A/N: Yay, a new chapter at last. Sorry for the delay. Real life plus the heaps of research I have to do for this story = slow writing. So, I thank you for your patience.

Time to see how surgery went and what the outcome of baby Grissom's tests are. Let's hope for good news! Thank you to calim for the awesome beta and for always being there after all this time. I'm honored that you still find the time to help me. Please keep your thoughts coming, I love them all :)

On we go….

Chapter 10

After washing and changing into scrubs to keep the twins room as sanitary as possible, Grissom headed inside. He saw Jane chatting with two nurses by his son's incubator and nervously approached. Sensing him, the doctor looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"We'll be doing tests in about five minutes so why don't you come and say hello," she suggested.

Swallowing, Grissom nodded and stepped closer to the incubator. Looking down at his son, his right eye twitched. "He…um, doesn't really look any different to what he did before."

Jane's smile remained as she took a clipboard from the nurse. "He won't," she told him, scribbling something onto the paper. "He was treated very quickly and his heart only stopped for a very short amount of time. He's pretty stable right now."

Grissom looked at her. "Yeah?"

She nodded, handing the paperwork back to the nurse. "Why don't you say hello to your daughter while we set up the Echocardiography machine. You can stay for the tests if you wish but please respect the staff and don't interfere. Okay?"

Biting on his lip, Grissom looked back at his son. "The tests aren't painful, right?"

"Not at all," Jane clarified. "They will just read the electrical activity in his heart. He won't even feel it."

"Okay," Grissom whispered before stepping back to say hello to his daughter.

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Just over four hours after Sara went into surgery, Grissom sat outside the twin's room. For the past few hours he had absolutely no idea what to do with himself. He could have gone back to his room or sat by the surgical suite but for some reason felt more compelled to stay where he was.

The tests on his son had indeed revealed he was suffering from PDA so the first step – medication and a father praying it worked. They would know within 24 hours whether it had. Sara's surgery was enough to deal with and, though Jane had done her best to reassure him should his son need surgery, he still found it extremely hard to think about.

So lost in his thoughts, Grissom didn't see Steven coming his way.

"Hi," the doctor greeted softly upon reaching him. Looking up from staring at his hands, Grissom blinked, watching as Steven sat beside him. "Are you okay?" the doctor asked.

Grissom sighed. "I've had better days."

Steven nodded with understanding. "I'm sure. I've been informed about your son but he is in the best hands. Hard as I know it is, try not to think negatively."

"Trying my best," Grissom returned.

"Sara's out of surgery," Steven continued and that seriously got Grissom's attention.

"How is she?"

A positive nod came from the doctor. "Doing well. She's in recovery and will be moved back to the ward shortly. There were no complications and Alex is pleased with how the operation went."

Managing a smile, Grissom tipped his head back against the wall. At last some good news. "Thank God," he said quietly before looking back at Steven. "How long until I can see her?"

"Not too long. Maybe about half an hour before she's taken back to her room and you'll be able to go right in."

Sighing softly, Grissom nodded. "I guess I should head back over there then."

"I'll walk with you," Steven said as he got to his feet waiting for Grissom to do the same. "So, how are you feeling, physically, I mean?" he asked as they set off down the corridor. "I should check you over later."

Grissom shrugged. The last thing he'd been doing was thinking about himself. "I'm all right, I guess," he said, pressing into his ribs. "Not as sore as I was." He was still sore but he could really do without all the attention. "I'm trying to decide what to tell Sara about our son. Do you think she can deal with the news?"

Steven slipped his hands into his pockets as they turned the corner. "Do you think she'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her?"

Grissom smirked. "I can imagine the wrath," he jested. "But I don't want to put any more pressure on her."

Stepping into the ward, they stopped outside of Sara's room.

"The choice is yours," Steven said sympathetically. "But if it should come down to surgery on your son then keeping that from her I'm sure would be very difficult."

"Yeah," Grissom sighed.

"Give it a few hours and then decide if you want to," the doctor advised. "She's probably going to be pretty groggy until then anyway so she might not even be listening."

"Okay," Grissom agreed. "I'll see how it goes."

Nodding, Steven glanced at the clock. "I'm going to see how she is. Try and relax, okay?"

Sitting in a chair, Grissom flashed a fake smile but then blinked when his stomach rumbled.

"And I'll get someone to bring you a sandwich. No arguments."

Grissom held up a hand. "Fine."

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Placing his half eaten sandwich on the plate, he set it beside him then glanced at the clock on the wall. It had only been a half hour. It seemed more like forever he'd been sitting there waiting. But then his attention was drawn down the corridor as the clatter of a rolling bed was heard. Slowly, he got up then swallowed hard as he saw it was Sara in the bed. She looked like she was sleeping as they maneuvered her passed him and into the room.

