"Beth?"
"Aaron! You're awake!" Her voice sounded panicky over the phone.
Hotch shifted slightly, grimacing a little in pain. "You heard?"
"Yes. Dave left me a message. And I couldn't get a flight right away, or I would have been waiting at your bedside. And I'm so sorry."
He smiled. "You're babbling."
Beth's voice got stern. "This isn't funny. You had surgery. Are you okay? And, I wasn't there." Again, regret.
"I'm going to be fine. And, I understand that you couldn't get here. Garcia was here, so I wasn't alone."
"I'm glad she was there. I managed to book a flight to DC, so I'll be there soon and we'll spend some time together."
"That's good. And, Beth? I love you. I want to make sure you know that. I'm happy with you." He wondered if he could convey it all to her in just those simple words. That while Haley would always have a special place in his heart and memories, Beth was not second best. That he both loved Beth and was in love with her. And that following his heart meant choosing her. Telling her about his dream was too much over the phone, so he hoped this was enough.
"I love you, too," she answered.
Authors Notes : Because Fandom won't give me a pro-Beth pro Hotch/Beth he's in love with her and she makes him happy story in relation to Route 66, I wanted there to be something in favor of their relationship out in the fanfic world. Even if it's just a little bit of dialog between them.
