Title: Not Quite Myself Part 8: Concentrated Frustration Bites
Author: Roxanne Kowalchuk
Feedback: roxettemts.net
Category: Romance/Humor
Pairing: S/G (Sara/Grissom)
Disclaimer: I don't owe anyone. Maybe just the doctor.
Spoilers: IE. Just the Job.
Summary: Sara is having a bad day.
Notes: Toes are doing kind of better. Well sort of. Went to kickboxing class
Wednesday night and I managed to, I don't know what you'd call it, well
let's just say my big toe on the same foot that I broke my toes on, is
swollen and bruised. My kickboxing instructor is getting a chuckle out of
me. Everybody that knows me is laughing at me. I'm accident-prone, what can I say.
An Extra Big Thank You: To Kelly, my beta reader.
Archived: Yes, please!
Feedback is welcomed.
....................

"Anyone home?" Brass asked as he stuck his head into Sara's room but as he did so, he was almost beheaded by a flying tennis ball.

"Brass, I'm sorry," Sara apologized as she picked up the bouncing ball. "I
didn't see you there."

Making sure his head was still attached, Brass ventured deeper into her
room. "Venting frustrations?" he asked.

Sara chuckled. "You could say that. Just bored of being here."

"I can see that," Brass replied as he moved cautiously over to her.

"Did you bring me anything?" Sara asked as she put the tennis ball on her
nightstand.

"If I did, I'm still debating on if I should give it to you," Brass told her
with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I've put it down," Sara replied as she smiled.

Handing her a small bag, Brass spoke. "Dinner, I think." It was after all,
in the middle of the night.

"Thanks," Sara said as she dug in.

As she ate her food, Brass discussed what he had come to discuss with her.
"Sara, do you know when you're getting out of here?"

"Not sure yet, my doctor said he'd come back later on and tell me," Sara
answered. "Why?"

He needed to be honest. "We haven't found the suspect yet."

"Oh?"

"And we don't know what his plans are. We've put a guard on Deputy Jones and his wife and I'd like to do the same when you get out of the hospital,"
Brass explained.

"I can handle myself Brass," Sara replied.

He knew she'd say that. "Ah but Sara, you and I both know that you can't
handle a weapon right now."

He just had to point that out. "Soon I will be able too," Sara told him as
she flexed her hand.

"But that won't due for right now," Brass countered as he watched her. "Just
humor me, okay?"

She didn't want to. "I can take care of myself. And hey, I have Greg."

"Greg is on cloud nine right now."

"So true."

"Sara, I promise you, you won't even know that the officer is there," Brass
tried. He needed to convince her. This had to be done.

Taking a deep sigh, Sara spoke. "Fine, but if the officer gets in my way,
I'm kicking them off the job, got it?"

Brass smiled. "Got it."
..........

Returning to the lab, Brass went to see Grissom before heading to his
office. He wanted to inform Grissom of the current situation.

"Gil?" Brass said as he stuck his head inside Grissom's office.

Waving Brass in, Grissom was on the phone.

Brass moved quietly over to a chair and sat down across from Grissom. He
waited patiently.

He merely listened to the conversation and only spoke when it was needed.
And most of his answers were 'Yes, I know and no sir.' When he hung the
phone up, he looked over at Brass. "I hope you have better news."

"Not really," Brass told him. "But do I dare ask?"

"Sheriff Atwater is just trying to make my life miserable," Grissom
answered. "He wants Sara's case wrapped up now."

"To much bad press?"

"I don't know. I wasn't really listening."

Brass chuckled.

"So what did you want to tell me?" Grissom continued on.

"I've posted guards on Deputy Jones and Sara."

"You think he's coming back for them?"

"Could be a possibility."

"Does she know?"

"Oh ya."

Grissom knew Sara would be stubborn. "Had to convince her?"

"Yup," Brass answered. "But she finally agreed. She told me she could handle herself, but we both knew she can't handle a weapon yet. Her doctor hasn't given her the okay on how well her arm is doing."

"Typical Sara," Grissom mumbled but quickly explained himself. "She's
stubborn."

"You said it."

"So Deputy Jones has a guard too?" Grissom asked as he got back on topic.

"Yes, he's fine with that. Makes his wife feel safe," Brass explained.

"I just hope we find this guy before he finds them," Grissom told his
friend.

"I do too," Brass agreed as he got up. "Now I have to go do some police
work."

"All right, thanks for the update," Grissom told him as Brass walked out of
his office, not before waving a hand over his shoulder.
..........

Sara was bored. Sitting in her hospital bed all night and day made her
bored. She could only toss the tennis ball for so long before getting bored
of it.

Hearing knocking, she spoke. "Come."

Opening the door, a man in a while lab coat walked in. "Sara."

"Doctor Fischer," Sara greeted.

Walking over to the side of her bed, the Dr. Fischer looked down at his
patient. "Heard that you are bored? Is that correct?"

