Disclaimer: ALL characters belong to CBS. No infringement is intended, as this story is written for fun only. Any additional characters will be mine or I may borrow a few from some of my fellow fanfic writers.

Summary: This story details Conrad Ecklie's plan to destroy Dr. Gil Grissom's life. He secures the services of Ms. Sophia Curtis to systematically destroy Dr. Grissom, beginning of course with his relationship with CSI3 Sara Sidle (I gave our Sweet Sara a promotion).

Author: Christiangirl (AKA Sharon)

Spoilers: Mea Culpa (Sort of), Unbearable and a little Let the Seller Beware

Rating: PG-13/AU Story

Chapter Six—Out of the Woods/Grissom's Dream

As Sara listened to Dr. Lance Cromwell's instructions regarding her visit with Grissom, she was beginning to feel a rush of nausea overtake her. She quickly excused herself and ran to the ladies' room, where her stomach brought up her meal from the night earlier in the day. She came back to where Dr. Cromwell and Nurse Susan Alcove were seated.

"Miss Sidle, are you all right?" Nurse Alcove asked in concern for the younger woman.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," Sara replied. "I guess I ate some bad seafood. By the way, you can call me Sara."

"Okay, Sara it is," Nurse Alcove began smiling warmly at Sara. "If you have any problems, you can call me. I think your Dr. Grissom is settled in ICU. Remember, only fifteen minutes. Once he's better, we'll see about extending your visits." With that, Nurse Alcove led Sara to Dr. Grissom's ICU room. Sara thanked Nurse Alcove and immediately sat down in the chair that was beside the bed that Grissom laid on. She took his hand and sobbed quietly. As Sara sat holding Grissom's hand, there was a light rapping on the door. Sara reluctantly released Grissom's hand and went to see who was at the door. To her astonishment, it was Nurse Evelyn Stoner. She came to apologize to Sara for her irreverent behavior.

"Mrs. Grissom," Nurse Stoner began, smiling tentatively, "I'd like to apologize for my behavior towards you yesterday. I had a very bad day and I took it out on you. I'm really very sorry, I hope you forgive me."

"No problem," Nurse Stoner, "I know how it is to work a job that stressed filled."

"You're not kidding," Nurse Stoner wrinkled her nose at Sara, "I noticed your LVPD jacket. Are you a police woman?"

"No, I'm a criminalist," Sara began, "we're investigate crime scenes."

"What does your husband, Dr. Grissom do?" Nurse Stoner asked, while checking Grissom's vitals.

"He's not my husband, he's my supervisor," Sara began in explanation of her relationship with Grissom.

"He's not you're husband," Nurse Stoner began laughing lightly, "the way you looked at him just now, that's the look of love. Is he a criminalist also?"

"Yes, but he's also a forensic entomologist." Sara replied, beaming at Grissom's unconscious form. "Not only is he my supervisor, but he's also my mentor." Just then, there was another rap on the door. Dr. Cromwell opened the door to reveal Grissom's father, mother and aunt. With that, Dr. Cromwell and Nurse Stoner left Grissom's room and let Grissom's family visit with him for a little while. Lucille was the first to speak after the doctor and nurse left Grissom's ICU room.

"Sara Sidle?" Lucille Wainright asked, smiling tentatively. "I'm Lucille Wainright, I'm the one that spoke to you on the phone. And this is my sister, Mrs. Vera Grissom and her husband, Gilbert Grissom, Sr. They're Gil's parents." The three older adults watched as Sara sat back in the chair beside Gil's bed. They noticed the love Sara had for their loved one and hoped that he would find it in his heart to open up to this beautiful young woman, who seemed to be enamored with the Junior Gil Grissom.

Three Days Later

Three days later, there didn't seem to be a change in Grissom's condition. He was still unconscious, although he seemed to be getting better. His color was a nice tan and his cheeks had a healthy glow to them. Dr. Cromwell was at a loss as to what was going on with Gil Grissom, Jr.

"We're not sure what's going on with your son, Mr. & Mrs. Grissom." Dr. Cromwell, began in stark confusion. "The tests came back normal. There's nothing wrong with your son's brain functions. We're going to run some extra tests just to be on the safe side. If it hadn't been for Sara, calling for help, he'd probably would be dead or severely brain-damaged." With that, Gil Grissom Sr., Vera Grissom and Lucille Wainright all gave Sara a great big hug. She saved their 'Baby Boy' from brain damage and certain death.

Mrs. Vera Grissom noticed that Sara hadn't been sleeping too well, she noticed the dark circles forming under her eyes.

"Sara, honey," Grissom's mom spoke to Sara using her voice, surprising Sara in the process. "When's the last time you had a good night's sleep and a homecooked meal?"

"Nearly three days ago, when this first happened." Sara spoke facing Vera Grissom. "I thought you couldn't talk. I thought you did sign language only."

"I lost my hearing later in life," Vera began, "I can read lips, it's easier for those who don't know American Sign Language, or ASL for short."

