Disclaimers, etc. in Part 1
A/N: I forgot to mention in the first part, a HUGE thanks to Ellen for being beta reader for this fic. :-) Also, I apologize if I have made any factual errors with regard to sleep apnoea. My best friend suffers from this and, therefore, I know a little about it, but I'm by no means an expert - I can attest to how much noise the machines make though!! g
A/N 2: Thank you so much for the reviews, keep them coming :-)
2/4
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"Dr Grissom, Ms Sidle, I'm Beth Scott, I'm on duty at the sleep lab tonight," a nurse said, offering her hand in introduction. "If you'd like to follow me, I'll take you to meet the patient we'll be studying tonight."
"Thank you," nodded Grissom, allowing Sara to proceed him down the corridor.
"Kesla, this is Dr Grissom and Sara Sidle from the Crime Lab; this is Kesla Taylor."
"Thank you for allowing us to monitor you tonight, Ms Taylor," said Grissom.
"Please, call me Kesla and it's no problem, I'm used to being watched while I sleep now."
"I don't know how anyone can get used to that," muttered Sara, not noticing the smirk that adorned Grissom's face as he heard her words. He was enjoying her discomfort far too much for his own good, but he couldn't help himself.
"I'm sure you probably have some questions to ask Kesla before we start, but I should just explain the way this will work tonight," said Beth. "Although we can tell how bad Kesla's condition is just by monitoring the required output of the CPAP machine, we're going to do a brief trial without the machine. It will only require Kesla going into a deep sleep for a short period of time and then I'll wake her up, so she shouldn't have any lasting side effects. Once I've noted her condition without the machine, she will go back onto it and will use that for the rest of the night. Now, I understand that you're to undergo monitoring as well, Sara, so that Dr Grissom can compare you both and understand more about the sleep apnoea condition?" Sara nodded and Beth continued, "Okay, well how about I show you to the room you'll be using and then you can ask any questions?"
"Yeah, okay," agreed Sara reluctantly.
"Your room is right next to Kesla's, but there's a wall between you and you each have your own bathroom. There is a one-way viewing wall which Dr Grissom and I will be behind and we'll be able to hear you at all times and communicate with you when we need to," explained Beth as they entered Sara's room for the night. "If you have any problems at all, just let me know by talking, okay?" she smiled.
"Yeah, thanks," said Sara, still trying to look as though she was comfortable with the situation when she most certainly wasn't.
They returned to the main lab to join Grissom and Kesla, who were talking about when Kesla was first diagnosed with sleep apnoea.
"So, you've been visiting the sleep clinic here for five years then?" he asked.
"Yes," she nodded. "It was kind of weird the first time, so I can entirely understand why Sara doesn't feel comfortable."
Sara caught the tail-end of this conversation and was a little surprised to find she was part of the topic.
"Kesla, are you ready for some cocoa?" asked Beth.
"Of course, what else do you think I come here for besides the cocoa?" she laughed, turning to explain to Grissom and Sara, "Beth makes the best cocoa I've ever tasted and I always have some when I'm here, it helps me to get to sleep more easily."
"Sara, would you like some as well?"
"Yeah, thanks, Beth, that would be good," replied Sara, wondering when she'd last had a cup of cocoa and thinking that it wasn't likely to really help send her to sleep.
"Dr Grissom, would you like some coffee, since we both have to stay awake tonight?"
"Yes, thanks."
Beth left the room and Sara took the opportunity to really appraise Kesla for the first time. She looked to be in her early 30's and was obviously a people person, since she wasn't phased in the slightest by the thought of Grissom watching her sleep.
"How do you find having to use a machine every night when you sleep?" asked Sara. "I believe they can be rather loud, does it get annoying?"
"No, not really, you get used to it I guess," shrugged Kesla. "The only time it really causes a problem is with my boyfriend."
"He doesn't like the machine?"
"It's not that, well not really." Looking at both Grissom and Sara, she elaborated, "It's not exactly conducive to love-making, shall we say," she smiled. "I mean, obviously, I only need to use the machine for sleeping, but it kinda kills the spontaneity, you know? Mike, my boyfriend, can't wake me up first thing in the morning by kissing me, as he has to remove the mask first."
"I've heard you can use a nasal canula instead of a mask though," commented Grissom. "Have you never considered that?"
"I tried that at first, but I didn't like it and decided on the mask instead. Like I said, it's not really a major problem. Mike is great about it, much better than my last boyfriend, he said the machine got on his nerves and kept him awake all night."
"I think I'd rather be kept awake by the machine than kept awake thinking my girlfriend was going to stop breathing at any moment," said Grissom.
