Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who's still reading/reviewing. I appreciate it a heck of a lot;)
The Invisible Man
by Kristen Elizabeth
Just because everything is different doesn't mean that everything has changed. – Irene Peter
Six months earlier
He should have seen it coming. But the first time she excused herself from an autopsy with her hand firmly clapped to her mouth, Grissom had been too engrossed in the case to notice her nausea. Because he hadn't noticed the first instance, the second time it happened, he'd been able to write it off as a tender stomach combined with a particularly bloody corpse.
The third time, however, a little warning light went off in the back of his mind. Something wasn't quite right with Sara.
So when she asked to see him alone in his office, he already knew the exact words he did not want to hear come out of her mouth. He even considered bargaining with a higher being. Please don't let her be…it's not supposed to happen like this…not with him…I just needed some more time.
Sara cleared her throat. She wasn't looking straight at him across his desk, but a little bit to his right. "There's no good way to say this except to just say it," she began. "I'm pregnant."
And that was what a broken heart felt like. He'd always been curious.
She kept going, just to fill in the horrible silence. "I'd like to keep working as close to my due date as possible, but there are some obvious concerns. No more overtime, for one. No solo cases for my own safety and also the integrity of the investigation. You know, in case I get sick or have a doctor's appointment. Or when I get too big to bend down to collect things." She paused. "I've already talked to my doctor and gotten a list of chemicals that I should avoid. Really, I think it'll all go…smoothly."
A minute passed.
"Can you say something, Grissom? Please?"
His voice, like his stare, was dull. "Congratulations."
Sara's chin wobbled slightly. "Thanks."
"Who…um…" He shook his head. "Never mind."
She waited another second. "I'm not going to tell the guys until next month when I'm past the first trimester. I just…" She raised one shoulder. "I wanted to tell you first. It wasn't so long ago that you were my friend."
Grissom had no idea what to say to that.
"I'll get out of your way now." Sara stood up and walked to the door. Before opening it, she turned and gave him a weak smile. "Thank you. For not asking."
The door closed behind her with a soft click.
So much for bargaining with God.
If the other members of the graveyard shift were surprised when Grissom went from doing everything possible to avoid working with Sara, to assigning her to work with him constantly, they wisely kept it to themselves.
A month slipped by. After a particularly memorable doctor's visit, Sara decided it was time to make her big announcement.
"Can everyone stay for just a minute?" she asked the group after Grissom handed out the evening's assignments.
There were some looks exchanged until Greg took it upon himself to answer for the team. "What's up?"
Sara reached a shaky hand into her bag and withdrew a single photograph. Studiously avoiding eye contact with everyone, she placed it in the middle of the table.
Catherine was the first to recognize it. She immediately looked at Sara. Then at Grissom. The pained expression on his face told her everything she needed to know.
Nick frowned. At his angle, the picture was upside down. "Um…it's a peanut."
"No, man. Gummi bear." Greg said. "Squint your eyes a little."
"Guys." Warrick shook his head. "It's a sonogram picture."
"But…that means…" The light bulb went off in Nick's brain. "Sara?"
Greg caught up a second later. "It's not a gummi bear. It's a baby!"
"It's just that sort of brilliant deductive reasoning that got you this gig, Greg." Catherine turned to Sara. "Never knew you had a flare for the dramatic."
Shaking away his shock, Nick went to her and gave her a hug. "Congratulations, darlin'."
She smiled into his shoulder. "Thank you, Nick."
Warrick took his place, giving her an extra little squeeze. "Let me second that."
"You're pregnant?" Greg blurted out. "But who's the…"
Grissom stood up. "Sara has already worked out a plan to keep working as long as possible. But everyone's help and understanding will be needed. There are certain tests she won't be able to perform due to their chemical content. And as…this progresses, she'll encounter some physical restrictions for which the person working with her will need to compensate. If that's going to be a problem for anyone, let me know."
"So…you already knew about this?" Catherine's eyebrow arched.
He gave her a cool look. "I am the shift supervisor." Grissom glanced around at his team. "Everyone's got their assignments. Good luck." He addressed Sara without looking straight at her. "Sara, I'll be at the car whenever you're ready to head out."
When he left, the mood in the room seemed to relax a bit, and even more so when Catherine took off a second later.
Nick took Sara's hand. "It's none of my business, but is there a responsible party out there who needs an old-fashioned shotgun shakedown?"
Sara kissed his cheek. "I've got it all under control. But the offer is appreciated."
"Hey…Southern Man." Addressing Nick, Warrick jerked his head towards the door. "We gotta mosey."
The two men left, and it was just Sara and Greg. With a sigh, Sara reached for the photo. She stared at it for a second. "It does look like a gummi bear."
She could not have surprised Greg more when she suddenly burst into tears. He watched her slip into a chair and bend over under the weight of her sobs.
"Sara…" Wiping his clammy hands on his pants, he sat next to her. "If it helps, it looks like a really healthy gummi bear."
"I've got to be crazy for doing this by myself," she cried.
Greg hesitantly reached out to rub her back. "Papa Olaf used to say something about how it takes a village to raise a kid." He waited until she looked up at him through teary eyes. "You're not gonna be alone. I promise."
It was supposed to make her smile. But for some reason, it just made her cry harder. Greg blamed it on hormones and just kept gently patting her back until her tears ebbed away.
Grissom parked a little ways down the street from the chaotic hub that was their murder scene. He paused after turning off the ignition. The drive over had been an exercise in silent torture. The subtle scent that was simply Sara had his head spinning. It wasn't the first time he'd had to restrain himself from pulling over and confronting this thing, once and for all, but it was a new excuse that kept him in check.
The tiny life growing deep inside of her. The life that another man had put there.
Sara glanced over at him. "Is something wrong?"
He blew out a short breath. "No. Why don't you go ahead? I'll be there in a minute."
She had a puzzled look on her face as she opened her door. "Okay."
Grissom waited until he saw her duck under the yellow tape blocking off the scene before he reached into the backseat for her bag.
He'd avoided looking at the picture when she'd brought it out for the team. But now he couldn't tear his eyes away from it. It was real. And he could no longer pretend that he was just caught in his worst nightmare.
"You're lucky you've got her," he told the little lump of tissue that would grow into his greatest rival for Sara's affection. "I wish I could say the same."
To Be Continued
