Author's Note: Derek stays home with Ben when he's sick, but Spencer realizes it's more than just a cold.


Spencer and Derek were both fast asleep when the bed dipped between them. Spencer rolled over to see Ben, curling up between them and whimpering. He sighed, rubbing his back.

"Are you okay, Ben?" he whispered, his voice raspy.

He whimpered, shaking his head and sniffing.

He reached over, turning on the lamp on his nightstand and sitting up. "What's wrong?"

Ben sat in his father's lap, curling up. "I don't feel good."

He looked over at the clock and saw that it was just after 1:00 a.m. "How long have you not been feeling good, buddy?"

"Bedtime."

He frowned, running a hand through Ben's hair and kissing his forehead. "Do you want to sleep in here with Daddy and Papa tonight, see if that helps?"

"Uh huh."

He turned off the lamp, setting Ben on the bed and lying back down. Ben curled up beside him and Spencer wrapped an arm around him, rubbing his back.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," he mumbled.

Spencer shook his head. "Don't apologize for not feeling good, it's not your fault."

"But I woke you up."

He rubbed circles on his back. "It's part of a Daddy's job."

Not long after, Ben fell asleep and Derek looked at Spencer, raising an eyebrow. "When did he show up?"

"About ten minutes ago," he whispered, "he doesn't feel good and didn't want to wake us."

"Think he'll feel better in the morning?"

He shrugged. "There's only one way to find out."

The next morning, Spencer was in the kitchen making breakfast while Derek had the task of getting the kids to wake up. Both of them were taking after Spencer, in the sense that they never wanted to leave their bed. Derek walked to Parker's room, sitting beside her and rubbing her back.

"Parker, time for school."

She groaned, pulling the blankets over her head.

He rolled his eyes. "There's pancakes."

Those always seemed to be the magic words, making her spring up in bed. "Be right there!"

He smiled, shaking his head and walking to his bedroom, sitting beside Ben.

"Come on, little man, school's waiting."

Ben sat up in bed, squinting and rubbing his eyes. "Do I have to go?"

Derek raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to go to school? Call the press."

Ben looked up at him, confused, before curling up again.

Derek pressed the back of his hand against Ben's forehead, frowning. "You're not feeling good today, are you, bud?"

Ben shook his head, moving over and leaning against his father's side. "Daddy's gonna be mad."

"Why?"

"'Cause I'm missing school," he mumbled.

He picked him up, kissing the top of his head. "I can promise you that won't happen, come on." He walked out to the kitchen, rubbing his back and leaning against the counter.

"Parker, if you're not out here in the next two minutes to eat your breakfast, it's going in the garbage and you're eating toast," Spencer called out, making her a plate and setting it on the table. "Don't make me start counting down."

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she yelled, running out of her room and sitting down at the table.

Spencer turned around to face Derek. "What's wrong?"

"Little man's still not feeling good, and he's running a fever."

He walked over, pressing the back of his hand to his forehead and sighing. "You okay, Ben?"

He shook his head, whimpering and resting his head on Derek's shoulder.

"What hurts?" he asked, after grabbing the thermometer and cold medicine from the bathroom cabinet.

"My tummy."

Spencer frowned. "I'm sure." He put the thermometer into Ben's ear, waiting for it to beep. When it did, he pulled it out and checked the temperature.

"I'm sorry I'm missing school, Daddy," he mumbled.

Spencer smirked, kissing Ben's forehead. "It's okay, buddy, I'm not mad." He then looked at Derek. "Do you want to stay home with him, or should I?"

"You took Parker's flu, I think it's only fair I take this one."

He nodded, turning to face Parker. "Get your things ready for school, we're leaving in five minutes."

She saluted him before running to her room, closing the door.

Derek sat on the couch, lying Ben down and putting a blanket over him. Spencer sat at Ben's head, rubbing his back.

"Are you going to be good for Papa today?"

He nodded, holding up his pinky, and Spencer smiled, wrapping his around it. He then bent down, kissing his forehead and rubbing his back. "If you want to talk to Daddy at all today, just have Papa call me, okay?"

"Uh huh."

He smirked, kissing Derek's cheek. "Let me know if his fever breaks."

"I will. Can you tell Hotch I'm not coming in today?"

"I can handle that." He rubbed Ben's back one last time before patting it, grabbing the car keys and getting up.

"Is Benny okay?" Parker asked, putting on her backpack and grabbing her lunch box off of the counter.

Spencer nodded, putting his bag on his shoulder. "He's not feeling good today, so Papa's going to take care of him while you go to school and I go to work. Now are you ready to go?"

She put up a finger, walking over and fixing the blanket over Ben, kissing the top of his head. "Feel better, Benny."

He gave her a thumbs up and Derek smiled. "Have fun at school today, Princess."

She hugged him. "I will. Take good care of Benny."

"Promise." He kissed the top of her head and she followed Spencer outside, closing the door behind her.


After arriving at work, Spencer walked to his desk, setting down his bag and coffee before sitting down. Garcia walked up a few minutes later, leaning against his desk.

"What, there's no hot stuff this morning?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Ben came in our room running a fever after midnight, and it wasn't much better this morning."

She frowned. "Poor baby. Is he okay?"

"He has the fever and a headache. He's probably in my room, cuddled up with his Papa right now – Derek volunteered to stay home with him, because I stayed home with Parker when she had that nasty flu."

"Did you take him to the doctor?"

"It's not that bad as of right now, but if he gets worse, or he's sick again tomorrow? We're going to take him." He saw the look in her eyes. "He's in a small now, and he's still obsessed with dinosaurs."

"Thank you, 187." She ruffled his hair. "Don't forget to call the school and let them know he's not coming in."

He opened his mouth to respond, but held up his finger. "And this is why you're my favorite." He picked up the phone, dialing the school. "Hi, this is Spencer Morgan, Parker and Benjamin's father? Yeah, his sister's going to be there today, she's already on the playground with her friends, but Ben's home sick today." He laughed. "Yeah, trust me, he's not too happy about missing it either. Hopefully he'll be back tomorrow. Thank you." He hung up, leaning back in his chair. "Hotch in yet?"

She shook her head. "You beat him in this morning, so you can get a start on those files on your desk, maybe even leave early to get home to your sick little man."

He picked up a case file. "You know me well."

A while later, Spencer's phone rang and he reached over, answering it. "Spencer Reid."

"Don't you mean Spencer Morgan?"

He smirked, sitting up. "How's my little guy doing?"

"I got him to eat some eggs for breakfast, but he ended up getting sick."

Spencer frowned. "Did you-"

"I gave him a bath afterward, he's had his medicine, and now he's asleep with Clooney on our bed."

He smiled to himself. "Our bed?"

"I put him in his own, but he said sleeping in ours would make him feel better. I figured you wouldn't mind."

"How's his fever?"

Derek sighed. "He's a little warmer than he was this morning. If he's not better by tomorrow morning-"

"We'll take him to the doctor," Spencer finished.

"I already called."

"What did she say?"

"She said that so long as the fever doesn't get higher and the symptoms stay the same, he's fine for now, but I should bring him in the morning if he's still sick, just in case."

He nodded, impressed. "So he's asleep now?"

"Yeah, finally. We played dinosaurs before he got sick, and he insisted that he had to have them in the bath and play with them after."

"And being the sucker you are, you fell for it?"

Derek scoffed. "Excuse me? When Parker was sick, you let her run this house."

"I resent that."

"Yeah, I'm sure you do. Did you tell Hotch?"

"Yeah, let me know if he gets worse?"

"I can do that." He walked to the bedroom, sitting beside Ben and leaning down, kissing his forehead. "We'll probably see you soon."

Spencer smiled. "Probably. I love you."

"Love you too."

He hung up, leaning back in his seat and sighing.

"Everything okay on the home front?" Emily asked.

He shook his head. "Your godson ventured into our bed at one in the morning, and he's been feeling bad since then: fever, stomach ache, vomiting… I just feel bad that I'm here while Derek's taking care of him."

"Sounds familiar."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"When your daughter was sick for three days? Derek was kicking himself in the ass for working while you two were home."

He smiled slightly. "Really? Because Derek said he was handling it just fine-"

"Well Derek's a liar."

"I figured." He looked at his pile of case files, chewing on his cheek.

"What is it?"

He shrugged. "I'm just thinking. I have ten files left, and if I time it right, I can get them done in time to pick up Parker from school and spend the rest of the day with Ben-"

"Reid?"

He looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Go tell Hotch you're cutting out of here at 2:00, he's not going to care."

"Are you sure he won't-"

"He has a soft spot for you when it comes to your kids, and he knows how important it is for a kid to have their parent around when they need them. Trust me when I say he's probably going to try to convince you to go home earlier than that."

He thought about it before getting up from his desk, walking up the stairs and knocking.

"Come in."

He opened the door and stepped inside, clearing his throat. "Do you have a minute?"

Hotch closed the file on his desk, motioning for Spencer to sit down.

He took the seat in front of Hotch's desk. "I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Personally or professionally?"

"As my boss."

"What is it?"

He shifted. "As you know, Derek's home with Ben right now, and he's running a pretty high fever. I was wondering if I were to finish my case files, if I could leave early? Probably around 2:00, so I could pick up Parker at school and spend the rest of the day home with Ben. If not, I understand-"

Hotch put up a hand to silence him. "It's no problem, Reid. How's he doing?"

He exhaled. "I just got a call from Derek checking in and he's sleeping now, but he's still got a fever and he ended up getting sick. We're both hoping he sleeps off whatever it is but," he shrugged, "you never really know."

"That you don't. You can leave early today, there aren't any cases that automatically need our attention. If either of you need to take tomorrow, just let me know."

"Yes, sir." He stood up. "Do you need anything else?"

"I need you to finish your work so you can get home to your son."

Spencer paused before nodding and walking out to his desk, sitting down.

"How did it go?" Emily asked, smirking.

He rolled his eyes. "You, Emily Prentiss, were right."

"I don't think I could ever tire of hearing that from the great Doctor Reid – I'm sorry, Morgan. The last time I called you Reid in front of your daughter, I got the stink eye."

He smiled, opening his case file. "What can I say? She's a feisty one."

Spencer had finished his work early, and after checking in with Hotch, was on his way to pick up Parker at school. Once he called the school to let them know, he pressed the button, waiting for the elevator. He saw Garcia walk by and smiled to himself. "What time should we expect you at the house?" he asked, not looking toward her.

She stopped in her tracks, thinking. "I'd say about 6:30, does that work for you?"

He nodded. "Dinner's at 6:00 and they won't be in the bath until 7:00, so you'll be fine."

"I shall see you then!"

He gave her a quick wave before stepping into the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor.


When he made it to Parker's school, he checked his watch and saw that he was early. He got out of the car, leaning against it. While he waited, he took out his phone, calling Derek.

"Hey, Pretty Boy."

"Don't you sound exhausted?"

Derek exhaled. "You would too if you had to clean our sheets and bathe our son for the second time today."

Spencer frowned. "Is he okay?"

"He's curled up on the couch with some soup, watching one of his dinosaur movies. His fever's consistent, but he got sick again about a half hour ago."

He crossed his arms. "I'm waiting outside Parker's school now – Hotch let me go early to spend time with the two of them. Do you need me to grab anything on the way home?"

"Some more cold medicine for him would be great, maybe even some popsicles."

"Why, is he saying his throat hurts?"

"No, but mine would sting pretty bad after getting sick."

"Good point. Can you put him on for me?"

"Sure, one sec." He heard Derek walking to the living room and sitting beside Ben, rubbing his back. "Ben, buddy, Daddy's on the phone."

He took the phone, sitting up. "Hi, Daddy."

He smiled. "Hey, buddy. Are you feeling any better?"

He whimpered. "I wanna go to school tomorrow."

"I bet, we'll see how you're feeling in the morning. Parker and I are going to be home in a little bit. How about the two of us play dinosaurs and watch a movie together while Parker and Papa make dinner tonight?"

"Okay. I'm sorry I'm sick, Daddy."

"Don't be, you couldn't help it." He looked up as the school bell rang. "Were you good for Papa today?"

"Very, I sleeped a lot."

"I'm sure. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

"Love you, Daddy."

He smiled. "I love you too, Ben." He hung up, putting his phone in his pocket and waiting.

Parker came out a few minutes later, running over to him. "Hi, Daddy!"

He bent down, hugging her and kissing her forehead. "Did you have fun at school today?"

She nodded. "I got an A plus on all of my tests!"

"That's my girl." He rubbed her back. "Ready to get home?"

"Uh huh, I made Benny a get better card during recess."

"You spent your whole recess making something for your brother?"

She nodded again as Spencer opened the back door. "I want him to feel a lot better, so I used a lot of time on it."

"I can't argue with that logic." He closed the door after she got in, then got in himself, starting the car.

When they got home, Spencer turned to Parker before walking inside. "Don't spend a lot of time with Benny, okay? He's sick and I don't want you sick too."

She nodded. "Can I give him his card?"

"Definitely, and you can help Papa make dinner tonight."

She clapped her hands together as Spencer unlocked the front door, walking in and holding the door open for her.

"How's the patient?" Spencer asked, taking off his jacket and hanging it up.

Derek looked up from the table, where he and Ben were playing with his dinosaur toys. "He's awake and his fever hasn't gotten any worse."

"Well that's good." He walked over, sitting on Ben's other side, kissing the top of his head. "How you feeling, buddy?"

He shrugged, setting down his toy and snuggling into Spencer's side.

Spencer smiled. "How about the two of us sit on the couch and watch some movies together?"

He nodded and Spencer picked him up, sitting on the couch and setting Ben beside him. The little boy moved in, resting his head in his father's lap.

Spencer ran his fingers through Ben's hair. "Parker made you something at school today."

"What?" Ben asked tiredly.

"Parker, do you want to show him?"

She set down her backpack, unzipping it.

"Did you grab the cold medicine and popsicles?" Derek asked.

Spencer nodded. "I stuffed them into my bag, if you want to stick the popsicles in the freezer and the cold medicine in the cabinet."

Derek kissed Spencer's forehead before taking the bag out, walking to the kitchen.

Parker walked over, handing a card to Ben. Spencer looked down and saw that it was blue, Ben's favorite color, and covered in drawings of dinosaurs.

"Can you read it, Ben?" Spencer asked, rubbing his back.

Ben nodded, yawning. "Get better soon, Benny. Love, Parker."

He smirked. "What do you say?"

Ben set the card down on the table. "Thank you, Parker."

She tiptoed over, kissing the top of her brother's head, patting it and walking to the kitchen to see if she could help Derek.

"What hurts, buddy?"

Ben whimpered. "My tummy and my head, 'cause it's hot."

"Are you hungry?"

He quickly shook his head. "Nuh uh."

Spencer thought to himself, going through the symptoms. "Derek, how high has his fever gotten today?"

"Hasn't gone over 102, why?"

He frowned, taking his phone out of his pocket.

"What is it?"

He put a finger to his lips, motioning toward the phone. "Hi, this is Spencer Morgan, my son's a patient there, Benjamin Morgan. Can I please talk to Doctor Smith as soon as possible?"

The nurse on the other end told him to hold and he leaned back on the couch, rubbing Ben's back.

"What?" Derek asked.

"Hi, Doctor Smith, it's Spencer Morgan. Did Derek call you about Benjamin earlier? He did? Good. I just got home from work and Ben's fever has consistently been under 102.2, his stomach hurts, and he's lost his appetite. Should we be concerned about appendicitis at this point? I know it's a long shot, but just in case…"

"You think it's appendicitis?"

"Yeah, he's gotten sick twice-"

"Three times," Derek corrected.

"Three times, and he was complaining about the stomach pain very early this morning. I'm just concerned that if it is, we have to worry about a rupture."

He heard her flipping through her some sort of book. "Bring him to the hospital now, I'll have them bring him in for some scans."

He sighed. "Thank you, we'll be there soon."

He hung up, turning to Derek.

"Is it?"

"I don't know, but she wants me to take him to the," he covered Ben's ears, "h-o-s-p-i-t-a-l" he finished, moving his hands, "and have him tested."

"I know what that spells!" Parker called from the kitchen table, her textbooks open in front of her.

"I bet you do." Derek sighed. "I'll see if one of her aunts can keep an eye on her, I'll meet you there."

Spencer bent his head down, kissing Ben's forehead. "Hey, buddy, do you want to go for a ride with Daddy? We're going to get your tummy checked." Ben looked up at him, nodding, and Spencer wrapped the blanket around him, picking him up and kissing his forehead. "We'll see you there?"

