Our Spot

Chapter 21

“So who can we set Nick up with?” Sara was working her fingers through Gil’s hair. e had another long shift.

“The only woman that I thought was good enough for him is knocked up and engaged.”

“We have to do something. He’s miserable.”

“He’ll find someone. With all that muscle and all those teeth, how can he not find someone?”

“Yeah but Nick’s picky. He says we’ve spoiled him. Says he wants looks and brains.”

“Maybe one of the new CSIs will be his cup of tea.”

“Ecklie should open a dating service.”

~~~~

Gil handed another resume to Warrick and Nick.

“Okay, so I got Ecklie to say that one of you will get the promotion. More than likely it will be Warrick because he has seniority and because he is banging his current boss.”

Nick chuckled. “Grissom said banging. We should have locked you in a room with Sara the first day she showed up.”

Gil’s face was somber. “You both gonna be okay, no matter who gets the promotion?”

Both CSIs said yes.

Gil read from a sheet of paper. “So this is what Ecklie has. Martin Silver, B.S. in chemistry from Tougaloo College, worked the lab in L.A for fives years, was promoted to CSI two years ago.”

“Tougaloo? Where’s that?” Warrick wanted to know.

“Small HBCU in Mississippi. At one point, half their student body went on to become doctors. Tougaloo is Choctaw for when the little river meets the big river I think,” Nick explained.

“How do YOU know about an HBCU in Mississippi?”

“My eye doctor graduated from there”

“Girl eye doctor?” Gil hoped.

“No such luck. Who else we got?”

“Elenore Esedeke. Graduated from University of Miami with a B.S. in biology, has a master’s in chemistry from Stanford, she was one of Greg’s teaching assistants. He says she was exceptional. For the past six years she’s been at the lab in Detroit. The team is pretty stagnant. There is no room for advancement.”

The two men offered up no objections.

“Third up is Kelly Wilson. She graduated from NYU with a B.S in entomology. She’s been accepted into the Master’s program at UNLV. Up until last year, she was in the lab with Mac when she was promoted to CSI Level 1”

Nick broke into Gil’s rhythm. “You know how old these ladies are?”

“I think it’s safe to assume that they are all in their twenties or their thirties Nick.”

Warrick patted his friend on the shoulder. “We are going to find you a woman, Stokes.”

“You’ll be happy to know that our next applicant is also a young woman. A Ms. Audrey Lynn. She is a graduate of Harvard and has an M.S in Chemistry from San Diego State.”

“What, is she stalking Sara?”

Gil frowned. “I didn’t notice that until now. I wonder if Sara knows her from either place. Looks like she’s a couple of years younger than Sara. The last few years she’s been in Portland. Supervisor gives her off the chart marks.”

“Last on the list is the Manuel Gamez, another ivy league graduate. Yale this time. Has a B.S in biology. Worked with the FBI lab for seven years. His vision isn’t good enough for their field work. So he has set his sights for the top ten labs in the country.”

Gil closed the heavy manila folder that held all the resumes and applications. “Gentleman, speak now or forever hold your peace. I don’t see anything wrong unless one of them comes in waving a gun.”

Nick sighed loudly. “Don’t even say that, bugman. This is still Vegas.”

Chapter


Nick read over his messages. He hadn’t answered his cell phone in hours. Whoever was on the other end of his official work line, he didn’t have time to talk to them. If Catherine and Warrick needed him, they used the radio function on their cell phones.

The DA and two police officers had left at least as many messages with the receptionist.

There are not enough hours in the day, he thought.

A voice that sounded cultured and vaguely British broke into his thoughts.

“Excuse me.”

Nick glanced up registering a tall dark haired woman. His eyes were down again as he read the message from the DA. One of his rape cases was up for appeal.

“Damn”, Nick said loud.

“Excuse me?” the woman said again. Runner’s calves entered his field of vision as the voice shifted position.

Nick looked up. Dark blue irises in almond shaped eyes met his. The woman was bit taller than Sara. Her skin was pale and showed no signs of aging, premature or otherwise. Her black hair had no hint of curl. She wore it in a severe pony tail that hung past her shoulders. The simple beige suit she wore did little to hide her curves. She wasn’t pretty, certainly not attractive. This woman was stunning.

“Um...” was all Nick could say.

Warrick appeared at his right elbow. “May I help you, miss?”

“I am looking for Dr. Grissom office.”

“Down this hall, make and take the second left and it will be on your right. You must be one of the applicants?”

She extended a cool alabaster hand. “Audrey Lynn.”

“Warrick Brown.”

“Ah yes. You wrote the paper on finger print recovery in humid climates. Is it true you can get a fingerprint off of air?”

Warrick smiled evenly. “So I’ve been told.”

The woman looked at Nick. His mouth still hung open. “Hopefully, we will see more of one another.”

