Chapter 11

"How—in—the—hell—did he talk me into this!" Sara thought as she stood in the lady's room at the French restaurant Grissom had arranged to meet her at. "I must be a sucker for torture!"

She looked at herself—definitely not dressed "up to code" but it was the best she had. The black slacks and heels looked okay, but there was something about the white maternity blouse that made her think she resembled a bloated cow. She tugged at the neckline but it was useless. Every time she pulled on one side, it exposed more cleavage on the other. She looked in the mirror at her face. "What the hell's up with that? It's all red. What? You get pregnant and all your blood goes to your face?" She looked at her hair. "I can't get it to lay straight to save my life! Why do I have to have a bad hair day—today of all days? Just a little straight, that's all I'm asking for. I know "she's" gonna come in with her damned hair pulled back so tight her eyeballs are going to pop out!" She thought about that a moment. "Hee-hee." She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oops! Be nice, Sara! You are a nice person! Yeah, right! I'm a nice—big—fat—pregnant woman who wants some pale, stiff neck, robot to malfunction and explode! No! Stop that!"

She turned and started out the door and went down the hall that opened to the dim dining area where Grissom was waiting in his dark suite and tie. "God, he looked good enough to eat! Oh, right, been there, done that. Did that color of his shirt actually make his eyes look even bluer?" But as she walked through the doorway, wasn't it quite appropriate that she entered just as that blonde android was greeted by him. And greeted she was! "A kiss! A KISS! Okay, maybe it was only on the cheek, but. . .he didn't kiss me like that until he was drugged! Well, okay, so he kissed much better than that when he kissed me. . .but still! And he's holding her hand. Let go of her frickin' hand! Oh, isn't that sweet, now he's holding her chair for her. She's a big girl, Griss! I think she can sit in a damned chair by herself! Okay, fine—he treats her differently than he treats me. I'm the one carrying his baby, right? I can deal with this. I can! There, he's sitting down now. I'll just walk up to them with as much decorum as possible. I mean—I can act high class, too—right? So—I just walk up to them, smile and. . .HEY! GET YOUR FRICKIN' HAND OFF HIS ARM! DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM! Okay, I can deal with this. WHY AREN'T YOU MOVING YOUR ARM AWAY FROM HER? It's okay. They're friends—right? He never touched you like "that" when "we" went out to dinner—in a crab shack! True, he was probably afraid he'd get hit by a flying crab that I'd knock across the table when I'd try to crack it. Okay, so, I'm fine. Just walk up and sit down. Almost there. What's she doing with her leg? I SEE THAT! She's reaching for his leg. The bitch is going to try to play footsie under the table! That's it! She's going down! I'm shoving her on her scrawny ass! Let her play "footsie" with him from the frickin' floor where she belongs! SCUM!"

"You look lovely, as usual, Terri," Grissom told the blonde woman who smiled back at him.

"Hmm," Terri looked at him with an arched brow. "So, tell me—where is this student of yours who's managed to convince you to take up residence with her?"

"Oh, there she is," Grissom said as he got to his feet. "What the hell are you getting to your feet for now? You never did when we went out to eat together before." "Terri, this is Sara. She's the investigator I've been telling you about since I returned to Vegas."

Terri turned to look at Sara, wearing a set smile that upon turning from Grissom left her eyes AND upon sight of Sara's expanded abdomen left her face completely. She looked at Sara from head to toe, and it was fairly obvious that she didn't think much of the younger woman's clothing as she sat there in a very proper skirt and blouse. Terri quickly composed herself and sat forward in her seat as she rested her chin in her hands and looked at her. Okay—no handshake for her.

"Sara," Terri greeted and Sara felt as if she were being inspected so she could be auctioned off to the nearest buyer. "It's wonderful to meet you."

"Hello," Sara looked at the woman and gave her her brightest smile. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" She looked from Sara to Grissom then back again. "I can't imagine why. Please, sit down and join us."

