"Second Chances – Part 7"

August 8, 2005 (Day 108)
Mandalay Bay
Room 1272
8:04 a.m.

When Ron Grissom opened his hotel room door he expected to see a room service waiter, not his son. "Gil!" Perhaps Sara was able to reason with him and he was here to deal with the past. "This is a pleasant surprise."

"For me it's just a surprise." Stepping into the suite, Grissom held up the envelope of photos. "Is this how you got Sara to let you in the house? By appealing to her insatiable curiosity and promising to show her baby pictures of me?"

Shutting the door, Ron replied, "No…wait…why would you ask me instead of Sara? I'm the last person you would come to for answers…for anything. Why are you here?"

Coming eye to eye with his father, Grissom informed him, "I came to tell you congratulations. Twice now you've shown up out of the blue and ruined my life. I thought you'd want to know you've still got the magic touch."

"You can't ask Sara because…"

"Because she's gone!" He yelled before dropping onto the couch and lowering his head in his hands. "Yesterday morning I was at the height of happiness. I was feeding my wife breakfast in bed while we discussed how much we were looking forward to having a baby one day and now…twenty four hours and one nightmare later…" His voice faded. "…everything's ruined."

"Gil…I have no problem with you blaming me for a whole host of things…hell, for the majority of things wrong in your life, but you can't blame me for your wife leaving you. Not after your behavior yesterday." Ron stood looking down at his tormented son. "I tried to warn you that you were traumatizing her while you were lashing out at me. I made it perfectly clear that while I deserved your rage, she didn't. God…I don't even want to think about what you did after I left."

In a strange reversal of roles, Grissom sat watching his father glaring at him with contempt.

Ron shook his head at his tempestuous boy. "Do you know when I asked Sara if you had your mother's temper she told me she was attracted to you because you were a stable man? Imagine the shock when she saw you crazed yesterday. She was scared to death and who can blame her? You made it clear you knew how to kill someone and get away with it. Hardly a comforting thought to the wife who has just found out her husband has a temper and he's pissed at her."

Grissom replied in an empty voice, "Amazing isn't it? You were hardly there and yet you taught me so much. I must have been paying close attention all those times you victimized your wife. It seems to have stuck with me."

"Still intent on only blaming me and not taking some of the accountability, huh?" Not happy with his son's behavior, he lectured, "Sorry, you didn't learn everything from me. I'm as far from a saint as you can get but not once, no matter how horrible things got between your mother and me, did I ever make her fear for her safety."

The truth startled Grissom into silence. The last thing he ever thought he'd ever hear was that he was worse than his father and to hear it from his father just made it extraordinarily disturbing.

Sighing, Ron took a seat in a chair across from him. "Gil…I don't think I was the only one you were paying close attention to as a child. You mother had many wonderful qualities, but she was stubborn as hell and had a wicked temper whenever she felt betrayed." He hated to go down this path and immediately backpedaled. "I told Sara I had no intention of changing your perception of your mother and I meant it. It's important to me that you know I loved her and that we had wonderful years together before things went downhill." Softening his tone, he added, "Most importantly, that you understand what happened between us wasn't your fault. That's something I've always worried about over the years. Did you look at the photos in the envelope?"

"Yes." Grissom shifted on the couch while clutching the envelope. He wasn't ready to hear the veracity of his father's message so he pushed back. "Your point?"

"Let me…" Rubbing his open hand over his mouth, he searched for a good approach. "You know what…let's not do that right now. Let me go back to your original question. You want to know why Sara let me in the house, right?"

Desperate for answers, he demanded, "Yes! I'd love to know why she thought you were worthy to step foot inside."

"She didn't. She didn't think I was worthy at all." Ron smiled. "As a matter of fact, I think she wanted to kill me. The look of contempt on her face…in my life, no one has looked at me like that but your mother. Sara said…this isn't verbatim, but it's close enough…I won't let you hurt him again so turn around and do what you do best, disappear! When I didn't she blew up and offered to pay me off. She wanted to write me a check to keep me away from you and told me in no uncertain terms to get the hell off your property and never return."

Confused, Grissom pressed, "Then why did she let you in? Why did she speak with you behind my back?"

