Chapter 4
He said, as he fumbled with his key. "Sometimes-sometimes I get angry with mommy, and I do bad things."
"You shouldn't. Mrs Capelin said its wrong."
He seized her small shoulders "what did you tell Mrs Capelin, Melodie?"
"N-Nothing. She said it to Joseph when he hit Kimmy in school."
"oh. Well, sometimes, when people are bad, or naughty, they deserve to get hit."
"Does mommy deserve to get hit?"
"Sometimes"...
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"I hate these things."
Catherine looked at Grissom, his head sunk into his folded arms "No you don't Gil."
"I do. I'll have to talk to all the people who gush all over me, and bad hotel food, and stay in a rat infested-"
"Gil, you're staying the Hilton! Stop making such a fuss! Think of all the damn work we'll have to do here to make up for you...And Kate's taking her holiday half-way through the week you're away."
"ten days."
"huh?"
"I'm away ten days., not a week."
"Fan-bloody-tastic."
They were both sitting at the table in the break room, with case files in front of them, but their minds were both far from the unsolved cases.
After a few seconds, Cath asked him the one question he couldn't answer.
"Will you- will you meet up with Sara? When you're in NY?"
Grissom shrugged, trying to seem ambivalent about the whole Sara-situation."Don't know. Probably not."
She knew not to push and worry at him. "mmhmm..."
He stood abruptly, and moved away from the table, "got to finish that paperwork."
"Have fun."
He left the room without replying. She knew how much Sara had hurt him, when she'd left.
But...but...but...
Catherine kinda had a valid point...he needed to see her, he needed to ask why. He had to see her.
What?! Sara had abandoned him, she had left him. They were in love, he knew she loved him too. He had seen it whenever she looked at him...
So, if he saw her, he could find out why she had done it...
Did he want to know?
Yes.
Uhhh, no. she abandoned you.
But she must have had a reason.
Yeah, if you say so. She's a cold-hearted bitch.
No. She loved you.
Yeah, right. She showed me a wonderful life, then snatched it away. Just like that. I risked it all, she just ran away and took it with her...
Oh god...
He was Lurie. He could hear the interrogation room conversation running through his head...
"Somebody young and beautiful shows up, somebody, we could care about. She offers us a new life with her, but we have a big decision to make, right? Because we have to risk everything we've worked for in order to have her... You risked it all. And she showed you a wonderful life didn't she? But then she took it away, and gave it somebody else, and you were lost. So you took her life. You killed them both, and now you have nothing..."
He hadn't killed her, but she might as well be dead. She hurt him so much. He was still in love with her...he couldn't see again. He couldn't be hurt by her again...
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"Ms...Um...Siddle?"
"Sidle."
"Oh sorry. You have." the doctor shuffled her folders, "two cracked ribs, and some very unpleasant bruising."
"Fabulous." Sara muttered under her breath. She wouldn't have gone, but her ribs had been aching for days.
"Ms. Sidle, I have to say, many of these bruises are consistent with hand marks...is there anything you should tell me?"
Over the past two months, the past three hospital visits, Sara had wanted to tell. Oh god she had wanted to tell so much. It hurt for her to realize she was turning into her mother...
"You say anything, anything, I'll make sure you never see Melodie again." Chris's eyes had flashed as he punched her.
"Ms Sidle? We can stop this happening to you." the doctor looked at her with pity.
"What? No, I work with Law Enforcement. A suspect got violent and I was the one with the key to the cuff's."
"My apologies. Well then, you're good to go, you just need to pick these painkillers from the pharmacy," she was handed a prescription, "then come back in two weeks. We'll see if your ribs are fully healed"
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"Sar? Christmas?" Chris looked at her expectantly. "I think it'd be a good idea for us just to stay here, and not go to mom's this year...quiet Christmas..."
"uh, yeah, sounds good." She was relieved...quiet was good...
"Mommy, uncle John is on your phone."
She took the cellphone away from her daughter, who had grown accustomed to answering her mothers phone. "thank you Melodie." then barked down the phone "Sidle."
"Sara, multiple Dbs East 26th street, next to the park."
"I'll be right there."
Normally, on her nights off, she would deeply resent being called in...but Chris had arranged for his night off to coincide with hers...she wanted out the apartment...
"Babe, I'm sorry." she began but he just cut her off.
"It's fine. Fine. Melodie, would you like to watch a movie?"
"Mouse Hunt! Mouse Hunt!"
"Mouse hunt it is. Say bye to mommy."
Melodie had turned her large blue eyes to face her mother. "Momma, watch it wif us."
"I'm sorry sweetie, I have to go to work." Sara was already slipping her coat on. "I'll see you when I get back."
Sliding on her shoes, she turned. Melodie's face was screwed up, like she might burst into tear. "No momma, stay."
"Melodie, come and watch the movie." Chris's deep voice held no chance for argument, and Melodie trudged back over to the sofa, muttering about "stupid mices...silly chris...mean mommy."
He stood up and pulled Sara's arm. "Sara, don't be late. I took tonight off so we could spend it together. Don't blow me off."
"Chris, get off, I have to go. We'll talk when I get back"
"Sara, don't-"
"I have to go." She pulled her arm away from him, and ran from the apartment.
