Entreaty
By: Manigault
Thanks to everyone for reading this story! Thank you so much to everyone who has hit that button on the bottom and commented!
This is the last chapter with exception of the epilogue. It's been a long road finishing this one out. I hope it doesn't disappoint.
Comments welcome if you enjoyed the ride!
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Mattie was dressed and playing his gameboy when Sara walked into the den the next morning.
"Good morning, Mattie." said Sara. When he did not respond, she walked over and gently lifted the earphones. "Good morning, Mattie," she repeated with a soft laugh.
Smiling shyly up at her, Mattie pulled off the earphones and shut the game off with a shrug. "Morning, Sara. Is it okay that I'm playing my gameboy?"
"How long have you been awake?" Sara quizzed before making a decision. She did not want the gameboy to become an obsession with Mattie.
Mattie looked at one of the three watches he wore on his left arm and shrugged. "An hour?"
"I see," Sara felt her eyes water at the sight of him wearing the watches along his arm, but she felt she should be firm when it came to the time he played the gameboy. "And, have you been playing it since you got up?"
Nodding, Mattie scratched his head. "Too much?"
"Nah, but what if you help me with breakfast?" Sara walked into the kitchen and began opening cabinets to decipher what exactly Grissom had in the way of breakfast items. "You have any preferences?" She asked Mattie when he walked into the kitchen.
"Hmmmm, waffles?" suggested Mattie.
Sara opened a lower cabinet and found a box with an unopened waffle maker sitting on the lower shelf. Smiling, she remembered a few years back when the lab had bought Grissom the waffle maker as a welcome back gift when he returned from his leave of absence. She'd wondered if he had ever used it and was amused to find that he had not.
"This will be perfect," Sara took the waffle maker out of the box and reached into another cabinet for a bowl. "Have you ever made waffles?"
"Nope," replied Mattie with a curious look at the waffle contraption. "The waffle maker we have is square and flat. This one is different."
"This one is much cooler," Sara responded.
They spent the next thirty minutes mixing batter and making a large stack of waffles. Spreading an assortment of toppings on the counter, Sara stepped back to appreciate their efforts when a soft growl greeted her from the den.
"Someone has been experimenting with my waffle maker," Grissom teased.
"Well, someone has neglected said waffle maker for too many years," Sara teased back. She was pleased when he leaned in to press a light kiss on her lips.
"Child present!" exlaimed Mattie. He was grinning as he sprinkled powdered sugar over his own small stack of waffles. Walking past Grissom to the breakfast bar, he tilted his head in Sara's direction. "I knew that she was your girlfriend."
"Smarty," responded Grissom. He was relaxed and happier than he had been in years and the friendly banter with Mattie added something that he had not even known was missing. "Which stack of waffles belongs to me?" Grissom eyed the tower of waffles that Sara handed him with a skeptical eye. "All of these are mine?"
"We accidently doubled the recipe," Sara admitted with a slight blush. "We can freeze what we don't eat."
His smirk escaped as he took the plate of waffles and removed four of them and placed them on Sara's plate. "I dare you to eat all of these."
"If you want to hold back my hair while I barf in the bathroom, then sure thing."
Grissom stared at her for several seconds before removing the waffles and placing them on a separate plate. "We'll freeze those. I'm sure they will taste just fine thawed out whenever we decide to have waffles again." He mumbled something beneath his breath as he reached for the butter and began to pour the melted substance over his waffles.
Pulling the bowl of freshly cut strawberries over to her own plate, Sara paused and held the fork towards him in a playful manner. "What did you say?"
Reaching for the maple syrup, Grissom grinned over his shoulder and shrugged. "I said we can have the left overs, someday."
"After that," Sara waved the fork at him. "What did you say after that?"
Licking some of the syrup off his finger, Grissom tried to hold back his laughter. "I said that we have enough waffles for the rest of the year."
Mattie laughed along with Sara as the latter joined him at the breakfast bar and watched as Grissom eyed the assortment of toppings that were set out.
"You aren't going to eat all of that at once are you, Griss?" Sara watched him pile strawberries, blueberries, powdered sugar, and whipped topping on the waffles before picking up a fork and walking around the kitchen to the breakfast bar.
"Watch me."
"You may be the one in the barfing," Mattie giggled through a mouthful of waffle.
"Hmph," Grissom took a swallow of his coffee and cast a look over towards the boy, amusement curling the edge of his lips.
Breakfast continued with easy banter that soon led to the task of getting ready to go to the hospital. The mood shifted as the time arrived for them to leave and Sara watched Mattie withdraw inside his shell as he packed the books Grissom bought for him and then the gameboy and some games inside a bag.
Putting the last plate into the dishwasher, Sara went in search of Grissom and found him wearing faded blue jeans and buttoning up a light blue shirt. Hesitating in the doorway, she felt uneasiness around him for the first time in days and for the first time wondered if she was overstepping her bounds by walking unannounced into his bedroom.
