Chapter 37

Time passed slowly for Hotch as he sat up in bed trying to keep his mind from wandering to what was happening in the ICU. Had Downer been able to have protection put in place for Haley? Had something happened to Anders? What did Rossi have in mind for Strauss? Closing his eyes, he pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache was beginning.

"Agent Hotchner?"

Opening his eyes, Hotch spotted Doctor Cavanaugh standing beside his bed looking at him worriedly.

"Are you in some pain?" Cavanaugh asked.

"Just a small headache, doc," Hotch replied as he wrapped his arms around himself. "I'll live. Besides, my sister-in-law is coming soon and she's bringing my son. She's going to leave him with me while she visits her sister in the ICU."

"I see," Cavanaugh said with an amused grin. He checked his watch. "Seeing as evening visiting hours are an hour away, that will give me time to examine you and have one of the nurses bring you some aspirin for your headache. Don't want to be in pain when your son gets here."

Hotch allowed himself to smile a relaxed smile for the first time in a long time. He saw the doctor return the smile.

Nearly an hour later, his examination complete, Cavanaugh made his notations on the chart.

"So, am I going to live, doc?" Hotch asked sarcastically.

"More than that, Agent Hotchner," Cavanaugh hung the chart on it's hook. "You're doing so well, I don't see why you can't be discharged in the next three days. Of course you'll have to take it easy for a few weeks and as I understand you live alone, will have to have somebody help out until you're strong enough. And I will have follow-up exams scheduled. I need to see you at least twice before I can authorize your return to work."

Hotch's eyes widened like saucers. "Discharged? You mean I can get out of here and go home?" He figured he'd try and talk his way out of having somebody take care of him later.

Wrapping his arms around himself, the doctor smirked. "Yes, Agent Hotchner. I am kicking you out of here. We need this bed for actual sick people." He chuckled, glad to give the profiler some good news for once.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" asked a feminine voice.

Looking over, both men noticed Jessica Brooks standing in the doorway holding the small hand of her nephew who was squeezing his favorite teddy bear in one arm. The woman appeared nervous and concerned, not only for her sister but for her brother-in-law.

"Doctor, Aaron can stay with me when he's discharged. I have plenty of room and Jack would love it."

"Jess….." Hotch said warningly. He was feeling guilty at having Haley's sister babysitting him when she was recovering herself.

"Aaron, it's the least I can do. Besides, Haley would never forgive me if something happened to you in that apartment of yours if you were there alone. Besides, this way, you and Jack can spend time together."

Smiling at the woman, Cavanaugh turned back to Hotch. "Then it seems your after-care is taken care of. I'm afraid I must leave you now, I have other patients to check on." Turning away, he walked out of the room smiling in passing at Jessica and Jack. Once he left, Jessica walked further into the room. She looked at Hotch curiously.

"Jess, what are you doing? You just got out of the hospital yourself. You need your rest as well."

"It's not subject for negotiation, Aaron. You are staying with me and that's that. End of discussion. Now, I want to see Haley, and Jack is going to stay with you." Leaning over with one hand on her knee, Jess looked into the face of the little boy. "Jack, would you like to stay here and watch over your daddy for me?"

Jack nodded excitedly. "Yay!" he said excitedly. "I'll keep the bad man away from daddy."

With a slight groan as she picked up her nephew and sat him on the bed beside his father, Jess stroked his hair and smiled. "Remember, sweetie. Your mommy and I are counting on you protecting daddy until I come back. Understand?" She and Hotch both watched Jack shake his head enthusiastically and then wrap his short arms around his father's neck, the teddy bear lying on his father's midsection. With a smirk, Jess looked at the father and son. "I'll try not to take long," she told Hotch before leaving.

Alone with his son now, Hotch kissed Jack on top of his head. "Hey, buddy, is Teddy here going to help you?" Hotch held the ragged-looking bear in one hand with his other arm wrapped around his son. Jack looked up and with one hand, took the bear from his father's hand.

"Teddy's gonna help me keep the bad man away from you," Jack replied looking into his father's dark eyes. Touched, Hotch kissed his son's cheek. "And just what is Teddy going to do if the bad man comes here?"

To demonstrate, Jack grabbed the bear by one arm and started hitting the bed repeatedly with it. "He's gonna beat him up, daddy."

