Amnesia
By Marielle
Rated: Nah, this one is for everybody
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I don't own the show
and I don't mind.
A/N: Many, many thanks to Enni, for reading this story and giving me confidence.
Also, to Angie who's always so kind to beta for me.
Dedication: So, this story is for Enni, Angie, Maud and Lauri. For
just being who you are!
Part one:
Catherine Willows walked down the hall on her way to the break room.
She desperately needed some nourishment to get her through the rest
of this day. Again they were working a double shift en she felt
exhausted. She was concentrating on the results Greg gave her on a
DNA test. Perhaps she was concentrating too hard, because she never
saw that door coming which was fiercely pushed open just in front of
her. Before she even realised what happened, she already lay flat on
her back. The door won on points and third level-CSI-Catherine
Willows was knocked out.
Later in the Hospital
Nick was waiting in the hospital. He had come along with the
ambulance and waited for news about Catherine's situation. He already
contacted Grissom and it didn't take long before he arrived as well.
"What happened to her, Nick?" Gil asked him, with a worried
expression on his face. "She was attacked again?"
"Yeah, by a big steel laboratory door," Nick replied and a faint
smile escaped him.
"Ouch!"
''You can say that again. Lets hope she didn't feel too much pain.
According to Jeff, she was knocked unconscious immediately."
"Jeff?"
"Yeah, Jeff is the Lab Tech who slammed the door in her face."
Nick
replied.
"How is she? Have you spoken to her .... or to a doctor?"
Grissom
continued.
"Only to a doctor, but she couldn't say much. They are running some
tests now. Catherine is still unconscious, but the doctor wasn't too
concerned. Probably a concussion."
"Well, let's hope that's all it is. Look, maybe you should go back
and help Sara out on the case we worked on. Ask Warrick to pick
Lindsey up from school. Maybe he can bring her to Catherine's sister.
I'll stay at the hospital and wait for some news. You can reach me on
my cell phone if you need me."
"Yeah, sure and Grissom .don't worry about her too much. I'm sure
she's gonna be okay, she's one tough cookie."
"I know Nick. I just want to be here for her....... for a change."
Gil replied. The last few words were spoken under his breath and
couldn't be heard by Nick.
After fifty minutes of waiting, Grissom started to worry. He didn't
understand why it took so long before a doctor could tell him
something about Catherine's situation. He just wanted to look for
Catherine's doctor, when he heard a woman's voice asking around if
there were people waiting for Ms. Willows.
"Yes." Gil exclaimed and walked towards her. "Are you her doctor?"
Gil asked her.
"Yes I'm Dr. Grant, and you are...........?"
"Gil Grissom."
"What's your relationship with Ms. Willows?" The doctor wanted to
make sure that she wouldn't give the information away to someone
who
wasn't closely related to Catherine.
"Uhm....we are..uh..partners," Gil said and tried to keep it as
vague
as possible.
"Partners? In the sense of husband and wife or ....," Dr. Grant asked
further.
"Well, we are not married, but we are having a relationship," Gil
tried to convince Dr. Grant. He didn't lie when he gave that answer.
He did have a relationship with Catherine. Maybe, not the kind Dr.
Grant implied, but he knew she would tell him zilch if she found out
he was just her supervisor. So, he let Dr. Grant think whatever she
wanted to think............
"Okay, Mr. Grissom.....Ms. Willows took a severe blow on her head.
Her right eye is swollen, but the orbit isn't broken. There are
bruises on the right side of her face, but I'm not too concerned
about that. The only problem at the moment is, that she has a
selective form of amnesia." Dr. Grant surely didn't waste much time
in telling how Catherine status was.
"What memories is she regressing?" Gil asked her.
"She remembers for example who she, where she's born, where she lives
and she remembers her daughter. But when I asked about her friends,
family or job... she has difficulties in bringing back those
memories. For instance, she didn't mention you when I asked her about
a husband or boyfriend."
Gil felt a bit uncomfortable about his early proclamation that he and
Catherine were having a relationship. He started to flush around his
cheeks , but he came up with a brilliant answer.