"Oh, a little," Sara answered.

"Well then, let's see if I can give you some good news," the doctor started.
"First, let me check your side."

Rolling over on to her left side, Sara pulled the sheet down and her gown
up, enough for him to see her side.

Peeling and checking her wounds, the doctor mumbled to himself. "Good,
good."

Sara flinched when his cold fingers touched her skin but other than that,
she was feeling fine.

Studying the last wound carefully, the doctor finally spoke to her. "This
one here will weep for a bit. We've been giving you antibiotics to help so
hopefully it won't get infected."

Sara didn't know if that was good or not. "Is that fine?"

"Yes, of course," the Dr. Fischer said as he re-dressed the wound "I'll want
to see you in a week."

Rolling back onto her back, Sara looked up at him. "I can go?"

"After your morning physio appointment, you may go home. But I want you to take it easy," the doctor told her. "And I want you to continue going to
your physio appointments."

"I will," Sara told him.

"All right then, you're almost free to go," Dr. Fischer replied as he stuck
out his hand.

Taking it, they shook hands.

"Thank you."

"Now don't take this the wrong way Sara, but I don't want to see a pretty
woman like you in here again, got it?" the doctor said to her.

Sara smiled. "I understand."

"Good," he said as he left her room.

Sara was so excited that she threw the tennis ball up in the air and watched
it bounce all around her room. She was going home.
..........

She dozed on and off until her physio appointment in the morning.

"You seem chirper?"

Sitting down in a chair across from Anna, Sara spoke. "Was about to say the
same about you."

"I have a reason," Anna answered as she smiled a kill-watt smile.

"And I have the answer, Greg."

Anna just nodded her head.

"You two are so a like, it's almost scary," Sara teased as Anna took her
brace off.

"Ya I know, it's the best," Anna replied as she flexed each of Sara's
fingers. "Tell me if I'm hurting you."

"You aren't but it hurts me when you don't ask why I'm so happy," Sara
continued on with a smile.

Anna knew Sara was just joking with her. "So sorry, what's got you all
chirper?"

"I'm going home after this," Sara answered.

"Cool, but you are coming back?"

"Of course, got to get better and I want to hear about all the romantic
things Greg does for you," Sara told her.

Anna laughed. "Like early morning breakfast dates."

"That explains the smile."

"He's just so adorable and he cherishes your friendship," Anna told her as
she continued to work on her hand.

"He does?"

"Yes, he loves being your friend," Anna explained to her.

"Hmm. This I have to ask him about," Sara teased.

"He'll turn a few shades of red," Anna warned.

"Oh I know." Sara smiled.

"Any ways, enough about my favorite topic, how's your hand?" Anna said as
she got back down to business.

"I've been using the tennis ball a lot, mostly because I've been bored,"
Sara replied. "It doesn't hurt, only when I try to make a fist."

"All your tendons aren't healed yet, it'll take time."

"How much time?"

"Let's just say, I'll tell you when it's a good time to go back to work,"
Anna explained to her.

"But my reports will be piling up."

"First mission is to get you to hold a pen, next mission, for you to hold
your gun," Anna told her. "How's that sound?"

"Good."

"Good," Anna agreed. "Now let's see if we can't strengthen your hand. Come this way."

.........
When she had phoned Brass and informed him that she was being released, he had sent over an officer to pick her up. He had told her that he was way to
busy and that he'd talk to her later. In her eyes, he was trying to keep
away from her. She figured that he figured that she had figured something
out. Something hadn't made sense when Brass had informed her that she was
getting a new best friend.

"Brass."

"Hey Brass, how's it going," Sara said into her phone, as she lay stretched
out on her couch.

"Sara!"

"Surprised to hear from me?" she asked. She had been phoning him all night
long.

"Ah, I have work to do," he informed her.

"And I won't stop phoning you until we talk, face to face."

Rubbing his face with his hand, Brass knew he'd have to give in sooner or
later. "I'll swing by in thirty minutes and we'll talk."

"On the way to the lab," Sara added.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"You just got out this morning."

"Yes I know and do you realize how bored I am. I'm sick of sleeping, and
there's nothing good on TV," Sara told him.

Brass had to chuckle. "Fine, we'll talk on the way to the lab but when I
leave, you leave."

Sara had to think that over. "Fine."
.........

Thirty minutes later, Brass was holding the passenger door to his Taurus
issued car open for Sara. "Easy does it."

"I'm not old, Brass," Sara said to him as she slid into the passenger seat.

"Just don't want you to hurt yourself," Brass told her, as he made sure she
was in then closed the door and went to the driver's side, where he climbed
in.

"I'll tell you when I hurt, okay?" Sara told him.

"Sure," Brass said as he started up his car and started off in the direction
of the lab.

"So, what haven't you told me?" Sara begun.

"Not sure," Brass answered.

