Sara didn't really notice when Grissom returned to her hospital room. She was deep in thought and staring at the cast on her arm.
Grissom looked at her with concern. "Sara?" His voice was soft, trying not to be intrusive.
She glanced up and sniffled, pasting what she hoped would pass for a smile on her face. "Hey, did you get a hold of them?"
He nodded as he took a seat in the chair next to her bed. "They're on their way." He studied her for a moment and then decided that he might as well get the conversation he'd been dreading over with. "Sara, I'm not very good with people."
For some reason, Sara found the statement funny. "You came all the way from Vegas to tell me something I already know?"
Grissom smirked at her, shaking his head. "No, I came because I needed to know if you and Nick were ok."
Of all the things she expected him to say, that was not one of them. His comment touched her deeply. "Thank you." She glanced back at her cast.
Grissom let out a deep breath and continued. "I wish you hadn't quit, Sara."
She furrowed her brow. "But I did. I have a new job." She scowled in frustration. "That is if I can ever get up there."
Grissom pursed his lips at her expression. "I'm sorry that I didn't treat you as an equal professionally."
She looked at him in disbelief. "Catherine told you to say that, didn't she?"
Grissom was a bit taken aback, but nodded. "It doesn't change the fact that she's right. I haven't been treating you the way I treat her or Warrick or Nick."
"Or Greg." Sara added with a bit of snort.
Grissom considered that for a moment and then nodded, speaking softly. "Or Greg."
She regarded him for a moment. "Don't try and tell me that the lab needs me, because the lab will be just fine without me." She was dangerously close to tears and the last thing she wanted was to have him tell her the same words that he'd used over and over again to keep her from leaving.
"You're right." Grissom admitted, regret edging his voice.
She looked at him surprised by his admission.
He continued, looking directly at her. "But I suspect that Nick needs you, and the rest of us will miss you."
Sara's eyes widened and then she blinked a few times before she said anything more. "Oh."
Grissom reached over and put his hand on her arm. "Sara, I haven't filed your paperwork with human resources yet. I was hoping that you might consider changing your mind. Technically I have you on vacation."
She furrowed her brow and looked at him in confusion. "But I quit."
"I know. I was hoping you would reconsider." Grissom looked at her earnestly.
Sara felt a myriad of emotions. "I don't know if I can, Grissom. I'm tired of getting assigned the shit cases because you think I'm going to take something the wrong way."
"I'm sorry if I've made you feel that way." Words that Catherine had spoken to him resounded in his mind. "I was unfair and I didn't treat you professionally."
She could not help but note the sincerity in his voice. "Do you really mean that?"
He nodded. "Sara, it was never my intent to make you quit. I just wasn't sure what to do about this and I behaved badly." He gestured between them, referring to the underlying tension between them stemming from the romantic feelings she'd had for him and his inability to know how to respond to them.
Sara steeled herself. "It's too late for this, Grissom. I moved on a while ago, only you didn't seem to notice. I just wanted to be able to do my job."
"I'm sorry." Regret was evident on his face. "I'm not sure what else to say, Sara."
Sara sniffled. "Can you go find out when I can see Nick?"
Grissom nodded, standing up to leave. "Sure." He knew that at the moment she needed to be alone and he didn't want to intrude.
A half hour later, with a nurse in tow, Grissom entered Sara's room again.
Sara glanced up as he entered. "Grissom."
He gestured towards the nurse who was pushing a wheelchair. "Apparently, someone's awake and asking to see you."
Sara's eyes widened. "Is he ok?" Her expression pleaded with him.
Much the same way that the doctor had answered his question, he gestured towards the wheelchair. "Why don't you hop in and find out." There was something impish about his expression.
With a little bit of effort to steady her arm and her sore ribs, the nurse helped Sara into the wheelchair. She was thankful that the nurse had brought her a robe to wear over her hospital gown so that she wouldn't be giving anyone a peep show.
A few minutes later, the nurse wheeled Sara into Nick's room. A slow steady beep of a heart monitor sounded in the corner. Stopping at the edge of his bed, Sara studied his face for a long moment. His eyes were closed and he looked tired. She reached out and took his hand in hers, rubbing the back of it with her thumb.
Nick's eyes slowly fluttered open and a smile began to spread across his face as he realized who it was that held his hand. "Sara." His voice was a bit raspy.
She smiled at him, feeling tears slip down her cheeks. "Hey, you're ok."
He gave her a tired grin. "You're ok." He let go of her hand long enough to reach over and brush the tears off of her face. "Don't cry."
She sniffled. "I just wanted you to be ok."
"I'm gonna be fine." He stroked her cheek with his fingers, looking at her earnestly. "How are you?" He looked at the cast on her arm, and his brows knit together in concern.
"I'll be fine." She smiled through her tears that continued to slip down her cheeks. "I guess we aren't getting to Seattle anytime soon."
He chuckled softly, wincing as he felt the stitches on his incision pulling. "I guess not."
"What's wrong?" Sara looked at him with concern.
He shook his head. "I think I'm gonna have to be a little careful about laughing until this heals."
Sara took Nick's hand again, giving it a squeeze. "I'm just so glad that you're ok." Her voice was thick with emotion.
He squeezed her hand in return and felt tears forming in his eyes. "Hey, I needed to ask you something."
"What's that?" Sara replied, looking into his eyes and holding tightly to his hand.
The hint of a smile twitched at the corners of Nick's mouth. "For someone who claims to hate country music so much, how in the world do you know the words to 'Beer for My Horses'?"
