She was wearing an ivory dress; it had little straps, and it exposed a lot of her back. There was some embroidery on the front, but it was a simple design. The fabric ended at her ankles, exposing matching flip flops. He smiled, remembering when she had brought them home, excited that she had found comfortable shoes for the big day.
Her hair was curled in loose ringlets, little flowers pinned into it. Her makeup was the same as always—accentuating, not overpowering, her face. He could smell roses.
She was so beautiful.
When it was her turn to speak, he saw little tears in her eyes. She glanced skyward first, and then down at the grass, before taking a deep breath and taking her hands away from his.
Catherine was speaking and signing at the same time. He smiled, feeling tears of his own in his eyes, as he heard and saw the words from her heart that would ceremoniously link them together.
“’One half of me is yours, the other half yours. Mine own, I would say; but if mine, then yours and so yours.’” She started her vows off with a Shakespeare quote. He smiled, wiping with one hand at his eyes. He hadn’t thought that he had rubbed off on her that much; he had been quoting Shakespeare for a long time on the job, and never once expected her to do the same. “I don’t even know if that sums it up properly. Fifteen years ago, if someone told me that I’d be standing here, with you, with the grass between my toes, and with our friends and family watching...” She trailed off and then jumped back in. “I don’t know if I would’ve believed them.”
He knew he probably wouldn’t have believed that person either. Back then, he recognized her beauty, and had developed a crush on her—but had tucked it away because he had felt deep down that she was out of his league. As time went on, they built a strong friendship, and the feelings had grown from there.
She picked her hands up and started again: “The friendship we have is something so special. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that with anyone else. We’ve been at each others’ sides through thick and thin, especially recently. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you, Gil.”
He knew that the people they were standing in front of, with the exception of Sara and Lindsay, didn’t understand the importance of sign language. He nodded, and waited for her to continue. “You’re my rock, my best friend... my heart and soul belong to you. I don’t even think words even begin to explain how I feel about you.” She smiled. “Through good times and bad, sickness and health, richer or poorer... you’re stuck with me by your side.”
She didn’t say it, but she signed: *I love you.*
He felt his heart swell.
~*~
He was wearing a tux. She smiled, thinking about the struggle they had trying to find something he wanted to wear to this ceremony—something that wasn’t his lab coat. He hadn’t thought it was very fair that she could wear flip flops and he had to wear the tuxedo with stiff dress shoes.
He was devastatingly handsome.
She had already spoken from her heart, in front of their families and friends, and now it was his turn. She knew she was going to cry; she cried during her vows to him. There was no way she was going to make it through his speech.
“I, uh,” he started, signing while he was speaking. She smiled, liking that he signed back to her. “I was actually going to use that quote, too, and since you used it first, it seems silly to use it again.” He paused, his brow wrinkled, before speaking again: “’I could not tell fact from fiction, or if my dream was true. The only sure prediction, in this whole world was you.’”
She smiled, but wondered where the quote came from. She raised an eyebrow, making a mental note to ask him later where he found it. “Maya Angelou,” he told her, and continued speaking. She heard some people in the audience chuckle. But, he continued. “I still catch myself thinking that at any minute I’m going to wake up and this is going to be a dream. But, every time I go to bed and sleep next to you, and every time I wake up next to you. This has been the most surreal period in my life. You’ve brightened my world, by loving me.”
When he paused for a breath, she felt her throat close up, as her body tried to suppress the urge to cry. “You’ve made me a better man, Catherine Willows, by loving me and letting me love you in return. With the troubles we’ve faced, and conquered, I know that in the future our bond will only grow stronger. I will never let you, or our family down. I love you.”
Her vision was blurred before she could wipe the tears from her eyes. She tried to wipe some away, but was interrupted by the feel of his hand on her cheek. He wiped them away, and then signed something privately to her: *When it hurts to look back and you’re scared to look ahead, look beside you.... your best friend will be here.*
She knew this moment was one of the happiest in her life.
~*~
Catherine wrapped her arms around Gil’s neck, as the stage band played a soft and slow jazz piece. They had left the park and had moved to a reception hall at a hotel in the city. Their friends and family were sitting at tables around the dance floor, while they had their first dance as husband and wife.
She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I love you.”
He smiled. “I love you, too, Mrs. Grissom.”
“Oooh,” she felt shivers run up her back. “I love how that sounds.”
“Me, too.” He tightened his hold on her waist, pulling her even closer to him. When she saw his face turn from hers, so he could bury himself in her neck. She loosened her arms so she could rub his back. She knew his hearing problems upset him, but she always made a point of standing by him, being there so he could lean on her. She never wanted him to feel alone.
She whispered softly in his ear, unsure if he could hear or not. “It’s okay, Gil.” He murmured something she couldn’t quite make out; however, it sounded very sad. She squeezed him.
He lifted his head. “I know. I just get down when I think about how I won’t be able to hear those simple words after a little while.”
Catherine nodded. “I know.” She smiled. “I can say ‘I love you’ every hour on the hour and you can call me Mrs. Grissom as often as you like, to make up for it.” She winked. “Even in bed.”
