December 2023
Sara stirred awake to the sound of the phone ringing. It's amazing how quickly habits can change. Back when they were CSIs, a middle of the night phone call would be answered before the second ring and she'd be out the door in less than 10 minutes. Now, a middle of the night call was so uncommon that it took Sara a minute to fully realize what that noise even was.
"Grissom." She answered.
"Sara Sidle?" Came the voice on the other end, a voice she did not recognize.
"This is she." She spoke still in a bit of a haze, she began to sit up now.
"My name is Tracy Mona, I'm calling from Child services."
Sara sat straight up now, eyes wide open and fully awake. She threw on the bedside lamp and immediately began to think about Warrick and Aurora and why on earth Child Services would be calling.
"I'm calling about Eli Brown." The woman continued, "Are you aware that you're listed as Eli's guardian in Tina Brown's last will and testament?"
Sara shot a look over at Grissom who was now sitting up as well. "Who is it?" He mouthed to her but she didn't respond to him.
"What happened?"
"Tina passed away earlier this evening." Tears began to sting Sara's eyes and upon seeing this Grissom got out of bed and began to get dressed. While he didn't know what this call was about yet, he knew it wasn't good.
"What happened? Is Eli okay?"
"They were in a car accident earlier this evening. Eli has a broken arm but is otherwise unharmed. Tina died at the hospital. Are you fit and prepared to take over as Eli's legal guardian? You are currently out of state?"
"Of course. Yes. We live in California. In Santa Monica." Sara stood now and began getting dressed, Grissom had left the room a moment ago and she could hear the coffee machine brewing already.
"How soon can you be in Vegas? I understand the complication of logistics. We can place Eli in temporary foster care for a week or so while you—"
"No. I can be there in five hours. Can I speak with him?"
"He's still at the hospital getting his arm casted. But I'll let him know you're on your way. When you're here we can discuss the guardianship and the logistics you'll need to began in order to make this transition. Schooling, social worker follow-ups, things like that."
"Alright. Thank you."
Sara hung up the phone and made her way to the kitchen to see Grissom was already pouring two sugars in her coffee. He held out the mug as he looked into her eyes and saw the raw emotion laying there.
"Gil." She spoke softly, causing him to place the mug on the counter instead. "Gil… Tina died."
He scooped her up in his arms and hugged her tightly. They stayed like this for a moment as he he held onto her.
"She named us as Eli's guardians…" She added.
He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "Okay. We'll make the study a bedroom. And overtime we can rework the shed to be a study." He looked into her eyes as he spoke his next words, "We'll make this work. That boy will not be an orphan."
Grissom picked the mug of coffee back up and poured it into a to-go thermos instead. "I'll stay with the kids, you go get Eli."
She nodded and took the thermos and grabbed the car keys. "I'll let you know when I get there." She kissed him goodbye and quickly left the house.
Sara got onto the highway, open and nearly empty at this ripe hour. She hit the pedal, speeding as she though about Eli sitting in the hospital all alone. Having lost his father and now his mother.
"Willows." Catherine answered her call immediately.
"Catherine." Sara's voice was still so small and hoarse with tears.
"Sara…" She heard Catherine close a door, "I haven't seen him yet. I just got the call myself. No investigation, it was a drunk driver."
Catherine had rejoined the lab last year, coming out of retirement finding that there was still so much more good she could accomplish there. She liked working with Max, Folsom and Allie. And liked being able to tackle the job without the administrative tasks that used to weigh her down when she was supervisor.
"How uh, how do you already know?" Catherine asked.
"Child services called. Tina named us his legal guardians."
"Oh thank god." Catherine exhaled, "I've been sifting through procedure documents to figure out how to become his guardian. I didn't think she had a will."
"I'm in the car now, should be there in four hours. Will you still be at the lab?"
"Yeah, I'll be here. See you soon."
Sara walked into the lab and was met immediately by a somber Catherine.
"He won't talk to anyone. Not me, not the social worker. We brought him here after he was released from the hospital. He's been sitting in Max's office." Catherine spoke sadly as the pair walked down the hall toward Max's office.
And there he was. His head was slumped down low, posture collapsed. His arm was casted up from his wrist past his elbow.
"Eli?" Sara's voice was so small as she entered the room. Tears threatening to fall once more but she bit them back to stay strong for Eli. He didn't pick his head up at the sound of her voice, eyes stayed squarely locked on his feet.
"I'm so sorry, Eli." She placed a soft hand on his back. At this, he brought his gaze up a little to look at her. She could see the scratches across his face from where the airbag hit him, his eyes bloodshot and swollen.
"I don't know what happened." He croaked sadly. "I don't know what happened." He repeated. It was the first time he'd spoken since the incident. Sara wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. "I don't know what happened." He sobbed against her. She could feel his chest heave in and out with each ragged, effortful breath.
They stayed like this for a while until his breathing began to even out.
