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Currently Reading:
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Category:
CSI › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
31
Views:
10,747
Reviews:
13
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own CSI, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
24
Chapter 24
Nick walked up behind Audrey telling himself that she was just another woman, just another gorgeous, smart woman.
Audrey turned from the monitor as she heard Nick approach. She smiled at the nervous young man.
“Hi”
“Hello,” he managed to squeak out.
They stood there for a full thirty seconds until Audrey shuffled from one from foot to another.
“Did you need something, Nick?”
“Yes”
Silence.
“What?”
“Um…I have tickets. I have tickets to Las Vegas film festival.”
“Okay….”
“It’s a week long, and I saw that you have tonight off. It’s a tribute to Audrey Hepburn tonight. I don’t know if you like stuff like that…”
Audrey’s nervousness dissipated. “Are you kidding? Breakfast at Tiffany’s is my mom’s favorite movie. I was named after Audrey Hepburn.”
Nick let out a breath. “Cool. They set up the dinning room to mimic one of the scenes. After dinner, there’s dancing.”
“They serve dinner during the movie? Two of my favorite activities combined.”
“You like to eat?” Nick asked stupidly.
“Do I? I love food.”
“You do?” Nick was sick of women that picked at salads and turned the bread basket away.
“I was this close to becoming a chef, but the science geek in me won out.”
“No kidding. What’s your favorite food of all time?”
“Oh that’s a hard one. I am going to have to go with the American standby of pepperoni pizza. I make the absolute best.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but what are you? I mean you don’t look quite Anglo, but you don’t look quite Asian.”
Audrey shrugged and spoke sadly. “My mom’s Chinese and my dad, wherever he is, is an American.”
“What happened to him?”
“My mom found out she was pregnant with me. She wasn’t married, and she knew that the government would make her have an abortion or give me up to a married couple, but that would have happened only if I was a boy. She had to run in the middle of the night with the help of some British friends. She changed our name to Lynn, instead of L-I-N. She was still afraid of the government, and here we are.”
“Have you tried to find your father?”
Audrey nodded. “Apparently, he didn’t use his correct last name. Basically, he was a smuggler between communist China and the U.S. so I can’t get a handle on him. He might not be alive.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
Audrey looked him in surprise. “Thank you. I don’t think there’s anything to be done but thank you.”
Nick smiled back. “So I’ll see you tonight. What time will you be ready?”
“What time does it start?”
“8:00”
She wrote her address down on a pad. “Let’s say 7:15. I don’t want to miss a minute. My mother is going to be so jealous.”
~~~~~
Matthew watched his formerly vibrant and robust brother. Every minute that Sara and Claire were gone seemed to shrink him another centimeter. Catherine had texted him an SOS in the middle of his daughter's breakfast. When he read the message, Sofia had pushed him from the house saying, “He cannot be alone.”
Catherine sat next to him looking worried and scared.
“So you were married before?” Matthew asked still trying to understand.
Gil nodded.
Cath spoke. “Her name was Melanie. She’s a medieval historian. She was very nice woman. They were only married a year.”
“And you are still married?”
“Apparently, her attorney, who is now deceased, didn’t file the papers. It all came out when the IRS audited her last week. The asked for the divorce papers and she couldn’t find one. She went down to the Las Vegas court house, and they had nothing on file.”
“Shit. Okay, so you just need to sign the papers right?”
Gil looked at his brother. He wanted to scream that signing papers were the least of his worries. “I never told Sara that I was married. The day I met her, I took off my wedding ring. When I cam back from Boston, Mel left me.”
“You and Sara…”
“Nothing happened but I knew. Sara knew. When I came home, I am sure Mel knew that I was in love with someone else.”
“He wasn’t ever in love with Mel.”
Gil cut his eyes at Catherine. He started to protest but knew she was right.
“Have you talked to Sara at all?”
Gill shook his head. “Her phone is turned off.”
Cath spoke evenly. “Gil, I don’t want to sound like an alarmist. I am sure that this will work out, but I think you should call an attorney.”
“Why?”
“Sara has physical custody of Claire. She is her mother. The longer she stays away the harder it will be to seek joint custody.”
Gil put his head in hands and rubbed his wooly curls. “Cath, I don’t think…”
“Gil, I don’t think she would either, but I didn’t think you would lie to her either and you did.”
~~~~~~
Sara looked down at her sleeping daughter. After hours of screaming, Claire settled down, albeit reluctantly, from exhaustion. She had been fine during the plane ride only making unpleasant sounds as the plane ascended.
