DISCLAIMER:Don't Own it. No Money Made... Just for fun and enjoyment.
A/N: The muses FINALLY smiled on me :p Got 44 finished, and just a heads up for everyone... The rating will be going up very soon. :O So, just like my warning at the beginning said it would, things have heated up and if that isn't your thing, I'd pay close attention to the rating change.
REVIEWS: Thanks to all who have reviewed.
Chapter 41
Sara was beginning to think that this was probably the worst idea she had had in a very long time. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, and found that she barely recognized the woman she saw there, and washed her face clean for the third time. If she kept it up this way, she wouldn't have any skin left on her face by the time Warrick got there. She applied a small amount of moisturizer and added a touch of blush over it, then just a dab of lip gloss, and finally she took out the mascara. She was not trying to impress anyone, but she also did not want to look out of place. Sara took one last look in the mirror and decided that her face was now presentable, and she actually looked like herself as a bonus.
She walked back into the bedroom and looked at her full reflection in the mirror. She had finally decided on a dress, and after completely emptying her closet onto her bed, she ended up choosing the first dress she had tried on that afternoon. It always works out that way. The dress looked almost black under the light in her room, but in the right light it shimmered a rich burgundy. She had fallen in love with two color silks a long time ago, but this one was probably her favorite. The spaghetti straps highlighted the sleek lines of her neck and collar bones, and the low swoop in the back always made her feel like she could be just a little glamorous. The hem was flowing and cut just above her knees, and gave her a very free feeling when she wore it. However, she was having trouble remembering the last time she had worn it. Has it really been that long since I went out?
When the doorbell went off, she grabbed her chest and then looked at her watch. Damn! Despite her best efforts, she was running late, and Warrick had already arrived. She glanced once more at her self as she reached down to retrieve her shoes. "Guess the hair will have to do. Hopefully I can get these on in the car."
She was holding her hand bag and a shawl in one hand, and her strapped heels in the other when she opened the door onto a pleasantly surprised Warrick. "Damn, girl! You clean up good."
Sara instantly blushed at his comment, "If I wasn't such a wreck I might appreciate that."
Warrick looked her up one side and down the other, "If that's a wreck, I'd be afraid to see what you look like when you're on… My marriage might be in more trouble." He winked at her with his comment.
Sara gave him a playful slap on the arm, "Quit teasing. How much time do we have?"
Warrick looked at his watch before he answered, "We got time. Go put your shoes on, Miss Thing."
Sara heaved a sigh and did just that. She was grateful for the moment to collect herself. "So, Warrick… Is this like a hospital party or something? I mean, am I going to be at some big fancy place and feel about so big?"
Warrick slapped away her comment, "Nah, it's at somebody's townhouse. And it's just a few people, so that's why I couldn't back out at the last minute. Plus, Tina might come by later if she can find somebody to cover for her. Took her dress and all to work." Warrick laughed at the memory of his wife toting all of that junk to work, as he was busy looking around Sara's apartment. "So, you cleanin' out your closets, or what?" He asked when he spied the massive pile of clothes through the open bedroom door.
"A gentleman wouldn't have noticed." She stuck her tongue out at him.
"I don't think ladies do that either." He moved away from the door and took a seat in the chair beside her.
"Well, I never said I was a lady. Of course, I also don't really fall into the broad category either, that sounds more like-."
"Catherine." They both laughed at themselves having the same thought.
"Oh well, at least she's a good broad." What Sara wanted to say was that there were some bad ones around the lab as well; Sofia. But Sara was trying to turn over a new leaf, and if Sofia wanted to make a fool of herself around Grissom, then she would just stand back and watch the fireworks when they happened. Sara knew Sofia was playing with fire in that respect, and despite her best efforts to cut the woman some slack, Sara just did not have any use for her.
