Catherine lay curled on her bed, hugging a pillow. Thankfully, Lindsey was staying at her sister's house for the night and she didn't need to explain why she'd come home from work early. As she had left the scene, she felt overwhelmed, not only because she felt physically ill, but because she was afraid of what it might be. She had only felt this way once before, and deep down, the unflappable Catherine Willows was terrified.

She had spent the first hour that she was home crying, another indication that she felt that her life was spiraling out of control. She really hadn't felt like herself for a while. Whether it was the fact that she'd made a gross error in judgement by utilizing the lab's resources improperly, finding out in the process that Sam Braun was her father, or that she'd ultimately been responsible for the lab explosion, or perhaps it was the fact that she'd jumped into a relationship with Chris that had no foundation other than physical pleasure.

It was that last thing that gave her pause. Things between her and Chris had crumbled and he was dating someone else now, someone who could give him more time, someone who didn't have a child to hold them back. Catherine felt tears spill down her cheeks again as she hugged the pillow tighter.

If her suspicions were true then her entire world was about to turn upside down. Right now she needed someone to talk to, someone who would just listen and wouldn't judge. She needed to figure out exactly what to do before it became obvious what was wrong.

Her cell phone rang, breaking her from her reverie. She glanced at the caller ID to see if she wanted to answer it, and when she saw who was calling, she flipped the phone open. "Hey."

Warrick's tone was concerned. "Cath, I heard you went home sick. What's wrong?"

In spite of herself, Catherine choked out a sob.

"Are you okay?" Warrick was becoming worried now.

Catherine sniffled. "No." She felt another sob escape. If anyone else besides Warrick had called, she was certain that she could have held herself together, but he was a very close friend and she trusted him in a way she didn't trust too many people.

"Cath?" Even though Warrick was in the middle of a case, he was tempted to leave to go see her.

She sniffled. "I just don't feel very well right now." She knew that he knew that there was far more to the story.

"Where's Lindsey?" Warrick asked with concern.

"At my sister's." Catherine sniffled. "She's spending the night and then going to day camp."

"I'm coming over there after shift." Warrick didn't leave any room in his tone for negotiation.

A faint smile flickered across Catherine's face. "Okay." She sniffled again.

"It's gonna be okay, Cath." Warrick did his best to try and reassure her, not really sure if it was true.

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes after shift ended that Catherine heard a knock on her door. A faint smile tugged at her lips knowing that Warrick had probably left early and ran a few red lights to get there. As she opened the door she felt herself being swept into a hug.

"Hey, I'm worried about you." Warrick whispered in her ear.

She let herself rest against him for a long moment before pulling away. She looked up into his eyes, her expression full of fear. "I'm scared, Rick."

Warrick's brow furrowed. "What's going on?" He allowed her to lead him to the couch where they both sank back into it.

Catherine tried to keep a brave face on, smiling even through the tears that slipped down her cheeks. "I threw up at a crime scene."

Warrick nodded. "Yeah, Sara told me."

"But that's not all." Catherine continued looking at Warrick who was studying her demeanor. "I don't think it's the flu."

Warrick nodded, reaching over and taking her hand. "Chris?"

She nodded. "I haven't seen him for over a month, but if I am, it's his." She choked back another sob. "We were always careful. I knew he wasn't the kind of guy I could spend the rest of my life with, that's why I never let him meet Lindsey."

"Hey." Warrick pulled her against him and held her as she cried. "Whatever happens, I'm here for you."

She found herself laughing as she pulled away, wiping tears from her eyes. "It could be a wild ride."

He smiled at her softly. "That's what friends are for."

Catherine looked small and vulnerable. "What am I going to tell Lindsey?" The last thing she wanted to do was to disappoint her daughter. She had held things together when Eddie had become a disaster. She had been strong when she'd left him, and she'd kept up a brave front when he had died.

Warrick looked at her intensely. "First you need to find out if there's anything to tell her. Okay?"

Catherine nodded. "Yeah, I know." She wondered what she would do, how she could raise another child if she was in fact pregnant. She was sure that Lindsey would take things in stride, but she also wondered what kind of message that this was sending her daughter. The very reason she'd never let Chris meet Lindsey was because he was the kind of guy she wanted to spend the night with, not the rest of her life with. How she would explain that a man Lindsey didn't even know about was the father of her half sibling she had no idea; there was no easy way to say it.

"Hey." Warrick's voice broke her out of her reverie. "You know we all love you. You're not in this alone." He knew that he could confidently speak for the rest of the nightshift team. They weren't just coworkers, they were like a family, albeit a somewhat dysfunctional one.

Catherine nodded, her eyes pleading with Warrick's. "Would you stay with me? I don't want to be alone right now."

He nodded. "Yeah." He pulled her against him once more, kissing the top of her head. "I'll hold you."

After a while, Catherine pulled away from him and smiled. "Thanks for coming." She sniffled. "It means a lot to me."

He smiled at her as she let out a yawn. "You need to get some sleep, Cath." He stroked her hair. "C'mon." He pulled her up off of the couch and propelled her down the hallway to her bedroom, climbing on top of the bed with her and wrapping his arms around her as she molded herself against him.

They drifted off to sleep together, Catherine taking comfort from Warrick's presence and Warrick letting his arms encircle her protectively.