AN: Find out what happens next. Thank you for the continued support.
Chapter 39: What's wrong?
Flashback
December 15, 2001
For the first two days of the seminar things started and ended like they should for Grissom, then came that third day.
It started out nicely, like it had done the previous days, but when it came to the ending, where after he dismissed the 'class' and some 'students' would come up to him to ask individual questions, something started to happen, he could see their mouths moving but only a muffled sound was reaching his ears, at first it shocked him but he shook it off as if nothing had happened and continued to read her lips for a few seconds then his hearing would come back to normal and stayed that way for a few moments before it went back to muffled again, and after a few times of that back and forth, he told the rest of them that he had to leave but to send him an email with their questions and he'll get back to them as soon as he could. Then after talking to the dean, which thankfully he heard everything he had to say, Grissom left the office and started walking around campus, hearing the students laughing and talking until his hearing would cut out again to muffle sounds, while he walked to his vehicle, where his hearing would return back to normal soon after.
Grissom took a breath and closed his eyes as he placed his hands on the steering wheel, hoping and praying that this was just some kind of fluke, that what was happening to his hearing, wasn't what he thought it could be, which he did feel better about it for the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening, which included at one point a phone call with Sara with no issues.
Then it happened again, Grissom was sitting in a chair on the back deck of his childhood home when his mother had opened the back door, which she figured she would have seen his head turn when he had heard the door open. But when he didn't, she walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise and turned his head to look at his mother in shock that she was standing there, and he didn't hear the door open.
Betty looked at her son with worry as she signed. 'What's wrong, honey?'
Grissom cleared his throat and shook his head, giving her the best smile he could. 'Nothing, I must have just spaced off. What's going on?'
Betty not really convinced that's all that was going on with her son, but didn't want to push him, 'replied'. 'I just wanted to tell you that I'm heading off to bed, and can you lock up before you go to bed.'
Like Sara, he didn't want to be in the beach house without her, it felt too lonely now that he had memories of them together in that house, so he elected to stay with his mom during his stay in LA. But she was excited to have him home, even if it was just him and not the whole family.
He nodded. 'Of course, goodnight, mom, love you.'
'I love you too.'
She kisses his cheek before turning and walking back to the door, and when she stepped inside the house, she turned around to shut the door and that's when she saw her son with his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking up and down like he was sobbing, and she hadn't see him sob/cry that way since his father's funeral and that got her even more concerned that something was going on with her son.
Next Morning
Since Grissom was going to take an afternoon flight home, he elected to make breakfast for him and his mom, and while his back was towards her while he was at the stove, Betty wanted to try something, to see if what she thought was happening to her son was actually happening, so she took a spoon from the drawer and dropped it so it would land on the hard kitchen floor, knowing it would cause a noise, and when he didn't turn around the moment it hit the floor, she gasped with her hand up to her mouth and tears started to sting her eyes.
When he did turn around a moment later, looking at the state of his mother, he asked with worry as he walked up to her. 'Mom, what is it?'
'You didn't hear that, did you?' He looked down at the spoon that was still on the floor before looking at his mother again, and whatever denial that was on the tip of his tongue couldn't come out to make her believe it, because Betty could see the look on his face, and her tears finally came out as she signed. 'Oh baby, I'm so sorry...'
Grissom cuts her off. 'Mom, it's...'
She cuts him off this time, her signing is hard and sharp. 'And don't say it's not my fault, you know very well that it is. That what's happening to your hearing is because of me.'
'And I would deal with it 100 times over because I'm glad you're my mom, I wouldn't trade you for any other. I'm so proud to be your son, you've shown me this other, amazing, world that you live in.'
She was proud to see him sign that and felt love, but she couldn't help but feel guilty as well. 'But your ears baby.'
She ran her thumb over the shell of his ear, and he nodded. 'I know.'
She pulled her hand back and signed again. 'So, it's really happening?'
He cleared his throat with another nod. 'I think so, it started happening yesterday.' Grissom could still see the guilt all over her face and he shook his head. 'Mom, I know you feel guilty but it's happening, a lot sooner than I thought it would be, and there isn't anything you can do about it.'
Betty steps away from her son and walks out of the room without signing anything else, and after picking up the spoon and placing it in the sink, he started to make their plates with eggs, bacon and toast before walking into the dining room, where his mother was sitting with a folder in front of her, so after setting the plates down on the table, he asks with curiosity. 'What's that?'
