Part Nine: Her Favorite Moment
Sara stared at Grissom, frozen in shock. For what seemed like the longest moment of her life, she stood, firmly rooted to the spot. Time slowed to a crawl around her, everything happening in slow motion. The buzzing of the fluorescent lights above was the only sound in her ears. Her heart had leapt into her throat, and she was shaking all from head to toe. She felt more than a little dizzy. She wasn't sure if she was going to faint, throw up, or just simply stay stuck in place for all eternity. Then, thankfully, the "get down to business" side of Sara took over, and she snapped into action.
"Bobby! Hit the nurse call button!" Sara ordered as she crossed the room with quick, purposeful strides. She softly laid one of her hands on Grissom's arm and leaned down towards him.
"Grissom?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper. She slowly stroked his arm and whispered his name over and over, coaxing him into consciousness. His eyelids fluttered, and his eyes almost opened, but not quite. It was as though it was taking every ounce of strength just to move at all. Sara didn't give up. She couldn't give up.
"Come on Grissom," she softly pleaded. "You can do it. Wake up Grissom, please wake up." She rubbed his arm and prayed. 'Please let this be it. Please let him come back to me. I don't know how much longer I can wait. Please God.'
His eyelids fluttered again, and this time they did open. He looked completely lost and confused. Even frightened. She looked into his eyes and saw…nothing, emptiness. In a moment of panic, Sara thought that Grissom hadn't really come back to her. That he was still lost somewhere. Sara's vision blurred as tears began to mist in her eyes. She continued to whisper his name and softly rub his arm, trying to pull him back, make him the way that he was. She squinted her eyes, trying in vain to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks.
"Grissom," she whispered, her voice becoming shakier as the tears began flowing freely, making moist streaks down her face. "Grissom, wake up, please."
"Sara?" Stunned, she wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at Grissom. She studied his eyes, looking deep into them. He was back! Grissom was really back! She breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like a great weight had been lifted from her. If it was physically possible to float up through the ceiling of the hospital room and off into the sunset, she would be well on her way.
"Hi Griss," she said, smiling through her tears.
Grissom reached up and put his hand on hers, which was still resting on his other arm. Neither of them said another word. They just looked into each other's eyes. For a moment in time, neither of them was aware of anything else, except each other. In one look, one gaze held for but an instant, they both said more than they could with words in the rest of their lives. One moment was all it took, one moment in time.
But as soon as that moment came, it left. Two nurses came into the room, followed closely by Sara's least favorite doctor, the one that always ignored her. She just about shoved Sara out of the way as she forced her way to the monitors by the side of Grissom's bed and hurriedly began fiddling with them.
"Excuse me, I need room to work so I can help your friend," said the doctor in a cold, impersonal tone. Sara stepped back, stunned.
"Hey!" hollered Bobby from his bed across the room. "Don't you have any manners? Can't you let the woman talk to him at all? She's the one that got him back, not you and all your convoluted medicine."
The doctor completely ignored Bobby and continued fiddling with the monitors and barking orders at the two nurses in the room. It was a full five minutes before Sara could get anywhere near the bed again. When the flurry of activity had subsided, and Sara could again see Grissom, his eyes were once again closed.
"What did you do to him?" she fumed, advancing towards the doctor.
"Relax, I know what I am doing. He is asleep, not back in a coma. He needs real rest now, so I am going to have to ask you to leave. You may come back in after he has had a few hours to sleep if you promise not to try and wake him up. The next few days are critical. If you want him to recover, you are going to have to cooperate."
Sara fumed inside. Who did this doctor think she was? She was talking to Sara like she was five years old. She was perfectly capable of sitting by Grissom and being quiet, she didn't need to be banned from the room like an unruly child.
"I can stay, I won't wake him, I promise," she said through gritted teeth.
"No," said the doctor, picking up Sara's coat and ushering her towards the door. "You need a break. Go home, rest for a while, and then come back. You will feel so much better." The mock concern dripping from the doctor's voice only served to infuriate Sara more. The only thing that saved the doctor from a broken nose was Bobby.
"I'll keep an eye on him for you, Sara," he said softly.
Sara looked over at Bobby and felt her anger lessen. She knew she could trust him. And it wasn't like she had a whole lot of choice in the matter. The doctor was liable to call security on her if she tried to stay. That was the last thing she needed. It would just be her luck to get banned from the hospital the moment Grissom finally woke up. She angrily grabbed her coat from the doctor and sulked out the door.
Once outside she leaned against the side of her Tahoe and looked up to the sky at the fluffy white clouds floating in a sea of blue. She smiled. It may have been cut short by the know-it-all doctor, but Sara knew she had just experienced one hell of a favorite moment. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone and hit the number four on her speed dial.
"Hey Nick, its Sara. Grissom's awake."