Entreaty
Note: Thanks to all who are still reading and reviewing this story.
Warrick leaned forward and touched the pilot's jacket. "Hey!" He shook the man slightly.
"Grissom?" Sara followed the trail of dust that was growing with each second.
"There is a pulse." Warrick pressed two fingers against the pilot's carotid artery. The mans eyes flew open causing Warrick to jump back.
"What are you doing?" The pilot appeared ready to climb into the back of the chopper and pummel Warrick.
"You were asleep." Warrick said in defense. "I had to check when you didn't respond."
Embarrassed, the pilot turned back around and began to fiddle with some knobs on the dashboard. "It was taking you all so long and I haven't slept in over thirty hours. I was called in..." An irritated Warrick interrupted his explanation.
"Do you think that you can fly this bird back to the lab?" Warrick asked him.
"Of course."
"Now?" Grissom requested tersely.
The pilot looked back at the edgy group before beginning a series of flicking switches.
"It's closer, Gris." Sara stared out of the window as a dark car flew over the desert.
Grissom leaned over Sara's shoulder and tried to determine the make and style when the helicopter wings began spinning. They all released a collective sigh when the machine lifted from the ground and spun around in the direction of Vegas.
"It's a tow truck!" Grissom stated looking down as the lumbering car barreled into plain view.
Everyone stared at each other with relief and a bit of amusement.
Warrick chuckled. "That Swiss cheese car must have really messed with you both."
"Wouldn't it have messed with your mind, Warrick?" Grissom sat back and glanced at Sara. "Someone shooting away at the car while Sara..." He cleared his throat and swiveled his head to look out of the window. "While Sara lay on the other side. She could have been hit by one of those bullets."
"I wasn't," Sara wanted to touch his hand. "In fact, that still bothers me. The fact that they could have easily shot us both. For the most part we were both wide open."
"You have plenty of time to fill us in on what has been going on the past few days." Catherine pressed.
"Maybe someday, Catherine." Grissom leaned back and shut his eyes.
Sara shrugged and turned to stare out of the window, anxious to be back near the bright Vegas lights.
Grissom felt the eyes of the lab personnel follow them throughout the halls and wondered if it was their appearance or the fact that Tom Giles must have strolled along these same halls only hours before. He had decided that it was probably both when Greg bounced out of a room.
"I didn't tell. I promise that I didn't." Greg's anxious expression pleaded with Grissom and Sara to believe him.
Catherine stared at the lab tech. "You knew?"
Grissom ignored her disgruntled stare and spoke directly to Greg.
"Did you discover anything from what I brought you?"
"Nothing significant." Greg smiled at Sara. "So, are you still on for that dinner?"
"Greg?" Grissom waited for the younger man to turn back to him. "Have you seen Nick?"
"He was in the break room with someone called Tom." Greg glanced again at Sara.
Sara smiled and thanked him before following Grissom to the break room. Warrick and Catherine trailed after them, sharing perplexed expressions.
Sara paused beside Grissom and spotted Tom seated on the sofa, his head lowered into his hands. Nick sat beside him, looking positively uncomfortable with the situation.
"You should talk to him." Sara said beneath her breath.
Grissom tore his eyes from the forlorn man, sweeping them over Sara's face. "I guess so."
Forgetting that Warrick and Catherine were behind them, Sara touched his waist. "I'll check with Doc Robbins and see what he has found."
Grissom nodded. After Sara walked away, he found himself studying the man on the sofa and tried to decipher the best way to approach him.
Walking towards the sofa, he silently motioned for Nick to leave them alone. Nick was quick to dash from the room and joined Warrick and Catherine in the hall.
Clearing his throat, Grissom pulled a chair over to face Tom, who had yet to acknowledge his presence. Before Grissom could formulate his thoughts, a broken voice spoke, almost startling Grissom.
"Kyle would have liked you, Gil. He wanted to meet you."
"Kyle knew about me?" Grissom felt cheated by the fact that these men, these half brothers, knew of his existence.
Tom did not look at him when he replied. "When Kyle found out that you lived in Vegas, he tried to talk me into coming here with him to meet you. I talked him out of it."
"Why?" Grissom was genuinely interested in his reason.
Tom finally looked at him. "Because I didn't think that you would welcome us. I thought that we would only bring unrest to your life." He held Grissom's gaze. "It turns out that I was right."
The honesty in this statement made Grissom flinch. "What made you come to this conclusion?"
Tom leaned back against the sofa and kept his eyes from wavering. "I've followed you career, Gil. You are a brilliant scientist. A leading entomologist. That's another reason Kyle wanted you to meet his sons." Tom rubbed his knees as he closed his eyes. "I didn't feel it was the time to contact you and tell you about all of us."
"Does Alex know about me?"
"He knows. Alex had suggested that we invite you to Colorado for a family reunion of sorts."
Grissom tried to reconcile this image with the man Bess had described. Tom paled as his thoughts turned to Kyle's twin.
"I dread telling Alex. I told him that I would always watch out for him and Kyle."
Grissom was not sure how to handle the outpouring of emotions. "Alex is an adult. I'm sure he will be devastated, but he couldn't expect you to be able to protect Kyle from whatever happened."
Tom's eyes flew open and the pain etched there caused a ripple of sadness to course through Grissom. "I'm their big brother, Gil. I was there whenever they needed anything." He took a deep breath and wiped at a tear that was threatening to run from the corner of his eye. "I should have been there for Kyle."
Grissom studied his own fidgeting hands. "Is it something that you could have prevented?" His question was not accusing and his voice was laced with compassion.
Tom considered his choice of words carefully, then threw caution to the wind. "It's possible that I could have."
