The team of crime scene investigators felt slightly awkward as they approached Catherine's home the next day after finishing shift and going home to clean up and change clothes. Grissom was more anxious than anyone else to see how his friend was holding up. He was more than a little perturbed at the lack of communication from Nancy; she had only given him the important details (in her mind), such as the dates and times of visitation and funeral. He knew the funeral had been scheduled for the weekend and was only two days away, but he didn't know how Catherine was dealing with her grief. How she was sleeping? Was she eating? Was she staying in bed all the time? The questions swarmed in his mind as he voluntarily took the lead and approached the door with the team close in his wake.
Even though he had noted several vehicles outside, he was not prepared for the sight before his eyes when Nancy opened the door and welcomed them in. There were more people in the house than he would have thought the small house capable of holding. The dining room was literally piled high with food as people stood around talking and visiting and there were even several small children running around. "Where's Catherine?" He finally asked Nancy, unable to see her among all the visitors.
"She's in her room, I tried to get her to come out but she's still sleeping." Nancy said, shrugging.
Grissom thought he knew full well why Catherine was staying hidden away in her room. The family and friends gathered there meant well, he was sure, but it still had to be smothering, especially at a time like this. Ignoring the looks of curiosity from others in the room he approached her door, knocking gently before opening it slowly. "Cath, you awake?" He asked softly as he looked at her quiet form.
"Gil?" She replied slowly, turning to look at him, relief apparent on her features.
"Hey you," he said softly as he moved closer, sitting on the edge of the bed and waiting as she pulled herself upright and let herself be enveloped into his friendly hug. "I've got the team outside waiting to talk to you." He added after pulling back, noting her drawn features and the circles that had developed under her eyes.
"Ok," she acknowledged, but didn't move as she eagerly soaked up the warmth and comfort his body had to offer. Grissom didn't move, he could feel her body relaxing from his embrace and realized this comfort was something she needed that he could do. For a minute he didn't feel completely helpless as he gently stroked her hair while she kept her face buried into his chest. For several moments they just sat there, no words needed as they communicated silently.
As he continued to stroke her hair, Grissom realized how much he enjoyed holding her like this. It wasn't something he had been able to do very often. The thought had scarcely crossed his mind before he began scolding himself for the direction his thoughts were trying to take.
Catherine drank in the calmness that seemed to emanate from the strong arms surrounding her, the pain and grief was still there, but listening to his heart beating steadily against her ear, made her feel safe and loved as he simply held and comforted her. She couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between his simple comfort and the futile attempts of her family thus far to reach her.
After a few more moments of resting in his embrace Catherine reluctantly pulled away, knowing that she would soon fall apart in his arms if this continued. She also knew that the rest of the team was waiting on her. "I guess I should go see the team, they must be pretty packed in with that crowd out there." She observed.
"It is pretty busy outside." Grissom acknowledged. "Who are all those people?" he had to ask, he knew Catherine's family hadn't been that big.
"I've lost count, aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, friends of Mom's and Nancy's. I know they care and they're all trying to be supportive, but…" she paused…. "but they're not really *my* friends." She lamented as she soaked up the presence of her friend.
"Then I've got an idea." Grissom stated after a moment. "Why don't you take a few minutes to get ready and then we'll all take you out to eat."
"But I'm not hungry and there's plenty of food here…." Catherine began, not comprehending what he was trying to do.
"The operative word is *out*," he said with a brief smile as he rose. We'll be waiting in the living room.
"That sounds perfect." She said, not quite smiling, but looking grateful for the suggestion.
Grissom returned to the living room to see his team still huddled together, almost protectively, amidst the throng of people. "She'll be out in a minute and I said we'd take her out to eat." He informed them, his voice low as he conveyed the information.
"Hope she comes out soon." Sara whispered back, clearly uncomfortable at being among all the strangers, none of them had seemed very welcoming yet. Even the usually outgoing Greg seemed a bit withdrawn as he absentmindedly studied the walls. The sound of the bedroom door opening alerted everyone as Catherine emerged. Simply clad in jeans and a loose t-shirt she approached the team, savoring the comfort as they began to take turns hugging her, even the usually standoffish Sara gave her a big hug, sympathy evident in her eyes as she did so. Catherine continued hugging the rest of the team until all of them had had the opportunity to give a hug and a word of sympathy.
"Cath, I'm glad you felt like coming out." Nancy and her mother both moved towards her in unison to pull her into a hug. "Now you can meet everyone who's here…." She began as she started to gesture to a couple on her right.
"Actually we're taking Catherine out to lunch." Grissom stepped up to her side, quickly rescuing her from the situation and ignoring the disproving look that her sister gave them.
"I'll be back soon." Catherine managed to say over her shoulder as she broke through the group and led the way to the door, taking a deep breath when she reached the driveway, she could tell they had parked across the street due to all the cars in her yard. She looked at them expectantly, for once, just waiting for them to decide what was next.
"How about you and Grissom follow us?" Warrick finally said as the other four CSI's moved to the other Denali that he had driven from work. There didn't seem to be any argument as everyone piled into their respective vehicles.
Catherine was quiet as she automatically pulled on her seatbelt and watched the road while Grissom started up the vehicle. They rode in silence for a few minutes, simply following Warrick as the group ahead had apparently decided on a place to eat.
"I really appreciate all of you coming." Catherine finally said, her voice still tight with emotion.
"We would have been here sooner if we could." Grissom answered honestly. "Everyone's been asking about you."
"I know, my family can just be protective sometimes." She said, knowing no further explanation was needed.
"They mean well." Grissom added, masking his unhappiness at the way the family had kept them away from her at first, deep down knowing they did care for her. The last thing he wanted was for Catherine to feel caught in any battles between her friends and family right now.
"Greg must have picked the place to eat." She observed as they all pulled up at the Hard Rock Cafe.
"If you want to go somewhere else we can." Grissom offered immediately.
"No I don't really care, as I said earlier I'm not really hungry." Catherine repeated herself as the group walked towards the restaurant.