Title: Movie on a Night Off
Author: IrishDachsie
Pairing:
Grissom/Sara
Rating: NC-17 for adult content.
Disclaimer: The author does not own CSI. No profit is
being made from this story.
Part LXX
She opened her eyes and
reached for him, only to find the bed empty and the sheets cool. She stretched
her tired muscles and climbed out of bed. After grabbing a pair of his boxers
and a t-shirt, she padded quietly towards the room that was quickly becoming
the nursery. She stood in the doorway and watched him, a broad smile on her
lips.
He tightened the last screw
on the crib and took a step back, admiring his work. He looked down at the mattress leaning against
the wall and carefully placed it in the crib. Dusting his hands, he looked
around the room for the bag from Baby Depot containing the Jitterbug sheets and
blankets. He located it and pulled it over, unloading the bag quickly.
She stepped into the room
quietly, watching him unwrap the set of sheets. “Will you let me?”
Startled, he jumped and
looked at her. “Damn Sara, tell someone you’re there instead of sneaking up on
them!”
He gave her a sly smile and
leaned over to kiss her.
Returning his kiss, she took
the package from his hand. “You did all the hard work...at least let me make
the bed, okay?”
He nodded and smiled. “You’d
do that better than I would anyway.” He glanced at his watch and sighed.
“Besides, I have to get ready to go...”
She pouted lightly and ran
her finger across his helix. “What time is it?”
“Two. My appointment with
Dr. Kanamori is at 3...”
“Are you sure you don’t want
me to go with you?”
He smiled lightly. “Yeah,
I’m sure. I’ll be okay.”
“Promise you’ll tell me everything?”
“Yes...”
“Gil...promise me...I mean everything he says.”
“I promise, Sara. Every word
that comes out of his mouth, I’ll memorize it.” He gave her a quick wink. “I’m
going to take a quick shower now. Care to join me? Or...would you rather decorate?”
“Would you be terribly
disappointed if I choose to decorate?”
He smiled widely. “No...you
might distract me anyway, and then I’ll be late for my appointment.”
She smacked his arm lightly
and laughed. “Go, Dr. Grissom...”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
He stood in the doorway
watching her as he buttoned his shirt. “Looks nice in here, honey...”
She turned quickly and
smiled. “Now who’s sneaking up on who?”
He chuckled lightly and
walked towards her. “Tomorrow, if you’d like, we’ll start on the border...”
“Okay!”
“And...there’s something
else I want to add in here...”
“What?”
He shook his head slowly.
“No...I’m not telling you. It’s a surprise...”
“Gilbert, if you put your
racing roaches in here...”
“Sara! You know better than
that!”
“Do I? With you, it’s hard
to tell...you’ll probably have the larva racing roaches with you by the time he
or she is 6 months old...”
A loud burst of laughter escaped
his lips. “I couldn’t be so lucky...”
She glanced at the Jitterbug
clock on the wall. “Babe, it’s 2:37...”
He sighed lightly. “Yeah...I
know...I need to go.”
She leaned into him and
placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Be careful. I’ll be here waiting on you...I
might even have dinner ready...”
“Yeah...right. I’ll believe
that when I see it, honey.”
His comment was rewarded
with another smack to his arm. “Just for that...”
She was cut off as he pulled
her into a passionate kiss. As she pulled from the kiss slowly, she gazed into
his eyes. “What was that for?”
He shrugged his shoulders
lightly and grinned. “Because...I love you. I’ll be home in a little while.”
She followed him to the
front door and watched him pull out of his parking space. She took a deep
breath and exhaled slowly, a soft whisper escaped her lips. “I love you too.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
He hesitantly walked into
the sandstone building on
He made his way to the
receptionist’s window and gave her a small smile.
“Can I help you, sir?”
“Yes...uh...I’m Gil
Grissom...I have a three o’clock appointment with Dr. Kanamori...”
She quickly punched his name
into the computer sitting in front of her and looked back up at him. “Insurance
still the same?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Okay, have a seat and
they’ll come get you in a few minutes.”
He nodded slowly and sank
down into a chair across the room from the door. He waited for what seemed to
be an eternity, but in reality was only about ten minutes. The door opened and
a young brunette smiled brightly at him.
“Mr. Grissom?”
He looked up quickly and
stood. Taking a deep breath, he followed her down the hall to Dr. Kanamori’s office.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
He waited patiently in the
office. His eyes examining each object on the desk in front of him. His mind
registered a soft click as the door opened behind him.
“Mr. Grissom...nice to see
you again.”
Grissom stood and shook the
young man’s hand. “Yeah...I guess so...”
Glen Kanamori
smiled at him. “Well...you know what I mean. What can I do for you today?”
Grissom waited until Kanamori took his seat behind his desk and he took a deep a
breath. “I...uh...I’m ready for surgery now. If it’s not too late.”
The doctor gave him a quick look
of surprise and shook his head. “No...it’s not too late. But, that surprises me
somewhat. You were so adamant about not having surgery...”
Grissom smiled weakly.
“Yeah...well...that was before I realized that I might not ever hear my child’s
voice.”
“Nothing like an impending
birth to make you really think, is there?”
Grissom’s smile
strengthened. “No...there’s not.”
Kanamori grinned and pulled up his calendar. “Okay,
let’s see what we have...” He looked back at Grissom. “Any preferences as to
when?”
“Before August. I want to be
through the healing process before the larva’s born...”
“Larva?”
Grissom chuckled lightly.
“That’s what we call the baby...”
Kanamori laughed and shook his head.
“Entomologists...I’ll never understand them.” He looked back at his calendar.
“Okay...what about...Wednesday, June 25th?”
Grissom exhaled deeply.
“What time?”
“We can get you in
early...eight am?”
“Okay...”
“You’re making a very wise
choice, Mr. Grissom.” Getting no response from the gentleman sitting across from
him, he smiled and continued. “Would you like me to fax the information on the
surgery to you?”
“Yeah...uh...to my
home...not my office, okay?”
“Okay...I’ll want to see you
again in two weeks though to run some tests.”
Grissom nodded wordlessly and
stood. “Thank you, Dr. Kanamori.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
He walked into the house to
find her sitting on the couch with her feet propped on the coffee table,
reading a small stack of papers.
Smiling he set the bag down
on the edge of the table. “Something smells good...”
She looked up from the
papers and offered a small smile of her own. “Pork chops, mashed potatoes, and
green beans. Is that okay?”
“Pork?”
She shrugged her shoulders
and her smile widened slightly. “The larva is demanding pork tonight...”
He sat down beside of her
and motioned towards the bag. “I picked up some ice cream on the way home...”
“Ooh...what kind?”
“Deep Dish Apple Pie...”
“Have I mentioned lately how
much I love you?” She flashed her special grin at him and leaned her head on his
shoulder.
“I never get tired of
hearing it.” He kissed the top of her head and leaned forward a bit to look at
the papers. “What are you reading?”
“Oh...it’s a fax...for you...from
Dr. Kanamori’s office.” She glanced up at him with a
sheepish look in her eyes. “I’m sorry...I was just...curious, I guess.”
“It’s okay...I was going to
tell you anyway, remember?”
She nodded slowly. “June
25th, 8 am...that’s kinda quick, isn’t it?”
“Yes...it is...”
“Gil...is it that...bad...now?”
Her tone expressed her worry.
He smiled and pulled her
closer to him. “No...not much worse than it was three weeks ago. It’s just...”
She tilted her head to look
at him. “Just what?”
“I...well...I want to be
through the healing process before the larva’s born. I...don’t want to miss
anything.”
A single tear trickled down
her cheek. He gently brushed it away with his thumb and tenderly kissed her
lips.
“Come on, honey...I need to
get the ice cream in the freezer before it melts...and...dinner smells too good
to wait much longer. I wasn’t really hungry until I smelled it.”
She chuckled lightly and led
him into the kitchen. “So...you have to go back in two weeks for more testing?”
“Yeah...just to see how far
it’s progressed.”
“Can...can I come with you
then?”
He smiled as he placed her
plate in front of her and sat down across from her. “I’d really like it if
you’d come with me.”
She returned his smile and
took a bite of the potatoes. “You know...I have an appointment with Dr. Herrero tomorrow...”
He swallowed his bite of
pork and nodded. “I know...8:30. Any big cases tonight requiring
overtime...Catherine will have to handle. I’m not missing the larva’s
appointment.”
She smiled as they continued
to eat in a comfortable silence.
Part LXXI
She leaned against the
doorframe and smiled as he took another swing at the dummy in front of him.
Shaking her head, she chuckled lightly bringing his attention to her.
“What?”
“Nothing...just...you and
your experiments.”
He gave her a bright smile.
“I like my experiments.” He pointed towards the paper covering the wall. “Look
at that, will you?”
She pushed herself off of
the frame and sauntered over to him. Tilting her head, her eyes narrowed
slightly. “Odd pattern there, Griss...what the hell
did you use?”
His eyes twinkled as he
grinned at her. “Piston...”
“A piston? As in...out of an
engine?”
He nodded quickly, obviously
proud of himself.
“Okay...uh...why?”
He shrugged his shoulders
lightly as his grin faded somewhat. “Never tried a piston before...”
She gave him a quick wink
and reached up to ruffle his hair. “You’re cute...”
His grin instantly returned.
“You’re beautiful.”
He leaned over to kiss her, stopping
only as she gently placed her hand on his chest. He looked at her in confusion
and silently questioned her.