Warrick watched as Sara fastened the last strap of her shoe and stood up to offer her a hand, "Ready now?" She took the hand and rose from the couch with a grace Warrick could not remember noticing before. He held her back, so that he could get one more look at her, "Lookin' like that, we're sure to find you some hot doctor action tonight." Sara blushed again and gave him another playful tap before wrapping the shawl around her bare shoulders.
She tucked her hand bag under her arm and held up her chin, "All ready to go."
They walked out to the car and proceeded to head out for their big night. As much as Sara hated to admit it, she was already having fun. Warrick's favor may have been just the thing she needed to break free from the bonds of her rut. And she figured the worse thing that might come of it would be another night out with a doctor from Desert Palms. They had to be an improvement over cheating paramedics.
Warrick was sure to keep her occupied with small talk the whole way over to the party. He figured that if he kept her talking she might never put the whole thing together before they got there. Because once they were at the party, there would be no turning back.
When they arrived, he was pleasantly surprised to find a parking spot fairly close to the house. He assumed that some of the people had carpooled over from the hospital, which was fairly close to the place. He got out of the car and trotted over to her side of the car to help her out and found her opening the door. "Hey, you can't get a guy to be a gentleman if you do it for him." He winked at her with his comment.
"Sorry, I forgot. I guess the dress should have been my first clue." She took the hand he offered her, and he helped to lift her out of the car. Her footing was a little wobbly at first, because her heels sunk into the ground, but they quickly moved to the concrete and all was well. As they neared the door, Sara took a deep and calming breath, and then released it slowly.
"They're just like us, so there's nothing to be nervous about, Sar." He smiled in that smooth way of his and Sara felt much better when they reached the door and Warrick pressed the button for the bell.
When the door opened, a very tall and well built man with soft brown hair answered the door. The smile on his face was accentuated by the full goatee he wore and Sara instantly felt welcome, "'Rick! You made it! Come on in, bro." The man gestured for them to come into the townhouse. "I see you found a replacement for Tina." The man put a hand on Warrick's shoulder in a gesture of friendship and comfort, "I was sorry to hear she couldn't get out of her shift, but when she called this afternoon to tell me you were bringing a friend, you made my day, man. So, who do we have here?" The man turned to Sara and offered her his hand.
"Thomas, this is Sara Sidle, a friend from work. Sara, this-."
Thomas interrupted him before he could finish his introduction, "THIS is the infamous Sara Sidle?" He looked incredulously at Warrick and then back at Sara. Instead of waiting for her to take his hand, he took hers in his and turned it up to kiss the back of it. "It is an honor… I have heard quite a few stories about you since I've been in Vegas. It's nice to get a face to the name." He looked between them both again, "And it is a lovely face, at that." It was too much for Sara and she shied away from his praise, as she felt her cheeks warm with her blush.
She was not sure what to say to the man, because although his words might have sounded like flirting, she could tell that they were not meant that way. "Thomas, is it? I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage."
The man showed his apology on his face and then he spoke it, "I am so sorry…" He bowed his head slightly before he continued, "Dr. Thomas O'Halloran, trauma surgeon, co-worker to Tina, drinking buddy to Mr. Lightweight here, and your host this evening. Welcome to my home!"
Warrick was laughing at the whole scene. With everything going on around them, Thomas was devoting his full attention to the woman he had been hearing talked about (and plotted against) for the last two weeks, as though there was nothing else going on. "And more full of blarney than any Irishman I've met before. Sara, don't listen to a thing ole Tommyboy has to say. I think he took a few too many hits without his helmet on." Warrick winked at her to let Sara know that he was joking around.
Thomas laughed a big hearty laugh, "Ha! Truer words may nar' been spoken, milady!" His fake Irish accent made Sara giggle just a bit. "Hey, can I get you guys some drinks? We're still on the cocktail hour for a bit longer."
Sara held up her hand to show she was not interested, "No thank you, I'm good."
"Cool, but I know my man 'Rick is looking for a beer, right?" Thomas pointed at Warrick in an almost comical gesture.
