A/N: Back, finally :) I have been writing a little which is good, just wish I could stop myself getting distracted. Oh well, I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Evil hat is winking I think :P

Thank you very much for all your thoughts, please keep them coming. I'm working on IAFU 2 right now so hopefully there will be another chap of that up soon, too. As always thanks to calim for the help and great beta :D

On we goooooooooooooo…..

Chapter 20

Sara smiled as Grissom settled into a chair with Catherine's file then turned to pick up his phone.

"Take a looksee," she said, handing it over to Catherine.

Taking hold of the phone, Catherine couldn't help but grin. "Awww, he's so cute," she remarked.

"Gil or the baby?" Sara asked as she glanced across the room. Grissom shot her a look making her smirk.

"Well," Catherine began, wriggling her eyebrows, "would I get into trouble if I said both?"

"Stop it," Grissom grumbled.

Sara laughed. "That would be a yes."

"He is really beautiful though," Catherine continued. "Has he put on weight?"

"We are talking about Gabriel now right?" Sara teased a bit more and her husband's eyes narrowed.

"Too funny," Catherine giggled.

"Yeah," Sara sighed but then turned a little more serious. "And, yes, the little munchkin has put on weight. Thank God. He's eating better and his heart is doing well, too."

Smiling brightly, Catherine put the phone down. "Amazing news."

Sara nodded. "Definitely," she replied, holding her hand to her mouth as a yawn came.

"I'm that boring aren't I?" Catherine joked.

Smiling, Sara rubbed her hand over her tummy. "Just the shot kicking in."

Grissom got up and waved the file at Catherine. "How about I give you a call when I've been through this properly?"

"I have a better idea," Sara said.

Grissom's eyebrows rose. "Oh?" he asked suspiciously. "And what's that?"

"Why don't you take a time out?" she suggested. "Go with Catherine to the lab. Go home for a little while and spend some time with Mike. You don't need to sit here watching me sleep."

Chewing on his lip, Grissom looked very unsure about that suggestion. "Um…I…don't…"

She held out her hand and, after he flashed Catherine a quick look, he took it.

"Seriously, Gil, go. The babies are fine, I'm fine. Go and get some fresh air, work your brain for a bit on something other than sick people and spend some quality time with your son."

"You could use a shave, too," Catherine added.

Clearing his throat, Grissom glared at her only to receive a smile in return.

"I still feel nervous about going anywhere," he admitted, looking back at Sara.

She nodded and softly squeezed his hand. "I know you do and that's just a natural thing. But you can't stay in here until I'm discharged, Gil. That could still be months away so go. The longer you leave this the harder it's going to get."

He swallowed. "Are you sure?"

"No," she said flatly. "I thought I'd just tease you and then demand you stay here."

Shaking his head, he leaned close and stared into her eyes. "You're evil."

"Yeah but I'm an evil you love," she countered.

"You got that right," he breathed and then kissed her. "I promise I won't be too long."

She ran her hand down his arm. "Be as long as you want. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

Straightening out, he nodded. "Okay. Do you need anything from home?"

Sara thought for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't think so but you could always surprise me."

"Don't say that," Catherine said. "He'll bring his ant farm in."

"That could be fun," Sara chuckled. "I'm sure the nurses would love that one."

"I'm sure they wouldn't," Grissom returned, hesitantly grabbing his coat. "I'll see you in a little while okay?"

Sara smiled. "Have fun."

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As Grissom approached the front door to their townhouse, he pulled his phone from his pocket for about the 20th time. He just couldn't stop checking it after making it very clear to the nurses that they call him if they needed him or if there was a problem. Thankfully, no communication had come.

Sighing loudly, he put the phone away. He really did need to try and stop worrying all time but that was easier said than done.

Slipping his key into the lock, he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Looking around he was greeted with an empty lounge. Neither Claire nor Michael knew he was coming home so he dropped his keys on the stand by the door and headed through the house only to stop when Michael's voice caught at his ears. Smiling, he headed towards the backdoor that led out into the garden and quietly slipped out, spotting Michael kicking a balloon.

"Careful or you'll pop another one," Claire warned.

Giggling, Michael spun around and gave the balloon another kick. It flew up into the air. He watched it and, as it fell back towards the grass, his gaze came across his father standing not so far away, grinning at him.

"Daddy!" he shouted with excitement and set off running.

Claire turned around, a very surprised look catching her face when she saw Grissom.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" Michael chanted as he threw his arms up and Grissom scooped him up the second he reached him.

"Hey, you," he laughed.

Michael couldn't smile any brighter if he'd tried and just looked insanely happy as he tightly hugged his father.

"Happy to see me then?" Grissom chuckled.

"Surprised to see you," Claire said.

Grissom smiled at her. "Sara kicked me out for a bit."

"And you let her?" Claire teased.

He smirked as Michael pulled back and looked at him.

"Mommy not coming?"

"No, Mike," Grissom said softly. "You know she's very sick and it's still going to be a while before she can come home."

"How long?" Michael asked. "Want Mommy home."

Sighing, Grissom kissed his forehead. "I know you do. We all do. I don't know how long but I promise, as soon as I do, I will tell you. Okay?"

