A/N: Hey guys, new chapter ahoy. Fluff hat and evil hat are currently having a little fight in the corner, lol. For once, I think the fluff may prevail :) Thanks for the reviews and thanks as always to Calim for the great beta.

No more waffle, let's just see if Grissom can make it out of the room….*Snort*

Chapter 124

Grissom sighed as he looked around the room, the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner adding to his irritation. He had no idea how long Sara was going to be. If she was talking 'wedding' with her mother, she could be hours and he wasn't prepared to wait hours. He still couldn't grasp the captain storming out like that. He hadn't even been given any opportunity to explain his feelings or his reasons and that just annoyed the rancher all the more.

Well, he wasn't going to sit there all afternoon and, quite frankly, a call of nature had sprung open him so, one way or another, he had to get someone's attention. Getting out into the hallway seemed to be the most logical thing to do but walking by himself, without the aid of his cane or a helping hand, was not going to be an easy feat. But, he had no choice and, if he didn't move now, he was going to have an accident.

Quickly, he tried to plot himself a route but, no matter how he looked at it, the door was a long way away with not much to hold onto in between. Maybe he could hug the walls but that would probably take too long. Taking a deep and slightly nervous breath, he decided he just needed to go for it. Straight and true and just hope he could get to and through the door without too much pain.

"You can do this..." he mumbled, pushing himself up, his left hand immediately holding onto his stomach to instantly alleviate any pressure.

Sadly, he didn't get very far. So focused on the door, his left foot caught the leg of the coffee table and, with nothing to grab hold of, he tripped, well and true, eyes widening as his right hand flailed to grab the sofa arm. But, he couldn't quite manage it and his whole body twisted, spinning him around. The coffee table came right at him and within a second, he'd crashed into it, sending the tea tray in one direction and his body in the other. He cried out as the table caught him right in the gut and, as the crockery smashed upon the wooden flooring, his body quickly followed it.

Now he lay on his side, pulling his knees to his stomach, agony ripping through him. What the hell just happened? Suddenly, Rana burst into the room after hearing the commotion as she passed by, and quickly rushed to his side.

"Oh, dear heaven's," she cried, lifting her skirt to kneel next to Grissom, being careful of the broken porcelain all around them. "Mr. Grissom….Sir…" She looked around panicked as he cried out again and tried to roll over. "No, no, Sir!" she begged, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Please, do not move…you will cause yourself more injury…"

Thinking on her feet, she shot up and grabbed the cushions from the sofa, knowing she had to go and get help. But, she couldn't leave him as he was because if he moved he'd end up slicing himself on all the broken shards.

"Please, just stay still. I will be back very soon…"

Grissom's blinked over and over, pain contorting every inch of his face as Rana dashed from the room.

The housekeeper ran back into the hallway looking left then right seeing Sara and her mother coming down the stairs, laughing at each other. Rana hurried towards them.

"Miss, Miss!" she called.

Stopping at the foot of the stairs both woman looked at Rana quite puzzled.

"You need to come, Miss Sara, please…" The older woman held out her hand with urgency.

"What on earth's gotten into you, Rana?" Laura queried with stunned bemusement.

Rana pointed behind her. "Mr. Grissom…he's…taken a fall. I need…he needs…"

Sara's eyes widened. "What?" she gasped, her panic stricken eyes flicking to her mother's for a second.

"In the lounge, Miss…"

Sara didn't wait to hear anymore and, as quickly as her legs would carry her, she ran towards the room, Laura and Rana hurriedly following behind. Bursting into the lounge, Sara felt her heart pumping so wildly when she saw him on the floor, it hurt. She ran to him, crouching down and was soon joined by her mother.

"Oh, God, Gil…" she cried, placing a hand on his shoulder and gently tilting him onto his back in between the cushions. "What happened?" she asked, looking up to Rana.

The housekeeper shook her head. "I don't know, Ma'am," she said apologetically. "I just heard a big crash and when I came in, Mr. Grissom was on the floor."

