Note: This fic is set in the same AU as 'Bad Dreams' and 'Homecoming.' It happens not long before 'Bad Dreams' (Zack is five in this fic, six in 'Bad Dreams'). In this AU, Claire didn't die on 9/11, and Zack is their son.

Disclaimer: All CSI:NY characters are the property of the writers. Curious George belongs to his creators. Zack is my creation.

Accidents.

Mac was in his office talking to Flack and Jo about a case when his cell phone rang. He unclipped it from his belt, and glanced at the screen. He felt tendrils of concern cinch tight in his chest and throat when he saw that the incoming call was coming from Zack's school.

'Mac Taylor,' he answered.

'Mr Taylor, this is Ms Simmons, Zack's teacher. I'm afraid there's been an accident.'

The tendrils of concern turned into a cold, icy dread that made it hard for Mac to breathe.

'What happened?' he asked.

The sharp note of concern and fear in his voice caused Flack and Jo to stop talking and watch him, looking concerned themselves.

'He fell off the climbing frame. The school nurse thinks he's broken his arm. We've called an ambulance.'

'I'll be right there,' Mac said.

He hung up.

'Mac?' asked Don.

'Zack had an accident at school. I need to get there right now, but I took the bus in this morning with Claire. I need to let her know too..but her office is in the opposite direction to Zack's school, shit!.'

'I'll drive you to Zack's school with the siren on,' Flack said, 'Then I'll go pick up Claire and drive her to the hospital to meet you there.'

Mac calmed down a little.

'Thanks, Don,'

'I'll take over here, Mac. You take as long as you need. Take a few days off.' Jo said.

'You're sure? Sinclair wants to see me about the Lewis case...'

'I'll deal with him. You go be with your son, Mac. '

Mac squeezed Jo's arm gently.

'Thanks, Jo,'

Don was already holding the door open, and together they ran down the hall and into the elevator.

Fifteen minutes later, they reached the school. Mac had called Claire on the way, and they'd agreed Don would pick her up at the office, they'd stop off at Mac and Claire's place to get some things for Zack who would have to stay over in hospital for a little while, then meet Mac at the hospital.

Mac leapt out of the car.

'Thanks, Don,'

'No problem, buddy. Zack'll be fine. I broke my arm when I was about his age. Hurts like hell, but he'll be fine. He's tough like his old man.'

Mac nodded. He heard Flack pull out away from the school, his siren going. He ran to the playground where a small group of adults including Zack's teacher and the school nurse were gathered by the climbing frame. They instantly moved aside as Mac raced up to them. Mac's heart froze in his chest and he felt a sick surge of fear and helplessness as he saw Zack lying on the ground. His lower right arm was at a wrong angle. His tiny face was white as alabaster, his big green eyes full of unshed tears, his little jaw clenched tight.

'D...D...Daddy?' Zack said, very quietly, his voice shaking as Mac knelt by him. His head was in the school nurse's lap, and she carefully moved aside so Mac could take her place. He held his son's head gently in his hands and leant his face close to his.

'Hey there, little guy,' he said softly, trying to keep his own tears back.

'My arm really hurts, daddy,' Zack said, and suddenly he started to bawl, unable to keep the tears of fear and pain and confusion back any longer now that his father was here. Mac stroked his son's hair and kissed his forehead, wanting to take the boy in his arms but not wanting to hurt his arm.

'It's going to be okay, Zack. The ambulance will be here soon and then the nice paramedic will give you some nice drugs to make your arm stop hurting. Then we'll go to the hospital, and the doctors there will fix your arm. Mommy will meet us there. She's going to bring Curious George with her, okay?'

Zack's sobs began to ease off, although he was obviously still in pain, his tears had been more from fear and confusion, and Mac's soft reassuring words seemed to calm him somewhat.

'Will I get to go in an ambulance, Daddy?'

'Yes.' Mac said.

Zack smiled a little.

Minutes later, the ambulance arrived, and two paramedics hurried over.

Mac recognized one of them, having met her occasionally at crime scenes.

'Hey, Mac,' she said.

'Hey, Jenny,' he replied.

Jenny leant close to Zack and asked,

'Hey there, little man. What's your name?'

'Z...Zack.'