Michael thought for a second. "Daddy stay home?"

"Just for a little while and then I have to go back to the hospital."

"Awww," Michael pouted but then he tapped Grissom on the shoulder. "I come stay?"

Grissom looked at Claire who gave him a shrug.

"We'll see," he said. "For now, why don't you go and get your soccer ball and show Daddy how good you are at kicking it?"

After Michael nodded, Grissom eased him down, laughing as he ran across the garden. Well, ran as well as an almost three-year-old could.

"He looks really happy that you've come home," Claire said, stepping closer. "But he's not going to be happy if you leave without him. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah," Grissom mumbled. "I didn't really think about it. Didn't expect to be here if I'm honest."

Claire's eyes narrowed. "So, what prompted you to leave the land of disinfectant?"

He snorted. "Interesting name for it. Catherine came by and needed some help so I popped by the lab before coming here." He paused and looked about the yard. "Today was the first time I actually felt okay leaving Sara and the babies. Plus, Sara was quiet insistent I stop watching her sleep."

Laughing, Claire stepped towards the table and chairs by the porch and reached for a jug of lemonade sitting there. "You could so take that out of context."

"Sure could," he agreed, unable to hold in the smirk that caught his lips.

"Well, you've taken that first big step now," Claire told him, holding out a glass of lemonade to him. "You've managed to leave the hospital. Now that you've done it once, it will be easier to do it again and you'll be able to get some routine back into your life with Michael."

He took the glass from her. "Hopefully," he agreed. "But it's still one day at a time at the moment."

She nodded. "I understand that. How's Sara doing today? Did they go ahead and take her legs down?"

"Sure did," he replied, sipping from the glass. "It was painful but I know she's happy to be out of the slings."

"I'll bet. I can't even imagine how she feels."

Grissom sucked on his lip. "We all know how tough it is to get hurt but we're always there for each other."

Claire smiled. That was certainly true.

"Daddy!" Michael called, running towards him with his ball. "Come play!"

"Are you up to it?" Claire snickered.

Putting the glass down, he nodded. "For a little while and then I could murder a bath."

"Go play with him and I'll get one ready for you."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"No," she deadpanned. "I thought I'd just tease you."

He laughed. Claire and Sara were so alike. "Thanks."

Nodding, she stepped away and Grissom did his best to run towards Michael and try and grab the ball off him.

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It was almost 6pm when Grissom made his way back to the hospital. He'd not intended to be away for so long but with Michael wanting to play forever he couldn't just leave. Finally able to take a bath, his heart almost hit his feet when he looked at his watch. All he could do was hope Sara wouldn't be mad at him for being gone so long.

Taking a deep breath, he peaked into her room and found her sitting up and watching TV. Hoping to sneak in, all surprise was lost when Michael called out to her.

Looking towards the door, Sara smiled as Michael broke away from Grissom and came scampering towards her, climbing up onto the chair and flashing her a bright smile.

"Hello you," she said curiously, her eyes flashing to Grissom as he tentatively approached, swinging the bag on his shoulder down to the floor. "And hello you," she continued as Michael giggled.

"Hi," he breathed a little nervously. "Sorry I…um…"

She snorted and immediately cut him off. "Don't even go there with any apologies, Gil." She looked back at Michael. "Have you had a fun afternoon?"

"Yes," he replied enthusiastically. "We played soccer and baseball."

Sara smiled. "Did you?"

Michael nodded. "Yes, but Daddy is slow. He needs more practice."

Chuckling, Sara tipped her head back to Grissom. "Slow, huh?"

Grissom held up a hand. "Cut me some slack, okay?" he teased. "I've had a tough few weeks and I'm a little out of shape."

She smiled as he leaned in to kiss her, her hand rubbing up his arm.

"Have you been all right?" he asked. "I really didn't want to be gone so long."

"I've been fine. Slept for a few hours and the nurses have been taking good care of me."

He nodded. "How's your pain?"

Blinking lazily, she inhaled a contented breath. "Manageable at the moment. I keep getting pins and needles though."

Grissom's eye twitched. "Have you told the nurse?"

"Yes," she answered quickly. "They've increased my meds a bit for the next 12 hours but it's a natural reaction and, apparently, a good sign even if it is annoying."

Rubbing a hand over his chin, Grissom nodded again. "So, an irritating but good thing."

She snorted. "Something like that." Her head tipped back towards Michael. "And I wasn't expecting to see you, young man. Did you talk Daddy into another stay over?"

Michael looked at Grissom who raised an eyebrow.

"He was rather persistent," Grissom replied. "Tissues were required."

"Awwww," Sara pouted, reaching for Michael's hand. "You don't need to get upset baby. If you want to stay here you can just not all the time. Mommy and Daddy don't want you to get sick and being here a lot you could catch some of those nasty germs floating around."

"Just miss you," Michael whispered.

"I know," Sara replied. "But now Mommy has her legs down, fingers crossed I can start getting better and it means I can think about coming home."

Looking around, Michael noticed Sara's legs were indeed lying on the bed. He hadn't really paid attention until now.

"Mommy walk now?" he asked.

She ran her fingers through his hair. "Not just yet but soon."

