A/N: This update took a little while to get done. Not as long as last time, but I'm still sorry for the wait. A big ol' thank you to my lovely betas Chickie Baby, Greggo Maniac, and Sunset. They deserve a big round of applause for putting up with me. And considering how very long it takes me to update, go get a fic fix by reading Sunset's new fics Victims and Clue. And don't forget to drop my girl a review! You won't regret it. And if you do, I'll play scapegoat. Deal?

And now on with the chapter:

Chapter Seventeen: And Then There Were Two

Nick, Sara, and Greg rushed through the doors of the waiting room moments after Catherine was wheeled into an exam room. They cast a hurried glance around the busy waiting area, spotting Grissom, Warrick, and Lindsey standing near the receptionist's desk.

Sam Braun, whom Lily had called from the car, burst in almost immediately after them, his face a cloud of emotions varying from worry to fear to panic.

Lily was the first to see him and was at his side instantly, her hand on his arm.

"Oh, Sam," she began, intending to offer some semblance of comfort. Instead she found herself receiving it as Sam wrapped his arms around her. The simple gesture broke through the sheer will that had held her tears at bay, sending them coursing down her face.

"She's going to be all right, Lily. She's tough as hell, you know that," he whispered, his voice gruff.

By now everyone had noticed the new arrivals. Everyone except Lindsey, who was still clinging to Warrick like the scared little girl she was.

"Lindsey? Linds? Your grandfather's here," Warrick said softly and at first wasn't sure she'd heard him. "Linds?"

She shifted, turning her head in the direction of the doors. "Sam?"

Hearing his name, he looked up, his eyes lighting on Lindsey. A flash of pain shone there as he took in her pink nose, puffy eyes, and the pain held there. It was replaced with a comforting warmth as he gave her a small smile. "Hey Sweetheart."

Lindsey glanced up at Warrick before stepping from his loosened grasp and strode the few paces to Sam's side, leaning into him. He moved his right arm from Lily's back, wrapping it around Lindsey's shoulders, and placing a kiss on her forehead.

There was a brief silence as all gathered watched the embrace. Grissom, now aware that there were nine people standing in the lobby, gestured toward chairs in the waiting area. "Why don't we sit down? A doctor should be out soon."

-x-

Grissom, as was his way, had been right.

Only a few moments after they'd taken their seats, a doctor came through the swinging doors. He stopped at the receptionist's desk, speaking briefly. The woman nodded a reply and pointed in the direction of the group.

Warrick happened to be sitting on the bank of chairs facing the doors and was the first to see the doctor walking in their direction. Lindsey, Lily and Sam, sitting to his right, saw him next.

Grissom saw the four of them look toward the doors leading to the exam rooms and turned in his seat to see what caught their attention. Sofia, Sara, Nick, and Greg were sitting as a group a few seats down the row and looked up as well. Brass had gone to make a call to the sheriff.

Dr. Matthew Shilner stood before them, clipboard in hand, fatigue straining his features. Stress and graying edging in at his temples made him look older than his 43 years, but his air was one of confidence, a comforting trait to see in ones' doctor. He glanced at the clipboard and gave them a tired, but genuine, smile.

"Friends and family of Ms. Willows?" he asked, his eyes skimming the group.

A series of nods and a few 'yeses' were his reply; he nodded and cleared his throat. "Well, although her accident-" Warrick's eyes closed momentarily at the word and he felt Lindsey cringe beside him, "-was a bad one, it appears that she's doing quite well for the most part. Better than most actually. However, there are a few things I need to discuss with the family," he said, his gaze sliding from face to face before coming to rest on Sam and Lily.

"Are you her parents?"

Lily nodded, her grip tight on Sam's hand. "Yes."

Doctor Shilner hesitated for a moment and Lily figured she knew what he was going to say.

"Listen, Doctor Shilner. Anything you have to say can be said in front of all of us."

Shilner gave them a brief smile and took a deep breath. "Okay, no problem. Ms. Willows sustained quite a few injuries as a result of the crash, including a dislocated shoulder and a broken nose. She also sustained a few minor cuts and bruises, but those injuries are nothing to really worry about." He paused and took another breath before continuing. "Our main concern is the small tear in her spleen found during an ultrasound. She's being prepped for surgery as we speak and splenic surgery is minor. The surgeon will just be repairing the tear—"

"But wait," Lindsey broke in, her expression concerned, "is surgery gonna hurt the baby?"

