The expression on Gil Grissom's face was one of utter shock as he hung up the phone. The news he'd just received was hard enough, but to find out the way he did hurt. He had been sitting there staring off into space, when Catherine entered his line of sight as she stepped into his office.
Concern was evident on her face. "Gil, what's wrong?" She stood directly in front of his desk, forgetting the reason that she'd come in there in the first place.
He looked at her, blankly at first, but then as her words penetrated the fog that surrounded his mind, hurt twinged at his eyes. "Nick and Sara."
Catherine looked confused. She knew from Warrick that Nick had decided to drive to Seattle with Sara, but they had both agreed to keep it from Grissom; however, she didn't think that Grissom finding that out would cause the reaction she was seeing before her. "What about Nick and Sara?"
Emotion caught in his throat. "There's been an accident, just south of San Francisco." His expression was pained.
Catherine felt tears stinging her eyes as she prepared herself for the worst. "Gil." Her tone was measured.
"A motorcycle crossed the centerline and hit them head on. They're both at the hospital. The California Highway Patrol called me because of Nick's LVPD ID card in his wallet." The fact that Nick had given him the impression that he was still in Dallas sat at the back of his mind as he considered what to do.
Catherine's mouth opened, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything.
Grissom could read Catherine's unspoken question. "They're both in surgery. I don't know how serious it is at this point."
Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. "But they'll be ok." Her eyes pleaded with him to give her some reassurance.
He paused for a moment, not sure of his own words. "I don't know, Catherine. I hope so."
"Did you call Nick's family?" Catherine looked worried.
Grissom shook his head and then steeled himself. "I thought he was in Dallas." He studied Catherine for a moment. "What was he doing in California with Sara?" He could tell that she knew more than she was letting on.
Catherine knew that there was no way getting around the truth so she just cut to the chase and looked him in the eye. "Sara accepted a position at a new branch of the Washington State crime lab up in Seattle. Nick was driving up there with her to keep her company."
Grissom winced a little. "Why couldn't he have just told me that?" He knew that his two younger CSIs were close, he just hadn't realized how close.
Catherine looked at him skeptically. "Gil, you've been a bear to be around the last couple of days. Do you really think you would have given him time off if he'd told you why? Besides, Sara really didn't want you to know where she was going."
He looked at her blankly and then as realization flowed over him he just nodded. "Sorry."
She knew that this probably wasn't the time or place for this conversation, but she also knew that right now he'd probably be most honest. "What did you do to make Sara leave?"
He looked confused. "I don't know. She just said that she didn't feel like her career was going anywhere here in Vegas." He knew that there was more to it, but that was what she had said in the letter.
"You been giving her crap cases for months and you know it." Catherine explained, trying to be a blunt as possible.
Grissom rubbed his temples, trying to stave off a migraine he knew was coming on. "I just didn't want to give her the wrong impression."
Catherine scoffed. "Gil, she's a professional. Give her a little credit."
"It's too late. Isn't it?" He had a very vulnerable expression on his face as he looked at Catherine.
Catherine raised a single eyebrow. "Are we talking personally or professionally?"
He furrowed his brow, annoyed at the question. "Catherine."
She pursed her lips together and leaned forward slightly. "Because I think it's too late for you if you want a romantic relationship with her, but it might not be too late if you want to try and convince her to come back to work."
Grissom looked confused, and then winced as he remembered the phone call he'd had just a few moments ago. "We don't even know if she's ok."
"She's strong and so is Nick." A smile flickered across Catherine's face. "He was willing to risk his entire career to drive up there with her."
Understanding registered on Grissom's face. "I haven't filed Sara's paperwork with human resources. I was hoping she'd change her mind. Officially she's on vacation." He knew he had to do something, at the very least he needed to say goodbye.
Catherine nodded, unable to keep from smiling, and then as her thoughts again turned to the news she'd received she looked Grissom in the eye. "When are we going to know something more about their conditions?" She just didn't want to believe that their injuries could claim their lives.
"Would you call Nick's family?" Grissom jotted a few things down on a piece of paper and then handed it to her.
Catherine nodded. "Yeah." She glanced at the paper with the hospital information on it.
"And can you take shift? I'm going to pull a few folks from days to cover." Grissom continued as a plan formed in his mind.
Catherine looked confused. "What are you going to do?"
He looked at her with a serious expression. "I'm going to San Francisco to be there when Nick and Sara get out of surgery, and to tell Sara what an ass I've been and see if I can get her and Nicky to come back."
Catherine carefully considered her words before she spoke. "Gil, do you think that's a good idea?'
Grissom looked at her with determination. "Catherine, you said it once yourself. This team is like a family and I need to make sure their ok." His voice wavered for a brief moment and then he steeled himself. "They have to be ok."
Catherine was a bit take aback by the emotion in Grissom's voice. He usually kept himself so controlled that she knew the news of Nick and Sara's accident had hit him deeply. She forced her tears back and put a smile on her face. "They'll be ok. Do you want a ride to the airport?"