Pretzels
Sara padded down to the break room with a snack consisting of a bag of pretzels and a coke. With a couple of case files tucked under her arm, she made her way to a seat at the break room table. Sara sat and opened her pretzels, sipped her coke, and read up on the paper work she needed to get done before Grissom yelled at her again.
Catharine and the rest of the gang came creeping in, as shift was almost to start. Grissom arrived ands spied Sara and her relaxing with her snack and paper work.
"Sara I see our little talk about paper work helped" Grissom said
"You say so "Sara smiled.
Grissom went about giving his talk and giving out slips of cases they had that night. He was about to close the meeting when he heard an alarming sound coming from Sara's seat.
"OWW DAMMIT" she yelled out grabbing her mouth.
"Sara? You ok?" Nick asked her.
"OWW OWWW OWWW", was all she would say grasping her mouth and writhing in pain.
Grissom concerned came over and placed his hand on her shoulder. Sara looked up at him and he could tell she had tears welling up in her eyes. She kept her hand over her mouth and vigorously rubbed her jaw. Being an investigator Grissom saw the half-eaten pretzel lying on the table.
"Sara open up" he asked her
Sara opened her mouth and winced in pain and Grissom shown his little mag light into her mouth. He let out a small sigh, stood back up, and let Sara know what he observed.
"Sara, I'm afraid you've broken a tooth down to your gum line. You'll have to see a dentist I'm afraid." Griss said to her.
With hearing, that Sara sat straight up in her seat with fear in her eyes and yelled out to all of them.
"NO WAY AM I GOING TO THE DENTIST"!
"I'm fine I don't have to go." She said gritting her teeth in pain.
Grissom putting on his jacket grabbed one for Sara and tossed it to her.
"Here, put this on, I'm taking you to my dentist". Grissom explained.
With much resistance from an in pain Sara, Grissom led her down the corridor to his truck and buckled her in. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the street on their way to the dentist.
By the time they pulled up to the dentist, Sara told Grissom her ear and head was throbbing along with her mouth. Grissom parked and went to the other side of the truck and helped Sara out. They made their way inside a door that had a smiling tooth and said Welcome. Grissom explained to a nurse Patty that he had brought in his friend, motioning towards Sara, and that it was an emergency. The Nurse asked Grissom to fill out all the needed info on Sara and told him Dr. Raymore would see them once the forms were completed. Grissom asking Sara everything and about her allergies if any. With Sara holding her right side of her face, Grissom took her forms up to the nurse's window. Sara saw the nurse smile and tell Grissom it would be just a few minutes more.
"Griss, I think its feeling better, I really don't need to be here". Sara pleaded
"Nonsense Sara you're in pain and anyone can see that, He's not going to hurt you and I promise you'll feel better soon". Grissom explained.
Sara nervously taped her foot on the floor and kept her eyes on the door where she knew the doctor would be coming to call for her.
"MISS.SIDEL"? The nurse called out "Were going to exam room 5 please follow me".
The nurse took Sara to the room, asked her to please lie down in the chair, and asked her what seemed to be her problem. Sara told her, thru pain, that she was having a snack at work and her tooth broke while eating a pretzel. The nurse said ok and that she and Dr. Raymore would be right back in to look. After about five mins, the nurse returned and told her Dr. Raymore needed an x-ray of the tooth to see what course of action that needed to be done. Therefore, the nurse placed a small tab on a long pole inside Sara mouth, told her to bite down to hold it, and placed the camera close to Sara's jaw. The Nurse told Sara to please close her eyes and in a second, the nurse told her it was ok to open her mouth to pull out the tab. Once done the nurse quickly left and they waiting for the Doctor.
In a few minutes, a tall man with a graying moustache came and shook Hands with Grissom.
"Hello Gill, How are you doing?" Dr.Raymore asked.
"Hello Dr.Raymore, I'm Doing fine." Grissom answered.
Dr.Raymore made his way over to Sara, introduced himself to her, and patted her on the shoulder.
"Ok Sara, here is your x-rays as you can see here you have broken your number 15 tooth down to the gum line." Dr.Raymore explained.
"It looks like we're going to have to pull it, since it is so damaged," He told her.
Sara's eyes grew wide with fear and began to shake, she had never had a tooth pulled before and she did not want one now.
"My assistant will be in in a min to get the process started, ok?" Dr.Raymore said as he excused himself.
The nurse came back in carrying a chart in one hand and a pack of tools in the other. She dabbed a long swab in a pink solution and placed it in Sara's mouth.
"Ok, Miss. Sidle this is a numbing solution, Hold it in your mouth till I come back in to take it out" the Nurse said.
After about Five minutes or so, the Nurse returned this time with the Doctor. Sara watched him take a needle and fill it up with a liquid. Her eyes grew wide with panic and Grissom soother her and told her it had to be done.
