Thicker than Blood: Part Five
Sara was resting on her bed when she heard a knock at the door. Slowly getting up to answer it she glanced at the clock. 4:45 AM.
Opening the door just enough, she saw Catherine and opened it all the way to let her in.
"Hey"
"Hey, where is Lindsey?"
"They fell asleep watching a movie, I really didn't feel like waking them, so I left them there. We have to leave soon. I just realized the time." Sara said picking up the girls bags. "I'm going to go and put these in my car, I'll be right back."
"Ok, do you want me to wake up Mel too?"
"Yeah, wake Mel up but let Maria sleep." Sara responded walking out the door.
When she arrived back into her apartment the girls were in the middle of saying good-bye.
"Have a good time Sara. Just think you could meet a guy there."
"Ha ha Cath, very funny. You have the information for our flight, Hannah's address and house number?"
"Yes, I have it all on the paper that you gave me. Stop worrying, everything will be fine here, have fun."
Sara turned to Mel, "Go get in the car, I'm going to bring Maria out once I shut off everything."
"Ok, I'll bring out the rest of the bags." Mel informed Sara before she walked into her and Maria's shared room.
After walking around the apartment to make sure everything is turned off, Sara walked into Maria's room noticing that she had a few nightmares because of the askew covers. Sara slowly picked Maria up trying hard not to wake her. She walked outside and placed Maria in the back seat where Mel attached her buckle.
After saying their good-byes to Catherine and Lindsey, they drove to the airport in complete silence.
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The flight was really uneventful, Mel and Maria slept, Sara couldn't even if she tried. She re-read the same article several times because every time she started really it and got into it her mind would wander off and think of Grissom.
What the hell went wrong? We were happy, even for the short period of time that we were together. Wait, oh wait. I'm the reason he left. No!! That can't be! Sara thought.
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Sara had Mel watch Maria and the luggage while she went to go rent a car. The line wasn't that long, but she got board of waiting after a while. It would have been easier if I had Hannah or Roger come pick me up. Sara thought.
"Miss, I can help you at this counter." The lady said waving her hand at Sara. "How can I help you?"
"I reserved a car for the next week and a half."
"Okay, what's your name?"
"Sara Sidle."
"Okay" She paused to organize papers, "can you sign these, and would you like insurance?"
"No she won't, they always jack the price of the insurance when you really don't need it." A guy said standing behind Sara.
Sara turned around to see a tall 6 foot guy that has floppy curly brown hair, adorable chocolate brown eyes, and a smile that will make you melt. "Michael." Sara whispered.
"Come on, I have a car. No need for you to rent one." Michael said grabbing her hand and starting to walk.
"But do you have a booster seat."
"Yes, Hannah mentioned that you have guardianship of your nieces."
They walked quietly over to where Mel and Maria were sitting with the luggage. Michael let go of Sara's hand when they reached the girls, but Sara forgot that he was even holding her hand.
"Ready to go?" Sara said when the girls looked up.
"Yeah, but who's this?" Mel asked pointing to Michael.
"This is Michael, a friend of mine."
"Ah, okay, can we go, I really hate holiday traveling. Too many people." Mel said as she started walking towards the parking lot.
"And how old is she?" Michael asked.
"She's 15. Believe it?" Sara asked as she picked up her carry-on, and held Maria hand.
They were all packed away in the car, Michael started driving towards Roger's. The girls were preoccupied the whole time with their ipods. Periodically looking over at Michael, Sara couldn't understand why he was doing this. She racked her brain to come to a conclusion but couldn't find one. "Michael, why the hell are you doing this?"
Glancing over at Sara noting that she was serious, he had to think of a reason to give because he couldn't just spring the real reason on her. Do I dare tell her? Nah, I'll wait for that. Michael thought to himself.
"I can't do a nice thing for my friend?"
