A/N: I have to break Sara out of the hospital! She's lying in the bed and I'm the one getting claustrophobic.

Chapter 12

"Your releasing me today, right?" Sara didn't even let the doctor say hello before she asked her question. She wanted out of this stupid hospital bed, and she wanted out now.

"It looks that way, Miss Sidle." The doctor flipped through the chart in his hand, reviewing the notes written there. "Everything looks good. You'll need to make an appointment with your regular oncologist in a few days, though."

"Great. I'm out of here."

"Are you sure it's not too soon?" Grissom spoke for the first time since the doctor arrived. "She just had major surgery a little more then forty-eight hours ago."

He look worriedly at Sara, who scowled at him in return.

"I'm fine, Griss. The doctor wouldn't agree to release me if he didn't think I was well enough to go home." Sara understood that his questioning came from a place of concern, but no one was going to keep her in the hospital one minute longer then she had to be.

"But..."

"Grissom," she warned, her voice low, "I'm fine."

Grissom took her warning seriously, but he didn't like it. Pressing his lip together to keep from speaking, he silently berated doctors, insurance companies, and stubborn woman. What if he took her home and she suddenly felt worse? At least he had the foresight to ask Catherine to cover his shift tonight. There was no way he was leaving her alone on her first night back home.

It took almost an hour, after the doctor gave his okay, to fill out the paperwork and collect Sara's things. She had quite a bit to take with her; none of her visitors had come empty handed. The back seat of Grissom's truck was covered with her gifts, and he couldn't see anything in his rear view mirror, thanks to Greg's balloons. He drove straight to her apartment, knowing without asking that she would rather go there then to his townhouse. Although they had spent the occasional day at his place in the past months, her apartment was more cozy and comforting, no question.

Sara headed directly for her bedroom when she entered the apartment. She didn't bother to check the mail or her phone messages. No one who mattered would have left a message, anyway. Anyone who mattered already knew where she was. Grissom followed her down the hall, pausing just outside the room. He watched as she pulled back the covers and got in the bed, restlessly moving around. She sat up and nodded her head towards the other side of the bed.

"Why don't you come sleep with me?" It was almost the same offer she had made him before, a thousand years ago. The tone behind the words was different this time. Last time she had been lashing out in pain and frustration. This was about compassion, and maybe a little selfish need.

"You look as tired as I feel, Griss. If that's true, I'm surprised your not asleep on your feet."

He was torn. The idea of of climbing in the bed with Sara, even just to sleep beside her, was more then tempting. There were rules, though, that he had lived by for so long. Boundaries that he, as a friend, a gentleman, and certainly as her boss, wasn't sure he should cross.

"I'll sleep on your couch." The rational side of his brain won the first round, but didn't figure on Sara putting up a fight.

"Grissom, I know for a fact that my couch is not the most comfortable place to sleep. My bed, on the other hand, is very comfortable." If logic didn't work, she would try teasing him into complacency.

"I give you my word that if you sleep with me I won't try to take advantage of you. At least not this time. No promises for the future."

Grissom stared at her, not sure if he should laugh at her comment or or take her seriously. He decided the easiest thing to do would be to give in to her request. Shedding his socks, shoes, and belt as he walked around to the other side of the bed, Grissom joined Sara. As soon as he was settled, Sara backed up against him. In a move so instinctual he didn't even think about it, Grissom wrapped his arms around her waist. Thus enjoined, they quickly gave into their exhaustion.

Grissom woke up to an empty bed. If had been in his own room, he might have thought that sleeping with Sara had been a dream. He'd dreamt of it often enough, the simple act of falling asleep with the lanky brunette wrapped in his embrace. More then once he had actually awaken to find himself clasping one of his pillows to his chest. This morning, however, he was not alone in his bed. He was alone in Sara's bed, and the sheets beside his were still warm. She had not been out of the bed for long.

He found her in the kitchen, filling a tea kettle with water from the sink.

"Let me do that." He walked up behind her and reached for the kettle.

"I'm not a damn invalid, Grissom. I can make my own tea." Sara swatted at his hand with one of her own. After she turned on the stove to heat the water she proceeded to the fridge where she found eggs, cheese and some relatively fresh broccoli. It looked like they was having omelets for breakfast.

When she turned from the fridge to set the food on the counter, Grissom was still standing in the middle of the kitchen. Sara sighed.

