The ride to Santa Monica was a fairly easy one. Grissom and Sara had left early in the morning to make it there before noon. Grissom drove the second half of the trip, knowing the quirky neighborhood well enough to navigate through. They passed through the white picket fences of the small fishing village as Sara gazed out the window.
"So this is the neighborhood you grew up in?" She spoke a bit absently, taking in the sights.
"Yes. My mother still lives in the same house she raised me in." He spoke as he turned another corner.
"That must be nice. To have your childhood home to go back to."
"I suppose." He paused briefly, "I was never one to get too sentimental on those things." He glanced her way, knowing full well that she had no childhood home to speak of, "I actually haven't even been up to my childhood bedroom in over thirty years I think."
Sara just nodded silently, continuing to look out the window. Large sailboats filling the horizon to the left followed by beachy shores.
"I can't really imagine you living near a beach." She mused aloud, "Laying out in a swim suit as a kid."
"I loved living near the ocean. Actually, when I was young I would walk up and down the shore to find dead seagulls and wild life. Then bring them home and perform necropsies."
Sara let out a throaty laugh, "Now that's more of an image I can obtain." She smiled widely, glancing his way as he pulled into a drive way.
"Here we are."
Sara took in the sight of the small cottage looking home fitted with a white picket fence and garden. They made their way to the front door where Grissom hit a doorbell like button.
"The bell creates vibrations along the floorboards, letting her know someone is at the door." He explained. Just a few moments later the door opened and Betty emerged, quickly moving to hug her son.
"Sara!" She signed quickly with excitement, "Please come in."
The two took their shoes off as Betty continued to sign, "I was so excited to receive your email yesterday, Gil. Come, I've made lunch." Betty showed them to the dinning room table where she'd prepared sandwiches and vegetable sides.
"This looks lovely, Thank you." Sara spoke and gestured in broken sign. She'd been working to learn more, but hadn't quite gotten there yet. Grissom continued to act as an interpreter.
"I want to hear all about Paris." She signed before pouring ice water in each of their glasses.
"It's been wonderful. I understand why dad had such a passion for teaching now." Grissom answered by signing and speaking aloud at the same time so Sara could participate in the conversation as well.
"That's wonderful. And Sara, you're still consulting?"
"Oh no, no. I'm actually in Vegas for a little while, helping out the team here." She glanced toward Grissom who was relaying the message to his mother. She watched as Betty Grimaced.
"It's just until they can find a suitable replacement." Grissom added, "Only a few months or so."
"An interesting way to start a marriage."
"Mom... please."
Betty threw her hands up in a symbol of conceding. Grissom quickly steered the conversation elsewhere to discuss the research grant they were waiting on from the French Government and the team they'd assembled for it. From there the conversation stayed fairly light and cheerful. Everyone once in a while Sara would glance around to look at her surroundings, taking in the images of his childhood home. The dining room was just off the living room, giving her a full view to the wall to wall bookshelves full of texts on art history, botany, entomology and classic novels. She knew Grissom gained his love of books from his mother, and now she could see how.
She looked at how the couch was set up parallel to the television set. Picturing a very young Gil sitting close to the television while his father took a nap on the couch behind him. She could see the scene playing out, as Betty came over with a glass of lemonade, suddenly not able to wake him up.
"Sara." She quickly turned her attention back to the conversation, realizing she had tuned out for a few moments. "My mother was wondering if you've had a chance to see your family since coming back to the states." he smiled softly, "The crow family."
"No, unfortunately. I haven't had a chance to make my way out there quite yet."
"You know, we did pack overnight bags. Maybe we can take a flight up there today, stay the night and fly back here tomorrow to drive to Vegas."
"That's a little much, no?"
"I don't think so, lets look at flights after lunch."
"Okay." Sara smiled at Grissom's sudden spontaneous attitude. Something he must have acquired in his new French lifestyle. Grissom had become very accustom to the lifestyle there, seeing quickly that his workaholic tendencies were frowned upon at the university.
Sara helped Betty clear the table and clean the dishes once lunch was through. She smiled politely as she did, not really sure what to say or how to really communicate with their hands preoccupied. Once through, Sara looked around for Grissom. Not finding him on the first floor she tentatively walked upstairs.
