I'm Fine
Chapter 3
The Hospital
The team gathered in the hospital waiting room. The local PD had driven them to the hospital. Morgan turned to Reid, "What do you think is wrong, boy genius? You know the likely causes."
Reid raised his eyebrows, "Well, this is all speculation, and I don't want to cause needless alarm..."
JJ tugged on Reid's arm so he could see Rossi entering the room. Everyone noted his grim expression.
"He is in surgery. We don't know anything yet." Rossi sighed as he sank into a chair.
"Did the doctors give any indication of what to expect?" JJ sat next to Rossi, hoping there would be a crumb of news.
"Not really. They did an abdominal ultrasound, but stopped part way through because all they could see was masses of blood. The docs wanted to open him up, do an exploratory laparotomy." Rossi sighed.
"So they're not sure what's wrong, but they're cutting him open?" Morgan looked incredulous, and angry.
Reid turned to Morgan, "Exploratory surgery is really the best option here, Morgan. If they couldn't see any organs because of bleeding, they need to stop that ASAP. I wouldn't worry about that. I'm guessing he nearly ruptured something in the fight with the unsub, and he managed to keep it together until his intestine or blood vessel or whatever finally gave out. "
"I noticed something was off with him in the lobby of the hotel," Prentiss remarked. "I should have said something. He wasn't feeling well then, and maybe wouldn't have gotten this far if I had brought it up." She felt tears forming and stood to face the window instead of crying openly.
Morgan watched her lean against the window, "Emily, you couldn't have known it would be an emergency just from watching Hotch look a little faint in the lobby. He wasn't even aware of the seriousness of the situation until we were well on our flight. Don't blame yourself."
The team fell into an anxious silence, punctuated by vending machine visits, coffee runs and bathroom breaks. Four hours passed before a tired looking surgeon stepped into the room.
"I'm looking for Aaron Hotchner's family?" She held a clipboard like a shield in front of her body.
The team jumped up in unison, eager to have an update.
"He has been moved to recovery. If all goes well, he'll be in his room in a few hours. His appendix ruptured. We also found several intestinal adhesions and a portion of herniated bowel." She waited as they stood shocked at the information.
"What's the recovery like, doc?" JJ was the first to reclaim her composure. She had a pen and paper in her hands, ready to take down instructions.
The surgeon folded her arms across her chest and launched into her rapid-fire post surgery spiel, "Well, we've got him on a powerful broad spectrum antibiotic to keep peritonitis at bay. The incision healing should be a relative breeze. The most crucial aspect of his recovery will be his digestive tract. How quickly he can leave the hospital will depend on how fast he can tolerate solid food and have bowel movements. It may be more than a week before that is possible. A nurse will come and get one of you once he moves out of post op."
She turned to leave before they could ask any other questions. They all breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like their leader would be fine, even with a lengthy recovery time.
A few hours later, a nurse agreed to bring two of them to Hotch's room. "You can all come, but some of you will have to wait outside and keep the noise down."
Rossi and Prentiss were the first ones in. Hotch still had the nasal cannula supplying oxygen snaking across his face. His color was improving. Prentiss remarked on that right away, "Oh, Hotch. You look miles better. Your face was so gray on the jet. I'm so glad we made this emergency stop." She sat and grasped his hand. Hotch opened his eyes, furrowed his brow and smiled slightly.
"You scared the hell out of us, Hotch." Rossi looked at his friend tearfully.
"What did they find, Dave?" Hotch shifted in his bed without wincing. They were providing excellent painkillers, he thought.
"The surgeon will be back tomorrow morning to check on you. Essentially, that unsub scrambled your guts, and you were dumb enough to get on a plane with a belly bleed. " Rossi smiled at his friend. He was starting to feel more relaxed. Aaron really did look a hundred times better. He was groggy and weak, and far from being well, but he was alive.
"Oh, that was not what the doctor said, Dave. Send in Reid. I want to know when I can get out of here. " Aaron tugged at the cannula and looked down at his legs, which seemed to be inflating. "What the hell is this?"
"I'll go get Reid, JJ and Morgan..." Rossi ducked out of the room. He was feeling relieved that his friend was on the mend and also a little afraid for whoever was going to help Hotch recover.
"Those are leg cuffs that are programmed to inflate at certain times to prevent blood clots. They take them off as soon as you have the go ahead to walk." Emily patted his arm. "You know, Hotch, once you're back at work, you won't be able to sneeze without a whole bunch of overprotective glances from your team."
"Thanks, Emily. I knew I'd be in for it." Hotch gazed at her warily and braced himself for the onslaught of his concerned team.
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TBC? I don't know? Is this worth another chapter? Maybe?
Author's note/drabble:
Thank you for reading, folks! Every time I watch a scene filmed in the BAU jet, I can't help but think that it is a great place for a medical crisis. I have some personal experience with a sudden illness, which guided my portrayal of Hotch. I know it may seem a little strange to not be aware that your body is in some serious trouble, but I can verify that it can happen.
A few years ago, I had an ectopic pregnancy. I felt pretty good. I had pain, that I thought was gas. (High tolerance for pain, yeah!). I powered through the day without thinking much of my symptoms. It wasn't until I was coincidentally at the OB office, that they realized my Fallopian tube had ruptured earlier in the day and I was beginning to go into shock. Even when the doctors and nurses started to look alarmed, I felt calm and free of panic. I was fortunate to have emergency surgery immediately. I'm fine now, thanks to some fast acting doctors. The worst part was recovering in the maternal child unit. A priest asked me how my baby was doing and I wanted to punch him in the face. :-/
Thank you all for giving me an audience.
Concrit is welcome.