"Why don't you go read or turn on the TV? Your making me nervous. I feel like I'm on the wrong side of an interrogation table."

Grissom wanted to protest, but knew that it would be pointless. She had that stubborn look in her eye. Then again, when didn't she. He compromised by moving into the dining room and nonchalantly flipping through the pages of a magazine while secretly watching her. There was no way he was going to let her over do it, no matter how stubborn she was.

"Interesting reading." Sara brought out two plates and placed them on the table. "So, which one are you?"

Grissom looked at her, puzzled, before he turned to see the title of the article he had been theoretically reading. 'One piece or bikini? Finding the swimsuit that suits you.' Grissom blushed.

"I don't think any of them are really me."

Sara laughed, and spontaneously bent down to kiss the red cheek.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"You don't need to stay."

"Sara, we are not going through this again. I am staying here tonight." They had been arguing back and forth for the last forty five minutes, ever since he had announced that he wasn't going in to work that night.

"Grissom, you need to go to work, and then you need to go home and sleep. There is absolutely no point in you staying here, when all I'm going to be doing is sleeping." She had said it before, but he evidentially had not heard her. He was always so stubborn.

"You have been out of the hospital for all of ten hours. Argue all you want, but I'm not leaving."

"I'm a grown woman. I can take care of myself. I have been for most of my life."

"I'm not questioning that. But I do think you shouldn't be alone tonight."

"Whatever. Have it your way." Sara threw up her hands in surrender. She turned away from him and stomped down the hall, slamming her bedroom door behind her. Great. Now he had her acting like a sullen teenager. All day he had followed her around, sometimes with his eyes, sometimes literally walking behind her. She tried to make allowances. It had been a difficult couple of days, probably almost as bad for him as it was for her. Except for the part where they cut me open and removed my insides. But the way he was acting now made her feel like she was suffocating.

Sara changed from her sweats into flannel pajamas. Buried under the blankets, she tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position. No matter what she tried, she couldn't get comfortable. The guilt was nagging at her. She really could have been nicer to Grissom. The only reason he was refusing to leave was because he wanted to take care of her. She got out of bed and returned to the living room.

He had turned all the lights off. The TV was still on from earlier, casting an eerie blue light on the room, but the sound had been muted. Grissom was sitting on the couch, and Sara immediately regretted all her arguing. He looked so... forlorn. His shoulders were slumped, and he sat perfectly still, staring at the hands resting in his lap, but not really seeing them. His thoughts were elsewhere.

"Hey."

Grissom looked up at the sound of her voice.

"I'm sorry." Sara walked farther into the room, and sat down on the coffee table facing him.

"No, I'm sorry. Your right. You are a highly capable person. I'll go, if you want me to."

"Griss, no. You know me. I always react first, before I think. Kind of the polar opposite of you." She moved forward so that their knees were touching, and reached out to take his hands in hers.

"I don't want you to leave. Unless you want to."

"No," he replied quickly, as if he was afraid she would take back her offer if he took too long in responding. "I want to be here."

"Okay."

They sat like that for long moments, knee to knee, palm to palm, fingers interlocked. When Sara stood up and released his hands, Grissom thought that she was returning to her room. It surprised him when she lowered herself onto his lap instead. The few added inches put them at eye level, a fact that she used to her advantage.

"I need to make it clear to you, how much I appreciate everything you have done for me." She held his gaze, needing to be sure he understood what she was telling him.

"Even when I'm being bitchy, I'm still grateful." A few inches was all that separated them, and Sara quickly covered the distance to press a kiss against his mouth. She pulled back, and looked him directly in the eyes once again. "Thank you."

It took Grissom a moment to recover, but when he did he pulled her back to him again. This time when their lips met it was not about gratitude, or friendship. It was pure passion. Grissom released all the emotion he had been holding in for the last days, emotion that Sara eagerly accepted. When the kiss deepened they explored each other's mouths, learning for the first time the tastes and sensations that had been kept secret for so long. Grissom pulled away from Sara reluctantly.

"Your welcome." Tenderly he reached out and stroked her hair. She was smiling at him, and he couldn't help but smile back.

"I think it's time for bed."

Sara sighed, knowing he was right but not wanting to break the perfection of the moment.

"Will you come with me?"

"Yes." He waited until she stood up and reached out a hand to him. Standing, he accepted it, and let her lead him down the hall.

To be continued...