DISCLAIMER: I own nothing here. Please don't sue me.
CH.22
Sara greeted Catherine at her door with a smile. Her expression quickly changed to that of concern upon noting the look on Catherine's face.
"What's wrong?" She ushered Catherine into her apartment, and went to her refrigerator for drinks. "Water? Juice?"
"Juice would be fine, thanks. I just dropped Lindsey off at school." Catherine took a seat at Sara's computer desk.
Sara handed Catherine a bottle of orange juice, and sat down across from her.
"What's wrong, Cat?"
Catherine explained the whole long story about the check, the plans, and the recently deceased building inspector as Sara listened intently. She ended by telling her she was on somewhat forced leave until things were straightened out. Sara was livid.
"I know he's your dad and everything, but I'd really like to kick his ass!"
Catherine gave her a wry smile.
"I'll hold him down for you." She was exhausted, frustrated, and just plain disgusted.
"I'm really sorry, Catherine. You're right though. This isn't looking good. But, hey! You've got my testimony." Sara suddenly remembered what good her testimony had done for her earlier. "Then again, we may be screwed." Sara hated injustice, and this was the highest form if ever she'd seen it. Her pulse raced, and she took deep breaths to relax. She seemed to have these attacks frequently since getting home from the hospital.
"Whoa! It's ok, Sara. I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted you to hear it from me."
Sara looked down at their juice bottles, and suddenly snatched Catherine's bottle from her hands. Thinking Sara must be angry at her, Catherine rose to leave.
"Stay put. I'm just adding something a little stronger. I think we both could use it." Sara gave Catherine a halfhearted grin, and reached for the full bottle of rum in the cabinet over her sink. She poured their orange juice into two glasses, and then added a generous portion of rum.
"It's not like we're going anywhere." Sara handed a glass to Catherine, and took a long drink from her own.
"You sure you're allowed to drink with your medication?" Catherine eyed the concoction suspiciously.
"Yup. I'm just on antibiotics, and those are mostly gone." Sara took another drink, and sat back.
Catherine took a sip, testing the flavor, then drank down half the glass.
"Not bad." She wanted to ask Sara why she wasn't taking any pain killers anymore, but didn't have any argument left in her. "Grissom said he'd stop by after he gets off shift. They pulled Greg in fulltime."
Sara smiled.
"That's great! I bet he's happy." Sara emptied her glass, and was about to get up for more.
"I'll get it." Catherine collected both their glasses, and laughed at the last site she had of Greg in the locker room as Grissom informed him. "I believe the term for his reaction is 'frolic.' He frolicked through the locker room." It felt good to smile.
Spidey mewed from behind Sara, suddenly aware that he wasn't the center of attention.
"Hi, little guy. C'mere." Sara scooped the kitten up, careful not to bend her midsection too much. She still had a bottle full of pain killers in her medicine cabinet, but wasn't taking them at night by choice. She had taken them as instructed the first few days upon getting home, but they knocked her out for hours at a time. She couldn't explain it other than she didn't feel safe enough to be left so unaware of her surroundings. Grissom had been coming over every day when he got off shift. It was the only way she could get any sleep. She took her pain pills only when she knew for certain that Grissom would be sleeping over.
"This is such a mess." Catherine handed a fresh glass to Sara, and sat back down. "I knew he was capable of playing dirty. I guess I just thought I was immune somehow." Catherine's eyes were brimming with tears.
"Aw, Cat, I'm sorry." Sara wasn't great at comforting people. She could listen with the best of them, but she hadn't really ever been the shoulder that anyone leaned on. She drank down her glass quickly, and set it aside. "You wanna talk about it?"
"There's not much left to say. Sometimes people really suck." She shook her head. In one week, Sam Braun had managed to cripple half the night shift CSI's on her team. Sara with a gunshot wound, and herself with an unspoken threat.
"I bet he's sitting in his office right now bragging to one of his slime bag lackeys." Catherine nearly spit the words out through clenched teeth. "And he won't be able to resist. He'll just have to see how it's affecting me. He always loved to see the results of his work."
Sara sat up.
"You think he's going to try something? You and Lindsey are welcomed here anytime, but there's not much space. Nick has a bigger place with a guest room, and I know he'd be happy to help you out." Sara didn't like the idea of Sam playing chess with their lives. She was nobody's pawn.
"I can't leave town. That would look bad, and I hate the idea of hiding out, but for Lindsey's sake you may be right." Catherine put down her drink, and pulled out her phone. "I'll call my sister, and ask her to pick Lindsey up from school, and drop her off at the labs. I'll take a cab by my place, pick up some things, and meet up with them at work. If Nick agrees, he can drive us back to his place in his car."
"Good thinking." Sara was relieved that they had some semblance of a plan. "You've got a while until Lindsey's off school though. You better stay put until some of that alcohol runs its course."
"Yeah. I think you're right. Got any coffee?"
"Over the stove. Take your pick. Greg sent some of his favorite over last week. Might as well go for the good stuff."
With both Sara and now Catherine out, Grissom assigned Greg to work full time as a CSI, and pulled Archie in as a temporary sub. He didn't want to bring in any day shift subs if it was at all possible.