Touched by his son's determination at protecting him, Hotch gently took Teddy and sat him next to him on the bed, and then wrapped both arms around his son and held him tightly while burying his face in his hair. He could never explain just how much he loved this little boy; he loved him with every moral fiber of his being. He lifted his own head and cupping Jack's chin, lifted it to they could look into each other's eyes. "That's very sweet of you and Teddy, Jack, but I don't want either of you beating up anybody. Handling bad guys is my job." He noticed Jack pouting and sighed. "Don't be sad, buddy. Look, I'll make you a deal. You and Teddy tell me if you see the bad man and I'll handle him. Deal?" He held out his hand, waiting.

Smiling, Jack grabbed his father's fingers and shook. "Deal," he said.

With a smirk, Hotch then grabbed on of the bear's paws and shook it gently, mindful of it's ragged condition. He knew the stuffed animal was coming apart, but he also knew Jack loved and cherished it nonetheless. He leaned sideways towards the bear with his ear against the bear's mouth.

"What's that?" he asked the bear. Then, nodding his head, Hotch straightened and looked at his son again. "Teddy says it's a deal also." He then wrapped both arms around Jack as his son wrapped his arms around his father's neck. "I love you so much," he said softly.

"I love you, too, daddy."

Pulling back, Hotch moved Jack so the little boy now sat in his lap with his legs under him. "Guess what, buddy? I've got great news for you."

"What, daddy?"

"Well, daddy's going to be leaving the hospital soon and able to go home. Isn't that great news?"

Jack smiled broadly as he clapped his hands excitedly. "Can I go home with you, daddy?"

Hotch ran one hand up and down his son's arm. "Well, Jack, for awhile anyway, when daddy gets out of the hospital, he's going to stay with you and Aunt Jess until I'm able to go back to my own home."

Jack scrunched up his face a bit as he thought over what his father said. Then, a smile appeared. "Is mommy going to be with us, too?" he said his eyes lighting up.

Hotch inhaled and exhaled through his nose as he had always wondered when or if that question was going to come up and how he would respond to it. He guessed he was about to find out.

"Jack, I want you to listen to me very carefully. Mommy is going to be here in the hospital for awhile longer, so she won't be with us while I stay with you and Aunt Jess. Mommy was hurt badly by the bad man and has to stay in the grown-ups section of the hospital for a few more days, and then she'll be moved to a room where you can then visit her like it was with me. Do you understand?"

Jack nodded his head slowly that he did, but there was a sad look in his eyes which broke Hotch's heart. He sighed. "But if everything goes well, you should be able to see mom real soon. Now, how about you wipe that frown off your face and give your old dad a smile. Can you do that?"

Hotch allowed the corners of his mouth to turn upward as he watched a smile appear on Jack's face.

"Sis?" were the first words out of Jessica's mouth as she stood in the doorway of Haley's room in the ICU. She had been informed of the added security for Haley while she was in the ICU and could feel the eyes of the two agents posted outside her sister's room on her back, but still feeling a strange sense of comfort and dread at the same time. Comfort that the Bureau had protection in place knowing that the cause of her sister's pain and distress was in the same unit as she; and dread because she felt that only two agents wouldn't, somehow, be enough protection. She waited as the woman in the bed turned her head towards the door and a smile, although a tired and somewhat weak one, could be seen.

"Jess!" she held out her arms despite the pain in her shoulder and abdomen. Jessica rushed into the room and without thinking, engulfed her younger sister in her arms, pulling back almost immediately hearing her sister's gasp.

"I'm sorry, sis," Jess apologized looking down at the woman she loved, holding one hand in both of her own. "I forgot about your shoulder and stomach. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Haley shook her head. "No, you didn't hurt me. Well, maybe just a little. But it was my fault. I forgot my injuries were starting to heal as well. How are you? I've missed you. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," said the slightly older woman as she sat down in the chair beside the bed. She smirked. "I see you have your own security detail outside," she joked. Haley nodded glancing at the open door.

"Yeah. Internal Affairs posted them because Anders is in ICU also and he's been inquiring about me to his doctors. Jess, I know it's wrong to wish someone dead, but if it wasn't, I'd wish it for him. But unfortunately they need his confession to clear Aaron completely. Still…." She didn't finish. She sighed wearily. "How's Jack?"

"I left Jack with Aaron. He wanted to see his mommy so badly."

"And I want to see him as well. How is he? How's he handling everything that happened?"

Jess paused a minute gathering her thoughts; finally, she looked up again. "He seems all right. The doctors examined him thoroughly and found everything was fine. Penelope Garcia took him home with her until I was discharged the next day and could pick him up at work from her office. He seemed as if he had a good time with her."

Haley's eyes narrowed. "But….but…Anders said he…."

"He lied to you, Haley," the woman stressed. "He lied to you so you would comply with his demands. He never touched Jack in any way."

