A/N: Another amazing chapter from co-writer, JellybeanChChi. An awesome job too! I just LOVE this chapter. Unfortunately it's the last one - just for now - until new chapters come back from Jelly.

CHAPTER 49

Sara needed the bathroom more than she realized which is probably why she practically sprinted to Grissom's room. One of the perks of pregnancy, she said to herself as she looked at her reflection in the mirror as she washed her hands.

She sighed at the image in front of her. The bags under her eyes were noticeable, as were new lines of worry. She reached up and pulled her hair to the side to see one, two, four, five, seven strands of gray.

"Terrific," she said to her reflection. "Couple that with the stretch marks and a belly that's going to expand, and I will be an absolute beauty queen."

Shaking her head at the absurdity, Sara finally stepped out of the bathroom to find an empty room. Not only was Grissom's roommate gone, but Grissom and Daniel weren't in the room either. It's not like it wouldn't take Grissom that long to push the stroller from the lobby to the room.

Unless he was showing off Daniel to the staff. Grissom was one of the younger people in his area of rehab. Other patients were older or elderly, so staffers enjoyed seeing a baby's face. And Daniel ate up the attention.

Taking advantage of some time alone, Sara took a seat in the recliner near Grissom's bed. She pulled the lever to put the seat in the reclining position. She let out a long breath and closed her eyes.

A less than a minute later, she was asleep.

It was a combination of a tiny fist banging on her leg and the sensation of something slippery and wet on her arm that caused Sara to awake.

She opened her eyes and saw Daniel standing next to the recliner. He held onto the chair with one hand while he banged his fist on her leg with the other. That's when Sara noticed the item causing the sensation on her arm — a chunk of half eaten cantaloupe.

But before she could remove the fruit, Daniel stopped his banging, used that hand to hang on to the recliner and snatched the melon with the other.

"Where did you get that?" she asked the toddler, who was scooped up by his father before the boy could answer.

"I gave it to him," Grissom said as he sat down in a chair next to the recliner. He had Daniel in his lap and was trying to use a wet wipe to clean the boy's hands. "Sorry about that, but he wanted to wake you up. I held him off as long as possible."

"As long as possible?" Sara asked as she stretched her arms and then reached on to the side as she groped for the recliner lever. "How long was I asleep? Ten minutes?"

"About an hour and a half."

"What?!" The recliner made a loud thud as she got it back in its sitting position. "An hour and a half? Gil, why did you let me sleep that long?!"

"Hon, it's OK. You looked exhausted." Grissom's voice and face held a soft, compassionate quality. He reached over and gave Sara a couple of wipes to clean her hand. "I was happy to see you get some rest."

Sara craned her neck from side the side, then stretched each arm across her chest. She did feel rested and the recliner was surprisingly comfortable. "I still can't believe you didn't wake me up sooner. You should have woke me up."

Grissom stood up with Daniel in his arms and bent over to kiss Sara on the forehead. "We did wake you up."

"Yeah, but not for more than 90 minutes," Sara pouted despite looking more refreshed.

Although he did not offer a retort, Grissom's smile became wider. He left Sara's side to put Daniel down a few feet away on the floor. He seemed to have kept himself busy as Sara slept. He constructed a mini-play area for Daniel using his playmat, toys from his stroller and some stray items that are left in their car. The boy seemed content.

"You didn't just put his blanket directly on the floor, did you?"

"What? And suffer the tongue lashing from the nurses and you?" Grissom replied as she sat back on the chair next to Sara. "They helped me lay down sheets and some towels on the floor first before we put down the blanket. And I had to promise to keep his socks and shoes on."

Although she still held residual irritation for being asleep for so long, Sara couldn't help but reciprocate a smile upon seeing the happiness her husband held. "So…" she said after a moment, "your roommate's not going to mind the obvious baby invasion?"

"He went home this afternoon. I probably will get a roommate sometime tomorrow, but for tonight the place is all mine."

"Well, that's good. So what did you two do for so long while I was wasting time asleep?"

Grissom reached for Sara's hand. "First of all, it is not a waste of time for you to sleep. I'm worried you are working yourself way too hard. …"

"Gil, I'm fine."

"Really? Then why were you dead to the world as soon as you sat down in the recliner?"

"Oh come on, it was a cat nap that went too long…"

"Sara, you were out. You still haven't realized the mustache I drew on your upper lip while you were asleep."

The comment made Sara leave her chair like a shot and head to the bathroom mirror. Fortunately her reflection looked similar to the one she saw before her nap. Although she did notice the bags under her eyes were much better.

