A/N: Thank you to everyone reading! Fanfic is having problems with notifications, with reader numbers, with messages-we have no idea if everyone is getting a response from us-thank you for helping to keep GSR alive and well! Keep reading...

Out There

Chapter 5

The Pacific Ocean appears on maps as a huge empty body of water but in reality it is an international highway spread across hundreds of miles with a congested intersection around the Hawaiian Islands. Running into Hawaii, the crew and passengers on the research ship saw more shipping traffic and entertained each other by calling out flags on bulk carriers and tankers headed east and west. The passing ships headed into a new day in a neat, orderly procession as the waters turned a brilliant blue.

As the rising sun brought brilliance to the day, Hawaii rose like a shimmering emerald from a sapphire sea capped by a crown of white. The largest of the Hawaiian Islands, its colossus volcanic mountains scratched the clear blue sky, made those on ships feel insignificant.

Standing on a small balcony, Gil Grissom, astonished as thousands who had arrived by water, narrowed his eyes as he searched for a glimpse of the geological buildings on the summit of Kilauea.

He had been telling Sara about the color of the water around the islands: less algae makes blue water, more algae makes green water and adding what he'd learned about coral and sediment.

She had smiled at him, their eyes meeting for a moment, causing his face to soften in a way that was still surprising to her. Her pale face and dark circles under her eyes were a result of days of sickness; no longer named seasickness. In a quick moment, her face changed and he knew she was going to be sick.

Sara's stomach churned with nausea; at least, she had not thrown up this morning. Hopefully, her feet on solid land might make her less sick; a moment later, she turned and vomited her morning meal into a trash can Grissom had in his hand.

He turned around and got a cool cloth for her as the last of her fruit landed in the trash can.

"You'll feel better soon." His voice was optimistic yet his lack of knowledge made him feel like an idiot. Holding her hair as she wiped her face, he said, "I'm so sorry about this."

He felt her quiet laugh. "Who would have thought? I'm…" she pointed to the bed. "I'll be fine."

A few hours later, she was well enough to leave the ship. They had packed small bags for three nights in a hotel, hoping the change would help. All Sara wanted to do was sleep without feeling movement of her bed.

Hours later, Sara opened her eyes, realizing the light had changed and her bed was not moving. The rushing sound she heard came not from wind as she thought, but from rain. Her disorientation lasted a minute before remembering they were in a hotel room; she had eaten something—Grissom had brought food to the bed and she had been awake long enough to eat before returning to sleep.

She must have made noise because her husband was kneeling beside the bed. "Hey, Sleepy-head." His hand smoothed her hair away from her face. "You needed sleep."

"What time is it? How long have I been asleep? And it's raining, right?"

"It is eight o'clock—in the morning. You've slept about eighteen hours—awake for a few minutes around midnight before going right back to sleep." He kissed her forehead, adding, "And yes, it's raining."

"Our appointment is today—at eleven."

"It is. Stay here—I'll bring crackers and make tea."

The medical office was located in a new building with a dozen other health and medical offices; the Obstetrics offices took up an entire floor. After answering a dozen questions and filling out multiple paper records, Sara and Grissom were shown into a small exam room.

Grissom had noticed he was the only man in the lobby.

A quiet knock, the door opened, and a young woman entered, introducing herself as a nurse midwife, shaking their hands.

She said, "I'm here to go over the basics—and do an ultrasound of your abdomen. Then you'll have some blood drawn." The woman made a timid smile; Sara thought they were all nervous. "Your last period was in September?"

"Yes, mid-September," Sara answered. Grissom squeezed her hand. In the moment of silence that followed as the midwife tapped into her ipad, Sara added, "I really didn't think I could get pregnant."

The smile relaxed as the midwife said, "You'd be surprised how many women we see who believe that—and make great moms." She padded the examining table. "Let's see what we can find in there."

As Sara got on the exam table, the midwife motioned for Grissom to stand beside her. "Dad needs to see what he's created," she said. "How much water have you had this morning?"

"Four glasses—and I haven't peed."

Pushing up her shirt and sliding her pants lower, the midwife said, "A full bladder helps." She began rubbing a gooey cold gel across Sara's stomach.

Grissom held Sara's hand as the midwife said, "Watch the screen. It looks a bit like a moonscape until you…" She rubbed the instrument back and forth over Sara's stomach; her eyes on the screen a moment before she moved the screen slightly. "Let me see if I can get a clearer scan." At the same time, unseen by Sara and Grissom, she pressed a small blue button attached to the screen and continued chatting about "static" and pressing more keys on the machine.

Sara felt the press of the instrument against her lower abdomen, moving back and forth, heard the clicks on the keyboard, thinking she had never had such an urge to pee.

Another knock on the door and an older woman entered, saying, "I'm Dr. Ling—can I help?"

Grissom saw the two women lock eyes for an instant and he knew, gut instinct, that this scan had revealed something. When the older woman smiled, reaching to shake Sara's hand then his, the sudden apprehension he'd felt dissolved—almost.

"Sara—and Dr. Grissom—you are here with a research group. And, I heard, this pregnancy is a surprise?"

Sara nodded.

Grissom said, "We'd tried for years and nothing happened."

"And IVF?" The doctor had taken over the wand, moving it lower on Sara's abdomen. "IVF is a miracle when successful but when it doesn't—so heartbreaking." She smiled again, "Your uterus looks perfect and definitely pregnant." She turned the screen so Sara and Grissom could see it. "Let me give you a guided tour," and she began to point out the spine, the legs. "Blood work is going to tell more—but this one looks good." Scrolling to move the screen, she said, "Dr. Grissom, you might want to sit down for this," she waited a moment for the midwife to roll a stool to Grissom. Her finger pointed to another area of the screen. "This is number two—congratulations" she smiled broadly, "you are having twins."

Sara murmured, "Twins?" Unable to believe her ears. She felt Grissom's head drop against her shoulder.

The midwife began to gently wipe gel from Sara's abdomen.

"What we call 'spontaneous twins' occurs in—sorry for the term—advanced maternal age more frequently than any other age group. Probably due to hormones," said the doctor. "Dr. Grissom, are you all right? We can break an ammonia capsule."

He lifted his head, shaking it as he said, "Two—twins." Then he smiled. "I guess we were ready for action," and he began to laugh, softly at first, kissing Sara multiple times before saying, "Twins—who would've thought—twins."

The doctor touched Sara's shoulder, saying, "Like most men, he's taking all the credit! You are the one who produced two eggs and caught a couple of sperm out of hundreds. Are you all right? How long will you be here?"

Sara's eyes met the doctor's. "I'm forty-four years old."

A/N: and now you know-twins! More to come! Keep reading. Keep sending messages-sometimes we get a notice and other times we do not! Thank you! (Pregnancy when a woman is in her 40s is interesting-it has always happened, sometimes as a surprise, sometimes with special assistance! And a higher rate of twins than younger age. And most of the time, completely normal! More to come!)