"Let's hope so." He kissed Ben's cheek, rubbing his back. "Be good for Daddy, okay?"

He nodded, resting his head on his father's shoulder as Spencer grabbed his keys, walking out.

Derek leaned against the counter, taking his phone out and calling Garcia.

"Fairy godauntie at your service."

He smiled slightly, running a hand over his scalp. "A favor, godauntie?"

"Sure thing, I'll be there in a few hours. What do you need me to grab?"

He swallowed, sighing. "I need you to watch your niece."

"…Sure, what for?"

"Spencer's on his way to the hospital with Ben now, and I really can't sit around and play the waiting game."

"Hospital? What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Spencer did his usual home diagnosis and thought it might be his appendix, and called his doctor, who wants him to get the tests done. Is there any chance-"

"Say no more. Drop her off at work with a backpack full of whatever to keep her busy, and a bag for some overnight clothes, just in case. I'll watch the princess, you worry about the prince."

"You're a godsend, Baby Girl. See you soon." He hung up, turning to face Parker. "Can you pack up your homework? We're going to see Aunt Penny."

She nodded, getting up and closing her books, stuffing them into her backpack. After packing a bag for her, the two of them were out the door.

Derek walked up to Garcia's lair, Parker's hand in one hand and her bags in the other.

"Go ahead and knock."

She nodded, knocking on the door repeatedly.

Garcia walked up and opened the door, looking at Parker. "My you've grown on me!"

"Daddy genes," Parker said, shrugging.

"I guess so." Garcia held out her hands, and Derek gave her the bags. "Let me know how my little prince is doing?"

"I can do that." He looked down at Parker. "Can you be good for Aunt Penny while I'm at the hospital with Ben and Daddy?"

"I can." She let go of his hand, hugging his leg. "I want Benny to be okay."

"Me too, princess." He knelt down, kissing her forehead. "I'll let Aunt Penny know as soon as I know anything, okay? I promise."

Parker held up her pinky. "It only counts if you swear it."

He wrapped his pinky around hers. "I swear."

She kissed his pinky. "Love you, Papa."

"Love you too, princess." He got up, looking at Garcia. "Thank you."

"Anytime. Now, go check on my macchiato."

He took his keys out of his pocket, kissing his hand and resting it on Parker's cheek. "Do your homework."

"I will."

He nodded and turned around, walking out and rushing down the stairs.


Spencer walked into the hospital, right to the front desk.

"Hi, Spencer Morgan, Doctor Smith called about my son, Benjamin Morgan? He needs to see a doctor immediately."

The nurse held up a hand, giving him a clipboard. "Go right up to pediatrics, room 12, and fill those out while you're waiting for the doctor." She typed up a bracelet and printed it out, putting it on Ben's wrist.

Spencer thanked her before walking over to the elevator, pressing the button and getting in. "You okay, Ben?"

He nodded against his shoulder, resting his head against it. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

He shook his head, kissing the top of Ben's. "We never apologize for things we can't control, and that includes being sick."

Once settled in the room, Spencer was filling out the forms while Ben laid on the bed, curled up on his side with his eyes closed. He set the clipboard down and rubbed Ben's back, sighing. "It's okay, buddy."

Not long after, Derek walked in, sitting on Ben's other side. "How are we doing in here?"

Ben shrugged, whimpering.

"His doctor's going to be in soon to do the tests. What did Garcia say?"

"She wants to know how he's doing as soon as we have an update, and she's going to be sure Parker does her homework."

He smiled slightly. "Like she needs to be told."

A few minutes later, a doctor walked in, clipboard in hand. "Mr. Morgan?"

"Yes?" Both Derek and Spencer answered.

The doctor smiled, holding out his hand to Spencer. "I'm Doctor Thomas, I'm going to be taking care of Benjamin this afternoon."

Spencer shook his hand, followed by Derek.

Doctor Thomas looked at Ben. "How are you feeling, little guy?"

"Icky," he put plainly, pulling the blanket over himself.

"I'll bet." He quickly took Ben's temperature and wrote it down on the clipboard. "Can you lay down on your back for me so I can check on your belly?"

Ben looked at Spencer, who gave him a quick nod. "It's okay, Ben, Papa and I are right here." He took the boy's hand, squeezing it. "We're not going anywhere."

Derek reached over, taking his other hand and squeezing. This seemed to be what he needed to calm down enough and lie down, looking up at the painted designs on the ceiling.

Doctor Thomas rolled up Ben's shirt. "Okay, little guy. I'm going to press down, and if it hurts, I want you to say something. Does that work for you?"

He nodded, squeezing his fathers' hands and keeping his focus above him. Presses on his chest went without a reaction, as well as a few on his upper abdomen. The doctor pressed on his belly button and Ben whimpered. "There."

"Over here too?" he asked, pressing on his right side.

He nodded, squeezing their hands again.

Derek looked over at Spencer and saw that he was worried. He reached over, patting Spencer's arm, before looking back at Ben.

Doctor Thomas stepped back, writing something down and looking back at Ben. "Usually, we perform a blood test or x-rays to check on it, but something tells me he wouldn't be too willing to get his blood drawn."

Spencer nodded. "He doesn't do well with needles."

"I'm going to bring in an ultrasound to get a better look, and we can decide if he needs surgery from there." He looked at Ben. "Is it okay if I get a picture of the inside of your belly?"

Ben's eyes widened. "Inside?"

Derek smiled, squeezing his hand. "Don't worry, it's from the outside. They're going to put some stuff on your tummy and get a picture on a screen of what's going on in there." He patted Ben's stomach. "It's how they used to see you when you were inside Daddy's tummy."

"Really?"

Spencer nodded. "He's just going to put on some jelly that helps them see, put on a wand, and we're going to see your belly. I used to get them done all the time when you and your sister were inside of me. I promise, it doesn't hurt."

This seemed to calm the little boy down and he nodded at the doctor, who dismissed himself from the room, coming back a few minutes later with the machine in tow. He spread the gel onto Ben's stomach and Spencer smiled. "Cold, isn't it?"

Ben nodded, pouting.

"I feel your pain." He bent his head down, kissing his forehead. "Just look at the screen and you can see your insides. It's pretty cool."

Ben turned his attention to the screen, watching it closely as the image came up. His doctor was sure to point out the different organs, and Spencer provided facts about each of them. Derek smirked, listening to Spencer ramble on. He was immediately silenced when something showed up on the screen and he sighed, sympathetically looking down at Ben. Derek looked up at him and Spencer nodded, before kissing Ben's forehead.

Doctor Thomas cleaned off his stomach before turning to Spencer. "I'm going to see when I can get him up to the OR."

"Thank you."

He gave both of them a nod before walking out.

"What's that?" Ben asked.

"Well," Spencer started, squeezing his hand, "you know how the doctor looked at your tummy?"

"Yeah…"

"He saw something that doesn't go there, so they're going to go in there and fix it."

Derek saw him panicking and shook his head. "Don't worry, you're going to be asleep while they do it. You're not going to feel a single thing. I had the same thing when I was twelve, and I'm fine."

Spencer ran his fingers through Ben's hair, sighing. "Can you call Garcia and have someone drop off a bag for us?"

"I can handle that." He kissed Ben's forehead before taking out his cell phone, walking out.

He stepped out of the hospital, dialing Garcia's phone number.

"How's he doing?" she asked immediately.

"No witty greeting? I'm disappointed."

She smiled. "Is this a phone call to tell me all is well and you'll be by to pick up the princess soon?"

"Afraid not." He sighed. "It looks like, once again, Spencer was right. He's going to get surgery soon to get his appendix out, and according to the statistics Spencer rambled, it's a 1-2 day hospital stay."

She frowned. "My poor baby. What can I do?"

"Well, first, I want to know if you can keep an eye on his sister. Spencer and I are going to stay at the hospital with him: neither of us wants to be away from him right now."

"I get it. What else?"

"If you could grab our go-bags from the house, as well as some pajamas for Ben, we'd greatly appreciate it. And his dinosaur, you know which one I'm talking about."

"The blue stuffed one that the two of us made together, Donnie?"

"That very one."

"Can and will do. Should I update the team, let them know you two won't be in for a few days?"

"That would be great. I need to get back inside, Ben's probably in a panic about being cut open. We'll see you soon?"

"You bet," she put her hand over the phone, "Parker, please put your textbooks away before I trip over them."