Grissom looked at her with concern. "Sara?" His voice was soft, trying not to be intrusive.
She glanced up and sniffled, pasting what she hoped would pass for a smile on her face. "Hey, did you get a hold of them?"
He nodded as he took a seat in the chair next to her bed. "They're on their way." He studied her for a moment and then decided that he might as well get the conversation he'd been dreading over with. "Sara, I'm not very good with people."
For some reason, Sara found the statement funny. "You came all the way from Vegas to tell me something I already know?"
Grissom smirked at her, shaking his head. "No, I came because I needed to know if you and Nick were ok."
Of all the things she expected him to say, that was not one of them. His comment touched her deeply. "Thank you." She glanced back at her cast.
Grissom let out a deep breath and continued. "I wish you hadn't quit, Sara."
She furrowed her brow. "But I did. I have a new job." She scowled in frustration. "That is if I can ever get up there."
Grissom pursed his lips at her expression. "I'm sorry that I didn't treat you as an equal professionally."
She looked at him in disbelief. "Catherine told you to say that, didn't she?"
Grissom was a bit taken aback, but nodded. "It doesn't change the fact that she's right. I haven't been treating you the way I treat her or Warrick or Nick."
"Or Greg." Sara added with a bit of snort.
Grissom considered that for a moment and then nodded, speaking softly. "Or Greg."
She regarded him for a moment. "Don't try and tell me that the lab needs me, because the lab will be just fine without me." She was dangerously close to tears and the last thing she wanted was to have him tell her the same words that he'd used over and over again to keep her from leaving.
"You're right." Grissom admitted, regret edging his voice.
She looked at him surprised by his admission.
He continued, looking directly at her. "But I suspect that Nick needs you, and the rest of us will miss you."
Sara's eyes widened and then she blinked a few times before she said anything more. "Oh."
Grissom reached over and put his hand on her arm. "Sara, I haven't filed your paperwork with human resources yet. I was hoping that you might consider changing your mind. Technically I have you on vacation."
She furrowed her brow and looked at him in confusion. "But I quit."
"I know. I was hoping you would reconsider." Grissom looked at her earnestly.
Sara felt a myriad of emotions. "I don't know if I can, Grissom. I'm tired of getting assigned the shit cases because you think I'm going to take something the wrong way."
"I'm sorry if I've made you feel that way." Words that Catherine had spoken to him resounded in his mind. "I was unfair and I didn't treat you professionally."
She could not help but note the sincerity in his voice. "Do you really mean that?"
He nodded. "Sara, it was never my intent to make you quit. I just wasn't sure what to do about this and I behaved badly." He gestured between them, referring to the underlying tension between them stemming from the romantic feelings she'd had for him and his inability to know how to respond to them.
Sara steeled herself. "It's too late for this, Grissom. I moved on a while ago, only you didn't seem to notice. I just wanted to be able to do my job."
"I'm sorry." Regret was evident on his face. "I'm not sure what else to say, Sara."
Sara sniffled. "Can you go find out when I can see Nick?"
Grissom nodded, standing up to leave. "Sure." He knew that at the moment she needed to be alone and he didn't want to intrude.
A half hour later, with a nurse in tow, Grissom entered Sara's room again.
Sara glanced up as he entered. "Grissom."
He gestured towards the nurse who was pushing a wheelchair. "Apparently, someone's awake and asking to see you."
Sara's eyes widened. "Is he ok?" Her expression pleaded with him.
Much the same way that the doctor had answered his question, he gestured towards the wheelchair. "Why don't you hop in and find out." There was something impish about his expression.
With a little bit of effort to steady her arm and her sore ribs, the nurse helped Sara into the wheelchair. She was thankful that the nurse had brought her a robe to wear over her hospital gown so that she wouldn't be giving anyone a peep show.
A few minutes later, the nurse wheeled Sara into Nick's room. A slow steady beep of a heart monitor sounded in the corner. Stopping at the edge of his bed, Sara studied his face for a long moment. His eyes were closed and he looked tired. She reached out and took his hand in hers, rubbing the back of it with her thumb.
Nick's eyes slowly fluttered open and a smile began to spread across his face as he realized who it was that held his hand. "Sara." His voice was a bit raspy.
She smiled at him, feeling tears slip down her cheeks. "Hey, you're ok."
He gave her a tired grin. "You're ok." He let go of her hand long enough to reach over and brush the tears off of her face. "Don't cry."
She sniffled. "I just wanted you to be ok."
"I'm gonna be fine." He stroked her cheek with his fingers, looking at her earnestly. "How are you?" He looked at the cast on her arm, and his brows knit together in concern.
"I'll be fine." She smiled through her tears that continued to slip down her cheeks. "I guess we aren't getting to Seattle anytime soon."
He chuckled softly, wincing as he felt the stitches on his incision pulling. "I guess not."
"What's wrong?" Sara looked at him with concern.
He shook his head. "I think I'm gonna have to be a little careful about laughing until this heals."
Sara took Nick's hand again, giving it a squeeze. "I'm just so glad that you're ok." Her voice was thick with emotion.
He squeezed her hand in return and felt tears forming in his eyes. "Hey, I needed to ask you something."
"What's that?" Sara replied, looking into his eyes and holding tightly to his hand.
The hint of a smile twitched at the corners of Nick's mouth. "For someone who claims to hate country music so much, how in the world do you know the words to 'Beer for My Horses'?"