Chapter Eight

Paul removed Grissom's catheter, pleased that he was still sleeping, as it was an uncomfortable procedure at the best of times. He checked the stitches from the endoscopic surgery on the ulcer. The cuts on his hands and feet had stayed closed, and there were no signs of infection.

"Grissom? Grissom? I need you to wake up." Paul said, softly.

Grissom opened his left eye and repositioned his head so he could see Paul easily.

"How are you feeling?" Paul asked, placing his hand gently on Grissom's shoulder.

"Better, still hurts," Grissom said, his voice ragged.

"What hurts?" Paul asked.

"Shoulder, ribs, stomach, hands, feet, the usual." Grissom said, with a small smile.

"Look, I want to release you tomorrow, but you need to be on solids. Do you have any appetite?"

"No, not at all,"

Paul looked at him and then pulled back the sheets to re-examine his shoulder, ribs and feet. Everything appeared to be healing. He removed the IVs and walked back to Grissom.

"Okay, let's go," Paul said, standing in front of him.

"Go where?" the puzzled Grissom asked.

"The solarium at the end of the hall. We need to get you into shorts and then a gown. Don't want you to catch cold." Paul said, walking to the closet.

He removed a pair of hospital underwear and a gown. Suspiciously, Grissom watched, trying to understand what was happening. Very gently, Paul helped him swing his legs over the side of the bed and then into his stretch fabric shorts. Helping him stand, Paul put Grissom's arms through the gown and tied it while Grissom held on to his shoulders with one arm. He helped him into slippers. Grissom was perspiring slightly and he started to pant against the pain. Paul slid his arm under his good shoulder and they walked into the hallway. Sara and Roger turned, surprised to see him up and about.

"Would you walk him to the solarium, rest a half an hour, and then get him back to bed? Maybe you'll have an appetite by then." Paul asked.

"Maybe," Grissom said as Roger and Sara stood to each side of him.

They slowly started to walk down the corridor with the FBI agent in slow pursuit. Grissom stopped several times to catch his breath and to blink back some of the pain. They reached the solarium without incident and sat Grissom gently in a chair by the window.

"Okay, Moss?" Roger asked, crouching next to him.

"Yeah, Nuncle, it just hurts and I guess there's nothing that can be done, right now." Grissom said, his eyes closed, trying to relax.

Sara squeezed his good shoulder in sympathy. She excused herself and called the lab.

"CSI lab, Steven speaking,"

"Steven, it's Sara. Am I on the schedule tonight, or has Sofia surfaced?"

"Oh, Sara, I'm glad you called. No, Sofia has not called in. I scheduled Brian to join you and Greg tonight. How's Grissom?"

"He'll be back to the lab next Monday with any luck, according to the doctor's assessment."

"I'll relay that to the Sheriff and Ecklie."

"Thanks, Steven. For your ears only, Grissom will get released from the hospital tomorrow."

"Gotcha, I'll see you later, then," Steven said.

"Yes, see you later, bye,"

"Bye,"

Sara hung up the phone and returned to Grissom and Roger. Grissom was sitting very relaxed in his chair, eyes closed, his hands clasped on his chest. He looked asleep.

"I have to work tonight. If you can handle him, I need to run home and take a nap, eat, and get ready for work."

"Sure, we'll be fine," Roger said, looking at Grissom's glistening face

"Griss, sweetheart, I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow," Sara said, slightly louder, leaning over to kiss him.

"Have fun, don't find any bugs, okay? I don't think I could handle that, today." Grissom said, opening his eyes to her kiss.

"I'll do my best. Get some sleep, will you?" Sara said, smiling.

"Yeah, I think I'd like to go back to bed, Roger." Grissom said, turning his gaze to him.

Slowly, they got Grissom to his feet and they headed off to the room. Agent Donner walked down the hallway to meet them.

"Agent Donner, I need to go home and change for work." Sara said.

"Of course, Agent Brennan, here, will stay with you. There have been some changes and I need to stay with Dr. Grissom. Roger, you and I have some things to discuss, as well." Agent Donner said.

"Fellas, I really need to lie down." Grissom said, walking slowly to his room.

"Sorry, Moss. Night Sara," Roger said, catching up to him easily.

"Night Roger, night sweetheart," Sara said, walking away with Agent Brennan.

6:00pm

Grissom's gown was saturated with perspiration and he started to shake slightly by the time he got to the room. Nurse Adams walked into the room and frowned while helping him into bed. She took out a disposable thermometer and put it under Grissom's tongue while he tried to settle. Agent Donner and Roger stood by the window, out of the way while the nurse worked. She removed the thermometer and pressed the call button. Another nurse appeared.

"Get Dr. Evans, please, Nancy," she said, tersely. "Gentlemen, you'll need to leave."

