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"What?!" Emily asked, alarmed.

"Layla... I left her on the couch to go make her something to eat, and I guess she went upstairs to get her blanket and she fell on the way down." Hotch explained regretfully.

"Did you put the baby gate up?" Emily asked, trying to remain calm, but Hotch could tell she was angry.

"I- I guess I forgot. I didn't even think she'd get up from the couch. I wasn't even gone that long." Hotch defended himself.

Emily sighed. "That doesn't matter, I always put the gate up regardless, she's just not careful enough to go up and down the stairs by herself. Where are you?" Emily asked. Hotch told her the name of the hospital and Emily hung up seconds later. He hated that he had messed up and that Layla had gotten hurt. He knew Emily was mad at him, and it was only a matter of time before she showed it.

Hotch sighed, having signed paperwork, leaving many blanks he knew he should know, but that Emily would have to fill in when she arrived. Hotch was allowed to go back and see Layla now, thankfully. She was sitting on a bed crying as a nurse tried to comfort her.

"Hey, honey. You okay?" Hotch asked softly as he sat in a chair next to Layla's bed.

"Her arm is broken, so she'll be getting a cast soon. It was a clean break. She's being very brave though, aren't you Layla?" The nurse asked her.

"Where's Mommy?" Layla asked, looking around frantically.

"She's on her way." Hotch tried soothing. Despite his efforts, Layla just continued to cry and ask for Emily. Hotch wasn't sure if Layla was actually afraid of him, or if she was just simply being a two year old and wanting the parent she couldn't have at that moment.

At that moment, the doctor came by to put Layla's cast on.

"I'm going to have to put this on your arm," the petite redhead explained. "It'll make you feel better. What color would you like it to be?" She asked- referring to the colorful gauze she would wrap around the plaster.

"Mommy?" Layla said again, ignoring the doctor completely.

"She's on her way." Hotch promised, wishing he could do more for his daughter.

Layla fussed and cried the whole time the doctor put the cast on her arm, only calming down slightly when the nurse showed her all the different colored gauzes for the cast. Layla chose pink.

Just a few minutes later, Emily burst through the doors. Instantly, Layla reached for her as best she could.

"Hey sweet girl, it's okay." Emily soothed as she sat next to Layla on the bed.

"Mommy, my arm hurts." Layla told her sadly, pointing to the cast on her arm.

"Yeah, it's broken. But it'll get better soon." Emily promised with a kiss to Layla's forehead.

"How long will she have to wear that?" Emily asked the doctor.

"Four to six weeks. However I would like her to come back every two weeks so I can check on the cast and the break." The doctor informed her. "Also, just make sure you don't get the cast wet." She added.

Emily nodded. "Okay, thank you. See you in two weeks." Emily said quickly.

"Actually, Mrs. Hotchner, you'll need to finish filling out some paperwork. But then you guys are free to leave."

Emily reluctantly moved off the bed, much to Layla's protest, to quickly scrawl the needed information down on the papers. Finally, everything was in order and they could leave. Emily carefully picked a very tired, very irritated Layla.

Without a word to Hotch, Emily strode past him and found her way out to the hospital, with Hotch trailing behind her. Layla, who was now just content to be in her mother's arms, had calmed down significantly by the time they had made it back to the parking lot.

Only then did Emily turn to Hotch, knowing she couldn't ignore him forever.

"Can I have her car seat?" Emily asked.

"I can drive her home." Hotch offered.

"I'll do it; you're not even supposed to be driving right now. I'd prefer you I let me drive you, too, actually." Emily admitted. Despite whatever she felt towards him right now, she still cared about him.

"I'm fine, really. But I'll get you her car seat." Hotch agreed, abruptly turning around and heading back to the SUV. He got the car seat out of the back and took it back to Emily.

"At least let me put it in your car for you." Hotch said. Emily simply nodded, showing him to her little silver car. She stood a few feet away from him as he carefully strapped the car seat into the back of the car. Emily shifted Layla in her arms slightly, noting the paleness of her face and how her eyes seemed to droop.

She brought a hand to Layla's forehead, she still felt a bit feverish.

"Does your throat still hurt?" Emily asked. The little girl nodded, resting her head on Emily's shoulder.

"Go home." Layla whined quietly.

"We'll be there soon, okay?" Emily said soothingly, just as Hotch finished installing the car seat.

"Thanks..." Emily said awkwardly, moving to place Layla in the seat.

"See you at home?" Hotch asked.

Emily nodded again. "Are you sure you're okay to drive?" She asked again.

"I'm fine. I'll follow you." Hotch promised. Emily agreed reluctantly and got into the driver's seat of the car.

Layla fell asleep almost instantly, and Emily spent the drive home just thinking. She knew she shouldn't really blame Hotch for what happened, but she found herself doing it anyway. She'd gotten in trouble at work, but that was the least of her worries. Emily just hoped by the time she had to deal with Hotch alone that her anger had simmered down. She didn't want to be mad. Emily could tell he felt terrible. She sighed as she reached the house and pulled into the driveway, Hotch pulled in right behind her.

