November 13th, 2013 - 7 weeks old

Beth was just finishing up loading the dishwasher when her phone rang. She dried off her hands and peeked at the baby monitor to make sure Luna was still sleeping before answering it.

"Hello, this is Beth."

"Miss. Clemmons, this is Sally Jones. I'm the school nurse at Watson Elementary. We have you on file as the second person to call regarding Jack Hotchner if his father does not pick up."

"Yes, that is correct. Is Jack sick?"

"No, unfortunately Jack fell off the monkey bars at recess and injured his arm. We believe he might need to go to the hospital."

"Okay, uhh do I meet you there or do I need to come pick him up?" Beth started to gather her belongings feeling frazzled.

"We can call an ambulance if you like but if you would prefer to take him yourself that is fine too."

"Uhm no, don't call an ambulance I'll be right there."

Beth scrambled to get her purse together and ran upstairs to grab Luna. The infant screamed at being awoken from her nap and being hastily clipped into her carseat. Beth tried to console her with her favorite blanket and pacifier but Luna wasn't having any of it. Beth finally sighed and put the carseat in the car with Luna still screaming inside. She drove quickly to the elementary school worried that Jack was in pain and wondering why Hotch wouldn't have answered. She tried calling him again but it went straight to voicemail.

She pulled into the parking spot closest to the front office and grabbed Luna's carseat from the back. She had cried the entire drive and it was making Beth feel even more on edge - Luna rarely cried and it was making her feel like a terrible mother, but she knew Jack needed her more right now. Rushing to the front desk she found Jack sitting in one of the chairs cradling his left arm against his chest. His cheeks were red and tear-stained and looking at him broke her heart. She set down the carseat and went to him gently pulling him in for a hug, careful not to jostle his already swollen and bruised arm.

"Let's go get that arm looked at, okay?" She asked him softly.

Jack just nodded in response, tears still slowly streaming from his eyes.

"If you wouldn't mind just signing him out on this sheet here, please" the secretary asked her, gesturing to the signout sheet.

Beth quickly scribbled Jack's name and her signature before picking up the carseat again and leading Jack out to the car.

She opened up the car door for him first and helped him get buckled into his booster seat.

"I know it hurts buddy, we're going to go to the hospital so they can help it feel better."

"Do you think I'll have to get a cast?" Jack asked, his voice quivering.

"Maybe, bud, I don't know for sure."

"Can I talk to dad?"

"He's not picking up the phone but I'll keep trying to call him, okay?"

Jack nodded again and Beth gently shut the car door before going around to put Luna's carseat in the base. Beth made a futile attempt to stick her pacifier in her mouth in hopes that it would calm her down but it didn't work.

"It's okay Lulu, it's okay." Jack reached over with his uninjured arm to re-insert the pacifier in her mouth and stroke Luna's hair.

Beth started to drive and was touched by the compassion Jack showed to his baby sister when he was the one who was injured. He was his fathers son, no doubt about that.

They made it to the ER and thankfully Luna had calmed down and Jack was somehow holding it together despite the gruesome sight that was his left arm. Just looking at it made Beth want to cry and she could tell that Jack was in pain. She got them checked into the ER and thankfully there wasn't a wait on a Wednesday afternoon. They initially gave her some hassle regarding her not being Jack's parent but she explained the situation and they finally agreed to let her go back with him. There was a bit of commotion as the nurse and doctor took his vitals and assessed his arm. Both Jack and Luna started crying again at the whirlwind of activity. Beth tried to keep her composure despite feeling thoroughly overwhelmed. She had called Hotch two more times and he still wasn't answering which also worried her but she couldn't bear to worry about one more thing just then.

Beth unstrapped Luna from her carseat and tried to discreetly latch her on amongst the chaos. She threw a blanket over the baby once she was happily eating and scooched her chair next to the head of the stretcher Jack was on so she could hold his hand. She felt kind of bad that she was a bit in the way but she would have felt worse if she couldn't comfort Jack.

"It's okay buddy, they're going to help you feel better. I'm right here, Jack."

Jack squeezed her hand and took noisy deep breaths.

"Here Jack, this is some pain medication and it will help you feel better while we look at your arm." The nurse handed him a medicine cup half full of bright pink liquid.

Jack swallowed it quickly and made a disgusted face.

"Can I have some water?" Jack asked.

"Let's take a better look at that arm and then we can decide if you can eat or drink something. We're going to do an X-Ray so that we can see the bone in your arm and we'll know where and how badly it's broken." The doctor explained to him.

