Catherine woke to find Warrick slumped in the chair next to her hospital bed sound asleep. She furrowed her brow as she watched him. He had been there everyday since she'd been admitted to the hospital, coming there directly after shift and staying until the beginning of the next. He had been such a good friend to her over the years and since she'd found out that she was pregnant, he'd been an even better one. There was a part of her that wanted more from him, but there was another part of her that really needed to step back and evaluate the direction her life was going in.

As long as she could remember, she'd been living on the edge, and it wasn't like her family life had given her any other example. Her mother had been Sam Braun's lover, but never someone that he was willing to commit to. That example had led Catherine down a line of men who had used her and abused her, Eddie being the biggest loser of them all. That is until she met Chris. He was a pretty big loser in his own right.

She let out a sigh. She wasn't really sure what it was she saw in him, and as she considered it, she realized that the only thing that she had really wanted Chris for was pleasure. Her thoughts turned to Lindsey and with regret she realized that if she continued on the path that she'd paved, her daughter was destined to end up in the same place that she was. Alone and without real love in her life.

She saw Warrick stir and then open his eyes. "Hey." She smiled at him.

He let out yawn and tried to stretch the kinks out of his neck from sleeping hunched over. "How long have you been awake?" He looked at her inquisitively.

"A little while." Her brow was still furrowed as she let out a sigh.

Warrick looked concerned. "You ok?"

She nodded. "I've just been doing some thinking."

Warrick nodded thoughtfully. "Wanna talk about it?" He knew that this whole situation had to be hard on Catherine.

"I'm just not the kind of mother I want my daughter to have." Catherine had a serious expression on her face.

"You're a good mom." Warrick began to protest.

Catherine shook her head. "Can you honestly say that?"

Warrick nodded. "Yes, I can. Lindsey is a good kid."

Catherine looked at him earnestly. "I'm one step away from being the kind of mom who doesn't see that her boyfriend is molesting her daughter because she can't seem to pick men who see fidelity as important. I'm a lousy judge of character when it comes to the men I date. We've seen enough people in this line of work who have screwed themselves up and their families up because of one stupid choice."

"Cath, I think you're being too hard on yourself." Warrick knew what she was getting at, but he had nothing but admiration for her for doing the best with the hand she'd been dealt in life.

"I need to be hard on myself. I don't want Lindsey to repeat my mistakes and unless I change some of the things in my life that obviously haven't worked up to this point, that's exactly what is going to happen." She was adamant.

Warrick just listened.

"I just think that it's time I grew up a little and took care of my daughter and thought more about what's best for her instead of just what I want." Catherine had a faint smile on her lips.

"I still think you're doing a good job, Cath." Warrick reached over and took her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I appreciate you saying that, but I know I can do better." Her voice was soft as she studied his face. "I just think maybe I need to take a break from a few things for a while."

Warrick's brow furrowed slightly.

"I have to take a few weeks off work to recover from the surgery, but I think I need to make some other changes." There was a part of her that wanted to tell Warrick that he was the kind of man she wanted to be with, but she knew that if she did, she might not really correct the direction her life was heading in. She only hoped that he'd still be there when she figured things out.

"What kind of changes?" He could tell that there were feelings deepening between them, but he didn't want to push her either. He could wait if that's what it meant, he just wanted Catherine to be happy, and he truly wanted what was best for Lindsey too.

She smirked. "For starters, I think I need to pull myself out of the dating pool for a while. I think I need to spend some time reconnecting with Linds. When Chris and I were together, I spent so much of my off time with him that I hardly saw her. She's spent more time with my sister over the summer than she has with me." A sadness crept over her face. "I don't want to lose her, Warrick."

Warrick nodded. "I know you don't." He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'm here for you, no matter what. You know that don't you?"

She nodded. "That means a lot to me." She truly appreciated his friendship. She'd connected with him in a way that she hadn't connected with anyone else, and even though she'd known Grissom longer, she really was closer to Warrick.

Warrick smiled at her. "I've got your back."

Catherine let out a low chuckle. "Good, because I have a feeling that this is going to be a hell of a lot harder than I think it is."

"If anyone can do it, you can." Warrick assured her with a grin.