Title: Returning Home
Author: Elizabeth Kelly
Rating: T (PG-13)
Disclaimer: CSI, its plot and characters, belong to CBS Worldwide Inc., and Alliance Atlantis Productions.
Summary: GSR - What if something you thought was lost forever, returned home?
Chapter Thirteen
"Hey Baby Girl, what's wrong? Why are you crying, huh?" Leaning down, Sara picked up her six-month old daughter. Rocking her gently, she tried to soothe the crying girl. "What's the matter?" She asked gently, holding Maddie up to look into her eyes. As Sara was bringing her down to her shoulder again, Maddie's forehead fell forward and landed on her cheek. The amount of heat that radiated from Maddie's head shocked Sara. Pulling back, she placed a hand on her forehead.
"Oh, my God!" Sara cried and ran to the phone, Maddie still crying in her arms. "Grissom, it's Maddie she's got a high fever. I'm taking her to the hospital can you meet us there?"
Sara rushed into the emergency room, breaking several laws in the process.
"Please I need a doctor. It's my daughter she's burning up," Sara cried to the nurse on duty, her eyes wide with fear.
"Follow me," the nurse replied, leading Sara to the paediatrics wing. She showed Sara to an examination room. "Just wait here the doctor will be with you shortly." Sara looked up.
"Thank you, my husband…"
"When he arrives I will send him up," the nurse replied kindly.
"Thank you," Sara whispered, gently rocking the upset child. "Shhh, honey, shhh. Daddy will be here soon. I promise everything will be fine."
Ten minutes later Grissom arrived, his face flushed from his run up from the emergency room.
"I got here as soon as I could," he breathed heavily.
"It's ok, the doctor's in with her now."
"What happened?" he asked, leaning against the wall outside the room.
"She wouldn't stop crying, so I picked her up to try and rock her to sleep, and her forehead felt like it was on fire. That's when I called you." Grissom placed an arm around her shoulders.
"Can we go in?" Sara nodded and opened the door and the doctor looked up.
"Mrs Grissom, Mr Grissom, your daughter just has a bit of the flu."
"Oh, thank God," Sara breathed into Grissom's chest. His arms wrapped themselves around her.
"Will she be ok?" Grissom asked.
"She'll be fine, after a round of antibiotics," the doctor replied, smiling at them, leaving them alone. Together they walked over to the bed, where their daughter laid, sleeping peacefully.
"I was so scared."
"I know, I was too," Grissom replied.
"Everything's fine, she's ok. She's alright."
"I'm sorry sir, I cannot let you through unless you are a relative of the child," the nurse said exasperatedly.
"I'm Maddie's uncle," Andrew replied almost frantically, running a hand through his hair.
"Sir, I know that you are the FBI agent on the case, and I'm not authorised to allow…"
"You're right I am the FBI agent, but I am also Madeleine's uncle. Ask Sara or Gil if you don't believe me." The nurse took in his distressed appearance.
"Ok, stay here," she warned, turning and walking into the intensive care unit.
Sara straightened as the nurse walked into the waiting room.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Mr and Mrs Grissom," she began.
"What's wrong? Is it Maddie? What's wrong with her?" Grissom asked, sitting up.
"Oh, no, I don't know the condition of you daughter." Grissom slumped back in his chair. "The FBI agent on your daughter's case is here. He claims to be her uncle. Shall I let him through?" Sara looked at Grissom, who nodded.
"Of course," he replied.
A minute later, Andrew came hurrying through the waiting room door.
"I'm sorry. I tried to come as soon as I heard, but I was…" he was cut off, as Sara rose to give him a hug.
"It's ok."
"Have you heard anything yet?" Andrew asked. Grissom shook his head and mumbled through gritted teeth.
"Not yet."
"How are you both doing?"
"Surviving. Just surviving."
"Custody of one Timothy John Isaacs is officially transferred to the FBI, San Francisco Missing Person's Department," Sheriff Watson signed the transfer papers.
"One step closer to this all being over," Catherine commented signing her name underneath the Sheriff's.
"I can only imagine what the Grissom's have been through."
"Yeah, they've been through a lot. I know if it were my daughter…" she paused, then shook her head. Sheriff Watson noticed the change in Catherine's mood, and promptly changed the subject.
"Well, Ms Willows it's been a pleasure to work with you," he said extending his hand.
"Same here, all twelve hours," she replied lightly, returning the gesture. Sheriff Watson chuckled.
"You know, if your ever in Bakersfield or even just passing by…" Catherine smiled.
"You'll be the first person I call."
"Excellent, maybe we can grab a beer. The local bar is a fantastic establishment. Great food, great music…"
"Why do I get the feeling you are friends with the owners?"
"They're my in-laws." Catherine laughed.
"Bye, Sheriff and thanks for everything."
"Bye, Catherine."
"Daddy?"
