Snapshots of a Small-Town Life

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI. Also, Bridgewater and Greyston County are fictional locations and the original characters that inhabit them are also fictional. Any resemblance they may bear to actual places is purely coincidental.

Author Note: Yes, I finally got around to writing some more. Go me!

Rating: K

Chapter 9

With Jenny at her side, Sara skimmed through the photos a little more quickly, setting aside a shot of Rose's first birthday for the album, and another shot of Nick and the baby in the bath. She remembered how Nick had laughed as she attempted to line up a discreet angle, telling her that she just wanted to photograph him naked. What she had actually been trying to do, of course, was to record an innocent scene that she knew could not be repeated once Rosie was a little older.

"JJ!" Jenny shouted as they reached the next set of pictures of a newborn. JJ and Jenny were especially close, JJ the protective older brother to Jenny's adoring little sister. "Does it hurt to have a baby?" she asked.

"Yes," Sara replied honestly. "And with your brother I had terrible morning sickness too. It was pretty hard on daddy and Rosie. I guess it's true that it's worse with boys. But it's worth it." She smiled at her daughter, then at the photos of her second child, her only son. "It's worth every moment of it."

"Where am I?" Jenny asked, suddenly diving into the box.

"Jenny!"

"Don't worry mom, I won't mix them up."

Sara nodded, knowing that this was true. The other children might mess up her filing system, albeit unintentionally – there was no malice in any of her children, just irrepressible high spirits and boundless energy – but Jenny was careful when it came to that kind of thing.

The first photo in the envelope her daughter had chosen showed seven-year-old JJ with his arm in a cast.

"What happened to JJ?" Jenny wanted to know.

"He broke his arm," Sara replied, stating the obvious. "You were only a baby…"

She was in the kitchen drying dishes when she heard the crash. She rolled her eyes at the sound.

"Kids!" she yelled. It was almost the end of summer vacation, and she was counting the days until school restarted and she would finally get some peace. A moment later a white-faced Rose appeared in the doorway.

"Mom, JJ fell off the roof."

Sara's blood ran cold. She dropped the dishcloth she had been using onto the sideboard. "Where?" was all she said. Not that she needed to be told. As soon as she stepped outside the house she could hear Abby wailing and raced towards the sound.

JJ was sitting crumpled in a flowerbed, looking even paler than his sisters. At least he was conscious, she thought, as she dropped to her knees beside him.

"I'm okay mom," he managed, trying to be brave even through his tears. His left arm was on a strange angle, definitely broken.

"You've broken your arm," she informed him, surprised at how calm she sounded.

"I know," he agreed. A small spark of annoyance made itself felt through her concern.

"Nicholas James Stokes Junior, what did I tell you about not climbing on the roof?" she asked.

"You only said not to climb on the school roof," he replied plaintively. "Do I get to have a cast?" The thought seemed to please him.

She sighed, her anger melting away as swiftly as it had flared. "Rosie, get your sisters into the car. Yes JJ," she told him in a gentler tone, "you will most definitely get to have a cast."

He sniffed, then gave another brave smile. "Cool."