The what? Warrick's head snapped around and he stared at Lindsey in profound confusion. He obviously wasn't alone in his shock as the gazes of Sofia, Greg, Sam and Lily all landed on the teen.

Lindsey didn't notice though, her attention solely on the doctor.

Shilner gave her a warm smile. "Let me guess: big sister-to-be?"

Lindsey nodded and allowed a small smile of her own. "Yeah."

He nodded in understanding. "The baby should be fine. The fetus was also detected during the ultrasound and the surgery team has been informed. Your mom'll be under general anesthesia, which is considered safe for both mother and baby. And after the surgery, aside from bed rest, she'll be prescribed penicillin to prevent infection and ibuprofen for any pain. Both of these medications are considered quite safe for use during pregnancy and are often prescribed," he said, spelling it out for her in hopes of alleviating her fears.

The explanation seemed to placate Lindsey and she nodded, sitting back in her seat and leaning into the arm her grandmother placed around her shoulders. "Okay."

Warrick's mind was reeling; he'd barely heard the doctor's speech to Lindsey or his additional assurances to the rest of the group that such an injury was semi-common among accident victims and that the surgeon conducting the operation was experienced in the area.

Catherine was pregnant? His brain kept rejecting the idea, though there could really be no doubt. The doctor had confirmed Lindsey's statement and there was no doubt he knew what he was talking about. But still…Catherine was pregnant?

He shook his head, trying to clear it, and focused back on the discussion as Schilner informed them that the surgery would take between two and three hours.

"Until then, try to get some rest. Ms. Willows-" he smiled reassuringly, "-is in excellent hands.

The group thanked him and he returned from whence he had come, pushing through the double doors of the ER.

The group sat in stunned silence for about thirty seconds before Greg finally spoke up, voicing what most of the group was thinking. "Cath's pregnant? Whoa."

Sara and Nick exchanged glances—she'd been forced to tell him what she'd known in the car during the ride from the scene—but neither of them said anything.

The rest of the group remained quiet. Greg spoke up again. "Wonder why she didn't tell us."

There was a tired sigh from Grissom. "Because, Greg, she just found out herself, and I'm sure she'd appreciate it if you didn't speculate on the matter," Grissom intoned, his voice and gaze dry. "Especially out loud."

Greg, looking properly chastised, studied his hands in silence.

Lily however, was only slightly placated to find that Catherine had just found out about her pregnancy. Why hadn't she told her?

Sam squeezed her hand, knowing exactly what was going through her head. "I'm sure she had her reasons," he said, voice low so only she heard.

Lily squeezed back and gave him a tight smile. "I know."

-x-

They heard from the doctor again fifteen minutes later. By then Brass had rejoined the group, been updated on Catherine's status, and Lily had filled out the necessary hospital forms.

They watched attentively as Schilner informed them that Catherine had just entered surgery, and then strongly suggested they all get some rest.

"Catherine is going to need all of you for support. Surgery is hard enough to recover from without the added stress of pregnancy on the mind and body. That means that you all need to be well rested in order to be of any help to her. As a matter of fact, I suggest that you all go home and get some sleep. As I mentioned, the surgery is at least two hours long and possibly quite a bit more. Even after surgery she'll be in recovery for a few hours, which means that you won't be able to see her for another five or more hours—probably closer to late this morning."

Noting the looks of hesitancy on all ten faces, he smiled. "Look, all I can do is suggest, but think of it this way: What good is it going to do Catherine to have ten very well-meaning people who can't keep their eyes open, let alone help her get better?"

He glanced around and added, "And before you think about it, these chairs are not comfortable for sleeping." He gave them another smile and walked away.

Grissom sighed. "He's right, you know."

Greg nodded. "Yeah. Can't be much help if we're comatose." Thinking that may not have been the best word choice at the moment, he quickly added, "I mean tired."

No one seemed to notice his little slip as they mulled over the doctor's words.

"I'm not leaving. Not yet," Warrick said. "I got plenty of sleep yesterday."

Grissom opened his mouth but upon taking in the set jaw and unflinching gaze, knew he'd never get Warrick to leave.

He turned to the group on his left. "Sofia, go home."

Sofia drew back, ready to protest, but he raised a hand. "I know I woke you. Go home. Get some sleep. Warrick or I will call you the second she's out of surgery. If you want to come back then, you can."

