A/N - I will try to update frequently and get this done for you guys. I write this at night and just paste it the next day, so there are grammar mistakes... sorry about that and usually you guys can figure out what I meant...

If you are a person who prays, please keep us in Minneapolis in your prayers, the tragedy has touched home with all of us, involved directly with the accident or not, as we all have crossed that bridge thousands of times over the years, and this is all still surreal for us.

Disclaimer - You know the drill, CSI ain't mine!
The morning sun came to rest on Nick's face; he opened his eyes and panicked for a moment before he remembered where he was.

Grissom and Sara's couch.

He sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes before flipping open his phone.

"Brown"

"Hey Rick its me, anything change?

"Gris is over talking to the surgeon now, but it looks like she came through the surgery man."

Nick glanced at his watch; Sara had been in surgery for nearly 7 hours.

"Hold on Nick, here comes Gris."

Nick listened closely and heard Grissom give the update. "She had extensive internal bleeding and a lacerated liver. Her left arm is broken, her legs are broken, and she had some lacerations on her neck and head. She is severely dehydrated, and has some swelling in her brain, but she made it through the surgery but she is still in critical condition. The next 24 hours are going to be crucial, they're moving her to ICU, I will be able to see her for a few moments but that's it. You guys have been here all night, you need to go home and sleep and get some food." Nick heard everyone refuse and he chimed in too.

"Hey Rick? I'm going to feed and walk Bruno and then I will be heading over there"

"See you in a bit man"

Nick stood up, fixed the cushions on the back of the couch and headed towards the kitchen. As he passed the stairs he called for Bruno, and he could hear a thump, followed by the sound of nails on the hardwood floors upstairs. He grabbed the bowls and began rinsing and refilling the water dish. Bruno appeared in the kitchen, gave a little stretch and greeted Nick with a nuzzle on the leg.

"Hey boy! Here you go!" He said as he set the kibble in front of the hungry dog. He glanced at the fridge and saw a little note, in Sara's handwriting.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4

Nick removed the magnet and slipped the paper into his wallet for safe keeping.

He glanced over at Bruno who had finished his breakfast and now had water seeping down the side of his lips. Nick opened the door and Bruno sauntered out into the sunlight with Nick right behind him.

The backyard was small and simple; a small patio with a table sporting an umbrella covered in dragonflies, a row of potted plants lined the patio - their flowers starting to bloom. Nick grabbed the hose and sprinkled water across the thirsty plants, he wanted them to be alive and blooming, just like Sara would be when she returned home.

The sun beamed over Vegas and Nick decided not to walk Bruno in the heat, they went back in the house and Bruno ran into the den and settled on a chair next to the central air vent. Nick told Bruno he'd be back later and headed back towards the hospital.

Nick walked down the sterile hallway towards the waiting room where the team was gathered. Catherine saw him and waved him in.

"Grissom is in with Sara, they said he can only see her for a few moments. Poor thing, he is just a mess. He's trying to pull a Grissom and hide it the best he can, but he is mess." Catherine told him.

"So what is the house like man?" Warrick asked.

"Yes! I want to know!!" Catherine chimed in.

"It's nice, very simple. Small and Cozy. They've decorated with bugs in frames... very Grissom. Its really warm, over-stuffed furniture, pictures of them scattered around the house..its neat but not sterile feeling... nothing like I imagined it would be. And the dog is the best dog, he's a sweet boy." Nick decided it was best not to tell them about the scrapbook or that they had planned on getting married, he didn't want it to get back to Gil, he didn't want him to think he was snooping around.

Grissom walked in and sat on the nearest chair. His face was pale and his eyes were red. No one said anything, they didn't know what to say to comfort him.

"She looks like shit" Grissom grunted. "She looks so small, and broken."

"Natalie is going away forever Gil; you know she is going to get the needle" Brass spoke up.

"And Sara is strong, she will get stronger in time" Nick added

"And she has you Gil, she has someone to be there for her through all of this" Catherine said.

"Sara is a survivor" Warrick chimed in

"We are ALL here for you guys, and we'll be there for you both" Greg said.

Grissom looked up at the room full of people who cared about Sara, and him as well, and all he could mutter was "Thank you. Thank you guys."

After a moment of silence, his eyes turned to Nick "How is Bruno?"

"Great, we played in the backyard this morning after I fed him, he watched me water the plants outside and then settled in on the chair in the den."

Grissom smiled, remembering how Sara had had a smear of dirt on her face while she planted those flowers, he neglected to tell her because she looked so cute and he wanted to be the one to wipe it from her cheek.

"What kind of dog is Bruno?" Greg questioned, trying to lighten up the conversation as much as he could.

"Boxer" Nick and Grissom said at the same time.

"Yeah I can see you with a dog like that" Greg chuckled

"He's a great dog Gris, he really is" Nick said

"The best" Gil answered back

There was silence again, no one knowing what to say to comfort him.

I know you guys have a lot of questions" Grissom said, as his team all looked up at him "And I want you to know that we didn't keep it from you because we didn't trust you, or didn't want you to know, but it was self preservation. A supervisor dating one of his co-workers is not acceptable. We had to avoid being found out at all costs, we have a great team and we work well together, and we didn't want to throw a wrench into the works. We didn't want to lose our jobs. We couldn't say anything."

"We understand Gil. We do." Catherine said, knowing it was hard for Gil to have said that. Everyone agreed.

Gil sighed, relieved they weren't upset with him, they were the closest thing he had to a family, and while he would never say that out loud, he hoped they all knew it somehow.

"Food?" Nick said, scanning the room for a breakfast buddy.

"Why don't you, Greg, Rick, and Catherine go?" Brass chimed in. "We'll stay here, and when you get back, Gil and I can get some grub"

As they headed down to the cafeteria, no one said anything. It had been a surreal day for them, and they were still processing everything they had learned. Once they got their breakfast and found a table Greg spoke up.

"You know, you work with a guy for years and years, and you think you have him pegged, and then it turns out they aren't what they seemed." He said, sliding some scrambled eggs onto his fork.

"I know it's hard to believe but Grissom IS human you know." Warrick said, trying desperately to cut his sausage with a plastic knife.

Catherine nodded as she was smothering her pancakes in syrup.

"Want some pancakes with that syrup?" Nick joked as he buttered his own stack of pancakes.

"Oh shut it Nicky." She snapped back jokingly. "Ok, so bugs on the walls, comfy furniture, and a great dog. Tell us more about the Grissom/Sidle house, details, DETAILS Stokes"

"It's a normal house." Nick said, not knowing what information he could give to satisfy Catherine but save some of Gil and Sara's privacy. "Their upstairs bathroom is burgundy... Grissom has a scorpion in a box next to the bed... Sara reads 'Cosmo'... I don't know what else to tell you Cath"

Catherine thought for a moment. "Did you look in their bathroom cabinets?"

"No! Guys don't do that Catherine."

Warrick laughed "It's true we don't do that, only at crime scenes"

"I'm telling ya, you can tell a lot about someone by the contents of their bathroom cabinets and their fridge." Catherine told them. "Did you at least look in the fridge?"

"Nope." Nick smiled, seeing Catherine getting agitated.

"Damn you Stokes" She muttered, before stuffing a few pieces of Pancakes in her mouth.

Upstairs it was quiet as Brass sat gazing out the window, the Vegas skyline in the distance. Grissom watched the nurses going in and out of the double doors that kept Sara from him. He turned to his longtime colleague and drew a sharp breath.

"You knew about us, didn't you?"