"Michael, we haven't spoken since I left San Francisco for Vegas." She paused to see if she would get a reaction out of him. "You kept avoiding my calls, deleting my e-mails, and probably burning my letters. What the hell changed?"
"Sara, I… I honestly don't know what to say." He paused and glanced over at her. "And for the record, I didn't burn the letters, I read them, I didn't delete your e-mails, I read them."
Does he still have feelings for me? Oh jeez, did he hear that I might be taking a job here? Oh crap, no! Damn this is going to be one very interesting vacation. Sara let her mind wander.
"How long are you here for?" Sara asked 15 minutes later, still staring out the window, noting that they were getting close to Roger's house.
"I live here Sara." He paused to understand how she didn't know this, then went on explaining, "When the e-mails started to slow down, and the letters stopped, I couldn't stand living there anymore, I put it my resignation to Joe, finished the last 2 weeks, and left. Came here to live with Warren for a little while. Did job searching, I took a job for the feds for about 2 years almost 3 then Roger had just become Assistant Director of the lab, and they needed to fill a Night Shift Supervisor position. He offered, I accepted."
"How long have you been here?" Sara asked trying not to seem effected.
"A little over 3 years."
"Are we there yet?" Maria asked from the backseat.
"We will be there in less than a minute, just need to pull into this driveway." Michael said as doing so.
While Sara and Michael are unloading the luggage from the car, Roger spots them from the kitchen window. "Hannah, Michael is here!" Roger shouted up the stairs.
"Who's Michael?" Gil questioned.
"The Night Shift Supervisor." Roger responded while opening the door.
"Hi Roger!" Michael said lugging two suitcases in with the girls in tow.
"How about everyone goes into the living room and finds a seat, I'll help the girls with their luggage." Hannah said from the top of the stairs.
Gil, Michael and Roger wandered into the living room, while Hannah stood at the door waiting for Sara. Roger made introductions while waiting in the living room.
"Hey, where's your car?" Hannah asked as Sara walked up the walkway.
"Michael was at the airport. He drove us here."
"OoO."
"Don't start Han. This is the first time I've seen or talked to him since I left for Vegas."
"Is that Sara I hear?!" Roger bellowed from the living room with a smirk gracing his face.
"Roger!" Sara stepped into the embrace with her friend.
"I've missed you guys!" Sara said burying her face in Roger's shoulder, trying to hold back the tears.
"Hey, I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine from college." Roger whispered in her ear. "I think you will really like him."
Sara pulled back from Roger's embrace.
"Sara," turning toward Gil who was sitting on the armchair in the corner of the room. "I think you know who he is." Roger said with a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Hi Sara."
"What….what..uh..what are you doing here?" Sara tried to process everything at once.
"Visiting Roger for Thanksgiving and helping in out that the lab. Where do you think I went?"
Sara thought for a minute about everything before responding, "Off the face of this goddamn Earth!" And with that Sara stormed out of the living room and into the guest bathroom.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Hannah came into the living room just to be pushed back by Michael who was running up the stairs.
Knocking gently on the door, "Sara, it's Michael, do you wanna talk about it?"
"NO!" Sara responded.
He could tell that she was crying. Hand on the doorknob, he turned it but it wouldn't budge. "Sara, move away from the door, please."
"No." She mumbled.
"Do you need help Michael?"
"Not from the person who made her upset." Michael responded hastily.
"Grissom, just leave, that's what you did before!" Sara said through the door, starting to cry harder at the memory.
"Sara, honey, don't do this, we need to talk."
Sara opened the door and was staring at Grissom.
"If we need to talk, then talk."
"Alone, please?" Grissom moved closer to her. But she took a step back, further into the bathroom.
"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it right here."
"Sara, I know that you probably haven't said a word to anyone around here about what happened." Grissom retorted.
"You know what, you're right. I haven't told them. But what I have to tell them, isn't something I could tell them over the phone!"
By now Hannah, Roger and Michelle were standing behind Michael.
