Evaluate Me

“Hey Sara, what’s going on?” Greg asked, looking up at her from his latest case file.

“Not much… but I do have a surprise for you.” She said slyly.

Greg raised an eyebrow. “I’m intrigued.”

“Well, today’s the first day of our employee/co-worker evaluations, your first time, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Ugh. Great.” Greg mumbled, as he closed the case file and walked over to the coffee pot to refill his cup.

“Don’t worry Greggo, you’ll come out of it with flying colors. You’re doing a great job in the field so far.”

“Thanks.” Greg sat back down at the break room table, taking a sip of the hot coffee.

A few hours later, Grissom gathered them all around the table, handing out the pens and the folders full of questionnaires.

“Ok guys, you know what to do. You have to evaluate each other so I can get a better understanding of who works well with whom, so I can better assign your cases. You have an hour.” He sat, put on his glasses, and picked up his pen.

Silence befell the room, as the team filled out the papers.

Just as Greg reached for another form from his manila folder and marked the name “Sara Sidle” in the name space, he felt someone kick him under the table.

He looked up at Sara, who was sitting across from him, and she flicked him a small, folded piece of paper.

It read, “I dare you to write what you really think of me. Unless of course, you’re chicken.” She raised an eyebrow at him, and flashed him a smile.

He thought about it for a second.

“This could be interesting.” He thought. “And besides, I have extra forms that were to be used if we made a mistake… I’ll just use one of those.”

And then began to write furiously.

When time was up, Greg sat pleased with himself.

He put the forms back into the folder and handed it in to Grissom, keeping his secret form to himself, stowing in his coat pocket.

When the team dispersed, he and Sara sat at the table. He took the form from his pocket, and announced, “I’m not chicken. I have it, right here.”

He removed it from his pocket and unfolded it.

To his dismay, the form in his pocket was NOT the form he had filled out as a joke.

“Sara?” He said, with a gulp.

“Mhm?” She replied.

“I think I turned in the wrong one…”

“Oh… well… how bad could it be? I mean, you didn’t put anything… bad… did you?” She asked, a lump in her throat.

Greg fixed his gaze on his shoes.

Sara’s eyes grew wide.

“Greg! We have to get that folder back! Now!”

And with that, they exited the break room, frantically searching for Grissom.

They found him some fifteen minutes later sitting in his office, one of the previously mentioned folders sitting at the top of his pile of paperwork, open.

The pair stood in the doorway, slightly out of breath, as Greg approached Grissom’s desk.

“Umm… Grissom, I accidentally… you see, I turned in… well, what I mean is, I…”

Grissom looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and held up the paper before him.

“Is this supposed to be some kind of joke, Greg? Because I don’t find it very funny.” He said angrily.

Greg slowly took the paper from Grissom, handing him the form he had stowed in his pocket.

“That was my real evaluation for Sara. I’m sorry Grissom, I was just…”

Grissom cut him off. “Don’t let it happen again.”

Greg and Sara left Grissom’s office, on their way to the lab.

“Let me see it, Greg.” She said quietly.

“No.” He replied, and crumpled it up.

“Greg! I want to see it… come on… please?” Sara begged, irritated.

“Sara, I said no.” Greg repeated.

Sara grabbed the paper, but Greg had a firm grip on it. They struggled back and forth for a few seconds, before someone interjected.

“Sidle, Sanders, that’s enough.” Ecklie barked, ripping the paper from their entwined hands.

Sara and Greg turned bright red, and stood helpless as a few of their team began to gather around the spectacle, as Ecklie’s face fell from angry to appalled.

“Is this your idea of an evaluation, Sanders?”

Greg hung his head.

Ecklie began to read aloud.

“Co-worker/Employee Name: Sara Sidle.

Work Ethic: 1 2 3 4 5

Ethic? Pfft! I don’t see how grabbing my ass while I’m trying to process a head in a bucket is ethical, but I don’t mind.

Enthusiasm: 1 2 3 4 5

I don’t know. Every time I try to kiss her, she shoves me away at first, but she warms up to the idea by the end of shift.