"So you do think it's broken?" Beth confirmed with him.

"Based on what I am currently seeing that is my assumption but we'll know for sure soon. The X-Ray machine should be here shortly."

"I want dad," Jack whimpered quietly.

"I know bud, I'll try calling him again."

Beth reluctantly removed her hand from his so that she could have a free hand to call Hotch, again it went straight to voicemail. She knew she could probably call Garcia and she would be able to track him down but she didn't have time for that. She needed him to answer his own damn phone. Finally she resorted to texting him in hopes that he would see it soon.

*I'm in the ER with Jack. They think he has a broken arm. Please call me back.*

As she slipped her phone back into her purse the X-Ray tech came in lugging a big machine.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit. We're just going to take a picture of your arm!" The tech told him.

Jack looked at the machine hesitantly but she was grateful the pain medication seemed to be kicking in and he looked much less uncomfortable.

"Ma'am, I'll have you and the baby step out for just a minute while we do this to avoid radiation exposure."

"Mom, please don't leave!" Jack begged looking at her terrified.

"Can I stay while you get everything into position?" She asked and the tech nodded yes. "Okay bud, I'm right here. I'll just have to leave for a minute but I'll be right on the other side of that door waiting to come back in as soon as I can."

"Why do you have to go?" Jack cried.

"Baby Lou is too little for this machine. So I have to take her out for just a minute. But you have been so brave and I know you can do this without me. I know you're scared and that's okay just remember that it will be over soon. Try to hold really still so that they can get really good pictures."

Jack nodded and gingerly moved his arm into the position they needed under the X-Ray.

"I'm sorry ma'am, you have to step out now."

Beth kissed Jack's face. "I'll be right back."

She stood up and took Luna who was still blissfully eating outside the little ER room. They kept the curtain in front of the glass door open so that she could keep eye contact with him throughout the process. It took less than 5 minutes and she was let back in.

"I'm so proud of you, buddy. You were so brave."

They waited together in the ER and Beth let Jack watch YouTube videos on her phone. The break was confirmed and Jack got to pick the color of his cast, he chose blue. They gave him some more pain medication and sent in a prescription she would pick up on the way home. Finally more than 3 hours after arriving he was discharged and they were able to go home. She was exhausted and she still hadn't heard from Hotch. Now she was worried about him too.

She got both kids strapped safely into the car.

"Bud, you've had a rough day and I'm too tired to make dinner. Why don't you think about what you want me to pick up for dinner and I'm going to try and get a hold of your dad."

Jack nodded agreeing happily.

She called his number again and again it went straight to voicemail. Finally she resorted to calling Garcia. She answered on the first ring and Beth was relieved that her voice was as chipper as always.

"Penelope, I haven't been able to reach Aaron all day and it's really important. Do you know what's going on?"

"Oh goodness I'm so sorry! Hotch's phone got damaged out in the field and it isn't working anymore. He's been with Emily all day so we've been using her phone to keep in touch with him."

"God dammit, it wouldn't have killed him to tell me that? Will you please have him call me?"

"Of course, right away. I'm so sorry, Beth. I hope everything is okay."

"Don't apologize Penelope you're not the one who has anything to be sorry about."

She sighed as she hung up the phone. She was incredibly relieved to know that Hotch was alright but also incredibly pissed off that he had gone a whole day without telling his fiancee and woman taking care of his two kids how to get a hold of him.

"Mom, I think I want a happy meal for dinner!" Jack informed her.

"McDonalds sounds perfect, Jack. I think your dad is going to call soon so I'm going to wait here for just a couple of minutes. You can talk with him while we're driving to McDonalds, sound good?"

Jack nodded happily again. In a much better state with a cast on and pain meds in his system. Luna was snoozing peacefully in her carseat. She only had to wait barely a minute before her phone buzzed and Aaron's name popped up on her iPhone screen.

"Hey." Was all she could think to say.

"I'm so sorry." He breathed. "I don't know what I was thinking. It never crossed my mind that you wouldn't be able to reach me."

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better." She told him flatly.

"Are you guys okay? Penelope said it was important."

"Jack broke his arm at recess today. He fell off the monkey bars. We're just leaving the ER now, he's got a cast and is feeling better. He's been asking to talk to you all day."

Beth knew that last bit didn't need to be added. All it would do was hurt him but she had been hurting and overwhelmed all day, he could take his fair share.

"Jesus. I'm so sorry, Beth. Truly I am. Is he okay? Are you okay?" She could hear the pain in his voice and she immediately regretted trying to make him feel worse.