"How is she?" Grissom asked Steven, hovering in the doorway and watching as the staff sorted out all the equipment around her, ensuring she was comfortable.

"In and out of consciousness," Steven said. "Her heart rate and temperature are both high but that's to be expected. The medication should bring them down." Sucking on his lip, Grissom nodded. "I've spoken with Doctor Cole and she'll let us know if there is any change with your son. She assumed you'd be staying down here for a while."

"Yeah," Grissom agreed. "So what's next?"

Steven smiled. "How about you just spend a little time together? Alex will be by later and we can discuss it then when Sara is a little more with it."

"Okay." Grissom pointed into the room. "Am I okay to go in?"

Looking inside, Steven nodded. "They look all set up now so go ahead. I won't be too far away if you need me and I'll be back in a little while."

With a nod, Grissom headed into the room, Maggie spotting him and flashing him a smile as she twisted a nob on the IV. With a faint smile back, he sat and reached for his wife's hand, tenderly clasping it in his own. The second he did, Sara's head tipped his way and her eyes slowly opened. His smile grew and he squeezed her hand a little tighter. Her eyes were glassy so he wasn't sure if she knew it was him or not.

"Hi," he said softly.

She blinked a few times, her vision a little hazy but then everything came into focus and she was greeted by his smile.

"Hi," she said croakily, her throat dry.

"Are you feeling any pain, Sara?" Maggie asked, glancing at her patient.

Sara blinked again. "No," she replied quietly.

"Be sure to shout up if you do," the nurse stated as she moved around the bed to record some readings from the heart monitor.

"Thirsty," Sara mumbled then.

Maggie nodded. "I'll go and grab you some ice chips."

Looking back at her husband, Sara now squeezed his hand. "So…what's the verdict?"

"Steven said it went well," Grissom answered positively.

Closing her eyes, Sara smiled. "Not…fibbing…are you?"

"Would I do such a thing?" he teased.

Snorting, her eyes reopened. "Where's Mike?"

He stroked her thumb with his own. "Catherine's taken him. He'll be back a little later when you're feeling more like company."

"Hmmm," she mumbled, closing her eyes again. "Tired."

Leaning close, he kissed her on the cheek. "Sleep," he urged.

"How…are the…babies?"

"Shush," he whispered, kissing her one more time. "We'll talk later." Feeling her hand loosen in his grip, his eyes wandered over her face. "Sara?" he whispered.

No reply came and he sat back. Rest was good. Plus, it gave him that little bit more time to gather the courage to tell her about their son. Looking toward the door as Maggie returned, he watched as she looked Sara over.

"She's sleeping?" she asked.

Grissom nodded. "Yeah."

"Then I'll take these back," she said holding up the ice chips. "Can I get you anything?"

Yawning, Grissom held a hand to his mouth. He felt drained all of a sudden. "Some water would be good."

"Okay. I'll bring your medication, too, and maybe it might be worth you taking a nap while Sara is sleeping.

"I'd rather not in case she wakes up."

"You need to rest as well," Maggie insisted. "You are still a patient and we don't give advice for the good of our health. Exhausting yourself will get you sent back to your room and I'm sure you don't want that."

Grissom held up a hand. "Okay. I'll try and take a nap."

She smiled. "Good. Be right back."

Rolling his eyes, Grissom felt the cell in his pocket vibrate and pulled it out, checking the screen to reveal a message from Catherine.

'Any news?'

'Sara's out of surgery,' he typed. 'Went well. She's sleeping.'

'Good. And how about the little one?'

He sighed. 'Tests confirmed PDA. Medication for 24 hours before a decision is made about surgery.'

'Okay. Keep your chin up. Will get Mike back to you around 5pm. Get some rest.'

He smirked. "I will. Talk later."

Putting the phone away he sighed again looking in Maggie's direction as she returned. After handing him pills and water, she watched as he took them then handed him a blanket.

"Rest," she insisted. "If anything changes I will wake you."

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Grissom's eyes slowly opened when he felt a soft pressure on his shoulder seeing Maggie looking down at him. Blinking a few times, he had no clue how long he'd been sleeping so looked around to find a clock when a sudden panic hit him. He didn't expect them to wake him unless something had happened.

"Is everything all right?" he asked, pushing the blanket away when he noticed Steven and Alex standing by Sara's bed.

"Everything's fine," Maggie said swiftly, holding up a hand. "But Doctor Martin is a little limited for time so thought best to wake you so he can update you. Sara's just being examined and I presumed you'd want to speak with him before he leaves."

He nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

Getting up, Grissom rubbed the back of his neck and stood next to Steven as Alex moved around the bed.

