Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine. I am interested in purchasing one or two of them if the opportunity becomes avaliable.

Author's Notes: Thanks for all of the wonderful feedback, you guys are amazing. No, it's not going to be a slash story, because I'm not too sure if I know how to write that...that sentence sounds really stupid...anyway, I'm not sure about any future couplings, because every time I try to pair people together, the characters never come out right. Lord knows, I'm not sure if they're coming out right at this point anyway.

This chapter's going to be just a plot mover, a little bit of happiness before the storm. Well, that sounds ominous...

I'm almost out of pre-written chapters, so any suggestions anyone has, I may be able to toy with, I've only written up to six. I met with my academic advisor today, and I'm so pumped about next semester, that I have bundles of energy to disperse on my pet project here. I'm so close to getting my degree that I can almost feel it. Besides, my Lib. Arts electives have been Criminal Justice for so long that my advisor sees no problems with me double majoring and still finishing in the same time, and CJUS 401 is Forensics, so I'm just giddy all over. Yes, I have been told I'm a geek. Yes, I ramble.

Jenny

Four:

Catherine stifled a yawn, giving the guys a smile, "How was work?"

"We really miss you guys." Warrick replied, giving her a gentle hug, "How are you doing?"

Catherine sighed, "I'm bored out of my mind. I'm ready to go home!"

"You've got to let your body heal." Nick replied, "It's not going to do you any good to go home, have something happen, and be stuck in here any longer."

"You sound like Dr. Richardson." Catherine teased, "Grissom, please tell me that at least you're on my side."

"I don't take sides." Grissom replied, taking a seat in the chair between Sara and Catherine's beds, "How's your leg feeling today? Are you still taking your antibiotics?"

Catherine nodded, "It's doing a lot better, it hurts a lot less, at least, the parts without pins sticking out of it does." She stole a glance at Sara's bed, "Sara woke up a few hours ago. She was only awake for about 15 minutes, but she seemed to be doing okay, in pain, but okay."

"I'm glad she woke up, I was starting to worry." Nick said protectively, "People with head injuries shouldn't be allowed to sleep so long."

"It's just so her body can fight off the infection." Grissom said for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last few days, "They're monitoring her concussion, she's healing beautifully. They know what they're doing Nick."

"I know." Nick replied, an expression on his face mirroring one of a three year old when he's told for the 15th time why he can't have a cookie before dinner. "I just worry about her, okay?"

"We all do, man." Warrick replied, "But you've got to trust the doctors to take care of her."

"Yeah, Nicky, they went to school for a long, long time so they can diagnose and rob us blind." Catherine added to the conversation, "Please tell me you guys remembered to bring me some real food?"

"I've got it!" Greg announced, entering the room, "Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, up-sized, with a large coffee. No onions, just like you like them."

"My hero!" Catherine exclaimed with a smile, "If you only knew how disgusting the food here was. My spaghetti last night looked even worse than the stuff they claim is food at Lindsey's school. Even the orange juice was bad."

"You could always been hooked up to an IV and not allowed to eat." Grissom pointed out, "Consider yourself lucky to be able to enjoy McDonald's."

"So, this is what you call 'Real Food'?" Warrick teased, "I could have brought you pork chops with rice and gravy, or mushroom chicken, even some baked Tilapia, but you wanted an extra value meal?"

"No, see, an extra value meal comes with a soda." Catherine explained, "But I don't want the soda, so I get the sandwich, the fries, and a large coffee...the price they'd charge you to substitute a coffee for the soda would defeat the purpose of calling it a value. There's a 13 cent difference."

"Are you really complaining over 13 cents?" Warrick asked with a smile, "Come on Cath, it's not like we make minimum wage here."

Catherine raised her eyebrows, "When it's 13 cents, times two, since I have to feed Lindsey too most of the tome, 3 times a day, sometimes 4 if I don't get any sleep, it really adds up. Fast food isn't cheap, you know. How much did this set you back, Greggo? About 5 bucks?"