The reflection also included a chuckling Grissom as he stood behind her. She turned around to see him standing in front of her with both hands on his cane. For the first time since she arrived she took stock in her husband. While he looked content, he also seemed tired. When he walked Daniel to his play area he did so with a limp. He bent over gingerly to let the boy down first on his feet, so Daniel could plop onto his butt on his own accord.

Judging by the grip Grissom had on his cane Sara wondered if he was in pain right now. Yet, that didn't stop her from turning around and giving him a swat on the chest. "You're such a shit," she said with mirth.

"Ouch," Grissom said playfully.

"You know how dangerous it can be to trick a pregnant woman?" she said as she went around Grissom to get out of the bathroom.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist," Grissom said as he limped behind her.

She went and sat on the bed next to Daniel's play area. He immediately crawled over to her and climbed up her leg. "You know I came to visit you, not nap."

"I know, but I figured you could do both, and it gave me and Daniel the prefect opportunity to do something together."

Sara reached down to pick up Daniel. "Oh yeah? What?"

Grissom put up a finger as if to signal "One moment," and limped out of the room as he leaned on his cane. Sara could only see him turn the corner out of the room before he disappeared out of sight. She sighed and looked at her son. "So you two let me sleep so I can't visit. Is it me? Do you two not want to be with me?"

Daniel's only answer was to grab Sara's nose.

A few moments later, Grissom reentered the room looking nervous. "Hey."

"Where'd you go?"

"Just to the … ah… just down a couple of hallways."

"Sit with me."

"I will," he said, staying put.

"Gil, what's going on? Did you want me to go home?"

"What? No."

"OK, you're being weird."

She looked like she was going to stand up so Grissom walked towards her. "I'm sorry. It's just… I got you something and it didn't turn out exactly as I hoped."

"Got me something? Like from the facility?"

"No, it's not like I thought you'd want a bed pan or something."

While Grissom nervously laughed at his own joke, Sara gave him a perplexed look that he knew was bordering on losing her patience. "I … well Daniel and I… but mostly me… or I made you something."

Knowing the clientele in the facility was mostly elderly, Sara had a ridiculous image of Grissom in an arts and craft class. "Oh, it is macrame trivet or a macaroni necklace?"

"Neither. You remember that fruit … whatever… you got at the office?"

"The Edible Arrangement?" Sara replied. "Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, I remember how much you said you liked it…"

"Oh no," Sara said, her agitation going up a notch. "Gil, it's sweet of you to get one, but you know how expensive those things are? I mean…. $75 for a few pieces of pineapple and some strawberries? It's not like we can afford that kind of expense..."

"I totally agree and I didn't buy you one," Grissom said before going out the door and immediately coming back into the room pushing a cart in front of him.

Her face changed and she took Daniel off her lap. He gladly left her arms to stand as he held the bed rail that was at his level. Sara took steps forward to stand with Grissom. She put her arm around his waist.

On the cart was Grissom's variation of an edible arrangement. With a wide-rimmed bowl as its base, he had fashioned a pineapple as the base with green-colored sticks spearing a variety of carved fruits as flowers surrounding it. There were a couple of dozen honeydew, cantaloupe and pineapple daisies with strawberry, blueberry and raspberry centers. There was also a half dozen full strawberries half covered with chocolate in the display as well.

"You made this for me?"

"Yeah, I know it's not quite as nice as a professional one," Grissom said, as he looked at the display skeptically. "I should have done a better job rounding off the petals."

Sara let out a long breath and leaned into Grissom. "It's great, Gil. Looks beautiful and delicious."

"Really? You like it?"

"Of course I do," she said, swiping at her eyes and working as best as she could to control her emotions. She took off a chocolate covered strawberry, enjoying her first bite. "This must have took you forever. Did you make it in the room?"

"No, in the kitchen," Grissom said. "I told the attendants a couple of days ago what I was wanting to do, and they said I could use the kitchen. Jim bought the produce for me and brought it this morning. There probably would have been more cantaloupe flowers if it wasn't for Danny. He's a melon fiend, apparently."

Sara plucked a raspberry and blueberry from a "flower." "It's like you have a run of this place," she said. "Like it's your home."

"No, honey. You're my home," Grissom said in soft and low voice. "And I can't wait to get back there."

