"Grissom." Sara called out from the doorway of his office where she'd paused on her way to the break room before shift.
He glanced up and gestured for her to come in. He looked at her expectantly as she closed the door behind her and took a seat in the chair in front of his desk.
She smiled nervously. "I just had my first session with the psychologist Nick recommended."
Grissom arched his eyebrows and smiled. "How did it go?"
"Good." Sara looked at him earnestly. "I just wanted you to know that."
"Sara, I'm glad you found someone that you can talk to." He offered leaning back a bit in his chair.
Sara was quiet for a moment and then she looked Grissom in the eye. "How long do I have to do this?"
Grissom exhaled through his nose, leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. "By 'this' exactly what do you mean?"
She furrowed her brow in thought before she answered. "I just want things back to normal."
He nodded in understanding. "Sara, I know this can't be easy for you. You're just going to have to keep doing what you're doing. It's only been a few days."
Sara clenched her jaw, but nodded in understanding. "I know, but I feel like I've got someone watching me all the time."
Grissom arched his eyebrow in concern. "Is everything ok at Nick's?"
"That's not what I meant, but yes, everything is ok staying at Nick's. I just want to be able to do my job without people looking at me like I'm going to snap any second." She sounded frustrated.
Grissom's lips twitched into a half smile. "I'm sorry if we all seem a bit overprotective."
In spite of herself, Sara smiled. "I just want to do my job, Grissom."
"Be patient, Sara. We all want you to do your job too." He studied her for a moment. "But we also want you to have a life, a long life." He gave her a pointed stare to emphasize his point.
She nodded; a soft smile on her face.
Grissom let out a deep sigh. "I'll leave it to you and your doctor to determine what steps you need to take in your personal life, but for the time being, I still don't want you working solo and I'm not inclined to return your weapon to you."
Sara knew he was right, but she still didn't like it. A few days of everyone's concern was beginning to grate on her nerves. She almost wished that no one had known what had happened, it would have made things easier, but then again, she knew that her life was not working the way she was doing things before. Something had to change, and as difficult as the road ahead looked, she knew that talking about what had happened and making changes to her life was the best thing. She wanted to be happy again, and she hadn't been in a long time.
Grissom looked at her over the rim of his glasses and stood up, gesturing towards the door. "We've got assignments."
Sara nodded and followed Grissom as he headed to the break room. As she entered she walked over to get herself a cup of coffee. Catherine was seated at the table and Warrick was sitting on the couch looking at the sports page.
Grissom looked at them quizzically. "Where's Nick?"
Warrick glanced up. "Checking with Robbins about the tox screen on the vic from the senior prom."
Just then, Nick walked in, his brow furrowed as he studied the report in his hand.
Sara set her cup of coffee down on the counter. "Anything?"
"Huh?" Nick glanced up and then nodded. "Uh, yeah, actually. It looks like someone spiked her drink with Ecstasy."
"We have the how. Now we need the who." Sara commented.
Amusement flickered across Catherine's face as she regarded Nick. "Uh, so how were dancing lessons you two?"
Nick glanced over at Sara for a moment and then at Catherine, smiling. "In the interest of Sara's toes, we'll be looking for some other activity."
Sara looked at him curiously for a moment and then smiled, letting out a soft chuckle.
Warrick glanced over at Nick, studying him for a moment before commenting dryly. "I always thought you looked like you had two left feet."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence man." Nick barbed back good naturedly.
"Ok, we've got assignments. Nick and Sara, I want you to follow up with your case, keep me informed and let me know if you need any help. Greg is available if you need him." Grissom turned his attention Catherine and Warrick. "The two of you are with me. Brass is waiting at the scene." His expression brightened. "We've got blowflies."
Catherine rolled her eyes as she stood. "Great. I've got a new blouse and a decomp. Thanks, Grissom."
Warrick chuckled and stood up, glancing over at Nick and Sara. "See you later."
Nick leaned against the counter next to Sara and glanced over at her as the other three CSIs left the room. "Did you talk to Grissom?"
She nodded, furrowing her brow. "I don't know why I thought this was going to be a quick process."
He chuckled and nudged her with his elbow. "Hey, hang in there. At least you don't have to live with me forever."
She smirked. "Are you trying to kick me out?"
He grinned at her and slung his arm over her shoulder. "Not at all. You can stay as long as you need to." He chuckled softly. "Of course, if you're still around at the end of the month I might have to start charging you rent."
She elbowed him. "Hey, c'mon we've got to figure out who had access to our vic's drink at the dance."
"PD has a list of people they've interviewed and who was closest to her." Nick shifted easily into work mode.
Sara glanced over and him and smiled. "By the way, you didn't have to tell everyone that you stepped on my toes. I'll be the first to admit that I can't dance."
He chuckled as he pushed himself away from the counter. "Maybe you just need to try a different kind of dancing." He winked.
She rolled her eyes. "How many people did PD interview?"
"Last count?" Nick chuckled. "294."
A mischievous expression crossed Sara's face. "Didn't Grissom say we could use Greg?"
Nick started to laugh as he headed for the break room door.
"I think this is just the kind of thing we should use him for. Someone has to start reading through all of those." Sara concluded as she followed Nick out into the hallway.