"No," Grissom said softly, his eyes closed.

"Dr. Grissom, please. You have a temperature, you're in pain. You need your rest."

"I need them here, please," Grissom implored, his breathing becoming more ragged.

Roger walked over to him just as Paul came into the room.

"What's up?" Paul said, pulling his stethoscope from around his neck.

"He has a temperature of 101 and he's in pain." Nurse Adams replied.

"Is that true, Grissom? Let's take a look." Paul said, looking at Roger and nodding.

Roger ran his hand through Grissom's hair, feeling the wet from the perspiration. Paul started his exam while Roger talked to Grissom, trying to calm him down. Agent Donner watched from his position by the window. Paul reached to the electric controller and raised the bed, tilting it so Grissom's chest was elevated. Slowly Grissom calmed, his breathing easing. Paul leaned over and whispered in Nurse Adams ear, watching Grissom slip into deep sleep. She returned with a hypodermic needle. He double-checked the dosage and injected Grissom. Handing her the spent needle, he turned to Roger.

"Slight infection, and he's still exhausted. I want him to try to eat something before he leaves tomorrow. I'm off duty in an hour, but I'll try to stop by to see you."

"Thanks,"

"No problem," Paul said, turning to nod at Agent Donner before leaving the room.

Agent Donner moved a chair closer to the window and sat down. Roger pulled up the other one opposite him and sat down as well.

"Seb asked me to bring you up to speed. Phipps was shot by the same gun that killed Mr. Grissom. So we're thinking that Kasgar is the shooter and the chemist. The CSI lab is studying the narcotic which killed the man in ICU this morning. Preliminary results indicate it was the same stuff that Dr. Grissom had in his blood stream; just a slightly higher dose."

"Who are Kasgar and Phipps to begin with? They weren't the masterminds of this. Who hired them? How does this tie in with Mr. Grissom?"

"I'm not positive, but Seb is thinking that Mr. Grissom got greedy. He cheated death at the Twin Towers and was a free operative. He had a ton of money socked away and he just started his business right back up; although his methods of secrecy were ingenious; somehow, Kang found him."

"I thought the Chinese government had Kang," Roger asked, wiping the fatigue from his eyes, trying to track this conversation.

"They did, he died in prison shortly after he was arrested."

"So who was after Mr. Grissom?"

"His son, also Christopher, also a junior,"

Roger's mind was now operating on different levels tying together loose ends.

"So you're thinking that Kang Jr. hired Phipps and Kasgar?"

"Yes, and it was about money, but now it's about revenge."

"Ecklie and the Sheriff?"

"Innocent in this mess, as far as we can tell."

"What about Sofia Curtis?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss her at this time, Roger,"

Roger nodded and got up to pace.

7:00pm

Roger stopped and looked at Grissom, whose face was twitching, caught in a dream. The door to the room opened and Helen Grissom walked in, dressed in a comfortable knit pant suit. Agent Donner nodded to her and left the room.

"How is he?" she asked, noticing the absence of tubes.

"He has a fever from an infection, but Dr. Evans doesn't seem to be too concerned about it. Moss is still tired and hasn't eaten solid food since his migraine on Friday. They want him to eat something before they release him from the hospital tomorrow."

"I see," she said, standing by her son, switching her gaze to his face.

Taking a chance, Roger changed the conversation, reaching to her shoulder to get her attention.

"He draws beautifully, you know? I've never seen a photograph of you, but I've seen recent sketches of his childhood and they're really amazing." He said, sitting in the chair by the window.

"It's the one good thing he got from his father. Gilbert would draw all of the time. When he left, there were hundreds of notebooks in his car." She said, absently.

Roger turned his glance out the window to the darkening sky.

"Why do you call him, Moss?" Helen asked, walking to sit opposite him.

"Yes, I am slightly dyslexic with names. Grissom was too long and he was at such odds when he came up to stay at Jim's cabin in Elko. One minute, he was talking about light and shadow and the next, he was boxing until he had no more strength left. I told him he was his own opposite. Mossirg was too long and too complicated so he became Moss. He called me, Nuncle,"

"From Lear; what the Fool calls Lear on the moor. It was one of his favourite plays when he was in high school." Helen remarked.

"Mine too," Roger replied.

They sat in relative silence, listening to the air-conditioning. Grissom's dream state became active, as he started to toss and turn. Roger walked to his side and watched for a moment until he started to speak. He looked at Helen, who walked quickly to his side.

"What are you doing to her? Leave her alone. Get away from her!" Grissom said, his voice growing in intensity.

Helen paled, reading his lips. Unconsciously, she reached for Roger's arm and held it tightly.

