One More Grissom: The Day's Sweet Light
A/N: A second short story of the young Grissom family a few years after the original story of "One More Grissom".
Chapter 1
The steady throb of the engines, the heavy rush of the sea, the glare of lights on the horizon served as background to the excitement of fifty people who had not seen an expanse of land for twenty days. It was the last night on board, the last time most of them would be together.
The ship settled into its mooring with the creak of anchors slowing movement. For twenty days, the former fishing-turned research vessel had moved along the Galagapos-Cocos migratory swimway while researchers tagged sharks with satellite tags as they circled Cocos Island. The newly established marine migratory path was home to one of the most diverse oceans in the world—hundreds of hammerheads, enormous stingrays, huge turtles, and thousands of fish moved along an underwater mountain range. The dedicated researchers were passionate; the young college students excited, and the group of small children brought laughter and smiles to all.
Two of the children belonged to Sara and Gil Grissom; Dr. Gilbert Grissom's reputation was well known, sought after as a preceptor for those involved in shark studies. While his wife's life and interests had taken a surprising turn when she became a mother of two, Sara loved the experience for the hope it gave her and the opportunity to teach her young children the importance of the ocean and its resources. She, along with two other spouses, had become experts at spotting migratory marine life, keeping records, and entertaining the six children.
On this last night at sea, the entire group had celebrated their success with a party, eating the last remnants of food, handing out humorous made-up awards to everyone, and dancing one last time around the deck as the captain and crew dropped anchor to wait for daylight and a tugboat into the port.
Gil Grissom hugged his young daughter close, feeling her smooth cheek against his, and said, "Look up, Jemma—look at the stars!"
Everyone around turned faces upward to look beyond flickering lights on the ship to see thousands of pinpricks in a dark blue canopy. Most knew it would be weeks before they would see the star filled sky with such clarity.
Later, with surprising quickness, the two children were tucked into bunks, eyes closed, their sleep sounds restful and rhythmic.
"Shower?" Grissom asked as he turned on the water in the small box-shower. The sounds of the water hissed and pricked before calming into a gentle sprinkle. "You first." He knew heated water would be limited tonight because everyone had partied until late and would hit the showers at the same time.
Sara was already removing her clothes; he watched as she folded her pants and grabbed a towel from the cabinet serving as a closet.
She said, "I won't miss this room—certainly won't miss the shower!" She turned, pulling her shirt over her head; he caught it in his hands.
With a chuckle, he agreed. "I'm thankful we had no rainy days." Pushing open the narrow shower door, he added, "And privacy—I'm looking forward to space and privacy!"
Their accommodations had been built for three crew members, retro-fitted to include a narrow standard bed shoved against one wall, a cubby-hole of a bathroom, three cabinets for closets, and two slim bunk beds with curtains for privacy. Will and Jemma loved the bunks and thought the curtains were put in place for their hide-and-seek games.
After gathering several stacks of clothing and stuffing in a duffle bag, Grissom lay back on the bed, listening to the shower streaming over his wife's body. It was easy to imagine enjoying a shower with her—and he immediately decided to make that his first priority when they got home. With that thought, and the sounds from the shower changing, he got up, peeled off his clothes, put them in the bag with the other clothing, and pulled a towel from a cabinet.
Sara took longer in the shower than usual because of low water pressure and the certain knowledge that her children were sleeping, their things were almost packed, and at this time tomorrow, they would be home. Back to a house with a real bathtub, a backyard, and, most importantly, a bed large enough to stretch across—a quiet giggle escaped—and privacy.
Twenty days had passed quickly; her love for the ocean, the long sunny days, and all the activity on board meant time seemed to fly by. Their children had quickly adapted to life on the ship and to the small cabin. Rinsing her body, she tried to remember one bad moment. Will had always had an easy temperament, a calm child, quickly adjusting to any situation, who adored everyone. Jemma, at three, was more excitable, more adventurous than Will had been at the same age—and had the natural gift of charming one and all. Both had thrived during the voyage and Will had developed a keen interest in the capture and tagging of sharks.
When Sara reached for her towel, it was placed in her hand. She said, "I'll be so happy to get back to our bathroom!"
Grissom swapped places with her, their naked bodies touching as he stepped into the shower. "Warm up the bed, dear."
Hours later, a different sound woke Sara. Her arm circled her husband's chest so she could touch the bed. The bed was narrow but on more than one occasion, one of the kids had managed to crawl into the bed and tuck between them or on the edge of the bed. When her hand did not find a small, warm body, she listened for the noise that caused her to wake.
It took a moment before she realized the sound was outside the room, an addition to the normal throb of the ship's engine. The tugboat had arrived, she thought, as she settled back in bed.
"Hey," Grissom mumbled as she moved her arm. "Everything okay?"
She answered with, "I think the tug has arrived."
Rolling over, he pulled her close, patted her bottom, and murmured, "Tonight, we're going to have mind blowing sex—all night—or until one of us falls asleep."
Quietly, Sara laughed, saying, "We've had sex, dear—in this bed—several times. Have I been missing some kind of ship-board signals for more sex?"
Grissom pushed his hips against hers several times, tucking his head against her shoulder. He said, "Yeah, but I want sex in the shower—make love all over our big bed in twenty-one ways."
Another throaty laugh as she threw her leg over his thigh and said, "The tub—we're going to start in the tub, Gilbert."
A/N: Thank you for reading! Another chapter soon-read, review, support GSR!