"I can certainly understand why you're confused by her behavior." Looking at his bewildered son, Ron saw a piece of himself. "After she told me to drop dead I happened to mention that I already tried that twice." He patted his chest. "I told her I had two heart attacks and underwent a triple bypass."

Digging his fingers into the plush arms of the brown velvet chair, Grissom prepared for the devastating truth he knew was on its way. "No…"

Ron was eager to drop the bomb. "Your wife was worried about your health. She offered me a glass of ice water in exchange for pertinent information that she felt might save your health…maybe your life."

Closing his eyes, Grissom slumped in the chair. In his mind's eye he saw the words of Dr. Ortiz's prescription …Watch the footage of my wife crying on TV because she thought I was dead. "She let you in because she was worried about me. Worried that I might have a hereditary cardiac condition and would get sick or die."

"Yeah…she grilled me like steak over a roaring fire," Ron informed his devastated son. "The other part of the deal was that I wasn't allowed to ask any questions about you. She said it would work like an interrogation…only she could ask the questions. I could only stay as long as I cooperated. So I drank my water and fielded all her health-related questions."

The room service waiter's knock interrupted their discussion.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment. That's my breakfast." Ron stood and politely offered, "Can I order you something?"

Sickened by the truths his father spoke, Grissom shook his head. "No." As if his vicious treatment of Sara wasn't bad enough even if she had betrayed him, now he had to cope with the heart-wrenching knowledge that she hadn't wronged him at all. On the contrary…everything she did, she did out of love.

While the waiter carried in the food tray and set up breakfast on the dining table, Ron empathized in silence with his suffering son. He knew all too well how easy it was to hurt someone you love. He had been a victim of the pain from his own father and had been the inflictor of it on his wife and son.

"Sir?" The waiter prodded when the guest didn't take the bill.

Anxious to get back to the conversation, Ron quickly handled the paperwork and shooed the hotel employee out the door. "Sorry for the interruption, Gil." Lifting the covers off the food, he once again asked, "Are you sure you don't want anything? There's more here than I can eat and it's all healthy stuff…egg white omelette, wheat toast…"

"You can't eat fattening food," Grissom stated in an exasperated tone. "You weren't eating the baked goods Sara had out on the table when…"

"Are you kidding?" While stirring artificial sweetener in his coffee, he chuckled. "If I ate one of those macaroons she was stuffing in her face my arteries would clog on the spot. Besides…the deal only included a glass of water, remember?"

Sara's frustrated voice shot through Grissom's head. We weren't partying! I wasn't entertaining him! "She was telling the truth," He somberly whispered.

Suddenly plagued by an unsettled stomach, Ron passed on breakfast and returned to his chair with only a cup of coffee. "I'm sure it's not easy to hear you interpreted the situation incorrectly."

"No. It's near impossible to handle." He couldn't hide the pain in his voice. "Aside from it being utterly humiliating because it's my job to acquire the facts of a situation before making judgments, it's something I've personally screwed up multiple times since I was fourteen years old. I'll be forty-nine next week and I'm still making the same stupid mistakes." Glancing up at his father, Grissom grasped at a straw. "Why did Sara let you stay so long? It couldn't have taken very long to acquire the health information."

"I'm afraid that answer isn't going to bring you any comfort." Ron set his mug on the end table next to his chair. "It's going to make you feel even worse. Still want to hear it?"

He answered with a tentative nod.

"Gil, would I be wrong to assume you're an extremely private person like your mother was…so closed off emotionally that's it's difficult to open up to people?"

Although reluctant to share personal information with his absentee father, he answered in order to hear what was coming next. "You'd be correct in that assumption."

"Even with your wife?" Ron took a chance and pried. "In my brief time with her, it seemed that Sara was desperate for information about you." A smile found its way to his lips as he recalled the enjoyable moments of his time with his daughter-in-law. "I could say the littlest thing and she would light up and jump at the chance to know more. When I told her about your first ant farm I thought she would explode with from happiness. She even declared out loud…that's the man I know and love. Then she blurted that she hoped one day the two of you would have a boy just like you."

As he heard how much his wife loved him, Grissom realized the depth of his loss and he plunged deeper into a state of self-loathing.

