January 5th: Catherine has just arrived back from a crime scene to drop off evidence when she bumps into Grissom.
"Hey Grissom can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure." Grissom replies as he motions for her to go in his office. "What do you need?"
"I was wondering how much time I have saved up."
"In vacation time, or sick time?"
"Vacation."
"Well let me look, you could take off three months in a row if you wanted, then you'd still have weeks of sick time too."
"Ok, well I want to take off 6 to 8 weeks."
"Ok when?"
"The when part is kind of tricky."
"What do you mean?"
Catherine glances at her stomach for a few seconds and then raises her head back up.
"I'm not sure when I want to take off."
"Ok, well tell me when you know."
"Ok, I've got to go, I have a doctor's appointment."
"Ok, bye."
the doctor's:
"So is everything ok?"
"No."
"What do you mean no?"
"The baby's fine, a little on the small side, but fine."
"Then what's wrong?"
"I'm putting you on bedrest until the baby's born."
"But the baby isn't due until the end of March, I can't take off that much work."
"You're on your feet at least 12 hours everyday at work, and I can't have it, if you don't follow my orders there's no way you'll make it even close to your March 23rd due date."
"I'm fine, the baby's fine."
"You're not listening, you don't get enough rest, and it's ok to be physically active but Catherine not as much as you are you need to slow down, look you're 33 weeks pregnant, and baby can survive at this point, but if you don't take it easy the baby won't make it to 40 weeks, that isn't a big deal, except at the rate you're going the baby could be born anytime between now and then, and the longer the baby stays in the better developed the lungs are, and the better developed the lungs are the healthier the baby, so please take some time off. And with your slighty elevated blood pressue I'm afraid it may develop into pre-eclampsia in which case we'd have to deliver the baby right away."
"Ok."
"Thank you, I'll see you in a few weeks."
"Ok, bye."
After her appointment Catherine returns to work. She finsihes her case and goes to the locker room to get her purse before returning home as usual.
"Hey!"
"Hey."
"How did things go?"
"Fine Sara."
"Are you sure?"
"The doctor said something about resting, and blah blah blah."
"Did it sound like bedrest?"
"No,"
"Catherine."
"The doctor has no idea what he's talking about, I'm fine."
"Catherine listen to someone for once please."
"Ok."
home 2 days later:
Lindsey gets back from a football game around 10 o'clock, gets ready for bed, and goes to see if her mom's home.
"Mom, Mom?" Lindsey hollers as she heads towards Catherine's room.
"What?" Lindsey finds her mom sitting on the bed reading.
"Hi."
"How was the football game?"
"We lost."
"As usual."
"Yep."
"You want to go downstairs and eat ice cream before you go to bed."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah."
"I can't eat ice cream before bed."
"Sure you can, come on."
"Ok, if you say so." Lindsey says as she follows her mother down the stairs toward the kitchen.
While eating ice cream they decide to watch T.V.
"I'm going to go to bed, I'm tired, but it's friday, so you can stay up late as long as you're quiet."
"Ok." Lindsey replies as Catherine gets off the couch. As Catherine stands up Lindsey notices something's wrong.
"Mom are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm just a little dizzy, I'll get some sleep and I'll be fine."
"Ok." Just as Lindsey sits back down Catherine collapses. Lindsey quickly grabs the phone and dials 9-1-1. The paramedics arrive within 5 minutes, they load Catherine into the ambulance, Lindsey hops in and they head to the hospital. They rush Catherine away and make Lindsey wait in the waiting room. Alone, and scared she decides to call someone. But who her grandmother is asleep by now... Sara. Yes Sara will come right away. Lindsey walks over to the payphone and dials Sara's cellphone, a number she's only recently learned, only because her mom gave her a list of people to call in case of an emergency.
"Hello?" A half asleep Sara says on the other end.
"Hello Sara..."
"Lindsey what's wrong?"
"Mom's in the hospital."
"What happened?"
"I don't know, she collapsed, and they won't let me see her."
"Which hospital?"
"Desert Palms."
"Ok, I'll be right there."
"Thank you, bye."
"Bye."
Minutes later Sara rushes into the hospital to find Lindsey.
"Sara."
"Hey, you ok?"
"Yeah."
"Why don't you try to go to sleep and I'll find out what's going on, she'll probably be here a while."
"No, don't leave."
"Ok."
Sara sits down beside her. Lindsey puts her head on Sara's shoulder, knowing there would be no way to calm her she rubbed Lindsey's head until she fell asleep. Sara could vaugely remember having her mother rub her head until she fell asleep when she was very little. Slowly Sara drifted off to sleep, when she woke up the sun was shining through Lindsey's hair. Lindsey looked up for a minute, her head now on Sara's lap, and then drifted back to sleep. Sara unable to move because of having Lindsey on her, and because the weight of Lindsey's head had caused her legs to fall asleep calls Grissom.
