Only by the strong request of her doctors, Sara stayed in the hospital for two weeks to recover. Grissom was there every day day by her side despite her objections. He felt sad knowing that this was the most uninterrupted time they'd ever spent together.
The team took turns spending time with and visiting her as the days past by. As each team member would come, Grissom would sneak away to grab a quick shower, change of clothes and walk Hank. Then he'd promptly return to occupy the seat by her bedside.
Three days after the incident it was Catherine's turn to check in on her.
"How are you feeling?" Catherine took the seat Grissom just vacated.
"I'm okay. Still a bit sore." Sara was now sitting up in bed. Her shoulder still immobilized, and bandages lined the side of her face. Her ragged breathing showed that her ribs caused her a great deal of discomfort, even with the pain medication administered.
"I wanted to apologize."
Sara furrowed her brows in confusion, "Apologize? For what?"
"For what I said about Grissom and Lady Heather last week..."
Sara let out a small laugh, "You're fine, Cath. Seriously, don't worry about it."
"I would have never said any of that had I known."
"I know. Really. Don't worry about it."
Catherine smiled and softened her eyes, "You know he really blind sided us with that news."
"How did that come up?" Sara questioned. Realizing that she never really heard the story.
"It was just after Grissom found the miniature in his office, and Brass found your car abandoned in the lot... We were standing around in the layout room trying to figure out a plan of attack." She paused a moment to think, "I said something like 'this feels different' and his response was along the lines of 'it is different. This girl blames me taking away the only person she ever loved, and now she's going to do the same to me.'"
"Oh."
"Yeah. You could say we were all a bit taken aback." She smiled, "I think greg almost fainted."
"We never meant to deceive the team, you know? It just kind of happened."
"This is all very strange for us. It's hard to picture Grissom not being a middle-aged lonely workaholic."
Sara laughed, "Well, I think he's still a middle-aged workaholic... just maybe not as lonely as previously suspected."
Catherine smiled, she looked over her co-worked appearance once more and the smile started to fade. She watched as Sara's chest and stomach tightened with each ragged breath, "Do you need more pain medication?"
"No, I'm fine. It's just going to take time."
Catherine nodded, "It's your ribs?"
"Yeah the bottom two broke while the car was being lowered on top of me." A quick flashback to that night left Sara feeling cold. She pulled the blanket higher.
"It's surprising that if any ribs were to break, that only the bottoms ones did. You'd think it'd be even pressure."
Sara simply shrugged in return. Then Grissom opened the door. His hair still damp from his shower.
"Hey Gil." Catherine spoke as she stood. "I'll give you two some time." She turned back to Sara, "Get well." And with that she left.
Grissom walked further into the room and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on Sara's head. She smiled up to him.
"How was the interrogation?"
Sara let out a small laugh before abruptly stoping herself due to the pain, "She was fine. Really." She paused a moment, thinking about what Catherine said to her about how Grissom revealed their relationship to the team. She realized then how scared he must have been, how heart wrenching the whole ordeal was for him. Her eyes softened, "Thank you, Gil."
"What for?"
"I know this hasn't been easy for you..."
Grissom squinted his eyes, "Honey.." He kissed her hand, "I'm just grateful you're okay. Anyway, it's not me who its been hard on. It's Hank" He smiled, "It'll be nice to get home, he misses you."
Two weeks passed and it was time for Sara to finally go home. She was warned, however, that the healing is now first beginning. She wasn't out of the woods just yet.
"I don't need that." She said as a nurse pushed in a wheel chair.
"It's hospital policy."
Grissom put a comforting hand on her shoulder and led her to the chair. Her legs were a bit wobbly from laying in bed for two weeks.
Grissom keyed open the door to their loft and let her inside. An energetic Hank came trotting up the stairs to greet them, licking at Sara and wagging his tail.
"Hey boy!" She slowly crouched down to pet the dog and scratch behind his ears. Grissom meanwhile took her coat from her and hung it up.
"Shower. Dinner. Then a movie maybe?" Grissom suggested as he helped her stand back up.
"How long are you taking off for?"
"Just three more nights."
Sara nodded, agreeing to the plan for the night and his purposed length of time off. He had already taken the last two weeks off to tend to her at the hospital, only going into the lab a handful of times to help out.
Sara dipped into the warm bath water Grissom had put up for her. She watched through the half opened bathroom door from her reclined position in the tub as Grissom changed into something more comfortable. her uninjured arm swooshing the surface water back and forth.
He made his way into the bathroom, sitting on the closed toilet lid beside the tub. She slid herself down underneath the water and then back up, letting water droplets roll down her face.
He squeezed some of the lemon grass scented shampoo into the palm of his hand and began to lather it through her hair.
She sighed, "I'm sorry you have to do this..." she began.
"You know I'm more that happy to." he countered, "i know how you hate to feel helpless, it's only for a little while,"
She turned her head around to him and gave him a half smile. he was so cute when he tried to be reassuring. They shared a quick, gentle kiss before he continued the task at hand.
Later that night, after they'd had dinner and washed up for the evening, he found her sitting up in bed, her hair almost dry from her earlier bath. He observed her as she sat in some odd position, her leg holding a book open so she could read and turn the page. He knew she hated to feel like the victim, to feel helpless, and to have her independence striped from her, so he tried his hardest not to make a fuss over her. But he couldn't help the feeling of wanting to, of wanting to hold her for hours, of tending to her every need.
He sat on his side of the bed beside her and reclined against the pillows into a half laying, half sitting up position.
He let her read for a few minutes more before he spoke. He lifted her hair on one side, placing it behind her ear, and doing so caused her to turn to him:
"You should get some rest dear,"
she smiled at him and nodded, closing the book she was reading and placing it on the nightstand beside her. she turned off the light and settled into bed.
The two bodies moved and shuffled until a comfortable position was found for both. He laid on his back, legs straight, as she curled her body around him, bringing one bent leg over his thighs, her arm draped over his abdomen, and her head close to his heart. His hand stroked her soft hair and he let out a deep sigh unintentionally.
Her arm traced back and forth on his stomach, "what's wrong?" she asked,
"nothing- its, ... nothing."
She sat up and leaned on her good arm, looking at him, "What is it?"
"I'm just." he paused, "I don't think I've expressed to you how glad i am that you're alright... that you're..." his voice trailed off, and he added in a whisper, "alive."