A Friend In Need
By
Sydne
Rating: CSI 2
Disclaimer: All characters belong to CBS, etc…
Summary: A day of clean up for home and souls.
A/N: Any errors in surf shops and locals in Marina Del Rey is entirely my fault. Please don't hurt me.
Chapter 5
The next day was spent going through Mrs. Grissom's belongings. To Catherine's surprise, the house was tiny. Grissom took the time to show her which room had been his as a child and told her a few stories about his childhood. She cherished these stories because getting him to open up was such a rarity.
As they began going through her things, he explained to Catherine that while his mother was outgoing, she had few close friends. Her hearing impairment had kept her somewhat separated from the outside world. This really saddened her. It also explained to her why he was able to distance himself from others. She was sure he had learned it from his mother.
By the end of they day the weary workers were smeared with dust and dirt. They had found all of the items that he had wanted to save and packed them into boxes. Sadly, there was very little. He had kept only a few photographs and books.
When the couple left the house instead of heading toward their hotel, he turned in the opposite direction.
"Gil, you're going the wrong way."
"I know."
After a moment's pause, she asked, "Well, aren't you going to tell me why?"
"No, I'm not."
Letting out an exasperated sigh, she looked at him. She could tell he was up to something, but had no idea what.
They drove down the Pacific Coast Highway until they came to a small shop. He parked the car and came around to help her out.
She looked up at the name of the building and laughed. They had stopped at Beach Bum's Surf Shop.
"Why are we here?" she asked in an amusement-laced voice.
"You said that hot tub looked good. I agree. I figured we could get some swimsuits here."
"Gil, I'm surprised you knew this shop was here. It doesn't seem your style."
"There are many things you don't know about me, Catherine," he says mysteriously.
She gazed at him with one eyebrow lifted. Smirking, he walked ahead of her to the store and opened the door. Dramatically bowing from the waist, he waved for her to enter ahead of him. Laughing at his antics, she entered the store and started looking at the swimsuits. The beautiful redhead found three suits that were appealing to her and she went to try them on. While he was waiting, he found a pair of trunks that suited him. When she came out of the fitting room, he took the garment from her and went to pay for it.
"Gil! You don't have to do that."
"I know. I want to."
"Its not necessary."
"It wasn't necessary for you to accompany me here either, but you did, so…"
"I get it. Thank you, Gil."
"You're welcome."
Taking their purchases they went back to the car and returned to their hotel. Upon entering their bungalow, she went to the bathroom to change into her new suit while he called Conrad Ecklie.
"Ecklie," came the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Conrad, its Gil."
"Gil. Nice to hear from you. How are things going?"
"Okay. The funeral is tomorrow. Catherine and I should be back in Vegas sometime this weekend. You can put us down on the schedule for Monday night."
"Are you sure, Gil? You can take as much time as you need."
"Thanks, Conrad, but I'm sure. After the funeral tomorrow I'm going to meet with a realtor and get the house listed. That should be the final thing to do."
"Ok, if you're positive."
"I am. We'll see you when we get back."
He closed his phone and turned back to face the room. His mouth dropped open when he spied her standing in the bathroom doorway.
She had chosen a skimpy turquoise bikini. It had thin spaghetti straps and darker turquoise bangles dotting it. The color of the bikini set off the blue of her eyes.
His eyes roamed her form as he fought to find the right words. Finally he squeaked, "You look beautiful."
"Thank you. Now, go get changed. I want to relax in that tub."
He stood and walked towards her. Stopping next to her, he leaned towards her and whispered, "You're amazing."
Disappearing into the bathroom, he left a flustered redhead in his wake. When she picked the bikini out, she had not anticipated that reaction from him. She picked it because it had looked good on her and it was pretty. His reaction was a bonus.
She sat on the edge of the bed and waited for his return. When he opened the door and walked out it was her turn to look shell-shocked. He had picked out a pair of black boxer trunks with wide blue stripes running up the legs. Like her suit, the blue accentuated his eyes.
"Wow! You don't look so bad yourself," she purred as she walked to him.
"Why, thank you," he said as he handed her a towel.
They walked to the hot tub and slowly slid down into the warm water. He reached over and set the timer on the jets. Soon bubbles were circulating all around them.
"Mmm, God this feels divine."
"It does. You had a good idea, Catherine."
She smiled at him and took his hand. They sat together in companionable silence for a few moments.
"Cath, I'm worried about tomorrow."
"I'll be there for you."
"I know," he sighed, "Catherine, I don't say how I feel very often. You should know, you've called me on it numerous times."
She scooted closer to him and put her arms around him.
"I'll give you strength."
Leaning into her embrace, he let himself be comforted by those words. His arms wrapped themselves around her soft torso and as unbidden tears began to fall, he pulled her closer.
She could feel that he had begun crying so she whispered soft caring words into his ear as she stroked his damp curls. When he settled down, he moved away from her.
"I'm sorry, Catherine."
"Don't be. I'd be more worried if you kept it all bottled up inside like you normally do."
"It just feels so unnatural."
"I know."
A silence fell over them as they sat there. She watched him as he struggled to get his emotions under control. Her heart broke as she saw the pain cross his face.
The timer clicked off on the Jacuzzi and she looked over at him. He looked more composed than he had a few moments earlier.
"Are you done here or would you like to stay longer," she inquired.
"I've had enough."
They both stood up and climbed out of the tub. She reached for the towels and handed one back to him. He turned around at her soft command and was surprised when he felt the towel being softly rubbed down his back. When she was done drying his back, he turned to face her. Bravely, she reached out with the towel and began to dry his chest and arms. A quick inhale of his breath alerted her when she was getting too close to the top of his swimsuit. When she was finished, she looked up at him and said, "You can do the lower half yourself."
"I think that's probably a good idea," he said as his ears turned red.
Catherine smirked at him and quickly dried herself off. She held out her hand to him and he took it in his. They walked back to their room hand in hand.
Upon entering their bungalow, she grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom. She quickly changed and returned to the room. She found he had turned the television on and was watching a baseball game.
"Bath's all yours."
"Thanks. I'll be right back."
She watched him as he went into the other room. Lying down on the bed, her thoughts quickly turned to what had happened at the hot tub. His sharp intake of breath told her that he felt more about her than she had dreamed. 'Damn, why did this have to happen now? The timing is so wrong. Maybe when we return to Vegas we can explore those feelings,' the fiery redhead thought to herself. She was interrupted from further musings by his return.
"Thanks for leaving the game on."
"You're welcome. I'm going to read a bit while you watch TV."
He walked over to where she lay and sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.
"Enjoy yourself," he huskily told her as he stood up. He went to his bed, pulled back the covers and lay down upon it. Propping himself up with a pillow, he was immediately enthralled with the baseball game.
Catherine smiled at him and flipped open the magazine she had brought with her. She had read about half of one article when she heard the soft snores rumbling from the bed next to hers. Shaking her head, she stood and walked over to him. She took the remote control from his relaxed hand and turned off the TV. Setting the remote on the bedside table, she paused a moment to look at him. She reached down and grasped the covers and pulled them over him. Placing a soft kiss on his check, she whispered, "G'night sleepy head." She swore she saw him smirk.
TBC…