I know, I know. Another big gap between updating!!! I don't mean to honest, I'm just having problems of late getting into CSI. But now that the new series has started I should be okay soon. At least this gap wasn't as big as the last gap. Hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm having doubts about the whole thing – not because of the story but because I don't think my writing is doing it justice at the moment. But please keep reading and l;et me know what you think of the story.
Leddy: The anxiety wait should be over now I hope. Thanks for the review.
Barb: Hope you're just as happy to see this update!
Jnp: Unfortunately I don't think this chapter is very uplifting but I think it's a little longer than the last!
G/C Fan: Yay! He is awake! But you'll have to wait a little longer to see what I've done with G/C. It's nothing major but it made me giggle to think about it Anyway…on with the story!!!
Chapter Ten – An Undecided Future
Hearing a slight rustle Jade looked up to see Grissom's head turn slowly, making the pillow crisply crunch. Jade sat up and leaned forwards.
"Gil? Warrick he's waking up."
Warrick shook his head out of his light doze and looked down at Grissom.
"Hey Grissom."
He said as he watched Grissom's eyes slowly flutter open against the light that was hurting his eyes. Jade leaned over to the headboard and pressed the call button. She took Grissom's hand in hers and smiled at him.
"Hey Gil, good to see you awake."
A few moments later Jack entered with a nurse. Jade looked over at him.
"He's awake."
Jack moved to the bed.
"Gil? Gil, can you hear me? Squeeze Jade's hand if you can."
Jade felt his hand tighten in hers and she smiled and nodded.
"Good, that's good. My name's Dr. Martin and your in Desert Palm Hospital. Do you remember what happened to you? Squeeze her hand if you do."
She didn't feel anything and she shook her head at him.
"Ok, that's to be expected. You've been in a coma, and we need to do a few tests if that's ok."
Jade nodded again as she felt him squeeze her hand. Then he opened his mouth as if he wanted to speak. Jack gently moved the mask from his face.
"What…happened?"
He managed to croak out, his voice sounding rough and unused. Jack looked to Jade to answer.
"You were at a crime scene, but the perpetrator returned and you were shot."
He frowned.
"Crime scene?"
He whispered, tiredly. She nodded.
"Yeah. You were covering part of the day shift and working alone. The cop at the warehouse doors was taken by surprise. You didn't stand much of a chance. You were lucky."
Grissom frowned, looking confused. He honestly didn't seem to know what she was talking about. A worried look crossed Jack's face and he leaned closer.
"Gil? Can you tell me your full name?"
Jade looked up at him quickly, as if suddenly shocked, then back at Gil. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, then slowly replied.
"Gil...Grissom."
Jade smiled a little. Jack nodded.
"Good...and can you tell me her name?"
He pointed at Jade. She smiled as his gaze moved to her face. But he merely stared at her, the blank look scaring her. There was no recognition in his eyes...nothing.
"I'm sorry...no."
Jade looked shocked and for a moment looked on the verge of tears but Gil looked up at her again and she smiled slightly.
"My name's Jade." She told him, then glanced up at Jack who was giving her a warning look. "I'm a friend."
Jack nodded to her reply, then turned back to Grissom.
"Can you tell me where you live?"
"...No..."
"Where you work?"
"...No..."
Fear swept into his face and he looked up at the Doctor.
"I don't remember anything...who am I?"
His voice quivered uncharacteristic and Jade felt her heart leap into her throat.
"Gil, calm down. It's going to be okay. You've been in a coma for quite a few weeks – there's likely to be some temporary memory loss. It's normal. It will return to you in time. Now I want you to get some more rest, okay?"
He nodded and suddenly looked very tired. He closed his eyes and Jack gestured for Jade to follow him. Warrick followed the both of them into the corridor while the nurse got Gil comfortable.
"Jack?"
Jade questioned.
"Jade, we knew that this was a possibility. Some memory loss was to be expected. I admit I wasn't expecting it to be to this extent but it could have been a lot worse. He remembers his name which is a good start – it means that the information is there somewhere – we just have to help him find it."
Jade looked away and down the corridor.
"Jade? Jade?" She looked at him. "We need to stay positive, okay? Gil is going to need you now more than ever. And the more time you spend with him – talking to him – the more hope he has of recovery."
Jade nodded.
"I know you're right, it's just...we've waited all this time and he doesn't even know me."
"I know it seems bad right now, but he will get better. It could have been so much worse – he might never have woken up for a start, and at first we didn't think he was even going to survive but he has. Okay?"
Jade gave him a smile.
"Okay."
Jack gave her a smile back.
"He'll sleep for a while now so I suggest you go home and get some rest, come back tomorrow morning."