Derek smiled. "She got you with them, didn't she?"

"Twice already. Is it okay if she tags along?"

"Yeah, maybe seeing his big sister will help. See you soon, mama."

"You bet, brown sugar." She hung up and Derek sighed.

When he made it back to Ben's room, Spencer was rubbing his back and Ben seemed to be asleep.

"He okay?"

Spencer nodded, pulling his blanket up. "After giving him a few facts about the surgery, he nodded, said he was going to be brave, and fell asleep." He smiled to himself. "I tried to tell him he didn't need to be brave, and that he could be scared if he wanted to, but he told me that his dads are superheroes, which makes him one, and superheroes don't get scared."

"It sure beats the knights and villains," Derek said, shrugging and sitting on his other side. "What did his doctor say?"

"He'll be up in surgery soon, and afterward, the two of us wait for word from the surgeon to see him in recovery. He'll be in recovery for an hour, then back in here for a day or two." He cleared his throat. "Did you tell your mom yet?"

"Not yet, I'll probably give her a call when he's up in surgery. Garcia's going to stop by with our things soon, so we don't need to leave."

"Good. I'm sorry, Derek."

"…For what?"

He shrugged. "For not seeing the signs earlier. I'd read extensively on appendicitis, and I should've recognized it. He could've already had the surgery and been sleeping it off by now, but-"

Derek leaned over, kissing Spencer softly. He pulled back, resting a hand on his cheek. "Neither of us saw the signs, and it's neither of our faults. He's fine, his appendix didn't rupture, and he's going to be fine after surgery. I promise."

He nodded slightly, licking his lips and thinking. "So who's going to show up with a present first… post-Garcia?"

He smirked. "Well, I don't know. His godfather would immediately feel inclined to buy him a present to make him feel better, so I'd say Rossi, but when he skinned his knee on the playground? Emily showed up not long after with a new toy. It could be anyone, really."

"Sounds about right."

Garcia walked in, setting the bags down in a corner, before walking over to the bed. "How's he doing?"

"He's been sleeping for a while. The anesthesiologist is going to be in soon to evaluate him and check him over before he goes up to surgery and goes under. We can be with him after the general anesthesia starts to wear off."

"Putting the facts aside, how's he doing?"

Derek smiled. "He's a trooper. No tears, no panic."

"He takes after his parents."

Parker pulled on Derek's leg.

"What is it, Princess?"

"Can I give Benny a hug and a kiss?"

"I think I can make that happen." He picked her up, sitting her beside him. "Just be careful, okay?"

She nodded, kissing his cheek. "Feel better, Benny. I'll still love you without your 'pendix."

Spencer smiled, chuckling and shaking his head. "I'm sure he appreciates that."

Ben woke up, looking around the room and seeing Parker. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "I love you, Benny."

He yawned, wrapping an arm around her. "Love you too, Parker."

Garcia smiled at the sight of them. "They do this a lot?"

"Practically every night," Derek told her. "Ben, do you want to say good night to Parker? She's going to stay with Aunt Penny."

He nodded, kissing her cheek. "Night, Parker."

"Night, Benny!" she patted his head. "Be better soon."

Derek picked her up, hugging her. "I love you, Princess. Be a good girl for Penny."

She grabbed his pinky, wrapping hers around it. "I promise."

Spencer got up, walking over and kissing her forehead. "Can Aunt Penny do story time?"

"No problem!" She hugged Spencer before climbing out of Derek's lap. "Ready, Aunt Penny!"

Garcia dug through the bags. "Just one second." She took out the dinosaur, handing it to Ben. "I thought you could use your friend."

He grabbed it, clinging it tightly. "Thank you, Penny."

"Anytime, buddy. How about I come back tomorrow morning with an awesome present? Would that make this whole thing less scary?"

He nodded, laying down and holding his dinosaur. "Bye, Penny. Bye, Parker." He waved to both of them before yawning, closing his eyes again.

"Tuckered out, isn't he?" Garcia asked, picking up her purse.

"After the day he's had, I can't blame him," Spencer said, shrugging. "So we'll be seeing you tomorrow morning?"

"You bet. Let me know when he's out and conscious? I can be the only call you make, and I'll call the rest of the team, promise."

"Will do," Derek told her, before kissing Parker's forehead again. "Bye, Princess."

She waved and took Garcia's hand, walking out.


When the anesthesiologist came in, both Spencer and Derek sat up straight in their seats, ready to answer any questions. He shook both of their hands, introducing himself, before turning to Ben. "How are you feeling, Ben?"

He shrugged, clinging onto his dinosaur. Spencer reached over, rubbing his back.

"Ben, is it okay if I listen to your heart?"

He nodded, letting go of his dinosaur and holding out his hands again. Spencer took one and Derek took the other, squeezing.

The doctor walked over, checking Ben's heart and lungs with the stethoscope and stepping back. He wrote something on his clipboard.

"Any other health problems with Ben?"

Derek shook his head. "This is the first problem he's had."

"Is he on any medications?"

"The only thing we gave him was cold medicine, and he's not regularly on anything, no," Spencer answered.

"Have either of you ever had a negative reaction to anesthesia?"

Spencer thought back and shook his head. "Derek?"

"I didn't do well when I had my wisdom teeth removed, but every other time I was fine."

He nodded. "Does Ben have any allergies, such as food, latex, or medications?"

"Not that we're aware of, no."

"When did he last eat?"

Derek cleared his throat. "I tried to give him some soup at about noon, but he didn't touch it, and he had eggs, but he got sick not long after."

He wrote this down and clicked his pen. "Do either of you have any questions?"

Spencer nodded. "How long can we stay with him before surgery?"

"Right until we bring him up to the operating room is usually what we do with children this young, that way it's less for them to be nervous about."

"And how is he going to be put under?" He wrung his hands. "He's not very comfortable with needles, I'm sorry to say he inherited that from me."

"I'm going to use the breathing mask. It's usually best."

Derek spoke up. "How long is he going to be in surgery, and when can we see him?"

"The surgery usually takes an hour, and you can see him as soon as the general anesthesia starts to wear off in recovery, so you can be with him when he wakes up."

After asking the questions, he handed a form to Spencer to fill out.

"Is he going to be sedated before the anesthesia?" he asked, filling them out and signing his name, holding it out to Derek.

"We're going to have him drink something to sedate him so we can get him up to the operating room and relaxed enough to put on the mask and do the procedure."

He nodded. "How soon will you be back to sedate him?"

"A few minutes."

Once he stepped out, Spencer turned to Ben, kissing the top of his head. "Are you going to be strong during your surgery, Ben? Are you going to be a big boy and not worry? Because, I have to say, sometimes even Daddy doesn't do that."

This made Ben smile. "I can be a big boy."

"That's my man," Derek said, nudging his arm. "How about when you get up tomorrow, Daddy and I watch whatever movie you want? Neither of us are going to work, so we're all yours until you get out of the hospital."

Ben gave him a thumbs up. "Okay."

The anesthesiologist came back a few minutes later, standing beside Ben's bed. "Okay, Ben, this is going to be really simple." He held out a cup to him. "Can you drink that up for me?"

"But my tummy hurts."

Spencer rubbed his back. "I know. Just drink that and the pain will go away soon."

He took the cup, spinning the silly straw around before drinking it.

"There we go, bud," Derek said, rubbing his back.

Once finished, Spencer handed the cup back, lying Ben down and kissing his forehead. "Papa and I will see you as soon as you get out, okay?"

He nodded. "Love you, Daddy. Love you, Papa."

"We love you too, Ben." Derek leaned over, kissing his forehead. "We'll see you soon."

Ben gave him a thumbs up and before long, looked up at the surgeon. "I'm ready."

Spencer laughed to himself, kissing Ben's forehead one last time before letting the anesthesiologist and surgeon take over.

When they had left the room, Spencer sighed. "And now we wait."

Derek nodded. "And now we wait."


The two of them sat in his room, trying to find ways to distract themselves. Derek had texted Garcia that Ben was up in surgery, and the two of them had texted back and forth for a bit until she had to give Parker dinner. She had told him, however, that the team knew what had happened and they'd all be stopping by tomorrow to check on him. Neither of them was surprised, considering how close-knit the team was.

At one point, Spencer dug through his go-bag.

"What are you looking for?"

He put up a finger before taking a box out, setting it on the table beside Ben's bed.

"You want to play cards right now?"