“You also...have blood all
over you...”
A sheepish smile played on
his lips as he looked down at his clothes. “I...have a change in my locker.”
“I should hope so. I’m not
taking you to the doctor with us looking like that.”
He quickly glanced at the
clock. “Shit! I’ve got to get changed...”
She laughed softly at her
husband as he ran from the room in a hurry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
He smiled down at his wife
as he ran his hand across her abdomen. He felt a slight push against his hand
and stopped his movement.
“Hey there, little larva...”
“You know...he was sleeping...”
“He?” His eyes widened.
She rolled her eyes. “Or
she. Either way, the larva was sleeping...”
He laughed gently as he felt
a kick against his hand. “Well...he’s awake now.”
“Yeah...thanks to you. I swear,
if you turn into one of those fathers who purposely wake a sleeping baby just
to play with him...I will kick your ass...”
He lifted his hand from her
stomach quickly and shook his head. “No, Sara...a sleeping baby...will remain
sleeping...I promise...”
He leaned down and pressed
his cheek against the growing larva and whispered softly. “Of course...when you
wake up...we’ll play...I promise...”
He stood up quickly as he
heard the door open behind him.
“Mr. and Mrs. Grissom, how
are you today?”
Grissom just smiled as Sara
related her report on how she was feeling to Dr. Herrero.
The doctor nodded. “And have
you been experiencing any more mood swings?”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Dr. Herrero
grinned at the couple as they answered in unison and then let out a small laugh
as Sara shot Grissom one of her patented looks.
“Okay...how about we take a
look and see how we’re progressing?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grissom’s eyes were glued to
the monitor as he held Sara’s hand. Their smiles grew larger as the doctor
pointed out various parts of the larva’s anatomy.
“Eyes...nose...down here’s a
leg...there’s an ear...thumb in mouth...”
“What?” Grissom’s eyes widened.
“Yeah. The baby is sucking
its thumb. Hold on.” She adjusted the resolution on the screen and zoomed in on
the image. “See?”
“Griss...look...”
There before them on the screen
was a perfect picture of their larva contentedly sucking his or her thumb.
Grissom inhaled deeply. A tear escaped Sara’s eye.
Dr. Herrero
looked at the couple and smiled as she pushed a button. She allowed them to
gaze at their child for a few more moments before zooming back out on the image
and going over the measurements with them.
“Thirty-five centimeters and 849 grams. Very good, Sara. You have a
perfectly healthy baby in there.” She began to wipe the gel from Sara’s stomach
and looked into her eyes. “Now...tell me about you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, are you getting
enough rest? Enough to eat?”
“Yes...yes, I am. I’ve even
started eating meat once in a while again.” She shuddered lightly.
Dr. Herrero
laughed lightly. “That’s good though. The baby needs protein.” She glanced at
Grissom and noticed his slight blush. “Has she been getting enough protein, Mr.
Grissom?”
“Huh? Oh...uh...yeah. Yes,
she has. I’ve been...making sure of it...”
Sara bit her lip in an
attempt to stifle her laughter.
The doctor merely nodded and
handed Grissom a small stack of photographs from the ultrasound. Looking back
at Sara, she smiled. “Okay...that’s it for today. Go ahead and get dressed and
we’ll set up an appointment for three weeks from now. Keep doing what you’re
doing and we’ll have us a healthy baby in a couple of months.”
Grissom exhaled forcefully as
Dr. Herrero left the room. Sara got up from the
examination table and began to change back into her clothes. As she pulled her
shirt over her head, she allowed her laughter to escape. He looked at her and
raised an eyebrow.
“Making sure I get enough
protein, huh?”
“Shut up, Sidle...”
“Sidle? I haven’t been a
Sidle in 6 months...”
He looked down at the pictures
in his hand and started flipping through them. A broad smile appeared on his
face as he got to one.
“...I thought I was a
Grissom, but...if you’d prefer me to be a Sidle...”
“Sara...it was just a
joke...” He held the picture out to her. “Look.”
She sat on the edge of the
table and gingerly held the photograph in her hand. Her fingers gently traced
over the image as she inhaled deeply. “This is the most beautiful picture we
have of the larva so far.”
He sat down beside of her
and rubbed her back lovingly. “Yes, it is. I was thinking...”
She turned her head to look
at him. “About?”
“Well...I think we should
make copies of this one...” He looked into her eyes and smiled. “I mean...look
at her...or him. She...or...he...is beautiful. Perfect.”
“Copies? Who are you
planning on giving copies to?”
He blushed lightly as he
stammered. “Well...I thought...we’d maybe send a copy to...well...your
parents...and...you know Catherine will be hounding us for one...and...I’d want
one for my desk...”
She smiled at his
nervousness and reached over to take his hand. “You know...I didn’t really
expect you to become this involved...”
He looked at her in complete
shock. “What?”
She shrugged her shoulders
gently and smiled. “I knew that you would have some excitement and would want
to be involved...it’s just...”
He tilted his head briefly
before he pushed himself off the table and stood directly in front of her. “Just
what, Sara?”
“Well...you’re almost...I
don’t know. Is ‘giddy’ too girlish of a word to describe your actions?”
He chuckled lightly and
stroked her cheek. “Honey...Gil Grissom does not become ‘giddy’ over anything.”
She laughed at his reaction
and turned her head to press a soft kiss into the palm of his hand. “Okay...Giddy
Grissom is out. But...how about uncharacteristically overly excited?”
He returned her laughter and
pulled her from the table. “Yeah...that’s more...me...I think.”
Leaning down, he kissed her lips
softly. “So...want to stop and pick up something to eat for you and the larva
on the way home?”
“Mmm...food.
Yes! Uh...Chinese?”
He grinned broadly at her as
he opened the door. “Anything you want. Let’s go home, Grissom...”
“Oh...I’m a Grissom again?”
He gently pushed her through
the doorway. “Yeah...well...for the next few hours at least...”
Part LXXII
He chuckled lightly at her
as she pulled herself from the couch. Hearing him, she turned towards him and
shot him a piercing glare.
“What?”
The small smirk left his
face quickly. “Nothing...”
“Nothing? You were laughing
at me!”
“No, Sara...I wasn’t
laughing...you just...”
“I just what?”
He sighed lightly and gave
her a small smile.
“You just...you make me
smile, Sara. That’s all...”
“Gil...there is a distinct
difference between a smile and a laugh. And...that was not a smile...”
“It wasn’t a laugh either,
Sara. It was...a chuckle.”
“Semantics, BugMan. Why were you ‘chuckling’?”
He tilted his head and his
smile grew wider. “Come here...”
She shook her head at him
and gathered the boxes from the coffee table. She examined the trash as she
dumped it into the bag and let out a small laugh of her own.
“Now...what are you laughing at?”
She laughed even harder at
the paranoid tone in his voice. “Well, now I’m laughing at you...but...every
time I think of the name of the restaurant...”
Her voice trailed off as her
laughter overtook her.
“What? Full Ho? They have
good food, Sara...”
She let herself fall back
down on the couch as her body shook violently. “Full...Ho...”
“Sara...”
She fought to catch her
breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. “It’s just...I keep imagining...”
“Ho’s?”
That’s all it took to send her
off again. He shook his head as his laughter joined hers. He moved closer to
her and leaned towards her. Her laughter ended abruptly as she felt his warm
breath on her neck.
“Grissom...”
His hand caressed her cheek
as he turned her face towards him. “Hmm?”
“How is it...that we go
from...hysterical laughter to...this...so quickly?”
His thumb brushed over her
lips as he shifted closer to her. His voice was a mere whisper as he looked
into her dark eyes.
“Because...you’re
irresistible.”
He inhaled sharply as her
tongue wrapped around his thumb and pulled it into her mouth. His eyes settled
on her mouth as he watched her suck his digit seductively. His right hand moved
underneath her shirt and rubbed her stomach gently before moving up to cup her
breast.
Her teeth instinctively
clamped down as he lightly pinched her nipple. He groaned as he pulled the soft
flesh free from her bra and leaned forward to run his tongue from her
collarbone to her earlobe. She released his thumb and pushed him backwards.
There was a brief glimpse of
confusion in his glazed eyes. The confusion quickly left as she smiled brightly
at him and pulled her shirt over her head. His fingers began working on the
buttons of his oxford as he watched her unclasp her bra and slide it from her
body.
He dropped his shirt to the
floor and fumbled momentarily with his belt as he watched her stand and remove
the rest of her clothes. She pushed his hands away as she leaned down and
pushed her tongue into his mouth. Her nimble fingers made quick work of the
belt, button, and zipper.
He gently eased his finger
inside of her as he allowed her to push his pants and boxers down. He whimpered
lightly as she pulled away from him, his finger sliding slowly from her. She
smiled and gave him a quick wink as she pushed him onto his back.
He groaned as she wasted no
time in climbing on top of him and guiding his erection into her warm folds.
His hands caressed her thighs as she began rocking her hips against him. He
opened his eyes when he felt her finger lightly tap his chest.
Her voice was low and
sultry. “Fuck me, Gil...”
His fingers splayed across
her abdomen protectively. “Sara...”
“Please...Gil...”
He started to protest again.
The words never left his mouth as her fingers found his nipple and pinched the
hardened flesh. He moaned and bucked his hips in response to the stimulation.
She grinned down at him and quickened her strokes.
“That’s it, babe...again...”
“Sara...”
