Chapter 8
When the alarm went off, Hotch moaned and hit the button without even opening his eyes. He sighed and then his eyes snapped open when he realized Kahlan was still beside him. He frowned. That was only the second time he had ever woken up on a school day and she was still in bed, and his heart sank. What the hell? He reached up and moved the hair out of her face. "Babe?"
She moaned as she stretched and then jumped up into a sitting position. "Shit!"
He looked at her with raised brows as she scrambled to get out from underneath the covers. "You still have plenty of time, Babe," he tried as he got up.
She shook her head. "I can't believe I overslept," she insisted as she ran a hand through her hair.
He studied her as she went to the bathroom. And you got plenty of sleep last night, so why did you? "I'll get the kids up," he called to her as he slipped on his t-shirt and then left the bedroom.
By the time she got down stairs, all of the kids were at the table eating breakfast and Hotch greeted her with a cup of coffee. She took it with a smile. "Thank you."
He nodded. "I'm going to go get dressed," he told her and then went back up stairs.
When the kids went to go get ready, Hotch came back down stairs, and Kahlan almost spit out her coffee when she saw him in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She frowned. "Don't you have to work today?"
He picked up his coffee and took a drink. "I took the morning off."
She looked at him with suspicious eyes. "Why?"
He sat down next to her. "Because we need to talk."
Her frown deepened. "About what?"
Just then Joey came down stairs and ran into the dining room. "Have you seen my back pack?"
Hotch smiled at her. "It's hanging on the hook in the laundry room, right where it's supposed to be."
She giggled and then ran into there. "Thanks, Daddy!" she called and ran back upstairs.
Hotch chuckled as he watched her disappear. He shook his head and then turned back to his wife.
"What's going on, Aaron?" she asked him.
The boys came up and came in and told them both goodbye. They both eyed Hotch and they could tell something was going on, but they didn't ask any questions. "Love you guys. Have a good day," Hotch called out to them as they went to the door.
Joey came back down and sat down at the table. She looked back and forth between her mother and her father, and she frowned. "What's going on?"
Kahlan shrugged. "I don't know," she told her and then fixed Hotch with the same look that Joey was using.
Hotch looked at both of his girls and swallowed hard. I hate it when they outnumber me! He took a deep breath. "I just want to spend a little extra time with your mother," he offered.
Kahlan snorted and Joey's Hotch stare came out in full force. "Why?"
Hotch looked at his watch. "Isn't it time for your bus to be here?"
Joey's stare never let up. "I still have three minutes," she told him without even looking at the time.
Kahlan tried hard to stop the grin from forming, but she lost the battle and actually giggled. Joey turned her attention to her, though, and the giggled got choked off. Joey shook her head at them both. "What's going on?"
"This is about your mother, not me," Hotch put in.
Joey's stare turned into a look of relief as she turned back to her mother. "Oh."
Kahlan looked back and forth between them and then gave Hotch a dirty look. "You had to get her on your side, didn't you?"
Hotch grinned. "That's my girl."
Kahlan huffed. "Your girl better get her butt out the door before she misses her bus."
Joey giggled, jumped up, and gave them both a kiss. "Love you," she called out to them as she went to the door.
"Love you, too, Angel!" Hotch called out with a grin as he watched her leave.
Kahlan got up and took her mug to the sink, and Hotch jumped up to follow her. "Don't think you are going to get out of talking to me, Mrs. Hotchner."
She looked at her watch. "I have to go. . ."
He shook his head. "No you don't. I've already called Chuck. He said you all didn't have anything pressing going on this morning and he knows you're going to be late," he told her with a look of triumph.
She snorted. "Thought of everything, huh?"
He grinned. "I try."
She wilted. "Fine," she started and went back to the table. "I really don't want to hear what you have to say. It scares me to think that you have to corner me to do it. What could you have going on that you have resorted to such drastic measures?"
His brows furrowed as he sat down next to her. "This isn't about me. This is about you."
She sat back and studied him. "What about me?"
He licked his lips and took a deep breath.
When she saw how serious he was getting she grabbed his hand. "What?"
He ran a hand over the back of his neck. "Are you alright?"
She giggled. "Yes, Aaron."
He pulled his hand back from her as he shook his head. "No, I mean. . . Really alright?"
"Really alright?" she asked as she snorted back another giggle. "Yes, Hun."
He sat up straighter. "This isn't funny, Kahlan!"
She sank back into her seat. "Alright. I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean."
He ran a hand through his hair as he studied her. Suddenly a thought hit him. God, is she pregnant? He shook his head. He was pretty sure her cycle wasn't due for another week, and he was positive she had had it last month. He ran a hand down his jaw. No, she couldn't be. She was the exact opposite when she was pregnant with Joey. She had more energy when she was pregnant then she normally does and her sex drive bordered on nympho, too.
She searched his eyes. "Instead of that internal dialogue you're having with yourself, it might be easier for me to figure out what you're talking about if you were actually speaking to me."
He shifted in his seat. "I'm worried about you."
She saw the concern in his eyes and she shook her head. "I swear, Aaron. I promised to tell you if I was doing anything! Why don't you believe me when. . ."
"No! It's not that!"
"Then what?" she asked as she raised her brows to invite him to explain a little further.
He licked his lips. "I'm worried about how you've been feeling."
Her brows furrowed. "I feel fine."
"Kahlan, you've been tired a lot lately and then last night. . ."
