Disclaimer: I do not own CSI

AN: just a little short story. due to me being sick and the theatre play I will perfom on friday and saturday the only story I updated last week was shattered hearts and resurrected dreams. I am really sorry for that. I don't know if I can update home sweet home or the petals of a wild rose this weekend, I hope I can but I can't promise anything. I'm really sorry for that.

Anyways, about this story. I just had to write a short story, this thought was in my head for weeks and I needed to write it. I was inspired by a really beautiful song called "hello friend" after which I named the story. (I didn't use any lyrics though)

Summary: When Sara calls in sick Grissom feels that something is wrong. And this time he knows what to do.

hello friend

Grissom entered the lab building and walked over to the reception desk, Judie softly smiled at him and handed him a couple of notes before he could even ask for them. He nodded friendly at her and headed for his office while flicking through the little papers.

'Sara called in sick, she says she's sorry but she can't work today.'

He raised an eyebrow and read the note again. Since when did Sara call in sick for work? She had never called in sick before. Had Sara ever been sick? He wondered. She had always been at the lab no matter how she was. This must be something serious he thought and he began to worry. He turned around and walked back to Judie.

"When did Sara call in sick?" He asked doing his best to not sound worried.

"Half an hour ago maybe."

He nodded. "Okay." He was about to turn away again, he felt as if it would be too obvious if he'd ask more. But then he wondered what could be too obvious. That he cared for her? If he'd have the time to wonder he'd have wondered why he cared whether or not the others would notice that he cares for her. "Did she say what's wrong with her?"

"Only that she wouldn't be able to make it to work today." Judie said softly. "I did not ask more questions. She sounded as if she wasn't in the constitution to talk. Sounded like something had happened but… I shouldn't speculate about her private stuff."

"Yeah we shouldn't." Grissom agreed. "In case that someone calls for me, I'm in my office now." He gave her a faked smile and headed to his office.

'She sounded like something had happened…'

He wondered if this was only Judie's imagination or if there had really happened something. There was almost no reason for Sara to not come to work… Now he was seriously worried.

He began to dial her number but then hang up the phone before finishing. He grabbed his jacket and left his office.

Passing by the reception desk again he told Judie that he'd have forgotten something at home. When he reached his car he lost no time starting the engine and driving to Sara's apartment.

With his heart beating fast in his chest he reached her door and knocked on it almost in panic. On his way there the most horrible things had been running through his head. And although he'd been telling himself over and over again that it was probably nothing but that she'd caught the flu, there was nothing that could have calmed him down. There was this feeling in his heart that told him that something was wrong.

It took a while until she opened the door, only a couple of seconds but those seemed like hours for him.

She stared at him and he stared at her. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were lightly swollen, she was shaking and he knew that she'd been crying until then, he could see how hard she was fighting back the tears right now.

He wanted to ask what was wrong, wanted to ask if he could help but he didn't know if she would answer him. And for the first time in his life he had the feeling that he'd know what to do.

Without saying anything he stepped closer to her and twined his arms around her waist. His hands slipped over her back and pressed her close against his chest. While his right hand rested on her lower back his left slipped up to her neck.

She buried her face in his shirt, leaning against his shoulder. She started to cry again, her whole body was shaking in his arms. He felt how the tears moistened his shirt and he wished he could do something to comfort her.

They stood there in the entrance of her apartment for a long time and she didn't seem to calm down. Grissom began to feel really helpless, it hurt him deep inside of his heart that she was crying so desperately in his arms and he didn't know how to ease her pain.

He slowly made his way into the apartment carefully pushing her forward without making her break away from him. He kicked the door shut behind them and continued to guide her to the sofa.

Meanwhile she had twined her arms around his neck and her hands were clinging on to his jacket. He wondered how he could make her sit down but in the same moment she pulled away from him, her hands let go off his jacket and she sank downon the sofa.

For a moment it seemed as if she was calming down. She leaned back, her head lying on the backrest of the sofa. She was breathing deeply and her breathing slowly began to calm down. For a moment he was enchained by the picture of her lying there, her chest moving up and down, her hands buried themselves into the blanket that's lying on the seat...

He slowly sank down on the sofa, facing her. He was still half standing and half kneeling on the seat, he was looking at her and his eyes tried to find a connection with hers. While leaning over her he felt the urge to touch her rising up in him. And it grew stronger and stronger until he couldn't bear it anymore.

Slowly he lowered his hand until it softly touched her. Surprised by this unfamiliar feeling she looked up. Now their eyes met and it sent a weird feeling, that he had never felt before, through his body.

He still didn't know whether she wanted to speak or not but he felt that he needed to try it. He took seat next to her, his hand never leaving her stomach.

Her eyes followed him and she turned her face into his direction. He reached up for her cheek and slowly caressed it, then he softly dragged her closer to him again. She laid her head down on his shoulder, her chest lying on his. She twined her arms around his neck, her right hand burying itself into his hair. His hands slowly caressed over her back, while the feeling of her heart beating against his chest let a wave of heat run through his body.

"What happened?" he whispered softly. He waited for an answer but there was none. He felt that she was starting to shake again so he tightened his embrace to make her feel that he was there for her.

For a long time they remained in silence until she stopped shaking. He reached up for her cheekand made her face him. "Sara, what happened?"

She swallowed hard and now her eyes were searching for his.

"Honey…what's wrong?" he asked her now sounding as concerned as he was.

"My mother died." She whispered softly, staring down.

He swallowed hard. "I'm sorry."

She absent minded shook her head. "I didn't speak with her for years. I didn't even talk with my brother since last year's Christmas. I… I never asked him how she was and he never told me that she… that she's been sick for about two years." She made a pause in which she glanced at Grissom. "When my brother called me this morning I… I was shocked and… I don't know. I feel guilty because I haven't been there for her. And I feel horrible because I never asked after her, because I never called her… she did things that were wrong but she… she was a good person. She didn't deserve to… to be treaten like this…" The tears started to run down her cheeks again. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. "And now I will never have a chance to tell her how much I loved her… I can't even say goodbye."

"I…" He started but didn't really know how to continue. He cursed himself for being so bad with words. "I am sure that…" He tried it again. "…I am sure that deep inside she knew how much she meant to you."

Sara sighed softly and snuggled closer against his chest. "Thank you." She whispered.

"For what?"

"Being here for me."

"That's what friends are for." He whispered into her ear, his hands slowly caressing her.

THE END

thank you for reading!