Chapter Thirty
When Grissom returned to Las Vegas he managed to dodge many of Catherine's shooting questions as to why he had a certain glow about him. He'd remained silent, choosing to conceal the truth for as long as possible, unwilling to share his happiness with anyone else.
He'd called Sara as soon as he got back, relieved to hear that she was once again in control of her emotions and returned to her normal self. He'd also heard her voice tinged with sadness, one which mirrored his own, but he had still kept good his promise of not withdrawing inside his shell again.
If anything he had returned a better, wiser man, and he was determined to live his life with the woman who wanted to share it with him. Nothing else mattered now except getting through the next three months without her, and with her strength carrying him, he knew he could do it.
"Hey Grissom," Nick grinned as he knocked on the door frame before stepping inside the small room. "Welcome back."
"Thanks," Grissom nodded, his eyes returning to the file in his hand.
"So did you see Sara?"
"Huh?" Grissom tried to feign ignorance and looked up into the younger man's eyes with barely concealed delight.
Nick caught the gleam in his supervisor's eye almost instantly and closed the door before taking the chair opposite him. "How's she doing over there?"
"You know Sara," Grissom murmured, hoping his act would carry through with this charade. "She's fit into her new role perfectly and seems to be getting along well with her co-workers."
"Come on Grissom, you know what I mean here." Nick sat forward, pressing a question that had haunted him since he'd given him Sara's address. "Did you guys put things right between you?"
"That's personal Nick," Grissom warned, his eyes glinting as he spoke.
"Dammit Grissom, I swear if you hurt her…"
"I didn't hurt her." Drawing in a breath, Grissom sat back in his seat and regarded the young Texan whose obvious affection for Sara flushed a twinge of jealousy through him. "I wouldn't."
"Glad to hear it," Nick nodded. "So is she okay?"
"She's fine," Grissom told him with a smile as his mind conjured up an image of her sleeping beside him after their first night together. "She's settled and happy Nick, and she's not staying on in Maine."
Nick sat back and let a puff of relief leave his lungs. "Thank God," he breathed, "I really thought we'd lose her this time."
"We haven't lost her Nick," Grissom told him with just a hint of a smile on his lips. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a mountain of paperwork to get through before shift."
Standing to his feet, Nick headed towards the door but turned around before opening it. "You know, it's cool that you two have finally figured out what to do about the tension between you." On seeing Grissom's head snap up, he grinned. "Relax, I spoke to her an hour ago and she had a sparkle in her voice. I just put two and two together…"
"And come up with three?" Grissom asked sarcastically, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.
"Ah, not this time Griss. I got a good feeling about you two." Opening the door, he walked outside before Grissom had a chance to respond.
Pulling off his glasses, Grissom stared towards the closed door and felt the instant fluttering in his chest. He'd have to be more careful if he wanted to protect their relationship from outside influences. Shaking his head, he turned back to the file that laid open on his desk feeling his concentration slowly slipping away.
Pulling his cell phone from his pocket he pressed Sara's speed dial number and held the phone to his ear. He knew she would be working, almost nearing the end of her shift, but he needed to hear her voice.
After three rings, he heard her. "Sidle."
"Hey, it's me," he said softly, an instant smile reaching his lips.
"Hey," she said cheerfully. "You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just needed to hear you that's all." Lounging back in his chair, he closed his eyes to let his memories take him back to Maine.
Sara chuckled before answering him, her obvious delight at hearing from him heard filtering through every word. "I miss you."
"I miss you too, honey," he smiled. "I have to get back to work now, but…"
"I know," she told him. "I'm glad you called."
"Me too. I'll call you when I get home. Will you be awake?"
"For you…of course."
He laughed softly and huffed out a soft sigh, "I have to go."
"Okay." After a few seconds, her voice lowered "I'd tell you, you know…but I'm not alone around here."
"Well fortunately for you, I am," he smiled. "I love you."
"You too."
"Talk to you later sweetheart."
"Later." The phone clicked off to leave silence in his ear, but he didn't care anymore. If getting through the next three months meant calling her on the occasions when he had a quiet few minutes, then that's what he would do.
Replacing the phone back into his pocket, he rubbed his hands over his face before closing the file on the desk. Standing up, he went in search of the rest of his team, finally pleased that work would consume him until the end of shift.
Back in Maine, Sara stared down at the cell phone in her hand with a silly grin on her face.
"Your boyfriend again?" Treyson asked with a teasing smile. "That's the second time today, must be getting serious."
"Oh you are such a comedian," she groaned, a soft smile gracing her lips as she placed her phone onto the belt at her hips. "Haven't you got tests to run or something?"
"Nope," he grinned as he sat forward to rest his elbows on the table opposite her. "So tell me, what's it like?"
Sara stared at him for a few seconds almost afraid to ask, "Uh ... what's what like?"
"Oh you know, having a life," he grinned. "You know I'm only jealous because I don't have one."
"What makes you think I have one?" she deadpanned, trying hard to keep the smile from his lips.
"Oh come on, just look at yourself," he grinned. "You're smiling and then there's that gleam in your eye…"
"What, I can't smile now?" she laughed, her friend's obvious affection for her lightening her earlier sadness.
"Oh you can certainly smile," he beamed affectionately as he pushed his chair back and stood up.
"Are you sure you haven't got a hidden brother called Nick?" She asked, smiling. "Because you know, if you have a secret family tucked away in Texas I swear I won't tell!"
"No, no and no," he laughed, their light banter coaxing her from her seat to follow him towards the door and back to work.
Grissom walked into the break room to find his team converged around the table waiting for him. There was an unusual quietness about them tonight, one which was more disturbing than anything else. Looking around each face in turn, he tried to make light of their seriousness. "Did somebody die and I don't know about it?"
"Uh…"Catherine started, clearing her throat before she spoke. "We sort of expected your usual stoic and uhm… closed-off Grissom, now you're all…changed and all."
Shaking his head in confusion, Grissom looked down at his attire as he tried to fathom what Catherine was trying to say.
"Griss," Warrick spoke from across the table. "What Cath's trying to say is that you look different, more relaxed."
"Oh." Grissom turned accusing eyes towards Nick who cast him a look that was just as confused. "Well, isn't being relaxed a good thing?"
"Well, yeah" Warrick nodded, "we're just not used to seeing you so…"
"So relaxed," Catherine finished for him.
"Well all I have to say is that, yes I am relaxed, but I'm sure that will change as the night goes on." Taking the papers in his hand, he handed a slip over towards Catherine. "You and Warrick have a DB in the Belagio, Brass will meet you there."
Turning to Jared, he handed the younger man his own slip. "You're solo, you have a dead girl at the Tangiers."
"I'm solo?" He grinned, "cool."
"Your supervisor speaks highly of you," Grissom told him. "I think it's time you had a case of your own."
"Great." Taking the paper from Grissom, Jared looked down at it and started to walk out of the room, a smile tinting his features.
"Okay what about me?" Nick asked expectantly.
"You're with me, we have a floater in Lake Mead." Handing the paper to Nick, he walked out of the door leaving the younger CSI with a hesitant smile on his lips. Shaking his head, Nick headed towards the door. Grissom's attitude was changing, for the better.
TBC
