Disclaimers, etc. in Part 1

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Part 2 of 3

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"Grissom, Sara, what are you guys doing here?" asked Nick as they walked towards him. "How's the leg, Sara?"

"It's fine and we're here because I have a scene to process."

Nick looked at Grissom quizzically, silently wondering why he'd brought Sara back, but the look he received in return told him all he needed to know; Sara was being stubborn.

"There's not too much left to do, I'm just about to release the body," Nick told them. "I've processed most of the perimeter, but still have a few parts to cover," he said, pointing to the areas he still had to check.

"Okay, you get back to the lab, Nick with whatever you've collected so far, get Greg started," instructed Grissom.

"What?" queried Nick with shock.

"Sara and I will finish up."

"But, it's my scene."

"You and Sara were both working this, Nick," said Grissom calmly, sensing the younger man's ire. "You can get a head start on the lab work and make sure Doc Robbins gets started on the autopsy."

"But, should Sara even be working right now, with her leg like that?"

Sara was about to reply, but Grissom got there first. "I'll be here to keep an eye on her and, if necessary, she can sit in the car while I finish processing the scene."

"Fine, I'll see you back at the lab," huffed Nick, stalking away from them after throwing Sara a glare.

"You didn't have to send him back," said Sara as soon as Nick had left. "He's gonna be pissed at me now."

"What was I supposed to do? The scene doesn't merit three of us being out here."

"You could have left Nick here and gone back yourself," she pointed out.

"Yes, but I need to make sure you don't overexert and, if you do, I can send you home; it's part of being a supervisor," he told her with a slight smirk.

"I'm gonna take the perimeter," she said. "You should check the body before it's released, there's plenty of bugs there to keep you occupied." Grissom didn't reply, he just shook his head and let out a sigh, so Sara gave a self-satisfied smile and picked up her field kit.

She hadn't been walking for long when she felt the pain in her leg intensify. Initially, she thought it was just the painkillers wearing off but, as she bent down to check an indentation in the ground, she felt a sharp pain. Standing up, she lifted her left leg off the ground, transferring all her weight to her good leg, and let out a hiss of pain. Before she knew what was happening, she lost her balance and toppled sideways. She shot her arms out to lessen the impact, but her reactions were dulled by the earlier painkillers and she didn't make it in time; instead, her head crashed off the ground and she felt her eyes drift closed before she could even utter a word.

It was a few minutes later when Grissom came to check on her, having just released the body and finished up at the dump site. He didn't spot her at first and his eyes roamed the desert before finally seeing her slumped on the ground. Breaking into a run, he called out her name and speeded up when he didn't receive a reply.

"Sara?" he called again as he got closer. She still didn't reply, but he noticed her move slightly and he let out a sigh of relief as he dropped to the ground beside her. "Sara, what happened?"

Opening her eyes, she met his gaze and slowly answered, "My legs gave out."

"You fell?"

"Yes," she nodded, grimacing as she moved her head.

"Did you hit your head?" he asked with urgency.

"I think so," she admitted.

"You think?"

"I don't really remember."

"Okay, let's get you to hospital," he said, moving his hands underneath her back.

"I don't need to go to hospital, I just need a minute to get my strength back," she protested.

"You have a possible head injury, Sara, you're going to hospital."

Knowing this was one argument she wouldn't win, she sighed, "Fine." Feeling his hands start to move again, she warned, "But I can walk, don't you dare attempt to lift me". He quickly removed his hands. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, but had to admit defeat and allow Grissom to pull her off the ground.

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"Sara, what happened?" asked the now familiar nurse as Sara and Grissom arrived back at Desert Palms and she saw them enter the ER. "You were released, what, less than 3 hours ago and you're back again?"

"Long story," mumbled Sara in embarrassment.

"She fell and hit her head," explained Grissom. "I think she needs to be seen right away, as she doesn't remember what happened."

"Okay, take a seat for a minute and I'll see what's open," said the nurse. She walked to the treatment area and returned a moment later. "There's a curtain area open, but nobody's available at the moment to check you over. You shouldn't be left alone with a possible head injury, but my shift just ended and I really can't stay back tonight," she explained apologetically.

"I'll go back with her, if that's alright," offered Grissom. Sara opened her mouth to protest, but she was cut off as the nurse readily agreed to Grissom's suggestion.

Showing them to a curtain area, the nurse settled Sara on the bed and explained that someone would be with them as soon as possible, but they were doing a shift handover and it might take a little while.

"You don't need to stay, Grissom, I'm fine," said Sara as soon as they were alone.

"You heard the nurse, you shouldn't be left alone at the moment."

"I'm okay, I'll just sleep for a little bit."

