“No man, like I legitimately think Grissom knocked her up.”

 Greg whispered loudly over the lab table, Nick narrowing his eyes at him from his position at the other side.

 “You can’t be starting rumors like that man. Especially about Grissom.”

 “Hodges told me!”

 Now Nick really didn’t believe him. “And you honestly believe what Hodges says?”

 “No, but I have proof!” Greg stood up and moved over closer to Nick so no-one could hear him.

 “This is the text I got from Sara,” Greg cleared his throat and read the text to him in his best ‘Sara’ voice, “Greg, please make sure to follow up with Brass on the Carson case. I’m not feeling quite right today so I won’t be in. Also, please tell Warrick to get with Hodges on the trace analysis from the Wilson DB. Thanks.”

 Nick looked at him unamused. “Nowhere in that text does it say, ‘Greg I’m pregnant’.”

 “Okay but hear me out. Sara never misses work. She came in with 102 fever once and didn’t blink an eye. AND I had to stop on the side of the road yesterday so she could puke. I’m telling you man. Grissom knocked her up.” Greg put his phone back in his pocket and stood next to Nick with his arms crossed, grinning at his potential discovery.

 “Alright boys, what have you got for me?” Catherine sauntered in, standing in between them. She surveyed the both of them and realized something was off.

 “Alright Greg, spill, what is it?” Catherine put her hand on her hip and leaned against the table, waiting for Greg to open like a can of biscuits.

 “Greg here thinks Sara’s pregnant.” Nick spoke for him, letting the air out of Greg’s balloon.

 Catherine stared at Greg like he grew another head.

 “You can’t be serious…”

 Greg threw up his hands in exasperation.

 “I swear no one believes anything I ever say! I’m taking my ball and going home.” Greg snatched the folders he was working on off the table and stormed out of the layout room.

 Catherine shook her head and turned her attention towards Nick.

 “You know Cath maybe he’s right.” Nick leaned forward on the lab table and Catherine followed behind him, putting her glasses on to look at a case he was working on.

 “I did see her eating crackers and drinking a 7UP the other day. I have my suspicions. A woman knows.” She spoke as she looked over the document, clearly unfazed by the whole thing. “I guess all the jokes about Grissom’s virility will be put to bed.” Catherine put down the folder and smiled, bemused at the idea of Grissom being a father.

 Nick pondered. Maybe Greg (ney Hodges) was right. A slow smile started to form on his face.

 Grissom. That old son of a gun. He took a mental note to stop and buy some cigars on the way home to congratulate him.

 The next day, Nick walked into Grissom’s office with a fancy box and a huge grin on his face.

 Grissom looked up at him over his glasses.

 “What is it, Nick?”

 “I just wanted to come in and congratulate you.”

 Grissom really looked at him now. “For what Nick?”

 “On being a proud papa!”

 Grissom took off his glasses and set them on this desk, threading his fingers together.

 “Excuse me?”

 “Yeah...”

 And so.

 “Hodges had told Greg that Sara was pregnant because she had to go out of the room quickly because her stomach was queasy, and Greg got a text that Sara wasn’t coming in because she and I quote ‘wasn’t feeling quite right’ and he had to pull over the other day for her to puke on the side of the road and Catherine said she saw her in the break room drinking 7UP and eating saltines so I put two and two together and just wanted to congratulate you.” He took a long breath and opened the shiny, wooden box he brought with him.

 “So, congratulations daddy.” He grinned at Grissom.

 Grissom looked down at the box full of cigars and then back up at Nick. He rubbed his eyes with his hand, then, pointedly

 “She has the flu, Nick.”

 “Just the flu?”

 “Just the flu.”

 “Oh.”

 “Also, smoking is bad for you.” Nick closed the box slowly. His face fell and got red with embarrassment.

 “I…” His mouth open and closed like a fish, not knowing what to say.

 Grissom helped him.

 “You can leave now Nick.”

 Nick stuttered an ‘I’m sorry’ and showed his way out of Grissom’s office.