The seaside property was new to her, and she liked the feel the air on her face as Sara rocked on her porch. Nevada, the woman that ran the inn the management company was contracted with, was surprised but pleased to see Sara and Claire. She cooked a lobster dinner, and they shared a pleasant evening.
When it was time for Sara to put her down for the night, Claire had become keenly aware that her father was not with them. At first she had whimpered and cried expecting the big, warm man to come in and comfort her. When her cries were only rewarded with her mother, the screaming started.
Sara was glad that her small suite of rooms, reserved for honeymooners and anniversaries when Sara wasn’t in residence, was separated from the rest of the building by an indoor walk way. If they had been in the main building, Claire would have woken the guests. As it was, she had only disturbed her mother’s slumber.
Not that Sara could sleep while doubt and fear frayed the edges of already thin nerves.
How could she have taken her little girl away from her father? Gil would be worried sick. What kind of mother was she?
What kind of wife-to-be was she?
A scared one.
Gil should not have lied but she should not have left. The thought of actually marring the man whom she had loved for years was too much for her to stand. The past last year had been mostly good, but it hard to take the new the Gil, the Gil that pushed instead of pulled. The Gil who stayed home, who left his job so that he could raise his daughter.
She had loved the disagreeable Grissom.
“Baby girl, I am sorry. When you wake up, we call daddy okay.”
~~~~~~
Gil turned in the harsh light of the morning. He listened to sounds coming from the kitchen. He put the pillow over his head. The action repelled the alcohol fumes back into his nostrils
A loud knock came from the direction for door.
“Get up, big brother.”
“Go away. Why are you still here?”
“I let you have you pity party last night.” Matthew said as he flung the door open. “I just called your lawyer. He’s going to call you back in fifteen minutes. I made coffee that will take the paint of the walls. Now up.”
Gil groaned as Matthew yanked the covers from his body.
~~~~~
Sara turned on her cell phone. Ten missed calls and three messages, all from Gil.
She pushed her home number watching her daughter slowly wake from her slumber.
Gil reached for the phone. He did not want to talk to his attorney, but Matthew and Catherine seemed to think it was a good idea.
“Gil”
He heard Claire whimper through the wires.
“Sara, where are you? What’s wrong with Claire? Is she okay?”
“She misses her daddy. I shouldn’t have left. It was stupid.”
“I understand. I should have told you about Melanie. How long are you going to be gone?”
“That’s what I am calling about… Will you come get us?”
Nick walked up behind Audrey telling himself that she was just another woman, just another gorgeous, smart woman.
Audrey turned from the monitor as she heard Nick approach. She smiled at the nervous young man.
“Hi”
“Hello,” he managed to squeak out.
They stood there for a full thirty seconds until Audrey shuffled from one from foot to another.
“Did you need something, Nick?”
“Yes”
Silence.
“What?”
“Um…I have tickets. I have tickets to Las Vegas film festival.”
“Okay….”
“It’s a week long, and I saw that you have tonight off. It’s a tribute to Audrey Hepburn tonight. I don’t know if you like stuff like that…”
Audrey’s nervousness dissipated. “Are you kidding? Breakfast at Tiffany’s is my mom’s favorite movie. I was named after Audrey Hepburn.”
Nick let out a breath. “Cool. They set up the dinning room to mimic one of the scenes. After dinner, there’s dancing.”
“They serve dinner during the movie? Two of my favorite activities combined.”
“You like to eat?” Nick asked stupidly.
“Do I? I love food.”
“You do?” Nick was sick of women that picked at salads and turned the bread basket away.
“I was this close to becoming a chef, but the science geek in me won out.”
“No kidding. What’s your favorite food of all time?”
“Oh that’s a hard one. I am going to have to go with the American standby of pepperoni pizza. I make the absolute best.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but what are you? I mean you don’t look quite Anglo, but you don’t look quite Asian.”
Audrey shrugged and spoke sadly. “My mom’s Chinese and my dad, wherever he is, is an American.”
“What happened to him?”
“My mom found out she was pregnant with me. She wasn’t married, and she knew that the government would make her have an abortion or give me up to a married couple, but that would have happened only if I was a boy. She had to run in the middle of the night with the help of some British friends. She changed our name to Lynn, instead of L-I-N. She was still afraid of the government, and here we are.”
“Have you tried to find your father?”
Audrey nodded. “Apparently, he didn’t use his correct last name. Basically, he was a smuggler between communist China and the U.S. so I can’t get a handle on him. He might not be alive.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
Audrey looked him in surprise. “Thank you. I don’t think there’s anything to be done but thank you.”
Nick smiled back. “So I’ll see you tonight. What time will you be ready?”