Grissom's head whipped up to look at her and he raised a hand sharply. "No, Sara, you know that's the worst thing you can do when you have a possible concussion."

"I don't have a concussion."

"You don't remember hitting your head, yet you have a bump forming on the back of your head which says you did hit it, so I think we'll wait and see what the doctor says, okay? In the meantime, you're staying awake."

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It was around ten minutes later when a doctor entered the curtain area to treat Sara. Grissom started to leave but, for a reason she couldn't fathom, Sara stretched out a hand and rested it on his arm, silently asking him to stay. He nodded and moved to the foot of the bed so that the doctor could stand beside her to make his assessment.

It didn't take long for the doctor to diagnose that she had a concussion and the x-rays confirmed that there was no skull damage.

"I can go now then?" asked Sara impatiently.

"That depends," replied the doctor.

"On what?" she demanded.

"Well, you have a concussion so, if you go to sleep, you'll need to be woken every two hours, just to check that you can be woken; it's important that you don't slip into unconsciousness. Do you have someone at home who can look after you?"

Sara was about to reply, but Grissom got there first. "No, she doesn't." Suddenly realizing what he was doing, he turned to Sara and asked, "Do you?"

"No," she admitted.

"Well, in that case, we'll need to keep you in overnight," said the doctor.

"I'll be fine at home," insisted Sara.

"I'm sorry, Sara, that's not an option," said the doctor. "Head injuries can be very serious."

"I'll stay with her," offered Grissom, looking at Sara and seeing her eyes widen in shock. She opened her mouth to protest, but Grissom continued, "It's either that or you stay here, Sara."

"I'll call someone… a friend," she said.

"Who do you want to call? I'll phone them for you," said Grissom.

"Uh… Nick, Warrick, anyone," she hedged.

Checking his watch, Grissom pointed out, "Shift ended a while ago, they're probably all at home and asleep. Sara, is it so bad to have me at your apartment? You won't even know I'm there, other than when I wake you up. What's the problem?" he asked. There was a mix of humor and hurt in his voice and Sara gave him a weak smile.

"There's no problem, I just don't want to inconvenience you."

"You won't be."

"So, you're going home?" asked the doctor for clarification.

"Yes," confirmed Sara.

"Okay, just a couple of things then. First, you'll need to be woken every two hours, as I said. I'll give you a booklet on the things to look for when she wakes up, Mr Grissom," said the doctor, waiting for Grissom's nod before continuing. "Also, you won't be able to take any painkillers, Sara, as they can have side effects that could make you very tired and that's not good with the concussion. Unfortunately, not only does that mean you're going to have one hell of a headache for a while, it also means you can't take any more pain relief for your leg injury."

"Great, just great," muttered Sara, earning a sympathetic look from Grissom.

"Is there anything she can do to relieve the pain, without medication?" asked Grissom.

"Sleep is the best thing, so do try to sleep, even though you know you have to be woken every two hours."

"How long can she sleep for? When will we know that it's safe for her to sleep normally, without having to be woken?"

"Around eight hours should be fine, but the booklet will tell you the signs to look for and should help you determine when she's okay."

Grissom nodded and the doctor took his leave, telling them he'd return in a few minutes with the booklet and Sara's release form.

"Grissom, you know this means that your sleep is going to be interrupted as well, right?" said Sara.

"Yes."

"But, aren't you tired? You pulled a double yesterday."

"I'm okay. I'll catch some sleep on your couch and borrow your alarm clock so I can wake you up."

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Sara unlocked the door to her apartment and went inside, leaving Grissom to follow her and close the door behind them.

"I um… I guess I should show you where everything is," she said hesitantly. "The bathroom is there," she continued, pointing to a closed door, "and that's my room there."

"You should get some sleep," said Grissom. "Do you want a hot drink or something?"

"Uh, yeah, I think I have some hot chocolate somewhere," she replied, walking to the kitchen area and opening cupboards. She finally found the tub of hot chocolate and set it on the counter before going to the fridge for the milk. Grissom's hand on her arm stopped her actions.

"Sara, go to bed, I'll do this," he said gently.

"You sure?"

"Just point me in the direction of your milk pan and consider it done."

Sara smiled and retrieved a pan from a drawer before silently heading to her bedroom.

"Sara, can I come in?" called Grissom through her bedroom door a few minutes later. Upon hearing her affirmative reply, he slowly entered carrying a mug of hot chocolate and set it on her nightstand. Sara was lying propped up in her bed, wearing a tank top with sweatpants just visible above the line of the blanket, and was holding a book in her hands. "I'll just leave this here for you, but drink it before it gets cold."

"Thanks."

"I'll leave the door slightly ajar, so just call if you need anything, okay?" he said seriously.

"Yeah, okay."

"I'll see you in two hours."

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TBC…