Hide 'n Seek
Chapter 5 or Why Brass Can't Live Off of Rabbit Food.
A/N: I hope this doesn't sound forced or fake, but I am seriously grateful for all the reviews. This has been a lot of fun to write. It's definitely been a challenge to write the other characters, but it appears I am doing them justice, so thanks :)
For you, EllipsesBandit. Because without your help, this thing would be bad. Really bad ;)
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Late January 2006
"So are you becoming a hermit crab? Making this office your permanent home? Because I don't think I've seen you leave this place in two days."
"Hermit crabs don't have permanent homes, Jim. They change shells when they mate and as they grow. Their exoskeletons-"
"I get it, I get it," Jim Brass said, interrupting Grissom's mini-lecture. The homicide captain took a seat on the other side of Grissom's desk, noting the stacks of files that had accumulated with the recent cases.
Lately, burglaries and murders had overwhelmed the police department, leaving officers and CSIs working at least three double shifts a week. Brass had unfortunately visited his scotch bottle more than once to ease the strain so he decided to start going to the batting cages near his condo.
He did wonder how Grissom was holding up. While his friend was successful at hiding his emotions from the team, Brass would watch Grissom walk slowly to his car after shift as if he carried the weight of the world. But then Grissom would return looking well rested and ready for another night of work.
Brass knew Grissom used roller coasters as a diversion, but the supervisor never appeared completely content after riding them. Brass began to think there might be someone in Grissom's life who helped relieve him of the burden of seeing the worst of humanity.
"How did your doctor's appointment go?" Brass asked as Grissom filled out more reports.
Looking up, Grissom sighed, "I'm doing fine, except my cholesterol is a little high."
Ever since he hit fifty, his own doctor reminded Brass he needed to maintain a healthy diet. That of course meant cutting back on the sweets, salty foods, and red meats. For the most part Brass followed the doctor's orders, but there was no way in hell he was going to order a Cesar's Salad at the LoneStar Steakhouse.
Of course Brass remembered while dating his ex-wife he had trouble with his cholesterol levels. She had loved the fact that the gruff detective could cook a decent meal; his specialty was cheese enchiladas. Then there was also the problem of her being able to cook too. And it hadn't helped that there were a lot of great restaurants near their old house.
Was Grissom having the same problem? The times Brass visited the lab around lunch time he noticed the taller man eating some kind of savory leftover.
But knowing Grissom…
"A side effect of an experiment?" Brass half-jokingly suggested.
Not even cracking a smile, Grissom answered, "Yes, actually."
Of course it was part of an experiment. What kind of experiment, Brass didn't know. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"Other than the side effects, has your experiment been working?"
Grissom shrugged. "There have been a few glitches over its duration, but overall the experiment has proven to be successful.
"Good to know."
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One week later
Brass once again found himself in search of Grissom. This time he wanted to meet up with the other man for lunch. After checking all the labs, Brass made his way to the break room where he found Sara, reading a book and eating a salad.
After greeting her, Brass asked if she had seen Grissom.
"I think he went to the picnic benches out front," Sara replied.
"How have you been doing?" He placed a hand a her shoulder briefly. Ever since he caught her popping cough drops at a scene, Brass wanted to make sure she didn't fall into the same trap he had.
She gave him a tired smile. "It's been a tough couple of weeks, but I've been hanging in there. It's good to go home and just relax. Read a book. Curl up under some blankets and watch a movie"
Brass nodded. He hoped one day she would find someone with whom she could share those activities.
His gaze shifted to her salad for moment. It looked fairly standard; lettuce, tomato, carrots, cucumber. The broccoli was a little strange though. Then he noticed the sliced pieces of a certain yellow vegetable. Did she really put…
"Zucchini, Sara?" There was no hiding the disgust in his voice.
"What's wrong with that?"
"It's rabbit food. Most people put normal stuff in their salad. You know; croutons, cheese, ranch dressing."
She cocked her head to the right. "That stuff kind of defeats the purpose of the meal being, I don't know…healthy."
"You usually bring in better leftovers than this. What happened to the lasagna, casseroles, Mexican food, and Chinese food?"
"I decided to cut back on that stuff."
Walking toward the door, he told her, "I'll see you later. Enjoy your meal, Thumper."
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The cool night air didn't affect Brass as he walked across the lawn in front of the police the police department. Off to his left were a couple of picnic benches under a bright lamp. There, he saw Grissom sitting alone. He appeared to be engrossed in a case file.
Grissom merely looked up when Brass placed a sandwich, apple, and bottle of soda across from him. As he sat down Brass noticed that Grissom was eating a salad too.
"Part of your diet?" Brass inquired
"Healthy eating plan," Grissom corrected, "Studies have shown people are more likely to stick to consuming more fruits and vegetables when they call it a healthy eating plan rather than a diet."
Grissom's salad looked fairly standard; lettuce, tomato, carrots, cucumber. The broccoli was a little strange though. Then he noticed sliced pieces of a certain yellow vegetable.
This was Sara's salad, Brass realized. Either this was one hell of a coincidence or she was preparing Grissom's lunches too. Brass decided option two was more likely.
Now it was possible that Grissom had talked to Sara about healthy salads, and he just happened to make the food the same way she had done. But glancing at the bowl again told Brass that wasn't the case; the cucumbers and carrots were sliced in the exact manner as were in Sara's meal.
Thinking back to a couple weeks ago, when he grabbed a bottle of water from the break room refrigerator, Brass saw a small red box from a pizza place that had Sara's name written across the top. That same night, he stopped by Grissom's office and there was another red box in his refrigerator, next to the chocolate covered grasshoppers.
So it seemed Grissom and Sara's relationship had changed for the better. Grinning inwardly, Brass found Sara's gesture of helping Grissom lower his cholesterol incredibly thoughtful. It showed a lot about her feelings for his friend. And Grissom obviously cared a great deal for her since he changed his eating habits.
"Looks good, but broccoli and zucchini?"
"They're good for the heart and the immune system. Both contain vitamin C and calcium. Broccoli has selenium, which contains anti-cancer and anti-viral agents. Zucchini has potassium and vitamin A."
"I saw Sara was eating the same salad a little earlier," Brass commented offhandedly.
Peering over his glasses, Grissom replied seriously, "She's probably read the same information."
Brass couldn't corral the grin that formed. "Probably."
Since the two were on their healthy eating plan, Brass decided to buy Grissom and Sara each a glass of orange juice after work to congratulate them. He would toast Sara to finding someone to unwind with after hard shifts and he would toast Grissom to finally getting his head out of his ass.
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Back to the food; it's always the food. I should admit I have a problem and be done with it. But I won't. Not till the end of the story.
And last, but certainly not least, the next chapter will feature everyone's favorite singing medical examiner: Dr. Al Robbins
