Chapter 18

Sara pulled into the parking lot of the motel. She still couldn't believe all she had found out. Tomorrow she was going to go to the local library. She was hopeful that they still had copies of old newspapers. Records could be sealed, but news articles could not be unwritten.

She grabbed her suitcase and the brown paper bag from the seat next to her and went into the room. She threw her suitcase on the chair in the corner, but placed the brown paper bag on the dresser. She grabbed the ice bucket and headed for the ice machine.

Once back in the room, she grabbed a plastic cup, put a few ice cubes it in and reached for the brown paper bag. Inside was a bottle of vodka. She poured almost a full glass and then plopped down on the bed. She took a swallow and turned on the TV.

What the hell am I doing here? She thought, looking around the non-descript motel room. She took another drink. Have I really sunk this low? She put the cup to her lips and started to flip channels. This isn't going to change a damn thing. She tilted the cup up and had another sip.

Before she knew it, the bottle was gone and she had passed out on the bed.

Back in Vegas, Alex too, had passed out on her bed, but from exhaustion. Her first day out was almost more than she could handle. She had met the aide, a late thirty-something year old woman named Jana Sparks. Jana was genuinely nice; Alex just knew it would take her some time to get used to her.

After her meeting with Jana, Grissom had taken Alex to a casual restaurant for diner. They would have gone somewhere nicer, but Alex didn't think she had anything decent to wear that would fit over her casts. However, anywhere was better than the hospital.

After diner, Grissom and Alex spent a few hours talking and rearranging furniture. Even with the little furniture she had, she couldn't decide how best to put it. She wanted to make sure she could get around. Of course, Grissom did most of the work, but Alex tried her best to help.

Once Grissom left, Alex couldn't help but fall into bed. She hadn't done this much in a while. And having to lug around her casted leg was taking a bigger toll than she had planned.

Grissom wasn't feeling tired after he left Alex's, so he decided to go into the lab. He always had paperwork he could catch up on.

After he'd been in his office for a couple hours, there was a knock on the door. It was Greg.

"Hey Gris, you got a sec?" Greg asked, sticking his head in Grissom's office.

"Sure, Greg," he replied, waving Greg in. He would welcome any distraction from the paperwork.

"I know we haven't had time to talk recently due to work, but I just wanted to make sure that things were ok," Greg started.

"Things?" Grissom cocked a questioning eyebrow, although he knew what Greg was getting at.

"You know," Greg said, giving a sly smile. "Between you and me and Alex."

"Greg, you and Alex are adults," Grissom started.

Greg interrupted, "I know, boss, but Alex is your daughter."

"You and I might not always see eye to eye, but you're smart, honest and I know where you work," Grissom replied.

Greg feigned embarrassment, "Aw shucks, thanks Gris."

Grissom hardened the expression on his face, "Seriously, though, if you hurt her, I know how to make you disappear."

Greg let out a little chuckle. He knew it was a bold attempt on Grissom's part to be humorous, but it was kind of creepy. Partly because Greg knew Grissom could do it.

"Does this mean I can call you dad?" Greg joked.

Grissom's expression was all the answer he needed.

"No, then," Greg deadpanned. "Ok, back to work for me," he said and left.

Grissom paused for a moment before getting back to work. He, at this point, really didn't have any feelings about Greg and Alex. That might change, however, if things between them ever got serious.

The next morning, a serious headache is what Sara had when she awoke. How much did I drink last night? She thought, while fishing in her bag for some aspirin.

After finding some, she got the answer to her question. She found the empty bottle of vodka as she reached for the plastic cup to get some water. I've really got to quit doing this.

She stripped, still wearing the clothes she had on the night before, and took a shower. She didn't want to look too bad when she went to the library. It was a small town, people had noticed her. And they would definitely notice if she looked hung over.

The shower didn't make her feel much better, but she had work to do. She got dressed and headed back towards town. She knew she had a long day ahead of her tracking down articles from almost a decade ago. She only hoped this would somehow satisfy her and allow her to get on with her life no matter how mundane.