"I fell…" Grissom growled, wincing heavily, his right hand holding firmly onto his stomach. He certainly didn't sound happy.

Shaking her head, Sara looked to her mother with nothing but confusion. For now, Laura ignored his tone. It was more important to assess his injuries and get him off the floor. They could find out what happened later.

"Just try and keep calm, Gil, okay? Did you hit your stomach?" she asked, clasping her hands over his.

He clenched his eyes closed again, giving a nod.

"Okay," Laura replied softly, kneeling next to her daughter.

Gently, she pulled his hands from his stomach so she could take a look and Sara was swift to place his hand in her own to offer him some support.

"Just keep still," Sara whispered, running her free hand gently through his hair.

Laura untied the belt on his robe and pulled the garment open. Immediately, a little blood was visible to all, seeping through the white cotton fabric of his pajama jacket. "I think you caught your wound, Gil," she said as she started to unbutton the garment. "You're bleeding."

"Great…" he mumbled sarcastically.

Laura looked over her shoulder wondering where her husband had gone and how all this happened. "Rana, can you please bring me some water and a clean cloth, a bandage and Sara's cousins so we can get Gil back upstairs."

"Yes, Ma'am," the older woman nodded. "Right away."

Sara bit down on her lip when her mother peeled back the jacket to reveal Grissom's wound had indeed taken a nasty bang and the corner had reopened, a chunk of scab now hanging off. She squeezed her fiancé's hand as he gasped, Laura pressing on the surrounding area of the injury to check how much damage had actually been done.

"Does anywhere else hurt, Gil?" Laura asked him, looking him up and down. She then noticed a yellow stain on his pajama pants, and discreetly taking a look under him she noted a pool of liquid on the floor.

His eyes opened. "No," he mumbled. "Got a headache but I had that before I fell." He caught where she was looking and, as Laura's head raised and their eyes met, he blushed deeply.

With his jaw working from left to right, his mouth opened but it took him a few seconds to get his words out. "I needed to go…" he mumbled obviously embarrassed. "But, I didn't mean to…"

Laura gave him a tiny smile, patting him on the knee before pulling the bottom half of his robe closed to conceal his accident.

"Don't worry about it," she said softly. "These things happen."

He rolled his eyes, he'd never pissed his pants in his life.

"Can I move him?" Sara asked. "Try and make him a little more comfortable until we can get him up…"

Laura gave a nod. "That's fine," she replied. "The damage isn't too bad and we should be able to just dress it. It may bruise though as the flesh there is still very tender."

"You can say that again," Grissom mocked.

Sara frowned at him. Fine, he'd had an accident but it was as if his entire attitude had changed since she left. It was like she was talking to a completely different man.

"Come on…" she sighed, moving behind him, leaning her back against the sofa. Laura helped him shuffle over a little so his head came to rest on Sara's thigh. They didn't want to move him too much until the wound had been sorted.

"I'll go get someone to come clean up this mess," Laura said, her eyes flicking over the broken crockery. "Or someone will end up cutting themselves."

"All right," Sara agreed, glancing down at her fiancé as his eyes closed and he let out a huge sigh. "So what happened?" she asked, slipping her hands under his arms, her right hand taking hold of his. "And why were you in here on your own? I thought you were talking with father…"

"He left," Grissom replied on a wince. "That's why I tried to leave on my own. There was no one here to help me." He blew out a breath. "My foot caught the table and…I fell. I was too busy concentrating on what was ahead of me, not what was right in front…"

"Why did he leave you?"

He shook his head. "I really don't want to talk about it now, Sara."

Her chin quivered a little, his response causing a flicker in her heart. She knew he was keeping something from her but considering where he was right now, she would let it lie for the time being.

"Okay," she mumbled, swallowing the harsh lump which had formed in her throat.

Another sigh came as he closed his eyes again. "I don't…" He winced again, "I'm just annoyed, Sara."

"Because father left?"