Sara's smile dimmed and she started to clench as her mind raced. "Sit down and join "us?" Listen, you high-class bimbo, YOU'RE joining US! I was already here twenty minutes ago, waiting because YOU showed up late! Don't you dare sit there on your imaginary throne and put ME on the outside, looking in! I'll shove that candle up your tight fuckin' . . ."

"Thank you. I think I will," escaped Sara's mouth as she sat on the other side of Grissom. She looked at him. "Have you ordered?"

"No, Terri just arrived," Grissom told her then looked up at the waiter. "Could you give us a few moments, please?"

"Well, I guess I shouldn't sit here avoiding the obvious," Terri smiled stiffly at Sara again. "That would be rather ridiculous, wouldn't it?"

"I don't know." Sara toyed with her water glass before her. "I have no problem avoiding the obvious."

Her comment brought a faux chuckle to Terri. "So, when is the baby due, Sara?"

"April first."

"Really? April's Fools Day." Terri looked over at Grissom and gave him a tender smile. "Now I understand why you wanted to stay with Sara. I'm sorry I misunderstood. You're always the gentleman. I can appreciate her need to have someone around when she'd in such a delicate state. "

Sara watched as the woman leaned a little closer to Grissom.

"I don't feel I'm in a delicate state," Sara explained. "Merely pregnant."

"And quite courageous," Terri moved her hand beneath the table and went on as if she hadn't heard Sara. "I can't imagine putting myself in such a precarious position. You're very brave."

Sara quickly glanced at Grissom when she saw him jerk slightly then move his hand beneath the table as well. Soon she saw him holding Terri's hand as he moved it to the top of the table where he patted it affectionately before releasing it.

"I don't know," Sara smiled at her, "You bitch! You put your hand on his. . .well, I don't know what or where, but it was somewhere he certainly wasn't expecting!" then said, "you certainly seem brave enough to accomplish just about anything."

Terri, again, seemed to be indifferent to Sara's comment as she glanced at Grissom with a bit of irritation. "I like to think I choose my accomplishments, not let them choose me. I must give praise where praise is due. To bring up a child by yourself can be quite a feat."

"Terri," Grissom spoke up. "Although Sara and I haven't made formal plans, I do hope to be a constant participant in the baby's life. I'm sure we'll work out the details to everyone's satisfaction."

"Yes," Sara said as she stared at Grissom. "What the fuck? You go from not being able to keep your pecker in your pants whenever you're around me to—working out details to everyone's satisfaction!" Then she looked back at Terri. "You know how it is, knock 'em up, leave town, come back when the road's not so rocky anymore, then stick around so "maybe" you'll be there to find out if you had a boy or a girl."

"The look that crossed Terri's face is priceless. What? Didn't she realize the baby's Grissom's? Always the gentleman—my ass! Or was it my language? Fuck her! If she can't take a little common speaking she can crawl right back to that little ice castle she lives in and take this jerk right with her!"

A nervous chuckle came from "the jerk" as he reached over and placed his hand on Sara's. "She's joking. Of course I'm going to be here for the birth."

"Then the baby "is" yours," Terri said without emotion.

"Yes. We're really excited about it, aren't we, Sara?" He squeezed her hand.

"Oh," she snorted again. "Couldn't be more excited." "Unless, of course, if you'd throw this hag in the trunk of your car, take her right back to the airport and ship her on her way. That would make me even more excited. That's right—keep staring at my stomach—I'm talking about you—hag!"

"I see. Well, that certainly is—unexpected." She looked from Sara back to Grissom and smiled tightly. "Then I guess congratulations are in order."

"Thank you, Terri."

"Are you ready to order?" The waiter approached their table and after a few moments he left them.

The next few minutes seemed a bit awkward but Terri opened the conversation again.

"Gil? I noticed your schedule at the school has you working Monday and Wednesday mornings until around lunch time. I'm there for afternoon seminars during those days. We could meet for lunch and compare notes." She smiled at Sara. "Gil told me you work day shift at your lab. Since you're working you won't mind relinquishing him to my care for a few hours a week, will you?"