Sofia eyed him, looking none-too-happy—with his bossing more than his reasoning. After a long moment, she nodded. "Fine. But if I don't get a call—"

"I promise," he said. "Take Lily and Lindsey with you."

Sam and Lindsey both spoke up at the same time. "I can take—"

"I'm not go—"

Sam glanced at Lindsey and she pressed her lips together, allowing him to go first. "I can take them home," he said, gaze traveling back to Grissom. "And wait with them there."

"I'm not going," Lindsey declared, voice and eyes determined.

"Lindsey…" Grissom began tiredly.

"I'm…not…going."

"She can—" Warrick held up a hand to squelch Lindsey's impending protest. "She can stay with me until Cath is out of surgery. If it's ok with you," he said, addressing Lily.

Lindsey turned to her grandmother, eyes pleading.

Lily sighed. "That's fine. But after that you're coming home to get some rest." She said, her gaze as unyielding as her tone. "No arguments."

Lindsey rose with Sam and Lily, nodding. "Okay." She gave Lily a tight hug. "Thank you."

Lily kissed the top of her head, patting her back. "Hey, I understand, baby, I do." She and Sam both hugged their granddaughter, lingering in their embrace with her for a moment as much to comfort her as themselves, then left through the sliding doors at the ER entrance.

Grissom, that situation now amended, turned his attention to Sara, Nick and Greg. "You guys head home too. One of us will call," he gestured between himself and Warrick.

Sara shook her head. "I'm staying."

"Sara, no. You need rest."

"I'm fine. I—"

"Look, I know you couldn't have gotten much sleep. You didn't clock out until well after five and were back for the beginning of shift at a quarter past eleven."

Her eyes flashed annoyance. "That has nothing to do with this."

"Sar…." Nick touched her arm, getting her attention. "He's right. You need some rest. I'm wiped out, so I know you are, too."

Sara's mouth grew tight and a fight brewed in her eyes.

Nick quirked an eyebrow and gave her a look. "Sara…Come on. I'll take you home and I'll bring you back the second you're ready."

She stared at Nick for a moment, then dropped her shoulders in defeat. "Fine. Fine, I'll go home and I'll try to sleep. But if something happens and I'm not here…" her voice trailed off, leaving them to imagine what she might do.

"We'll call if anything happens."

She watched Grissom with narrowed eye before giving a nod. "Okay."

Greg, having agreed with the doctor anyway, didn't bother to add an okay of his own and simply rose with the rest of the group as they prepared to leave.

After the foursome left through the automatic doors, Grissom turned to Brass. "I can only assume you're staying."

Brass nodded.

"Take me back to the lab, will you? I need to get my car and some paper work."

Brass raised a questioning brow.

"Distraction," Grissom supplied, and Brass nodded in understanding.

"Let's make this a quick run, shall we?" Brass said dryly as the two men made their way to the exit.

Grissom didn't answer and they disappeared through the mechanically sliding glass doors, leaving Warrick and Lindsey alone. The pair were silent for a long while, lost in their own thoughts; Lindsey's relieved, Warrick's befuddled.

"Thank you," Lindsey said, effectively breaking the silence and Warrick's train of thought. He looked at her questioningly.

"For helping me, I mean. For letting me stay."

Warrick gave her shoulders a conspiratorial squeeze. "No problem. But I meant what I said about you going home after the surgery."

She nodded and gave him a small smile. "Okay. I know. I'm just scared; for mom and my little sister."

Warrick looked at her. "Sister?"

She blushed. "Well, I can hope, can't I? I mean what do you want it to be?"

"Me?" he heard himself ask.

She rolled her eyes and sighed with all the exasperation of your standard teen. "Yes, you. Do you want a boy or a girl?"

Warrick was thunderstruck. She'd just confirmed his suspicion. Confirmation changed everything. The baby was his.

He cleared his throat, hopefully forcing the shock from his voice. "What makes you ask that?"

Lindsey's eyes went wide. "Uh-oh. She didn't tell you yet did she? Oh shi-, I mean crap," she quickly corrected herself before nervously biting her lip. "Don't tell her I told," she pleaded.

Warrick barely noticed her little slip, though he agreed with the sentiment. Oh shi- indeed.

Noticing the panic in her eyes, he managed to push his own wildly out of control thoughts—the most demanding one being why Catherine hadn't told him—to the back of his mind and gave her a smile. "It's cool, Lindsey. Nobody's gonna be mad," he said.

