Disclaimer: see first chapter
A/N: First off, to Astralis and Claire: I'm sorry! A glider is pretty much a rocking chair, but they are a little bit boxier, and usually have an ottoman/foot rest thing with them. Much more comfortable I think. I looked at a lot of them while my friend was trying to pick out her baby shower registry…
And for some reason, I just have the image of Astralis sitting there, going, "Why the hell is she writing about Nick buying Sara an airplane?" I don't know, it made me giggle, but that could be the allergy meds as well.
And lastly, I'm so sorry for the lack of updates on this lately. I don't really have a good reason, except that for awhile there, the one shots floating around in my brain kind of took over, and made it hard to work on this fic. But now I'm back in the groove, and since I'm on vacation starting the 5th, I anticipate this being updated fairly regularly. Enjoy!
Sara looked around at all the boxes surrounding her and groaned in frustration. The complications surrounding her relationship with Nick had taken a backseat the past few weeks while she had desperately been house hunting. She had wanted to be moved and settled well before her third trimester began, but she had only made the moving deadline by a week. And the fact that she was sitting in the middle of her new living room, surrounded by boxes, while her friends were moving other boxes from room to room, told her that she was nowhere close to being settled.
The house was nice, three bedrooms, with big backyard and sun porch. It was a short drive to the lab, as well as near the daycare that Sara had been looking at. And it didn't hurt that she was only a few streets away from Nick. While Nick understood the stress Sara was under, she knew it was only a matter of time before she would have to deal with her feelings about him. Still, the fact that she was close by him was comforting, even though he was spending most of his free time helping her get the house ready. In fact, right now, he was with Warrick and Greg, trying to wrestle her bed and chest of drawers into her new bedroom. While she was happy to let them deal with the heavy stuff, she was frustrated that no one would let her lift anything heavier than a pile of towels. She wondered how on earth she was going to get unpacked and ready for this child if she couldn't even unpack her own kitchen
Sighing, Sara opened another box, hoping to find something light enough that she could start on herself. Happily, she found a box of kitchen stuff. She was contemplating kicking it across the floor to the kitchen when Catherine settled down next to her.
"What are you thinking about doing?" Catherine asked, opening a bottle of water and taking a swig before offering some to Sara.
Sara smiled sheepishly at being caught. "I just feel so useless…they won't let me do anything."
"So you figured if you kicked the box into the kitchen, you could put it away? You know, you could've just asked…"
"Yeah, and then Warrick would have told me I was pushing myself too hard, and Nick would have said that there would be too much reaching involved, and Greg would have just grabbed the box and put it away himself…they're driving me crazy Cath."
Catherine chuckled. "And you're driving them crazy too."
"Hey, it's my stuff, and I'm a little particular about where it goes." Sara noticed the look that crossed Catherine's face, clearly saying no kidding, and glared appropriately. "Remind me never to move while I'm pregnant again…" Sara grumbled.
"So noted. Alright…how about this?" Catherine paused for a moment and sighed. "I'm gonna move this box into the kitchen, and then I'm going to pick up some food for the boys. While I'm gone, you can put away that box, and when I get back, you and I are going to get out of here for awhile. We can get some lunch, and grab whatever else you need to get settled."
There was no room in Catherine's voice for negotiation, so Sara nodded in resignation. Hopefully, everyone would leave in a few hours, and then she could get started moving around the stuff she could. As she followed Catherine into the kitchen, she began a mental checklist of things she needed to get done, as well as what she had to look for when they went shopping.
Nick, Greg, and Warrick had spent their days off painting what was to be the baby's room, as well as her own room, and the bathroom, but there was still a lot to be done. She didn't have anything set up in the baby's room, and they were just getting the furniture into her room now. She still had to put away all the clothes, toiletries, and random knickknacks. Most of the furniture for the rest of the house was in place, but there was still a massive bookshelf that had to be put together, and a good four cartons of books that went with it. Plus, the extra bedroom, that she hoped eventually to use as a playroom, had quickly become the cast off room for whatever boxes that the guys couldn't place; at this point she was exactly sure what they had thrown in there.
Sara sighed as she opened a drawer and placed the utensil divider in it. There was so much to do, and not much that she could get away with doing herself. Tonight, she would have to content herself with getting her clothes put away, and maybe getting the kitchen in order.
By the time Sara finished getting the box put away, Catherine returned as promised, and whisked her out the door before she could even call out to the guys that they were leaving. After stopping for a bite to eat at a Mexican restaurant around the corner from Sara's new house, Catherine pulled into the parking lot of a local retail store.
"So, do you know what you need?" Catherine asked as she grabbed a cart from the carrel near the door.
"Kind of…well, at least what I need right now. I can't even think about baby shopping right now. I haven't done much yet, because I didn't want to have to figure out how to store everything before I moved."