"I know ASL, I learned it after a bad encounter with the dean of a school for the deaf," Sara began. "We were investigating the murder of a young man who attended that school. It was then that I realized that I had a 'us against them' mentality, hence the need for me to learn sign language. I think that I'm better equipped to handle my job."

"That's wonderful, Sara," Vera began smiling and signing. "I'm glad you decided to learn ASL. Perhaps when Junior gets well and goes back Las Vegas, you'll both be able to communicate your love towards one another without anyone realizing what you two are talking about. My Gilly has trouble putting his words together. He seems to take after me."

At that precise moment, Grissom decided to code for some unknown reason.

BEEP

The nurses rushed into Grissom's room and took out the paddles to try to bring him back. They ushered Grissom's family into the waiting area.

BEEP

It was a sound that was not welcomed to Grissom's family and Sara, his friend. They started sobbing as they heard one of the medical professionals ask:

"Do you want to call it, Dr. Cromwell?" A young intern asked the older and more experienced doctor.

"Yeah," Dr. Cromwell replied in total dejection. "He was sure that Dr. Gil Grissom would make it. "Okay, time of death, 7:30pm." As everyone nodded, sadly making the notation on the death certificate, a most welcomed sound was heard, generating cheers all over Grissom's room.

BEEPBEEP BEEPBEEPBEEP

Gil was back, alive and well, much to the astonishment of the medical staff. He still wasn't conscious, but Dr. Gil Grissom Jr. was back amongst the land of the living.

Dr. Cromwell went out to brief Gil's family on his condition. Once they were given the good news that Gil was back to the land of the living, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"He's not out of the woods yet," Dr. Cromwell began, "he suffered from a serious staph infection. We're trying to locate the source of the infection."

"When can we see him?" A tearful Sara asked.

"In about an hour or so," Dr. Cromwell began, "we're still trying to get him stabilized. Once we're satisfied that his condition is stabilized, we'll be able to transfer him to a room on the floor. But, until then, Dr. Grissom will remain in the ICU."

"Thanks, Doctor," Gil Sr. began, "my wife and I were wondering when our Baby Boy would be in a regular room. No offense, Doc, but the ICU floor gives me the creeps." With that, Dr. Cromwell went back to Grissom's ICU room to check up on his patient's condition. Sara sat in the ICU waiting area with Grissom's family, counting the minutes before she would be able to go back into Gil Jr.'s room to continue her vigil at his bedside.

Dr. Gil Grissom's Dream

As Gil Grissom Jr. lay unconscious in his room in the ICU, he had a strange dream. He dreamt that he went to Heaven and met some of his relatives that went on before him.

Gil's Dream Begins

"I wonder where I am?" Gil asked himself as he walked through a beautiful park complete with a massive fountain. "This place is soooo beautiful!"

As Gil continued to take in the different sights, he heard a voice behind him. It was the voice of a male calling out his name.

"Young man, what are you doing here?" The male voice asked. "You're way too early. Your time has not yet come, and besides, you're not ready for your journey." At that precise moment, Grissom turned around to see whom the voice belonged to.

As Grissom turned around, he saw a mirror of himself at an older age. The man was dressed in an old fashioned suit from the 1930's or the 1940's. Grissom opened his mouth to say something, but the old gentleman gently interrupted him.

"Young man," the old man began, "you're the spitting image of me when I was a younger fella. You don't know me, because by the time you entered the world, I had already passed away. My name is Virgil Grissom. I'm you're great, great Grandfather."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Grissom began, "what's going on and where am I?"

"Young man, you're in Heaven," Virgil Grissom replied. "What's going on, Son, is that you've died and you're here, but you're too early. It's not your time, which is why I was sent to meet you. You need to go back to your family."

"What if I don't want to go back?" Grissom began weeping; causing the old man to put his hand on is shoulder. "Why can't I stay here with you?"

"Son," Virgil Grissom began, consoling his weeping great, great Grandson. "Think about the people you'll be leaving behind. And what do you plan to do about the lovely young lady you're leaving behind? Are you willing to give up her unconditional love?"

"Well, for your information, Sir," Grissom began still weeping, "Sara has moved on with her life. She seems to be very happy to have left me behind. So, I really don't have anything to go back to."

"Son, what about your parents, don't they deserve to have you back with them?" Virgil asked. "Or, are they not worth some happiness? What about your sister, brother and your nephew? Do you think they wouldn't feel the pain of losing you?"

"You don't understand," Grissom began still weeping, "it's not the same thing. I just can't live without Sara's love. She IS my life, and without her in it, I'm lost." At that moment, Virgil pulled Grissom into a bear hug. As he continued to hug Grissom, he spoke soothingly to him.

"Now you listen here, Son," Virgil began, encouraging Grissom, "that young lady loves you and you alone. She only went out with other men because you pushed her away. Now, my child, it's time for you to step up to the base and let her know how you feel. Let her know what you've been through. Tell her all about your pain and the pain you felt losing her. Don't hold back either. Tell her everything and from this day forward, do NOT keep any more secrets from her."

"I do love her more than life itself," Grissom replied, a ray of hope shining through the dark clouds of his life.