'And how old are you, Zack? Seven?'

'No, I'm five,'

'Five?' the paramedic said, sounding surprised, 'You're big for five. My son is the same age, but he isn't as big as you.'

Zack beamed despite his pain.

'Well, I *am* nearly six,' he added, 'This is my Daddy. He's a detective with the NYPD.'

'I know, I've met your Daddy before. Now, Zack, where does it hurt?'

'My arm,'

'Anywhere else? Does your head hurt? Your neck?'

'No, miss, just my arm.'

'Okay, good. My friend Bruce here is just going to check you over, okay? He won't hurt you.'

Zack nodded. As the other paramedic, Bruce, looked him over and talked softly to him. Jenny asked Mac a few basic questions such as whether Zack had any medical conditions or allergies.

'Good,' she said, when Mac answered in the negative, 'We'll splint his arm here. We'll set up an IV and give him some morphine first. 1mg should do it, if not I'll give him another. He'll be off in happy land before you know it. Then we'll splint his arm and get him to the hospital.'

Mac nodded.

Jenny smiled gently at him and touched his arm.

'Hey, he's going to be okay,' she said.

Mac nodded, needing her reassurance.

'Okay, Zack, I'm going to give you some special drugs now that will make your arm stop hurting. Can you be a brave boy for me? You're going to feel a small, sharp scratch when we put the needle in your arm.'

Zack nodded.

Mac talked gently to his son as the paramedics set him up with an IV, careful to keep him distracted, and Zack only flinched a little when the needle went in. Soon, his little body visibly relaxed, and a smile spread across his face.

'Feel better, now, Daddy,' he said, smiling up at Mac. Mac felt his own body relax. He kept talking to Zack and reassuring him, his son babbling happily away at him, while the paramedics splinted his arm. Then they loaded Zack onto a stretcher and moved him into the back of an ambulance.

Mac never let go of his son's good hand the entire time. He didn't want to let go.

xxx

When they reached the hospital, Flack and Claire were waiting in the ER.

'Zack!' Claire cried as she rushed towards them. She bent over Zack and kissed his forehead, stroking his hair. Mac saw tears in her eyes and had to swallow back his own. He hated seeing his little boy looking so tiny and vulnerable on the stretcher, he felt so powerless.

Zack, however, under the influence of the morphine, was happy.

'Hey Mommy,' he said, grinning up at her, 'My arm hurt before but now it doesn't hurt at all. I got to ride in an ambulance!'

Claire smiled and ruffled his hair.

'Wow,' she said.

Zack was wheeled into a cubicle and the paramedics left. Zack was examined by an ER doctor and a call was put in to the pediatric orthopedic surgeon. They had to wait for about an hour and a half. Zack didn't seem to mind the wait, he was busy telling Curious George all about his accident and the ride in the ambulance. Mac, however, found himself pacing impatiently up and down outside his son's cubicle. While he knew from personal experience that these things took time, he felt frustrated and worried for his son, despite both the paramedics and the ER staff assuring him that they saw this kind of thing all the time.

'Hey,' Claire said when Mac had been at his pacing for a good forty-five minutes. She put a hand on his chest to stop him mid-pace and wrapped her arms around him.

'I think we're much more upset about all this than Zack is,' she said as she led him back into the cubicle. Zack smiled up at them then went back to his conversation with Curious George. He was now telling him in great detail about all the cool stuff in the ambulance.

She rested her head on his shoulder. Mac lowered his head and kissed the top of hers, inhaling her scent - she smelt of shampoo and her perfume, and of something else that was just uniquely her. Mac felt himself relax in the familiar comfort of her closeness.

'I think you're right,' he said, smiling a little, watching their son. Though looking at Zack's splinted arm caused a sharp stab of of pain in his chest, Mac couldn't help but think, despite the setting, how beautiful his son was. He had Mac's dark hair, which was currently a short mop of messy curls, just as Mac's had been at his age, and Mac's green eyes. He had Claire's nose and her skin tone. He was the perfect combination of them both. Despite his worry for his son, Mac felt a swell of overwhelming love for both Claire and Zack.