"No," she said elaborately. "Not at all." "Especially since we haven't worked out the details to everyone's satisfaction just yet! And what details would those be, Grissom? The last details you were concerned about were during sex and how many times you could bump my headboard against my wall without putting a hole in the drywall! Go ahead—tell her about THOSE details!"

"Oh, I've upset you." Terri said as she looked at Sara. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to step on anyone's toes. You must understand that I came here with the hopes to have Gil's assistance in establishing myself at the university. I wouldn't have imposed had I known he was in the middle of a personal crisis."

"A personal crisis?" Sara asked with raised brows as she toyed with the candlestick in front of her. She watched as the witch's hand was slowly sliding closer and closer to Grissom's and she had very vivid images of cracking the ornate object down on her well manicured fingers! "I suppose everyone needs a break from their personal crisis."

"I'm not having a personal crisis," Grissom finally said quietly and both women looked at him as the waiter brought their drinks.

"What?" Terri asked after taking a sip of her wine.

"I said, I'm not having a personal crisis. It's merely a fork in the road that I wasn't expecting."

"Of course it is," Terri assured him. "I didn't mean to sound condescending."

"You didn't," Grissom told her. "I just thought it needed to be cleared up that I don't consider this a crisis. It's a change."

Sara couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face as she beamed at Terri and asked thoughtfully. "Changes are fun—aren't they?"

Terri only looked at her, quite clearly not thinking Sara's enthusiasm was appropriate. Sara didn't know if it was intentional on the baby's part or not, but it chose that time to start kicking. She looked down at her stomach and watched as a small dint in her stomach continued moving. "That's right, sweetie. She pisses me off to. I know, you want to come out and kick the bad lady's ass, too, don't you. Mommy loves her little baby, yes she does, yes she does!"

"Are you—alright?" Terri asked stiffly.

"Me? I'm fine. Are "you" alight?" Sara asked as she looked at the way Terri turned in her chair toward Grissom and crossed her legs, exposing two albino legs that resembled matchsticks. "Well, two can play at this game, sister!" Sara turned in her chair and lifted her leg, aiming it to go over the other one but gave a sharp kick to Grissom's shin on the way.

"Ouch!" Grissom jumped and looked at her and she gave him a weak smile.

"There—try again! That's it, lift it, lift it, lift it! Ah, shit! It won't go over! When did that happen? I can't cross my frickin' legs anymore!" She looked at the other woman's legs that were still being showcased across the table from her. "Fine! If I can't cross my legs, I'll just cross my ankles and sit sideways like "queenie" over there! Man! I forgot—I'm wearing slacks! He can't see my legs if I'm wearing pants! What the. . .uh-oh. . .bad idea!"

The added weight on her abdomen and her rapid slide to the side, distributed her weight in an unexpected manner and she was rapidly tipping off her chair. Her arm came down on the tabletop with a loud crack as she caught herself, causing at least three tables to turn to see what the calamity was in such a refined restaurant.

"Sara!" Grissom was on his feet in an instant as he stopped her from landing completely on the floor. "What happened?"

"Leg cramp!" She lied with a dreadful moan as she slid her butt back on the center of the chair.

"Leg cramp?" He asked as he immediately dropped down to his knee and started feeling her calves. "Which leg?"

"Ohhh! That one! That one!" She lied again and as he started massaging the limb, she looked at the flames that were shooting from Terri's eyes. She smiled innocently at the other woman. "Leg cramps are the worst! Aren't they?"

"I wouldn't now," Terri answered indignantly.

"Are you sure this is the right leg?" Grissom asked. "I don't feel a spasm."

She turned her irritated eyes on him. "I should know if I'm having a damned charley horse, shouldn't I?"

"Well, it's these heels. They're throwing everything off kilter and pulling the muscle in ways you're not used to."

He took off the shoe and started maneuvering her foot, making her giggle when he touched its bottom. He smiled up at her and repeated the procedure twice more, making her giggle each time.

"Are you—almost finished?" Terri hissed at him. "Everyone is looking."

