Author's Notes: Yay! An update! I loved reading your comments for chapter six, so please feel free to keep them coming. :D. Feedback makes for fast chapters of not only this, but my other stories as well. Thanks for reading!

Also a shout-out to Kegel who inspired me with insane Greg-Fannysmacking-Babble yesterday, and enlightening conversation today that makes me happy to live where I do. :D. If you haven't read her fics, check them out, she's an awesome Sandle writer.

Also to Emmithar, who makes me want to write just by how happy she gets when she finds out I -am- writing. I'd probably be doing homework right now if it wasn't for her. Lol.

Jenny

Chapter Seven:

Sara paced anxiously around the waiting room, wringing her hands in nervous anticipation of the doctor's arrival. Greg had been taken back to an examination room nearly three hours prior, and she still knew nothing.

It wasn't the first time she had paced this room, it was so familiar that without looking she could tell you every crack, every stain, and every scratch from one white wall to the next, from the aging ceilings to the worn floor. She had sat in the chair near the fake plant while she had given a statement to Brass about a shooting both she and Greg had been a part of. She had tread the tiles near the window for hours after Greg had been attacked in the park, not knowing anything and scared to death. Now, her shoes clicking with each step she took, she felt just as helpless.

She was so tied up in her own thoughts and worries that she didn't hear footsteps approaching until someone placed their hand on her shoulder. Spinning around, she came face to face with a distraught Catherine, "We came as fast as we could."

Sara glanced behind the blonde to see a weary Warrick holding a sleeping Lyle. With a weak smile, she motioned towards the double doors, "They haven't told me anything."

Catherine led Sara to a chair, sitting down beside her friend and waiting for the brunette to continue. After exhaling a shaky breath, Sara whispered, "One minute he was fine, the next he was falling into my arms. I've never seen anything like it before, something has to be seriously wrong."

"Have you heard anything?"

Sara shook her head, a couple of stray tears spilling onto her cheek, "Not yet. I tried to get some information from the nurse, but she's possibly the least helpful person I've ever come across...thank you for coming, I was going crazy here, alone."

"Greg's practically family...I've known him since he was a bratty rookie. Where else would I be?" Catherine asked softly, squeezing Sara's hand, "This has got to be hard for you."

Sara wiped the tears from her cheeks, drawing in a shaky breath, "No matter how hard I try to figure out exactly what sort of game Greg and I have been playing, I can't seem to get any answers. I just want to be happy again...is that such a hard request?"

"When you've got someone as stubborn as you and Greg? What the two of you need is a long, honest, deep conversation. It's clear that he's got feelings for you, and I know you have feelings for him...you just need to lay your cards on the table and see what you can come up with." Catherine replied, patting the younger woman's hand, "Never underestimate the power of communication."

Sara shrugged, her eyes trailing to the floor, "It's not like we haven't tried, but every time we start to work things out, the bottom falls from underneath us and we're left right where we started."

"I'm sorry."

Sara shrugged, falling silent for a few moments before beginning to tap her foot against the tile, her fingers rapping against her knee. Her 8th grade science teacher had always told her she was too impatient, and by the uncontrollable movement, maybe he had been right. Of course, he had also told her that coming from a poorer family, she'd never make it to college...even with intelligent people, there was still room for error.

Her head began to throb, and glancing down at her watch she realized that in the chaos, she had forgotten to eat. She clenched her fists tightly, contemplating whether or not to wait for word on Greg before hitting the vending machines. With a loud sigh, she decided it wasn't fair to starve her unborn child while she possibly waited for hours for news on Greg. Standing, she motioned towards the doorway, glancing from Warrick to Catherine, "Want something from the snack machine?"

Her friends shook their head and she moved towards the doorway, her stomach starting to growl at the idea of food. By nature, she had little appetite, but in the last few days, she had definitely been ravenous. While some may consider it a welcome relief from the morning sickness that was standard in pregnancy, Sara could only obsess that this was one of the first signs that there was a life growing inside of her.

She honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She had never pictured herself a mother, carrying a chid for a man she wasn't even in a relationship with. Then again, she had never expected to be standing in this dingy hospital again, waiting on word about Greg. Things never seemed to turn out like she expected them to.

She pressed the buttons on the machine, waiting for a moment before her fruit snacks fell from the spiral claw and clanked at the bottom of the receptacle. She rubbed her eyes, glancing towards the coffee pot with envy before scanning the soda machine for a healthy alternative. She settled on a can of Sprite and tiredly padded back to the waiting room, all of her energy suddenly drained. Once she knew Greg was okay, she had a certain date with a pillow, blanket, and soft surface. As she stifled a yawn, she reasoned that any one of those three would suffice at this moment.

Sinking into a chair next to Warrick, she let her eyes close, her makeshift meal forgotten. Within moments she was sleeping so deeply that she didn't even hear the doctor enter the waiting room to deliver his report.

--

"You must have a season pass or something...or is it something like 'stay twice, get one night free'?" Catherine teased lightly, slowly pushing open the door to enter Greg's room, "You gave us quite a scare."

Greg turned his head towards the doorway, disappointment evident on his face as he saw Catherine. With a shrug, he glanced towards the ceiling, "You know me, I can never resist a free meal."

