Our Spot

Chapter 22

Brass opened a green beer bottle and handed it to Grissom. They were all planted in front of Brass’s new Plasma television waiting for the baseball game to start.

“So Sara says you guys are having three kids?” Warrick returned from calling in the pizza order.

“Apparently.”

“I never took Sara for the big family type.” Greg said.

“Neither did I,” Gil drank from the cold bottle.

Warrick plucked a bottle from the stainless steel tub in Brass’s entertainment room. “You okay with that, Gris?”

“I guess I better get okay. You guys promise to take care of Sara and the kid or kids if something happens to me.”

They all murmured words of assent.

“Do you want three kids, Gris?” Nick asked.

Gil looked off into space for a time. No one wanted to interrupts the new more open Grissom. “I don’t know, Nicky. Looks like I don’t have choice. After all this time, I am beginning to understand that Sara knows what’s best for us. If I had gone out on the date with her three years ago when she asked or asked her out myself when she came here five years ago, I would not be nearly fifty getting ready to have my first child.”

Another testosterone laden chorus of affirmation.

“Are you kidding, Gris?” Nick asked. “You just put your foot down. Tell Sara that you don’t want anymore kids and that’s that.”

Matthew,Brass, Greg, Gil and Warrick all stared at their friend wondering if the lack of female companionship was muddling his faculties

Brass looked away determined not to join the fray.

“You are kidding right, Nick?” Greg’s ran a hand over his newer dark mane.

“No. If Grissom doesn’t want to have anymore kids, he should not be forced.”

Warrick rolled his eyes. “I am glad you are spouting this foolishness in front of other people.”

“What? Men, what has happened to you? Are you all hen pecked? Brass help me out here?”

Brass played with buttons on the remote, first blowing up Oprah’s head then shrinking it to a pinpoint.

“Dude.” Greg chugged a beer. “You think any man controls the reproductive decisions in his relationship, you got another thing coming, Lucy. If Mia wants to have kids tomorrow, I am powerless cause I sure ain’t going to stop having sex with her. Besides women control the relationship. They decide when we eat and where we go.”

“What we eat.” Matthew said.

“Who we go there with.” Warrick chimed in.

“If you find the right woman and I believe you will Nick. Please know that she’s smarter than you and knows what’s best for you. Just do what she tells you to do and stand where she tells you to stand.” Gil warned the younger man.

“I can’t believe you, Grissom. I thought you would be the last guy to fall into this trap. What role do you even play in the relationship?”

Gil recognized the smell of sour grapes.

“I pay for things, and I lift heavy stuff.”

Nick shook his head wondering if he would ever have any one to lift for.

~~~

Sara sat sewing something else frilly and lacy. Over the past few months, Gil had learned that his wife to be knitted and sewed. His daughter had more blankets, hats, socks and diminutive dresses than any one little girl needed or possibly wanted.

Currently, Sara was working on her month two wardrobe.

“Hello, girls.” He kissed Sara on lips and admired her handy work.

“Wow! Something that isn’t pink.”

“It’s for the wedding.”

Gil sighed. Sara shook her head hoping it would ward off another marriage battle with Gil.

“Sara call me old fashioned.”

“Old fashion,” she deadpanned.

“Funny. Don’t think it increases our parenting authority if we at least have a shot gun wedding? She could hold this over us for decades. You and mom weren’t married until after I was born blah blah…”

“Why does she have to know that?”

“How’s she not going to know it?”

Sara did something fancy with a needle.

“We do what all parents do. We lie in order to suit our purposes. Just like I’ll lie when she asks if I ever smoked pot, and you’ll lie about making you own synthetic angle dust. Parental truth is very pliable. The ends justify the means.”

“You’ve been instant messaging mom again?”

“Hey, she’s all I got. Four people contributed to us being on this earth. Only one can be classified as an actual parent.”

“How was the baseball game?”

Gil watched Sara’s long fingers embroider a tiny white rose on the lapel of the little garment.

“We spent half the time talking about our women folk.”

“Nick must have loved that.”

“He has some very odd ideas about relationships and marriage. He told me I should put my foot down about the three kids.”

Sara’s hands stopped moving leaving a vine of thread suspended in mid air. “That’s a big deal for you, isn’t it?”

“You know what? Today, I realized it’s not. It’s like I told Nick. If you think we should have three kids, three kids it is. I am glad to be invited to the party.”

Sara continued sewing. “I can’t wait to hold her.”

“We have less than a month, Mom.”

Sara cut a piece of thread and folded the dress in half. When she looked at Gil, his palm was open and velvet box was in his hand.

“What’s this?”

Sara opened the box. Two pearl earrings rested in black velvet.

“You spoil me.”

“You spoil me,” Gil countered. “You made a house a home. You and my daughter. You know why I worked so much? Because you were there. I hated coming home to an empty house.”

Sara kissed him. “I want all of our friends to be as happy as we are.”

~~~~

Clair Elise Grissom was more like her father than her mother. She was quiet and still as the nurses tended to her. While her parents marvelled at her perfection, she eyed them both lovingly and critically.