"That's my Boy," Virgil began, noticing the gleam of hope in Grissom's eyes. "You'll do well, my child. Now go on to your Love."

Gil's Dream Continues

With that, Grissom found himself in what seemed to be a hotel. He had his crime kit in his hand. It seemed as though he was at a crime scene gathering evidence for a murder-suicide case that turned out to be a double murder made to look like a murder-suicide.

'I remember this case,' Grissom thought to himself in his dream. 'Why am I dreaming about a case that was solved nearly six years ago?' Just then, Grissom saw why he was dreaming about this case. Sara and a handsome, older detective were talking. Grissom just hated when guys would come on to 'his' girl Sara.

"Hi, Grissom," Sara smiled brightly, "this is Capt. Bill Randles, he said he has some information that may help us with our case. Bill, this is my supervisor, Dr. Gil Grissom."

"Nice to meet you, Captain," Grissom began a little hurt, "I'd like to think I'm a little more than Sara's supervisor."

"Are you the same Dr. Grissom that wrote some of the forensic articles in Forensic News Today?" Capt. Randles asked.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Grissom asked cautiously.

"My grandson is working on his Masters Degree in Forensic Science and Entomology." Capt. Randles replied.

"Your grandson?" Grissom asked, surprised that Capt. Randles was old enough to have a grandson.

"I'm pushing 70, Son," Capt. Randles replied, laughing at the expression on Grissom's face. "You're about in your mid 30's, is that about right, Son?"

"I'm 40 years old, sir," Grissom replied.

"Your hair may be graying, but you have a young face," Capt. Randles began, "let me get that information on the witness I was telling Ms. Sidle about." With that, the older man went to get the information for Grissom.

Grissom was then on another crime scene, this time he was with both Sara and CSI-3 Warrick Brown. Capt. Jim Brass met them at the scene, which quickly brought them up to speed about the smash and grab at Kay Jewelers.

CSI-3 Sara Sidle was dusting for fingerprints at Kay Jewelers, while Dr. Gil Grissom and CSI-3 Warrick Brown spoke with Captain James "Jim" Brass regarding the dynamics of the case. One of the detectives, a Lt. Blake Covington approached Sara. He was taken with her beauty and the fact that there wasn't a ring on her left ring finger, which made him quite pleased.

"Hey, Lovely Lady," Lt. Covington began, "my name's Lt. Blake Covington, and who might you be?"

"I'm CSI-3 Sara Sidle." Sara replied smiling at the seemingly flirtatious guy.

"Well, hello CSI-3 Sara Sidle, pleased to meet you." Lt. Covington replied returning Sara's smile.

I'm pleased to meet you also," Sara replied, grateful for a small reprieve from the tedious work of dusting for fingerprints and from thinking about one Gil Grissom, as their relationship seemed to go sour.

While Lt. Covington and Sara continued their conversation, at that precise moment, Dr. Gil Grissom happened to turn his gaze in their direction. Grissom continued to glare at the seemingly happy 'couple', he decided that he needed to make his presence known to this young hotshot detective. Grissom reached Lt. Covington and Sara as Lt. Covington asked Sara a friendly question.

"How are you doing, Lovely Lady?" Lt. Covington asked. He would have continued, but was rudely interrupted by one exasperated Dr. Gil Grissom.

"The 'Lovely Lady', as you so put it," Grissom began putting his arm around Sara's shoulder and snarled, "is quite busy collecting evidence for this case."

"No harm, no foul," Lt. Covington backed away, holding his hands up in surrender. "I was just making small talk with the young lady, nothing more. I'll be going and finishing up with the witnesses." With that, Lt. Blake Covington left Grissom and Sara, but not before winking sweetly at Sara, which made Grissom's blood boil. Blake couldn't help but laugh at the older man.

After Lt. Covington left, Grissom thought he would have a word with Sara.

"What was all that about, Sara?" Grissom asked slightly annoyed.

"Nothing, Grissom." Sara replied, equally annoyed. "Besides, what business is it of yours? If I want to talk with anyone, I'll talk with them."

"Not on CSI's time, is that clear?" Grissom asked, trying really hard to squelch the jealousy he always felt when any man was in Sara's proximity.

"Well, I finished collecting all the evidence here," Sara began gesturing around the jewelry store. "I'm going to head back to the lab and give all my evidence to Greg."

"Sara, have you forgotten that you drove to the scene with me?" Grissom asked annoyed.

"Well, yeah," Sara began, "why don't you ride back with Jim or Warrick, so I can head back to the lab. I'd like to get Greg started on checking our DNA."

"Okay, okay," Grissom began waving Sara off as if she were some kind of bug. "I'll see you back at the lab." With that, Sara was off to the lab, driving Grissom's vehicle at that.

All the while Grissom, Sara and Lt. Blake Covington were having their conversation, both CSI-3 Warrick Brown and Captain Jim Brass witnessed the whole scenario. They couldn't believe Grissom's reaction to Blake and Sara's seemingly harmless conversation.

"Hey, Boss Man," Warrick began, "what was all that about?"

