Sara rolled over onto her right side; The bright sunlight shining through the curtains startled her. She rubbed her eyes for a moment then realized that they were still in the Bellagio.
And they hadn't called Heather to tell her they would be staying the night in the hotel.
"Gil, wake up now!" Sara wrapped the purple satin sheet around her body and stumbled off to the bathroom to get dressed. Gil groaned in his sleep as he obediently flipped the covers off of himself, got up from the bed and gathered his clothes from the floor.
Once Sara was sure Gil really was waking up, she found her cell phone lying on the floor; She picked it up then dialed their house.
It rang three times before she heard Heather's voice on the other line.
"Hello?"
"Heather, we're so sorry. Really, we meant to call but… things happened so fast. I'm really sorry; Are the girls okay?" She blurted quickly as she tugged her shirt on. It wasn't as difficult as she had imagined, talking on the phone and getting dressed at the same time.
"It's really no problem. Liz and Grace are fine; Liz is still asleep. I figured I'd let her since it's Saturday. And Grace is right here in her car seat; She really seems to like sitting in there. Whenever you get home is fine," Heather replied.
It didn't matter to her that Sara and Gil still weren't home; She was enjoying herself for the first time in a very long time. Grace had actually managed to take Heather's mind off of all of her problems.
Sara was a little surprised. She had expected Heather to be pissed off.
"Oh. Okay. Well we should be home in just a little while; I really am sorry," Sara closed her phone and buttoned her pants.
She emerged from the bathroom to find Gil dressed and ready to go.
"Was she mad?" He inquired, slicking back his hair.
"Not at all. She said to take our time but I think we should go."
Sara slipped on her shoes; She felt incredibly bad. They should have called Heather and told her they would be late getting home.
"Okay. You can go ahead out to the car and I'll check out," Gil gently pulled Sara toward him and kissed her; When they finally separated, both had grins on their faces.
The Grissom Residence
Heather carefully lifted Grace from her car seat, being sure to support the infant's head and back; A small grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"You are just adorable," She raised Grace to her shoulder.
The baby cooed happily; Heather stood up from the chair she had been sitting in and walked to the refrigerator to get a bottle.
As she heated it up in the microwave, Heather felt a something cold and wet trickling down her back. One arm holding Grace, she used the other to see what it was.
A clear and sticky liquid covered her fingers; Baby drool. She now had a stream of baby drool running down her black sweater, but it didn't matter. Grace was obviously entertained and it would wash out.
The microwave timer went off and Heather pulled the bottle out. She returned to her seat to feed the drooling, cooing infant.
"Here you go," Heather whispered. Grace eagerly opened her mouth and began feeding.
The padding of footsteps made her turn her head; Liz was standing in the kitchen doorway with a sleepy look on her face.
"What time is it?" She rubbed at her eyes.
Heather glanced at her watch.
"Good morning; It's 11:46. Did you sleep well?"
Liz walked further into the kitchen and sat down at the table. She nodded a few times.
"Where's mommy?"
"I just talked to her on the phone. She said she and your father will be home in just a little while," Heather answered. She paused for a moment to wipe the excess milk from Grace's cheeks; When that was finished, she continued. "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah. I can make my breakfast, though."
Liz, suddenly energized, jumped up from her seat; She walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a half empty gallon of milk. She placed that on the table, then went to one of the cupboards in the island and got a bowl and a box of cereal.
Heather watched silently as the little girl very carefully poured some milk into the bowl, followed by the cereal. She did not make a mess; And when she finished pouring everything, she put the milk and cereal away.
"Does your mom let you do that by yourself?"
"Yep! She's always really busy with Grace in the mornings so I learned how to do it myself so she could take care of the baby," Liz mumbled through a mouthful.
Grace finished her bottle much faster than Heather had expected; She placed a white cloth on her shoulder then shifted Grace to burp her.
The front door opened; Sara and Gil could be heard entering.
"Hey, there," Gil smiled at the three sitting at the table. He walked behind Heather and tickled Grace's cheek, making the baby coo.
"Hi daddy! Look, I made my breakfast!" Liz grinned.
"Good job; Were you good?" He walked over to his eldest daughter and gave her a kiss on top of her head.
"They both were," Heather answered. "Grace has been up since six this morning; I laid on the couch with her for a while and then we got up and went outside on your swing. I hope you don't mind."
Sara walked into the kitchen looked rather frazzled. She made a bee line for the coffee pot and immediately started the machine to make some.
"No, that's fine. I really am sorry; This is the second time you've babysat and the second time you've had to sleep here," Sara turned around and walked toward Liz as she answered Heather.
She pulled a chair out from the table and sat down next to Liz.
"Hi mommy!"
"Hi, baby. Did you two play Barbies last night?"
Liz nodded. Heather patted Grace's back a few more times then stood up and walked around the table to Sara; She handed the infant to her mother with a smile.
Sara smiled back at he dominatrix then focused her attention on Grace; She cradled the baby in her arms, talking to her with a grin on her face.
Gil and Heather walked out to the foyer; She slipped her coat on as he thanked her.
"Thank you very much for being available on such short notice; We really do appreciate it."
"It was no trouble at all; It took my mind off of things," She paused for a moment. "You know where to reach me if you need a sitter again."
Gil nodded; Heather opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. She realized it was much too hot to be wearing a coat, so she removed the coat she had just put on a moment ago.
"Oh. Before I forget," Gil pulled his wallet out and handed Heather some money. She didn't count it; She considered handing it back to him, but decided against it. Knowing Gil, he would just insist she take it and wouldn't leave her alone until she agreed.
"Thank you. I'll see you later," She tucked the bills into the pocket in her pants and walked to her car.
Gil went back into the house; Sara's giggles seemed to draw him to the kitchen. He stood in the doorway, watching his wife laugh quietly with their daughters and couldn't help but wish that the moment would never end.