"Eli?" He looked up at her now with his sad eyes. "Eli, did your mom ever talk to you about what would happen in this situation? Where you would go?" He shook his head in return. "Well… she had a will, and in that will she stated that you would come live with Gil and I. That we would become your guardians." She paused, letting him have a few moments to let that information sink in. "I know there's a lot going on right now, and that you're probably very confused. But the state called me tonight so that I could come and fulfill your mom's wishes. But this is your choice too, Eli."
Eli nodded, understanding what Sara was saying. They sat in silence for a long moment until he finally responded, "Okay." His voice was so small it was barely audible. "Thank you."
"I'll always be here for you." She squeezed his uncasted hand gently.
"No, I mean… thank you for not saying that everything is going to be okay."
Sara smiled sadly at this. Maybe it was because of her own numerous times being in a similar situation to the one Eli found himself in now, that made her not even think to utter those hollow words. She knew they offered nothing but peace of mind for the person saying them.
She hugged him tightly. "I'm going to go get everything sorted with the social worker so you can come home with me. Okay?"
Eli simply nodded in return.
Sara spent the next couple of days in Vegas getting everything sorted out. She signed the necessary paperwork, helped make funeral arrangements, transferred Eli's school records and got him enrolled in the high school in their district in Santa Monica. And packed up Eli's room.
Eli didn't speak much over those few days. Really only speaking when spoken to. But now, he sat in the car with Sara as they drove away from Las Vegas. Away from the only home he'd ever known.
"Daddy? What are you doing?" Eight year old Aurora was standing in the doorway of the study watching as Grissom packed books and frames and papers into boxes.
Grissom thought a moment. He was going to wait for Sara to get back to discuss the situation with the kids but then realized that it would be best that they know before Eli arrives.
"I'm turning our study into another bedroom."
"Why?" She asked. And Grissom could already see the ten other questions she had ready to bat off on the tip of her tongue.
"Come, let's talk about this with Warrick too." Grissom stood and walked down the hallway with Aurora to find five year old Warrick in the living room.
He had the pair sit on the couch and took a seat opposite them atop the coffee table.
"What is it?" Aurora pushed.
"You remember Eli?" We met him couple years ago when we went to Vegas… mom FaceTimes with him once a month or so?"
Aurora nodded but Warrick had been too little back then to remember the trip at all.
"You're named after his dad, Warrick."
"Oh!" He nodded, able now to connect the dots.
"Well, as you two know, mom had to go to Vegas the other night suddenly. And the reason why she's been there is because Eli needed her."
"Is he okay?" Aurora asked. Grissom was always amazing at the natural empathetic impulses his daughter seemed so keenly able to access. Something he knew she inherited from Sara, not him.
He shook his head sadly, "I'm making the study into a bedroom… for Eli." Grissom thought a moment. He realized he wasn't being very clear. If anything, these kids have been great practice for Grissom's communication deficits. Forcing him to simplify and over communicate.
So he took another crack at it, "Eli's mom had an accident. She died. And now Eli needs a new home. So this is going to be his home too. You both have rooms, so now Eli will have a room. And he's going to be a part of this family moving forward."
"Are you Eli's daddy now?" Warrick asked.
"No, no. Warrick will always be Eli's dad—the other Warrick." He quickly amended, "And Tina will always be Eli's mom. But we're going to love him and take care of him just like we love and take care of you two."
"So will Eli have to eat string beans too?" Warrick spoke mimicking the disgust he felt toward the vegetable.
A warm smile crossed Grissom's features, "That's right, Warrick. He's going to follow the same rules. But Eli is going to be very sad for a while. He's going to miss his mom a lot. So it's on all of us to make sure he feels at home here."
Grissom closed the conversation with the kids and left them in the living room so that he could continue his task at hand. He had a lot to accomplish in order to make that room comfortable for Eli and not much time left to do it.
"Dad?" He turned around to see Aurora had followed him back down the hall. She was bitting her lip sadly. "I know death is a part of life…" It was something the'd never shied away from discussing with the kids, even at this young age, "But I guess I never really thought about it happening to you or mom or even Warrick…. But it did… it happened to Eli's dad and Eli's mom… it just… it doesn't seem fair."
"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change. The sun might shine, or the clouds might lower: but nothing could appear to me as it had done the day before."
"Hu?" Aurora uttered, left confused by Grissom's age inappropriate response.
"It just means, that big, unexpected changes in life can be really hard to deal with. Imagine everything in your life feels normal, like the sun shining on a regular day. But then, something changes suddenly, and even if the sun is still shining or the clouds are in the sky, it all feels different to you. And yes, Aurora, as hard as it is to think about, everyone's last day comes eventually. But you have to live every day without thinking much about that. It's just a part of the fabric of our reality. And when that day eventually comes, you will meet it with strength and grace. Because that's how you were raised. You don't need to fear it."
He watched the gears turning in her head until she eventually nodded, "I'm sad for Eli."
Grissom nodded, "Me too, honeybee." He hugged his daughter tightly, "Sometimes when we feel sad or scared, it helps to do something for someone else. Do you want to help me get this room ready for him?"
She nodded against him, still held tightly in his embrace.