"What was all what about?" Grissom asked, feigning ignorance.

"Oh, that little show you put on for us." Jim Brass replied.

"And what a show it was!" Warrick replied, causing Jim Brass to laugh, which brought both men a menacing glare from Gil Grissom.

"Look, we've got work to do and I suggest that we do it, okay?" Grissom replied. With that, the angry forensics entomologist turned on his heels and left their presence. Both Jim and Warrick followed him looking at each other with amused grins. For they knew, deep down, that Dr. Gil Grissom had deep feelings for one, CSI-3 Sara Sidle, though he tried to hide his feelings for Sara.

'Why do I torture myself by thinking of Sara and her fan club,' Grissom asked himself. 'Maybe I'm some sort of masochist, enjoying the pain of torturing myself.'

Grissom also thought back to the first time that he made love to a woman. Sara Sidle was the woman who made him a man, so to speak. She completed him and he fell in love completely with her.

A Beautiful Gift for Both Grissom and Sara

Nearly two weeks later, Sara sat in her living room reading an interesting article in one of the forensic journal. As she continued reading there was a knock on the door of her apartment. As Sara opened the door, she noticed an older man holding in his hand a large bouquet of flowers.

"Does a Ms. Sara Sidle live here?" The deliveryman asked.

"Yes," Sara replied, taking a deep breath, "I'm Sara Sidle."

"Sign here, please, Miss," the delivery man replied, handing his clipboard and a pen to Sara. "Who ever sent these flowers must really love you."

Sara smiled as she handed the man his clip board and pen back to him. She gave him a generous tip, which brought a big smile from the man to Sara.

"God bless you, Miss," the man smiled at her, "and may Heaven smile upon you."

"Thank you, sir." Sara replied as the man left the break room. With that, Sara decided to check the card attached to the beautiful floral arrangement to see who her secret admirer was.

"Happy 21st birthday, Sara

Love,

Gil Grissom

Sara couldn't believe that Grissom remembered her birthday. She was pleasantly surprised.

Later that evening, Grissom took Sara to an exclusive restaurant at the hotel he was staying at. They enjoyed dinner and light after dinner conversation. Grissom and Sara had a little too much to drink. Grissom decided to let Sara stay in his room, he would bring her home early the next morning.

Grissom just couldn't take his eyes off Sara. Sara walked up to Grissom and gave him a thank you kiss for their night out on the town. Although the kiss was chaste, Grissom seized the moment and Sara's lips and ravaged her hungrily. He finally realized that he could no longer hold back his strong feelings from her. He scooped Sara up in his strong arms and carried her to the bedroom of his hotel room. He and Sara made love into the wee hours of the morning. Grissom was no longer a virgin. Sara completed him.

Grissom and Sara continued their relationship for a year, as Grissom visited San Francisco quite a few times. True love was brewing between the two science geeks.

'Oh how I miss Sara's love,' Grissom thought to himself, still unconscious, 'I so love you, Sara, I really do.'

Back to the present time

Sara sat in a chair at Grissom's bedside, watching, as he still lay unconscious in the ICU. She wanted him to open his eyes, so that he would be able to be transferred to a private room.

"Come on, Baby, open your eyes for me," Sara began tearfully, "please Baby, I know you can do it."

A nurse came in to check Grissom's vital signs. She gave Sara a smile before turning to leave Grissom's room.

"Gil, you've gotta open your eyes," Sara began weeping. "What am I gonna do without you in my life. I love you so much." Sara continued weeping and talking to Grissom.

"Sara," Mrs. Vera Grissom began smiling tentatively, "how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," Sara began, as she noticed Vera's doubtful look, she continued. "I'm fine, really I'm fine."

"If you say so, Honey," Vera began, "when was the last time you had a good night's sleep, or a homecooked meal?"

"It's been a while," Sara replied honestly, smiling at the older woman. "I promise to get a good night's rest once I know that Grissom's out of the woods. There's just no way I'm gonna leave his side."

"Young lady," Vera began in a good-natured way, "you're going to get some rest today and a great home cooked meal. My son wouldn't want the woman he loves more than life itself to ruin her health. Gilly will be just fine; I'll stay with him. You need to get some rest, Sweetie. If he happens to wake up, I'll be sure to let him know that you were here for five days, keeping watch over him like an angel of God."

"I haven't even thought about getting a hotel room," Sara began. She would have continued, but Vera gently interrupted her.

"Honey, you can stay with us," Vera began.

"I can get a hotel," Sara began, "I wouldn't want to put you out."

"Oh rubbish," Vera began, "we have more than enough room. I wouldn't hear of you sleeping alone in a hotel room when you have family here." Vera already considered Sara a part of her family. She hoped that her son would come to his senses when he came out of the unconscious state that he was in. With that, Gil Grissom Sr. entered his son's ICU room. He walked over to his son and squeezed his hand affectionately and then he and Sara left the hospital to go home. Before she left with Gil Sr., Sara took out the necklace with the that statue of the saint on it. It was the one that Mrs. Adler's husband gave her in his comatose wife's hospital room.