Grabbing his other nipple,
she tweaked it as well. He thrust harder than he intended into her. A shudder
went through her body and a soft cry escaped her lips. His eyes locked with
hers, afraid that he had hurt her.
She smiled in understanding
and shook her head. “Keep going...just like...that...”
His hands moved to her hips
as he continued to meet her strokes with hard thrusts of his own. He felt her
walls begin to tighten around him. He grasped her hips tighter and pulled her
down harder against him.
“Come...for me...Sara...”
A small bead of sweat rolled
down between her breasts and dropped off her body to land on his chest. His
body quivered beneath her.
“Close,
babe...so...close...with me...come...with me...”
Her hands gripped his
forearms as she felt herself nearing the edge. His name escaped her lips rather
loudly as her fluid smothered his cock. Her nails dug into his flesh.
“Now Gil...NOW!”
With one last thrust, his
orgasm exploded deep within her.
He grabbed her as she began
to fall forward. He grunted lightly as his softening flesh slipped from her wet
cavern. He quickly and seemingly without effort repositioned both of their
bodies onto their sides and held her back tightly against his chest.
She laced her fingers into his
and smiled. “You know...I’m really glad that I was able to talk you into a new
sofa...”
He placed a soft kiss on her
damp neck. “Yeah?”
“Mm-hm.
This one has much more room for cuddling afterwards...”
He grinned as his eyes
closed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She pouted as he got
dressed. “Do you really have to go to work tonight?”
He smiled and nodded slowly.
“Unfortunately...yes...”
“Wouldn’t you rather stay
home with us tonight?” Her hand rubbed her belly as she spoke.
He walked over to her and
wrapped his arms around her. Placing a soft kiss on her temple, he sighed.
“Yes, I would...but, you know that Fitzgerald case is so close...”
“I know...I just...can I
come in tonight?”
He pulled back slightly and
narrowed his eyes. “Sara...it’s your night off. And...starting next week,
you’re going down to four nights...maybe even three...”
“Gil!”
“Don’t argue with me,
honey...you need your rest. And...working isn’t giving you and the larva the
rest you both need. Be glad I haven’t cut you back already...”
As much as she wanted to
argue the point, she knew it wouldn’t do any good. He had already made his
decision. Instead, she sighed heavily and looked into his eyes.
“Will you come home for
lunch?”
He nodded quickly. “Of course,
I will. But, I’m hoping you’ll be asleep.”
Her bottom lip quivered
slightly. “I doubt I will be...I can’t sleep without you here...”
He stroked her cheek
lovingly and smiled. “Try? For me and the larva?”
She nodded and gave him a
brief smile in return. “I’ll try...you’ll be back around three?”
“Yeah...but...please...try
to sleep...”
He gave her soft kiss and
sighed. “I’ll be back in a few hours, honey.”
“Okay...but...be careful. We
kinda need you around, you know?”
He grinned at her. “Kinda?”
“Well...more than kinda...”
She ran her fingers through his curls and grinned back at him. “Go help Brass
put some bad guys in prison...”
Part LXXIII
It had been a pretty
restless night for her. As tired as she was, she couldn’t sleep. And the harder
she tried, the more awake she became.
Looking at the clock, she
sighed. One o’clock in the morning. He’ll be home for a while in two hours.
Maybe I should just give up on trying to sleep. This just...isn’t working.
Carefully, she climbed out
of bed and made her way to the living room. She resisted the urge to turn on
the scanner. If I turn that thing on, I’ll go crazy. And...if I show up at a
scene because they need help...he will NOT be happy with me...
Looking around the room, she
grimaced as the larva jammed a foot into her rib. “Easy little one...how about
some juice?”
She smiled as she walked
into the kitchen to pour herself and the larva a glass of nice cold apple
juice. As she glanced around the kitchen, she decided that now would be a good time
to do some cleaning.
She looked down at her
swollen hands and noticed that her rings were very tight on her finger. She
sighed as she realized that it was time to take them off until after the larva
arrived.
She grunted as she pulled
the rings. She frowned as they refused to budge. Twisting them slightly, she
pulled again.
“Dammit!”
She took a sharp intake of
air as the pain began to set in. This...is just causing more swelling.
She glanced over at the sink. Cold...constricts...that’s what I need...cold
water.
She turned the faucet on and
let it run for a few seconds before holding her hand under the cold stream. She
tried once again to remove the jewelry, but to no
avail. She narrowed her eyes in concentration. This was quickly becoming a
mission.
She picked up the bottle of
dishwashing liquid and poured the soap over her hand. She smiled as she gently
massaged the slippery substance over her finger. She pulled the rings again and
grinned in triumph as they slowly slid over the bony joint.
Just...a...little...further...
She let out another grunt as
she used more force. The rings suddenly slipped from her finger...and her
grasp. She gasped as she heard the distinct sound of metal bouncing against
porcelain.
“SHIT!”
She instinctively grabbed at
the shiny objects in the white sink, smiling as she felt the cool metal under
her palm. Her smile faded quickly as she watched her wedding ring slowly roll
across the basin. Her other hand darted out to catch it.
Her finger grazed the gold
and platinum band right before it slipped down the drain.
“NO! Oh God...NO!”
She held the diamond in her
hand tightly as she stared at the dark drain. Her eyes filled with tears as she
leaned over the sink and peered into the hole.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
He slipped the key into the
lock and opened the door quietly to keep from waking her...just on the off
chance that she actually had gone to sleep. Taking a step into their house, he
stopped suddenly as he heard her voice.
“FUCK! Dammit...come
ON...God, he’s going to kill me...”
He quickly made his way to
the kitchen and stood in the doorway. He found her there, hunched over the sink
with what appeared to be a straightened coat hanger jammed into the drain.
“Sara?”
She screamed as she spun
around to face him. Seeing her red tear-stained face, he ran across the room to
her.
“Honey? What’s wrong?”
She threw the coat hanger to
the floor and collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “I...my
hands...swollen...so I...tried...and...they...bounced...and...it’s gone...it’s
gone...”
He fought to comprehend what
she was trying to tell him. “What? Honey...calm down...”
“Calm...can’t...gone...it’s
gone...”
He pulled her into the
living room and sat down on the couch, pulling her into his arms. He rocked her
gently as he stroked her hair. He waited until he thought she had relaxed
enough to form a coherent sentence and pulled back slightly to look at her.
“Tell me what happened,
Sara...”
She looked into his eyes and
a new wave of tears flooded her face. “I...I lost...my ring...”
He glanced quickly down at
her hand and saw that her finger was bare. He looked back into her eyes and
reached up to wipe her tears away. “Honey...we’ll find it...”
“No...no...I KNOW...where it
is...”
The realization suddenly hit
him. “It fell down the drain?”
She nodded slowly as her
sobs returned.
“Hey...hey...honey, calm
down...it’s probably in the trap...I’ll get it...”
He held her for a few more minutes
until she pulled away from him. “Do...do you think...you can get it...now?”
He gave her a smile and
nodded. “Come on...let’s go get it...”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
He picked up the flashlight
and handed it to her. Seeing her expression, he smiled. “I’ll need some light,
honey...”
She nodded and pointed the
beam down the drain. He picked up the hanger from the floor and bent the end
slightly to form a more well-rounded hook.
“Can...can you see it?”
“Mm-hm...it’s
right there...hold the light still, okay?”
He pushed the metal hanger
down the drain and turned the hook towards the ring. He succeeded...in pushing
the glimmering band farther away.
“Shit...”
“What?!”
He gave her a quick glance
before pulling the hanger out.
“Gil?”
“Let me try again, okay? I
almost had it...”
He cringed as the flashlight
flew by his head and crashed into the cabinets behind him. “Sara!”
“Just call the fucking
plumber!”
“Sara...I can’t...”
She glared at him through
her tears. “What do you mean, you can’t? You can’t pick up a fucking phone?”
“No, Sara...that’s not...”
“Fuck it...I’ll call him
myself...”
He grabbed her arm as she
attempted to storm by him. “Sara, stop...”
“Let me GO!”
“Sara...we can’t call the
plumber right now...”
“Grissom...I...want...my...ring!”
“I know you do,
baby...but...”
“I’m calling the plumber...”
She jerked her arm from his
grasp and stomped into the living room. He grabbed the phone from her hand and
placed it back down on the table.
“Listen to me for just a second,
okay?”
She glared at him in
response.
“Honey...I’ll call the
plumber...and...we’ll get your ring. But...we can’t call right now.”
“Why the hell not?”
His fingers gently brushed
her hair from her eyes. “Because...it’s 3:42 in the morning.”
He watched her eyes for any
sign of recognition of his statement. Finally seeing it, he gave her a small
smile. “I’ll call him at eight on the dot...I promise.”
Her tears began to flow once
more as she allowed his arms to pull her against him. He pulled his cellphone from his belt clip and flipped it open.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh...”
He quickly dialled a number
and waited for the other party to answer.
“Willows.”
“Catherine...it’s
Grissom...”
“Hey...lunch almost over?”
“Uh...well...I’m going to take
the rest of the night off...can you handle the rest of the shift?”
“Um...yeah...but...is
everything okay?”
He sighed lightly.
“Grissom? Is everything
okay?”
“Well...there was a small
crisis...and...I don’t feel comfortable leaving right now...”
“Is Sara...the baby...”
He cut her off quickly.
“They’re fine. Sara’s just a little upset and I don’t want to leave her, okay?”
Sara glanced up at him and
whispered softly. “Please don’t tell her...”
