Chapter 14: A Life Alone

Grissom had barely slept. He hadn't eaten and his head was pounding. He had known that Catherine had been having an affair for a while now. He had even suspected that it could be someone from work, perhaps a police officer or lab tech. He had not expected to find Sara Sidle, his Sara, in bed with his girlfriend. He could imagine the two of them laughing about it, about how much of a fool he was. Sara had to have known, after all she was an investigator and they worked together. If she hadn't known about him and Cath than why wouldn't she have mentioned their relationship to the boys?

It had been a long, hard shift and for once he just wanted to get home. Throwing his jacket onto a chair he flopped ungracefully onto the couch. He couldn't go to bed, his bed. Their bed. Instead he kicked off his shoes and resigned himself to another night alone on the couch. Hank, his great lumbering boxer, ambled over and sat next to him. Grissom scratched the dog behind his ear before falling asleep uncomfortably on the couch.

X x x

Sara tossed her keys in the bowl by her door and dropped her bag and jacket on the kitchen counter. There was a familiar frantic scratching as a brown furball scuttled towards her. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in the soft fur. "Hey Bronte, did you miss me?" She whispered to the mutt. She had found the puppy abandoned a year ago and taken her to the vet who told her that the tiny pup might get put down if no one came forward to claim her. Sara could not allow that and a few days later she found herself with a permanent housemate. She also made a good running mate, and a friend for Lindsey on the rare occasion she had been in Sara's apartment.

Standing back up she fed her dog before having a quick shower (with lemons of course) and climbing into bed. Bronte hopped up onto the blankets and snuggled up against her, offering her owner the comfort she needed right now.

X x x

Catherine picked up Lindsey from her sisters and dropped her off at school before driving home and collapsing onto the couch. What the hell would she do now? It was true what they said; you don't know what you've got until you lose it. After Lindsey, Sara was the best thing to happen to her and she blew it, all because she was too much of a coward to admit to Grissom what she had done. She deserved everything she got. She waited, hoping to hear the familiar roar of Sara's motorbike. Instead she heard nothing. Just empty, lonely silence.

After a while, although she couldn't tell you how long, she headed upstairs. She went into the bathroom and found the sleeping pills that Sara had thrown out (she had rescued them, just in case) and took two before she started to get changed. Rummaging through her drawers she found some of Sara's clothes which the brunette must have forgotten. Slipping on one of Sara's hoodies she climbed into bed, leaving both the porch light and the bedroom lamp on. She knew that it was a long shot but she had to cling onto that hope that Sara might come back. It was all she had left. With that thought in mind she fell asleep, nestled in the sweet scent of her Sara.