A/N: The next few chapters are the road trip. I'm using it as a way for Hotch and Emily to reconnect after this incident and to talk about certain things that were avoided during the hospital stay. I had intended to do it all in snippets and in one chapter but you know what they say… best intentions etc. So instead I'm doing it in stages. This chapter is Seattle to Missoula with a little tidbit/flashback to early Emily days thrown in. Please read and review.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds or the Beatles.
Emily was sitting on the edge of her bed, waiting. Hotch was picking up her prescriptions from the doctor, including a week's worth of cleaning supplies for her wound. She swung her legs nervously, checking her watch for the umpteenth time that hour, before she craned her neck to try and look through the doorway. She huffed and started to get herself down from the bed, holding onto her stomach so she wouldn't tear her stitches.
Hotch had been standing outside Emily's door, listening to the doctor's instructions for going on twenty minutes. He nodded and "mmhmmed," all non-verbal cues he'd learnt at the Academy. The doctor finally ended his explanation. "I'll take care of her. Thank you doctor," he said quietly, shaking the man's hand. Hotch turned, taking with him the bag of medication and supplies, and walked back into Emily's room.
"Emily Prentiss! What are you doing?" Hotch cried out. He sighed and placed the white paper bag on the floor near Emily's belongings. He rushed over to Emily's side and placed his arm around her waist, helping her down to the floor. "I was just trying to get down. I thought I could do it," she said. Hotch shook his head and held her at the waist. "You should've waited," he said quietly. Emily nodded and smiled, looking up at Hotch. "I know but…" she shrugged, "What can I say, your stubbornness seems to have rubbed off on me." Hotch smiled and kissed the top of Emily's head. "Sorry sweetheart. But I think we both know that you've always been this stubborn," he whispered.
Emily chuckled and pushed on his chest. Hotch took a deep breath. "You ready to go? I want to try and make it to Missoula by dinner," he said quietly. Emily smiled and nodded. "Let's go," she replied. Hotch lifted her bag and handed her the bag of medication. She smiled and followed him out the door. He reached over and took her hand as they walked past the nurse's station. They paused and said goodbye to Oliver and the others, then continued down the hall.
When they finally reached the front door of the hospital, Emily breathed a huge sigh. "I'm free!" she cried out, holding up their hands. Hotch chuckled and pulled her tight against his chest. "Thank God for that," he huffed. When they pulled back, Hotch gave her a quick, gentle kiss. "Ok, Missoula by dinner," she said, patting his stomach. Hotch nodded and led her down the path towards the carpark.
"Baby you can drive my car, and maybe I'll love you! Beep beep, beep beep, yeah!" Hotch couldn't help the deep belly laugh that escaped him as he looked over at Emily. She was definitely in better spirits since leaving the hospital, and now Hotch found himself watching her as she sang into a can of his deodorant. When the local radio station, just outside of Spokane, began to play the Beatles, Emily squealed and searched for a pretend mic. Hotch grinned when she pulled out his spray and started to sing into it. He was even more surprised when he sang along to the "beep beep" parts of the song. Emily had smiled and, despite the momentary embarrassment of being caught up in the song, he didn't regret it one bit.
They stopped in at a local store and picked up a couple of sandwiches and a few bottles of water. Then, at the suggestion of the store-owner, they drove a short way to Medical Lake to eat lunch. Hotch was glad they'd taken the older man's advice. He pulled into the carpark and Emily's face lit up. She grabbed their lunches and he grabbed her medicine, and they walked, hand-in-hand, to one of the benches overlooking the water. The sun was shining bright and the lake was quiet. They set up their lunch on the table and Hotch cracked open the bottle of pills. He handed two to Emily and she swallowed them.
Emily tore open her chicken and salad sandwich and Hotch opened his tuna and salad. They each pulled out half and swapped. It was how they did things now. Bought two different meals and shared. Hotch smiled and wrapped his arm around Emily's shoulder. She placed her left hand on his thigh and took her first bite. They sat quietly and ate in peace. They didn't need to say how relieved they were that this ordeal was, for the most part, behind them. They could both feel it.
