Chapter 6

Exhausted, Sara pushed through the last minutes of her sixteen hour day. Her unexpected days off had put her behind schedule and she was working non-stop to catch up. Normally she'd pull a full double; but she had agreed to go out with Mike tonight and he already made reservations.

Putting the finishing touches on the Brianna Ellers report she breathed a heavy sigh. The case was airtight and David Flynn would, as she predicted, rot in jail before rotting in hell. Forgetting the time, she decided to methodically review the report once again before taking it to Grissom for sign-off.

It was six fifteen when Mike appeared in the doorway of the lab and lightly rapped. Happy to finally find her, he smiled sweetly. "Sara…aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?"

When she heard his voice she jumped off her stool. "I am so sorry!" Checking the clock she realized she was supposed to meet him downstairs fifteen minutes ago. There he was, nicely outfitted in stylish dress clothes with a black leather jacket draped over his arm, while she wore a grungy lab coat over the rank outfit she had been wearing for almost a day. "I'm not even dressed yet and I have to get this report in!" Tearing off her lab coat she grabbed the Brianna Ellers report. "Can you wait here while I run this over to Grissom?"

"Sure." When she walked through the door he winked. "By the way, you looked real cute in the lab coat."

Uncomfortable with the flirtatious comment she shyly averted her eyes. "Why don't you take a seat and I'll be right back." Walking down the hall she felt pangs of doubt about the evening. Dating was exhausting…being witty, making small talk, handling awkward moments and worst of all, avoiding the dreaded silent periods. After a double, the last thing she wanted to be was witty. All she wanted to do after a shift like this is crawl into the arms of someone who knew who already understood her, the job and the need for comforting silence.

Coming from behind, Grissom asked, "Sara, are you looking for me?" Without waiting for an answer he hurried into his office. He had managed to avoid her for the majority of the day but apparently time was up.

"Yes, I was coming to see you." Holding out her folder she explained in a tired voice, "I finished my report on the Brianna Ellers case."

"Great." Taking the folder he immediately sifted through it. "Take a seat."

As much as the invitation appealed to her she couldn't oblige. "Oh…ummm…I'm off the clock and have to get going. I was just dropping that off." Slowly she backed out of the room. "Sorry, I would stay to discuss it if I weren't already late. Mike is waiting for me in the lab as we speak."

Irritated that the enemy was on his turf, Grissom rose to cross the room. "He shouldn't be in there, Sara. You know better; only authorized personnel."

Surprised by his comments she retorted, "He's LVPD."

Annoyance dominated his tone. "He's not part of the Crime Lab."

She stiffened from his glare. "Fine, I'll tell him to leave right now." Hurrying down the hall she knew Grissom was following her. "Really I can handle this.

Upon seeing Sara return, Mike raced to the door. "Ready?"

Before Sara could get a word out Grissom barked like a territorial dog. "From now on you stay out of the lab. No unauthorized personnel. I don't want the integrity of my lab breeched."

Unaffected by Grissom's chilly demeanor, Mike replied. "Sure, no sweat. I should have known better." Glancing over at Sara, he explained, "I only came up because Sara was late and I was worried about her. Won't happen again."

The response unnerved Grissom on many levels.

Sara too was perplexed. Did Mike just say he was worried about her when she was late? When was the last time anyone had said they were worried when she didn't show up? When was the last time anyone was waiting for her? "Umm…we should really get going."

Grissom, still bewildered, entered the empty lab managing to eek out a polite, "good night."

Heading down the hall Mike shook his head. "How do you work for that guy, Sara? He's always walking around like someone peed in his cheerios?"

Defending him she explained, "He was right; I shouldn't have let you in there. Grissom is just looking out for the lab. The lab is his life." Looking over her shoulder she walked down the hall, watching the distance grow between her and the lab.

Catherine, anxious to get home to Lindsay, hurried into the lab with the last of her samples. "Hey, Grissom," she greeted as she lay her report on the table.

Looking up from his Sara's report, he checked his watch. "It's almost seven, what are you still doing here?" After an incident with Lindsay at school last week, Catherine had mentioned needing to be home more in the evening.

"I know I should have been out of here hours ago but there aren't enough hours in the day to stay on top of things here." Mentally and physically spent, she plopped down in the nearest chair. "Who left their…" Reaching under her she pulled out a black leather jacket. "Is this yours?"

"No." Grissom studied the jacket for a moment and then with a high level of irritation in his voice said, "It must be his."

