labgeekluvr
Lab Technician
Here's my new Sandle ficlet, inspired by "Spark of Life". I also have it posted over at fanfiction.net. Read and review please. Enjoy!
Title: That Special Spark
Rating: PG
Time: Missing Scene from “Spark of Life”
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, all belong to the writers of CBS and CSI:Crime Scene Investigation
Sara had just finished consulting with Grissom, Warrick, and Catherine about two cases that were related–a murdered family and an arson with one dead body and one victim still alive, but with third-degree burns over 80 of her body. Greg Sanders had been working the burn victim case, and it had been rough for him. Greg had been given the burn victim’s amputated fingers to process, but Grissom saw how difficult it was for him and that he had worked a double shift, and so sent him home. Sara’s shift was now over, and she decided she would call Greg and check up on him. When he answered the phone, Sara could tell he wasn’t his usual cheerful self.
“You’re still up? I thought you’d be asleep by now,” Sara said.
“Nah, can’t sleep. Can’t get the image of that burn victim out of my mind,” Greg said, sounding obviously exhausted.
“Can I take you out for breakfast?” Sara asked.
“I’m not really in the mood to leave the house,” Greg replied.
“Can I bring breakfast to you, then? Are you up for some company?” Sara suggested.
“Yeah, I would like that. I could use the company. Thanks, Sara,” Greg replied.
“Great. See you in a bit,” Sara said. She hung up the phone and headed for Greg’s place, stopping to pick up some breakfast burritos along the way. She rang the doorbell and Greg answered the door in his pajamas, looking as exhausted as he sounded.
“Hi,” he smiled when he saw her. “Excuse the mess. I put a pot of my special coffee on just for us.”
“Wow, I feel special. How do I rate your special coffee?”Sara asked, smiling.
Greg couldn’t think of an answer. “I’m just glad you’re here,” he said softly.
Sara patted him on the shoulder, then brought the food over to the coffee table. Greg grabbed a couple coffee mugs and filled them with his special Hawaiian blend coffee. They enjoyed their breakfast burritos and some small talk.
“So you didn’t sleep at all last night?” Sara asked finally.
“No, every time I closed my eyes, I would see her lying in that bed, covered with horrible burns. The doctors said her nerves were damaged, and that she was on enough morphine that she wouldn’t be suffering, but I can’t imagine how she’s going to feel once she starts healing. I remember...”
“You remember how you felt after the lab explosion,” Sara said, picking up where Greg had broken off. He nodded.
“And my burns were minor compared to hers, not much worse than a bad sunburn, but painful nonetheless,” Greg said, his voice still faltering. Sara took his hand.
“She still had that spark of life in her, maybe the hope that her unborn child would somehow survive all this, though it’s highly unlikely,” Sara said softly.
“I talked to Sofia about it a little. I was getting ready to leave when she was coming in for her shift,” Greg said. “I asked her how to stop thinking about it. She basically told me to come home and relax, have a beer, watch a movie. None of that worked. I can’t stop thinking about it,” Greg said, eyes welling with tears.
Sara put her arm around Greg, rubbing his back in a circular motion. “What else did Sofia say?” she asked, hoping to glean a comforting pearl of wisdom to build on.
“She told me not to lose my sense of humor. But I feel I’m changing, Sara. I feel I’m not as light-hearted as I was when I was in the lab,” Greg said.
“You’re not regretting your decision, are you? You’ve worked so hard to get to this point,” Sara said, concerned.
“No, I don’t regret it. I feel like I’m part of something that’s so much bigger. I guess I just didn’t bargain for all that came with that bigger experience. In the lab, I could process fingers no problem. I really didn’t know who they belonged to. Now in the field, I know who they belong to. I know the people that I process. They’re not just DNA and trace results. They’re people who have suffered,” Greg said.
“That just shows what I’ve always known about you,” Sara said, cupping his chin with her hand, “that you have a big heart. You care about the people you encounter. And that’s a good thing. It can make the job difficult sometimes. You’ll learn to keep your emotions out of the investigation and let the evidence speak for itself. But it doesn’t mean you stop feeling, stop caring. If you stop caring, then it’s time to move on.”
“So it does get easier?” Greg asked.
“There are always tough cases–kids, women in some cases. You learn to manage,” Sara said.
“How do you manage?” Greg asked.
“Probably not in the healthiest ways. Just make sure you take good care of yourself. And like Sofia said, don’t lose your sense of humor–your special spark. I’d hate to lose sight of that goofy smile of yours,” Sara said.
Greg tried to manage a smile, but ended up bursting into tears instead. Sara pulled him into her arms and ran her fingers through his soft blond hair. She let him cry in her arms until he finally cried himself to sleep. She grabbed a pillow and tucked it under her head, leaning back against the couch. She leaned her face against Greg’s and closed her eyes, continuing to stroke his hair until she too fell asleep.