"Oh my God, call the paper! Kahlan Hotchner wasn't in the mood for sex one time. Damn, Aaron, had I known it would bother you that much, I would have kept you up all night!"
He sighed and rolled his eyes at her. "I'm serious, Kahlan! I'm worried that there's something wrong with you!"
"What could possibly be wrong with me?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, but I think you need to go to the doctor."
She stood up. "I am not!"
He stood up. "Kahlan!"
"I am fine, Aaron!" she insisted as she took a step back from him.
"Babe, please!"
She inhaled deeply as she studied him. The concern in his eyes made her heart hurt, so she went to him and put her arms around his neck. "I'm fine, Aaron. I was just tired."
He put his hands on her waist. "But you're never tired. You go to bed last and you're the first one up. I'm worried, Babe."
"There's nothing wrong with me needing a nap, Aaron. You take them all the time."
He nodded. "You're right. I do, but you don't. The dark bags under your eyes are also not normal."
She took a deep breath.
"I thought for a second that maybe you were pregnant, but. . ."
She laughed and pulled away from him. "No. I am not pregnant, I assure you."
"Well, something's not right," he tried as he pulled her back to him.
"I'm sorry to have worried you. I will try to act more normal."
He huffed. "That's not what I want, Kahlan."
"And what do you want, Aaron?"
"I want to know that you're alright!"
She sighed.
"Kahlan. . ."
She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "I'm fine, Aaron." He locked eyes with her and she pat him on the chest. "Now go get ready for work. You know you will feel guilty as hell if there's a case and you aren't there to go solve it with the team."
His eyes narrowed. I hate it when she uses shit against me!
"Tell me you wouldn't?"
He licked his lips. "Alright, Kahlan."
She smiled and shoved him towards the stairs. "And stop worrying about me!"
He shook his head as he climbed the stairs. If things don't turn around. . . He glanced over his shoulder at her, and she was going to her den. He shook his head. But now that she knows what I'm worried about, she's going to hide it from me and I'll never know if it's actually better or not. Damn it! How the hell did you fall into that trap, Hotchner?
XXX
As it was, the BAU did get a case and they headed out to Detroit to help stop a serial rapist. After the initial case briefing on the jet, Hotch went back to his usual seat and text Kahlan and she sent back her usual. Then he called Chuck.
"Hey, Spike. How's it going?" Chuck answered.
"Kahlan's right there, isn't she?" Hotch asked.
"Yep. What do you need?"
"Call me when you get a chance."
"I can do that. Talk to you later, Man."
Hotch ended the call and put his phone away. Then he turned to Rossi and told him about his discussion with Kahlan.
Rossi tried to keep the grin off of his face, but when Hotch told him about his suspicions of Kahlan then hiding things from him, he busted out laughing.
"It's not funny, Rossi!"
Rossi coughed and choked and finally got himself back under control. "No it's not. I'm sorry, but you were the one who boasted about being able to play by her rules. Apparently you're not quite as good as she is."
Hotch sank down into his seat a little. "I don't understand her reluctance to go to the damn doctor. She doesn't hate them like I do."
Rossi appraised him for a minute. "No woman wants the person they love to tell them they think something is wrong with them, Aaron, especially a woman in Kahlan's shape."
Hotch huffed.
"You know she doesn't like showing weakness."
Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "So how would you handle it?"
Rossi grinned. "Honestly, with a woman like Kahlan?" Hotch quickly nodded. Rossi chuckled. "I'd guilt her into it."
Hotch's brows furrowed in his dislike of the suggestion.
"Well, if you can't think of anything to blackmail her with, and you truly feel there is a reason she should go, then you are going to have to guilt her into going. Use the kids against her if you have to. She's done that plenty of times to you."
Hotch pursed his lips as he thought about it. He finally nodded. "You're right. I may have to stoop to her level."
Rossi smiled and pat Hotch's leg. "That's my boy!"
XXX
Chuck didn't get around to calling Hotch until that evening, but Hotch was on his way to the hotel so he called him back as soon as he was in his room. "So how was she today?" Hotch asked him.
Chuck huffed. "What the hell happened this morning?"
"Why?" Hotch drew out.
"Cause she was in a pissy mood all damn day. I haven't seen her like that since. . . well, for a while."
Hotch took a deep breath and knew he was referring to when he had been gone. "She didn't seem mad before she left."
"She wasn't mad at me per say, but it was like she was pissed at the world. I tried joking with her, I tried asking her what was wrong, I tried everything. And those poor damn cadets, she was taking her frustrations out on them. She almost made a couple of them collapse with how hard she was pushing them. Hell, she was pushing me!"
Hotch's brows furrowed as he sank down onto the bed. "Sorry. I tried talking to her this morning. I told her I thought something was wrong and I suggested she go to the doctors, but she said she was fine and told me to stop worrying."
"Well, you're on a case, right?"
"Yes. In Detroit, and it'll probably take a couple days."
"I'll keep an eye on her, but I don't know what else I can do. I'm certainly not going to tell her I think something's wrong, too. She'll think we're ganging up on her."
"Yeah, you better not. We don't need her mad at us."
"No, no we don't," Chuck agreed.
Hotch chuckled. "Alright, let me know if you see anything."
"Yep, good luck with your case," Chuck told him and then ended the call.
Hotch sighed heavily and then called home. After talking to each of the kids, he talked to Kahlan, but he didn't think she was mad. She wasn't her perfect self, but she didn't seem mad. As he put his phone away, he massaged his forehead. Maybe I'm stressing over this too much. Maybe she is fine.
