AN: Hey, guys, sorry for the lack of update last weekend – I had to let one of my fur babies cross the rainbow bridge last Thursday, and I was just… not in a place to think about much else for a while

WalkerTRngr – thank you for the beta help, and your support in general!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to CSI

Dead Doll

Sara wakes with a start, like every time in the last two days.

"You're OK, you're in the hospital, I'm right here."

The soft words – familiar by now – instantly make her heart slow and she turns her head until she finds Grissom, sitting in the uncomfortable plastic chair next to her hospital bed, like every time she's woken up since that first time in the helicopter.

"Hey."

A small smile appears on his face, and he squeezes her hand. "Hi there."

"The surgery went well?" she asks, glancing at her injured arm, which is now in a cast.

"It did," he assures her. "They put in a plate and some screws, they're not sure if they'll be removed eventually or not, the orthopedic surgeon will decide that in a few months when they see how it heals."

She nods. "OK."

"How are you feeling?" He moves closer to brush some hair away from her face and for a moment, she leans into the touch.

"OK. A little groggy, but I assume that's the anesthesia."

"Yeah, the nurse said that was normal," he confirms. "Are you up for some visitors? The guys have been badgering me since yesterday."

She frowns immediately. On the one hand, she wants to see the team, wants to thank them for all the effort they put into finding her. On the other hand, Grissom's presence has been the only thing keeping her grounded since she woke up the first time, and she doesn't know what might happen if he leaves the room.

"Hey, hey, I didn't mean to upset you," he says, squeezing her hand again, and she realizes the heart rate monitor is giving her mini-freakout away. Just great. "Just relax, honey, you don't have to see them yet if you're not ready, they can wait."

She takes a couple of deep breaths, the beeping slowing as she reclaims control over herself. "No, I want to see them," she says. He can't hang around the hospital until she's released, after all. Might as well get used to it now. "And I bet you're dying to go home, shower and get some sleep."

He frowns at that. "You want me to leave?"

"No," Sara replies before she can stop herself, because she doesn't. "I just… maybe it's better if… if you're not here when they show up."

She doesn't have to say why – they've both had a hard time not touching each other, even if it's just holding hands, since her rescue. The guys might have been oblivious for the last couple of years, but they're not blind.

"Yeah, about that, I might have… let the cat out of the bag," he admits, looking adorably like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Kind of."

"Kind of?" she repeats, and he sighs.

"OK, no, I definitely did."

"How?"

Grissom sucks in a deep breath and blows it out. "When we got the miniature and realized Natalie had taken you and I put the pieces together about the car and the crime scene, it sort of… clicked, in my mind, why she went after you. And apparently, being scared out of your mind turns off any filters and I… kind of blurted out something about her blaming me for Ernie's death, and that I took the only person she loved, so she was doing the same thing to me…"

It's a lot to take in, all at once. Not that she didn't know he loved her – he's told her as well as shown her more times than she can count – but that he would tell the team. Even if it was under extreme circumstances.

"Well…" she starts, then pauses, because she's just not sure what to say.

"Are you mad?" he asks quietly, and it's her turn to squeeze his hand.

"Of course not. We knew this day would come eventually," she reasons.

"But it should have been our decision." He sighs. "I'm sorry she took that from us."

Sara offers a small smile. "So, let's not let her take anything else. I want to see the guys."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Good, because I think they're outside."

And it's good – really good – to see them. Greg is his usual exuberant self, Warrick quiet and comforting without saying anything. Catherine fusses over her hair and promises to pick up some clothes and other things from the house, and Jim just leans against the wall after squeezing her hand tightly for a moment, eyes searching hers. She thinks Nick might be trying to figure out how to broach the subject of their now shared kidnapping experiences, but for now, he settles for a gentle hug.

None of them comment on Grissom's hand, which only releases hers when she needs both of them for some reason, and that feels good too. Being out in the open, not hiding anymore.

She knows there will be repercussions, but for now, she pushes them aside to focus on the present.