"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places."

– Ernest Hemingway

Erin couldn't breath, she wanted to scream and cry until SOMEONE paid attention to her. Where was David? He steadily drove her crazy, and calling her mother was a low-blow, but she didn't want to be alone. Where was the nurse? Her lower back was killing her, she'd give her right arm to be able to roll over.

She heard the door open, she heard footsteps coming closer. Had David come back? She wanted to reach for him and bury her face in his shoulder until she felt safe again. The footsteps came closer, it was probably a nurse coming to check her vital signs. Maybe they would help her roll over? Suddenly, she felt heat on her neck, someone's breath? The voice in her ear wasn't Dave's, she strained to commit the voice to memory.

"Wake up, Erin." The voice goaded. "Wake up and catch me."

A cold hand ran down her arm, Erin tried to pull away but she was trapped in her own body.

NO! She wanted to fight, but she couldn't move. Where was David! He was supposed to protect her! Fear froze in her chest. 'Who are you?'

"Where's your hero now?" The voice continued in her ear, "He left you here, all alone."

Erin couldn't control her panic, the monitors went off again.

"I should go," Vera said, shrugging off Dave's jacket. "I booked a room in town, and there's nothing I can do for her."

"She's your daughter-" Dave cut in, "She needs you."

Vera shook her head and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed the cab service and put the phone to her ear. "I'll be back once she wakes up." She said, before the call was answered.

Dave nodded, "I understand." Vera was right on some level, Erin coded after 10 minutes with her mother. "I'll stay with her." Dave said, shaking his head. Erin would never be so selfish with her children.

"You're really going to leave her, now?" Dave snapped, watching Vera put her phone back in her expensive handbag. "What's more important? A clearance sale at Armani?"

"It's not like that." Vera said.

Dave raised an eyebrow, "It sure looks like it." He said, the cool summer breeze had nothing on his tone. If the tables were turned, Erin would never leave the hospital. Suddenly his phone rang and he answered the call.

"Alex?" He barked.

"Dave, you need to get back here," Alex said. Her voice was fraught with fear and worry.

"What's wrong?" Dave stepped away from Vera so she couldn't overhear.

"I went to see Erin," Alex paused and Dave knew she was holding something back. "She was really agitated."

"What happened, Alex?"

"I don't know, but you should get back here."

Dave nodded, fear clenched in his gut. He turned on his heel and stalked towards Vera his tone, frigid. "I'm going back to Erin. If you leave now, you can feel free to stay away once she wakes up."

Just then, her cab pulled up. She shook her head and walked towards the cab. "I-I-" She stammered, she couldn't find the words. "Just tell her I'm sorry."

He watched the cab pull away and then took off at a run back to the hospital.

He found Alex leaned forward with her hands on her knees, leaning against the wall, in the hallway next to Erin's room. She was visibly shaken.

"Blake, what happened?" Dave asked sharply.

Alex shook her head, her dark hair hung limp over her shoulders. "I don't know," her voice was hollow. " I wanted to see her. I Talked to her for five minutes before the doctors threw me out." Blake's hands shook, "I just wanted to tell her I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left her alone in the hotel. I dropped her off at the front door. I should have-"

"Stop!" Dave held up his hand. He didn' have time for Blake's self-pity. "You're not responsible for what Curtis did and beating yourself up about it isn't helping anyone."

Blake dropped her face in her palms. "I wish I would have walked inside with her."

Dave shook his head, "go back to the hotel. Get some rest."

"Rossi, I'm sorry, I knew John Curtis, I knew him. Maybe there was something there, some clue as to what he was. If I had seen it, maybe none of this would have happened."

Dave ran his hand across his face, he knew it was his writer's imagination coming to play but he couldn't help himself, if there was someone he could punish for this, he would find them. Alex Blake was the only link; the only friend of the madman. "Is it possible that he had an accomplice?"

"No, Dave, Curtis was a loner he hardly spoke unless he was spoken to." Blake's dark hair swished over her shoulders. Guilt ate at her, she was the last person to see Erin alive. " If there was someone else I would know and I swear we would find them. We would take them down and give them the punishment they deserve."

Dave watched Blake carefully, her eyes were rimmed red so he knew she hadn't slept. "Go back to the hotel," he pressed.

She nodded, "Will you be okay here?"

"Where else would I be?" Dave spoke through gritted teeth. "Erin is in there fighting for her life because some asshole decided to try and take her life, rather than be an adult and take responsibility for his actions. I swear on all that I hold holy, if Curtis wasn't dead already, I would feel no remorse about killing him in the slowest and most painful way possible. When I'm not thinking about Erin, my every waking thought is about how I wish he was still alive so I could destroy him with my bare hands." Dave clenched his fists at his sides, a move that Alex had never seen before. The intensity in his eyes put her on edge and sent chills down her spine.

"I get it," She said and laid her hand on his arm. "I wish there was something I could do."

"You can't." He said, through his teeth, "And I can't either. So, get out of here so I can go back in there and hold her hand."

Blake stood up and grabbed her purse, "call if you need anything." She threw her bag over her shoulder and hurried down the hall. As she left, she couldn't help but glance back over her shoulder. An ominous feeling about what the future held for her, made her uneasy and she quickened her step.

Dave hurried back to Erin's room and took his place next to her bed. Her hand felt cold in his, "Hey, Sweetheart. I missed you." He said, his thumb traced across her knuckles.

'Where did you go?' Erin tried to squeeze his hand but her fingers felt too heavy to move.

