Getting this one a little early. Enjoy.

Chapter 19: Hospital Visit

Nate was in a very good mood after hanging out with Jack. That was all he could talk about as they headed "home."

"What did you talk about?" Emily asked, wanting to know if Jack was able to offer him any comfort.

It was wrong of her to put so much hope on Jack, but she couldn't help it. Nate was doing alright, but she wanted him to be more than that. She wanted him to be happy. While she didn't think that would be immediate, she hoped that Jack could at least help.

"Jack was talking about school. I've never been to a real school. My dads let me do school on the computer. Jack said real school is fun and he gets to see all his friends there. I don't really have any friends. Every time I met a friend, we moved."

Boy did Emily know that feeling well.

"Is real school something you want to try?"

He looked at her with hopeful eyes. "Can I?"

"I can look into it," she told him with a smile. She still couldn't make promises, but she did want to help him get stability.

"Emily? Are me and Daddy going to live here forever?"

"Honestly, Nate, I have no clue. I want answers just as bad as you do. I just… I just don't know, and I hate that answer. I really, really do, but that's all I have right now. But I do have some news for you."

"What?"

"I talked to your dad's doctor earlier. He said that your dad is doing better. They're going to be able to bring him to a hospital near us."

"He's coming?"

"Yes. Sometime this weekend or next week."

"I just gotta be patient?"

"I know it's hard, but yes. You just need to be patient."

"I'll try," he said, sighing.

"Good. We're going to get through this, Nate, and you'll get to see your dad."

Nate didn't have much to say after that. Thankfully, they were almost to the cabin and, since it was late, he was half asleep, exhausted by his day. Once they got there, Emily sent him to wash up and get ready for bed. He had a lot of fun with Jack, and Emily got a lot accomplished with her family, but they both were feeling the day's excitement.

He was out like a light in no time and Emily was right behind him. After everything was taken care of, Emily finally made her way into her room, ready for a hot shower and sleep, but she stopped when she saw something on her bed.

She moved closer. Two boxes and a note. Emily reached for the note first.

Looks like I beat you here. We will have to talk about what's hidden in that box of yours some other time. I'm certain it will be very interesting. In the meantime, I brought you another little present. Lock it up. Use it if needed while I'm away. It's your favorite. Keep yourself safe, and call if you need me.

See you soon, Darling.

Clyde.

Emily opened the box curiously.

"A gun Clyde?" she asked. "Really?"

Though, she was silently saying thank you. She was resourceful, but if the need to defend herself arose, they were right, she wasn't exactly fighting fit. She didn't like the idea of a likely unregistered gun around the house, but she was a responsible gunowner. She knew how to handle one and how to keep them from children's snoopy little hands.

Emily pulled the new piece out of the box along with ammunition.

"This will work," she said and put it away somewhere safe.

Over the next week, the gun provided her a sense of security, but wasn't needed. She and Nate bid their time while they waited for James' arrival. Emily had limited contact with the team. Their efforts on her "case" weren't exactly official, so they had actual work that they needed to do and were called away on a case. Emily got updates from Hotch and Clyde.

A few days before James was set to be moved, Clyde travelled back to London. He told Emily and the team that he wanted to personally spend some time at the office and keep an eye on things before helping with the transport. Emily was happy he would be with James and could keep the mole situation monitored. If anyone could make sure their knowledge stayed under the radar and keep an eye on things at the same time, it was Clyde.

Emily also received updates about James daily to make sure things were still on track. He was doing well. There was normal brain activity and no sign of infection, which was great, but even with lowered medication, he didn't seem to be ready to wake up. They weren't saying it was permanent. Technically, it was a medically induced coma because there was still a lot of heavy medication flowing through his body and many injuries that still needed healing. Emily was still hopeful, especially since he was well enough to travel.

That had to mean something, right?