He shrugged, opening the box and taking the cards out, shuffling. "I don't know about you, but I need to do something to take my mind off of the fact that my son's up in surgery right now. Are you in?"

Derek sighed. "I'm not in much of a gambling mood."

Spencer smirked, shaking his head. "I was thinking of an old fashioned game of Go Fish, considering that's usually our game of choice with the kids. Now are you in?"

He nodded, holding out his hand. "Deal me in."

The two of them were able to keep themselves slightly distracted, though Ben was still the first thing on both of their minds. They'd constantly forget the game they were playing and slip up telling the other about the cards in their hand, making the game even longer.

Ben's surgeon walked in a while later. "Mr. Morgan?"

They both looked up, setting their cards down on the pile, Spencer grabbing them and storing them back in the box.

"The surgery went well, and Benjamin's up in recovery right now. You can go up to see him."

Spencer nodded, putting the deck of cards back into his bag and standing up. Derek also stood up, stretching slightly, before the two of them followed him.

"He's coming off the general anesthesia, and it usually takes about forty-five minutes to an hour for it to wear off completely."

Spencer nodded, though he already knew the facts. "But he's fine?"

"He's doing great. I can't say that I've ever seen a six year old so calm before a surgery."

Derek smiled, squeezing Spencer's shoulder. "He got that from you."

Spencer blushed slightly as they stepped into the room. He saw the IV in his arm and turned to the surgeon. "…He doesn't like needles."

"We put him on the IV after he was sedated so he didn't notice or feel a thing."

He sat down beside Ben, running a hand through his hair, Derek sitting down on his other side.

"How long before he wakes up?"

"It usually varies, but you can expect him to wake up soon."

Spencer bent down, kissing his forehead. "Daddy and Papa are here, Ben, just like we promised."

Derek smirked, taking his hand and squeezing it. "We're here, buddy."

A few minutes later, Ben whimpered, which caused both of them to immediately look down at him. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times, before closing them again and sighing.

"How long has it been?" Spencer asked, turning to the surgeon.

He checked his watch. "About 40 minutes."

He nodded, turning his attention back to Ben and kissing his cheek.

Ben opened his eyes again, looking around the room and blinking, taking in his surroundings.

"Hey, Ben," Derek whispered, "we're here for you."

He whimpered, reaching up and rubbing his eyes, looking at Spencer.

"There we go, buddy. How are you feeling?"

He took a deep breath before sighing. "Sleepy."

"Does your tummy still hurt?"

He shook his head. "Nuh uh."

"That's good." Spencer kissed his forehead.

Derek turned to the surgeon, who explained to him that he was currently on medication to relieve the pain, and would be re-dosed as needed.

"Daddy?"

Spencer smiled. "Yeah, Ben?"

"I was strong," he whispered, "strong like you and Papa."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Once he was fully aware of his surroundings, the doctor and anesthesiologist checked him over. Ben was discharged from the recovery room, allowing him to go back to his room and get some sleep. When they were there, Spencer dug through the bag for Ben, taking out a pair of pajamas and putting them on him, knowing he'd prefer them to the hospital gown. He was careful not to irritate the incision and tucked him in, kissing his forehead.

"If you need any medicine, Ben, just press this button," he started, pointing to the call button, "and they'll give it to you. You don't need to be brave here, I promise."

He nodded, yawning. "Where's Donnie?"

Derek grabbed the stuffed dinosaur from the top of his bag, handing it to him. "All yours and ready for a night of protecting you."

He clung to it, yawning. He gave both of his fathers a quick 'I love you' before falling asleep.

"This has been one hell of a day," Derek whispered, running a hand over his face.

Spencer nodded, fixing the blankets over him. "It definitely has. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get some sleep."

Derek pulled a chair over, sitting down. "Not sure how I'm going to sleep without my space heater, but I can try to manage for the next couple of nights."

"Agreed."

Derek grabbed a chair, dragging it over and putting his feet up on it. "Do you want me to call Garcia, let her know he's out?"

Spencer nodded, taking a blanket out of his go-bag and putting it over him. "Not a bad idea."

Derek took out his phone, leaning back in the seat and calling Garcia.

"I take it the little engine really could?"

He smirked. "That he could. He's out of surgery and he's fast asleep with Donnie right now."

"Good to know." She put her hand over the phone. "Parker, Benny's out of surgery and asleep, we can go see him in the morning before you go to school."

"Yay! Tell him I love him!"

"I'll have Daddy and Papa do that once he wakes up." She moved her hand. "Parker and I will be there first thing in the morning to check on him. Did he do okay?"

"Doctors said he was the bravest six year old they'd ever seen. I'd say he got that from his Daddy."

"Or his Papa," Spencer mumbled, "you're pretty strong too, Derek."

He smiled. "Does Parker need to talk to us before she goes to bed?"

"Let me ask." She put her hand over the phone and came back a minute later. "She says it's fine, because you two should be spending your time with Benny, but she loves you both."

"Tell her we love her too and we'll see her in the morning."

"Consider it done."

He hung up, plugging his phone in to charge. He then got up, resting a finger under Spencer's chin and kissing him softly.

"What was that for?" Spencer asked tiredly.

"I guess for realizing something was wrong with Ben."

Spencer smirked. "Just call me Super Daddy."

"One of many nicknames in the book." He kissed Spencer's forehead before grabbing his go-bag, taking out a blanket and sitting on the chair, putting it over himself. "Looks like we're in for an uncomfortable night."

Spencer shrugged. "On the job, we've slept worse."


During the night, Ben had only woken up once, and that had been for more medicine. Other than that, they were both surprised that he slept through the night, though neither of them had slept much, worrying about him. Once Derek had woken up for the day, he walked over, kissing Spencer's cheek.

"Can I interest you in a crappy cup of coffee?"

Spencer nodded slightly, sitting up. "Please."

"I'll be back in a minute. Let him know if he wakes up that I'll be back soon."

"I will." He pushed the blanket off of him and sat up, moving the chair closer to Ben's bed. He stretched slightly, hoping to get rid of some of the strained muscles in his back.

Derek came in, handing him a cup of coffee and some sugar packets. "It shouldn't be too crappy, it's from the nurse's station. One of the nurses knew we'd been here all night with him and wanted us to have a decent cup."

"Trust me, I appreciate it." He tore open the sugar packets, pouring them into his coffee and taking a sip. "What time should we start expecting people?"

Derek shrugged. "Garcia's probably coming by with Parker before school, so we should expect her soon, and then everyone else? Probably on their lunch breaks and after work."

"Good prediction."

"I thought so." Derek sipped his coffee. "When can we start feeding him?"

"Once his doctor says we can. We'll have to have him on things like water and apple juice before we can actually give him food, and avoid solids for a while."

"That doesn't sound too fun."

Spencer shrugged. "I'm sure once he's fully healed, his Papa will help me make a really nice dinner to make up for it."

"I think I can handle that."

"Did you call your mother?" Spencer asked, setting the coffee cup down.

He shook his head, running a hand over his face and groaning. "I knew I forgot something."

Spencer thought, chewing on his cheek. "Should we call her after Garcia and Parker come to visit, once he's awake so she can talk to him? You know she's going to want to."

"Good point." He sat up straight in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees. "How did you sleep?"

"I barely did," he admitted. "I'll sleep once he's better."

"I can agree with that." He looked over at the bed, smiling. "Look who's waking up."

Ben sat up on the bed, pouting and looking around. It took him a minute to remember where he was before he whimpered, grabbing his dinosaur and clinging it.

"Feeling okay, Ben?" Spencer asked.

He nodded, rubbing his eyes and sighing.

"Do you need more medicine, bud?" Derek asked, rubbing his arm.

He nodded again, lying down and pressing the call button. After getting some medicine, he sat up, crossing his legs. "I wanna go home."

"I'll bet. We can all go home tomorrow night," Spencer told him, patting his leg. "But guess what?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

He smiled. "Penny and Parker are going to come by before Parker has to go to school, and your aunts and uncles are going to come by later in the day. Plus, Papa's going to call grandma so you can talk to her later, and Penny packed up some of your favorite movies. Is that okay with you?"

"Uh huh."

Derek looked down at his phone and saw that Garcia was calling. He answered, leaning back in his chair.

"Hey, sweetness, I'm putting you on speaker."

"Hey, yourselves. How's the patient?"

He smirked. "He just woke up for the day. What's going on with you two?"

