Sara stared at Grissom and then started to giggle. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize I hadn't yet." Her laughter grew and became contagious. Soon Grissom had joined in and it just made her laugh harder until tears ran down her face. She drew in a breath and held her stomach as she tried to control her laughter. Finally she gained some semblance of control and with a huge smile on her face still on her face, walked closer and put her arms around him then looked deep into his eyes. "I couldn't think of a name suitable to go with yours or mine that I really liked so I named her something unusual and something so not us."
"And that would be?"
"Laredo."
He blinked, "After the car or the city?"
"After the song about the city."
"What song?"
"It's a country song, you'll like it."
"So is she Laredo Grissom or Laredo Sidle. Which of course neither one sounds right anyway?"
"I know but I didn't like anything else and… she is Laredo Georgiana Grissom."
"So, you did list my name as the father and didn't just leave it blank?"
"Yes because if anything would've happened to me, Shannon would have told you about her. I didn't want there to be any legal problems."
"Oh." He thought about that and it made perfect sense. "So, what have you made for dinner and since when do you cook?"
"Why does everyone think I can't cook, I did grow up in a B & B you know. I made Lasagna and I was about to make some garlic bread…" Her speech slowed as she saw a movement and realized that Laredo stood at the end of the counter with her thumb in her mouth. Grissom followed her eyes and saw her. "Sara, does she know about me, I mean, you know, who her father is?"
"You didn't see the picture I have of you on her night stand did you?"
He shook his head.
She smiled at him but directed her next comment to her daughter. "Laredo, do you know who this is?" Laredo looked up at him and then turned and ran down to her room. They watched as she walked back with a picture frame in her hand and then when she reached them, she looked at the picture and then back at him, then she looked at the picture and back at him again. She took her thumb out of her mouth, handed Grissom the picture and said, "Daddy."
And Grissom's heart exploded.
He squatted down to Laredo's level. He held out his hands to her and she walked over and let him pick her up. He stood up with Laredo in his arms. While he studied her profile, he quietly said, "By the way, there is only one problem with just sharing her between us." He paused as he turned to look at Sara. "We need to share our lives with each other also." At that, he walked off with Laredo into the living room. Sara just stared after them and the tears started to run down her face again.
Later, as they sat at the table, with Sara on the side, and with Grissom on her left at the head and Laredo in a Sassy seat on her right, Grissom filled Sara in on his and Laredo's snack time. "She did all of that by herself. Did you show her how or did she just pick it up on her own?"
"On her own. Shannon said she started doing that after my last visit. She had watched me the whole time."
"Well it's said that children learn by example…"
"Oh yeah they do, I have to watch the words that come out of my mouth all the time." She stated drily. Grissom took a bite of cake when she said that and nearly choked on it. He said, "I'll need to remember that."
Sara stood up and took some of the dishes off the table and into the kitchen. She came back with a washcloth in hand and cleaned Laredo's hands and face. Then she leaned down and gave her a really big, smooshy kiss on her neck and it caused Laredo to fall into a fit of giggles.
Grissom watched this interaction between mother and daughter and knew just how much Sara loved their daughter.
"I think someone is going to need a bath tonight, missy." Laredo looked up at her mother and started bouncing and tapping the table with her hands and giggled even more. "Or how about a shower with mommy?"
"Yeeeaaaahhhh!" And Laredo started clapping and kicking her legs. Sara picked her up and put her down on the floor. "Okay, you go get your pajamas and mommy will finish up in here then we will go take a shower." She patted her on her little butt and Laredo ran down into her room. Grissom in the meantime joined Sara in cleaning off the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher.
"I'm going to head out to the car and get my bag. Umm… where am I going to sleep?"
Sara stopped loading the dishes into the dishwasher and looked up at him sheepishly as she began chewing on her bottom lip. She went back to putting the dishes in the dishwasher and said, "I… thought… that maybe… you would just… sleep with me." She finished the last of her comment in a rush. Grissom at first wasn't sure if he heard it. He didn't say anything so she looked back up at him and saw a look of astonishment on his face. "Umm… if you don't want to… there is… umm… a bed…"
He put a finger on her lips to silence her and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "It's okay… I would love to." He reached up and gently placed his hand on her neck and then he softly planted a kiss on her cheek. Sara reached up and held his arm in the crook of his elbow. When he kissed her cheek she felt a catch in her throat that caused an involuntary intake of breath. God, he has the softest touch. She had missed that so much.
Grissom leaned back and looked in her eyes. Then they both turned and saw Laredo with a blanket held to her chest and the thumb in her mouth popped out as she grinned and said, "Daddy kissin' mommy."