the mention of the food, Sara looked nauseous. "Nick, the timeframe that this smelled good has expired; can you put that out in the trash?" She jumped up and ran for the bathroom to throw up.
Nick took the rest of the food and put it outside in the trash, chuckling to himself about what he was in for until Sara's morning sickness passed. Why they called it morning sickness he wasn't sure, she seemed to feel sick all day long.
When he came back inside, Sara had turned the movie off and sat on the couch waiting for him. "Nick, let's just go to bed, I'm tired and we need to pack when we get up."
"Ok." Nick replied, reaching for her hand.
As they snuggled together in bed, Sara whispered to Nick. "You know, this has been the strangest last couple of months, but I wouldn't trade it Nick, because if I did, I might not have you."
Nick smiled in the darkness. "And I might not have you. I love you, Sara."
"I love you, Nick." Sara whispered as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.
Nick held her for a while and then drifted off to sleep himself.