HOPEFUL
A sequel to 'Hope'.
Spoiler: Living Doll. Monster in a Box
Catherine walked down the hallway, flashed her ID at the nurse behind the counter, then ´kept on walking before the woman could put up an objection. Visiting hours were over, as Catherine very well knew, but this couldn't wait.
Catherine entered Sara's room just as a nurse was finishing tending to Sara's injured leg.
It was a relief to see her bending her knee on her own. Doctors had expressed concern at first, but she was responding well to treatment, and the prognosis was good.
While she waited, Catherine's attention wandered to a table nearby, where several floral arrangements competed for space. Actually, flowers were conspicuously absent; instead, there were a couple of teddy bears and a profusion of ribbons and balloons bearing messages like 'get well soon,' 'we miss you,' etc.
Catherine started to look away, but her attention was drawn back -this time by a scent. It was faint but the contrast with the prevalent smells of the hospital was so great, she couldn't ignore it. It was the scent of fresh herbs.
The source was right there in the middle of the balloon arrangements: A small clay pot containing some greenery.
Catherine shook her head in disbelief. Who sent fresh herbs to a woman in a hospital bed, for God's sake?
And the answer came immediately to her: Grissom.
Catherine rolled her eyes.
When she turned, the nurse was making Sara comfortable for the night. After a brief conversation, she left.
Catherine came over.
"Hey."
"Hey," Sara said, her voice still raspy and weak.
"I've got something for you," Catherine said, taking something from her purse and holding it up for Sara's view: A small glass jar containing a honey-colored liquid. "My grandmother's famous cough syrup. It does wonders for sore throats."
Sara smiled. "Thanks," she whispered.
Catherine put the jar on the side table, then carefully sat on the edge of the bed.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better," Sara said.
"You don't sound too good," Catherine hesitated. She started to rise, "Maybe I should come back some other time -"
Sara shook her head.
"No. Please. Stay."
Catherine sat back.
"You gave us quite a scare," Catherine said, a mock-stern tone in her voice.
"Sorry."
"It's all right. You gave us a scare but you also gave us a thrill," she added mischievously. "You and Grissom, huh?"
Sara shrugged evasively, but Catherine was oblivious to her discomfort.
"I can't say I didn't see it coming," Catherine said, "But it was a surprise all the same. You two can really keep a secret. How long has this been going on? I'm asking you because I know Gil will never tell me," she added dryly.
Sara hesitated, then replied, "Thirteen months."
"And I never noticed," Catherine said, shaking her head. "Wow." She patted Sara's hand. "I'm happy for you."
Sara smiled faintly but didn't say anything.
They were silent for a moment, then Catherine cleared her throat.
"Do you remember the miniature set that Natalie made when she planned the murder of Dr. Tallman?" She paused until Sara nodded. "Gil opened the doll and found tiny lungs filled with carbon monoxide; do you remember that?"
Sara's smile started to fade.
Catherine continued, "I thought maybe Natalie had left us some similar clue this time, so I opened the doll she left under the car." She paused, then added, "She placed a tiny baby inside the doll's belly."
Sara's eyes widenened.
"Sara?"
Sara looked anxiously at Catherine.
"You didn't tell Gil, did you?"
"No," Catherine said. "I didn't. By the time I found it, he was going ahead with the rescue."
Sara closed her eyes in relief.
Catherine waited. She knew that pressing Sara for answers would not take her very far, but she was not going away either.
She could only hope that Sara would trust her.
"How did she know?" Sara whispered.
"Maybe she followed you around," Catherine offered, "Maybe she saw you go to a gynecologist -"
Sara shook her head.
"Maybe she went through my garbage cans at home," Sara said bitterly, "I used about a half-a-dozen pregnancy tests. Couldn't believe it -"
Catherine hesitated. There was one question she needed to ask.
"Sara? How are you feeling?"
Sara briefly opened her eyes. She smiled faintly.
"Fine. We're fine," she said pointedly.
"Thank God," Catherine said, sincerely relieved. She kept her gaze on Sara, who had closed her eyes again. After a moment, a single tear rolled down the young woman's cheek.
"Oh, Sara. You're not happy about it?"
Sara took a deep breath.
"I don't know how I feel."
"What about Grissom? Aren't you going to tell him?"
Sara's smile was brief and bitter.
"I tried a dozen times," she whispered. "Couldn't. And I… Haven't decided what to do, anyway."
Comprehension dawned on Catherine.
"Oh," she said. She gently laid a hand on top of Sara's. "Well. It's a tough decision. Believe me, I know." She studied Sara for a moment. "But you want the baby, don't you?"
Sara nodded. She tried to smile but the corners of her mouth tilted down instead. She looked vulnerable and scared.
Catherine laid a comforting hand on Sara's shoulder.
"Hey…" she said, "It's ok to be afraid. It's a big change and a huge responsibility. And I know you; you're not afraid of what may happen to you and your body; you're afraid of what might happen to this little baby. You're worried about the fairness of bringing a new life into this crazy world… Am I right?"
Sara nodded, still without opening her eyes.
"Sara… I believe you're capable of giving love. And in the end, that's all that matters."
Sara opened her eyes at last. She smiled and mouthed the word thanks.
"And listen," Catherine said, "I want you to know that… If you need to talk, or something -I'm there. Ok? "
"Ok," Sara said.
"And Sara… You should tell Gil."
Sara shook her head.
"You don't think Grissom would take care of his own child?" Catherine asked, though she didn't pause long enough to let Sara answer, "Look. Men are funny when it comes to compromise. They might not be keen to tie the knot for the sake of a woman's love but if there's a kid involved… They'll jump right in. Even guys who don't seem interested in having kids," she added pointedly. "Besides, you, of all people, should know that there's nothing written about Gil's behavior. He may surprise you yet."
"I know," Sara said tiredly. "But… There is too much going on right now."
"What do you mean?"
"He's gonna be in trouble. He mouthed off to Ecklie -"
Catherine nodded reluctantly. Gil had gone ahead with his rescue of Sara, despite Ecklie's opposition. Gil had broken every rule…
"He defied Ecklie because of me," Sara said, "I know Ecklie; he's gonna want his pound of flesh." She looked at Catherine, "I don't want it to be Gil's."
"Sara, you can't take responsibility over this," Catherine countered, "Grissom and Ecklie have been at each other's throats for… ever. And that's not important, anyway. What matters is that you're pregnant with Gil's baby." She looked at Sara in the eye, "He loves you. He's probably never told you," she added with a scowl, "But he does."
Sara smiled a little.
They didn't talk much after that. Finally, sleep claimed Sara, and Catherine lowered the lights in the room.
She glanced over his shoulder before opening the door.
She sighed. She wouldn't trade places with Sara for anything in the world. Having a baby was a huge responsibility.
On the other hand… Catherine smiled reluctantly. Well, on the other hand, babies were a source of joy, too.
She only hoped that Sara would make the right choice.
TBC