"Thanks Jack."
He nodded and walked away. Jade stood there for a moment and Warrick could see her fighting her emotions so he moved over and gave her a hug.
"He'll be alright. It is Grissom after all."
"I know."
"Come on, lets go home."
She nodded and he led her back into the room to get their things.
*****
Leaving Jade sleeping at home, Warrick headed back to CSI to give the others the grave news. As he entered he bumped into Brass leaving.
"Hey Warrick, great news about Gil, eh?"
He said smiling. When Warrick didn't return the smile Brass' smile vanished from his face.
"What's happened?"
"Grissom woke up a few hours ago. And he can't remember anything."
"About the accident? That's to be expected, right?"
"No, I mean everything. All he could recall was his name."
Brass looked downhearted.
"Well, what do the doctor's say?"
"They said that it's worse than they first thought but that knowing his own name is a start. It'll just take a lot of time."
Brass nodded.
"Well, at least he's woken up. It's a start."
Warrick agreed.
"How's Jade holding up? She still at the hospital?"
"No, she's getting some rest back at home. She seems to be taking it okay, but it was a bit of a shock at first. I was just on my way to tell the others, thought I'd better tell them in person."
"Let me know if you hear anything, I've got some work to be doing in my office, laters."
He said and left. Warrick wandered through the offices, lab and break-room but didn't find anyone. Sticking his head into Greg's lab he asked if he'd seen any of the night shift.
"Sara and Nick are out on the field and I think Cath's down in the Morgue. Why?"
"Grissom woke up, but he's got amnesia. He can only remember his name."
"Seriously?"
Warrick nodded.
"Woah, that's heavy."
"Yeah. Anyway I'd better go and tell Cath. If you see Nick and Sara can you let them know?"
"Sure."
Warrick thanked him and left. Finding Cath down in the Morgue with Dr. Robbins, he gave them the grave news. Doc Robbins merely nodded and took it with what seemed like a pinch of salt, Cath however looked shocked and couldn't believe the news. Warrick knew that she was probably the closest of them to Grissom, having known him for over 10 years.
She followed Warrick back up to her office where they bumped into Sara and Nick.
"Is it true?" Sara asked straight away. "What Greg's told us?"
Warrick nodded and they all stood in a stony silence for a moment.
"The Doctor's told us it was a possibility, but they weren't expecting it to the extent that it was. They did say that it was a good sign that he knows his name because it means the rest of the information is there somewhere, it's just got to be unlocked."
"This is so unfair. Why Gris?"
Sara questioned.
"Why anyone?"
Cath said, then walked away on her to own, heading for her temporary office. She obviously needed to be alone.
"You guys better get back to work." Warrick told them. "I gotta get back to Jade."
"How's she taking it?"
"She seems to be holding up okay, but I don't know, she hasn't really said much yet."
"She'll be alright, she's got Grissom's logic."
Warrick laughed slightly at that.
"You're right there."
*****
The next day, feeling a little more refreshed, Jade took a breath and walked into Grissom's room. He was awake and he turned his head to look at her. She gave him a smile as she put her bag down.
"How are you doing today?"
"Okay I guess. I'm sorry...but I can't remember your name."
Jade inwardly saddened at the question, but hid it as she gave him a smile.
"It's Jade. You mind if I sit?"
"Please do."
He said eagerly. He pulled himself up carefully into a seated position as Jade took off her coat and sat down.
"The Doctor said someone who knows me would be coming in today. He said you would help me with the questions I have. I feel really strange and lost not knowing anything. Will you help me?"
"Sure. What do you want to know?"
"Could you just start with my family, my parents and stuff."
She nodded.
"Your mother lives in Nevada – near Lake Tahoe. Your father died a long time ago. You were an only child. I think you have some aunts and uncles but I don't think you're that close to them."
"I guessing that I'm not married – not having seen a or heard about a wife or anything."
"No."
"And what about you?"
"Me? I'm your God-daughter. You were best friends with my father – went to College together, worked together."
"Were?"
"He died, when I was eight, with my mother. I lived with my aunt and uncle but it was you that raised me. You're like a father to me."
He looked rather flattered and embarrassed.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to embarrass you but you wanted to know."
"I'm glad there seems to be someone out there I'm close to."
Jade smiled but didn't say anything. It sounded like a strange thing coming from Gil's mouth.
"I wouldn't say we were close close, but we had an understanding. You were never very open with your feelings and that worked for you."
"But not for you?"
He asked hearing an unanswered remark.
"You are who you are and I love you for that. I knew how you felt deep down, you just never said it that often."
"Oh."