"I actually thought you were just trying to use up a sick day at work." Catherine jabbed playfully, "I know you were expecting Sara, but she's sleeping with Warrick." Upon seeing Greg's shocked expression, Catherine added quickly, "In the waiting room. She fell asleep on Warrick's shoulder. Lyle's on the other...does your mind always jump straight into the gutter?"

"No abusing the ill." Greg replied with a laugh, his eyes growing slightly dark with concern, "How is she holding up?"

"You're the one in the hospital, Greg." Catherine reminded him, "She was doing well when we arrived, worried, but well. Don't worry about her, worry about getting better."

Greg nodded, shaking his head bitterly, "I can't believe this is happening."

"I know...the doctor was shaky with the details, care to give me the 'full-text' version?" Catherine asked, pushing a strand of hair from Greg's face, "You look like crap."

Greg smirked, "Thanks Cath, you look like a million bucks." Shifting slightly, he exhaled slowly, bringing his weary eyes to meet Catherine's concerned baby blues, "There was some sort of poison in my blood stream. I've been feeling bad off and on for a few months now...they're still trying to determine exactly what it was, they know it's something herbal, just not exactly what it was and where it came from. Doctor says that there's a buildup of it, though, like I've been ingesting it for months." He laughed, "I've been eating these organic eggs, bought them from a neighbor...they're probably cracked out or something."

Catherine's gaze narrowed as she questioned, "What about your girlfriend? Didn't she deal with herbs and stuff?"

"I hardly believe Angelle was out to kill me." Greg replied, pausing for a moment before laughing bitterly, "Rob me blind, maybe, but not kill me."

"She does have a record, you know--"

A knock on the door sounded, and Catherine glanced back to see Brittany from day shift, along with Brass, standing in the doorway, "Sorry to interrupt...but I was told to treat this as a criminal case until we can prove otherwise...I need to ask Greg some questions."

"Sure Brittany, Jim." Catherine replied with a warm smile. Turning back to Greg, she ruffled his hair gently, "I'm going to go wake up Sara, I'm sure she'll be excited to see you."

Greg watched as Catherine exited the room, then turned his attention to Brass and Brittany, his voice hard, "I can name a suspect for you."

--

Sara shifted slightly in her chair, mumbling something too soft for both Warrick and Catherine to hear as Catherine entered the waiting room, the door shutting loudly behind her.

"They're treating it as an investigation." Catherine informed Warrick, "I called Grissom before going to see Greg, he agrees with me in thinking maybe Angelle had something to do with this."

Warrick nodded, trying to keep his voice down as Sara shifted again, "The woman was crazy. I wouldn't put it past her. How's Sanders?"

"Joking around as if he's being inconvenienced by being here. He looks pretty pale, but even the short time I was in there, he looked like he's getting more color to his cheeks. They flushed him out pretty well, he's going to be tired for awhile, but I think he'll be okay. The first thing he asked about was Sara."

"Figures." Warrick smirked, "They both need to wake up and see what's in front of them."

Catherine shrugged, sitting down across from her husband, "There's a lot of tension, a lot of history between them, it's not as easy as it looks. I, personally, don't want to stand back and watch them destroy themselves again. I hate to see them in so much pain."

"Constantly." Warrick added, "I'm glad we didn't have to go through all of that to end up together."

Catherine nodded, and the room fell silent for a few moments before Lyle started to wail. Warrick moved to quiet him, but not before a startled Sara bolted upright in her seat, gasping, "It's not my baby!"

Catherine looked at Warrick with a smile before turning to Sara, who was just starting to become alert to her surroundings, "Is there something you want to tell us?"

"No." Sara breathed, rubbing her eyes tiredly, her cheeks pink, "Lyle just scared me, that's all."

Warrick shifted Lyle to his other arm, patting the boy on his back, "You calling my boy scary?"

"Shut up." Sara replied, rolling her eyes, "Has there been any news on Greg?"

Catherine gave Sara a warm smile, "He's awake, and asking for you. Brass and Brittany are with him now, but they shouldn't be long."

"Brass? Brittany? That little blonde bimbo from days? What's going on?" Sara asked, suddenly very alert, "What did I miss?"

Catherine motioned towards the doorway, "I'll let Greg fill you in...don't worry, he's going to be fine."

Sara rose to her feet, only to be overcome by a wave of dizziness, causing her knees to buckle and her body to fall back into her seat. With a slight moan, she rubbed her temples, taking a deep breath, "Okay, I'm not going to sleep in these chairs again."

"Are you alright?" Catherine asked, motherly concern taking over as she stood and walked to Sara's hunched over form, "When's the last time you ate something?"

Sara shook her head, her stomach rebelling slightly at the idea of food, "Just got up too fast, don't worry. I was more tired than I thought, I suppose."

Catherine moved her hand to Sara's forehead, but Sara pulled away with a frown, "Seriously, I'm fine, Cath."

"Okay, okay." Catherine relented, "I can't help it, Warrick's hogging the baby and I just have to mother someone."

Sara laughed, rising to her feet once more, relieved when she was able to maintain the position, "Isn't that why you have two kids?"

"Point." Catherine responded, "Room 315."

"Got it." Sara replied, stifling a yawn as she moved to the doorway. After spending some time with Greg, she definitely had a date with her bed.

She had just reached Greg's room when the door swung open to reveal a somber Brass and Brittany. With a slight grimace, Brass spoke solemnly, "Sara, CSI Davis and I have a few questions to ask you."

TBC