She wakes up around 4 am, stretched out in the recliner with the feet up, mysteriously covered by two blankets this time. The lights are all off save for a dim light in the bathroom, and the glow of a smartphone radiating from where Hotch sits absorbed in his seat. He looks to be mostly asleep. When she shifts and sits up, he notices her. "He's not woken up yet. The nurse was just here to give him the last dose of sedative." She nods, and wonders when they all got so comfortable with each other.
She knew Agent Hotchner. Had sat next to him at Moran's New Year party and even had a conversation with him about her last doctorate and how she had a good chance of getting promoted to the head researcher at her hospital. He'd spoken of his son as Jack jumped on Spencer's back without warning, and together they'd watched as Spencer feigned death dramatically onto the carpet.
Before the shooting however, that had been as far as she knew him. She knew of his history and attitude from what Spencer told her, knew he was skilled and that he looked out for Spencer and cared deeply for him.
Now- she felt like she knew him far better. She knew he was loyal and protective, that he kept track of every round of personal that was apart of Spencer's care. She knew that he rarely let his emotions show through, but that he also knew that some situations called for delicacy and she had learned that he had become possibly her greatest wall of support.
JJ, Morgan, and Garcia had been outlets, coaxing her emotions out and prompting her to talk lest she bottle everything up and explode. They knew her best, and they knew how to use that to help her, cracking open her mind and keeping her head on straight. On the first night when she locks herself in the bathroom to cry, Garcia sits on the other side and talks about everything under the sun until she can breathe again, then holds her so firmly that Maeve briefly entertains the thought that maybe she can disappear in the woman's arms and when she reemerges everything will be okay. Emily and Rossi gave her welcome distractions and reminded her that the future wasn't doomed. They mention the news and bring the news paper and keep the blinds open. They helped her keep her head above water.
But Hotch was the one who was there when she inevitably slipped beneath the metaphorical waves.
She's pulled from her thoughts when Spencer shifts on the bed and lets out a string of syllables that sounds like "Mmmm 'wake. Awake. I'm- I am." The smile that finds her face nearly splits it in two. Despite the thin light from the bathroom she can see that his eyes are still closed, but he's moving his mouth, like he's testing the way his tongue feels against his teeth. His vitals have spikes briefly, but are already settling down, and when she slips her hand into his he squeezes it. "Who?"
"Maeve and Hotch." She tells him, standing clumsily from her seat, falling over the extended footrest and barely managing to catch herself on the risen rail on his bed. She promptly leaned over the side of the bed and planted a firm kiss on his brow, his eyes having struggled open at the sound of commotion she'd created. There's a glaze there keeping him from seeing them clearly- she can tell from how his eyes keep drifting from where they're supposed to be, overcome by the weight of his eyelids. She sees Hotch squeeze his shoulder and watches as Spencer struggles to wake himself up more.
There's a pitcher with ice water inside, and she slips some of the ice into a cup before giving him some. He smiles at her faintly, mumbling something incomprehensible about her reading his mind, but it comes out more like "Oi 'd mmm ind." Hotch actually laughs. Once she's sure that he's a little more conscious, she rested her hand on his face, completely mesmerized by the fact that he was alive and looking at her.
"'ow many days?" He asks, voice grating and at least one octave deeper than normal.
"Four." She tells him, voice soft and bursting with love. Hotch finds himself content to sit back and watch. He had been in this situation before- been there when Reid awoke in the hospital and had calmed him when his brilliant mind didn't supply him with the answers he needed. It was safe to say that Maeve was far more qualified for the job, and that Spencer was content to stare at her instead.
"Wow." is all he says, and Hotch knows then that Reid is not all there.
"Wow." Maeve repeats, and somehow, Hotch's heart swells further.
"Do you remember what happened?" Maeve asks tentatively, squeezing his hand.
Heis eyes roll over to Hotch, then back at Maeve. "No." There's a pause. "Is everyone safe?"
Hotch answers for her. "Yes."
Reid nods once. "Good." And immediately falls back asleep.
When Maeve starts quietly laughing, Hotch doesn't even have to question her sanity, because he's smiling too.