She slides the folder to him before signing. 'I did a little research, and this is all the information you need on a Dr. Connor, he's a specialist in LA that deals with your type of situation.'
He was shocked and surprised. 'How uh, how long have you had this information?'
'For a while, just in case you might need it.'
'Mom, I uh, I don't know what to...'
She cuts her son off with tears in her eyes. 'I may not be able to take what's happening to you away, but I'll do everything in my power to help you keep the life that you want.'
'You know that even if I do the surgery, it's not a 100% that it would work.'
'No, nothing is 100% guaranteed, but it's worth trying, isn't it? I'm not ashamed of being deaf, even though it took me many years to feel that way. But if the advances in surgeries were the way they are now back when this started happening to me, I would do it, just so I could hear my husband's voice and laugh, hear your voice and laugh, my grandbaby, soon to be grandbabies.'
Grissom nodded with tears in his eyes. 'I know, I would miss that too.'
Especially Sara's voice, he closed his eyes just thinking of what he would miss hearing from her.
He opens his eyes a moment later when Betty squeezed his hand then signed with a hard look on her face. 'Talk to Sara and set up an appointment to find out if what's happening is really happening.'
Grissom nodded and emotionally thanked his mother before they start eating their breakfast, then a few hours later he was heading to the airport so he could head home and face his problem with his wife.
End of Flashback
But when he got home, he didn't want to face it with anyone, he wanted to deny it was even happening, and started pushing away the woman he loved while desperately wanting to tell her, but couldn't, which was making him feel guilty, and each week that went by was only making him feel even guiltier.
Now, standing in front of her with so much confusion and hurt in his wife's eyes and the pleading in her tone as she asked what was going on, he couldn't do it anymore, he couldn't hide what was happening any longer, so after clearing his throat he finally spoke it out loud for the first time to his wife. "Sara, I think I'm losing my hearing."
While she wasn't minimizing the news in her head and knew it could be life alternating in many ways, she couldn't help but do a deep sigh of relief to finally hear what was freaking her husband out so bad that he was pushing her away, then she asked. "You think or you know?"
"I know. My hearing started to cut in and out on my last day in LA, and it's only gotten more frequent since I've been back."
Now things were starting to make a little more sense on his behavior, especially at work, he always wanted someone working the cases with him, which while he was always known to be a 'team' player, teaching who he was working with, especially the younger ones, he did like a few solo cases at times as well, and he made sure he was always looking at their faces when he was spoken to, so he could read lips when/if he needed to.
Sara nodded. "Ok, so what's next?"
He couldn't help but smirk. "We could join the party downstairs, I'm sure they are wondering what we are doing up here."
Sara looked at her watch before looking at her husband again. "Let them wonder, I'm not done yet, plus we have 10 more minutes."
Knowing this conversation wasn't done yet and wouldn't be done until they talked more about this, he nodded and headed for his dresser, opened the top drawer, moved his socks out of the way and picked up the folder his mother had given him, then turned around, walked to his wife and handed it to her. "There is a specialist in LA who deals with my current situation. And before you ask, I got it from my mom, she had the information just in case I might need it."
"So, your mom knows?"
He nodded again. "She found out, she could sense something was wrong with me and she did a little experiment."
Sara couldn't help but smirk. "Which was?"
"She dropped a spoon on the floor, and I didn't hear it."
She opened the file while smirking again. "Maybe I should have done that, but you never had your back turned to me, you were always looking at me, now I know why."
Grissom sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Sara, I'm sorry that I made you have any doubts about anything that involves us, and that I hurt you or made you scared. I just didn't want to deal with what was going on and I..."
She cuts him off with sympathy as she looked at him again. "You got scared, and I get that, I really do." She then has tears in her eyes as she cups his cheek with one hand while holding the now closed file with her other one and continued. "But we are a team, remember? We face things together, no matter what it is or the outcome it turns out to be. When I said those vows for better for worse, I meant them with everything in me, this changes nothing for me. We deal with what comes next and go from there. You are not alone in this; do you hear me?"
He nodded with tears in his eyes. "Yes, loud and clear."
She chuckled. "Good, because I would have done it in sign language as well. I love you, Gilbert Grissom."
He wraps his arms around her waist and brings her closer to him. "And I love you, Sara Grissom."
They were about to kiss but they hear their friends/family counting loudly downstairs.
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Happy New Year!
They smiled at one another, and he whispered. "Happy New year, honey."