Her eyes glistening with tears, Haley closed them and pinched the bridge of her nose. "That fucking bastard! I was so sure he had harmed Jack in a sexual nature. He made me believe…."

"Forget him, sis. Nothing happened with Jack. Now, what about you? How are you doing? What did the doctor say about a possible pregnancy?"

Haley opened her eyes, and Jess could see the tears forming. "It seems the morning-after pill is working and there will be no baby. Jess, I was so scared I was going to have that bastard's child in my belly. I couldn't ask Aaron to live with my having another man's child. It wouldn't have been fair to him. As for my injuries, they're healing with no sign of infection so far. But you have no idea how much pain there is."

"Oh, I think I can imagine," Jess said with just a bit of a smile. "And as for the pregnancy part, I'm sure Aaron would have loved the child just as much as if it was his. But I'm glad that isn't going to be a problem for either of you." She smiled further. "I saw Aaron briefly. He told me he is so crazy about you. And before I forget, Aaron might be discharged in another three days. I asked him to stay with me and Jack until he's able to go back to his own place. I hope you don't mind?"

"Mind? Why should I mind?" Haley asked wiping her eyes with the fingers of one hand. "It'll just make things easier." She noticed her sister's confused look and smiled. "By that I mean I made a decision. Jess, I want my husband back. I love him and I want him back."

David Rossi and IA Agent Morton Downer stood outside the closed door of Section Chief Erin Strauss looking at each other as if they both were about to be sacrificed in the lion's den. Rossi smirked seeing the other agent's nervousness.

"If you don't calm down, you're gonna be of no help to Aaron," he said calmly.

"I'm okay," Downer replied despite the sweat beading on his forehead stating the opposite. "Tell me, Dave, do you ever get nervous like this when you have to meet with Strauss?"

Rossi chuckled and stroked his goatee. "Not really. I've known Erin long enough to know where all the skeletons are. I only get nervous when I can't decide which one to use against her."

Downer arched an eyebrow. "And you know which skeleton to use this time to save Agent Hotchner's job?"

The smirk on the older agent's face grew into a smile. "I do." He checked his watch. "And seeing as visiting hours will be ending about eight-thirty, I believe she'll be at the hospital to visit him before evening visiting hours are over, or at least before the end of tomorrow. You'll see." Rossi watched Downer inhale and exhale a deep breath. "Are you gonna be all right? Cause if not, I can handle this alone."

Taking another deep breath, Downer allowed the corners of his mouth to turn upwards. "What? And miss out on the seeing the master at work? Not a chance. Let's do it."

"Okay." Rossi then knocked on the door hard and without waiting for an acknowledgement, gripped the doorknob and opened the door. As he and Downer entered, they saw Strauss look up from behind her desk, obvious annoyance at their interruption evident on her face. She glared at Rossi.

"What do you want, David?" she hissed.

"Good to see you, too, Erin," Rossi answered with a grin. "We want to speak to you about Aaron Hotchner."

Strauss removed her reading glasses and tossed them on her desk. "Absolutely not! Agent Hotchner will soon no longer be of any concern of the Bureau or the BAU. I am preparing the paperwork now for his dismissal and it will be on the Chief's desk by the end of the day. So as you can see, there is nothing to discuss."

"I beg to differ," Rossi said as with Downer following, the two agents stepped further into the office, closed the door, and plopped down in the chairs facing her desk. "In fact, you are going to rescind that decision and the Bureau is going to hold a press conference and issue a formal apology to Agent Hotchner."

Strauss leaned back in her chair with a smirk on her face. "And why would I do that, David?" she asked coldly. She hated David Rossi and rued the day she allowed him back into the Bureau and worst, the BAU. But she was determined this time not to give in to what she believed to be his empty threats in this case. "Agent Hotchner has been a black eye on this unit and the Bureau combined, and the sooner he's gone the sooner the Bureau and the BAU can get down to repairing the damage his presence has caused with his deviate behavior. Now if you'll excuse me…." Picking up her eyeglasses she began to put them back on.

"I guess you didn't hear me, Erin," Rossi repeated polishing his nails against his jacket.

Strauss paused before putting her glasses back on. "David, you are wasting my time. My decision has been made. I suggest you leave now before I start wondering if you knew about Agent Hotchner's deviate behavior and covered for him. You just might find yourself out as well."

Rossi folded his hands in his lap and slowly a smile appeared. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Erin. But you see, if Aaron and I are both terminated by the Bureau, it won't be too long before you'll be following right behind us when the Bureau terminates you as well."