Where the Grass is Greener
Chapter Seventeen
Sara came through the door from the grocery store carrying two big bags. Her keys were clenched in her teeth, and she was struggling with trying to not drop her purse and hold on to the precious groceries.
"Babe, hold on a minute," Warrick said, coming to help her. "I'll take this bag."
"Thank you," she said after she dropped the keys into her hand. "It was hell trying to get down the hallway."
Warrick came over to her from the kitchen and gave her a kiss.
"Hi," she sighed, the exertion evident in her voice. She leaned up and kissed him again before taking her coat off. "It's kind of cool outside."
"I know," Warrick agreed. "Are you feeling okay?"
She looked at him strangely. "Of course. Why?"
"You're so out of breath," he chuckled as he pushed a strand of hair from her face.
She scowled at him. "I just held two heavy bags on the elevator, and then I struggled to get down the hall so I wouldn't drop the eggs…"
"I'm sorry," he said as he stepped aside to let her in the kitchen. He gave his wife's figure a once over before going in to assist her with the groceries. She did buy a lot more than they needed, but it was the Italian in her. When he complained about it one time, she told him:
"Hey, you never know who could be coming over for dinner."
And sure enough, Jason shows up, proving her point and making him scowl at her.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," she said, taking a bite of her Snicker's bar. "My grandmother is coming to stay with us for a while."
Warrick thought he heard wrong. "Stay with us as in a hotel in the city stay with us right?"
She turned to him. "No, as in we need to change the sheets in the guest bedroom and make my grandmother's stay here as perfect as possible," she paused, raising an eyebrow, an edge to her voice. "Right?"
Warrick felt a shiver at her tone. "Right babe."
She gave him a warning look before turning back around to put away a few more groceries. He was finished with the bag he grabbed from her and he went over and wrapped his arms around her waist. She melted, as he knew she would, and he kissed her neck.
"I love you so much," he said.
"I love you too," she said putting her arms on top of his. "I love being married to you. You are so wonderful."
"You're wonderful," he whispered. They rocked gently back and forth. He turned her around and held her close.
"Warrick…" she giggled when he twirled her.
"What? I can't dance with my beautiful wife?" He chuckled.
Sara smiled wider at him and he kissed her before going over to the stereo and turning on some slow music. He came back over to her and started dancing with her. She was smiling brightly, and Warrick loved her even more. He saw her diamond ring sparkling in the light of the kitchen. He was proud to be her husband. He couldn't think of anyone else he would want to be married to.
He caressed her sides then his hands traveled down to her butt.
"Hey, watch yourself," she warned playfully. "Doing that could get you in a lot of trouble."
"Really?" He asked with a smirk, squeezing her butt cheeks.
"Mmhm," she answered as they leaned into each other for a kiss.
Just as things were about to heat up, the doorbell rang, and their moment was rudely broken. Warrick leaned his forehead against hers and sighed.
"Hold that thought," he whispered in her ear. He kissed her cheek, and then the phone rang. They both groaned. "You get the phone, I've got the door."
They pulled away and went to answer their interruptions.
"Hello?" Sara answered. "Oh hi Lydia. I'm good, how are you? Good…"
Warrick knew that if Lydia was on the phone, he wouldn't get a moment's peace with Sara. Lydia was Sara's best friend from Harvard. They called each other at least twice a week and Sara stayed on the phone for hours. Lydia lived in Montana somewhere and Sara wanted to go visit several times.
Warrick shook his head and then answered the door.
"Hey Nick," Warrick said, thoroughly surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, we all just wanted to stop by to see how married life is treating you," Nick answered with a smirk.
"We?" Warrick asked.
"As in me, Catherine, Grissom, and Greg," he explained.
"But, Sara didn't tell me you were all coming over," Warrick said, stunned.
"Oh, but don't be such a party pooper," Catherine said, suddenly appearing in the doorway with Grissom in tow. "We brought some food, don't worry."
Sara milled around the kitchen even though their friends had brought some food.
"It's the Italian in her," Warrick said. "She cooks everyday now. The food's not all that bad either."
"As I recall, Mr. Brown, my food was excellent," Sara said as she emerged from the kitchen with some wine glasses.
"It is excellent," he said. She sat on his lap when she handed out the wine glasses to everyone. Warrick poured some wine in her glass first then his, and then he passed it around. She leaned down and kissed him.
"Would you two break it up?" Greg said. "This is a G-rated audience."
"Hey, you came here uninvited," Sara said with a smirk. "Besides you guys broke up a very interesting moment between us."
"Spare us the details," Catherine giggled. "So, what are you cooking?"
"Chicken parmesan, spaghetti, Caesar salad, and some garlic bread," Sara said. "I know you brought some food, but I have to keep my husband well fed."
"No, you just want to have left-overs for the week," Warrick quipped.
Everyone laughed. Sara smiled and she elbowed him playfully.
