Section 4
Searching for her old file at the back of a filing cabernet, Grissom kept thinking that he had to find her, no matter what. If she couldn't contact him, she may be hurt. He just wished that she'd ring him and tell him she was ok. His robbery was simple, so left the techs to process the evidence and hand it to Warrick to put together for court. He gave no reason as to why he was handing it over; he only wanted to find Sara's old file.
Flipping past it in his haste to find a contact number, he pulled it out and opened it as he walked back to his desk. He sank down into his chair and read through the file carefully, not wanting to miss anything that may help in his search.
And there it was. A contact phone number, but no address. It would have to do, he surmised. It wasn't her parents because that was on another sheet. It had a name, but that was it. He checked the time and battled with himself to ring at such an hour. Would there even be a connection. The number was put on there years ago and never called. It could be disconnected, but he wouldn't know unless he tried it.
*^*^*^*
Curt was just crawling out of bed for work when the ringing of a phone broke through his sleepy brain. Stumbling to the kitchen, he grasped the grey object to bring it to his ear a second later. "Hello?"
"Oh, hi, is this Curtis?" The voice was hesitant and crackled against the static of the connection.
Curt cleared his throat and leaned against the couch. "Yeah, who's this?"
"Right, erm. my name's Gil Grissom. I'm trying to find Sara Sidle."
"Sara?" Curt's eyes snapped open and he was suddenly very awake. "What was your name again?"
"If I tell you, your not going to hang up, are you?"
Listening to the stuttering, Curt grinned. "I won't, I promise."
"Ok. Gil Grissom. I'm worried about Sara. She. left. the other day. I was wondering if you'd heard from her. I'm," Curt heard him sigh and sensed his frustration. "Can you tell me if you've seen her?"
Looking up as Sara padded through the living room, he nodded. "Yes."
"You have!?" He echoed over the line.
Sara smiled at Curt as she headed for the coffee pot.
"I'm looking at her, why?"
Sara turned with curious eyes, but his back was to her and shook the thought from her mind.
"Can I speak to her?"
Turning to watch Sara's movements, Curt was torn between calling her and hanging up, but something told him he shouldn't be hasty in either case. He still didn't know what drove Sara here.
"I don't know."
". She doesn't want to talk to me does she?"
Hearing his saddened tone, Curt felt for him. "Oblivious to you at the moment."
"She doesn't know it's me?"
"No, I can tell her, but it would mean damage control on my end."
"I have plenty of that to do myself." Waiting for something more, Curt headed to the kitchen and took one of the two cups that Sara had filled with coffee. He heard shuffling on the other end and guessed it was paper. "This is a Californian number, right?"
"Yes." Feeling he needed to help out here as the puzzle started to come together, he walked away from Sara and back to his room. "San Francisco to be exact."
Silence was the reply for a long time. So long, Curt managed to grab some clothes, drink his coffee and head to the bathroom.
"You're Curtis Grave?"
Curt smiled. "It's nice to hear some recognition, but I'm guessing Sara is here because of you?"
"Not completely, but yes. I thought we. I guess I didn't. I was too late and she left, I guess I deserved it."
"No one deserves that Mr Grissom. Why don't you let me talk to Sara? We were planning on going out later anyway for me to nail her about her return."
"I know it won't fix things, but I'm coming out to talk to her."
Curt's smile faded. "Oh, that's. you sure that's a good idea?"
A brief pause, but the hesitation was gone when he replied. "It's the only way. I'm going crazy not knowing where she is and I need to talk to her. She didn't give me time to explain. I didn't give enough time."
He finally heard it, he heard the defeat and undercurrent of fear in the mans voice. Had Sara really left because of this man? Why would she do that when he clearly felt something for her?
Turning his thoughts and voice back to the caller, he nodded to no one as he turned the shower on. "The address is, Julian Garden Apartments, number 32. I won't tell her, but I'll try and talk it out of her. It's up to you from there on."
*^*^*^*
Sara smiled at Curt as his head turned to watch a particularly good looking bloke walk by. She elbowed him and laughed. "That's not polite."
Curt chuckled and took her hand to place it on his arm as they continued to walk down the busy early evening streets of San Francisco. "So, you gonna tell me what happened?"
Sighing, she looked away from his curious eyes. "I... just needed to come home."
