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Chapter 10: The Question

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Grissom walked down the hall not knowing what to expect. After all, he had just watched the woman he had denied loving for years die on an operating table, and now she was asking for him. What was he going to say? What should he say? Was there a kind of etiquette to these things? But then, as he neared her room, an even more daunting question entered his mind: Did she even know what happened to her?

He didn't have much time to contemplate these musings. Before he knew it he was standing before her door, his hand shaking as he twisted the knob and entered the sterile suite.

As the door opened, her eyes immediately found his, drinking in the sight of him. Without words, she knew that something was wrong. It was in the way he carried himself: cautiously, as if afraid to betray himself or some unspoken fear. His ever-changing eyes were a misty blue as he came closer and sat beside her bed in an old overstuffed armchair that had held many a heartbroken soul before him.

He tried to push the investigative part of his nature aside as he looked up at her… He failed. The thin hospital gown did not flatter her, sticking to her wiry and sweat-drenched frame. The scars from her ordeal with Todd Owen were still prevalent on her arms, neck, and face as she stared at him under the halogen bulbs of her sterile environment. Her chocolate curls stuck to her face and splayed on the pillow behind her.

It was Sara who broke the silence that seemed to have lasted an eternity between them. All it took was a simple question, and it pierced his heart, confirming what he had always sensed: she knew him.

"What's wrong, Gil?"

He couldn't lie to her. Years of doing just that had ruined their "relationship" beyond repair… or so he had thought until recently. His thoughts drifted back momentarily to his days as a Catholic. Maybe everything did happen for a reason…

"Gil?"

He met her gaze and melted. "You went in for surgery on your knee-"

"I know that much," she pushed him gently. "Why didn't they finish?"

His mind reeled as he thought back to those terror-filled moments in front of the OR window. How could he possibly explain to her what it felt like to watch her die, and to be completely helpless? He settled on a simple two-word response:

"Y-you…" Okay, maybe it wasn't that simple. He took a deep breath and looked at the floor. "You died."

It took everything he had not to crumple beneath her frightened stare.

"What do you mean I died'?" she said, her voice wavering.

"Just that," he answered, unable to say anything else about the horrific experience. But just then, he made his one mistake… He looked into her eyes. They shined a bright amber, staring wide with fear, confusion, and a desire – no, a need – to know every detail.

He couldn't deny her.

"They said it was a - a clot," he began, his voice cracking as he relived his own worst living nightmare. "They said that it must have formed once they c-cut off the circulation to your leg. It detached and made its way to y-your heart… You were of-officially declared dead, Sara. By all means, you should still be dead."

It took her a moment to absorb all he had said. Finally, she broke the silence.

"But I could feel you there..." she whispered. "You were there, weren't you?"

He took her hand in his own. "I stood outside that window the entire time, and it killed me to see you like that." His eyes began to mist over again as he spoke. "I was so afraid- I thought I'd lost you... I can't go through that again, Sara."

He reached for his breast pocket.

"I've been carrying this damn thing around for three days, waiting for the right moment, but after everything that's happened I should have known that waiting is never the right thing to do…"

Suddenly, Sara stopped breathing. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was it possible that Grissom – her teacher and the man who had proven himself to be emotionally retarded over the years, her mentor and the man she had loved since he'd first come into her life, her boss and the man who had rejected all her previous advances – was actually going to propose?

She watched in a confusing mixture of shock, fear, and delight as he pulled a small black box out of his pocket and held it toward her. Though she felt like she was in a dream, she managed to take it from him with trembling hands and open it to reveal a shining platinum band topped with a diamond, the size of which she estimated to be a half-carat.

Seeing her surprise, he took advantage of her silence and slid from the chair. "Sara, it's been so long… We've known each other for 12 years, and the day we met I fell in love with your curiosity and your love for life. Why do you think I called you to Vegas?" When a small chuckle made its way through her tears, he continued, dropping to one knee. "I needed you in my life again… to help me remember. And now, after everything that's happened, I know that I can't live without you. It's why I sent you the plant, it's why I freaked out after the explosion, why I came to pick you up at the station, why I came to your house, why I was so scared at the mental institution… I- I just couldn't voice it… until now. I won't lose you again, Sara. Will you marry me?"