He nodded in understanding
and turned his attention back to the conversation with Catherine. “So...you’ll
be okay? The three of you?”
“Sure...we’ll be fine...are
you sure she’s okay?”
“I’m sure...I need to go
now...”
“Okay...if there’s anything
I can do...”
“I know Cath...thanks.”
He closed the phone and
tossed it lightly on the table. He quietly led her to the sofa and turned on
the television. He smiled as she relaxed against him, her tirade obviously
taking the last bit of her energy.
He pulled the afghan from
the back of the couch and covered her with it. She snuggled against him and
closed her eyes in exhaustion.
Part LXXIV
She pushed herself up and
looked down at the sleeping form of her husband. She smiled briefly before she
caught a glimpse of her left hand.
Her smile disappeared and the
tears formed. She glanced at the clock, remembering his promise to her that
morning when he came home for lunch. 7:38...
As he shifted uncomfortably
in his sleep, she looked back down at him and frowned. Her hand came down on
his chest a little harder than she intended.
“Gil!”
His eyes snapped open as he
gasped for a breath of air. His hand covered the warm spot on his chest as he
searched her face.
“Did...you just...hit me?”
“I...didn’t...mean...to...”
The tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
He pushed himself to a
sitting position, wincing at the pain in his chest from her smack and his back
from lying flat on his back on the sofa. Leaning over, he brushed the tears
away and smiled gently.
“Hey...it’s okay, honey.
What time is it?”
She wiped the back of her
hand across her eyes and sniffled before she turned to look at the clock.
“7:43.”
Rubbing his eyes, he yawned
and nodded. “Okay...let me go fix a pot of coffee. Will you look up Aaron Tippett’s number for me?”
A ghost of a smile appeared
as she realized that he hadn’t forgotten. She nodded quickly and reached for
the phone book as she watched him walk into the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
He reappeared moments later
with two steaming cups in his hands. He smiled as he sat down beside of her and
placed the coffee on the table in front of them.
“That didn’t take long...”
“Bunn...they’re fast. Did
you find the number?”
She nodded and rattled off
the number quickly. “871-7926...”
Picking up the phone, he
dialled the number and waited patiently for an answer. He smiled gently to
comfort her as she chewed along the cuticle of her right thumb.
A chipper voice finally
answered the phone. “Tippett’s Plumbing, may I help
you?”
“Uh...yes ma’am, I hope so.
I was wondering if Aaron had any appointments open this morning. My wife
dropped her wedding ring down our kitchen sink and...well...she’s not very
happy about it.”
The woman on the other end
chuckled lightly. “I can imagine...let’s see what we have.”
He heard her quickly
punching the keys on a keyboard. “Well, Tom is available right now...”
“Tom...” He glanced over at
Sara, who was frantically shaking her head.
“No, Gil...it has to be Aaron...”
Grissom sighed. “I’m sure
Tom would do a wonderful job, ma’am. But...my wife won’t settle for anyone
other than Aaron for this particular situation.”
She laughed quietly. “I
understand, sir. Aaron has an opening at 9:30...”
“We’ll take it.”
“Okay, sir...your name and
address, please?”
“Gil Grissom...8321
There was a brief pause on
the line. Grissom’s face reddened at her next statement.
“Ah...yes, Mr. Grissom.
You’re in our system. Looks like Aaron was out a few months ago to repair...a
broken showerhead...”
“Uh...yeah...yes, he did...”
“Any problems with that, Mr.
Grissom?”
He fell completely silent as
that day replayed in his mind.
“We just ask to make sure
our work is holding up...”
He shook his head and took a
deep breath. “Oh...yeah...uh...no problems at all since then...”
“Okay, Mr. Grissom...Aaron
should be there right at 9:30. If he’s running late, I’ll give you a call
at...233-4771, is that correct?”
“Yes, ma’am...that’s
correct...thank you.”
He looked at his anxious
wife as he hung the phone up. Raising an eyebrow at her, he lifted his hand and
pulled her thumb away from her mouth.
“You know...you’re going to
make your cuticles bleed if you keep that up...”
“Well?”
He pressed a soft kiss to
her trembling hand and smiled. “Aaron will be here at 9:30...”
“Dear God...that’s over an
hour away!”
“Sara...honey...it was the
best I could do...”
She gave a resigned sigh and
leaned her head against his shoulder. “I know, babe...it’s just...I really want
my ring back...”
He grinned as he stood up, gently
easing her head from his body. Offering his hand to her, his eyes sparkled.
“Come on...”
“Where are we going?”
“We have to do something to
keep you busy for the next hour...”
She sighed heavily and sank
back into the cushions. “Gil...I’m really not in the mood for sex right now...”
He narrowed his eyes
slightly at her. “Who said anything about sex? Remember, there was something I was
wanting to do in the larva’s room...kind of like a surprise for you?”
She blushed lightly and
reached up to take his hand. “Oh...”
He leaned over and placed a
soft kiss on her cheek. “Besides...I thought we’d save the sex for after we
have your ring back...”
Her blush deepened as she
followed him down the short hall into the larva’s room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Gil...what are you doing?”
He chuckled at her slight
annoyance as he continued to go through the boxes in the closet. “I’m looking
for the right one...”
“What right one?”
“You’ll see in a minute,
Sara...patience...”
“Yeah...my strong
suit...patience...”
“Ah...found it!” He turned
around to look at her with nothing in his hands.
She looked down at his empty
hands and then into his eyes. “Found what
?”
“What I was looking for...”
He grinned at her brightly. “Now...close your eyes...and...turn around...”
“Turn around? Gil...”
“Sara...if you don’t turn
around, you’ll peek before I’m finished...I know you.”
She huffed lightly and gave
him a crooked grin as she did as he asked. When he was convinced she couldn’t
see him, he spun back around and grabbed the object from the box in the closet.
Walking across the room, he
glanced over at her to make sure she wasn’t looking. He smiled and then began
searching for the nails that he had painstakingly placed in the wall a couple
of days earlier.
She heard him rumbling
around behind her and resisted the urge to sneak a peek. Instead, she stood
quietly and rubbed her abdomen as she waited. Finally, after what seemed like
an eternity, she heard his proud voice.
“Okay...you can look now...”
She turned around quickly and
her eyes locked on the wall. A small gasp escaped her lips. “Gil...”
“It’s...the first collection
that I mounted myself...” He tilted his head to look at the glass case full of
butterflies hanging on the wall. “I thought...maybe...it would accent the room
well...”
She walked slowly to stand
beside of him and took hold of his hand. Her eyes still glued to the numerous colorful insects behind the glass. “It’s beautiful, Gil...”
He exhaled slowly and leaned
over to kiss her lips. “Just like you...”
Their kiss was interrupted
by the ring of the phone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Grissom.”
“Dr. Grissom? This is Tammy
Newberry at Desert Ear Nose & Throat Group...”
He quickly glanced at the
calendar and sighed. June 24th. Tomorrow...
“Yes, Ms. Newberry?”
“Ah...I’m calling because
Dr. Kanamori is going to have to reschedule your
surgery.”
“Um...reschedule?”
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry about
the short notice...but...his wife just went into labor.
We can have another doctor come in tomorrow to do your surgery, if you’d
like...”
“No...no...I want Dr. Kanamori to do it...” He paused and looked at Sara’s
worried face. He gave her a quick wink. “So...I want this done before the
middle of July though. Is that possible?”
“Oh yes, Dr. Grissom. He’ll
only be out of the office for the remainder of the week.”
“Okay...but...next week
isn’t good for me. How about the week after?”
She quickly looked through
the schedule on her monitor and nodded. “Yes, sir. How about...July 9th?”
He looked back at the
calendar hanging on the wall. “Yes...that will be just fine. What time?”
“Same time...eight am?”
“That’s fine...thank you
very much.”
“Thank you, Dr. Grissom.
Have a nice day.”
“You too, Ms. Newberry.
And...tell Dr. Kanamori congratulations for me, will
you?”
“Yes, sir...will do.”
He hung up the phone with a
sigh and looked at his wife before walking over to the calendar and marking off
the new surgery date.
“Gil?”
“Kanamori’s
wife went into labor this morning...had to
reschedule...”
Her hand tenderly rubbed his
back. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah...I was just kind of
hoping to get it out of the way, you know?”
She wrapped her arms around
him, her protruding belly pressing into his back, as she kissed the back of his
shoulder. “I know, babe...but...it’ll all work out. Watch and see.”
He felt a kick against his
back and let out a small laugh. “Someone’s active this morning...”
The sound of the doorbell
brought her eyes to the clock above the entertainment center.
“It’s 9:30 already?”
He grinned as he pried himself
loose from her grip. “I told you I’d keep you busy for an hour...”
Part LXXV
She rushed around him as he
walked to the door. He shook his head and smothered a grin as she flung the
door open.
“Grissom residence, right?”
She nodded quickly at the
familiar man and motioned him inside. He flinched as she suddenly threw her arms
around his neck and began to babble semi-coherently into his shoulder.
“You’ll find it, right? And...you’ll
be able to get it back for me? I need it...I need my ring...”
Politely extricating Sara
from himself, Aaron smiled sympathetically as she suddenly turned on her
husband.
“My ring...it fell...and...I
can’t reach it...and...” She pointed towards her husband. “...he pushed
it further in...and...”
Aaron moved slightly away
from Sara’s now wildly gesticulating arms. Smiling gently, he stood quietly and
listened as she continued to ramble. Grissom sighed heavily and took a couple
of steps forward.
