Chapter 4

Greg hit his steering wheel with the heel of his palm. He was disappointed with how his conversation with Alex had gone. He hadn't said half the things he had wanted. He was disappointed with himself.

He wiped away the tears that had started to fall, trying to calm himself. He knew this was his fault and no one else's. He's the one who doubted her. He's the one who pushed her away. Hell, she'd even forgiven him at one point when they ran into each other in the club, but it was his jealousy that had ruined it. She had every right to turn him down because of his own stupid actions.

However, he still couldn't believe she asked him to forgive Nick. He didn't know why she cared so much whether or not he and Nick were friends. Then a thought hit him; she probably felt responsible for the break in their friendship. It was probably just more guilt for her…and now for him.

He hit the steering wheel again. And it's just one more reason for Grissom to hate me, Greg thought. Greg had known from day one that Grissom didn't like him. It's why Grissom made him nervous. Grissom was about predictability and standard methods. He wasn't sure what to make of Greg with his constantly changing hair and loud music. It had caused friction between them that had never been resolved.

And Greg knew that no matter what Grissom might say, he hated the fact the Greg was dating his daughter. Grissom always shrugged it off with the 'they're adults' mantra, but Greg knew better. Now, Greg was sure, it was just going to get worse and then he thought maybe forgiving Nick wasn't such a bad idea; Nick is a good ally.

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"Sara," Grissom called as she walked by his office.

She stopped and poked her head in. "Yeah, Gris?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked.

She walked into his office. "Sure, I've got a minute. I was just on my way out."

"I just wanted to say thank you," Grissom stated.

"For what?" Sara wasn't quite sure what he was talking about.

"For being honest with me yesterday…about Alex. I know that sometimes I assume people know how I feel about them…" he stopped as his phone rang. He instinctively looked at the caller ID. "It's Alex," he told Sara as he answered.

Sara let out a disappointed sigh. It always seemed that right as Grissom was going to make a connection with her, there was an interruption. And it seemed that lately the interruption had been Alex.

"You're being released, that's great," Sara heard Grissom say. "Yes, I can come get you."

Sara stood for a minute, waiting on Grissom. But it became apparent that the conversation wasn't going to be a quick one. Sara quietly left as Grissom talked to Alex. She doubted he even noticed.

She was fuming by the time she started walking down the hall. She was mostly mad at herself. She knew it was her own damn fault for letting Grissom get under her skin like he did. She should know, after all these years, that he wouldn't change.

Sara was lost in her anger when she bumped into Greg.

"Sorry," she said in passing.

Greg could see the emotion in her face and, judging from the direction she came, he knew it probably had to do with Grissom. "It's alright," he replied.

She paused for a moment as an odd thought crossed her mind. "Hey, are you staying over or are you leaving?"

Greg looked at his watch, not realizing the time. "I'm going to leave, now that I know it's leaving time." He smiled his goofy smile.

"I know I'm probably going to kick myself later, but do you want to get a drink?" she asked, thinking in the back of her mind that they might be able to commiserate over father and daughter.

"Thanks," he said sarcastically at the 'kick myself' comment, but then, thinking about his earlier conversation with Alex figured a couple drinks couldn't hurt. "Ok, yeah. Where to?"

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Gil arrived at the hospital a few hours later. He was glad she was going to be able to go home. He knew she hated the hospital and he was beginning to.

She smiled when she saw him enter the room. "Hi Gil," she greeted him, walking over to give him a hug.

Gil smiled back at her, noting that she was looking better. When he had seen her a couple days ago, there had been no color in her cheeks, no life in her eyes. Her hair had obscured her face. Today, with her hair, now back to its original light brown color, Gil could see that some of the sparkle had returned to her eyes and her cheek were light pink. "Alex," he responded, returning her embrace. "Ready to go home?"

"Am I ever!" she replied as they headed out of the room.

Their conversation was lax while they were in the hospital. Alex was filing out some final paperwork and getting some last minute instructions regarding her medication. But Gil stayed by her side. He was making a concerted effort to be there for her.

When they got into the car, Alex re-started their conversation. "I wanted to thank you, Gil, for talking with the D.A. and convincing them not to press charges."

Gil waved his hand in dismissal. "I really didn't have much to do with it. It wasn't in the best interest of justice."

"Still, thank you," she paused.

Gil could tell Alex wanted to say something else, but she was silent. He gave her a questioning look.

She let out a long, wavering sigh. "I'm leaving," she finally blurted out.

Grissom was stunned. "Leaving?"

"Not…not for good," she replied. "I just have to go…for a while. I've caused too much trouble."

Grissom was at a loss for words. He furrowed his brow and asked, "How long?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "As long as I need. A week…two…a month…I don't know."

The crease in his forehead deepened. "I was hoping we might get to spend some more time together. I was thinking we could go to L.A."

Alex caught her breath. She knew what was in L.A.—Gil's mother, her grandmother. She'd wanted to meet her since the moment she found out about her, but Gil didn't want to introduce them right away. He wanted to make sure their relationship was going to last before introducing his long lost daughter to his mother.

"Gil," she tried to fight back the tears. "I can't…not—not now." She tried to regain her composure. "Maybe when I get back."

"Ok," he replied. "When you get back." He made sure to put a special emphasis on the word 'when'. He wanted her to know he wanted her to come back.

The rest of the car ride was silent. Gil knew it was futile to try and convince her to stay so he didn't even try. Alex still had so much she wanted to say to him, but was afraid she would break down if she tried.

As they pulled into her complex, she broke the silence. "Listen, I don't want you to worry while I'm gone. I'll text or call you at least every other day. I've also got to check in with Georgia on a regular basis."

Gil nodded. "I'll look forward to hearing from you."

She gave Gil a quick peck on the cheek and started to exit the car. He grabbed her hand.

"Alex, I love you, you know," he said hesitantly.

"I know," she replied. "And I love you too." And she was out of the car.

Gil sat in his parked car for a few minutes, watching her until she was inside her apartment. He knew she had said she was coming back, but he wasn't so sure. He wondered if he'd ever get the chance to see her again, hoping he would.

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Greg woke up to his phone ringing causing his head to pulsate with his ring tone. He didn't know if his tolerance for alcohol had decreased or if he'd just had that many drinks. He tried to sit up, his eyes still closed. This only made his head spin more. He knew he wasn't going to make it to his phone.

After a minute or two his head had stopped spinning enough that he could open his eyes. Only, he didn't believe what his eyes saw when he opened them. He didn't recognize the room where he was.

He tried to remember how he got here, but the all he could remember was drinking with Sara. "Oh shit," he mumbled and then yelled, "Sara!"