Daddy Don't Leave!
Chapter 7
Disclaimer: Don't own CSI, never will.
Summary: The eldest Grissom child tries to stop her parents from separating. Will she succeed or fail?
A/N: This isn't beta-ed, so there could be a few mistakes. This is the last chapter...I am very sorry for the long wait. I hope you guys like the final chapter!
Grissom found a well known child psychiatrist and called to make an appointment for his daughter. The phone rang and a warm, female voice answered with a southern twang, "Hello, this is Dr. Meredith Greiner, Child Psychiatrist...how may I help you?"
"Hello, this is Gil Grissom and my eight year old daughter needs your help," he said. "She saw a drug user break into our home and shoot her mother...she can't sleep without having a nightmare. I just want to help my little girl."
"Okay, I have an opening tomorrow evening at six o'clock if you're free," she said. "Six to seven, that is."
Grissom nodded and said, "Thank you very much, that would be great."
"I will see you then Mr. Grissom, have a good evening," she said before ending the call.
Grissom nodded, even though she couldn't see it, and answered, "Okay, thank you very much."
They hung up, and Grissom walked to his bedroom. He pasted his daughter's room, and poked his head in. She was fast asleep and he smiled before heading into his own bedroom. He crawled into the bed, and as soon as his head hit the pillows he was out like a light. He was awoken however to someone tapping his shoulder. He groaned and opened his eyes. His eyes adjusted to the light and he saw the outline of his daughter standing there. She was hugging her abdomen, shaking slightly.
"Daddy, can I sleep with you...I had a bad dream," she whispered fearfully.
Grissom's heart broke hearing his daughter's terror. He pulled back the covers and scooted to his wife's side of the bed. Samantha got in and Grissom pulled the covers over the two of them. Sam curled into a tight ball and gripped the comforter and sheet tightly in her fist. Grissom sighed and stroked his daughter's hair. Sam relaxed and fell asleep easily.
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The next morning, Grissom drove to the hospital. Sam and Erik were going to be staying at Catherine's house while he visited Sara. He walked into her room and she was awake and eating breakfast. He smiled as he walked over and kissed her cheek gently. He pulled up a chair and sat down.
"How'd you sleep?" he asked her.
She shrugged and said, "As well as you can for just being shot twice, I guess."
Grissom smirked at her. He sighed and said, "Sam woke up in the middle of the night and woke me up because she had a nightmare...other than that I think she slept through the night. I called the Child Psychiatrist's office last night...we were able to get an appointment for Sam tonight at six o'clock with Doctor Meredith Greiner."
"Good...I remember the therapy sessions I had when I was a kid," Sara said quietly. "They didn't do jack squat...I only remembered the murder and relived the abuse in my dreams. They couldn't help me in my dreams...hopefully since Sam is younger that she'll just forget about it. Or maybe have trauma-induced amnesia...I wish I had some of that. No...instead, all they did was assume I was okay and gave me a bottle of pills for depression."
Grissom's heart broke as he listened to his wife spill out secret she probably had locked inside of her for many, many years. He saw the haunted look cross her eyes and she started strumming her fingers anxiously on her lap. Grissom took a pained breath in and leaned forward. He wrapped his arms around her wounded frame and gently squeezed. She sighed and rested her head on his arm. He could feel her shaking and he kissed her head.
"Oh honey, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hair.
She smiled at him and sighed. She looked at him and said, "Do you know when the hell I'm getting outta here?"
Grissom looked at her incredulously.
"Sara, you just got shot twice in the chest...give it time," he said gently.
She rolled her eyes and said, "I know...you're probably right. But I hate hospitals. I'm asking the doctors anyways."
The doctors agreed with Grissom, and Sara was stuck in the hospital bed for another week. After that, Sara was released with a clean bill of health, but unable to return to work until after her checkup in a month. Grissom drove her home, holing her hand gingerly the whole ride. They got home and he opened the car door for her, helping her out. She furrowed her brows at this and he just shrugged and said, "You're hurt and I want to make this marriage work...you're my life and you deserve to know it."
Tears welled up in her eyes from his statement and she climbed out. Grissom wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her make her way to the front door. Even though she felt babied, she felt loved. She rested her head on his shoulder and held his hand as they made their way towards their house. Grissom opened the door and the team was sitting there, and all shouted, "Welcome home, Sara!"
Sara stood there, shocked. A huge grin graced her lips as she continued to walk inside. Everyone rushed up to her as if they hadn't seen her in weeks, when in reality, they had just spoken to her two days ago. They all took turns giving her hugs and then stepped back as little Erik rushed up to her. Grissom picked up the boy and let Sara sit down before depositing him on her lap. He wrapped his arms around his mother and she held him tightly.
"Love you Mommy...missed you," he said, curling up on her lap.
She smiled and kissed his temple. She brushed the curls out of his face and said, "I love you too Erik...and I missed you to buddy. It's good to be home."
She smiled at them all, but her smile faded as she didn't see her eight year old daughter anywhere. Grissom saw her look of concern and asked her what was wrong. She continued to absently run her fingers through her son's hair and asked, "I'm fine, but where's Sam?"
Grissom sighed and replied, "In her room...she's been in there since we've come home from her psychiatrist appointment, She won't talk to anyone and she hasn't eaten yet...I've tried to talk to her but her door is locked."