“Sara...calm down, okay?”
She sent her husband a hard
glare and turned back towards the man standing silently in their living room.
“Can you get it?”
“Well, ma’am...I’m sure I
can. If...you’ll just tell me where it fell...”
“Oh...I was trying to get
them off because my hands are swelling...and...”
Grissom gently interrupted
his wife. “Sara...”
“Gil, I’m just trying to
tell him what happened!”
He gently took her arm and
led her to the couch. “Honey...he doesn’t need to know what happened...he just needs to know where it happened. Now...just sit there and relax and I’ll take him
in the kitchen and he’ll get it for you, okay?”
She grumbled something under
her breath. Aaron suppressed his smile as he followed the older man into the
kitchen.
“A little upset, is she?”
Grissom chuckled. “You
noticed?”
“My wife was the same way
when she was pregnant...I never said anything right for nine months.”
Grissom leaned against the
counter as Aaron shone his flashlight down the drain. “Ya
know...it’s caught in the trap...”
He turned towards Grissom
and smiled. “How far along is she?”
A bright smile appeared on
Grissom’s face. “Seven months...due date is August 29th...”
Aaron positioned himself
underneath the sink as Grissom knelt down beside of him. Aaron gave him a quick
glance.
“Sorry, Mr. Tippett...I have trouble hearing sometimes.”
“Call me Aaron, Mr.
Grissom.” He looked back at the pipes under the sink and pulled his wrench free
from his belt. “So...what are y’all having?”
Grissom tilted his head
slightly. “Excuse me?”
“What are y’all having? A
boy or a girl?”
“Oh...the larva...we don’t
know. We want it to be a surprise...”
Aaron looked at him in confusion.
“Larva?”
Grissom grinned. “ We call
the baby...the larva...”
Aaron rested the wrench on
his chest and furrowed his brow. “May I ask...why?”
“Well...I’m an
Entomologist...and...it started as a joke, but it kind of stuck.”
“Ah...a bug guy...that
explains all of that...” He pointed towards the wall in the living room covered
with glass cases displaying all sorts of insects. He lifted the wrench and
resumed his task.
They were quiet for a moment
as Aaron removed the S-trap under the sink. The silence was broken as Sara
walked into the kitchen.
“So...do you have it yet?”
“Sara...honey...patience...”
“Patience hell...I want my
ring...”
“Sara...he’s working on
it...”
She glared at him again and
leaned against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. “Gil...you don’t
have to get...”
Her sentence remained
unfinished as Aaron slid out from under the sink with a grin on his face. “Mrs.
Grissom...is this what you’ve been looking for?”
He held out the gold and
platinum band and winced as she let out a shriek and rushed towards him. She
quickly snatched the ring from his hand as the tears flowed once more.
He shook his head in slight
amusement. “I guess so...”
“I’m sorry, Mr....”
“Aaron...my name is
Aaron...”
“I’m sorry Aaron, I’ve
just...I’ve really missed it...and...thank you...thank you so much!”
Grissom and Aaron watched her
as she ran down the hall. Grissom shook his head slowly. Aaron let out a small
laugh.
“She’s a firecracker, ain’t
she?”
Grissom, his eyes still
gazing down the hall, laughed lightly. “More like an M-80...”
Aaron broke out in laughter
as he replaced the trap under the sink. “It will get better, Mr. Grissom...”
Grissom glanced over at the
younger man as he stood up and wiped his hands on his pants. “Yeah...”
“Yeah...at least that’s what
people keep telling me...I’m still waiting. My wife is still a handful...”
“How old is your little
one?”
“She’s four...and...let me
tell you. She keeps me hopping...more than her mother does.”
Aaron glanced at the cabinet
directly behind Grissom. “Need a carpenter?”
“Huh?” He followed Aaron’s
gaze and began to blush slightly. “Oh...that...”
“She throw a plate when you
couldn’t get it for her?”
He shook his head and
smiled. “No...”
“Oh...”
“A Mag-Lite....”
“Damn...” He grinned at
Grissom as he handed him an invoice to sign. “Looks like she missed you...”
Picking up a pen and
scribbling his name across the bottom of the invoice, he laughed. “Barely...”
Aaron gathered his tools and
smiled. “How’s the showerhead?”
“Oh...uh...it’s...um...fine...”
“No problems with it? It’s
not leaking or anything?”
“No...no...it
works...uh...perfectly...”
“Good...that’s what I like
to hear...”
He walked towards the front
door, Grissom in tow. As he opened the door he smiled. “If there’s anything
else I can do...just give us a call...”
“Thanks Aaron...again...”
“No problem, Mr. Grissom...”
He extended his hand towards Grissom.
As he shook the younger
man’s hand, he laughed. “Gil...my name is Gil...”
“Alrighty
then...good luck with the...larva...”
“Thanks...I think I’m going
to need it...”
Aaron laughed as he walked out
the door. “Have a good day, Gil...”
“You too, Aaron.”
He shook his head as he
closed the door and leaned against it.
He walked down the hall and
paused at the closed bathroom door. “Sara?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“Uh...yeah...just...using
the bathroom...”
“Oh...okay...” He ran his
hand through his hair as a yawn overtook him. Turning his wrist so that he
could see his watch, he sighed.
“Sara?”
“What?”
“I...think I’m going to bed
for a while...you coming?”
“Be there in a minute,
babe.”
He smiled at her term of
endearment and walked into the bedroom. Kicking off his shoes, he fell onto the
bed. He stretched out on top of the comforter and closed his eyes, awaiting his
wife’s arrival.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She stood in the doorway, a
smile plastered on her face as she looked at him. Her smile faded a bit
as the early morning events replayed in her mind. I can’t believe I threw a
flashlight at him.
She crossed the room and sat
on the edge of the bed beside of him. The soft light filtering in through the
blinds hit his left hand, which was resting on his abdomen. She smiled as she
looked at his ring. The one that matched her newly recovered band that was worn
protectively on the necklace around her neck. She had tried to put it back on,
but the swelling in her hands had just gotten to be too much.
Her finger gently traced the
cool metal circling his finger as she listened to his deep, even breathing. Her
eyes focused on the jewelry that he never removed,
she didn’t notice his eyes slowly open.
“What are you doing?”
She jumped slightly and
scowled at his chuckle. “Well…I was debating on whether or not to wake you
up…but…”
“I’m awake…”
He lifted his hand and
gently fingered the small band hanging securely on the gold rope chain around
her neck. “After all of that…you’re not wearing it?”
She lifted her hands and
held them out for him to see. “Swelling…”
He smiled as he grasped her
hand and tugged her towards him. “You’re still beautiful, you know…”
Rolling onto his side, he
moved over so that she could lie down beside of him. His hand protectively
covered her stomach as he looked into her eyes. He noticed a sheen cover her
dark brown irises and silently questioned her.
“I…don’t feel very
beautiful, Gil.”
“Sara…”
“No…look at me. My hands are
so swollen that I can’t wear my rings. I can’t even tie my own shoes anymore
because of my stomach. And…I have no idea where my ankles went…”
He chuckled lightly.
“Sara…you’re seven months pregnant. Only nine more weeks, honey…that’s all we
have left now…”
“Technically, Gil…it’s
sixty-four days we have left. Sixty-four days! And…that’s assuming that I don’t
go over the due date.”
“Well…that’s better than 280
days, isn’t it?”
“I just don’t know
anymore…I’m so tired. And…this damn desert heat doesn’t do much to help.”
He traced her jawline with the tip of his finger and leaned in to kiss
her lips. “I think you’re beautiful…”
She sighed as his lips
brushed against hers. Her eyes closed as he shifted his position and moved his mouth
to the tender flesh of her neck. “You…know what…I really miss, Gil?”
“Hmm?”
She gasped lightly as his
teeth nipped at her earlobe. “Mmm…sleeping…on my
stomach…”
She could feel him smile
against her skin. “Sara…I’ve seen you sleep on your stomach maybe three times
in the past...however long we’ve been sharing a bed…”
Running her fingers through
his hair, she smiled as the gray tendril curled
around her finger. “Fifteen months and twenty-six days. And...it’s not because
I want to sleep on my stomach, necessarily…it’s because…I can’t.”
His hand slid down her side
and came to a stop on her hip. His blue eyes sparkled as he grinned at her.
“Well, as soon as we have a sleeping weevil in the next room…you can lay on
your stomach for as long as you want…”
“Weevil?”
“Well…he can’t be a larva
forever, you know…”
“A…weevil?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“You just called our
daughter a weevil…”
“I just called our son a
weevil…”
She smacked him lightly across
the shoulder. “Either way…you called our child a…weevil…”
“Weevil Grissom…has a nice
ring to it, don’t you think?”
“Gil!”
“What?”
Her laughter overtook her as
the frustration of the night before completely left her. Tangling her fingers into
his curls, she pulled him closer to her. He gazed into her eyes and smiled
brightly.
“Sara?”
She licked her lips
teasingly and returned his smile. “Hmm?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, babe.
Now…come here…please…”
A soft moan emanated from
his throat as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. His hand caressed her
abdomen as he slowly broke the kiss and pulled back to look at her.
“Sara…” He let out a ragged
breath.
“Come on Gil…the weevil is
asleep…”
She gave him a quick wink
and giggled lightly as his mouth closed over hers.
