Erin closed the door with a soft click, and Penelope still felt like the sound was like a cannon going off. Dave's hands tightened around her shoulders, and she found herself grateful for the contact, since it grounded her, letting her know that she had someone to support her no matter what Erin told her. But the fact that she hadn't expected bad news on such a happy day made her feel all the worse.

"Erin? What's wrong? Do you need to speak with me alone?"

Erin shook her head slowly as she pulled over one of the office chairs, getting close to Penelope as she reached out for her hand. Penelope clasped it hesitantly, not knowing where this was going. A jagged silence fell over the room, and she found that she didn't want to break it, since she wasn't certain she wanted to hear what her mother was about to say. "I'm really glad that I caught the two of you together, actually," she said quietly as she looked into Penelope's eyes.

Tears were pooling in the corner of Erin's eyes, and Penelope felt her heart fall into the pit of her stomach. Dave's hands squeezed her shoulders a little as he drew in a deep breath. "Then I take it that you have some bad news for one of us?" Erin nodded, her grip on Penelope's hand becoming quite painful. "And I know you would have told me about it before we left, if it involved me, so can we infer that you have bad news for Penelope?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"But you don't know how to find words for what you want to tell her."

"Yes."

That was when Penelope knew that, whatever the next words that came from Erin's lips were, her life would never be the same again. "All right, I think that we're at an impasse for my charade skills. Despite how well I know you, bella, I still cannot read your mind."

She knew that he was trying to make them feel better, and Penelope loved him all the more for that, since it showed just how much he cared. Normally, she would have giggled at his words, but this time, she just rested against him, taking strength from his warm form, even as she clung to Erin's hand. "I wish that you could read my mind and take this from me. Somehow, I think that it would come from your lips a little easier than mine."

Erin swallowed thickly, and Penelope copied her movement before biting her lip a little. "Just tell me, Erin. You're starting to scare me a little."

"I'm sorry, darling," she whispered, the first tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "I just received a call from St Vincent's. It seems that there was a rather bad car accident this morning, and that Kevin was involved. Some utter asshole was drunk already, or still, it doesn't really matter at this point, ran a red light, and t-boned his car."

"No, that can't be. Someone would have gone through his contacts and called me, to let me know what had happened. The cops do that now."

Erin tilted her head to one side as she reached out her free hand and cupped Penelope's cheek, letting her thumb rub back and forth over her cheekbone before she shook her head. "His phone was destroyed in the accident. The only reason they knew to call here was his ID badge. The person on the switchboard patched the deputy through to my phone."

"But he was taken to the hospital, so that means he was alive, right? Otherwise they would have taken him right to the coroner's office. That's a good sign, right?" Penelope knew that she was clutching at straws, since the look on Erin's face told her that the news was not good at all.

"He is alive, and I was told that he would be rushed to surgery as soon as he arrived."

"Did they dispatch AeroMed?"

Erin shook her head, not meeting Penelope's gaze. Again, the vibes that were rolling off Erin told Penelope that things were dire, even though there was a thin filament of hope. "All I know is that it's touch and go right now, and that we need to get you to St Vincent's as soon as possible."

The sobs that Penelope had been struggling to keep inside burst forth, and she leaned forward over her baby bump, trying to protect it as she cried. A dull thud caught her attention, and she saw that Erin was now kneeling on the floor in front of her, and Penelope fell forward, needing her mother's arms around her in that moment, offering her what comfort she could give. "If I stay here, I can pretend that nothing bad happened, I can tell the team my news, and everything will be all right," she whispered brokenly.

"Darling, no, as much as we would love to pretend like that, we can't. And I want you to have the chance to say what you need to say before things get too late." Erin's words dropped heavily on her heart, and she bit her lip as she nodded a bit, knowing that she was correct. But a part of her heart didn't want to accept the truth that she was saying.

"So we have to go now?" she finally said, pulling her head out of the crook of Erin's shoulder to look up into her face.

"Yes, we have to go now."

Dave cleared his throat a little, causing them to look up at him. "Care to fill me in here?"

"We're going to the hospital so that Penelope can have a chance to say goodbye to Kevin. It doesn't look good."

He nodded a little before looking uncomfortably at Penelope, like he didn't really want to say what was on his mind at the moment. "Kitten, it is going to be very difficult to explain away a second absence like this. I know that this is important…"

"David James Rossi, do not even finish that statement. I know that this would leave the BAU without a technical analyst here physically. Use the international team's analyst for any inquiries you might have."

"Erin."

"Don't Erin me, David. As her Section Chief, I'll approve any time off that she needs. As her mother, I will be accompanying her to the hospital to see him." Erin got to her feet, ignoring the shocked gasp that fell from Dave's lips as she helped Penelope up. "Come on, darling, we have to move quickly now. I'm so glad that you have your things here, so we don't need to make another stop."

She nodded dumbly, hooking her arm around Erin's waist as she allowed the woman to guide her out of the office and over to the stairs. Hotch was coming up them, and he gave her an odd look as they went down. In the background, she heard Dave call to Hotch, and she knew that he would explain for them, though she didn't know what he would tell Hotch.

Erin steered them away from the elevators, choosing to take the stairs. This seemed like the best idea, since it gave her some privacy, and was probably quicker than waiting for the elevator. Her tears never lessened as she followed after Erin to her car. "Erin, wait, please. I think I'm going to be sick."

Erin paused, and Penelope rushed over to a corner, away from the closest car, squatting down a little before losing the contents of her stomach. Feeling a soft hand on her back, she looked up to see Erin standing by her side, holding out a handkerchief. "I have a bottle of water in my car, you can use that to cleanse your palate once we get there." She nodded a little and took the small square of fabric, wiping away the traces of her sickness before standing up once more, allowing Erin to wrap her arm around her waist once more as she led her the rest of the way to her vehicle.

Penelope curled up heavily in the passenger seat as she listened to Erin rummage around in the trunk before getting in the car as well, handing over the promised water. "What if he dies before we get there? And how can I raise our child without him by our side?"

"You won't be alone, Penelope, I can promise you that. The support system that you have surrounding you right now is going to be enough to carry on with living."

"And what about you?" she asked lowly, glancing at Erin out of the corner of her eye, wanting to see what her response would be.

The woman slipped her hand off the shifter and rested it on Penelope's baby bump. "I will be whatever you want me to be. I know that things between us have been rocky, save for the last few weeks, but I love the idea of you being my daughter, and I hope that you can let me be there for you. I would hate to be shut out now."

Giving Penelope's hand a soft squeeze, Erin then started the car, backing out of her spot and pulling out into traffic. The air between them was so tender and hopeful, but she knew the answer she wanted to give Erin. "I don't think I could ever shut you out, Erin. And I have the feeling that I'm going to need you now more than ever." A quick smile slipped over Erin's face as she nodded, and then the silence fell over the car once more, Penelope sending up frantic prayers to whichever deity was listening in that moment that Kevin would be all right.