"The pancakes are fine, Dad." He screamed, before Roger could get his hands to his face to calm him.

Grissom sat up in bed, awakened by his nightmare but not entirely alert. He turned to look at his mother, who touched the scar above his left eyebrow. He was breathing heavily and favouring his right side. Slowly she pulled his shoulders to her and they held each other tightly.

Immediately, Grissom calmed, but not before Nurse Adams came into the room.

"Is everything all right?" she asked of Roger, who was heading toward the door.

"He had a nightmare. He'll be fine," Roger said, ushering her out of the room and leaving Helen alone with her son.

Grissom calmed from the nightmare, but his emotions were riding high and when he felt his mother start to cry, he couldn't hold back. They cried at the memory of a husband and father. They cried at the memory of a violent man.

Helen felt him relax and eased him back onto the sheets. He turned onto his side, away from her, his emotions not yet in check. He was hurt, exhausted, and just needed an escape. Helen sat on the edge of the bed and started to hum a song from her childhood; a song her mother used to sing to her and that she used to hum to her son. He reached over his right shoulder for her hand and held it tightly until he finally fell asleep.

Helen went out into the hallway. Roger turned back to Helen and slowly took her in his arms to reassure her. She hugged him back as they drew strength from each other. Relaxing, she stepped out of his embrace.

"I need some tea, Roger. Would you escort me to the cafeteria?" Helen asked.

"I would love to," Roger said, looking to get Agent Thibodeau's attention.

Agent Donner's focus was glued to Grissom's door and saw the look.

"You're up," Donner said.

Agent Thibodeau smiled and walked up to Helen.

Off again? he signed.

Just to the cafeteria,

Lead on,

Helen looked at Roger and they walked together to the elevator, leading Agent Thibodeau by several feet. Agent Donner watched them until the doors slid shut.

"Excuse me, Agent Donner, there's a woman who is trying to see Dr. Grissom, but she's not on the list; a Ms. Willows?" a nurse asked.

"Damn, of course, let her up. Thank you, I forgot to update the list since his surgery." Agent Donner said, walking quickly to the bank of elevators.

He turned partially, in order to see Grissom's door as well as the occupants of the elevator. Catherine was out of cab in one and a half strides and almost to the nurse's station before he caught up with her.

"Catherine, Catherine," he called.

She spun on her heel to look at him, venom on her face.

"I apologize; I didn't have a chance to update the list." He said, his hands in the air, surrendering.

She looked at him for a moment and then smiled.

"I accept your apology. How is he?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

"He came through the surgery, fine. The Doc has removed all the IVs. He's in pain, but they don't want to give him anything until he eats something solid. He's sleeping right now. Go ahead, his mother and Roger are having a well-deserved cup of tea in the cafeteria." Agent Donner said, gesturing towards the room.

Catherine smiled again and walked in. Grissom was still asleep on his side. Setting her purse next to the red Beanie spider, she leaned over and kissed his damp forehead, running her fingers through his hair. He moaned softly and settled deeper under the sheets. She sighed, picked up her purse and sat in one of the chairs by the window. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a paperback and started to read.

8:00pm

The nurse came in to take Grissom's temperature and shook her head slightly while making a note on his chart. She left the room and returned a few minutes later with a needle and administered a clear liquid. Smiling to herself, she left the room. Ten minutes later, Grissom woke up and went into the bathroom. Helen and Roger walked in and paused, their faces absolutely white when they saw the empty bed.

"He's in the bathroom," Catherine commented, standing up.

Roger turned to Helen and signed. Loo . She smiled and then noticed Catherine.

"Hello, Catherine. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Grissom. Just fine." she said, standing and walking to her.

"Catherine, after ten years, please call me, Helen."

"Helen, I'm just fine, thanks," Catherine said with an easy smile.

The door to the bathroom opened and Grissom walked out, squinting against the fluorescents. He looked at the three people in front of him and smiled an exhausted smile. His mother was the first person he hugged. She brushed the tears from her eyes as he stepped back and then hugged Catherine mindful of his ribs.

"Thanks, Cath," he whispered in her ear.

She tightening her arms around his shoulders harder, finally releasing him when he relaxed his hold on her shoulders. Grissom looked at Roger.

"Nuncle, I need you,"

"I'm here, Moss," Roger said, walking up to him and embracing him easily.

"Nuncle, I am so tired," Grissom said softly into his ear.

"Sleep, Moss. You're safe. Just sleep," Roger said, helping him back into bed.

"I'm safe," Grissom repeated in a mantra as he got comfortable and then fell asleep.

Catherine looked at her friend and his support team.

"I need to get home to Lindsey," she said, picking up her purse.

"I want to stay a little longer; make sure he's really down for the night." Roger said, without taking his gaze away from Grissom.