"4.73." Greg replied, "You really eat out every meal?"

Catherine shrugged, "Not from McDonald's, but we do eat out very, very often."

"Like you can say anything." Nick accused the other men, "I know that both you and Greg eat out regularly, Warrick."

"Only because you're with us." Greg jabbed back with a smirk.

Grissom cleared his throat, "Now that we've established that CSI's don't eat as healthy as they should"

"Speak for yourself." Sara croaked from her bed, causing everyone to turn in her direction, "I eat very healthily."

"From McDonald's, too, might I add." Nick added, "You can't fool us. If it's not McDonald's or Wendy's, it's noodles and rice from the Golden Wok."

"Smart ass." Sara replied, yawning sleepily and pressing the button on her morphine drip as the throbbing in her head started again, "I know you're not eating that huge cheeseburger in front of me."

"It's not just a cheeseburger." Catherine replied with a smirk, "It's a double quarter pounder with cheese, pickles, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, but no onions, because Greg here has a marvelous memory. And I've got some hot, greasy, salty fries to go with it. Got a problem?"

Sara rolled her eyes, giving Catherine a smile, "How come I don't get any greasy, salty fast food? What's a girl got to do around here to get some pizza?"

"You can't have any yet." Grissom answered, "You're strictly on IV fluids and jello for the time being, until the doctors are sure your stomach can handle real food with the head injury, antibiotics, and pain medicines you're taking."

Sara nodded, remembering her earlier nausea and shuddering, "Jello, you said?"

"Why don't we start with water?" Nurse Anabel said, walking into the room with a pink pitcher and a cup, "How are you feeling, hon?" She stole a glance at Catherine, "And as for you, any smart comments this time around and I'll tell Dr. Richardson that you're having meals that aren't on your approved diet." She gave a playful wink to the guys, then turned back to Sara, "Time to check your bandages, it's going to be a barrel of laughs."

Sara glared at the nurse, "You said no interruptions until the doctor came."

"I lied." Anabel replied with a grin, "Since you're awake, I figured I'd spare you the pain of having Dolores, the day nurse, changing them. Unless you get off on pain."

Sara relented, shifting so Anabel could have easy access to her bandaged side, "When can I go home?"

Anabel looked over the top of her glasses at Sara, with an expression that gave Sara all the information she needed to go. Across the room, Warrick chuckled, "Sara, you may as well get comfortable, girl."

"It's not fair that Cath's going to get to leave before me." Sara complained, "Her injuries were more serious than mine."

"Stop acting like a baby." Nick teased, knowing full well he'd be acting the same way in her shoes, "If you would have been wearing your seatbelt properly, you wouldn't have hit your head."

"Actually, it's not the concussion keeping her here." Anabel said in Sara's defense, "If she wouldn't have been careless getting out of the car, she wouldn't have cut herself so badly...and with no cut, there would be no infection."

Sara glared between Nick and Anabel, "What is this, pick on Sara day?"

"It's an all-week celebration." Catherine smirked, "it's on the calendar and everything."

"Shut up." Sara muttered, wincing as a stubborn piece of gauze tugged at one of her stitches, "You've got terrible bedside manners." She muttered with a playful grin to let Anabel know she was teasing.

Anabel raised an eyebrow at her, then glanced over at Catherine, "Needless to say, she hasn't met Dolores yet."

"She hurts me and I'm not even the patient." Nick piped up from near the window, "She's a force to be reckoned with."

Catherine was about to pitch in another comment about the infamous Delores when the door burst open and Lindsey's blonde head popped in the room, "Mommy!"

"Oh, sweetheart!" Catherine exclaimed, accepting an eager hug from her daughter, "I've missed you so, so, so much."

"I saw you yesterday Mommy." Lindsey replied with a smile, "I brought a marker so I can sign the cast on your arm AND on your leg. Miss Karen says I have to be very, very careful though, or we can't watch Lilo and Stitch tonight."

