He woke up from a sound sleep with a need to empty his bladder. He usually stayed away from drinking too much after a certain time, he drank too much water after he was in his room for the night. He found that going over reports in his room instead of the current case help keep him focus better. Working as a team had it's advantages they bounced things off of each other, it was one of the reasons they worked so well together.

He picked up his watch and frowned it was only twelve thirty he had only been asleep two hours. Hotch carefully opened the bathroom door and was surprised to see that the adjoining room's door was wide open. He looked into the room only to find it empty.

He can't say he wasn't warned it wouldn't happen. Two days before Agent DiNozzo reported to him he was paid a visit by one Dr. Donald Mallard the M.E. from NCIS. A man who could teach a class in being subtle as he made his point with the underling threat behind it.

Ducky had made an appointment to see him, when he knocked on the open door Hotch wasn't sure what to expect from him. An elderly man dressed in a suit and bow tie, on his head a fedora. Thinking back on it the fedora and bow tie looked perfect on him, they along with his demeanor completed the package of a respected professional.

"Agent Hotchner, I would like a few words with you if I may?" Ducky says as he steps into the office.

"Of course, Dr. Mallard." Hotch says as he looks at Ducky's card. Hotch says as he welcomes him into his office.

"Would you like something to drink Dr. Mallard?"

"No thank you young man, it is very nice of you to offer though. Sadly most young people today lack common courtesy. But I digress."

Hotch lets a ghost of a smile settle on his lips for a moment. "Have a seat Dr. Mallard."

"Please call me Ducky." He says as he removes his hat and sits on the couch.

"How may I help you?"

"I know that you are a very busy man so I will try to keep this short. I understand that Anthony DiNozzo will be working with your team, an exchange program of sorts."

"Yes he will be joining us in two days. Is there a problem?"

"No, no problem per se, Anthony can be a bit cavalier about his health. It has to do with how he was raised you see. But being a profiler I'm sure you will find out more for yourself. He was exposed to Y-pestis, the plague, and his lung are severely scarred you see. I am holding you responsible young man to watch out for him. High humidity and the cold is what I worry about the most anything that affects his lungs. Here is a prescription for an antibiotic also a new inhaler. Just in case the need arises."

Ducky stands and hands Hotch a slip of paper and a small box. "Thank you for seeing me, Agent Hotchner."

"Doctor Mallard, why did you come here and tell me this?"

Ducky hesitates slightly. "Because he was so very good to my mother. My mother had Alzheimer's and he would come over and have tea with her talk to her and give her dogs a bath. She would call him her Italian gigolo furniture mover. When I asked him why he would always tell me because I couldn't move the furniture anymore and he could. That it was only a few hours a month and it was no big deal. You can surmise what you like. Anthony will not lie outright but he will hold back information, I think it comes from working so many undercover missions. And not having adequate backup. One more thing Anthony has a bad habit of going back to the office to work late at night when the bullpen is quite. He says that he can think better with no distraction. I think he can let his guard down and be himself without having to worry about having to protect himself."

It wasn't like he hasn't missed sleep before he got dressed and made his way back to the police station. He found Tony looking at the laptop they had brought with them. Writing notes as he scrolled through what ever page he was on.

"Is there a problem sir?" Tony asks not even looking up before Hotch takes a third step into the room.

He wasn't surprised when Tony started talking to him before he got further into the room. Tony wasn't the only one who has done his research. "No. I needed to use the restroom and you were gone. I came to see if you were alright?"

"How did you know where to find me?"

Hotch looks at Tony and crosses his arms across his chest not willing to reveal who it was that told him. "If I had to guess it would be a Duck, wearing a bow tie and a hat. Ducky worries too much."

"Have you found anything new?"

"No, I even talked to the agents in the NCIS offices that cover the border. They haven't heard of any unusual change in the drug traffic legal or illegal. Some abuse in the family history that we missed but that is not uncommon."

Hotch nods understanding what is not being said. "It's late."

"Still running on Gibbs' time, he runs a case until it's over. Habit I guess."

"Go to bed Tony, you won't be any good to me if you're tired, and take your inhaler you're whizzing."

"So tell me Hotch are you leery of Ducky like the rest of us."

Seeing the look on Hotch's face, he laughs. "Don't worry he won't hit you he will just lecture you to death making you feel like an errant schoolboy."

"I think I would rather be hit, by Morgan."

"That makes two of us. I've been on the receiving end of his lectures, more than once."