In the morning, Sara was in her usual chair next to Grissom's bed when the doctor came in during her morning rounds. By now Sara was pretty used to ignoring her. She more or less just glanced at the chart, fiddled with a few monitors, scribbled a note or two, and left the room. A few times she had given her condolences to Sara, but that was all the interaction that they had. Sara was pretty sure that the doctor was ignoring her because she didn't know what to make of her. She wasn't a wife, or lover, or child, or sibling; but she was still there, day in and day out. And so each day Sara pointedly ignored the doctor as she made her cursory check of Grissom's stats, and ignored Sara right back. However, today was different. Today whatever the little monitors were telling her brought a 'hmmm' from the doctor, who walked quickly from the room without even looking at Sara.
"I wonder what that means?" Sara wondered aloud.
"Who knows, those doctor types are always up on something. Personally, I think life just happens, no matter what they do," replied Bobby.
Sara smiled. "Well, I can't completely agree with you. Medicine is a science, and science I believe in. It's the only thing that can't lie to you."
"Oh, I don't know about that. I don't think that the heart is capable of lying either."
Sara looked skeptical. "I would say that the heart lies all the time. People tell each other that they love each other when they don't just to use the other person for something, other people deny their feelings for someone else, and on and on."
"I don't think that is the heart that is lying there. I just think many people have become adept at lying over their heart. If they were really listening, they would know the truth. The heart doesn't lie."
Sara looked thoughtfully out the window. "I suppose that's true. But you can't objectively read someone's heart. You can only see it through the filter of that person's projection of themselves and through your perceptions. Science you can keep digging at and find the real answer."
"That is the scientist in you talking. You don't always have to see something to know it. Listen to your heart, and it may very well tell you what you want to know. Deep down, hearts can be very perceptive. Speaking of listening to your heart, did you talk to him?"
"Yes, last night, for a long time," she replied without looking away from the window. She unconsciously reached out and took a hold of Grissom's hand.
"You seem to have made up enough to hold hands," Bobby said.
Sara smiled and joked, "Grissom can be a somewhat private and standoffish person. I have to take advantage of my opportunity."
Just then the doctor walked back in the room, followed by another older doctor Sara had only seen a few times. The second doctor picked up Grissom's chart and looked it over. After playing with the dials on the monitor, he let out the same 'hmmm' as the previous doctor.
"He is improving," said the new doctor.
Sara looked up, startled. "What did you say?"
The doctor looked over at Sara. "He is improving. He actually seems remarkably close to consciousness. That doesn't mean that he is going to wake up eminently, but it is a good sign. Perhaps all the talking to him that you do is waking him up."
Sara blushed and looked down at the floor. She was embarrassed that this man knew that she had been talking to Grissom. She supposed that lots of people talked to sick relatives and friends here, but her talks were personal and she wished that no one else had been listening in. But the doctor didn't push it any further.
"I'll be back in to check on him later. Whatever you are doing, keep doing it. He seems to be responding to you." And with that, the doctor turned and continued on his rounds down the hall, with the first doctor close in tow. Sara was left standing in her wake, with her jaw on the floor.
"I stand corrected," said Bobby. "I guess science really can read hearts. Those blind doctors were perceptive enough to see that you are having a positive effect on him."
She looked over at Grissom lying motionless on the bed. He didn't look any different to her. Where was the change? If he was improving, why wasn't he awake? Isn't that how it was supposed to happen? Wasn't he just supposed to wake up bright as day and they could leave the hospital and go on with their lives as normal? Or ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after? That's how it always happens in the movies and on TV. But maybe real life doesn't happen quite that simply. Maybe real life comes not in long bursts of action, but small moments. Each one adding on to the one before, creating the whole picture. Sara smiled at the thought. Breaking down life like that almost reminded her of science. Taking a whole picture and breaking it down to little microscopic parts. Pieces were manageable. Moments in time. That's all life is.