"His?" Catherine paused then remembered seeing Mike earlier in the hall wearing the same type of jacket. "He was in the lab?"

Rolling his eyes, Grissom snipped, "yeah."

Catherine fell silent. The fact that Grissom was annoyed and Sara was out on date could only mean one thing; even after her heartfelt wake-up call to Grissom he hadn't mustered the fortitude to say anything to Sara.

Sitting down next to his co-worker, Grissom prodded her for information. "What do you know about this guy, Catherine?"

Shrugging her shoulders she answered honestly. "Not much…I met him for two minutes the other day, the rest is just hearsay. He transferred from Dallas after losing his wife to breast cancer. He likes movies and is a vegetarian and oh yeah…he can out chest-press Nick at the gym." That last detail had really stuck with her. "Nick says he's a great guy looking for a fresh start." Catherine watched Grissom process the information. "Sorry, I know you were hoping to hear he's an ass."

Ready to end the discussion, Grissom stood. "Why don't you take that jacket and put it in the locker room on your way out."

"As soon as I finish this…"

"Now!" Looking at her he softened. "Catherine, you need to get home. Lindsay is twelve and she needs to see her mother tonight. Don't live your life in this lab when you have one waiting for you elsewhere."

"You're right. I should be home already." With the jacket under her arm, she headed for the door. "Good night."

As Grissom returned to the report he somberly reciprocated, "Good night."

When she walked into the locker room Catherine was pleasantly surprised to catch a glimpse of Warrick pulling a black silk shirt over his deliciously sculpted back. "Hey," She announced as she moved further into the room, eager to see him slowly button up the front of the shirt. It was a simple pleasure but these days…these lonely days…she'd settle for what she could get even if it was a cheap thrill on the sly.

"Hey." Checking her eyes Warrick knew Catherine was watching him button his shirt. It wasn't the first time he noticed her lack of subtlety, not that he minded. On the contrary, he enjoyed it and looked forward to the day when the roles would reverse with him being the watcher and she being the watchee. Although in his fantasy, instead of her buttoning her shirt she'd be unbuttoning. Unfortunately things didn't work that way in the locker room…women always changed their shirts in the bathroom stall.

The last button complete, Catherine sadly turned and hung Mike's jacket in Sara's locker.

"I think you have the wrong locker," Warrick remarked. "That jacket looks a little big for Sara."

"It's not Sara's." Closing the locker Catherine leaned against it. "Belongs to her date."

"Mystery man Mike."

"Uh huh." Sighing, Catherine folded her arms across her chest. "Who would have thought the night would come when Sara had a date and I didn't."

Certain he could remedy the injustice of the situation, Warrick moved closer but Catherine's cell phone interrupted the opportunity.

"It's Lindsay." Putting the phone to her ear, Catherine said, "What is it, Honey?...No, I didn't forget. I'm on my way home right now and we'll go shopping and grab a bite to eat….yes, I promise to buy the jeans you want even if they are expensive…okay." Before Catherine could say goodbye Lindsay ended the call.

Smiling, Warrick relaxed against the lockers. "And you said you didn't have a date."

Returning the affectionate grin, she mused, "This date takes all my money and doesn't kiss me goodnight anymore." Laughing to hide her frustration, she said, "Sounds a lot like Eddie, doesn't she? I'm starting to fear the apple didn't fall far from the tree."

"She's not Eddie, she's just twelve."

"Well that explains it…Eddie acted twelve until the day he died." Shaking her head, Catherine's voice cracked. "The thing is…I'm not good with twelve…and what the hell am I going to do when she's a teenager? I couldn't handle myself as a teen, how am I going to parent one? I wasn't at home to be parented when I was growing up so I don't have any first-hand experience. I buy books…I Tivo Dr. Phil…nothing helps. I don't know what I'm doing."

Warrick soothed, "You're doing the best you can."

"Am I?" Finding comfort in his supportive tone, Catherine relaxed. As much as she desired every inch of the man in front of her, at times like these, she valued his friendship even more. "Warrick…" The ring of her cell phone pulled her attention away. Glancing at the caller ID she nodded. "It's Lindsay again. I've got to go." Grabbing her purse and keys she hurried out. "Thanks for listening. Good night."

"Night." It was hard standing by watching her struggle. Deep down he knew Catherine's heart was in the right place but she was lost when it came to parenting her daughter. Lindsay was on the road to rebellion and no amount of designer jeans was going to throw her off track. No, it was going to take more than money to turn Lindsay around.