Chapter 5

Sara dabbed red paint onto a paper towel. She and Luna had come to the paint your own pottery place after meeting for coffee. The movie they were going to see at the UA Theater had been cancelled, the sign said because of a burst pipe and Luna had been hell bent on going next door to the Artful Potter instead. It didn't take a Ph.D in psychiatry to see that Luna, who by trade was an art therapist, was hoping to open Sara up some while getting her to paint some random piece of clay.

Thinking she might be figuring out what it felt like to be a piece of evidence under a microscope Sara stood before hundreds of choices of things to be decorated. Luna chose a set of mugs and watched Sara make a few false starts. She finally chose a planter slightly larger than the one at home. Years ago Grissom had sent her a peace offering by way of a plant and in a show of faith it had clung to life and continued to grow even when she refused to water or feed it or allow it into the light in any way. It was time now for its roots to spread out some.

A half hour after they sat down Sara's planter remained pristine and her paper towel looked blood soaked. Red was the only color she could be drawn to with her brush but every time she tried to apply it she cleaned it with the towel instead.

"Can't decide on a design?" Luna asked.

"It doesn't feel like it needs one. I like it just the way it is." Sara shrugged.

"I always think that things are better when they have a personal touch. I like to put a little of myself into everything." Luna stroked green paint upward on her mug creating a strong design, but no image.

"I'd probably make a mess, I'm not exactly the artistic type."

Grabbing Sara's brush her friend dipped into the bright red paint and drew a squiggle on the planter. "There. Now it isn't perfect, it's just a canvas, add something to it."

Rolling her eyes she took back her brush, but oddly, it was easier now to allow herself to paint the pot. She got into her work quickly and was dipping into colors, mixing and swishing paint to get just the right effect.

"So how are things with the Bug Man?"

"They're good. I feel a little bad because we finally have the same day off coming up but I have to run to my mom's in California."

"Take him with you." Spoken like someone whose family was NOT a mess.

"He offered actually, I'm going to help her clean up for some visiting relatives, but I don't think he's ready for my mom yet."

"He's not, or you're not?" Luna never looked up from her mug.

"I can see why you get paid for this, you should get together with Dr. Case, you'd make a killing."

"Thanks, seriously though, why not just bring him along. She's going to have to meet him sooner or later right?"

"Later."

"What'd you say when he offered?"

"Thanks but no thanks. I know he wanted to be some emotional support because cleaning my mom's house at this point is well…more than just cleaning a house, but I just don't want to drag him into my drama."

"Can I offer you a different perspective?"

"Why not."

"Is this housecleaning going to be difficult for you? Emotional?"

"The cleaning itself, no. The day overall? Yeah."

"If you knew that he was going to be dealing with something similar wouldn't you want to be there? How would you feel if he kept you out of that?"

Sara's mind flashed to Grissom's hearing issues. When she'd found he had had surgery and not told her, not invited her support, it had hurt. She would want him to trust her to care about him no matter what, whether he was deaf, or his mother was crazy. Shouldn't she trust him as much?

"You win. I need a few less therapists in my brain but you win."

When the pot was finished she sat back and admired her work. Luna tilted her head, "Abstract, I like it."

"Thanks." She didn't bother telling her friend that it was not an abstract but a detailed image of microarray of heart tissue, the geek version of painting hearts and flowers.