"In a way and because I fell. So stupid…"

She hugged him tighter to her body. "I should have checked on you before now. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," he mumbled. "The day was going so well and now…"

"Hey…" she stopped him by placing her hand over his mouth. "Don't think like that. Accidents happen and we will get through it. We share the bad as well as the good. And, whatever is on your mind, we can talk about it when you're ready, okay?"

A small smile found his lips. "Okay," he answered softly.

Several workers scurried into the room, Rana and Laura following them in. The servants were quick to set upon the mess on the floor while Laura returned to Grissom's side.

"I just need you to keep as still as you can for me, Gil, okay?" Laura began, taking a bowl of water and a cloth from Rana. "I'm going to wipe your wound down and then dress it. Then Nicolas and Gregory will be in to help you upstairs and we'll get you into some fresh pajamas."

"Sure," Grissom mumbled as if he didn't care.

But Laura knew he did, he was just embarrassed and she didn't blame him for that. So, she got on with the task at hand. The sooner they got Grissom comfortable and off the floor, the better.

CSICSICSICSICISCSICSI

Grissom's wound had been dressed and he'd been helped into fresh clothing once taken upstairs. He didn't say much at all, to anyone, and Sara found worry clogging her thoughts as she sat by his bed watching him sleep. It hadn't taken him long to doze off as Sara had given him a little of the pain medication. With that and the stress of what had happened, she wasn't surprised he'd passed out quickly.

Giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek, she left him to rest, finding her mother out on the landing, looking over the railing.

"Is he sleeping?" Laura asked turning, sensing her daughter's arrival.

"Yes," Sara replied. "He's totally exhausted."

"Did he say what was bothering him? Because, I know something was, not just the fall."

Now Sara shook her head. "I tried to talk to him when we got up here but, he wouldn't talk about it. He said I needed to leave it alone until he could get his mind straight to think."

Laura looked surprised by that, after all, Grissom had made a point of no more secrets but, after reading the telegram she'd found on the floor in the living room after Grissom had been picked up, she could understand why. She reached out and squeezed Sara's arm.

"Just give him a little time and I'm sure whatever it is…he will tell you and it will all work out. He's just hurting at the moment, so I can't blame him for not being very chatty. He'll perk up once he's had some rest."

"I really hope so," Sara mumbled.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Laura went in search of her husband finding it a little frustrating that he'd just disappeared and wasn't around to help them with Grissom. She eventually found him in his study, polishing his best rifle with a great amount of vigor. He looked up briefly hearing her enter but didn't stop what he was doing.

"And where have you been?" she asked curiously, approaching the desk.

Now he stopped polishing for a moment, looking back to her. "I went out to the stables to check on the horses. You know I like to do it daily in these conditions. Why?"

She gave a breathless sigh. "I see…"

He gave her a frown, noting her off tone. "What?" he questioned.

"You left Gil on his own, Thomas," she almost growled and fought very hard not to snap at him.

"So," he answered, shrugging. "He's a grown man. Does he really need a minder twenty four hours a day?"

"He fell!" she shouted now.

She knew Grissom's attitude related the telegram and so did her husband's. Obviously Thomas had upset him because he had plans for the land. Laura was by no means stupid and she knew Grissom. He thrived off making his own life, not having a silver spoon thrust into his mouth.

The captain looked stunned and lowered the rifle. "He…what?"

She pulled the telegram from her pocket, holding it up. "You stormed out on him, didn't you, because of this? You left him on his own…" She threw the paper onto the desk, "…and he tried to leave. But he can't walk properly on his own yet and he fell."

Looking at the telegram, the captain sighed. "Is he all right?" His eyes returned to his wife.

Laura worked her jaw. "He fell into the coffee table and re-opened his wound. No doubt, he's in quite a lot of pain…"

"I didn't mean for that to happen," he said regretfully.

"But did you even think?" she argued.

He shrugged. "I was angry. He said…" The captain blew out a breath, attempting to find the right words, "…He'd considered moving to the land, Laura. We would lose our daughter. How do you think that makes me feel?"

