Title: The Accident

Author: Kasandra

Rating: K+

Pairing: S/C

Summary: An accident forces Calleigh to make some choices she would rather not make.

'There's been an accident.'

Those four words echoed in Calleigh's mind as she sped to the hospital. Horatio had called her twenty minutes after she had sent Tim, her husband of six years to the grocery store to pick up a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

She blinked a few tears back as she approached the exit towards Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital. Their seventh month along unborn child kicked, and she couldn't hold back her tears.

"Mommy, where are we going?" a sleepy voice asked from the backseat and Calleigh looked at their four year daughter, Brooke through the rearview mirror. She gulped hard, in attempt to clear her voice.

"I'll tell you when we get there," Calleigh replied, forcing a smile. She hadn't the heart to tell her that her father had been hit by a speeding car on his way back home.

"Okay mommy," Brooke yawned, picking a lone Cheerio off her bunny print footsie pajamas. She was a spitting image of her mother, with thick blonde hair, but had her father's dark eyes in contrast to her mother's bright green ones.

Not too long after, Calleigh approached the hospital and parked the car before rushing into the emergency room as fast as she could in her condition, carrying Brooke in her arms.

"Calleigh!"

Calleigh whirled around as she heard the familiar voice of her boss as he jogged over to her.

"Oh my God Horatio! Please tell me Tim's OK!" Calleigh questioned urgently. Horatio reached out to take her hand into his.

"Tim's alive, but we need to talk…" Horatio trailed off, his voice quiet. He looked over at Brooke, whose eyes were darting wildly at the scene around her. The little girl was smart as whip; she knew something was wrong since they were in the hospital.

Calleigh nodded, and raised her hand to pause Horatio. She put Brooke down before leaning down to her eye level. "Mommy needs to talk to Horatio for just one minute. Can you sit by the table with all the magazines?" She pointed to the nearby waiting room, where a TV blasted the news. Brooke nodded and did as her mother told her.

Calleigh eyed Brooke out of the corner of her eye as she turned her attention to Horatio once more. "Tell me the truth," she replied sternly.

Horatio nodded, "Um, well… from what we've gathered from witnesses on the scene, Tim was on Ocean Drive waiting for the light to change when a drunk driver speeding slammed into him. And though he had his helmet on, Tim did manage to have some head trauma. He's in surgery now."

Calleigh's eyes widened slightly. "Oh my God. I think I'm going to be sick." Her knees began to give and Horatio caught her in time before she fell. He helped lead her to where Brooke was sitting.

"Mommy?" Brooke questioned alarmed, jumping up as Calleigh sat down. Horatio sat next to Calleigh, but not before pulling Brooke into his lap.

"Brooke, your daddy got a pretty big boo-boo and that's why we're at the hospital," Horatio explained, as Brooke continued to stare at her mother who was cradling her head in her hands. "Your daddy is going to be just fine, but your mommy is very sad. So, I'm going to need you to be brave, OK?"

Brooke nodded, "You promise?"

Horatio gave her a small smile. He didn't want to promise her, for things weren't OK but he didn't want to further worry the child.

Calleigh looked up at Horatio and pulled Brooke into her lap. Her eyes were red, lined with further unshed tears. "You're asking a lot of from her," she whispered, before pulling her daughter in for a tight hug.

Horatio nodded once more. "Well, all we can do now is to wait and see. I'm so sorry Calleigh."

"I'm sorry too," Calleigh replied softly. "I'm sorry too."

TBC…