"Here, Griss," Sara began sobbing softly, "keep this as a token that I will be back to sit with you and talk with you. I love you, Gil." With that, she left the hospital with Gil Grissom Sr.

Back at the Lab

Catherine Willows sat in the break room with Warrick Brown and Nick Stokes. They were talking about the events over the past few months, with Ecklie's splitting the team and Grissom's suicide attempt topping the list.

"Do you think that Ecklie's splitting the team up had anything to do with Grissom's deep depression?" Nick asked.

"No Nicky," Catherine began sadly. "Grissom was sad about the team being split up, but he adjusted to it. But, when Sara got transferred to dayshift and started dating other men that's what did Grissom in. That was one thing he could not and would not adjust to."

"Man, that real bad," Warrick began, "I hope he's able to come back from that."

"We all do," Catherine began; eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Sara called me and said that Grissom is still unconscious. She told me that he coded once, but the doctor was able to bring him back. Sara said his condition has been stabilized, but he's still unconscious. It's been five days so far. She said she'll call back if there's any changes, either good or bad." With that, the three friends went back to work.

As Catherine walked back to her office, Conrad Ecklie cornered her and demanded information on Sara.

"What's with you, Willows?" Ecklie asked sneeringly. "What's up with Sara? She was supposed to call me regarding her time off. What's she really up to?"

"Why don't you ask Dr. Carvallo?" Catherine replied boldly.

"Why would she go over my head like that?" Ecklie asked genuinely hurt that Sara didn't call him.

"Perhaps she tried to reach you," Catherine began, "but was unable to reach you. That's the only reason Sara would have called Dr. Carvallo. I know Sara, and if she said she would be in touch with, then she would have contacted you. She IS a woman of her word. Have you checked your voice mail, Ecklie?"

"Well, I, er, um," Ecklie began. He would have continued, but was interrupted by Catherine.

"You mean to tell me that you didn't even check your voice mail yet?" Catherine asked incredulously. "Well, I suggest that you do that right now. I bet you'll find a message from Sara on your voice mail." With that, Catherine turned on her heels and walked towards her office, brandishing a smile as big as Texas because Ecklie was hurt that Sara hadn't called him.

The Grissoms' Home

Sara sat on the bed in the guestroom of the Grissoms' massive Cape Cod style home. She couldn't believe how beautiful this home was. This home was over 50 years old, as Grissom once told her that his parents purchased this home before he was born.

"This home was remodeled about 2 years ago," Gil Grissom Sr.'s voice startled Sara out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry if I startled you."

"It's all right," Sara began getting her frayed nerves under control. "I was just admiring your home. It's beautiful and I just love this room."

"I can definitely see what Gilly sees in you," Gil Sr. began, "you're absolutely beautiful, and stunning."

"Thank you," Sara began blushing slightly at Gil Sr.'s compliment, "your son is quite handsome."

"He definitely does NOT take after me in the looks department," Gil Sr. replied good-naturedly. "He's the spitting image of his great, great grandfather, Virgil Grissom. They definitely share the same intense personality, especially when it comes to their work and their women."

"What do you mean but that, Mr. Grissom?" Sara asked.

"Oh, Virgil Grissom was a workaholic," Gil Sr. began, "from what my Dad told me, Virgil had a large farm. He worked more than 14 hours a day. It's a wonder he was able to father children."

"Grissom certainly shares that trait with him." Sara began. "Once, Grissom worked a triple shift in an attempt to get murder charges brought against the doctor who murdered his former girlfriend, who was a nurse at the hospital he worked at. It was a bad case."

"Why was the case so bad?" Gil Sr. asked.

"The guy ended up walking," Sara began, "he got away with murder." Sara grew quiet as she remembered the speech that Grissom gave Dr. Lurie, the one where Grissom told Dr. Lurie that he couldn't risk his career for her. Thinking about that speech always made Sara very sad. She was still hurt over Grissom's rejecting her dinner invitation, only to find out about him taking Sophia Curtis out for a dinner date.

"Oh, Sara," Gil Sr. began, "I almost forgot to tell you the second trait the Virgil and Gilly Grissom share."

"Yeah," Sara began smiling to hide her deep sadness, "what trait is that?"

"They both had such a jealous streak when it came to the women they love," Gil Sr. began. "My Dad once told me that Virgil almost lost his last wife. She was 20 years younger than he was and Virgil had trouble believing that a woman as beautiful as her would love someone like him. Her name was Daisy Raye. I saw many pictures of them together. He and Gilly share the same curly hair. I think I have some pictures of Virgil Grissom, would you like to help me look through them?"

The big gap-toothed grin that Sara offered Gil Sr. was answer enough for him. Gil Grissom Sr. came down from the attic with a large box of old photos. He also had many newspaper clippings of his son's earlier years as an up and coming forensic entomologist. He also had a newspaper clipping of Gil Grissom Jr. being touted as the youngest Coroner in the history of the State of California. He was 22 years old.

As Gil Grissom Sr. and Sara Sidle looked through the old photos, Gil Sr. decided to ask her a question.