"Well, we just started dating. Maybe that's why she doesn't remember
me." Gil replied, thinking back at that evening just a few weeks ago
when he had dinner with Catherine.
Dr. Grant laughed. "I don't think that has got much to do with it.
But don't worry, give her a few days...she'll be fine."
Dr. Grant had her doubts whether this man was telling her the truth.
But she could see the honest concern for this woman written all over
his face, so she decided to let the issue rest.
"Will she be okay Doctor Grant?" was all Gil wanted to know right now.
"It will take some time, but she will fully recover. We'll keep Ms.
Willows here for the night, but she probably can go home tomorrow."
Gil sighed in relief. "Can I see her?"
"Yes you can, but she's probably sleeping. Oh..just one thing
Mr.
Grissom. Don't be frightened by the sight of her face. It's very
swollen and bruised, but that's just the outside. There is no
permanent damage done. You keep that in mind."
Doctor Grant showed Gil to Catherine's room and although she had
warned him a few seconds ago, he was startled by her sight. She
looked very pale and her right eye was badly swollen. He could see
that the right sight of her face was bruised. It all looked very
painful. She was still asleep and Gil sat beside her bed. He had to
suppress the urge to stroke her face, but he was afraid it would hurt
too much. So, he just took hold of her hand and kissed the back of
it. He held her hand close to his face.
Dr. Grant entered the room after an hour for a last check up on
Catherine. When she saw Grissom holding Catherine's hand, she forgot
about her early doubts about this man. It was obvious that he cared
very deeply for this woman.
"Mr. Grissom?"
"Yes."
"I'll think it's better if you go home now. She'll probably sleep
through the night. There is not much you can do right now. If you
come back tomorrow we can make arrangements for you to take her
home."
"With me?"
"Yes. She can go home, but only if somebody watches her, especially
during the nights. You have to wake her up a couple times just to
make sure that she doesn't loose consciousness again. Okay?"
"I see...well..yes...okay," Gil replied not too convincing. One way
or another, somebody had to watch Catherine so it might as well be
him. The only problem was that he was the supervisor of the night
shift. How could he keep an eye on Catherine at the same time?
Later that evening (Crime Lab)
Gil returned to the Crime Lab and talked to his co-workers about
Catherine's situation. They were all relieved to hear she was doing
okay and she probably could go home tomorrow.
"And who's going to watch over her?" Sara wanted to know.
"Well, I told her doctor that I would, but I think I reacted a bit
too enthusiastic." Gil said and left his co-workers behind.
"I wonder why?" Nick said to Sara.
Sara gave Nick an understanding smile.
"Maybe we can help him out Nick. He's way behind with his paperwork.
He can do that kind of stuff over at Catherine's house. We can reach
him over there if necessary. It's probably just for a few days." Sara
proposed.
"It's fine by me," Nick said. "How about you Warrick?"
"No problem here." Warrick answered.
"Okay, that's settled then. I'm going to talk to Grissom and push the
right buttons. He'll agree to this." Sara said and she was already on
her way.
Sara was right. He objected in the beginning, but Sara convinced him
in no time that this was the best solution, especially for Catherine.
He was the best man for the job and they could handle things over
here. He was only a phone call away. So Grissom agreed. He would
spend the next few days with Catherine. There was only one thing.
Would Catherine allow him to? She doesn't even remember who he
is....
The next day (the hospital)
"Ms. Willows, are you ready to go home?" Dr. Grant asked Catherine.
"Yes, I guess so. Feels strange though, not being able to remember
everything."
"Don't worry about that too much. I know it must feel strange, but
you remembered this morning more things then yesterday. That's a very
good sign. I expect your memory will be completely function again
very soon. We just have to wait for your man to arrive and he can
take you home. He will be here in a minute." Dr. Grant said.
"My man? Do I have a man?" Catherine was surprised because she really
couldn't remember having one. It scared her to death that she had to
go home with a complete stranger.
"Yes, you do. He's a very nice guy. His name is Gil Grissom. Does
that ring any bells?" Dr. Grant asked.
"Grissom? Yeah, the name sounds familiar. And he is living with me?"
"Yes, that's what he told me. Speaking of the devil....." Dr. Grant
said when Gil opened the door and entered the room.