Catherine nodded and pointed the cart towards linens, the department closest to the entrance. "You'll have time for that later, why don't we just get what you need for now, we can go to the mall for the baby stuff once you get settled."
Usually Sara hated shopping, zipping in and out of a store as fast as humanly possible, but she was so frustrated with trying to unpack, that she actually found herself happy to be out of the house. So instead, she and Catherine leisurely strolled up and down each of the aisles, randomly grabbing things that Sara needed. Catherine didn't seem to complain, so Sara kept with this low key approach.
"You should get some more towels, and maybe some new sheets," Catherine suggested.
"The ones I have now are fine."
"When was the last time you bought either?"
Sara paused to think for a moment, making Catherine's point for her. "Exactly. Trust me, I always buy new ones when I move. You just feel so much better."
Sara rolled her eyes, but paused to examine the sheet sets. She finally settled on a blue set that would match the comforter she already had at home, and then moved on to pick out some towels.
"I think I need a bigger trashcan for the kitchen too, and a few of the small rugs for the doorways and stuff. And I guess I need some more storage containers."
They made idle chitchat as they perused the aisles, adding more to the cart as time went by.
"You know, I don't think half the stuff in this cart is actually stuff you came in here to buy," Catherine commented with a smile.
Sara regarded the cart for a moment and grinned. "Yeah, I guess there is something to be said for impulse buying. A lot of it is stuff I would have needed eventually though. And I have more room to fill up now."
Sara was debating whether she really needed to buy another dish drainer and sponge set when Catherine's next question stopped her in her tracks.
"So how are things going with Nick?"
It took Sara a moment to recover before she squeaked out, "Things are good."
Sara didn't even have to turn around to know that Catherine was rolling her eyes. "I'm sure there's more to it than that."
Sara shrugged, intently studying the various colors of dish drainers in front of her. "It's kind of complicated."
Catherine snorted. "What's complicated about it? You're in love with each other…" Sara chose to ignore Catherine, turning her attention to the clean tiled floor of the store. "Well, at least that's progress. A couple weeks ago, you wouldn't even admit it," Catherine commented, when several seconds passed and Sara didn't refute her observation.
"We've talked about it…indirectly."
"How do you talk about it without admitting you're in love with each other?" Catherine asked incredulously.
Sara sighed in frustration as she threw a white dish drainer into the cart and headed for the next aisle. "He doesn't think I'm ready to hear it…I don't think I'm ready for him to say it."
Catherine followed behind. "Why do you think that is?" She tried to keep her tone light, devoid of any hint of accusation.
Sara sighed again. "I need to be absolutely sure where this is going. It isn't just my life anymore Catherine. A relationship with a coworker is risky as it is…and there's a little girl involved here. What if it doesn't work out? She's going to get attached to him. And he's already attached to her. What if he wants to leave, but he won't, because of the baby. I don't want him to be miserable because of me." She refused to let herself cry while standing in the middle of the Housewares department of Target, but tears were welling dangerously close to the surface. Still, finally giving a voice to the concerns that had been running through her mind for weeks, lifted a little of the weight that had been weighing on her shoulders.
"From what you've said…you're afraid of him leaving you, you didn't say anything about you leaving him. Doesn't that tell you something about how you feel? You have to trust him Sara…Nick would never intentionally hurt you."
"I trust Nick…I don't trust myself not to screw it up. Catherine, I've never had a successful relationship in my life…who's to say this would be any different?"
Catherine chose her next words carefully, aware that the situation was close to getting out of control. "Sara, I've known Nick for a long time, so I'm gonna let you in on a few things. First of all, Nick values his relationship with you, friendship or otherwise, above practically everything else. I think that the fact that he's even alluded to his feelings for you means that he sees a future with you. If he didn't, he wouldn't risk messing up the relationship you have now. And I've seen a lot of the other girls that Nick has been interested in, or even dated…how he's acted around them, how he's talked about them, and I have to say, I think for him…you're forever. You just have to be willing to take the risk."
Sara slowly let Catherine's words wash over her. She wanted so badly to believe them, to take them in without question, but doubts still lingered in her mind.
"Just think about it, okay? Things are going to get hectic pretty soon, and I don't think you want this hanging over you when you go into labor…"
"Going to get hectic?" Sara laughed, wiping away a stray tear. "So these past few months have been training for what then?"
Catherine laughed as she turned the cart around. "I don't know if I should tell you, since it's too late to back out now. Why don't we head for the checkouts before we bankrupt you?"
A half hour later, they pulled into Sara's driveway, the back of Catherine's Denali filled to the brim with Sara's purchases. Catherine had wisely dropped the subject of Sara and Nick, and the conversation on the way home was decidedly lighter.