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She was heading toward the exit when her supervisor called out to her:
"Sara? You got a sec?"
"Sure Helen. What's up?"
"Come to my office."
Slumping into one of the squashy leather chairs, Sara could feel exhaustion creep over her.
"First of all, I want to say well done on cracking the murders on 26th street."
"Thanks."
"Second of all, I want to tell you about an upcoming anthropology seminar we need you to attend."
"What? No, I'm sorry, I can't travel, Melodie n-" Sara's expression was panicked.
"Calm down Sara!" Helen was surprised at the hysterical tone in Sara's voice "You won't be travelling, it's in New York."
"But shouldn't Dr Madden be going? It's his expertise."
"He's taken holiday time then for his daughter's wedding. He refuses to attend. I would go, but we're snowed under with cases here, and the under-sheriff wants a review of every unsolved case from the last four years." she rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I cant do anymore overtime, I-"
"It'll be during work hours. Schmoozing won't go on too late either...we just need someone representing our lab...Sara, this is important."
Urgh. Fine. She'd do it. Whatever. Just...need...to...sleep...now...
"Okay. When exactly is it?"
"Uh, yes...minor problem...I thought Dr Madden was going, so obviously thats why I didn't inform the rest of you about it...but um, it starts on Tuesday..."
"Tuesday? That's three days!"
"I suggest you get your schmoozing hat on immediately Sara." Helen shot her an apologetic smile, as her employee walked to the door.
Sara was furious. They couldn't have given her a little more notice? Oh shit. What was Chris going to say? Shit.
Maybe he wouldn't be at home...he still had his own apartment, although he wasn't spending as much time there...most of his time was spent with Sara and Melodie...
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There was nothing Gil hated more than airplane flights... he didn't care if he had been booked into business class 'deluxe' as Ecklie had proudly told him, he still hated airplanes...
He had never liked flying...it was the smell of the planes that bothered him the most, coupled with the fact he was always sat next to a middle-aged harpy, intent on knowing everything about him...
However...the flight was going well so far, possibly due to the little conversation he had with Catherine before he left...
"So, gil, did you make arrangements to meet up with Sara?"
"No. I don't want to see her." Gil had decided to tell his friend what he was thinking, for once...
"but you-"
"I don't want to see her. I'll probably see her at the seminar anyway." he was putting hi walls up...talking to cath was a mistake.
As she left, she said, "Why would you see her at the seminar? She's not an anthropologist Gil."
With those words, his mood had soared, and crashed, at the same time...
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The entire way home, she was debating what to say to Chris. He would be royally pissed: this meant she most likely wouldn't see him until the seminar was finished: they both knew she'd have to stay late into the evening talking with prospective colleagues and fellow forensics...
She slid her key into the lock.
Immediately she was met by Chris's angry yelling:
"SARA! You said you'd be back on time!"
"Chris-it was important for me to stay..." her tone was pleading
"You bitch! What the hell is the matter with you? Is work more important than your family?"
"Baby, please, I'm so sorry...You know I can't leave in the middle of a case like this! We can go out at the weekend, or next week, it's just that-"
"I don't want to fucking hear it Sara. You expect me to play the loving boyfriend and look after your little shit of a daughter while you can't even be fucking bothered to leave work to spend a little time with me?"
"Chris, don't call her that. I'm sorry about work, but I couldn't leave the case. It's too high profile to be left unsolved for long. I thought that you'd-"
The next thing she knew, stars exploded across her vision, and she could feel his hands around her neck. She tried to push his hands away, but he just tightened them until her vision gave out...
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"...thank you for flying with us..." Grissom slid his laptop into its bag, as he followed the other passengers from the plane.
He was in New York...So was she...somewhere...
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"Shit! Oh, shit! Sara can you hear me? Sara?"
Ouch. Her throat hurt. "Whassa?"
"Oh god, sweetheart, I'm sorry."
"Chris...I think I need...ouch... ER"
"No, no, baby, you'll be fine. You don't need to go to the ER."
She could barely breathe and he said not to go to ER? What the fuck?
"Please, I-"
"Melodie is staying with Elise the rest of tonight and tomorrow..." he tried to distract her from any ideas of going to the ER.
"when-when did you-"
"Actually, about 11pm, I said you had work, and I might take off home..."
Sara looked at the clock. 5 am. "Chris, you have to be at the station in like, an hour..." even croaking through her painful throat hurt her...
"I can take the day off..."
"I'll be fine. I'll be okay."
"You sure? I am so sorry, you know"
He sounded apologetic...maybe this would be the best time to tell him about the seminar...silent minutes passed as she made up her mind.
"Uh...Chris?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"I-uh-well, I have to attend this seminar on forensic anthropology-"
"How can you leave the city? What about me? And uh-Melodie?"
"No,no, it's in the city. But I-I probably won't be able to see you for a while, cos, uh, it goes on for more or less a week, and h-helen says I need to schmooze, so I won't have -much free time, and-"
"Fine. I'll call you." his voice was cold, his fists curled, hand shaking like he was about to punch her...Again. "See you Sara."
He stormed out the apartment, slamming the door, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
At last she wouldn't have to worry about him for the rest of the next week...