“What time does it start?”
“8:00”
She wrote her address down on a pad. “Let’s say 7:15. I don’t want to miss a minute. My mother is going to be so jealous.”
~~~~~
Matthew watched his formerly vibrant and robust brother. Every minute that Sara and Claire were gone seemed to shrink him another centimeter. Catherine had texted him an SOS in the middle of his daughter's breakfast. When he read the message, Sofia had pushed him from the house saying, “He cannot be alone.”
Catherine sat next to him looking worried and scared.
“So you were married before?” Matthew asked still trying to understand.
Gil nodded.
Cath spoke. “Her name was Melanie. She’s a medieval historian. She was very nice woman. They were only married a year.”
“And you are still married?”
“Apparently, her attorney, who is now deceased, didn’t file the papers. It all came out when the IRS audited her last week. The asked for the divorce papers and she couldn’t find one. She went down to the Las Vegas court house, and they had nothing on file.”
“Shit. Okay, so you just need to sign the papers right?”
Gil looked at his brother. He wanted to scream that signing papers were the least of his worries. “I never told Sara that I was married. The day I met her, I took off my wedding ring. When I cam back from Boston, Mel left me.”
“You and Sara…”
“Nothing happened but I knew. Sara knew. When I came home, I am sure Mel knew that I was in love with someone else.”
“He wasn’t ever in love with Mel.”
Gil cut his eyes at Catherine. He started to protest but knew she was right.
“Have you talked to Sara at all?”
Gill shook his head. “Her phone is turned off.”
Cath spoke evenly. “Gil, I don’t want to sound like an alarmist. I am sure that this will work out, but I think you should call an attorney.”
“Why?”
“Sara has physical custody of Claire. She is her mother. The longer she stays away the harder it will be to seek joint custody.”
Gil put his head in hands and rubbed his wooly curls. “Cath, I don’t think…”
“Gil, I don’t think she would either, but I didn’t think you would lie to her either and you did.”
~~~~~~
Sara looked down at her sleeping daughter. After hours of screaming, Claire settled down, albeit reluctantly, from exhaustion. She had been fine during the plane ride only making unpleasant sounds as the plane ascended.
The seaside property was new to her, and she liked the feel the air on her face as Sara rocked on her porch. Nevada, the woman that ran the inn the management company was contracted with, was surprised but pleased to see Sara and Claire. She cooked a lobster dinner, and they shared a pleasant evening.
When it was time for Sara to put her down for the night, Claire had become keenly aware that her father was not with them. At first she had whimpered and cried expecting the big, warm man to come in and comfort her. When her cries were only rewarded with her mother, the screaming started.
Sara was glad that her small suite of rooms, reserved for honeymooners and anniversaries when Sara wasn’t in residence, was separated from the rest of the building by an indoor walk way. If they had been in the main building, Claire would have woken the guests. As it was, she had only disturbed her mother’s slumber.
Not that Sara could sleep while doubt and fear frayed the edges of already thin nerves.
How could she have taken her little girl away from her father? Gil would be worried sick. What kind of mother was she?
What kind of wife-to-be was she?
A scared one.
Gil should not have lied but she should not have left. The thought of actually marring the man whom she had loved for years was too much for her to stand. The past last year had been mostly good, but it hard to take the new the Gil, the Gil that pushed instead of pulled. The Gil who stayed home, who left his job so that he could raise his daughter.
She had loved the disagreeable Grissom.
“Baby girl, I am sorry. When you wake up, we call daddy okay.”
~~~~~~
Gil turned in the harsh light of the morning. He listened to sounds coming from the kitchen. He put the pillow over his head. The action repelled the alcohol fumes back into his nostrils
A loud knock came from the direction for door.
“Get up, big brother.”
“Go away. Why are you still here?”
“I let you have you pity party last night.” Matthew said as he flung the door open. “I just called your lawyer. He’s going to call you back in fifteen minutes. I made coffee that will take the paint of the walls. Now up.”
Gil groaned as Matthew yanked the covers from his body.
~~~~~
Sara turned on her cell phone. Ten missed calls and three messages, all from Gil.
She pushed her home number watching her daughter slowly wake from her slumber.
Gil reached for the phone. He did not want to talk to his attorney, but Matthew and Catherine seemed to think it was a good idea.
“Gil”
He heard Claire whimper through the wires.
“Sara, where are you? What’s wrong with Claire? Is she okay?”
“She misses her daddy. I shouldn’t have left. It was stupid.”
“I understand. I should have told you about Melanie. How long are you going to be gone?”
“That’s what I am calling about… Will you come get us?”