She was about to step back when he spoke. "Come on in, Sara, I don't have anything in here that you haven't seen."
"That's so romantic, Gris," said Sara. She entered the bedroom and walked slowly in his direction, until she was standing in front of him. Reaching up she buttoned the top button and let her gaze travel up until they met his twinkling blue eyes.
"Mattie is ready to go?" asked Grissom.
The sadness she had felt seconds earlier returned. "He is resigned."
Grissom rubbed his thumb over her chin and forced a smile. "Mattie is tough. We will try to get him in to see Andy today and then maybe it will take away some of his fear, if only for a little while."
Bringing her hand up to wrap around his hand, Sara nodded. "Let's go see Andy."
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The hospital waiting room was filled with strangers. Grissom looked around the room, his eyes settling on the familiar faces of Nan and Tom who were seated in two corner chairs and appeared as if they had never left the hospital.
Mattie spotted them and weaved his way around the strangers until he stood in front of Nan where he leaned forward and gave her a big hug.
"Good news," Nan told him with a smile. "Andy is awake. He woke up about an hour ago and is talking to a nice man, Captain Brass."
"That's wonderful!" Sara smiled as she and Grissom approached. "Does he remember anything about what happened to him?"
"He remembers everything, apparently," Tom said with a shake of his head. "He is in an incredible amount of emotional pain right now and wanted to talk to someone about what happened to his dad, and also to himself. He asked for only Elaine to stay with him while he spoke with Brass and I have no idea what he is telling them."
Grissom was as curious as Tom about what Andy had to say and why he did not wish for his uncle to be present, but he was glad that if anyone was doing the interviewing, it was Jim.
It was over an hour before Brass walked into the waiting room and motioned for Grissom who was quick to share a look with Sara and tilt his head for her to follow him out of the room and over to where Brass was now leaning against the nurses desk. Tom trailed along behind Sara, determined to know what Brass had to tell them concerning Andy.
"That's one torn up kid," Brass began as they stopped in front of him. "He is going to need counseling for years to come by the looks of it and by the story he told me." He explained to them how Andy was trying to get Olivia away from the drugs and bad influence of her boyfriend and in the process dug himself in so deep he did not know how to get out without seeking help from his dad. Kyle phoned his uncle Tom who was not able to help at that time and at this point, Brass sent Tom an apologetic look, he was rather pissed off with his Uncle Tom.
"The camping trip was a planned trip and it was one that Olivia knew about and one that she had convinced him to leave Mattie out of which he thought was strange at the time, but made perfect sense to him later on." Brass preceded to tell them.
"He received a note about meeting someone on Branson road at 7pm," said Sara with a questioning look at Brass.
"The note was sent the day they were leaving and he didn't think too much about it at the time. He decided it was a prank and didn't even mention it to his dad." Brass kept his voice low as he noted the curious glances the nurses were sending their direction. "Andy and his dad camped out like they planned. They had a nice two days with heart to heart talks and bonding and stuff," Brass looked away as the memory of Andy's tearful recounting popped into his mind. "They were packing up to leave when they saw dust in the distance and then saw an SUV approaching. They also heard a sound in the sky and saw a small Cessna. Everything happened so fast after that, his memory is blurry with the details. He knows that his dad pushed him to the ground and told him to try to get in the car and get out of there quickly. He didn't see his dad get shot, but knew much later that the blood on his shirt was not all of his own."
"Andy never got in the car to try to leave." Grissom stated. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked over at Sara who gave him a reassuring smile.
"He didn't want to leave his dad but by the time he turned to see why his dad wasn't following him to the car the other SUV pulled up and Olivia and Quinn stepped out and told him that they were taking him someplace safe and away from his dad. He protested, but one of them hit him on the back of the head and the next thing he knew he was in the back of their SUV, his hands and feet tied."
"So, Olivia and Quinn knew that Kyle was shot and they left him there? Andy doesn't know if they buried him in the desert before they left?" asked Tom. He tried to fit the pieces together, but it was not making sense.
"He doesn't know what happened to his dad after they knocked him out. When he woke up he was in the back of their car and they were arguing about the whole situation. He says that Olivia was crying and hysterical. Quinn, who was driving, told her to phone an ambulance and have them go check on Kyle. Instead, Olivia phoned Paul who told her to take Andy to the abandoned house where we eventually found him. Paul and Connor showed up soon after they arrived at the house and they told Quinn to shut up about Kyle. They would take care of him. They took Andy to the attic and left him there with only a bottle of water that Olivia managed to sneak in and leave beside him, without Paul's seeing."
Brass was sad as he thought of the nightmare Andy had endured. "The doctor said that if he didn't have that bottle of water then he would not have survived."
"How nice of her," Tom replied, the sarcasam dripping from his voice. "If she had phoned the police then he wouldn't have to be in the hospital at all."