Catherine looked at the man who just came in and she couldn't help
but smile at him when they looked at each other. "So, this is my
boyfriend," she thought to herself.
"Hello, Mr. Grissom." Dr. Grant greeted Grissom.
"Good morning Doctor." Gil replied.
"Ready to take her home, Mr. Grissom?"
"Yeah, well......I hope Catherine is ready," Gil looked at Catherine
with a hesitating look.
"Oh, I'm ready," Catherine said very enthusiastically and jumped of
her bed. A little too enthusiastic because she immediately felt light-
headed and she took a slight step backwards and leaned against her
bed for a few seconds.
"Jesus Cath, take it easy." Grissom rushed over and offered her some
help. "I'll get you a wheelchair to bring you to my car." Grissom
said to Catherine.
Catherine looked at Grissom like he came from Mars. "A wheelchair?
Are you crazy, I'm not going in a wheelchair, I'm not an
invalid!"
"No, just stubborn." Gil replied.
"Is that so? Well, you can take me home, but if you're going to put
me in a wheelchair I'd rather take the bus. By myself!"
Gil raised his eyebrows and prayed for some help from above but he
knew he wouldn't get it. She might have taken a severe blow on the
head, but it certainly didn't have any negative side effects on her
character.
Dr. Grant watched the couple quarrel. "And they just recently started
dating? They look like they have been married for ages." She thought
to herself, shook her head and a quick smile escaped her.
"I've got to go people, I have other patients waiting. Ms. Willows, I
will see you back here in four days." Dr. Grant shook Catherine's
hand and said goodbye to Gil and Catherine.
Gil stood in front of Catherine and stared at her face. She was
looking slightly better, but the right side of her face had every
colour of the rainbow.
"How are you feeling Catherine?" Gil asked her.
"Shaky. The headache is killing me... I really want to go home."
"Then let's get out of here." Gil said.
During their trip back home they only spoke a few words. It always
had been like that between the two of them. He knew this woman in the
passenger seat like nobody else. Besides the wonderful smile she gave
him this morning, Catherine showed no sign of recognition and still
they felt at ease with each other. She didn't seem to have any
objections about taking her home.
"Dr. Grant told me you are my boyfriend?' Catherine suddenly blurted
out.
"Sh she. said that?" Gil stuttered and tried to look as innocent as
he could.
"Well, are you?" Catherine asked when she heard the hesitation in
Grissom's answer.
They looked at each other at the same time and their eyes were
locked. Blue versus blue and both pair started to shine more brightly
when they took in the sight of each other. Even when her face was
bruised and swollen she was the most beautiful and precious creature
to Grissom. Gil melted inside and he knew he was lost.....
"Yes." Gil said and quickly focused on the road again. He
couldn't
believe he just said that, but he couldn't resist his desire of
really being her boyfriend. Even if it was for just a couple of days,
maybe hours.
"Good." was Catherine's only response.
TBC
Part two
Catherine's house
After twenty five minutes they arrived at Catherine's house.
"Does it look familiar Catherine?" Gil said to her when he helped her
out of the SUV.
"Yes, it does. Is Lindsey already home?" Catherine asked when they
stepped inside her house.
"No, not yet. She's staying a couple of days with your sister. You
really need to rest for the next few days. But Lindsey will visit you
after school. Okay?"
"I don't think so. I really would like to have her over here. I mean
you're here, why let her stay with my sister?" Catherine replied.
"I don't know, Catherine, if that is such a good idea."
"Well you're not very enthusiastic about having her around?"
"Catherine, I really love her, it's just..."
"What?"
"I'm not used to taking care of her as a father is supposed to do. I
only do the fun stuff with her."
"The fun stuff?"
"Yeah, taking her to a movie, the Zoo, sometimes a museum.you know,
that kind of stuff."
"Well Gil, I don't know if I said this to you before, but if we want
to have a future together, you better start working on your father
skills as well. Raising a kid is not all about fun you know. And now
I really have to lay down, my head is killing me."