"Would like to be my daughter-in-law?" Gil Sr. asked, shocking Sara. "I mean, how do you feel about my son? Is this a school girl crush from his days at Harvard University, or is this the real thing?"

"You know, Mr. Grissom," Sara began, "I asked myself that question many times, and I can truly say that I truly love him. And I love him unconditionally, even if he doesn't return my affections."

"Oh, Sara, you are soooo wrong," Gil Sr. began. "My wife told me that on many occasions at night, she would hear Gilly calling out your name. My wife told me that many times she would just watch him cry. He would pace the floor practically all night. He would keep me up at night, and because I was up, my wife would be up. No, she couldn't hear him, of course, with her being deaf. But, because I would be up, my movement in the bed would awaken her from a sound sleep. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I truly hope that you both can work it out. You two belong together."

"Well, Mr. Grissom," Sara began smiling tentatively, "I sure hope you're right about your son's feelings for me, because I'm not so sure. I transferred from the night shift to the day shift to get away from him. He just kept playing around with my heart. One day he acts like he likes me, and then the next day, he's pushing me away from him. I just couldn't take it any longer, so I just transferred. I was planning on quitting my job in Vegas and coming back to California for good. If it hadn't been for Conrad Ecklie suggesting that I try the day shift out, I would have been back in Tamales Bay with my parents and back at the CSI Lab in San Francisco."

Gil Grissom Sr.'s Confession

As Gil Grissom Sr. sat on the living room couch, he decided to tell Sara about his brief visit at the Gil Grissom Jr.'s bedside. Many memories of the past came flooding back as he sat by his son's bed in the ICU.

"Mr. Grissom." Sara began, concern evident in her voice, "are you okay, sir?"

"Why do you ask, Dearheart?" Gil Sr. asked.

"It seems like you have a lot on your mind," Sara began, "would you like to share it?"

"Well, yes, Sara," Gil Sr. began, "I'd like to tell you about my past with my wife and Gilly." With that, Gil Grissom Sr. began to tell Sara about his past troubles and also told Sara about his visit with his son in the hospital.

"Sara, a long time ago I made my father a promise that I would do all in my power to be sure that my Gilly outlives me." Gil Sr. began, he would have continued, but Sara interrupted him gently.

"But, Mr. Grissom," Sara began, "there is no way to know whether or not Gil would out live you. Only God knows that."

"I know that, Sara," Gil Sr. began, "but try telling that to a man who lost a son when he was just a teenager."

"What happened to your brother?" Sara asked as a flash of sadness crossed her beautiful face.

"Well, he was working at a factory," Gil Sr. began, "he was working under the table, because the applicant had to be no less than 21 years old. We were in a war and many of the adults were overseas fighting a war. He was killed in a machine accident. The Red Cross contacted me and they informed me of an emergency at home. They didn't tell me what the emergency was, but my unit leader knew because he approved my leave. I got home and that when I discovered the death of my kid brother."

"That's so sad," Sara replied in sadness.

"My father was devastated," Gil Sr. began, "he never really got over it. He was the youngest of seven children. Dad made me promise that I would do everything in my power to protect my children. He feels responsible for my brother's death. He should have said no to my brother when he came and told my brother told him of his plan to work for the factory."

"Wow, what a burden your father carried." Sara replied in response to the information that Gil Sr. told her.

"Well, it doesn't end there," Gil Sr. began, "I just have to tell you about my visit to Gilly and my confession and apology to him for not being the father he needed for years."

Gil Sr.'s Visit with Gil Jr.

As Gil Grissom Jr. lay in his hospital bed in the ICU, his father, Gil Grissom Sr. sat by his side and held his hand. Tears began to well up in the older man's eyes as he stared at his son's unconscious form. The older man started to speak to his son.

"Hey, Gilly, it's me, your Dad," Gil Sr. began, tears freely flowing from care-worn eyes. "I need you to know just how much I love you and how proud I am of your many accomplishments. I know I never told you that before and I hope you can forgive me for that and for not being the father that you needed me to be." Gil Sr. had to take a break, as his voice shook when heavy sobs came forth from him.

"Oh, Gilly," Gil Sr. began once again, "you've just gotta pull through this. I don't know what your Mom and I would do if anything were to happen to our 'Baby Boy'. We just wouldn't be able to take it if you were to leave us. Baby Boy, please fight, you've just gotta fight. Don't give up! Please don't give up! I made a promise to your Grandpa that I would do everything in my power to protect you. Help me keep my promise, will ya?" That last comment was made with a little hint of humor in it, even though Gil Sr. was in pain.

"Gilly, I'm counting on you getting better," Gil Sr. began, "not just for you, me or your Mom, but for Sara. She loves you and has been by your side since day one of your ordeal."" With that, Gil Sr. ended his conversation with his unconscious son. He just sat in the chair holding onto his son's lifeless hand.

As Gil Sr. finished his story, he broke down and cried. Sara went to his side and held him. He cried into her shoulder as she spoke soothingly to him.