She and Nate were keeping busy around the house, doing whatever to keep their minds occupied. They went out of the house again, this time to a nearby market for some groceries and to see if there were any games or toys for Nate. They ended up buying some books and movies. That helped pass time, but the weekend couldn't come soon enough. Saturday was James' arrival time. Emily hadn't told Nate, just that he was coming soon. She didn't want to get him excited and then have something go wrong.

Thursday, Emily got a call from Hotch. Clyde and Garcia worked to create an identity for James that wouldn't raise any flags and a flight plan was put in that would lead Bardolino to New York, at least temporarily assuming they were following the cyber trail.

Friday, the true countdown began. Clyde called that morning and told Emily that he was going to be with James soon. He was staying there for the evening because they were leaving in the middle of the night. But before he could go to James and prepare for their takeoff, he had a few errands to run.

As he went to both his and Emily's apartment, collecting some clothes and such for their long stay in America, he sent a message from a burner phone to Kurt Wells. When he went to the office, he heard the whispers and concerns about Emily's whereabouts and safety. Clyde knew that this would work to his advantage. Kurt was a decent guy, he thought, and he believed the man just got wrapped up in womanly charms to see the mess he was falling into.

The message just said, "This is Emily. We need to talk," and asked him to meet at a local spot, one that was crowded, public, but easy to find privacy in.

Clyde kept himself hidden while he waited, keeping his eye out for Kurt. He knew the man well enough to know that he was always punctual, so he was even earlier. He spotted the blonde man walking through the gate. Clyde took the moment to observe him as Kurt looked around for Emily. He was about to approach a woman, dark hair with the same cut, when Clyde came up behind him.

"That's not her," he said.

Kurt turned around. "Clyde? What are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I imagine. Trying to help Emily."

"Do you know where she is?" Kurt asked, his concern genuine.

"I may, but I'll be the one asking questions. Come sit."

Clyde didn't give him any choice in the matter, grabbing his arm and pulling him over to the seats he abandoned.

"What have you been up to Kurt?" Clyde pointedly asked.

"Working?"

"On extracurricular activities?"

"What?"

"Some incidents have come to my attention, Kurt." Clyde glared. "You've been spending a lot of time in and out of the office with Francine."

"Yeah… We're friends," he reasoned.

"More than friends I'd wager," Clyde said. "What if I told you that you're not her only friend?"

"What do you mean?"

"We'll get to that, but first, I have some questions. As you answer, be certain to keep in mind that I am trained to know when you are lying and that I have the ability to, not only fire you, but make you disappear if the need arises."

He gulped and silently nodded. Clyde could be intimidating when he wanted to. He played the villain very well but was a good guy at heart.

Clyde asked him very specific questions all leading to the point where Kurt came to his own conclusion, but before he could accept it, he needed to know something for himself.

"She was using me, right? Cheated on me?"

"Yes," Clyde bluntly answered. "And her name isn't even Francine."

"What?"

He looked devastated, and Clyde wanted to feel bad for him, but then he remembered that Kurt, though unknowingly, was partly responsible for agent deaths and Emily's current situation… So, Clyde held his sympathy.

"She was using me," Kurt said. "But for what?"

"Look, we can talk about her all night long if you wish. I have a long plane ride anyway, but I need some answers, and I know Emily would like some too. So come with me. Come with me now, prove that you're not a willing participant in this mess, and I will help you keep your job in the end… possibly. At the very least, I won't kill you."

"O – Okay…"

"Good. I'm wearing my favorite jacket and I'd have hated to get blood on it."

Clyde didn't say anything else, instead, leading the petrified man out of the area and to the car.

"Where are we going?" Kurt built up the courage to ask.

"I'm taking you to see some of the wreckage you've helped create. We'll call it incentive to be a double agent."

"A double agent?"

"I know you're not as stupid as you're trying to appear. I may believe that you were charmed by the feminine wiles of a trained femme fatale, but you must've realized something along the way. Now, no matter what, you're in deep. I want you to understand exactly what you've helped cause, so I know you are going to remain on the right side of things."

