My thanks to my beta reader Wander52 for her help with this story. I do not own anything to do with CSI, that all belongs to TPTB.
FIRSTS
?Mommy, can I lay with you - PLEASEEEE!?
Sara opened her eyes and smiled, standing at the foot of her bed was her five year old daughter. Elizabeth Ann, Beth Ann to everyone but daddy, to daddy she was BUTTERFLY.
Beth Ann had her daddy?s piercing blue eyes and a head of golden blond hair.
?Yes darling,? Sara said holding her arms out to the child.
Beth Ann jumped on the bed and crawled in between her parents. ?Scoot, Daddy,? she said nudging her father.
Gil groaned and moved over, falling immediately back to sleep.
?Today is the day ain?t it Momma?? Beth Ann asked.
?Yes Angel, but you need to use 'isn't' not 'ain't'? Sara said, as tears started to come to her eyes.
?But we still have time to cuddle, don?t we?? the child wanted to know. Sara assured her they did.
Beth Ann lay her head on her mother and her feet on her father and closed her eyes. Sara cradled the child, soon Beth?s breathing became calm and relaxed, as she had drifted back off to sleep.
Sara lay with her eyes open, thinking. How could time fly by so fast?
?My baby is starting kindergarten,? Sara whispered stroking the child?s hair.
A smile crossed her lips as her mind traveled back - back to a forensic seminar that she was forced to attend and the first time she ever laid eyes on Professor Gilbert Grissom. ?Good morning, my name is Gil Grissom. You can call me Griss or Grissom.?
Sara remembered not being able to take her eyes off him, those deep blue eyes of his had her mesmerized. Sara smiled as she remembered how she tried to work up the courage to ask him to dinner ?. ?Grissom, a few of us want to take you out to dinner, you know, for your birthday.? Sara had scolded herself for fibbing to him, there was no one else, just her.
She also remembered how happy he was when he found out that it would be just the two of them. ?I have to confess,? he had said, ?I secretly hoped it would be just the two of us.?
A warm feeling came over her, as Sara?s body still tingled each time she remembered the way he made her feel and the special way he touched her.
Gil had finally asked her to live with him after they had dated for a year and shortly after that they decided to get married. The wedding was beautiful and happened in a one of a kind place called the BUTTERFLY GARDEN.
It took Sara forever to come down off cloud nine when she found out she was pregnant, because not only was she married to the love of her life, but she was also having his child.
Sara smiled as she recalled how strange and wonderful it felt when their child moved inside her for the first time.
Beth snuggled closer to her mother's chest, it brought back to mind the way her body felt when her child nursed at her breast for the first time.
Beth Ann?s first year had Sara constantly running to the computer - should the baby be doing that at this age; is she the right size for her age; why is she crying? what can I do to stop it? am I doing something wrong?
If Sara had to sum up Beth?s first couple of years in one word it would be FEAR.
Not that Beth was afraid - she was afraid of nothing - Sara was afraid enough for both of them. She was the one that had to battle the fear.
When Beth started to walk Sara was afraid she would fall and hurt herself. Sara had tried to talk Gil into padding EVERYTHING so Beth would not get hurt.
Sara shivered as she remembered what happened one winter. Gil had taken Beth sledding, the sled hit a soft spot in the snow and tipped. Beth was buried under the snow, she was laughing when Gil pulled her out, but Sara screamed.
The spring Beth turned three Gil had decided to teach her to ride a bike, Beth fell from it and scratched her knee, then there was the trip to the park last year when Beth was on the monkey bars. She lost her hold on the bars, fell and broke her wrist.
Sara was petrified she would hurt her arm, Beth was mad because she could not go swimming and her daddy would not let her ride her bike one handed.
Sara came back from her reminiscing when Beth stretched out and kicked her daddy. Gil grumbled and moved a little closer to the edge of the bed.
Sara laughed when she thought of the first time Beth slept with them. She lay sideways and kept kicking at her father. He moved a little more towards the edge each time she kicked and eventually he fell off the bed.
Two months ago she and Gil went to the local school and enrolled Beth in kindergarten. It affected her so that all the way home Sara cried.
Beth Ann has not been able to talk about anything else but school from that day to this. Beth had a million questions, Sara and Gil answered them as best they could.
The alarm woke them the next morning, Sara woke Beth and together they went to the kitchen for breakfast.
Later Sara was getting Beth ready for school, thinking that this was another first she was going through.
Beth smiled at her mother. ?I am all grown up now,? Beth said. Really?? Sara answered. ?Yeah, I am going to school,? Beth said.
Sara hugged her daughter, ?You sure are.?
Sara stood outside with her until the bus came.
?Bye Mommy,? Beth yelled, waving as she climbed the bus steps.
Sara stood waving, watching as Beth went to a window and showed the sign for ?I love you?. Sara flashed it back to her daughter. Sara would not move until the bus was out of sight.
Sara quickly went to her and Gil?s room, tears falling freely down her face.
?Darling, what is wrong?? Gil had asked sitting straight up in the bed. Sara ran to his arms and buried her head in his chest.
?The bus just picked up Beth,? she told her husband, between the tears that were falling continuously.
Gil kissed the top of her head and laughed, ?She will be home before you know it.?
Gil pulled Sara down with him as he lay back down on the bed and cradled her in his arms. Sara nestled close to him, her head on his chest.
Gil ran his fingers through her hair, trying to comfort her ?My baby has grown so fast,? Sara hiccuped with a sob.
?Let's rest a while,? Gil told her, trying to hide a yaw.
?I can?t,? she said, ?What if something goes wrong? What if she needs me??
?The school has our number,if there's a problem? he said, trying to reassure her.
Sara had just closed her eyes when she heard crying coming over the baby monitor, getting up she went to the nursery.
?Young man, you had better not grow up as fast as your sister did,? Sara said, smiling as she lifted her infant son from his crib. She stood holding the baby close, thinking with all the firsts or seconds, if you will, they would have with their son.
