I'm glad people are reading this! Woooooo! And since tomorrow is my birthday... I was hoping I could get reviews as a present. :lol:
Chapter 6: The Conversation
Lovely day for a white wedding…
He clicked the radio off. That’s what he got for not remembering to bring his CD player. He would’ve thrown the radio in the garbage but it belonged to Nick.
Besides, he didn’t have the heart to do much of anything, let alone trash a little portable radio. He had an empty feeling inside... and he did just about everything he could think of to fill it.
Women, alcohol, food, magazines. It was starting to look hopeless.
Catherine had been very supportive throughout the first year. She always asked him how he was doing.
However a certain lab-tech interpreted her gesture as some sort of ‘secret romance’ and now there was a rumor that he was secretly engaged to Catherine.
‘Just great,’ he sighed.
“Hey Cath. How are you?”
She smiled at him as he walked into the break room.
“I’m fine. Considering we’re supposedly engaged to be married. Were you going to tell me anytime soon,” she joked.
“Well, you know how I like surprises,” sarcasm dripping from every word, “Especially when they sprung on me by a brown-nosing trace tech who’s starving for gossip.”
Sara walked in, “Are you talking about Hodges?”
“Who else. So how was your day off?” Catherine moved over so Greg could sit on the couch. He was feeling sleepy. Which he guessed was a result of using his sleep time to try and pick up women. Well, that and he recently started staying up late to play video games.
He was becoming very good at the one person shooter. But he needed to stock up on more games.
“Catherine, can I talk to your for a minute?” Sara asked.
“Umm, sure. See you later Greggo.”
He waved goodbye to Catherine, not catching the look Sara gave the woman when she called him ‘Greggo’.
After dozing off for a few minutes, he was jolted back awake when he rolled off the sofa.
“Ouch...”
He rubbed his head. “Guess that’s one way to wake up.”
He looked around and realized no one was in the break room. Since Catherine was temporary supervisor of grave yard, he hoped she wouldn’t get mad that he slept on the job. He hurried over to her office, hoping to catch her before she went out on a case.
“... I don’t know what to do.”
He stopped in his tracks. Sara was in Catherine’s office. She sounded upset, and he looked around, hoping no one caught him standing by the door.
“Sara, this is just what couples go through. You know, when I was with Eddie-”
“No. It’s more than just some little disagreement. It’s like I don’t even know him. I think I’m regretting this.”
“Sara. If you have any doubts, you should be talking to Gil, not me.”
“He doesn’t understand.”
“Would you like me to talk to him?”
“I would appreciate it.”
He heard some chairs scrape. He guessed they were getting up.
“You don’t look like you can handle a case. I’ll put you with Greg, and you can work in the lab.”
“Alright. Thanks for listening.”
He scrambled to get to the lab. It was Wendy’s day off and he was manning the test tubes.
As he caught his breath, he thought about what he heard. How was he supposed to feel? Sara was having marital troubles and he was torn. Part of him was sorry for her, after all, she seemed so sad.
But another, deeper part of him couldn’t help but rejoice. She was having second thoughts about Grissom. He decided no matter what, he would be there for her.
~~~~~~~~~
After a long day of operating the lab and doing paper work, the two CSIs-turned temporary lab techs, clocked out for the night.
“Hey Sara, are you okay?” He had avoided asking all day. He cracked jokes and told her funny stories in hopes of seeing her laugh. She only smiled twice.
It was brutal.
“I’m okay. Just having a bad day.” She was taking down something in her locker.
If he didn’t know any better he could’ve sworn she was tearing down a picture of Grissom - but he wasn’t sure.
He didn’t know what else to do, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“You wanna get a drink or something? To unwind and relax?”
She closed her locker and stared at him.
For a minute, he almost thought she was going to slap him. He had no right asking out a married woman, even if he meant it as friends.
She thought it over before consenting.
“Yeah. I could use a drink.”
He drove her to a bar he recently discovered a few blocks away from his apartment. He frequented the bar, spilling his troubles to the sympathetic bar tender. Most of them involved Sara and her ring.
He remembered how he tried to flirt with a waitress there but ended up with a cocktail thrown in his face.
Alcohol plus Sara on his mind was not a good combination.
After they each had three beers, he felt relaxed and loose. He looked over at Sara who also looked less stressed out.
The combination of alcohol in his system and what he overheard in the office must have given him the courage to ask her what’s been on his mind for so long.
“So, how’s the married life?” He got the ball rolling.
“Don’t ask.” She sighed and gulped the rest of her beer.
He just waited. Years of talking and spending time around Sara taught him that she would speak when she was ready. He figured he could wait as long as she needed.
“We’ve been fighting lately. And it’s going to get worse.”
‘That was fast.’
Greg tried to reassure her, “You don’t know that things will get worse.”
She looked serious and she pulled a letter out of her purse.
“We’ve been fighting about kids. He wants them as soon as possible and I’m not ready to be a mom.”
He nodded, trying to understand.
“We went to this stupid fertility clinic a few days ago. I got this yesterday.” She opened the letter and handed it to him. He didn’t know if he should read it - the letter was personal and he didn’t want to intrude.
She noticed his hesitation so she summarized, “We can’t have kids. Basically, Grissom’s past his peak and this is just going to drive him over the edge.”
“Grissom?”
When did Sara start calling her husband by his last name?
“Yeah.” She grabbed the paper and crumpled it up.
“I take it he doesn’t know.”
“I told him I didn’t get it yet, but he’ll figure it out eventually.”
She ordered another beer.
“Sara, I’ve never seen you like this. Getting married is supposed to be a happy, joyful thing, but it looks like it’s drained you,” Greg reached over and tentatively put his hand next to hers.
“It’s only been a year and I hate what you’ve become. I miss the old Sara. You were never this upset. You were independent and you stood up for what you believed in. Sometimes, I wish you never married him.”
She looked surprised and she pulled her hand back.
He realized he was out of line.
“I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I just... forget I said anything.
“No, you’re right.”
She put down her beer, looking sure of herself, “I’ve become this whole different person. I didn’t know being married was like this. Even though I should’ve -”
She stopped and looked around.
“You live a few blocks away, right? I don’t want to pour my heart out in a bar.”
Greg had a feeling where this was going.
“Let’s go to your place and continue the conversation there.”
“That’s not a good idea. I mean, you’ve had too much to drink - I have too. We shouldn’t go to my apartment when we’re both like this.”
She just shook her head, “We’re just going to talk. What’s the harm in a conversation?”
He hesitated and against his better judgment he agreed.
“Alright. I guess there’s no harm in conversation...”
And so the plot thickens! Well, I gotta say the next chapter might get a little ... over PG-13 ish. BUT I promise it won’t be too graphic. Or maybe I should just skip it! I’m not good with ‘intimate scenes’. *sigh*
Since it’s not written yet, you can wait and see what I can do - hopefully it won’t totally fall flat!