He shook his head. "It's true. She's a ditz. Believe me when I say that; I've worked with her for a while and would know."
"My god, Jim! Do you have any idea how condescending those stereotypical remarks can be to a young woman?"
"I didn't say it to a young woman. I said it to her boyfriend."
Grissom sighed and took Jim's arm, pulling him forcibly out. As they approached the doors, they saw a woman in her late 40's wearing a police uniform complete with badge, cuffs, and gun. Her smooth blond hair was pulled into a tight bun and her eyes were red.
"Detective, Captain." She greeted the two with a whisper.
"Lieutenant." Grissom nodded toward her. "Detective Stokes is with her now. They aren't quite sure what happened."
She gave him a half-hearted smile as she avoided Brass' gaze.
"Lieutenant Curtis," Brass stuttered.
She held her hand up to him. "Don't, Captain, I heard it all."
She walked past him as Grissom glared at the shorter man. "You need to practice a little more discernment."
"Detective Willows." She tilted her head slightly as she regarded the other woman.
"Cheryl… I'm so sorry." Catharine hugged her friend as she whispered. "They haven't completed the tests, but we're sure it has to do with the accident at the lab."
Cheryl slumped into a cold chair as she stared at a door with her last name etched across the paperwork. "I don't know Detective Stokes." She managed after a bit.
Catharine sat next to her. "He's… well, he likes Sofia quite a bit."
Cheryl's eyes turned slightly toward Catharine who quickly covered a chuckle.
"He's really a very decent guy. He had bribed her out of the lab for dinner and wound up taking her here. She's lucky he was with her."
"Well, Sofia's never been very good with seeing a doctor… like Brass said, she is more or less to blame."
Nick snuck out of the room and headed directly for the water fountain. The two women watched him as he proceeded to drench his head and face in the steady stream.
"Nicky…?" Catharine's voice echoed through the hall and over the water.
His head shot up and his eyes focused on hers. A small smile spread over his face as he turned to Cheryl. "You're her mother, right?"
Cheryl nodded.
"Well, she's awake and wanted me to find you and tell you that it wasn't 'on the job'. She also said you'd know what she was talking about."
She nodded again, this time with a smile. "Yeah… I do." The tears that had not yet fallen finally did. She crossed her arms over her stomach as Catharine pulled her against her shoulder.
I
Sofia slammed another cupboard door. "MOM!"
No answer.
"MOTHER! I need to find the stupid…Hey, mom?" Her voice wavered slightly as she crept up the stairs. "Mom, you're going to be late."
She opened the door to her mother's bedroom to find her face first in her pillow, shaking slightly.
"Mom? Hey…" She knelt on the bed and gently turned Cheryl over to look up at her. "What's wrong?"
"Baby… I just, I want you to know I love you."
"Uh, I love you too… what's going on?" Sofia stroked Cheryl's hair off of her sticky forehead.
"Sofia… We lost another officer today. I just couldn't handle if I lost you."
Sofia smirked slightly. "What would the odds be, mom…? Possible… but I promise you right now it won't be on the job."
/I
Sofia eased herself up slightly. The blinds on the window shielded any view of where Nick might of gone. She sighed and let herself fall back against the pillows. She remembered him saying things to her before she woke up. A lot of things had come out of that man's mouth in the past few hours and she couldn't respond. She wanted to. She wanted him to hold her and love her. She needed him especially after the day she had.
The door cracked open and she tried to move, but this time she couldn't. She didn't have enough strength.
"Sofia…?"
Sofia allowed a smile to creep across her face. "Damn, Mom." She struggled to hold her hand out toward her mother. "You're fast."
Cheryl took her daughter's hand. It was warm and soft and she held it to her own face.
"I promised."
"But Sofia… this was technically 'on the job'."
"Yeah… but not like that, mom." She smiled and opened her eyes. She held her other arm out.
Cheryl Sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around her daughter's weak body. She held her tight and kissed her head gently. "Damn it, Sofia… you had me so… so scared." Tears trickled down her cheek as she rocked her back and forth.
The door opened again and Nick's head popped in. "Am I interrupting?"
Cheryl shook her head, her eyes shut tightly to stop any other tears that threatened to present themselves.
He slipped in and pulled a chair over. "So, in the traditional, old-fashioned, western way… ma'am, may I date your daughter?"
She laughed and Sofia's head spun to face Nick.
Nick's lopsided grin won her over instantly and she held her hand to him. He took it and rubbed her fingers between his for a moment. Suddenly, he was compelled to kiss her… and kiss her he did. Passionately, he pressed his lips against hers.
Cheryl leaned back as far as she could as the detectives before her shared their very first intimate moment.
That was the very same moment Catharine decided to come in. Her laughter shocked the two as she spotted the awkward situation that had arisen for Cheryl.
Cheryl used that moment to get out from under the two of them. "Hey, Cath…? Want to go grab a cup of coffee for… I dunno, an hour or so?"
Catharine answered with another laugh as she slipped her arm over Cheryl's shoulder. "Let's leave the kids alone."
After they left, Nick returned his gaze to is slightly startled and embarrassed new girlfriend. He kissed her again. "I think I love you, Curtis."
"I think I love you too, Stokes." She kissed him back as he helped her lay down before she could get into any trouble with the night-shift nurses.