As far she could tell, these two had a rocky start, but things seemed to have leveled out now. She closed her eyes as her mothers tears wetted the down that covered her scalp, and her fathers steady fingers rested on her back. They would do fine indeed.


~~~~

Hannah Elizabeth Grissom was relieved to see that her parents were not nearly as uptight as her uncle and aunt. That bunch was okay for her cousin Claire who seemed very steady and sure, but she hoped to enjoy a more lively way of life.

To celebrate her good fortune, Hannah gave a loud yelp upon entry into the world. She settled herself in as a good natured laughing baby who was a joy to behold.

A month after the youngest Grissom daughter left the hospital where the entire staff hated to see her go, family and friends were gathered at Gil’s and Sara’s for food frivolity and to celebrate Greg and Mia’s engagement.

Catherine, Sofia, Mia, and Sofia were gathered the kitchen table handing invitations back and forth.

Catherine placed a stack in front of Sara..

“I don’t like the wording on that one. After all, it’s the first marriage for both of us.”

Catherine stole a glance at Gil who was holding his daughter close to his chest murmuring something soothing. Her eyes were closed as she listened to all the noises around her.

First marriage? Of all people Gil should know that the truth always comes to light.

Brass caught Catherine’s eye as he said something to Nicky.

Did I just hear that?

On the other side of the table, Audrey stole glances at Nick. Once when he caught her dark blue, expression she smiled nervously.

“You know our Nick is single.” Mia said sweetly.

Sara’s mouth twitched. She wondered if she as obvious with Gil.

Audrey’s pale skin turned pink. “I thought he might be seeing someone,” she mumbled.

“Why?” Sara asked.

“He hasn’t exactly been friendly. He barely talks to me. Everytime we are alone he kind of looks at me like I have two heads. I don’t think he likes me very much.”

Catherine spoke this time. “Nick likes everyone.”

“Then why won’t he talk to me?” she asked.

“Let me tell you something.” Catherine lowered her voice. “Warrick only said good evening the first two months, we worked together. By the third month, he was up to goodnight.”

The blond continued. “The day after Gil met Sara, he called me in a panic. Said he had met the most incredible woman, but he was sure she thought he was an idiot cause while she asked brilliant questions, he just stood there with his mouth hanging open.” Catherine left out the other reason for Gil’s distress.

“I have it on good authority that Greg went to the bathroom and hid for a solid hour when he met Mia because she said hello and he squeaked.” Sara laughed.

“Is that what that was?” Mia asked.

“The point is that with this usually glib bunch,not talking is a good sign.”

Nick looked over his shoulder at the whispering women. His great accomplishment for the week had nothing to do with the conviction of dangerous criminals. He had gotten the courage up to say “how was your weekend” to Audrey. Never mind that he spoke the words so softly that she’d not heard him. Next week, he told himself, he would work on volume.

“I assume you haven’t asked her out yet?” Warrick asked.

“I’m taking my time. Giving her time to settle in.”

“She’s been in town five weeks, man.”

“Nick ask the woman out, or you’ll be fifty years old starting diaper duty.” Gil warned.

Gil frowned as he heard the doorbell ring. No one else had been invited. It was probably someone looking for Matthew.

Gil called to Sara. “Honey, can you get that?.”

Sara put down her stack cards and heavy paper. Who would have a thought a small wedding would be so much trouble? Claire's wedding would be a nightmare. That was if Gil let her get married.

She looked through the peephole. A petite woman in her late thirties or early forties with a stylish messy cut stood on the front steps. She was dressed casually in a pair of chinos and denim shirt. She pulled off the cool elegance that Sara had always admired.

“Yes,” Sara said pleasantly.

The sounds of laughing adults, cooing babies and clinking glasses drifted from the small townhouse. Maybe she had the wrong house. Gil would never allow that many people in his personal space.

“Do you know where Gil Grissom lives? I must have gotten my street numbers mixed up.”

“You have the right house. Who should I say is calling?”

This was going to be more complicated than she had anticipated. Maybe she should come back later.

“Maybe..”

Sara turned to look as Sofia let out loud laugh as the other women hooted along.

“I am sorry. Our family can be… What’s your name again?”

Did she say we? Oh shit.

She was rooted to the spot. What should she say?

Gil appeared a few pounds heavier, a decade grayer, holding an infant and looking more handsome than he had ten years ago. Damn men like Gil Grissom. Nothing seemed to diminish their looks. They welcomed crow’s feet and white hairs. It added to their allure.

“Honey, you need to get in there. It’s like the opening scene from MacBeth and Nick is in the pot.”

Sara look glided past Gil. Calling out to her guests “How many beers is that, Brass? You are not sleeping on our couch again. We got to get you a woman.”

Gil turned a smiling face to the door. The rhythmic movement of this chest stopped and Claire opened her eyes wondering why the gentle momentum had ceased.

“Melanie…”

She smiled sadly. “Ricky, I’m home.”