"That's what Mike says," smiled Kesla. "He says he's got used to it now, though he still finds that his breathing tends to regulate to mine, because he can hear it through the machine, but he doesn't mind."
"He sounds like quite a guy," said Sara.
"He is."
"Drinks are up," announced Beth as she re-entered the room and placed their mugs on the table.
Just as Grissom reached for a mug, his pager went off. Glancing at the number, he excused himself to use the phone in the side office.
"So, Dr Grissom is your boss?" asked Kesla after Grissom left. Sara nodded. "It must be kinda weird for you then, huh? I mean, having to sleep in front of a stranger is bad enough, but in front of your boss?"
"Believe me, Grissom and his experiments have had me in weirder situations," said Sara wryly.
"Ooh, that sounds intriguing, do share," encouraged Beth with a laugh.
Any elaborations from Sara were prevented by the re-appearance of Grissom.
"That was Brass," he informed Sara. "He's finally tracked down Jennifer Hawkins boyfriend to his brother's place in Laughlin, he's bringing him in for questioning tomorrow."
"It's taken them this long to find him at his brother's?"
"I know, but Brass said it was difficult to get any personal information about him, not even from his work file."
"Well, maybe we should talk to him tonight?" she suggested hopefully.
"We're here now, I think we should keep to the original plan, we still need to understand what the machine does so that we can ascertain if there was any way foul play could have been involved." Sara's hopeful face fell and Grissom chuckled, "Nice try though."
"Do you have any questions before we begin?" asked Beth, looking at both Sara and Grissom.
"I'm fine," shrugged Sara.
"I'll ask as we go along, if that's okay?" replied Grissom.
"No problem. Kesla, you know the drill. Get changed and leave the machine off for now. I'll be there in a few minutes to hook up the heart monitor."
"Heart monitor?" queried Grissom.
"Yes, because she won't be using the machine, I need to monitor her heart, so I can record when she stops breathing and how long it is before she wakes herself up," explained Beth. "Sara, you can just go ahead and get ready, I'm not going to monitor your heart, but we will use the microphone next to the bed to study your breathing pattern."
"Okay," nodded Sara, standing up and starting to leave the room.
"I hope you don't snore, Sara," chuckled Kesla as they left.
----
Grissom and Beth chatted while waiting for Sara and Kesla to change and enter their rooms. Grissom gently probed Beth for what she could remember about Jennifer Hawkins, but she wasn't able to tell him too much without access to the notes, and Dr Mathieson had those locked away.
"Ah, they're ready," said Beth suddenly, noticing both Kesla and Sara emerging from their respective bathrooms into their rooms.
Grissom took in the sight before him. Sara was dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, obviously feeling uncomfortable as she looked at the wall she knew Grissom was behind. His eyes switched to Kesla and found her wearing flannel pajamas under a robe, discarding the robe as she climbed into bed.
"Everything okay, Sara?" asked Grissom over the intercom while Beth attended to Kesla.
Sara started to nod and then remembered that he could hear her if she spoke.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just wondering how the hell I'm supposed to sleep."
"I'm sure you'll manage if you try, you usually achieve anything you set your mind to," he smiled.
"Not always," she muttered under her breath, but she was so close to the microphone by the bed that Grissom caught her words. He swallowed hard as he fought the urge to respond, even with a smart-ass comment. "So, what do I have to do, just go to sleep? Do I need to wait until Kesla falls asleep?" asked Sara.
"I don't think so, I just need to be able to compare your breathing patterns. I'm not sure if the sleep apnoea really has anything to do with this or not, but I need to understand it properly."
"You know, since Kesla is going to be woken up later to switch the machine on, I could really watch what's going on with her now and then sleep once she has the machine on," said Sara.
"Yes, you could," agreed Grissom, "but it's probably easier if you just try to sleep now anyway. I'll waken you when Kesla is going to go onto the machine, so I can compare accurately."
"Fine," grumbled Sara, finally climbing into bed.
Grissom watched as she tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position. He noticed Beth leaving the other room and briefly checking on Sara before joining Grissom in the lab.
"Do you have any questions, Dr Grissom?"
"Not so far, I just want to watch and listen."
"No problem. You'll see me make a few notes as the night progresses, so if you want to know anything, just ask. If there's anything I can't answer, I'll pass it on to Dr Mathieson and she can contact you."
"Thank you."
"Is Sara okay?" asked Beth, observing her squirming around in the bed.
"She hasn't said she isn't," said Grissom nonchalantly.
After about ten minutes, Grissom saw that Kesla had started to fall asleep, but Sara was still struggling. She finally gave up all pretences and looked directly at the one-way viewing wall.
"I can't do this, Grissom!" she said sharply.
