A/N: Yay. Back. Ready for another serious bout of angst? :P Poor GSR. It's going to be a tough road ahead. How is Grissom going to react when he sees Sara? Will she wake up? Evil hat is having a ball, hehehe.
Thank you so much to calim for your help. I keep confusing myself with all this research. Bad brain! Bad! Please keep your reviews coming, I appreciate them very, very much.
On we go….
Chapter 2
Grissom decided he hated hospitals. He'd seen enough of them over the past few years to last him a lifetime.
Catherine walked at his left, Steven to his right while a nurse pushed the wheelchair towards the ICU. As the glass doors to the unit got closer, Grissom felt his heart rate increase and an immense sense of nervousness washed through him. He needed to see his wife but he knew this was not going to be a happy occasion.
As Steven opened the door and held it for Grissom to be wheeled in, the noise was the first thing that hit him. It was louder than expected, all the monitors and various pieces of equipment beeping and clicking, amid the beds and patients and hospital staff.
Following Steven past two closed curtains, he slowed at the last bed near the far wall and all the air from Grissom's lungs vanished. There she was, seemingly wrapped from head to foot in bandages. He'd figured it was bad but it was so much worse than that.
Both of her legs, bandaged from thigh to ankle, rose off the bed, resting in slings connected to a pulley device. Her left, he noticed, was kinked in an almost V shape at the knee while the right leg was straight, her toes and feet bruised all over. It made him cringe at the sight.
As his gaze moving up her body, he noticed she was sitting up slightly, a cushioning pillow of some kind underneath her, no doubt there to support her lower back injuries. Moving past the cast on her right arm, his eyes settled on her face and he whimpered. Half obscured by an oxygen mask, she looked so pale, numerous cuts on her cheeks and forehead the only bit of color to grace her face.
Clearing his dry throat, Grissom's eyes flicked to the doctor for a second. "Has she woken up at all?" he asked quietly.
"No," Steven answered as a nurse approached and fiddled with a pump attached to the IV. "We are considering keeping her in a state of unconsciousness."
Looking back at the doctor, Grissom frowned as did Catherine. "Why?"
Taking a chart from another nurse, the doctor looked at it briefly. "Several factors which we can discuss afterwards. Let's try and make the most of your visit okay? For Sara's own safety we can't allow visitors in her too long. We need to keep the environment as sterile and sanitary as possible which I'm sure you understand."
Sighing, Grissom looked back at his wife. "Can you leave us alone," he said so softly the two of them had to strain to hear.
Although she understood Grissom's request, Catherine cast a nervous glance toward Steven who then nodded to the nurse who was adjusting Sara's oxygen level.
"Five minutes, Gil, and then we need to do some tests on her," Steven said.
Not moving his attention from Sara, Grissom just dumbly nodded and Steven stepped back, Catherine moving with him across the room. A nurse called for the doctor as Catherine sat in a chair.
"I'll keep my eye on him," she whispered and Steven nodded, approaching his colleague.
Taking a breath, Grissom's arms shook as he pushed himself up from the chair, an almost silent groan spilling from his lips. But, he sucked up the pain. He had no right to complain. What he felt was nothing in comparison to what pain his wife must be in.
Taking the few steps he needed to lean against the bed, he stared into his wife's closed eyes and fought back the tears. Reaching out, he softly ran his fingers over her cheek, skimming over the elastic of the mask and avoiding the cuts.
"I'm so sorry," he choked, clenching his jaw for a moment to keep his emotions in check as best he could before continuing. "You need to be strong, Sara. You need to fight. Okay?"
Waiting for a second, he half hoped her eyes would open but they didn't. There was no indication she had heard anything he'd said.
"Our new son and daughter are waiting to say hello to you. Wake up, honey. Please don't leave me alone."
No response came and Grissom nipped on his lip, wanting so much to take her hand but the cast prevented him from doing so. He considered moving around the bed but instead his thoughts were disturbed when he felt a pressure on his shoulder. Looking behind him he saw Catherine.
"You should sit before you fall," she advised.
Huffing out a breath, his eyes returned to the bed. "What am I going to do?" he whimpered. "She must be in so much pain."
Carefully looping her arm through his, she stepped close and held on. "She'll fight," Catherine answered. "She always does."
Swallowing hard, he nodded. At least that was true. Sara was indeed one of the biggest fighters he had ever known but this was far worse than anything they had ever encountered.
They stood in silence for a few minutes until Steven returned.