"I just thought I'd let you know that getting your daughter out of bed is easily the hardest thing to do. She's fine when I'm babysitting, but now? Nobody informed me that there's some form of magic word-"

"Pancakes," Ben mumbled, clinging his dinosaur and yawning.

"…Seriously, that's it?"

Spencer laughed. "It is. Even if you didn't make them, just the thought of pancakes gets her right out of bed."

"Damn." She groaned, reaching in her pocket and holding out a dollar to Parker. "Swear jar already donated, no freaking out on me. Any hints for getting her to move a little faster? I want to get her over there to see her brother before I have to take her to school."

"Threatening to take away a book usually does it," Derek told her.

Garcia put her hand over the phone, but they could still hear her. "Parker, if you're not ready to leave in the next two minutes, not only do you not get to see Benny before school, but you can't read for fun." She moved her hand. "…And that did it."

"So we'll be seeing you soon?"

"You bet. Where are we headed?"

"Room 12 in Pediatrics."

"We'll be there within a half hour. Much love to my three favorite men."

"Bye, Penny."

"And goodbye to you, my favorite little macchiato, even though you're down an appendix."

"I'm too cool for 'pendix."

Spencer bit down on his lip to hold back a laugh. "Who told you that?"

"Papa."

"You three enjoy yourselves."

"We will, bye, Baby Girl." Derek hung up and Spencer gave him a look. "…What?"

He shook his head. "Absolutely nothing."

Ben looked up at Spencer. "Daddy?"

"What is it, little guy?"

He sighed, moving over on the bed. "Will you sit with me? Please?"

"I don't know, Ben, you should be the one in the hospital bed being comfortable."

"Though it is more your territory than his," Derek mentioned.

Spencer shook his head. "Are you sure, buddy?"

"Uh huh." He patted the spot beside him. "Please?"

"When you ask like that, how can I refuse?" He stood up, sitting down beside Ben and pulling him into his lap, kissing the top of his head. "You're being super strong, you know that?"

He shrugged.

"Don't sell yourself short, Ben," Derek started, rubbing his arm. "You didn't even cry once when you found out you needed surgery, and your doctors said that no other kid your age ever took it as well as you did. I think once you're better, Daddy and I owe you a trip to the toy store."

Ben smiled. "I'm just awesome."

"And we're proud of you," Spencer said, kissing his forehead and rubbing his arm.

"Can I see Parker?"

"Soon, little man."


When there was a knock on his door, Derek got up, walking over and opening it.

"Don't you look exhausted?" Garcia said.

He smirked. "Long day and long night yesterday, plus sleeping in a hospital chair. You do the math."

"Just did it in my head, you poor thing." She patted his cheek. "Is he awake?"

He nodded, stepping aside. "His Daddy's just finishing reading a book to him right now."

She stepped inside, keeping a grip on Parker's hand. "You have to be careful, okay?"

"Uh huh. I know not to touch anything I'm not supposed to."

"Good job."

Parker stepped toward the bed, before climbing up and sitting beside Ben, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek. Spencer smiled, setting his book down on the nightstand.

"You okay, Benny?"

He nodded, resting his head on her shoulder. "I have no 'pendix and an IV," he said, pointing to the bag on the stand beside his bed.

"What's that?"

"Cliffnotes version, Daddy," Derek told him.

He shook his head. "It's giving him his food and his medicine until he can eat again."

She wrinkled her nose. "That's not fun." She patted her brother's head. "Penny will make cookies when you can eat."

"…Did you ask Penny about this?" Derek asked.

Garcia rolled her eyes. "Shush, I am 10,000% okay with this."

"See?"

Parker was able to spend a half hour there before Garcia had to get her to school.

"Princess, say goodbye to the Prince."

She pouted. "Can't I stay with Benny, Papa? Please?"

Spencer gave him a look, shaking his head.

"Sorry, Princess. You have to go to school, and he's going to sleep most of the day so he can get better. He's not going to be the best company."

She pouted, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "Feel better, Benny."

He leaned in. "I will."

Spencer smiled. "Do Daddy and Papa get hugs too?"

"In a minute!" she snapped, hugging Ben as tight as she could and kissing his cheek. "I'll see you later. Have fun sleeping and not eating and stuff."

He nodded. "Okay."

She leaned back, hugging Spencer. "Take care of Benny." She then eyed Derek. "You too."

"We will." He bent his head down, kissing her forehead. "Be good for Aunt Penny, okay?"

She held up her pinky and Spencer wrapped his around it.

"Go say bye to Papa."

She climbed off the bed, climbing on the chair and pulling him into a hug. "Love you, see you tonight."

"We love you too." Derek turned to Garcia. "Out with it, Baby Girl."

"Out with…?"

Spencer rolled his eyes. "We know you have a present, and you can't keep it a secret from us. So out with it."

She frowned, putting up a finger, before walking out to the hallway and coming back with a gift basket, setting it at the foot of his bed.

Ben gasped, eyes widening. "Wow!"

She walked over. "You like it?"

He nodded, holding out his arms as she leaned in, hugging him and kissing his cheek. "Take care, my little prince."

"I will."

She kissed his forehead before patting Spencer's cheek and looking between him and Derek. "And the two of you? Get some sleep."

"We'll try."

After the two of them left, Ben went through his basket while Spencer looked at Derek. "You need to call your mother."

"It's 6:30 in Chicago right now, she's probably not even awake."

"Okay, so do you want to feel her wrath when she finds out from somebody else, probably Garcia, and calls to yell at you?"

"…Good point." He watched as Ben took out some dinosaur books and smiled to himself, taking his phone out of his pocket and calling her number, putting the phone on speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mom," Derek said, sitting on the bed.

"It's been a while since you called, is something wrong?"

"Hi, grandma!" Ben said, setting down some coloring books.

"…Why isn't Ben at school right now?"

"Well, mom," Derek started, trying to find the best way to explain it.

"I'm at the hospital," Ben put plainly, opening the box of crayons and taking one out.

"Derek, what happened?!" she snapped.

Spencer smiled, running his fingers through Ben's hair. "Fran, it's not his fault. Ben was really sick all day yesterday. I decided to take him to the hospital, just in case. Parker stayed with Penelope, and we had him checked out. It turns out he needed his appendix out."

"Are you feeling okay, Ben?"

"Uh huh. I'm sleepy and it hurts a little, but I'm okay."

"That's good to hear. How's your belly?"

"I got a cut on it, but it's stitched shut. I'm being a big boy, I haven't cried at all."

She gasped. "Not even once? Getting surgery is a big deal, it's okay if you were scared."

He shook his head. "Nuh uh, grandma. I stayed strong and didn't get sad or scared or anything."

"What have you two done with my little grandson?"

Spencer laughed to himself. "He's still your grandson, just a lot braver than we originally thought."

"I guess so. When does he go home?"

"We can have him in his own bed tomorrow night. They just want to monitor him another night and be sure he's reacting well to the medications," Derek explained.

"Well that's good. Would you two mind if I came this weekend?"

"Mom, you don't have to-" Derek started.

"Derek, my only grandson just had his first surgery. Yes, I have to."

Spencer smirked. "Good luck reasoning with her on that, because she has a valid point."

He sighed. "No, Mom. We don't mind at all. So we should expect you Friday night?"

"That sounds about right. Are you okay missing school, Ben?"

"I wanna go back, but the doctors say no."

"It's for your health, they understand."

"I guess," he said, sighing dramatically.

Fran laughed. "I see he's been getting drama lessons from his older sister."

Derek smiled. "Believe me, Mom, it's even better in person. I guess we'll see you this weekend."

"Yes you will. Take care, you three. Love you all."

"Love you, Grandma," Ben called out, finishing coloring his picture.

"Love you, Fran," Spencer said, taking the crayon from Ben and putting it in the box.

"For the last time, Spencer. You married my son, you had my grandchildren, it's more than okay to call me Mom."

"You've told him a million times, and I'm pretty sure you'll have to tell him a million and one."

Spencer nudged his arm. "I'll do it eventually, stop with the pressure."

Derek smirked. "Bye, Mom. See you soon." He hung up, putting his phone in his pocket and turning to Ben. "Is it okay if I go get some coffee? When I come back, we'll watch dinosaur movies."

He nodded, taking a crayon from Spencer and starting on a new picture. "Get some for Daddy too, he needs it."

"I see you've been getting sass from your sister too," Spencer noted.