"Gil?"
"In here." He spoke softly, having Sara follow his voice to a room to the left of the top of the stairs.
She peaked in, "Hey."
"Hey." He didn't look up. Sara walked in realizing that this was his childhood bedroom. It looked to be exactly the same as the day he left, Betty obviously hadn't touched a thing. She looked around for a moment, seeing a twin sized bed with a blue and gray comforter, a desk covered in textbooks adjacent to it. The walls were covered in shelves that held various rocks, science projects, science kits and textbooks. Sara smiled as she picked up a chemistry kit for kids.
"Did you get one of these for Lindsey once?"
He looked up to see what she was holding and smiled, "Yeah, Nick got her the same one too." He laughed softly.
Sara sat on the edge of the bed next to Grissom now, peering over his shoulder to see what he was reading.
"After my father died, everyone gave me presents to make me feel better—mostly books. This one was from his teachers assistant at the university. She'd come by everyone once in a while to check on us, also wielding another book for me." He shrugged, "I haven't thought about this book in a long time."
Grissom closed the book and wiped off some dust from its cover, revealing an original copy of Sherlock Holmes. Sara smiled, knowing that as a young boy Grissom was infatuated with the stories.
"I spoke with the Dave. They'd love to have us over. Harry's actually back for Fall break too."
"Good. Because I already booked our flight. It takes off in two hours."
Sara shook her head with a baffled smile, "We better go then."
Grissom and Sara made their way back downstairs to tell Betty of their plans. Sara watched as Betty signed something very quickly to Grissom. Too quickly for her to really pick up on. The only signs she could make out were time or when; together; living; child—or maybe it was children. She watched Grissom quickly respond, catching phrases like discussed; considered. She was able to make out his last sentence clearly though: Not in a rush.
Betty's face scrunched in dismay but the only words she could pick up were at her age. She sighed internally, knowing full well what they were discussing and why their motions were so quick—in hopes Sara couldn't follow along.
Grissom took Betty's hands in his, effectively silencing her before signing; When we're ready. She nodded and hugged her son, then said her goodbyes.
The drive to the airport was rather silent. Sara wasn't sure what to say or if she should really say anything at all on what she'd "overheard." She decided against in, there wasn't much she could add to that conversation. She knew they were on the same page for the most part and knew that Grissom was doing his best to curb his mother's expectations. But still, Betty's words stuck with her at her age. It was a valid point. She was 38 now, being a scientist Sara new the risks of pregnancy at this age. There were a few, of course, but not as many as if she'd wait until after 40. She quickly shook the thought from her head, not wanting a biological time clock to force her into a rash decisions.
They landed close to 6 p.m. and with only carry on baggage, made their way straight to the taxi line.
"Do you mind if I visit my my mother while we're here? I realize I haven't seen or spoken to her in close to a year and a half."
"Of course." Grissom readjusted his bag awkwardly, "Can I come?"
"Oh." Sara hadn't even thought of the idea, having just assumed he'd find something to keep himself busy in the meantime, "Yeah, okay."
"I don't have to." He quickly amended. "But I know you said she's doing well, she lucid... It's be nice to finally meet her."
Sara nodded, "Yeah, that'd be nice." They got into the cab and Sara gave the address for the facility her mother lived in. The facility was in the outskirts of San Fransisco, about 45 min east—closer to Modesto.
They arrived at the building and paid the cabbie. It was an average looking building with a few trees planted around its perimeter.
"Hi, We're here to visit Laura Sidle." Sara spoke to the receptionist at the front of the building.
"That's wonderful. Mrs. Sidle doesn't get too many visitors." The younger woman spoke as she flipped through some papers, "She's in group therapy now, but she'll be done in about fifteen or so minutes. Would you like to wait in the reck hall?"
"Sure, that's fine."
The receptionist stood to take them to the room, "In the future, please call ahead, surprise visits can cause some commotion as I'm sure you understand."
Sara nodded silently, feeling guilty about what the woman had said about how few visitors Laura received. Grissom and Sara sat down at a round table. He put a comforting hand on her thigh, "You okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah—I'm fine."
Grissom then pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket and grabbed a pencil from the basket on the table.