"Sara, just try," he sighed through the intercom.
"You try!" she yelled.
Grissom let out an annoyed puff of air and, excusing himself from Beth, made his way towards Sara's room. She heard the door opening and turned shocked eyes to her boss; she had not expected him to actually enter the room where she was supposed to be sleeping.
"Sara, this is important. I'm supposed to be out there studying Kesla, but I need you to concentrate and fall asleep," he said gently.
"I'm trying, Grissom, but it's not that simple," she said seriously, but with a soft voice.
"I know, but you must be tired, you just pulled a double shift."
"I am tired," she admitted, "but I just can't sleep. I'm never good at sleeping, I've told you that before. I did tell you that you should have got someone else to do this," she pointed out.
"You make for a better comparison, since you're roughly the same age and size as Jennifer Hawkins. Is there anything I can do to help you sleep?" Sara looked at him with an amused smirk and Grissom smirked back. "You know what I mean." Suddenly, Sara let out a yawn and Grissom laughed. "Either I'm boring you, or you might be ready to sleep now."
"You really want me to comment on that?" she grinned.
"Go to sleep, Sara," he laughed, silently leaving the room.
----
"You see how Sara's breathing pattern is rhythmic, following a steady pattern?" said Beth as she and Grissom monitored the breathing patterns of Sara and Kesla. "You heard when she slipped into the REM state and she's now in a deep sleep. With Kesla though, her breathing is more laboured and you can hear it becoming irregular, even though she too has passed the REM state. Probably within a few minutes, Kesla will stop breathing. It shouldn't be for long, you'll see how her automatic body functions take over and wake her up."
"How long do you expect her breathing to stop for?" asked Grissom, studying Kesla's heart monitor carefully.
"I would estimate around a couple of minutes, based on her notes from previous visits. If it's any longer than that, we may need to adjust some settings on her machine, as her current settings may not be enough to cope with the change in her condition." Grissom nodded his understanding just as Beth continued, "Her breathing has just stopped."
As Beth had suspected, it was nearly two minutes later when Kesla woke herself up so that her breathing could start again.
A theory was starting to form in Grissom's mind and he asked what he knew could be a very pertinent question.
"You said that, if Kesla's condition had worsened, her machine may not be able to cope with its current settings?"
"Yes."
"Is it possible that, if Ms Hawkins condition worsened, her machine would not be enough to prevent her from stopping breathing?"
"It's possible, but she would know if that was the case, as she'd start getting the symptoms of sleep apnoea again, the headaches and tiredness during the day."
"Yes, but if it happened recently and she was due to visit here tonight, she could have planned to wait and just get the new settings tonight, rather than making a special visit," mused Grissom.
"That's possible," agreed Beth. "I guess we'll never know for sure though."
"Maybe, maybe not."
"I'm going to wake up Kesla and get her started on the machine," said Beth.
"Okay, I think I'll waken Sara so I can compare their sleep from the start again," said Grissom, following her out of the lab.
----
Grissom closed the door to Sara's room behind him, trying to make as much noise as possible, as he wanted her to wake up without him having to actually rouse her. Unfortunately, the almost slamming of the door did not do the trick and his feet stomping across the room didn't work either. He was left with only one other option, shaking her awake. He considered just letting her sleep, especially since he didn't know how easy she would find it to get back to sleep, but he really wanted to monitor her from the start again, in relation to Kesla when she used the machine.
"Sara," he whispered, crouching down beside her bed. No response. "Sara," he tried again, a little louder this time. She still didn't stir and he placed a hand onto her arm gently, shaking her a little. "Sara," he said again as he shook, "you need to wake up now."
"Mmm, 'nother few minutes," she mumbled.
"Sara, I'm sorry, but you need to wake up. You can go back to sleep soon."
"Grissom?" she said as she sleepily opened her eyes. It took her a moment, but she soon remembered where she was and started to sit up. "I guess I fell asleep after all, huh?" she grinned.
"Yeah, you did," he smiled. "I'm sorry I had to wake you, but Kesla's putting her machine on now."
"Oh. Did you find anything useful when you watched her without the machine."
"I think so," he nodded. "I want to go watch Kesla set her machine up, will you be okay?"
"Sure, just let me know when I can go back to sleep," she yawned.
"For someone who didn't want to sleep in the first place, you're doing a pretty good impression of a tired person," he smirked.
"Just helping you out, boss," she grinned.
Grissom shook his head as he left to check on Kesla.
"Is it okay if I come in?" he asked hesitantly, standing just outside the door to Kesla's room.
"Sure, the more the merrier," laughed Kesla.
"I wanted to observe you setting up the machine and thought it might be easier to view it directly," he explained.