"How's that? Any better?" Grissom asked Sara.

"Oh, yes," she said diminutively then looked back at Terri with her faux smile. "He does that soooo well."

"I'm sure he does," Terri said coldly.

They looked up as their meals arrived and Sara looked at her eggplant parmesan with such yearning she could've jumped into the dish and swam around in it. God! She was hungry! She took her first bite and moaned with delight.

'Oh, this is so gooood!" She looked over at Terri and noticed how she was picking at her chef's salad then she looked at Grissom who was cutting his sea bass.

"Have you decided if you're going to drive to the university yourself, or would it be easier if you stop at the apartment and we'll ride together. One less parking spot to look for would be a great asset." Terri watched as Grissom took a bite of his fish then wiped his mouth.

"What?"

"I suggested we share a ride to the university so we could avoid searching for parking spots."

Sara raised a brow as she looked over at Grissom, waiting for his answer as she lifted another forkful of eggplant to her lips. At that moment the baby gave her a swift kick beneath the ribs and she jerked, dropping a complete glob of the red sauce on her white blouse.

"Dammit!"

Terri stared at her as if she couldn't believe the other woman had actually dropped food on herself then sat back in her seat and smiled tightly. "Perhaps you should try to rinse that off before it stains."

Sara looked at the other woman, then to the evidence of her clumsiness.

"Perhaps you should try to rinse that off before it stains!" Sara mimicked sourly to herself as she stood in the bathroom swabbing at the spill only to have it get worse. She rolled her eyes as she looked at the reddish-orange smear now outlined with a huge water stain. Well, the night can't get any worse.

She returned to the dining area, wondering how she was going to show Grissom, yet again, how much of a wallflower she was compared to the debutante of the ball. The fact that Terri's hand was approaching Grissom's again didn't go unnoticed, nor did the way the woman was looking at him. As she approached the table, Grissom looked up at her.

"Would you like me to get your jacket?" Grissom offered quietly. "It might cover it, if you're uncomfortable with it."

"Yes." She watched Grissom get to his feet and start for the lobby of the restaurant.

"I should think you'd avoid ordering something with a tomato base while wearing white, if you know you have a "problem" such as that," Terri commented coolly.

"What problem would that be?" Sara asked.

"Spilling things. Maybe you should start wearing darker colors. That might be the solution."

"Maybe I should," Sara told her sweetly. "Or maybe I should just shove your smug little troll face into your salad bowl. Maybe that would keep your hands busy cleaning the lettuce off those huge horse teeth of yours and you won't keep putting them on the guy who knocked me up!" "I'll just have to toss the shirt and buy another one."

"That might get to be rather expensive for a single mother. You're going to have to start buying Pampers—not spending so much. . ." Terri gave Sara a condescending look as she eyed the nearly generic brand of clothes she was wearing. ". . .on clothing for yourself. What do a pair of slacks like those run? I'm sure I've never seen any like them where I shop."

"Twenty bucks," Sara said dryly.

"Oh." Terri gave a look of embarrassment for Sara's lack of taste in clothing

"Here," Grissom said as he held the jacket for Sara and she slipped her arms into it. "Is this better?"

"It's fine," she said through clenched teeth.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he looked from her to Terri who gave him a demur little smile before picking at her salad again then taking another drink of her wine.

"Nothing's wrong, Gil," Terri told him. "Sit down and enjoy your meal."

"Sara?" He asked quietly.

"I—I—no, there's nothing wrong," she said quietly, not wanting to embarrass herself any farther by pointing out that her clothing wasn't as expensive as Terri's. "The baby's just kicking."

"Italian, again, huh?" He smiled as he took his seat and prepared to resume his meal.

"I beg your pardon," Terri said.

"The baby likes Italian food. It starts kicking when she eats it."

"I see," Terri responded then changed the subject again. "I noticed Professor Sanders is very impressed with your reputation, Gil."

"I wouldn't call it impressed," he told her. "I think he's more impressed with the reputation of the Las Vegas lab than he is with me."