Carefully, Emily picked Layla up from the backseat. Even though she tried not to wake the toddler, Layla stirred in her arms and let out a whine.

"Mommy, we home?" Layla asked tiredly.

"We're home, sweetie." Emily confirmed. Layla responded by leaning as close to Emily as possible.

A few moments later, the three of them were inside the house. Emily immediately laid Layla on the couch, sitting next to her and stroking her hair softy.

"Do you need anything?" Hotch asked awkwardly.

Emily thought for a moment. "Do you mind getting me the thermometer? Emily asked.

Without a word, Hotch exited the living room and came back moments later with the thermometer and a cup of juice for Layla.

"Thanks." Emily said, taking them both from him and setting the juice cup on the coffee table. She took Layla's temperature, frowning when the result was 102, the same as it was this morning.

"Layla, do you feel different from this morning?" Emily asked. Layla shook her head. "Do you feel the same?" Emily asked. Layla nodded.

"Mommy it hurts." Layla whined, tears filling her eyes.

"Tell me where." Emily instructed, watching as Layla pointed to her arm, throat, and now her head. Emily hoped the still high fever and headache were from the stress of the day, and that Layla could just sleep it off.

"Are you hungry?" Emily asked, glad that Layla nodded her head.

"I want ice cream." Layla said seriously.

"You haven't had any breakfast or lunch yet, missy." Emily joked, tapping Layla on the nose lightly.

"Pretty please?" Layla asked sweetly.

"Well, you have had a pretty rough day. So I guess we can let it slide this one time." Emily said as she rose from the couch and went to put up the baby gate. She went into the kitchen to get Layla's ice cream, Hotch right on her heels.

"I'm sorry, Emily." Hotch said.

"Can we do this later? Layla needs to eat, even if it's just ice cream. And I'm gonna hope and pray Garcia can go pick up the boys from school because I don't want to leave Layla and you can't drive." Emily snapped.

"Okay..." Hotch said defeated as he slowly turned on his heel and disappeared into the living room again. Emily fixed the small bowl of chocolate ice cream and took it back to Layla, encouraging the girl to sit up and eat.

Hotch stayed nearby, and Emily wished he would go away.

Layla ate half the ice cream before handing the bowl back to Emily.

"Are you tired, little bug?" Emily asked.

Layla nodded. "Big bed." She muttered sleepily, meaning she wanted to sleep in Hotch and Emily's room.

"Okay, we'll sleep there." Emily agreed with a smile, taking the dirty bowl into the kitchen and setting it in the sink. She made a quick phone call to Garcia, and thanked God that she was able to pick up Declan and Jack that afternoon. Before she took the sleepy little girl upstairs, she took her temperature one last time. This time it read 101, so it was already coming down. Emily was thankful and let herself smile.

Emily picked Layla up and took her upstairs without another word, disappearing into the bedroom and shutting the door behind her. She laid Layla down on the bed, and lay next to her.

"Goodnight, honey." Emily said as she covered Layla up in the blankets.

Layla giggled weakly. "It's not night." She said matter-of-factly.

"Huh, guess you're right. Good nap, then." Emily said as she leaned back on the pillow. Layla fell asleep almost instantly, but sleep never came for Emily.

She couldn't stop thinking about Hotch. He was genuinely sorry, she could tell that. She knew what happened was just an accident, and it very easily could have happened if Emily herself had been watching Layla alone. But Emily couldn't shake the feeling of resentment she was building up for the man downstairs. She hated it, more than anything. She wished she wanted to run to him, to tell him it was okay and that she didn't blame him, but she didn't. That fact alone scared Emily to death. She had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next.

-

A few hours later, Emily glanced at the clock and noted it was almost time for the boys to be home. Layla was still sleeping, but fitfully and kept waking up every half hour or so.

As if Layla could read her mother's mind, she stirred and woke up with a whine for Emily.

"Hey, little bug. It's okay, I'm right here." Emily soothed, pulling Layla closer to her.

Layla started pulling at her cast and whining, wordlessly telling Emily she wanted it off.

"I know, it's uncomfortable; but it's going to make your arm better." Emily told the girl.

Layla sighed in defeat and snuggled closer to Emily.

"Your brothers will be home soon. Wanna go downstairs and wait for them?" Emily asked.

"Yeah!" Layla said excitedly, perking up from her previous saddened state quickly. Emily smiled, getting up out of bed and lifting Layla up gently. They made their way down the stairs and into the living room where the found Hotch watching TV. Layla squirmed to get down and Emily obliged the child. Layla went over to Hotch and tried to crawl into his lap, finding it difficult with her cast. Emily looked on as Hotch smiled and helped lift the girl into his lap.

"Hi Daddy!" Layla said happily, continuing on with one if her usual silly stories. Normally Emily would have found it adorable. However, Emily found herself uncomfortable and wanting to leave the room.

Ten minutes later, the front door flung open and Jack and Declan entered the house loudly, both of them tossing their backpacks on the floor by the hall closet.