If she wasn't speechless before, she certainly was now. A tear threatened to break loose from the dam, and for once she didn't hold it back. As the water spilled over, she looked back and forth between the ring and Grissom's hopeful expression.

Suddenly, they heard shuffling outside the door. Turning to see what the noise was, they were both stunned to see the rest of their CSI family fighting to get a glimpse through the small window in the hospital room door. Smiling, they shook their heads as they heard Catherine's muffled exclamation:

"Say yes already!"

Sara laughed and turned to Grissom, love shining from her bright orbs, her lips curled in her famous gap-toothed grin despite her tears. Taking his hand in hers, she said the words she'd wanted to say for years.

"Of course I'll marry you."

Cheers sounded from the hallway and the door burst open as their friends sprinted into the room to give their congratulations. Hugs were shared, hands were shaken, and tears were shed amongst the group as they all tried to grasp the full meaning of what had just happened.

"Damn," Warrick sighed, content to sit on the edge of Sara's bed. "If I'd known there was gonna be the occasion for it, I'd've brought that dusty old bottle of champagne sittin' in my liquor cabinet!"

Sara chuckled. "I don't think my doctor would've appreciated that kind gesture," she said with a smirk.

Catherine scoffed. "Who cares! What does he know anyways? After what happened in that operating room, we should take Warrick's advice and sue him for malpractice!"

The room grew quiet at her outburst. Realizing what she'd just said, she blushed and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Sara. I shouldn't have said that."

Sara shook her head. "It's okay. We're all here now and that's what matters." She looked around at the faces before her. "I wouldn't trade this moment for the world."

Their celebrations lasted about ten more minutes before a nurse came in and ordered them all out of Sara's room for noise violations. Grissom was the last to move from his place. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips.

"I love you," he whispered.

The nurse cleared her throat, throwing him an angry stare.

Sara smiled. "I love you, too," she answered. "Now get out of here before she calls the cops on you."

He managed to make it all the way to the door before he turned for one last look. A feeling of contentment settled in his heart as he looked at the woman he loved, a satisfaction he hadn't felt in years. With the comforting knowledge that the pieces of the puzzle that was his life were finally falling into place, he slowly walked out of the room and let the door close behind him.

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A/N: I don't think I've ever recieved as many death threats for a story as I did for the previous chapter!I told you I'd make it better! Besides, what's a good story without a little suspense? :-) Thank you to those of you who have reviewed... It means so much. And to those of you who kept your faith in me, a double thank you!
forbesn: Of course there's a dark before the dawn... And look how brilliant this dawn has become! I always love writing the uplifting chapters after the dark ones. It gets the best reactions, and it's always something that will grab your attention. Not to mention, it makes everything that has gone wrong previously completely worth it in the end. That is my goal with this story. Hope it works!
Anonymous Skeleton: Your review made me laugh. I'm glad you enjoyed it, but please don't have a heart attack! Only the characters are allowed to do that, and only on special occasions! I'm updating as fast as I can... midterms are coming up, as is choir tour, so there's a lot of stress with school right now. But chin up... That'll give me plenty of time to come up with new and exciting material!
All: I have recieved many questions and heated comments concerning the way Sara died. Let me make this clear to everyone: I know that a clot would have caused irreversible damage to the heart muscle! The point in writing that scenario into the plot was to add a mystical element to the story. I wanted it to be a kind of mystery as to how she revived... It gives the situation a bit of a miraculous feel, which is what I was going for. Please understand that I did the research. I just chose to ignore the realistic outcome for the sake of the story line.

Teaser: "Please tell me you're joking."

He stared at her with symathy and compassion. "I wish I was."

He watched as her body tensed and her grip on her cane tightened. As if she hadn't already been through enough in the past few months, he could tell by her reaction just how much she dreaded having to face the man of her nightmares.

"Don't you have enough evidence to convict him without me having to testify?"

"Not if we're going to guarentee that he won't be back on the streets. We need you..."

The look in his eyes told her that he wanted justice as much as she did. ...

"Court is now is session."