Softly flattening her hands on the desk, she took a breath. "He actually said that?"

"He said he'd thought about it but now he didn't know what to do."

Sighing deeply, Laura scooped up the telegram. The last thing she wanted was her daughter to move away but there did come a time in some parent's lives when their child would leave the nest. She knew Grissom hadn't discussed this with Sara though because she had no idea, no idea at all.

"I found the telegram on the floor. Gil doesn't know that I know and I don't want you mentioning this to anyone, do you hear me, Thomas? Sara especially…"

Crooking an eyebrow at her, he placed the rifle on his desk and firmly folded his arms. It was by no means often that she would tell him what to do.

"Please, don't look at me like that," she whispered. "I know what you're thinking but it's up to Gil to discuss this with Sara, not you. He trusted you by showing you this, so the least you can do is hold that trust no matter how you feel about it."

"Are you telling me you would be happy if he took her away?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Of course not. That's the last thing I would want. But for once, it's about their happiness, not ours. So keep this to yourself. Please…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

A few hours later, Laura stood by the window in Grissom's room watching as her nephews created all-out war between each other in a snowball fight. Nicolas was definitely winning and, when Gregory took a lump of snow right to face, she just couldn't hold in her laugh.

The snicker was loud and obviously disturbed Grissom.

"Am I missing all the fun?" came his question and Laura spun around to see him awake and looking right at her.

She approached, giving him a smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine," he sighed, wincing a touch as he pushed himself up to lean back against the pillows. "The more I sleep now the less I will sleep this evening, so I'm glad you woke me." He looked around the room.

"She went for a nap a little while ago," Laura said, knowing he was looking for Sara and he gave a short nod. "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged. "Okay, just a little sore."

Reaching into the drawer of the bedside cabinet, Laura pulled out the telegram she had placed in their earlier and held it out to him. "I found this on the living room floor. You must have dropped it."

Grissom's eyes narrowed as he reached for the paper. "Did you read it?" he questioned.

"Yes," she answered truthfully and he sighed. "And I have spoken to Thomas about it, briefly. He will keep it to himself."

The rancher remained silent, his thoughts ticking over in his head.

Reaching out, Laura patted his knee. "I know whatever decision you make will be the right one for both of you but you really need to discuss it with Sara. She's already worried. And please don't take Thomas's reaction to heart. It was tough enough for him to give Sara to you, let alone him having to think about her walking out of his life more permanently."

"I'm going to sell the land," he said quietly.

Laura looked surprised. "You are?" He gave a nod. "Why?"

"For one, the money will allow me to buy Sara a proper wedding ring as well as a more special Christmas gift. And two, in some ways the captain is correct. Although I have always liked to make my own way in life I have responsibilities now no matter how I want to look at it. Ones I didn't have before and, even though I liked the thought of Sara and I starting our own life, she adores her family and her home. This place is her birthright, I wouldn't want to take that away from her."

She gave him a bright smile. "My, haven't you grown up," she complimented and he blushed. "However, and no matter how much I don't want my child to leave her home, I do think you should discuss it with her before you make a permanent decision."

He shook his head. "My decision is made but I will mention I'm selling the land. The reasons, she doesn't need to know."

"You know Sara wouldn't care if you gave her a water canteen for Christmas as long as it came from you. She's never been one for elaborate gifts."

He pouted then gave her a grin. "Yeah, but I really don't want to be giving her a drinking vessel. Not particularly exciting is it?"

"You know what I mean," she said softly.

"Yes, I do," he answered. "But this is the right thing to do."

*** - "When I speak of success, I speak of success with the young lady; and when I speak of causes and reasons to make success probable, I speak of causes and reasons that will tell as such with the young lady. The young lady goes before all."

*** - Extract taken from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. (Slightly adapted)

A/N: I really do enjoy the old fluff, it's nice to write :) The bells...I hear bells... :P Reviews please. Thanks for reading!