27

The next few days flew by. They closed on the townhouse, filled out and sent back their second application for adoption. Sara finally met Grissom's mother. It was only a short visit because of their busy schedule, but one night was enough. Grissom spent the whole time interpreting between the two women. She could tell that his mother's approval of their marriage meant a lot to him. The love he had for his mother was something that would never be replaced. They'd just gotten back from California that morning and were now both seated in Ecklie's office.

"And you two didn't think it was necessary to talk to me before you got married?"

Sara let Grissom do most of the talking. "No. It didn't concern you until now."

"So, Sara, you put in for the Day Shift Supervisor position. Are you still interested?"

"Yes, for now."

"For now? Sara, if I choose you, I don't want to have to replace you any time soon. I already have to replace Grissom."

"Well, I'll need some time off if the adoption goes through."

"Obviously. There's a policy for that."

"Okay. Then I'm still interested. No matter what, if I'm going to stay here, I want to switch to days. I don't want to work overnight with children at home."

"Understood. Well, as long as you're still interested, I'll let you know that I'd already decided to offer you the job."

"Really?"

"Surprised?"

"Yes. You and I haven't always gotten along."

"Neither have Gil and I, but that doesn't mean I don't think you're an asset to the lab. You've had your problems, but have taken the correct steps to fix them. Everyone deserves a chance, and I think this is yours. Don't let me down."

"Yes, Sir."

"As for you, Gil, I won't stand in your way. Obviously, until Sara transfers to days, you can't work here. If the adoption goes through, you're eligible for time off. Until then, you can just continue using your vacation. Come May, you can put in for your retirement. I'll make sure it gets approved."

"Thanks, Conrad."

28

A few weeks later, Sara was settled into her position as Day Shift Supervisor, they had a home full of furniture and had completed their home study. The adoption process was very smooth so far. Their lawyer and the agency took care of all the details and paperwork. The father had gone to trial and been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The only thing they were waiting for now was their final approval notice.

On a Thursday, Grissom showed up at the lab. She was surprised to see him, "Hi! What's up?"

"I couldn't wait until you got home. The letter came from the adoption agency."

She took a deep breath, "Did you read it?"

"No. I wanted us to do it together."

"Okay. Open it." She moved around her desk to sit next to him. They started reading the letter together, but Sara never got past the word 'Congratulations'. "We did it!" They both stood and he gathered her into his arms. "We really did it!"

"Yes we did. Let's go tell Conrad we're going to pick up our kids."

After filling out the paperwork and Sara briefing her temporary replacement on her cases, they left CSI and called their lawyer. He had received the same paperwork and assured them that everything was in order. After a call to the adoption agency, they were told they could pick the children up in a couple hours.

Following the longest couple hours of their lives, they were finally at Social Services to pick up their children. They were watching the little girl play through a two-way mirror while a women held the baby in the corner. The social worker was briefing them before they went in. "Little Joey shouldn't be a problem at all. He's a very good baby. The woman there, her name is Vicky, has been taking care of both children. She actually wanted to adopt Joey. But she didn't think she could handle Samantha. She hasn't spoken to anyone since she's been with us. Of course, our first goal is to keep the children together. That is why your request was met over hers."

"We're very thankful."

"I can see that, Mrs. Grissom. You look like you're about to explode with excitement. Uh, I would like to say one thing. The reason why Vicky has the children now is because our first two placements didn't work out with Samantha."

"What happened?"

"She…doesn't react well to men. Vicky is one of our few single foster mothers. The first father she was placed with couldn't come within ten feet of her without her screaming. The second went a little better. He could get near her, as long as the mother was in the room, but he could never touch her. Again, when he touched her, even her hand, she would just scream. Neither father could enter her bedroom."

"Thank you for the information, but my wife and I will be fine. Samantha just needs time."

"Okay. Well, let's load the children's things in your car and then you can come back to get them."

Sara asked, "Things? What things?"

"They have clothes and a few toys. And, of course, Joey has a car seat and Samantha has a booster seat."

"Uh…we'll take the clothes and toys, but we already have our own car seat and booster seat. We actually don't need the clothes or toys either, but we'll take them in case they have favorites."

After loading the couple of boxes and suitcases, they stood at the doorway to get their children. Grissom was the first to speak, "Until she's ready, you can get Samantha. I'll take Joey."

"Okay." After a deep breath, they walked into the room.

Grissom went to the corner to take Joey from Vicky. "Thank you very much for taking such good care of them."

"He's a very good baby. Congratulations to you both. I, uh, put my name and number in the inside of the diaper bag. You can call me if you need anything at all."

"That's very kind of you."

He turned, to see Sara seated on the floor near Samantha. "Hi, Samantha. Do you remember me?" The little girl didn't speak, but nodded her head 'yes'. "Good. So you know that I'm here to help, right?" After another nod, "Okay. Remember when I told you that I was never going to let anyone hurt you any more?" Another nod. "Well, I'm here to make sure I can keep that promise. See that man over there holding your baby brother?" Another nod. "Well, that man is my husband. He and I have been working very hard to make sure you and Joey are safe from now on. We have papers to say that we can take you home with us and keep you safe. Would that be okay with you?" Samantha just stared at her. "I know that this is scary for you. When I was a little girl, I was afraid, too. My Daddy died like your Mommy died. I had dreams about it at night. Do you have bad dreams?" The girl nodded her head and a tear rolled down her cheek. "They'll go away, Sam. Can I tell you a secret?" She nodded. Sara leaned a little closer and whispered, "When I'm scared, I cry too. Do you know what makes me feel better?" Samantha shook her head. "Ice cream. Does ice cream make you feel better?" She shook her head. "No? How about French fries?" She shook her head again. "Pizza?" Samantha shook her head again then got up, walked across the room and picked up a book that was on the floor by the door. She brought it back to Sara. "You want me to read you this story?" The little girl nodded.

Sara looked over at Grissom, who had taken a seat in the corner with little Joey in his arms. He nodded his head and Sara started reading the book, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. When the book was done, Samantha surprised Sara and gave her a hug. When she pulled back, Sara asked her, "Would it be okay if you and Joey came home with us, now?" Samantha replied by sitting on Sara's lap and curling her head into her neck. Sara was crying now and looked over to see tears in her husband's eyes too.

From behind her, the social worker said, "The book is hers."

Sara shook her head and stood with their daughter in her arms. Grissom walked over to her, holding their son and said, "Let's go home."