"Emily?" he got down beside her and tentatively placed his arm around her shoulders. To his dismay, he realized that she was crying. Thinking about the pain she must still be in, he got up and went back to her bed to fetch her pills. But when he offered them to her, she didn't stir.
"Emily, I'm going to get you a drink of water, ok? Please take a pill." He got the water the kitchen because he couldn't find a glass and when he returned, she meekly took the glass and the pill. But she couldn't stop crying.
"Hotch," she managed to get out between sobs. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to call you, I thought I was calling Garcia. And now I've been sick and you've been so wonderful…" she couldn't continue. Relieved that her tears were more about embarrassment than pain, he relaxed and once again sat beside her.
"Hey, I have a three-year-old, remember," he attempted to joke. "I know all about throwing up." Emily didn't stop crying, however. Not stopping to think about the appropriateness or not of a boss holding an employee, he didn't stop at just a one-armed hug – he picked her up and held her against his chest as she cried.
"Shhhh, shhhhh," he murmured. "It's going to be ok. I'm glad you called. I'd hate to think of you being hurt like this all alone. Now I'm going to carry you back to bed, ok? It may be painful but just for a second." When he had her back among soft blankets and pillows, he got up to go. To his surprise, Emily stretched out a hand and grabbed the end of his sweater.
"Don't go, please? I can't be alone right now." Did I really say *can't*? That will go over big with your boss, Em. Don't you think you've given him enough evidence to consider you completely incompetent and pathetic?
Hotch settled down beside her and hoping that he wasn't breaking any personal boundaries, reached out for Emily again. When she was back against his chest and her tears had stopped, he asked, "How long have you been having these headaches? And why didn't you say anything?"
Emily was quiet for a long time, wondering just what consequences her answers might have. She realized that she really had no choice but to reply and hoped beyond hope that she still had a job when their talk was through.
"They started after Reid and I were held at the compound," she began. "I went to the ER one night and got this prescription and I only take them at home, not when we're on a case or anything." Then, anticipating what he might ask next, she added, "They did the head CT and all the other tests you might want done after your head is used as a punching bag." She gave a small laugh but Hotch didn't fall for it. Giving in, she continued, "And I didn't say anything because frankly, Reid is carrying enough guilt around at the moment and I didn't want to add to it."
"You could've told me," he admonished, gently. "It didn't have to get back to Reid."
She summoned up her best Allison Janney voice. "There is no group of people this large in the world that can keep a secret. I find it comforting. It's how I know for sure the government isn't covering up aliens in New Mexico."
She could feel Hotch shaking with laughter and was satisfied. "What the hell was that?" he asked when he could finally speak.
"A quote," she answered, smirking. "C.J. Cregg, press secretary, telling Toby Ziegler, director of communication, that she can't find the leak. The West Wing. Don't you ever watch The West Wing?"
"I thought you hated politics."
"Only the real kind. The West Wing isn't politics. I mean, yes, of course it's politics because it takes place in the White House but it's so much more. I watch it to decompress."
"I watch Winnie-the-Pooh and Bob the Builder to decompress."
"That, sir, is because you have a three-year-old and you don't know any better. When my head stops pounding and I can stand to have the TV on, you're going to watch the pilot of The West Wing and see if you can tell me that it's not the most brilliant thing on DVD."
"It's a deal." They enjoyed a few minutes of comfortable silence. Emily couldn't believe that she was in the arms of someone she had had a crush on since she met him as a teenager. Hotch couldn't believe that he would enjoy holding someone so much after being so hurt by Haley. Then Emily noticed that it was too quiet.
"Oh oh." Her tone was ominous. Hotch looked down in alarm.
"Am I hurting you?" he asked with trepidation.
Emily winced. "No, but I think I'm about to impart some not-so-good news. The furnace has stopped."
