I am so sorry this has taken so long to be updated. My friend got me addicted to Torchwood and I've been busy at Uni so I've not had time to even think about CSI. Slap on the wrist to me. I would be so grateful for any reviews.
Fragility
Chapter 5
Gil woke with a start as a door opened, he'd not been asleep long but had finally been lulled into slumber by the steady beep of the machines that were keeping Sara alive.
He turned to see the nurse smiling apologetically at him. "You look exhausted Doctor Grissom, you should go home, get some sleep."
Gil shook his head. "No, I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving her. I don't want her to be alone."
The nurse smiled, she picked up the file at the end of the bed and began making notes.
"Is there any change?"
"Not much, but she's stable."
Grissom sighed slightly. "Can she hear me?"
"Possibly, there's a lot of debate about it. But most people believe that an unconscious patient will have some awareness of what is happening around them. Talking to her might help, a familiar voice can do a lot when someone is so ill." The nurse patted him gently on the shoulder and then left the room.
He reached over and took hold of her hand, noticing how cold it was, she always had warm hands.
"Sweetheart? I'm not sure if you can hear me, but, I've got a feeling that you can. Don't know why, I haven't got any evidence, just a feeling.
I love you, I know I don't tell you enough. I should tell you every minute of every day but I don't. Just take it for granted that you know. I do love you though. I've loved you forever, for my whole life.
I know your probably scared, even though you'd deny it. But you don't need to be scared. I'm here and I promise that I will do everything I can, I won't let anyone do anything unless it is the best for you. So just relax, let yourself get better. I promise I won't leave your side. I'm not going to leave this hospital until you do." He kissed her hand gently.
---
Catherine caught the nurse as she left the room. "Can we see her?"
"I'm sorry, we can't risk you catching meningitis." The nurse said quietly.
"But we work with Sara, surely we've already been exposed to it. What difference is it going to make if we see her again?" Greg said anxiously.
"Ok, I'll talk to the doctor. He'll probably want you to take the preventative medication anyway seeing as you've come into to close contact with her. I'll ask him when he comes to do his rounds."
---
"I've spoken to the doctor. You need to each take this tablet. It helps to prevent meningitis. Then you can see her, but only one at a time and just for a short time."
"Thank you." They all said swallowing the tablet down willingly.
---
Catherine entered the room quietly, closing the door silently behind her. She sat down beside the bed on the opposite side to Grissom.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Grissom said softly, not taking his eyes off of Sara's face.
"Yes, she is."
"I've loved her since the moment I first met her. I was at the Forensic Academy Conference, giving a lecture and she was there. She kept on asking questions. I'd been staring at her throughout the lecture." He smiled slightly. "She was quite a distraction."
He continued gently stroking her hand with his thumb. "I've wasted so much time, Catherine. Far too much time. And now I might lose her and I don't think I could bare that."
"She's strong Gil. She's a fighter."
---
"Is she going to die?" Greg asked quietly.
"No." Nick replied firmly. "She isn't."
"She'll be ok." Warrick said calmly.
Greg looked anxiously at the clock and then at the door to Sara's room, he'd been doing it repeatedly since he had sat down.
---
"How long have you known her?"
"Seven years."
"We all wondered about her when you brought her in. She must have loved you even then to drop everything and move to Vegas."
"I never really thought about it like that. I thought she'd be good for the team and I really wanted to work with her. Didn't think about it from her point of view."
---
"Catherine thinks that Sara and Grissom are together." Nick said after several minutes of silence, interrupted only by Greg's fidgeting.
"Seriously?" Warrick asked looking surprised.
"They are, have been for a while." Brass said as everyone turned to look at him in surprise. "I've seen them together a couple of times."
"Grissom must be terrified." Warrick said.
---
"I've never been more scared."
"She'll be alright."
"What if she's not?"
---
"Can't believe we didn't realise."
"That must have been a nightmare to keep from us."
"What are they like together?" Greg asked curiously.
Brass smiled. "It's sweet. Sara actually lets Grissom take care of her."
"Does he love her?" Nick asked, he was protective of Sara.
"He's loved her for years. It's just taken him a while to notice."
---
"I thought she just had 'flu. I knew she was ill. I should have done something."
"Gil, there is no way you could have known that she had meningitis."
"I should have made her get checked out, or stayed in the lab. If she'd been in the lab when she collapsed then she would have got to hospital quicker."
"If she'd been in the lab she might have been alone. And she wouldn't have had Al there to diagnose her."
"No, this is my fault, Catherine. She was exhausted, she's been working too hard. That made her vulnerable to illness. I shouldn't have let her work so much."
"Gil, this is ridiculous. When has anyone ever been able to tell Sara Sidle that she's working too hard. This isn't your fault. It isn't anyone's fault. She came into contact with the bacteria somewhere and she got sick. It was just bad luck."
Grissom shook his head. "I should have done something. I should have known."
He jumped up in surprise as he felt someone squeeze his hand. "Sara?"