A/N: Yay, I have a week off so finally a little writing. And today is my birthday so I thought I'd treat you and post, lol. I'm sniffing Evil hat again, he gets very naughty, hehehee. I don't think it would be the same without him though. Thanks for the reviews, please keep them coming and keep a look out for my new fic coming very soon, a sequel to It's all for you called It's all for Us.
Gracious, gracious thanks to Calim as always for the great beta and advice. You rock!
Chapter 12
Pulling off the remaining paper from Michael's present, Grissom opened the top of the box and smiled at what he saw inside.
"Are you…going to share or just hog?" Sara teased.
Smirking, Grissom reached into the box, pulled out a Teddy bear and held it up.
"Awww," Sara cooed, a bright smile finding her lips as she looked over the fluffy toy. And then she realized how it was dressed. Black vest, black pants.
"That's you, Mommy," Michael said.
Her smile broadened as Grissom placed the bear on her chest and she took hold of it.
"Great likeness," Grissom said slyly.
With her eyes playfully narrowing at him, she looked the bear over. "So sweet," she whispered.
"He made it just for you," Greg said. "And if you give the right hand a squeeze, there's a little surprise."
Looking at the bear's hand with curiosity, Grissom took hold of it so Sara could let go and squeeze its hand.
"Love you, Mommy."
Sara blinked as the voice came from the bear. But it wasn't just any voice. That was her son's voice. She squeezed the hand again for the same greeting. Snorting, she looked at Michael.
"Did…you do that?"
He nodded enthusiastically. "Yes," he said proudly. "Nice lady in store helped us."
Looking at Greg, she flashed him the brightest smile. "You are…such a softie."
Greg shrugged. "My nephew got one not so long ago and Michael said he wanted something nice for you. I thought it might cheer you up."
"Yeah," she sighed happily, glancing back at the bear. "It has." Her eyes flicked back to Michael. "Thank you…sweetie." Michael giggled. "Give Mommy a kiss?" Sara asked.
Michael looked at his father and Grissom nodded, gently holding his son as he leaned in and softly kissed Sara on the lips.
She smiled all the more as he pulled back. "Shall we…keep her next to the bed?"
"Yes," Michael agreed. "Up there." He pointed to the cabinet next to the bed. "Then you can reach if you want."
"Good thinking," Sara agreed. She looked at Grissom who, smiling, took the bear and placed it exactly where Michael pointed.
"So," Greg asked, clearing his throat as he took a seat, "how are…um…" His voice faded out as he nodded towards Sara's legs.
Exhaling a gentle sigh, Sara took hold of Michael's hand.
"We just have to wait to see how surgery went," Grissom replied. "It's going to take a little time."
"Sure," Greg said nervously, squirming a little. He always looked so uncomfortable. "And…um…the twins?"
Grissom looked at Sara for a second and he smiled. "They're doing okay," he replied confidently. "And Sara got to see them."
Greg looked surprised. "You did?"
"Yeah," Sara breathed with a soft sigh and a nod. "They're beautiful."
"Still no names," Michael complained, gently patting his mother's arm. "Need names."
"You're very…insistent," she snickered as Michael nodded.
"Okay," Grissom said with a smirk. "I think it's about time to think of names before son number one starts throwing things."
Sara laughed. What a lovely sight and sound it was to Grissom until she began coughing, worse than the last time. Eyes widening, he swiftly took hold of Michael.
"Off the bed for a sec, Mike," he insisted as Greg quickly got up to help him down. "Breathe, honey," Grissom urged, slipping an arm around her back to aid her to sit forward a bit.
Her head fell against him as she continued to cough. He rubbed her back then stopped as he felt a sudden dampness coming through his shirt. Lifting her head, horror flashed across his face when he saw blood on his shirt.
"Greg, take Mike outside and get the nurse," he commanded, cupping Sara's cheeks. "Sara, breathe." Swallowing hard, Greg took Michael's hand. "Hurry up, Greg," Grissom begged now.
Nodding, Greg led a confused looking Michael out of the room and Grissom's panic grew as more blood trickled from Sara's lips.
"H…hhh…apppening...?" Sara managed to gargle, her eyes becoming very dazed.
"I don't know, honey," Grissom admitted. "Just try and breathe."
"Please step back, Gil," Maggie said as she and another nurse rushed past Greg.
"She's barely breathing," he whimpered, not wanting to let her go.
"And we need to help her," the nurse retaliated. "Please."
Inhaling deeply, Grissom carefully lowered Sara back to the pillow and did as he was told, watching as the nurses hovered over his wife. Running a nervous hand through his hair, he looked over his shoulder as two more nurses came rushing in.
"Gil, you need to wait outside," Maggie said to him, taking a cloth from her co-worker to wipe Sara's mouth.
Grissom was just glued to the spot. One minute they were laughing and now his whole world was turning upside down again. It wasn't until he felt pressure on his arm did he move, glancing at the nurse by his side.
"Go to your son," she said sympathetically. "As soon as we know what's happening you'll be the first to know," she continued, guiding him to the door. Before he knew it, he was out in the corridor and the door was closed.