Nodding, he cleared his throat before asking. "Got anything to do with a man, perhaps?"
Sara's head whirled round. "Wha... Uh, no." She shook her head. "I have no idea what you mean." She avoided and stopped in front of a shop window.
Curt stepped up beside her and looked at the display. He took a quiet breath before revealing his hidden agenda. "Mr. Grissom rang this morning."
Her whole system went into shock and all air from her lungs seemed to vanish as she gasped and choked. Curt rubbed her back soothingly as she gained her normal breathing, though it was still rather heavy.
"H... How?" She managed.
"A file maybe?" Curt shrugged. "I'm not sure where he got the number, but it is your old address. I'm sure he knows where you live."
Sara looked at her friend and sighed. "What did he want?"
Watching her reaction, he answered her. "He wants to talk. He sounded quite upset and really wanted to talk to you."
Thinking back to the conversation this morning, she could piece together where each reply that Curt had made, fit in context now with Grissom's possible questions.
Paling somewhat, she placed her hand on the glass. Her stomach didn't feel too good and the smell of a hotdog stand near by, made her nauseous.
"Hey, you ok?" Curt asked worriedly, taking her arm to steady her. "Maybe you should sit down."
Sara nodded slowly and leaned against him. "I just... didn't feel good all of a sudden."
Curt smiled and sat down beside her on the bench. "Something you want to tell me sis?"
Snapping her head up to the smiling eyes of Curt's, she looked horrified. "Nooo." She dragged out, not sure if she was sure of her answer and added a shake of her head to further convince herself. "Surely-" She cut herself off and stared at Curt with confused eyes. "You think?"
He smiled and shrugged. "I wasn't there Sara. I can't comment."
"But." She gasped and looked away, furrowing her brows in shock and fear. "No."
Watching the display with a smile, Curt pulled her into a gentle hug. "Have you been sick?" He asked softly.
Sara closed her eyes against his chest and thought back. Had she been sick? No, she hadn't, but she did feel a little nausea's on the plan, on the drive over and just now. Could that mean-? Couldn't, could it? Questioning it would give her the answers, she had to find out.
"I think I should take a test." She whispered.
TBC
Searching for her old file at the back of a filing cabernet, Grissom kept thinking that he had to find her, no matter what. If she couldn't contact him, she may be hurt. He just wished that she'd ring him and tell him she was ok. His robbery was simple, so left the techs to process the evidence and hand it to Warrick to put together for court. He gave no reason as to why he was handing it over; he only wanted to find Sara's old file.
Flipping past it in his haste to find a contact number, he pulled it out and opened it as he walked back to his desk. He sank down into his chair and read through the file carefully, not wanting to miss anything that may help in his search.
And there it was. A contact phone number, but no address. It would have to do, he surmised. It wasn't her parents because that was on another sheet. It had a name, but that was it. He checked the time and battled with himself to ring at such an hour. Would there even be a connection. The number was put on there years ago and never called. It could be disconnected, but he wouldn't know unless he tried it.
*^*^*^*
Curt was just crawling out of bed for work when the ringing of a phone broke through his sleepy brain. Stumbling to the kitchen, he grasped the grey object to bring it to his ear a second later. "Hello?"
"Oh, hi, is this Curtis?" The voice was hesitant and crackled against the static of the connection.
Curt cleared his throat and leaned against the couch. "Yeah, who's this?"
"Right, erm. my name's Gil Grissom. I'm trying to find Sara Sidle."
"Sara?" Curt's eyes snapped open and he was suddenly very awake. "What was your name again?"
"If I tell you, your not going to hang up, are you?"
Listening to the stuttering, Curt grinned. "I won't, I promise."
"Ok. Gil Grissom. I'm worried about Sara. She. left. the other day. I was wondering if you'd heard from her. I'm," Curt heard him sigh and sensed his frustration. "Can you tell me if you've seen her?"
Looking up as Sara padded through the living room, he nodded. "Yes."
"You have!?" He echoed over the line.
Sara smiled at Curt as she headed for the coffee pot.
"I'm looking at her, why?"
Sara turned with curious eyes, but his back was to her and shook the thought from her mind.
"Can I speak to her?"
Turning to watch Sara's movements, Curt was torn between calling her and hanging up, but something told him he shouldn't be hasty in either case. He still didn't know what drove Sara here.