"Happy New Year, babe."
A moment later they kiss, and with it being the first substantial kiss they've had in over two weeks they made it count to the fullest, she even dropped the folder so she could run her fingers through his hair.
Finally, they pulled back, mostly needing air before he whispered. "We really should get back down there."
She smirked. "What, you don't want them talking more than they probably already have been."
"Not really."
"Ok."
They kissed softly one more time, then after pulling back, he bent down to pick up all the papers that came out of the folder, placed them back in the folder and placed the folder on top of the dresser before him and Sara left the room so they could go downstairs, and as they were walking down the stairs, Sara gasped, along with everyone else in the room, as they saw Nick get down on one knee in front of Ashley, holding up a ring box.
"Ashley, one year ago my life changed in a way I never imagined, first when I moved here, then before I could even get settled you literally barged in my life. But slowly and patiently showed me what true love is supposed to be, I never felt like this before and I want to keep this feeling going for as long as I live, so I'm hoping that you would do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?"
No hesitation, Ashley nodded with tears in her eyes. "Yes, yes I will."
Everyone clapped as Nick stood up with a smile on his face, and after slipping the modest sized diamond ring on her finger, he brings her in his arms, and they share a kiss while everyone started cheering and clapping again.
By the time they pulled back, Sara and Grissom were downstairs congratulating the newly engaged couple.
About 30 minutes later, everyone was gone but the core group, and while the guys were in the living room, the girls, Sara, Jo, Quinn and Ashley were in the kitchen putting what snacks were left away before Jo asked Sara. "Are you and Grissom ok?"
Before Sara could reply, Quinn smirked. "Well, I mean they were up there for about 30 minutes, so what do you think?"
The girls chuckled and Sara shook her head. "We weren't doing what you think we were doing, especially with a house full of people." She then looked at Jo and nodded with a real genuine smile on her face. "Yeah, we are fine, better than fine really."
All the girls had a sigh of relief before Ashley spoke. "That is a good thing, Nick mentioned something felt off between you two the last couple of weeks, and I'm not fishing for any details, I'm just..."
Sara cuts her off. "It's ok, and I can't talk about it right now, but just know that we are ok, it was just a hiccup."
They nodded in understanding while Jo spoke. "Which that's what every couple goes through."
Quinn then smirked again. "Even the great Sara and Grissom romance."
Sara shyly spoke. "Guys, we aren't perfect."
Ashley then spoke after shaking her head. "We know, but we still look up to you guys, get inspiration from your relationship."
Sara looked at the other two women and they nodded shyly before she cleared her throat and replied. "Well thank you, I'm quite honored, but remember we still have our flaws."
Jo then replied. "Which we understand that."
After another around of head nods, Sara looks at Ashley and spoke with a smirk of her own. "Ok, enough talking about the older romance, what about the new one, Ashley and Nick, did you have any idea he was going to propose tonight?"
Ashley shook her head with smile. "No, I didn't, but it felt right. And I love him so much."
Quinn then lifted her almost empty glass up. "To Nick and Ashley, where true love had found its way."
They all toasted and took their last drink before they started talking wedding ideas.
It was another 30 minutes before the rest of the group had left the house, except for Jo and Josh, who were alone on this trip, leaving Evelyn with her father in LA, and once Sara made sure they were settled in the guest room, she walked into the master bedroom and saw Grissom sitting up in bed wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants since there were guests in the house.
They smiled at one another, and after she closed the door, she headed to the dresser to get her sleeping clothes before walking to the bathroom to get ready for bed.
When she got out and was in bed, Grissom turned to her and asked while holding onto a book. "Sara, can you do me a favor?"
She smiled as she replied. "Anything."
He cleared his throat before asking a little shyly. "Can you read to me? It doesn't have to be long; I just want to hear your voice."
She understood his request and nodded with another, reassuring smile while taking the book from his hand. "You got it."
He smiled before laying down on his side and placing his hand on her stomach while he closed his eyes and listened to his wife's voice, putting her tone, every word, every syllable into his memory so it will always be there in his head if the worst was to come.
AN: Thanks for reading, please review. So, as you all noticed I had his hearing loss issue a year before the show did, but if I remember correctly it did start to go during Season 2, and in this story, I just couldn't see him keeping a secret like that for over a year from his family, so hope that was ok. And I hope you all had a wonderful/safe weekend and took the time to enjoy time with your loved ones. Until next time, always remember, GSR4ever!