I walked briskly down the lab hallways, heading for my office. Shift would be starting soon…and I suddenly found myself very nervous. The anticipation of possibly seeing Sara again almost made it hard for me to breathe.
I reached my office just as my office phone began to ring.
"Grissom." I answered in one swift breath.
"Dr. Grissom…its Jack…from the New York Crime Lab. I just got a call from one of my CSI's, they're flights been delayed…they're not going to be able to get in until eight. I hope that's not a problem." I heard the now loud, friendly, familiar voice say over the phone.
"Of course not Jack…I'll just have my team hold off for a little while…work on another case." I said almost happily into the phone.
"Great Dr. Grissom… do you have a cell phone number I can reach you at?" Jack asked contently.
"Yeah…" I read him off my number.
"Thanks Dr. Grissom…I'll have one of my team call you when they land." Jack said lightly.
"Sure thing…and call me Grissom" I said getting ready to hang up.
"Okay, goodbye Grissom." Jack said before the line clicked and went dead.
I sighed, so my anticipation would be prolonged by another hour. I didn't know if my nerves could take it, I had a couple hours to the start of shift…no one would be here till seven on the dot.
So I sat down, put my feet up on my desk, and closed my eyes. Images of Sara danced freely against my dark lids. Image after image…smile after smile and for a moment everything felt normal…my heart didn't hurt…there wasn't a weight of dread and loss over my shoulders. That was until there was a knock at my door.
I opened my eyes abruptly and sat up straight in my desk. "Come in." I called.
The door opened and Catherine peaked her head around the corner. "Gil…sweetie…we're all here…we're waited for you in the break room."
"I'll be there in a minute." I said flashing her a loving smile.
She smiled back and then left…closing the door behind her. Had three hours really gotten by me so quickly?
I sighed and heaved myself up and out of my chair. I walked around my desk…picking up a stack of case files on my way…a few cold cases that needed to be solved.
I walked out of my office and headed toward the break room.
Once I entered I found everyone sitting quietly at the table. "Alright everyone…I have some bad news. Our New York team has had a delayed flight…they're not going to be here for another hour…so I thought that we would work on a cold case…rather than start without them." I said trying to smile.
No one matched my smile…they all grimaced as they each took a case file.
"It's just an hour guys." I said as my team dispersed unhappily.
I sighed as I took the only case file left into my hands. I opened it and suddenly I found myself transported to the past…right before she left. A double homicide…two children. Sara had not taken to it well…and it had been wrong for me to expect her to…especially when I was missing all the signs and doing all the wrong things.
Sara was upset, I could clearly see…I was worried her emotions would affect the case negatively. I was proud when she had held her demeanor at the scene, didn't even bat an eyelash …should have been my first clue, but once at the office…her anger and sadness was displayed visibly for the world to know.
"Sara…hey wait up." I heard Nick's southern voice ring through the hallways. I sat in my office…watching the younger man interact with my girlfriend.
"Nicky…I thought I could…" I heard Sara trail. I thought she was talking about the case…and it's possible that a small part of her was.
Nick reached out for Sara, inviting her into him. Sara looked all too grateful to take his offer.
She walked into his embrace and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. A pang of jealousy ran full force through my body. But then I saw Catherine walking towards my office and Nick and Sara, and I knew I had no ground to stand on.
Nick and Sara turned to see the blonde walking swiftly down the hallway and broke apart abruptly…walking the other way quickly…murmuring something to each other.
"Grissom…you need to tell Sara to keep her emotions in check…I caught her going off at a cop just a couple minutes ago and…"
I cut Catherine off, anger filling my belly quickly. "Catherine this is not your job…I will take care of it." I said as I got up and quickly left the office in search of my upset girlfriend.
I found her in lab three…crying…alone.
"Sara." I said my voice tentative at the door.
She turned to me…whipping her eyes quickly the smile she offered me was one hundred percent fake and it hurt to know it…I had let things get to bad.
"Yeah Grissom…" She said, I flinched slightly at the use of my last name. I can't remember when she switched from Gil back to Grissom…but it had happened, and it hurt. "I'm sorry, I'm waiting for a result to come through and…"
I cut her off still hurt "Sara you need to keep your emotions in check…if you let it affect your work…I'm going to have to pull you from the case." I said all but too late to realize I had crossed the line into no man's land…where it was barren and dangerous.
