I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters. This is an AU story.
This takes place after the end of Season 11.
.
I hope you'll enjoy this short one piece story.
When The Storm Receded.
"He's coming out of consciousness now."
"Will he remember everything?"
"I'm not sure. Time will tell, and most importantly, he will tell us when he comes around."
A pause.
"It's been more than eight years, I hope he does."
….. Darkness...
"Aaron, wake up."
He heard her calling, then he felt a warm hand on his squeezing gently. "This is Emily. Can you feel my hand? Squeeze my hand if you can."
He did as she asked.
"That's great, Aaron! Can you open your eyes?"
He complied and slowly opened them.
At first it was fuzzy, everything was fuzzy.
"This is great, easy does it..."
He opened his mouth to speak but it was hoarse and it came out garbled.
He tried to squeeze her hand again. "It's going to be okay, Aaron."
Then a male voice came from the other side, "Okay, I think that's enough for the day."
He tried to shake his head, he wanted to do more, he wanted to ask a question but soon, darkness envelope him.
…...
He was sitting up today.
They told him he had been in a coma for a long time. How long? They would not say other than informing him that she would answer all his questions.
So he waited.
He sat by the window looking out.
He could see a tree from his room with branches swaying in the gentle breeze. A few birds flying past every few hours.
It must be Spring because there were leaves on the branches, he thought.
Earlier, a nurse had come by and assisted him to the bathroom, and for the first time he saw himself in the mirror and was stunned.
His hair was gray; had they always been gray? How old was he? And the beard, it was quite long and extended below his chin, and he felt uncomfortable with the weight of it. Again, he thought if he had always worn a beard.
He couldn't recall, and frankly, he didn't much care for it.
Maneuvering awkwardly into the shower stall attached with the IV tube he tried his best to clean himself without wetting the IV stand.
He closed his eyes as he felt the hot stinging water washed his body while his mind whirled; where was he? Who was he?
Why couldn't he remember anything?
After a while, he grabbed a bar of soap and began to scrub his gaunt body and washed himself.
More than two hours later, he was cleanly shaven when he stepped out of bathroom and saw her.
"Hello." She smiled as she stood by the bed.
He nodded at her, suddenly at a lose for words. It couldn't be...she was not supposed to be alive...all those years.
"Do you want to lie down on the bed or sit by the window?" She asked him.
He looked at her; it was then he realized she was wearing a nurse's uniform. She was a nurse.
He nod, "I'd like to sit...by the window." His voice was slightly hoarse.
She gave him a slight crooked smile and nodded, "Good, do you need help?"
He shook his head, "No, I can do it myself." And to prove it to her, he shuffled along with the IV tree rolling with him, he made it to the chair by the window.
She was already there to assist him just in case he stumbled but he sat down without incident.
She smiled approvingly, "That's very good, Aaron."
He grunted.
"Now, how about some lunch?" She asked him.
He nodded as he suddenly felt hungry.
She left and immediately came back rolling in a table with a tray of food on top. "Here you are, your favorite, Mac and Cheese, apple sauce and iced tea."
He frowned slightly, "Mac and Cheese?"
"Yes, you love Mac and Cheese!"
"I do? I don't remember..." he stared at the golden cheesy bowl before him and something seemed to flashed in his mind; a memory of a small boy laughing as he was eating happily...
"Aaron? Aaron, are you okay?" She patted gently on his shoulder. "Are you remembering something?"
He nodded, "I...I think so, he was eating Mac and Cheese, he likes Mac and Cheese."
She smiled broadly, "Oh, you must be talking about yourself when you're little, Aaron. You mention about it a lot. You told me your mother made you Mac and Cheese when you were a little boy."
He looked up at her, there were tears in his eyes, "But, but, that's not me...it's not me...my son..."
She shook her head, "Aaron, you don't have a son. We talked about it, remember?"
He shook his head, "No...no." he shook his head again, "I don't remember anything."
She sighed as she sat across from him and patiently explained, "Your name is Aaron Hotchner. You used to be a lawyer and you were involved in an accident ten years ago."
"Accident?" He stared at her. "Ten years?"
She nodded, "That's right. You suffered from amnesia"
"Amnesia?"
She nodded again, "It was a horrible accident, the doctor didn't know if you would survive, part of your brains was crushed and had to be removed, that's why you couldn't remember most of the things. When you first woke up eight years ago, we had to teach you how to walk, hold things." She smiled gently as she continued, "Just like a toddler, you had to learn all the basic functions. But you learned fast."
"What about my memories?"
She stopped smiling and sighed, "As to that, it was hard because you didn't know who you are, just like now. Every day when you wake up, you don't remember who you are and it's up to us to help you remember."
"And I am...Aaron..."
"Aaron Hotchner."
"Aaron Hotchner." He repeated, it sounded strange to him.
She nodded, "Yes, you used to be a lawyer before the accident."
"Lawyer." He repeated. "What kind of lawyer?"
"Defense lawyer for a law firm." She bend down and picked up a folder. "We have compiled a folder for you, so that we can go through..."
"Go through?"
She looked up at him and nodded, "Yes, the accident was not your fault, Aaron. The driver was drunk and he ran the light and into you."
He nodded.
"Your law firm sued him and his company."
"His company?"
She nodded, "His name is George Foyet."
His heart skipped a beat, "What did you said?"
She smiled, "I know, you always look stunned."
He nodded as he paled.
She continued, "George Foyet owned a few law firms around the State."
"What happened?"
"Your boss took him to the cleaners and he declared bankruptcy, and later committed suicide when he lost everything." She smiled.
He seemed comforted but still a bit confused. "Who's my boss?"
"Oh, that's right, you always can't remember. And he has been paying the hospital expenses, by the way." She grinned. "He's quite the generous boss, you have."
He nodded.
"His name is David Rossi of Rossi, Morgan and Reid."
"Rossi...Morgan...Reid..." He muttered their names. "That can't be..."
She nodded, "I know, again, you always have that look."
He looked at her, "The look?"
She smiled, "Your bosses, you looked surprised."
"I should be, they're my team..."
"No...not quite, they are your bosses. You work for them." She stated simply.
"I work for them?"
She nodded, "Yes, while you've been recovering here, your bosses have been busy." She handed him the folder. "Here's the papers, well, they're a couple of years old now but back then they're big news around here. Hotchner vs Foyet. The case lasted for over a year. To make the long story short, you won, and the jury award you and the firm 40 million dollars for drinking under the influence, well over four times the limits, and he tried to bribe the policeman on duty at the time, and he tried to blackmail the chief as well, which was a felony."
He nodded.
"It was all caught on tape and played on trial." She smiled. "Quite a show."
He nodded again as he glanced at the yellowed paper cuttings.
She stood up, "I'll leave you to your readings, you usually read and read them again. And don't forget to eat. I'll be back in an hour with your medications."
He nodded absentmindedly. when he suddenly spoke, "Who's Emily?"
She looked at him, "Who?"
"I woke up...I think it's in the operating room, there was a woman, she said her name was Emily."
She looked sad, "You must be confused, Aaron, the only Emily we knew was your fiancée."
"What happened to her?"
"She died in the accident, she was killed instantly."
She watched him for a moment before she walked away.
She was about to close the door when he looked up and called out, "Thank you, Nurse."
She looked at him and smiled gently as she nodded, "You're welcome, Aaron, call me Haley."
…...
The End