"We're fine, everyone is fine. It's all over now and we're going to get some McDonald's for dinner. I'm going to keep him home from school tomorrow just to make sure he is feeling okay."

"Yeah, that's a good call. Thanks for being there for him. Can I talk to him?"

"Yeah, of course." Beth handed the phone to Jack and put the car in gear to drive away from the hospital and towards comfort food.

Jack and Hotch talked for a while before Jack handed the phone back to Beth.

"Hey, we're about to be at the drive-thru. Can I call you back later?"

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't tie up Prentiss's phone for too long anyway. Just know I'm really sorry, okay?"

"I know, how about you just call me back if and/or when you have time. If not we can talk tomorrow."

"Okay," Hotch sounded so defeated but Beth truly just didn't want to distract him or compromise his safety because he was too worried about missing another one of her calls.

"I love you. Really, we're okay." Beth assured him.

"I love you too."

Beth hung up the phone and got their food and then swung by the pharmacy to get Jack's pain meds. They made the short drive home and Beth easily agreed to let them eat dinner in front of the TV. They watched Finding Nemo and her, Jack, and Luna all fell asleep on the couch. Luna on her chest and Jack laying next to her. Beth only awoke when she felt the vibrations in her back pocket.

She glanced at the TV and noticed the end credits had been playing. She pulled out her phone and recognized Emily's number so she assumed it was Hotch.

"Hey," she answered groggily.

"Hey, did I wake you up?" Hotch asked her.

Beth glanced at the clock and noticed it was only 7:30, she couldn't have been asleep for more than 20 minutes. "We all fell asleep on the couch, it's been a long day."

"Well we wrapped up the case. We're gonna fly home tonight but it will probably be past midnight by the time I get home. You can leave him on the couch if you want. I'll carry him upstairs when I get home."

"I might do that, he looks so peaceful. When you get home will you give him more pain medication? It's on the kitchen counter and he'll be due for some. I want to make sure we stay on top of it so he doesn't wake up in pain."

"Yeah, that's a good plan. I'm really sorry I couldn't be there for you guys today."

"It's okay, Aaron. Next time just try to remember to tell me that your phone is broken. But we managed and all is well. Jack will be happy that you're coming home."

"I'm happy too, I didn't want to spend another night in the hotel."

"Travel safe, we love you."

"Love you guys too,"

Beth stood up and placed Luna in her swing. She covered Jack with a blanket and picked up around the living room. When Luna woke up for her bedtime feed she nursed her before changing her into pajamas and swaddling her in the bassinet. Luna easily fell back asleep and Beth took the time to take a hot shower. The pounding water and thick steam helping her decompress from the day's events. Finally, long after her skin was red from the hot water, she stepped out of the shower and dried off to get ready for bed. It was barely 9 PM but she happily climbed under the covers.

XXX

The flight from Seattle to Quantico seemed to be taking forever. Hotch was mentally and physically exhausted from the past 36 hours but couldn't seem to rest. He knew he needed to see his family and then he would be able to relax enough to fall asleep. Checking his watch he counted down the minutes until they landed.

Finally he opened the garage door and walked into his home. It was warm and familiar. He walked towards the sectional in the living room and found Jack still asleep curled under the blanket, his blue casted arm against his chest. He wandered toward the kitchen and turned on a small light to find the prescription, he read the dosage carefully making sure to get the exact right amount before bringing it over to Jack's sleeping form.

"Jack, wake up. I've got some medicine for you." He whispered gently.

"Dad?" Jack asked sleepily, trying to peel open his eyes.

"Yeah, bud. It's me. Take some pain medication and then I'll carry you upstairs to bed." Hotch told him.

Jack swallowed the pain medication without a fuss and Hotch scooped him into his arms and carried him upstairs to his bedroom. He laid Jack down on the bed and covered him up with his blankets.

"I broke my arm, dad." Jack told him sleepily.

"I know, buddy. I'm so sorry I wasn't there. But I'm so proud of you for being so brave. Go back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, dad." Jack mumbled as he laid his head back down on the pillow.

Hotch kissed his son on the head and walked towards his own bedroom. Luna was snoozing peacefully in her bassinet and Beth was curled up on her side of the bed sleeping as well. Quietly Hotch went to the bathroom to shower and change into pajamas before climbing into bed next to Beth. He kissed her shoulder blade before wrapping his arm around her and pulling their bodies closer together. He could feel Beth cuddle in against him.

"I missed you," she said dreamily.

"I missed you too. Go back to sleep."

Beth nodded and soon they were asleep in each other's arms.