Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. But I can dream, can't I?
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COMFORTING ARMS -------------------------------------------------
Sara sitting at a red light with Jim, thinking to herself:
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The way he looks in those suits, especially the blue ones; they light his eyes in that perfect way. But I would have to say that I prefer him in jeans, although, sometimes, I think I'm the only one that ever sees him in denim. I love the way they hug his curves and accentuate his muscular rump. Sometimes, I find myself daydreaming and I envision myself reaching out, "Just a little touch" I tell myself, but as soon as my fingers are within reach, something happens and I snap back to reality, a strange sense of loss and a feeling of lust, unrequited.
Sometimes, I think he knows I'm watching him, but, hey, who cares? I think he likes the attention, truth be told. Its almost as though he knows and makes a show for me, waggling his butt a bit and squaring his shoulders. Oh, his shoulders, how I love them. They're so broad and strong as well as muscular. I can't even count the times I've been held in his protective grasp. He hugs me to him and tells me "everything will be ok". Those words just make me forget all my troubles. Troubles that began right after came here, to Vegas.
When I came here, there seemed to be a certain amount of tension between Jim and the rest of the crew, but since I was new, and didn't know about everything that had happened before my arrival,
I was able to start with a clean slate. At first, I wondered why this little man had inspired so much animosity and tension among the lab personnel, but as for me, I was oblivious; but not for long.
Present time:
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This morning, after a particularly nasty shift, Jim asked me out for a bite to eat. Hungry as I was, I could not bring myself to eat. Today was the day that we found Kay Shelton in the desert and I was, admittedly, distressed. Jim picked up on this and when he asked me out, I knew I wouldn't eat, but instead, we ended up talking about the case. Halfway through our meal, I began to nod off. Jim, in his typical caretaker fashion, invited me back to his place for some coffee. A bit suspicious, but more tired, I accepted his offer.
We took his car, as he didn't want me falling asleep at the wheel. He followed me back to the lab where I parked my truck and then I jumped into his car. I only remember a few minutes of our ride because I fell asleep on the way. I don't remember how I got into his house, but when I woke, I was on the couch, my feet on his lap and covered by a wool blanket. Groggily, I opened my eyes and saw quite possibly the sweetest thing I've ever seen. Jim was asleep as well, his head tilted back on the headrest of the couch, his hands folded on top of my legs and his feet propped up on the coffee table. I took a few minutes to take in his features, strong and noble, before I carefully rose up and shuffled my way to the bathroom. I felt unusually rested but at the same time, still tired.
As I walked down the hall back to the living room, I saw the very inviting guest room. Stepping inside, I immediately plopped down on the bed, my intention only to feel the firmness of the mattress, but soon enough, I had fallen back to sleep.
Jim woke sometime later and feared that I had left. He stood up, stretched his stiff muscles and went to the rest room. Having finished his business and washed his hands, he started down the hall when he heard a scream from the guest room. Quickening his pace, he stopped outside the door and saw me, still asleep, but obviously in the throes of a nightmare. He rushed to my side and climbed on the bed to sit beside me. Taking me into his arms, he smoothed my hair back and "shooshed" me. Snapping out of my nightmare, I looked around to see my surroundings. Seeing Jim, I began to sob uncontrollably. Jim cradled me and rocked back and forth.
"Its ok, Hun, everything is gonna be fine." He said
"Oh, Jim, I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to see me like this." I replied
"That's ok. Sometimes, even I have nightmares."
"Sometimes is nothing. I have them every night." I said
Continuing to cradle and rock me, Jim slipped into a slightly more comfortable position. He was sitting, leaning against the headboard with me between his legs, my head on his chest. Jim continued to smooth my hair and console me. After a few minutes, he began to hum to. It was a song that his mother would sing to him when he had nightmares as a child, and somehow, he thought it might help me. As he hummed, I grabbed his forearm tighter and leaned into him.
"Jim, would you stay with me, I mean, just until I fall asleep?" I asked
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He said as he slid a bit further down the bed
As I got myself comfortable in Jim's warm, loving embrace, Jim could not help but wonder what it was that made me have bad dreams every night. After a few minutes, Jim fell back asleep, content to just hold me in his arms.
A bit later, Jim woke, having to use the bathroom. Slowly, he slid out of bed and made his way to relieve himself. He was washing his hands when he heard a blood curdling scream from the guest room. Jim ran to my side and reassumed his previous position with me. This time I was awake and sweating like a kept servant.
"Its ok, Sara. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." He reassured me
"Jim, I'm so sorry. I never meant for you to see me like this. I must look pathetic." I replied
"No, not pathetic; but distressed. I've got something that might help you sleep." He said,
leaving the room
Jim returned moments later with a medicine bottle and a glass of milk. He handed them to me and told me to take them. I washed the pills down with the milk and curled up on my side with Jim behind her. I fell asleep soon after and slept through the rest of the night, as did Jim.