He glanced up and gestured for her to come in. He looked at her expectantly as she closed the door behind her and took a seat in the chair in front of his desk.
She smiled nervously. "I just had my first session with the psychologist Nick recommended."
Grissom arched his eyebrows and smiled. "How did it go?"
"Good." Sara looked at him earnestly. "I just wanted you to know that."
"Sara, I'm glad you found someone that you can talk to." He offered leaning back a bit in his chair.
Sara was quiet for a moment and then she looked Grissom in the eye. "How long do I have to do this?"
Grissom exhaled through his nose, leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. "By 'this' exactly what do you mean?"
She furrowed her brow in thought before she answered. "I just want things back to normal."
He nodded in understanding. "Sara, I know this can't be easy for you. You're just going to have to keep doing what you're doing. It's only been a few days."
Sara clenched her jaw, but nodded in understanding. "I know, but I feel like I've got someone watching me all the time."
Grissom arched his eyebrow in concern. "Is everything ok at Nick's?"
"That's not what I meant, but yes, everything is ok staying at Nick's. I just want to be able to do my job without people looking at me like I'm going to snap any second." She sounded frustrated.
Grissom's lips twitched into a half smile. "I'm sorry if we all seem a bit overprotective."
In spite of herself, Sara smiled. "I just want to do my job, Grissom."
"Be patient, Sara. We all want you to do your job too." He studied her for a moment. "But we also want you to have a life, a long life." He gave her a pointed stare to emphasize his point.
She nodded; a soft smile on her face.
Grissom let out a deep sigh. "I'll leave it to you and your doctor to determine what steps you need to take in your personal life, but for the time being, I still don't want you working solo and I'm not inclined to return your weapon to you."
Sara knew he was right, but she still didn't like it. A few days of everyone's concern was beginning to grate on her nerves. She almost wished that no one had known what had happened, it would have made things easier, but then again, she knew that her life was not working the way she was doing things before. Something had to change, and as difficult as the road ahead looked, she knew that talking about what had happened and making changes to her life was the best thing. She wanted to be happy again, and she hadn't been in a long time.
Grissom looked at her over the rim of his glasses and stood up, gesturing towards the door. "We've got assignments."
Sara nodded and followed Grissom as he headed to the break room. As she entered she walked over to get herself a cup of coffee. Catherine was seated at the table and Warrick was sitting on the couch looking at the sports page.
Grissom looked at them quizzically. "Where's Nick?"
Warrick glanced up. "Checking with Robbins about the tox screen on the vic from the senior prom."
Just then, Nick walked in, his brow furrowed as he studied the report in his hand.
Sara set her cup of coffee down on the counter. "Anything?"
"Huh?" Nick glanced up and then nodded. "Uh, yeah, actually. It looks like someone spiked her drink with Ecstasy."
"We have the how. Now we need the who." Sara commented.
Amusement flickered across Catherine's face as she regarded Nick. "Uh, so how were dancing lessons you two?"
Nick glanced over at Sara for a moment and then at Catherine, smiling. "In the interest of Sara's toes, we'll be looking for some other activity."
Sara looked at him curiously for a moment and then smiled, letting out a soft chuckle.
Warrick glanced over at Nick, studying him for a moment before commenting dryly. "I always thought you looked like you had two left feet."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence man." Nick barbed back good naturedly.
"Ok, we've got assignments. Nick and Sara, I want you to follow up with your case, keep me informed and let me know if you need any help. Greg is available if you need him." Grissom turned his attention Catherine and Warrick. "The two of you are with me. Brass is waiting at the scene." His expression brightened. "We've got blowflies."
Catherine rolled her eyes as she stood. "Great. I've got a new blouse and a decomp. Thanks, Grissom."
Warrick chuckled and stood up, glancing over at Nick and Sara. "See you later."
Nick leaned against the counter next to Sara and glanced over at her as the other three CSIs left the room. "Did you talk to Grissom?"
She nodded, furrowing her brow. "I don't know why I thought this was going to be a quick process."
He chuckled and nudged her with his elbow. "Hey, hang in there. At least you don't have to live with me forever."
She smirked. "Are you trying to kick me out?"
He grinned at her and slung his arm over her shoulder. "Not at all. You can stay as long as you need to." He chuckled softly. "Of course, if you're still around at the end of the month I might have to start charging you rent."
She elbowed him. "Hey, c'mon we've got to figure out who had access to our vic's drink at the dance."
"PD has a list of people they've interviewed and who was closest to her." Nick shifted easily into work mode.
Sara glanced over and him and smiled. "By the way, you didn't have to tell everyone that you stepped on my toes. I'll be the first to admit that I can't dance."
He chuckled as he pushed himself away from the counter. "Maybe you just need to try a different kind of dancing." He winked.
She rolled her eyes. "How many people did PD interview?"
"Last count?" Nick chuckled. "294."
A mischievous expression crossed Sara's face. "Didn't Grissom say we could use Greg?"
Nick started to laugh as he headed for the break room door.
"I think this is just the kind of thing we should use him for. Someone has to start reading through all of those." Sara concluded as she followed Nick out into the hallway.