She noticed the look on his face.
"Oh, no I didn't mean you were completely closed down or anything – you weren't. If fact you could be very sweet sometimes in your own way. You just liked to keep yourself to yourself. You have this air of mystery about you – people are always trying to work you out but can't and I think that amuses you."
That seemed to satisfy him and he continued.
"What about friends? You mentioned your father but..."
He left the sentence unfinished.
"You have a few good friends – work colleagues. And a few friends around the country in the same profession, that you get along well with. I think Catherine would probably be one of the closest. You've known her around 11 years and she's like the second in command under you. Then there's Warrick, Nick and Sara who you work with as well. There's Jim Brass – he's a homicide detective who used to work at the Lab, David Robbins – he works down in the Morgue – you've known him for a quite a while as well, um...I guess they would be the main friends and then there's practically everyone else at the Lab who knows you and you talk to them. There's Greg for one – he mainly just gets on your nerves a lot but you like him really." She smirked. "He's just...different."
Grissom looked confused for a moment, thinking to himself.
"Something wrong?"
"No-one's actually told me what I do. You've mentioned labs, crime scenes, Morgues. What do I do exactly?"
"You're a forensic scientist. You investigate crime scenes – everything from robberies to homicides to the down-right massacres, you search for evidence and clues, process evidence found on the victims to try to work out what happened and who did it. Kind of like the Cluedo of life I guess."
She smiled.
"Sounds interesting...although rather morbid. Dead bodies?"
She nodded.
"Although you've found worse than that."
"How can there be worse than dead bodies?"
"Parts of dead bodies, half rotten corpses, liquidised corpses. I can remember Sara telling me about a corpse they found in a hold-all. It was pretty much human soup."
Grissom went green with the thought and Jade looked shocked and tried to back-track.
"Sorry. I wasn't thinking."
"No, no. I guess I got used to it once, I can get used to it again."
Jade laughed.
"I don't think Sara got used to that one – that's usually as worse as they get, decomposed wise. Although I can remember some stories you grossed me out with. I almost didn't want to be a CSI after that."
She smiled at the memory.
"You're a CSI?"
"Not yet. I've just graduated from the University of California with a Ph.D. in Biology and Forensic Science. I was going to take some time out then find a lab to join. I was hoping to get into the Las Vegas lab so I could work with you."
He was about to open his mouth to comment on that, when a knock at the door interrupted him. They both turned to see Warrick stick his head in.
"It okay if I come in?"
He asked. Jade nodded, then turned back to Gil as Warrick entered.
"Gil, this is Warrick. He's one of the CSI's you work with. You've known him; what? A few years?"
"Yeah. You're my mentor, you've taught me pretty much everything I know."
He said smiling. Stepping closer to Jade he bent down and they gave each other a quick kiss, before he moved away to sit on the other side of the bed.
"You two are together?"
Grissom asked.
"Oh, yeah – forgot to mention that." She said with a smile. " Warrick and I have been going out for a few years now. It's been off and on because I was down in California doing my Ph.D. but now that I'm back it's kind of a permanent thing."
She smiled over at Warrick and he smiled back.
Grissom then proceeded to question Warrick about everything, before he became quickly tired and went to sleep. He awoke later to find Jade and Warrick gone and three strangers sitting in the room.
"Hey Gil."
The blonde one closest to him said, smiling at him. He looked to her, noticing the other two look over from their conversation by the window.
"I'm Catherine. Cath. Jade said she'd told you about me?"
"She said we were close friends, yeah."
Cath smiled at that.
"We sure are. This is Sara and Nick."
"Hey Gris."
Nick said to him.
"How you doing?"
Sara asked him.
"I'm doing okay. Other than the small fact that I can't remember anything."
He said lightly, a slight laughter playing in his throat. They all smiled sympathetically at him.
"Well, we're here for you in any way we can so if you've got any questions we're happy to answer them."
"Thanks. I really just wanna know about you guys. Who you all are, how I know you all, how close we are. Because I feel like I'm staring at a bunch of strangers."
Cath could see Nick and Sara were having a hard time with this very open Grissom. In fact she was finding it very strange but she was just glad that he was awake and he was okay save for the memory loss.
They answered all his questions as best they could and introduced him to Jim Brass and Al Robbins when they dropped in after their shifts. By the end of the day Gil felt exhausted but a lot more knowledgeable about himself and the people around him and he was able to fall asleep a little bit lighter that night.
There ya are!!! That'll hopefully leave you wanting more!!!! God knows when the next update will be. I know what's happening in the next chapter but I just haven't written it yet. I have a paragraph of to do's I need to put into it!!! Laters people.