"Yes you are. There has to be a reason why you've put a guard on each of
us," Sara explained to him. "What aren't you telling me?"

He knew he didn't have a choice. "All right," he began. "Gil and the team
figured some things out."

She didn't like any of this. "Like what?"

"That he had a reason for shooting and running."

She didn't understand. "All I wanted was to talk to him about the neighbor's
garage," Sara told Brass.

"Yes I know but he was hiding something else in his house. Something he
didn't want you to find out."

"Which was?"

"That he had killed his parents."

"What?" Sara was still confused.

"You heard me. We found them when we did a search of the house. Both were in their late 70's, had arthritis and weren't strong enough to fight back,"
Brass explained as he parked his car in his spot at the lab and shut his car
off. "He probably thought you'd find them, so he acted first."

"Well we did have a warrant."

"Then," Brass said as he got out of his car and rounded it. Opening the
passenger door, he held a hand out for Sara. "He had every right to do what
he did, but just to the wrong people."

"True," Sara agreed as they walked to the lab together. "Catherine and
Warrick never told me any of this."

"May be they wanted you to get better first," Brass pointed out.

"Maybe, but this is still my case," Sara told him as they entered the lab.

"Not anymore it isn't," Brass told her. "You're off the job right now.
You're only coming to visit Greg and that's it!"

"What are you my boss now?" Sara snapped.

"No, just a friend. And this friend can get you driven home if you don't act
properly," Brass said as he opened the door too Greg's lab.

"Sorry Brass," Sara apologized as a person stopped beside them. "You're
right, this isn't my case anymore."

"Exactly, now Greg, I'll be back later to bring her home," Brass told the
wild spiked lab rat.

"Got it," Greg replied as he wheeled a chair over for her. "Have a seat.
Tonight you are my guest."

Slowly climbing onto the chair, Sara turned to look at the departing Brass.
"You're leaving me with him."

Brass smiled one of his rare smiles. "Yes I am. Have fun." And with that, he
was gone.

Rolling Sara over to his desk, Greg sat down in his own chair. "How are you
feeling?"

"Good, just a tad bored. You?" Sara answered as she slowly spun the chair
around.

"Busy," Greg said as he kept one eye on his work and the other on Sara.
"Everyone is out of the lab tonight."

Positioning her chair back so she was facing Greg, Sara answered. "I was
just looking around."

"Uh huh."

"Haven't been in here for awhile," Sara told him.

Greg just smiled. "So Anna told me you were let go this morning."

"Yes that's true," Sara began. "What? Did you think I escaped?"

"Wouldn't put it pass you," Greg answered with a chuckle.

Sara just rolled her eyes. "Cute Greg."

"I know I am."

Taking a deep breath, Sara continued on. "So how is Anna? She seemed tickled pink this morning."

"Anna is the love of my life."

"You just met her."

"That doesn't matter. We are so much a like that it would scare some one."

Sara laughed to the best of her abilities.

"I found the woman of my dreams, Sara."

"Good to hear," Sara replied with a big smile just as some one new entered
Greg's lab.

"Hey Greggo."

Turning his head, Greg answered the person. "Hey Nick, what's up?"

"Got some evid..." Nick started as he looked up. But stopped when he saw who was sitting with Greg. "Sara?"

Sara didn't move. She wasn't in the mood to see Nick or speak to him.

Walking closer to Greg, Nick finished his sentence he had started earlier.
"Got some evidence for you."

"That's what I'm here for," Greg told him.

Taking a look at Sara, Nick spotted something. "Do you realize you're
bleeding Sara?"

She knew she wasn't. "Thanks for the concern," she said dryly.

"Look, I just informed you so you don't contaminate evidence," Nick told her as he turned around and left.

"Whatever," Sara mumbled as she looked over at Greg. "What?"

"Are you bleeding?"

"No, it's just weeping, my wound that is. The doctor said it would do that
until it healed," Sara informed him.

"So you aren't in any pain?"

"No, just upset that I'm getting stains on all my favorite shirts," Sara
replied.

Greg chuckled. "I think I could find some gauze and help you change it."

"Sounds good, Greg. Thanks."

But before Greg could jump off his chair, another new person followed by a
person who had visited a few minutes ago, walked into his lab.

"Sara, Nick here has informed me that you are contaminating evidence."

Greg didn't move a muscle.

Sara did. She slowly turned her chair around so that she was facing the
voice. "Contaminating evidence, is that what you think? You haven't even
collected all the evidence, Grissom."

"That's what I've been informed off," Grissom told her as he stood his
ground.

"Well for a top notch CSI Investigator, you've just broken all your rules,"
Sara snapped at him.

From across the table, Greg spoke softly. "Don't hurt yourself, Sara."

She understood his concern. "Don't worry Greg, I'll be careful. We just have
to worry about Nicky here always running to tattle on other people."

"He is concerned for you Sara."

"Bite me, Grissom."
...................

feedback welcomed!