"Hey!" Emily greeted warmly, hugging them both.

Both boys returned the greeting, but turned to Layla.

"Dad, is she okay?" Jack asked concernedly.

"She's okay, buddy. She broke her arm. That cast will heal it right up." Hotch explained.

"Okay." Jack said, just needing to hear the story from a parent. Without skipping a beat, he began to tell his father all about his day. Declan shortly excused himself to his room, and Emily found herself awkwardly standing in the living room again. She decided on starting dinner, just to give herself something to do.

-

The rest of the afternoon consisted of Emily cooking spaghetti, checking Layla's temperature obsessively until it reached normal, and avoiding Hotch as best she could. Dinner was saved by Jack and Layla, who made sure there was no room for silence. With dinner out of the way, Emily gave Layla a bath while Hotch helped Jack with his homework.

Emily found bath time difficult, since she couldn't let Layla get her cast wet. The affair took twice as long as it should have. Finally, the girl was bathed and had pajamas on.

Emily was just about to put Layla down in her crib when Layla spoke up.

"No Mommy! Big bed." Layla said.

"Honey... Why don't you sleep in your bed tonight?" She asked. She planned on sleeping on the couch again.

"No! Please?" Layla asked sweetly. Emily sighed, knowing there was no way out of this.

"Okay, you win. You can sleep in the big bed tonight." Emily told the girl who cheered like it was Christmas morning.

"Let's go tell your brothers goodnight." Emily said as she brought Layla down the stairs and into the living room where the rest of the family was gathered.

"Daddy I sleep in the big bed!" Layla exclaimed happily.

Hotch looked to Emily, asking without words if that was okay.

"She'll be between us." Emily said simply. Hotch nodded.

"Say goodnight to Jack and Declan." Emily instructed as she let Layla down. The toddler walked over to Jack who was sitting next to Hotch on the couch as told him goodnight, and then went over to Declan who had ventured out of his room to do homework in the living room. Emily should have been happy to see Declan less angry and working on trying to get back to normal with Hotch. But truthfully, Emily just wanted someone else to feel like she felt, as selfish as it sounded.

Emily snapped out of her thoughts when Layla ran back over to her and crashed into her legs. Emily picked her up again.

"Jack, are you all done with your homework?" Emily asked.

"Yep!" Jack answered proudly.

"Okay, go on and take your shower and go to bed." Emily instructed.

Jack rose from the couch and headed upstairs, hugging Hotch and Emily goodnight before bounding up the stairs and doing as he was told.

"Not too late, okay Dec?" Emily said to the blonde boy across the room.

"Okay." Declan agreed, Emily bid him goodnight and went upstairs, Hotch following her.

They went into the bedroom, and Emily laid Layla down in the middle of the bed, lying on one side of her while Hotch took the other.

"Night Mommy, night Daddy." Layla said as she got comfortable and fell asleep within minutes. Emily hoped she slept better than she had that afternoon.

-

Emily fought the urge to toss and turn for hours. No matter what she did, sleep just didn't come. Emily glanced over, noting Hotch and Layla were both sound asleep. Emily carefully got out of bed and placed pillows around Layla on her side, so Layla wouldn't fall out of bed.

She went downstairs, not really sure what she was doing. She wished she could get ahold of her emotions. Things would never get better if Emily was going to act like this every time something went wrong.

Emily jumped at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. She spun around, sighing when she saw Hotch.

"I put pillows around her, she won't fall." Hotch assured her.

"I thought you were asleep." Emily said flatly, rocking on her heels and crossing her arms.

"No. I couldn't sleep. We have to talk, you know..." Hotch said.

"About?" Emily asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

"Emily, come on. You've been ignoring me all day. I said I was sorry, and believe me, I am. I'd never intentionally hurt her. It was an accident." Hotch said.

"I know that." Emily spat.

"Then what's your deal?" Hotch asked. Emily felt nothing but heat and saw nothing but red.

"My deal? I had to leave my sick daughter at home. She broke her arm. Her father doesn't remember her. Declan walks on eggshells around you because he's afraid he won't get you back. And I-" Emily cut herself off. No, no. She wasn't going to make this about her feelings. "I almost lost my job today. I am two seconds from being fired. And the worst part? I don't care. But I can't quit my job because we need a source of income. And God knows when you can go back." Emily said, instantly regretting that last bit.

"Sorry if I'm a burden..." Hotch said bitterly.

"That's not what I meant. We have three children. And sure, I have money put away from my mother, but I'd like to keep that put away for the kid's college, or for them to have after we're gone." Emily explained.

"If you want to quit your job, feel free. We can make it work somehow." Hotch said.

"You know, if you'd just retired when you said you would, none of this would have happened!" Emily yelled, storming off and brushing past Hotch in her quick attempt to get back upstairs. She felt hot tears welling in her eyes as she went back into the bedroom. She carefully moved the pillows back and slid back into bed. She refused to let herself cry and possibly wake Layla up. So instead, Emily endured yet another sleepless night.