Attitude: 1 2 3 4 5

Sometimes she’s cranky at the beginning of shift, but after we make out in the bathroom, she’s always chipper.

Professionalism: 1 2 3 4 5

She’s always professional when other people are around, but when it’s just her and I, she has no qualms about sticking her tongue down my throat.

Effort: 1 2 3 4 5

She puts a lot of effort into finding new places for us to make out during break.

Helpfulness: 1 2 3 4 5

She’s not very helpful when I’m trying to unhook her bra.

Overall: 1 2 3 4 5

Her smile lights up my day.

Notes:

She’s all I ever wanted. I love her.”

Ecklie shot Greg a look of infuriation, as Greg sheepishly looked up at Sara, who was standing completely still, her face devoid of emotion.

“Great. She’s in shock. That’s just fantastic. Stupid Ecklie!” Greg thought. “Here it comes, He’s going to fire me. I can feel it. Ok, get it over with already!” He screamed in his head, Ecklie’s eyes burning holes through him.

“Three days unpaid leave, Sanders. Did you have something to do with this, Sidle?” Ecklie fumed.

Sara opened her mouth to speak, but no words escaped.

Greg began to explain when Sara cut him off.

“I wrote it.” She said, grabbing Greg’s arm to silence him.

He looked over at her, realizing what she was doing.

“No, I wrote it.” Greg said, trying to undo what Sara had just done.

“Enough!” Ecklie exclaimed. “WHO wrote it?”

“I did.” Sara beat him to it.

“Five days unpaid leave, Sidle. And three for you, Sanders. I hope both of you have learned your lessons. Co-worker evaluations are not a joke.”

And with that, Ecklie crumpled up the paper, and threw it in the nearest trash bin.

Catherine, Warrick, Nick and Grissom stood under at Grissom’s office doorframe, unsure of what to say or do.

Greg turned to Sara. “Why would you do that! I wrote that evaluation, ME. I should be the one suspended, not you.” Greg cried.

Tears formed in Sara’s eyes, and she fled for the bathroom.

“Sara! Sara wait!” Greg rubbed his eyes with is palms “Ugh!”

He caught up with her a few seconds later, entering the women’s bathroom with his hand over his eyes. “Sara?”

He heard whimpering, and uncovered his eyes.

“Sara?” He repeated, and he saw her leaning over the sink, crying.

“What am I supposed to say Greg?” She asked, with a hiccup. “What you wrote… the end of that evaluation… what am I supposed to say when someone writes that they LOVE me? How come you never told me this? And now everyone knows!”

Greg leaned against the wall with a sigh. “I don’t know, it’s just… you’re you. You’re SARA SIDLE. It’s not like it would have been easy to just walk up to you and say ‘Hey, you know, I’ve been in love with you for five years, how ‘bout we go on a date?’” Greg immediately kicked himself.

“FIVE YEARS?” Sara asked.

“You know what, just forget it. We have to get out of here, or Ecklie’s going to fire our both of our asses.” Greg mumbled, as he made his way to the bathroom door, holding it open for Sara.

Sara met him at the door, and put her hand on his arm.

“Greg, as disgusting as most of that evaluation was, I really appreciate the ending.” She said quietly. He almost didn’t catch what she said, and when he looked up at her to respond, she was gone.

He ran to the parking lot, catching her just as she reached her car.

“Sara.” He said, as he leaned his arm on her car door. “I was just wondering, since we both have at least three days off, would you maybe want to get some coffee… or… I don’t know… catch a movie or something?” He kept his gaze fixed on the asphalt.

Sara couldn’t help but let a smile slip.

“Sure Greg. Call me later on my cell phone.” She said, and got in her car.

Greg could barely contain his excitement, and as she drove away, he heard footsteps behind him, and turned around.

“What the hell, man?” Nick asked, with an extremely wide grin on his face.

“Not now, Nick.” Greg said, as he pushed his way past him. “I just scored a date with Sara Sidle.” He smiled silently to himself.