Chapter 10

The next day Gil went to the collage where his mother taught, he was going to confront her once and for all, he had to find out what it was that she had against Sara.

Gil found her outside, sitting under her favorite tree reading.

He tapped her on the shoulder.

Betty smiled, scooted over and motioned for him to sit.

"Mom," he started, "You know I love you."

Betty kissed his cheek, "I know and I know why you are here."

Gil looked at her.

"Sara," his mother signed.

"Yes," Gil told her, "She is my wife and we will soon have a child. I can't understand why you treat her the way you do. I love you Mom, please don't me chose between you and her because you'll lose."

Betty drew in a deep breath, she wanted to collect her thoughts.

"It has been just you and me for a long time," Betty started, "Ever since your father passed away. You always took care of me, even when you were just a little fella."

Gil smiled, he remembered several times in the past when he got into fights with older children who would pick on his mother.

"All I have ever wanted was for you to be happy - have a normal life," Betty said.

"I am," Gil told her, "I love Sara deeply and with the baby coming - well I can't find words to express the way I feel."

Betty caressed his cheek, "I know. I can tell by the look in your eyes."

"Then why?" Gil asked.

"Someplace deep inside I have a feeling that …." Betty stopped and looked off in the distance.

Gil turned her face so she was looking at him, "What?"

"She will hurt you, give up on everything and move on. I feel she is not strong enough to stay with you," Betty said.

Gil kissed her cheek. "Let me tell you about Sara," Gil signed.

Gil had never told his mother about Sara's past so he told her everything - everything about her childhood, how they first meant, about all ups and downs in their relationship. The whole time Betty sat, her eyes almost not believing what her son was signing.

Gil ended by saying, "Sara has loved me whole heartily for a long time. She never stopped loving me, even when she probably should have. I sincerely doubt she will ever give up on me or our marriage."

"I did not know," Betty signed, "I believe I have been wrong about her."

Gil stood, bent down and kissed his mother, "She is the one you need to tell that too."

Betty smiled, "I will. You two will have no more problems out of this old fool."

Gil never told Sara about his conversation with his mother, all Sara knew was that things got better between her and her mother-in-law.

Over the course of the next two months Gil finished the cases he was working on, cleaned out his office and turned the garage into a makeshift lab. He planed out his garden and set up his bee colony.

Catherine wanted to have a "going away" party for him but Sara was able to talk her out of it.

"That's not the kind of man he is," Sara said.

So his last day in the lab was not different then any other with the exception that at the end of the day instead of the normal "See you tomorrow" everyone wished him the best.

By the end of her fourth month Sara was really starting to show, everyone would remark on how good she looked. Sara would just smile, even thought she felt more and more like a beached whale.

"How are you liking being a lab rat?" Jim asked one day.

"It's ok," Sara said, "But I can't wait to get back out in the field."

"Neither can I," Hodges whispered.

Gil and Sara had not made up their mind if they wanted to know what they were having but on her six month exam they told the doctor they did want to know.

"I can't finish Little Bugs room if I don't know what the baby is," Gil told Dr. Davis.

Sharon nodded, "I totally agree. Let's see if Little Bug will corporate."

The doctor moved the wand over Sara's stomach, Gil stood awestruck as the image of his child appeared on the screen.

"We can get a 3D image if you like and print it," Sharon said.

"Please," Gil said.

"Now little one," Sharon said, "Lets see what you're going to be."

Sharon took the wand and traced down the back toward the genital.

"Well I don't see anything hanging," Sharon said.

"Come on Bug, Daddy needs to finish your room," Gil said.

The baby kicked, stretched and rolled over - legs spread open.

"Ladybug," Gil said, smiling.

"No doubt about it," Dr. Davis said.

"Next time," Sara said.

Sharon looked at her, "Next time?"

Gil laughed, "Sara wanted a boy."

Later that evening Gil was putting the finishing touches in the nursery when Sara walked in.

"It's beautiful," Sara said, putting her arms around his waist, "Ladybug will love it."

Gil chuckled, "I think we should decided on a name for our little Ladybug."

Sara agreed, "I think your right."

"Sara," Gil said.

"What?" Sara said, looking at him.

"I want to name her SARA," Gil said smiling.

"NO. NEVER. IS NOT HAPPENING," Sara said.

Gil smiled, he was about to say something when the doorbell rang.

"Got it," Sara said.

"Who is it?" Gil asked, heading toward the living room.

"It's your mother," Sara said.

"I have something," Betty told Sara.

Sara stepped aside. A young man followed Betty into the house carrying a rocking chair.

"It was in Gil's nursery," Betty said.

"Thank you," Sara signed.

"Why don't you see if Mom wants some coffee on while I put this in the nursery," Gil said to Sara as he took the chair form the young man.

Sara invited Betty to stay and have coffee with them.

"Some other time," Betty signed, "I have a meeting."

Sara thanked her again for the chair and followed Gil to the nursery.

Gil placed the rocker near the crib, Sara sat in it then she smiled.

"What?" Gil asked.

"I was thinking about your mother rocking you to sleep in this chair," Sara said.

Gil sat on the footstool that matched the chair and lay his hand on Sara's stomach.

"I have never been happier," he told her.

Ladybug decided that was a good time to roll over causing Daddy to smile.

"That still amazes me," Gil said.

Half way through Sara's seventh month they were still no closer to a name for Ladybug.

Gil would smile and say, "Let's just call her Ladybug."

Sara would look at him, roll her eyes and say, "No."

By the first of her eighth month Sara was more then ready for Ladybug to make her appearance. She would smile when Gil asked her if she was sure she wanted to go through it again.

"Yes," Sara told him, "But not until our little lady is at least a year or two."

Gil was settling into his life as a "househusband". He loved taking care of Sara, working in his garden and working with his bees. He was also looking forward to taking care of his daughter.

Three days before her due date Sara delivered Amelia Joy Grissom.

Gil stood by the side of her bed and smiled, never had anything been so beautiful as his newborn daughter.

Amelia would be her mother, there was no doubt about it. She was born with a full head of dark hair and those eyes - well all Gil had to do was look into them and his heart would melt.

Betty still didn't understand the life that her son had chosen but she excepted it. Never had she seen him so happy as when he was puttering around in the garden.

On Amelia's first night home Betty came by to see her new granddaughter.

"How long will you stay out of work?" she questioned Sara.

"Three months," Sara told her, "I want to breastfeed for a while. That is want is best for Amelia."

Betty gave Gil a funny look.

"I can handle things here when Sara returns to work," he told her.

Betty smiled, "I know you can."