I can barely stand right now
Everything is crashing down
And I wonder where You are
- The Afters "Broken Hallelujah"
"Meningitis?" Aaron asked as the nurse held his hand, attempting to find a good place to start an IV. He was dehydrated, but still she managed to find a good spot and start it without too much trouble. The room was cold, she could feel it in her fingertips. She rubbed her hands together softly as she talked to the two men, trying to warm them up. They could hear the soft, muffled voices of other nurses outside of the curtains, patients moaning or talking or crying, babies screaming. The ER was not a place you went for peace and quiet.
"The good news is that it's viral, or aseptic, and diagnosed early. We will be admitting you for at least three days, primarily for IV fluids and pain management, but you should make a full recovery with no lasting side effects. You're very fortunate, Mr. Hotchner. "
"Ok," was all he could muster, though he didn't feel very fortunate. The nurse had given him a mask to place over his eyes while the room had to be bright, as his sensitivity to light was getting worse. The mask was filled with a cool gel and seemed to help just enough. His head was pounding, like someone was inside with a jackhammer, and he'd already thrown up twice more since the lumbar puncture. His entire body was stiff and painful.
"Three days, you say?" Dave piped in, looking up from his laptop. He was trying his best to keep quiet and not intrude, looking over case files and finishing up reports from past files. He didn't know how he was going to explain an absence of this length to the team without everyone wanting to come down in shifts and sit with a man who wanted to be left alone more than anything. He couldn't fault them for loving and caring for the man, though, and he wouldn't lie to the team. Aaron Hotchner was the sort of man who would have you believe he never needed a helping hand, and it made you want to help him even more.
"At least," the nurse replied softly, hooking a blood pressure monitor to Aaron's lower leg and covering him back up. He was already in a hospital gown, and now cords came from every which way, machines beeping beside him. "We will play it by ear. Generally, without further complications, symptoms of viral meningitis last 7 to 10 days, but we could be able to manage them well enough for a few days here that he could spend the remainder at home without issue."
"Alright," he began, shutting his laptop. "Aaron, Jason's mother said Jack could stay with her as long as necessary. I can call Jessica if you'd rather him be with her…"
"No. Jason's house is good. He's a kid, he should be with his friend having fun." Aaron muttered, fighting another painful wave of nausea. He whimpered a little, couldn't stop the sound from coming out, and swallowed hard. "You should go, Dave. Try to salvage the rest of your weekend."
Dave smiled a soft, knowing smile and looked down at the floor. "I'm not going anywhere, Aaron."
"Did you tell anyone?" Aaron asked, rolling his head toward where he knew Dave was sitting. He couldn't see him, but he could feel his presence there. Dave shook his head.
"No. Only Jason's mom knows we are here. You can't control this situation, Aaron, I think someone is trying to tell you that."
The nurse brought Aaron a second blanket and draped it over him, then looked at his friend. "We're going to keep him here in observation for another half hour, to make sure the fluids get going and his symptoms don't worsen. Once we have a room set up, we will transport him up there. Visitors will be limited, and none for at least the next 48 hours, save for you. This is a highly contagious virus, you understand. We are taking as many precautions with you as we can, I don't want to see you in here next week."
Dave nodded and sat back down. His chair had been moved a little further from his friend, and he was asked to wear a mask, but he knew that the damage was done. If he was going to get sick, he just was. He made a mental note to hire someone to clean Aaron's apartment, top to bottom, before he and Jack returned home. "Thank you, Rita." The nurse smiled and nodded, patting him on the shoulder gently and looking over at his sick friend.
"It's sweet of you to stay. He's a stubborn one…" she murmured, winking at him. Dave chuckled.
"You can say that again." Dave could tell, from the soft sounds of Aaron's breathing now, that he'd fallen asleep. When the nurse had gone, he opened his computer again and began drafting a letter to the BAU about their Chief.