He watched her put away the groceries and had the strongest urge to see 'her', his daughter, even though she was sleeping. He walked down the hallway, as he knew it would lead him to her room. He approached a door at the end of the hall that was slightly ajar. He peeked inside and there she was. He walked over to the small bed. It was small to him but seemed so large compared to her. 'This isn't right is it? Shouldn't she be in a crib?' He thought. 'But then what do I know, maybe she is old enough… but she looks so small.' He reached down to move a curly tendril of hair that had fallen down over her eyes.
Sara found him in the little nursery she had transformed out of the second bedroom. He leaned over the bed and touched her face. She walked over and put her hand in his. Grissom felt the soft touch of her skin on his and stood back up. He looked over at Sara who intently studied his face. He appeared to her like a man who had just fallen in love. They shared a smile and then they both looked back down at the sleeping princess.
Sara gently tugged on his hand and took a step back. He started to follow her out but stopped just inside the door and looked back at 'her'. His heart ached for her to wake up.
They walked down the hallway and into the living room. Sara directed him over to the sofa and they sat down. Grissom could see tears forming in her eyes. She knew he saw them but he didn't ask why. She placed his arm over her shoulders and then laid her head on his chest. They sat there like that for a while; no one spoke for neither of them knew what to say.
That's how they were when Grissom woke up. He thought he had heard a noise. He looked down as he felt warmth surrounding him and remembered who it was he felt lying on his chest and exactly where he was. Not that he actually forgot, because how could anyone forget something that felt this wonderful. He smiled as he touched Sara's hair, softly running his fingers through it but the noise got his attention again and he realized it was coming from the kitchen. He started to shift Sara a little so he could get up and investigate what it was. He stopped instantly as he saw a movement and he thought, 'It's her! Man, I've got to find out what her name is, I can't believe that of all things, Sara has not told me yet.'
He saw her step over to a chair at the table with a box in both of her tiny hands. She had barely placed the box on the table and then started to climb up on the chair. 'She's going to fall.' He thought as he continued to shift Sara off gently and then got up and headed into the kitchen. She had made it up onto the chair and knelt on it while she leaned against the table. She had managed to open the box and pulled out a handful of crackers and placed them on the table then picked one up and took a bite.
Grissom noticed that the box looked like the one that Catherine's daughter, Lindsay, ate her animal crackers out of and remembered that Lindsay liked to have milk with hers. He went over to the fridge, took out the milk and then searched the cupboards until he found the cups. He took a small one out that appeared to have little ladybugs all over it. He figured it must be for her and poured about a half a cup in it then walked over to the table and put it down in front of her.
She watched him set it down then reached over and grabbed it with both hands and looked in it. She smiled as her face tilted up at him and said quietly, "Thank you." Then she took a drink. He was taken aback at what she said knowing she was only a little over three. It would seem she learned some manners already. She continued to watch him as he sat down across from her and then she said quietly. "Mommy seepin'." He in turn said. "Yes she is. Do you want me to wake her up?" "Nope." And she went back to eating her crackers and drinking her milk. 'She is so beautiful,' he thought, 'just like her mother.'
When she finished her milk, she grabbed the box of crackers, pushed down the plastic bag inside and then closed the box. She scooted off of her chair, reached up and grabbed the box and then walked back into the kitchen. After opening a cupboard on the bottom near the fridge, she put the box in it then closed the cupboard. She walked back to the table, grabbed her cup and walked back into the kitchen, opened the cupboard under the sink and placed one hand on the top of the counter, then stepped up onto the cupboard flooring and while she held herself up, she dropped her cup into the sink. She then proceeded to step down and let go of the counter. She shut the cupboard door and walked over to the table and pushed the chair she had previously occupied back into the table.
She stood and stared at Grissom as she put her thumb in her mouth. While she still had her thumb in her mouth, she smiled and walked over to him and tugged on his hand. He stood up and she pulled on his hand until they reached the recliner. When he sat down, she tried unsuccessfully to climb into his lap so he leaned over and picked her up and sat her on his leg. She laid down against his chest and promptly put her thumb back in her mouth and closed her eyes.
Grissom's heart almost exploded.
He reached up with his other hand and placed it on her head and started fingering her tendrils of hair. While he did this, a pair of brown eyes watched him. He finally dosed off again with his daughter who he still didn't know the name of.
Sara smiled as she considered what she had seen. 'This can't be happening.' She never imagined in her wildest dreams that he would react to her in this way. She waited until they were asleep then moved off of the sofa and quietly tiptoed into the kitchen and made her way over to the sink. She looked down to see the cup and smiled as she looked out the kitchen window. She sighed contentedly then considered making preparations for dinner.
A little later, as she closed the door on the stove and stood back up, she felt a presence behind her. She turned and caught Grissom red-handed as he tried to quietly walk up behind her with his arms and hands outstretched like he intended to grab her around the waist. Her movement startled him and he quickly dropped his hands, stepped back to lean against the counter, folded his arms across his chest and just smiled at her innocently.
Sara however frowned as she looked around him not seeing what she searched for. "Where is she?"
He cleared his throat before he spoke, "I put her in bed. By the way, would you please stop calling her, 'she and her', and tell me what her name is?"