It's been a month since Reid had gotten his daughter and it was now his first day back to work. Strauss and Hotch had given him a month off to get settled in with her. He was dropping her off at the daycare. He was terrified to leave her alone for the entire day, but he new he had to. Logically he knew she would be fine, but it didn't make his separation anxiety any easier. Arriving at the daycare Reid looked at the daycare worker nervously.
"She's going to be okay Dr. Reid. I'll be watching her all day," The worker, Sandy, said with a soft smile at him trying to flirt with him.
He blushed and thanked her. After telling the baby he loved her and kissing her cheek he handed her to Sandy and then headed for the bullpen.
As he is making his way to the bullpen he passed JJ with a still dozing Henry. The six-month-old was clutching tightly to his mother's shirt.
"Hey there Spence. Just dropping Christi off?" JJ asked
"Yeah. I'm a nervous wreck," Reid admitted
"That's a normal feeling. It will be fine. The day is going to fly by, you just watch," JJ assured giving him a confident smile.
"Thanks, JJ, bye, Henry," Reid said giving them both a smile before continuing on his way.
XXXX
"We don't have a case as of yet, so work on consults," Hotch instructed as the team sat through their morning briefing. Everyone nodded and headed back to their desks. Noticing that Reid kept glancing at the cloc, Emily gave him a sad smile.
"You're having a tough time with your separation anxiety, huh?" she asked sympathetically.
"Yeah, that obvious?" Reid asked. Emily nodded her head.
"But that's a good thing. It shows that you love her," she assured him.
"I'm just afraid of screwing up," Reid admitted. "I mean I didn't exactly have the most stable examples for parents growing up. My father left when I was 10 and my mother is skitzofrenic I didn't exactly have a normal childhood. I just want to give Christi the best," the genius concluded.
"You're doing just that," Morgan told his friend.
"Thanks, Morgan," Reid said smiling and turning back to his paperwork.
XXXX
The quietness of the bullpen was broken a few minutes later by a cry from a small child.
"Unca Mogan!" Jack Hotchner cried as he ran at the older man, Haley walking not too far behind.
"Hey there, kiddo. What are you doing here?" Morgan asked scooping up the toddler and tickling him.
"Mommy gots to go somewhere so she tolded me I had to stay with daddy," the little boy explained.
"Sorry about this, but I really need to talk to Aaron then run an errand," Haley said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it. He'll be fine with us," Morgan told his bosses wife.
"Hey, Jack, do you want to go see Henry and Christi?" JJ asked having just walked into the bullpen.
"Yeah, can I Mommy? Pease?" Jack begged. Haley nodded and Jack jumped down from Morgan's arms and ran over grabbing JJ's hand excitedly.
"Let's go, Auntie J!" he cried happily.
"Hey, JJ, can you?" Reid began.
"Yes, I'll check on her," the media liaison replied. Blushing at his friend reading him so well, Reid bent over the consult he was working on.
XXXX
"Haley, what are you doing here?" Hotch asked standing up to greet his wife.
"I need to run errand and it's going to take a bit so I came to see if Jack could stay with you for a bit. His preschool teacher was sick so he doesn't have preschool today," the mother explained. "I was going to ask Jess, but she's working," Haley added.
"I don't mind that, but where is he?" Hotch asked, noticing that his son wasn't in the room.
"JJ took him to see Christi and Henry," Haley explained before her face fell and tears filled her eyes.
"Haley, what is it? What's wrong?" Hotch asked in concern.
"I have to go to the doctor. That's why I'm leaving Jack here," she began.
"Why do you have to go to the doctor?" her husband asked. He could feel the fear clawing at his throat. They'd been on a case most of the last week, but he'd noticed that Haley didn't seem to be quite herself when he'd gotten back two days before. Haley bit her lip nervously refusing to look at him. "Talk to me, Hales, what's going on?" Aaron questioned gently.
"About a week and a half ago right after you left for the case I was taking a shower. When I was showering I found a lump in my left breast. I immediately called my doctor and she got me in right away. She took a biopsy and now the results are in," she explained finally allowing the tears to take over. "I might have breast cancer, Aaron." Hotch felt his world tilt. His wife, the woman who he'd loved since high school, the mother of his son, just told him she could have breast cancer.
"Oh god, No, Haley," he said his throat choked with tears.
"Yeah, I know," she said hickuping. In three long strides, Aaron had crossed the office and was holding her in his arms. No things hadn't always been easy for them, but he loved her and right now, that was all that mattered.
"I'm going with you. The team will be fine without me for the rest o the day. Jack can spend the day at the daycare," he said gathering his thoughts and making a plan.
"Thank you, I didn't want to go alone, but I wasn't sure how to ask you, Aaron," Haley admitted.
"All you had to do was tell me. I love you, Haley" Aaron breathed.
"I love you to," she replied desperately trying to get her emotions under control.
XXX
Everyone was in the bullpen including Garcia when Hotch and Haley walked out of his office. Rossi had seen Haley wal into the office and so he walked down to the bullpen to see if the rest of the team knew what was going on.
"I'm taking the rest of the day off. If you need me, call me, but only in an emergency situation. I'm leaving Jack at the daycare, we'll be back to pick him up later," Hotch said woodenly. Haley just stood next to her husband silent and pale. The rest of the team wanted to know what was going on, but they knewthat now wasn't the time for questions.
"Don't worry about Jack. I'll pick him up after work and keep him at my house. I just need his diaper bag and his booster seat," JJ said.
"They're in my car," Haley said softly. Reaching into her purse she pulled out the keys and handed them to JJ.
"Just get what you need out of her car, we'll be back for it later," Hotch said turning and taking Haley's hand giving it a squeeze before the two of them left the BAU leaving a curious and clearly worried team in their wake.
XXXX
"What do you suppose that was all about?" JJ asked.
"I'm not sure, but they both looked pretty shaken," Garcia commented.
"That they did," Emily agreed.
"Okay, I know we're all worried about Hotch and Haley, but we have work to do, so get back to it," Rossi said slipping into his boss persona and heading back up to his office all the while wondering what hardships his best friend and his wife were facing now.
XXXX
It was finally the end of the day and Reid had managed to make it through with only two visits to the daycare.
"Are you ready to get out of here?" Morgan questioned.
"Yes, I'm going to get Christi then head home. Have a good night, Morgan," Reid said standing and grabbing his messenger bag.
"See ya, kid. Give the little munchkin a kiss for me," the Chicago native requested.
"I will, bye," Reid said leaving the bullpen and heading for the daycare. He was glad to be picking up Christi he'd missed her terribly and he was definitely ready to head home.
TBC?
A/n, Please check out my new forum, Country Song Prompts. Also, please check out my facebook page. The link for both the facebook page and the forum are in my profile. Please R/R!