Again, Sara had to hold in her emotions. If she bathed in his statement, she would lose it for sure, so instead she took off a piece of cantaloupe and waved to get Daniel's attention. "Hey Danny? Look what mommy has." She said in a loving, teasing voice. "I got melon, ha ha ha."

Grissom gave her a smiling incredulous look. "Are you trying to provoke a toddler?"

"Trust me, he provokes me plenty, don't you Dan?" Sara said, garnering a big smile from her son. "See? Don't worry I'll share with him."

But before she could take off a piece of melon and walk it over to Daniel, he took matters in his own hands.

Or in this case, his own two feet.

Catching mom and dad off guard, Daniel took his hands off the railing and took one step towards them. He didn't stumble, so he took another and another and before long he was standing at the cart reaching his arms up for a treat.

Mouths agape, it was Grissom who first broke the silence. "Did you know he was going to do that?"

"No," Sara said as she reached down and brought Daniel in her arms. "He always crawls around the house." She turned him to face Grissom. "I think that deserves a treat, don't you daddy?"

Grissom placed his hands on his son's cheeks and kissed him lovingly on his forehead. He then grabbed a piece of melon and handed it to Daniel, who giggled his thanks and moved his feet quickly while in his mother's arms.

"Take him for a second," Sara said before handing Grissom his son. "I have a bowl of Cheerios. We can put some fruit in it and put him down. It will keep him occupied."

Grissom sat down with Daniel continually kissing him and nuzzling him. The boy didn't mind the attention from his father, even offered to share his now slimy cantaloupe, which Grissom graciously declined.

When he saw that Sara had Daniel's snack ready on his blanket, Grissom said, "Stay there. Let's see if he'll do it again."

Although he held a look of determination and concentration, the grin on Daniel's face emanated from a combination of accomplishing walking and hearing his mother and father cheer him on. He plopped down on his blanket and grabbed his dish of goodies to the sound of mommy and daddy clapping. After getting his hair rustled by his mother, Sara left his side to return to her gift. She turned it around to see Grissom's handiwork.

"So, I did an OK job?"

"You did a great job," Sara said, as she gave him a soft smile and returned her gaze to Daniel. "I can't believe he took his first steps."

"I know," Grissom said, observing his son with the same look. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

Before Sara could answer she heard her cellphone buzz. She stood to retrieve the phone from her back pocket and saw a message came through. Grissom watched as Sara's face immediately transformed as she looked at her phone. She suddenly looked as exhausted and frustrated as she did when she arrived.

"Is everything OK?"

"Huh?" Sara said, looking a little lost.

"Did you get a bad message?"

"Oh." Sara said, her face twisting in a sad way. "I … it's one of my coworkers…"

Her voice faded out, and she went to the arrangement and grabbed a couple of things off of it. She popped them quickly in her mouth and chewed while talking. "I ...asked… oneting." She mumbled as she finished what was in her mouth before picking off a few more pieces of fruits. Then she suddenly stopped. "Oh… oh no!"

"Sara? What did the text say? Is everything OK?"

"I can't believe how stupid I am!" She waved her phone in front of Grissom. "Our son… our firstborn … just took his first steps, and I didn't even bother to record it or take a photo! I had the damn phone in my pocket!"

"Sara, there's plenty of time to take photos of him walking now. It's OK…"

"No! It's not! I suck as a mom!" She punctuated her point by slamming the phone on the cart and angrily taking out two spears of fruit before plopping down on the recliner.

Grissom got off his seat and pulled it in front of the recliner. "Sweetheart, don't say that. You're a fantastic mom." He reached over and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "What did the text say? Please tell me what happened?"

She looked him in the eyes and saw the love he had and her emotions and tears spilled over. And over and over as she held onto the spears of fruit.

While worried about her emotionally, Grissom thought before he could comfort his wife, it might be best to take the sharpened, wooden sticks from her hands. As he tried to gently take them away, she pulled her hands back.

"No!"

"It's OK, honey. I was just going to put them aside for a moment…"

"Don't take them. They're… they're part of the nicest thing anyone's done for me for so long… It's been so tough lately, Gil. I… I feel like I … that we… can't catch a break. And I'm tired… I'm so tired… and I know I shouldn't be complaining, but … God, it's tough, you know?... All I asked that coworker of mine was to cover the shift for one hour at the end of the shift tomorrow. One lousy hour! … I just wanted to get a few things before you came home the next day… And she couldn't do it. …"

"Honey, I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault," Sara said, tears freely flowing down her cheeks. "I've tried everything I can to get on people's good sides, but… nothing is working. I mean… yes, Karson's been nice and Kahlil is kind… But everyone else? …"

Grissom's heart ached for her. She might say it wasn't his fault but he still felt like it was. He wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms… except those damn wooden sticks.