"You twisted my arm." Thomas disappeared into the small gathering in front of what Sara assumed was the kitchen for only a moment and quickly returned with an armful of bottled beer.
"Beer for you… But only one." He nudged Sara slightly, "You know this guy can't hold his liquor, right?" He winked at Sara, before continuing on his path through the living room to deliver his load of beer around the room.
Once they were alone, Sara had to ask, "Hey, what stories are you and Tina telling about me?"
Warrick leaned back to laugh at her paranoia, "Don't sweat it… Thomas just likes to talk smack."
She breathed a little easier hoping it was more of a joke than a reality, and so Sara started looking around the room. She saw a few familiar faces, but only because she spent a lot of time at the hospital on various cases. Before she had a chance to seriously examine her surroundings, someone at the other end of the living room was calling for everyone's attention.
"All right you animals… SHUT UP!" The room became oddly quiet, considering the number of people milling around it. "Okay, now… My man Thomas has something to say, so listen up. It may be the last time he's ever allowed to talk." Everyone in the room laughed and Sara assumed it was some kind of joke known only to those in their circle. From the laughter coming out of Warrick, Sara figured he was part of that circle.
"Thank you… And I'll be looking for a new best man after that comment, Carter." Again the room erupted into laughter. "Okay seriously, I wanted to thank everyone for coming tonight. I know we did a fine job of blowing everyone away by pushing up the whole wedding thing, and I really appreciate all of you being such good sports about it. Most of all, my future mother-in-law…" He stopped to look around the room. "Tell those women to get out of the kitchen, I'm talking about 'em." The laughter started up again and Sara thought she saw a familiar strawberry blonde head bobbing out of the kitchen, but she figured her eyes must have been playing tricks on her.
When she saw two other heads come out of the kitchen, Thomas continued, "There they are! Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone for being so understanding about this whole wedding thing. We've been together for so long now, and we're both so caught up in work and such, it just seemed silly to have some big fancy wedding that neither of us ever really wanted in the first place. We looked at our schedules and we realized that everyone we cared about was going to be in the same place at the same time, and we might as well take advantage of it." There were several chuckles dispersed around the room, as Sara continued to survey the faces she could see.
There were still a few heads on the other side of the room, whose faces were still obscured, but she decided dinner would probably fix that. "So, if you'll all raise your drinks. I'd like to make two toasts… The first one is to all of you. We are truly blessed to have you in our lives, and with your continued love and support, my beautiful bride and I will live long and relatively happy lives together. To our friends!"
Everyone raised their drinks and gave a traditional Irish toast, "Slainche!"
After everyone had taken their drink, Thomas started again, "And for my second toast… I want you all to know that I am fully aware of what a damn lucky bastard I am, to have won the heart of the most amazing woman to ever walk this earth of ours. As many of you know, I have never had anything easy in life. I have worked my ass off for everything I ever got. I'm not a genius, but I study and work hard to keep a well oiled machine between my ears. There has been only one thing in my life that came easy, and that was my love for this woman…" He stood up on his toes a moment, "This woman who is now hiding behind her mother… Mom, would you push her out this way please?" Sara tried very hard to see what was going on over in the corner, but her vantage point would just not allow it.
"Here she comes." The voice Sara heard was matured, so she assumed it was the mother. And then she watched as the small crowd on that side of the room parted for the arrival of the bride.
"Finally!" Sara was almost on her toes as she attempted to see the woman in question. When she finally bounded through the last of the people amassed near the kitchen, Sara's jaw hit the floor like a ton of bricks. Her brain went off in about ten thousand different directions trying to wrap itself around the bombshell identity of the woman now standing in the center of the room; locked hand in hand with the charming doctor Sara had just met.
"What, you think they'll miss me?" The auburn haired beauty standing at the center of the room joked with her fiancé, "It's like missing the giraffe in a sea of prairie dogs." Everyone in the room laughed at her obvious joke, but Sara did not hear a sound. All she could hear were the words of every conversation she had had or heard over the last few weeks being replayed in her mind. She was getting dizzy with the volume of information flooding her senses. It took Warrick putting a friendly hand on her shoulder her to wake her from her epiphany, just in time to hear the rest of the speech.