"I can't argue that the lab has its own notoriety but surely you're aware of your own distinction."

"Aren't you rather infamous yourself, Dr. Miller?" Sara asked. "I mean, I see your picture all over the internet. All I've got to do is google you and there ya are—smiling that big smile that's so distinctive."

"I rarely smile for my photographs," Terri said. "I find it undignified to stand there smiling when I'm discussing a corpse."

"Really?" Sara asked with wide eyes. "I wonder why I get the impression that you're smiling all the time. Ya know, sometimes, a person's teeth will pick up on camera and make things look out of whack. But then, I suppose you already know that."

Terri looked at Sara as if she should know what that slur was regarding but just wasn't getting it. "I suppose so—because I don't smile in my pictures!"

"Yeah—you've said." Sara smiled back at her then looked at Grissom who was looking at her as if he got the insult, even if its intended target didn't. This time when she tried to take a bite of her food, it slipped off the fork but she caught it in her hand before dumping it back on her dish.

"Oh, my," Terri took another sip of her wine and smiled at Sara through her eyes.

Grissom was about to put a fork of bass in his mouth but stopped and put it back on his plate. He looked at the food that already discolored Sara's palm then he got to his feet.

"Let me get something to clean that. I don't think your napkin's going to get it all off. I'll get something with soap." He started off in the direction of the bathroom.

"Gil!" Terri said as she watched him. "Couldn't she simply go to the bathroom and wash it off?"

"I don't mind," Grissom told her. "She should eat. She's been on her feet all day."

Terri watched him disappear then looked back at Sara who sent her another smile.

"I've been on my feet all day," Sara repeated innocently.

Terri sat forward and looked at her very closely. "You "are" aware that if you hadn't played this card, you wouldn't be sitting here with us tonight."

"Really?"

"I never was very fond of women who force their way into a relationship with someone who's already involved with someone else."

"I'm not forcing anything."

"Of course not."

"And as far as I'm aware, he wasn't involved with someone else."

"Oh, don't be so naïve! Why do you think I came here?"

"To irritate the hell out me?"

"You opened your legs so easily he only had to know you a few days and viola—you're pregnant. I do believe Gilbert's gullibility is overriding his common sense."

"Believe what you like. The fact is that Grissom's the father of my baby."

"Are you so sure? I'd like to know how you pinpointed Gil out of the others you've "danced with" at your side-street bars you like to frequent." Terri smiled again. "Oh, yes. Gilbert's told me of how you so kindly showed him around "that" side of town. He found it extremely interesting, looking into a different world than he's accustomed to."

"He told you about what we did?"

"All except the conception of this little gem. He neglected to tell me about that. But then, considering he was dating "me" and inviting "me" to come to San Francisco with him, I don't find it terribly unbelievable that he'd neglect to fill me in on this little indiscretion. At least when he's in my bed, he knows he's the only one. "

Sara got to her feet and picked up Terri's wine, then slowly and deliberately poured it over the blonde woman's head, turning her hair the strangest color of pink Sara had ever seen. She almost laughed at the thought that the woman could now join a punk rock band.

"That's because when you finally do open those frigid legs of yours, it gives him frostbite of the prick!"

Sara put down the glass and walked to the exit. She didn't want to stay there and face Grissom's disapproval so she continued out of the restaurant and took her car back to her apartment. She went numbly undressed and tossed her blouse into the trash as Terri's admission that Grissom had been frequenting her bed ran over and over in her mind. She didn't know whether to believe her or not. Grissom told her the relationship had never been consummated, but that didn't mean he didn't "want" it to be. And for all she knew, this little trip to San Francisco could be what Terri said—their plans for a little romantic getaway. She took a hot shower then went back to her room, noting she had been home for nearly an hour and there were still no signs of Grissom showing his face. She went to her bedroom where she left her door opened a crack and listened for any signs of him returning but after another two hours, there was nothing. She got up and went to the front door again where she put the chain lock across, then went back to bed, still too numb to do anything other than stare at the wall until sleep finally overtook her.