After they'd finished, Hotch stood to take their rubbish to the trash can. He strolled back to the bench and held out his hand. Emily shook her head and pat the bench next to her. "Let's just sit for a bit," she said quietly. Hotch looked at her face and nodded. He wasn't too keen to get back in the car, where the only touching he could do was hold her hand or stroke her face. He loved having her wrapped in his arms. But he knew that the sooner they got back on the road, the sooner they'd be at their hotel where they could cuddle and sleep. He sat down anyway and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She leant her head back and sighed. "In case I forget when we get home," she started, "I just want to thank you for driving me back." Hotch smiled and kissed the top of her head. "My pleasure."
It was about 1:30 when they left Medical Lake and were back on the I-90. Emily smiled as they drove through Spokane and thought back to when the BAU had visited the town almost four years prior. She sighed and Hotch looked over. "You ok?" he asked, his voice filled with worry. Emily nodded and looked at him. "Spokane," she said quietly. Hotch realized what she was talking about and nodded.
"That was a long time ago," he sighed. When he had last visited the town he had a wife. And Jack hadn't suffered through his parent's divorce or his mother's death. Hotch squeezed Emily's hand. When they'd passed the city-limits, Hotch took a turnoff and drove a short way until they found the sign saying "Welcome to Spokane County." He pulled over and smiled at Emily's confused face. "Hop out," he said animatedly. Emily did as she was told and hopped out of the car. Hotch took her by the hand and pulled her towards the sign, placed his hands on her shoulders and told her to stay there. Emily smiled at his sudden excitement and waited for him to return.
Hotch reached into his ready-bag and pulled out his digital camera. He placed it on the roof, set the timer, then ran back to Emily. She looked up at him and wrinkled her brow. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and smiled. "Look at the camera," he said, pointing towards the car. They stood and smiled, waited for the flash, then Hotch ran back to get it. When he returned he looked at Emily. "Thought we could create a new memory for this town," he said quietly, showing her the photo. She smiled and felt the tears start to well up. They looked so happy. Hotch had his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. Emily's hands were resting on his arms. And behind them was the sign. Emily leant forward and gently kissed Hotch. "Sweet," she whispered. They walked back to the car, hopped in, and were back on their way.
Hotch looked over at Emily as he pulled up outside the Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula. She was lying back in her reclined seat, her head resting to the side on the pillow he'd bought just for the road trip. She had such a peaceful look on her face, much like the one she'd had in the hospital. But this time, he hated to wake her up. He turned off the ignition and sighed as he reached over and gently squeezed her shoulder.
"Emily," he whispered. "Cmon honey, we're here." Emily stirred and opened her eyes. She sat up quickly, something she regretted instantaneously when she felt the pain in her abdomen. Hotch's face was wracked with guilt as he squeezed her hand. "Sweetheart I'm sorry," he said quietly. Emily shook her head and squeezed back. "It's not your fault. I just forgot," she replied. "Stay there. I'll come around to you," Hotch said. He grabbed the keys then rushed around to Emily's door. He opened it up and helped her out of the car. He brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her temple. "You ok?" he asked. Emily smiled and nodded. "I'll be fine. I think I just need something to eat and a good night sleep. Then I'll be fine," she assured him. Hotch nodded and rushed to the trunk to pull out their bags, then took her arm and led her towards the front door of the hotel.
He registered them at the front desk then lead Emily upstairs to their room. He unlocked the door and opened it, letting Emily in first. "Wow," she exclaimed, looking around the room. The bed was huge! She walked over and sat down on the edge and sighed. A real bed! With real sheets! And most importantly, no chance of a doctor or nurse walking in on you peeing. Emily sighed and fell back on the bed.
Hotch smiled and put their bags on the armchair before he made his way over to the bed. He lay down next to Emily, and stared at the ceiling. In spite of the fact that he'd driven almost eight hours today, he was feeling surprisingly alert. He looked over at Emily and smiled. Apparently she wasn't quite as alert. Hotch smiled and rolled over to run his fingers through her hair. "Mmmm, that's nice," she mumbled. "I thought you were asleep," he whispered. Emily shook her head and reached across, eyes still closed, to place her hand on his chest. "We should probably get up and shower and eat something before we both fall asleep," he whispered. Emily wrinkled her brow. "I don't want to," she whined.