~~~~

Greg, Warrick and Nick were huddled over hot cups of coffee.

“You should have seen her, Greg. She was a knock out.” Nick stirred sugar into a mug that read “Honk if you love forensics”.

“Who’s a knock out?” Sara asked as entered the break room clutching a bottle of water, belly leading her slender frame.

All three men studied their coffee cup. Sara wedged herself between Greg and Nick. They were always the weakest links.

“Who’s a knockout?” Sara questioned again.

“Nobody.” Greg volunteered.

“So that’s why everyone went quiet when I came in. Okay…”

Sara sipped her bottle of water and eyed the steaming cups of coffee with lust.

“Must be someone that has contact with Gris. I know all the hot babes in the area, and the only ones that were ever any real threat are now attached to friends and family.” Sara took another sip of water. “Must be a one of the potential new hires.”

Nick studied his hands.

“Which one, Nicky?”

“Don’t ask that boy her name. He just stood there with his mouth hanging open.”

Nick glared at his friend. “I was getting myself together until Mister Smooth as Butter interrupted.”

“Please. I had been standing there for five minutes. First you ignored the woman, then you started drooling and making grunting sounds. I was trying to help your pathetic ass.”

Sara looked at Nick. “Is that true? Did you just loose all your cool points?”

“I have negative cool points.” Nick admitted as he took a sip of coffee.

“So how hot is she?” Sara asked lightly. “Is she Las Vegas female CSI hot or run of the mill real world hot?”

Warrick and Nick spoke at the same time. “Las Vegas female CSI hot.”

“Is she skinny?”

“No, she’s not skinny. She’s got a great body…” Nick stopped himself as Greg kicked him under the table.

“Stop talking will you? Warrick and I have girlfriends, thank you very much.”

Nick stood and poured out the brew. “My life is over. Greg has to tell me what to say in front of a woman. Maybe I’ll get a dog.”

~~~

Gill stood and shook Audrey’s hand. “Barring anything unforeseen in your background check. I’ll see you in month. Or should I say, your new supervisor will see in a month.

“Oh, I thought…”

Gil shook his head. “I only stayed this long to see the lab through a transition. Don’t worry...someone very capable will be replacing me, and I’ll be around to help with the transition.”

“Darn, I was looking so forward to working with the great Gil Grissom. If it’s not too personal, may I ask why are you leaving?”

“I am going to stay home with my daughter for awhile and do a little contract work.”

“I didn’t know you had children. Rumor has it that you were a confirmed bachelor.”

“Daughter Grissom makes her debut in two months.”

“Well, congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Gil pulled open his office door. Sara was poised to knock.

“Need something, Sara?”

“Just seeing if you if you were ready to go.”

Gil suppressed a pleased grin. “We took separate cars. You said you were going to yoga after shift.”

Sara was no longer looking at Gil. “Oh yeah.”

“Aren’t you Sara Sidle?” Audrey asked.

“Yes and you are?”

“Audrey Lynn. You we several years ahead of me at Harvard but I saw you at a couple of conferences. I thought you were still in San Francisco.” Audrey’s mind seized on the rumors about Gil Grissom and his young protégée.

“I see congratulations are in order. Dr. Grissom was just telling about his impending fatherhood.”

“Thank you.” Sara said. She felt both pleased and a little foolish.

After the other woman had disappeared, Gil leaned against the frame of his office door and watched his wife-to-be scurry away in the opposite direction.