Despite thinking he wasn't doing enough for her, he listened and let Sara vent, which was exactly what she needed. "You know what I really want? I mean… I really want you to come home because… I miss you, Gil. I miss you being around and teasing me and looking at me and complaining about me stealing the covers. … And I know it's only two more days, but all I want to do right now is sit here and eat that entire arrangement… but if I do that then I'll have nothing to take home and I won't have the nicest gift I've gotten in a long time…"

It was when she went to wipe the tears from her cheek that Sara remembered the death grip she had on the sticks. But instead of putting one down, she simply transferred them to the same hand.

As she did that, she heard Grissom pull his chair away. He stood up, retrieved the rolling tray table. He placed the arrangement on it and wheeled it so it was on the left-hand side of the recliner so that the table was perched in front of Sara. "Enjoy it. The whole thing."

"But…"

He plucked off a chocolate-covered strawberry and offered it to her. ""I'll make you another one at home. I promise."

She took the strawberry with a sigh. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," he said. "Now close your eyes."

"Come on, Gil. I don't want to sleep…" The tired agitation returned to her voice.

"I wasn't going to ask you to nap. Just humor me."

She complied with his request and a moment later she complied again when he asked her to open her eyes.

In front of the arrangement Grissom placed an open, rectangular box. Inside was a delicate silver chain with a pendant — a six petal flower of sterling silver and rose-colored gold.

"I had intended to give it to you as a 'welcome home' gift," Grissom said. "But this way you are sure to take something home with you that reminds you how much you are cherished and loved."

Sara's eyes misted. She pushed the tray table to the side, so it was no longer in front of her. She reached over and put the necklace in the palm of her hand, but she still said nothing.

Her reaction made Grissom a little nervous. "I know what you're thinking, and it wasn't extravagant. I didn't spend a fortune, but, honestly honey, I almost wish I did because you deserve extravagance, and if you don't like it…"

"Gil," Sara said softly. She wrapped the chain around her neck and clasped it. Palming the pendant that laid on her bosom, she gave the chain a gentle tug to ensure it was clasped and then pressed the pendant against her heart.

The two stayed silent for a moment until Sara stood up, wrapped her arms around Grissom's neck and kissed him soundly.

They pulled apart and Sara placed her head on his shoulder.

"So does that mean you like the necklace?"

Sara pulled her head up and smiled. "That was just the thank you for the fruit arrangement." She sensually let her hands roam down his back and caressed his backside before returning her hands up until they settled on his shoulders. "And this is a thank you for the necklace."

The kiss ignited passion that both of them had left burning as embers in their souls. Engaged in the moment, they would break for mere seconds for breath before their lips crashed together once more. Their hands roamed and Grissom began to take steps pushing Sara to his bed. Lost in the sensations of her husband's hands brushing up her blouse and the pads of his fingertips burning a trail on her bare skin, it wasn't until the back of her knees hit the bed that Sara pushed Grissom away.

"Honey," she said almost breathless. "Your knee…"

"Forget the knee, Sara." His eyes held the feral look she had seen so many times before.

Normally, Sara would have pounced and despite the desire, she took a deep breath and stood firm.

"You had knee surgery five days ago. This is a rehab bed. And Daniel's on the floor over there and if he's finished his fruit, chances are he will head for the fruit arrangement."

"Sara, please…" But any argument Grissom had died on his lips and in his loins as he looked over toward Daniel's play area and didn't see him there. "Oh God…"

Seeing the nervous look on Grissom's face, Sara instinctively knew Daniel wasn't where he should be but instead of freaking out or even taking a moment to turn toward the play area, she quickly looked towards the door. "Daniel," she said in a kind but stern voice. "Where are you going?"

"BING!"

Sara patted Grissom's chest. "He's by the door. Excuse me for a second." She approached Daniel and held out her hand. "Don't bing me. Come on. Let's go."

Daniel took his mother's hand and walked the short distance with her to greet his father. "BING! BING! Bing, bing, bing, bing."

Grissom, who at the moment was feeling tired, elated, relieved and a little embarrassed at the same time, shook his head and smiled at the boy. "He just learned how to walk a few minutes ago, saw we were occupied and almost escaped."

"I guess things are going to be different at home for us," Sara said. "But tomorrow I'm getting a bell to put around his neck."