"It'll be all right, Mr. Grissom," Sara began trying to convince both her and Gil Sr. that Gil Jr. would be all well son. "He's a stubborn guy when he wants to be."

Sara ordered some Chinese food for them both, as Vera Grissom and Lucille stayed at the hospital with Gil, Jr.

With that, Gil Sr. and Sara enjoyed some take out Chinese food. After dinner, they both decided to call it a day. They wanted to be back at the hospital the first thing in the morning. They bid each a good night and went their separate ways.

Sara was grateful for the hospitality of the Grissoms and she really loved the way they accepted her, even though she and Gil Jr. weren't on the best of terms.

12am Day Sixth – Grissom's Hospital Room

At 12 am on the sixth day of being hospitalized after his suicide attempt, Dr. Gil Grissom, Jr. decided to come out of his unconscious state. Looking at his strange surroundings, his eyes fell upon two sleeping forms. He had to adjust his eyes to the lighting in the room. One was his mother and the other was his Aunt Lucille Wainright.

"Mom?" Grissom croaked out of his dry throat, startling his mother out of her sleep. "Where am I?"

"Son," his mother, Vera, choked out, "welcome back, Baby Boy."

"Welcome back?" Grissom asked.

"Welcome back, Gilly," Lucille replied. With that, Lucille left the room to let Vera and her son talk in private.

"Yes, Baby Boy," Vera began weeping tears of joy, "you were unconscious. Do you remember what happened, Son?'

"Yeah, I do," Grissom replied in embarrassment. "I'm sorry Mom, really I am."

"Son, I'm the one that should apologize," Vera began sadly, "I should have paid more attention to the pain you were suffering. I should have pressed you for more answers. Instead, I just let you railroad me into believing you were fine. But you weren't fine at all, were you, Son?"

"No, Mom," Grissom began sadly realizing the pain he caused everyone. Suddenly a look of adverse sadness crossed Gil Jr.'s handsome face.

"Where's Sara?" Grissom asked. "Wait, don't answer that. I probably dreamt that she was here. Why should she want to worry about me anyway? She's moved on with her life, she and her new boyfriend are probably planning on getting married." As Grissom started to cry, his mother spoke soothing words to him.

"My Sweet, Sweet, Baby Boy," Vera began, her eye shining with unshed tears because of her youngest child's pain. "Open your right hand, Baby Boy. Grissom gave his mother the strangest look, but complied anyway.

"What's this, Mom?" Grissom asked Vera.

"Look at it closely, Son," Vera began smiling slightly, "the person that left it with you said that you should recognize it. They mentioned that the husband of the victim from one of the cases you worked on together gave it to them." With that, Grissom stared at the silver necklace. Then recognition finally dawned on the quirky entomologist.

"Hey," Grissom began, "this is the necklace that the victim's husband gave to Sara. But wh…h…h…how did you…um…get this?"

"Sara Sidle left it with you," Vera began smiling at the look surprise on her s son's face.

"I guess she didn't want to be around me, so she left," a dejected Gil Grissom Jr. began, "yeah, I guess she just wanted to make sure I was alive. I guess she'll head on back to her boyfriend."

"Son," an exasperated Vera Grissom began, "Sara was by your side for more than five days. The only reason she's not here now is because I sent her home to get a good meal and some proper rest. She was here at your bedside for five days and 19 hours. She left at 7pm last night."

"That's my Sara," Grissom smiled through his tears, "did she give you any problems?"

"Yes, of course she did dear," Vera began, "she's just like you. No wonder you love each other so much."

"Mom, do you really think she's in love with me?" Grissom asked. "I didn't think so, that's why I did what I did." As Grissom made his confession about his reason for his suicide attempt, he blushed lightly, embarrassed for trying to take his own life.

"Baby Boy, there's no reason for you to be embarrassed," Vera began, "you were just heartbroken and depressed. We love you and are just glad that you're alive." With that, Vera buzzed the nurses' station to inform them of Gil's being conscious. Dr. Lance Cromwell came to Gil's room about 20 minutes after he was paged.

About 8am that morning, Gil Sr. and Sara arrived at the hospital. As they entered the main entrance of the hospital, an excited and a very happy Lucille Wainright greeted them.

"Hey, guys," Lucille began with glee, "follow me. Gilly's got his own private room now."

"Really?" Both Gil Sr. and Sara asked in unison.

"Yeah," Lucille began, "he regained consciousness around 12am this morning."

"Well, why didn't you call us and tell us?" Gil Sr. asked a little hurt that he and Sara were left out.

"Well," Lucille began, "we just didn't want to disturb you and Sara. You both needed the rest. Well, anyway you're here now and he will be glad to see you both, especially you Sara." With that, they went to Grissom's new private hospital room.

Reunited: Grissom and Sara

As Sara walked into Grissom's room with his father and Lucille, his countenance lit up. He just couldn't keep is eyes off 'his' Sara, the love of his life. He barely got his words out of his mouth.

"Sara," Grissom began shedding tears of happiness," I'm so very glad to see you. You look so beautiful. I just love your hair like that. Will you wear it like that all the time, for me?"

