Epilogue
(December 2007)
Sara and Grissom were sitting on the floor by the tree trying to teach Joey to walk while they waited for Samantha to wake up. When she finally came downstairs, her eyes wide with shock, she ran to Sara and jumped in her lap.
"Are you ready to open your presents now?" Samantha nodded her head and Sara handed her the first gift. After over two hours of Samantha and Joey opening gifts, they were finally done. They weren't surprised when their daughter went right for the pile of books.
Grissom stood to clean up the wrapping paper that covered their living room floor while Sara went to change Joey's diaper. When she came back, tears welled up in her eyes. Their daughter was seated in her father's lap while he read her one of her new books. Samantha looked up when Grissom paused in his reading. She reached out as if to ask Sara to sit with them. When she sat, she could see that her husband was barely getting the words of the book out of his mouth through his tears.
She wiped his eyes when he was finished with the book. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Sara."
"I love you, too."
They both shot looks down at the little voice they'd never heard before. It was Sara who spoke first. "We love you, too, Sam."
"Daddy, will you read me another book? You're a better reader than Mommy."
Sara laughed through her tears as Grissom finally spoke, "Sam, I will read you any book you want, any time you want me to." He turned the little girl in his arms and gathered his daughter in his arms for the first time. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, Daddy."
They spent the rest of the day on the floor playing with all the new toys and reading most of Samantha's new books. From the outside, a stranger would think they were a perfect family. And they'd be right.