When the dinner was ready, they all sat around the dining room table. Warrick noticed that Sara was not eating much of anything, and it worried him. She still participated in the light conversations, but she was obviously not looking or feeling like herself.
"Everyone, I just want to say that Grissom is the sweetest man alive," Catherine said as she raised her wine glass.
"Is this the same Grissom that gave you chocolate grasshoppers for Valentine's day last year?" Nick chuckled.
Everyone started to giggle.
"Oh, but he is going to do much better this year," Catherine said. "He's taking me to Hawaii for Valentine's Day weekend."
"Way to go Gris," Warrick said. "You've learned well."
Grissom started to laugh. "I'm only taking her to Hawaii because she told me that we're going to Hawaii. What Catherine says goes."
"That's right," Sara said smiling over at Catherine. "Behind every great man there's a woman, right?"
"Damn right," Catherine giggled.
Warrick shook his head. He married the feistiest woman. He preferred Sara that way. She always made a subject worth talking about.
He was glad to spend time with his friends, even though they interrupted his time with Sara. Once they started talking, he wasn't upset anymore. They were all important in his life and he thanked God that they were there.
After dinner, they all left and Warrick and Sara had their home to themselves again.
As Sara cleaned the kitchen, Warrick put away the food. When he was finished with that, he sauntered over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist again and kissed her.
She sighed and pulled away. He wondered what was wrong with her. She had been acting strange all night long, and he was starting to get concerned.
"Sweetie, what's the matter?" He asked.
She went over to the other side of the counter and gripped it tightly.
"Nothing, just cramps," she said. "It's nothing. Please don't fuss over me."
"Are you sure?" He asked as he took her hand. "You've been acting strange all day."
"Yes honey I'm fine," she insisted, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm just going to go to bed."
"Okay," he said then he kissed her hand and let her go to bed.
He finished washing the dishes and then he followed suit. Sara didn't even stir when he came in and put her under the covers. She was sleeping heavier than usual, and she was a little pale. It wasn't a winter time pale, it was a sickly, tired, exhausted pale. His heart began to ache at the possibilities of what might be wrong with her. Maybe it was nothing. She was probably about to start her period. But she wasn't tired when she got her period, usually she was pissed off as hell. He knew because he had to sleep in the guest bedroom on several occasions.
He pushed the thoughts from his mind as he curled up next to her. She was a sleeping beauty. He kissed her cheek then fell into a deep sleep himself.
***
In the middle of the night, Sara woke up to intense cramping pains and she got up out of bed and went to the bathroom.
She was so tired, she was seeing double. Never had she felt so run down and exhausted before. Bed was calling her as she flushed the toilet and grabbed a tampon and a panty liner. Her cramps would not ease up.
After she washed her hands, she went into the kitchen and took a Motrin. It was eight hundred milligrams. It would make the pain go away, and it would make her even more tired. She hated when she was on her cycle. It was kind of off…it had been off since she was nine. She started getting heavy cycles about two years ago, and it wore her down completely. She would be too tired to eat. All she wanted to do was sleep.
Sara pulled out her calendar. She checked for the month of February. She'd had her cycle two weeks before. She was getting it again. It was odd to her.
She put it back into the drawer and went to bed.
She crawled back into bed and snuggled up next to Warrick. He wasn't a heavy sleeper, but not every little thing woke him up. She leaned over and kissed his cheek before going back to sleep.
***
Warrick was growing increasingly worried about Sara. He had to wake her up and force her to eat and drink something. She was so tired and worn out, that she could barely stay awake to eat anything.
"C'mon babe," he said, putting some soup in front of her. "You have to eat something. Sit up Sara."
"No," she cried. "I can't. I'm too tired."
"I know, but you have to eat something," he insisted. "Just try and eat a few bites."
She pushed his hand away and she leaned back against the pillows.
Warrick leaned down and kissed her forehead as she fell right back to sleep. She looked weak and in pain, even in her sleep.
Warrick picked up the phone and called Grissom.
"Grissom."
"Hey Gris, it's Warrick," he started. "Um, Sara and I won't be coming in tonight."
"Why, what's wrong?" Grissom asked.
"Um, Sara's really sick. I don't know whether it's the flu or something else, but it's bad. She just wants to sleep."
"That is bad," Grissom agreed. "Well, I'll give you off tonight. If she gets any worse, take her to the hospital. Take all the time off you need."
"Thanks Gris," Warrick said gratefully.
All throughout the day, he was trying to get Sara to eat and drink.
"No," she would whine every time.
She wasn't pale anymore. She was almost transparent, and it was unnatural. She was a ghostly pale.
If she wasn't going to eat, then he made sure that she stayed comfortable, and that she wouldn't get up except to use the bathroom. She was even too tired to do that. Warrick decided that he would call the hospital the next morning.