"Yes, Beetle?" Grissom asked not raising his eyes from the newspaper.
"What does it mean to die?" Grissom lowered the paper and found two curious blue eyes staring back at him.
"Where did you hear that?" he asked.
"Freddie James told me that his doggy died, but I didn't know what he meant." Grissom sighed, he had been dreading this question. He stared as his inquisitive daughter, stood there looking at him patiently waiting for an answer.
"Well, Beetle, when something dies. It means that it is no longer living." Madeleine stared at her father, her face twisted in confusion.
"I don't unnerstand."
"Understand, you don't understand," he paused and patted his knee. Madeleine followed his cue and climbed up onto his lap. "Honey, you know how our hearts beat?" He asked,placing her small hand over his heart. Maddie nodded. "Well, that means that we are alive. When our heart stops beating, it means that we have died, and instead of living here we move on to a better place."
"Where?" she asked, innocently.
"Have you heard of a place called Heaven?" Maddie shook her head in the negative.
"Well it is a very special place, where good people go when they die."
"But what do they do there?"
"I don't know. I've never been there," Grissom answered.
"Can dogs go to Heaven?" Grissom chuckled.
"Of course they can. All animals and people can go to Heaven as long as they are good."
"Where do they go if they are bad?"
"To a horrible place that we do not talk about." Maddie stared wide-eyed at her father.
"Do you think Freddie James' dog went to Heaven?" Grissom placed a kiss on his daughter's cheek.
"Yes, I think he did."
"Good. 'Cause I don't want him to go to the bad place."
Andrew, Sara and Grissom sat beside each other in the hard plastic chairs. It had been four hours since Maddie had been moved to the ICU and still they had no word from the doctor. Nurses and doctors had been constantly coming and going through the two doors in the corner, none of them stopping to tell them anything.
The lack of information unnerved Grissom. Surely they should have told them something by now. The sound of the door opening once more caught their attention, and through it walked Dr Winters followed closely by an older man in a lab coat. He looked to be in his mid-fifties, with a perfect head of silver hair. He gave off a friendly vibe, which eased Sara's nausea, if only a tiny bit.
Sara, Andrew and Grissom all stood.
"Well?" Grissom asked.
"Dr Grissom, Mrs Grissom, Agent Charlton this is Dr Lindeman he's an infectious disease specialist," Dr Winters introduced the man beside her.
"Infectious diseases?" Andrew queried.
"We believe Madeleine has contracted tuberculosis."
"What? Why? How is that possible?" Sara asked, her mind reeling.
"Tuberculosis is an infection, primarily found in the lungs. It's caused by a bacteria known as Mycobacterium Tuberculosis and is usually picked up through infected air particles. I believe that your daughter's been around an infected person when they coughed or sneezed. To begin with tuberculosis usually remains asymptomatic, which means that no symptoms appear, it's inactive, if you will. Usually a weakness in the immune system activates the infection. I think in Madeleine's case, she caught a bit of the flu which weakened the immune system." Dr Lindeman explained.
"Can you treat it?" Grissom asked.
"Madeleine had a moderate to severe infection. However, I believe with daily oral medications for about six to eights months, she should pull through just fine." Grissom and Andrew sighed with relief, assilent tears fell down Sara's face.
"Can we move her back to Las Vegas?" Grissom questioned.
"You could if you wanted to, but I recommend that she stays here for at least a few more days. Her immune system is severely weakened at the moment, so moving her could be potentially dangerous."
"No, I don't want to put her in any danger," Grissom stated.
"She's still in a drug induced coma, and probably won't wake for a couple of hours, butyou can go in and see her if you like." Grissom and Sara nodded.
"We want to see her," Sara said through a fresh flood of tears.
"Of course," the doctor said, turning to lead the way.
"I'm going to go," Andrew said.
"Aren't you going to see her?" Sara asked, wiping the tears from her face.
"No, I think the three of you need to be together at the moment. Besides, I have to get Isaacs back to Frisco tonight," he paused. "I'm glad Maddie's going to be ok. I promise I will come down for a visit, after you get settled back in Vegas." Sara threw her arms around him.
"Thank you for everything," she whispered, then kissed his cheek.
"I didn't do much," he answered modestly.
"You did more than you will ever know," Grissom replied, shaking hand with his brother-in-law. "Sara and I owe you a lot."
"Neither of you owe me anything," he said, turning to leave. "Give Maddie my best."
"We will," Sara replied, giving him a small smile. Watching Andrew leave, Grissom turned to Sara.
"Let's go see our girl."
A/N: Yay! Maddie lives! Anyway, thank you for all the kind reviews, and for being patient with me. I'm going to try and write the next few chapters so that I am ahead instead of being under pressure to get the next chapter out. So, expect a small delay for the next chapter. Sorry! Don't throw things at me! (At least I'm not leaving you on a cliff hanger :-))