"Time to go back to your room, Gil," he said, instantly catching Grissom's unhappy look. "Sara needs to have tests," the doctor continued, "and we have to determine when she'll be able to be moved to a room. Plus, you need to rest and eat."
"And you still need to tell me what's going on," Grissom countered with a bite. "What has the surgeon said? What's next? I don't feel like I know anything."
Sensing Grissom's agitation, Steven held up a hand. "I will tell you everything, I promise. But we need to do these tests first. I will come to you right after and we can talk."
"About everything?"
Steven nodded. "Yes."
Sighing deeply, Grissom turned back to Sara, a hiss passing through his lips as he leaned forwards and placed a gentle kiss upon her cheek. "I love you," he whispered and, just as he pulled back, he noticed her left hand spasm. His eyes went wide. "She's moving," he gasped.
Stepping closer, Steven looked over his patient and Grissom held his breath, watching the doctor lean forwards and lift Sara's right eyelid. Her eye was rolled back with no signs of life.
"She's still out," he said, stepping back. Grissom worked his jaw, the sudden fluttering in his heart dying down. "Spasming isn't uncommon in unconsciousness," the doctor continued. "Especially after surgery."
Looking and feeling disappointed, Grissom just nodded.
"Come on," Catherine said, taking her friend's arm. "Let's leave this man to do his job."
"How long will you be?" Grissom asked of the doctor.
Head tipping from side to side, Steven thought. "Maybe half an hour."
"Okay," Grissom agreed. "Please promise me if there is any change before that you will come and tell me."
Steven smiled. "I promise."
CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI
Looking completely unimpressed, Grissom stared at the plate of food siting on the table over his lap.
"Do I need to feed you?" Catherine asked.
He stared at her. "No, you need to go home."
"Awww," Catherine pouted. "And I thought we were bonding."
Rolling his eyes, Grissom glanced back at the chicken and potatoes and he could feel his stomach turning. He just wasn't hungry. "I think I'll throw up if I even eat a mouthful of this."
Catherine couldn't blame him for his lack of appetite. She'd lost hers as well once she'd laid eyes on Sara but as Grissom's self-appointed protector she needed to make sure he took care of himself. And being pushy wasn't something she was afraid to do.
"Are you going to at least try? If you don't they will probably put you back onto an IV and that will limit your ability to move freely."
Frowning, he picked up a fork and stabbed it into a potato, looking at the vegetable before edging it towards his mouth. Biting down, he chewed and just managed to swallow.
"Yum," he mocked unenthusiastically.
Snorting, Catherine reached into her purse and pulled out a pad and pan. "When you've finished those delights you can give me a list of anything you want from home."
"I don't plan on moving in here," he argued.
"No," she agreed. "But you'll be here for a few days at least." Dropping her purse, she gave him a semi-serious look. "You know Michael will be asking about you in the morning. Do you want me to bring him to see you?"
Dropping the fork, Grissom exhaled a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "I really don't know. Should he see me like this?"
Her face softened a small smile passing over her lips. "Honestly, I think a little father and son time might make you feel a little better. You can't help the way you look and certainly can't avoid him until your bruising has gone. That will take weeks."
"And what about seeing his mother?" Grissom countered. "Because you know he's going to ask."
"That I don't know," she admitted. "Maybe talk with the doctor about that one. But again, you won't be able to hide what's happened from him for long. It might be best to just let him see and then you can both start dealing with it together."
Nodding, Grissom pushed the tray away. He really wasn't in the mood for food but to his surprise, Catherine stood up and took the plate, placing it on her lap.
"At least we can pretend you've eaten," she said, taking a bite out of the chicken.
He managed a smile. "Thanks."
She smiled back then picked up a potato. "Welcome."
CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI
"You know I don't need a babysitter," Grissom grumbled as he stared up at the ceiling. "It's after 10pm. Visiting hours are over."
Catherine smirked as she finished her text to Nick to come relieve her then put her phone away. "For now I want someone with you no matter what time it is. Whether he sits outside or inside, we want to support you, Gil, so let us."
About to argue, he changed his mind when the door opened and Steven stepped in, an unfamiliar man behind him.
"About time," Grissom grumbled. "That was a long half hour."
"Sorry," Steven apologized. "I thought it best to wait and come back with all the information for you rather than part of it."
"Oh," Grissom mumbled, his eyes settling upon the second man standing next to the doctor.
Noting Grissom's stare, Steven nodded towards his colleague. "Gil, this is Alex Martin, Sara's main surgeon."