Sara's heart ached as she listened to her husband. She moved Erik off her lap and excused herself to go to her daughter's room. As her husband had said, she found her daughter's door locked and she heard sniffling from inside. She took in a deep breath before knocking. She heard Samantha suck in a breath and Sara called, "Sam, honey it's me...can you please open the door? Sweetheart, I want to talk to you."
"Just leave me alone," she heard her daughter whimper.
Sara's heart broke as she heard the vulnerability in her daughter's voice. Sara tried again, saying, "Baby, I know it hurts, I do. Please, all I want to do is help you...let me in."
Sara heard nothing from behind the door and turned to leave. At the end of the hallway, she heard the door open and her daughter stood there, pale and shaking. Upon seeing this, Sara rushed up to her and embraced her tightly. Sam broke down as she buried her face in her mother's shoulder. Sara rubbed her daughter's back soothingly, barely containing her own tears. Sara walked with her into the eight year old's bedroom and shut the door behind them. They sat down on the bed and Sam cried, "I can't make it go away!"
Sara knew what her daughter meant; she was reliving the attack every night in her dreams, maybe even during the day. Sara sighed and held her close. Sam's tears dampened her mother's shirt, but Sara didn't care. She ran her hand soothingly up and down her daughter's arm and whispered, "I know, honey, I know. This might not be what you want to hear right now, but you need to give it time. I know...I was haunted every night in my dreams by my father's murder and the terrible abuse I suffered from him. I heard my screams, I heard his laughter, I heard the blood-curdling scream he uttered as he died...I could still see my mother stabbing him over and over again. I went to psychiatrist after psychiatrist...nothing helped. They gave me all sorts of pills to make it go away, but that didn't work either. I eventually just stopped trying to live in the past and started living my life and the nightmares lessened and lessened until I stopped having them on a regular basis. Sure, I still am haunted by a nightmare once in awhile, but do you know what really helped me...your Dad. He stuck with me through thick and thin, never complaining if I awoke, terrified because I thought I was a little girl in an abusive house. He comforted me, held me, and talked with me...and I will always be here for you, okay. I promise."
Sam sniffled and wiped her eyes as she listened to her mother. Sam took in a deep breath and thanked her. Sara pulled away and looked into her eyes before saying, "Honey, I'm your Mom...I'm here to make you feel better. Would you like to come out with everyone else now? I'm sure they'd love to see you, sweetheart. Come on...let's go Sam."
Samantha stood up and walked out into the living room with her mother.
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After the welcome home party, the whole Grissom household was exhausted. Grissom put the kids to bed before joining his wife in their bedroom. He lay down next to her, but she was curled into the position she had been sleeping in for the past for months: a ball. Grissom's heart broke as he realized he caused her to curl up protectively. He hadn't held her properly (not counting at the hospital) for several months. They had always been arguing and had been avoiding each other as much as possible. He sighed and decided to take a chance. He reached out and placed his hand upon her bare shoulder. She tensed up immediately, and Grissom's heart nearly broke at this reaction. He stroked it lovingly and whispered, "Honey, I'm sorry."
Confused, Sara turned to face him. She asked why and he rested his hand on her cheek. He took in a deep breath and said, "I've been a jerk to you for the past several months...you're too special of a woman to deserve that kind of treatment. I haven't touched you like this in a long time, and that's not right."
"You had to have touched me in order to get me pregnant," she said, a small smile gracing her lips.
The smile quickly disappeared as her hands went to her flat stomach. Grissom saw the sorrow and reached out to hold her hand. She looked at their intertwined fingers that rested on her empty abdomen. She sighed as she wondered if the baby she had been carrying was a boy or girl, if she would've been a good mother to it, if it would've seen her and Gil fighting. She bit her lip as the tears burned her eyes. Grissom pulled her tight as he saw the tears she was trying to hold back. She sniffled and Grissom rocked her gently.
"Honey, it wasn't your fault," he whispered in her ear.
She nodded and realized he was right. Why was she beating herself up? She didn't ask to be shot. She wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and got as close to him as possible. He breathed in her scent as she held onto him for dear life. He stroked her back and heard her whisper, "God, I've missed this."
Grissom nodded and said, "Me too...I was a fool before. How was I so ready to give this up? From now on, I will fight more for what I love."
Sara smiled against his shoulder and kissed his cheek. She let go, but settled herself next to him. She spooned up against him and held his hand as she closed her eyes. Before drifting off to sleep, she murmured, "I love you."
"I love you too baby," he whispered, kissing her head. "I'm not leaving...I made a vow on our wedding day, 'till death to us part.' Until we die, I will always be here for you, no matter what."
Sara's heart melted and before slipping into a blissful sleep, she knew that everything was okay.
A/N 2: Yes, this is the end. Again, I'm very sorry for the delay. Please review one last time and make me very happy. A big thanks is going out to the following people for taking the time out of their day to read and review for some random 15 year old girl's writing...thank you so much:
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Thanks a bunch for reviewing...you guys are amazing!
A special thanks goes out to:
theyHAUNTmefor telling me to get my butt moving on posting this last chapter, for reviewing, and for being an awesome sister!
and
Kayla-Louise because she also reviewed for this story regularly, and thank you so much for being there for Ashley.