"Whoa, whoa, whoa…"

The head nurse at the station outside Hotch's door called a halt to the group that looked intent on descending upon one of her patients. Four pairs of eyes looked up, questioning. "If you're here to visit or to interview Mr. Hotchner, you can go in two at a time. He's weak and doesn't need a mob scene, got it?"

"Yes, Ma'am." J.J. spoke for the group.

Before they could agree on who should go first, the door to Hotch's room opened. Rossi stepped out, pulling it closed after him. With a tilt of his head, he motioned for the team to accompany him a few steps away; out of earshot of both the guard and the room's occupant. Speaking sotto voce, the senior agent brought them up to speed.

"So if he had such a strong reaction to that lipstick, he was aware of what was going on around…and to…him." Rossi finished his summation, giving Morgan and Prentiss a significant look. And that probably means he does know what went down while she held you guys hostage. All of it.

Morgan took a deep, deep breath, releasing it in a long, slow exhalation. "So what do we do now? Is Hotch free to go?"

"No. They want to keep him one more night. He's still weak."

"I dunno." Prentiss hunched her shoulders for a moment; a sympathetic gesture of self-defense. "If I were Hotch, I think I'd be able to relax better somewhere else. Somewhere I know the unsub hasn't been lurking."

"Yeah," Reid nodded. "She's already been here twice. She might not be able to stay away."

"Which means…" Rossi raised an eyebrow. "…that we keep surveillance high and our profile low. I can't think of a single good reason we shouldn't be able to nab her, if she shows up again. It's getting a little embarrassing that we haven't yet."

"I still think we should move Hotch out." Prentiss was already casting wary looks in all directions. "I mean, we've got the body of her last victim. She killed during the night. Then it sounds as though she showed up here in the early morning, got thwarted and…what? She's gotta be tired by now. I bet coming here was the tail end of the adrenaline rush from her kill. If we move Hotch out, but keep the guard and maybe one of us in view, she'll think he's still here." She bit her lip. "I just don't think we should let Hotch feel like bait, ya know?"

"And she will come back." Morgan nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Wha'd'you think, Rossi?"

Dave ran a hand over his beard, considering their options. "All right. Lemme talk to Hotch first. Then, if he's up for it, you guys can visit with him while I take care of his paperwork." He noticed the eagle eye of the head nurse keeping track of the huddle of agents.

J.J. followed his glance and adopted a reassuring smile meant to soothe the woman's concerns. "Okay. But we better stick to the two-at-a-time rule, guys."

Emily nodded. "Sure. Reid and J.J. can go first. Derek and me…we'll wait."

Morgan and Prentiss locked eyes. They needed a moment to plan what they'd say to their leader and friend now that he'd been exposed to them in so many ways.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Despite feeling a bit frail, Hotch was anxious to get out of the hospital.

Truth be told, he hated them. His father's fists had landed him in them far too frequently as a child. Now whenever he entered a medical facility, whether as a patient or in the line of duty, whole cadres of unpleasant memories tumbled out of mental doors he'd worked hard to nail shut.

So he leapt at the plan Rossi presented.

"Okay, then." The older man nodded. "Let me go set the wheels in motion." A smile crept across his lips. "And while I'm springing you from this place, you've got some visitors waiting." Dave reached over, patting Hotch's thigh. "You've been missed."

"I…uh…" Aaron wanted out, but he wasn't ready to open up about the ordeal of being held hostage yet. And he had questions about his time in the hospital that he wasn't prepared to ask. Questions about the press of lips, and the click and flash detectable through his closed lids of a picture being taken. He wanted to be someplace where he'd feel less threatened, away from the antiseptic odors and harsh fluorescent light, before asking. But he couldn't turn his team away. He swallowed and nodded.

Rossi gave his friend a considering look. He suspected some of what Aaron might be suffering, but the first order of business was to get him to a place where he'd be more comfortable.

They could face other issues once that was accomplished.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

"Hey, Hotch." J.J.'s soft voice and softer smile went a long way to settling some of the Unit Chief's inner turmoil.

"Hey, J.J….Reid…" He hated how juiceless and weak his voice sounded, even to his own ears.

"Hotch." Reid stood at the beside, gazing down with a ridiculously wide grin. It was always a shock, that first sight of someone you knew…and knew well…in a hospital bed. But the youngest agent felt a deep welling of gratitude that this man who filled a very special place in his life was still with them. Even if he looked wrung out.

Hotch had been instrumental in obtaining the special dispensations required for Reid to become a field agent. But more important in Spencer's mind was that even though there was no real need once that had been accomplished, Hotch had still devoted a good chunk of his time to helping the genius who people thought would never be the one on the receiving end of tutorship.

It wasn't necessary to carry a gun. But Reid, who'd never fit in anywhere had a puppy-like eagerness to fit in as much as he could. Calm and patient, his Unit Chief had showed him time and again the steps to successful marksmanship. And even when the boy to whom overachieving was second nature, failed, Hotch had shown no disappointment. Said not one critical word.

He'd even made Reid feel as though the time they spent together was enjoyable.

Spencer had never said it aloud, but Hotch was like the best parts of a father and big brother all rolled into one. There wasn't the teasing quality Morgan brought on board. Hotch's wit was quiet, drier, less taunting. Because he was at heart a gentle soul. Reid loved him. He looked at him now, pale and drawn, and his heart was so full, and he wanted to help so much, he unwittingly opened a can of worms that would have been better left on the shelf.

"God, Hotch, I'm so sorry about what she did to you!"

Aaron wasn't sure to what Reid was referring. He hoped it was the fact that he'd been drugged. That hope died a sudden death.

"I know how it feels, though. When I was in high school some guys took me out to the football field and tied me to a goalpost…naked." Spencer's eyes closed under the power of the weight of the memory. "Everyone saw me. Everyone. God, it was so humiliating."

Hotch's eyes closed, too.