Ben nodded and Derek smiled to himself, kissing their cheeks before walking out.


Ben had gotten back to sleep not long after Derek came back to the room, and Spencer laid down with him, his arm wrapped around him. Derek took a picture, sending it to everyone he could and leaning back in his own chair, hoping to get some shut eye. He was woken up by his phone buzzing in his pocket. Sighing, he reached in his pocket, taking it out and checking the caller ID.

"Hey, Hotch. Sorry we didn't call this morning that we weren't going to be in. The three of us have been in and out all morning."

"I can imagine. How's he doing?"

He looked over at the bed and saw Ben fast asleep, curled up beside Spencer. "He and his Daddy are sleeping right now. Other than that? I have to commend him, because he hasn't cried, been visibly upset, or showed any negative emotions through this whole thing. He's stayed strong, only saying something when he needs more medicine."

"Brave – he definitely got that from his fathers."

He smiled. "I guess so." He sat up. "Let me guess where the team is right now – field trip to the toy store?"

"It's lunch, and believe it or not, it was Dave's idea."

"I'm not surprised. What time should we expect you?"

"Probably within the next half hour. Favorite animal still dinosaurs?"

"Definitely. I'll see you soon, Hotch, and hopefully have him up for your visit."

"It's no rush – if he needs to sleep, we won't mind."

"I'm sure, but the fact that he has company coming is what's keeping him from saying 'I'm bored' every two seconds."

Spencer reached a hand over, swatting at Derek's arm. "Leave him alone," he mumbled. "You'd be bored if you couldn't eat and had a body part removed too."

"Nice one, Morgan."

"Tell me about it. I'll see you guys when you get here. Pediatrics room 12." He hung up, putting his phone in his pocket and kissing the back of Spencer's head. "Is he still out?"

He shrugged. "In and out. Once we tell him his aunts and uncles are coming, I'm sure he'll be up in no time."

He smirked. "Just keep him asleep for now."

Spencer gave him a thumbs up before rubbing Ben's back, kissing the top of his head and pulling the blanket around him.


Ben had woken up not long after their conversation and sat up on his bed, pulling the blanket over himself and clinging his dinosaur.

"Hey there, Ben. Think we should wake Daddy?" Morgan asked, pointing to Spencer.

He shook his head. "He's okay. He needs to sleep, 'cause when I was in him, I took a lot of sleep. I owe him."

Derek smiled, committing it to memory to tell Spencer later.

There was a knock on the door and Ben looked over at Derek. "But I don't need more medicine."

"Let's see who it is then," he said, getting up and walking over, propping open the door.

JJ was the first to walk in, taking the chair beside his bed. "Hey, Ben."

He put his finger to his lips, pointing to the sleeping Spencer beside him.

She smiled, lowering her voice. "Are you feeling better?"

He nodded as Emily took the seat beside JJ. "I'm not hot anymore, see?" He took her hand, putting it on his forehead.

"Cool as a cucumber. I'd say that's a good thing."

"Uh huh."

Emily smiled, reaching over. "Wow, I'd say that's a lot better than your fever, huh?"

"Definitely. And my tummy doesn't hurt, 'cause I have this." He pulled his shirt up, pointing to the stitches on his incision.

She raised her eyebrows. "That's going to leave a pretty cool scar, I'm jealous."

Derek leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "He said he needs to find a special way to thank his Daddy for finding out what was wrong, because I sure as hell wouldn't have put two and two together to realize his appendix were ready to burst."

Ben shrugged. "Daddy's smart, that's why."

"That he is." Emily reached back, grabbing a bag and setting it on the bed. "I'm sure you don't mind, little guy, but your Aunt JJ and I got you a present for being so brave through all of this."

He looked at the bag before leaning forward, taking out the tissue paper and several dinosaur toys, gasping. "Wow, Papa, look!"

Derek gave JJ a look. "I don't step on enough of those things walking around my house?"

She shrugged. "A few more couldn't hurt."

He shook his head. "What else, Ben?"

He reached in the bottom of the bag, taking out a few board games. "Papa, can we play?!"

"Once Daddy wakes up, I'm sure he'd love to. What do you say?"

"Papa, I know what to say." He turned to Emily and JJ. "Thank you, Aunt JJ. Thank you, Emmy."

Emily leaned forward, kissing his forehead. "You are very welcome. You know your Uncle Aaron and Godfather are coming, and they have presents for you too?"

Ben looked at Derek. "Can I get my 'pendix out again? I like this."

"Oh, I bet you do, but let's try to not have any more medical emergencies in the near future."

He shrugged, picking up his dinosaur toys and looking at them.

Spencer rolled over onto one of the toys, wincing. "Son of a bitch," he mumbled into the pillow, pulling it out from under him.

"I believe that's a dollar in the jar, Spence," JJ said, crossing her arms.

He raised an eyebrow before opening his eyes, realizing that Ben had visitors. He reached over, swatting Derek in the arm. "You could've told me there were people here, I wouldn't have been curled up in the fetal position on a bed that's entirely too small for me."

"It was entertaining to watch," Emily said, shrugging.

"Besides, what'd you say, Ben?"

"Daddy needs sleep, 'cause I took it when I was in him," he said, not looking up from his toys.

Spencer leaned over, kissing Ben's forehead. "Well, thank you, I appreciate the gesture." He sat up, stretching slightly. "More dinosaur toys?"

"Uh huh, and games."

"Did you say thank you?"

"Yes, I did."

"Good boy." He ran his fingers through his hair. "How's the bullpen without me?"

"Dull," Emily put plainly, picking up one of the toys and playing along with Ben.

"I have to agree. Not having your stories about what the two of them did the night before is making the work day go by pretty slow."

He shrugged. "Sorry, I was busy diagnosing my son's inflamed appendix."

"You're forgiven."

There was another knock on the door and Ben looked up. "It's open!"

"I see he's a lot more willing to let people in when there's a possibility of presents," Derek observed.

"Typical six year old," Spencer said, rubbing Ben's arm as he and Emily continued to play.

Rossi walked in, carrying a dinosaur that was easily twice the size as Ben.

Spencer groaned. "And where in my house is that going to go?"

"That's not my concern – I buy it, then it's your problem. It comes with godfather territory."

Ben looked at it, eyes widening. "Wow! Can I see it?"

Rossi set it on the bed beside him and Ben smiled. "Thank you, Uncle Dave!"

"No problem, kid. Feeling better without the appendix?"

"A lot. I get medicine and presents."

"Just don't make a habit out of hospital stays. Your father does it enough to fill the quota."

"I resent that," Spencer said, propping the dinosaur up beside Ben. "Where's Hotch?"

"Grabbing my other present from the car. Hotch went in on this guy, so really, it only counts as half."

Spencer turned to Derek, who shrugged. "Godfather logic."

Hotch walked in, holding out a box to Ben. "Dinosaur wrapping paper and everything."

"Now, I was going to get him a trampoline, but research tells me that kids shouldn't be doing too much physical activity after appendectomies, so I think this'll do."

He tore the wrapping paper off, looking at the box. "What is it?"

Derek leaned over. "A tablet? You gave my six year old son a tablet?"

"There go the board games," JJ said, leaning back in her seat.

He shrugged. "The poor kid's going to be practically bed-ridden. He might as well be entertained."

"And what am I supposed to tell his sister when she sees that he got all of these presents and his own computer?" Spencer asked.

"She'll get one too… when the new-ness of his wears off. Besides, with how protective she is over the kid, I doubt she'll really care."

Spencer opened his mouth to argue, but sighed. "Fine, but if I hear one word from her, you're buying her one."

"Consider it done."

Once Derek set up the tablet with a few games for him, Hotch turned to him. "He's doing okay?"

"Responding well to medication, not in any pain, and like I said, he's a trooper." He ruffled Ben's hair. "Couldn't have asked for a better hospital experience, though I have to say, I'd rather have had none at all."

"Mhm," Spencer said in agreement. "I know we only requested the one day off, but-"

"Take as long as you need for him to heal up. I'm not going to force you two to come back early and have something go wrong," Hotch told them, cutting him off.

Spencer nodded appreciatively and pulled Ben into his lap. "Ben, can you put that down and thank everyone for coming to see you?"

He handed the tablet to Derek and looked up. "Thank you for visiting me! I still miss school."

JJ smirked. "Like father, like son I see."