"Have you been carrying that around all week?" Sara laughed looking at the Sunday crossword puzzle he'd just placed on the table.
"Yeah." Grissom spoke as if there were absolutely nothing curious about that. She watched as he filed in the next few words of the puzzle. Then watched as he tapped the eraser of the pencil to the table as he thought about the next line item.
"Circumspect."
"Excuse me?"
"14 Down." She clarified, "Circumspect." Sara watched as Grissom looked up at her with a boyish grin and then back down to the puzzle, before filing in the word.
"Ah yes, circumspect."
"Sara?" Laura's voice caused the two to look up, "Sara."
Sara stood now and embraced her mother, "Hi mom."
"Well this is a wonderful surprise." Laura pulled back and looked at her daughters face, putting a had on her cheek, "You look well." Grissom now stood watching the two women interact.
"Mom, this is Gil" Laura refocused her attention on the man now standing beside her daughter, "My husband."
"Husband?" Laura's face scrunched in bafflement, "You married?"
"It's nice to finally meet you." Grissom stuck out his hand but Laura moved in for a hug instead, wrapping him in a tight embrace.
"My goodness!" She exclaimed as the three took a seat at the round table. She shook her head softly, "I never thought I'd see the day." She smiled looking at the two of them. "You know, Dave was here just a few months ago, he didn't mention it."
"He probably didn't want to spoil the news incase I hadn't told you yet..." He voice trailed off as she furrowed her brows, "Dave still comes to visit?"
"Two or three times a year." Laura confirmed and Sara sighed internally, knowing full well that he did it to make up for Sara's absence even after all these years. "He did tell me you moved to Paris. How exciting."
"Oh, I've actually since moved back to Vegas for a little while. Gil is still in Paris though."
"I see. That must be hard."
"We're managing." Gil smiled.
The three continued a pleasant conversation as Laura asked many questions of Gil to get to know him better.
"I hate to be presumptuous here but, do you think you two will have children?"
"Mom—"
"I know, I'm sorry. I just—I wanted to know that if you decided not to, that your childhood wouldn't be to blame for that." Laura looked down at her fidgeting fingers. Grissom smiled, recognizing the mannerism he knew all to well from Sara when a conversation turned too tough or awkward for her to make eye contact.
"When you were little you would line up all of your dolls and get them ready for school each morning. You and your father would spend hours teaching to them..." Laura reminisced.
"We did?"
"Oh my, yes. You'd assign them homework to do. And when you weren't looking your father would fill in the answers for each doll." Laura let out a small laugh, "You don't remember?"
Sara simply shook her head. "I don't, honestly."
"Well you were young. This probably went on from the time you were four until seven or so."
Grissom rubbed small circles on Sara's back to comfort her.
Laura looked down again, "Richard was a wonderful father to you. I'm sorry to have taken him away from you so early." Her voice was small and full of regret.
Sara almost stopped breathing. She had never heard her mother take responsibility for that night. A sudden relief washed over her.
"It wasn't your fault, mom." She soothed, "You didn't know you had a problem until it was too late."
"He knew, though. He just didn't know what to do about it."
"I don't think anyone then did, mom. And hitting us wasn't fixing it." She watched as small tear fell from her mothers eyes, "It's water under the bridge, mom. Really, look I grew up just fine. It's okay." Sara reached out to touch Laura's shoulder in comfort causing Laura to look up. Something in her eyes had changed.
"Why are you here? Has Richard sent you?"
"What? Mom?"
"Shh. Don't call me that. He's sent you hasn't he. He has." Laura's speech became rapid and mumbled.
Sara quickly stood, flagging a nurse with a hand motion. One quickly ran over, shining a light in Laura's eyes, taking in her appearance. He quickly stuck her shoulder with a clear liquid shot.
"I think it's best you two head out for now." The nurse said as he transferred Laura over to a wheelchair.
Sara nodded and stood walking quickly out of the facility, Grissom in tow. She pushed through doors and breathed in the fresh air, taking a seat on the building's stoop. Grissom slowly took a seat next to her; Close enough that she knew he was there for her while still giving her her space.
A few moments passed before she spoke, "After all this time, after how much I've grown in the past two years, I thought this would get easier." Grissom nodded silently, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him. She rested her head against him now, letting a few tears fall.