"Yes, you should. Here, let me help you." Gil said, glad that she had
changed the subject. He supported her upstairs to her bedroom. When
she wanted to change into her pyjamas, Gil told her that he had to
make an urgent phone call and exited the room. After half an hour he
felt safe going back to her room.
"Do you need anything, Catherine," Gil said and sat himself down on
the side of her bed. This time he didn't hold back and caressed her
face.
Catherine loved his touch, but her headache held her back of wanting
more of this Gil Grissom. She had so much fun despite her physical
condition. Gil Grissom pretending to be her boyfriend. What was he
thinking? She recognised Gil the minute he walked in. Her best friend
and supervisor, but she didn't know he was her boyfriend as well. It
was kind of mean to play along, she knew his intentions were all
good. He probably just said it for an excuse to get near her in the
hospital and that was a sweet thing to do. But now she would love to
find out how far Gil would go before he confessed that he wasn't her
boyfriend. She gave him a chance in the car, but he didn't give in.
How far would she go? Living together with Gil sounded like
a dream come true to her. She had loved him for quite some time now.
Maybe, this was a good test to see if he could live up to her
expectations. She was too tired to play some more right now, but she
smiled to herself with the prospect of the things to come...
"No thanks, I'm going to sleep. But Gil..make sure Lindsey is here
when I wake up. There's no need for her to stay any longer at my
sister's, she can just as easily stay with us!" Catherine said.
"Easily, huh..." Gil said, but he wasn't so sure. It would definitely
complicate things even more, but he knew that there wasn't any excuse
to keep Lindsey away from her mother. He just had to take care of her
as well the next couple of days.
"Just get her, Gil," Catherine said when she turned on her side and
closed her eyes.
Gil didn't reply but gave her a kiss on the top of her head and left
the room.
........
Lindsey came back home after school. Her aunt had told her she could
return home because Uncle Gil was there to look after her and her
mother. Lindsey was so excited. And when Gil opened the front door
she raced to him. Gil swooped her up and swung her around.
"Hey sweetie." Gil said and gave her a kiss on her cheek.
"Hi Uncle Gil! How's mummy doing?"
Gil waved goodbye to Cath's sister and turned his attention back
to his favorite little girl.
"She's doing fine sweetie. I think she's still asleep, but if you're
really quiet you can go see her."
Lindsey ran into the house and up the stairs, but after a few minutes
she already came back down.
"Still asleep huh?" Gil asked her.
"Yes."
"Here, I made you some chocolate milk. So, tell me, how was your day
in school?"
"Great! We really had fun in class today. And we started to read in
the new Harry Potter book. He's so cool, you know. My friends tell me
that I should see the movie as well."
"Really?"
"Yup." Lindsey said and she looked up to Grissom with pleading eyes.
"Well, the moment your mum is feeling better, we're going. I'm kinda
excited myself to see the movie." Grissom answered and winked at her.
"Yes, yes." Lindsey shouted and jumped up and down the room.
"There is a but..." Grissom continued and the jumping stopped
immediately.
"A but?"
"Yes, we are going to the movie if you promise to help me along."
Grissom said in a very conspiratorial way.
"You see, your mum has some problems remembering things because of
the blow she took.."
"Yes, I know the doctor told me that, but mummy recognised me
immediately," she said with a wide smile on her face.
"How could she not sweetie," was Gil's warm reply.
"But, what I wanted to tell you is, that she doesn't remember me and
well.there was a mix up in the hospital and now she thinks that I'm
her boyfriend. I haven't told her yet I'm just her friend, I
would you know, but.." Gil sighed. He wanted to keep it as simple as
possible but it all sounded very stupid.."you know with your mum not
feeling all that well,I thought it was better to leave it like this
for a while."
Lindsey smiled at Grissom, but she didn't quite understood what he
expected from her.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked.
"Well, you have to play along until she feels better, okay?"
"Cool, yeah. So,you're going to be my daddy?" Lindsey got more and
more excited.
Gil laughed at her statement. "Sweetie, you already have a daddy, but
yeah, I'm going to look after you as if I am your daddy. Now, drink
your chocolate milk!" Gil said and tried to look really seriously.
