"cara de circunstancia"?

[Rusty]

This seems to describe the face we often get when facing something unexpected (waylaid by something horrid or awful). I think it covers the meanings of 'in the face of reality," "in the face of grief," or "in the face of reason." "In the face of reality" is probably the closest fit, in this case.

Other ideas:
a worried look
an oh-oh look
an oh-boy look
a here-we-go look
a brace yourself look