When we woke in the afternoon, Jim was slightly less rested than usual, but I was ready to greet the world. I rolled over to see Jim, an arm crooked over his eyes to keep out the sun and a slight nose whistle that I thought cute. I decided to let him sleep while I prepared breakfast. My first destination was the bathroom and an empty bladder. Secondly, I was going to put the coffee on and fix breakfast. Looking through the cabinets, I found all the makings of Belgian waffles complete with whipped cream and strawberries. I also found bacon, eggs and mushrooms . Donning an apron that said "Kiss the Cook" I mixed all the ingredients together and poured the batter in the waffle iron. Turning to the coffee maker, I poured a mug for Jim and took it to the guest room. As I entered, Jim had rolled over on his side and covered his head with a pillow. Seeing this cute sight, I smiled to myself. I neared the bed and as I sat on the edge, Jim pulled the pillow off his face and looked up at me, bleary eyed.
"Good afternoon, my knight in shining armour." I greeted
"Um, hmmm." He replied
"Coffee, just the way you like it." I said
"Um, thanks. How did you sleep?" he asked
"Very well, thanks to you. I feel really bad about keeping you up, Jim." I offered
"That's fine. Your sanity is more important than my sleep right now, besides, I have a feeling its going to be a slow night. Maybe I'll close my office door and catch a few winks." he replied, winking
I swear, for a man that only had a few hours of sleep after a particularly grueling shift, Jim sure woke up quickly. I left him to freshen up and wake up a bit, and went to the kitchen to mind the waffles.
Over Breakfast, we talked about my nightmares and some of the underlying reasons for them. Jim seemed to think that part of it was because I bottle things up and don't really talk to people when I'm stressed or upset; I had to agree with him on that. He gave me a business card for a doctor friend of his and suggested that I make an appointment for a consultation.
A week has passed since Jim gave me the name of his doctor friend. I made an appointment and have had 2 sessions, which have helped out considerably; I've had no nightmares, and I know that I have Jim to thank for that.
Sitting in the break room, I'm reading an article about outdoor living and some nice camping spots in the Greater Las Vegas area. Thinking to myself, I come to the decision to give a proper thanks to Jim. Reaching into my courier bag, I fish out my cell phone and dial the number at the bottom of the article.
"Yes, I'd like to make reservations for your honeymoon suite for next week, if that's possible.
Really, its free all weekend? Can I make the reservation from Friday night until Monday afternoon? Ok, checkout time is noon, that's perfect. I'll take it. Yeah, here's the number."
As I was reading the number off my credit card, Jim walked in and took the seat next to me.
Quickly, I finished my call and closed my phone. I could tell that he was trying not to listen in on my conversation, because he was humming to himself. He can be so courteous when he wants to be, but I could tell he was curious, nonetheless.
"So, you're going away?" he asked
"Yes, and so are you." I replied
A grin presented itself on his face and his eyes twinkled the way they do when a small child sees his presents on Christmas morning. I wanted this to be a complete and total surprise, so I just asked him some basic questions.
"So, I'm off on Friday night and Saturday as well, so, I'm going to take off on Sunday, that way I only use 1 day of vacation time. I noticed that you have the same days off, too, so, I suggest you take Sunday as well, that way we can go away for a few days. What do you think about that?" I asked
Without hesitation, Jim answered.
"I think I'm on my way to file for 1 day's vacation time." he said, smiling
"Great, its a date."
Jim stood up and, leaning forward a bit, he planted a peck on my cheek. I watched as he virtually skipped out of the break room and down the hall to his office. He was out of sight before I noticed Nick and Warrick staring at me. I knew what they were thinking, but I decided to play dumb.
"So, what's up with you and Brass?" Warrick asked
"Nothing, we're just friends." I replied
"Yeah, I'll bet." Nick said, trying not to laugh.
"I swear, don't you two have anything better to do than pry into the lives of others?" I countered
Standing up and turning away quickly, I walked down the hall and to Grissom's office. Seeing him inside, apparently engrossed in some book about bugs, I tapped on the glass window of his office door.
"Enter." he said
Stepping inside, I took the chair opposite his desk and sat down, crossing my legs at the ankles.
He looked at me for a moment before speaking.
"Well, Sara, what can I do for you?"
"I need to take next Sunday off." I replied
"Is there a problem?" he asked
"No, I just want to take a long weekend, that's all."
A look of suspicion passed over his face as he glared at me. For a minute, I was worried he wouldn't let me take off, but just as I was about to plead my case, his phone rang. Knowing that he would be distracted by the caller, I waited a few seconds before standing up and gesturing about my leave. Put a check in the "win" column for me, he waved me on and indicated that he wanted the form oh his desk by end of shift today.
I was truly happy for the first time in months. This coming weekend would be one for the record books, for sure.
TBC?--