Aware his son was intently listening, Ron waxed on. "I didn't mind indulging Sara because I'm a pathetic old man who has done very few decent things in his life…marrying your mother and creating you being the most significant, if not the only two. Lucky for me, those were the two areas of her interest. You were correct in assuming that once she knew I had photos of you as a child she was eager to view them. She was obsessed over your baby photo. I suspected she was trying to imagine what your progeny might look like one day." Ron picked up his coffee cup. "So you see, Sara wasn't being malicious, she was just curious about the man she married. Since you weren't filling the blanks for her, she looked to me for answers."

Once again the words provoked a shocking level of clarity and the emotional upheaval was great enough to cause Grissom to speak without remembering he was in a room with his biggest enemy. "She was always desperate to know more." Their bet at The Desperado flashed before him. If I keep my cookies down and make it four times you'll owe me the answers to any three questions I choose to ask. "I can't believe I…she rode that rollercoaster until she puked just to win an opportunity to get closer to me. That's so wrong. And I was…I was such a jerk about it even when she won. I tricked her out of the questions she suffered to earn." A pathetic example violated his reluctant mind. You want to ask me if there is any significance to my middle name but if you do you'll only have two personal questions left. Just ask it and get it over with before you slip up and ask something else and never find out. "I dangled information like a dog treat and watched her jump for it."

Having stealthily observed the rollercoaster scene Ron tensed. He had assumed it was a playful challenge for Sara to keep up with the boys, not a way for her to earn personal knowledge of her husband. The knot in his stomach twisted tighter as he wondered, how much damage did I do to my child? How much damage did Jillian inflict? In so many ways he's like his mother…and in so many ways he's like me.

Grissom plummeted to the next level of hell. In Dante's world it would be the 5th circle…that of the wrathful and the sullen. "I knew I was a selfish ass to her over the years but I didn't realize I was still a selfish ass. I thought I was taking care of her…loving her…spoiling her. I was trying to make up for everything I did to hurt her…especially for Tahoe. In reality…I was still hurting her…still controlling her." In a voice as shredded as his heart, he said, "All she ever wanted was to be closer to me. She moved to Vegas to be closer to me. It took five years for me to let her in my life and even then I held her at a distance. I never deserved her. All she's ever done is love me. No…the only thing I've ever deserved is exactly what I got today…her walking out on me."

Ron lifted his gaze off his son. It was too painful to watch him sink lower by the second.

Holding the back of his hand to his mouth, Grissom fought through his building nausea. "I thought yesterday was the first time I abused her but I've been doing it for years. and she excused it…" His voice cracked. "…of course she excused it. That's what she was conditioned to do since she was a child…pretend a man's abusive behavior is normal. Reconcile that he still loves her even though his actions aren't normal. All this time I was worried about being too much like my father when really…I should have been concerned that I was too much like hers." His fingers tore at his hair as he realized he belonged in the 7th circle of Dante's hell. "I can't live with the knowledge that I did this to her. Not after what she's been through…what she's witnessed. I knew! I…"

Ron got up from his seat and walked over to the couch to reach out to his son. "Gil…"

"No." Suddenly cognizant of his father's presence, Grissom lurched from the couch. "Stay away from me," He warned while backing toward the door. "I don't need anything from you."

"Right there!" Ron pointed his finger at his son. "That's your mother talking."

Already overloaded, he groveled, "Stop it. I…"

"No, I won't because you need a wake up call. We're going to do this right here, right now." Ron leaned against the hotel room door, blocking his son's exit. "You said it yourself yesterday…you said, everything you are today is because of your mother. Well here's what you need to know…some of the things Jillian was, some of the things you are today…aren't good things."

"I can't deal with this right now," Grissom pleaded.

"That's how your mother used to manipulate me. Did you use that on Sara over the years?" Unrelenting, he drove his point home. "You mother was emotionally distant…she froze me out of our bedroom and out of her life. She kept secrets from me…she didn't even tell me she was losing her hearing, I had to figure it out." Gripping his son's shoulders, he said, "Does that sound like anyone else you know? Does it? You know how I figured out your mom was going deaf?" His voice chilled. "I came home one day and heard you screaming your head off because your leg was fractured in two places and you couldn't move. Your mother was in the living room painting like she didn't have a care in the world. I was livid. I accused Jillian of neglect and that's when she finally copped to the hearing loss. Does that sound healthy to you?"

