Sara's room was a hive of activity throughout the morning. Her friends refused to leave, buoyed by the idea that she might wake up. The nurses firmly told them that no more than 4 guests would be allowed at a time, so they were forced to rotate who stayed with her. Nick had updated DB, and he stopped by briefly with a box of chocolates and firmly told everyone that they were for Sara when she woke up, and no one else was to touch them. He leaned down and whispered something softly to her, causing her head to drop a fraction of an inch as if in a nod. Satisfied, he patted her hand and told her he would see her later.
Finn showed up shortly after he left, and quickly banished the men from the room as she, Morgan and Catherine sat with her and had "girl talk" - really just an excuse to have Sara to themselves for a short while. When Finn talked of painting Sara's nails, one of her hands definitely jerked away, causing the three women to laugh as they tried to coax Sara into opening her eyes. Thirty minutes later, Finn and Morgan excused themselves to go home and sleep.
Dr. Mark came in to see her, and asked everyone to leave the room while he examined Sara and spoke to her. He noticed that in the calm and quiet, he didn't see any of the signs of movement that the others had seen. He brought Brass back into the room to update him officially on Sara's progress and promised to call Grissom as well. A neurologist would be coming shortly, and he requested Brass remain there until his assessment was complete. The doctor agreed with Greg that he did think Sara was possibly waking up, and reassured Brass that it was the medical team's responsibility to explain Sara's surgery to her. She was recovering well now, and he was confident that Sara would continue to improve over the coming days.
The neurologist arrived shortly after lunch time. Nick and Greg decided that was their cue to go home and sleep, and Catherine left to find food and get an update on Grissom's location and the status of his trip home.
The neurologist spent a great deal of time with Sara, speaking to her as he checked her reflexes and flipped through her chart. He spoke to Brass as well, asking about their work and what Sara was like. Brass was struck with the compassion the neurologist showed, trying to understand Sara as a whole person and not just a patient or a case. He found himself at ease, answering the neurologist's questions about Sara's history as best he could. An hour had passed before he finished, surprising Catherine when she returned to find him still there.
"I think I have everything we need." The neurologist told Brass and Catherine. "It looks like she is starting to come around. It may still take a few days, but she's on her way back to you. Her body is starting to respond to pain, and there is definitely some awareness of what is going on around her, so I would suggest you avoid saying anything you don't want her to hear. She will still be spending most of her time asleep though. I'll be back to check on her tomorrow. I'm looking forward to meeting you properly, Sara. Rest well." and he left the room.
"That sounds good." Catherine smiled. "And I spoke to the coordinator who is organising Grissom's return. We won't be able to get in touch with him for another 8 to 10 hours at least, but he's on a ship on his way to San Diego. If all goes well, he could be back as early as tomorrow." She spoke confidently, but was cut off by the shrill alarm of Sara's heart monitor. Sara's brow had furrowed and her face was pinched as if in pain. A nurse came in quickly and pushed Catherine aside as she leaned over Sara briefly then ran out to a cart in the hallway. Brass and Catherine watched as the nurse quickly injected a syringe into the IV line and waited for Sara's face to relax and her heart rate to come back down.
"She's ok. We just gave her something to calm her. Sometimes when patients start to wake up this can happen as they become aware of their pain." The nurse explained before leaving. Brass and Catherine remained silent for a moment, exchanging a look that communicated without words. They needed to tell the others not to mention Grissom in Sara's room. Brass sat back down and held Sara's hand gently.
"It's alright, Sara. You're going to be ok." He spoke quietly, nearly whispering. "You're going to be ok."
Catherine sat on the opposite side of the bed, holding Sara's other hand. For the first time she questioned whether maybe she should have just left Grissom on his boat in the middle of the ocean.
Grissom paced around the ship impatiently. There was no work for him to do here. No way he could be of assistance to the crew. So he paced laps around the upper deck, looking for anything to distract himself.
He swore he wasn't going to return to Vegas but here he was, on a boat to San Diego, where he would be on the first flight he could get to his former home. His stomach churned at the idea of facing his friends, all of whom would no doubt be furious with him. Worse yet, he dreaded seeing Sara. It felt like he was drowning in his guilt. He had abandoned her, and while his intentions had been to allow her to fulfil her desire to be a mother, now that possibility was gone. He didn't think there would be any way she would forgive him for the hurt he had caused. She had been alone through everything - losing their baby, recovering, and then silently battling ill health. Despite the promises they made, in sickness and in health, he had left her alone when she needed him most. It was unforgiveable. Once again, he questioned why he was going back. Surely once Sara woke up, she would demand he leave. There was no way she could possibly want to see him again. But buried deep down, under the fear and anxiety and regret, there was a tiny sliver of joy. He had thought he would never get to see her again - but now he knew he would. Quickly, the thought was banished. Yes, he would see her, but the circumstances were terrible and not something he could ever feel joy about. His Sara, the only woman he had ever and would ever love, was suffering in hospital. Conflicted emotions and swirling thoughts overwhelmed his brain as he stared out at the ocean.