~~~~~
Sara put her keys on the hall table as her little girl did a somersault commanding food.

“I hear you, honey. You and your daddy don’t like to miss any meals, do you?”

Sara rested the spongy pink mat in the closet next to Gil’s blue one, stiff from lack of use.

“Hello, girls.”

Sara jumped as she heard Grissom’s voice from the living room entrance. She took note of his smug expression.

“And here I thought I was the only jealous one.”

“Did you stay up to feed us or to gloat?” Sara huffed.

“Both.”

Sara walked to the kitchen table where steam rose from a plate of food. “Our favorite!” Sara said as she bit into a huge southwestern omelet.

Gil watched her eat for few minutes. “My girl gets to choose if she wants to eat meat or not you know.”

“I know.”

He congratulated himself for waiting to bring up the topic. He wondered what else he could finagle during Sara’s moment of weakness. Maybe he could coax her to a chapel.

“Dad sent more money for daughter.” They had taken to calling their little girl that as the continued to wrestle with names. They wanted her to have name that reflected who she is, not who they wanted her to be. They had decided to put off naming her until they could see her. See if she was quit and steady with a hint of something wild behind her eyes like her father or if her intensity was close to the surface and the coolness lay several layers down like mother.

“How much is it now, Gris?”

“Close to ten thousand dollars. I never expected to here from him again, you know.”

“I know. People change.”

Gil poured juice into from a glass pitcher. “What did you think I was doing? Making out with her in my office?”

Sara stabbed at a red pepper. “I thought no such thing. You never made out with me in your office… well, you didn’t until a few months ago.”

“Sara, I am biologically old enough to be your father. That woman is at least five years younger than you.”

Sara’s mouth pushed forward a little.

“Stop pouting, Sara Soon to Be Grissom Sidle. I don’t want anyone else but you.”

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have come by your office to spy.”

He shoveled more eggs on her plate. “I am flattered, honey, that you think anyone else would have me.”

“She is very attractive.” Sara acknowledged. Gil didn’t take the bait. “Nick was going on and on about her. Apparently, he made a fool of himself it front of her.”

Gil poured Sara more juice. “That’s not a good sign.”

“You weren’t tongue tied when you met me.”

“I can’t believe you said that. The only thing I said for five minutes was “yes’ and “uh huh”.

“I thought you were a good listener.”

“I have no idea what you said.”

“I have no idea what I said.” Sara savored the memory of meeting Grissom. He had been lecturing at a conference.

“Do you think I am or was too skinny?”

Gil treaded lightly. “I love your body. It excites me to no end.”

“Honestly, Grissom.”

Sara was still quite thin except for her pregnant belly. “You are thin, honey.”

“Too thin?”

“A couple of time over the past few years you have lost a little too much weight. Recently though you have been trim but healthy.”

“Oh,” was all Sara said. “You would tell me if I get too thin?”

Gil shook his head. “I will tell you no such thing. Sara, it’s not like you have an eating disorder. You are naturally thin just like I am naturally not thin.”

“Why don’t men ever ask questions like that?”

“We ask different questions.” Gil said easily.

“Like what?”

“Do you like your ring? How about a new house? What about new car? Are you sure you had an orgasm?”

Sara recognized them as questions that Gil had asked one incarnation of or another.

“You still don’t want a new house?” Gil questioned only half joking.

“Maybe with the next baby.”

“Next baby…”

“Yes, next baby as in more than one.”

“Sara, I am not a young man.”

“That’s why we are having stair steps.”

Sara walked the empty plates to the kitchen.

“One, two, three,” Sara’s now empty hands mimicked stairs.