A/N: Thanks to all who are reading this little fluff story!
After Effects
Chapter 9
Sixteen years later:
Gil Grissom woke when the sun came up; he'd done so for years and today was no different. Smiling as he thought of 'today was no different' when it was a very different day—like no other he'd lived.
The sky was beginning to show tones of orange; a thin line of fog blurred the low areas of land. Through open windows, he could smell a beautiful spring morning forming into a perfect day.
Turning his head, his smile grew as he found the source of the sharp elbow sticking into his rib. Two small bodies were curled up, crowding his side of the bed. Snuggled against the children, his beautiful wife slept, one arm resting on the child nearest her.
For nearly fifty years, he had loved this woman more than anyone else on earth. His soul mate, his wife, the mother of his children; softly, he chuckled. This woman had been his lover for so long, he no longer remembered any others.
Stiffness had settled into his joints as he slept so he groaned—softly—as he stretched and adjusted bedcovers. And just as quickly, a dark brown eye opened and blinked. Raising his head, he glanced at the empty space across the bed; even with two little people between them, she managed to sleep in the middle of the bed.
"I was trying to be quiet," he whispered.
Lifting her head, his wife smiled, saying, "This is a big day, Gil." She looked at the faces of the sleeping children, tucking the sheet around the little girl's shoulders. "Who would have thought we'd have another baby in bed with us—two babies—after all this time?"
Unable to hide his grin, softly, he laughed. "Who would have thought I'd live so long—we are the fortunate ones. I never thought I'd be a parent and certainly never thought about being a grandpa."
Sara had rolled over and sat upright, pulling her knees up and wrapping arms around her legs; she'd heard similar words many times over thirty-plus years.
She said, "And I think we make splendid grandparents." Her smile spread across her face as she added, "And I hope we have more."
Leaning across the sleeping children, Grissom placed a kiss on his wife's cheek and then she turned so they could properly kiss each other. His hand gently raked through hair that was now streaked with more white than brown, still curling around his fingers.
When they parted, Grissom said, "Do we stay here and act like old people or do we get up and join the hubbub?"
"Is anyone else awake?"
"Probably not—but this one will wake up if she realizes we're up."
Sara pointed to a book on the bedside table. "It's early. We can read for an hour."
"I'm going to make coffee."
Her eyes brighten at his statement. "Yes, excellent idea."
Grissom got out of bed, reached for his glasses, shuffled around for a full minute until he found his old sandals, and left the bedroom. His steps were slow, but, as he often reminded himself, he was still upright and walking on his own. Peeing on his own, too, he added, as he made a detour into their bathroom before heading to the kitchen.
With everyone else asleep, the rambling house was quiet; their grown children were sleeping in upstairs bedrooms and on the old sofa bed in the den. More people in the house than had been in years, he thought. Hoping to keep the quietness for a bit longer, he carefully set out cups as the coffee gurgled into a brew and then moved to the window that looked west. The line of fog had lifted and the Pacific Ocean was as clearly visible as the day they had moved in.
Grissom would never admit the comfort he found in the sight of the ocean. After decades of misuse, as a place to throw unwanted trash and debris, he'd lived to see a world-wide effort to clean the oceans. Species were making a comeback from the brink of extinction; sharks, whales, even nautiluses were increasing in numbers. Coral reefs were being restored, albeit by artificial means, but at least it was a start. His optimism had grown over the decades as the importance of a healthy environment had finally become a priority—not just individuals and small organizations, but government after government had funded scientists and research to clean up decades of neglect and maltreatment.
He had no idea how many months or years he had left but he was sure the oceans would survive. The bubbling coffee pulled him back to the reality of the day and he poured and spooned and stirred the contents of two cups in a routine ritual striving for the perfect coffee.
Because he was alone, his thoughts turned to those still sleeping in the house; much had changed in recent years but much had remained the same. The house was the same except he and Sara had turned their office into a bedroom a decade ago leaving the upstairs bedrooms empty—or waiting, as Sara put it.
Cate had been the first to leave home, a full scholarship to her first college choice, and two degrees later, she'd gone to work in programming for one of the largest tech companies in the world. One weekend, she'd come home with an equally bright young man, announced they had married, and decided to change career directions. He suspected she had returned home to become a caregiver or at least provide assistance to her elderly parents.
She and her husband became teachers in the local high school—and a year later, Cate had delivered her first child—the little girl sleeping in their bed. And becoming grandparents, much as becoming parents had done, had given he and Sara a new outlook on life.
Their boys, Jay and Greg, had left home the next year. Sticking together as they had always done, their experiences from early childhood sent both to Santa Barbara and then to Woods Hole as marine researchers. He knew Sara grieved their absence more than she ever admitted but was equally proud of their success as they traveled the globe as environmentalists.
Last year, both had returned home—at least to California—Jay to San Diego and Greg and his wife to Santa Cruz. And they were grandparents for a second time; the little boy in their bed was Greg's son.
As quietly as possible, he placed cups on a tray, added two smaller cups of juice, and headed back to the bedroom.
The sight that met his eyes caused his smile to spread across his face. A nest had been made of pillows and blankets. Sara was propped on pillows holding a book, but not the book from the bedside he'd noticed. She held a large colorful child's book.
Within the circle of bedcovers, he could see their granddaughter, Sara Beth, her head resting below Sara's chin. Gilbert—his namesake—was cuddled against his grandmother's shoulder; his blonde mop of curls a stark contrast to his cousin's straight black hair.
His appearance brought squeals of delight as the two children ducked under Sara's arms and crawled across the bed to meet him. Quickly placing his tray next to the bed, he joined in their affectionate hugs and kisses, babbling and talking at once, until they quieted with the promise of juice in bed followed by waffles outside on the deck.
For the next hour, Grissom and Sara knew they were the luckiest people on earth. Around them flowed the life they had made for more than thirty years. Cate and her husband, Daniel, made waffles. Jay, who had been sleeping on the sofa, crawled around the deck with the two children playing a game of their own making. Greg and his wife, Emma, helped with breakfast as everyone's appetite seemed to grow exponentially as long-time friends, Nick and Mandy, Greg and Morgan, who were staying in the small house next door, arrived for breakfast.
Finally, Bronwyn emerged from one of the bedrooms; this was her day and her siblings, her parents, everyone in the house shouted and applauded when she made her appearance.
Grissom was the first to reach his youngest daughter, giving her a hug, as he said, "It's a perfect day for a wedding for a beautiful bride!"
A/N: One more chapter-because-who doesn't love a wedding! Thanks so much for staying with us.