"I'll grab the bags, why don't you tell the guys that we're back. And send Greg or someone out to help me." Catherine headed towards the back of her Denali as Sara entered the front door. Checking her watch, she realized that they had been gone for several hours, and the silence in the house made her wonder if anyone was still there. She called out several times before heading back towards her bedroom. Maybe they hadn't heard her. She found her bedroom empty, but she noted with a smile that all of the furniture was in place, right where she had asked for it to be, and someone had even started to hang the clothes in her closet. She tried the baby's room next.
"Surprise," Nick called out quietly with a grin as Sara stood in the doorway, mouth hanging open. Behind him, Warrick, Greg, Lindsey, and Grissom beamed back at her.
"I thought I was going to have to slow you down when we were shopping, but luckily you didn't seem to be in that much of a hurry," Catherine teased as she came walking down the hall.
Sara looked around the room in disbelief. The border had been hung. All of the furniture was set up and in place, even the glider that Nick had given her. The crib was already made up, the sheets matching the nursery theme that Sara had finally decided on. A few stuffed animals sat in the crib, alongside a big basket wrapped with a pink bow. Pink curtains adorned the window across from the crib, complementing the light yellow walls, and even the mobile had been set up. It took a few seconds for Sara to register the stroller with matching car seat sitting in the corner, along with a box containing what
Sara had learned early from her online research was a necessity, a pack-n-play.
Tears welled in her eyes. "How did you…when did you?"
"We got it done while Cath took you shopping," Greg replied, stepping from behind Nick and leading her around the room.
"But this must have taken forever…how did you get it done?"
"We had help," Warrick admitted. "When you guys left, Mia, Archie, and David came over. It didn't take too long, and we got the kitchen all unpacked for you too."
"I figured you wouldn't really enjoy the traditional baby shower, so this seemed like a better idea," Catherine added, looking around the room to admire their work.
"Plus, she informed us that we wouldn't have been invited anyway." Grissom smirked in Catherine's direction.
Lindsey giggled and ran over to Sara, wrapping her arms around her waist. "I put the sheets on the crib, and I put some of the clothes away in the drawers…"
"Thank you Linds," Sara replied with a smile. "Wait…what clothes?"
Greg answered. "Well, this is your lab baby shower…you didn't expect not to get anything out of it, did you? We collected all the stuff, and stored it at Catherine's. Gris and Lindsey brought it over once you guys left. Don't worry, we left all the cards and stuff, and Lindsey wrote down who gave you what, but we figured we'd put some of it away for you."
"There are diapers and stuff in the drawer to the changing table already. And we put the baby wash, and shampoo, and all that stuff in the bathroom with the baby tub," Lindsey chattered on as she grabbed Sara's hand and dragged her towards the bathroom.
When they returned after Lindsey pointed out all of the things they had put away, Sara was still in shock. The room was beautiful. She'd picked out the theme, and purchased the furniture, but she hadn't gotten around to getting all the pieces that she needed; apparently her friends had taken care of that. She didn't want anything too cutesy or girly, but when she saw the pink gingham and teal set decorated with smiley flowers and bugs, she hadn't been able to resist. There was more pink than she originally thought she would be able to stand, but somehow the pastel teal trim on the blankets and curtains, as well as the purple, orange, and yellow of the bugs and flowers, off set it in such a way so that it wasn't overwhelmingly pink. Nick had teased her about the choice when she showed him the collection online, seeing it as much more girly than what he thought that she would have picked out, but she pointed out that the sheets were teal, and if they painted the room yellow, that they should counterbalance the cutesy effect.
"You guys…this is amazing. It's perfect, thank you." Sara could feel herself choking up as she gazed around the room again. Later, she would realize exactly how detailed everyone had been, but for now, she would just enjoy the overall beauty of what they had done. The group crowded around her, each hugging her in turn, but it wasn't until Grissom and Lindsey went with Catherine to bring in the rest of the bags that Sara noticed Nick standing off in the corner, staring out the window. He had been quiet the whole time, so she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Thank you," she whispered quietly, inhaling deeply, suddenly needing the smell of his aftershave to wash over her.
"I wasn't sure exactly how you wanted the room set up, so I guessed," he admitted, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and rubbing her back with the other. She could hear the exhaustion in his voice as she realized just how hard he had been working in order to make things easy for her. Catherine's words echoed in her mind. "We can move it around later if you don't like it…"
"No Nick, it's perfect, just how I would have set it up…you know me pretty well."
"I guess I do." Nick sighed, making circular motions with his hand against her lower back. He really sounded tired, and Sara felt pangs of guilt for giving him such a hard time the past few days. "Why don't I show you how we set up your room?" Nick sighed again and moved to let go of her, but Sara stopped him. She found herself not ready to lose physical contact with him just yet.
"Stay here with me for a minute?"
Nick nodded and gave her a lopsided grin as he wrapped his arms around her again. He tightened his hold around her, and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "How was shopping with Catherine?"
Sara smiled softly against his chest; if only he knew. "Pretty enlightening actually."