Chapter 1: Visiting

The first chapter of my Hotly story; enjoy!

He shouldn't have been there. It was dangerous for her. Doyle was still out there, and if he was anywhere near Quantico, then there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he would try something.

But, he needed to see her. To know she was still breathing. He hadn't dared to go anywhere near this hospital, simply because he wanted to keep her safe. At least until she was able to travel. But, his thoughts were beginning to get the better of him, and he found himself parking his car, and stepping out into the heavily beating rain, making his way towards the sliding doors.

The nurse was hesitant to allow him to see her, as she had only had JJ as a visitor, and it took some time, but soon he was on his way down the hallway marked "Recovery". Aaron turned, and looked at the nurse, who didn't seem to want to leave. She was standing by the door, back pressed against the wall, a clip board in her hand.

"Do you.. um, mind if I have a moment alone with her?" he asked quietly, furrowing his eyebrows at the confused expression that shadowed the young nurse's face.

"Oh! Of-Of course. I'm sorry," she apologized, and before he had time to say anything, she scurried out the door, the loud band yelping throughout the room. He cringed, staring the at the metal for a moment, before turning and approaching the bed.

She was sleeping. The drugs the doctors were giving her were pretty intense, so he didn't expect to actually get to hear her voice. But, seeing her was enough.
He pulled up a chair, and sat it directly next to her bed, plunking himself down. He wasn't sure where he was supposed to begin. At the beginning, he guessed.

"Emily.." his voice was dark, monotone, like he was trying to force a lump down his throat. "I'm.. I'm sorry for not visiting sooner. Things have been busy," he didn't know if he should even mention the new case they were working on. But, he decided not to. Absentmindedly grinding his teeth together, he cleared his throat and leaned a little closer.

"I promise. We are going to catch Doyle, and we are going to bring him to justice. Don't worry about that. Focus on getting better," the dark voice was gone, and it had transformed into a lighter, softer voice. Raising his hand, he placed it on hers, but didn't grab it. He was afraid of waking her, and knew the gentle gesture wouldn't do so. He wasn't sure what else he could say to ease her mind, or if he should say anything at all. He wasn't even sure if she could hear him. So, he fell silent for a moment, leaning back in the chair, but still keeping his hand rested on hers.

An hour later.

He woke to the sound of machines, beeping loudly in his ear. Had they been that loud before? His eyes sprung open, ready for any sort of action that might be occuring, but the room was completely empty, apart from the brunette laying in the bed beside him. And that's when he noticed it. He looked down, and saw her eyes opening, her brown orbs suddenly coming to life.

She hadn't turned her head yet. He didn't know if he was going to, but he remained still, not wanting to startle her if she wasn't aware of his presence yet. She was trying to speak, mouth opening for oxygen, but all that came from it was a small, croak of pain. She coughed, then glanced over, squinting as if to clarify who she was seeing.

"Hotch?" she asked in a groggy, swollen tone.

"Hey," he replied, almost silently. Seeing her awake, and more importantly - alive, was something that he thought wasn't going to get to him as much as it did.

"I bet I look like crap, huh?" he could tell she wanted to laugh, put some humor on the situation. But, this wasn't funny at all.

He forced a laugh, and shook his head. "A little banged up, maybe," he reassured her, before noticing that his hand was still resting against her wrist, almost at the same moment she did. But, he didn't move it. She would need some source of comfort, and he was more than willing to give it to her.

"It's good to see you," she said in the midst of the silence they had slipped into her.

"It's good to know that you're alive," he replied quietly.

"How are the others, y'know handling it?" she asked, worry laced through her tone.

"Coping," he answered simply. "JJ's been here to see you a few times. I didn't know if you knew."

"Yeah, I knew. This is the first time I've been concious enough to talk," she murmured, shutting her eyes.

"You don't have to talk. I'm not going anywhere."

"What about, Jack?" she asked, opening her eyes to glance up at him.

"He's with Haley's sister for the night," the word Haley came in a soft, barely audible tone.

"Oh. In that case, feel free to stay," she said, a smile now tugging weakly at her lips.

The next few hours were spent with Hotch keeping Emily up to date with what was going on with Jack, how he was handling Haley's loss, and how school was going for him. Emily listened contently, comforted by the voice of somebody close.

Before they knew it, the nurse was walking through the door, clip board in her hand once again.

"I'm very sorry, sir. Visiting hours are over in ten minutes, and Ms. Prentiss needs her medication. You'll have to say goodbye."

He didn't want to say goodbye with her hovering over him like that. But, he stood up, and hesitated, before leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I'll see you soon," he promised as he pulled away, looking down at her.

There was a smile, but this time it was brighter, genuine. "Come visit before I leave," she requested, shutting her eyes at the nurse began to pump the drugs into her vein once more, sending her into a haze.

"Of course," he reassured her, before turning and walking out slowly, catching one last glance before shutting the door, and taking a deep breath. He had been in there almost all night, but he was glad that they had that time to get closure. He did, at least.

The rain hadn't stopped, but as he walked to his car, already drenched in water, Aaron was comforted knowing that she was safe.

What did ya think? Yay? Nay?