DISCLAIMER || I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruining the lives of our favorite characters.

A/N || This will eventually turn into a DuCaine fic, I think. Sorry about the slow updates, but please read & review! I love me some reviews. The more you give, the faster I write. If you have any ideas about what I should add, send those too. I'll credit ya. :]

Alexx Woods had just finished giving instructions to the nurses at the front desk, if Calleigh's call button was lit or if anyone came to visit her, she was to be notified. She smirked as she approached her old friends, her old team. The sight of them sitting with the kids curled up against them was precious to her. She had always known that Horatio would make a good father, but honestly didn't think that he'd ever cut his work schedule back for that commitment. It surprised her when he did, when it was told that Marisol was pregnant with Taylor. "Well you all certainly look comfy," she mentioned quietly as her smirk became a full blown smile. She only recognized two of the children: Taylor, of course, and Harvey, who she hadn't seen since the boy was three. He was a lot bigger, but he still looked the same as Alexx remembered him. She eyed the small blond child sharing Horatio's chest as a pillow with Taylor. "That must be Jordan. Oh, isn't she a doll?"

"And a Momma's girl," Natalia offered. "All she wanted today was to see her mother, kept asking for her all afternoon. Seems like Calleigh's got herself a shadow."

Horatio reached around the small girl's head to sweep the hair out of her face. Alexx couldn't believe how much the girl looked like her mother. "Oh my gosh! A shadow? A miniature is more like it."

"That's what I thought," Horatio chuckled but was careful not to wake the slumbering children. Alexx sat down next to Natalia, who was still holding Harvey on her lap. "We'll have to have the children checked out as well." He looked to Alexx. "Is the attending physician a reputable one at this hour?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "As soon as she clocks in, she'll be fantastic." She rose to her feet. "Follow me."

Alexx led them to an examination room, leaving briefly to clock in as per hospital policy. She took Harvey in first, checking over his general health, for sickness before looking for anything else. Once he was deemed free of illness, she checked for bruises and physical markings that weren't supposed to be there. Cuts, bruises, things of that nature. Filling out a report as she went, she found several scars that resided on the back of the boy's neck and shoulders. She noted those and the almost faded bruises on various parts of Harvey's body. Other than those, she could only find one injury that any six year old boy would have: skinned knees. She performed the same examination on Jordan, filling out a report for her as well. Emerging with the small girl, she watched as Jordan ran directly for her brother, only to be scooped up by Natalia in the end.

Horatio and Natalia looked at the examiner. "Well?" Natalia asked, somewhat impatiently.

"Well," Alexx started, opening Harvey's file. "Harvey has multiple bruises, they were almost completely faded. When I asked him how he got them, he said he was playing. But when I asked him how he got the scars on the back of his neck and his shoulders, he said he didn't know. They look like burn scars. Other than that, and a good case of playground knees, he's fine."

"Wait, burn scars?" Natalia questioned. "Like, from cigarettes or something bigger?"

"Some of them could be from cigarettes, but a few are too big for that. Now Jordan," Alexx began as she opened the second file, "has several small cuts and some bruising, but she only has three cigarette-sized scars on the inside of her left ankle. Now I noticed a pattern between the bruises on both children. Most are thin and rectangular, and not going in any specific direction. So I'm guessing they're from a belt. The ones that don't fit that pattern fit a second. They're too thin to be a belt, maybe...an electrical cord?"

Jordan shook her head, and Natalia spoke. "No?"

"Don't say nothin', Jo," Harvey instructed his sister.

"What does your daddy use, Harvey?" Horatio asked. The boy mumbled something and shrugged his shoulders, but he didn't have to answer.

Jordan answered for him. "Daddy gets switches."

Harvey reached up and pinched his sister's leg. "Shut up, Jordan!" She squealed and tried to slap his hand.

Horatio pulled the boy towards him. Watching the exchange between the siblings left Natalia completely lost. "What in the world is a switch?"

"A switch, Miss Boa Vista, is a long but very thin, flexible twig from a tree, often used in place of a belt," Horatio offered.

"And unfortunately, that's not the first time we've heard that." Alexx frowned and shook her head. "Poor babies. I just can't believe that Ben did this. He's always seemed like such a nice guy."

"Yeah, well. The nice guys are usually the biggest creeps," Natalia huffed. She knew that from her work, yes, but also from personal experience. Jordan laid her head on the woman's shoulder, her eyes drooping again. Natalia rubbed the toddler's back. "H, let's go back out to the waiting room."

Horatio nodded, Alexx clocked back out and led the way once again. As they took their seats in the waiting room, the man was in deep thought. It was something he had pondered many times, and every time he had come to the conclusion that it was just human nature. But now that it was someone he cared for, now that it was Calleigh, he thought about it in more depth about it. How could someone hurt something they created, something as precious as a child? Or the person they created that child with? He knew that ultimately, it just came down to brain chemicals. Or so that's what scientists said. Whatever it was that caused it, it still blew his mind.

"We're told that the woman attacked yesterday was a tourist who used to live here," the bottle blond on the 6 AM news show said, informing the public. Horatio was still in the hospital's waiting room with the children, Natalia and Alexx having gone home a few hours ago. He wasn't quite sure how the media had gotten wind of Calleigh's attack. He knew that Ryan Wolfe had a history with leaking details to the public, but was sure that he wasn't the case. "She's a former member of the Miami-Dade Police Department, and is in stable condition at a local hospital. Her name has not yet been released. More on that when we have more information."

He had a certain dislike for the media. When they were trying to help a case, the often hindered it instead, and this was Calleigh's case they were hindering. This would be on the news all day, and Ben would know that Calleigh was still alive. Horatio was already expecting an attempt by Ben to get his children back, though he had no intentions of letting that happen. He watched as Harvey sat up straight in the chair, waking up. "Hey there." The boy mumbled a hello. "You wanna go up and say hello to your mommy?"

Harvey looked up at the man with his hazel eyes filled with sleep. "Yeah, can we?"

Horatio nodded. "Of course, son. Let's go." Standing up and picking both girls up off the couch, he managed not to wake them up. "This way, son." Leading Harvey to the elevators and down the hallway to Calleigh's room on the 5th floor, Harvey cracked the door open.

"Harvey…" Calleigh heard the door open, and turned to look at who was coming in. She held her right arm out to her son, and he ran to her. Her eyes welled up as she kissed the top of the boys head. "Buddy, Momma is so sorry…I love you, bud." She felt Harvey's arms wrap around her, and she could tell he was being gentle as he mumbled that he loved her too. She smiled at him, kissed his cheek, and looked up at Horatio. "Hey."

"Good morning, Ma'am. How are you feeling?"

"As good I'm gonna get, I guess," Calleigh sighed. "Were the kids much trouble?"

Horatio shook his head. "None at all." Walking over to the bed, Harvey moved out of the way and Horatio set Jordan down on the bed next to her mother. She was starting to wake up. "Natalia said that all Jordan could talk about yesterday was you. Son, why don't you pull up that chair so you can sit next to your mom, hmm?"

Harvey did as he was told and Calleigh hugged Jordan to her with her uninjured arm, kissing the child's head. "I hope she was telling her good things," she chuckled. "She's always right on my heels whenever I'm at home. Jo's my personal little intern." A smile crossed her face as she looked down at both of her children, Jordan cuddling closer to her mother. Calleigh looked back up to her former boss, her dearly beloved friend. "Horatio…thank you."