Sara gave me a smile that seemed to even hurt her to have to produce and she said "I'm sorry boss…I'll try harder…" There was a beep and the printer spit out a piece of paper. Sara gabbed it hungrily and left quickly bumping forcefully into me saying "Sorry…I have to find Nick" On her way out.
She left me completely dumfounded…now I wasn't even Grissom…I was boss…not boyfriend or lover…but boss. I felt the sudden urge to cry, but I suppressed it when I saw Catherine walking my way.
She stopped in front of me and smiled lovingly and sweetly. "Hey, I just saw Sara storm past me…thought you might need someone." She placed her hand tenderly on my chest and leaned in to kiss me…it was risky…anyone could see…walk by…but it wouldn't have been the first time.
Catherine was right…I needed someone…but that someone wasn't her.
"Thanks babe." I said when she pulled back…producing a stunning smile from Catherine. "Listen I have to go get a result from Archie…meet you at my office fifteen?"
"Sure thing." Catherine said happily walking away from me.
I had lied…there were no test results…I was looking for Sara. I searched high and low but could not find her…finally I checked the locker room and I immediately heard her voice emanate off the brick walls.
"I just don't know what to do anymore…I thought I could handle this…make him love me again…I was a fool. Who am I kidding? Look at me…I'm ugly who would want me?" Sara's frail voice reached my ears and broke my heart.
"Come on buttercup…you're beautiful…Grissom's just a huge ass…we all know it…the whole lab knows it. We love you Sara…I love you…he's not even worthy to wipe the mud off your shoes, let alone call you his lover." Nick's comforting voice followed Sara's.
"But I love him…what am I supposed to do? I'm no competition…I've seen them together…their perfect…I just…I just want to…"
"Hey sunshine…stop right there…we have a break coming up. Why don't you and me go to the diner and grab a late dinner, early lunch?" Nick cut her off before she could continue.
"Yeah…I would like that." Sara whispered.
I peaked around the lockers and found Nick holding tightly onto Sara thin form…Sara sob lightly and Nick kissed her forehead.
"Come on girl…my steak waits for no person." Nick quietly whispered into her head.
I left before they could see me…I didn't know what to feel. Sara had seen us? She knew and she stayed with me? It all made sense…why she called me Grissom…didn't smile at me…didn't talk to me…not that I offered her much time to do such things.
And a new question presented its self…was Sara seeing Nick? My heart ached and ached, but I got my answer moments later.
"Thanks for doing this Nicky." Sara said as I turned to see them walking away from me down the hallway towards the lab entrance.
"Hey, no problem…I would do anything for my sisters." Nick said bringing Sara close to him…smiling at her.
And Sara smiled back…a real Sara smile.
"Grissom." Catherine's voice broke my thought.
I turned to see her standing behind me, hands on her hips.
"Fifteen minutes?" She asked, bordering angrily.
"Sorry babe…I got caught up." I lied easily.
"That's alright…you can make it up by bringing me to the diner for a little snack." Catherine smiled lightly at me.
"How about my office instead?" I asked not wanting to run into Sara and Nick…it was all I could think of to do.
Catherine smiled sexily at me…grabbed my hand…and nearly dragged me to my office.
My cell phone began to ring and I was forced to shake my head of the past as I answered "Grissom"
"Grissom…Jack here…I have some bad news." Jack said tentatively.
"Sure what is it?" I asked slightly concerned.
"One of my CSI's is very ill…another one of my CSIs is going to take care of him…so for tonight I can only send out one CSI and only for a brief period of time." Jack said almost remorsefully.
My stomach dropped…was Sara ill? But then I thought…it might not even be Sara here.
I sighed heavily "No problem…what can you do? I'll have my team work on the case tonight…we can start more in depth tomorrow."
"That would be great…thanks Grissom. And sorry…I don't know what happened, but my CSI was fine when he left." Jack said slowly.
The word 'he' caught my attention and I said "No problem…I look forward to meeting your one CSI." I said trying to lighten the mood.
"Great…talk to you later Grissom." Jack said before the line went dead. Jacks abrupt hang ups were beginning to annoy.
I sighed and got up…getting ready to search for my team…and tell them more bad news. Tonight was not shaping up to be the night I had hoped for.
A/N Hey guys, sorry it took me a little longer to update. School just started and i'm still recovering from foot surgery so...i'm a little behind. I'll update as often as i can, i promise.
Thanks for all the nice reviews!