He started to laugh. “Even in bed?” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “That might sound weird.”
“But, I’d still love it.”
He scrunched his face up. “Might remind me of my mother.”
In reaction, she scrunched her face up, too. “Yeah. Okay, scratch that.”
He kissed her again. “I love you, Catherine...”
“You know you want to say it.”
She squealed as he picked her up and smothered her face with kisses. “Catherine Grissom, I love you.” He swung her around once before settling themselves down. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Same here.”
They continued to dance without saying any more words. The music went unnoticed by either of them, they were too wrapped up in each other. It wasn’t until the people around them started clapping that they realized the song was over. Gil kissed Catherine, as other people started milling onto the dance floor. She sighed, and fell back against his chest, perfectly content.
~*~
When they started to clap, Gil heard the applause fade into a silence. He still smiled, looking at the people around him. The night shift team had stood up when the applause started, and soon, others had followed suit. He saw the happy looks on the faces of his coworkers, on his family and on hers, on Lindsay’s. Catherine leaned against him, taking his focus off the crowd and back onto her.
People started filling the dance floor, it being time for everyone to dance. He saw Lindsay rush towards them. Catherine bent down with the intention of scooping her up, but the girl only kissed her mother’s cheek and whispered words in her ear. Catherine stood up and looked at him.
She didn’t talk. Instead she started signing. His eyes widened in surprise; he hadn’t known she could tell so easily when his hearing was diminished. *Lindsay wants to dance with her new father.*
Gil smiled, her words touching him. He looked down at the little girl, still wearing the dress Catherine picked out for her role as flower girl—a toned-down version of her own dress, but in a soft yellow—flowers still pinned in her hair. He bent down, putting a hand on Catherine’s lower leg to steady himself. Once, stable, he pulled his hand away, and signed: *Would you like to dance with me?*
The little girl nodded, and when Gil stood up, he offered her his hands. She stepped onto his feet and locked her knees. Together, they danced to the music. He looked over at Catherine, who was laughing, standing off to the side. He saw a light flash; someone must’ve been taking pictures. He grinned down at Lindsay, neither of them needing to say anything.
When he was getting tired of being bent over, he released her only to scoop her up in his arms. He could hear her happy shriek, and then the rest of the noise around him filled his ears. He smiled. “What do you think about all of this?”
“I think it’s great!” She swung her arms around his neck. “I love you, Gil.”
“I love you, too, Lindsay.” He kissed her cheek. Beyond her, he saw Catherine wiping her face, a huge smile stretching her lips. He knew the entire day was going to be an emotional day; it was for him, too.
Warrick came up behind them, putting a hand on Catherine’s shoulder. “Hey, Gris’, do you mind if I steal the bride away for a dance?”
“Well,” he winked at Lindsay. “I suppose, as long as I can dance with this beautiful young lady some more.”
She nodded. “Yay!”
Gil set Lindsay down when the music picked up speed. A jive, or something, he thought. He tried to move with the spry young girl, but found his movements uncoordinated. She, on the other hand, wasn’t worried about how he moved. She was having a good time.
When his wife returned, she kissed her daughter on the cheek and asked: “Do you mind if I cut in?”
“Ahhh... I guess you can dance with him now, Mommy.”
She hugged her. “Thanks, Baby.”
While Lindsay scampered off, saying something about cake, Catherine slid into his arms. Her warmth affected him; he knew he couldn’t wait until they took off for their honeymoon. He had been about to open his mouth and say something, but she put a finger up to his lips, letting her head rest on his shoulder, while they rocked back and forth.
~*~
Sara sat down next to Nick, offering him a beer that she had snagged from the bar when she went to find a glass of wine. “Thanks,” he smiled at her. “I was getting sick of champagne.”
She chuckled. “And Catherine thought she didn’t order enough of it.”
He laughed with her. Then, he looked at her again, taking in her outfit. “You look really nice all dressed up, Sara.” She blushed, shook her head, and looked away. “No, I’m serious.”
“Really.”
He nodded. “A little surprised that you’re not wearing pants, but, yeah, you look great.”
“Thanks, Nick,” she sipped her wine and let her eyes travel out onto the dance floor. “They look so happy, don’t they...”
He agreed. “You should’ve seen Gil last night. Man, he kept asking us if he was really going to be marrying her.” He chuckled. “I don’t know if it was nerves, or—”
“Insecurities,” Sara interjected, thinking back to the conversation she had with Gil about his hearing problem. “It’s cute. He’s a fool, though, if he doesn’t see how crazy she is about him.”
Warrick came up behind them, tapping them each on the shoulder, before slipping into another chair at the table. “What’s up?”
“We’re just talking about them.”
He smiled. “Ahh yes, the very happy couple. Finally,” he smirked, sipping his drink. “It’ll make things interesting at work though.”
Sara shrugged. “As long as they keep it professional, there shouldn’t be any problems.” Warrick laughed at her comment. Nick joined him, and after a few seconds, Sara admitted defeat and started giggling. “Okay, well, as long as they keep it behind closed, locked doors.”
The End!