"Well, I just wanted to make sure I told everyone… I love this woman more than I thought was humanly possible, and believe it or not, she was the easiest thing I've ever had in my life."
The man who had quieted the crowd before interrupted, "Which just shows you how much his life sucked before she came along." The room erupted into laughter.
"You can be replaced." Thomas punched the man in the arm and then continued, "When I met Stephanie I knew, without a doubt that this was the most amazing woman I had ever witnessed. And once I got to know her, I knew there could never be anyone else for me. But it wasn't until I passed inspection that I knew I wouldn't lose her. Before I got to meet the family, she once told me that she could never be with someone her family didn't like. So, when I heard they were coming to L.A. for some conference, I thought for sure our relationship was doomed. I was just a lucky jock, who'd managed keep his brain pan from getting rattled too bad to make it into med school. She was this genius wunderkind, of these really smart and successful people. I was sunk." He looked into Stephanie's eyes and she actually appeared to melt a little, but she took his hand and held it to her heart to give him the courage to continue. "I made it through that whole visit without breathing. For three days. When they left, I thought for sure it had been a nightmare. They barely talked to me, and then Steph left to take them to the airport. When she got back, I figured it would be over. Instead, she sat down with me on the balcony of my apartment and watched the sunset. In my addled brain, I thought she was just looking for a good way to break it off, instead she put her head on my shoulder and sighed, and then she said 'I've never seen Uncle Gil take to someone so fast… You must be the one.'"
Sara was instantly plunged into a vacuum, and all the air was torn right out of her lungs. She desperately tried to focus her eyes, but the lack of oxygen was making it impossible. She did the only thing she could, she kept listening. "I made up my mind right then and there, I was going to spend my life with this woman, and that's exactly what I did. Asked her to marry me at Thanksgiving right there in front of her parents and the infamous Uncle Gil. To say I was nervous is probably the understatement of the century, but for this one," Thomas held Stephanie closer to him, "I'd walk through the desert naked… And proposing within a hands' breadth of her father and uncle was pretty much the same thing."
Sara's breathing had returned, but her mind was awash in the flood of memories that poured over her; of Grissom and Stephanie arriving in his car, of that phone call in the morgue, of the Chinese food in the Break Room. Every one a horrible misunderstanding by Sara and every one a cause for her steps further away from Grissom. When the sound of a familiar voice penetrated her mind, she lost all the air again, "Now, be honest… We weren't that bad." Grissom is here!
Thomas laughed and the crowd joined him. He then motioned for Gil to join them in the center of attention, "I'll admit only that there was no bloodshed, but I still felt like you were both going to kill me at any second."
"Don't think the thought never crossed our minds." The room erupted into a hail of guffaws at Gil's joke, but all Sara could do was stare at him like a deer caught in the headlights. As soon as it registered to her that he was there, and what everything meant, she started to panic. The only thought going through her mind at that moment was that she had to get out of there before Grissom saw her. She blinked her eyes and finally looked away from the trio in the center of the room. Sara looked to Warrick who was clapping his hands for Grissom's joke, and so she saw her opportunity to escape unnoticed. She slipped back to the door and had her hand on the knob when she heard Grissom's voice again, and she found herself paralyzed, waiting for his words.
"Besides, this is a speech, not a toast." He turned to take a glass from Catherine, who had made her way up from the back of the room, "I would like to make a toast." Everyone raised their glasses and no one was paying attention to the trembling woman at the door. "For many years filled with happiness and love, may you share it all, for the rest of your lives together, with grace and compassion: to Thomas and Stephanie." Everyone repeated their names and drank in their honor. Sara was finally released from her paralysis and bolted out the front door. She had no idea where she was going, but she had to get out of there before her head exploded with everything that was rushing in on her at that moment.