Stepping forwards, Alex extended his hand to Grissom who stared at it for a long second before reaching out to shake.
"Hi, Gil," Alex greeted.
"Hi," Grissom replied.
"Catherine Willows," Catherine cut in, holding out her hand to Alex who shook it.
"So," Grissom continued, "you're the man holding my wife's future in your hands?"
Turning back to Grissom, Alex slipped his hands into his jacket pockets. "I would like to think I'm not entirely responsible for that. Everyone has their own part to play. You included."
Working his jaw, Grissom shuffled his feet and nodded. "Are you going to tell me what's going on now? Has Sara been moved? Has she woken up?" Grissom rambled. "What about the surgery? The x-rays?"
"I know you have lots of questions," Alex said, holding up a hand, "but let's take a breath and try and relax. Getting yourself worked up is not going to help anyone."
"I'm getting really tired of this shit," Grissom snapped. "I'm her husband. You need to tell me what's going on now or I'll find someone who will."
Holding up a hand, Steven nodded. "Okay," he said quickly. "Sara has been moved to a telemetry unit where she'll be under 24-hour supervision and monitoring."
"Okay," Grissom sighed, trying to control his anger. "You mentioned something earlier about keeping her unconscious. Are you doing that?"
Steven shook his head. "No."
"The reason that was a possibility," Alex took over, "was because she will require a secondary surgery. We needed to determine when that might be because there wouldn't be much point in making her wake up if we we're going to put her under again."
Grissom frowned. "I gather the second surgery isn't imminent then."
"Not for the next 48 hours," Alex replied. "She isn't strong enough to endure another round of anesthesia at the moment."
With his chin quaking, Grissom swallowed. "How do you know?" he asked quietly.
"Because it's taking her longer than normal to come out of the current one," Steven said.
Sighing, Grissom ran a shaky hand through his hair. "So what about the first surgery? Has that done any good at all? And don't hold anything back. I want to know everything. Okay?"
The doctors looked at each other knowing that was a lot of information. But, he had a right to know. They just weren't sure how he was going to handle it.
CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI
As Grissom swiped a tear away from his eye, Catherine poured him a glass of water and placed it in his hand. He just stared at it, his entire body numb. To hear all the details about Sara's injuries after surgery was just… He couldn't even find the words to describe it.
Sara's legs were a mess, crumpled as they'd been in the accident. Her right fared better with a displaced fracture to her tibia. Broken in three places, it had to be secured back together with a rod and intramedullary nails which screwed into the bone at both ends. The fibula suffering a simple break which had been realigned. But it was her left leg that caused Grissom to truly cringe.
The open fracture on her ankle had caused a large amount of muscle, tendon and ligament damage. The doctors had slipped the 2" piece of bone back into place but another surgery was needed for realignment and fixation. The tibia had broken into four pieces with the fracture extending into the kneecap. Plates and screws were needed to hold the sections together. Lastly, her kneecap had two displaced fractures which would need another surgery once the tibia plates and screws were settled.
As the doctor continued to list off the rest of Sara's injuries, Grissom just wanted him to stop. He couldn't take any more in. It didn't matter that her wrist and back were treatable. What mattered was the major possibility that her legs might be too damaged to heal correctly.
Did he hear his name? He thought he did but it floated by him like white noise. It wasn't until he felt a pressure on his shoulder that he looked up to see Alex giving him a gentle squeeze.
"I know it's a lot to take in but she's in good hands here," the younger man said.
"Is she going to be able to walk?" Grissom asked firmly, no messing around this time, right to the point.
Alex cleared his throat. "Modern medicine is quite a thing, Gil," he replied.
"That's nice," Grissom cut in, "but it doesn't answer my question."
"You're right, it doesn't," Alex admitted. "And right now, I can't answer that. Not until we know the full extent of all the damage caused. It's impossible for us to know everything until more tests are done and Sara has had her second surgery. So many factors play into use of the legs. Bones, muscles, tendons, nerves. It may be some time before we can even think about answering that."
Grissom didn't like that answer but for now he knew he had to live with it. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "So what's next? What will the second surgery involve?"
About to answer, the group was interrupted by a short knock and a nurse stepping in, whispering something into Steven's ear before swiftly exiting.
"What was that?" Grissom gasped, panic rolling off his tongue.
Steven hesitated before answering, rubbing his chin. "Sara just woke up."
A/N: Ooooh, she's woke up? How is that going to go down? We will see :P