He was sipping at a soda when Sara came into the living room. She wasn't as pale as she was before, but she still looked a bit tired.
"Hey sweetie," he said. "Are you feeling better?"
She nodded and went into the kitchen. She took some medicine and then pulled out her calendar.
He went over to her and kissed her cheek. He happened to glance at the calendar and he noticed that she just had her cycle two weeks ago. He wasn't an expert, but he knew that women got their cycle once a month. Seeing that his wife was on her cycle for the second time in a month chilled him right to the bone. He didn't say anything, though. She had obviously been expecting it.
"Do you want me to fix you anything?" He asked.
She just shook her head and then she went back into their bedroom.
***
Later that night, Sara woke both herself and Warrick up. A horrible, excruciatingly painful cramp surged across her abdomen.
"Sara, what's wrong?" Warrick asked her, now alert.
"I don't know…ow!" She screamed, and she stumbled out of bed and went into their bathroom.
She closed the door before Warrick could come in and assist her. She felt sticky between her legs, and her night gown was soaked in blood at her junction. She lifted her gown and was horrified when she saw blood running down between her legs. She doubled over in pain.
"Warrick!" She screamed in agony.
He burst through the door and he immediately came to her aid.
"Oh my God," he gasped as his eyes befell the blood. "Sara, stay here, I'm calling the hospital."
"It hurts!" She cried. "It hurts! Warrick!"
She didn't know what was wrong with her. All she was aware of was the pain.
Warrick came back in the bathroom and he rubbed her back.
"Oh my God!" Sara cried hysterically. "It hurts so bad!"
"I know babe," Warrick said to her. "The ambulance is on its way."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly to get through the pain.
Finally, she heard the ambulance pulling up and Warrick had to get up to let them in. But Sara wouldn't unwrap her arms from him. She felt herself being lifted from the floor and being carried out of their apartment. She was not really aware of what was going on exactly, but she could feel her body being moved from one place to another. Her eyesight was blurry from the searing pain, and she would not let go of Warrick.
She felt her body being laid down on the gurney.
***
Warrick waited three hours to know what was wrong with his wife. He paced, he tapped a pen on the magazines, bounced his legs up and down, and grinded his teeth in anxiety. He stared at the ring on his finger and remained optimistic, for her.
He didn't call the rest of the team yet. He didn't want to. At the moment, there was nothing that they could do for him. He just had to wait it out and pray that there was a good outcome. He reminded himself that whatever happened wasn't either of their faults. It was just that her small framed body had taken all it could bear, and that she just needed some time to recoup. It was just a small thing, but she would definitely pull through and she wouldn't have to worry about it again.
"Mr. Brown?" An older doctor asked.
Warrick stood up. "Yes sir?"
"Your wife is doing fine for now," he said. "Why don't you come into my office?"
Warrick followed the man into his office.
"I'm Doctor Franco," he explained.
"Nice to meet you," Warrick said cordially. "Is my wife going to be okay? What's wrong with her?"
Dr. Franco looked at him for a second before starting.
"Mr. Brown, we found three cysts on your wife's uterus, and two on her ovaries," he explained slowly, letting it all sink in. "They're not cancerous yet, but they are benign. Now, your wife had a miscarriage about what? Six months ago?"
Warrick nodded.
"That was because the cyst had started growing on her uterus," the doctor explained. "When cysts form, they start eating up some tissue in and around the affected area. The first cyst may have terminated the baby, causing the miscarriage. Her cysts now are causing her to bleed out often. Her red blood cell count is severely low, and she's become anemic. She may have been mistaking her bleeding profusely as being on her cycle."
"Yeah," Warrick said. "She kept telling me that her cycles were off and they started coming twice a month," Warrick recalled. "Dr. Franco, tell me honestly. Is she going to be okay in the long run? Or is she fatally ill?"
"She's going to be fine as long as she goes in to surgery to have the cysts removed," Dr. Franco said. "Oncology will want to do a biopsy of her uterus before we take her in so that they can study it."
"But I thought you said that it wasn't cancerous?" Warrick asked.
"It isn't, but they want to get another sample for a case study," the doctor explained.
"No, you're not putting my wife through any more pain than she has to," Warrick said firmly. "Just get her into surgery and out. Nothing in between. She's in way too much pain to wait any longer."
"Very well," Dr. Franco said.
Warrick went into Sara's room. She had on a hair cover to keep her hair away from her face, and she had on a gown that was ready for surgery. She turned to look at him.
"Hey you," she said weakly.
He smiled faintly. "Hey sweetie."
"Don't be scared honey," Sara said as she wiped the tears that were falling down his face. "I love you. I need you to be strong for me."
"I will," he said as he held her hand tightly. "I promise I'll be strong."
The nurses came in and began to roll her out to the OR.
"Step aside sir," one of the nurses said.
Warrick leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly before they rolled her down the hall.