Remembering what she was going to tell them suddenly brought back the memories of all the events that had occurred in the previous two months.
"Hey Sar, you alright?" Hannah's tone was full of concern, ad she pushed through the group to get to Sara. Circling her arm around Sara's waist and leading her downstairs, she suddenly feels all of Sara's weight. "Sara?" Hannah caught Sara before she fell head first down the stairs. "Guys, can I have some help here?" Hannah yelled up the stairs.
Michael and Roger rush to pick up Sara from Hannah's grip. Roger got his arm beneath her knees and supported Sara's upper body with his other arm. Carefully walking down the stairs Roger walks into the living room to see Warren sitting there. Standing up abruptly when Warren sees Roger carrying Sara in he asks, "What the hell happened to her?"
"Calm down Warren. It's really a long story so let's just go find Mel and Maria." Michelle said trying to sound calm herself.
"I'm going to go get water and a washcloth." Hannah said as she walked away towards the kitchen.
"Sara, come on honey, wake up. Please?" Gil said caressing her cheek.
"I never meant to leave, I just drove. I didn't plan on staying wherever I ended up. All I could think about when I was at this lab is how much I must have hurt you by leaving. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just left. Honey, am I too late?" Gil whispered in her ear and squeezing her hand.
"Gil?" Roger asked, with a look of curiosity, concern, and pain all wrapped in one.
"I'll fill you in later, Roger. Should we call an EMT?"
"Since she hasn't regain consciousness, then we defiantly should call an ambulance." Roger concluded.
"I already called. They should be here in a few minutes." Michael said walking back into the room, glancing over at Gil who was whispering something in to Sara's ear again.
"Roger, what type of relationship do they have?" Michael kept his eyes locked onto Sara's still form.
"Honestly, I don't know. Hannah probably knows a little but more on the subject since they were both at Berkeley when they met Gil." Roger paused and glanced at the door. "Is it true that you and Sara haven't talked since she left for Vegas?"
"Sort of. She sent me e-mails, letters and called me but I never responded to any of them, it was hard, but I moved on." He paused to glance over at Roger. "Well at least I thought I did."
"They're here!" Hannah screamed.
"Hey Hannah, what's going on?"
"Hey Brian, my friend Sara Sidle was crying and then we tried to get her to walk down stairs, I was guiding her, but then she just fainted or something."
"Okay, I'm going to need all her information." Turning towards the door, "Hank get in here now!"
"Sorry, I grabbed your bag too."
"Thanks. Can you check her vitals while I get her info."
"Of course."
"Ok, Hannah go ahead, Sara Sidle, age-"
"Age 37, not allergic to any meds, was admitted into Desert Palms hospital a few weeks ago for alcohol poisoning, and then a few days after that for a miscarriage."
"WHAT!!!!!" Roger, Hannah, and Michael all yell.
"Grissom, you going to be coming with her to the hospital, we're going to need to run some tests." Hank asked.
"Yes." Grissom responded without thinking. "When did you move here?"
"This is my 5th day here. I couldn't stay in Vegas and I think you know why."
"Irony, I came here because I couldn't deal with it." Grissom chuckled as a tear fell.
"We'll follow in the car." Roger ushered everyone out.
"I'm going to stay here with the kids. Bring Warren to the hospital, he'll wanna be there for Sara." Michael moved out of the way down the hallway.
"Grissom, do you know when she got released from Desert Palms? And what medications she was taking?" Hank asked.
"I don't remember, sorry. I can call someone to see if they know."
"Would you?"
"If it'll help her, yes. You guys go ahead I'll get a ride."
"Ok, thanks." Hank responded as they lifted the stretcher.
Grissom pulled out his new cell phone and called a number that he had memorized.
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(A/N) I know that this chapter is a little short but I wanted to get it to all of you before I leave tomorrow. I am going to try and write some more tomorrow on my 3 hour drive to Bretton Woods. So hopfully there will be another chapter tuesday or wednesday.