Part LXXVI
His hand edged under the hem
of her shirt. She shivered against the contact of his fingers on her skin. He
expertly pulled her tongue into his mouth as his hand travelled upwards and
closed over her breast. He gently rolled her nipple between his fingers,
groaning lightly as he felt the nub harden.
Her fingers ran down the
front of his shirt, pulling each button loose quickly. Releasing her tongue, he
pulled back to look at her as her hands roamed over his bare chest.
“I want you, Sara...”
Giving him a wink, she
grinned. “So I feel...”
Easing her over onto her
back, he knelt between her legs and began to push her shirt up. Her hands covered
his and stilled his progression. He rested his weight on his knees and raised
an eyebrow.
“Sara?”
She gently pulled his hands
from her body and smiled. “Let me...”
A smirk appeared on her
husband’s face. “Oh...okay then.”
“Besides, Mr. Grissom...I
think you’re slightly overdressed yourself.”
He smiled as he shrugged his
open shirt off of his shoulders. His fingers remained still on the button of
his jeans as he watched her pull her shirt over her head, revealing her naked
torso to him.
“You’re so beautiful,
Sara...”
Even though she felt
anything but beautiful, she could see the truth of his words in his eyes. He
thought she was beautiful, in spite of her growing abdomen.
His fingers lightly grazed
her skin as he pulled her panties down her legs. His eyes followed his hands,
smiling as he dropped the light fabric to the floor beside of the bed. He gazed
over her body, his eyes mapping out each erogenous zone he knew existed.
Pushing herself up to a
sitting position, she ran her fingers through his hair. She glanced down at his
hand, still resting on the waistband of his jeans.
“So...are you planning on
taking those off anytime soon?”
His eyes locked with hers,
his concentration broken. “Huh?”
She brushed his hand away
and pulled the button free before gently pulling the zipper down. “These,
Gil...you kinda need to take them off...”
“Uh...yeah...I know. I was
just...lost in thought there for a minute.”
Pushing his jeans and boxers
over his hips, she grinned. “Well, I’d like to have your attention...”
“You do, honey.”
His eyes closed and a sigh
escaped his lips as her fingertips caressed his erection. He involuntarily
thrust into her hand as she tightened her grasp and began to stroke him slowly.
Leaning forward, her teeth nipped at his throat. He rocked back slightly as her
lips moved across the sensitive flesh of his neck.
Taking advantage of his
brief lack of balance, she gently pushed his shoulder causing him to fall onto
the bed beside of her. Moving herself to her knees, she leaned over him and
tugged his jeans until they slid completely off.
She moved back up his body,
placing soft kisses here and there across his skin, before lying on her side
beside of him. Taking his hand, she pulled lightly, urging him to roll over and
face her. Moving onto his side, he placed his hand on her hip and pulled her
closer as his mouth claimed hers.
His tongue teased her lips
before gliding into her mouth. She sucked hungrily on the muscle as she lifted
her leg over his thigh. He felt a slight movement against his stomach as the
larva moved around in Sara’s abdomen. Her fingers tightened in his curls as she
felt his erection brush against her clit. She released his tongue as a loud
moan made its way from her throat.
Pulling back, she looked
into his glazed irises. “Make love to me, Gil...”
Smiling at her, his hand
carefully kneaded her breast as his thumb softly moved across her hardened
nipple. Leaning back into her, he kissed her lips softly as his hand left her
breast. Grasping his engorged cock, he nudged gently at her opening, groaning
at the amount of moisture he encountered there.
He angled his body away from
her slightly as he slid inside of her. His fingers caressed her face as she sighed
at the sensation of him filling her. Her eyes closed and she reached out,
gripping his shoulder as he moved slowly against her.
“Is...this...okay, honey?”
His voice was low, dripping with the passion he felt for her.
“Mmm...yes...oh
yes...”
His left hand grasped her
hip tighter as he traced her lips with his index finger of his right hand.
Opening her mouth slightly, he tongue snaked out and licked the digit before
guiding it between her teeth. She held his finger gently with her teeth as her
tongue swirled around it briefly before adding light suction.
He groaned as she increased
the pressure on his finger and thrust deeper into her. Her teeth clamped down
in reflex, eliciting a grunt from her husband. She recognized the faint taste
of iron as she continued to suck his thick digit. Her mind, reeling from the
ecstasy that he was invoking upon her, registered the fact that the iron taste
meant that she had broken the skin.
Pulling her mouth from him, she
opened her eyes and looked at his finger. Seeing the bite mark surrounding his
knuckle, she softly whispered an apology to him. He responded with a groan and
another thrust into her hot depths.
Her nails scraped against
his chest as she felt her orgasm building quickly. His fingers dug into her hip
as he felt the familiar sensation of her inner walls clamping down on him.
“Sara...”
“Close...Gil...so...close...please...”
His slightly red finger ran
down her breastbone. Moving his hand slightly, he covered her breast and gently
squeezed the soft flesh. His reward was a gush of hot fluid rushing over his
quickly swelling cock.
She screamed his name as her
orgasm crashed over her. He grunted hers in reply as he released his semen
inside of her.
Their movements came to a
slow halt as they gasped for air. He gently slid out of her, causing her body
to quiver, and moved back towards her. His tongue plunged into her mouth as he
gently caressed her body.
He pulled back with a
surprised look on his face. “Do I taste...blood?”
She hid her eyes and pulled
his hand up for him to see. “I...accidentally bit you. I’m sorry...”
He lifted her chin with his
finger and gazed into her eyes. “Well...that’s a first...”
The question formed in her
eyes and she opened her mouth to speak. He silenced her with another kiss.
Breaking the kiss slowly,
she looked at him. “What’s a first?”
“You...breaking skin...with
your teeth...”
Tears quickly formed in her
dark brown irises. “I’m so sorry...I didn’t mean to...”
He gave her a bright grin
and shook his head slowly. “No, honey...does it look like I’m complaining? It’s
just something...new.”
He flexed his finger quickly
in front of her. “It doesn’t even hurt...see? And...I didn’t feel it when it
happened. I guess I was otherwise occupied...”
She blushed heavily and
sniffled. “Well...technically, it’s your fault anyway...”
He chuckled and ran his
fingers through her damp hair. “Yeah? How do you figure that?”
She gave him a smirk and
kissed his lips. “Well...if you weren’t so damn wonderful...I wouldn’t have
clamped down on you like that...”
It was Grissom’s turn to
blush. Casting his eyes downward slightly, he gently rubbed her belly. “Did we
wake the larva?”
“I thought it was ‘weevil’...”
He shook his head and
grinned. “Not a weevil until he’s born...”
“Until she’s born...”
“It’s a boy, Mrs. Grissom...and
you know it...”
“Girl...”
“Boy...”
“You just want to argue...”
She stifled a yawn.
“And...you just want to go
to sleep...”
She gave him a sleepy grin
and snuggled against his chest. “Well...that’s your fault too. Wanna sleep with me?”
“Always, Sara...” He smiled
and gave into the yawn that had been threatening him.
Part LXXVII
She awoke feeling an odd pressure
on her stomach. Slowly she opened her eyes and turned her head. Not seeing her
husband beside of her, she attempted to sit up. But the pressure on her abdomen
only allowed her head and shoulders to rise slightly. She felt the pressure
shift and she cast her eyes downwards.
“Gil? What are you doing?”
He lifted his head from her
stomach and gave her a sad smile. “You know...tonight is my last night at work
for a couple of weeks...”
She tenderly fingered his
soft curls and sighed lightly. “It’s going to be okay, babe.”
With a slight nod, he
lowered his head again, resting his ear against her stomach as his eyes locked
with hers.
“You didn’t answer me...”
“What?”
“You didn’t answer my
question. What are you doing?”
He bit his lower lip
nervously and allowed his eyes to close. “Listening to the larva for the last
time.”
Her hand caressed his cheek
as a tear threatened to slip from her eye. “Gil...you don’t know that.”
“It’s a possibility. The
surgery might not...work. In fact...I could lose what hearing I do have. You
know that, Sara. We’ve discussed this.”
Shifting uncomfortably
underneath him, she grimaced. “Well, I refuse to believe that.”
“And what if it happens?
What if I wake up and I can’t hear you...and...I’ll never be able to hear our
child? What then, Sara?”
He lifted his head and
pushed himself up to a sitting position beside of her. Pulling her up, he
sighed as he watched her lean back against the headboard of their bed. “What
happens then, Sara?”
“It’s not going to
happen...”
“Sara...it might.”
“I’m not going to let it happen.”
She placed her hand on her stomach and rubbed gently. “We’re not going to let
it happen...”
“Dammit,
Sara! You’re so damn stubborn...” He slid off the bed and paced around the
room.
“And...you are too damn
pessimistic, Grissom!”
“NO! I’m realistic. There’s
a big difference there.”
“Griss...sit
down...”
He ran his fingers through
his hair in frustration as he continued to pace.
“Gil...”
“You just don’t understand,
do you?”
“Gilbert! Sit...down...”
He stopped pacing at the
sound of his name and stared at her. “You called me ‘Gilbert’...”
She returned his stare, not
saying a word and folded her arms across the top of her belly.
“I hate being called ‘Gilbert’...you
know that.”
“It stopped your annoying
pacing, didn’t it? Now...sit down.”
He mumbled something
incoherent under his breath and sat back down on the edge of the bed. “Happy
now?”
“No need to be an ass,
Gil...”
“I just...Sara...I need you
to understand. Not once have you admitted to the fact that the surgery might
not work...I need you to accept that.”