He thought of a case they'd just closed, a 30 year old Army Sgt. recently returned from Iraq, who had committed suicide after struggling alone for months after returning home. The young man had had no family or close friends he could turn to, and had simply slipped between the cracks of society, until finally, unable to deal with the painful memories he'd detailed in a journal that he'd left at the site of his suicide, he'd ended it all. He thought of the homeless veterans that populated the streets of the city, practically unnoticed by the people they had once fought to protect. That could have been him, Mac knew. The darkness and horror of what he had seen and experienced during his eight years in the Marines, especially those when he was in Recon, could have consumed him, destroyed him, had it not been for Claire. As soppy as it sounded, she had saved him. And she was still saving him, as was Zack. They, above all else, provided the sanctuary he so desperately needed from the bone-numbing, continuous death and destruction and pointless violence he dealt with every day. If anything ever happened to either one of them...Mac shuddered at the thought. He didn't even want to imagine what he would do if that happened.

'Mac?' Claire said, lifting her head from his shoulder, concern in her eyes.

'What's wrong?' she asked, aware that something was going on with him that was more than simple concern for their son.

'I love you,' Mac murmured softly, 'I can't imagine what I'd do without you. Without Zack.'

Claire cupped his face in her hands.

'You don't have to worry about that. We're not going anywhere,' she said, looking him right in the eyes.

Mac nodded.

He leaned down and kissed Claire. He poured everything he couldn't say in words into the kiss, his gratitude, trust, his absolute love for her, his fear of losing her, his outright need for her. He pulled her tight against him, and felt her hand running through his hair.

'Damn, Mac,' she said, as they ended the kiss and she pulled back slightly, her cheeks flushed, her eyes glittering.

'Um, excuse me, Mr and Mrs Taylor? I hate to interrupt but...'

Mac and Claire turned to see a young, male, Asian doctor waiting by Zack's bed, a smile of amusement tugging at his lips. Zack was grinning at them too.

'Mommy, Daddy, the doctor saw you kissing!' he giggled, and the doctor's mouth twitched again.

Mac felt his cheeks flare red, and Claire let out a choked sound and buried her head in his shoulder.

Smiling now, the doctor said,

'I'm Dr Wu. I'm the on-call pediatric orthopedic surgeon. I'll be treating young Zack here.'

Mac and Claire shook his hand.

Dr Wu gently examined Zack, talking to him as he did so. He explained that Zack would go for an x-ray and then would have surgery.

Claire froze in Mac's arms at the mention of the word, and Mac felt a twinge of anxiety as well.

'Don't worry,' Dr Wu assured them, 'I have done a lot of these operations. It's extremely unlikely that there'll be any complications. Zack is young and strong. He'll be out of here in a couple of days, most likely,'

Mac still felt an ache of worry in his chest. He'd been in the ER himself plenty of times, and in operating room too, both as a Marine and as a cop and detective, and he knew that modern medicine, along with the skill of the professionals, from the paramedics to the surgeons, meant that the risks of surgery, especially for something as relatively straightforward as a broken or fractured arm, were nothing to worry about. But he still would have given anything for it to have been him in the hospital bed in place of his son. Zack's injury was a sharp reminder that he wouldn't always be able to protect his son from being hurt. Mac hated that. He hated being unable to do anything for his son except offer him comfort and reassurance.

He looked down into Claire's eyes and saw the same emotions he was feeling. He pulled her close with one arm.

'He'll be fine,' he said, as confidently as he could, 'Won't you, little guy?'

'Will I really be fine, Daddy?' Zack asked. For the first time since they'd arrived at the hospital, Mac saw a flicker of fear in his son's eyes, and he noticed that Zack's hand had tightened on Curious George.

'X ray' and 'Surgery' were big, scary words for a five year old. Zack's eyes stayed on Mac's. The doctor was forgotten, and while Zack loved Claire as he did Mac, unconditionally, it was to Mac he now looked for reassurance that everything really would be okay. Mac could feel Claire looking to him for the same reassurance. He knew she was every bit as worried and frustrated as he was.

He let go of Claire and took two big strides over to Zack. He carefully sat on the bed beside him, and cupped his son's face in his hands.

'Everything's going to be fine, Zack. You know what an x-ray machine is, right?'

'The doctors use it to see people's bones,' he said, 'We saw one on a field trip to the hospital.'