"All she asked for were locations and names. It was all stuff she could have searched on her own… Mostly."

"Did she or did she not ask you to find Emily?"

"No… But she did ask me to write a program that would track people based on their history and any input data about the person. I made one specifically for Emily."

"When?"

"A few weeks ago, I guess. She said it was for safety purposes. That it was a prototype for her to bring to Emily and test out. Then maybe it could be a safety protocol if anyone ever ran or was in trouble."

"We'll talk about this later," Clyde said, anger at the man's naivety.

Kurt was hired because he was smart, tech savvy, and a decent field agent. But this sad sack was a lovesick puppy who lost all his training when a woman played him. Then he played Emily, a woman whom he worked with and she helped. He put her at risk. Clyde was not ok with that. He knew Emily would be forgiving, but he wasn't so easily swayed. The man caused a lot of problems in their lives.

"For now, you shut your mouth and follow me."

Clyde took him to the hospital. As they approached James' room, Clyde explained what he believed Kurt's role in this part was.

"I think your little Emily tracking project led a group of very bad men to Emily and her friends. One of whom is a child, one dead, and one lying in this room fighting for his life. You did that."

"I didn't."

"You did. You helped a manipulative monster feed Emily and our cases to an even worse monster. This is the result. People have died. Our friends and agents have died. Now, they're chasing a child. They are searching for a nine-year old boy and using any means to find him. Is this really what you want as your legacy? Death and destruction?"

"I didn't want this. I don't," Kurt said as he looked through the glass window at a very beaten looking man.

"Look in there. Really look," Clyde ordered, gripping the fabric on Kurt's back and pushing him close against the glass. "This is what you caused. You let your judgment get clouded by infatuation, and it cost this man his husband and, potentially, his life and that of his child. You put Emily in a position where her life has been threatened. Emily is supposed to be your friend."

"I didn't do this."

"Maybe not purposefully, but you did. You played a part in many deaths and messed with cases. Don't you feel bad about that?"

"I didn't know."

"Well, then what are you going to do as contrition?"

"I… I want to help. I want to see Emily. Is she well?"

"Is she well? No, she's on the run after being attacked. That's not well."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want to hear that. Just come with me."

Clyde didn't allow him to respond, just pulled him into James' room and sat him down. Together, in a tension filled silence, they waited for Dr. Malkin to prep James and the transport ambulance to arrive. Clyde checked on the plane that morning. Everything was set and the accompanying medical staff would meet them there.

As they waited, Clyde had Kurt handcuffed to the chair, telling him it was for his own protection. "So you don't do anything bloody idiotic that forces me to kill you."

It took a few hours before they were ready to go. Dr. Malkin was going to ride in the ambulance with James and Clyde was going to follow behind the ambulance in his own car. Clyde uncuffed Kurt for the ride, but made it very clear that, if he tried anything, he would be secured the entire flight.

"I won't," Kurt promised.

"Good."

Kurt tried to get more information about Emily and what he had done on the ride, but Clyde told him he'd learn everything during the flight. It was long enough for them to really get into the details. When the time came, he wished it hadn't. Clyde showed him vivid crime scene pictures and laid out the entire criminal web that they uncovered. "And you were a part of it," he told Kurt.

"I didn't mean to be."

He truly wasn't aware of what he was doing. Yes, he knew he was wrong, but he was blinded by the lure. Francine made him think it was ok. It was stupid, but he did whatever she asked of him because he wanted her to be happy.

"Well, you are, and, now that you know, what do you plan to do about it?"

"What can I do?" He wanted to help. He wanted to atone.

"You can help us. You can help Emily."

"I want to." Now that he made the mess, he would do anything to help them out of it.

Clyde found it funny that he thought he had a choice.

"Tell me what you need from me."

"I need you to pretend that you know nothing. Anything else, we'll tell you when it comes up. There's a plan in play, and now you are a piece of it."