"Promise?"

"I really hope so," she said softly, a short sigh breezing through her lips. "I'm going to need lots of help but I'll do my best."

"I can help," Michael said proudly. "I hold one hand and Daddy hold the other."

Grissom smirked and picked up the bag from the floor. "I wish it was that easy, Mike," he said, putting the bag on the bed and unzipping it. Pulling an IPad from the bag, he held it out to Michael. "Why don't you play on that for a little while? Mommy's dinner will be here shortly."

"I help eat dinner," he answered, taking the IPad.

Grissom's eyes narrowed at him. "You ate before we left. I made a point of feeding you everything possible."

Michael just smiled. "Food is good," he said tapping the IPad. "I like food."

"No kidding," Grissom retorted as Sara laughed.

"His middle name is bottomless pit," she teased.

"I foresee a career as a professional eater," he returned.

"Well," Sara said, scratching the end of her nose, "that sure beats what we do."

"Hmmm," Grissom mumbled, looking back into the bag.

Sara carefully leaned forwards. In the few hours her legs had been down, she'd come to learn how she could move without sending jolts of agony through her body.

"So, did you bring me a surprise?" she asked. "Something to make me nice and happy?"

"I considered a puppy but I thought it might make a mess in the bag."

"Very funny," she chided. Smirking he pulled out a bottle of beer and held it up. "Oh, now you are just teasing," she complained. "You know I can't drink that."

"I know," he replied, putting the beer down next to the bed. "But call it an incentive for when you can." Next, he pulled out a big bar of chocolate.

Sara's lips pursed. "Now that's better. But you're going to make me fat."

"You'll probably need about 50 bars before you get fat," he returned. "You've lost a lot of weight you know."

Sighing, she glanced at the door upon hearing the dinner trolley. "Well, you know how my appetite has been but here is my nourishment, right on cue to help me out."

"I help," Michael said, not lifting his eyes from the game on the IPad.

Grissom rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you will."

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Grissom stuck Ant into Michael's arms and pulled up the blanket.

"Comfortable?" he asked of his son who nodded and hugged Ant harder.

Smiling, Grissom looked over his shoulder, watching the nurse do her final checks for the evening. Sara had remained comfortable since he'd returned. Hopefully, that would continue through the night. The extra pain relief she'd received was, no doubt, helping.

Looking back, he ran his fingers through his son's hair. "Time to go to sleep okay?"

Yawning, Michael nodded. "Daddy sleep?"

Leaning close, Grissom kissed him on the cheek. "Soon. I'm just going to sit with Mommy for a little while."

"'Kay," he mumbled before closing his eyes.

Grissom smiled. Michael was happy and, when he was happy, he never struggled to fall asleep.

Glancing at the nurse, he watched as she lowered Sara's wrist after checking her pulse. "Are we still looking good?"

"Just about," she replied.

Lofting an eyebrow, Grissom exchanged a quick look with Sara and then folded his arms. "Just about? Is there something we don't know that we should?"

"Your temperature is a little higher than normal, Sara," she answered. "Not drastic and possibly caused by your elevation change. Are you feeling unwell at all?"

A snort left Sara's nostrils. "Erm, how would you like me to answer that considering my position?"

Maggie smiled at Sara's banter, picking up a syringe from the side and inserting it into the IV. "Given your lighthearted answer I will presume you're not feeling any worse than usual?"

Sara's eyes worked around and then she frowned. "I feel a little warm but that's about it."

Grissom shuffled on his feet, a sudden uncomfortable chill hitting his spine and Sara noticed.

"You're worrying again," she accused.

His eyes narrowed. "I'm allowed to," he shot back.

"Well, that shot should keep you comfortable and I'll keep a good eye on you through the night," Maggie continued. "But please make sure you holler if you start feeling nauseous or begin to feel any hotter."

"I will," Sara agreed. She returned her attention to Grissom as Maggie left them and nodded towards Michael. "You'll be snug again tonight."

"Hmmm," he mumbled, drawing close. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Clasping his arm, she smiled. "I'm fine," she insisted. "Starting to feel nice and high again."

His lips twitched as he leaned in and softly kissed her. "You should get some rest. Sleep off that fever."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm just a little warm," she argued. "Just my body getting used to being thrown around."

"Did they throw you?" he teased.

"Well," she said smirking, "if you weren't so slow you could have."

His eyebrows soared. "Ooooh, below the belt Mrs. Grissom."

"If only," she scoffed. "If only."

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Grissom's eyes shot open when a piercing cry hit his ears. Swiftly tipping his head towards Sara's bed he saw numerous nurses around his wife.

"Just breathe, Sara."

Carefully but quickly, Grissom unwrapped his arms from around Michael and slid from their bed. His heart thumped and his head spun a little as he hurried across the room, sleep trying to cling to him but he shrugged it off.

"Hurts…" Sara cried.

"We know, honey," Maggie said.

"What's happening?" Grissom gasped, his eyes frantically floating between his wife and the nurses.

"We don't know yet," Maggie answered, whipping the sheet from Sara's lower half. "Please just keep back while we try and find out."

A/N: Ugh oh. Now what? :P