Hotch huffed and stood up. "Well, you need to honey. You need a shower before I can put your new bandage on," he explained. Emily opened her eyes and squinted in disgust. "I thought I'd left the vice-grip of Oliver the torturer," she teased. Hotch ran his hands over her thighs and nodded. "You did. But now you're left in the care of Aaron Hotchner, agent of the FBI and man liable for your well-being. And he says it's time to shower," Hotch replied.
Emily chuckled and let him pull her up from the bed. "Alright. But if you think you're getting lucky tonight, think again mister. Doctor's orders include no strenuous activity for at least another fortnight," she teased as she walked over to her ready-bag. Hotch huffed. "Strenuous? What's so strenuous about it for you? I'm always on top, I'm the one doing all the work," he cried out. Emily giggled. "Well then Agent Hotchner, maybe when I'm better you'll let me get on top," she teased. He shook his head as she pulled him into the bathroom. "No way," he argued, before Emily kicked the door closed.
Hotch opened his eyes and squinted as he looked around the dimly lit room. He eyed the clock on the bedside table and sighed. 3am. He turned when he realized what had woken him in the first place. Emily was tossing in her sleep. He sat up and tried to stop her from thrashing so violently. If she wasn't careful she could tear out her stitches. He held her still and listened to her mumbles.
Emily was being pushed down a slippery, muddy hill. All I had to do was get a statement from a witness, she thought to herself, how the hell did I end up here? The "witness" was now the man sticking a knife out, forcing her to march on. She hoped that the guys would get there in time, but she knew they probably wouldn't. She thought about what that could mean for Hotch. She didn't want to imagine what he would think or feel. And then there was the baby to consider, their baby. Emily held her hands over her stomach in an attempt to shield it from whatever this knife-wielding maniac could do.
"What was that?" Howard asked, pulling on her arm. Emily turned in a circle, listening to the rain fall and the wind brush through the trees. She sighed. She had hoped the guys had made it there. But she knew that hope was in vain. All the others knew was that she was going to interview a witness to one of the murder's they were investigating. Emily thought back over the number of times the witness had in fact been the un-sub they'd been chasing.
Howard stopped suddenly and grabbed her by the arm. He held her close to his chest and Emily noticed how his eyes darted around like a frightened animal. He held the knife out, scaring the crap out of the normally fearless agent. He held her close and breathed heavily. "You make a sound and I will kill you," he whispered in her ear. Emily nodded and closed her eyes, waiting for this day to be over. Wishing this was a nightmare and she was going to wake up in her own bed, with Hotch's arms around her waist. When she opened her eyes again, she was disappointed.
"FBI Howard, you've got nowhere to go," Morgan said loudly as he came out from the bushes and Hotch and Dave emerged from behind the tree. Hotch looked at Emily. She didn't want him there. She was 99% sure of what was about to happen and she couldn't imagine what he was about to go through. Without taking her eyes off Hotch she called out. "Morgan, if you have the shot, take it." She wished she could shout to him how much she loved him, and apologise for not telling him about the baby sooner. Howard held the knife to her stomach and she flinched. "Morgan," she called out again, closing her eyes briefly and saying a quick prayer before she opened them again to look at Hotch.
Before she knew what was happening, she felt the knife slide into her flesh. She felt the pain, but then it was gone. She opened her eyes briefly and saw Hotch. She smiled, not wanting him to remember her without a smile. She had so much she wanted to say to him but the darkness crept up before she could utter a word. She looked once more, into his dark eyes. Then…
Emily sat up in bed. She glanced around the room, panting. She felt Hotch's hand on her back and was slightly comforted by his presence. She placed her hand on her stomach and burst into tears. Hotch pulled her close to his chest and held her while she cried. "I had a nightmare," she said quietly, through the sobs. Hotch nodded and kissed the top of her head. "I know sweetheart. I know," he replied. He held her while she cried, until she fell back to sleep. From what he knew this was the first time she'd had a nightmare since this whole thing had begun. He kept his arm around her, as she rested her head on his chest, and when he was sure she was asleep again, he closed his eyes.
A/N: I had to chuck a nightmare sequence in somewhere and figured now would be a good chance. They're out of the hospital so no more three-hourly wake up calls meaning Emily has a chance to get a full REM sleep. Also, I figured Hotch would be there so he could help her calm down. Plus it was a good idea to go back and see the incident from Emily's POV. Hope I did them all justice. Please Read and Review!