Clyde walked away to check in with the doctors and call Emily, leaving Kurt to sink in his seat and delve into the pictures. He couldn't believe what Francine did or who she was. How did he let himself get to this point, he asked himself.

Emily found herself asking the same thing about him. Kurt, as she knew him, was a levelheaded, smart man, and yet, he got pulled into a criminal enterprise because of a manipulative bitch. How? Clyde didn't have the answer for her, but she was happy to receive his call that evening.

"We're midflight now."

"How is James holding up?" Emily asked.

"He's fine. Medicated and still on life support, but stable," Clyde answered.

"Thank you for going with him."

"I'm bringing with me another surprise."

"What's that?"

"Kurt."

"He just decided to come?"

"I can be persuasive."

"Yes, you can," she agreed. "You didn't beat him into submission, did you?"

"No. I just spoke with him. Made me question why you hired him. He's a real –"

"Clyde, behave," Emily said, cutting him off. "We hired him because he was good at his job. Obviously we were right."

"And wrong about his sense of personal judgement."

"I don't know. He's there, right? That has to count for something."

"We'll see." Clyde sighed. "For now, I'll keep an eye on him and get some rest. It's late… or early. Either way, I need some sleep."

"If anything happens."

"I'll ring you right away. If not, I won't call again until he's settled in the hospital and ready for visitors."

"Thanks Clyde. Safe travels."

"Get some rest too, Darling."

"I will. Bye."

After hanging up, Emily found herself a bit wired. Despite what she knew about James' condition, thinking about being able to see him made her feel like it would be just like old times. There was this image in her head of their typical greeting, all smiles and hugs and reminiscing. It wasn't going to be like that, she knew. He was unconscious and on life-support. She'd be lucky if she got any response at all, but she couldn't lose the image of how they used to be. And the anxiousness kept her up most of the night, pacing the halls and checking on Nate every hour when she couldn't stay in bed trying to fall asleep any longer.

She gave up trying completely once six o'clock rolled around. Then, she just got up and fixed herself a vat of coffee while she waited for the call or Nate woke up, whichever came first. Nate woke before the call. It was a good distraction, though she was still tired. Thankfully, he didn't know his father was probably touching down in the states as they sat together, so he wasn't as anxious as her.

Emily was just serving him his blueberry pancakes when her phone rang.

"Eat up," Emily told Nate. "I'm going to be in the living room."

Emily took her phone and left to talk with Clyde.

"Are you at the hospital?"

"No hello, Darling?"

"Hello Clyde. How are you? How's James?"

"I'm well, thank you, and James is being set up in a room as we speak."

"How was the trip?"

"No turbulence," Clyde said. "Hotchner took care of everything here, so no problems. The doctors say James remained stable throughout. No surprises. They're taking him for some tests just as a precaution, but they say he should be ready for visitors by noon."

"Noon?" That felt like forever.

"Yes. They upped his sedatives for the flight, so they want to gradually reduce them this morning and watch for any side effects before allowing visitors. Though, if you'd like to come early, Kurt is here as well."

"Uh…" Emily peeked through the doorway to see Nate. "I don't know. Maybe. What are you going to do with him anyway?"

"Thought I might stash him at Dave's if it's alright with him."

"Is that wise?"

"It works according to your plan. Don't worry so much. He understands what he has done and wants to help however he can."

Emily sighed. "He didn't know what he was doing."

Emily was sure that had to be the case.

"I don't believe so. We've talked and infatuation clouded his judgment, but, at some point, he had to understand that what he was doing wasn't sanctioned. We'll see how this plays out before I decide what reprimands are needed."

"Fair enough. Keep me updated. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Em?" He called when the line went quiet.

"Yeah?"

"Prepare yourself."

"That bad?"

"It's been weeks since the incident, and he's still…"

"I get it. It's not good. I'll be ok, and I'll prepare Nate as best I can."