"Hi," Steven greeted.

"Hi," Grissom returned, watching as Steven lifted the blanket over Sara's right leg and gave it a look.

But his attention was quickly drawn to Sara who was now looking at him. He reached out, softly, running his thumb down her cheek.

"Hey."

She managed a weak smile. "Hi," she whispered.

"We're looking pretty settled here," Alex said to his colleague catching both Grissom and Sara's attention.

"That's…good?" Sara asked.

Alex smiled. "Considering the circumstances, yes. The infection in your leg is withdrawing so we caught it before it managed to spread too far."

Clearing his throat, Grissom rubbed at the itch on the bridge of his injured nose. "And what about the surgery? May we have an update on that?"

"Of course," Alex said softly. "If you feel up to it, Sara?" he asked her.

Grissom's eyes flicked back to his wife. She still looked incredibly tired but he wasn't expecting much else. He wasn't stupid. Her condition, the infection, surgery, the medication. SO many factors were working against her and she would probably be like this for a while yet.

Sara slowly nodded, her hand reaching out for her husband. Sitting down, he took it.

"Okay," Alex agreed. "Firstly, your knee. As several bone fragments were just too small for us to fix, they have been removed. The loose tendons from these fragments have been attached to the remaining patellar bone where, fingers crossed, they will grow strong."

Clenching her fingers around her husband's thumb, Sara looked at him. He tried to smile with encouragement but it wasn't easy.

"We have used a combination of wires and screws to fix the patella and also removed a small portion of your kneecap," Alex continued. Sara's eyes widened and she whimpered

"Please relax," he encouraged. "This isn't a bad thing, okay? It is common with these injuries for us to do this."

Grissom swallowed, holding Sara's hand just a tiny bit tighter. "This won't affect her knee? The recovery?" he asked.

Alex shook his head. "No. If bone is too damaged it is best to remove it. To replace what's been removed we used wire and screws to aid movement. There's also the possibility that tendons will grow to help with the function of the kneecap."

His heart rate was speeding up, Grissom could feel it, but he needed to stay strong for Sara no matter how daunting all this sounded. "So that's it as far as her knee is concerned? It will heal after this?"

"Time is something we have to be very patient with right now," Steven cut in. "We won't know how successful this has been until we reach a point where we can move Sara's knee and then get her to put any weight on it."

Sara's eyes slowly drew to him but before she could say anything, he continued.

"If this procedure is unsuccessful there is the possibility of complete removal of the kneecap and it would be replaced with a prosthetic one. But that is a last resort."

Sara swallowed before opening her mouth. "So…are you saying…if this does work…then I'll be…able to walk?"

"An accurate answer is impossible right now," Alex stated. "I know how hard that is to hear but with everything that must be considered I'd be lying if I said either yes or no simply because I don't know."

"Well," Sara breathed, "…I appreciate… the honesty."

Alex smiled, impressed by her light-heartedness. "However, a major factor will be your left ankle and how we deal with that."

"Carry on," Grissom requested wanting more information.

"As all of us know, the damage is very serious," Alex continued. "For now we've fixed the ankle bone back into place with screws running down into the talus. Because of the severity of the other breaks, this makes it difficult for everything to hold. Ankle fusion could be a possibility if we have ongoing issues with healing."

Inhaling deeply, Grissom silently blew out the breath. "And what's that?" he squeaked.

"Ankle fusion involves removing the damaged ankle joint and fusing the talus bone to the tibia to form a stiff but pain-free ankle," Alex said. "The foot is fused at a right angle to the leg in the same position as if you were standing. The bones are then held together using screws. New bone growth will create one bone where there had been two."

Sara blinked, her eyes closing for a moment and a frown forming on her brow. "That… doesn't sound fun," she said quietly, her eyes reopening and her head lifting up a touch from the pillow. "I…um…wouldn't be…able to move…my foot. Right?"

Alex folded his arms. "Your foot would be set in a permanent position. For people who have this procedure it means they can walk but running isn't recommended."

To everyone's surprise, Sara laughed just as she dropped her head back onto the pillow. Grissom, who was trying to hold in his concern, felt it seeping through. That wasn't a laugh of happiness.

"Walk…but not…run…," she mumbled. "Sure…"

With worried eyes, Grissom looked back at Alex. "This isn't definite, right? Only a possibility?"

"Yes," Alex confirmed. "But we like to tell you all possibilities so you can prepare. And there are more options should we need them."

Now that regained Sara's attention and her eyes popped open, springing right to the surgeon. "Tell me," she insisted. "Because…that last…one…I don't like it."

A/N: I hope I never get my legs crushed. *Damn* :P Thoughts please.