TBC
Note: Thanks to all who are still reading and reviewing this story.
Warrick leaned forward and touched the pilot's jacket. "Hey!" He shook the man slightly.
"Grissom?" Sara followed the trail of dust that was growing with each second.
"There is a pulse." Warrick pressed two fingers against the pilot's carotid artery. The mans eyes flew open causing Warrick to jump back.
"What are you doing?" The pilot appeared ready to climb into the back of the chopper and pummel Warrick.
"You were asleep." Warrick said in defense. "I had to check when you didn't respond."
Embarrassed, the pilot turned back around and began to fiddle with some knobs on the dashboard. "It was taking you all so long and I haven't slept in over thirty hours. I was called in..." An irritated Warrick interrupted his explanation.
"Do you think that you can fly this bird back to the lab?" Warrick asked him.
"Of course."
"Now?" Grissom requested tersely.
The pilot looked back at the edgy group before beginning a series of flicking switches.
"It's closer, Gris." Sara stared out of the window as a dark car flew over the desert.
Grissom leaned over Sara's shoulder and tried to determine the make and style when the helicopter wings began spinning. They all released a collective sigh when the machine lifted from the ground and spun around in the direction of Vegas.
"It's a tow truck!" Grissom stated looking down as the lumbering car barreled into plain view.
Everyone stared at each other with relief and a bit of amusement.
Warrick chuckled. "That Swiss cheese car must have really messed with you both."
"Wouldn't it have messed with your mind, Warrick?" Grissom sat back and glanced at Sara. "Someone shooting away at the car while Sara..." He cleared his throat and swiveled his head to look out of the window. "While Sara lay on the other side. She could have been hit by one of those bullets."
"I wasn't," Sara wanted to touch his hand. "In fact, that still bothers me. The fact that they could have easily shot us both. For the most part we were both wide open."
"You have plenty of time to fill us in on what has been going on the past few days." Catherine pressed.
"Maybe someday, Catherine." Grissom leaned back and shut his eyes.
Sara shrugged and turned to stare out of the window, anxious to be back near the bright Vegas lights.
Grissom felt the eyes of the lab personnel follow them throughout the halls and wondered if it was their appearance or the fact that Tom Giles must have strolled along these same halls only hours before. He had decided that it was probably both when Greg bounced out of a room.
"I didn't tell. I promise that I didn't." Greg's anxious expression pleaded with Grissom and Sara to believe him.
Catherine stared at the lab tech. "You knew?"
Grissom ignored her disgruntled stare and spoke directly to Greg.
"Did you discover anything from what I brought you?"
"Nothing significant." Greg smiled at Sara. "So, are you still on for that dinner?"
"Greg?" Grissom waited for the younger man to turn back to him. "Have you seen Nick?"
"He was in the break room with someone called Tom." Greg glanced again at Sara.
Sara smiled and thanked him before following Grissom to the break room. Warrick and Catherine trailed after them, sharing perplexed expressions.
Sara paused beside Grissom and spotted Tom seated on the sofa, his head lowered into his hands. Nick sat beside him, looking positively uncomfortable with the situation.
"You should talk to him." Sara said beneath her breath.
Grissom tore his eyes from the forlorn man, sweeping them over Sara's face. "I guess so."
Forgetting that Warrick and Catherine were behind them, Sara touched his waist. "I'll check with Doc Robbins and see what he has found."
Grissom nodded. After Sara walked away, he found himself studying the man on the sofa and tried to decipher the best way to approach him.
Walking towards the sofa, he silently motioned for Nick to leave them alone. Nick was quick to dash from the room and joined Warrick and Catherine in the hall.
Clearing his throat, Grissom pulled a chair over to face Tom, who had yet to acknowledge his presence. Before Grissom could formulate his thoughts, a broken voice spoke, almost startling Grissom.
"Kyle would have liked you, Gil. He wanted to meet you."
"Kyle knew about me?" Grissom felt cheated by the fact that these men, these half brothers, knew of his existence.
Tom did not look at him when he replied. "When Kyle found out that you lived in Vegas, he tried to talk me into coming here with him to meet you. I talked him out of it."
"Why?" Grissom was genuinely interested in his reason.
Tom finally looked at him. "Because I didn't think that you would welcome us. I thought that we would only bring unrest to your life." He held Grissom's gaze. "It turns out that I was right."
The honesty in this statement made Grissom flinch. "What made you come to this conclusion?"
Tom leaned back against the sofa and kept his eyes from wavering. "I've followed you career, Gil. You are a brilliant scientist. A leading entomologist. That's another reason Kyle wanted you to meet his sons." Tom rubbed his knees as he closed his eyes. "I didn't feel it was the time to contact you and tell you about all of us."
"Does Alex know about me?"
"He knows. Alex had suggested that we invite you to Colorado for a family reunion of sorts."
Grissom tried to reconcile this image with the man Bess had described. Tom paled as his thoughts turned to Kyle's twin.
"I dread telling Alex. I told him that I would always watch out for him and Kyle."
Grissom was not sure how to handle the outpouring of emotions. "Alex is an adult. I'm sure he will be devastated, but he couldn't expect you to be able to protect Kyle from whatever happened."
Tom's eyes flew open and the pain etched there caused a ripple of sadness to course through Grissom. "I'm their big brother, Gil. I was there whenever they needed anything." He took a deep breath and wiped at a tear that was threatening to run from the corner of his eye. "I should have been there for Kyle."
Grissom studied his own fidgeting hands. "Is it something that you could have prevented?" His question was not accusing and his voice was laced with compassion.
Tom considered his choice of words carefully, then threw caution to the wind. "It's possible that I could have."
TBC