Lindsey laughed at him. "Uncle Gil, you better practice on that if
you want me to listen to you. You surely can do better then that. Mum
says, you're her boss. Don't you have to give her orders and stuff
like that?"
"Your mother admits that I'm her boss?" Gil was really surprised.
"Yes, why?"
"Well, your mum doesn't listen much to me either. It seems I can't
control either of you girls, can I?" Gil said and raised his eyebrows
with a fake frustrated look on his face. He sighed and started to
drink his chocalate milk.
"Maybe she doesn't listen to you, but she likes you. She likes you a
lot." Lindsey said and started on her chocolate milk as well.
"How do you know that for a fact?" Gil asked her.
"Because she told me."
Gil smiled at Lindsey. "Well, can't argue about that then."
They sat together for over an hour and had small talk about lots of
things. Lindsey told him how things worked around the house. What
time she goes to bed, to school. When she could watch TV or go play
with her friends. Pretty soon he was well informed about this
household. Gil enjoyed Lindsey's company and he loved the feeling of
being a part of a family. He didn't have much trouble living on his
own, but he could easily get used to this as well.
As soon as Catherine woke up, he had to tell her the truth. The only
one he was fooling right now, was himself. This situation wasn't for
real. It wouldn't be any problem for him to stay here forever, but
that was unlikely to happen. Although, she didn't question the fact
that their were having a relationship at all. And that smile she gave
him this morning in the hospital when he picked her up. Did it meant
something? Maybe he should wait a little more, see what happens.
"No, bad idea! I should have told her this morning when she gave me
the chance," he thought to himself.
He had a proper excuse for his actions, no harm would have been done.
But the way she looked at him in the car. Her eyes were pleading to
say yes. Or was that just his imagination? Those eyes, he could drown
in them forever. One look at her eyes and he knew what time it was.
They could be dark as hell when she was angry and sky-blue when she
was happy. She occupied his dreams and thoughts, she tells him what
she thinks even if he doesn't want to hear it and she's not afraid to
question him or his actions. She had the power to dictate the colour
of his day as well.
"Uncle Gil?" Lindsey tried to make some contact with Grissom. " Uncle
Gil!" she asked again.
"Wh..what!" said Gil when he came back to reality. "What is it honey?"
"Are you in love with my mum?" she asked out of the blue.
Gil started to blush. He never expected a question like that from
Lindsey and he felt uneasy about how he had to respond to her
question. He lied about his true feelings for Catherine to almost
every adult on the planet. But this was Lindsey. He could never tell
a lie to her.
"Promise me you keep this a secret," Gil asked her.
"I promise."
"Okay..." Gil sighed deeply and he had a hard time looking at
Lindsey, but he continued. "Yes, I'm in love with your mother."
Lindsey started to jump around the room again. " Yes, Yes.I knew it,
I knew it." She shouted.
Both Gil and Lindsey didn't realize that Catherine was already awake
and she was just coming down the stairs when she heard her daughters
excitement.
"Hi sweetie! What did you know already," Catherine said to her
daughter.
"That Uncle Gil is in love with you," she answered spontaneously. Her
hand flew to her mouth when she realised it was her mother she had
answered to. Lindsey looked instantly at Gil who raised his eyebrows
in despair.
"Well he'd better be! If he doesn't love me, I'm going to look for
somebody else." Catherine replied very quickly.
Gil sighed in relief when he realised that Catherine still didn't
have her memory back. She still thought of him as her lover, so it
was perfectly normal that he declared his love for her.
Lindsey wanted to say to her mother that Gil loved her for real, but
before she could produce any sound, Gil was already behind her and
placed his hand over her mouth and smiled sheepishly at Catherine.
The only sound they heard from Lindsey was a vague mumble..
Catherine had to suppress a laugh when she looked at the two
conspirators. She wasn't going to be fooled by those two. He probably
had asked Lindsey to play along with him, and she knew her daughter
well enough that she couldn't refuse Gil anything.
"So you love me Gil Grissom? Well, two can play that game," she
thought to herself.
She walked towards her daughter and kissed her on the top of her
head. She moved over to Grissom and before he realized what happened,
she already planted one on him which left him breathless. Catherine
didn't blink an eye after the kiss and walked directly to the
kitchen. Lindsey looked up at Gil and whispered to him "it's working"
and she ran up the stairs to play in her room.