"Those kids are in heaps of trouble," Brass assured him. "Apparently it was Paul and Connor that went back out to the desert and buried Kyle. I had to break the news to him about his dad and he didn't take it well, as you can imagine."
"I want to see him," Mattie said with a small voice.
Spinning around, Tom spotted the little boy and his frantic grandmother standing just behind him. "I tried to keep him in the waiting room with me, but he gave me the slip." Nan apologized, her eyes moist with the news they had overheard.
"I'm afraid that he is sleeping again and according to the doctor, he needs to sleep as much as possible to fully recover." Brass gave the disappointed boy a gentle smile. "I tell you what, Mattie, when he wakes up then I'll make sure that the nurses let you in to see him."
They spent the next few hours drinking coffee, reading the paper, exchanging small talk and taking turns trying to get Mattie to engage in conversation or pull his head up out of the gameboy that he was completely engrossed in. Elaine never left Andy's side to check in on Mattie and they had not seen Tom since he stormed off after Brass had filled them in on Andy's side of events.
Alex and Claire had arrived and were deep in conversation with Nan, when Tom reappeared. He lifted the headphones on Matties ears and said softly.
"The doctor said that you can see Andy now, Mattie. He's awake and wants to see you." Mattie pulled off the earphones and jumped up with eagerness. "Did you see him Uncle Tom?"
"No, I spoke with his doctor a few seconds ago in the corridor and he told me that it was okay for you to see him for fifteen minutes. You ready?"
Mattie touched his arm that held the wrist watches and gave a small nod. With one last look at Grissom and then Sara, he followed Tom from the waiting room and into the ICU where Andy was waiting.
"You want to take a walk?" Sara asked Grissom. "We could get some fresh air and maybe something to snack on."
"I'm still feeling the affect of those waffles, but I could use some more coffee, something not so strong," he shot a mock glare at the waiting room coffee pot that earned a chuckle from Sara.
"It does remind me of our usual stuff in the breakroom."
They excused themselves from Alex, Claire and Nan and found themselves with a mocha latte, sweet bun and fresh air as they stepped out onto a patio.
"Jim appears to believe Andy's side of what happened to him and also thinks that he's going to have a long road to recovery." Sara pondered this information as they shared the honey bun and sipped on the latte. "At least he has a good support system," she added as they stared at the distant mountains and Grissom remained silent. "What are you thinking about, Gris?"
"I'm wondering why Elaine hasn't bothered to check on Mattie," he said at last. "That kid has been through so much already and he needs her to comfort him."
Sara pressed her shoulder into his and looked over at him, the troubled expression doing odd things to her own emotions. "Elaine is in shock. Maybe now that Andy has woken up and is on the road to recovery she will come into her right frame of mind and realize that Mattie needs her as well."
"Or maybe she will spend all of her time and energy on Andy and neglect Mattie," Grissom mused.
"Where is this coming from, Gris? You almost sound like you want to keep Mattie with you, here in Vegas," she said the last with a light note that turned serious when he refrained from denying her statement.
"Grissom? You can't be seriously considering keeping him here in Vegas."
"Why not? At least for the summer or until he starts school and Andy has had some time to recover, and also Elaine."
An internal struggle was taking place in his mind as he spoke the words aloud and he wondered what Sara would think about his statement. Their relationship was new and he did not know if she would stand for bringing a child into the middle of their lives, shaking it up for not a few days but a few months.
"I'm not sure that Elaine would let him stay or if he would want to stay for that matter," added Grissom as he shook his head. "He will probably want to be home with Andy, so it's all a mute suggestion."
Sara rubbed a hand over his thigh and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "You are the kindest, most wonderful man I've ever known, Gil Grissom. I love that you want to keep Mattie here with you for the summer and I think that it would be a well accepted suggestion, at least to Elaine." She was not so sure if Mattie would want to stay away from Andy that long, but she suspected that he would want to at least visit occasionally. "You know that he'll want to spend some time with Andy, but you could always leave an open invitation to him."
"You would be okay with that?" asked Grissom. He thought about the bond that Sara had formed with Mattie and suddenly knew in his gut that she would be okay with whatever decision was made concerning Mattie.
"Of course," she ran a finger along his jaw and over his lips. "I hope that you include me in taking care of him if he stays with you at all and if he wants me around."
"I know that I want you around," Grissom replied with a soft smile. He captured her finger in his lips and sucked on the tip lightly. "I hope that I can make you that breakfast that I promised soon."
"I expect many of those breakfasts, Gris, and dinners and lunches," Sara pulled her finger away and moved closer to him so that her lips were touching his and they were soon engrossed in a duel of tongues.
Breaking away after several long minutes, Sara suggested that they return to the waiting room and see how Mattie was doing after visiting Andy. Taking her hand in his own, Grissom led the way back to the waiting room, his life now complete.
The End.
Epilogue will follow soon.