'Well, you're going to have one of those so the doctors can see what's wrong in your arm,' Mac said. 'Then you're going to have a little operation. The doctors will give you a special kind of medicine that will put you to sleep, and then Dr Wu will fix your arm. But the special medicine means you won't feel a thing.'

'Like now?' Zack said, referring to the effects of the morphine.

'Exactly. Then you'll wake up and you'll have a special cast on your arm, to protect it.'

Zack nodded,

'Judy at school had one of those,' he said, 'Hers was pink. We all signed it. I won't have a pink one will I, Daddy?'

Mac chuckled.

'No. So, are you okay with all that?'

Zack thought for a few moments, then nodded.

'Me and your Mom will be right here when you wake up,' Mac said, 'You'll have to stay here in the hospital for a couple of days. Like Curious George did in that book when he goes to hospital, remember?'

Zack nodded.

'Okay, Daddy,' he said, wrapping his good arm around Mac's neck and snuggling close to him. Mac held his son gently and kissed the top of his head. He met Claire's eyes and they smiled, and Mac felt the rush of gratitude that he had both of them in his life fill him with warmth.

xxx

It was a few hours later. Zack had had his operation and it had gone well. He'd woken up for a while, but now had fallen asleep in the children's ward. Mac and Claire had taken shifts watching over him. Mac was now headed to the hospital canteen to get them some coffee and food. He was tired from the emotional strain of the day. But Zack was fine, and that was all that mattered. He smiled as he saw Flack walking down the corridor. He had a paper bag in one hand, and a flashy looking box in the other.

'Don, it was good of you to come,' Mac said as they met, 'And thanks for earlier.'

'No problem, Mac. How's the little man doing?'

'Good,' Mac said, 'His surgery went fine. He's sleeping now.'

Don smiled in relief.

'That's really great,' he said, 'I brought Zack this.'

He handed Mac the box, which contained a flashy toy car.

'Don, these things are expensive,' Mac said, 'Zack's been drooling over the adverts for them for weeks.'

'Hey, I'm his godfather, which means I get to spoil him.' Don said.

'Hmmm, and when exactly will you be round at our place to play with the car with him?' Mac said.

Don grinned.

'As soon as I can,' he said, 'That's a cool car.'

They laughed together for a few moments, then Flack handed Mac the paper bag in his other hand. Mac opened it to find coffee and cannolis.

'How'd you get this stuff in here?' he asked. His stomach rumbled.

'I'm dating the nurse who is in charge of this ward,' Don said. 'I had to buy her a cannoli too, but it worked. Ya gotta have the right connections, Mac.'

'Don, you are possibly my favourite person in the world right now after Claire and Zack,' Mac said, giving his friend a slap on the back.

Don grinned.

'Well, that's why I'm godfather, right?' he said. 'Coffee and presents are my department.'

'Yep,' Mac said, smiling too.

Joking aside, he was touched by his friend's thoughtfulness and his obvious concern for Zack.

'Well, I better go,' Don said, 'You and Claire let me know if you need anything. Oh, and Jo says you're not to come back to the lab for a few days. She has everything under control.'

'What about Sinclair?' Mac asked.

'Sinclair actually agrees with her. I'm not sure whether that's because he's glad to have you out of his hair for a few days, or whether it's down to the look Jo gave him when he started complaining about you leaving the lab so suddenly. I think she uses the same look on her kids when they get in trouble. Sinclair just shut right up, mumbled something about he'd leave everything in her hands, and left.'

Mac chuckled.

'Tell Jo thanks,' he said.

'Will do. Tell Zack I love him,' Don said. He left.

Mac returned to the ward.

'Oh, wow, Don brought coffee and cannolis?' Claire said, delighted when Mac showed her what he had, 'I knew there was a reason we chose him to be godfather.'

Mac smiled and handed her a coffee and a cannoli.

Together they settled down to watch over their sleeping son. Claire slid her hand into Mac's and squeezed, and Mac squeezed back. Claire snugged her head against his shoulder, and Mac ran a hand through her hair.

As tough and emotionally wrenching as the day had been, Mac felt a quiet sense of peace and happiness take over him as he sat with the two people he loved most in the world.

The End.