“I can’t. I can’t accept
that.”
“So...if it doesn’t work...”
“It will.”
He cast her a warning glare.
“Sara...let me finish, please.”
She took a deep breath and
nodded for him to continue.
“Thank you. Now...what I was
going to say was...if it doesn’t
work...does that mean...that you won’t be able to accept...me?”
She felt as if all of the
air had been knocked out of her lungs. “What? No...no, Gil...”
“Are you sure? Because...you
can’t accept the fact right now that it might not stabilize my hearing. And...”
“NO! It’s not that...it’s
not that at all.”
“Then...please...explain it
to me. Because...I need to know.”
Reaching over with her left
hand, she laced her fingers with his. “I will accept whatever happens, Gil. And...I
will love you, hearing or not. It’s just that I choose to not discuss the
possibility of a negative outcome.”
“But, Sara...if you won’t
discuss it...then, how...well...how can you prepare for it?”
“I didn’t say I don’t think
about it.” Her fingers tightened around his. “It scares the hell out of me,
Gil. But, I honestly believe things will be okay.”
“And...again, I ask. What if
they’re not...okay?”
She gave him the first
genuine smile he had seen since she had woken up. Leaning towards him, she
tugged his hand until he leaned into her, allowing their lips to make soft
contact.
“Then...we work through it.
Together.”
Returning her smile,
he nodded and eased himself off of the bed. Seeing her puzzled look, his smile
grew. “Come on...I’ll fix you dinner before I head off to work.”
She shook her head slowly,
but allowed him to help her out of bed.
“What are you shaking your
head about?”
“I’m going to work with you
tonight.”
“Sara...you know you’re down
to four nights at work...”
She finished the rest of his
statement with him, in perfect unison. “Three in the field, and one strictly in
the lab...”
He chuckled and tilted his
head slightly. “Have I said that more than once?”
“Try three times a day for
the past two weeks...and...I’m going to work with you tonight.”
He studied her stance and
the look in her eyes and knowing he wouldn’t be able to change her mind, he grinned.
“You’re with me tonight.”
She flashed her gap-toothed
grin and gave him a wink. “Just like old times.”
He laughed lightly. “It
hasn’t been that long, honey.”
“Long enough. Now...go get
dinner started and I’ll get in the shower.”
Shaking his head in
amazement, he smirked to himself as he watched her disappear into the bathroom.
He stood there for a few moments, listening to the water run before he turned
and walked into the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
As they made their way down
the hall to his office, Greg bounded around the corner. Seeing Sara, he skidded
to a stop in front of her. Grissom furrowed his brow as he examined Sanders’
latest fashion disaster.
“Mrs. Grissom! What a
wonderful surprise to see you this fine evening!”
Sara exchanged a questioning
glance with Grissom and smiled. “Hey Greg...uh...nice...outfit.”
He smoothed down the front
of his baby blue tuxedo shirt and grinned. “You like?”
“Well...the jeans are nice.”
Grissom raised an eyebrow at
his wife as she continued. “But...I’m not so sure about the shoes...”
“Hey...yellow Chuck’s go
with EVERYTHING!”
Grissom coughed lightly.
“Yeah...especially with your hair...” He reached up and placed his palm against
the green-tipped spikes. “What the hell do you have in there anyway?”
Greg ducked his head
protectively and glared at the older man. “Hey...watch it! It took me a good
two hours to fix my hair tonight!”
“Two hours, huh? You take
longer than my wife...”
“Well, I have a special
lunch date tonight.”
“You’re going on a date? Looking
like...that?”
“Griss!”
Sara smacked his arm.
“What?”
Turning her attention back
to the young lab-rat, she grinned. “So...who’s the lucky lady?”
“Lucky?” It was a soft
mutter, but Sara heard him and cast him a sideways glare.
Greg’s eyes lit up as he
fiddled with the cuffs on his shirt. “
“Is she a hooker?”
“GRISSOM!”
Realizing he had said that
out loud, he offered Greg a smile. Greg shook his head and smiled back. “No...but...she
did used to be a dancer. And...man,
can she move those hips...”
Sara laughed loudly as Greg
began to demonstrate his date’s dancing abilities. Having had more than he
could take, Grissom pushed the manilla folder he had
been carrying into Greg’s chest.
“Greg! Check on these for
me? Please? Now?”
“What’s wrong, Gil-Man?
Don’t like my dancing?”
Grissom’s facial expression
changed dramatically and he raised one eyebrow at the young man in front of him.
Clutching the folder tightly, Greg blushed heavily and cleared his throat.
“Uh...yeah...okay...I’ll get
right on this.” He walked briskly between the two and headed back towards the
lab. “Nice to have you here tonight, Sara...”
“Thanks Greg!”
She watched him turn the
corner and turned towards her husband. Pushing him in the general direction of
his office, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“I can’t believe you said
that!”
“Said what?”
“Oh...I don’t know. ‘Is she
a hooker?’ comes to mind pretty quickly.”
“Montana Bobbins?”
Shaking her head, she
shrugged as she turned into the breakroom. “I’ll wait
for you here...go get our assignments...Gil-Man...”
He grinned mischievously at her.
“Yes, Sugarplum. I’ll be right back.”
She watched him walk out of
her sight and sat down. Picking up a magazine, she flipped through it as she
waited for the remainder of the night shift to show up for work.
Part LXXVIII
He glanced nervously at his
watch and sighed. Thirty minutes until end of shift. No breakfast this morning.
Nothing to drink. Then...
“Hey...”
Her soft voice turned his
head. A small smile appeared on his lips, but didn’t reach his eyes. “Hey,
yourself.”
“You okay?”
He bit his lower lip as he
nodded. “Yeah...yeah, I’m fine...”
“Liar.”
“So...uh...paperwork
finished?”
“Nice segue, Gil-Man...and...yeah,
it’s finished.” She studied him carefully. “Thank you.”
His brow furrowed. “For
what?”
She shrugged her shoulders
lightly. “For letting me work with you tonight...”
“Oh...well...I didn’t really
have much choice in that, now did I?”
She chuckled and shook her
head. “No...you didn’t.”
Her laughter faded away
slowly, leaving them in silence. Grissom tapped his pen against a folder lying
on his desk. His eyes were directed towards the closed laptop in front of him,
but not focusing on anything. She allowed him this time. She wanted to say so
many things to him...but she knew he needed this time to reflect and...to
prepare. Just in case.
If he heard the soft knock
on the door, she couldn’t tell. With a sad smile, she turned her head. “Come
in.”
Turning back to Grissom, she
realized he hadn’t moved. Off in his own little world. He can hear, just
chooses not to right now. She sighed lightly as the door opened.
Catherine sat in the chair
beside of Sara and took a long look at Grissom. Shifting her eyes towards the
brunette beside of her, she motioned towards him. “How’s he doing?”
His voice startled her. “He
is doing fine. There’s no need to talk about me like I’m not here, Catherine.
I’m just...thinking. I’m not deaf yet...”
“Well...that’s good to know,
Griss.” She gave him a smile and leaned forward a
bit. He diverted his eyes as her already tight shirt seemed to become two sizes
smaller.
He glanced back at her face and
realized her lips were moving.
“I’m sorry, Catherine...what
did you say?”
“Oh...” A worried expression
crossed her face.
He shook his head quickly. “No...my
hearing is just fine right now. I was just...lost in thought about something
and wasn’t listening. I’m sorry...”
She relaxed somewhat and
gave him a smile. “Oh...I was just asking if you would mind if we kept Sara company
at the hospital this morning.”
“We? Who exactly is...we?”
Her smile widened. This
is the Grissom I know. “Just Warrick and myself.”
He seemed to contemplate it
for a few seconds and then looked at his wife. With a hint of a smile, he
turned back to Catherine. “Sure...that’s fine...”
Looking back at the clock,
his stomach did a flip. His eyes met his wife’s. “Sara?”
She gave him a broad grin
full of encouragement and nodded. “Let’s go, babe.”
Moving around his desk, he
helped her stand and pulled her into a hug. She tenderly rubbed his back and pressed
her lips to his cheek.
“It’s going to be okay, Gil.
You know that.”
“No matter what...”
“No matter what.”
He pulled back and gave her
a weak smile and took hold of her hand. Looking back at Catherine, he gave her
a brief nod. “Eight...that’s when the surgery is...”
She stood and walked over to
him, wrapping her arms around him in a friendly embrace. He lightly returned
the sentiment and sighed.
“I know...we’ll be there, Griss. Good luck.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She stood beside the gurney
and grinned as he tugged at the hospital gown. “What the hell is this for?”
She reached behind him and
pulled the other string around and secured it to the one in his hand. “So
you’re not showing your ass to everyone in here...”
He blushed heavily. “Oh...good.
They probably wouldn’t want to see that...”
“Oh...I doubt that.”
His eyes widened. “What?!”
She motioned towards a nurse
walking by. “She’s been checking you out, sweetie.”
“Sara...”
“I’m serious...that’s the
fourth time she’s walked by...”
“She’s probably just
checking on other patients, you know.”
She grinned and reached over
to ruffle his hair. “We’re the only ones on this side.”
His blush deepened. “Stop
it, Sara...”
“You know you’re hot...and
you know the women look at you...”
He looked around nervously. “I...uh...I...don’t
pay...attention to that...”
“Good answer, Honeybear.”
He laughed lightly. “Honeybear?”