"What are you doing up Catherine, you have a serious concussion." Gil said after
he finally caught his breath.
"Gosh Gil, will you relax. I had to go to the bathroom and I was also thirsty so
I decided to come down for a minute."
"Why didn't you call for me? I could have gotten you something to
drink. You should stay in bed!"
"Gil, have you always been like this?"
"Like what?"
"Like my mother!" she said and walked upstairs to her bedroom, again leaving a
speechless Grissom behind.
TBC
Part three:
The evening had arrived and Gil was still confused after the kiss. It
was something he longed for over the years, but it made him feel
guilty afterwards. This whole situation was a farce and it was going
to get out of a hand if it didn't stop soon. He had dinner with
Lindsey and she already had gone to bed. He cleaned up but was
startled when he heard the door bell ring. Warrick and Sara were
standing at the front door. Gil had forgotten all about them. They
had called him earlier to see if it was okay to visit him before
their shift started. They talked about things at work for about an
hour, when Warrick asked if it was okay to see Catherine.
"I'll go with you, see if she's awake." Gil said and
walked with them. He opened the door of her bedroom and saw in fact
that she was awake.
"Catherine, there are two people who want to see you. Is that
okay?" Gil asked her.
"Yeah sure." She replied and she already saw Warrick and
Sara standing behind Gil.
"It's W..," Gil wanted to introduce them.
"Warrick, Sara...please come in?" Catherine said before
Gil could say anything further.
Gil couldn't believe what Catherine had just said. He stepped
behind and let his co-workers pass by. He managed to say to Catherine
that he would go downstairs, leave the three of them behind. He came
back down, throwing himself back into a chair.
"I can't believe it. She recognized them immediately and she
still doesn't remember who I am? How on earth is that possible?
I'm the one she's known for over fifteen years, I'm her
best friend." Gil thoughts were in turmoil. "What is going on?
Does she already know who I am? Is she fooling me? No, that's
impossible. She would never have kissed me like that if she
knew.''
This was getting to be a totally absurd situation and it had to stop.
It was driving him crazy. He had to calm down but he couldn't
relax. He was pacing up and down the room, when he heard Warrick and
Sara coming downstairs.
"Well, she's feeling much better Gris. You're taking
good care of her!" Warrick said with a smile.
"Uhm.yes.she's feeling better." Gil said
hesitantly.
"We have to go. Talk to you tomorrow, Grissom." Sara said and
they left the house.
After Warrick and Sara had gone, Gil ran up the stairs into
Catherine's bedroom. She already expected him. She knew she blew
it when she called the names of Warrick and Sara. He would figure out
something wasn't quite right. But she didn't want it to end.
She got more love from Gil in one day then from Eddie in all their
years of marriage. The whole day he had been so sweet, caring and
loving to her and for Lindsey as well.
Her head was pounding and she didn't feel good at all. She had
sat up with Warrick and Sara for quite some time and it had been a
little too much in her condition. She had to lay down and stay calm.
"Catherine we need to talk." Gil said.
"Gil, please. I'm too tired and my head is pounding."
Catherine said trying to avoid a confrontation.
"Come to bed, Gil. We'll talk about it tomorrow."
Catherine said with a sleepy voice. She turned around and already
started to drift off.
"Did she just invite me into bed?" Gil wondered to himself.
Gil stood there for a couple of minutes, deciding what he should do.
He looked at Catherine who seemed to be fast asleep." What the
heck," he said to himself. He looked for his overnight bag. He
brushed his teeth and he checked up on Lindsey one more time. He set
his clock, because he had to wake up Catherine in a few hours.
Doctor's orders. He stripped down to his boxers and slipped into
bed beside her. His mind was still racing, especially when Catherine
started to crawl up on him in her sleep after a while. He didn't
care anymore. Normally he would have reacted franticly, but he was
beyond the point of caring about the consequences. It had been a
crazy day, a crazy evening and the only thing he wanted right now was
to get some sleep, holding Catherine in his arms and see what the
next day would bring.