Dr.Raymore came over to Sara and told her the shots were to numb her gums around the tooth so she won't feel the extraction. He asked her to open wide and proceeded to inject her several times in the gums with the shots. Sara moaned several times as he injected one spot, he told her he was sorry but he had to inject it. Dr.Raymore sat Sara up and told her he was going to let her numb for about 20 mins and then he would pull it.
Grissom took this time to come over to comfort Sara as they waited for the dentist to return.
"Griss I'm afraid it's going to hurt and I'll be able to feel it." Sara said.
"Sara you won't feel a thing I promise". Grissom said as he held her hand.
"I think you handling this rather well for a first timer". He said
"Well Grissom I'm not a child I'm a big girl and I've seen things and done things no one can imagine. So I can handle this but I am terrified". Sara explained
Just then, Dr.Raymore came in with his nurse and laid Sara way back in the chair and the nurse turned on the suction hose.
"Ok Sara now you're going to feel a lot of pressure, I can't take that away". Dr.Raymore said.
The nurse kept sucking in and around Sara's mouth and the dentist said ok now I am going to grab it with this and try to get it out of there. Dr.Raymore began pulling and pulling on Sara's tooth and Sara could not believe how much pressure she was having she nearly fainted. Sara moaned out and Dr.Raymore told her he was sorry about all the pressure that it would be over soon. In a few minutes more he said there it is, stuffed Sara's mouth with a wad of gauze, and sat her back up.
The nurse asked Sara if she was ok. Sara shook her head that she was and the nurse began to tell her about the care of her mouth while she healed. She told her to bite down on the gauze for the first 20 mins to help stop the bleeding and if there is a lot more bleeding to change the gauze and bite down for another 20 mins. She handed Sara a small pouch filled with extra gauze and told her about no drinking thru a straw, no smoking, no spitting, and only eat soft foods for about the first two days, also that over the counter pain reliever would help with the discomfort while she was healing but Dr.Raymore would write her a prescription for a stronger medicine in case she needs it. The nurse also showed her that there was also the information on the pouch of gauze. She stood up and was a little wobbly and Grissom held her hand to help her steady herself.
Sara waited on the Nurse to return with there prescription so she could go check out. She felt like her jaw was the size of a softball and she could not feel anything on her tounge, lips, or ear. The nurse came back, handed her a small slip of paper, and told her to not touch her socket with her tongue or dislodge the blood clot that will form over the hole, because the clot is what heals the socket. Sara shook her head and she and Grissom walked up to the check out window. The receptionist told them that the county insurance had covered all the expense and she was free to go. Grissom helped walk Sara out to the truck, buckled her in, and drove off.
Sara stayed quiet for most of the ride when Grissom asked her if she wanted to go and fill her prescription. Sara mumbled yes and Grissom pulled in to the drug store. He turned to Sara and told her just to stay in the car that he would go and fill it for her. Sara smiled weakly at Grissom and Grissom with out thinking stroked the side of her face and went in the store.
What seemed like forever to Sara finally made it home. She asked Grissom if he'd like to come in and she give him a drink for helping her out today and Grissom accepted and walked Sara up to her apt door. Sara Asked him what he wanted to drink and Grissom seeing Sara felt bad just asked for a bottled water and that he'd get it himself. Sara nodded and excused herself to change into something more relaxing. Grissom sat down on her couch and waited for Sara to return. Sara came out wearing a pair of cotton shorts and a pink T-shirt. Before she sat down Grissom looked at his watch and told Sara that the 20 minutes was up a bit ago and she should go and remove the gauze and see about the bleeding. Sara went to the bathroom and removed the first gauze, it was soaked in blood, and she could taste more blood in her mouth. She bunched up a new clean set of gauze, places it in her mouth, bit down, and came out to Grissom. She told him it was soaked and that it was still bleeding and she put more gauze in for another 20 mins. Grissom assured her that it would stop bleeding and to just be patient. Sara plopped down on the couch with Grissom and laid her head back on the couch. With out warning Grissom took Sara by the arm and told her to come here. Sara confused just watched him.
"Sara come on, come here" Grissom said
Grissom pulled her to lay her head in his lap and told her to just rest that he would take care of her. Sara stretched her long frame out on the couch and laid her head onto Grissoms lap and Grissom started running his fingers thru her hair absentmindedly.
"MMM Griss that feels good" Sara told him
"SHH Sara you don't have to talk, just rest." Grissom said to her
He wrapped her up in a blanket she had on the couch and just continued to stroke her head and hair with his fingers. After a while, Sara fell asleep on Grissoms lap and He smiled down at her with so much love in his heart and wished he could share it all with her. Maybe after a few days when she's not so much in a fog from all the meds she will remember this and it will cause us to re-examine our friendship and it may turn into more. He gently bent down and placed a soft kiss on her temple as she slept and she groaned softly and stirred a little. Grissom soothed her some more as she settled back down and continues sleeping.
"I love you Sara," He whispered as he watched her sleep.