"Hey there, Handsome Guy," Sara began smiling at Grissom, "you don't look bad yourself, Grissom." With that, Sara went to Grissom's bedside. Grissom held out his hand and showed Sara the necklace she left in his right hand.

"Thank you for leaving this with me," Grissom began, unshed tears in his eyes, "Mom told me that you were here and left this as a token that you would be back. I seem to need a lot of reassurance when it comes to you. I guess I need to know how you truly feel about me."

"I do love you, Gil," Sara began, "but we're going to have to talk about our feelings and what we're going to do about them. We can't go on the way we've been going in the past."

"I know, Sara," Grissom began, "I'm really going to try much harder. I love you so much it hurts. The truth is, I never stopped loving you. I've been in love with you ever since Harvard, which was more than 10 years ago. You were the first woman I ever touched. When we met all those years ago, I was still a virgin."

"I kind of figured that out," Sara began smiling. She would have continued, but Grissom gently interrupted her when he whispered his question to her.

"How did you know that?" Grissom whispered. "I thought no one knew."

"Most guys would always brag about all of the women they went to bed with," Sara began, "but you didn't do that. You were more of a gentleman." With that, Sara and Grissom shared a chaste kiss, and the other three left them to be alone for a few minutes.

"Looks to me that we're getting ready to transfer somebody to a nicer, private hospital room," Dr. Cromwell said happily as he walked into the room. "Miss Sidle, would you mind giving us an hour or so? We need to move Dr. Grissom to his private room."

"Oh, yeah, no problem," Sara replied. Just then, as Sara got up out of the chair she was sitting in, she felt the world tilt, and then she passed out.

"Sara," a stricken Gil Grissom Jr. called out to her. "Dr. Cromwell, you've just gotta do something! With that, Dr. Cromwell called for an orderly to get Sara on a gurney and took her to one of the observation room to run tests on her.

"Dr. Grissom," Dr. Cromwell began in a soothing voice, "we're going to run some tests on her and we'll let you know what comes up, okay?"

"Yes, sir," a highly agitated Gil Grissom Jr. replied. With that, Dr. Cromwell rushed of to run tests on Sara Sidle.

"Son, what happened? What happened to Sara?" Mrs. Vera Grissom asked out of breath.

"I don't know, Mom," Grissom began in confusion. "One minute we were talking with the doctor about getting me to a private room, and the next minute Sara's out cold." Vera had a knowing smile on her face that left Grissom a bit confused at how she could possibly find any amusement in what happened to Sara.

"Mom," Grissom began, "at the rate of sounding like a complete idiot, what are you smiling for? What's on your mind?"

"Well, Son," Vera began, "Sara could be pregnant." Vera left Grissom with that thought as she left her son's room so that the medical staff could move him to his private room.

Grissom thought about what his mother said and decided to put that thought away for later meditation. As he sat on the bed in his private room, Dr. Cromwell came to his new private room to check on his favorite patient.

"How's my favorite patient doing?" Dr. Cromwell asked knowing full well that Grissom was anxious to know Sara's test results.

"Well, Doc," Grissom began anxiously, "how's m, Sara?" Grissom almost asked how was 'his' Sara. "What's wrong with her?"

"I'll have to let Sara tell you that," Dr. Cromwell began, "she's resting right now. She's going to need lots of rest and proper nutrition."

"Well, since you're not divulging any information, can I see her?" Grissom asked anxiously.

"Dr. Grissom, you just came out of your unconscious state," Dr. Cromwell lightly scolded the younger man. "I will not jeopardize the health of one of my favorite patients, you're going to have to wait until you're stronger. Besides, we're just keeping Miss Sidle here to be sure she gets at least one night of proper rest and nutrition."

"Okay," Grissom replied. "Hey, Doc, how long do I have to stay here."

"We're hoping to send you home in about two or three days if everything goes well." Dr. Cromwell replied. "We just want to make sure that we don't have repeat of that staph infection episode we had earlier." With that, Dr. Cromwell took a last look at Grissom's chart and then he took his leave to continue on his rounds.

Sara came in Grissom's new hospital room and took a seat at his bedside. A stunned Grissom locked eyes with the most beautiful brown eyes he'd seen.

"Sara," Grissom got out of his bed and looked around before closing the door to his room. "You know you're not suppose to be out of your room, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sara began in a mock disgusted voice, "been there, done that and I own the tee shirt." Grissom started to laugh at Sara's comment. Sara joined in the laughter with him.

"What brings you here, against doctor's orders, I might add?" Grissom asked slightly amused.

"I got the test results from Dr. Cromwell." Sara replied.

"Yeah, so I heard," a very anxious Gil Grissom Jr. began. "So, what's the verdict? Are you going to live, Sweetheart?"

"Grissom, I'm pregnant." Sara replied nervously.

A/N: Here is another installment of To Destroy A Man. I hope you like it. I have one, possibly two more chapters to go. I'm experiencing a little writer's block, so it may take me some time to update this story. Thanks for the wonderful reviews. God bless you all.