Dr. Kanamori
walked through the opening in the curtain with a smile on his face. “Dr.
Grissom...how are you today?”
“Ready for this to be
over...”
The doctor chuckled lightly
and looked at Sara. “Mrs. Grissom, this shouldn’t take very long at all. Just a
couple of hours at the most.” He handed her a stack of papers. “Just some
paperwork on what to expect after surgery and specific care sheets.”
She nodded, giving the
doctor a nervous smile. “Thank you, Dr. Kanamori.”
He patted her shoulder
gently. “He’ll be fine, Mrs. Grissom.” Turning back towards his patient with a
gleam in his eye, he motioned down the hall. “You ready, Dr. Grissom?”
“Whenever you are...”
He laid back on the gurney
and pulled the sheet up to his chest. Sara leaned down and kissed his lips
softly as the nurse came in to wheel him down to the surgery unit.
“I love you, Gil.”
“I love you too, Sara. I’ll
see you soon.” Reaching his hand out from under the sheet, he caressed her
belly. “I love you too, little larva.”
With a tear in her eye, she
watched them wheel the gurney down the hall and around the corner before she
made her way into the waiting room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Standing up, she paced
across the room. Back and forth. Back and forth. Catherine smiled lightly, Warrick sighed and shook his head.
Catherine cleared her throat
softly. “Sara? Why don’t you sit back down?”
She stopped briefly and
glared at the woman sitting calmly in the cushioned chair. “Because...he said
‘a couple of hours at the most.’ It’s been two and half hours.”
“Sara...that’s not very
long...”
Her eyes narrowed and
darkened as she resumed her motion. “Well, it’s not your husband in there, now is it?”
She came to a stop in front
of the window and stared at the bright blue sky. She heard soft footsteps come
to a halt beside of her. She exhaled deeply.
“I’m sorry, Cath. I’m
just...really nervous...and scared. What if something...went wrong?”
“It’s okay, Sara...really.
And, you know what ‘a couple of hours’ means to doctors. It could mean two
hours, it could mean four.”
“If he meant four, he
should’ve said four...” She ran her finger along the windowsill and
unconsciously inspected it for dust.
A soft click was heard and
Sara spun around as the door opened. Dr. Kanamori
walked in with a smile on his face. Warrick stood on
the other side of Sara, with his arm around her shoulder.
“Mrs. Grissom, the surgery
went very well. Of course, we won’t know exactly how well until the healing is
complete. But, I do believe that we were able to halt the progression of the
otosclerosis.”
A single tear fell down her
cheek. “When can I see him?”
“He’s in recovery right now.
In about thirty minutes, you can go back. He’ll be extremely groggy. Shortly
after that, after we see how he tolerates coming out of anesthesia
and we see if he can keep down some fluids, you can take him home.”
She allowed Warrick to pull her into a hug as her tears began to flow freely.
Catherine silently mouthed a thank you to the doctor as he left the room to
give them some privacy.
Part LXXIX
Within thirty minutes of Dr.
Kanamori’s update on her husband, Sara was at the
nurses’ desk demanding to see Grissom. Catherine leaned against the wall,
slight amusement showing in her eyes.
“The doctor said I could see
him in thirty minutes...” She placed both hands on the counter surrounding the
nurses’ station and craned her neck to look at the monitor in front of the
nurse.
“Yes, Mrs. Grissom. I
understand that. But, he hasn’t been released from recovery yet.”
After a quick glance at her
watch, Sara narrowed her eyes at the older woman. “Look, Nurse...
“Well, that gives me
eighteen seconds then...” Nurse Clark muttered under her breath before shifting
her eyes back to the woman glaring at her. Giving an exasperated sigh, the
nurse picked up the phone and quickly dialled the extension for Recovery.
“Hey Annie, it’s Linda. I
have Mrs. Grissom here and she’s requesting to see her husband...”
Sara nervously tapped her
fingers against smooth tile as she listened to the one side of the conversation
that she could hear.
“...uh-huh...okay...no, no I
don’t think so...” Linda lowered her voice to almost a whisper. “I really don’t
think she’s going to wait much longer...I’d suggest we get her back there...”
Sara suppressed her grin.
“Okay, thanks Annie. I’ll
send her on back.”
The incessant tapping
stopped as she raised her eyes to meet Sara’s stare. “Okay, Mrs. Grissom...your
husband still hasn’t come out of the anesthesia,
but...”
“Just tell me how to get
there from here.”
Catherine bit her lip and glanced
at Warrick. He shook his head and grinned back at
her. “Persistent, isn’t she?”
“Persistence pays off...”
After receiving the
directions to Recovery from the nurse, Sara turned and quickly walked to the
two people awaiting the outcome of her efforts. “Well...they finally decided to
let me go back...”
Catherine offered a small
grin. “Better go before they change their minds.”
With a smirk and a nod, Sara
turned and walked down the hall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She stood quietly beside the
gurney and gazed at Grissom’s sleeping form. She took his hand in hers and
allowed her other hand to softly brush through his curls. Almost time for a
haircut...unruly curls...that would just irritate the hell out of him. She
allowed herself to smile at the thought.
A soft groan was heard as he
shifted slightly. She tightened her grip on his hand and leaned over him,
placing a soft kiss on his forehead. A violent shudder went through his body
and a louder groan was emitted. A nurse magically appeared on the other side of
the gurney.
“Is he okay?”
The nurse gave Sara a
reassuring smile and nodded softly. “He’s fine, Mrs. Grissom. Just the effects
of anesthesia.”
Sara watched as the muscles
in his face tightened, pulling his features into a grimace. “He’s in pain...”
“I’m giving him something now,
ma’am...he’ll be okay.”
She felt a gentle squeeze on
her hand and looked back down at him. “Gil?”
His eyes opened a
little...just enough for her to see the drug-hazed blue irises. She returned
the gentle pressure on his hand. “Griss?”
His lids slid open a tad
more, his tongue poked out and ran across his dry lips.
“Here, this might help Mrs.
Grissom...”
Sara turned her head towards
the voice to see the nurse holding out a small cup with a few ice chips in it.
“Don’t let him eat them just yet...”
She took the cup from her
and smiled weakly. Taking one of the small chips, she lightly glided it across
his slightly chapped lips. His eyes slowly opened, not focusing on anything.
Giving him a smile, she
leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “Hey, you...”
He licked his lips and
swallowed, fighting to regain his focus. “Can’t...hear...you...”
The drugs overpowered him
once again, leaving Sara in a state of worry as his eyes closed and he fell
back into a drug-induced sleep. A single tear rolled down her cheek and landed
on his hand as she squeezed it tightly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She followed Warrick and Catherine closely as they helped an extremely
groggy Grissom down the hall. She quickly moved around them as they entered
their bedroom and turned the sheets down. After getting him settled into the
bed, she pulled the sheets up to his chest. He found the energy to give her a
small smile before he closed his eyes. Within seconds, he was out again.
She felt a light touch on
her back and barely registered her name being voiced. She slowly turned towards
the voice. “What?”
Catherine smiled lightly and
repeated her question. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes glistened as she
shook her head. “He...he said he couldn’t...hear me...”
Warrick wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“Hey...Sara...you know what the doctor said...and you read the papers. That’s
normal...the swelling from surgery is what’s causing that...”
She looked at him as the
tears slid from her eyes. “What if...”
He shook his head gently. “No...don’t
do that. This is Grissom. You know everything will be okay...”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
After she had walked their
friends to the door and watched them leave, she closed the door and softly latched
the lock. Taking a deep breath, she walked back into their bedroom. She settled
into the recliner that Warrick had moved into the
room for her and watched him sleep.
What if it didn’t work? What
if he wakes up, still not being able to hear me...and...it just doesn’t get any
better? I mean...how will HE deal with that? I’ll be fine...I’ll still love
him...but...how am I supposed to help him through the initial shock and fear?
NO. No, Warrick
was right. I can’t do that. He’s going to be fine. It’s just a side effect of
the stapedectomy. Kanamori said it would happen.
Everything I’ve read said it will happen. Once the swelling goes down some,
he’ll be fine. He will. He’ll be fine. He has to be...
But...what if it’s not? I
guess that it’s a normal reaction though...right? It’s not like I have no faith
that the surgery was a success. It’s just normal nerves...normal worry. He’s my
husband...of course I’m going to be worried. It’s normal.
Supposing it failed...would
he see himself as a failure? Would he think I view him as flawed?
God...Sara...stop...it. Stop
it now. You’re not helping the situation. Dr. Kanamori
was very pleased with how the surgery went. It’s just a short waiting game.
That’s all. The swelling will dissipate and he’ll tell me how stupid I was for
worrying so much.
No he won’t. He’s never told
me I’m stupid for anything I’ve done...even if they WERE stupid.
Her thoughts broke apart as
she heard him shift in the bed. He winced against the pain for a brief moment, then
relaxed. His hand moved out from underneath the sheet and rubbed the side of
his neck in his sleep. He shifted again, obviously searching for some comfort.
His hand slowly slid from his neck to come to a rest on his chest. He inhaled
deeply as his body relaxed once more.
She continued to watch him
throughout the night, dozing only when the larva demanded it. Her thoughts
ceased, bringing a sense of peace into her mind. A small smile appeared on her
lips as she gazed at him, his deep intakes of air adding a calmness within her
soul.
Her smile grew as she
remembered her promise to him.
No matter what
happens...everything will be okay, Gil.
Sighing heavily, she waited
for him to wake.