Chapter 15

Dr. Case had suggested Sara start cultivating a wider circle of friends, maybe even some female friends. It was this suggestion that resulted in Sara being at the lab during day shift. When the day ballistics girl, Kendra, had been on nights she and Sara occasionally ended up in the break room at the same time. Sara remembered casual conversation and a few shared laughs. That was the closest thing to a female friend she had experienced since college so she figured that was as good a place to start as any.

Kendra had been surprised by Sara's call asking her to lunch, but was happy for the chance to get out of the building and talk to someone new. Dayshift was dull as dishwater as far as the personalities she worked with. The two girls agreed on Mexican food and walked to a place only a few blocks from the lab.

At first the conversation was stilted. Kendra was waiting for Sara to give her the reason for the meeting, as if there were some agenda pertaining to work. After a few minutes of "Office talk" Sara gave her some idea of what was up.

"I'm glad we're doing this. I uh… you know, working all the time, everyone you meet is either a suspect or a witness. Its kind of hard to make friends." It sounded lame to Sara, but she knew Kendra was looking for some sort of explanation.

"I know what you mean. You work longer hours than I do, but when I am at work I'm stuck in ballistics. The only time I see anyone is when they're checking out a gun or asking for striation matches. Not much room for casual conversation there. You don't even get hit on as much during day shift."

"Bet you never thought you'd miss Greg." Sara smiled.

"I miss Nick hitting on me. Greg? Yeah, I miss him I guess. Mostly his music and watching Grissom groan at his antics. How's he doing in the field?"

Sara filled her in on Greg's ups and downs; things flowed freely from there. When Kendra's time was nearly up they headed back to the lab. "Thanks for asking me to do this Sara, it was fun to get out. If you aren't busy on Friday I hear a couple of the lab rats are gonna get together for Thai."

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'll meet you here again?" Was that Grissom's car pulling into the lot? What was he doing here now?

"Sure. I'd better get inside, you know how Eckley is when you clock in late."

"Yeah, he's a jerk." But Sara's eyes were following Grissom as he walked around his car and opened his passenger side door. "I'll see you then." She left Kendra and started toward the parking lot, stopping when she saw Selina step out of Grissom's car. A deep breath, and a million perfectly acceptable stories passed through her head before she continued on her way, heading into the small, gated walkway as he and his lady friend were heading out. She caught the tail end of what he was saying.

"…I'm almost always in one of the lab trucks anyway, you might as well use my car."

"Gris, hey, working an early shift?" What do you know, her voice sounded normal, even to herself.

"Sara, uh, no, I just came in to…oh," he noted the women eyeing one another, "Oh, sorry, Selina, this is Sara, I think I've mentioned her to you before. Sara this is my friend Selina." Not one more word than necessary.

The women exchanged short hellos and Sara stepped back. "I should go. I'll see you tonight I guess. Nice to meet you Selina."

Grissom showed Selina to his office, offering her the chair Sara had occupied a few hours before. Mentally he chided himself for not asking her if she was feeling any better. From the hospital to the diner, then the hotel to pick up some of Selina's things he never got around to calling Sara as he had promised.

"So that's her. She's beautiful." Selina looked down at her hands, nested on her wide thighs. "Does she eat?"

"She's a vegetarian." He either misunderstood her meaning or chose to avoid the conflict of it. He also avoided her gaze when she lifted her eyes to him.

As a young man Gilbert Grissom had not attracted the interest of many a young woman. He spent most of his free time on necropsies as a teen, and assisting with autopsies as a young adult. Social time was mostly spent at his mother's side, attempting to fill the void left by his father. At college the women he met weren't interested in him as much more than a lab partner.

As a sophomore he found himself enamored of the girl he frequently partnered with in cellular biology lab. She was sweet and friendly with him and always wanted to hear more of his stories from the morgue. His mother encouraged him to ask her out, and so he did. She turned him down gently, but the message was loud and clear-he was not the dating type.

It was two years before he asked anyone out again. This time she said yes and they dated for a few months, but his exacting nature was unyielding to human nature and she tired of being held to his standards of excellence.

He was 9 months outside of receiving his PhD when he decided to de-stress by joining in on a radio station sponsored rollercoaster challenge. The idea was to be the last person riding the coaster for a $5000.00 prize. He wasn't interested in the money, just the freedom of riding the ride for as long as he could, and letting everything else float away.

In the beginning there were 20 contestants. He shared a car with a wiry young man who would slide his hands up and down his thighs rapidly as the car climbed and dig his fingers in to his jeans as it plummeted toward land. Grissom was relieved when the first ten-minute bathroom break finished and enough people dropped out that he was able to get his own car.

Everyone knew each other by name and occupation by 3AM. There were 13 contestants left, but the brown haired girl fascinated Gil. This was before the no reading rules had begun to crop up and the woman he now knew as Selina had ridden with a book on her lap for as long as the light allowed. When the park became dim, and thus he knew he wouldn't be interrupting, he asked her what she was reading.