TBC
CH.22
Sara greeted Catherine at her door with a smile. Her expression quickly changed to that of concern upon noting the look on Catherine's face.
"What's wrong?" She ushered Catherine into her apartment, and went to her refrigerator for drinks. "Water? Juice?"
"Juice would be fine, thanks. I just dropped Lindsey off at school." Catherine took a seat at Sara's computer desk.
Sara handed Catherine a bottle of orange juice, and sat down across from her.
"What's wrong, Cat?"
Catherine explained the whole long story about the check, the plans, and the recently deceased building inspector as Sara listened intently. She ended by telling her she was on somewhat forced leave until things were straightened out. Sara was livid.
"I know he's your dad and everything, but I'd really like to kick his ass!"
Catherine gave her a wry smile.
"I'll hold him down for you." She was exhausted, frustrated, and just plain disgusted.
"I'm really sorry, Catherine. You're right though. This isn't looking good. But, hey! You've got my testimony." Sara suddenly remembered what good her testimony had done for her earlier. "Then again, we may be screwed." Sara hated injustice, and this was the highest form if ever she'd seen it. Her pulse raced, and she took deep breaths to relax. She seemed to have these attacks frequently since getting home from the hospital.
"Whoa! It's ok, Sara. I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted you to hear it from me."
Sara looked down at their juice bottles, and suddenly snatched Catherine's bottle from her hands. Thinking Sara must be angry at her, Catherine rose to leave.
"Stay put. I'm just adding something a little stronger. I think we both could use it." Sara gave Catherine a halfhearted grin, and reached for the full bottle of rum in the cabinet over her sink. She poured their orange juice into two glasses, and then added a generous portion of rum.
"It's not like we're going anywhere." Sara handed a glass to Catherine, and took a long drink from her own.
"You sure you're allowed to drink with your medication?" Catherine eyed the concoction suspiciously.
"Yup. I'm just on antibiotics, and those are mostly gone." Sara took another drink, and sat back.
Catherine took a sip, testing the flavor, then drank down half the glass.
"Not bad." She wanted to ask Sara why she wasn't taking any pain killers anymore, but didn't have any argument left in her. "Grissom said he'd stop by after he gets off shift. They pulled Greg in fulltime."
Sara smiled.
"That's great! I bet he's happy." Sara emptied her glass, and was about to get up for more.
"I'll get it." Catherine collected both their glasses, and laughed at the last site she had of Greg in the locker room as Grissom informed him. "I believe the term for his reaction is 'frolic.' He frolicked through the locker room." It felt good to smile.
Spidey mewed from behind Sara, suddenly aware that he wasn't the center of attention.
"Hi, little guy. C'mere." Sara scooped the kitten up, careful not to bend her midsection too much. She still had a bottle full of pain killers in her medicine cabinet, but wasn't taking them at night by choice. She had taken them as instructed the first few days upon getting home, but they knocked her out for hours at a time. She couldn't explain it other than she didn't feel safe enough to be left so unaware of her surroundings. Grissom had been coming over every day when he got off shift. It was the only way she could get any sleep. She took her pain pills only when she knew for certain that Grissom would be sleeping over.
"This is such a mess." Catherine handed a fresh glass to Sara, and sat back down. "I knew he was capable of playing dirty. I guess I just thought I was immune somehow." Catherine's eyes were brimming with tears.
"Aw, Cat, I'm sorry." Sara wasn't great at comforting people. She could listen with the best of them, but she hadn't really ever been the shoulder that anyone leaned on. She drank down her glass quickly, and set it aside. "You wanna talk about it?"
"There's not much left to say. Sometimes people really suck." She shook her head. In one week, Sam Braun had managed to cripple half the night shift CSI's on her team. Sara with a gunshot wound, and herself with an unspoken threat.
"I bet he's sitting in his office right now bragging to one of his slime bag lackeys." Catherine nearly spit the words out through clenched teeth. "And he won't be able to resist. He'll just have to see how it's affecting me. He always loved to see the results of his work."
Sara sat up.
"You think he's going to try something? You and Lindsey are welcomed here anytime, but there's not much space. Nick has a bigger place with a guest room, and I know he'd be happy to help you out." Sara didn't like the idea of Sam playing chess with their lives. She was nobody's pawn.
"I can't leave town. That would look bad, and I hate the idea of hiding out, but for Lindsey's sake you may be right." Catherine put down her drink, and pulled out her phone. "I'll call my sister, and ask her to pick Lindsey up from school, and drop her off at the labs. I'll take a cab by my place, pick up some things, and meet up with them at work. If Nick agrees, he can drive us back to his place in his car."
"Good thinking." Sara was relieved that they had some semblance of a plan. "You've got a while until Lindsey's off school though. You better stay put until some of that alcohol runs its course."
"Yeah. I think you're right. Got any coffee?"
"Over the stove. Take your pick. Greg sent some of his favorite over last week. Might as well go for the good stuff."
With both Sara and now Catherine out, Grissom assigned Greg to work full time as a CSI, and pulled Archie in as a temporary sub. He didn't want to bring in any day shift subs if it was at all possible.
TBC