Grissom reluctantly said, "The picture of me in a cast…"

"Yes."

"This is all…" Bringing a trembling hand to his pounding head, Grissom gaped at his father.

Dropping his hands off Gil's shoulders, Ron released a labored sigh. "I was a workaholic with something to prove to my old man. I wasn't home for your mother, which in hindsight wasn't a good choice. I put my career over my wife's needs and when you were born I put my career over you."

Lightening his tone, Ron explained, "But you need to know there was a time when your mother and I were perfect. If you looked at those pictures you know it's true. It was during that time you were conceived. The two happiest days of my life were my wedding day and your birthday. That's one of the reasons I came to see you. I wanted to make sure you knew that Jillian and I loved each other and we wanted you."

"I saw the pictures," He tentatively admitted. "We did look happy as a family."

"Gil…I wasn't always a bastard, I became one. And your mother wasn't always a saint; she just became one in your eyes because, like you said…she did the most important thing in the world for you…she stayed. My biggest regret is letting us get ugly in front of you. Putting you in the middle of drama was despicable. Until now I thought I did you a favor in leaving because at least you didn't have to watch us hate each other anymore. But now…now I realize it was a cop out. Jillian and I should have been able to put your well-being above our anger. I apologize for both of us."

Mentally maxed out, Grissom didn't even attempt to respond.

"Son, if you get Sara back…if you ever expect her to make it for the long haul, then you need to change. Maybe the only reason Sara has been able to take it for so long is because she doesn't know any better. One day she'll wake up and when she does…she may never come back to you."

"I think that already happened." Pointing to the door, he asked, "Could you um…I need some time to think about all this."

Ron held his position and inquired in a paternal tone, "Gil, when was the last time you slept? You look exhausted. You're not in any condition to drive, so how about resting here for a little while?"

"No, I really want to go home." He motioned for Ron to move away from the door. "My head is killing me and I need to take something."

"Then let me drive you." In his best salesperson voice, he said, "Come on…I have enough guilt to last me through eternity. If I let you drive in the condition you're in and you wrap your car around a tree…"

"Okay." As much as it pained him, he knew the man was right. "But you're not coming in, because I want to be alone."

"I promise I won't ask." Opening the door, Ron replied with a chuckle. "I'll just drop you at the curb and speed away."

"Just like old times," Grissom sadly commented as he walked through the open door.

Greg's Apartment
8:45 a.m.

Snuggled under the covers, still buzzing from making love for the first time, Tawny and Greg continued exchanging personal information.

"What else do you want to know about me?" He eagerly volunteered, "Ask me anything."

"What about childhood pets?" She inquired while propping up on her elbow and adjusting the white t-shirt of Greg's she was wearing. "For some reason I picture a hamster in a giant Habitrail taking up half your room."

"Oh man! You nailed that one." Greg oozed with excitement. "Skippy the Wonder Hamster! He was the coolest. All the money I got for birthdays and holidays from my grandparents, aunts and uncles, went into expanding The Hotel Habitrail. That place was da bomb! In Vegas standards it would Caesar's."

"A hamster…I knew it," She gloated as she fell deeper in love.

"What about you?" He tried to read her eyes. "Hmm…whenever I come through the door…you greet me with kisses…I love that by the way. Because you're so affectionate, I'm going to say you are a dog person"

"Bingo!"

"Bingo was his name-o?" He chuckled while diving for her neck to greet her with a few kisses of his own.

Giggling from the butterfly touch of his lips she replied, "No, his name was Mr. Pepper. He was the sweetest mutt. I named him Mr. Pepper because he was white with all these little dots of black on his body."

"Did he get to sleep in your bed?" Greg inquired through a wild grin. "Because then his name should have been Lucky. That's what I'm changing my name to now that I get to curl up next to you. I really enjoyed waking up with you in my arms yesterday."

"Oh no!" Tawny fanned her eyes while laughing. "Sweetie, you sent me into pregnancy hormone overdrive with that one."