He frowned. It was as if what he'd just seen hadn't actually happened. Had it?
"Daddy?"
Hearing the gentle voice, Grissom looked to his left to see Michael standing there with Greg. Closing his eyes, he sucked in a deep breath before pulling his jacket closed to hide the blood and stepping towards him. Sitting in a chair, he held out his arms. Michael didn't need a second invitation and quickly climbed into his father's lap.
"It's going to be okay," Grissom whispered as Michael tightly hugged him. "It's going to be okay."
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Grissom rocked Michael in his arms. It had been 20 minutes since he'd been ejected from Sara's room and 15 minutes since the doctor had rushed inside.
And then, the door opened.
Sliding Michael over to Greg, Grissom quickly got up, watching as his wife's bed was pushed from the room, Sara upon it, her eyes closed. With his eyes darting around in confusion he grabbed Steven's arm as he appeared.
"What's happening?" he whimpered. "Where are you taking her?"
"Go ahead, I'll follow," Steven called to his staff before concentrating on Grissom. "Sara is being taken to X-ray," he said. Grissom swallowed hard as the doctor continued. "We suspect she is suffering from a pulmonary embolism."
Feeling every hair on the back of his neck stand on end, Grissom blinked. "W...what?" he stuttered.
"It's very treatable, as I'm sure you know, but time is of the essence. We need to nip this in the bud before it really becomes a problem," Steven replied.
"This is why she's been coughing?" Grissom realized.
Steven nodded. "Most likely. Plus, the higher heart rate all leads us to the same conclusion."
Pinching at his forehead, Grissom took a breath. "Well, the clot has already reached her lungs if she's coughing up blood."
"Hence the X-rays," Steven said looking over his shoulder. "Look, I have to go but this won't take long. Hard as it is just try and relax and we should get this sorted out pretty quickly."
Grissom snorted. "Relax? Sure," he muttered sarcastically.
"I'll be back," Steven finished with a sympathetic smile before stepping away.
Sighing and shaking his head, Grissom turned back to Michael and Greg, both of whom were looking right at him.
"Is she going to be all right?" Greg asked as Grissom sat back down.
Wrapping his arms around Michael as he crawled back onto his lap, Grissom bit down on his lip. "I really hope so."
"Like Hope," Michael said, gripping his father's jacket.
Frowning, Grissom looked down. "You like hope?"
Michael nodded. "Baby name."
A small smile passed over Grissom's lips. "You know…I like that, too. Hope is a wonderful thing."
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Considering what was going on with Sara, Grissom decided it was best to kiss his son goodnight and pack him off with Greg. It was much better than him sitting there watching his father worry, which was exactly what he was doing.
After changing his shirt and an hour of waiting, he was just about ready to rip his hair out. And then, a familiar clatter of a bed rolling down the corridor met his ears. Shooting to his feet, he watched as Sara's bed rolled by him and into her room followed by several nurses.
"What took so long?" he asked of Steven before the doctor even had chance to speak. "Is she okay?"
Steven held up a hand. "Take a breath. I just need to make sure she's comfortable and then we can talk."
Puffing out a breath, Grissom nodded and followed Steven inside. Half of him listened to the doctor discussing Sara's condition with the nurses while the other half focused on his wife. He vaguely heard '24-hour monitoring' as he stepped closer to the bed looking at a very pale vision of her sleeping form. Reaching out a slightly shaky hand, he carefully brushed back some hair that lay on her forehead before the sound of his name reached his ears. Looking up, he saw Steven motioning him over. Reluctantly, Grissom moved away from the bed and joined him.
"She stable, Gil, so try and relax a little," Steven urged.
Grissom's eyes narrowed, a surge of frustration gripping him. He was tired of people telling him to relax.
"Maybe if I know exactly what's going on then I might think about it," he replied tersely.
"Our suspicions were correct," Steven said.
"Embolism," Grissom replied flatly.
Steven nodded. "And, yes, it has reached her lungs."
A long sigh left Grissom's lips. He already knew that. "So, now what?"
"We're treating her with anticoagulants. The current clot is small but our priority, obviously, is to prevent further clots especially given Sara's fragile condition." Gnawing on his lip, Grissom looked back toward the bed. "We've also increased her pain medication just to counter any extra pain caused by her coughing. She's likely to sleep a lot in the next 48 hours."
"Best she sleeps than struggles," Grissom mumbled.
"Should give you the chance to get some rest, too."
Grissom's eyes flicked back to the doctor. "Then I guess I should get comfortable."
Steven smirked. "I'm going off duty shortly but Sara will be under constant monitoring. Eat, rest and make sure you keep yourself hydrated or you won't be much use to her when she needs you."
"Yeah," Grissom agreed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'll see you in the morning."
Nodding as Steven left, Grissom moved back to the bedside, doing his best to return the smile the nurse gave him but he didn't do very well. After a minute of just staring at Sara, he sat down and reached for her hand.
"Do you think she'll wake up tonight?" he asked of the remaining nurse in the room.
"Impossible to tell, I'm afraid," the nurse replied. "I'll bring your medication and some fresh water."