"Hello?"
"Hey..."
"Sara, where have you been? I've been trying to call you for an hour."
"What time is it?"
"11 o'clock in the morning."
"Oh, sorry I was asleep."
"That's your excuse for not being here? Oh and have you heard from Catherine."
"Not exactly the reason I'm not there is because I'm in the hospital."
"What happened are you ok?"
"I'm fine it's not me, Lindsey called me last night at about midnight from the hospital."
"So Lindsey's in the hospital?"
"Yes, Lindsey's in the hospital, but she's not the one who need ed to come to the hospital."
"I'm so very confused Sara please explain this to me."
"I am in the waiting room of the hospital, Lindsey is asleep... and I can't go anywhere because her head is on my lap and my legs are asleep."
"So Catherine is in the hospital?"
"Yes."
"What happened?"
"She collapsed."
"Why?"
"I don't know, look I've got to go the doctor is coming over here, I'll call you back in a little while."
"Ok."
Sara hangs up the phone and gently shakes Lindsey. Lindsey sits up and the doctor comes over.
"I take it you're here for Catherine Willows?"
"Yes, how is she?"
"She's fine, she's awake, and she should be able to go home tonight, but she can't go back to work."
"Ok, thank you."
"Excuse me, can I see her?"
"Yeah, you can both go see her she's in room 223."
"Ok thank you." Sara says as she gets up and starts walking down the hall with Lindsey by her side. They find the room and go in.
"Hey!"
"Mom are you ok? I was really worried."
"I'm fine sweetheart."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"You're not going back to work are you?"
"Of course I am."
"Mom the doctor said you're not supposed to."
"The doctor doesn't know what he's talking about."
"Mom, please just listen to the doctor."
"Catherine she's right you know."
"I guess so. Sara why aren't you at work?"
"Because I was in the waiting room asleep until 20 minutes ago."
"And even if she hadn't been asleep I don't think she could have gone anywhere."
"Why not?"
"My head was on her lap pinning her down."
"Yes,and because your head was on my lap my legs went to sleep, so I couldn't have escaped if I had tried."
"May I come in?"
"Sure Grissom, what are you doing here?"
"I was just in the neighboorhood."
"Right."
"I was..."
"Ok."
"I had a very interesting conversation with your doctor."
"Really?"
"Yes he said thatyou aren't supposed to come towork, you're supposed to be at home in bed."
"Oh yeah it must have slipped my mind."
"Uh huh, my question is why?"
"Uh...you know."
"No I don't."
"I..."
"She's pregnant."
"Lindsey."
"What? Were you going to keep it a secret until the kid was 18 and out of the house. And then one day Grissom would come up to you and say 'gee when did you have another kid?' that would have worked out well."
"You're pregnant?"
"Yeah."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because she's a chicken."
"Lindsey! It isn't nice to call your mom a chicken. It's funny but not nice."
"I'll remember that twisted advice Sara."
"Good."
"Catherine I'm waiting for an answer."
"I don't have one Grissom."
"Fine, but you're not coming back to work until you have a big healthy baby. How long will that be by the way?"
"7 weeks."
"You're kidding me right?"
"No why?"
"Because you don't look pregnant at all."
"Sara thank you for your answer but I was asking Grissom."
"Her answer is my answer."
"Oh."
For the next few days Catherine follows the doctor's orders, but then she gets bored and starts doing things she's not supposed to. One day after Lindsey gets home from school she runs to her room, after about an hour she comes out.
"Mom."
"What Lindsey?"
"What did you do today?"
"I read and did laundry."
"Wrong."
"What do you mean wrong?"
"You went shopping, and then you tried to put the crib together."
"I did not."
"I have you on tape."
"You're taping me?"
"Yep, well it wasn't all me, I mean Greg set every thing up."
"Where's the camera?"
"I don't know."
"Lindsey."
"I'm not telling you."
"Whatever."
January 19th: After Lindsey leaves for school one morning Catherine is making herself some toast when she notices something wet and sticky.
"What on eart did she spill?" Catherine asks herself out loud. After thinking for a few seconds she realizes what's all over the kitchen floor. She calls her mom and then heads to the hospital.
11:30 A.M.
"Ok Catherine on your next contraction you can push."
"Ok."
"Push." The doctor says.
"Good." The nurse says. Catherine is about ready to scream not in pain but at the stupid cheery happy nurse.
An hour and a 1/2 later:
"Good one more push Catherine."
"Ok."