SPOILERS: None.
A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! I am writing two chapters at a time so I can update quickly. Plus, I find it hard to sleep until a story is complete! Please let me know if you think Sara is at all OOC for the next couple chapters. I am trying to keep it realistic. :)
Sara quickened her stride as she approached the beach trail at the end of the road. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets and she shivered slightly at the breeze coming off the grey-blue water of the Pacific. As she walked the trail towards the cove she caught sight of her brother standing at the peak of the trail just over the cove. His head was bent down and his shoulders slumped as he stared at the cove below him.
Dylan lifted his head as Sara drew near and he offered her a feeble half-smile. Sara returned it and placed her arm through his. They stood for a long time staring out to sea in a comfortable silence.
"Do you know who found him?" Sara said without looking at Dylan.
"A local man walking his dog on the beach. The dog ran into the cove and found him on those rocks." Dylan pointed at a group of large moss covered boulders jutting out from the right side of the cove.
Sara surmised if there was any evidence of the grisly event on the rocks, it was likely washed out to sea days ago. She couldn't help but think like a CSI. Although the explanation her mother had given seemed plausible and most likely considering her father's drinking habits, she was finding it hard to ignore a niggling feeling that she was not being told everything.
"Mom thinks we should let the past go and grieve our...loss." Bitterness dripped from the last word and she glanced at her brother.
"I don't know, maybe it is time. What do you think?"
"I think I'm not as forgiving as you seem to be."
"I'm not talking about forgiveness. I'm just considering that after the funeral we should go back to our lives and let go of the anger and resentment. It only hurts us now, not him."
"He was son-of-a-bitch who beat mom for the majority of our sorry excuse of a childhood. He almost killed her Dylan. I will never forgive him. As far as I'm concerned, good riddance." Sara felt her eyes starting to sting as she unsuccessfully held back tears.
"I understand how you feel, you know I do. But for mom's sake and your own, would you please consider it."
Sara mulled over his words for a few minutes before speaking. "I only survived that house because of you. How could I possibly say no." Sara tightened her grip on Dylan's arm, then released him as she turned to return to the house. Her mother had been right, she was very tired and she needed to get some rest if she was going to make it through the next few days.
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Sara woke up early the next morning with vague memories of a bad dream. She was in her old room and it disoriented her. She suddenly felt like a scared 8 year old. She could hear raised voices down the hall and for a moment believed it was her parents. As the cobwebs in her mind cleared and she listened closer she realized it was her mother and Dylan. She looked around the room and noticed it was painted pastel blue with lace curtains on the window and Tamales Bay visitor brochures on the side table. She was not 8 anymore. Sara sat up and looked at the clock on the nightstand. Shift is ending. Sara pictured Grissom sitting at his desk sorting through paperwork and wondered if he was thinking of her too. She scolded herself for thinking like an adolescent schoolgirl and decided that sleeping in this room again was having an effect on her. The loud voices had stopped and Sara heard a faint doorbell. She opened her bedroom door and overheard soft murmurs of condolences as the visitors entered the house. She was not in the mood for strangers. In fact, she realized how much she missed her workmates already. They were her friends and at times felt more like family. She suddenly felt bad she had not shared the reason for her sudden departure. Sara decided it was time to hear a friendly voice.
"Grissom." Gil answered his cell phone abruptly while silently praying it was not Brass. He was tired and just wanted to go home.
"Hi, it's me." Sara bit her lip nervously and waited.
"Sara. Hi, um - how are you?"
"I'm o.k., I think. It's been strange."
Grissom was tempted to ask exactly how Sara's father had died but he didn't want to push her. "So – how's your mother?"
"She's a mess, but that was to be expected. My brother was already here when I arrived so I think he took the worst of it."
"Well, I'm glad you have some support."
"Look Grissom, I've been thinking about telling the team about my dad. I know that if this situation was reversed and it was your mother or Nick's dad or Warrick's grandmother, I would certainly want to know about it. So I think it's only fair that I am open with them too. If you don't mind - "
"Don't worry Sara, I'll take care of it. I think you made the right decision."
"Well, you can't shut everyone out of everything can you?" Sara grimaced slightly as she realized how that must have sounded.
The insinuation was not lost on Grissom and for a moment he felt ashamed. He wasn't even sure why her words affected him that way. He decided not to analyze it and instead considered Sara's current state of mind. What mattered the most was that Sara was reaching out to him and he wasn't going to let her down, not this time.
"I'm glad you called. I was thinking of you."
Sara breath hitched at his words and she smiled. It was amazing what he could do to her with just a few choice words.
"Thanks. Well, I better go. I need to see what arrangements for the funeral still need to be made. If everything goes smoothly I may be back in a few days."
"Don't rush Sara, just take all the time you need. Will you call me again, please?"
Sara was taken aback at Grissom's request. She knew he was concerned about her and assumed she must be suffering a terrible loss. He had no idea the kind of relationship she had had with her father. She wasn't quite ready to tell him about it. They had been making great strides in repairing their friendship, but she wasn't quite ready to completely let him in.
"I'll call again, I promise. Bye."
Grissom held the phone to his ear until he was sure she was gone.
TBC