"Uh oh!" He rolled out of bed and donned his boxers. "Tissues and chocolate coming up."

Brushing away her happy tears, she watched him dart out of the room. "I love you, Greg," She whispered once he was out of earshot. "I'm the one who should change their name to Lucky."

Twenty seconds later he returned with a Snickers bar and a paper towel. "You used up the last box of tissues yesterday so I had to get you this." Sitting on the edge of the bed he gave her the large white square. "I'll go shopping when you go to work today."

"What time is it?" She panicked. "I'm meeting your friend Catherine at Café Express an hour before my noon shift, remember?."

"Relax, you've got plenty of time," He happily informed her while peeling open the Snickers bar. "Mind if we share this? I haven't eaten anything since I puked my guts out at the scene."

Snagging half the bar, she teased, "Thankfully you showered, changed clothes and brushed your teeth in the locker room at work before you came home this morning. As much as I wanted to make love with you…that might have been a deal breaker."

"Duly noted." He winked. "It's nine o'clock by the way."

"That's it?" She said surprised. "I thought we were in bed a lot longer than that."

"Hey now!" He jokingly shrieked after swallowing the last bite of Snickers. "A guy could take that as a slam. Especially a guy like me who's a little shy about having his performance critiqued." Laughing he said, "I uh…have a slight case of post traumatic stress disorder due to this incident in college. I'm laughing now but at the time…really not funny."

Nonchalantly, she asked, "You want to know how you compare to the other guys I've been with?"

They hadn't discussed it, but he assumed she outranked him in experience by a long shot. "Hell no!"

"Oh…I think you do," She purred while pulling him close. "Greg, you've taken me places I've never been. You weren't the first man to have me, but you'll have to be the last because I can't imagine anyone loving me better than you, Baby."

Stunned, he blurted the first thing that came to mind. "Holy shit! That's the hottest thing a girl has ever said to me!"

"Really?" Delighted by his reaction she burst into a brilliant smile.

"Not that the list of hot things girls have said to me is particularly long but…damn!" He covered her mouth with a Snicker-flavored kiss as he tackled her. "I think I just figured out a way to kill a little more time before you have to leave."

The ring of the phone on the nightstand broke the moment.

"Oh no…it's nine o'clock on a Monday morning." Groaning, he peeled himself away. "It's my mother."

"Your mother?" Tawny grabbed the covers as if the woman could see them.

Reaching for the phone he explained, "She calls every Monday at nine to check up on me. Don't worry…other than this she stays out of my hair. We don't have some kind of obsessive thing going on in case you're worried. And my parents live in California, so it's not like they drop in all the time."

"Oh." She nodded. "I uh…wasn't worried."

"Sorry." He clicked the button, "Hi, mom. Hey…I was uh…brushing my teeth. Can I put you on hold for a sec? Thanks." After pushing the hold button, he smiled, "I'm going to tell her about you."

"Really?" Suddenly the interruption wasn't annoying at all. "I'll grab a shower so you can have some privacy."

"Thanks." He stood up with her. "I'm taking the phone out to the kitchen because I'm still starving."

Stepping into the bathroom, she snickered, "Nah…you just don't want to talk to your mommy in the same room we…"

"Shhh." He laughed as he clicked off the hold button. "Okay, Mom…your favorite child is all ears."

"Does my only child have company this morning?" Bev Sanders teased. "Or were you really brushing your teeth?"

Yanking open the fridge, he innocently replied, "I'm the son of a dentist…what do you think?" Hopping up on the counter, he drank from the orange juice container.

"You're still swigging from the carton?"

"It's creepy how you know this stuff."

"You make a very distinct noise when you do it."

Placing the container on the counter he said, "If you ever want to stop teaching music to those high school brats, you'd make a great CSI."

"How's the job going?" She inquired.

"It's not a job…it's an adventure!" Suddenly reminded of the night's events, he shivered.

"Still a little skittish? How's Grissom treating you?"

"It's a little stressful, and Grissom…well you know, he treats me just like Dad, always pushing me…but most of the time it helps. Actually he's been a lot better lately." Glancing back toward the bedroom he said, "Uh I've got a new coping mechanism and I think I'm going to make it."