"Thanks," Grissom sighed.
Holding his free hand to his stomach, he pressed slightly and winced. Painkillers seemed like a good idea right about then. But his mind was suddenly pulled from his own woes to his hand wrapped about Sara's when he felt her fingers move. His eyes shot to her face.
"Sara?" he whispered.
Her chin twitched and then her lips parted slightly before her eyes opened.
The smallest of smiles found Grissom's lips. "Hey," he breathed, softly squeezing her hand.
Her eyes rolled a few times before dazedly looking in his direction and she slowly blinked.
"It's okay, I'm here," he soothed. He watched as she blinked a few more times but then her eyes closed again. Frowning, he gave her hand another squeeze. "Sara?"
Nothing.
Sighing, he looked up as the nurse returned, placing a jug of water down before holding out pills to him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Releasing Sara's hand, he sighed again. "Yeah," he mumbled as he took his pills from her. "She woke up for a few seconds."
"That's likely to happen a lot," she said, pouring him a glass of water. "Don't expect too much from her right now, okay?"
He nodded, taking the offered water and downing the pills. "I know," he admitted, handing back the glass. "I guess I feel more settled when she's awake but…I know it's best that she sleeps."
"That's just natural" the nurse told him. "Conscious over unconscious is always a more stable feeling for the observer."
"Nicely put."
She smiled. "Get some rest. I'll be in and out most of the night but I'll try not to disturb you."
"Okay, thanks."
As the nurse left, Grissom got up and stretched a little, wincing a bit at the aches in his body. Hopefully, the pills would kick in quickly and he could actually get some sleep. He wasn't going to deny he needed it and just prayed Sara's sleep was peaceful.
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The next 24 hours went by slowly, most of which Grissom spent at Sara's bedside. She drifted in and out of consciousness, not staying awake for any more than half an hour at any one time, the medication kept at a maximum to keep her as comfortable as possible.
He decided it best that Michael didn't visit during this time. He missed his son when he wasn't around but he didn't want him to see Sara so weak. That wouldn't be an enjoyable experience for anyone.
Waiting was the hardest thing though. Without having much to occupy him it was really tough. But, at least there had been good news in regard to his youngest son. The medication had taken full hold and the valve on his heart had started to close. Within another 24 hours it should, hopefully, be closed completely and the look on his face when Jane had revealed the news was like a child receiving a puppy. Just an immense feeling of joy.
Now, as he flicked through a magazine and glanced up at the clock, he spotted Sara's hand moving and quickly got up, smiling as her eyes opened. For the first time in many, many hours, her eyes didn't look so dazed or glassy and she seemed to focus right on him.
"Hello," he said softly.
"Mmmm," Sara mumbled. "Hello."
His smile broadened. That was the first thing she'd said since the embolism had reared its ugly head.
"Happened?" she asked drawing her tongue over her dry bottom lip.
"Do you remember anything?"
Sara blinked. "Coughing. That's…about it."
"Nothing else from the last day or so?" he queried.
"No."
Drawing in a long breath, he reached for her hand. "You had a pulmonary embolism," he said as tenderly as he could and, as her eyes widened, he squeezed her hand. "But it's under control," he then said swiftly. Her mouth opened but nothing came out. "The joys of surgery, huh?" he attempted to joke.
As Sara cleared her throat, her eyes fluttered. "You're sure…it's okay?"
He nodded. "No fun that's for sure," he said with a smirk. "But they caught it pretty quickly and the medication they've put you on has calmed it right down. You will feel pretty tired for a while though."
She snorted. "Not much…new there then." Now Grissom smiled, raising a hand to her hair and flicking his fingers through it. "Time…is it?" Sara asked.
"Lunch time," he replied.
"Have you…eaten?"
Grissom shook his head. "Not yet but I had a little breakfast."
Her eyes narrowed at him before she looked around the room. "Where's Mike?"
"He's with Nick today. I didn't want him seeing you until you were feeling a little better."
"Oh," she muttered.
"He came up with a great name though," he encouraged, squeezing her hand.
"Name?" she asked groggily.
"For our daughter."
Sara looked surprised. "He did?"
"Ugh huh."
"And what…did he suggest?"
Grissom smiled. "Hope."
Sara's lips pursed and then she smiled back. "I…like that."
A soft sigh left Grissom's lips. "Me, too. All we need now is a name for the little man."
Her smile faltered a little. "How is he?
"He's okay," Grissom said softly. "Really okay. His heart rate has balanced out now and the doctor says he's out of the danger zone."
Sara's smile return. "Promise?"
Leaning forwards, he gave her a tender kiss. "Yes," he whispered emphatically before pulling back.
"My little angel," she said happily.
Grissom blinked at her words, a look a realization crossing his face.
Sara frowned. "What?" she questioned.
"Angel," he said.
Now Sara looked confused. "O…kay."
"How about we call him Gabriel? You know…angel."
Sara's lips parted. That suggestion sending a warm feeling through her. "I…really like that."
He nodded, grinning happily. "Then we have names."
She sighed happily. "We sure do."
A/N: Hope really is a wonderful thing :)