Chapter Nine

He looked into the mirror for the fifth time that morning and brushed away the remaining dust on his shoulder. He rarely wore the uniform anymore and was surprised that it hadn't gathered cobwebs from sitting in the closet, ignored for so long. Brass's attention snapped back to the image in front of him. He sighed and adjusted his tie once more. He was ready. It was time to say one final goodbye to Warrick Brown.


Greg sat on his bed and looked down at the suit in front of him. An annoyed voice brought his attention back to his phone. "Sorry. Like I said earlier, I should be able to fly out on Sunday. You can set the meeting for Monday morning." He took out his planner and listened as the woman on the line set up a new appointment time. He glanced back down at his bed and shook his head. Just as the woman on the line was about to hang up, he stopped her. "One other thing, I'd like to change the dedication." He paused and smiled softly. "Keep the part about my family and the team, but underneath it, have it read 'For Warrick, a man who grew up in Las Vegas and encompassed all that is great about it'."


He took every shirt out of his closet, searching desperately for a dress shirt that would fit over his cast. After trying on the last one, he sighed. It was useless. He hung the shirts back up and examined what was left. Finally, he decided on a short sleeved button up. He brought the shirt over his shoulders and fumbled as he worked the buttons through their holes. It was not an easy job for a man in a cast.

Finally dressed, Nick sat on the edge of his bed. He wanted a moment to gather his thoughts before Greg arrived. His eyes wandered down to his cast. He shook his head. Warrick would have kicked his ass for that one.


She heard a faint knock just as she stepped out of the shower. The door opened and Grissom peered in. "Sara, are you done with the shower?"

"Yeah, it's all yours." She began to towel herself off and watched as he maneuvered himself around her, stopping briefly in front of her as he brushed by. When he stripped off his boxers and stepped into the shower, she exited the bathroom.

Entering the bedroom, she sat on the bed, towel still wrapped around her. She told herself she had to get ready, but found she couldn't move from her position. She mentally chastised herself, but still didn't move to get up. Instead, she remained seated and let her thoughts run free.

She thought about death and how she had always felt it's presence weighing down on her until she felt she had to run and escape from it all. She thought about Grissom and how he was the only one able to lift her from beneath the weight and give her the strength to continue. She thought about everything that she had lost, but also everything she had gained over the years, and she thought about Warrick Brown.


Her hands shook as she tried to do her hair and apply her make-up. She had made several attempts at both, but had to abort each effort. Finally, she gave up and asked her mother and daughter for help.

She sat on her bed, smoothing her shaking hands over her black dress as Lily managed to fix her hair while Lindsay applied the make-up. Her trembling form made the task difficult and they had to ask her to hold still. She forced herself to cut off her thoughts and stare straight ahead.

"All finished, mom."

The words were all she needed to allow the thoughts to seep back in and release the emotion she had been holding in for the past twenty minutes. However, instead of returning to the soft tremor and quiet tears she'd shed before, she began shaking, almost violently. She relaxed slightly when she felt Lindsay's hand clasp her own and felt her mother's arms come around her body and pull her back into her mother's embrace.

She wept as she thought about her friend, her great friend. Her daughter gripped her hand while her mother gently rocked and soothed her. Slowly, she began to relax and the shakes began to subside. She stood and steadied herself, straightening herself out in front of the mirror. She wiped her eyes and steeled her face. She was going to be strong for Warrick.


Sara was sitting on the bed, half dressed, when he came out of the bathroom. He crossed the room towards her and moved to sit beside her. Suddenly she sprang from the bed and turned her back to him, bringing the strap of her dress over her shoulder as she moved. He stood, puzzled by her reactions, hands wanting to reach out to her, but stopping short of grasping her shoulders. He was afraid she was hiding her pain from him. "Sara, you don't have to hide from me. You know that."

He took another step closer and watched as she turned her head, looking at him from over her shoulder. "I'm not. I, uh, need you to zip up my dress."

"Oh." He felt an enormous sense of relief. "Of course." He bridged the remaining space between them and tenderly ran his hand up her spine before following the movement with her zipper. He fastened the clasp on top and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on the back of her shoulder blade. He turned her in his arms and stepped back. "You look beautiful."

"Do I? I mean, I didn't really know what to wear. Should I have worn black? Is this alright?"

He gazed at the lilac colored dress on her and smiled. "It's fine, Sara."

"Great." He felt her eyes roam over his body and stop at the towel around his waist. "You need to get ready."

He gave her a smile as she moved back into the bathroom. He turned back towards the bed and glanced down at the suit she had laid out for him. He sighed and began to dress.

He brought his jacket over his shoulders and smiled at Sara as she reentered, hair tied back. He brlushed when she smiled appreciatively. He handed Sara her jacket. "You ready?"

"Yeah."

He helped her with her jacket and led her to the door by the small of her back. As he stepped out the door, he took a deep breath, trying to focus on what was important. Today was not the day to think about the lab's inability to find Warrick's killer. It was not the day to think about the latest serial killer that left the lab with no evidence to go on. He looked over at Sara. She gave him a soft smile and grasped his hand. It was the day to take comfort in loved ones. He gazed into her eyes and saw the life in front of him. He squeezed her hand and brought it to his lips, lovingly kissing the back of it. "Come on, it's time to celebrate the life of Warrick Brown."