Clyde told her that he'd call if anything changed over the next few hours. She hoped not to get another call. Not thinking about that, Emily went to Nate and told him they could play outside for a little while if he wanted. It would keep them both occupied. He decided that he wanted to play with the baseball he found.

"With my leg, I don't know how much I can play with that, Nate," she told him. "And you only have one good arm, so you can't wear the glove and throw too."

"But I want to play. My dads liked baseball. I like it."

"I know they did." Emily fondly remembered a time when she and James went to a baseball game. It was a Mets game that they caught while in New York, her gift to him, and she sat there asking him question after question because she had no idea what was going on. James remained patient and tried to explain everything as the game went on, kindly reminding her that he tried to tell her all this stuff time and again when they watched a game on TV. Emily just told him that she didn't really watch or listen, just pretended to for his sake.

"Can we try? I won't use my hand and you can just sit."

"I don't know how much fun that will be, but we can try. Please be careful, though."

"I will."

He happily got the ball and raced outside, Emily trailing behind. She knew it wasn't going to work, but she was trying it. Every time Nate threw the ball, Emily had to reach out for it, stretching her leg, and sometimes it would be out of reach and she'd take forever to get it according to Nate. Then when Emily threw it back, Nate sometimes tried to catch with his left hand and Emily would yell because the last thing she wanted was for his hand to be worse.

"Nate, buddy, this isn't working. We can roll the ball back and forth or we can find something else to do."

He sighed but agreed. It wasn't working. "We can roll it."

They talked as they rolled the ball back and forth. When she could see he was getting bored of the activity, Emily told him that they had plans for the day.

"Is that why you keep looking at your watch?"

"Yes," she admitted. "And why you're going to need to get changed again."

"Why?"

"You're all dirty."

"No. Why are we going out again?"

"Well, Nate. I didn't want to tell you until it was time to go, but your father is here."

"Here? Where?"

"He's at a nearby hospital."

"When can we see him?"

"There are no visitors allowed just yet, but in a few hours we can go. My friend is at the hospital now. He traveled with your dad and told me that they're getting him into his room now."

"I need to dress nice," Nate exclaimed. "And I need to finish the last painting. It won't be dry in time."

"Hey. Nate. It's ok. Calm down. We'll take the finished paintings and the rest we can bring the next time we see him."

"We won't be staying with him?"

"No. We can't stay at the hospital, but we can visit as often as possible."

"But that's not enough."

"One step at a time, Nate. Let's go get ready. We can leave soon because it takes a little while to get there."

Emily helped him organize the art he wanted to take, limiting it to two until they found out what could stay in James' room and what restrictions there were. After he narrowed it down, he was as eager to go as Emily had been all morning. Of course, they had to take the long way there, just in case, but they still made it there before visitation started.

Immediately, when they got to the floor, Emily greeted Clyde and asked for the room number. Clyde told her that they were free to go in but urged her to go in alone first.

"That was the plan. Nate stay here with Clyde. I'll be back soon."

"But I want to see dad."

"You will. I just want to talk to the doctor first."

"Ok."

Emily ignored Kurt who was sitting silently nearby and made a beeline for the room. As prepared as she was, she still didn't feel very prepared for what she saw.

"Oh James," she said, her heart hurting.

He was laid up in the bed, face covered in healing bruises, colored in purples, yellows, and greens. They were fading, but still very prominent. Not to mention that his collarbone was broken, and he was adorned with new scars. The breathing tube and machines didn't make him look any better. If it terrified her, what would it do to Nate, she wondered.

"I'm taking care of him," she promised her friend, gently taking his hand in hers. "I'm so sorry about Vince. I wanted to protect you, but I kept you around for selfish reasons. I just… I wanted more time and it cost you so much. I'm so sorry."

She hoped beyond reason that she'd get some response, but one never came.

"I'm going to bring in Nate. If anyone can give you the will to keep going, it's him. But please, please keep the dramatics to a minimum and come back to us in one piece."