"That's right, you must be very careful." Catherine replied, giving a smile to Lindsey's newest babysitter, 19 year old Karen Daigle, "How has she been, Karen?"

Karen gave Catherine a bright smile, "A complete angel, as usual. How are you feeling today?"

"Much better, now that I've got my Lindsey here." Catherine replied, giving Lindsey another huge hug, even though the pressure against her ribs was excruciating, "What are you guys doing today? I hear it's going to be a beautiful day."

"Miss Karen says I need to finish my homework, even though it's Saturday." Lindsey complained, "But after I'm done with it, I've only got 7 math problems left-I'm learning how to long divide!- we're going to go to the park and feed the ducks. And, if I'm good, Miss Karen says she'll buy me a snow-cone and if I'm still good, we're going to watch Lilo and Stitch AND she's going to cook tacos. Oh, and we're going to Miss Karen's grandma's house for lunch, and she's really cool. You'd like her Mommy."

"It sounds like you're going to have a very busy day." Catherine said with a smile, stroking Lindsey's hair with her good hand, "I don't want you wearing Karen out, okay? Behave yourself and give her a break. And finish that homework and let her check it."

"Is that a cheeseburger?" Lindsey asked, ignoring everything her mother had just said, "Can I have a bite? You'll never believe what Madison Carpenter did at school yesterday Mommy, she picked her nose! And there's a boy, his name is Drake, and he is in 7th grade, and Missy Johnson says that he's her boyfriend, but I don't believe her, because she's only in 3rd grade, and she's ugly, and she's mean." She said, changing subjects rapidly, "And Peter Johanssen made a 13 on the spelling test Wednesday! And Norah doesn't have anyone to talk to know, because she brought some icky fish things in her lunch and they made her smell, and Alyssa, who's one of the super cool kids, teased her, so now no one's her friend. She was crying." She leaned over and looked at the burger again, "Can I have another bite? And some french fries?" before waiting for Catherine to respond, she took the burger out of the cardboard box and took a few bites, "Can I go get a soda out of the machine?"

Warrick smiled at Catherine, "We know who she took after, Cath, and it's definitely you."

"I never take other people's food."

"My bagels." Sara immediately responded, followed by Grissom's "Egg Salad Sandwich."

Catherine looked over to Warrick and Nick, who both shrugged, Warrick replying with "Sausage at breakfast." and Nick adding, "You always sneak some of my fries."

"Don't forget my coffee." Greg smirked.

Lindsey, not wanting to be left out, added, "My Easter Bunny and Halloween candy."

"And we weren't talking about stealing food." Warrick said with a sly smile, "I was referring to the gossip. Both of you have motor-mouths."

"I want to be just like my Mommy." Lindsey replied, "I want to catch bad guys too...but only if there's no blood."

Catherine took her burger back from Lindsey and gave her a kiss on the top of her blonde head, "You need to get going honey, as much as I love having you visit, you know it's against the rules, I don't want you and Miss Karen to get in trouble."

"I wish I was older so I could stay with you all day and all night." Lindsey replied, "We'll come back to bring you dinner before we go home."

"Real food." Karen spoke up, "My Granny is cooking a pot roast and she's always got plenty of leftovers...comfort food helps the body heal."

A soft curse from Sara's bed caused a brief silence in the room, as everyone glanced in her direction. "I'm okay." She muttered, "Damn hands."

"They were burned in the fire." Catherine supplied, "Pretty badly, you hadn't noticed them before?"

"I knew they hurt, and I knew they were bandaged, but I didn't remember why." Sara replied, glaring at Anabel as she unraveled the bandages on her left hand, "In case you didn't catch that last part, I said they hurt."

Anabel flashed her a smile, replying, "I could leave them bandaged and you could stay here another few weeks while we wait for that infection to heal as well."

"Oh, shut up." Sara muttered, her earlier good mood fading rapidly as she remembered just how much she hated hospitals.

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