She didn't look completely convinced but nodded anyway.

He wondered when Catherine had found out the news and figured he could pick Lindsey's brain. "Hey…Linds? When did she tell you?"

"Yesterday," Lindsey said, volunteering nothing else.

Perhaps that was why she hadn't told him. Could she have just found out?

He asked Lindsey that exact question.

She shrugged, thinking. "I dunno. She said something about seeing a doctor the day she got sick at work. I guess she found out then."

Warrick's brow furrowed. That had been close to a week ago. He'd talked to her the next day. Why hadn't she told him then?

Sensing Warrick had gone of into his own little world, Lindsey was glad the attention was no longer on her. She hadn't meant to blab; she'd thought her mother had told him. But he'd said everything would be okay, and she trusted him. Besides, he hadn't looked upset. Surprised maybe, but that was expected. So that was a good sign, right?

She consoled herself by staring at the news anchor on CNN, blabbing away on mute.

Within minutes she was sleep.

-x-

His brain on information overload, Warrick's thoughts jumped from one thing to another with no warning or order, though the end result was clear and unwavering.

Catherine was pregnant…With his baby…From an affair…An affair he had just reconciled with his wife about…And she hadn't told him.

His head hurt. And who could blame it? This qualified as cruel and unusual punishment, and his brain showed no signs of quitting its rapid-fire thought cycle.

He cursed lightly and immediately checked to see if Lindsey had heard, only then noticing she'd fallen asleep. Warrick hadn't noticed the slight pressure of her head on his shoulder or the soft snores issuing from her partly open mouth.

Hurting head or no, he couldn't help but smile. The normalcy of it, not to mention the cuteness, caused him to wonder if the girl's peaceful dozing was a good sign.

He decided it was and as he listened to her slumber, taking comfort in the fact that she felt safe and unworried enough to sleep so soundly, a thought occurred to him: he loved this kid. Couldn't help it, and who could? She was a pint-sized Catherine, with the pubescent version of her mother's feistiness.

He'd known her since she was a baby and couldn't imagine how boring his life would've been without the little spitfire begging him for everything from piggy-back rides when she was little, to secret driving lessons less than a month ago. The latter Warrick had declined because he was sure Catherine wouldn't have approved and he'd rather deal with Lindsey throwing a tantrum and being mad for a few days than evoking Catherine's wrath. He'd found the incident amusing then and it didn't fail to bring a smile to his lips now.

Another thought struck him and he wondered: would the baby be like that? Smart, and smart-mouthed, with attitude to spare? The thought made him smile. Or would it be more like him? Cool and laidback unless somebody went too far.

Or maybe the baby would be a nice combination of them both. Smart, cool and confident? Witty, observant and sassy? The range of the possibilities pleased him and he found himself anticipating just what the coming years would bring.

Lindsey shifted, muttering in her sleep and he glanced at her, noticing not for the first time that she looked like her mother too, which set in motion a whole new train of thought: Would the baby look like Catherine or him?

She would—he grinned, realizing he'd made the same assumption about the baby's gender Lindsey had—have his eyes, most likely. Genetics weren't arguable and the alleles for green were dominant. But he hoped the baby would get Catherine's smile. He loved that smile…

Warrick was just noticing that thoughts of the baby had completely done away with earlier thought cycle and his headache when a new thought broke in, the way thoughts tended to do, and whatever happiness he was deriving from his thoughts was put on momentary hold. Guilt, something that was becoming an art for him, took its usual position front and center.

When he'd fount out Tina was pregnant, he hadn't gone through all the 'what-ifs' he was going through now and this worried him. Tina was his wife. He should have been going through the "my nose or hers" questions with his wife in mind, not his….his what?

What was Catherine to him? A friend, yes, of course, but what else? He would never apply the term 'mistress' to Catherine. She meant far too much to him for such a common, dismissive term and the other term being thrown around was too offensive to even think. So what was she?

He couldn't come up with an answer before he noticed with alarm that Catherine was again pervading his thoughts.

He told himself it was because he was she was in surgery. He was worried about her, and now, their unborn child. It was only natural, of course, that Catherine would be in the forefront of his mind.

It was all true. But it wasn't enough to stop the battle between worry, joy, fear and guilt from raging.

A/N: So now he knows. Happy?