"Oh, definitely. After he was really awake, he asked if we could get him out of the hospital and take him to school, then bring him right back afterward."

"I can't blame him for trying," Spencer said, rubbing his arm. "But he can go back next week, and I'm sure he'll love the make-up work."

"Uh huh."

Emily checked her watch, frowning. "As much fun as this is, we have to get back to work." She leaned over. "Can I get a kiss goodbye?"

Ben nodded, kissing her on the cheek and pulling her into a hug. "Bye, Emmy." Ben said his goodbyes to each member of the team, giving an especially long hug to his godfather. Spencer and Derek had to promise to update them with anything new on his condition, and were told to expect more presents from Garcia, though to be completely honest, it was expected.

The three of them spent the rest of the day playing the board games, and when Ben grew tired of those, played on his tablet.

"You know, he could've provided us with one of those," Spencer said, rolling the dice. "We're over here playing Yahtzee and he's got any game he wants at his fingertips."

"I'm sorry, Pretty Boy. How about we inflame your appendix, and maybe Rossi will buy you one?"

Spencer rolled his eyes, writing down his score and handing him the dice. "It's your turn."


The doctor was pleased with how well he was recovering, and Ben was allowed to go home the next day. Spencer packed up their things in the room and Derek brought them down to the car while Spencer waited with Ben.

"Daddy, when I get home, can I play with Clooney?"

"You can't run around a lot after you get home, but you can do little things with Clooney if you want, like petting him and playing fetch, but no running around with him until the doctor says so, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy. Can you help with my shoes?" he asked, holding them up.

"I think I can manage that." He sat down next to him, putting the shoes on his feet and velcroing them shut. "Do you want to sleep in your bed tonight, or Daddy and Papa's?"

"Mine please. I miss it."

Spencer smiled. "I can relate."

Derek walked in. "Well, there may not be room for us in the car, but the giant dinosaur made it in."

Spencer shook his head. "Where are we going to put that, Ben?"

"The corner of my room, next to my books."

He thought to himself then raised his eyebrows, impressed. "I think we can do that."

"Can I go home now?"

Afraid not, kid," Derek said, sitting next to him. "We have to wait for them to bring in a wheelchair to get you out of here."

"But my legs work!"

He laughed, kissing Ben's forehead. "Your Daddy uses that same excuse all the time when he's in the hospital. We know your legs work, but it's what you have to do when you leave the hospital, it's just the rules."

"Can I walk in the house?" he asked, pouting.

"I think we can handle that. Spencer?"

Spencer nodded. "So long as you think you can do it. We're going to stop at the store to get your medicine on the way home. Do you want anything when we're there?"

"…Can I have a candy bar?"

"That sounds do-able. Do you want to get one for Parker too?"

He thought before nodding. "Pretty please."

One of the nurses came in, wheelchair in tow. "Are you ready to go home, Ben?"

"Very ready!" he said, standing up.

Derek shook his head. "Not so fast," he said, picking him up and setting him in the wheelchair. "We scheduled his follow-up with the surgeon and have his prescription, is there anything else?"

"You're all set to take him home." She looked down at Ben. "No more emergencies, okay?"

"I'll try!"

Spencer grabbed Donnie off the bed, handing him to Ben. "Do you have everything, buddy?"

He nodded. "Donnie, Daddy, and Papa, I'm all set!"

Spencer smirked, following Derek as the nurse took Ben out of the room.

Down at the car, Derek set him in his booster seat and buckled him in, careful not to aggravate his incision.

"Does that feel okay?"

Ben gave him a thumbs up. "All set!"

Derek smiled, getting in and starting the car.

"You said we'd go to the toy store," Ben mentioned on the drive home.

Derek turned to Spencer. "I blame that memory on you."

He shrugged, turning around. "How about as soon as you can walk around again, we'll take you to the toy store. Sound fair?"

He nodded. "Very fair."

"Crisis averted," Derek mumbled, driving.


Once they arrived at the house, Derek turned to Spencer. "Do you want to grab him and I'll grab the bags, or vice versa?"

"I've got him," Spencer said, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car. He then opened the back door. "Can you get out yourself?"

Ben thought about it, but quickly shook his head, holding up his hands. "Please?"

He unbuckled him, picking him up as Derek grabbed their bags. "Ready to be home, Ben?"

"Very!"

Ben curled up against him and he smiled, walking over and unlocking the front door. He stepped inside, holding the door open for Derek. "Do you need any help?"

He shook his head. "I've got it. How about I go unpack and you two watch a movie?"

"Does that sound good to you, Ben?"

He nodded. "Pretty please!"

Spencer sat on the couch, putting Ben down and putting a blanket over him, before turning on the DVD player and pressing play.

Derek unpacked the bags and not long after, there was a knock on the front door.

"I've got it," he called out, walking over. He peeked in the living room and saw Spencer fast asleep with Ben curled up beside him. He shook his head, opening the door and putting a finger to his lips, motioning toward the couch.

Garcia nodded, walking inside and setting a few gift bags down. "I hear Rossi gave him a tablet?"

"He, much like you, did a thing."

She smirked. "A very good thing, judging by the fact he stayed entertained in the hospital."

He shrugged as Parker pushed past him, walking over to the couch and kissing Ben's forehead, fixing the blanket over him.

"All she talked about all day was taking care of Ben," she whispered. "Her teacher said she was barely even concentrating because she was so excited about seeing her brother again."

"Sounds like her. I think all of us just really need a night in our own beds tonight, then we can go back to semi-normal."

She kissed his cheek. "Enjoy it, and I'll see you at work next week."

"Thanks again for watching her. I'm sure she loved her time with Aunt Penny."

"Believe me, she totally did." She turned toward the couch. "Do I get a goodbye?"

Parker nodded, running over and wrapping her arms around Garcia's waist, hugging her. "Thank you very much for watching me, I had a lot of fun."

"Glad to hear it, little one." She kissed the top of her head. "Maybe next time under better circumstances."

"Yeah, that."

She smirked, ruffling her hair, before grabbing her bag and walking out.


That night, Spencer and Derek both tucked Ben in after reading a story to both him and Parker.

"Parker, can you go to your room and I'll go tuck you in soon?" Spencer asked.

She nodded, leaning over and kissing Ben's forehead. "Night, Benny. I missed you."

He yawned. "Miss you too."

Derek smiled, watching as she walked to her own room, then pulled the blankets over Ben. "If you need any medicine tonight, don't worry about waking me and Daddy, okay? It's our jobs as a Daddy and a Papa to take care of you."

He nodded slightly, yawning again. "I will."

Spencer bent down, kissing his forehead. "We love you, buddy."

"Love you, Daddy. Love you, Papa."

Derek kissed his cheek before patting his arm, getting up and looking at Spencer. "I'll see you in our room in five?"

Spencer nodded, kissing his cheek. "See you then." He flicked on Ben's night light, walking out and closing the door behind him. He then walked to Parker's room, squatting beside her bed. "Thank you for being such a good girl the last few days while Papa and I had to take care of Benny. Aunt Penny told me you were very good."

"I wanted to be super good, 'cause you had to take care of Benny and focus on him."

"Well, Papa and I really appreciate it." He kissed her forehead. "How about this weekend, me and you do something, just Daddy and Parker?"

"Can we?!"

"For being such a good girl? I think I can make it happen." He tucked her in. "How about you spend the rest of the week thinking what you want to do, and whatever it is within reason, we'll do it?"

"Okay, Daddy. Love you."

"Love you too, princess."

After turning on her nightlight and closing her door, he walked to his room, lying back on the bed and sighing. "Dear God I missed this bed."

Derek smirked. "Tell me about it." He moved closer, and Spencer rested his head on his chest. "I think we've earned it."

"Indeed." He tilted his head up, kissing Derek's cheek, before wrapping an arm around his middle. "You gave Ben his medicine?"

"Mhm."

"Did you tell Parker you two would make plans this weekend?"

He yawned. "Yes I did."

"And did you-"

Spencer reached up, cupping a hand over Derek's mouth. "After two nights in the hospital, my answer to everything is yes. Now shh."

He smiled, kissing the top of Spencer's head. "So, you have the next kids' sick day?"

He nodded, yawning. "Let's hope the next one doesn't involve hospitalization, because he may have stayed strong, but next time I have to see one of my babies in a hospital bed? I'm sure as hell not going to be."

Derek rubbed his arm. "Can't say I disagree."