"You were safer in the lab."

"Uh…that's not what you thought when you came to see me in the hospital after the explosion." He remembered her hysterics like it was yesterday.

"That was a fluke."

Knowing the tangent, he decided to throw her. "Hey! I met someone!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, and it's pretty serious."

"Guy or girl? Honey, you know I'll be supportive either way."

"Mom…" Laughing from his gut, he assured her, "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm straight. Her name is Tawny Cooper."

"Sounds cute as a button. How old is she?"

"22." He knew that would be one of the easier questions to answer.

"Trolling college campuses again?"

Grinning, he remarked, "I love it that my mom knows how to use the word trolling in proper context."

"Son…I teach in a high school full of horny teens, you'd be amazed at the words I know. I bet I could really squick you out."

"I'll take your word for it."

"So where did you meet Tawny?"

"A club."

"Is she a student or does she have a job already?"

"She's waitressing at The Cheesecake Factory while going to school." He didn't feel guilty because it was all the truth and nothing but the truth.

"What's she studying?"

It was the first one he couldn't field. "She's still deciding on a major."

"At 22?"

"She worked for a while and just returned to college. She's incredibly smart…especially gifted in math. Maybe Chemistry too. Her dad was a high school math teacher before he passed away."

"Have you met her mother?"

"No…she lives in Kansas."

"What does young Tawny look like?"

Cracking a grin, he described her. "A total knockout…gorgeous smile, deep brown eyes, thick wavy golden hair and a body to…" Remembering with whom he was speaking, he said, "She's petite, five four."

"She's got a nice rack, huh?"

"Mother!" He gasped. "I'll have to check the next time I see her because I don't recall."

"If you marry her one day it sounds like the two of you will have beautiful children."

"Yeah." He knew instantly that his nervous laugh tipped his hand so he decided now was a perfect time to drop the bomb. "Funny you should say that."

"Gregory Hojem Sanders, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Wincing he asked, "Would you have been less upset if I was gay?"

"Yes! A young girl wouldn't be pregnant if you were gay! I don't believe you let this happen! Your father is going to be livid! When you got your driver's license he bought you a box of condoms and lectured you on responsibility…"

"I know! I know! And for the record, those condoms expired WAY before I ever needed one." He gripped his forehead. "I'm sorry…I know you never planned on becoming a grandma this way. But Tawny and I…neither of us could stomach the idea of terminating the pregnancy."

"Good…because then I'd be even more disappointed in you." She exhaled sharply. "At least now you're being responsible."

"I am. I'm taking good care of her," He proudly replied. "I know it's a shock but I hope you'll support us because…"

"What other choice do I have?" She boomed. "You're my only child and I love you unconditionally so what am I going to do? Disown you? Although I'm royally ticked off at you I'm not going to turn my back when you need me the most. Life's too short. An unplanned baby out of wedlock, while it's hardly what I envisioned for our family, in the grand scheme of things…it's…it's not the end of the world. You're thirty, not sixteen like the kids I see dealing with this same situation at school. You already have an education and a job so you can support a family. Can you tell I'm really trying here? I'm really trying, Greg."

"I know it's a lot to deal with when you first find out." Shaking his head, he admitted, "I hurled."

"Good! Ugh! Perspective…I need to keep some perspective, right? You're not blown up again…or god forbid, dead. And it's not like you're telling me you're going to jail."

"I almost did yesterday!" He boasted without thinking.

"What!"

Slapping his forehead, he shrieked, "Just kidding! I was uh…trying to make your point. You know…that a baby isn't a crime. Thanks for supporting my decision, Mom." Hopping off the counter, he tensely asked, "How do you think Dad is going to take the news?"

"That's rhetorical, right?"

Pacing towards the living room, he chomped on the nail of his index finger. "Maybe you could…I was kind of hoping you could soften the blow for me. Like when I quit the swim team and…"

"This is a little more serious than that, Gregory!"

Swallowing hard, he said, "I know. The thing is…it's not the best timing and I know we're not married but…Tawny is a great girl and I really think we can make this work…I want to make it work. It will be better for the baby if there's no tension in the family."