"I don't know."
". She doesn't want to talk to me does she?"
Hearing his saddened tone, Curt felt for him. "Oblivious to you at the moment."
"She doesn't know it's me?"
"No, I can tell her, but it would mean damage control on my end."
"I have plenty of that to do myself." Waiting for something more, Curt headed to the kitchen and took one of the two cups that Sara had filled with coffee. He heard shuffling on the other end and guessed it was paper. "This is a Californian number, right?"
"Yes." Feeling he needed to help out here as the puzzle started to come together, he walked away from Sara and back to his room. "San Francisco to be exact."
Silence was the reply for a long time. So long, Curt managed to grab some clothes, drink his coffee and head to the bathroom.
"You're Curtis Grave?"
Curt smiled. "It's nice to hear some recognition, but I'm guessing Sara is here because of you?"
"Not completely, but yes. I thought we. I guess I didn't. I was too late and she left, I guess I deserved it."
"No one deserves that Mr Grissom. Why don't you let me talk to Sara? We were planning on going out later anyway for me to nail her about her return."
"I know it won't fix things, but I'm coming out to talk to her."
Curt's smile faded. "Oh, that's. you sure that's a good idea?"
A brief pause, but the hesitation was gone when he replied. "It's the only way. I'm going crazy not knowing where she is and I need to talk to her. She didn't give me time to explain. I didn't give enough time."
He finally heard it, he heard the defeat and undercurrent of fear in the mans voice. Had Sara really left because of this man? Why would she do that when he clearly felt something for her?
Turning his thoughts and voice back to the caller, he nodded to no one as he turned the shower on. "The address is, Julian Garden Apartments, number 32. I won't tell her, but I'll try and talk it out of her. It's up to you from there on."
*^*^*^*
Sara smiled at Curt as his head turned to watch a particularly good looking bloke walk by. She elbowed him and laughed. "That's not polite."
Curt chuckled and took her hand to place it on his arm as they continued to walk down the busy early evening streets of San Francisco. "So, you gonna tell me what happened?"
Sighing, she looked away from his curious eyes. "I... just needed to come home."
Nodding, he cleared his throat before asking. "Got anything to do with a man, perhaps?"
Sara's head whirled round. "Wha... Uh, no." She shook her head. "I have no idea what you mean." She avoided and stopped in front of a shop window.
Curt stepped up beside her and looked at the display. He took a quiet breath before revealing his hidden agenda. "Mr. Grissom rang this morning."
Her whole system went into shock and all air from her lungs seemed to vanish as she gasped and choked. Curt rubbed her back soothingly as she gained her normal breathing, though it was still rather heavy.
"H... How?" She managed.
"A file maybe?" Curt shrugged. "I'm not sure where he got the number, but it is your old address. I'm sure he knows where you live."
Sara looked at her friend and sighed. "What did he want?"
Watching her reaction, he answered her. "He wants to talk. He sounded quite upset and really wanted to talk to you."
Thinking back to the conversation this morning, she could piece together where each reply that Curt had made, fit in context now with Grissom's possible questions.
Paling somewhat, she placed her hand on the glass. Her stomach didn't feel too good and the smell of a hotdog stand near by, made her nauseous.
"Hey, you ok?" Curt asked worriedly, taking her arm to steady her. "Maybe you should sit down."
Sara nodded slowly and leaned against him. "I just... didn't feel good all of a sudden."
Curt smiled and sat down beside her on the bench. "Something you want to tell me sis?"
Snapping her head up to the smiling eyes of Curt's, she looked horrified. "Nooo." She dragged out, not sure if she was sure of her answer and added a shake of her head to further convince herself. "Surely-" She cut herself off and stared at Curt with confused eyes. "You think?"
He smiled and shrugged. "I wasn't there Sara. I can't comment."
"But." She gasped and looked away, furrowing her brows in shock and fear. "No."
Watching the display with a smile, Curt pulled her into a gentle hug. "Have you been sick?" He asked softly.
Sara closed her eyes against his chest and thought back. Had she been sick? No, she hadn't, but she did feel a little nausea's on the plan, on the drive over and just now. Could that mean-? Couldn't, could it? Questioning it would give her the answers, she had to find out.
"I think I should take a test." She whispered.
TBC