"No problem," she smiled. "Beth is just making a note of the settings, to make sure I haven't accidentally changed them or anything."
"This is your machine from home?" said Grissom with surprise.
"Yes, we ask all patients to bring their machines so that we can check they're using them properly," said Beth.
Nodding, Grissom watched as Kesla double-checked the settings and then put the mask over her face, positioned the tubes and settled back into the bed. She sat up a moment later and removed the mask.
"Problem?" asked Grissom.
"Yeah, the elastic on the mask is twisted and it's digging into the back of my head," said Kesla.
"Really?" said Grissom, instantly interested in her comment.
"Yeah, I guess it's the short hair that make me feel it so much, but if I was to lie like that all night, it would drive me nuts."
His earlier theory was becoming ever more clearer in Grissom's mind and he made a mental note of Kesla's remark before turning to Beth.
"I think it might be useful to monitor Sara's heart this time," he said.
"Really?"
"Yes, I think it'll give me a better overall picture."
"Will she be okay with that?" asked Beth.
"She'll just have to be," shrugged Grissom, returning to the lab and leaving Beth to give the 'good news' to Sara.
He entered the lab just in time to hear Sara's comment about payback and he couldn't help the smirk on his face when Beth returned.
"I don't think you're her favourite person right now," smiled Beth.
"Nothing new," he grinned.
"Sara," he said over the intercom, "you can go back to sleep now." She merely grunted in response, flipped over onto her side, found the heart monitor was restraining her and turned onto her back before closing her eyes.
----
"Mmm, Griss," mumbled Sara.
In the viewing lab, Grissom sat up straight, eyes wide as he registered Sara's words.
"Did she just…?" he asked Beth.
"Yeah," she smiled. "Are you two…?"
"No! No, we're not," he said firmly. Looking at Sara, he said," She's just messing with us."
"She's not," replied Beth. "Look at her heart rate and listen to her breathing, she's in the REM phase of sleep."
Grissom wanted to argue, but the evidence was there and he had no rebuttal.
"She's probably just thinking about a case," he said weakly a few moments later.
"Yeah, because everyone uses that tone when they're thinking about a case," grinned Beth. "Oh, that reminds me," she continued, "I assume you want a tape of tonight's studies?"
"Tape?"
"Yes, we record everything that goes on with the studies. I already cleared it with Kesla that you could have a copy if you wanted and I can give the master copy of Sara's, since we don't need it for anything."
"Uh, yes, thanks," said Grissom. "I should probably take them, in case I need to refer to them as evidence."
"No problem, you'll have them before you leave."
----
Sara woke up and looked around for a few moments trying to get her bearings. Remembering where she was, she glared at the one-way viewing wall.
"Morning, Grissom," she said, her tone not angry, but not exactly full of sunshine either.
"Morning, Sara," came his voice a moment later. "Sleep well?"
The mirth in his voice was obvious and Sara scowled.
"Oh yeah, it was a riot, you should try," she said dryly.
"I think I'll pass. There will be coffee here when you're ready."
Sara nodded, got out of bed, grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom. She emerged around fifteen minutes later, freshly showered and dressed. Checking the room over to make sure she had everything, she left and headed for the viewing lab, where she found Beth, Grissom and Kesla waiting for her.
"Hi, Sara," said Beth and Kesla in unison.
"Morning," she replied, trying to appear cheerful, though she scowled at Grissom when she caught his smirk. He wordlessly handed her a cup of coffee.
"So, you got everything you needed, Dr Grissom?" asked Kesla.
"Yes, thank you for agreeing to this Kesla, it's been very helpful."
"No problem. If you need anything else, you have my number," she smiled. "I'm going to get going, Beth," she continued. "I have today off and Mike isn't going to work until later, so I want to go say hi."
"Sure, Kesla. Dr Mathieson will be in touch to discuss the results, but I don't think any of your settings need to be changed."
"Great, thanks. It was good meeting you, Dr Grissom, Sara," she said genuinely, looking at each of them in turn.
"You too, thanks again," said Grissom, shaking her hand.
"Yeah, thanks, Kesla," said Sara, still sipping her coffee.
"I'll just go and make a copy of Kesla's tape for you," said Beth, exiting the room with Kesla.
"So, was this actually any use?" asked Sara as soon as she and Grissom were alone.
"Yes, I think it was. I have a theory I want to check out, but it involves us going back to the victim's house."
"Okay. What's the theory?"
"I don't want to say right now," said Grissom, prompting a somewhat hurt and confused look from Sara. "I need to experiment and I think if I clued you in now, the experiment wouldn't be as realistic."
"I'm sure that makes sense to you, somehow," smiled Sara.
----
TBC…