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Please do not repost this story anywhere without my permission.
Thanks, enjoy.

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Looking around her apartment for anything she might have missed, Sara picked her backpack up off of the floor and slipped it over her shoulder. Though that particular accessory didn’t match her current attire, the bag held some clothes and other items that she had not yet brought over to Grissom’s place. Sara was wearing a floor length satin burgundy dress that had a gold bead accented v-neckline with spaghetti straps. The intricate back of the dress was covered by a long-sleeved, black jacket that she was wearing to keep herself somewhat concealed until she arrived at Grissom’s house. She was wary about the two inch gold stilettos that she had chosen to go with the dress because she hadn’t worn them before, but she thought that her ensemble was stunning – stilettos and all. Positive that she had gathered everything she needed, Sara headed out the door, locking it behind her.

Reaching the stairwell, Sara started down the middle of the stairs, thinking of the surprise that she had planned for Grissom. Since he had gotten called to a 419 with insects, Sara figured she would make a nice dinner for them when he got home. After preparing the basics for what they would need, Sara had left for her apartment to pick up a few things and change for the occasion. I can’t wait to see the look on his face. Grinning in anticipation, Sara took another step down and felt her heel catch on the front of the step. Losing her balance, her knee connected with another step, and she fell down the last few steps to the landing, instinctively reaching her arms out to try to catch her fall.

Sara lay still for a moment, trying to find her bearings and hoping that no one had witnessed her potentially embarrassing debut in the stilettos. She heard footsteps running in her direction, so she knew that she couldn’t have been so lucky. “Sara, dear, are you okay?” her overanxious landlord asked, out of breath from the short trek from her apartment.

Sprawled out on the floor, her backpack had fallen around her elbow, and her head leaned against the cold tile. Trying to push herself up with her hands, Sara hissed at the pain in her wrist. “Mrs. Harrington, I’m fine,” Sara tried to reassure her landlord after getting herself into a sitting position, cradling her right arm against her chest.

Mrs. Harrington offered her hand to Sara so she would be able to help her off of the floor. As a force of habit, Sara stuck out her right hand but then reconsidered and grabbed Mrs. Harrington’s hand with her left. “You injured your right wrist,” Mrs. Harrington stated, getting a glimpse of the slight swelling peaking out of the cuff of Sara’s jacket.

“It’s alright,” Sara replied, getting to her feet with Mrs. Harrington’s assistance.

Now on her feet, Sara tested her other joints, making sure she didn’t injure anything else. Confident that she was in fact in one piece, Sara picked her backpack up off of the floor and put it back on. “Mrs. Harrington, I really should get going,” Sara stated, intent upon getting herself over to Grissom’s house before he got home.

Taking another step in her stilettos, Sara needed to lean against the wall for support when her knee started to protest. Unfortunately, Mrs. Harrington would not retreat to her apartment. “Sara, I think you should head over to Desert Palm and get yourself checked out,” Mrs. Harrington advised, “you know about these injuries; you ignore them now, and they’ll haunt you down the road. My old bones can certainly attest to some past incidents.”

“Mrs. Harrington, really, I’m fine,” Sara emphasized, not having the patience to deal with the woman when she wanted to leave.

“You know what; I’ll drive you over there myself. I want to make sure that you’re okay, and you shouldn’t be driving with that wrist,” Mrs. Harrington stated, taking charge, “do you want to get changed so you can actually walk? Those dancer shoes are horrible for anyone to try to walk in.”

“This really isn’t necessary.”

“Humor an old woman and get yourself checked out. You don’t need to worry about the gas because I’m driving, and if there isn’t a huge holdup at the hospital, I should have you home in no time.”

I don’t need to be here; I need to be at Grissom’s. I might as well just go along with her because she’s never going to let me forget this otherwise. “Alright, Mrs. Harrington. Let me get changed quick, and then we can go,” Sara conceded.

“What do you need from your apartment?”

“Nothing, I’ve got a change of clothes in my bag.”

“Okay. You can get changed in my apartment, then we’ll leave. Come on,” Mrs. Harrington stated, grabbing Sara’s arm to support her and walk her down to her apartment.

This is the last time I wear these damn shoes.

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Now sitting in the Desert Palm waiting room in jeans, a black t-shirt, and sneakers, Sara held an icepack against her wrist. She had been waiting for over an hour and a half, and she was beginning to regret her decision of appeasing the older woman. Oh well, I better call Grissom and tell him where I am. Sara pulled out her cell phone and speed dialed the familiar number, but she was greeted by voicemail. Calling his house granted her the same result. Maybe today is my lucky day, and he got caught up in the case. That’ll grant me a little more time. Yeah, luck, right. “Ms. Sidle?” a nurse entered the triage area and called out the name from the form on her clipboard.

“I’ll be back soon,” Sara told Mrs. Harrington while gingerly removing herself from the chair.

“Don’t worry, dear; I’ll be here waiting for you,” Mrs. Harrington replied, shooing her toward the nurse with her hands.

Sara nodded and followed the nurse back to a curtain within the emergency room.

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“As soon as you’re dressed, I’ll walk you down for an x-ray of your wrist,” the nurse spoke after the doctor had left the curtained room.

Sara nodded to show that she understood. Although she had a large bruise on her knee, the doctor had proclaimed that that was all that it was – a bruise. However, the doctor wanted to take x-rays of her wrist to see if she had broken anything. “Before I get you down there, is there any chance that you might be pregnant?” the nurse asked.

Pregnant? “No, I’m on birth control,” Sara answered, shaking her head.

“Do you take your pills regularly?” the nurse further pried.

“I have forgotten to take them on occasion when I’m in the middle of a tough case,” Sara admitted.

“Well, let’s do a quick pregnancy test to make sure. Then I’ll be able to bring you down to x-ray.”

Sara sighed and sat back down on the gurney. I just want to get out of here and over to Grissom’s.

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