Sara's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "His…his mother?" She turned to look out of the door, where she could see a police officer going to help Grissom. "Are you sure?"
Catherine nodded, closing her eyes. "I'm sure. I've met her a few times." She put a hand to her mouth, clenching her eyes even tighter. "Oh god…" Then she opened them, hearing Grissom shouting at the police to leave him the hell alone. She turned towards the door, and saw Grissom shakily making his way to his Tahoe. She turned to Sara quickly. "He can't drive like that! Sara, see if you can stop him. Or just make sure he makes it home, or wherever he's going."
Sara nodded, her heart slightly panicking, then rushed out to the other Tahoe, Grissom having already pulled out in his. A police officer tried to get answers from her, but she pulled out soon after.
She followed Grissom as best she could, but soon lost track of him in the traffic. She took a guess and went to his house. She sighed in relief when she saw his Tahoe parked in front. At least he's at home, she thought to herself. She quickly put her car in park, then rushed up to the front door. From inside, she could hear the sound of glass shattering and things falling.
Then it stopped, suddenly. Her heart skipped a beat and she reached for the doorknob. She hesitated only a second, thinking that perhaps Grissom needed his own time, but she wanted to help him. That part of her won out, and she pushed the door open.
She stepped inside, noticing how everything on his kitchen counters was knocked out of place, some glasses and plates shattered on the ground. She frowned, then stepped further into his house. She heard shuffling from deeper in the house, so she continued walking.
"Grissom?" she called, not wanting to startle him. She got no reply, but still continued walking towards his bedroom. She carefully peered around the corner into it. Grissom had his back to the wall, with one knee pulled up to his chest. His forehead rested on the knee, and his hands covered his face. Sara's heart felt as if it were torn in two. This was Gil Grissom, CSI extraordinaire. He wasn't supposed to be like this. She slowly approached him, noticing that one of his hands was bleeding badly. She sank down beside him, taking his hand in hers.
He didn't look up, but Sara could tell that he was or had been crying, and that tore her heart up even more. Grissom had always stayed strong before, not matter what the case. This kind of thing should never have happened to him. Fighting back her own tears for his heartache, she slipped an arm around his shoulder, wrapping the other around his chest. She thought he may pull away, but he didn't. Instead, he seemed to melt into her, burying his face in her shoulder. Sara closed her eyes, holding him close to her.
"Grissom…I'm so sorry…" she said, choking on her own words. Words alone could never tell the grief she felt for him, the pity. "I'm sorry…"
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Catherine gently knocked on the door, unsure if she should intrude or not. She heard a muffled 'Come in", and slowly pushed the door open. The first thing she noticed was the mess in the kitchen, horribly out of place in Grissom's neat home.
She didn't see anyone, but knew that both Sara and Grissom were still here, both of their Tahoes still parked below. Seeing no one in the living room, she headed back towards the bedroom.
Sara looked up at her from the floor when she entered. She offered Catherine a small smile. She still sat with her back against the wall, but Grissom had drifted off into a restless sleep, and she held his head in her lap. Occasionally, Grissom would tense up in his sleep, and his face would contort in fear. Sara would grasp his hand tightly, and the spell would pass.
"He fell asleep a while ago. Cried himself to sleep, I think."
Catherine sank down beside Sara, idly running a hand over Grissom's hair. "Poor guy…This shouldn't have happened to you," she whispered softly. She looked up at Sara. "What happened to his hand?" she asked, gently lifting it up from the floor.
"Have you seen his kitchen? My guess is that he cut it on something while he was flinging stuff." She looked down at his face for a moment. "What are we going to do?"
Catherine shrugged. "We'll just have to do our jobs, I guess. As hard as it may be. The question is: who can work it? Not Grissom, that's way out of the question. And…not you, I think."
Sara looked up at her abruptly. "Why not me?"
Catherine looked up at her. "Well…" She sighed and shook her head. "You're too close to Grissom to work this case. I know you would mean well in your investigation, but you're too personally involved."
"Well, who's going to work it? Whoever did this needs to be found. For Grissom…"
Catherine put a hand on Sara's shoulder. "Nicky and I will work it."
TBC
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Wow, this story got a lot of support. I appreciate that. It was an odd idea that popped into my head, but once ideas get there, they don't go away until I write it.
Sorry the chapter is so short, but I promise they will get longer.