"The family should be prepared for this…your grandmother predicted you'd get a girl pregnant if you moved to Vegas, remember?" Chuckling she remarked, "At least she was only half right. She said the girl would be a stripper not a waitress!"

Wincing, he desperately tried to think of a snappy retort, but the delayed response cost him.

"Oh god! What kind of club did you meet her in, Greg? Please tell me you didn't have unprotected sex with a stripper? What about disease!"

Covering his face, he pleaded, "Please…please calm down. This was the only time for either of us and we both tested clean, so please don't worry, okay? I can fax you the results if it will make you feel better."

"This is not the phone conversation I thought we'd be having this morning."

Plopping on the couch, he tenderly explained, "Mom…Tawny is a decent girl who got dealt a few bad breaks in life. Her old job was a way to make ends meet, it doesn't define who she is…not by a long shot. I need you to trust me on this, okay?" Trying desperately to win her over, he gave her the only other information he thought might do the trick. "This morning when I came home from the worst night on the job and started pounding beers trying to drown the images of the blood in my mind…she helped me. She encouraged me and she held me and just when I thought I might never smile again…she got me to smile. She loves me, Mom."

A heavy sigh preceded Bev Sanders's next question. "Are you going to marry her?"

"I can't think about that yet," He admitted. "We're taking things slow."

"Uh…if that were the case I don't think she'd be pregnant with your child!"

"Sorry…" He chuckled lightly. "I meant since then. She just moved in a few days ago."

"Oh good lord. How long until I'm a grandma?"

Smiling, he answered, "April."

"I'll start working on your father," She droned. "First I'll tell him I think you're gay. Then a few weeks later I'll drop Tawny's name. Then I'll mention I think it's serious and that you're shacking up. But you are still responsible for delivering the final blow, understand?"

"Deal." He exhaled the stress from his body. "Thanks, Mom. I love you."

"Ugh…I love you too, Son."

The Grissoms'
9:14 a.m.

"Son, are you sure you're going to be okay?" Ron asked in a concerned tone. "I know you said you wanted to be alone but…"

"I've asked you not to call me that," Grissom curtly replied as he wrapped his fingers around the car door handle.

"Sorry, Gil." He nodded. "I think it was instinctual because I'm concerned…you look quite ill."

"I get migraines." He popped open the door. "But I haven't had one in almost a year, so I'm not used to them anymore. The rollercoaster ride you just took me on only made it worse."

Not wanting to push the issue, he made a polite offer. "I'll be in town for a week in case you need anything or have anymore questions."

Gripping the door, he replied, "Honestly, I don't plan on seeing you again. So…thank you for living up to the meaning of your name, Aaron, one who sheds light. This last twenty-four hours has been most illuminating."

"I hope it helps and I hope you get another chance with Sara. From the short amount of time I spent with her, I could tell she was a fantastic woman. I'm sure she still loves you, Gil and if you work for it, you can fix it. On the other hand, if you do nothing, expect nothing. I know a parental lecture wasn't part of the deal so I'll shut up now." Lifting his hand, he waved. "Take care."

"Goodbye," Grissom quietly said before turning to walk toward the house…the house where Sara used to live…the house he was certain he couldn't live in without her.

Greg's Apartment
9:17 a.m.

Tawny was in the bathroom blow drying her golden mane when Greg burst through the door.

"I told her!" Now that the albatross was gone, he beamed. "I told her everything!"

"Did she disown you?" She warily asked, thinking of her own mother's treatment of her.

"On the contrary…" From behind he slipped his arms around her waist. "Of course she was shocked but she loves me and was ultimately very supportive."

Breathing out, Tawny said, "I was worried you'd have to choose between her and me." And like her mom chose her stepfather, she had a feeling she'd come in second again.

"No worries." Lifting her hair off her shoulders, he sweetly said, "I told her what you look like. She thinks we'll have a beautiful baby."

Together they looked at their reflections in the bathroom mirror.

"I think she's right," He stated while nuzzling up to her.

Overcome by the moment, Tawny whispered, "I love you, Greg." Then she watched for his reaction in the mirror's glass.

"I told her that too," He tenderly confessed before averting his eyes. "You know…I…"

More than content with the glimmer she had caught in his eyes, she turned and rescued him with a kiss.