17.

"Sara?"

"Greg?" She was relieved to see him. Not Grissom. What he doing here? She opened the door. Her younger colleague and friend stood there, a little bit worried.

"How are you?"

"I'm…all right." Not fine, after all, she called in sick last night.

"I wanted to make sure you're all right. You called in sick last night, what is wrong?"

"Nothing, I just had…a bad day, an upset stomach and these things, I feel better today. Much better."

"You don't look too good."

She sighed. That was Greg, her friend, a reason why she liked him this much. He was honest to her, all the time, even when it made him say not nice things. Should she tell him about her and Grissom? About Grissom and Heather?

"Come in." That was the first step, she couldn't let him stand in the hallway. Let him in, talk to him for half an hour and then…she had no idea. She was supposed to have dinner with Doug. Was it strange to have dinner with your ex boyfriend after your husband and you just broke up? Probably. But just because it was strange, it didn't mean it was wrong, right?

"Would you like some coffee?" She offered.

"Sure."

Pouring two cups of coffee and carrying them over to the table, Sara sat down, opposite of Greg, not sure how to start or if it was better to wait until he started to say something. She couldn't start a conversation with words like 'by the way, Grissom and me split up' or 'I saw my husband with another woman and when I told him this last night, he told me our marriage is over'.

"What's wrong, Sara? Did something happen to Grissom?"

Did something happen to him? Kind of. A tragic case of he fell for another woman. A broken heart for herself. Again. Gosh, she had quite a collection. Or was it the same heart, that broke all the time? In this case her heart had to be covered with scars. An explanation why she felt like a hardhearted women sometimes.

"He's in Vegas."

"Really? That's great, where is he?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean with you don't know?" He looked confused. How could she not know where he was when he was in Vegas.

"Greg…Grissom and me…he is with somebody else."

"You're kidding!" He didn't believe her, of course he didn't. She couldn't believe her own words. It sounded unreal, like a bad story.

"No. When I…I saw him two days ago with somebody else. Here in Vegas. He told me, he's still in South America. I called his cell phone later, spoke on his voice mail we need to talk, he called back and came over this morning. He's with somebody else, that's the reason why he barely answered his phone, his visits became less and less frequently." Could she hold back her tears? She tried, fought for it. Took little breaks to keep her breath even, to let her voice not sound too shaky. Keep your dignity, keep your strength. This wasn't the last time she told this story, there were a few more times coming, with more people around, with more questions. She had to keep herself under control.

"He left you?"

"Yes."

"Oh Sara." Greg got up and pulled her into his arms. Great, gone was her self-control and back were her tears. Not the best start. She couldn't end up crying all the time.

"What happened?"

"I'm not the one he wants anymore. Or at all. I don't know."

"Do you know who…?"

"Heather."

"As in Lady Heather? Doctor Kessler?"

"Yes." Of course he knew her, everybody in the lab did. They all knew the stories about Grissom and Heather, they all knew the stories that happened or might have happened between them.

"I don't believe it. Why would he leave your for her? You're much better than her."

"Apparently he thinks different."

"And he didn't tell you?"

"Not until I told him and I saw them together two days ago, when he was - according to his story - in South America. Too busy to call. Well, he was busy, just not with what I thought and not where he said he was."

"Shit. Anything I can do for you?"

"No, I've to get through this alone."

"Sara, you don't have to be the lonely wolf, fight through this alone. Friends are there to help you out, when you need them. I am your friend, or am I wrong?"

"No, of course not, you're right." She sighed. "It's just, I've no idea what would help me."

"Distraction? Take your thoughts off him, what he did and said? Like a dinner date."

"Sorry, somebody was faster."

"Seriously? Who? Let me guess: NTSB guy."

"Yes."

"Are you…?"

"No! He's…we used to date years ago, but that's over. He was with me, we wanted to have some coffee, when I saw Grissom and Heather, so basically he has been with me through all of this and knows about everything."

"And now he invites you to dinner?"

"Don't be this cynical. He wants to distract me, the same thing you have on your mind. You can come with us, we go to a vegetarian restaurant."

"Two is company, three's a crowd."

She rolled her eyes. "I've got no intention to change anything, my husband told me less than twenty-four hours ago he cheated on me for a while and is with somebody else. I'm not in the mood to start over with somebody else nor am I in the mood for an adventure. Also not as a kind of payback."

"Okay. Will I get a chance to spend some time with you too? Or are you fully booked by Doug? What's he still doing here, anyway? The case is closed."

"He has a few days off and wants to spend them here, like you, he thinks, I need some distraction."

"Distraction from the ex? Doesn't sound like a good idea. More like he wants to continue what you ended years ago."

"Like I said, it's not my plan and I won't let him change my mind. Dinner, conversation, that's all. You can stop being jealous. Besides, aren't you and Morgan…?"

"No."

"But you're on a way to it, don't tell me you're not interested in her. You have a crush on her since she came here for the first time. I know you, Greggo."

"No comment."

Sara smiled. "No comment needed. She's nice but…Ecklie as your father-in-law?"

"Don't make me feel sick!"

"Sorry. I'm going to kick you out, now. It's time for dinner, I need to change and no, I don't mean into something flashy, I mean into something I can wear at work later."

"I don't mind if you wear a short black dress at work."

"I do." She got up and hugged him. "Thanks for coming here. Could you please…"

"No word will cross my lips about you and Grissom. Or you and NTSB guy. But they'll find out sooner or later - about you and Grissom."

"I know and I plan to tell them. Just not tonight. I need a little bit more time to get some distance, otherwise I end up crying all the time and that's something I don't want."

"Whenever you need arms to hide, mine are open for you all the time."

"Thanks." She knew she could count on him. He was always there for her. And she was sure, the next few weeks, she needed him around a lot. Probably Greg was the best medicine for her. Time to start her life all over again. A life without her husband.

THE END