When Catherine left the hospital, she decided it would be best to message Greg, Nick and Brass herself to let them know Sara had invited them for pizza but that she was recovering from a challenging day and it would likely be a short visit. The lack of replies told her they were likely all still asleep, and for that she was grateful. It was one less thing for her to worry about. Arriving home, she went inside and decided to take an hour to relax and unwind instead of diving straight into work. She hoped that things were beginning to look up and that everyone would be fine, but she found herself worrying about whatever medical issues had upset Sara that morning. Watching her closely, it was clear Sara had improved but there was still a deeper sadness that was lingering. She mulled over what she knew and what she had witnessed since arriving, and specifically Grissom's words when he reassured Catherine that Sara's long term health and job would not be impacted. As she thought over other conversations, she suddenly remembered Grissom's discomfort when he admitted that Sara had wanted more than a career. The more she replayed the conversations in her mind, the more she was certain that Sara was now coming to terms with the likelihood that she would be unable to have a baby. It would explain Brass's discomfort and concern after her surgery, and Sara's refusal to see Grissom and Brass after she was told that morning. She wanted to immediately find a way to reach out to Sara, to offer her support as a woman - but she knew that Sara would be upset if she thought someone had told Catherine, and that Catherine, as a mother, would not be her first choice to talk to. She heaved a sigh as she tried to consider what help she could offer, before concluding that right now the best thing she could offer was what Sara had asked for - pizza in the garden with a few friends. Well, that, and talking to Grissom to make sure he didn't say anything stupid that may make Sara feel worse.

At 6:45, Catherine arrived at the hospital with pizza as requested. Grissom and Sara were already back at the garden sitting near the picnic table. As Catherine made her way to the table, Grissom pushed Sara's chair up to the end and Catherine placed the stack of boxes in front of her.

"This smells amazing. Thanks Catherine!" Sara said as she opened the box to find a thin crust pizza loaded with veggies. "It looks as good as it smells, too."

"What are you waiting for? Dig in." Catherine told her.

"I thought we should wait for everyone else. They said they'd be here around 7."

"They won't mind if you start before them. They'll just be glad you're eating." Grissom told her as he lifted a slice from the box and placed it on a napkin, nudging it towards her. She looked between Catherine and Grissom before picking it up and taking a bite.

"Definitely the best thing I've eaten in months." Sara said between mouthfuls. "I had forgotten food could taste so good."

"Good! Eat more." Catherine told her, opening the box in front of Sara as she moved the other pizzas. "That one's all yours."

"I can't eat a whole pizza!" Sara told her, laughing. "You should have some."

"Sure you can. You don't have to eat it all right now though." Catherine said. "Save some for lunch tomorrow. Or a midnight snack. There's plenty here for everyone."

"Good thing." Grissom said, as he gestured at the door that Nick had just stepped through, with Greg not far behind him. They both had matching grins as they approached the trio at the picnic table, and took turns giving Sara a quick hug.

"Great to see you awake and out of bed!" Nick told her. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better." Sara insisted. "Although I'd like to ditch this thing." She gestured to the wheelchair.

"Give it time." Grissom reminded her. "You'll be up and walking soon." Catherine opened the pizza boxes and gestured for everyone to help themselves, and everyone busied themselves picking up slices of pizza and sitting down.

"So what did you get up to today?" Greg asked Sara. "They wouldn't let me see you this morning. I'm glad you got your food though."

"Yeah, I was a bit wiped out this morning. I was asleep when you dropped it off. Thank you though, the muffins and smoothie were great." Sara told him. "And I started physical therapy, and convinced them I needed to get out of my room."

"That's great!" Greg told her. "You'll be out of here in no time."

"That's the plan." Sara said. "But they're not letting me do much yet." she moped.

"Hey, guess what I got up to today." Nick interrupted, hoping to cheer Sara up or at least distract her.

"Hot date, Nicky?" Catherine asked.

"Better. I went and checked on Eli. He's doing great, Sara. Obviously he misses his mom, but the family he's with are treating him well. We got to hang out for a bit at the park and he's already looking better. And I spoke to the social worker and she said Tina is actually doing what she's been told she has to do to get him back. And she's agreed to let us check in on them!"

"That's great!" Sara said with a huge grin. "I'm really glad she's trying to get it together. And that he's doing ok. I spoke to the family before they picked him up and they seemed like a good one but sometimes, it's hard to know for sure."

"Well you don't need to worry now. And once you're out of here, we can make sure you get to see him." Nick reassured her. "But I really think he's gonna be ok." He looked up at his other friends. "We can all get to know him a bit, and tell him about his dad."