SECOND CHANCE

VI – TOO PERSONAL

A day had passed and still the tension was still in the lab, since one of its members is in the wrong hands and still, no leads.

Catherine walked the hallway going to the break room. When she passed by Grissom's office, she suddenly stopped and looked at him. She walked closer and stopped at the doorway. He was looking at pictures of Sara, hoping to see and get something out of it and might lead him to her. He didn't notice her there. He proceeded in studying his paperwork and the pictures at the scene.

"Hey," Cath finally greeted, walked inside the office, stopped at the front of his desk and faced him.

"Hey," he answered back quietly and he had barely looked up.

"Grissom," she started, "have you gone home since Sara's abduction?"

"Actually, no."

"Griss, I know, we all know that you are night shift in this job, but it seems that you still work on day shift and has been holding day and night. Grissom, it's been 3 days! You haven't even gone home yet. You cant think clearly! You even haven't slept or took a bath! You need to get out of this! Hey, you need rest!"

"Who are you to dictate for me what am I supposed to do! Whoa re you to slam them all in front of me!"

Cath was shocked. Grissom realized what had happened.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I'm just devastated and furious and scared, and… I'm just angry with myself."

"With what? With these?" She indicated the photos and the evidence on Sara's case. "Grissom, you cant get anything if you are off-the-track."

"Cath, did you know why I assigned Nick and Warrick on the other case rather that I should be the one being there?"

Cath just stared at him, not answering, hanging on the question.

"It's because I don't want to leave Sara's case. I've fought it with Cavallo. That even though we're that close to her, we know we can take this case. That's why I'm doing it professionally. But I'm having a hard time on it because I cant take it anymore."

Catn still stared at him, dumbfounded. "I don't know what you mean."

"Cath, if someone you love was involved in a case, you'll do anything to solve that, right?" he asked quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, that's what I'm into now…" He sighed. "… You all know me that I'm Grissom, the one who doesn't feel anything about a case. The man who's psychological incapacitated. The one who doesn't know people. But Cath, when it comes to Sara…" He met her gaze. "… I get very personal and too much emotional."

The room was filled with silence. After a few moments, Cath finally said, "Well, you won't get her back just by staring at her pictures." She smiled and left. Grissom looked at the way she went and after a few seconds, he went back to work.

Hours passed by and time was running out. Grissom was still in his office. Dusk was settling outside. He was turning pages and reading Hank's diary they found at his home. After reading a page, he turned it. but suddenly, he turned it back. He got a magnifying glass and looked seriously on a picture and excitement flooded through him. Then, he got up.