Emily wanted to keep her visit short knowing getting Nate in with his father was the priority. Taking a deep breath, she looked over James once more and walked out. It was harder than she wanted to admit being there. It was hard seeing him like that, so unlike himself and struggling, but she knew she had to, and she had to talk with Nate.

Rejoining the boys, Emily called Nate to her and told him they needed to have a quick chat.

"Can I go see my dad?"

"Yes, but I need to talk to you about what to expect first."

He looked at her questioningly.

"Your dad is not awake right now. He was hurt very badly and has the bruises to show it. I'm not going to lie, it's scary to see him like this, Nate. He has a machine breathing for him and there are tubes and wires and noises, so if you're afraid, we don't have to go in there."

She wanted to keep him from seeing the bad, but also knew that she couldn't. She needed to give him an out if he was afraid, but he needed to make the choice himself.

"I'm brave. I want to see him."

"Ok," Emily said. "If it gets too much, let me know."

He nodded and held out his good hand for hers. Emily opted out of using crutches and walked with him, slowly, to the door. She squeezed his hand before letting them into the room.

Tears pooled in his eyes almost immediately as he asked, "That's my dad?"

"Yes."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Absolutely."

He let go of her hand and walked to his father. "Hi daddy. I've missed you so much. Both of you. But dad died… He's gone," Nate cried. "I don't want you to be gone too. Please don't go."

Emily found herself tearing up as he spoke. Nate told his father how much he loved him and presented him with the drawings. Emily could see that, despite her warnings, he was expecting a response too.

"Emily? When is he going to wake up?"

"I don't know," she responded. "Right now, he just needs to rest and get better."

"But he can hear me, right?"

"I think so. I hope so."

"I really miss him, and now I can see him, but I still miss him."

"Me too, Nate," she said moving beside him. "The doctors are doing everything they can to bring him back to us. I know that he misses you too."

"Did he tell you that?"

"No."

"Then how do you know?"

"I just know." She knew because she always missed Nate. The kid was no real part of her life for years and still she found herself missing him every day. "Because he loves you and all he wants is to be with you."

"I wish he could tell me himself."

"I know."

"Can I sit next to him?"

"I don't think you can go on the bed. He's hooked up to a lot of important machines, but we can pull a chair extra close if you promise to be careful."

"I promise."

Emily and Nate took the soft chair from the wall and pushed it right against the bed.

"Hope on."

Nate sighed as he plopped into the seat. He asked her if she wanted to sit too, but she kindly declined. Nate looked at her sadly before talking with his dad again. He began to talk all about his adventure with Emily as she listened with interest. He spoke with such conviction and emotion that it was a little hard for her to stomach.

"And then there was a car crash and some crazy guy tried to hurt Emily. I was really scared because she takes care of me just like you do. She's doing a very good job, and if she was really hurt, I'd be very sad like I am now because you're hurt. But don't be sad that I like Emily so much and she's doing so good. I need you too. Emily told me dad's in heaven. Is that true?" No response…

And Emily couldn't take it.

"Nate, I'm going to step out for a while. Do you want to stay in here?"

"Can I talk to my dad by myself?"

"Yes. There's a man named Sam right outside to make sure everything is ok, and if I'm not back, I'll have him come sit in here after five minutes."

"Ok."

He paid her no mind and went back to talking with his dad, shoulders sagged and face low. He was sad and scared. Emily could tell, and that was partially why she needed out, but there was also something else she wanted to do while she had the chance.

Wiping at her eyes, she carefully exited the room, giving Nate one last look. Slowly, she maneuvered her way back to the waiting area and approached Clyde and Kurt. She leaned in and whispered into Clyde's ear, asking him to watch Nate and go into the room in a few minutes. Clyde nodded.

"So, Kurt, I think we need to have a little chat."

Emily locked her arm in his.

"How about some coffee?"

She led him to a quiet spot in the cafeteria, got them some coffee, and really got into it with him. She needed to know his true role in things, and she needed to hear it all from him.