"I'm sorry I brought your mom...I thought she could help." Dave let his voice trail off, she couldn't hear him anyway. "I feel like I'm talking to the wall." He said and laid her hand back on the bed. He looked at the clock and frowned. He'd been gone over an hour and Erin was still on her back. Where the hell was the nurse? He hit the 'call' light and waited.

"Can I help you?" A bored voice sounded over the intercom.

Well, I hope so..he thought smugly. "Can someone come to turn her?"

He heard shuffling over the intercom. "She was turned an hour ago." The voice responded. "I'll come in an hour."

Dave rolled his eyes, "Yeah, okay."

'I can hear you!' She tried to move, to show him she was listening. 'Come on! I just want to blink. She only needed a tenth of a second to show him she was listening. Please don't stop talking to me.

Dave got up and tucked the blanket around her, suddenly he had an idea. Rossi went over to the little patient bath tub that was sitting on the tray table, rummaging around to see if it contained what he would need. What he found there, left him less than impressed. What the heck was 'Dry Shampoo' anyway? Nope, that would never work. He took his cell phone out and sent J.J. a text. She responded right away, saying she would get everything he requested and be there in about fifteen minutes. While he waited on J.J, Dave decided to gather the rest of the things he would need, to pull off his plan. He gave Erin a quick kiss on the forehead, "I'll be right back." Rossi stepped out to the nurse's station quickly to ask for extra towels.

Dave laid the bundle of towels on the foot of the bed, "I know how you feel about your hair.."

'I'm not vain.'

A sharp knock on the door interrupted Dave's one sided conversation. "Come in," he said, when the door didn't open automatically.

J.J. walked in, carrying a shopping bag. "I brought some stuff that might help."

"It looks like you bought out the whole store," Dave joked and sat the bag in the chair.

J.J. shrugged, "let's get started." She said, pulling out a bottle of shampoo, a hairbrush and new pillows.

Dave went into the bathroom and filled a basin with warm water. Carrying it back into the room, he sat it on the table and turned to J.J. "You don't have to stay…Erin doesn't like it when her hair's dirty." He shook his head, regret filled his tone. "Curtis didn't give her a chance to have that bubble bath.."

'You don't have to do that…Don't blame yourself.'

"I'll stay." J.J. said, digging in her heels. Rossi could use a friend "You might need help and the nurses are pretty busy." J.J. grabbed a towel off the bed and helped Dave lift Erin's shoulders off the pillow. They tucked towels underneath her neck and Dave held the pan of water under her head and poured water on her hair with a cup.

'Mmm…" She relished the way he touched her, his hands were gentle yet firm against her scalp. She could have fallen asleep under his ministrations.

Dave poured a small amount of shampoo in his hand and massaged her scalp. He inhaled the sweet scent, it wasn't the one Erin usually used but it still smelled nice. As Dave worked, J.J. watched the tender, loving way he took his time lathering her hair. If she hadn't already known how he felt about Strauss, this would have sealed the deal for her. The more time he took with the act, the gentler his touch, the greater his love for the woman. As he worked, J.J. assisted him in moving Strauss's head and wiping the shampoo from her forehead ensuring that the shampoo and conditioner didn't get into Erin's eyes. "You'll be okay, Chief Strauss." J.J. said softly. As she wiped the suds from her brow. She didn't know if the other woman could hear her, but it was worth a shot. J.J. held her head up and wrapped a towel around Erin's hair, gently towel drying it, while Rossi took the basin to the bathroom to empty it, rinse it out and refill it with clean water. Once her hair was clean and shiny, Dave plugged in the blow dryer. "Hang on." J.J. said, as she reached in the bag to get some heat protectant, knowing Rossi, being a guy, probably didn't think about the damage heat from blow drying could do to a person's hair, but that's why he had her, to point out the little details. "Lift her head." J.J. instructed so she could put a towel under the comatose woman's head so the hair product wouldn't get on the pillow case. "Hold out your hand." Dave did as he was told and J.J. put a drop of cream in his hand.

"That's it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

J.J. nodded, "A little bit goes a long way. Run it through her hair. I'll braid it once it's dry."

"Thanks, J.J." Dave said, because even unconscious, Erin, would want to look 'presentable.' Together, Dave and J.J. rolled Erin to her side. Dave rolled a pillow in half and put it behind her back to keep her laying on her side. Giving J.J. easier access to the back of Erin's hair.

"Hold her shoulders," Dave instructed and lifted Erin's knee, just high enough to put a pillow between them. By the time they were finished, Erin was repositioned and her hair was clean.

"Ya know," J.J. needled him, "if you ever get tired of the BAU, I think you have a future in nursing."

Dave frowned, "Yeah, well..I waited for the nurses and they never came."

J.J. went around to the other side of the bed, grabbed her stuff and prepared to head home. "If you need anything, give us a call." J.J. said.

"Thanks for coming, J. Henry a kiss from his Uncle Dave."

"I will," she assured him and left the room.

Alone with Erin once again, Dave sat down in the chair next to the bed, took her hand in his and began to tell her about the plans he wanted to make with her, once she woke up. "You might want to wake up sooner rather than later. We have a nursery to paint, no son of mine is sleeping in anything but the best." Dave said he didn't care if the baby was a boy or a girl, but he hoped that Erin would wake up and claim they were having a daughter just to spite him. He knew that she was very contentious no matter what he said, so he was going to do whatever it took, to piss her off enough to wake up and fight with him again.