 Grissom leaned back and sighed heavily, his mind drifting to Sara at home.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Hearing the keys rattle in the door, startled the bundle of fur at the foot of the bed and leapt up from his position by human number 1. Barking his head off down the hall and to the door, tail wagging uncontrollably, waiting for what was to come next.

 “Hey buddy. Have you been taking care of mom?” Grissom bent down to give Hank a scratch behind his ear and Hank thanked him by licking his hand.

 Hank then turned around and ran back towards the bedroom where Sara laid.

 Grissom heard a loud sneeze.

 He sloughed off his jacket, hanging it up in the closet by the door and toed off his shoes.

 He made his way to the back bedroom but stopped at the fridge first to grab a water for Sara.

 He stopped at the doorway.

 “How are you feeling?”

 She blew her nose into a tissue and sniffed.

 “Like I got hit by a Mack truck. Although at this point, that may be more pleasant.”

 He chuckled and made his way towards her, handing the bottle to her. She took it from him and took a long swig.

 “Ugh. I haven’t felt this bad since I was a kid.”

 Grissom reached up and put his hand on her forehead. “Cool to the touch. Looks like your fever broke.” He slid his hand from her forehead to her cheek, stroking it softly with his thumb.

 Sara leaned into his touch and gave him a soft smile. “Mmm. Thank you for taking care of me.”

 “In sickness and in health, isn’t that how it goes?”

 Her smile got wider. “It is.”

 His mind drifted back to the events of the day. “So, um, today was interesting.”

 She quirked an eyebrow at him and brought the bottle to her lips to drink, “how so?”

 “Hodges started a rumor that you were pregnant.”

 She spit out her water and choked slightly, gasping for air as he rubbed her back.

 “Excuse me?! How in the world- “

 “Because of all the times that you needed to throw up. Everyone just assumed. I got an earful from Nick in my office. Standing there with a box of cigars.”

 She leaned back on her pillows and sniffed. “That’s…quite an assumption.”

 He nodded, “it is.”

 The silence was palpable.

 Sara picked at the lint on the bed sheet and didn’t look up at him. “What is it, Sara?”

 He knew when she got quiet, she was analyzing something and trying to figure out how to put it in words.

 “…would that be such a bad thing?” She looked up at him slowly, searching his face for an answer.

 Now he was the one that quirked a brow at her. “Sara…”

 “Gil..I…” She started and then took a deep breath and continued, “you know that I had a less than stellar childhood and I guess I never really thought about the idea of having a child because of the childhood that I had and thought that maybe I would be a terrible mother because I didn’t know how to nurture a child or how to take care of one but maybe…” She drifted off and looked down.

 He lifted her chin and searched her eyes, “Maybe what honey?” He said softly.

 “Maybe I’d want one with you.” She whispered with so much hope in her voice.

 He sighed. He knew that his answer had to be carefully chosen. It’s true he was never good with words, but this answer had to be worded oh so carefully and be the right one.

 He thought about what to say and straightened his gaze at her. “Sara, with my age and my hearing, are you sure that’s such a good idea?”

 She sniffed again, not sure if it’s her sickness or fighting back tears. She reached for his hand and held it.

 “Gil, I know that things have been complicated, but when I was in that desert, I had a lot to think about. Especially about us. And maybe, maybe I thought that I would never get the chance to be a mom. More of a what if. And now I have that chance and maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”

 He really looked at her then.

 “Sweetheart, is this something that you really want?”

 She squeezed his hand.

 She nodded, “yes, it’s something I really want.”

 “Okay.”

 “Okay?” Her eyes lit up.

 He nodded his assurance this time and squeezed her hand back.

 Then.

 “ACHOO!”

 He really belly laughed then. Her sneeze breaking the intense conversation and his silent relief.

 “Let’s focus on you getting better first and we’ll talk about babies. For now, hydrate and sleep.”

 She didn’t argue. Sara shimmied down the covers and he pulled the sheets over her shoulders.

 Hank circled next to her and laid back down, making sure that she was safe and sound, doing his natural duty.

 Grissom smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead as she drifted back off to sleep.

 Closing the door to the bedroom, he walked to his office and fired up his laptop. He put on his glasses and Googled.