Title: That Special Spark
Rating: PG
Time: Missing Scene from “Spark of Life”
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, all belong to the writers of CBS and CSI:Crime Scene Investigation
Sara had just finished consulting with Grissom, Warrick, and Catherine about two cases that were related–a murdered family and an arson with one dead body and one victim still alive, but with third-degree burns over 80 of her body. Greg Sanders had been working the burn victim case, and it had been rough for him. Greg had been given the burn victim’s amputated fingers to process, but Grissom saw how difficult it was for him and that he had worked a double shift, and so sent him home. Sara’s shift was now over, and she decided she would call Greg and check up on him. When he answered the phone, Sara could tell he wasn’t his usual cheerful self.
“You’re still up? I thought you’d be asleep by now,” Sara said.
“Nah, can’t sleep. Can’t get the image of that burn victim out of my mind,” Greg said, sounding obviously exhausted.
“Can I take you out for breakfast?” Sara asked.
“I’m not really in the mood to leave the house,” Greg replied.
“Can I bring breakfast to you, then? Are you up for some company?” Sara suggested.
“Yeah, I would like that. I could use the company. Thanks, Sara,” Greg replied.
“Great. See you in a bit,” Sara said. She hung up the phone and headed for Greg’s place, stopping to pick up some breakfast burritos along the way. She rang the doorbell and Greg answered the door in his pajamas, looking as exhausted as he sounded.
“Hi,” he smiled when he saw her. “Excuse the mess. I put a pot of my special coffee on just for us.”
“Wow, I feel special. How do I rate your special coffee?”Sara asked, smiling.
Greg couldn’t think of an answer. “I’m just glad you’re here,” he said softly.
Sara patted him on the shoulder, then brought the food over to the coffee table. Greg grabbed a couple coffee mugs and filled them with his special Hawaiian blend coffee. They enjoyed their breakfast burritos and some small talk.
“So you didn’t sleep at all last night?” Sara asked finally.
“No, every time I closed my eyes, I would see her lying in that bed, covered with horrible burns. The doctors said her nerves were damaged, and that she was on enough morphine that she wouldn’t be suffering, but I can’t imagine how she’s going to feel once she starts healing. I remember...”
“You remember how you felt after the lab explosion,” Sara said, picking up where Greg had broken off. He nodded.
“And my burns were minor compared to hers, not much worse than a bad sunburn, but painful nonetheless,” Greg said, his voice still faltering. Sara took his hand.
“She still had that spark of life in her, maybe the hope that her unborn child would somehow survive all this, though it’s highly unlikely,” Sara said softly.
“I talked to Sofia about it a little. I was getting ready to leave when she was coming in for her shift,” Greg said. “I asked her how to stop thinking about it. She basically told me to come home and relax, have a beer, watch a movie. None of that worked. I can’t stop thinking about it,” Greg said, eyes welling with tears.
Sara put her arm around Greg, rubbing his back in a circular motion. “What else did Sofia say?” she asked, hoping to glean a comforting pearl of wisdom to build on.
“She told me not to lose my sense of humor. But I feel I’m changing, Sara. I feel I’m not as light-hearted as I was when I was in the lab,” Greg said.
“You’re not regretting your decision, are you? You’ve worked so hard to get to this point,” Sara said, concerned.
“No, I don’t regret it. I feel like I’m part of something that’s so much bigger. I guess I just didn’t bargain for all that came with that bigger experience. In the lab, I could process fingers no problem. I really didn’t know who they belonged to. Now in the field, I know who they belong to. I know the people that I process. They’re not just DNA and trace results. They’re people who have suffered,” Greg said.
“That just shows what I’ve always known about you,” Sara said, cupping his chin with her hand, “that you have a big heart. You care about the people you encounter. And that’s a good thing. It can make the job difficult sometimes. You’ll learn to keep your emotions out of the investigation and let the evidence speak for itself. But it doesn’t mean you stop feeling, stop caring. If you stop caring, then it’s time to move on.”
“So it does get easier?” Greg asked.
“There are always tough cases–kids, women in some cases. You learn to manage,” Sara said.
“How do you manage?” Greg asked.
“Probably not in the healthiest ways. Just make sure you take good care of yourself. And like Sofia said, don’t lose your sense of humor–your special spark. I’d hate to lose sight of that goofy smile of yours,” Sara said.
Greg tried to manage a smile, but ended up bursting into tears instead. Sara pulled him into her arms and ran her fingers through his soft blond hair. She let him cry in her arms until he finally cried himself to sleep. She grabbed a pillow and tucked it under her head, leaning back against the couch. She leaned her face against Greg’s and closed her eyes, continuing to stroke his hair until she too fell asleep.