The next morning
Catherine was the first to wake up. She remembered vaguely that Gil
woke her up a couple of times during the night. Gil.She felt him
behind her. He had his arms wrapped around her. His head on the back
of her shoulder. His body totally relaxed against hers, keeping her
warm. She could feel him breath, a steady breath. He was still
asleep. Suddenly she became overwhelmed with emotions. She had loved
him for some time now, but never knew if he felt the same. But now
she knew. He loved her as well. There was no other way to explain
things.
When she felt him stir behind her, she tried to turn around. But Gil
didn't want to wake up. He wanted to sleep forever with the woman
of his dreams in his arms. When he woke her up during the night to
check up on her, she looked so vulnerable. The only reaction she gave
was some vague muttering before she wrapped herself quickly in his
arms again. It made his heart race and he would never be able to
sleep again without her. So he tried to stay in dreamland, holding
her tight.
But Catherine couldn't wait for him to wake up. She had to know
for sure and she wanted to know right now. So, she turned around and
kissed him in an attempt to wake him up. Gil's dreams became more
and more pleasant. Not only was he holding her, they started kissing
as well. Catherine felt Gil kissing her back, but she wasn't sure
if he was awake, so she stopped.
Gil's eyes flew open and he found Catherine's face only
inches away from his, giving him a dazzling smile. She kissed him
again.
"Good morning!"
"Good morning to you too." Gil said a bit confused. "How
are you feeling?"
"Better. Slept like a horse and the headache isn't as bad as
yesterday."
He looked at her and she saw the guilt wash over his face.
"Cath?"
"Yeah, I know .we have to talk."
"Yes, we do. And before you're going to kick me out, I want
you to know I only did this because I was worried about you and
somebody had to take care of you."
"Why would I kick you out?"
"Because I lied to you about being your boyfriend. I'm not!
But now, I'm confused about the fact that you seem to remember
everybody by now, except me!"
Catherine gave him a comforting look. "Gil, how long have you
known me?"
"Fifteen years and three months," was Gil's immediate
reply.
"Exactly. And what is my favorite pastime?"
He sighed... "Teasing me."
"Oh, you're good!" She smiled and continued. "I
recognised you the minute you walked into that hospital room. I just
couldn't resist to play along with your "little play"
when Dr. Grant told me you introduced yourself as my boyfriend. You
know, see how it would be like..if you could live up to my
expectations."
"I never told her I was your boyfriend. That was her
interpretation of things." Gil defended himself.
"You admitted to me you were my boyfriend in the car, Gil.
Remember?"
"Okay, point well taken. But that was your fault. You
shouldn't look at me like that. You always making me do things I
don't intend to."
Catherine laughed out loud. "Oh, you can be such a softy
sometimes."
"Only when it involves you, Catherine." Gil stopped for a
moment, he took a deep breath and decided it was now or
never. "Lindsey told you the truth yesterday about my feelings
for you, Catherine." Gil said, looking her deep in the eyes.
Catherine gave Gil a puzzled look, so Gil continued.
"When you came down yesterday.remember.Lindsey told you I
loved you and you probably thought we made that up. But we
didn't. Lindsey wanted to know if I was in love with you and I
told her the truth. You see, I'm I love with you Catherine and
these last 24-hours made me realize I want to stay here with
you.with Lindsey." Gil said and took both of her hands in
his. "So what do you say, do I get the job?" Gil asked
Catherine.
"What job?"
"Being your boyfriend. You wanted to see if I could live up to
your expectations. Do I, or are you going to look for somebody
else?"
(Someone to count on in a world ever changin'
Here I am stop where you're standing
What you need is a lover, a man to take over
Oh girl, don't look any further
Strange, when you think of the chances that we
Both be in a state of mind
Too cool to be careless
Lookin' for the right thing
Oh Baby, don't look any further
Tonight we're gonna taste a little paradise
Rocking all night long baby
Daylight I'll still be lookin' in your heavenly eyes
And we'll go on and on and on and on).
Catherine smiled at him, she stepped forward and kissed him
quickly. "Yes, you got hired. Did I mentioned it's a job
for life?"